Friday, June 27, 2008

GH¢60,000 WORTH OF EXPIRED GOODS DESTROYED IN T'DI (PAGE 30)

THE Takoradi Zonal Office of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) destroyed expired goods and unwholesome products worth GH¢60,483 during the first quarter of this year.
A week ago, the office destroyed 1,000 cartons of expired canned drinks and pharmaceuticals.
The board also detected fake Zentel 200mg product on the market and has started the withdrawal of the product from the market.
So far about 489 packets have been withdrawn from the market.
The Zonal Manager of the FDB, Mr George Pentsil, announced this at the heads of departments meeting in Sekondi.
He said through the FDB, iodised salt had now come to stay, explaining that the use of iodised salt corrected iodine deficiency disorders such as goitre and cretinism.
For this reason, he said the board had supplied test kits to all police and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) checkpoints within the Western and Central regions to test all salt being transported to other parts of the country to ensure that they were iodised.
“Non-iodised salts are confiscated and drivers/owners detained and prosecuted in line with the Food and Drug Amendment Act 523, 1996,” he explained.
"There is also weekly monitoring and testing of flour mills to ensure that the flour was incorporated with multi-vitamin premix, which is now a national policy," he added.
He said following series of educational lectures and sensitisation programmes with members of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), the sale of products in vehicles and at various stations had reduced drastically.
Mr Pentsil said the board had set up the Western Regional Food Safety Advisory Committee to enable the various stakeholders to make inputs, share information and develop strategies which would ensure improved food safety in the food supply chain within the region.
Opening the meeting earlier, the Western Regional Minister, Mr A. E. Amoah, urged the heads of departments to begin to think about measures they could put in place to cope with the influx of people into the region as a result of the oil find.
"For instance, there may be an increase in the demand for schools, hospitals, water facilities, power supply, food, among others, as the towns grow,” he added.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

FDB DESTROYS EXPIRED GOODS (PAGE 55)

THE Takoradi Zonal Office of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) destroyed expired goods and unwholesome products worth GH¢60,483 during the first quarter of this year.
A week ago, the office destroyed 1,000 cartons of expired canned drinks and pharmaceuticals.
The board also detected fake Zentel 200mg drugs on the market and has started its withdrawal from the market.
So far about 489 packets have been withdrawn from the market.
The Zonal Manager of the FDB, Mr George Pentsil, announced this at the heads of departments meeting in Sekondi.
He said through the FDB, iodised salt had now come to stay, explaining that the use of iodised salt corrected iodine deficiency disorders such as goitre and cretinism.
For this reason, he said the board had supplied test kits to all police and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) checkpoints within the Western and Central regions to test all salt being transported to other parts of the country to ensure that they were iodised.
“Non-iodised salts are confiscated and drivers/owners detained and prosecuted in line with the Food and Drug Amendment Act 523, 1996,” he explained.
"There is also weekly monitoring and testing of flour mills to ensure that the flour was incorporated with multi-vitamin premix, which is now a national policy," he added.
He said following series of educational lectures and sensitisation programmes for members of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), the sale of products in vehicles and at various stations had reduced drastically.
Mr Pentsil said the board had set up the Western Regional Food Safety Advisory Committee to enable the various stakeholders to make inputs, share information and develop strategies which would ensure improved food safety in the food supply chain within the region.
Opening the meeting earlier, the Western Regional Minister, Mr A. E. Amoah, urged the heads of departments to begin thinking about measures they could put in place to cope with the influx of people into the region as a result of the oil find.
"For instance, there may be an increase in the demand for schools, hospitals, water facilities, power supply, food, among others, as the towns grow,” he said.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

LOVE LIFE LAUNCHED IN TAKORADI (PAGE 29)

The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Project (ALCO) will launch a “Love Life Caravan” in Takoradi at the weekend to reduce people’s vulnerability to the HIV/AIDS disease and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI).
The Love Life Caravan, which has already been launched in Lagos, Nigeria, is expected to pass through five countries namely, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire.
Every stop of the caravan will be marked by mass sensitisation, voluntary counselling and testing for HIV and educational entertainment programmes.
The caravan is also aimed at changing the behaviour of people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS along the corridor.
It will galvanise support from political, religious and traditional leaders, as well as the media, on AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria prevention and also harness support for people living with HIV/AIDS to reduce HIV related stigmatisation and discrimination.
It will in addition encourage and increase local participation in HIV prevention activities.
It is expected that at the end of the campaign 22,900 items on behavioural change and communication materials, such as leaflets, posters, T-shirts, caps and other gadgets would have been distributed to the general public.
Speaking at a press conference as part of activities towards the launch of the 2008 Love Life Caravan, the Executive Director of Life Relief Foundation, Madam Cecilia Blankson Oduro, said 2.1 million condoms were expected to be distributed along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor along the route of the caravan.
She said three million people would be directly sensitised while 100 million would be reached through media activities.
Madam Oduro said 50,000 people would be counselled and tested along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor during the period of the caravan from May 30 to June 22, 2008 while 30,000 people would be diagnosed and treated for opportunistic infections.
According to her 83,000 people would be diagnosed and treated for sexually transmitted infections.

