ASARE BOADU'S STORIES

KMA to demolish 70 houses (PAGE 18, JAN 29, 2011)

2011-01-31T04:15:00.000-08:00

Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

THE Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has set February 2011 for its biggest ever demolition exercise that would affect 70 houses in the Atafoa Extension and Aboahia Planning Area of the city.
According to the KMA, the affected houses some of which have been completed were located in areas earmarked for roads, schools, police stations, post offices and fire service stations among others.
About six months ago, the KMA embarked on a major exercise, which saw 50 houses being destroyed because they were illegally located.
Property owners involved in the impending exercise had already refuted the KMA claim that they were illegal developers, arguing that they had genuine permits relating to the lands in question.
However at a news conference in Kumasi, the Public Relations Officer of the KMA, Mr Clement Kegeri, said none of the developers had the legal documents to build.
He pointed out that the planning scheme of Kumasi took into account locations.
“It is on the basis of this that every developer must first of all obtain building permit from the city authorities before putting up any structure,” Kegeri said.
Giving the genesis of the planned exercise, the spokesman said about four months ago it came to the attention of the KMA that some people had started putting up buildings haphazardly at Atafoa and Aboahia.
Mr Kegeri stated that the illegal constructions had even affected the major road linking the Barekese road to the Offinso road.
“KMA took a bold decision to demolish all those houses to pave the way for the construction of the road.”
Mr Kegeri said few months later the KMA’s attention was drawn to the illegal developments going on at Atafoa and Aboahia through a letter written by the Akyempimhene of Kumasi, Oheneba Adusei Poku.
He continued that upon the information the KMA Development Control Unit went to survey the sites and realised that the structures were located in areas earmarked for public places.
It decided to take action to demolish them.
“It is important to know that the decision to demolish the houses is to serve the interest of these same people who are building in the area.
“KMA is the same institution that will be blamed if we allow a community to spring up without public amenities,” he stressed.

KNUST bans party politics (LEAD STORY, NSEMPA, JAN 31, 2011)

2011-01-31T03:55:00.000-08:00

By: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

POLITICAL party activities on the campus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have been banned.
The Vice Chancellor (VC) of the university, Prof. W.O Ellis, stated categorically that the university would not allow its campus to be used to advance the course of any political party.
“This is an academic institution and it should remain so,” the VC said at a media encounter he organised in Kumasi, last Thursday.
Answering a question posed by a journalist, Prof. Ellis said much as students have the right to join the political party of their choice, they could only organise political activities outside the campus.
He said the university had set out guidelines for political activities on campus and would not deviate from them.
The occasion enabled the VC to share his vision and aspirations with the media and also discuss ways of partnering the media to advance his vision for the KNUST.
Prof. Ellis, the youngest ever VC of the KNUST, has set out a journey to position the university as a global centre of excellence in science and technology education.
He noted the role of the media in advancing the development of education and said, “We are today opening a new chapter with the media and I am hopeful that the future will be positive.”
Prof. Ellis urged the media to crosscheck information about the university to avoid the publication of negative stories that could tarnish the university’s reputation.
The Vice Chancellor said in the competitive world of today, one single negative story could have adverse effects on the university’s reputation.
Notwithstanding, he noted that as a big institution with thousands of students, the university was bound to encounter disturbing events but stressed that what was important was how to manage them when they happened.
Prof. Ellis challenged managers of radio stations to endeavour to invite people with requisite knowledge and qualifications to discuss specific issues.
“It is irritating to hear all manner of people discussing issues they have no knowledge about.”
This, he noted, defeated the professional role of the media to inform, entertain and educate.
He maintained that KNUST was the best university in the country today, a situation that placed a responsibility on the administration to work at building on the standards achieved.
On the proposed opening of the Accra campus of the KNUST, Prof. Ellis said it was on course.

Aduana must consider playing WAC in Kumasi’ (NSEMPA BACK PAGE, JAN 31, 2011)

2011-01-31T03:53:00.000-08:00

‘By Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

SOME football fans in Kumasi have called on the management of Aduana Stars FC to consider playing the second leg of their Orange CAF Champions League preliminary match against Wydad Athletic Club (WAC) of Casablanca at the Baba Yara Stadium.
Already Aduana have chosen the Sunyani Coronation Park for the second leg but some fans in Kumasi believes it will be good for the champion club to shift venue to Kumasi.
Speaking to Graphic Nsempa in separate interviews in Kumasi, the fans said Aduana would receive massive support in Kumasi despite the perception of antagonism between the Dormaa based side and Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
“This is an international affair and local football politics will not come to play, “ one of the fans said.
Yesterday, Aduana Stars made history as the first football club from the Brong Ahafo Region to participate in the prestigious Africa Champions League.
No matter the score line, Aduana have made Brong Ahafo and Ghana proud at this period of the national game when even an established club like Accra Hearts of Oak failed to participate in Africa last year due to financial difficulties.
To gather the necessary finances to travel to far away Morocco is no joke.
The club had shown that with the necessary planning everything was possible in football.
But no one can dispute the enormous support the club had received from the owner and bankroller of the club, Dormaahene Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II.
This was a young man who ascended the Dormaa stool full of hope and today is proving his mettle as a chief of excellence.
Nana knows what football can do to his area and is therefore ready to invest in it.
If anything at all, the exploits of Aduana have added to the image of the Dormaa State.

DEMONSTRATORS CALL FOR PROBE INTO TOR DEBT RECOVERY FUND (SPREAD, JAN 27, 2011)

2011-01-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

About 1,500 people took to the streets of Kumasi yesterday in a demonstration to back their demand for investigations into how the TOR Debt Recovery Fund was utilised under the erstwhile NPP government.
Organised by the Movement for Better Ghana Agenda in Kumasi, the demonstration, dubbed “Hwe hwe mu”, to wit, “Investigate it”, was also used to show support for the government for the able manner it has handled the affairs of the nation.
At about 6.30 a.m., busloads of people, mostly the youth, had started arriving at the Centre for National Culture where the event took off.
The demonstrators began to move out to the streets at about 9 a.m., accompanied by brass band music.
They went through Pampaso, the Central Police Station, the Prempeh II Street, the Asafo Interchange and ended at the Jubilee Park where the leaders addressed the gathering.
Wearing red armbands, the demonstrators carried placards, some of which read, “TOR cash for cocaine”, “Prez, hwe hwe mu yie”, “AFAG is bogus”, “Petrol price — who cause am?” and “Prez, apply the law”.
The organisers said the demonstration was not to counter the AFAG demonstration in Accra but show to the good people of the country the hypocrisy of the AFAG members.
About 20 policemen were detailed to provide security for the demonstrators and everything went on peacefully.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Communications Director of the Movement for Better Ghana, Mr Francis Dodovi, described the NPP government as the worst government Ghana had ever had.
“If any demonstration should go on against high fuel prices today, it should rather be against the NPP which mismanaged the economy and the funds meant to energise the oil industry,” he said.
He attributed the challenges in the energy sector today to the corrupt practices that engulfed the sector during the NPP administration.
He, therefore, appealed to the government to do everything possible to bring all those who mismanaged funds from the TOR Recovery Levy to book.
Mr Dodovi stated that there was every indication of corruption in the manner in which the money transferred from the Petroleum Debt Recovery Account to the Ministry of Information was used.

COURT DISMISSES APPLICATION BY KRUKOKO II (PAGE 51, JAN 27, 2011)

2011-01-27T07:32:00.000-08:00

THE High Court in Kumasi has dismissed an application for an order to compel the National House of Chiefs (NHC) to delete the name of Osagyefo Kwamena Enimil VI from the national register of chiefs as Omanhene of Wassa Fiase Traditional Area in the Western Region.
The ex-Omanhene of the area, Odeneho Akrofa Krukoko II, who filed the application for mandamus also lost in his bid to get the court to order the NHC to reinstate his name in the national register of chiefs instead of Osagyefo Enimil.
In its ruling last Monday, the court, presided over by Mr Justice George Kingsley Koomson, said the applicant was not clothed with the right to compel the NHC to perform its statutory duty by way of mandamus.
It noted the long journey that the matter had travelled, adding that “the parties and the people of Wassa Fiase Traditional Area would like to see an end to this long-standing litigation, which, in my view, they deserve.”
According to the court, it might be true that the enstoolment of Osagyefo Enimil as Omanhene was void but unless his enstoolment was declared a nullity, it would be a difficult task for the NHC to alter the register without an order from a court of competent jurisdiction.
“In my view the applicant took the right step by challenging his (applicant) destoolment and the enstoolment of the interested party (Osagyefo Enimil) before the Judicial Committee of the Western Regional House of Chiefs.
“In my considered opinion it is only when the destoolment of the applicant and the enstoolment of the interested party have been set aside as being void and nullity by a court of competent jurisdiction that the applicant would be clothed with the right to compel the respondent its statutory duty by way of mandamus,” the judge said.
“On the whole the affidavit evidence adduced in the case, and on the preponderance of the probabilities, I am convinced that the application for mandamus to issue against respondent should fail,” the court added.
The court pointed out that for mandamus to succeed, it must be established among other things that the duty was of public nature and that there had been a demand and a refusal to perform that public duty enjoined by statute.
A brief facts of the case are that Odeneho Akrofa, then Omanhene of the area, was convicted of contempt by the High Court in Sekondi and sentenced to 14 days’ imprisonment.
As a result of his conviction and incarceration, the kingmakers of the area destooled him and in his place Osagyefo Enimil was enstooled on April 23, 2002.
Dissatisfied with the conviction, Odeneho Akrofa appealed against the sentence, which was set aside by the Court of Appeal on April 17, 2003.
As a result of the Court of Appeal decision, Odeneho Akrofa mounted various actions at the Western Regional House of Chiefs challenging the enstoolment of Osagyefo Enimil but all the attempts to have his name reinstated in the national register of chiefs failed.
The court awarded cost of GH¢20,000 in favour of the NHC and GH¢30,000 to Osagyefo Enimil.

CREDIT UNION DONATES TO CHARITY HOME (PAGE 42, JAN 27, 2011)

2011-01-26T09:04:00.000-08:00

THE Good News Co-operative Credit Union in Kumasi has presented a number of items worth GH¢2,000 to the King Jesus Charity Home at Boadi, near Kumasi.
The items included five bags of gari, assorted biscuits, cooking oil, pepsodent toothpaste, beans, sachet water, second hand clothing and footwear.
Making the presentation, the Managress of the union, Ms Regina Asmah, said the donation was part of her outfit’s social responsibility to the needy in society.
She stated that last year, the union made a similar donation to the Kumasi Children’s Home, adding “this is aimed at making life a bit comfortable for the unfortunate children”.
Ms Asmah stated that it was not the fault of the children to find themselves in their current situation.
She was, however, confident that with the needed support from the general public and God’s blessings, they would grow up to become useful citizens to the nation.
Ms Asmah stressed the need for people to cultivate the habit of savings as there were many benefits to be derived from it.
The Director of the Home, Rev. Kofi Owusu, who received the gift, was grateful to the donors for the gesture and called on other institutions to help them address some of their challenges.
He stated that the gesture came a few days after President Mills had made a donation to the home.
Rev. Owusu said the home, which was established in 1995, now had a population of 192.
He said the management of the home provided good education for the children.
According to him, three of the children had been able to complete the university, while three are in polytechnic and four in the teacher training colleges.

ASSEMBLY MEMBERS UST NOT BE PARTISAN (PAGE 13, JAN 24, 2011)

2011-01-24T09:58:00.000-08:00

THE Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Samuel Sarpong, has advised newly elected assembly members to avoid partisan politics in the assembly when the next assembly is inaugurated.
He said the main agenda of the assembly was to see to the development of Kumasi and not partisan politics.
Mr Sarpong stated this when the new assembly members within the Asokwa Constituency paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Kumasi to introduce themselves to him ahead of the inauguration of the new assembly.
He indicated that he received co-operation from the last assembly members and expressed the hope that the incoming ones would continue with it.
Mr Sarpong noted that the past two years had witnessed improved physical development in Kumasi, adding that “this is what we are all hoping for in the coming years.”
He noted the difficulties one had to go through in winning elections and congratulated the new members on their victory.
“Your election shows the confidence your people have in you and you can, therefore, not disappoint them,” he said.
A spokesman of the new assembly members, Nana Yaw Wiredu, hailed Mr Sarpong for his qualitative leadership that had brought unity to the assembly and accelerated development to Kumasi.
Describing the mayor as a unifier who believes in team play, he said the past two years had been one of the most fruitful in the history of the metropolis.
He noted that only a united front could bring the needed development to Kumasi and, therefore, assured the MCE of their fullest support.

TRAGEDY AT ALA BAR (1B, JAN 24, 2011)

2011-01-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

TRAGEDY struck Ala Bar, a suburb of Kumasi, on Saturday night when a dilapidated wall which had remained a death trap for some time collapsed, killing a 32-year-old mother of two and injuring two others.
The loud noise from the collapsing wall echoed in the neighbourhood, attracting a crowd to the scene, but before rescuers could bring out the victims trapped under the rubble, one of them, Alimatu Illiasu, was already dead.
Two other people were rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for medical attention.
The body of the deceased, who was said to have travelled from Northern Ghana to work in Kumasi not long ago, has been deposited at the KATH morgue.
An eyewitness told the Daily Graphic that the incident happened at about 7.15 p.m. when the three victims were cooking close to the wall.
“I tell you, it would have been more disastrous if many people were around the wall at the time it collapsed,” the witness said.
Ala Bar, one of the oldest suburbs of Kumasi, is very close to the famous Manhyia Palace, the residence of the Asantehene, and is a predominantly Muslim community.
It is predominantly inhabited by people from northern Ghana, as well as people from countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria.
Quite disturbingly, most of the buildings in the community are in a state of dilapidation.
Indeed, the state of the wall before it collapsed depicted the extent to which many of the structures in the area needed serious attention.
According to the eyewitness, the old wall had developed cracks for some time and had become a death trap, but nothing was done to fix it.
That was in spite of pieces of advice given by some concerned residents to the landlord to do something about it.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Samuel Sarpong, who visited the scene of the accident yesterday morning, shook his head in disbelief on seeing the rubble.
The newly elected Assembly Member for the Afia Kobi Electoral Area in Ala Bar, Mr Mohammed Kamal Deen, who also expressed deep concern over the nature of buildings in the area, said it was time something was done about the situation.
“There are serious death traps in this community and anything can happen any time,” he told the Daily Graphic.

HEARTS AT BOTTOM 3 (GRAPHIC SPORTS, LEAD STORY, JAN 21, 2011)

2011-01-21T04:09:00.000-08:00

THERE are contrasting fortunes for Ghana’s two most dominant powers. While Kumasi Asante Kotoko find contentment, discontent reigns in Accra Hearts of Oak.
Beating B.A Stars 3-1 in Kumasi, the second victory in the second round, Asante Kotoko appear to be heading for winning ways.
But tumbling 1-0 to AshGold at Obuasi, Hearts’ second defeat in the three-week old second round, and their ninth in the season, the one-time fearsome side are no doubt in tatters.
The loss to AshGold has placed the club in the relation zone. Disillusioned supporters of the Phobians who witnessed the team’s ignominious defeat to AshGold could not but call for a major shake-up in the team right from the board to the playing body.
For Asante Kotoko, last Wednesday’s victory was a testimony to the strategic mid-season recruitment made by management and hailed Executive Chairman, Dr K.K. Sarpong, for working to inject some life into the team.
The Porcupine Warriors would however, admit the team did not play to expectation and on several occasions in the second half the ten-man B.A Stars team overcrowded them.
The good number of home fans at the Baba Yara Stadium watched unbelievably as B.A Stars arrowhead, Prince Atakora Gyimah, caught Kotoko with a rasping shot after just two minutes.
Kotoko took the fight to their opponents and the reaction was quick. Samad Oppong ripped the B.A. Stars defence and fired into the near post on the fourth minute.
That never broke down the visitors who paraded former Kotoko forward, Michael Osei, and 2007 best local footballer, Kweku Essien.
On the 17th minute, Mawuli Tuglo rocked the Kotoko post with a great effort as they kept the Kotoko area busy.
While the two sides probed for the leader, referee Vincent Otoo came up with a controversial decision when he awarded a penalty to Kotoko on the 33rd minute, which Michael Akuffo converted, after he judged defender Emmanuel Okine to have fouled Nathaniel Asamoah in the area.
The referee surprisingly went ahead to send off the B.A. Stars defender who had remained the hard-tackling fulcrum at the back.
Nathaniel Asamoah who wasted glorious opportunities on the night shot wide after coming face-to-face with the B.A. Stars keeper.
Kotoko’s workmanlike performance in defence was typified by Awal Mohammed who fetched the third goal in the 49th minute, heading home from a corner kick.

ASOKWA CHIEF TO LAUNCH YOUTH FUND (PAGE 18, JAN 21, 2011)

2011-01-21T03:55:00.001-08:00

THE Chief of Asokwa in Kumasi, Nana Fe-Baamoah II, is to launch a Youth Endowment Fund this year, in line with his vision to help develop the potentials of the youth in the community.
The launching of the project, which would be known as the Asokwa Youth Endowment Fund (AYEP), will coincide with the fifth anniversary of his enstoolment.
Disclosing this at a party he hosted at Asokwa for children in the area, Nana Fe Baamoah said modalities for the disbursement of the fund was almost completed.
He indicated that he would provide seed money for the fund and other funds would be solicited from companies operating in the area, organisations and individuals.
Asokwa is a major industrial area in Kumasi.
Nana Fe-Baamoah expressed concern about the high rate of unemployment among the youth in his area.
“That is why as a chief I am doing everything to complement the efforts of the government to address this problem,” he said.
The chief said the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was doing his best to help change the face of education in Ashanti Region and it behoved all the people to assist him to deliver.
“One of such supports is the AYEP, which Nananom are going to launch this year,” he added.
Nana Fe-Baamoah asked parents to take keen interest in the education of their children because the future of the area and the nation depended on how the children of today were brought up.

