Friday, February 27, 2009

GOVT APPOINTEES OF STMA SWORN-IN (PAGE 13)

SEVENTEEN out of the 20 government appointees of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) have been sworn in.
A Magistrate of the Sekondi Court One, His Worship, Kwame Polly, swore them at an extra ordinary meeting of the assembly in Sekondi.
The three remaining appointees who did not turn up for the ceremony would be sworn in at the assembly’s next meeting.
However, the 64-member assembly could not elect its presiding member as required by law, as a result of a wireless message sent to the assembly by the ministry of local government and rural development with the directive that the election of presiding members by the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies should be suspended until further notice.
As a result of this directive, the assembly could not do any other business, since without a presiding member, the assembly could not continue with any business as demanded by the standing orders of the assembly.
Speaking before the swearing-in, the STMA Coordinating Director, Mr Clement Dandori, told the new members of the assembly that the house over the years had worked together as a family dedicated to the overriding objective of doing what was good for the people of the metropolis.
He therefore urged them to be mindful of the constitutional provision that barred the assemblies from turning themselves into partisan political entities.
He acknowledged the honour done the people of Sekondi-Takoradi by the President in his State of the Nation address for their remarkable work at the recent clean-up exercise.
Mr Dandori reassured the government that the people of Sekondi-Takoradi as represented by their elected members in the assembly, were firmly committed to helping to successfully deliver on the manifesto of his party to improve the living standards of the people,
“Members will acknowledge the fact that the clean-up exercise brought to light the enormity of the sanitation problems in our environment. Even as I address you, there are a few areas that the waste management department and its collaborators, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, are yet to clean up heaps of refuse,” he said.
He noted that as an emerging oil city in Africa, Sekondi-Takoradi would need to do more to improve upon its sanitation to make the city investor friendly to open up job avenues for the youth.
“In this regard, while waiting eagerly for the appointment and election of the metropolitan chief executive and the presiding member, l wish to urge all sub-metro, district councils to immediately get to work and draw up strategic plans for cleaning their electoral areas and sustaining the exercise,” he urged them.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

IRS ORGANISES INTEGRATED SOFTWARE SEMINAR (PAGE 44)

THE Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is in the process of developing an integrated software that will enable it to capture data on taxpayers in electronic format.
According to the IRS, the facility would ensure a swift flow of information using Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN) among all its district offices in phases.
The Commissioner of the IRS, Major D.S. Ablorh-Quarcoo (retd), who announced this at the opening ceremony of a management seminar in Takoradi, gave the assurance that there would be 100 per cent automation of the system by next year.
The theme for the seminar was, “Modernising business processes for higher productivity in tax administration”.
He said tax administration the world over was going through changes, with most institutions taking advantage of modern technology, and that Ghana could not be an exception.
He announced that the IRS improved on its 2007 revenue by 35.62 per cent in 2008.
The total revenue collected, he said, was GH¢1,234 million, as against a target of GH¢1,122 million.
In 2007, the service collected GH¢910 million as revenue, as against a target of GH¢887 million, representing a growth of 26.54 per cent.
The revenue target for this year is GH¢1,512 million.
Major Ablorh-Quarcoo explained that the generally good performance last year could be attributed to the responsiveness of staff to calls from management for attitudinal change and the partial computerisation in some district offices.
He said it could also be attributed to the integration of the one per cent withholding tax on commercial importers into the GCNet collection system managed through the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) at the entry points, as well as improvement in operations as a result of the functions of the reformed Quality Assurance and Compliance Division, formerly the Tax Examination Division.
Major Ablorh-Quarcoo said airport tax had been a major headache for the service as it struggled to get the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and later the Ghana Airports Company to pay taxes they had collected on behalf of the service.
He said negotiations went on for a long time until February 2008 when an agreement was reached between the IRS and the board of airline representatives in Ghana on a new system of payment.
The commissioner explained that the strategies for achieving this year’s target included the building of reliable data for the district offices to determine the true potential of each district and also prepare the offices for computerisation.
He said they also included improving business processes and procedures, as well as exhorting staff to continue to adopt a more positive attitude to work and expanding its dealings further into the informal sector, particularly with vehicle income tax (VIT) and tax stamp, as well as rent income tax.
Major Ablorh-Quarcoo added that the service would enhance its capacity to enforce the tax laws and promote compliance among the tax paying public and embark on a programme of consistent tax education and promotion of a new culture of voluntary compliance among all segments of the Ghanaian society.
The Executive Director of AA&K Consulting, Mr David Adom, noted that administrators in the public sector struggled to keep pace with the rate of technological change.
Consequently, business processes in the public service tended to lag behind those of the multinationals.
Mr Adom emphasised that in order to meet taxpayers’ aspirations, the IRS should endeavour to keep abreast of changing times by modernising its business processes and addressing the challenges of taxpayers in meeting their tax obligations.
The assessment and collection of taxes, he said, should be efficient and effective and, above all, be very convenient to taxpayers.
“Efficiency and effectiveness in revenue generation can be achieved by improving and modernising business processes in the IRS and other revenue agencies. However, improvement in business processes alone cannot bring the desired results,” he said.
Of equal importance, Mr Adom said, was staff motivation, as well as improvement in staff welfare, adequate logistics, staff skills development, improved customer relations, marketing strategies and adequate and timely funding of projects.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