STORM DRAINAGE TO REDUCE FLOODING IN TAKORADI (PAGE 29)

ANNUAL flooding has become the bane of many residents in some of the suburbs of Takoradi.
Every year, these residents suffer serious flooding after long hours of downpour.
Besides, the rains stagnate somewhere with their attendant water-borne diseases, thus exposing the poor nature of the entire drainage system in Takoradi and its environs.
Two consecutive days of long hours of torrential rainfall at the weekend virtually cut off some areas in Takoradi, since many people could not cross flooded areas .
The most affected areas were Essikafoabantem No. 2, Takoradi Central Market (Market Circle), a stretch of the Liberation Road, the PWD Quarters, among others.
This could be attributed to the narrow nature of the drainage system compared with the fast rate at which Takoradi is growing, as well as the absence of a storm drainage system to carry the large volumes of water into the sea after a heavy down pour.
To get rid of this annual ritual of flooding in the city, the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly has started construction of a storm drainage project to improve the drainage system and also to minimise periodic flooding in critical flood-prone areas in the metropolis.
But as a coincidence, the sod-cutting ceremony which was performed last week Friday for work to begin was also followed by a torrential rainfall in the evening, rendering most areas to be flooded again.
The project, being executed by Messrs China Zhong Hao Ghana Limited, a construction firm, is a component of the second Urban Environmental Sanitation Project (UESP11).
It is being funded by the World Bank at the contract sum of over GH¢3.1million, and it is to be executed within 18 months.
The project includes the improvement of 1,800 metres of the Kokompe –Adakope drain, 1,020 metres of the Ashanti Road-Adakope drain, 600 metres of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL)-Maersk drain and the 550 metres of the West Tanokrom main stream drain, including the construction of culverts.
Others are the reinforced concrete lining of 165 metres of the West Tanokrom tributary drain; lining of 500 metres of sections of the Kansaworodo-Effia drain, as well as construction of culverts on the Effia Nkwanta Hospital branch drain.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony, the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, described the project as very important, since it would be a major outlet for water to flow into the sea.
“If we do not do these drains, all our efforts will be in vain,” he said, adding that “this will help the flow of water to stop flooding”.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

SEKONDI-TAKORADI HIT BY WATER CRISIS (PAGE 25)

RESIDENTS in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis are experiencing intermittent water crisis in recent times, even though the rainy season has started in earnest.
Some residents are sometimes seen trekking long distances in search of potable water.
Some of the suburbs which are worst hit are Effia Kuma Newsite, West Anaji, Anaji Mempeasem, Essikafo Ambantam No.1 and other areas.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Acqua Vitens Rand Limited, who was acting for and on behalf of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL ) in the Western and Central regions, attributed the problem to two things - interruptions in power supply and the low levels of raw water flowing from the Pra River into the Daboase headworks and the Anokware River to the Inchaban headworks.
“We have no control over the availability of power and raw water, especially the supply of raw water which depends on nature,” he said.
Mr Ampah said as a result of the dry season, the water level of the two rivers had gone down, and that now that the rains had started, the water levels had started building up.
“The water level has started building up with the commencement of the rainy season,” he said, adding that “the only problem has to do with the interruptions in the power supply”.
“When there is a mere five minutes power cut, it takes at least five hours to restore flow of water,” he emphasised.
Therefore, Mr Ampah said, the impact of those problems on water supply was enormous, and stressed that the GWCL enjoyed excellent co-operation with the management of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
He said the pumping machines depended heavily on electricity to function, and they required more pressure to pump raw water from the rivers.
Mr Ampah further explained that if during the pumping of water there was any interruption in power supply, it would take not less than three hours for pressure to build up to an appreciable level in the main pipes extending water from the two stations at Inchaban and Daboase to Sekondi/Takoradi.
He said the GWCL was having discussions with the management of the ECG, and expressed the hope that power supply would stabilise so that “we can pump water continuously”.
The PRO commended ECG for its assistance, especially during power fluctuations.
He said the GWCL had enough materials and spare parts to undertake any emergency repairs.
Mr Ampah took the opportunity to sincerely apologise to the numerous customers for the inconvenience, and expressed the hope that the situation would return to normalcy.
He expressed regret that people were also stealing the company’s meters and metals covering the water chambers.
He, therefore, called on the people to be vigilant and report those found stealing any item belonging to the GCWL.