SOFOLINE CONTRACTORS APPEAL TO RESIDENS (PAGE 18, JAN 21, 2011)

2011-01-21T03:54:00.000-08:00

THE Chinese contractors working on the Sunyani road project in Kumasi, which includes the Sofoline Flyover, China Gio Limited, have appealed to residents of the city to exercise patience as it awaits funds from the Government of Ghana to enable it continue work on the project.
The government’s delay in releasing funds for the project had led to the suspension of the work, seen as one of the biggest development projects in the Garden City in recent times.
Breaking their silence on the suspension of the project, a statement by the company said it was not it’s intention to delay the project so work would resume anytime funds were released by the government.
In recent times, there has been public outcry in the metropolis over the suspension of the project. Many people have lost hope in the completion of the project, while others have called on the government to save the situation without any further delay.
The delay is seriously affecting the smooth movement of people and traffic and creating a lot of inconvenience.
According to the consultants to the project, ABP Consult Limited, between 2009 and March 2010, work on the Sofoline Flyover was ongoing.
A number of public and high-ranking people, including the former regional minister and the Transportation Minister, as well as the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, have visited the site.
However, since July last year, work on the flyover has slackened and been suspended now, due to lack of funds from the Government of Ghana.

MULTIMEDIA OUTDOORS NEW OFFICE COMPLEX IN KUMASI (PAGE 18, JAN 21, 2011)

2011-01-21T03:53:00.000-08:00

THE Multimedia Group has opened a new plush office complex to house its Kumasi unit which comprises Luv FM, Nhyira FM and Multi TV.
The unit has moved to Ayigya near the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology on the main Accra-Kumasi Road, after 12 years of operation at Amakom, also in Kumasi.
A special dedication service was held on Friday afternoon for the unit to start work on the premises.
The ultra modern offices of Luv and Nhyira FM is located at Block 10P, Top High Ayigya Residential Area.
The Chief Operating Officer of the Adom Division, Klaus Von Backustein, says the relocation is to strategically position Multimedia to offer improved services to its internal and external publics.
The Business Manager of Luv and Nhyira FM, Jim Aglah, assured discerning listeners that the station would continue to broadcast top quality programmes and deliver social change to the community.

FEAR GRIPS DCES (NSEMPA, LEAD STORY, JAN 17, 2011)

2011-01-17T04:55:00.001-08:00

By Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

FEAR and panic appear to have gripped some District Chief Executives (DCEs) in the Ashanti Region following last week’s dismissal of four of their colleagues by President John Evans Atta Mills.
Graphic Nsempa has learnt that some of those who survived are seriously lobbying insiders at the Castle to help them hold on to their positions.
What perhaps might have driven the DCEs to be terrified are reports albeit unconfirmed that the President would draw the sword again.
Since the announcement was made, some of the DCEs have hardly been seen or heard in public.
Those sacked in the Ashanti Region included Mr Kwadwo Adae, Sekyere East, Mr Victor Amponsah, Offinso South, Jacob Kofi Dankwa, Sekyere Afram Plains, and Mohammed Boakye Agyemang, Ejisu-Juaben.
No reasons were given for the action leaving room for speculations.
While some attribute it to agitations from NDC foot soldiers others linked it to incompetence.
However, for Mr Amponsah, the action against him is widely believed to have a link to his recent trip to the United States of America after defying directives from then Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu to shelve the decision to travel.
He wrote to the former Regional Minister of his decision to travel with some of his colleague Graduate Students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to the US but he advised him against the journey but the man ignored his boss only to return to receive suspension and eventual sack.
The other three also had one form of showdown or the other with their party foot soldiers but again it is not known whether the President acted on the concerns of the foot soldiers.
Mr Adae for instance, survived several attacks by enraged Zongo youth of the NDC at Asokore somewhere last year.
Meanwhile various reactions continue to emerge from party circles over the President’s decision.
The few people who have been calling in to radio stations expressing regret at the decision to sack the four chief executives, accused the foot soldiers of masterminding wicked plans to get rid of appointees who failed to meet their demands.
However, many believed that the DCEs simply failed to live up to expectation and deserved the sack.

APPOINT NORTHERNERS TO KEY POSITIONS IN ASHANTI (PAGE 12, JAN 15, 2011)

2011-01-17T03:42:00.000-08:00

A GROUP of NDC supporters going by the name NDC Supporters Forum in the Ashanti Region have appealed to President Mills to consider appointing a northerner to “one of the key positions in the region.”
It said although northerners constituted about 90 percent of the NDC support base in the region and in addition have lot of competent and committed persons who qualify for key appointments in the region, they had been relegated to the background.
“We feel cheated and neglected after being the main targets of various brutalities and intimidation by the NPP during the 2008 general elections,” spokesperson of the group, Mr Raymond B. Po-eriba, said.
At a news conference in Kumasi, Mr Po-eriba said: “Statistics available to us give the indication that majority of votes marshalled by the NDC in the Ashanti Region are settlers comprising mainly of people from the three northern regions.”
However, he said, they had not received their fair share of appointments within the region since the NDC took over the administration from the NPP.
Mr Po-eriba said the northerners in the region were very disciplined and hardworking, adding that the Asantehene continued to invite their leaders to sit in state with him at public functions.
He stated that northerners in the region had been involved in “difficult works in politics but they are always relegated to the background when it comes to appointments to key positions.
“A clear example of the difficult works was in the previous voter registration exercise when the NPP then in government made several attempts to prevent northerners whom they considered non-Ghanaians from taking part because they saw us as sympathetic to the NDC.
“Their attempts were resisted by opinion leaders of northerners based in the region,” Mr Po-eriba pointed out.
He cautioned that potential voter apathy among northern NDC supporters was imminent in the region in 2012 if the right thing was not done.

ASAMOAH WINS DAY FOR KOTOKO AGAIN (BACK PAGE, JAN 13, 2011)

2011-01-13T04:12:00.000-08:00

STRIKER Nathaniel Asamoah was for the second time the toast of Asante Kotoko fans as he kept the club’s revival mission alive by fetching the only goal in their Glo Premier League match against Ebusua Dwarfs at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi yesterday.
The former Wa All Stars player, who now has three goals in two outings for his new club, was heavily policed in the match but anytime he disentangled himself, he was a threat to the visitors.
But it was not a vintage performance from the Porcupine Warriors as they struggled in the second half to hold the visitors.
Coach Bogdan Korak kept faith with the team that beat All Stars 2-0 last Sunday, save returnee Ivorian Ahmed Toure who formed the twinstrike force with Nathaniel Asamoah.
The game was cagey in the early part and it was not until the ninth minute when Dwarfs’ George Appiah made the first serious attempt at goal, missing closely.
Kotoko appeared strong at the back with Yaw Frimpong, Umar Gariba, Ohene Brenya and Awal Mohammed providing a tall barrier for the Dwarfs attack.
Toure kept the stadium alive with a superb volley from 25 metres on the 23rd minute which brought the best out of Dwarfs keeper, Adade Foli, as he stretched to his elastic limit to direct the ball over the bar.
steel play resulting in Referee Yaw Ametepe booking Kofi Mawuli on
the 25th minute.
With just a minute left on the clock to end the first half, Nathaniel
Asamoah set the impressive home crowd roaring when he found a pace on the
left to deliver a left-footed shot which deflected off an opponent
past keeper Adade. And what a way to celebrate the goal as he ran to the touch line to receive cheers from the roaring crowd.
Both sides made changes in the second half in a bid to strengthen
their game but they both failed to score. Following the replacement of Toure, Asamoah became the lone ranger upfront and the fight became tough for the striker who still showed promise.

NPP ASKED TO SUPPORT 'BETTER GHANA AGENDA' (PAGE 12, JAN 12, 2011)

2011-01-12T07:19:00.000-08:00

A GROUP in Kumasi calling itself the Movement for a Better Ghana (MBG), has called on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Alliance For Accountable Governance (AFAG) to stop “their hypocrisy” and join forces with the NDC government to create a ‘Better Ghana’ for all.
It said “the noise and threats” being made by the NPP and AFAG about the recent price increases in petroleum products were anti-development and threatened to embark on a counter demonstration
against AFAG if it went ahead with its intended threat to embark on a demonstration.
At a news conference in Kumasi to react to some comments by the NPP, AFAG and other followers of the main opposition party, the leader of MBG, Mr Aubrey Mends, observed that the NPP’s inability to deal realistically with oil prices had resulted in the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR in curring) huge debts , which almost collapsed the Ghana Commercial Bank.
He said within two years, the NDC government had been able to clear a good part of the debt but with the price of crude oil on the international market hitting $93 per barrel, the MBG believed every person who wanted to live a meaningful life must learn how to live with the current increases.
He said the argument that the NDC in opposition promised a drastic reduction of petroleum prices only to do the opposite when it won power must be put in its right perspective.
“In August 2008, when prices of crude soared on the international market to $140 per barrel, the then government was actually buying crude at $114 per barrel and sold petrol at GH¢5.3p per gallon.
“By November 2008, the price of crude had come down below $59 per barrel on the international market so the then candidate Mills and NDC’s argument was that given the prevailing market conditions at the time, “we were going to reduce prices of petroleum products,” Mr Mends said.
He said it was therefore unfortunate that the NPP and its appendages such as AFAG would want to take the situation out of context to suit their cheap political aspirations.
According to him, President Mills and his government had shown so much commitment by subsidising kerosene and pre-mix fuel, adding that this underlined the social democratic credentials of the NDC government.
He noted that had the government subsidised all petroleum products, development of key areas of the nation would suffer greatly.
“The government has got to complete the roads that are ongoing, continue to provide quality educational infrastructure, eliminate schools under trees and pay rewarding wages and salaries,” he said and therefore called on Ghanaians to bear with the government on the hike in petroleum prices.

AMANTIN BANK SUPPORTS COMMUNITIES (PAGE 22, JAN 11, 2011)

2011-01-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

THE Amantin and Kasei Community Bank in the Brong Ahafo Region is supporting a number of communities in the four districts in which it operates with development projects and programmes to better the lot of the people.
The support is in the areas of educational infrastructure, water and sanitation, and scholarships, among others.
Disclosing this at the annual general meeting of the bank at Amantin, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Dr John Oduro Boateng, said in pursuit of the development of education, the bank had awarded bursaries to students, donated 40 double-decker beds and 20 mono desks worth GHҐ3,000 to the Yeji Senior High School, and 140 mono desks to the Kwame Danso SHS.
He said the bank had also spent GHҐ11,000 on the provision of portable water for Amantin, Kasei, Nkwanta and Hiawoanwu and was currently constructing a kitchen for the Amantin SHS at a cost of GHҐ10,300.
Dr Boateng mentioned areas that were supported with loans totalling GHҐ1,986,589 as agriculture, cottage industry, transport, trading and workers advances, among others.
He stated that the bank made significant strides in its operation in 2009, raking a profit of GHҐ211,553, an increase of 73 per cent over the previous year’s figure of GHҐ122,514.
The board chairman stressed that the achievements of the Amantin and Kasei Community Bank had resulted in its selection for all government and non-governmental poverty reduction interventions in its operational communities.
The interventions included Community-Based Rural Development Programme, Rural Enterprises Project, Millennium Development Authority, MASLOC, Root and Tuber Improvement and Marketing Project, Technoserve Rural Poverty Reduction Project and the Ghana Energy Development and Access Project.
Dr Boateng said 14 years into the bank’s operation, it had established branches in four districts — Atebubu-Amantin, Ejura-Sekyedumase, Sene and Pru.
He said the share capital of the bank stood at GHҐ182,340, but stressed the need for it to be increased to enable the bank to meet the Bank of Ghana’s requirements.
Dr Boateng stated that the bank made significant strides in its core business of mobilising funds and channelling them into credit, despite the challenges the banking industry faced.
He said deposits, which stood at GHҐ2,289,862 in 2008, increased to GHҐ2,581,786 in 2009 while advances and investments also jumped from GHҐ1,663,155 to GHҐ1,997,158, and GHҐ776,590 to GHҐ1,176,590 within the same period.
The board chairman gave the assurance that the bank would continue to be alive with its social responsibility to its operational communities.
The President of Ashanti Regional Chapter of the Association of Rural Banks, Mr K. Dapaah-Siakwan, challenged the shareholders and other people to purchase shares in the bank.
He said t he performance of the bank was worthy of commendation.

NSEIN SHS MARKS GOLDEN JUBILEE (PAGE 22, JAN 10, 2011)

2011-01-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

A RADIO presenter with Kumasi-based Angel FM, Mr Collins Amo-Poku, aka D.J. Tofiakwa, has presented a number of food items and drinks valued at GH¢3,000 to the Cherubs Orphanage Home at Santasi-Apre in Kumasi to mark the 10th anniversary of his marriage.
Mr Amo-Poku made the presentation with the support of his wife, Linda, and sister, Ms Ama Gyamfua, who is the current best farmer in the Berekum Municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The items presented to the orphanage included a truck load of plantain, quantities of rice, cooking oil and confectioneries.
Making the presentation, Mr Amo-Poku, 36, said God had showered His blessings upon their marriage in the past 10 years.
“It is therefore important that as a couple we show gratitude to Him by giving part of the little we have to the needy,” he said.
Mr Amo-Poku said as a radio presenter, he had appreciated the situation of the needy in the society and expressed the hope that the donation would help make life move comfortable for inmates of the home.
The Director of the home, Mr Nicholas Osei Bonsu, said the orphanage, which started in 2005, had 40 inmates.
He commended the donors for the gesture and appealed to other individuals and organisations to come to the aid of the inmates.
Mr Osei Bonsu advised families not to neglect orphans but to take care of them so that they could grow to become useful citizens.

DR MAHAMA CAN'T CONTEST FIFTH TIME...PNC Regional Chairmen (PAGE 12, JAN 10, 2011)

2011-01-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

ANY intention of four-time People’s National Convention (PNC) presidential candidate, Dr Edward Nasigri Mahama, to lead the party again, in the 2012 presidential election, is bound to receive the stiffest opposition yet in his political career.
Last Saturday, Regional Chairmen of the party resolved to use all legitimate means to stop him from contesting the party’s flag bearer position again, accusing him of being the cause of the party’s non performance and inactivity.
They pointed out that Dr Mahama, backed by “some moribund party executive members,” was making all moves to lead the party in the 2012 elections against the letter and spirit of the party’s constitution.
At an emergency meeting in Kumasi, the Chairman of the committee of regional chairmen, Mr Thomas Akum-Yong, accused Dr Mahama of being the brain behind the wrangling in the party, and said, “His cup is full”.
Mr Akum-Yong, who is also the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the PNC, said per the constitution of the party, Dr Mahama was barred from re-contesting the flag bearer position, explaining that the PNC constitution was clear that one could be the party’s flag bearer only twice.
However, Dr Mahama had managed to circumvent the constitution to lead the party four times.
He, therefore, called on all true party members to join hands to put the party in shape to enable it to take part in the 2012 elections with all seriousness.
The Kumasi meeting, which was attended by some regional executive members across the country, deliberated on recent developments in the party and how to resolve them to enable the party prepare adequately for the next elections.
The Regional Chairmen, in a communiqué, proposed a meeting of the Council of Elders and the Regional Chairmen to constitute an interim management committee to run the affairs of the party and prepare it for congress.
They also called on the Council of Elders to take immediate steps to get a member of the party, Ahmed Agadi alias Jato, who was arrested in connection with the rumpus in the party, released from custody.
Again, the Regional Chairmen called on the affected national officers to submit themselves to the Council of Elders for the resolution of the crisis.
Giving a breakdown of the party’s output since the fourth Republic, he said in 1992 when Dr Hilla Limann contested the presidential elections, the PNC won 6.7 per cent of the total votes cast nation-wide.
However, when Dr Mahama took over the flag bearer position, the party receiving 3.0 per cent of the votes in 1996, 2.9 per cent in 2000, 1.9 per cent in 2004 and 0.87 per cent in 2008.
The Regional Chairmen accused some of the “former” national executive, led by the National Chairman of inactivity saying, “They are only interested in pursuing the agenda of the NDC and NPP”.

SIR JOHN SHOULD APOLOGISE TO MOTHERS OF GHANA (PAGE 12, JAN 8, 2011)

2011-01-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

MOTHERS of Ghana (MOG), a pressure group in Kumasi, which leans towards the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), has called on the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to render an apology to Ghanaian women for the remarks he made about the former Minister of Tourism, Mrs Zita Okaikoi while sharing his thoughts on the recent ministerial reshuffle.
It said the statement by Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, alias Sir John, smacked of disrespect for women and warned that failure to apologise would result in a demonstration by the group against him.
A press statement signed by the chairperson of the group, Ms Ama Sarpomaah, said: “We are concerned about what Mr Owusu Afriyie said on Citi FM, concerning the former minister, that instead of concentrating on tourism, she went to be delivered of a baby”.
“This statement is seriously against mothers and indeed all women in the country,” the statement said.
It pointed out that delivery of babies was a natural burden given to women by God and Mr Owusu Afriyie should have respected this.
“We believe he is a family man and will not hesitate in sending his wife to give birth outside the country if he can afford.”
“MOG knows that the family of Sir John, including his wife, lives in the United Kingdom and conventional wisdom indicates that most of his children were delivered in the UK,” it said.
The statement emphasised that Mrs Okaikoi only went on maternity leave and the question of where she spent it was immaterial.
“Mothers working within almost all sectors of the economy are legally entitled to maternity leave, as such Zita cannot be an exception,” it pointed out.
The statement appealed to President Mills to consider Zita as well as other women of substance in his next reshuffle.

