Friday, October 29, 2010

MECHANIC RAPES DRUKEN WOMAN (MIRROR, PAGE 20, OCT 30, 2010)

From Samuel Duodu, Kintampo

TWO residents of Kintampo, who stole five bags of sugar valued at GH¢600 with an inscription of the World Food Programme (WFP) embossed on the sacks are in the firm grip of the law.
Adjei Kwame Vasco, 27, and Peter Kategeh, 26, a driver, both residents of Kintampo, were alleged to have stolen the sugar on board a Bolga bound articulated truck with registration number GT 7658.
Vasco and Kategeh have been charged with conspiracy, causing unlawful damage and stealing, but they have pleaded not guilty to the counts of causing damage and stealing.
They were remanded by the Kintampo Magistrate Court, presided over by Mr. Albert Zoogah, to re-appear in court in the first week of November, 2010.
Vasco, who pleaded not guilty to the counts of causing damage and stealing told the court that he was riding a bicycle from Bababtokuma to Kintampo when he saw the bags of sugar by the roadside and called the driver to come to convey them.
According to the police, stealing of items on board articulated trucks in transit to the northern part of the country and the country’s landlocked neighbours within Kintampo has been on the increase in recent times.
Prosecuting, Inspector Wisdom Ahiakpor told the court that the two are residents of the municipality while the complainant, Mohammed Yakubu is from Accra and in-charge of the articulated truck.
He said Yakubu, who was in transit stopped over at Kintampo to rest and later took off to Babatokuma. On arrival at Babatokuma, he detected that the rope that was used to fasten the tarpaulin was loose and was dragging on the road.
Insp. Ahiakpor said Yakubu stopped and detected that thieves had cut the tarpaulin and had stolen some bags of sugar.
He said Yakubu quickly reported it to the police patrol team stationed at the Surounuan toll booth.
The Prosecutor said that Yakubu with the help of the Police Patrol Team decided to trace the stolen bags of sugar to Kintampo and on their way they came across a taxi cab parked along the road.
Insp. Ahiakpor said the team saw Kategeh sitting behind the steering wheel of the taxi, while Vasco was loading the sugar into the car.
He said the two were arrested and sent to the Kintampo Police Station with the exhibits.
The Prosecutor told the court that a search in the room of Vasco revealed a sack containing maize with the WFP inscription on it.
He said after investigations the two were charged with the offence.

ACHISCO TO LAUNCH GOLDEN JUBILEE (PAGE 11, OCT 29, 2010)

ACHERENSUA Senior High School (ACHISCO) in the Asutifi District of the Brong Ahafo Region will kick off the celebration of its golden Jubilee with a formal launch in Kumasi on November 6, 2010.
On that day, past students, headmasters, current students and well-wishers of the school would converge on the Prempeh Assembly Hall for the ceremony.
Mr John Asare-Baiden, the Headmaster of the school, said every effort was being made to give the school a befitting golden jubilee celebration.
He, therefore, appealed to past students to make themselves available for the ceremony.
He said the decision to launch the anniversary in Kumasi was taken after a meeting with stakeholders of the school.
Mr Asare-Baiden explained that Kumasi was centrally positioned to attract past students from other parts of the country.
The school is using the anniversary celebrations to achieve a number of objectives including the celebrations of 50 years of quality education, and raising funds to support development projects in the school.
Besides, the authorities also hope to advance the cause of the school to make it the hub of SHS science and technological education in the Brong Ahafo Region.
ACHISCO, established by the CPP government under its Educational Trust Policy, has produced a number of prominent people.
As the school moves into its 50 years of existence, the headmaster is calling on all past students and people who have the school at heart to contribute to make the anniversary a success.

MASSIVE SECURITY TO BE DEPLOYED ...For Kotoko-Hearts match (PAGE 31, OCT 29, 2010)

A MASSIVE 230 police personnel and an unspecified number of soldiers, fire officers and national security personnel will be deployed at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday to help ensure safety of fans and property in the Glo Premier League top liner between Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak.
This was arrived at following the first stakeholders meeting on the match last Tuesday. Another one will be held today to fine-tune measures taken at the first meeting.
Chief Supt. Amo Ayisi, Operations Officer of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, told the Daily Graphic that lessons were drawn from previous encounters between the two sides where nasty incidents were recorded leading to some deaths.
On May 9, 2001, Africa’s worst football disaster occurred in a league match between the arch rivals at the Accra Stadium when 127 football fans were killed in a stampede after Hearts of Oak beat Kotoko 2-1.
And in 2009 another horrible incident occurred in Kumasi when four fans died from suffocation and 417 individuals were injured as Hearts beat Kotoko 2-1.
Matches between the two giants come with their own characteristics, most often tension rising to the highest level.
Already, indications point to a huge patronage for Sunday’s match and the decision to deploy a large number of security personnel is seen by some fans as the right step.
Chief Supt Ayisi said everything was being done to protect lives and property on Sunday.
Consequently, fans were advised to comport themselves so that the security personnel would have little work to do.
He said policemen would be placed at each of the 40 gates of the stadium which would all be opened to ensure free flow of fans.
Besides, plain-clothed men will be positioned in the stands to help arrest troublemakers, while others will also be in the inner perimeter.
The Operations Officer said they also drew lessons from the last Africa Nations Cup qualifier between Ghana and Sudan at the Stadium when a capacity crowd turned out.
“We were able to control matters and we believe it would serve as a lesson for us on Sunday,” he said
Kick-off is at 3.30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

ECG LADIES DONATE TO KUMASI PRISONS (PAGE 29, OCT 28, 2010)

THE National Vice-President of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Ladies’ Association (Power Queens), Mrs Josephine Ababio, has stressed the need for the Prisons Service to be supported to play the role of reformative centres.
She noted that the government alone could not meet all the needs of the prisons and it was important that other organisations and individuals came on board.
She said if inmates came out of prisons reformed, they would be in the position to contribute to national development rather than the situation where inmates came out of the prisons more hardened.
Mrs Ababio stated this when the association presented a quantity of food items valued at about GH¢400 and cash of GH¢100 to the female section of the Kumasi Central Prisons.
The donation was in line with the association’s social responsibility towards needy institutions.
Mrs Ababio said the prisons needed attention because some of the inmates came out refined to contribute meaningfully to national development.
She stressed that if the prison service received the needed support, it would be in a better position to play its role as a reformative organisation.
The second-in-command of the Kumasi Female Prisons, Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP) Beatrice Agyei, thanked the association for the gesture.
She said the prisons welcomed such support because they went a long way to improve the living conditions of inmates. ASP Agyei, therefore, called on other organisations to turn their attention to the prisons.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ashanti Regional Office of the EGC, Mr Erasmus Baidoo, said the initiative of the ladies’ association was a demonstration of the love they had for the needy in the society.

RESEARCHERS CALL FOR USE OF LOCAL TECHNOLOGIES (BACK PAGE, OCT 27, 2010)

THE Research Staff Association (RSA) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has called on the government to apply locally developed technologies of the council in the implementation of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and other national programmes and projects.
It noted that a number of technologies developed by the CSIR had not been fully encouraged and used as expected, and pointed out that if that attitude was reversed and the technologies used in laudable initiatives like SADA, it would boost Ghana’s strides towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
SADA seeks to reduce the percentage of people living in poverty to less than 20 per cent by 2030 and transform the northern savannah into a breadbasket for the whole of Ghana.
The strategy focuses on the creation of a “forested and green north”, an area where farmers plant and reap the fruits of economic trees, while producing nutritious staple foods for domestic consumption and commercial purposes.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its 21st annual general meeting in Kumasi, the association further noted that the use of technologies of the CSIR would also encourage young scientists to remain with CSIR to ensure sustainability of harnessing science and technology for national development.
The communiqué also expressed dismay at the dwindling government funding for research.
It called for arrangements to pay researchers a percentage of their basic salaries as their professional allowance in line with what was paid to other institutions.
The communiqué also called for improved infrastructural facilities and equipment in all CSIR institutes to enable them to be abreast of the current state of research.
The three-day annual meeting of the RSA was on the theme, “Harnessing science and technology for national development”.
In his address at the opening ceremony, the National President of RSA of CSIR, Dr Joseph Ampofo, said science and technology education was critical to the development of the nation and expressed concern that many science students were shifting to business.
He, therefore, called for action to address the situation before it resulted in untold hardships for the nation.
The Director of the CSIR-Soil Research Institute, Dr A.B. Salifu, said the hard work of research scientists was recognised because they kept on course the nation’s agenda to use science and technology in spearheading its socio-economic agenda.
The Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ms Sherry Aryettey, gave the assurance that the government would do everything to motivate researchers to contribute their quota to national development.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

AMANANO ADJUDGED BEST RURAL BANK IN ASHANTI (PAGE 42, OCT 26, 2010)