OBIRI WORKERS DEMAND SALARY ARREARS (PAGE 24)

WORKERS of Obiri Asare and Sons Company Limited, operators of various kinds of weekly lotteries in Takoradi, have urged management of the company to pay them their 11 months salaries which are in arrears or take legal action against them.
In a letter to the Daily Graphic, the workers, numbering about 400, said they had worked for the company for more than five years.
The letter was signed by eight of the aggrieved workers who claimed anonymity.
“The management, especially the Managing Director (MD), Mr James Kojo Asare, has refused to pay us our salaries since June 2007 up to now,” the workers said.
They also alleged that “if you resign, the MD will not pay your salary and entitlement to you. He will tell you there is no money. He has also not paid our SSNIT contributions for many years”.
According to them, they had taken bank loans with interest, which they were required to service monthly, but because they were denied their salaries, they were unable to do that.
“The MD has intentionally used our salaries to form a new company by name O.J.K. Company, which deals in petroleum products and distributes Guinness to various parts of the Central Region and the whole of the Western Region, they explained against the MD.
They said even though they had approached him personally and pleaded with him to pay them their salaries, he had vehemently refused to fulfil the many promises he had given them.
“We are demanding our salaries and welfare dues with interest, since he has used the money to run this company and open more filling stations in all the regional capitals and even bought 20 new petrol tankers in May 2008,” the workers said.
They said even though the MD had refused to pay them their salaries, they were usually at post, but he only thought of the casual workers who got their salaries at the end of every week.
“In fact, he has treated us like slaves and he is badly starving us and our families, depriving our children of their education. We all owe rents, light and water bills and school fees,” they complained.
All attempts to reach the MD on his cellphone for his side of the story proved futile, since he did not respond to the numerous phone calls.

BANK DONATES COMPUTERS TO EDUCATION DIRECTORATE (PAGE 20)

THE Amenfiman Rural Bank has presented a computer and accessories worth GH¢1,000 to the Aowin Suaman District Directorate of Education at a ceremony at Enchi in the Western Region.
The Chief Manager of the bank, Mr John Kwame Mensah, made the presentation at a ceremony at Enchi.
He said the donation was in response to an appeal the District Director of Education, Mr Johnson Davis Omudie, made to the bank for assistance towards the opening of a computer centre at the Enchi Methodist Junior High School to promote Information Communication Technology (ICT) by the schoolchildren.
Mr Mensah said as education was the key to development, the Board of Directors of the bank did not hesitate in giving approval to the request.
Mr Omudie, who received the gift, expressed gratitude to the bank and urged other organisations where similar requests had been directed to emulate the example of the bank.
He gave the assurance that the computer would be put to good use for the benefit of the children.
Mr Omudie charged the staff of the directorate to take advantage of the centre to become computer literate in line with the changing times.

WR PRINCIPAL AUDITORS ATTEND WORKSHOP (PAGE 20)

TWENTY-FIVE Principal Auditors of the Ghana Audit Service in the Western Region have ended a 10-day advanced financial audit workshop in Takoradi in order to enhance their profession.
The participants were taken through topics such as quality control, understanding the business, understanding the accounting and internal control system, determination of materiality and design audit programme, reform audit procedures, validate financial statements, evaluate results and assess impact as well as the re-denomination of the cedi.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Western Regional Auditor, Mr K.N. Asare, reiterated the commitment of the Auditor-General to selfless devotion to duty and a fulfilment of the mandate of the service.
“We all agree that this workshop has sharpened our skills and will certainly make us rise to the challenges of modern auditing,” he stressed.
Mr Asare noted that the various topics treated and the level of professionalism exhibited by the resource persons, had significantly contributed to the better appreciation of the issues discussed.
“As we go back to our various duty posts, I encourage all of us to make use of the new knowledge acquired and to explore further for the enhancement of our performance,” he added.
Mr Asare also encouraged the auditors to see the workshop as a trainer of trainers’ one so that those who had been privileged to be part of it would serve as ambassadors for spreading and disseminating the knowledge gained.
“Our colleagues, who for a number of reasons were unable to attend the workshop, should be exposed to the knowledge acquired,” he stated, adding “Let us share the knowledge to ensure maximum benefit from this important workshop.”
Mr Asare reminded the participants that the public was looking up to the auditors to help protect the state’s resources for national development and improvement in the lives of the people of Ghana .

ASSEMBLY, MINISTRY SET UP FACTORY FOR WOMEN (PAGE 20)