LOND QUEUES AT PREPAID VENDING POINTS (PAGE 29)

RESIDENTS of Takoradi expressed apprehension over the introduction of the prepaid power metering system in the city by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Some of them went to the extent of going on demonstration to register their protest against the new system.
Not that they did not want a change, but the fear was that there would be a time when people would find it difficult to get electricity in their homes.
Those who harbour such fears seem to be vindicated, as long queues are forming at some of the selling points of the prepaid power in Takoradi.
When the Daily Graphic visited some of the vending stations at the Regional Office of the ECG and another one at Essikafoambantem Number One, a suburb of Takoradi, there were long queues, with people waiting to be served.
Now that more residential areas are being connected to the prepaid power system, the company will have to create more vending stations to help avert this problem.
If people find it difficult to access the prepaid power system, then the aim for the introduction of the system is likely to be defeated, as people will insist on the old billing system.
A source close to the Western Regional Office of the ECG said the company would soon open more vending stations to curb the problem.

TRAFFIC JAM IN TAKORADI WORSENS (PAGE 29)

traffic jam had, in the past, been associated with big cities such as Accra and Kumasi, but Takoradi is gradually joining the bandwagon.
Even though Takoradi is a co-city with Sekondi, the former did not experience traffic jam over the years until recently and it keeps on growing year after a year.
For the past one or two years, Takoradi has been experiencing this problem at some popular road intersections, particularly where traffic lights are not functioning and at some of the roundabouts.
One should not forget that most of the traffic lights in Takoradi have ceased functioning for over two years now.
Also, the construction of roundabouts and the provision of traffic lights cannot be said to be a more effective way of controlling traffic flow in the cities with heavy vehicular movement.
It is for this reason that modern road interchange and flyovers have been constructed or are being constructed in Accra and Kumasi to ease traffic jams in these cities.
Takoradi should be considered in the construction of these interchange and flyovers to contain the constant increase in vehicular traffic.
The most affected areas are the road from the Kwame Nkrumah Roundabout to the traffic lights at Tanokrom, which is popularly called Pipe Ano, and beyond to Effia Kuma on the main Takoradi-Cape Coast–Accra highway.
Others are the road from the Paa Grant Circle to the Takoradi Polytechnic traffic lights on the Takoradi-Sekondi road.
Most often, the congestion occurs during the rush hours of the mornings and evenings.
A serious traffic jam should be expected in Takoradi in the foreseeable future, as a result of the oil find in the Western Region, which is said to be in commercial quantities, if nothing is done immediately to avert this problem.
With the oil find and the expectant establishment of oil refineries, as well as the opening of other oil-related businesses, in the Western Region and Takoradi in particular, the volume of traffic is expected to increase tremendously, as more vehicles will be using the roads in Takoradi, even if Takoradi is not the final destination but a transit point.
Also, the Takoradi Port, which is being expanded, will handle most of the equipment and vehicles, as well as other logistics, meant for the oil industry in the Western Region, which is expected to be pumping crude oil in the year 2010.
What one is trying to predict is that Takoradi is growing at a fast pace and that some of the characteristics associated with the big cities, particularly traffic jams, have started rearing their ugly heads. Consequently, Takoradi may need interchanges or flyovers to contain the situation.
The Urban Roads Engineer of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Mr John Ofori Ankomah, told the Daily Graphic that it was true that Takoradi might need an interchange or flyovers to help reduce the emerging heavy traffic jam in the city.
He said the Department of Urban Roads of the assembly had considered that option and it had already started improving some of the road intersections in the city, including those at the Paa Grant Roundabout and Tanokrom, to help reduce congestion in those areas.
Mr Ankomah noted that apart from the increasing volume of vehicles in Takoradi, there would also be long vehicles which would be conveying heavy equipment to the oil refineries which were expected to be constructed in the region.
The Chief Executive Officer of Numat Pharmacy Limited, Mr Kwesi Nunoo, did not mince words when his opinion was sought on this issue.
“It is not that traffic jam is coming; it has come to Takoradi,” he said.
He corroborated the suggestion for the construction of an interchange or flyovers at some of the intersections in Takoradi to help ease traffic jams in the city.
Mr Nunoo said for now faulty traffic lights needed to be repaired, as they caused more accidents at the intersections.
“The construction of an interchange or flyovers will go a long way to reduce traffic jams in Takoradi,” he said.
According to him, with the oil find in the Western Region, there would be an influx of all sorts of vehicles to the region, particularly to Sekondi/Takoradi.

