Tuesday, June 23, 2009

OIL COMPANIES ASKED TO LEAVE MILITARY INSTALLATIONS (PAGE 29)

THE Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, has expressed grave concern about the use of the Takoradi Airforce Station and the Sekondi Naval Base by oil companies developing the Jubilee Oil Field offshore West Cape Three Points to facilitate their activities.
He explained that for security reasons, it was not the best for the oil companies to use the facilities at the two military installations, and asked that they relocate.
He further explained that the military facilities were to be used to monitor activities offshore.
Mr Aidoo expressed the concern when he visited the regional offices of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation in Sekondi.
He said the oil companies should not put pressure on the limited facilities at the Takoradi Airforce Base and the Sekondi Naval Base.
He called on the media to focus on issues which would benefit the people in the region, adding that “let us serve the people properly”.
Mr Aidoo stressed the need to shift from equity to fairness, and that since the Western Region had made great contributions to the country’s economy, the government should give it special dispensation in its development agenda.
He noted that but for the pressure on the region’s feeder road network, they would have lasted longer.
The regional minister said timber trucks, heavy tipper trucks loaded with bauxite and manganese as well as the activities of illegal gold miners were destroying the roads.
The Western Regional Director of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Mr James Adeaba, explained that the corporation was shifting from public broadcasting service to commercial as a result of lack of funds for periodic maintenance.
He said most often, the government provided broadcasting equipment without funds for regular maintenance.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

EFFIA NKWANTA HOSPITAL TO BE MODERNISED (PAGE 22)

THE Effia Nkwanta Hospital in Takoradi has a strategic plan to grow to become a state-of-the-art teaching hospital, the Medical Director of the facility, Dr Paul Kwaw Ntodi, has stated.
He, however, said in order to realise the objective, there was the need to put up a new hospital altogether, which should be located on a better ground with the needed modern infrastructure.
“Effia Nkwanta should have a new hospital,” the medical director stated, adding, “We are aspiring to become a state-of-the-art teaching hospital; this is our vision”.
Dr Ntodi was briefing the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo on the activities and challenges of the hospital, when the latter paid a working visit to the hospital.
The Effia Nkwanta Hospital is located on a hilly ground and patients have to climb over 100 stairs to get to the main hospital. Sometimes some of the patients are found panting when climbing the stairs.
Dr Ntodi noted with regret that a new casualty/emergency block which is about 90 per cent complete is lying idle, even though sensitive hospital equipment had been installed at the block.
He said what was worrying was that the warranty for the equipment might soon expire, adding that about GH¢50,000 would be required to put the structure in shape.
The medical director said the old casualty/emergency block being used was very small and congested while the hospital had no eye care services.
Dr Ntodi said lifts to the patients block had not been working for a year now and that they had been declared not repairable.
He said about 210,000 euros would be needed to replace them, explaining that the amount was beyond the means of the hospital’s internally generated revenue.
Dr Ntodi stated that most of the hospital’s internal roads had developed potholes and therefore appealed to the regional minister to impress upon the Urban Roads Department to assist the hospital in repairing them.
He said security in and around the hospital was not the best and called for improvement.
According to the medical director, the hospital needed more accommodation for doctors in order to attract more house officers to be trained at the facility.
Dr Ntodi further said the facility needed mothers’ hostel for mothers who travelled from the hinterlands to attend to their sick children.
He said those mothers were compelled to sleep on verandas and sometimes contracted diseases as a result.
According to the medical director, the facility had 570 staff.
Dr Ntodi stated that the 450-bed hospital attended to 130,000 outpatients last year and conducted 18,000 general surgeries and more than 700 caesarian operations.
The Regional Minister, Mr Aidoo stated that even though the hospital lacked so many things, the management was doing very well by rendering quality services to the people.
He said if all the facilities of the hospital were put into shape, there would be no need to refer patients in very critical conditions to other regional hospitals for medical attention.
Mr Aidoo said he would ensure that some of the hospital’s concerns were adressed by the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly.