THE Mpohor Wassa East District Assembly of the Western Region has established a palm oil processing project for a women’s group at Mpohor at a total cost of GH¢9,372.
The mill is to generate income for the beneficiary women as an intervention towards poverty alleviation in the area.
The Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs provided the machines valued GH¢7,000, while the assembly spent GH¢2,372 on the installation and training of the group on how to operate the machines.
The group, known as Victory Palm Oil Makers, has 50 members and was founded last year.
Similar projects have been established at Ateiku, Akotosu, Dominase-Mpeasem, Daboase and Ayiem by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
At the inauguration of the project, the Western Regional Minister, Mr A.E. Amoah, advised the women to use the machines judiciously to enable them to generate enough income to expand the project.
He noted that the effective operation of the machines could attract other projects such as gari and palm kernel oil processing, to the community.
Mr Amoah further urged the women to adopt proper accounting and savings culture.
The District Chief Executive for Mpohor Wassa East, Mr Edward Tawiah Amprofi, stated that the district assembly decided to give the machines to the women, since they were already in the palm oil processing business.
He noted with regret that a similar project installed at Adum-Banso with the assistance of the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP) had been abandoned with no apparent reason.
He, therefore, urged the women not to let the project become a white elephant, but instead use it to generate enough income to improve their living conditions.
Mr Tawiah Amprofi also advised them to ensure the regular maintenance of the machines to help prolong their lifespan.
The Assistant Programme Officer of the Department of Women of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, Ms Mabel N.L. Ahele, said it was the ministry’s intention to ensure the improvement of the lives of women and children in the country.
She said the ministry was assisting women to access micro credit facilities to expand their businesses.
Ms Ahele advised the women to keep records of their activities to know whether they were making profit or running at a loss.
The Paramount Chief of the Mpohor Traditional Area, Osabarima Kwaw Entsie II, urged them to take good care of the machines for the benefit of posterity.
He stressed that if the women used the machines judiciously, they would improve their lives and that of their families.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

2 ARRESTED FOR IMPERSONATION (PAGE 20)

THE Takoradi Central Police have arrested two family members who allegedly impersonated a deceased relation to enable them to claim the survivor’s insurance benefits belonging to a deceased member of the Social Security and National Insurance Scheme (SSNIT).
Christina Blay, a trader and sister of the deceased, Mr John Kwame Blay, with social security number 48131817, was alleged to have posed as the spouse of the deceased, while the mother of the deceased, Sarah Addison, was also arrested for her alleged connivance with Ms Blay to make the claims.
The Takoradi Area Manager of SSNIT, Mr Enoch Acheampong, who briefed the Daily Graphic, said someone hinted the real spouse, Ms Stella Akosua Yeboah, who resided at Kasoa in the Central Region, about what was happening.
He said on hearing the development, Ms Yeboah reported the case to the customer care office at the SSNIT headquarters in Accra.
Mr Acheampong said a team from the SSNIT investigation unit was sent to Kasoa to investigate the case.
The area manager said after interviewing some family members, it was established that Christina Blay was a sister and not the spouse of the deceased.
He said the investigation team led the police to arrest Ms Blay, who resides at Assakae, a suburb of Takoradi, and Madam Addison.
They have since been granted police enquiry bail pending further investigations into the matter.
When contacted, a source at the Takoradi Central Police Station confirmed the arrest of the two persons but said the case was still under investigations.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL DAY OBSERVED AT SHAMA (PAGE 22)