PRIVATE SECTOR NEEDS SUPPORT FOR GROWTH (PAGE 29)

The Chief Director of the Western Regional Coordinating Council, Mr David Yaro, has stressed the need to give the private sector the needed support to perform its role of reducing poverty.
He said that was necessary for the attainment of the government’s blue print for the country’s development, which was spelt out in its manifesto.
He said the blue print was based on four pillars, which were transparent and accountable governance, investing in people, expanded infrastructure for growth as well as strong economy for real jobs.
He noted that the ultimate objective of the government was the improvement of the living conditions of its people by providing them with the basic needs such as food and shelter.
Mr Yaro was speaking at the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI)- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Agenda 2008 Regional Validation Workshop in the Western Region, Takoradi.
The fact-based agenda will identify priorities and present a plan of action for a better business environment, unleashing the full potential of small companies in all the regions in the country.
Wherever they existed, Mr Yaro noted that small-and medium-scale enterprises helped to create jobs and contributed to the growth of the economy, adding, “It is therefore imperative that if the economy should grow at an accelerated rate, SMEs would have to play a big role in that”.
He said most of the poor could be found in the rural areas, and that there was the need to promote the development of small-and-medium enterprises, which were operated mostly by rural small-scale artisans and peasant farmers.
“Much as the SMEs are important and are appreciated, we know that all is not well with most of these small companies. Some of them are struggling to survive, whilst those that are managing quite well, face a lot of competition that threaten their ability to continue to progress”, he noted.
Mr Yaro also noted that whilst some of the difficulties that small companies faced had to do with the unfavourably business environment, others had to do with the style of management and the management practices that some of these companies adopted.
“Some do not handle issues in a professional manner, either because they did not know the right thing to do or they simply wanted to cut corners in order to have undue advantage”, he added.
He said these and other factors accounted for SMEs not being able to make the breakthrough that was needed to make them contribute more effectively to national economy.
Mr Yaro said whatever they did or failed to do, could go a long way to affect the economic fortunes of the country and, therefore, appealed to the participants to take the deliberations seriously and make constructive contributions.
The Executive Director of the Association of Ghana Industries, Mr Cletus Kosiba said about 75 per cent of its membership were SMEs, and that the challenge had been the growth and development of these enterprises to become big and multinational.
He said through the AGI-SME Agenda 2008, a well-developed strategy and policies would be presented to all stakeholders, including the government, financial institutions and agencies, “so that together we can chart a new course so that within the next decade, we can see a change in our industrial landscape”.
Mr Kosiba stressed that SMEs were the backbone of every country’s economy, since they created jobs and contributed to wealth creation.
“We really need to do something serious about our SMEs. We have started a process which is an opportunity for us to critically look at the challenges, so that the strategy and policies we develop could be sold to banks and shareholders to finance the activities of the SMEs for them to grow, and together we can grow the economy”, he emphasised.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

DOWNSIZING OF MINISTERS: ANY BENEFITS? (MIRROR, PAGE 31)

MR KWESI NUNOO, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NUMAT
PHARMACY LIMITED

In the first place we have two sides of the issue. One, it is good to reduce the number of the government ministries, since it will help reduce government expenditure.
But this will likely lead to misplacement of skills and technical know-how when people are sent from one ministry to another.
They do not want us to talk about unemployment, which the reduction of ministries will create, but by all means there would be unemployment as people are likely to resign or leave their reassigned ministries due to lack of job satisfaction.
When unemployment sets in the country’s tax regime will suffer and this is likely to affect effective governance.
The second side, as they rightly said, is that when the number of the government ministries are reduced it will help reduce government expenditure.
But if two or three ministries are merged, and staff are reassigned to other ministries then you are back to square one, since you are going to pay the same salaries to the same number of workers at the end of the month.
On both sides, I will say that at the end of it all the reduction of the ministries will have no meaningful effect because the government will have to provide additional human and other resources to make the ministries run effectively no matter the level at which the ministries are downsized.

MR A.M.B. IBN HASSAN, PRESIDENT,
FEDERATION
OF YOUTH
ASSOCIATIONS OF GHANA
As far as I am concerned it is a laudable idea, since the intention is to reduce overspending by the government.
Reducing the number per se is not what matters, but how it would improve the national economy.
I have seen that reducing the number of ministries means that a lot of efforts need to be put in to ensure efficient output, i.e. the human resource needs to be strengthened and the ministries have to be well resourced to meet the challenges ahead.
I have seen that those ministries that have been removed either used to be part of previous ministries or new ones that were created by the previous regime and which did not have any direct bearing on the economy.
For instance, the Ministry of Fisheries was part of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
So in my opinion the government should appoint a deputy minister in charge of fisheries.
The downsizing of the numbers of the ministries may not have any significant effect if it does not reflect in the reduction of government expenditure.
Also, the reduction can promote good governance only if the existing ones are well resourced in terms of logistics and human resource.

MR KWAKU ADJEI SARFO, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE
OFFICER, GOLDEN GATE SER VICES

Economically, it is good to downsize the number of ministries, but it will work effectively if real policy guidelines are put in place as a blueprint for successive governments to follow.
Concerning the removal of the Ministry of Fisheries, it was established to pay particular attention to that sector, since until then the attention was not there as expected.
If there was a real policy guideline for the ministry when it was established, that policy guideline could be given to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to see to it that the guidelines are faithfully followed with the merging of the two ministries.
The same thing can be done to the other ministries that have been merged such as the Aviation Ministry and others.
We have to look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis of the ministries and their effect on good governance.
This will enable the government to resource those ministries that have been merged, since their activities are going to be enormous.
MS ISABELLA
PLAYMAN, ASSISTANT WESTERN REGIONAL CO-ORDINATOR, SAINT JOHN AMBULANCE

If they are left as they are things will move faster.
The mere decrease in numbers will not auger well for the country, and I think it will not promote good governance in the country.
The reduction of the ministries is not necessary, since during the previous regime the ministries were provided with the required resources to work effectively so the present government should do the same.
For instance, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government created the Ministry of Fisheries to give more attention to that sector, since until then there was not much attention given to fisheries.
Now that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has assumed power, it should have maintained the ministry and improved on the activities of the fishermen and fishmongers.
Downsizing the ministries will not necessary reduce cost, since the staff will be reassigned to other ministries and will need more resources and also paid their monthly salaries.