Monday, June 15, 2009

CPP GOVERNMENT WILL FOCUS ON ASSEMBLIES...Says Prof. Akosa (PAGE 14)

THE Kwame Nkrumah Foundation has indicated that in the event of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) forming a government in future, its development agenda will focus on the use of the metropolis, municipalities and the districts as instruments of integration and development.
The foundation explained that the chief executives of the assemblies would be the chief development officers to work with a board of local people to execute the party’s agenda.
According to the foundation, the continuation of the chief executives in the job would only be based on the level of delivery in the estimation of the people.
The President of the Kwame Nkrumah Foundation, Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa, outlined the party’s vision at a press conference on the 60th anniversary celebration of the CPP at Tarkwa in the Western Region last Saturday.
It was in Tarkwa that the decision to form the CPP was taken, and delivered in Saltpond in the Central Region and outdoored at Arena in Accra.
Prof. Akosa explained that if the development was centred on the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, it would stem the tide of rural-urban drift.
He said the Central Bank would also have a development role to play in lifting the country out of the doldrums.
“Ghana at 52 years is mature and we must begin to tackle our problems, however complicated they may be”, he emphasised.
He said the CPP government would harness the intellectual capacity of the people, and that a think tank would be formed from the University Teachers Association(UTAG), consultants from the Association of Recognised Professional Bodies as well as research and development institutes to advance the course of the country.
“Getting the youth, who are supposed to be the future of this country off the street must be a great challenge and aspiration of us all and this is one that the application of the collective intellect of all of us shall help to resolve”, he added.
Professor Akosa said the Kwame Nkrumah Foundation had taken up the challenge and would be taking the lead in addressing some of the fundamental issues, noting that the foundation would be the voice of the poor.
“The poor in Ghana are also children of God and blessed are those who take time off to do things that bring solace to the poor. We must work for the benefit of them all,” he stated.
He said agriculture would be the bedrock of the country’s transformation into industrialisation.
According to Professor Akosa the vision of the CPP government would be to make Ghana the happiest place on earth for all.
Professor Akosa emphasised that since the overthrow of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s government, the welfare of the Ghanaian had not been a variable in Ghana’s development equation.
“The adequate provision of food, clothing and housing appear to be a compelling responsibility of the government and how well has the government of Ghana discharged its obligations. Not at all is the answer,” he stressed.
“In Ghana today, the life of the poor people in some cases is unimaginable. Ghana has now spawned third generation street children for whom the concept of hometown does not exist,” he regretted.
Professor Akosa stressed that there was no reason why 50 per cent of Basic Education Certificate Examination students should fail the examinations year on year in the country.
He said 20 per cent of pregnancies in the country were teenagers, and that there was no concerted effort to do something about it, adding that 69 per cent of pregnant women and 59 per cent of lactating mothers were anaemic.
He explained that such anaemic and teenage mothers gave birth to low weight children who had greater risk of dying or not developing well, while such mothers were themselves prone to dying in pregnancy or during delivery.
He said 40 per cent of Ghanaian children were stunted, from chronic malnutrition, explaining that malnutrition underlined 55 per cent of deaths in Ghanaian children.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

WESTERN NAVAL COMMAND GETS NEW COMMANDER (MIRROR, PAGE 34)

From Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Sekondi

THE newly appointed Flag Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command, Commodore Tim Samuel Appiah has taken over the command from his predecessor, Commodore Frank Daley at a short ceremony at the Sekondi Naval Base in the Western Region.
Commodore Appiah will also command the Two Garrisons in the region.
Commodore Daley has been appointed as Ghana’s Defence Advisor to Nigeria, after being in the Western Command for almost five years.
Speaking after the handing over, Commodore Appiah said that the command would provide maximum security to protect the oil fields at West Cape Three Points in the Western Region, for the benefit of the people and the country.
He said the Ghana Navy had a significant role to play to ensure that the country got its fair share from the emerging oil industry.
“It is our view, intention and aspiration to continue from where Commodore Daley had left off and improve the welfare of the personnel”, he said adding “You can have all the equipment, but if you don’t have the men the equipment cannot be put to good use”.
Commodore Appiah said there would also be self improvement of naval personnel and infrastructure development to enable them to work efficiently.
He commended Commodore Daley for doing a lot for the Western Regional Naval Command.
Commodore Daley said the new Flag Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command knew all the intricacies of the command and that the handing over notes were there to guide him in his day-to-day administration.