POLITICIANS URGED TO PLACE NATIONAL INTEREST FIRST (PAGE 12, JAN 7, 2011)

2011-01-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

AN international preacher and founder of Liberty Global Christian Church, Bishop Prince Hampel, has called on the country’s politicians to place the interest of the nation above their political parties and personal interests.
He said too much attention seemed to be focused on the work of the political parties at the neglect of the various sectors of national development.
In a New Year message, Bishop Hampel said, “Our leaders must think about the nation first before their political parties and their pockets.”
He expressed regret about the over-politicisation of every issue in the country, pointing out that the practice was counter-productive because it did not allow for objective analysis of events.
Bishop Hampel emphasised that Ghana needed faithful leaders to make the oil find benefit the entire nation.
“Ghana should therefore pray for faithful leaders to be able to convert the oil find into real development,” he said.
The Bishop, however, indicated that the oil itself should not be seen as panacea for resolving the economic challenges of the nation.
“Only God can move this nation forward so it is important that we all give our everything to Him,” he stressed.
Bishop Hampel noted that if Ghanaians depended on God, more economic resources could be discovered for the benefit of the nation.
He was confident that Ghana could enjoy a better 2011 if all did the right things.

ASSURE FORCES OF SAFETY, OB SECURITY (PAGE 12, JAN 7, 2011)

2011-01-07T09:51:00.002-08:00

GHANA’S immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. J.B. Danquah, has stressed the need for the presidential claimant in Cote d’Ivoire, Mr Alassane Ouattara to assure forces loyal to Mr Laurent Gbagbo of their safety and job security, should power change hands in that country.
He said negotiations to resolve the Ivorian political crisis can hardly materialise without a firm and an open assurance by Mr Ouattara, to guarantee the personal and job security of members of the conventional armed forces aligned to embattled President, Laurent Gbagbo.
“Keeping mute over this important issue has been a major contributor to the stalemate in convincing Gbagbo to leave,” Lt. Gen. Danquah said in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Kumasi.
He said ECOWAS and the rest of the international community might be doing their best to negotiate the peaceful exit of Gbagbo but no one should run away from the fact that soldiers supporting the incumbent
feared for their job security and as a result were poised to protect the man in power even to the point of death.
The Cote d’Ivoire situation, he noted, was not just political, but military as well.
Ivory Coast currently has two forces – the Conventional Forces and the New Forces.
While the Conventional Forces control the south where Gbagbo’s authority holds sway, the New Forces made up of elements of the regular military and rebels operate in the Ouattara- controlled north.
Lt. Gen. Danquah, who was the commander of the Ghanaian battalion (Ghanbatt 2) during the Liberia war, cautioned against attempts to use force to remove Gbagbo saying that would result in serious civilian casualties.
“In Liberia, many civilians lost their lives and looking at the Ivory Coast situation, it could be very disastrous if the military option is considered.
“Dialogue is, therefore, the answer but even then, the right things must be done,” the retired general said.
He noted that Ouattara would have to go all out to integrate the two forces and this would demand training and retraining of the forces, if he assumed office.
He expressed regret at the journey Cote d”Ivoire had travelled politically and called on African governments to respect the mandate of the people no matter the circumstances.
Lt. Gen. Danquah said in Ghana when the people decided marginally, the incumbent government accepted the decision and left quietly and called on other African governments to learn from Ghana’s example.

AAA

2011-01-07T09:51:00.001-08:00

LUMBA FREE AT LAST (SHOWBIZ, JAN 6, 2011, LEAD STORY)

2011-01-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

By Kwame Asare Boadu

Now Daddy Lumba is free. The celebrated musician can walk the sreets of Kumasi without fear of being physically or verbally attacked by aggrieved fans following his stupendous performance in a re-scheduled homecoming live concert in Kumasi on New Year’s Day.
Only a few days earlier the Asante-born musician had to escape the wrath of hundreds of disappointed home-grown fans in Kumasi after he failed to perform due to what he complained of as faulty equipment.
This time, it was different. He was in full swing, treating the fans to some of his best hits at the Royal Lamerta Hotel.
For the first time, Lumba spent about two hours on stage and even though there were few technical hiccups, the atmosphere and the aftermath comments pointed to a good measure of satisfaction from the fans. As he dished out one song after the other, yells of “more, more” resounded through the arena and he responded positively.
Backed by Accra-based band, Perfect Melodies, Lumba kept the good number of patrons off their seats to dance to melodious tunes. Some of the songs that kept the show alive were Woho Kyere, Biribi Gyegye Wo, Aben Woha, Menya Mpo and Akoma Da Akoma So.
Angel FM’s Kwame Adinkra who was the MC for the night, was at his performing best, keeping the show alive with a delivery of breathtaking quality.
Fans who were able to produce the tickets purchased for the first show were given free entry but those who went to the gates without the old tickets were made to pay. But there were no complaints. The road to the Royal Lamerta Hotel was barricaded at the Atinga Junction to ensure that tight security was maintained.
Ghanaian hiplife/hiphop group, Bradez, supported the show with a superb performance.
Last week, Daddy Lumba had to escape under security protection after his planned live show was called off. He complained of faulty technical equipment but the fans who had paid between GH¢30 and GH¢50 for the show would not take his explanation. They attempted to attack him but the musician was able to sneak out. The fans then turned their attention at the hotel where they destroyed property.
Some disappointed patrons threatened legal action against the musician and organisers of the event. Some 100 of the angry fans accused Home Proud Entertainment; organisers of the event, of breaching their part of the contract and decided to take the matter to court.
The concert organisers apologised to patrons for the no-show incident and said that they take full responsibility for the unfortunate incident, absolving the artiste and the hotel of any wrong doing. They promised that Daddy Lumba was committed to resolving the impasse by re-staging the concert. He did.
Still some fans appear not happy. Francis Dodovi, a spokesman of the disappointed fans told Graphic Showbiz last Tuesday that, even though the musician honoured his promise by re-staging the show their decision to go to court was still pending as, among other issues, patrons who lost their tickets for the first show were made to pay again.

DON'T POLITICISE THE MILITARY — FORMER CDS (PAGE 12, JAN 6, 2011)

2011-01-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

A former Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Lt Gen. J.B. Danquah (retd), has called for a second look to be taken at what has become a convention in the country where new governments replace service commanders on assumption of power.
He explained that the practice tended to politicise the military and undermine its professionalism.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, Lt Gen. Danquah said, “unless a new government has reason to doubt the loyalty of a service commander or the person has misconducted himself or herself in a way, that person must be allowed to complete his tenure”.
The retired General noted that in Ghana and other parts of Africa, a lot of commanders had gone home prematurely when new governments came into office.
“This does not happen in advanced countries and as a result, commanders in those countries are bold to take decisions that help their governments and country,” he said.
He cautioned against the introduction of tribal and political sentiments into the military, saying it had the tendency to polarise the military.
“The practice that someone does not come from here or there and therefore, must not be appointed to a certain position must be discarded,” he stressed.
That notwithstanding, the former CDS emphasised the need for commanders to be bold in their duties and not allow anybody to use them to further their own interests and aspirations.
“We should be able to resign if politicians want to use us for their parochial political interests. That will make us stand out,” he added.
He called for hard work from Ghanaians to improve their lot rather than always look up to the government to address all their problems.
“We should not think that the government descended from Heaven to solve all our problems for us,” the retired general said.
Lt Gen. Danquah said today, many workers were thinking about increased salaries. “We have to work hard to get what we want”.
He called on the media to play a leading role in shaping the democratic process.
Lt Gen. Danquah also called on the government to widen the tax net to bring in many small businesses that did not pay taxes.

RISE ABOVE PARTISAN POLITICS FOR SUCCESSFUL 2011 (PAGE 12, JAN 5, 2011)

2011-01-05T04:28:00.000-08:00

THE Anglican Bishop of Kumasi, Rt. Revd Dr Daniel Yinkah Sarfo, has called on Ghanaians to rise above partisan politics and ethnicity, and explore ways of changing the nation’s development agenda for the better in 2011.
Expressing concern about the manner some politicians were using politics and the ethnic cards to play some tribes against each other, he warned that the situation could spell trouble for the nation if the situation is not nabbed.
Delivering the sermon at the Saint Cyprian’s Anglican Cathedral in Kumasi, the bishop said politics was serious business, which could turn nations round if well-managed but it could also be dirty if the players played it rough.
Consequently, he called on Ghanaians to desist from ethnocentric effusions and concentrate on issues that could build a better Ghana for all.
Referring to the theme for his New Year message, “Let us rise up and build and the God of Heaven will grant us success” (Nehemiah 2:17, 20), Rt. Revd Dr Yinkah Sarfo stressed that with perseverance and the help of God, the nation could push strongly its development efforts.
Today, he said, marriages were breaking up leading to increases in the number of street children and admonished Christians, “Let us rise and build our broken homes.”
He also mentioned the oil find and said Ghanaians must come together and with the commonness of purpose, use the resource to develop the nation.
In another development, the leader of Ebenezer Miracle Prayer Centre, Rev. Ebenezer Adarkwa-Yiadom, had predicted many positive things for the nation if people gave themselves to Christ.
Preaching the sermon at the watch-night service to welcome the New Year, he said the power of God reigned over the world and those who believed Him would surely reap benefits.

ARMAJARO SUPPORTS TEPA SCHOOL (PAGE 23, JAN 1, 2011)

2011-01-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

ARMAJARO Ghana Limited, a licensed cocoa buying company, has donated 15 packets of roofing sheets valued at GH¢3,000 to assist in the completion of ongoing projects at the Health Assistants Training School at Tepa in the Ahafo-Ano North District.
The donation, which was in line with the company’s social responsibility programme, was in response to an appeal made by the Omanhene of the area, Nana Adusei Atwenewa Ampem, to corporate institutions operating in the area to assist in the development of the school.
Making the presentation, the Manager of Armajaro/Ghana Cocoa Board Traceable Cocoa Foundation, Mr Abraham Appiah-Kubi, said the company believed in supporting communities where it operated with various development projects.
He said that was the reason why the Cocoa Traceable Project was instituted. He added that the company had provided about 60 boreholes, a number of school buildings and equipment for health institutions in many communities in the country.
He disclosed that about 20 boreholes would be constructed for selected communities in the Tepa area next year.
The omanhene, who received the items on behalf of the school, thanked the company for the gesture and said the items would be put to good use.
He urged cocoa buying companies to ensure transparency in their activities and avoid adjusting their weighing scales to cheat farmers.
Nana Ampem touched on the steps the traditional council was taking to complement the efforts of the government and the district assembly to raise standards at the school, and called on other institutions and individuals to assist them.
The District Chief Executive for the area, Mr David Addai Amankwah, said the government had shown much commitment to ensuring the best for the nation and added that any form of support that would help the dream materialise was always welcome.
He called on Armajaro to confer with the district assembly when undertaking development projects to avoid duplication.

KOTOKO PLAY EDUBIASE TOMORROW (PAGE 31, JAN 1, 2011)

2011-01-03T06:26:00.000-08:00

FOOTBALL lovers and holidaymakers in Kumasi will have something sumptuous to feed on tomorrow when the new-look Asante Kotoko outdoor their fresh players in a friendly match against New Edubiase United at the Baba Yara Stadium.
Kotoko had gone on expensive shopping during the mid-season, bringing on board some young talented players who are expected to change the fortunes of the team in the second round scheduled to begin on January 9.
Mr Jarvis Peprah, Public Affairs Manager of Asante Kotoko, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the match would paint a picture of what the players have in store for the loyal fans of the club who have unfortunately been subjected to pain and agony as a result of dismal showing by the team.
Among the players who will feature for Kotoko are the former Wa All Stars duo of Nathaniel Asamoah and Mohammed Yahaya Sabato. Others are Awal Mohammed, Michael Akuffo, Yaw Frimpong and Iddrissu Nafiu all former players of ASEC Mimosas and Gomoa Fetteh Feyenoord.
Also to feature are Joseph Tachie-Mensah, a former player of Hearts of Oak and Israeli side, Hapoel Beer Sheva, Seidu Traore from Mali, and Ahmed Toure who is making a return to the club.
Mr Peprah said New Edubiase was chosen for the trial match in view of the current form of the Bekwai-based side.
Edubiase, who have a crop of enterprising players, beat Kotoko 2-1 in the first round Premier League match in Kumasi.
Moderate fees will be charged at the gates. Kick-off time is 3p.m.

CONFUSION CHARACTERISES ELECTIONS IN ASHANTI (PAGE 13, DEC 31, 2010)

2010-12-31T07:30:00.000-08:00

CONFUSION and disappointment characterised the district level elections in the Ashanti Region as voting in a number of electoral areas could not come off as scheduled.
This was attributed to the unavailability of ballot papers, and defective ballot papers in some areas.
Only three areas, Bantama, Ahafo Ano South and Bosome Freho had their elections held in all electoral areas.
Electoral areas in nine constituencies did not have their elections at all.
They were Amansie West, Atwima Nwabiagya, Kwadaso, Nhyiaeso, Manhyia, Asante Akim South, Asante Akim North, Sekyere Afram Plains and Ahafo Ano North.
Elections only took place in some electoral areas in 24 out of the 35 constituencies of the region.
In Adansi South, elections took place in 32 out of 41 electoral areas; Adansi North, 35 out of 43; Obuasi, 35 out of 38 Bekwai, 33 out of 34; Amansie Central, 19 out of 38, and Atwima Mponua, 18 out of 38.
Others were Bosomtwe, 31 out of 35 electoral area; Atwima Kwanwoma, 29 out of 33; Subin, 7 out of 9; Old Tafo, 7 out of 8; Suame, 5 out of 9; Asokwa, 8 out of 12; Oforikrom, 13 out of 15, Asawase, 6 out of 10; Kwabre East, 15 out of 31, and Amansie West, 24 out of 53.
The rest included Ejisu Juaben, 11 out of 47 electoral areas; Sekyere East, 23 out of 25; Mampong, 29 out of 33; Ejura Sekyedumase, 39 out of 43; Sekyere South, 32 out of 34; Offinso Municipal, 27 out of 30, and Afigya Kwabre, 23 out of 42.
Turn out was generally not encouragingin areas in Kumaai where voting took place.
At the Asafo Zion polling station, only 49 people had voted out of the 1,73, registered voters as at 9.50 a.m.
A Deputy Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Isaac Owusu, told the Daily Graphic that the regional office of the EC went out with the late announcement on the postponement of the elections in some areas because they had earlier had firm assurance that the ballot papers would be delivered.
“We sent vehicles to Accra to bring down the ballot papers but still now, the vehicles are still in Accra,” he said, adding that prospective voters would be notified of the new date for the elections when the ballot papers were delivered.
The EC had given firm assurance Monday evening that all was set for the elections in the region but it was not until this morning that voters were told the elections had been postponed in many areas because ballot papers were unavailable.
Indeed, many people had gone to the polling centres in a bid to vote only to be told of the postponement.
Meanwhile, patronage of the district level elections in Kumasi was generally low at the polling centres, reports Collins Agyekum-Gyasi from Kumasi.
The Daily Graphic found at some centres that the level of enthusiasm was too low due to the change in the date.
At the polling centre at the AME Zion Primary School, Kumasi, out of 1,171 registered voters, 152 had voted as of 9:12 a.m.
The Presiding Officer, Mr Peter Anayitime, was, however, hopeful that by the close of the exercise, majority of them would have exercised their franchise.
He attributed the slowness of the whole exercise to its non-partisan nature.
There were no queues at other polling centres but officials expressed optimism that the turnout would be encouraging by the close of the exercise.
At Atonsu Bokro, the officials confirmed the low patronage as only 15 people had cast their votes one hour after voting started.

ROBBERS, RAPISTS JAILED 205 YEARS (PAGE 3, DEC 31, 2010)

2010-12-31T07:22:00.000-08:00

Two members of a gang who robbed and raped their victims at gunpoint at Apatrapa in Kumasi have been jailed a total of 205 years by the Nkawie Circuit Court.
While Baba Sunday, alias Akobla, 27, was sentenced to 115 years, Stanley Mensah, 26, was jailed 90 years.
Two other members of the gang escaped. They were the ringleader whose name was given as Ibrahim Tijani, alias Babangiba, and one Mustapha.
The court, presided over by Mr Jerome Noble Nkrumah, took a serious view of the act and handed them the long sentences.
Both convicts denied the charges of robbery and rape claiming that they were members of the Roman Catholic Church who went for a prayer meeting in the area that night.
However, they could neither tell the exact place where the prayer meeting was held nor could they answer any question relating to the Catholic doctrine.
On the other hand, the prosecution was able to adduce evidence to back the charges and the two were consequently convicted by the court.
Prosecuting, a Principal State Attorney, Mrs Afia Serwah Asante, informed the court that at about 2 am on June 5, 2010, the police at Abuakwa received a distress call that armed robbers had attacked a house at Apatrapa.
The police patrol team quickly proceeded to the area, where they saw the victims who narrated the ordeal they went through at the hands of their assailants who had then left.
When the robbers, numbering four, invaded the house, they raped two young women and took away two laptops, cash and mobile phones.
The prosecutor said the robbers also asked a young man to have sex with his mother and only dropped their directive after realising that the woman was old in age.
The prosecutor said the victims gave the description of the robbers to the police to assist in their arrest.
While the police were returning to their base, they spotted four men who met the description given them.
The Principal State Attorney stated that when the police vehicle stopped, the men took to their heels but the police gave them a chase and arrested two of them.
On their arrest, the police found on them the laptops they took from their victims, as well as mobile phones, jewellery and some cash.
An identification parade was organised where the victims identified the two robbers.