MR KOFI NYAMEKYE ARTHUR, WESTERN REGIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE GHANA BAR ASSOCIATION (GBA)

I want to believe that before any government appoints ministers there are countless factors that are considered.
One, the demography of the country, such as the population density.
Two, the government will have to ask itself whether the ministry is important or there is the need for it.
Three, the government will even have to consider the size of the country because there are huge countries with small population, example is Namibia which is a huge country with small population.
These and other factors influence the appointment of ministers.
So let us come to Ghana and apply the same considerations to our own situation.
Currently, we are not even sure of our population, which is approximately 22 million, and we do not have to forget that running a government is an expensive business.
Now, look at a population of 22 million and compare it to the size of Ghana; we need a reasonably small ministerial appointments.
One, we don’t have adequate resources to effectively run numerous ministries and our tax system is also very bad.
Seriously, we are not in control of our own resources so our monetary returns to the country is such that we can’t maintain a lot of ministries, we are only 22 million.
In the United Kingdom they have less than 23 ministries with a population of about 57 million. We have to seriously learn from more experienced, well-resourced and well-governed nations and stop the situation where ministries are created just to reward party faithful and in the end you find out that there are duplications of existing ministries.
Yes, l agree that the government should reduce the number of ministries; l am also disappointed because the government must have reduced the number of ministries to about 17.
Good governance has nothing to do with the number of government ministries.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

CRIMINAL CASES INCREASE IN WESTERN REGION (PAGE 36)

THE Western Regional Police Command recorded a total of 19,380 general criminal cases in 2008 as against 16,167 cases it recorded in 2007.
This shows an increase of 3,213 cases.
However, there has been a decrease in serious cases from 551 in 2007 to 524 in 2008, showing a reduction by 27 cases, while minor cases on the other hand increased from 15,616 in 2007 to18,854 cases in 2008.
Among the minor cases were petty stealing, assault, causing unlawful damage and inducing tenants to quit.
According to the Western Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent V.S. Agbetornyo, a total of 54 murder cases were recorded in 2008 throughout the region, while 49 cases were recorded in 2007.
He said seven attempted murder cases were reported in 2008, while 10 cases were reported in 2007.
Also, he said 22 robbery cases were recorded in 2008 and 18 cases in 2007, while 112 narcotic cases were recorded in 2008 with 88 narcotics cases recorded in 2007.
Supt. Agbetornyo said 49 rape cases were reported in 2008, while 67 of such cases were reported in 2007.
Also, he said 230 were recorded in 2008, while 263 defilement cases were recorded in 2007, and 50 abortion cases reported in 2008 and 46 reported in 2007.
He explained that a few of the murder cases were still under investigation whilst a considerable number of them were currently pending before the courts.
“Most of these cases were recorded in the Sefwi area, and the victims have either been farm owners or farm hands,” he further explained.
The modus operandi, he said, had been that the perpetrators hid under the cover of darkness and shot their unsuspecting victims from a distance.
So far, he said, arrests made revealed that the suspects might be having litigations, and that most of the cases were land related.
Supt. Agbetornyo said robberies in the region were of various categories and that apart from few that were undertaken with fire-arms, the rest were effected with the use of force and sometimes, threat with sharp instruments such as knives and machetes.
“All firearms-related robberies were effected on highways,” he said adding “It is further observed that high profile robberies are not prevalent in the region. Some are just meant to steal items like mobile phones and household equipment.”
Touching on narcotic cases, he said out of the total of 112 drug-related cases recorded in 2008, 10 involved cocaine, whilst 102 were Indian hemp cases.
He said most of these cases were as a result of swoops the police conducted within the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis.
He said all suspects in these cases were before court, whilst exhibits collected had been sent to the Forensic Laboratory for examination and report.
The regional crime officer observed that policing in general had improved as compared to the previous year, despite the rise in crime.
“With the exception of the murder cases which the region is searching relentlessly to find solution, the rest were as a result of effective operational procedures which produced the arrests or detection of the hitherto hidden crimes,” he said.
He mentioned some of the challenges facing the police in the region as the refusal of the general public to volunteer information for the police operations.
According to him, some complaints reached the police very late, leading to the criminals always escaping from police arrest and also that logistics continued to be a hindrance, while the problem of unreliable informants continued to disrupt police operations in the region.
On the way forward, Supt. Agbetornyo said intelligent units of the regional command would be enhanced to source information on the activities of the criminals and also motivate the citizen to volunteer information for police operations.
He said the police would also work with landlords regarding tenants with suspicious character, while police patrols in crime-prone areas during the night would be intensified, in areas such as Sekondi, Takoradi, Sefwi Wiawso and Half Assini highways.
He said the regional police command would recommend to the national police headquarters to create a patrol division in the service, separately from the general duties, to show police presence always and assure the citizenry of their safety.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