ANGLOGOLD SETS UP MODEL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE (PAGE 37, MIRROR)

From Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Iduapriem

THE Management of the AngloGold Ashanti (Iduapriem Mine) in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality of the Western Region has established a sustainable model for social and environmental performance.
The company, in collaboration with an Israeli company, Pollution to Water (P2W) has constructed a water treatment facility to conform to the best environmental practices.
The facility, which has been completed, treats tailings supernatant water by breaking down cyanide and also reduces turgidity in the water. The treated water would be stored in various dams on the company’s mining concession for future use.
The company has also been empowering people, especially the host communities to become active agents of sustainable development.
This is to enable them to understand that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues.
The Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti (Iduapriem Mine), Mr David Kwesi Renner made these known at this year’s celebration of the World Environment Day at the mine. It was on the theme, “Your climate needs you, unite to combat climate change”.
As a means of bringing the future generation on board, a Children’s Environmental Club has been formed by the children of some members of staff of AngloGold Ashanti (Iduapriem Mine), to educate their peers and create awareness on environmental issues, while offering them the opportunity to learn more about how the Iduapriem Mine manages its environmental programmes.
Also, through the mining company’s alternative livelihood programme, dubbed “hand-in-hand” which has over 1,500 beneficiaries, the company is taking steps to address concerns about food security and agriculture.
The “hand-in-hand” programme has a component that concentrates on good agricultural practices, including planting of high-yielding oil palm seedlings, maize, vegetables among others.
The company has in addition, planted about 240,000 nitrogen fixing plants and local species on its waste dumps and tailings dams and supported various tree planting exercises in its catchment areas.
Strategically, he said the mining company was thinking of liaising with the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Authority as well as the chiefs and elders, on the establishment of green spaces for the benefit of the people within the mine’s catchment areas and the Tarkwa town.
This, he explained was to help improve green infrastructure such as parks, green spaces, water drainage systems and reduce the incidence of diseases.
He called on the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology and its agencies to ensure that the implementation of the conventions on climate change go as far as to the local level, so that many people will be educated on the repercussions of global warming and climate change.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

WORKSHOP ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH HELD AT BUSUA (PAGE 40)

A FIVE-DAY national workshop on reproductive health has opened at the Busua Beach Resort in the Ahanta West District in the Western Region to map out comprehensive strategies to ensure a reasonable reduction in maternal and child mortality in the country.
At the workshop, each region in the country will give a presentation on any of the following topics— improvement on access to family planning services, strategies for improving skilled delivery coverage, as well as improving access to emergency obstetric and new-born care.
Other topics to be presented and discussed are on adolescent-friendly initiatives, school adolescent health initiatives, community initiatives in support of exclusive breast feeding, complementary feeding and general growth promotion, as well as scaling-up of Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) training for middle-level service providers.
The emphasis on each of these areas will be on learning from best practices and will also be linking all the discussions to the road map for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) four and five, for improved child and maternal health, respectively.
The workshop, on the theme: “Reducing maternal and child mortality: Scaling up best practices”, is being attended by senior medical officers, nurses and other para-medical staff of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) throughout the country, as well as development and implementing partners.
At the opening ceremony, the Director of Family Health Division of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Gloria Quansah Asare, said in April, last year, maternal mortality was declared a “national emergency” at a Health Partners Summit.
That, she said, was due to an increase in institutional maternal mortality from 186 per 100,000 live births in 2006 to 227 per 100,000 live births in 2007, with declines in skilled delivery and family planning and modest improvements in ante-natal and post natal care coverage.
“There was also a decrease in proportion of teenage registrants to ante-natal care clinics,” Dr Asare added.
Dr Asare explained that following the declaration of maternal mortality as a national emergency, a national consultative meeting was held in July, 2008 and that a Multi-Sectoral Ministerial Task Force for MDG5 was constituted to provide advocacy and follow progress on the improvement of maternal and neonatal health.
“Major areas requiring intense action were identified. These include family planning, skilled attendance, comprehensive abortion care and adolescent health and development,” she stated.
According to Dr Asare, the 2008 data showed a slight decline in the number of deaths and institutional maternal mortality ratios, adding that maternal deaths recorded in the institutions decreased from 996 to 960 last year.
She announced that the results of the maternal health survey carried out in 2007 were out and were being disseminated.
Dr Asare said the study determined the causes of death, utilisation of health services and other maternal conditions, adding “This will assist us to track our progress towards our national goals and the Millennium Development Goals four and five.”
Dr Asare said while ante-natal care, skilled delivery and post-natal care recorded improvements in trend, family planning use showed a decline in the period of the study.
The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Ms Betty Busumtwi-Sam, urged the health workers to strive towards a drastic reduction in the number of deaths during pregnancy and delivery, as well as during childhood.
She stated that policies and issues such as the girl-child education, adolescent health, free maternal care and the National Health Insurance Scheme were dear to the government and would ensure that those interventions were sustained and improved.
Ms Busumtwi-Sam also urged them to do sincere assessment of the current situation so that they would be in a better position to take decisions that could help them to improve on their performance.
The United Nations Fund for Population Activity (UNFPA) Representative, Dr Makane Kane, said the UN was prepared to support the country to document and scale up all the best practices that showed the potential of improving its maternal and child health indices.
He stated that the UN would do that with the government on the driving seat.
Dr Kane challenged the regions and the districts to take the initiative of bringing all partners together to develop comprehensive, integrated and co-ordinated regional and district health plans to scale up tested and documented best practices.
The acting Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Kwaku Anin Karikari, said the Reproductive Health Unit of the Ghana Health Service had for a long time been experiencing such periodic reviews which had ensured that strategies for reproductive and child health services were reviewed for better performance.
He said the development of national reproductive health policy and standards, as well as the strict adherence to the integrated management of childhood illnesses strategy, had improved standards in health care.
“This has enabled a gradual improvement in indicators of good maternal and child health care and status, even though we have a lot of challenges, especially in the area of maternal mortality,” Dr Karikari stated.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