URBAN POLICY ALMOST SET (PAGE 12, DEC 28, 2010)

2010-12-28T06:27:00.000-08:00

THE Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is almost ready with the preparation of a new urban policy to guide the development of the country’s urban areas.
Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, the sector minister, who made this known in Kumasi at a day’s workshop on the new decentralisation policy in Kumasi, said ongoing works included urban transport initiative, the urban poverty reduction project and the urban-land management information system.
The workshop was organised by the Centre for Settlement Studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Institute of Local Government Studies.
It was on the theme, “ Accelerating National development Through Decentralisation and Good Local Governance.”
Mr Chireh stated that the ministry and its partners had also embarked on social accountability initiatives in the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
He stated that research must be demystified in the local government sector.
He expressed concern over how the word ‘research’ had become a monster in the local government sector and noted that demystifying it would help position local governance as a legitimate vehicle for sustainable development.
Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies, as part of their functions are required to conduct socio-economic studies to enable them to have the relevant data to operate with. This requires deep interest in research.
However, these studies are not forthcoming due to the myth surrounding research in the assemblies.
Mr Chireh said local government functionaries must be assisted to be stronger and more confident in research.
The minister, therefore challenged the various assemblies to take keen interest in research.
He also called for the creation of a learning culture in the public service.
“And this orientation must be developed in the local government sector.
“There is an urgent need to learn from the experiences, solution to problems and best practices in the country as well as from international sources,” he said.
The minister noted that for a very long time, the local government aspect of public administration was not extensively studied or published about.
“This may be the reason why for most periods in the past, there was little published about local government until the assembly system became part of the Constitution.”
Mr Chireh called for the projection of local governance as a viable channel for empowering people and delivering effective development.
The Provost of the College of Architecture of KNUST, Prof. Edward Badu, was confident that the recent affiliation of the Institute of Local Government Studies to KNUST would open the way for more joint fruitful initiatives from the two institutions.

LUMBA ESCAPES WRATH OF KUMASI FANS (PAGE 3, DEC 29, 2010)

2010-12-28T06:13:00.000-08:00

CELEBRATED musician, Charles Kwadwo Fosu, aka Daddy Lumba, escaped attack in Kumasi on Sunday night after a planned show at the Royal Lamerta Hotel had turned out to be a no-show.
He had to escape the wrath of disappointed fans under tight security after organisers of the show called it off because Lumba had complained of faulty equipment.
An eyewitness account, confirmed by a hotel source, said the call-off triggered an attack on hotel property.
The hotel source estimated damage to property at about GH¢10,000.
Some of the patrons also took away hotel chairs and tables.
The eyewitness told the Daily Graphic that the scores of enraged patrons who had paid GH¢30 single and GH¢50 double to watch the entertainment programme turned their anger on the hotel management, causing extensive damage to hotel property.
The patrons hurled insults at the musician, accusing him of deliberately spiting his own people.
Lumba is a native of the Ashanti Region.
One of the fuming fans was reported to have said, rather sarcastically, “It was this behaviour of Lumba’s that contributed to Nana Akufo-Addo’s defeat in the 2008 elections.”
They said for about six years the musician had not staged any performance in Kumasi.
Consequently, when the show was advertised, it received huge response.
At least 2,000 people were said to have paid to watch what was expected to be a mega-show by the musician.

KNUST GETS DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION STUDIES CENTRE (PAGE 22, DEC 27, 2010)

2010-12-27T07:29:00.000-08:00

A CENTRE for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, has been inaugurated at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.
The objectives of the project include providing advanced education capacity in disability and rehabilitation in Ghana for health professionals and other identified actors for the prevention and response to all disabled persons, creating research and development capacity in the field of disability and rehabilitation, and providing a national database on disability.
The centre, the first of its kind in West Africa, whose establishment was sponsored by the Netherlands Organisation for International Co-operation in Higher Education (NUFFIC), is a major output of the School of Medical Sciences (SMS) disability project.
With the establishment of the centre, KNUST can comfortably offer admission to most of the persons with disability whose desire of pursuing academic programmes in the university had been a mirage.
At the inaugural ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. W.O. Ellis, said it was gratifying in the life of the university to be blessed with the centre.
“KNUST will through this centre contribute its quota to the call by the United Nations to mainstream disability in the Millennium Development Goals towards 2015 and beyond,” he said.
Prof. Ellis added that the project would also help the university brace itself with the challenge of gradually transforming into a disability-friendly institution.
He stated that the centre would establish a strong network with identified professionals in the field of disability, disabled people’s organisations and international NGOs with the view to advancing the potentials of the disabled.
Prof. Ellis said an M.Sc. programme in Disability Studies was in place at the university, and the B.Sc. curriculum had been approved ready for consideration by the academic board of the university and the National Accreditation Board.
The Vice-Chancellor said as part of the project, five Ph.D. and five M.Sc. fellowships were provided for staff development.
In that regard, he commended the university’s partners for their tremendous support.
Prof. Ellis stated that the establishment of the centre was part of efforts to reposition KNUST as a global institution of excellence in science and technology, focusing on the development of the nation and its people.
The Director of International Programmes at Hogeschool Leiden in The Netherlands, Sir Dominique Hoozemans, said the school was proud to be associated with the project.
He said going into the project meant the partners were ready to offer support to the needy to live meaningful lives.
The President of the Ghana Association of the Disabled, Mr Joseph Adu Boampong, commended the project managers for actively involving the association in the entire project.
He said many of their members were facing difficulties in accessing higher education as a result of the physical development of structures at the campuses of institutions in the country.

GOVT URGED TO CHECK ILLEGAL MINING (PAGE 22, DEC 27, 2010)

2010-12-27T07:28:00.000-08:00

THE Omanhene of Manso-Nkwanta Traditional Area in the Amansie West District, Nana Bi-Kusi Appiah, has called on the government and the district assembly to institute measures to check illegal mining (galamsey) in the district.
He said the activities of the galamsey operators had led to loss of lives and destroyed the environment, stressing that that should not be allowed to continue.
“There is therefore an urgent need for the authorities to do something about the situation,” he said, promising that Nananom would give the necessary support to achieve results.
Nana Appiah made the call at a public forum organised by the traditional council at Manso-Nkwanta on how to address the problems arising out of galamsey operations in the area.
Heads of departments, security personnel, officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Minerals Commission and gold mining companies in the district, attended the forum.
The Omanhene stated that whereas some companies which had been issued with licences operated within the laws, others regrettably failed to reclaim the lands they worked on.
He therefore stressed the need for the companies to work according to the laws of the country.
An official of the Minerals Commission at Dunkwa-on-Offin, Mr Ernest Okyere, said it was illegal for anyone to mine gold without a licence from the commission.
He appealed to district assemblies and the law enforcement agencies to help arrest such persons.
The Member of Parliament for Amansie West, Mrs Grace Addo, said traditional rulers had a big role to play in checking illegal gold mining.
She therefore expressed the hope that the chiefs would join hands with the security agencies and the police to bring the situation under control.
Mrs Addo also spoke against schoolchildren using school hours for galamsey, and warned that henceforth any pupil found engaging in galamsey would be arrested and prosecuted.
The District Director of Education, Mr Samuel Kena, said the poor performance of schools in the Basic Education Certificate Examination in the district was partly due to the children’s involvement in galamsey activities.
He enjoined parents to take interest in the education of their children rather than leaving them to engage in unproductive activities.
The District Co-ordinating Director, Mr Daniel Nkrumah, stated that the district security committee had instituted measures to arrest persons engaged in galamsey activities.

TEPA CHIEFS TO HONOUR BEST COCOA FARMER (PAGE 22, DEC 27, 2010)

2010-12-27T07:27:00.000-08:00

HAVING brought honour to the Tepa Area of the Ashanti Region, Mr Samuel Awuni, the current national best cocoa farmer, is to be honoured by the Tepa Traditional Council at the next Akwasidae in January, 2011.
The Omanhene of Tepa, Nana Adusei Atwenewa Ampem, made this known when 42-year-old Awuni paid a courtesy call at his palace at Tepa to show him his award, a brand new Toyota Hilux double cabin vehicle.
He commended Mr Awuni for his hard work that had brought honour to the Ahafo-Ano North District.
Mr Awuni, a native of northern Ghana, who was born and bred at Tepa, owns over 100 acres of cocoa farm at Sanfifire, a village about 30 kilometres from Tepa where he produces more than 1,000 bags of cocoa in a season.
Mr Awuni’s example appears unique. He has never contracted bank loans in his farming career and he says he wants to use his award to inspire the youth to take up agriculture as a profession.
“It’s a business no one can underestimate and I think my example will push more of our youth into agriculture,” he stressed.
The man believes the future is even brighter for him and he hopes to win the national best farmer award in the not-too-distant future.
Mr Awuni completed basic education in 1987 but as he did not receive any help to further his education, he decided to go into farming.
“I sought help from the Cocoa Services Division and I can say that the officers helped me a lot.
“In the beginning, I started with a small cocoa farm inter-planted with plantain which helped me to get some money to expand the farm in course of time,” he stated.
Mr Awuni disputed the assertion in certain quarters that without bank support, one cannot engage in large-scale agriculture.
He said “Everything is done through planning. I am happy that even without bank loans, I have been able to make some headway in my business.”
Mr Awuni bought additional lands and in 2004, he won the district best cocoa farmer at the national farmers’ day. That was when he owed 40 acres of cocoa farm.
“The award encouraged me to work even harder and in 2006, I was awarded the regional best cocoa farmer,” he stated.
The stage was set for him to target the national award, which eventually arrived this year.
Mr Awuni has also entered into large-scale oil palm plantation and today he has 24 acres to his credit.
The best cocoa farmer has nine permanent workers working in his farm.
He says there is honesty in agriculture and that with the needed support, the youth can gain a lot from the business.
Mr Awuni is married to Rebecca and the couple have six children.
According to him, he was taking keen interest in the education of his children because education holds the key to the development of the human being and the society at large.

ASANTEHENE OKAYS SQUATTER'S REMOVAL...From railway lands (SPREAD, DEC 20, 2010)

2010-12-20T03:13:00.000-08:00

THE Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has called on the Ghana Railway Authority (GRA) to be bold to remove all obstacles to the government’s effort at reviving the country’s railways.
Expressing concern about the massive encroachment of lands belonging to the GRA, the Asantehene said everything must be done to ensure that the commitment shown by President Mills to resuscitate the railway industry materialised.
Board members of the railway authority paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene in Kumasi to seek his support on how to get encroachers and squatters off the railway lands in Kumasi and to pave the way for the construction of the Kumasi-Paga, Accra-Kumasi and the Takoradi-Kumasi lines next year.
Asantehene condemned some staff members of the erstwhile Ghana Railways Corporation for illegally selling the lands and said such individuals must be brought to book.
“We should not condone illegality,” he said, stressing that no one had the right to allocate the lands to anybody.
He urged the railway authority to approach their activities in a “businesslike manner”.
“Looking at the quality of experience of the railway board, I have no doubt in my mind that you will deliver,” he added.
The chairman of the GRA board, Mr Dan Markin, noted that Kumasi played a central role in the country’s development and, therefore, every effort would be made to modernise the city’s railway station.
He noted that effective railway would facilitate the operations of the Boankra Inland Port.
Mr Markin stated that President Mills was so much interested in the railway’s development project and that contracts for the works had been signed between the government and some Chinese companies for work to begin from February, 2011.
“I assure Otumfuo that the Kumasi station would be ready for opening by September, 2012, if we are able to evict the encroachers on time,” he said.
The board chairman, therefore, appealed to the Asantehene to do everything in his power to help the GRA get the encroachers off the lands in Kumasi.

DON'T PLAY POLITICS WITH SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME (PAGE 13, DEC 16, 2010)

2010-12-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

THE National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Mr S.P. Adamu, has called on politicians to spare the programme the continuous politicisation to enable it to achieve its laudable objectives.
He said as a national programme of immense benefits, the GSFP must be supported by all persons irrespective of their political persuasions.
Speaking at the annual district level stakeholders meeting of the programme in the Ashanti Region in Kumasi, Mr Adamu said: “This programme came during President Kufuor’s administration and today President Mills is building on it so there is no need to play any kind of politics with it.”
“The GSFP is dear to the heart of every right thinking Ghanaian,” he stressed.
Mr Adamu, therefore, noted that if all Ghanaians threw their full weight behind the programme, there was no way that it would not change the face of the educational system for the better.
The meeting organised by the Ashanti Regional Secretariat of the GSFP brought together key actors overseeing the implementation of the programme in the various districts to share their experiences for the year 2010, and strategise on possible new approaches to remove the bottlenecks in the system.
The coordinator commended the government for showing so much commitment to the development of the GSFP and pledged that managers of the programme would continue to work assiduously towards improving standards.
After five years of the programme, the national coordinator noted that there was the need to review certain aspects in order to introduce new and affective ways of getting things going.
He indicated that some lapses had been detected in the running of the programme at the regional and district levels and plans were underway to correct them.
He mentioned for instance the uncoordinated activities of the actors and stressed that there must be link-ups between the various players so that together they could get the best for the pupils.
Mr Adamu urged caterers under the GSFP to purchase their food items from the local people to help bring money into the pockets of the local farmers.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, who opened the meeting, reminded the gathering that the GSFP was part of the government’s efforts at achieving the Millennium Development Goals on eradicating extreme hunger and poverty, and improving basic education.
The programme therefore needed the support of all people irrespective of political leanings.
So far, he said, the positive impacts of the programme had been felt but much was needed to make it more effective and to further increase the coverage to schools.
Mr Opoku-Manu mentioned managerial disregard to lay down systems as one major challenge confronting the programme, and called for the managers to play to the rules.
In an interview, the Ashanti Regional Coordinator of the GSFP, Mrs Ophelia Antwi-Boasiako, said her outfit was determined to put in measures that would further advance the course of the programme in 2011.
She said caterers in the region were happy that payments for work done were now forthcoming.
She, therefore, urged them to reciprocate the move by always feeding the pupils on time and with quality meals.

KOTOKO NOT AFRAID OF PROBE (PAGE 31, DEC 14, 2010)

2010-12-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

THE management of Kumasi Asante Kotoko say they are totally unfazed by calls by a former board member for a probe into their operations.
Speaking on behalf of management, Public Affairs Manager of Kotoko, Jarvis Peprah, told the Daily Graphic that the Dr K.K. Sarpong administration had not done anything wrong to fear a probe.
“We will welcome it even today, “ he said confidently.
Former board member, Alhaji Ahmed Bandoh, better known as Alhaji Bahmed, last week called for a probe into the financial administration of Asante Kotoko, alleging, among other things deals in sponsorships entered into by the club.
The allegation was a by-product of the rift between Bahmed and executive chairman, Dr Sarpong, which reached boiling point last week with accusations and counter accusations which sometimes turned personal.
According to Bahmed, who announced his resignation last Thursday as a result of the fracas with the Executive Chairman, certain officers in the club were fleecing the club by unduly benefiting from sponsorship deals.
But, in a reaction to the allegation, Mr Peprah told this paper that the statement by the former board member was unfortunate because as an insider, he (Bahmed) should have known the arrangements in the club with regard to sponsorships.
Mr Peprah explained that it was a policy in Asante Kotoko that anyone or entity who managed to get a sponsorship for the club is entitled to 10 per cent of the total deal.
Asked whether management members were included in the arrangement, he answered in the affirmative.
“Any management member who can get a sponsorship for the club is entitled to 10 per cent of the deal. This is institutionalised in the club,” he said.
Mr Peprah rejected a suggestion that such a situation amounted to conflict of interest.
He would, however, not confirm or deny that any official in the current administration had benefited from that arrangement.
The public affairs manager said the Dr Sarpong administration was very transparent and would never hide anything from the supporters.
Mr Peprah further dismissed an allegation of one-man show made against the executive chairman by Bahmed.
He insisted that Dr Sarpong had been a team player who respects the views of every member of the administration and supporters.

WORK ON SOFOLINE INTERCHANGE SUSPENDED (PAGE 18, DEC 11, 2010)

2010-12-15T04:37:00.000-08:00

CONSTRUCTION work on the Sofoline Interchange in Kumasi has stalled following the decision by the contractors, China Gio Construction Limited, to send the entire Ghanaian workers home because they do not have the money to pay them.
The company said the government had not paid them for work completed so far, and the company had no alternative than to ask the workers to go home.
Only the skeletal Chinese staff of the company are currently at post.
Already the project is behind schedule, and many residents in Kumasi have expressed concern about the snail pace at which the project is being executed.
The decision to send the workers home appeared to have heightened suspicion that the entire road project could suffer delay in completion.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Roads Director, Mr Theodore Quaye, confirmed that the contractors had complained about the delay in receiving payment for work done.
He told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the management of the company claimed they did not have money to pay the Ghanaian workers and have asked them to go home until government pays for work done so far.
The company, he said, had prepared certificates for completed works but money was yet to be released to pay them.
Mr Quaye, however, indicated that officials in Accra were doing everything possible to pay the contractor to enable work to resume fully.
“I have had assurances from my bosses and there is every indication that the contractor will be paid in due course,” he said.
Mr Quaye also refuted allegations in Kumasi that the drawings for the Sofoline Roundabout-Abuakwa road had been altered from the original six-lane to four because the government claimed it had no money for the original project.
According to him, the project still remained six-lane and nothing would be done to change it.