THE Association of Rural Banks (ARB) Apex Bank has adjudged the Amanano Rural Bank with its headquarters at Nyinahin as the best rural bank in the Ashanti Region for 2009.
The ARB Apex Bank’s Efficiency Monitoring Unit (EMU), which conducted the rankings using several indices, also placed Amanano as the seventh best rural bank in Ghana.
Disclosing these at the 23rd annual general meeting (AGM) of the bank at Bibiani in the Western Region last Saturday, the Board Chairman of the bank, Mr Isaac Kwasi Asante, said the bank was positioning itself to maintain a strong presence in the banking sector in the coming years.
For the first time, the bank moved its AGM from outside Nyinahin to Bibiani, in the West Region as part of the official opening of its new branch office there.
The board chairman stated that the outstanding performance of the bank also saw it placing 40th in the Ghana Club 100 awards for 2009.
Mr Asante spoke about the increased competition in the rural and community banking sector and urged the public to buy shares in the bank to help it maintain its strong showing in the industry.
The board chairman said the bank recorded a net profit of GH¢402,416 in the last financial year, an increase of 65 per cent over the 2008 figure of GH¢243,342.
He said the bank’s stated capital also increased from GH¢151,850 in 2008 to GH¢228,662 in 2009, while total assets grew from GH¢4,259,000 to GH¢6,734,000 within the same period.
Mr Asante further stated that total deposits and total investments also went up from GH¢2,475,000 to GH¢4,259,000 and GH¢1,842,000 to GH¢2,631,000, respectively.
He stressed the bank’s commitment to provide loans and advances to its customers.
Mr Asante said last year, loans and advances given out stood at GH¢2,370,000 compared to the GH¢1,469,000 granted the previous year.
He stated that the loans went to various sectors including transport, cottage industry, agriculture, trading, salaried and managed loans, as well as micro-finance.
The board chairman also spoke on the bank’s social responsibility and said it spent a total of GH¢7,913 on a number of development projects.
Among the beneficiaries were the Asanteman Senior High School in Kumasi, the Bibiani District Police Command, Nyinahin Police Station, Nyinahin Town Council, Bibiani-Anhwiaso Bekwai District Farmers and the National Sports Council.
Mr Asante said the bank had also established a scholarship scheme to support brilliant, needy children/wards of shareholders.
He said dividend payment totalling GH¢36,840 at GH¢0.15 per share was declared.
In a speech read on behalf of the Managing Director of ARB Apex Bank, Mr Eric Osei-Bonsu by the Kumasi Branch Manager of Apex Bank, commended the board, management and staff of the bank for their outstanding performance and urged them to maintain the momentum and not be complacent.
He said rural banks still had a lot more to do by way of organisational and operational restructuring, especially in the area of migrating from manual operations to embrace information and communication technology.
Mr Osei-Bonsu, therefore, called on the banks to invest in those areas to make their operations attractive.
The Member of Parliament of Atwima Mponua, Mr Isaac Asiamah, said the development of rural banking was a signal of the trust the people had in the system.
He was, particularly, grateful to Amanano for its role in the development of its surrounding area.

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POLITICO-ETHNOCENTRIS, A THREAT TO NATIONAL COHESION (PAGE 19, OCT 26, 2010)

RECENT developments in the country’s political circles point to a dangerous shift towards ethnocentrism with key political figures in the thick of affairs.
There have been countless threatening statements laced with ethnocentric motives from leading figures and ordinary members of the NPP and the NDC.
This has led many well-meaning people to question whether some of our current politicians are in to scuttle the relative peace the nation is enjoying.
There is no doubt that politics clothed with ethnocentric sentiments can always be dangerous, taking lessons from other countries in Africa.
People tend to confuse ethnicity with ethnocentrism. Ethnicity itself is not dangerous but ethnocentrism is.
The term ethnicity refers to a group of people with a common socio/cultural identity such as: language, common worldview, religion and common cultural traits
On the other hand, ethnocentrism as defined by a sociologist, means the feeling that one's group has a mode of living, values, and patterns of adaptation that are superior to those of other groups.
It is coupled with a generalised contempt for members of other groups.
Ethnocentrism, which is frightening, may manifest itself in attitudes of superiority or sometimes hostility. Violence, discrimination, proselytising, and verbal aggressiveness are other means whereby ethnocentrism may be expressed.
This should strike a warning to people who swim in it to take a second look at the behaviour.
And when ethnocentrism is clothed with politics, the whole issue becomes even more dangerous.
I am stressing this point because of recent developments in the country where vituperative statements and comments in political circles, some coming from high-ranking politicians and people in high positions appear to have risen the political tempo.
The Daily Graphic of October 16, 2009, reported that two prominent Ghanaians had sounded the alarm bell about the increasing threat of ethnocentrism and intolerance of opposing views in the nation’s body politic.
The two, Prof. Kwesi Yankah, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, and Most Rev. Robert Aboagye Mensah, Vice-President of All Africa Council of Churches, warned that the development could spell doom for the country if concrete moves were not made to ameliorate their effects.
They sounded the caution that Ghanaians should not be complacent with commendations for organising successful elections and handovers, but must find lasting solutions to such problems that always tended to mar the peace and stability of the country.
It has been argued in certain circles that ethnocentrism in Africa will be difficult to eliminate.
One of the adherents of this belief cites a developed country like Canada, which has been trying for hundreds of years with mixed success to accommodate only two linguistic groups, namely the English and French, to arrive at the conclusion that African states which have greater cultural and linguistic divisions will continue to live with ethnocentrism.
But living with ethnocentrism is always dangerous as it could trigger conflicts, sometimes with devastating consequences.
Historically, a greater number of the devastating conflicts in Africa, especially the Horn of Africa have been linked to ethnocentrism.
Mention can be made of the first and second Sudan civil wars, widely seen as conflicts between peoples of the Arab north and African south.
Ethiopia has also not been spared ethnic wars. The wars in that country have been fought mainly between the Amharas and the Tigreans, Oromos, Eritreans, etc
Talk about Somalia also and all that you can think about that country is ethnic conflicts. The conflicts in that country have been described mainly as conflicts between the Maraheens and the Isaaqs, or between the Darods and the Ogadenis, etc.
Ghana has not been spared any of these ethnic wars. The Konkomba-Nanumba conflict, which led to the deaths of thousands of people was said to have been triggered by arguments over a guinea fowl, but there were deep-rooted ethnocentric agitations.
Military governments in Africa have also cut dangerous paths relating to ethnocentrism. In Nigeria for instance, General Yakubu Gowon came to power on the wings of an ethnic motivated military coup. This act, according to historians, deepened ethnic-animosity and tension in the Nigerian military.
This is not to say that military governments have not played crucial roles in addressing ethnic conflicts in Africa. In Burundi for instance, the military government, in 1970, caused an improvement in the conflict between Tutsis and Hutus even though it later deteriorated leading to the killings of hundreds of thousands of people.
I have taken this winding journey just to sound a word of caution to our politicians to learn a lesson and desist from their threatening statements.
Regrettably, all this is happening with the media in full attendance. Sometimes some of us in the media tend to give so much attention to useless statements from politicians.
What we must realise is that this group of people have their visas and those of their families and are ready to board the next available plane to secure lands when the unexpected happens.
Why can’t the media play their gate-keeping role with professionalism and keep the rot in abeyance?
Our politicians in particular and people in general should strive at building a concept of national identity with a clear vision to fostering national unity and intergration.
This has the capacity to create a society with less or no threat to faciliate a process where every individual could get on board in striking a more equitable and peaceful social contract that could lead to mutually enriching relationships.
It is a fact that national identity itself will not lead to a peaceful nation. But, it could serve as a step to arriving at a more inclusive identity.
National Identity could challenge various ethnic groups to recognise aspects of them that could be shared beyond ethnic group and even the state.
The churches, schools, the media and other civil society groups must enlighten the people on the dangers of ethnocentrism.
We may have our political differences but as a people, we need to build the spirit of love and oneness and not play to the selfish interests of some politicians.

POLICE INVESTIGATE DEATH OF WOMAN IN HOTEL (PAGE 19, OCT 26, 2010)

THE Kumasi Police yesterday afternoon arrested a 19-year-old man, Rashid Awudu, over the death of a woman with whom he had spent the night in a guest house in Kumasi.
The deceased, whose name was not immediately known, was said to have charged the suspect GH¢20 to spend the night with him, only to meet her death at the Silver Ringers Guest House at Asokwa in Kumasi.
She was pronounced dead after the police rushed her from the hotel room to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).
Five spent condoms, which the suspect claimed he had used in the sexual act with the woman, were found in the hotel room.
The police said Awudu claimed he had five rounds of sex — three last night and two this morning — with the lady before she collapsed and died.
However, the police suspect foul play, as there were scratches on the deceased’s neck and a cut on her hand.
Bloodstains were also found in the bathroom.
The Asokwa District Police Commander, Superintendent Martin Ayiih, who briefed the Daily Graphic, said the remains of the woman had been deposited at the morgue at KATH for post-mortem.
He quoted the suspect as saying that he had picked up the lady in front of Vienna City, a popular area used by commercial sex workers in Kumasi.
Awudu alleged that the lady had charged him GH¢20 for the night and that after he had five rounds of sex with her, she developed some stomach pains, leading to her death.
However, the District Commander said the suspect’s story could not be accepted, looking at the state of the body.
According to him, an attendant at the guest house indicated that she had heard noise in the room and, with the help of some people, she got the room open, only to find the lady lying motionless.
The police were immediately called in and the suspect arrested.
The police said the woman had a mobile phone on her and that when they called one of the numbers on the phone, they were told the deceased lived at Pankrono.
Meanwhile, the deceased’s real identity is yet to be established.

Monday, October 25, 2010

WHO SUCCEEDS ARHIN AS CEO? (NSEMPA, BACK PAGE, OCT 25, 2010)

By Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

WHO becomes the next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of B.A Stars after Mr Takyi Arhin quit in the wake of the nasty developments in the club’s abortive seventh week Glo premier league match against New Edubiase United at the Sunyani Coronation Park?
One name that had come up strongly is former international, George Arthur.
However, when the Graphic Nsempa spoke with him on phone from his base in Sunyani last Saturday, he denied any knowledge of becoming the club’s next CEO.
“ I’m not aware of any moves to make me the CEO of the club.
“No one has had any discussions with me and I have also not made any moves to head the club’s management,” he said.
He, however, indicated that he was ready to contribute his quota in whatever capacity to bring the club out of its present predicament.
Arthur, a former player of erstwhile Apostles of Power Soccer, B/A United, and Asante Kotoko, was very instrumental in B.A Stars’ qualification to the premier division.
Some supporters of the club believe if Arthur were appointed the CEO, it would go a long way to advance the club’s image and bring it back to winning ways.
Last Monday, Arhin announced his decision to resign his position as CEO of BA Stars with immediate effect.
Edubiase were leading 1-nil when supporters of the home team charged on the referee and his assistants for alleged poor officiating.
Explaining his decision to quit the club, Mr Arhin said he was fed up with calculated attempts by some people to dismantle the club because of his principled stand against the rot in some aspects of the local game
According to him, saboteurs had conspired with visiting teams to cheat BA Stars in their own backyard.
He was not particularly happy about some officials in the FA who believe he was a thorn in their flesh and were determined to use whatever means possible to let him fail.
Mr Arhin said he accepted the CEO position with an open heart but he could not achieve results because various forces worked against him.
Meanwhile, B.A Stars are awaiting the outcome of the GFA disciplinary committee’s decision on their match with New Edubiase.
The Asante Bekwai-based club is demanding the three points, claiming the match was abandoned following the unruly behaviour of the home fans.