SEKONDI STADIUM CRUMBLING (GRAPHIC SPORTS, PAGE 16)

Barely one year after the Sekondi Sports Stadium had been completed to stage the 26th African Cup of Nations (CAN 2008), its external works executed by various local contractors have developed serious defects.
The external works, both completed and uncompleted, are deteriorating at a very fast rate due to shoddy work.
The problems include broken and sinking sewerage system, broken culverts, sinking ground, choked drainage system, uncompleted pavements, while those completed have their pavement blocks coming out.
The road network outside the stadium is also fast eroding due to the uncompleted drainage systems, as well as creating stagnant waters after a downpour, while the ceiling of the North East entrance is falling.
The Western Regional Sports Development officer, Mr Beresford Ogbame Mensah Amui, led the press to inspect the affected areas to enable them to inform the public about the current state of the Sekondi Sports Stadium and other sporting infrastructure in the region.
“All the work done is zero”, he said, adding “the situation calls for prompt action”.
“Before we blame the National Sports Council for not taking good care of the stadium, we must know the situation in which it is now”, he stated.
Mr Amui said there were a lot of defects on the stadium’s external works, adding that outside the stadium wall and inside the perimeter wall the local contractors who handled the works did a poor job.
“Whoever is in charge should ensure that these are done well”, he added.
He said when the water tank at the stadium burst, the gym, the internet café, as well as the conference room in the main stadium got flooded.
Mr Amui said three emergency gates were being created to be opened to spectators after football matches.
Touching on the activities for the first quarter of the year, he said coaching courses on handball and basketball would be organized for the security and the Ghana Education Service coaches.
He said league matches would also be played between civilians and the security services, while athletics competition would be organized between the regions.
Mr Amui revealed that the residence of the Chinese who constructed the main stadium would be developed into a camping place for those involved in sporting activities.

Monday, February 9, 2009

SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME FO SEKONDI COLLEGE STUDENTS (PAGE 11)

THE Sekondi College (SEKCO) alumni board in North America has instituted a scholarship scheme to motivate students of the school to do their best to make the school a first-class educational institution in the Western Region.
The maiden awards were presented to five brilliant, needy students of the school at a brief but impressive ceremony.
Those who benefited were Mariam Okoboh, Sena Amuzu-Sewornu, Justice Quansah, William Agyiri and Cosmos Tetteh Mensah.
Each of the students received US$ 500 to cover tuition and boarding for the 2008/09 academic year.
The board had already donated computers to the school and is in the process of funding a library as well as donating more computers and other equipment to make Sekondi College a first-class educational institution.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, a representative of the SEKCO alumni board, Mr Castro Bosomtwe, said he was heartened that the alumni in North America had played an active role in supporting academic excellence at the school.
He congratulated the beneficiary students and their parents and expressed happiness with their commitment to achieve academic excellence at the school.
Mr Bosomtwe encouraged the other students who applied but did not make it to the top or those who never made any attempt to apply, to strive to attain higher goals.
Another criterion for selection, he said, was the demonstration of financial need, adding that education is a fundamental need and no child should be deprived of education because of financial reasons.
According to Mr Bosomtwe, one of the strengths of the United States higher education system is the culture of giving back to society.
He said those who were beneficiaries of good teaching, counselling, and scholarships often contributed to their alma mater, financially or by other means.
"We encourage you not to forget the support you have received, and do your bit to help society, especially the hands that have helped to feed you", he emphasised.
The Headmaster of SEKCO, Mr Joseph Asmah, explained that even though the awards covered the duration of studies for the award winners, it was renewable on a yearly basis subject to conditions of good academic standing and behaviour.
Every year, he said, fresh applications from interested students would be considered, based on current academic performance and behaviour of the applicants, adding that an improved performance by a student would be given due recognition and subsequently rewarded.
The Chairman of the Board of Governors of the school, Mr J. C. Quansah, was happy that the past students of SEKCO had supported the school.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

WOMEN AND CHILDREN GET ASSISTANCE FROM NGO (PAGE 22)