GUNMAN KILLED (1B, DEC 11, 2010)

2010-12-15T04:28:00.001-08:00

Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

A suspected armed robber was killed and four others arrested in two separate incidents in Kumasi in which the robbers engaged the police in shoot-outs.
In the first instance, policemen from the Buffalo Unit had moved in response to a distress call that armed robbers had besieged a house at Ayeduase, a suburb of Kumasi.
According to the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Timbillah, few metres away from the crime scene, they were met with gun-shots from the robbers and the policemen responded.
In the exchanges, one of the robbers was seriously injured, while three others escaped, but the injured one, identified as Nana Yaw, died on the way to hospital.
The second incident occurred at Atabrakaso, also in Kumasi, where the four suspects were arrested. Those arrested were identified as Moses Mumuni, 29, Kofi Kumi, 25, Osei Kofi, 31, and Kwabena Antwi, 25. They were said to have attacked the Hansol Mining Company in Kumasi.
Briefing journalists in Kumasi yesterday, DCOP Timbillah said in the Ayeduase encounter, the police received the call about 10:15 p.m. on Thursday and were on the scene within six minutes.
He said before he was pronounced dead, Nana Yaw confessed that he went on the operation with three others who managed to run away.
DCOP Timbillah further explained that Nana Yaw said two of his accomplices had in their possession two locally manufactured pistols while the other used a pump action gun.
He said when the police searched Nana Yaw, a knife and a toy pistol were found on him. The police also picked four spent cartridges at the crime scene.
DCOP Timbillah appealed to the general public, especially health facilities, to be on the look-out for persons with gun-shot wounds as the men were suspected to have been hit by bullets.
He also appealed to the general public to continue to volunteer information to the police to enable them to fight the menace of armed robbery.

BAHMED QUITS KOTOKO BOARD (GRAPHIC SPORTS, BACK PAGE, DEC 10, 2010)

2010-12-10T05:40:00.000-08:00

ALL is certainly not well within the top management of struggling club Kumasi Asante Kotoko as board member, Alhaji Ahmed Bandoh, aka Alhaji Bahmed, has resigned following a face-off with Executive Chairman, Dr K.K. Sarpong.
Alhaji Bahmed told the Graphic Sports yesterday that he could never be part of the board because of the “baseless allegations” the Executive Chairman had made against him.
On Wednesday, Dr Sarpong took a swipe at Alhaji Bahmed over comments he made, citing interference in his work as board member in charge of operations.
Dr Sarpong swore to “cut him to size” because his activities were counter-productive to the club.
Dr Sarpong called on the club’s supporters to be on the look out for “saboteurs like Alhaji Bahmed”.
His fiery comments were in reaction to an interview Alhaji Bahmed granted to a Kumasi-based radio station, Angel FM, where he alleged that a certain management member was usurping his (Bahmed’s) role as a board member in charge of operations.
He further stated that it appeared the financial support he was giving to the club was not being appreciated and threatened to resign if things did not change in Kotoko.
But in a swift and apparently furious reaction, Mr Sarpong said it was dishonest on the part of the board member to portray himself as a financier of the club.
He called his bluff to resign from the board. “He should go now and the club will not lose anything.”
Dr Sarpong maintained that Alhaji Bahmed was a board member and it would be wrong for him to assume the role of a management member.
No one, he said, had assigned any operations role to him, and if he wants to become a management member, he should descend from the board.
“And even then, can he be trusted?” the Executive Chairman queried.
He accused the board member of allowing former coach, Ebo Mends, to go on radio to “talk loose” about the club.
Dr Sarpong indicated that he (Sarpong) was spending his time, energy and resources to help bring Kotoko back to shape and would not allow people who had milked the club by inflating contract fees of players in the past to have their way again.
He fell short of naming such persons and said, “they bought a player for GH¢20,000 but collected GH¢40,000.”
He emphasised that some people wanted to frustrate him to resign his position as Executive Chairman but said that would never happen.
“I have resolved to help bring Kotoko back to winning ways and I will ensure that I succeed,” he said.
He said, “the signings that we are making will help us in the second round of the Premier League.”
But speaking to this paper yesterday, Alhaji Bahmed said he had never been part of any negotiations for the purchase of players.
According to him negotiations were done by Dr Sarpong, Wilberforce Mfum and Owusu Ansah, “so I am surprised that I am being accused of inflating contract sums.”
He challenged Dr Sarpong to prove the allegations against him “else I would go out to expose him for the negative things he is doing to bring Kotoko down.”
He said since he became a board member, he had been paying $200 to the best Kotoko player in any match the team played.
“I am doing all this to help motivate players, and I’m shocked that people do not appreciate them but rather give me a bad name,” he said.
Alhaji Bahmed described himself as a self-made man and “not one of those people who have never worked for themselves but only depended on government work to boast that they have money.”
In a separate interview with Graphic Sports’ Daniel Kenu in Accra yesterday, Alhaji Bahmed accused Dr Sarpong of stifling the progress of the team, while alleging that the chairman had hijacked Kotoko together with his special aide, Kwame Baah-Nuakoh.
Cataloguing a tall list of allegations, Alhaji Bahmed, as the travel and tour magnate is popularly known, said his views were not respected as a board member and therefore felt slighted and stabbed at the back.
Alhaji Bahmed had earlier contemplated on resigning from the club but put it on hold to enable him to discuss it with the spiritual head of the club, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
“Now, I think I need to call it quits and focus on my business,” he said.
He claimed, for instance, that Dr Sarpong and Baah-Nuakoh unilaterally hired the new coach, Bogdan Korak, without recourse to the rest of the board members.
He alleged that as a result of the board chairman’s naivety in football, he had surrounded himself with people who ill-advise him against the progress of the club.

NEW PROJECT UNDER OTUMFUO CHARITY FUND (PAGE 29, DEC 8, 2010)

2010-12-10T04:25:00.000-08:00

THE Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Charity Fund has rolled out a five-year nationwide hand washing with soap project for pupils in basic schools.
An initial 1,000 schools in the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Volta, Upper East, Upper West Central and Western Regions have been selected for the project.
The beneficiaries will be expanded to 500 more schools by the end of the project.
Managers of the Foundation said the project was in line with the vision of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to ensure healthy living for Ghanaian children.
The project, which is being undertaken in conjunction with PZ Cussons Ghana Limited, will see each beneficiary school provided with special buckets known as “adepa buckets” affixed with water containers, and cakes of soap to be used for the hand washing.
The buckets will be placed at strategic points in the schools and labelled, “Hand-washing Station” while colourful pictures depicting how to properly wash the hand would be pasted at the washing points.
PZ had committed themselves to spend about GH¢50,000 for the five-year duration of the project subject to extension.
The Executive Director of the foundation, Dr Thomas Agyarko-Poku, told journalists at the pre-launch media briefing in Kumasi that the project also formed part of the water and sanitation component of the foundation’s activities.
Dr Agyarko-Poku stated that the Ministries of Education and Health had been contacted to help ensure that the project become successful.
“Teachers will be encouraged to supervise children to wash their hands before and after meals, and after visiting the washroom.” he said.
The executive director said the Foundation did not restrict its activities to areas that fell under the authority of Otumfuo.
“We believe in the vision of Otumfuo and want the foundation to be seen as a Ghanaian institution serving all the people of the country,” he said.
He stressed that his outfit would work extra hard to ensure that the project was well established in schools.
Dr Agyarko-Poku said the foundation was discussing with other partners to provide polytanks to some schools in the country.
Besides they were in talks with Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited to construct boreholes in some communities in the country.
He indicated that the Otumfuo Education Fund was undergoing review and that from the next academic advertisements would be put out for people to apply for support. The names of beneficiaries would also be published.
Dr Agyarko-Poku stated that the scholarship would not be limited to schools in Ghana and that plans were complete for scholarships to be awarded to study medicine and other disciplines in Germany and other countries.

CUSTOMS WORKERS URGED TO REDOUBLE EFFORTS (PAGE 42, DEC 8, 2010)

2010-12-10T04:19:00.001-08:00

MEMBERS of the Senior Staff Association of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Service (GRA) have ended their 20th annual national delegates conference at Ejisu, near Kumasi with a call on staff to redouble their efforts at revenue collection.
The chairman of the association, Mr Junior Appiah-Warden, said at the conference that a lot depended on the customs division of GRA to help government advance its development initiatives, stressing that the division could, therefore, not afford to play to the gallery.
He stated that the customs division was “way behind this year’s national revenue target, yet in Kumasi alone, there were over 200 seized saloon cars and a fleet of mini buses, which could be auctioned to rake in revenue for the state, had been sitting there and getting rotten.
Appiah-Warden, therefore, called on management to conduct auctions of seized items, especially hundreds of vehicles at various customs posts in the country, to help the government get the needed revenue to undertake its infrastructure and other economic activities to better the living standards of the people.
The three-day conference was on the theme: “Senior Staff Association of Customs Division of GRA: Contemporary Issues.”
Mr Appiah-Warden mentioned the negative media attention the division had received this year and said ”given the circumstances under which we work, we are not as dirty as it is often portrayed.”
He expressed concern that for three years, customs officers had not been provided with uniforms and their accoutrements, and, therefore, called for the retooling of officers to enable them to perform.
The Commissioner General of the GRA, Mr George Blankson, emphasised that the integration process of the GRA would not lead to loss of jobs in any of the three affected revenue agencies.
Agencies affected by the integration are the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Value Added Tax (VAT) Service.
Allaying the growing fears of workers within the agencies, Mr Blankson said the process was being approached in a way to ensure that no member of staff would also suffer any loss in rank or diminution of emoluments.
He said labour was deeply involved in the change process and that workers needed not to fear about the security of their jobs.
Mr Blankson stated that integration would involve the redefinition of job schedules leading to review of staff placement and transfer and reassignment of staff to the various divisions, adding that conditions of service would be enhanced under the GRA.
He informed the conference that members of the various associations within the GRA would be placed in three different sections, namely customs division, domestic tax division and support services division.
The board chairman of GRA, Mr Ernest Kwesie, said the authority was determined to achieve the national revenue target.
Consequently, he said, it was tightening up tax revenue activities between now and December 31 at the ports, harbours and border posts.
Mr Kwesie gave the assurance that the board and management of the GRA would ensure that the appropriate orders and operational instructions were prepared to enhance the implementation of the customs procedures relating to the budget.

VALUE SYSTEMS OF RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY ...Otumfuo urges Ghanaians (PAGE 12, DEC 8, 2010)

2010-12-10T04:10:00.000-08:00

THE Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has enjoined Ghanaians to return to their rich value systems by rejecting political intolerance, intemperate language, disrespect for authority and divisiveness.
He said the emergence of the phenomena of serial callers and foot soldiers in the country’s body politics was not doing the nation any good and blamed politicians for that trend.
The Asantehene, who was speaking at a durbar he organised in honour of awardees of the 2010 Millennium Excellence Awards at the forecourt of the Manhyia Palace, last Monday, challenged politicians to have the welfare of the youth at heart instead of using them to achieve power only to neglect them.
He explained that the seeming lack of sustainable programmes to address the problems of the youth had compelled them to do everything necessary to make ends meet.
He said it was disturbing to see young people who should have been engaged in productive activities creating fear and panic in the country under the banner of foot soldiers and serial callers, a phenomenon that he said was perhaps known to only Ghana.
He described, as worrying, people's negative understanding and practice of politics and said that had become the greatest threat to the fabric of the society.
"Politics has become the shortest route to riches and patronage and people will do whatever is necessary to get there. It is a win and lord it over the people (issue) but not to change the destiny of the people."
Otumfuo Osei Tutu said the development was a disincentive to national development and must be checked before it plunged the country into crisis.
The Asantehene, who is the life patron of the Millennium Excellence Awards, said sometimes it appeared politics was taking the nation towards the wrong path.
He descended heavily on people who saw politics as the shortest route to riches rather than an avenue to serve their country.
He said many people were entering politics in the country because they found it a lucrative venture, especially when one’s political party was in power.
The Asantehene indicated that in their quest to make money from politics, politicians would do everything possible to win power.
He observed that greed, avarice and nepotism were eroding the achievements Ghana had made as a country.
He also expressed deep concern about the way politics was polarising the country, stressing that Ghana needed to learn from other countries where in spite of political differences, unity amongst the people remained the key word.
Commending the award winners for their tremendous achievements in their fields of endeavour, he said many of them made it outside politics and theirs must be an example for the youth of the country.
He noted that the gradual destruction of the value system had resulted in young people publicly insulting the elderly.
“We are losing our values fast. Our family system is being eroded and now respect for the elderly is out of our vocabulary,” he said.
The Asantehene referred to the recent burning of an old woman to death, by some people on suspicion that she was a witch and said: “If our value system was to be working, the perpetrators wouldn’t have taken that line.”
He called for the revival of the spirit of volunteerism, saying it was one sure way of bringing development to the communities.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu stated that Africa had hardworking sons and daughters who could be relied on to help change the development face of the continent.
He commended the awardees for demonstrating that Africa had something good to offer.
Africa, he said, must set its sight very high because it would be suicidal to always play second fiddle to the rest of the world.

MMDCES ADVISED TO UPGRADE THEMSELVES (PAGE 12, DEC 7, 2010)

2010-12-10T03:42:00.000-08:00

THE Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies, Dr Esther Offei-Aboagye, has advised Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) with the requisite entry requirements to take advantage of the programmes at the institute to upgrade themselves academically.
She said the institute was opening its doors to the MMDCEs and believed they would respond appropriately.
Speaking in an interview after the signing of an affiliation agreement with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) last Thursday, Dr Offei-Aboagye, recalled a recent advice given by local government expert, Mr Kwamena Ahwoi, to MMDCEs to upgrade themselves academically and said the advice needed to be taken seriously.
The affiliation agreement would see the KNUST supervising four Masters Degree programmes at the institute which are M.Sc. Environmental Science, M.Sc. Policy Management and Local Economic Development, M.Sc. Local Government Financial Administration and M.Sc. Local Government Administration.
Earlier at the signing ceremony, Dr Offei-Aboagye, expressed the hope that the relationship with the KNUST would further enrich their academic programmes and the work of the assemblies.
“This is a long dream come into reality and we hope to build on the relationship,” she said.
The Vice Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. W.O. Ellis, emphasised the need for quality human resource in local governance if the nation wanted to see improve growth.
“We are in a knowledge economy and everyone wants to go to school.
As a university, we will open our doors in various ways to enable many people acquire higher education,” he said.
Prof. Ellis, stressed that KNUST would not compromise on quality and would always ensure that its affiliated institutions maintain the required standards.
He said the university was expanding its distance learning programmes to enable more people benefit from it.
He commended the management of the institute for working hard to meet the standards set for the affiliation.
At the same ceremony, the Christian Service University College in Kumasi also signed an affiliation agreement with the KNUST.

699 POST-GRADUATE STUDENTS PASS OUT AT KNUST (PAGE 22, DEC 4, 2010)

2010-12-06T02:21:00.000-08:00

SIX hundred and ninety-nine post-graduate students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have passed out at the special congregation of the university in Kumasi.
They consisted of 190 Master of Science (M.Sc.) students, 38 Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) students, 34 Master of Arts (MA) students and five Master of Fine Arts (MFA) students.
The rest were 164 Commonwealth Executive Master of Public Administration/Commonwealth Executive Master of Business Administration (CEMPA/CEMBA) graduates, 162 Master of Business Administration (MBA) students, 66 Post Graduate Diploma students and 39 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) students.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Vice Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. W.O. Ellis, said post-graduate education was crucial to advancing national development and that was why the university was restructuring its training programmes to enable more people to benefit from it.
He said considering the high cost of training, plans were underway to introduce more split site and sandwich programmes to cut down cost to students.
Prof. Ellis urged the graduates to go out and positively impact the society with knowledge and expertise.

WOMEN URGED TO UPGRADE THEMSELVES (PAGE 11, DEC 4, 2010)

2010-12-06T02:06:00.000-08:00

THE Deputy Controller (Finance and Administration) of the Accountant General’s Department, Ms Grace Adzroe, has advised women to upgrade themselves academically to empower them to take up positions at all levels of development.
Ms Adzroe, who is a Chartered Accountant, noted that women are partners in development “and it behoves us to make the strides that will justify our ability to perform equally as our male counterparts”.
Speaking at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Ashanti Regional branch of Controller and Accountant General Department Ladies Association (TRELAS) in Kumasi, Ms Adzroe, said women must project themselves decently in order to build on the respect they command.
It was on the theme, “The role of the woman accountant in nation building”.
She condemned what she described as the practice where women working in public offices dress “provocatively” to work and said the situation, which was becoming prevalent in recent times, tended to demean womanhood and therefore, urged female workers to ensure that they dress decently to their workplaces.
She said she was looking up for increased women representation on the management team of the department, since there was only one woman on the team.
“Sadly, out of the 135 qualified accountants in the department, only 19 are women,” she added, but expressed delight that more women in the department were currently undertaking various courses in tertiary institutions to upgrade themselves.
She called for integrity on the part of the women in the performance of their work, saying “We should not attempt to misappropriate state money under any circumstances”.
“Let’s undertake prudent financial management by ensuring that funds kept in our custody are safe and used for the purposes for which they are given to us,” she stressed.
The Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Ms Anima Wilson, who was the guest of honour, stated that the government’s decision to empower women to take up important positions in national development was not a fluke.
The signs, she noted, were beginning to show in all spheres of national life and indicated that a lot more would be done by the government to bring the best out of the Ghanaian woman.
Ms Wilson, therefore, challenged women to take up the challenge and let their presence be felt in the socio-economic development of the country.
She noted that the contribution of women to national development had been phenomenal but stressed that more could be done when women were given the needed support.
“That was why the Mills government had placed the empowerment of women at the centre of events”, she said.
The deputy regional minister commended Ashanti TRELAS for their achievements over the decade and urged them to continue to initiate programmes and projects that would enhance their development and that of the larger society.
Ms Wilson told the women not to allow their household activities to overshadow their work schedule, adding “In spite of your household activities, you should be punctual at work”.
She also urged them to counsel girls to lead lives that would give them a better future.
The President of Ashanti TRELAS, Mrs Genevieve Bukari, said none of its members had ever been engaged in any financial malfeasance and said the association would continue to preach professional integrity to its members.
She noted that women accountants had a huge role to play in the government’s ‘Better Ghana Agenda’ and must therefore, not fail the nation.