KOTOKO VERSUS HEARTS CRACKER...Fans call for adequate security (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, BACK PAGE, OCT 25, 2010)

By Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

FOOTBALL fans in Kumasi are calling for maximum security on Sunday when Asante Kotoko square up against archrivals Hearts of Oak in the top liner of the Glo Premier week at the Baba Yara Stadium.
A number of fans interviewed by Graphic Nsempa in Kumasi at the weekend said matches between the two glamorous sides demand tight security, judging from past experiences.
They appealed to the police to deploy more men at the stadium and also ensure that fans entering the stadium were thoroughly searched to prevent them from entering the stadium with offensive weapons.
Matches between the two sides have been characterised by tension, sometimes degenerating into violence.
In 2009, four football fans, all men, died during the league match between the two sides at the Baba Yara Stadium.
The stadium was overcrowded with fans and the four died of suffocation.
Personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service had to use a fire engine to spray water into sections of the stands to help bring down the heat to prevent more deaths.
On May 9, 2001, the worst football disaster in Africa occurred at the Accra Sports Stadium during a league match between Hearts and Kotoko.
As many as 127 lives were lost on the day after Hearts scored two late goals to defeat Kotoko 2-1 which led to disappointed Kotoko fans throwing plastic seats and bottles onto the pitch.
Police responded by firing tear gas into the crowd and the panic that ensued resulted in a stampede, leading to the deaths.
So, as the country’s two most powerful sides meet on Sunday, all attention will be on how security is maintained to ensure the safety of the lives of thousands of the people who will watch the match.

KOFI ANNAN SLAMS 'PHD' POLITICS ...It is disincentive for development (LEAD STORY, OCT 23, 2010)

A NEGATIVE aspect of African politics, referred to locally as the “pull-him-down” (PHD) syndrome, has attracted harsh comments from a former UN Secretary-General, Busumru Kofi Annan.
Speaking in Kumasi, Mr Annan deplored the way and manner in which African governments took delight in undoing the work of their predecessors for political advantage.
He noted that instead of focusing on how to build on the good initiatives of their predecessors, governments sometimes spent half of their terms to dismantle the work of their predecessors, with the intention of making them unpopular.
He was speaking at a dinner hosted by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in honour of the visiting UN Foundation Board of Directors, including the Founder and Chairman, Mr Ted Turner, at the Manhyia Palace on Thursday.
Mr Annan said before African governments could come to terms with the reality on the ground, they would be left with the remaining period of their tenure, which would be too short for them to work to better the lives of the people.
He stated that the situation was a disincentive to development efforts and should be discarded, emphasising that regardless of which party was in power, efforts should be made to continue with viable projects and programmes inherited to help accelerate the development process.
The UN Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities.
The board members, who include some of the world’s most respected leaders in health and development, were in the country to see the progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
While in Kumasi, they toured the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to see how they could help address the challenges confronting the hospital.
Mr Annan said the Foundation Board had worked with Ghana with the sole aim of assisting the country to achieve the MDGs.
He said in the government’s quest to achieve the MDGs, it needed to build on past progress devoid of political considerations.
The Juabenhene, Nana Otuo Siribuo, who welcomed the guests on behalf of the Asantehene, commended the board for its initiates, which have gone a long way to bring hope to a number of people not only in Ghana but also in other parts of Africa.
He said Otumfuo was always looking for development for the people of Asanteman and Ghana as a whole and would, therefore, welcome efforts that would change the lives of the people for the better.
Earlier, during their visit to KATH, the Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the hospital, Dr Archer Tempim, who briefed the board members, said congestion was the major challenge confronting the hospital.

Friday, October 22, 2010

TWO GAS-STOVE REPAIRERS JAILED FIVE YEARS (MIRROR, PAGE 27, OCT 23, 2010)

From Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

THE Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Circuit Court, presided over by Mr William Boampong, has sentenced two gas-stove repairers to five years imprisonment with hard labour each for committing four offences.
Thomas Cudjoe, 20, and Frank Mensah, 25, both residents of Asafo in Kumasi were found guilty of conspiracy to commit crime, unlawful entry, causing unlawful damage and stealing. Both pleaded guilty to the charges.
Prosecuting, Inspector M. Assenso said at about 10a.m. on October 7, 2010, the convicts scaled the wall of their victim’s residence to gain access to the house.
They then entered the bedroom of the victim by breaking the window.
The prosecutor said the two opened the drawer near the complainant’s bedside and stole $250 and 3,520 Pounds Sterling.
According to Inspector Assenso, when the complainant got wind of the presence of the convicts in his house, he called in the police who came and arrested them.
On their arrest, $5 and 320 Pounds Sterling were found on them and they were sent to the police station where they admitted the offence.

TAWRCK NOT ON OUR MINDS — KOTOKO (GRAPHIC SPORTS, PAGE 11, OCT 22, 2010)

THE management of Kumasi Asante Kotoko has stated categorically that it has not made any formal approach to sign on Hearts of Oak prodigy, Tawrick Jibril, as media reports seem to suggest.
“Personally I see Tawrick as an intelligent player, but I can tell you for now that we have not held any talks with the player nor his manager,” Jarvis Peprah, Public Affairs Manager of Asante Kotoko, told the Graphic Sports in Kumasi last Tuesday.
Media reports and the rumour mill have been rife that the 18-year-old attacking midfielder was heading for Asante Kotoko after the club offered him a mouth-watering deal of GH¢80,000.
The player’s contract with Hearts is reported to have ended, and he and his manager were looking at other options, including a move to Kotoko.
But Mr Peprah said, “We have not made any moves for the player.”
He, however, stated that if the player expresses interest in playing for Kotoko, they (Kotoko) would take the right steps to get him into their fold.
Even then, that would depend on whether the coach would give the green light for his signing.
“We cannot sign on a player without the consent of the coach. He is the man in charge of the technical direction and is the right person to tell which player fits into his plans”, he said.
Tawrick’s manager, Prince Omar, has emphasised in various radio interviews that the player’s contract with Hearts had ended and that he was prepared to sell him to any club that meets his demands.
Omar referred to how Hearts of Oak rejected an offer of $1 million offered by Athletico Madrid to sign on the player and said he did not want situation that would spoil the future of the talented player.
Reports that Asante Kotoko had offered to pay GH¢80,000 to get the player are yet to be authenticated.
It is also said that Hearts of Oak are trying hard to retain the player by offering him GH¢50,000 but the player’s manager had rejected the amount since it was on the lower side.
Tawrick joined Hearts of Oak at the age of 15 under controversial circumstances.
Last year Prince Omar demanded a whooping $ 150,000 from Hearts of Oak if they wanted to extend his contract but discussions were stalled.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

KOTOKO, INTERPLAST SEAL DEAL (PAGE 63, OCT 21, 2010)

KUMASI Asante Kotoko will be richer by GH¢60,000 courtesy Interplast, if they win the Glo Premier League.
The company will also give the club GH¢40,000 if they place second.
This was part of a one-year deal Kotoko entered into with the locally-based PVC pipes producer and announced in Kumasi last Tuesday
The amount is far bigger than the GHҐ12,000 the GFA pays to Ghana’s league champions.
Under the sponsorship package, Interplast presented a cheque for GHҐ100,000 to the club. The one-year-deal signed at the club’s secretariat has an option for extension.
Interplast’s logo will be emblazoned just close to the jersey numbers at the back.
This is the third major sponsorship package that Kotoko have signed this year. First it was tiGO that extended its deal with the club. Then came Smart TV who would be airing past and present Kotoko matches among other things.
The Asante Kotoko management headed by Executive Chairman, Dr K.K. Sarpong, appears to be on course to clinching more deals for the club as he promised during the inauguration of the board at the Manhyia Palace.
At last Tuesday’s signing of the deal, Mr E.A. Owusu-Ansah, a board member of Kotoko, who initialled for his side, said management was determined to get the best for the club.
He expressed the hope that the sponsorship deal would add another positive image to the parties.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

FREE UNIFORMS WON'T BE A NINE-DAYS WONDER — DCE ASSURES PARENTS (PAGE 42, OCT 21, 2010)

THE District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sekyere Afram Plains in the Ashanti Region, Mr Jacob Kofi Dankwah, has stated that the distribution of free exercise books and school uniforms to pupils of basic schools in the country has become a permanent feature of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
“It’s not going to be a nine-days’ wonder as some people believed. We have put in place effective measures to make this a permanent feature,” he said.
Speaking at a ceremony to distribute 2,000 school uniforms and a number of exercise books to schools in 18 communities in the Afram Plains area of the district, Mr Dankwah said the government considered education as the bedrock of national development.
“Therefore, every effort will be made to provide the necessary infrastructure and other interventions to schools, especially in the deprived areas to boost education,” he said.
The beneficiary communities included Abura, Seneso, Yakubu, Sabreso, Apapasu-Saabuom, Sunsua, Drobonso, Asisiwa, Anyinofi and Mamprusi.
The rest were Dawia, Mempekasa, Akoma, Dagomba, Domase, Asuboasu, Sabrewa and Saaboum.
Mr Dankwah gave the assurance that the government would not renege on its promises to the people in the country, stressing that the education sector was high on the agenda of the government.
He called on other stakeholders in education to complement the government’s efforts at bringing education to the accepted level.
The DCE urged teachers to maximum their output to help pupils realise their full potentials.
He disclosed that preparations were far advanced for the construction of a police station and a public place of convenience at Drobonso.
The Kumawu-Drobonso road, which in a deplorable condition, would also be rehabilitated.
The District Director of Education, Mrs Agnes Apenyo, appealed to parents to give the necessary support to their children to enable them to advance in their education career.
She said gone were the days where children were used as farm hands and other trading activities at the expense of education, stressing that “No matter what one wants to be in future, education must come first”.
Mrs Apenyo entreated parents to pay regular visits to their children in school and also show more interest in Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) activities.
The Headmaster of Drobonso District Assembly Junior High School (JHS), Mr David Kwabena Appau, disclosed that only four out of the 42 candidates who sat for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination passed.
He appealed to the district assembly to provide the school with a public place of convenience, as well as a security person since some unscrupulous people in the town defecated at the school in the night.