THE Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, Mr Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, has entreated land owners, community groups, non-governmental organisations, religious bodies as well as industries and institutions to reflect on the essential role that the environment plays in their daily lives.
Such a move, he said, would enable them to be actively involved in the protection of the fragile environment.
Mr Adjei-Darko’s address was read on his behalf by his deputy, Alhaji Awudu Yeremiah, at the National World Environment Day celebration at Shama in the Western Region.
He said climate change was negatively affecting almost all sectors of the national economy.
He cited for instance, that currently there was evidence that Guinea, Sudan, the coastal savannah areas and transitional zones and even part of the forest regions of the country had experienced declines in rainfall, resulting in decreases in soil fertility, forests and livestock.
Ultimately, he said, those adverse impacts, if not well managed, would lead to socio-economic instability and unrest, increased rural-urban migration and potential increase in conflicts as a result of limited, arable lands for farming.
The theme for the national celebration was: “Plant a tree; reduce global warming,” while the global theme is: “Kick the habit; towards low carbon economies.”
Mr Adjei-Darko said an increase in floods, dust storms and other extreme weather events would result in damage to settlement and infrastructure and affect human health.
He noted that most of Ghana’s infrastructure, particularly industry and the two important harbours were along the coast, adding “potential sea-level rise, coastal erosion, salt water intrusion as well as flooding will have significant impact on these infrastructure and the coastal communities”.
According to him, climate change and desertification remained inextricably linked through land degradation and precipitation.
Mr Adjei-Darko added that climate change might exacerbate through alteration of spatial and temporal patterns in temperature, rainfall, solar insulation and winds.
He said potential increases in the frequency and severity of drought were likely to exacerbate desertification.
Conversely, he said, desertification aggravated carbon dioxide from cleared and dead vegetation and reduction of the carbon sequestration potential of deserted land.
Mr Adjei-Darko said an individual, organisation, business or a government, could take a number of steps to reduce carbon emissions, adding “this requires commitment through advocacy, energy efficient practices, switching to low carbon energy and offering or buying low carbon products and services”.
In addition, he said, other efforts at combating the menace of climate had been multi-sectoral in approach with the involvement of key government agencies, non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations in Ghana.
Those actions and measures, the minister said, included tree planting, creation of reserved areas, enactment of bye-laws, greater energy efficiency in buildings and appliances including light bulbs, switching to cleaner and renewable forms of electricity generation and transport systems.
“All these actions and measures are dependent on the authority of the traditional authorities,” he said.
The minister added that it was worth noting that under the President’s Special Initiative on Afforestation, the President in 2001, launched the national development programme aimed at planting 20,000 hectares of trees per year.
By 2003, he said, an estimated total area of 35,000 hectares of forest reserves had been planted using the modified Taungya system.
“ It is very important to note that this plantation development programme involved transplanting both indigenous and exotic tree species such as mahogany, teak and eucalyptus, among others,” Mr Adjei-Darko said.
He said critical areas of much attention in the programme, included the middle belt, the south-eastern coastal and northern savannah ecological zones where the threat of vegetation change and desertification were most critical.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr A.E. Amoah, appealed to the Electricity Company of Ghana to intensify its public education on the efficient use of energy.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture, he said, must also intensify its extension work so that farmers would upgrade their knowledge on farming practices that promoted environmental protection.
He said, the Factories Inspectorate Division had to be on top of their job to ensure that industries/factories observed proper environmental protection standards in their operations.
The West Africa Gas Project, Mr Amoah stated, was one of the significant attempts by the government to address green house gas emissions, saying “government will continue to do all within its power to preserve the environment for posterity.”
The UNDP Resident Representative, Mr Daouda Toure, said Ghana had embarked upon a programme to support the government’s national development framework and assess the impact of climatic change on the national economy.
He said historical data from 1996 to 2000 showed a progressive and discernible rise in temperature and a concomitant decrease in rainfall in all agro-ecological zones in the country.
Based on this data, Mr Toure said, it was estimated that temperatures would continue to rise on the average of about 0.6 degrees, 2.0 degrees and 3.9 degrees centigrade by the year 2020, 2050, and 2080 respectively.
“Rainfall is also predicted to decrease on the average by 2.8 per cent, 10.9 per cent and 18.6 per cent by 2020, 2050, and 2080 respectively in a agro-ecological zones,” he said.
The Deputy Executive Director of Environment Protection Agency, Mr D. S. Amlalo, noted that climate change was becoming the defining issue in this era.
He added “it is, therefore, important for countries, companies and communities to acknowledge this fact and focus on reducing green house gas emissions.”
Mr Toure said forests played an important role in counteracting the impact of green house gases, and that an estimated 20 per cent of emissions contributing to climate change were the result of deforestation.
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Environment, Science and Technology, Mr Kwame Owusu Frimpong, urged Ghanaians to ensure the sustainability of the environment.

DANGER...Stay off he oil rig, fishermen warned (LEAD STORY)

COMPANIES currently engaged in oil exploration off the coast of Cape Three Points are to begin testing oil wells this weekend to enable the experts to confirm the grade of the discovery.
The test of the find, which has been described as the largest discovery in deep water West Africa and potentially the largest single field discovery in the region, would be undertaken by Kosmos Energy and its partners in collaboration with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
The testing will involve allowing the oil to flow to the surface for some measurements to be taken.
As a result, the companies have warned that this activity could be very dangerous to life since there would be flaring of a lot of gas at this stage.
This was made known at a stakeholders meeting in Sekondi yesterday, during which the companies took the opportunity to warn fishermen who conducted their fishing activities near the oil rig of the dangers they would face, if they went near the rig during the exercise.
And to give weight to the caution of the experts, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have warned fishermen to desist from operating within three nautical miles of the drilling rig because that could put their lives in danger.
“This operation is dangerous as it would involve intense fire, fuel, oil, smoke, fumes etc. to destabilise the mass of sea water in the discovery area,” a statement issued by the GAF and signed by the Director of Public Relations, Colonel E. W. K. Nibo, said.
It warned that during the testing there could be explosions that may cause a major disaster involving the loss of lives.
It further added that “any group of fishermen who ignore this final warning does so at great risk to their lives and if arrested would face prosecution”.
According to the statement, although the GNPC organised two stakeholders’ meetings with the Western Naval Command, the Ministry of Fisheries, the Chief Fisherman and fishermen from the Western Region to discuss the disruptive effects of fishing around the drilling rig, some fishermen continued to interfere with the exploration activities.
“As of Friday, May 23, 2008, the fishermen were still tying their canoes to the anchor lines of the drilling vessel. The Navy in their recent patrol have also retrieved fishing gear around the rig,” the statement said.
It said that was an indication that the fishermen continued to interfere with petroleum exploration activities around Cape Three Points.
At today’s meeting, the Lead Geophysicist of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Mr Richard Addo Darko said the fishermen were still going near the oil rig inspite of the continuous education that tying the ropes of their canoes to the anchor of the oil rig was very dangerous.
According to Mr Darko, most of these fishermen were believed to have come from Dixcove, Axim, Sekondi and Shama.
“We have also sighted other canoes from the coastal towns of Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire ”, he said.
He said the GNPC had been doing community education from Half Assini to all the coastal towns but some of the fishermen were still recalcitrant.
The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwasi Blay reiterated the urgent need for the fishermen to stay out of where the oil rig had been located since their activities were hampering the operations of the companies.
He urged the district assemblies along the cost to replicate the stakeholders meeting at the local level to help curb the activities of the fishermen near the rig.
The Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command, Commodore Frank Daley, noted that the fishermen were showing gross indiscipline by going near the oil rig after several warnings.
He therefore suggested that a definite action should be taken to stop them from fishing near the rig.
The Chairman of the Sekondi branch of the Ghana Inshore Fishermen Association, Mr Francis K Eshun, said members of the association had been advised not to go near th rig and that anyone who flouted this advice would be fined $1000.
He, therefore, called on the authorities to punish all fishermen who would go near the rig.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