Kotoko's dismal showing...FANS CALL FOR SHAKE-UP (GRAPHIC SPORTS, NOV 30, 2010, PAGE 11)

2010-12-02T23:05:00.001-08:00

IT is now clear! Kumasi Asante Kotoko are in a mess and the fans believe only a major shake-up in the playing body could save the dwindling fortunes of the once-fearsome side.
Last Sunday night, the long-suffering supporters of the club summed up their frustration when they attempted to physically attack the players after an ignominious 2-3 home defeat to Berekum Chelsea in a Glo Premier League match at the Baba Yara Stadium.
It was Kotoko’s fifth defeat in six consecutive league matches, the worst in the 75-year history of the club. This means the Porcupine Warriros ( if they can still be so called) have picked just a point from the last six matches.
The manner Kotoko surrendered a two-goal lead to lose the match to Chelsea underlined the rot in the team, and some of the fans were seen weeping while the superstitious suggested a look into the spiritual world to salvage the club.
The incensed supporters massed up at the entrance to the dressing room calling for the blood of the players accusing them of proving nothing to deserve wearing the red jersey. It took the police a hectic time to control the supporters before the players who were holed up in the dressing room managed to board their bus home.
New Serbian coach, Bogdan Korak, will be left to reflect on the performance of the team since he took over, and perhaps admit that the journey ahead of him is murky. Clearly, the match provided evidence of a continuing lack of confidence within the playing body.
Chelsea coach, Abubakari Yusif, said after the match; "We made a tremendous input in the game tonight. It is a great result, and it shows that we can win the league”.
Kotoko Executive Chairman, Dr K.K. Sarpong, whose untiring efforts at getting the team back to winning ways appear fruitless, was seen driving off quickly after the match. It is likely management will put more players on the transfer list this week as efforts are made to bring in fresh legs.
But make no mistake. The character of the Chelsea team was as solid as a rock. Indeed, it underlined the shift of power in the local game. For ten minutes the two sides were finding it difficult to get into firing range and it was not until the 12th minute that Bismark Idan almost caught Kotoko off-guard with a rasping shot but young keeper George Arthur saved it.
Asante Kotoko came into the game strongly and found the opener on 17 minutes when defender Prince Boateng raced past his marker on the right to power home from a difficult angle. Kotoko got into their strides charging from the left and doubled the lead on the 20th minute through Ofosu Appiah.
When all thought the goal would deflate the league leaders, it rather emboldened them and they changed the complexion of the match, attacking in bursts with the jittery Kotoko defence unable to cope. As the Berekum side seized the middle and pushed forward for openings, they clawed one back on the 29th minute following a great build up from the middle that saw Yaw Alexander finishing off.
On the 37th minute, they levelled the score through Abdul Basit who drew inside out hapless Ofosu Appiah and John Kuffuor to sweep the ball past George Arthur in post. It was clear that Kotoko did not have the spirit to fight and Chelsea took full control of the second half as the pace, movement and ball control made the home side look very ordinary.
They found the leader on the 59th minute through national player, Emmanuel Clottey who fired home with a left footer from just inside the area.

PAA JOE GETS TARTAN TRACK (NSEMPA, NOV 29, 2010, BACK PAGE)

2010-12-02T22:26:00.000-08:00

By Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi.

ULTRA modern tartan tracks have been fixed at the Paa Joe Stadium, the official sporting grounds of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The completion of the tracks has brought a dramatic transformation to the stadium.
Over the past three years, the stadium has been undergoing reshaping and the fixing of the tartan tracks has added much colour to the facility.
The rehabilitation started in the build up to the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana.
Paa Joe Stadium was used as one of the training grounds for the teams that played in Kumasi in the Africa Cup of Nations.
The rehabilitation saw the pitch regressed and the stands painted.
With the completion of the tartan tracks, the pressure on the Baba Yara Stadium would be reduced to an appreciable extent.
The authorities of the university deserve commendation for supervising the project to a successful completion.

COURT RULES ON TUOBODOM CASE (PAGE 51, DEC 1, 2010)

2010-12-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

One of the two claimnants to the Tuobodom Stool and three other chiefs from the Brong Ahafo Region have won a legal battle to have their elevation to paramount status by the Asantehene recognised by both the National and Brong Ahafo Regional Houses of Chiefs.
The Kumasi High Court has ordered both houses of chiefs to insert the names of the four chiefs in their registers since there was nothing wrong with their elevation.
The other chiefs are the Tanobuasehene, Tanosohene and Kenyasehene.
This followed a writ of mandamus filed on behalf of the stools by a Sunyani-based lawyer, Nana Obiri Boahen.
Mr Justice Kwame Ansu-Gyeabour, in his ruling read on his behalf, said there was no doubt that the stools had owed allegiance to the Golden Stool of Ashanti since 1935.
Tanobuasehene, Tuobodomhene and Tanosohene who constituted part of the Tanosubin area of the Brong Ahafo Region were elevated to paramount status in 1996 by the late Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, but had since not been admitted as members of the Regional House of Chiefs.
Just after their elevation, a serious conflict broke out in the area, resulting in the death of seven people and massive destruction of property.
Just last year, the Techimanhene was alleged to have detained one of the two claimnants to the Tuobodom Stool in his palace for refusing to denounce his allegiance to the Asantehene.
The Kenyasehene was, however, sworn in as Omanhene about three years ago but had also not been admitted to the Regional House of Chiefs.
Consequently, they filed the suit challenging the refusal of the National and Regional Houses of Chiefs to recognise them.
In their supporting affidavit, the plaintiffs averred that they had never been subservient to the Techiman Stool.
According to them, their elevation to paramount stool status by the Asantehene was done in line with custom and thus deserved to be recognised by the Regional and National Houses of chiefs.
The plaintiffs produced pictorial evidence of the late Techimanhene, Dotobibi Takyia Ameyaw at the Manhyia Palace in the company of the Acherensuahene, Nkroranzahene and the Kukuomhene pleading with the Asantehene to allow him (Techimanhene) to administer the Tuobodom and other stools he (the Asantehene) elevated in the Tanosubin area on his (Asantehene’s) behalf to which the Asantehene refused.
The High Court, in its ruling, stated that for the Techimanhene to do that meant the Techiman Stool was stopped by its own conduct to say those stools were under it.
The court also could not understand why the National House of Chiefs set up a committee to go into the complaints of the chiefs when they had gone to court to challenge the refusal to insert their names in the register of chiefs.

ADVANCE PROJECT TO ENHANCE MAIZE PRODUCTION (BACK PAGE, NOV 30, 2010)

2010-12-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

THE Agricultural Development Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE) programme, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has begun a four-year project to assist maize farmers in the country to make good profits from their produce.
The project seeks to introduce farmers’ access to modern technology and innovation that would lead to increased productivity.
In line with the project, five maize demonstration fields have been established in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions to introduce two new maize hybrids — Mamaba and Obaatanpa — and the associated improved planting technology to about 300 maize farmers.
Communities benefiting from the project include Bunuso, Dompoase, Bonte, Akropong and Apesika.
Currently, farmers engaged on the project in the five communities have ready markets in Akate Farms, one of the best-organised poultry farms in Ghana, which used to import about 60 per cent of its maize for the production of poultry feed.
As part of efforts to get farmers to appreciate the importance of the project to their businesses, the ADVANCE programme, in conjunction with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Crops Research Institute, has organised a field day at Bunuso in the Asante Mampong Municipality for about 500 farmers within the project area.
Expected to last until 2013, the project uses a comprehensive value chain development approach to selecting commodities such as maize in Ghana to increase their competitiveness in both domestic and regional markets.
The expected outcome includes increased incomes, the emergence of a commercial agricultural class and improved services to the main chain actors, thus contributing to economic growth and poverty reduction.
The Deputy Chair of Party (Operations) of ADVANCE, Dr Emmanuel Dormon, expressed concern that most farmers did not see farming as a business and thus approached it anyhow.
Today, he said, Ghana imported maize to the value of about $100 million annually when there was every opportunity to cut the figure down drastically with the right approach.
Dr Dormon said this motivated the ADVANCE to come in to bridge the gap, adding that currently the programme was operating in nine regions of the country with the exception of the Western Region, where they were expected to open offices in March, 2011.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, noted that there was no justification for farmers to be poor if the right methods of farming were adopted to produce on a large scale.
“If this is achieved, Ghana will be able to feed itself and export to generate the needed foreign exchange, “ he said.
The Mamponghene, Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, called for the project to be sustained way beyond 2013 because of its benefits.
Testifying to the quality maize produced by the farmers engaged on the project, the accountant of Akate Farms, Mr Francis Oppong, said the company imported maize because it realised that the local maize was not treated well.
“Today, through ADVANCE, we are getting quality maize from the farmers and our budget for foreign import has gone down, “ he said.

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL GETS SUPPORT (NSEMPA, BACK PAGE, NOV 22, 2010)

2010-11-25T04:53:00.000-08:00

Story & picture : Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

THE Ashanti Regional branch of the Controller and Accountant General Department’s Treasury Ladies Association (TRELAS) has presented a number of items and cash to the Children’s Hospital in Kumasi to help in the upkeep of patients and to quicken their healing process.
The donation included toiletries, bed sheets, blankets, multivitamin syrups and food items worth GH¢ 600, and a of GH¢ 100.
The event, which was part of activities marking the 10th anniversary of the association, was preceded by a massive clean up exercise by the members, at the hospital.
Making the presentation, the President of the association, Mrs Genevieve Fuseini, said ten successful years of TRELAS was worth celebrating.
In celebrating the successes however, the needy needed to be remembered.
That was why the donation was made to the Children’s Hospital, adding that the association had decided to adopt the hospital to give it the needed support.
Mrs Fuseini said as mothers, members of the association empathised with sick children at the hospital.
She noted that a clean environment would help improve the health of patients and staff of the hospital.
She commended the management and staff of the hospital for their dedication to duty and urged them to build on what had been achieved.
The Hospital Administrator, Mr Ben Kwame Nsiah, who received the donation, thanked the women for the gesture.
He indicated that it was clear that government alone could not cater for all the needs of the hospital and it was important that individuals and organisation went in to help.
He urged other associations to learn from the TRELAS’ example.

SAVE KUMASI HOCKEY PITCH (NSEMPA, BACK PAGE, NOV 22, 2010)

2010-11-25T04:52:00.000-08:00

By Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

THE National Sports Council’s (NSC) hockey pitch in Kumasi is crying for redevelopment to befit its status.
Located close to the magnificent Baba Yara Stadium, the hockey pitch has remained so for a long time as governments over the years have not seen the need to bring it up to standard.
Apart from football, hockey is perhaps the most popular sport in the metropolis.
The sport is enjoyed amongst students and non-students alike but there are no developed facilities for use by players.
Indeed, Kumasi has produced some of the finest national hockey players in the past with most of them using the hockey pitch becoming as their training base.
However, years of neglect had resulted in the pitch a sorry sight today.
About 80 percent of the playing area is dusty and bumpy, which does not allow for fluent play.
There are no stands; no inner perimeter; no commentary box; no changing room. To be blunt, the pitch is an eyesore and it is important that something is done about it.
Players who use the field are usually seen struggling to pass and control well.
Interestingly, some of the competitive hockey matches are organised on the pitch.
It is regrettable that Kumasi, Ghana’s second biggest city should find itself in such a situation.
In a country where almost every important facility is located in Accra, the question remains whether the sport has any future in the Ashanti Region.
Accra currently boasts boats of an international standard hockey pitch, and the question remains whether one cannot be built in Kumasi.

HYPERTENTION NOW CAUSE OF MATERNAL DEATH (BACK PAGE, NOV 23, 2010)

2010-11-25T04:44:00.001-08:00

HYPERTENSION has overtaken haemorrhage as the leading cause of maternal mortality in Ghana’s cities.
This has been attributed to the changing behavioural and lifestyle characteristics of women, especially pregnant women, in the cities.
The Deputy Director of Reproductive Child Health at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Aboagye, who made this known in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, therefore, called on pregnant women to watch their lifestyles.
Other major direct causes of maternal mortality are infection, unsafe abortion and obstructed labour.
Dr Aboagye was speaking after the opening of a stakeholder dissemination review meeting of a study to address postpartum haemorrhage in Kumasi last Friday.
The study was instituted by the GHS, in conjunction with the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) at Bonsaaso in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region, with the view to finding new ways of preventing the death of women who deliver in the home.
There are three types of high blood pressure in pregnant women.
One is chronic hypertension, where high blood pressure develops before the 20th week of pregnancy or is present before the woman becomes pregnant.
The second is gestation hypertension, where some women just get high blood pressure near the end of pregnancy, while the third is pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), which condition can cause serious problems for both the mother and the baby if left untreated.
PIH develops after the 20th week of pregnancy. Along with high blood pressure, it causes protein in the urine, blood changes and other problems.
Earlier in a speech at the opening ceremony, Dr Aboagye had said all hands needed to be on deck to achieve the Millennium Development Goal 5 of reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015.
He indicated that the country had stepped up the training of midwives, with at least 500 being trained every year.
The Team/Cluster Manager of the Bonsaaso MVP, Mr Samuel Afram, said the project had shown evidence that achieving MDG 5 was possible.
He said until recently when one pregnant woman died, the project area had not recorded any maternal death for about two years.
Mr Afram explained that the project had adopted various measures to protect pregnant women, adding that since health was related to nutrition, the project was working with other related agencies to achieve an integrated comprehensive approach to ensure the safety of pregnant women.
The Regional Advisor for the MVP in charge of West and Central Africa, Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, said the project and the GHS were piloting the use of an oral medication that prevented bleeding after delivery.
That, she said, had become necessary because of the number of women who delivered in homes in the country.
About 50 per cent of pregnant women in the country deliver in the home, with all the accompanying risks.

GHANA CAUTIONED AGAINST ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS OF OIL (PAGE 51, NOV 25, 2010)

2010-11-25T03:45:00.000-08:00

THE German Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Eberhard Schanze, has stressed the need for Ghana to adopt proactive measures to tackle the anticipated pollution and other environmental hazards that would arise in the oil and gas industry.
He cautioned that any attempt to place so much emphasis on oil revenue and neglect its accompanying environmental risks could spell doom for the nation.
Mr Schanze was speaking at the opening of a three-day international conference on the management of oil and gas resources and the environment at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.
The Technical University of Mines of Freiberg, Germany, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the KNUST School of Business organised the conference.
It had the theme: “Environmental disasters of oil and gas exploitation: Lessons from the Gulf of Mexico.”
Mr Schanze also stressed that Ghana should not neglect other productive sectors of the economy like timber and agriculture in the midst of the oil wealth.
He indicated that the nation would see improved development if resources from all the sectors were well managed.
Mr Schanze gave the assurance that Germany would support Ghana to enable it achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
He stated that Ghana had great potential to develop and, therefore, urged the government, parliament and everyone to play their roles in getting the best for the country.
The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr Jonathan Allotey, said every effort should be made to ensure that the oil and gas industry did not have any adverse impact on the environment.
Mr Allotey stressed the need for the nation to develop a petroleum development master plan that would direct the future development of the various sectors of the industry.
The Pro-Vice Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. Peter Donkor, mentioned the fruitful relationship between Ghana and Germany over the years and said this had been the result of mutual respect and noted that trade between the two countries continued to rise, which was underpinned by good relationship.
Prof. Donkor said the KNUST was appreciative of the immense support Germany had provided in the training of Ghanaian doctors.
He said 42 doctors and lecturers currently at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital had been trained in Germany.