ASSEMBLY APPROVES DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT FUND PROJECTS (PAGE 42, OCT 21, 2010)

THE Ahafo North District Assembly has approved the execution of four projects under the District Development Fund (DDF) at a total cost of GH¢540,000.
The projects included a two-unit kindergarten block with an office, changing room and a four-seater KVIP toilet at Kyekyewere at a cost of GH¢51,490; rehabilitation of a six-unit classroom block at Bosikese at a cost of GH¢36,193; construction of a six-unit classroom block with office, library, store and common room each at Kofi Nkrumahkrom and the Tepa Health Training Assistants School at a cost of GH¢155,501 and GH¢139,155, respectively.
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr David Addai Amankwaah, made this known at the third ordinary meeting of the assembly this year at Tepa.
He said the assembly was committed to improving the lives of the people through the provision of people-centred projects and programmes.
Mr Amankwaah said the assembly was putting in place measures to intensify its education on government programmes and projects.
He said that was important because it was one of the surest ways of getting the people to appreciate what the government was doing to achieve the “Better Ghana” agenda.
According to Mr Amankwaah, the people needed to know their civic rights and responsibilities and that what the assembly was working to achieve.
He urged the people to take registration of births and deaths seriously because they help in the allocation of resources and other statistical activities.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ahafo Ano North, Mr Richard Akuoko Adiyia, explained how he had used his share of the common fund in the communities.
According to him, a number of projects had been undertaken with the common fund to help uplift the standard of living of the people.
He commended the assembly members for their dedication to duty and urged them to maintain the spirit.

STUDY HISTORY OF LANDS IN GHANA CRITICALLY (PAGE 42, OCT 21, 2010)

THE Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has called on the Land Administration Project (LAP) to critically study the history of lands in Ghana before taking steps to administer them.
He said appreciating land ownership, customary and traditional arrangements, would enable the LAP to demarcate land boundaries in a manner that would prevent litigation among chiefs.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu stated that various regions and traditional areas had different forms of traditional ownership of land and that could not be neglected by the project.
The Asantehene said this when officials of LAP called on him at the Manhyia Palace.
He said the Asantehene for instance acquired his lands through wars of conquest and that could not be overlooked under any new arrangement.
The LAP officials were at Manhyia to brief Otumfuo on the first phase of LAP, which had ended and preparations being made to begin phase two of the project.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu said in Asanteman, he had entrusted lands under the care of the various stools on behalf of the Golden Stool.
He said the only exception was the lands he gave out to the consorts of the Asantehene.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu said he did not give lands to families but since some of them had occupied the land for centuries, they had the right to benefit from the proceeds from the land and there were custom arrangements to that effect.
On paramount stools, Otumfuo stated that when a stool was elevated to paramount status, he allowed the stool to fully benefit from the proceeds of land for the development of the traditional area.
He said if the government wanted to acquire land on behalf of the state, it needed to pay adequate compensation as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
On Kumasi lands, the Asantehene said a section of the lands, known as Part One or Kumasi Town Lands, were vested by the colonial administration in 1902.
He said they were released to the Golden Stool in 1943 but unfortunately, the government after independence repossessed the lands in 1958.
The LAP Task Team Leader from the World Bank, Mr Charles Annor-Frimpong, stated that the project, which started in 2003, was due to end in June, 2011.
He said unlike the first phase, which was implemented nationwide, the second phase of LAP would tackle selected regions, namely Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western and Northern.
Mr Annor-Frimpong stated that the regions were selected for various reasons, explaining that the Ashanti Region for instance was selected because it had a fairly cohesive single traditional authority, making it an advantageous area for scaling up the development of traditional land administration systems.
He outlined the project objectives to include strengthening land administration systems, improving business processes for service delivery, improving maps and spatial data, and human resource development and project management.
The World Bank and other development partners are implementing the LAP.

BONSAASO MILLENNIUM VILLAGES PROJECT COMMENDED (PAGE 42, OCT 21, 2010)

THE United Nations Resident Co-ordinator to Ghana, Mrs Ruby Sandhu-Rojon, has commended the management of the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) at Bonsaaso in the Amansie West District for the able manner it has worked to put the project on a sound footing.
She said the project currently had about 85 per cent coverage in the areas of health, education, agriculture and sanitation, something she described as very encouraging.
Mrs Sandhu-Rojon made the commendation when she paid a day’s working visit to the area to inspect some of the projects.
The projects inspected included the Manso-Datano clinic, teachers’ quarters at Manso-Watere, oil-palm plantation project and water treatment plant.
The Millennium Villages Project is aimed at empowering Africa villages to free themselves from the shackles of poverty in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals within a period of five years.
The community would benefit from a number of development projects to uplift the standard of living of the people.
In Ghana, the United Nations Millennium Project selected Manso-Bonsasso in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region as the Millennium Village of Ghana.
Mrs Sandhu-Rojon stated that reducing extreme poverty from the project area demanded hard work from the implementing agencies and therefore, urged all players in the project to work extra hard.
Presenting the status of the project, the Cluster Manager of the Bonsaaso MVP, Mr Samuel Afram, said after cocoa, oil palm is the most important cash crop in the cluster with more than 1,200 hectares under cultivation.
He, however, noted with concern that market for the fruits was lacking due to the poor road network, which made the farms inaccessible.
Mr Afram said to address the problem, the MVP decided to intervene in two main segments of the value chain.
They included first, the collection, transportation and marketing of oil palm fresh fruits, and second, value addition through processing of the fruits.
Mr Afram stated that the purchase of fresh palm fruits from farmers to the Juaben Oil Mills for processing started in April, 2009 and to date, the farmers had earned about GH¢45,000 as income.
He also touched on health and said there had been a number of interventions to bring hope to the people.
Mr Afram said four new health centres had been completed, while two existing ones had been renovated.
The MVP initially started free medical services and later switched on to the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Mr Afram said aside those projects, two ambulances had been deployed in the cluster to facilitate emergency response.
“Besides, there is a programme to diagnose and manage HIV AIDS,” he stated.
Mr Afram gave the assurance that every effort was being made to strengthen the project.

RICE IMPORTERS PROTEST AT HIGH TARIFFS (BACK PAGE, OCT 20, 2010)

Members of the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire Rice Importers Association have registered their protest against the rise in the custom duty they pay for importing rice from Cote d’Ivoire.
According to members of the association, made up Ghanaian business people who import rice from Cote d’Ivoire, the over 100 per cent increase in customs duty had adversely affected their businesses as they could no longer import from Cote d’Ivoire, a situation that had also forced prices of rice to rise on the Ghanaian market.
They indicated that a bag of 25 kilos of Uncle Sam brand of rice, for instance, which sold at GH¢24, was now selling at GH¢54 and consequently appealed to the government to step in, since they believed some “unseen hands” were behind those developments.
At a news conference in Kumasi on Tuesday, attended by about 200 of the members to express their disgust at the development, the secretary of the association, Mr Mensah Bonsu, indicated that before the end of August, 2010, they were paying $10 for 25kg of rice as customs duty to the Government of Ghana.
However, he said the duty had been increased to $24 per 25kg of rice since September, 2010, a situation the association saw as disincentive to the growth of indigenous business.
A directive from the deputy commissioner in charge of operations of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) to the regional commander of CEPS in Sunyani, dated September 9, 2010, cited by the Daily Graphic at the news conference, stated that “Management has noticed with concern the use of unacceptably low value ($0.13/kg or $0.29/kg) for the clearing of rice from Cote d’Ivoire.
“Through your collection you are hereby directed to apply F.O.B. value as follows in importation of rice: - $0.97/kg (all brands), 5 per cent F.O.B. (broken rice), $0.42/kg (all brands). The instructions take immediate effect.”
Mr Bonsu told the news conference that with the astronomical increase in customs duties, “we anticipate that the price per 25 kilos bag of rice is likely to be sold at GH¢75 or more, a situation which is likely to impact adversely on the consuming public.”
He also said the association had noticed that foreigners in Ghana who were into the importation of rice brought large consignments of rice which they kept in bonded warehouses.
“Unlike those of us who import from Ivory Coast, these foreigners are allowed to sell their rice before they pay the customs duty.
“What we have observed is that the foreigners evade customs duty because in most cases they come up with excuses that their bags of rice in the bonded warehouses have gone bad and as such are not made to pay customs duty on those rice,” he said.
Meanwhile, he noted, those bags of rice which were declared to have gone bad always find their way onto the market.
The situation, he noted, affected the local small and medium-scale importers of rice as they resulted in huge financial losses, as competition from the foreigners was unfair.
“We believe that a big foreign rice importing company is behind the CEPS directive with the sole aim of monopolising the rice importation business in the country.
The association, therefore, appealed to the government to take a look at the development to ensure that the right thing was done to save their businesses.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

TEACHER STRANGLES SON (BACK PAGE, OCT 19, 2010)

A 25-year-old teacher of the D.A. Primary School at Wiawso in the Ahafo Ano South District in the Ashanti Region, who allegedly strangled his two-year-old child to death, has been arrested by the Mankranso Police.
The suspect, Raymond Messesah, who was said to have committed the act over marital problems with his wife, was also alleged to have dumped the body of the boy in a pit latrine.
The police picked up the suspect as he attempted to escape after the crime.
A source at the Ashanti Regional Public Relations Office of the Ghana Police Service told the Daily Graphic that the suspect’s father too was arrested for allegedly attempting to shield his son.
The remains of the deceased, Kelvin Clalan Messesah, which were discovered with the head inside the shallow pit and the legs protruding from it, have been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital morgue for autopsy.
The wife, Janet Abiti, who lives in Hohoe, had visited her husband with their child, in the hope of patching up their differences.
According to the police, Raymond lived at Kunsu and taught at the Wiawso D.A. Primary School.
On October 15, 2010, Janet, with her son, visited her husband at Kunsu.
In the afternoon of the day, Raymond returned from town with a tuber of yam and asked the woman to prepare it to be eaten with some stew he had in his refrigerator.
After cooking the yam, the man refused to eat it, insisting that the woman and the child rather should eat it, but they refused the suggestion.
The police continued that the suspect went out in the night and returned about 9 p.m. refusing pleas by the woman to sleep by her on the matrimonial bed.
The police said the woman was disturbed about the state of their marriage and was hoping to get the man to forget about the past while they slept together.
Raymond, however, picked the child and slept by him on the bed while the woman slept on a student’s mattress placed on the floor.
At dawn on Saturday, Janet woke up to ask Raymond how the child was doing and the answer the man gave her was that the child had gone out.
According to the police, when the woman realised that the child was not on the bed she went out in search of him but could not found him.
A confrontation ensued between the couple as the woman demanded the whereabouts of the child.
At a point the man threatened to kill the woman if she kept pestering him for the child.
Sensing foul play, the woman went to the Mankranso Police Station to lodge a complaint that her child was missing.
While the police were going to the man’s house with Janet, they met the Unit Committee Chairman of Kunsu, who told them that some people had seen the remains of a child in a pit latrine in the town.
The woman later identified the child as her son and when the police went to the house of the suspect he had locked his door but they spotted him at the lorry park looking for a vehicle to leave the town.