COMMITTEE TO PROMOTE DOMESTIC TOURISM IN WR (PAGE 20)

THE Western Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) has established a West Coast Tourism Destination Steering Committee with the primary responsibility of providing strategic directions for, and co-ordinating the sustainable development of the west coast as an integrated tourism destination in the Western Region.
The 10-member committee headed by the Regional Economic Planning Officer, comprises representatives of the Ghana Tourist Board, the Wildlife Division, the Wildlife Society of Ghana, Ricercae Co-operasione and the private sector.
The committee is to vigorously promote domestic tourism by encouraging people in the region to appreciate and preserve their national heritage and create wealth in the communities.
The committee is also to develop a common vision for the development of tourism in the West Coast Tourism Destination Management Area (TDMA) and to design strategies and interventions for the implementation of this vision.
Again, the committee is to co-ordinate the activities of all stakeholders during implementation and monitor the progress as well as assess the impact of tourism development on the well-being of all stakeholders in the destination area.
Furthermore, the committee is to update all relevant stakeholders with information on the above aspects of the West Coast Tourism Destination Management Programme on regular basis.
Speaking at the first meeting of the steering committee of the Core Group of the TDMA in Sekondi, the Western Regional Minister, Mr A.E. Amoah, said that was the first time the steering committee had been mandated by an international organisation, the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), to promote tourism development in the region.
He said the management of tourism destinations in Ghana was an issue that was attracting the attention of many stakeholders, both internationally and locally.
“The Western Region has numerous tourist sites that can be harnessed to provide jobs for the host communities in particular and earn foreign exchange for the region in general,” Mr Amoah said.
“These attractions range from beaches and other pleasure resources, forts, forest reserves and an eco-tourism site, among others,” he added.
The regional minister said the region had some of the vast eco-tourism attraction sites in the country and cited the Bia Resource Reserve, Nini-Suhyien National Park, Ankasa Resource Reserve and the Egyambra Crocodile Sanctuary.
Those sites, he said, were not well developed yet they contributed greatly to the development of tourism in the country.
According to Mr Amoah, some of these sites had ancillary facilities such as guest houses, and hotels where visitors could sleep and feel at home.
Mr Amoah, however, stated that the main problem was how to effectively manage them to ensure the comfort and satisfaction of visitors.
He pointed out that the problem was not peculiar to the Western Region but prevailed in all tourist destinations across the country.
“As a result, destination management is a subject of growing importance in recent times as tourism is becoming one of the lucrative sources of foreign exchange for the country,” Mr Amoah said.
He stated that the delivery of such exceptional services, experience and values largely depended on the effective collaboration of various stakeholders in the tourism sector.
“It is an undeniable fact that the role of the Ghana Tourist Board is far broader than just management of destinations,” he said.
Mr Amoah said the time had come for the Western Region to ensure proper development of the vast tourist destinations in order to provide jobs for people and also earn foreign exchange to propel the development of the region.
He said the role of the Core Group was, therefore, enormous since members were required to initiate and co-ordinate destination management activities within the framework of a coherent strategy.
Mr Amoah stressed that there was the need to educate the host communities to enable them to better appreciate the benefits of those destinations to ensure their sustenance.
Traditional authorities, he said, should be deeply involved in the activities of the Core Group TDMA in order to obtain their support for whatever plans or programmes the group would come out with.
The Deputy Western Regional Economic Planning Officer, Mr Mahama A. Abu, said the RCC in collaboration with Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) had identified the numerous tourist attractions in the region.
He said the good thing was that the region had the best tourist attraction sites in the country which included beaches, forts and rain forests.
He said some rocks and beaches were naturally designed tourist sites and these were not found in other regions.