KWADASO MP UNDERTAKES DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS (PAGE 30, NOV 24, 2010)

2010-11-25T03:00:00.002-08:00

IN Ghana today it is very dangerous for a Member of Parliament (MP) to restrict himself or herself to legislative work without launching himself into issues directly affecting the reduction of poverty and the overall development of his area.
Arguably, the first and foremost objective of an MP is to get re-elected and to do so one must get close to his constituents.
Consequently only egocentric MPs would fail to consider how to use the resources at their disposal, including state money handed to them, to improve their chances of re-election.
A glance at the work of legislators will reveal that it imposes a duty on them to change the development face of their constituencies better than they came to meet it.
In this country one of the insults hurled at our MPs by their constituents has been their inability to advance the development process of their constituencies.
It is against this background that the MP for Kwadaso, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has since his election barely two years ago placed the development of the constituency firmly on his agenda by giving a lot of attention to grassroots development.
Some believe that Kwadaso is not associated with poverty. That is a fallacy.
Kwadaso, one of the oldest communities in Kumasi, has got its own challenges in terms poverty and physical development.
Governments over the years have attempted to address the challenges but a lot more remains to be done.
The initiatives of the MP over the last two years have, however, gone a long way to bring some level of sanity into some of the sectors of development even though more is left to be done to get to the promise land.
One area that Dr Akoto has paid so much attention to is education.
It is a fact that without quality education the future of any community will remain bleak. In Kwadaso the low level of education in basic schools has been partly due to overcrowding in classrooms and the shift stem resulting from inadequate classrooms.
In some of the schools, there are about 100 pupils in a class, resulting in the shift system.
As a solution to the problem, the MP has embarked on a massive project to build more classrooms and rehabilitate dilapidated ones in all the 14 communities in the constituency.
A total of 18 new schoolblocks have been constructed by the MP in eight towns while eight blocks have been renovated, bringing the total to 26.
The schools that have benefited include Ohwimase Anglican School, Nyankerenease Methodist School, Kwadaso Prempeh Experimental School, Kwadaso M/A Primary and Apatrapa R.C. Junior High School.
The rest are Takyiman Presbyterian JHS, Nwamase L/A School and Amanfrom SDA JHS.
This intervention has considerably reduced the class sizes and ended the shift system in many schools.
To date, about GH¢300,000 has been spent on the projects with funds coming from contributions from the private sector, special donations by the Ministry of Education, the GETFund, the District Assemblies Common Fund and the MPs share of the Common Fund and the HIPC Fund.
Apart from physical infrastructure, Dr Akoto has also instituted a scholarship scheme for brilliant needy students in the constituency,using his share of the HIPC Fund.
A total of GH¢11,789 has been spent on 34 students in the junior secondary, senior secondary and the tertiary institutions.
Another special scholarship scheme that puts emphasis on female education is also in place.
Consequently 33 young women are training in various trades, including hairdressing, dressmaking, food and catering and batik making at the Methodist Women’s Training Centre at Kwadaso.
A sound environment plays a key part in sound living. It is in this regard that Dr Akoto has committed himself to environmental issues by launching a major initiative, perhaps unprecedented in Parliamentary practice.
The initiative involves the planting of 10,000 teak seedlings each year on school compounds in the constituency. To date, 21,300 seedlings have been planted.
Under the project schoolchildren are made to plant and nurture two or three seedlings each until the seedlings are well grown.
The objective of the exercise is to instil in the children the value of tree planting so that they grow up with it.
In addition to the regeneration of greenery in the area in the midst of rapid urbanisation, the project will also become a major source of income for future investment in education as the schools are expected to sell the trees and use the proceeds to undertake development projects.
Other areas that the MP has involved himself in include construction of toilet facilities, streetlights, bridges,culverts, roads and health facilities.
These are all important steps to make life a bit comfortable for the people but the MP should be the first to admit that there is still some distance to cover in terms of development.
Indeed, as he told this writer, “I am aware of the challenges and will work in concert with my constituents devoid of party politics to get to the destination.”

27 AFRICAN AGRIC RESEARCH MANAGERS ATTEND WORKSHOP (PAGE 35, NOV 24, 2010)

2010-11-25T03:00:00.001-08:00

TWENTY-SEVEN agricultural research station managers from six African countries have begun a two-week international capacity building workshop at the Crops Research Institute (CRI) at Fumesua, near Kumasi.
The countries include Ghana, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria.
The workshop focused on issues like understanding agricultural research needs, communication with administration and researchers, programming and prioritisation of station work, and record keeping on the station, among others.
One of the most expensive investments undertaken by governments and international donors in agriculture has been agricultural research.
The investments are to ensure the availability of food and fibre or in general food security.
While some of the researches have yielded dividends, others have been a waste of money, time and energy.
Sometimes, funds devoted for research are not effectively utilised and the problem has been attributed to a number of factors, including the lack of capacity of research station managers.
It is against this backdrop that the workshop was organised to equip the station managers with the requisite knowledge to address the lapses in the system.
Agricon International, a Canadian consulting and capacity building company, organised the workshop with sponsorship from the Generation Challenge Programme (GCP), a global crop research consortium, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) of Ghana.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director of CSIR-CRI, Dr Hans Adu-Dapaah, called for improved funding to enable the institute to carry out its mandate of ensuring availability of food and fibre.
He said as a result of inadequate funding, training of research managers had been virtually absent.
Dr Adu-Dapaah stated that the work of the station manager to the overall development of agriculture was very important and, therefore, expressed the hope that the workshop would help improve matters.
Dr Hannibal Muthar, GCP Consultant, stated that sustainable food security would not happen in a country where good agricultural research was absent.
He said effective research, administration and support services made a research station better in delivery.
Dr Muthar urged the participants to take the training programme seriously to better the development of agriculture in their respective countries.

TREASURY LADIES ASSIST CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL (PAGE 31, NOV 22, 2010)

2010-11-25T02:21:00.000-08:00

THE Ashanti Regional branch of the Controller and Accountant General Department’s Treasury Ladies Association (TRELAS) has presented a number of items and cash to the Children’s Hospital in Kumasi to help in the upkeep of patients.
The donation included toiletries, bed sheets, blankets, multivitamin syrups and food items worth GH¢ 600 and cash of GH¢100.
The event, which was part of activities marking the 10th anniversary of the association, was preceded by a massive clean-up exercise by the members at the hospital.
Making the presentation, the President of the association, Mrs Genevieve Fuseini, said 10 successful years of TRELAS was worth celebrating.
In celebrating the successes however, the needy had to be remembered.
That informed the association’s decision to make the donation to the Children’s Hospital, she said, adding that it had decided to adopt the hospital in order to support it from time to time.
Mrs Fuseini said as mothers, members of the association empathised with sick children at the hospital.
She noted that a clean environment would help improve the health of patients and staff of the hospital.
Mrs Fuseini commended the management and staff of the hospital for their dedication to duty and urged them to build on what had been achieved.
The hospital administrator, Mr Ben Kwame Nsiah, who received the donation, thanked the women for the gesture.
He said it was clear that the government alone could not cater for all the needs of the hospital and it was important that individuals and organisations came on board.
He urged other associations to learn from TRELAS’ example.

FAISAL PIP LIONS 1-0 (BACK PAGE, NOV 22, 2010)

2010-11-25T01:56:00.000-08:00

OFOSU Micky struck in the second half to help King Faisal overcome Kpando Heart of Lions 1-0 in a Glo Premier match at the Baba Yara Stadium on Saturday.
Faisal, whose form has improved in recent outings, played aggressively and won the day on merit. But it was a hugely committed performance as Lions, led in attack by gangling striker Gilbert Fiamenyo, with support from attacking midfielder Bright Nsiah, exploded.
Faisal keeper Iddrisu Ibrahim pulled some brilliant saves from Nsiah’s thunderbolt free kicks to the applause of the few fans in the stadium.
The early exchanges were fierce, with Faisal trying to pluck holes down the right of the Lions defence. However, the defence tightened up, cutting out the supplies and anytime they attacked the Faisal rear was in trouble.
It appeared Faisal were in for a match of their lives but they put their acts together to probe for the leader which arrived in the second half when Micky Ofosu struck the winner.
Both teams played brilliantly, but failed to utilise the numerous chances that came their way. Indeed Dwarfs Michael Insaidoo managed to put the ball into the net, but the goal was disallowed.
Kessben had an opportunity to score in the 80th minute but Hans Kwofie hit the post.

AMANSIE WEST ASSEMBLY APPROVES EXGRATIA FOR MEMBERS (PAGE 29, NOV 18, 2010)

2010-11-18T07:29:00.002-08:00

THE Amansie West District Assembly has approved exgratia of GH¢1,000 for each of the 62 assembly members for their four-year term, which has just ended.
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Charles Oti-Prempeh, announced this at the third ordinary meeting of the assembly this year at Manso-Nkwanta.
He said the district was proud of the work of the assembly members, which he said contributed to advance the development process of their respective areas.
Mr Oti-Prempeh wished the former members who were seeking re-election good luck.
He disclosed that a number of development projects would be executed in the coming year to improve the lot of the people.
The projects include the construction of school blocks at Akontam District Assembly (D/A) Primary, Esaase Primary School and Nintin D/A Primary School.
The DCE said the projects would be funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund.
The DCE also mentioned other projects to be financed by the District Development Fund as renovation of the district assembly block at Manso-Nkwanta, construction of hospital ward at Manso Nkwanta, construction of classroom blocks at Manso Dominase, Nsiano and Manso-Abore, and a library at Antoakrom, among others.
Mr Oti-Prempeh stated that the assembly was fully committed to improving the lives of the people through the provision of people-centred projects and programmes.
He, therefore, urged the people to support the assembly to do more for them.
The DCE said the assembly was putting in place measures to intensify public education on government policies and programmes.
He said the education campaign would enable the people to appreciate what government was doing to better their lot.
In a presentation, the District Scheme Manager of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Mr Oscar Asare Andoh, disclosed that the management of the scheme would undertake a Christmas promotion exercise to get more people to register with the scheme.
The presiding member of the assembly, Mr Asafo Akowuah, expressed the hope that the next group of members would continue the dedication and selflessness displayed by the former assembly members.

NHIA TO ADOPT CAPITATION SYSTEM OF PAYMENT (PAGE 29, NOV 18, 2010)

2010-11-18T07:29:00.001-08:00

SERVICE providers of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) are to be pre-financed to provide services to subscribers of the scheme under a programme known as the “capitation system.”
The programme was the brainchild of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) with support from the World Bank.
The pilot scheme is set to take off in the Ashanti Region and would end in 2013 after which it would be replicated in the other regions of the country.
Ashanti Region was chosen as a result of its central location and heterogeneous infrastructure and culture.
At a news conference in Kumasi to introduce the programme, the Director of Research and Development at the NHIA, Mr O.B. Acheampong, said the programme was targeted at outpatient primary health care.
He said the capitation system was also expected to improve cost containment, share financial risk among scheme providers and subscribers and introduce managed competition for providers and choice for patients.
Subscribers of the NHIS, after registration with the scheme, will be made to choose their service provider and have the flexibility to change the provider after a specific period.
Mr Acheampong said the capitation system would be practised alongside other methods of provider payment mechanisms for other levels of care other than the primary level.
Currently, the methods of payment included the free-for-service system, where there is itemised charge for every service, and the diagnosis related groups, where services are grouped and the same tariff paid for cases that belong to that group.
The director stated that the scheme now pays GH¢1 million per day to service providers in claims, an increase of over 4,000 per cent of the GH¢20,000 paid in 2005.
Mr Acheampong said the reduction in claims processing time, as well as measures like checking fraud and scaling up the free maternal and indigent care programme had ignited public confidence in the scheme.
He, therefore, debunked the assertion in certain circles that the NHIS was collapsing.
“Escalating number of outpatient visits adds to the growing evidence of increasing confidence in the NHIS,” Mr Acheampong said.
He stated that between 2007 and 2009, the average outpatient claims cost increased by nearly 211 per cent.
According to him, presently outpatient claims account for 90 per cent of the total NHIS claims and 70 per cent of total claims’ expenditure.

MVP FEEDING PROGRAMME CHALKS UP SUCCESS...In Bonsaaso (LEAD STORY, NOV 18, 2010)

2010-11-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

A PROGRAMME to provide daily meals for schoolchildren in communities within the Bonsaaso Millennium Villages Project (MVP) in the Amansie West District is making tremendous strides.
Known as the MVP school meals programme, it started on pilot basis in three schools in 2007 and now covers all the 27 primary schools in the Bonsaaso cluster with about 8,481 pupils benefiting from it.
The major objective of the MVP school meals programme is to support communities and schools to provide low cost, nutritious meals for pupils on sustainable basis with the view to improving enrolment and retention as well as the health of pupils.
Children are given meals provided by the MVP with support from the communities who provide inputs like firewood and water.
Besides, mothers of the schoolchildren occasionally cook the food free-of-charge for the pupils.
As a result of the success chalked up by the programme, the management of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GFSP) has decided to model its activities along the lines of the MVP school meals programme.
Consequently, officials of the GSFP and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development have paid a day’s visit to the Amansie West District to get first hand information about the MVP programme.
The MVP school meals programme falls under the Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3, which aim at ensuring improved enrolment and retention of both boys and girls in schools in the cluster of villages, eliminate gender disparity in schools, and ensure quality education for all children.
Briefing his guests, the Cluster Manager of the Bonsaaso MVP, Mr Samuel Afram, said the World Food Programme had donated various food items to facilitate the operation of the school meals programme.
He stressed the importance of education in reducing poverty in the cluster and said every effort would be made to improve the school meals programme.
“Today many of the children are in the classrooms because of the school meals programme and everything must be done to sustain the programme even after the end of the MVP,” Mr Afram stated.
Started in 2006, the MVP is a bottom-up all comprehensive rural development initiative aimed at reducing poverty in the beneficiary communities. In Ghana, the MVP is located at Bonsaaso in the Amansie West District.
Partners of the MVP include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Earth Institute at Columbia University, New York, Government of Japan and the Millennium Promise.
Mr Afram said school infrastructure in the Bonsaaso cluster had improved tremendously under the MVP. From an initial number of just 71 classrooms in good condition in 2006, the number increased to 99 in 2009.
Trained teachers population has also appreciated from 17 to 75 while scholarships jumped from zero to 29 with support for teachers on training also increasing from zero to 29 within the same period.
Mr Afram further stated that CARE International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) made a donation of 175 bicycles to some communities in the cluster, namely Bonsaaso, Apenimadi, Akyerekyerekrom, Adagya and Takorase to facilitate the movement of pupils who commute more than three kilometres to schools.
The National Co-ordinator of the GSFP, Mr S.P. Adamu, commended the management of the MVP for working hard to improve the school meals programme.
He stated that the programme would help develop agriculture in the area because the food items for the meals were purchased locally.
Mr Adamu said “I have seen that the GSFP can learn a lot from the MVP programme while the programme can also take something from us.”
He emphasised that the GSFP was not just to feed the people, but also to promote agricultural development.
Mr Adamu, however, said not much had been achieved in getting the best for farmers, stressing that efforts were being made to put things in order.
The Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Director, Mr S.O. Kusi-Appiah, said the Regional Co-ordinating Council was making efforts to incorporate some of the best practices of the MVP in the development planning strategies of the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the region.
He said poverty in the rural areas could be minimised with laudable programmes like the MVP school meals programme.
At various forums organised in the communities visited, the residents commended the cluster manager and his team for the wonderful work being done to get many children to school, and expressed the hope that the programme would be sustained.

ASPIRING FEMALE ASSEMBLY MEMBERS ...Promise good leadership (PAGE 11, NOV 18, 2010)

2010-11-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

MARGARET Amo Opoku aka Ebenezer who is contesting the Ayeduase Electoral Area seat in the Kumasi metropolis in the upcoming District Level Elections hopes to work assiduously towards changing the face of development of the area for the better.
She said the area lacked some basic amenities needed to make life comfortable for the people and promised to put things right when voted as an assembly member.
She mentioned some of the projects she would tackle as water,education and toilet facilities, among others, and also promised to provide facilities to make markets in the area vibrant to promote businesses.
“Even though there is a market in the electoral area it is not enough and I will work at getting another one built,” she told the Daily Graphic.
Ms Amo Opoku, 60, is a businesswoman and is a graduate of the Sunyani Girls Vocational Institute. She made reference to the essence of education to the progress of society, and said efforts would be made to tackle the challenges of education in the area if given the nod. She further said she would institute measures to assist school dropouts acquire skills training.
Ms Amo Opoku said because of the large student population in the area
as a result of the numerous hostels, there was the need to improve security.
The aspirant says he had lived in the metropolis for 16 years and knew the problems of the area very well. “I am, therefore, well-positioned to lead the people in the assembly.”
She emphasised that the people of the area loved her and this would be translated into hard work when she gets to the assembly.

A 39-year-old Revenue Collector, Ms Agartha Opoku, has expressed her desire to contest the district level elections in the Effiduase East Electoral Area with three men.
Speaking to Daily Graphic on her chances of winning the election, Ms Opoku, who graduated with a senior high school certificate in 1996, said her commitment to support development initiatives in the area over the years makes her a better candidate than her fellow contestants.
“ Everybody in the electoral area calls me “people’s mother”. This is because I have not only been supporting needy children but has also actively involved myself in many development initiatives, especially in the area of sanitation where I helped to repair the only public toilet in the area”.
Stressing, she said, “ when the only public toilet in the area broke down, I singlehandedly mobilised support from key personalities to rehabilitate it, and now, residents, including my opponents, have no problem visiting the toilet at any time”
“With these initiatives, I am certain that given the opportunity, even my opponents would vote for me” she teased.
She said apart from her efforts to rehabilitate the only public toilet, she was determined to support the construction of an additional one to reduce the inconvenience of queuing which has become the order of the day.
Ms Opoku also expressed concern about the problem of water for domestic and other uses, and assured to collaborate with stakeholders to construct a borehole for the community.
Explaining, she said, the Effiduase East Electoral Area has only one borehole that serves them, a situation, which she said, made it impossible for residents to get sufficient water supply.
She said since she identified the problem, she has made the needed efforts to construct an additional one, and, therefore, appealed to the electorate to support her to enable her to implement her programmes to ease the acute water problem affecting them.
“ I will also organise the youth for us to undertake communal labour to support the development of projects in the electoral area to accelerate socio-economic development, she assured, stressing, “as the people’s mother, I have endeared myself to the people so much that mobilising the youth to actively support development projects would not be a difficult task”.
Expressing concern about the problem of school dropouts among the youth, she said, she was determined to collaborate with opinion leaders in the community to support brilliant needy school children who had dropped out from school to get back into the classrooms.
“ I want them back in the classroom for them to build their capacity because they may have something to offer the community in particular and the country in general if they nurture their talents more meaningfully”, she said.
She said when elected, she would also liaise with teachers in the community to encourage students to focus on their academic programmes.
This, she said, would make the students get better grades to enter tertiary institutions to acquire employable skills.