Monday, October 18, 2010

KOTOKO GET NEW BUS (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, BACK PAGE, OCT 18, 2010)

By Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

KUMASI Asante Kotoko have been the proud recipient of a new 30-seater Hyundai County Bus as part of a deal with Smart TV.
The donation was in line with a three-year agreement under which the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) will broadcast the first ever football club television in Ghana.
The bus would be used by the Under 20 team, which the current management had sworn to build as a strong nursery grounds for the first team.
The deal between Kotoko and Smart TV gives the station the exclusive rights to air activities of the club on GBC’s digital terrestrial television.
Under the agreement, the station would start airing stories about Kotoko from November 30, 2010.
The package would include interviews with the coach, past and present players who made the club what it is today.
Kotoko TV would also show classic match actions that celebrate the club’s greatest moments such as the Miracle of Kumasi where Kotoko beat Zamalek 5-1 in a Champions League match.
Commenting on the deal, the Country Manager of Next Generation Broadcasting (Smart TV), Mrs Yvonne Osei-Tutu, expressed the hope that the bus would serve a useful purpose for the club.
She urged management to take good care of the vehicle so that it would last long.
Mrs Osei-Tutu gave the assurance that her outfit, as part of its social responsibility, would explore further platforms for creating similar opportunities for other clubs in the country.
The Executive Chairman of Asante Kotoko, Dr K.K. Sarpong, said the deal was a win-win affair.
The presentation of the bus, he noted, was part of the numerous interventions being brought on board by the Kotoko management to help raise the standard of the club.
Mr Philip Baidoo, Ashanti Regional Director of GBC, said GTV would play its part to ensure that the deal is successful.

CAN COACH WELLINGTON SAVE FAISAL? (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, BACK PAGE, OCT 18, 2010)

By Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

HENRY Wellington, who has just taken over the coaching department of premier division side King Faisal albeit temporarily, must be prepared for a tough task ahead of him.
After taking over from sacked Serbian Medic Monsulo just last week, the former Sekondi Hasaacas coach is expected to come out with the magic wand to lift the club back to where it belongs.
If he succeeds in the next few matches, he stands the chance of being kept as the substantive coach.
This is because the club have decided not to go for a foreign coach this time after the Serbian faltered in his association with the team
But it appears he is not going to have things smooth sailing. Indeed, he has a mountain task looking at developments in the club.
The once fearsome side is undergoing all manner of troubles and this season appears one of the most difficult for the club.
The club is third from the bottom of the national premier league after managing only one win, a draw and four defeats.
Faisal sacked Serbian Medic Monsulo for non-performance last Monday after taking over the club in July this year.
The Kumasi-based club is known to be in love with foreign coaches but this time, it looks like they are beginning to have a second look at their association with them.
Sometimes, people question how the club’s management managed to pay the coaches in hard currencies.
In a country where clubs rely on gate proceeds as the biggest source of revenue, many question how Faisal, whose matches do not receive high patronage, is able to pay their foreign coaches.
Perhaps, that is one reason why the President of the club, Alhaji Karim Gruzah, is much respected in Ghana football.
In some of the club’s matches, one could count the fans that turn up, and it is to the credit of the experienced football administrator that Faisal continue to raise their heads in premier league football.
As the stop-gap coach gets down to business, it is important for the club’s supporters to give him the necessary backing to enable him deliver.
A strong King Faisal is a plus for Ghana football and the club better put their acts together to get back to winning ways.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

INSTITUTE ADEQUATE SAFETY MEASURES FOR MINE WORKERS (PAGE 22, OCT 16, 2010)

THE Obuasi branch of the Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU) has called on mining companies to institute adequate safety and rescue measures for their workers.
Referring to what happened in Chile where some mine workers were trapped underground, the union said mining companies needed to learn a lesson from it in order to prevent such occurrence.
The branch, comprising workers of Anglogold Ashanti, said what happened in Chile, where 33 miners were trapped in a 2,300 feet underground mine for sometime, could happen anywhere in the world.
It said it was important that mine owners adopted the right measures to prevent and deal with them when they occurred.
Speaking during an interaction with journalists at Obuasi at the start of a week-long fasting and prayer session instituted by the branch for God to intercede for the rescue of the trapped miners in Chile, the branch Chairman, Mr Kwadwo Mensah Gyakari, said the risk associated with mining was enormous.
“There is therefore, the need for all players in the industry to play to the rules of the industry so that lives would always be protected,” he said.
The Chilean miners were working at the San Jose gold and copper mine near the city of Copiapo, 500 miles north of Santiago, at a depth of around 2,300 feet when the rock above them collapsed on August 5, this year.
Rescuers say it will take at least 120 days to carve a second shaft wide enough for the miners to be pulled up one after another.
Mr Gyakari described the situation as very disturbing and said that was why they were praying to God to save the lives of the trapped miners.
He stated that although Obuasi operated a multi-link shaft unlike Chile, which had the single-shaft mine, the Chile situation could still happen in Ghana.
Mr John Abdulai, a miner with 21 years experience at Obuasi, advised his colleagues to avoid alcoholism and other immoral acts in order to live longer.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

PRIVATE SHS READY FOR FRESH STUDENTS (PAGE 42, OCT 13, 2010)

THE Church of Christ Senior High School (SHS), a private educational institution at Adadientem near Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, is putting in place finishing touches to admit fresh students for the current academic year.
This comes at a time SHSs in the public sector are calling for the postponement of the reopening date for fresh students due to accommodation challenges.
When the Daily Graphic visited the school last Tuesday, work on a 500-bed girls’ hostel under construction was nearing completion to provide residential accommodation for first year students.
Started about five months ago, the project was being financed through the school’s own resources.
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Headmaster of the school, Mr Cosmos Owusu-Afriyie, said everything was being done to ensure that form one students were accommodated.
He stated that it was the decision of management to keep to the reopening date for fresh students without any option of postponement.
According to him, the school was fully prepared to make the best out of the available facilities.
With the acronym of the school as CHRISEC, it is located in a predominantly rural community and has become a place of rescue for many students who were not selected by the computer system.
 Mr Owusu-Afriyie said through academic and moral discipline, the school had managed to mould many of its students, some of who were in gainful employment, while others were in the universities and other tertiary educational institutions.
“When the students who have been rejected by the computer selection programme come here, they do very well. Because of this, we shall continue to open our doors to them so that they don’t end up becoming street children,” he said.
Mr Owusu-Afriyie stated that there were many talented children in the rural areas, adding that what was important was to devise ways to develop their potentials to enable them to become useful citizens in future.
According to the headmaster, this year alone, 22 students from the school entered the universities, while many others qualified for the polytechnics and colleges of education.
Mr Owusu-Afriyie stated that the school placed emphasis on the admission of girls and that two-thirds of the students were females.
He said the school would continue to tailor its programmes to entice girls in the rural communities.

KWASI BLOWS HIS CHANCE (GRAPHIC SPORTS, LEAD STORY, OCT 12, 2010)

IS it the case that Kwasi Appiah blew away a fine opportunity to make a case for Ghanaian coaches last Sunday?
This was the crucial point of argument after he led the Black Stars to manage only a goalless draw at home to The Sudan in a Nations Cup qualifier at the Baba Yara Stadium.
The most prevalent sentiment the Graphic Sports gathered during and after the match was that the local coaches do not have the pedigree to coach the Black Stars, citing various reasons including the inability to organise the game properly and unproductive attitudes towrads player indiscipline.
But on the flip side, others insisted it was pretty unfair to castigate Appiah for the team’s performance as that was his first major match since that was the first time he was leading the team in a major game.
The Chief Executive of Bechem United FC, Mr Kingsley Osei Bonsu, aka Zico, told the Graphic Sports that even though he did not support the idea of the local coach for the national team, he thought the criticims against Appiah were unfair.
“Apart from the introduction of some few faces, he used the core of the team that played in the World Cup, so it will be unfair to play down the capacity of the coach at this early period,” he said.
Many have been calling for a shift in power in the coaching department of the national team and the departure of Serbian Milovan Rajevac restarted the debate as Appiah took over the job albeit as a stand-in.
But after his side struggled to a goalless draw against an average Desert Hawks of Sudan before a sell out crowd at the Baba Yara Stadium Sunday night, some believed the coach failed to map out the strategy to overpower the Sudanese and thus underlined the need for Ghana to go for a top-notch foreign coach.
Yet, others argued that the coach did his best only that the players failed to take advantage of the opportunities that came their way.
Appiah himself insists his team was unlucky on the day after playing so well in the second half.
“We should have won the game in the second half but hard luck robbed us of victory.”
The coach said he varied his game plan when he realised the Sudanese had gotten the antidote to his tactics.
Indeed, he varied his tactics and at some points it appeared the coach was in to surmount the Sudanese obstacle.
His tactical flexibility, as he himslef said, saw him playing with the 4-3-2-1 and the 4-4-2 systems, and if the players had taken their chances, a different story would have been told.
Clearly, even though the Sudanese produced a number of last-ditch tackles and clearances to remain on level terms, the Ghanaian team did not show the typical dexterity that could have led them to victory.
How the Ghanaians failed to take advantage of the indirect free kick from six yards out amazed many, and it underlined the frustration the team went through.