FISHING RESUMES CLOSE TO OIL RIG (BACK PAGE)

THE warnings and public education to fishermen not to fish near the oil rig at Cape Three Points has not yielded any positive results.
Some of the fishermen are still tying the ropes of their fishing boats and canoes to the anchor of the oil rig.
This has necessitated an emergency stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the problem and find ways to resolve the issue because the operators of the oil rig have reached an advanced stage of testing the wells, something that could pose great threat to life and property of any fisherman who goes near the oil rig.
Representatives of the Western Regional Co-ordinating Council, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), the Ghana Navy, Tullow Ghana, the Ministry of Fisheries and fishermen from Sekondi were expected to address concerns pertaining to the danger posed to the operations of the oil rig by the fishermen.
The Lead Geophysicist of the GNPC, Mr Richard Addo Darko, told the Daily Graphic before the meeting in Sekondi, that the stage the company had reached in its operations was very risky to the fishermen.
Showing pictures on the latest development to this reporter, Mr Darko said some fishing boats and canoes sighted near the rig recently bore the inscriptions Jesus is my helper, Great Messiah, Omo Omo, and El- Shaddai.
Mr Darko alleged that one of the fishing boats, El-Shaddai, seemed to be the most notorious, since it was always sighted near the oil rig.
According to Mr Darko, most of these fishermen were believed to have come from Dixcove, Axim, Sekondi and Shama.
Mr Darko said the GNPC had been organising community education from Half Assini to all the other coastal towns but some of the fishermen were still recalcitrant.
The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwasi Blay, reiterated the need for the fishermen to stay out of where the oil rig had been located, since their activities were hampering its smooth operations.
The Flag Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command, Commodore Frank Daley, noted that the fishermen were showing gross indiscipline by going near the oil rig after several warnings.
The Chairman of the Sekondi branch of the Ghana Inshore Fishermen Association, Mr Francis K. Eshun, said members of the association had been advised not to go near the oil rig and that anyone who flouted this advice would be fined $1000.
A representative of Tullow Ghana, Mr Oliver Mccredie, said the company operated in an industry where “safety is our priority, no doubt about”.
The Western Regional Director of Fisheries, Mr Alexander Addo, said even though education was not going down well with the people, there was still the need to constantly educate the fishermen on the implications of their activities near the oil rig.
Three companies are currently engaged in oil exploration and production in what is now called Jubilee Field. They are Kosmos Energy, Tullow and Anadgo.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

85 COMMUNITIES IN WR TO GET ELECTRICITY (PAGE 23)

EIGHTY-FIVE rural communities in the Western Region are to be connected to the national grid.
The programme starts this year and will benefit five communities each in the 17 metropolises, municipalities and districts in the region.
The Regional Minister, Mr A. E. Amoah, announced this at the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) meeting in Sekondi.
He said with the oil find in the region, the various communities in the region would get more infrastructural development.
Mr Amoah stated that one greatest blessing God had bestowed on the country and the Western Region in particular was the oil find.
He said information released by Kosmos Energy indicated that “the oil field is the largest discovery in deep water in West Africa and potentially the largest single field in the region”.
Mr Amoah urged members of the council to educate the public to ensure that chiefs and other landowners were circumspect in the release of lands.
“They should resist the temptation of giving out land without due diligence. More so, when such sales deprive posterity of land for other development activities,” he stressed.
Mr Amoah said some parts of the region witnessed series of security threats emanating from chieftaincy disputes and activities of illegal gold operators.
He, however, stated that as a result of the vigilance of the security agencies and the District Security Committees (DISEC) of the affected areas, those volatile situations were brought under control.
He expressed profound appreciation to members of the RCC for assisting the council to carry out its programmes in a peaceful manner.
Mr Amoah told the newly appointed District Chief Executives (DCEs) to be conscious of the sensitive positions in which they found themselves.
“Much as you represent the President in the districts, you are also accountable to the local people, and on no account must you take them for granted,” he emphasised.
Mr Amoah appealed to them to serve the people with humility .
“Co-operate with the District Co-ordinating Directors and win their confidence so that you can work as a team,” he further advised them.
The regional minister urged the Presiding Members of the various district assemblies to see the DCEs as partners in development.
In another development three newly appointed DCEs in the Western Region have been sworn in as members of the RCC, while their respective Presiding Members have also been sworn in.
The DCEs, who were sworn in by the Supervising High Court Judge for the region, Mr Justice Robin Batu, were Mr Yaw Atta-Boamah, Sefwi Wiawso; and the Presiding Member, Mr Godfred Kwabena Adjei.
The rest were the DCE for Ellembelle, Mr Saeed Abdul Rahman Yankey, and the Presiding Member, Mr Edward Arthur; and the DCE for Shama, Mr Joseph Amoah, and the Presiding Member, Mr Joseph Anokwafo Arthur.