GENDER issues, particularly those concerning women and children have become the concern of the government, many institutions and organisations as well as individuals in the country, since this category of people are among the most vulnerable in the society.
It is a result of this that the government established the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs to see to the pressing needs of women and children, and also founded special schools to ensure the education and orderly development of children.
Besides government’s efforts at ensuring the welfare of women and children in the country, many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have also been formed to complement the government’s effort to champion the cause of women and children, especially those in the deprived areas.
One of such NGOs which has been established in the Western Region to promote the development, socio-economic advancement and general welfare of women and children is the Tenongtaaba Development Organisation.
The organisation is an advocacy and charitable based NGO, whose primary purpose is to seek the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and children, and to initiate educational programmes to assist the needy in the society to develop their potentials.
Tenongtaaba, a Frafra word meaning “love your neighbour,” was set up at Tongo in the Upper East Region in 2001, and now with a branch in the Western Region is geared to assist schools in the rural areas with teaching and learning materials to enhance education delivery.
It will also raise public awareness about domestic violence and its impact on women and children as well as build the capacity of women through adult education.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Founder and Director of the organisation, Madam Faustina Talata Tee, explained that besides the promotion of education, the goals and objectives of the organisation cut across all boundaries, ages, tribes or religion.
She said the organisation was envisioned to bring the needy people to the realisation of the great dangers involved in leaving their homes and going down the cities to engage in “Kayayoo”, truck pushing and fufu pounding, among other menial jobs.
Madam Talata Tee further explained that the organisation had found it necessary to intervene to offer assistance to the needs of the poor and to embark on education programmes that would make families to place high value on education and also to realise their respective potentials.
According to her, the organisation had held a series of advocacy programmes to educate women to appreciate their fundamental human rights, the importance of education of the girl child, as well as the need to be self-empowered.
Madam Talata Tee mentioned some of the challenges facing women, especially those in the north as female genital mutilation (FGM), which she said was being done as a result of ignorance.
“Some people think that we cannot do away with it because it is our culture,” she regretted.
She said another challenge was the notion that a woman’s role was home keeping, adding that “trying to break the culture of discrimination against women in the society is also a problem.”
She was also not happy that human rights and gender programmes were not included in school curricula.

DETERMING COMPENSATION FOR PEOPLE AFFECTED BY MINING (PAGE 23)

WESTERN Region, particularly the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality and the Prestea-Huni Valley District, undisputedly have the highest concentration of minerals in the country.
The mining industry, as most people are aware has many problems, one is the activities of illegal gold mining in the concessions of the various companies, resulting in fierce clashes and fatalities.
Other problems are environmental degradation and the pollution of water bodies in mining communities through cyanide spillage.
The most important problem associated with the mining industry which seems to have been relegated to the background is the payment of compensation to persons whose assets have been affected by mining.
There have been instances in the Western Region where disagreements, misunderstanding and mistrust between the traditional authorities and mining communities on one side, and the mining companies on the other, as a result of inadequate payment of compensation to the beneficiaries.
Section 73 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, Act 703 (2006), states: “The owner or lawful occupier of any land subject to a mineral right is entitled to and may claim from the holder of the mineral right compensation for the disturbance of the right of the owner or occupier…”
This new mining law prescribes compensation payments for lands, crops and buildings affected by mining.
But according to mining consultants and researchers, the new law leaves the determination of actual compensation payable to negotiations between the parties involved, resulting sometimes in lengthy litigation.
The question then is how can the parties involved reach a consensus through a standardised compensation process in the mining industry and communities.
They noted that the issue of compensation had been one of the difficult subjects in the mining sector, spanning from exploration to decommissioning.
To help find a lasting solution to this nagging problem, the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund have commissioned an advocacy and research project, titled ‘Advocacy for the Establishment of Standards of Compensation in the Mining Industry’.
To help achieve this goal, the Ghana Chamber of Mines organised a day’s workshop in Tarkwa to get public and stakeholder input into the formulation of a compensation policy that will eliminate rancour and litigation in the payment of compensation by the mining industry.
It was attended by 40 participants drawn from mining companies in the region, chiefs, stakeholders as well as host communities and regulatory agencies in the mining sector.
A Consultant and Researcher of AIDEC Consultancies International Limited, consultants for the project, Mr Adu-Nyarko Andorful explained that the major objective of the study was to collate relevant data on the current socio-economic conditions, livelihood activities, capabilities and options available to households that had suffered economic displacement with the purpose of re-evaluating the options for compensation packages.
He said it was also to facilitate the review of the Minerals and Mining Law with regard to compensation with a view to minimising the impact mining operations had on incomes and livelihoods of mining communities.
Mr Andorful further explained that specific objectives of the study included identification of inputs for a national policy that set out clearly the principles, basis and standards of compensation for mining concessions and property values.
He said it also included detail negotiation procedure and dispute resolution mechanism as well as recommending policy on speculative developers on mining concessions.
According to the consultant, messages the study had for change targets, including the government and regulatory agencies, mining companies and the mining communities were the need for the government to have a national policy on compensation, involve beneficiaries to ensure ownership and buy-in, and also recognise the elements of sustainable livelihood framework, among others.
He said the study also urged the mining companies to use collaboration, continuous dialogue and negotiation as a tool, and to ensure pre-disbursement and post-disbursement training for beneficiaries of compensation as well as commitment from mining companies, traditional authorities and opinion leaders to enforce standards.
He said the study justified that if action was taken, it would avoid or minimise involuntary resettlement that tends to dislodge project affected persons, mitigate negative social and economic impact on safety, health and the environment and also provide opportunities for displaced persons to improve on or restore their livelihood.
He said it would improve the living conditions of displaced persons through the provision of adequate social infrastructure as well as maintain a balance of good relationships between mining companies and project affected communities.
According to Mr Andorful, the study concluded that project affected persons were not satisfied with the present compensation levels and standards as offered by the government and the mining companies.They urged for better compensation, especially for non-cropped areas.
He said these persons also needed better compensation levels that should include money,land and a mix of financial investments.