Monday, October 11, 2010

SUDAN HOLD GHANA (BACK PAGE, OCT 11, 2010)

A CAPACITY crowd watched in bewilderment as the Black Stars struggled to a goalless draw, and star striker Asamoah Gyan was red-carded against the Desert Hawks of Sudan in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier yesterday evening.
In a match that the Ghanaians were highly tipped to win, they found in the Sudanese, a tactically disciplined side and not even an indirect free kick awarded Ghana in the area deep into stoppage time could win the day.
The early period was marked by defensive and midfield brilliance rather than attacking inventions.
But it was the Black Stars who gave a false hope for a great game when just a minute into the game, teenager Jordan Ayew who was handed a starting role by stand-in coach Kwasi Appiah exploded on the right winning a corner kick.
The huge crowd turned the stadium into a cauldron of noise but that did not scare the Hawks who played brilliantly in defence with lanky Balla Gabir keeping a close on Gyan.
Jordan on the right and brother Andre on the left struggled to keep hold of the ball and with their inability to provide the feeds from their areas, the Ghanaian attack remained moribund.
Sudan keeper Mahmoud El Maiz was called to duty on the 23rd minute parrying away a good shot from Kwadwo Asamoah.
Just when the Black Stars were gaining a foothold, the Hawks nearly caught them on the break but Richard Kingson came off his line to head away from advancing Mudathar Eltaib.
With their tails up, the Ghanaians mounted pressure on their opponents on restart, yet the difficulty of getting the balls at goal was evident.
A plethora of free kicks near the box pointed to Ghana breaking the virginity of the game but again Gyan and Kwadwo Asamoah were not up to the task.
Even though Prince Tagoe was sent on for Jordan after 55 minutes while Agyemang Badu and Emmanuel Clottey also came on for Bernard Kumordjie and Andre Ayew respectively, Ghana lacked ideas to break the deadlock.
On the other hand, Sudan grew in confidence and as they stroked the ball, the crowd applauded their tenacity of purpose.
The Stars grew increasingly frustrated and on the 79th minute Gyan was shown the red card by South Africa referee Jerome Damond, for retaliation.
With a man down, the Ghanaians attempted a last-minute gasp and some turbulence in the Sudanese area won the Ghanaians the indirect free kick, which Agyemang Badu wasted much to the chagrin of the fans.
Ghana’s line-up:
Kingson, Pantsil, Sarpei, John Mensah, Vorsah, Annan, Jordan Ayew/Tagoe, Kumordjie/Agyemang Badu, Gyan, Asamoah, Andre Ayew/Emmanuel Clottey.
• In the other Group I match, Congo who lost their opening match 0-2 against Sudan, won 3-1 over Swaziland in Brazzaville.

KUMASI AUTHORITIES WORRIED ABOUT STRIKES (PAGE 13, OCT 11, 2010)

THE Metropolitan Security Council (METSEC) of Kumasi has condemned what it describes as the emerging trend by some interest groups to make Kumasi the epicentre of demonstrations against national issues.
According to METSEC, the situation has the potential to disturb the peace and security of the metropolis if not checked.
A communiqué issued in Kumasi at the weekend after a meeting of the council, said the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Kumasi Traditional Council were equally not happy about the development, and were ready to support measures that would curb the distasteful development.
“METSEC has therefore, decided to institute stern measures to ensure that the peace and security of the metropolis are guaranteed,” the communiqué, signed by Metro Chief Executive, Samuel Sarpong said.
It indicated that the police had confirmed that sometimes, the demonstrators did not inform them about their intention to demonstrate as the law required.
Consequently, METSEC advised all persons or group of persons wishing to demonstrate or go on procession to first inform the police in accordance with the law.
“The police and other security agencies will leave no stone unturned if the law is breached, and would go ahead to prosecute the leaders of those who fall foul of the law,” the statement said.
It said within the last four months alone, there had been eight different groups staging protests in the metropolis to press home their demands for authorities to address their concerns.
“On June 1, 2010 a number of primary school pupils of Yaa Achiaa Primary School in Kumasi went on demonstration in protest against a development policy of the KMA.
“This unprecedented event was followed by an attempted public demonstration by a group calling itself Concerned Citizens of Asanteman in protest against a statement made by a journalist of Joy FM in Accra,” the statement said.
According to the council, it took great effort and time to get the organisers of the intended demonstration to rescind their decision.
Again, a group calling itself NDC foot soldiers, made a similar attempt to demonstrate to register their displeasure against certain issues.
The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) also chose Kumasi as the fertile ground to demonstrate against increase in utility tariffs.
It also mentioned the demonstration by prisons officers and junior nurses at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and said all these painted a very bad picture of Kumasi.
METSEC stated that those demonstrations were illegal groupings contrary to the nation’s security codes.
The security council appealed to the media to join the crusade to maintain the peace and security of the metropolis.

3,714 STUDENTS FAIL TO REPORT AT KNUST (PAGE 11, OCT 11, 2010)

OUT of the 10,728 students who were offered admission by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), to undertake various programmes of study this academic year, 3,714 of them have failed to report.
So far, 7,014 students, representing 65 per cent of those offered admission have accepted and registered. In all, 28,182 students from more than 200 senior high schools (SHSs) applied.
This comes at the time when authorities of public universities continue to lament over the inability to admit qualified students because of problems of space.
Authorities at KNUST have not given reasons for the situation but have said of those who registered, 241 are from less endowed senior high schools, while 390 are foreign students.
There are 5,004 males, representing 71 per cent, as against 2,010 females consistuting 29 per cent.
The Vice Chancellor of KNUST, Professor William Otoo Ellis, who made these known at the 2010 matriculation ceremony for fresh students at KNUST at the weekend, said the student population of the university was now around 28,000.
The College of Arts and Social Sciences admitted 35 per cent of the students, while the College of Science took on 22 per cent and the College of Engineering had 16 per cent. College of Agriculture and Natural Resources admitted 13 per cent, College of Health Science 10 per cent and Architecture and Planning had eight per cent.
Prof. Ellis stated that the status quo remained with the highest number of admissions coming from five elite schools namely Opoku Ware, Prempeh, Presbyterian Boys, Wesley Girls and Yaa Asantewaa Senior High Schools.
However, students from less endowed schools such as Hwidiem SHS, Kade Day Secondary/Technical, and Kraboa Coaltar Presbyterian/TechnicalSchools among others were also admitted.
He indicated that the cut off points for programmes such as human biology, pharmacy, telecommunications engineering, petrochemical engineering, dental surgery and Optometry was aggregate nine, showing how competitive the admissions were.
This, he said, accounted for the large number of students who could not be offered admission into any of the 67 undergraduate programmes even though they bought admission forms.
He cautioned the students against acts that would negatively affect their ambition to obtain their degrees.
Prof. Ellis said it was always a pride to study at the KNUST, which was Ghana’s foremost tertiary institution of Science and Technology and one of the best in Africa.

MEN TOO CAN SUFFER BREAST CANCER (PAGE 77, OCT 11, 2010)

A BREAST pathologist, Dr (Mrs) Beatrice Wiafe Addai, has cautioned men against the belief that breast cancer affects only females.
She said the incidence of the disease among males in the country and other parts of the world was increasing, with the rate jumping to three per cent from the previous one per cent.
She has consequently called on men to present themselves for screening to ensure early detection and treatment.
Dr Wiafe Addai, who was speaking at the launch of the one-month national breast cancer awareness programme of the Breast Care International (BCI) at Manso Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region last Thursday, said ignorance of the disease was dangerous as it could kill.
BCI is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Kumasi which has Dr (Mrs) Wiafe Addai, who is also the Chief Executive of the Peace and Love Hospital, a private hospital at Oduom in Kumasi, as the President.
The organisation has set aside one month every year to undertake a massive educational campaign against breast cancer.
Over the years, little attention has been paid to breast cancer among men, partly because of the low incidence in the population, and the assumption that it is not a male disease.
Men possess a small amount of non-functioning breast tissue (breast tissue that cannot produce milk) that is concentrated in the area directly behind the nipple on the chest wall.
Like breast cancer in women, cancer of the male breast is the uncontrolled growth of the cells of this breast tissue.
Most cases of male breast cancer are detected in men between the ages of 60 and 70 but the lower age groups are also at risk.
Dr Wiafe Addai discounted claims in certain circles that breast cancer was caused by evil spirits, stressing that “such belief has sent many people to their graves.”
She stated that the cause of the disease was medically unknown but the risk factors were known.
She also dismissed fears that males who sucked the breasts of their female partners stood the danger of contracting the disease.
The BCI president commended the government for covering breast cancer and cervical cancer with the National Health Insurance Scheme.
She said the theme for the awareness programme: “Early Detection, Awareness Creation”, was chosen because it was a sure way of checking the spread of the disease.
The Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Ms Anima Wilson, asked people suffering from the disease not to feel shy of seeing the doctor.
She commended Dr Addai and the BCI for the initiative to send the message on the disease to even the remotest parts of the country.
Other speakers at the function included the Chief Executive of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Samuel Sarpong, the District Chief Executive of Amansie West, Mr Oti Prempeh, and the Omanhene of Manso-Nkwanta, Nana Bi-Kusi Appiah.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

STARS READY TO SHINE (PAGE 31, OCT 9, 2010)