1,9881.55 KILOMETRES OF ROADS UNDER CONSTRUCTION ...In Western Region (PAGE 22)

THE government is undertaking road works on a total of 1,981.55 kilometres of roads in the Western Region at a cost of GH¢30,222,193.38.
The projects, which are being executed by 126 road contractors, include surfacing, rehabilitation, spot improvement and routine maintenance.
Some of the projects are the surfacing of 15.65 kilometres of town roads at a cost of GH¢3,828,209.49, the surfacing of 66.55 kilometres of mainstream feeder roads at a cost of GH¢9,229,903.58 and the rehabilitation of 130.6 kilometres of roads at a cost of GH¢2,980,122.50.
Others are spot improvement of 341.75 kilometres of roads at a cost of GH¢13,111,479.81 and the routine maintenance of 1,427.00 kilometres of roads at a cost of GH¢ 1,072,478.
The rest of the projects are the Cocoa Roads Improvement Programme (CRIP), which covers 148.1 kilometres of roads being executed at a cost of GH¢32,359,134.65.
Out of the figure, 33.7 kilometres of the roads are being surfaced at a cost of GH¢5,228,750.27, while 144.4 kilometres would soon be awarded at a cost of GH¢27,140,384.38.
The Western Regional Feeder Roads Engineer, Mr Peter Kwesi Yawson, announced this when briefing the Western Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) on the activities of the department, at a meeting in Sekondi.
He said 32 bridges and 16 box culverts had been completed at a total cost of ¢6,188,996, while constructional work on seven other bridges and one box culvert was ongoing at a cost of GH¢1,063,312.00.
According to Mr Yawson, nine other bridges being jointly funded by the government and the Dutch government at a cost of GH¢2,060,0 00 were progressing steadily.
He explained that the Western Region had a total feeder road network of 5,467.10 kilometres.
The feeder roads engineer stated that engineeing work on a total of 3,204.10 kilometres of the roads, representing 58.6 per cent had been completed while that of 726.7 kilometres, representing 13.3 per cent, was partially completed, adding that nothing had been done on 1,536.3 kilometres or 28.1 per cent of the roads.
Mr Yawson said so far 122.2 kilometres of feeder roads in the region had been tarred.

CITIZEN CHARTER COMMITTEE SET UP (PAGE 22)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Sekondi

THE Western Regional Secretariat of the Lands Commission has set up a 10-member citizens charter committee to oversee the implementation of the New Citizen Charter of the Lands Commission.
The committee has a Principal State Attorney, Mr S.K. Kumatia, as its chairman. The other members of the committee are Mrs Ruth Appiah, a lands officer; Mr Christopher A. Atanga, the Assistant Lands Officer; Mr Alex K. Antoah, Chief Technical Officer; Ms Sarah Alhassan, Senior Accountant; and Ms Vida Keh, a Senior Executive Officer, all of the different departments of the Western Region Lands Commission.
The rest are Ms Rose Serebour, a stenographer secretary; Mr Matthew Botchwey, a higher executive director; Mr Augustine Boateng, a higher revenue officer; and Mr A.K. Ofosu-Djan, Assistant Lands Officer.
Speaking at the inauguration of the committee and signing of the charter in Sekondi, the Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Alhaji I. H. Baryeh, noted that the ceremony looked small but very big in content.
“It is a very big innovation brought into the system to ensure that the public service deliver in a timeous manner,” he said.
Alhaji Baryeh explained that the charter was basically a brief public document that provided essential information on the services or functions of an institution and the manner in which such services could be accessed efficiently and promptly.
“The underlying assumption of the charter is that once people have knowledge about what was expected from an institution, they would be able to hold them accountable for fair, prompt, efficient and courteous service,” he stated.
Alhaji Baryeh recalled that on October 24, 2007, President J.A. John Agyekum Kufuor inaugurated the Citizens Charter for the land sector agencies.
Those land agencies, he said, were the Lands Commission, the Land Title Registry, the Land Valuation Board, the Survey Department, the Town and Country Planning Department and the Administrator of Stool Lands.
Mr Baryeh said the inauguration was given a further boost by a presidential order, that charter units should be established in all government departments and ministries by December 31, 2007.
He emphasised that the inauguration of the Citizens Charter for the entire land sector agencies on the premises of the Lands Commission by President Kufuor, placed on the commission the responsibility to deliver excellence and efficient service.
“It is in the light of this gesture from the President, that the management of the Lands Commission has decided that regional charter committees should be set up this year; and monitoring of these committees be carried out in ensuing years to ascertain the impact the committees will have on the general service delivery of the commission,” he added.
The executive secretary said the charter standards would serve as performance appraisal guide for officers of the commission.
“Members of this committee are, therefore, expected to perform their duties conscientiously to meet the tenets set out in the charter,” he said.
The National Chairman of the Lands Commission, Mr Eustace Nee-Armah Kumi-Bruce, who swore in members of the committee, said the committee would propel the Lands Commission forward to be friendly, proactive and service oriented.
The Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, noted that the inauguration of the charter committee would enhance efficiency in public service delivery.
He said the setting up of the committee by the commission showed an institution that was ready to deliver, adding that “we all have duties to perform to make the initiative work”.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr S. K. Kumatia, called for a change of attitude and mentality towards duty to help improve on service delivery.
He also urged staff of the committee to improve on their relationship with the public/clients to enable them to achieve their target and justify the establishment of the committee.