Monday, February 2, 2009

SEFWI YOUTH GRATEFUL TO PRESIDENT MILLS (PAGE 13)

THE Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis branch of the Sefwi Youth Association has expressed its profound gratitude to President John Evans Atta Mills for nominating the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sefwi Wiawso, Paul Evans Aidoo, as the Western Regional Minister.
The association believes that the nomination is timely, because records show that since independence, successive governments, including the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, appointed the regional ministers from the Ahanta, Nzema or the Wassa ethnic groups, leaving the Sefwi area, the only major ethnic group that had not produced a substantive regional minister.
In a statement signed by the President of the Sekondi/Takoradi branch of the Sefwi Youth Association, Mr Joshua Addae, it said “the good people of Sefwi, therefore, have every reason to be excited about Mr Aidoo’s nomination to the highest office in the region”.
“It is our greatest hope that the Parliamentary Appointment Committee will give Mr Paul Evans Aidoo the nod, so that he will become the first substantive Western Regional minister appointed from the Sefwi area,” it said.
The association was very confident that if he was given the approval, Mr Aidoo would bring his vast experience as a former District Chief Executive and sitting MP to bear on the development policies in the NDC manifesto for election 2008.
“We have no doubt in our minds that Mr Aidoo will work assiduously to justify the confidence reposed in him by the President if he is given the nod as the administrative head of this important region,” the statement added.
The statement indicated that past election results showed that Bia, Bibiani/Anhwiaso/ Bekwai, Juaboso, Sefwi Wiawso and Akontombra constituencies, all in the Sefwi area, had voted massively and consistently for the NDC party more than any other ethnic group in the region.
Quoting figures from the 2004 and 2008 presidential election results in the Western Region to buttress its point, the association explained that the total votes garnered by President Atta Mills in the 2004 election was 334,992, while he obtained 379,822 votes in the 2008 December 7 elections and increased the votes to 415,248 in the run-off. It stated that the total votes from the five constituencies in the Sefwi area in 2004 elections were 132,229, while the votes in the 2008 elections were 123,724 and the votes increased to 133,120 in the run-off.
“From the table above, it is obvious that the Sefwi area is a stronghold of the NDC”, it said adding, “We are, therefore, appealing to the President and his appointment committee to appoint more men and women from the Sefwi area to other key positions, because we are of a firm conviction that our people deserve more prominent positions in his administration”.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

TAKE A SECOND LOOK AT MINING ACT (PAGE 31, JAN 26)

THE Ghana National Chamber of Mines has noted that the new Minerals and Mining Law, Act 703 (2006), does not adequately address the concerns of property owners who are affected by the activities of the mining industry.
It has, therefore, embarked on a research and advocacy project to help find lasting and mutually acceptable guidelines on compensation for affected property owners.
It said when that was done, it would eliminate rancour and litigation in the payment of compensation by the mining industry.
The move came out of observations made by the chamber that sections of the new Minerals and Mining Law were not specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound (SMART).
The research project is being conducted under the “Advocacy for the Establishment of Standards of Compensation in the Mining Industry” and is being jointly funded by the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) fund.
The new Minerals and Mining Law, previously known as the mining laws, prescribes compensation payments for land, crops and buildings which are affected by mining activities.
To solicit for public and stakeholder input into the formulation of a compensation policy, the chamber has been organising a series of regional workshops on validation and sensitisation on compensation in the mining sector.
Speaking at one of such workshops at Tarkwa in the Western Region, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ms Joyce Aryee, explained that the outcome of the workshops would help create a win-win situation for members of the chamber, as well as host communities.
That, she said, would ensure that persons whose assets were taken over by the state for mining activities would not be made worse off by the take-over.
“As already indicated, the chamber is open to recommendations that will enrich its push for the creation and adoption of a mutually beneficial compensation process,” she emphasised.
Ms Aryee further explained that the mining companies would no longer be vilified because property owners would understand that land had been acquired for them to undertake projects that would benefit the whole country.
A consultant and Assistant Researcher of AIDEC Consultancies International Limited, consultants on the research project, Mr Adu-Nyarko Andorful, said the solution to the compensation problem was to find out and understand the extent of the problem through research and devise a solution and also advocate the desired change.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology, Professor Daniel Mireku-Gyimah, who chaired the function, noted that the chamber was dealing with a very important issue which would go a long way to develop the country.

NPP WILL SURVIVE IN OPPOSITION — AKUFO-ADDO (PAGE 17, JAN 21)