DCE, MPS URGED TO ESCHEW ANIMOSITY (PAGE 14)

THE Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, has called on the metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) in the region to eschew animosity between them and their Members of Parliament (MPs), irrespective of their political leanings.
He said such behaviour would stifle the development of the region.
The regional minister made the call when he swore in the 17 MMDCEs of the region at a short ceremony in Sekondi at the weekend.
They took the official oath, the oath of secrecy and the oath of allegiance after which they were presented with their instruments of appointment.
Mr Aidoo warned that any MMDCE found creating unnecessary rivalry between themselves and the Member of Parliament would be doing so at his/her own peril.
He said the decentralisation process was “to bring, governance to the door-steps of the people and to empower them to determine their own development agenda that best captures their needs, dreams and aspirations.
Your presence at the district level is to ensure that all these ideals are translated into programmes and projects on the ground” he said.
To do this more effectively, he said, they must ensure that the lower structures of the assemblies functioned and that the ability of the sub-structures to perform the roles assigned to them effectively would go a long way to supplement the work of the assemblies.
Mr Aidoo advised them to work closely with government agencies, public institutions and traditional rulers as well as civil society organisations and develop goodwill towards all residents to enable them to be successful.
He noted that meaningful development could take place only when there were adequate resources.
“While ensuring the judicious use of the finances of your assemblies, it is important that you explore all avenues to maximise revenue.
One very important way of raising revenue and meeting your revenue targets is to make use of the sub-committees of your assemblies. The involvement of your presiding members is very important in this respect,” he said.
The regional minister further said civil society should also play an advocacy role for the assemblies so that citizens would willingly fulfil their tax obligations.
“A lot of responsibility is placed on your shoulders as chief executives. It is your responsibility to champion the development of your districts and facilitate the provision of the felt needs of the residents and assist them to find solutions to some of their socio-economic problems,” he stressed.
Mr Aidoo said the Local Government Act spelt out the functions of the assemblies and the chief executives, and that it was important to be conversant with the functions to be able to act appropriately.
“Your assemblies shall exercise political and administrative authority and provide guidance, give direction, supervise, co-ordinate and integrate the activities of the other administrative authorities in the district to ensure overall development,” he told the MMDCEs.
The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mrs Betty Bosumtwi-Sam, noted that a lot was required from the MMDCEs and urged them to go and work hard towards the transformation of their respective areas.
The Shama District Chief Executive, Ms Emelia Arthur, on behalf of her colleagues said their appointments were a call to service and that they would deliver as expected of them.