The Sudanese national football team nicknamed Desert Warriors, zoomed into Kumasi last Thursday with high hopes to fly high over the Black Stars in a Nations Cup qualifier tomorrow.
But it appears they have a mountain task as the arrival of the Black Stars in Kumasi has changed the politically-dominated climate in the city to an all-football affair since Thursday, with high hopes that the team will cruise on the back of the massive support they are expected to enjoy tomorrow.
So tumultuous was the welcome from the Kumasi Airport to the Royal Lamerta Hotel at Ahodwo, and if the impressive attendance at the first training of the team was anything to go by, then Kumasi appears ready to push the team to go a step further.
The issue of unpaid bonuses for the players has been settled, and their confidence seems to have reached the apogee ahead of the match.
For Coach Kwasi Appiah, the match also represents a personal challenge, especially where arguments for a local coach for the Black Stars rage on.
In their first training match at the Baba Yara Stadium just hours after their arrival in Kumasi, the Black Stars fired in 10 goals and conceded two against Ashanti Regional division two side, State Envoys.
Scorers included Berekum Chelsea’s Emmanuel Clottey who had a hat-trick, Jordan Ayew and Asamoah Gyan (two goals apiece), and Prince Tagoe, Kwadwo Asamoah and Anthony Annan (one goal each).
The standard of football produced by the Black Stars has been tremendous in recent times but they need to start scoring more if the team is to make qualification certain.
Sunderland striker, Asamoah Gyan, who together with attacking midfielders, Andre Dede Ayew and Kwadwo Asamoah will have to give a hugely committed performance, has typified Ghana’s workmanlike performance in attack.
On paper, The Sudanese appear the least likely opponents to unleash terror on the Black Stars on home soil but nothing is impossible in football.
The Hawks, one of the three teams alongside Egypt and Ethiopia to take part in the inaugural African Nations Cup in 1957, won the 1970 African Nations Cup as hosts when they beat Ghana 1-0 in the final match.
They draw most of their players from the ranks of local top clubs, especially Al Hilal and Al Merreikh. It is thus easy to write them off against the Ghanaian team dominated by Europe-based players but complacency can be dangerous.
The core of the Black Stars that played in the 2010 World Cup is still intact for Sunday’s game and the team will surely start as favourites.
On that score, much will be expected from skipper John Mensah and his colleagues.
If Olympique Marseille prodigy, Jordan Ayew, who enjoys a massive fan base in Kumasi, starts the match, it will be interesting to see how he combines with his senior brother, Andre to produce a glittering display to wet the appetite of the football fans.

Friday, October 8, 2010

BEATRICE WIAFE-ADDAI ...Leading fight against breast cancer (MIRROR, PAGE 3, OCT 9, 2010)

From Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

FOR many years people have perceived breast cancer as a dreadful disease associated with myths. But Dr (Mrs) Beatrice Wiafe-Addai says this notion must be attacked with all seriousness to bring hope to people who suffer from the disease.
From a humble beginning nine years ago when Dr (Mrs) Wiafe-Addai began the fight against breast cancer, she has waged a crusade in towns, villages and indeed the remotest parts of the country that has brought hope to may women who suffered from this dreadful disease.
The desire to keep her vision on course has resulted in the organisation she presides over, the Breast Care International (BCI), screening about 150,000 women of the disease, many of who would have died out of ignorance.
She has been leading her group on weekends mostly on Sundays where most women could be reached after the exhaustive week days to embark on outreach missions for women groups, churches, second cycle institutions and tertiary institutions among other groups and those marginalised in the rural areas and deprived communities sometimes at her own expense to educate women against the disease.
“This is one surest way to extricate us from this terrible disease,” she told The Mirror in an interview.
A number of the women have received treatment at the the instance of the BCI and are now living normal lives.
Persistently, Dr Wiafe-Addai has advised women to be conscious of their health by reporting any form of abnormality in any part of their body, especially their breast to medical officers for prompt diagnosis to be made.
This, she says, would reduce any risk of cancerous diseases in their breast to promote healthy lives.
Perhaps, not a single name has become so synonymous with the fight against breast cancer in Ghana than Dr. (Mrs) Wiafe-Addai.
As a private medical practitioner, she could have capitalised on the situation to make huge money as some do but that has never been her motive.
On the contrary, she has mobilised funds through various means to get her organisation in the forefront of a massive public awareness campaign to salvage hundreds of women from the devastating effects of breast cancer and related diseases.
World-wide, breast cancer comprises 10.4 percent of all cancers among women, making it the second most common type of non-skin cancers and the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths.
In 2004, breast cancer caused 519,000 deaths world-wide (about 1 percent of all deaths).
Breast cancer is about 100 times more common in women than in men but the survival rate are equal in both sexes.
It is against this backdrop and others that Dr (Mrs) Wiafe-Addai, through her innovation and preoccupation of developing the infrastructure of breast care advocacy, conceived the idea of establishing BCI to promote breast care awareness in Ghana especially in the remote communities.
“In Ghana, breast cancer affects relatively young populations with some girls as young as 16 years having been diagnosed with the disease,” she said.
According to Dr (Mrs) Wiafe-Addai, the survival rate of the patients has not been long as compared with what pertains in the developed nations.
That is why she said it is very necessary to create the necessary awareness of the disease so that patients can report early for treatment.
“My organisation has poured huge sums of money to undertake public awareness because we believe that the task ahead cannot be left to government alone to accomplish.”
Dr (Mrs) Wiafe-Addai has been going round the world seeking support to undertake this project and so far some successes have been achieved.
“Many women now report early and by God’s Grace and the knowledge he has given me and my team, hundreds of women have been healed of this dreadful disease.”
Dr (Mrs) Wiafe-Addai has had over 20 years experience in the medical profession, which she loves so much and as she puts it, “I love to see people survive diseases especially breast cancer.”
No wonder she has received numerous international and national awards for her singular commitment to quality, leadership, innovation and service to humanity. Her latest international award, The International Star Award for Quality in the Gold Category at the Business Initiative Directions 2010 World Convention in Geneva, has added another significant achievement to her and the organisation she heads, the BCI.
Dr (Mrs) Wiafe-Addai was educated at the Mpraeso Senior High School and the Ofori Panin SHS where she had her Ordinary Level and Advanced Level Certificates in 1977 and 1979 respectively.
Between 1982 and 1989, she studied medicine at the Zaporoshye State Medical Institute, Ukraine-USSR and returned to Ghana to undertake her housemanship at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
Determined to go further in her chosen profession, Dr (Mrs) Wiafe-Addai specialised in Oncology, breast cancer management, general breast pathology and general surgery all in Moscow.
Indeed she had her PhD (General Surgery) at the Moscow Medical Academy.
Her working experience had seen her work as consultant surgeon at KATH and the SDA Hospital at Agona Asamang, and Consultant Breast surgeon at Nima Highway Specialist Clinic and Mammocare, before entering into private practice by establishing the Peace and Love Hospital at Odoum in Kumasi.
Dr (Mrs) Wiafe-Addai has membership in several professional organisations. They include Ghana Medical Association, Surgical Society of Moscow and Russia, and International Federation of University Women.
As a result of her tenacity of purpose and the will to get the best for needy, she had been invited to speak on several local and international conferences including the 4th Roche Middle East Oncology Conference in Malaysia in 2006, the Scientific Conference of the Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology in 2006, 6th European Breast Cancer Conference in Berlin in 2008, and the Global race 2009 in Washington USA during which she was honoured with dinner with the US Vice President Joe Biden.
In the coming years, she wants to see more women become aware of breast cancer and be able to detect early signs in order to report early for treatment.
According to her she and her group will move to the churches, women groups, schools and other organisations in the urban and rural communities at their own expense to educate the women on the disease.
Dr (Mrs) Wiafe-Addai is not just attached to her job. She is a family woman happily married to Dr Samuel Addai, an architect by profession and Managing Director of Add Design Group, a project management and consultancy firm in Kumasi.
She is a Christian.

GCOC HOLDS MATRICULATION FOR 644 STUDENTS (PAGE 11, OCT 8, 2010)

THE Garden City University College (GCUC) in Kumasi has held a matriculation ceremony for 644 fresh students to pursue various programmes of study this academic year at the university.
The 330 females and 314 male students would undertake various programmes including Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Computing, Nursing, Economics and Statistics, Bachelor of Business Administration in Management, Marketing, and Human Resource Management among others.
The newly appointed President of the GCUC, Professor Steve Sobotie, a former Principal of the Kumasi campus of the University of Education Winneba (UEW), administered the matriculation oath.
Prof. Sobotie, who is credited with raising the image of the Kumasi campus of UEW through the introduction of a number of programmes of study, is expected to push for the growth of the university college, and position it as a centre of excellence in the not too distant future.
Prof Sobotie commended the founding fathers of the institution for their vision, which had seen massive growth in the activities of the university.
He noted that the university was playing a great role in building the youth of the nation to meet future challenges with hope.
Prof Sobotie congratulated the fresh students for taking “the right decisions” to pursue further studies and emphasised that education was the cornerstone to national development and as such anyone who decided to pursue it must be supported to achieve the ultimate.
He said the world was changing very fast and today any nation or person who decided to play down education would be left behind.
Prof Sobotie advised the students to be law-abiding and take their studies seriously.
“The future depends on how you start today, “he told the students.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

ATTACH MORE IMPORTANCE TO SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME (PAGE 35, OCT 7, 2010)

THE Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, has urged metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) in the region to attach more importance to the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP).
He said any lukewarm attitude on the part of the assemblies would create problems for the smooth running of the programme.
Mr Opoku-Manu made the call in a speech read on his behalf by the Regional Co-ordinating Director, Mr E.O. Kusi-Appiah, at a day’s workshop on accounting systems in the GSFP in Kumasi.
He said the central government had shown commitment to growing the programme so it was incumbent on the assemblies to support the government to deliver in the interest of the nation.
The workshop, organised by the Ashanti Regional office of the GSFP, was attended by MMDCEs, finance officials in the districts and other officers of the programme.
Mr Opoku-Manu stated that when the government took over the administration of the county, the programme was bedevilled with a number of problems, including unpaid arrears to caterers.
“Now all arrears the government inherited have been paid, a situation that has motivated caterers to work even harder,” he said.
The regional minister said the government had also given approval for the expansion of the programme, adding that 324,348 more children would be added to the current figure of 657,624.
He commended the regional office of the GSFP for organising the workshop, which he believed would help change things for the better.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Samuel Sarpong, stressed that proper internal accounting was crucial to building an even stronger GSFP.”
“We need to account to the people about how much we spend on the programme as this will lead to its expansion,” he said.
The Ashanti Regional Co-ordinator of the GSFP, Mrs Ophelia Antwi Boasiako, urged all operators in the programme to co-operate to make it successful.
She said there had been a vast improvement in the programme in the region and service providers were very happy.
“The sanity that prevails now in the programme is a sign of our seriousness to get the best out of the programme,” Mrs Antwi Boasiako said.