THE presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the 2008 elections, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has expressed confidence that the NPP will survive its period in opposition and will surely come back to power in 2012.
He, therefore, appealed to members and supporters of the party not to wash their dirty linen in public and stop the blame game to secure absolute cohesion within the party.
Nana Addo-Dankwa was addressing a mammoth rally at the Jubilee Park in Takoradi to thank the people in the Western Region for the support they gave to the party during the 2008 general election.
The unperturbed teeming supporters of the party who thronged the Jubilee Park, clad in NPP T-shirts and other paraphernalia, joyfully danced to the popular tunes of the party’s campaign songs.
He had earlier interacted with the Western Regional press corps at the Takoradi Beach Hotel for him to clarify some issues pertaining to the elections.
He said the 2008 elections results were the slimmest in the political history of the country, saying: “it is important to remember that the party is not the creation of yesterday, but has existed for about 60 years and survived many trying moments”.
Nana Akufo-Addo stressed the need for soul-searching to find out what went wrong for the party to lose the elections, and that the party was collating information from all the regions to enable it to investigate what actually went wrong, adding, “We are finding out exactly what went wrong”.
He urged NPP supporters not to shudder, but to continue to stand firm, stressing, “The unity of the party is absolutely vital for its survival”.
Nana Akufo-Addo stressed that the NPP had contributed immensely to ensure peace in the country during and after the elections.
He urged people in the Western Region to continue to support the party.
The National Chairman of the party, Mr Peter Mac Manu, on behalf of the party, expressed his deepest appreciation to the people in the region for their support.
He said the party was still strong, firm and authentic, stressing that members of the party should stand firm with the assurance that the party would come back to power in 2012.
A leading member of the NPP, Mr YawOsafo- Maafo, explained that in the presidential run-off, Nana Akufo-Addo got 49.77 per cent of the total votes cast and that when the figure was corrected to the nearest decimal, it would give him 50 per cent, while Prof. E.A. Mills secured 50.23 per cent.
This, he further explained, meant that the whole country had been divided into two equal halves, with each half in the camp of Nana Akufo-Addo and Prof. Atta Mills.
Mr Osafo Maafo said Nana Akufo-Addo accepted defeat in order not to plunge the country into a chaotic situation.
Mr Jake Obetsebey Lamptey called for unity among members of the party, and that they should stop blaming one another for the defeat of the party in the elections.
“We have to work hard to win the 2012 elections. Start the hard work now,” he entreated the supporters.
The NPP Member of Parliament for Okere, Mr Daniel Kwaku Botwe, called on members of the party to remain united.
He hinted that the party’s campaign for the 2012 general election had started and all members of the party must get involved.

CHIEF IMAM CONGRATULATES PRESIDENT (PAGE 34, JAN 20)

The National Chief Imam and the Muslim community in Ghana have congratulated President John Evans Atta Mills on his successful election and inauguration as the Third President of the Fourth Republic.
“The Chief Imam believes that his hard-won victory is an expression of the confidence Ghanaians have in his ability to lead the nation through the path of growth and economic development for a better future,” he said.
A statement from the Chief Imam’s Office said Ghanaians and Muslims in general were gratified that despite the confrontational and acrimonious nature of the electioneering, “Allah in his infinite wisdom and mercy helped avert the catastrophic events that followed similar elections in the neighbouring African countries”.
The statement also commended religious leaders, civil society organisations and foreign observers for constantly reminding Ghanaians of their civic obligation to ensure orderly elections.
It urged religious leaders to join hands, pray for the nation, the new political administration and peaceful coexistence of all Ghanaians, irrespective of their political and ethnic leanings.
The statement called on all Muslims in the country to offer special prayers on January 16, 2009 for the new administration and the entire nation.
In a related development the Wassa Fiase Traditional Council has congratulated President John Evans Attah-Mills, his Vice, Mr John Dramani Mahama, as well as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for their success in the recent national elections.
A congratulatory message signed by the Omanhene, Osagyefo Kwamina Enimil V1, said members of the council would continue to pray to God to grant them the needed wisdom, courage and the sense of justice to steer the affairs of the country.
“It is also our hope that your government will endeavour to fulfil all the achievable promises to make Ghana a better country....While assuring you of our co-operation and support, we do believe that your tenure of office would see greater changes in the institution of chieftaincy”.
The council also congratulated the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his performance during the elections.
“It is our wish to sincerely thank all Ghanaians for showing political maturity, and making good use of their franchise,” it said.
Relatedly, the Greater Accra Markets Association has also commended President Atta Mills and his Vice, Mr Mahama, for their election and subsequent successful swearing-in as the fourth President and Vice in the Fourth Republic.
It said it was the pride and honour of all Ghanaians, especially traders in Greater Accra that the country had been able to go through another successful election and smooth change of government without a hitch.
A statement signed by Madam Mercy A. Needjan, the Secretary of the association, said it was ready to assist the Mills Administration.

CONSTRUCTION OF LANDING BEACHES TO DELAY (BACK PAGE)

THE construction of new landing beaches and cold store complexes in some fishing communities in the Western Region are likely to suffer setbacks, according to officials at the Western Regional Co-ordinating Council.
The projects are two fish landing beaches to be located at Axim and Dixcove and three cold store complexes at Shama, New Takoradi and Half Assini, for which the former Minister of Fisheries, Mrs Gladys Asmah, cut the sod last November.
The facilities are intended to boost fishing activities in the beneficiary communities, but after the sod-cutting ceremony for the start of the projects, nothing has been done at the project sites.
Investigations by the Daily Graphic indicate that the execution of the projects will delay with the change in administration, since a new Minister of Fisheries is yet to be appointed.
Moreover, the projects are likely to be reviewed.
A source close to the projects who pleaded anonymity, said the designs on some of the projects had been completed.
According to the source, officials of the ministry would meet later this month when the plans for the projects would be discussed.