22 PRIVATE LOTTO OPERATORS ARRESTED (PAGE 29, 0CT 6, 2010)

The POLICE have rounded up 22 private lotto operators in Kumasi for allegedly operating without licence from the National Lotteries Authority (NLA).
A source at the Police Buffalo Unit told the Daily Graphic that the suspects, otherwise known as banker-to-banker operators would be screened and those found culpable would be processed for court.
Police seized several booklets being used by the suspects at the time of their arrest
According to the police source, they undertook the operation following complaints by the NLA about the activities of the banker-to-banker operators.
The Ashanti Regional Auditor of the NLA, Mr Atta Kofi Amoako, who accompanied the police during the operations, said all efforts by his outfit to get the banker-to-banker operators to register had proved futile.
In February, 2010, the Supreme Court, by a ruling, banned the operation of banker-to-banker following a legal battle with the Ghana Private Lotto Operators Association.
Mr Amoako said the activities of some of the banker-to-banker operators had deprived the government of substantial revenue since they did not pay taxes.
According to him, they used the draws of the week by the Department of National Lotteries to facilitate their private operations.
The regional auditor said the NLA had teamed up with the police to undertake similar operations in other parts of the region to bring offenders before the law.
He, therefore, advised private operators in their own interest to register with the NLA to avoid prosecution.

22 PRIVATE LOTTO OPERATORS ARRESTED (PAGE 29, 0CT 6, 2010)

The POLICE have rounded up 22 private lotto operators in Kumasi for allegedly operating without licence from the National Lotteries Authority (NLA).
A source at the Police Buffalo Unit told the Daily Graphic that the suspects, otherwise known as banker-to-banker operators would be screened and those found culpable would be processed for court.
Police seized several booklets being used by the suspects at the time of their arrest
According to the police source, they undertook the operation following complaints by the NLA about the activities of the banker-to-banker operators.
The Ashanti Regional Auditor of the NLA, Mr Atta Kofi Amoako, who accompanied the police during the operations, said all efforts by his outfit to get the banker-to-banker operators to register had proved futile.
In February, 2010, the Supreme Court, by a ruling, banned the operation of banker-to-banker following a legal battle with the Ghana Private Lotto Operators Association.
Mr Amoako said the activities of some of the banker-to-banker operators had deprived the government of substantial revenue since they did not pay taxes.
According to him, they used the draws of the week by the Department of National Lotteries to facilitate their private operations.
The regional auditor said the NLA had teamed up with the police to undertake similar operations in other parts of the region to bring offenders before the law.
He, therefore, advised private operators in their own interest to register with the NLA to avoid prosecution.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

KNUST OPENS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICE (PAGE 29, OCT 5, 2010)

THE Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has established a business development office to co-ordinate businesses connected to the university.
Special emphasis will be on the Kumasi Business Incubator (KBI), an initiative of the KNUST and the National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI) to help grow small-scale businesses in Kumasi.
Mr Ralph Nyadu-Addo, a lecturer of entrepreneurship and small business at the KNUST has been appointed the Business Development Officer for the KNUST business development office.
He told the Daily Graphic that the office would also design and develop programmes that would attract corporate institutions and professional bodies.
Besides, it would initiate and implement fundraising and other public programmes to enhance the products and services of KNUST.
Mr Nyadu-Addo said the office would collaborate with the various colleges of the KNUST to develop mechanisms for communicating and harmonising business, investments and sponsorship opportunities for the university.
“Through these, KNUST seeks to positively brand itself as a centre of excellence in science, technology and business,” he said.
Mr Nyadu-Addo, who holds a Master’s Degree in Small Business Studies from the University of Leipzig, hopes to use the experience he had gathered over the years to build the new office.

KOTOKO, LIONS PULL HUGE CROWD ...But battle to a draw (PAGE 31, OCT 5, 2010)

ASANTE Kotoko’s desire to go one step better in the Premier League nearly fell flat on home soil last Sunday night, but significantly the team appears to have re-ignited Kumasi fans’ interest in the national league whose patronage has been under constant threat from the European leagues, especially the English Premier League (EPL).
Since the league began, fans have consistently poured into the Baba Yara Stadium to watch Asante Kotoko, and when they drew goalless with Kpando Heart of Lions last Sunday, more than 25,000 turned up.
Loss of form last season saw Kotoko play in almost empty stadium, but the reverse appears the situation now, even in the face of strong attention from the EPL and other European leagues.
The draw against Lions was a fair result in a match that produced few scoring opportunities.
But Asante Kotoko could count themselves lucky when Lions’ Emmanuel Anarfi failed to decide the game for his side when he came one-on-one with keeper Isaac Amoako just two minutes to end regulation time.
Lions’ back four of Prosper Avor, Anarfi, Kweku Adoh and Godfred Rockson looked confident, defending brilliantly to ward off the Kotoko attacks.
It was the visiting team that threatened first with Bright Nsiah missing with a powerful free kick from 35 yards out.
Kotoko reorganised quickly, taking over possession with Daniel Nii Adjei and young Alidu Hariff pushing Louis Agyemang and Alex Asamoah into the Lion area. Veteran Asamoah put the ball in the net on the 14th minute but it was ruled offside by referee Chriatiana Zigah.
With both sides failing to get into firing range, they attempted long free kicks at goal but either they missed target or keepers Joseph Addo and Amoako dealt with the balls.
Six minutes from restart, Louis Agyemang ran to the by-line to feed Alex Asamoah with a juicy pass inside the opponents area but he slipped, allowing the ball to roll away.
Asamoah appeared to have ran out of energy and was pulled out after 59 minutes, but his replacement, Edward Affum, was messy, unable to control and pass well.
Kotoko’s Louis Quainoo, David Ofei and Affum went into the books of the referee for rough tackles as the fans continued to urge them on to go for the kill.
Not even the introduction of Kabiru Moro and Jordan Opoku into the game could change matters for Kotoko as the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.

Monday, October 4, 2010

NEW KNUST VC INDUCTED INTO OFFICE (SPREAD, OCT 4, 2010)

THE new Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), who was inducted into office last Saturday, made a promise to reposition the university as a global institution for science and technology with national development as its focus.
Professor William Otoo Ellis, 50, a Professor of Food Science and so far the youngest to occupy that position, took the oath of office as the ninth VC at a solemn ceremony at the Great Hall.
After that, he said he would pursue the university’s corporate strategic plan known as PLAN 2K14 started under the administration of his predecessor, Prof. K.K. Adarkwa, as part of measures to meet his vision for the university.
The investiture of Prof. Ellis, performed by the Chancellor of the university, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was attended by academics, politicians, the clergy, family members and well-wishers.
A reputed academic and international scholar, Prof. Ellis attended St John’s Grammar School and Pope John’s Senior High School at Effiduase-Koforidua for his Ordinary and Advanced Level certificates.
He studied for his first degree at the KNUST before proceeding to the McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he had his MSc and PhD and returned to Ghana to join the service of the KNUST.
The Asantehene challenged Prof. Ellis to immediately work at healing the wounds that may have arisen from the stiff competition for the high office.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu described Prof. Ellis as a true son of the KNUST, stressing, “We trust and believe he is worthy of the cause and worthy of his new office”.
The new VC indicated that his administration would give priority to science and technology research, graduate training with special emphasis on science and technology, information and communication technology, quality assurance, capacity building and collaboration to reflect the core mandate of the university.
He commended the government for allocating $250,000 to be accessed by the university for ICT activities, and Vodafone for the deployment of 45-megawatt bandwidth for six years at a highly subsidised rate for research and teaching.
In a brief speech, Prof. Adarkwa, the outgone VC, thanked the entire university for the support given him and promised to work towards growing the university even while out of office.
Present was the Council Chairman of the university, Mr P.V. Obeng.

Friday, October 1, 2010

GREL PROVIDES PROJECTS FOR SOME WR COMMUNITIES (PAGE 22, OCT 1, 2010)

THE Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL) has initiated a number of development projects in some communities in its operational area in the Ahanta West District and the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality in the Western Region as part of its corporate social responsibility to open up the communities.
The projects include the construction of a three-meter box culvert at the outskirts of Ajumako at an estimated cost of GH¢101,900 to avert the periodic flooding of the town and also to link up with other farming communities in the area.
The construction of the culvert will also ensure the expansion of the town which has a very beautiful landscape beyond where the culvert is being constructed.
The company is also extending electricity to Kyekyewere and constructing a two-unit classroom block, a KVIP public place of convenience and providing furniture worth GH¢41,000 for the Ankyen kindergarten as well as a three-unit classroom block for Dadwen.
The Human Resource and Administrative Manager of Ghana Rubber Estates Limited, Mr J.C. Garbrah, announced this at the company’s maiden “Day with the Press” organised at its rubber processing factory at Apimanim in the Ahanta West District in the Western Region.
He said the company was also constructing a 10-seater KVIP public place of convenience each at Anyano, Mpatase and Gyabenkrom.
Mr Garbrah said the company had constructed many schools in the Ahanta West District and the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality.
They include the basic school complex at Nsuaem which cost the company GH¢200,000.
The Managing Director of GREL, Mr Marc Genot said 10,000 out of the 15,000 hectares of the company’s rubber plantation had been replanted, adding that the remaining hectares would be replanted in the next five years.
He said the cultivation of natural rubber was a permanent activity and ensured stabilisation of the rural population as many rural people were employed locally in the plantation.
Mr Genot emphasised that the mass acquisition of land in the Western Region as a result of the oil find would not in any way affect the expansion and development of rubber plantations in the region.
He explained that the mass acquisition of land was a speculative venture, adding that the oil sector would not employ many people in the rural communities and that those people in the communities where rubber thrived well would still be engaged in the development of rubber plantations.
Mr Genot stressed that cultivation of rubber plantations was now a very lucrative business and that people in the rural areas who were engaged in rubber cultivation had become very rich.