A 50-year-old woman contesting the district assembly election in the Nyankyenease-Apatrapa Electoral Area against four male candidates has indicated her resolve to win the election to enable her collaborate with the opinion leaders in the community to initiate projects that will impact positively on the lives of residents.
“I moved into the area barely two years ago, but I have already made an impact by initiating projects that have endeared me to the residents” declared Madam Akua Afriyie Amanfo.
Stressing, she said “I was born into leadership position and as a gender advocate, I have the edge over my contestants, so they should offer me their unflinching support”.
She expressed concern about the bad state of roads, as well as the deplorable sanitation conditions and inadequate security and lighting system in the area, and pointed out that the poor road network in the area was preventing commercial vehicles from transporting passengers to and from the Central Business District in Kumasi.
This, she said, was undermining the effective operation of their businesses and gave the assurance to collaborate with the Department of Urban Roads of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to rehabilitate the road network.
She also expressed concern about the absence of lamp posts along the major streets in the area, saying “ it undermines security.”
Madam Amanfo said as part of the measures for checking the activities of criminals in the area, she had already organised the youth in the community to form voluntary gangs to enhance security.
She also said she would make malaria control part of her agenda, adding that “the assembly need to develop the drainage system in Kumasi very well to enhance sanitation and reduce the breeding of mosquitoes.”
“ I am very sure of winning the election. Notwithstanding the fact that I am a woman, I am the strongest among all the candidates, in terms of mobilising the youth to undertake development programmes and also lobbying for facilities that would enhance development, so I stand a better chance of winning hands down to support the development of the electoral area”.

ROBBER JAILED 50 YEARS (PAGE 46, NOV 17, 2010)

2010-11-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

A KUMASI Circuit Court has convicted Yusif Sumaila, alias Kalia, for two cases of robbery and sentenced him to 50 years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
Two other robbers, Adams Nurudeen and Suraj Sulemana, were jailed 15 years each.
The first robbery was committed by Sumaila and Sulemana while the other was by Sumaila and Nurudeen.
Passing judgement, the judge, Mr Emmanuel Lodo, warned that he would not hesitate to hand armed robbers stiff sentences to keep them out of society for a long period when they appeared before him.
He noted that the fight against armed robbery should not be the concern of the security agencies alone but also the judiciary.
The judge further remarked that there had been an upsurge in armed robbery in recent times perpetrated mostly by the youth.
He advised the youth to find something meaningful to do or have themselves to blame if they engaged in armed robbery.
In the first case, the court was told that at about 2:30a.m. on August 8, 2010, one Mustapha Mohammed, who was the complainant, was walking with his girlfriend from the Asafo Neoplan Station in Kumasi towards Amakom.
On reaching the roundabout near Ahmadiyya Mosque, Sulemana, riding a motorbike with registration number GR 9502 V, with Sumaila as the pillion rider, pulled up near them.
Armed with a locally made pistol and a machete, the robbers attacked the complainant with their weapons and succeeded in robbing him of 200 Naira cash, CFA 15,000, GH¢764 and a Nokia mobile phone valued at GH¢58, and sped off.
According to the prosecution, on August 11 the complainant spotted Sulemana riding the same motorbike at the Race Course area in Kumasi.
He raised alarm and, with the assistance of some people, arrested him. Sulemana in turn mentioned Sumaila as his accomplice.
Sumaila was identified after he was arrested in another robbery case.
In the other case, the prosecutor said on August 20, 2010, one Ebenezer Boateng, the complainant in the case, was walking to Kejetia to look for a vehicle to Tafo.
An Urvan mini-bus arrived and as the complainant was about to board the vehicle, Sumaila and Nurudeen confronted him at the door.
Sumaila, who held a locally manufactured pistol, ordered the complainant to keep quiet and surrender his belongings.
For fear of his life, he let go his Nokia mobile phone. Immediately after the attack, Boateng made a report to the police patrol team, who managed to arrest Nurudeen at Kejetia.
A knife was found on him during a search and he mentioned Sumaila as his accomplice. Sumaila was arrested on the same day at the Race Course.
A locally made pistol and one live cartridge were found in a small bag hanging across his chest. He also produced the Nokia phone taken from the complainant.

KUAPA KOKOO FIGHTS CHILD LABOUR ON COCOA FARMS (BACK PAGE, NOV 17, 2010)

2010-11-18T06:39:00.000-08:00

KUAPA Kokoo Limited, a licensed cocoa buying company (LBC), has launched an anti-child labour programme aimed at eliminating the worst forms of child labour in cocoa production within its operational area.
The company currently operates in the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Western and Central regions.
The past decade witnessed concerns being raised about the possible use of child labour in the cocoa producing areas of West Africa.
Indeed, cocoa consuming countries threatened to boycott cocoa from producer countries found to be engaged in the worst forms of child labour.
It was to prevent any such sanctions that Kuapa Kokoo took up the initiative to institute the programme.
At the launch of the programme in Kumasi on Monday, the Managing Director of the company, Mr Kwasi Aduse-Poku, said the company realised that to maintain fair trade certification and continue to uphold its set values and standards, it was important that steps were taken to mitigate the negative action of child labour from its operations.
Mr Aduse-Poku said a special unit had been formed in the company to work to address issues arising from child labour and the worst forms of child labour.
He expressed the determination of Kuapa Kokoo to support the government to achieve its target of producing one million metric tonnes of cocoa by 2010 and also ensure that Ghana’s international consumers removed any doubts with respect to the worst forms of child labour.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Director, Mr S.O. Kusi-Appiah, the Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, said much as efforts were needed to improve cocoa production by getting the people into farming, nothing should be done to engage children in hazardous farming practices.
He mentioned the laws the government had enacted to protect children and said they must be adhered to in order to protect the image of Ghana.
The Kumasi Asokwahene, Nana Fe Bamoah, who deputised for the Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem, to chair the occasion, described child labour as a canker that must be uprooted in all spheres of national life.
He said the Asantehemaa was happy that Kuapa Kokoo had taken a lead role in attacking the problem.

KOTOKO PUT 8 ON TRANSFER (PAGE 63, NOV 17, 2010)

2010-11-18T06:19:00.001-08:00

KUMASI Asante Kotoko have placed eight players, including four seniors, on the transfer list as part of measures to reverse the downward trend of the club.
They include Francis Akwaffo, keeper Eric Nii Baah, Kwadwo Poku and Kabiru Moro, all senior players of the club.
The rest are goalkeeper Habib Mohammed, Peter Amoah, Elias Ankrah and Mutalabi Mohammed.
A statement signed by the Executive Chairman of the club, Dr K.K. Sarpong, thanked the players for their contributions to the team and wished them the best of luck in their future endeavours.
Just after taking over the club, the new Serbian coach, Bogdan Korak, indicated he would undertake an overhaul of the team which would affect 12 players. But it appears now that more than 12 players could be declared surplus under the exercise.
A club source told the Daily Graphic in Kumasi yesterday that the names of more players would be announced in due course.
However, one player who may be shocked by his transfer is Kabiru Moro. Even though he had not been scoring of late, he had been featured in many matches, albeit as a substitute.
Coach Korak has decided to trim the team to 25 senior players and 15 for the junior side.
In another development, the management of the club has appointed former player and coach, Malik Jabir, as technical advisor and team manager of the club.
Malik has been in and out of the Kotoko technical department and his latest appointment is expected to inject some discipline into that area.

VODAFONE TO ESTABLISH INTERNET CAFE AT KNUST (PAGE 18, NOV 16, 2010)

2010-11-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

VODAFONE Ghana is to establish the first-ever campus based Internet café at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The café, which would also be Ghana’s largest, could serve 164 students at a time with high-speed, uninterrupted broadband access.
Work is expected to be completed in February 2011.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Vodafone Ghana and KNUST had consequently been signed in Kumasi.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vodafone Ghana, Mr Kyle Whitehill, signed for his outfit while Prof. W.O. Ellis, Vice Chancellor of the KNUST, initialled for the university.
Currently, students of the KNUST move outside campus to access Internet services because of the absence of such a facility on the campus.
Mr Whitehill said Vodafone was proud to support the development efforts of KNUST, stressing that as one of Ghana’s leading universities, the KNUST deserved assistance to enable it improve on its delivery.
Commenting on the importance of the Internet café, the CEO said: “Students will soon have the information they need at their fingertips, which will make their studying enjoyable and enable them to learn in a more efficient way.”
He stated that the facility had been designed in a way that would facilitate group learning by allowing groups of four to six to sit together.
He said Vodafone Ghana would continue to remain a total communications solutions provider and the first choice for Ghanaians.
Prof. Ellis, in a brief remark, said the decision to establish the facility marked yet another significant event in the growing relationship between the two institutions.
He expressed the hope that the relationship would grow stronger in the coming years.
Prof. Ellis said the KNUST was partnering industries to develop applied technology “and we believe Vodafone is one of such true partners.”
He emphasised that Information Communications Technology (ICT) had become an indispensable part of human growth and as such educational institutions could not do without it.
He said the student population of the university increased annually, which posed a challenge of putting into place the necessary facilities to meet the growing numbers.

NO RESPITE FOR KOTOKO YET (BACK PAGE, NOV 15, 2010)

2010-11-18T03:52:00.001-08:00

BOGDAN Korak, Kotoko’s new coach was handed a baptism of fire when New Edubiase United edged past Asante Kotoko 2-1 at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi yesterday.
The defeat, Kotoko’s fourth in a row, typified the rot in the team and signalled the task ahead of the Serb who took over from Ebo Mends.
Korak was intent on beginning on a clean sheet but the team’s performance left an aftermath of misery on the supporters.
Playing against his former team, Stephen Manu led a hungry Edubiase attack to pummel Kotoko in the first half of the game during which the two goals were fetched.
The end-to-end stuff produced by the two sides kept the game alive in the early part but chances were difficult to come by until the ninth minute when Manu outran John Kuffour only to be denied by goalkeeper Soulama Abdulai.
A minute later Edubiase shot ahead when Nuhu Fuseini floated into the net on seeing Soulama attempting to fix his boots properly while off his line.
The visitors were in perpetual motion and on the 16th minute, Fuseini scored his second, arriving early to profit from Soulama’s fumble to a harmless ball.
Dogged defending by Edubiase’s back four of Emmanuel Nti Mensah, Baba Gullit, Richard Adjei and Iddrisu Yahaya shut the door to the Kotoko attack, save some few galloping runs from Samed Oppong.
Daniel Nii Adjei, Ofosu Appiah and Edward Affum who substituted David Offei after 27 minutes came close in the dying minutes of the half, increasing the frustration in the team.
Kotoko returned from recess transformed and exploded in the opponents half when Kabiru Moro was introduced into the game for Omar Gariba. The gangling striker swept forward at every opportunity but stout defending from Edubiase, backed by brilliant goalkeeping from Nicholas Addo, who kept palming away and blocking shots with his body, to keep the scoreline intact.
Kotoko pulled a goal back on the 71st minute when referee Yaw Ametepe judged Emmanuel Nti Mensah to have fouled Samed Oppong in the box. Nii Adjei made no mistake from the spot.
When Samed Oppong blazed two gilt-edged opportunities away in the dying minutes of the game, one grazing the post, it became evident that Kotoko were in to lose for the fourth time running.

DEROGATORY REMARKS WHIP UP SUPPORT FOR MADAM APPIAGYEI (PAGE 13, NOV 15, 2010)

2010-11-18T03:38:00.000-08:00

THE derogatory remarks made against former Kumasi Mayor, Madam Patricia Appiagyei by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa in the Ashanti Region, Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, appears to be whipping up support for her in her quest to unseat the MP as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate in the 2012 elections.
A minister in the erstwhile Kufuor Administration, Nana Obiri Boahen, on Saturday, called Mr Jumah to do the honourable thing by throwing in the towel over his ambition to seek re-election as the party’s parliamentary candidate, following his infamous remarks about Madam Appiagyei.
He advised that if he refused to quit the race, the party members should vote against him in the party’s parliamentary primary.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, Nana Boahen, who was a minister of state at the Interior Ministry, stated that the derogatory remarks were unpardonable.
He described the “so-called apology” the MP rendered on radio to Madam Appiagyei as a mockery on his political image.
Shelving his parliamentary ambition for the 2012 election can save him the little image left in him.
It will also protect the integrity of the party in its quest to recapture power from the NDC,” Nana Boahen said.
The former minister also took issue with the Ashanti Regional Secretariat of the NPP for “condoning wrongdoing” by rendering apology on behalf of the MP to the woman.
“I was expecting the secretariat to institute disciplinary action against Kofi Jumah and not to jump to his aid. What they did is laughable and cannot hold”.
The NPP, he said, must not condone such acts, especially coming from an MP who is expected to know better.
Mr Jumah, perhaps, the most vociferous NPP MP in the Ashanti Region has been in the news since last week after a statement on radio inferring that Madam Appiagyei, who was his successor at the KMA, got the position through offering sexual favours.
The Asokwa MP made the statement in reaction to reports that Madam Appiagyei was in line to contest him in the parliamentary primary of the party.
Mr Jumah, who later apologised, insisted that the statement was a slip of tongue, and that he never intended to denigrate her.
A planned demonstration by women in Kumasi against the MP was shelved following his apology.
However, Nana Boahen, who is now a private legal practitioner, said no apology could assuage the pain caused the woman.
This is a married woman. So what does the MP want to paint her before her husband?’
The MP’s statement is also an indictment on the one who appointed Madam Appiagyei to the position of Mayor of Kumasi, by implication former President Kufuor, he said.
The former minister said if the NPP was to win the 2012 elections, then leading members of the party needed to watch their utterances.

TARKWA POLICE ARREST IMPOSTOR (PAGE 61, NOV 15, 2010)

2010-11-13T04:52:00.000-08:00

THE Police have arrested a 36-year-old man, Alfred Nyan, at Tarkwa for allegedly posing as an operative of National Security in Accra.
Nyan was arrested on Wednesday, November 10, 2010, about 3 p.m. when he was alleged to have assaulted Stephen Eshun and Moris Kuvor, city guards of the Tarkwa/Nsuaem Municipal Assembly, who had been detailed to control traffic in the Tarkwa town.
In the process, Eshun had a blackened right eye, while Kuvor had bruises on the left ear. Both reported the case to the Tarkwa Divisional Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The Western Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, who briefed the Daily Graphic, said when Nyan was arrested he told the police that he (Nyan) was an operative of the National Security in Accra.
He said after further interrogation, it came out that the suspect was making false claims.
The regional commander said a pair of hand-cuffs and an identity card he was alleged to have possessed could, however, not be traced.
DCOP Hamidu said during a search on the suspect’s saloon car with registration number GW 3020 Y, a military camouflage cap and midland walkie talkie were found.
He said the suspect claimed that the military cap belonged to his soldier friend, whose name he did not disclose, while the pair of hand-cuffs belonged to a police friend in Accra called Tony.
The suspect was to be put before the Tarkwa Circuit Court.
In another development, the police have arrested a 35-year-old farmer, Kumor Sanyo, also known as Kwesi Badu, from Polelaniyiri, near Wa, for possessing a locally-manufactured pistol with two live ammunitions.
Also GH¢ 2,800.00 was found on Sanyo, who was arrested at the police checkpoint at Bawdie in the Prestea/Huni Valley District in the Western Region.
He has since appeared before the Tarkwa Circuit Court and been remanded in police custody to reappear on Monday, November 15, 2010.

KOTOKO TO FIRE 12 PLAYERS (GRAPHIC SPORTS, LEAD STORY, NOV 12, 2010)

2010-11-13T02:19:00.000-08:00

THE now-famous (or is it infamous?) Ghanaian political phrase, “fear and panic”, seems to have found its way into the camp of Kumasi Asante Kotoko FC, following the decision by new Serbian coach, Bogdan Korak, to trim the playing body from the current 37 players to 25.
Offloading as many as 12 players could be unprecedented in the history of Kotoko, and this has sent shivers through the club as no one kows who would fall victims.
No official list has come up yet but already speculations are rife as to the possible victims of the overhauling. From all indications some of the old horses will get the exit, while some uninspiring new players could also get the sack.
Confirming Korak’s decision, club Public Affairs Manager, Jarvis Peprah, said the coach insists that the number of players in camp was too large to contain.
“The team’s performance has been uncharacteristic of a typical Kotoko and the coach will be right to institute the right measures to put things right”, Jarvis said.
The Public Affairs Manager said after watching the players briefly, he had come to the conclusion that some of them are not Kotoko materials.
Korak formally took over the training of the team last Monday after agreening a reported $5,000 a month salary.
The Serb trainer will also promote five of the Under-20 players into the senior team after seeing the great potentials in them.
Korak, who arrived in Kumasi last week after the exit of Ebo Mends, was on the bench to observe the team when they lost 0-2 to Aduana Stars in a Glo Premier League match at Dormaa-Ahenkro last Sunday.
The coach was reportedly shocked at the club’s output as they fumbled and tumbled in Dormaa-Ahenkro, and decided to move to bring the team back to shape.
Korak, 51, is a former assistant coach of the Serbian national team. His club career saw him coaching local sides, Vereinslos and Hajduk Rodic.
He comes along with countryman, Vladimir Cepzanovic, as physical trainer.
Indeed, the coach is said to have complained about the poor physical condition of the current Kotoko squad and believes Vladimir has the capacity to change things for the better.
Some people are questioning the ability of the coach to turn the fortunes of the club overnight but maagement has expressed full confidence in him and had promisded to give him time to right the wrongs.

REGULARISE OPERATIONS OF CREDIT UNIONS — BASING (PAGE 29, NOV 10, 2010)

2010-11-13T01:18:00.001-08:00

THE 2010 International Credit Union Day in the Ashanti Region has been held in Kumasi with a call on the government to properly regularise the operations of credit unions.
The board chairman of the Ghana Co-operative Union Association (CUA), Mr Cyprian Basing, who made the call, said only a well functioning legal and regulatory framework could effectively streamline the operations of the credit unions.
He alluded to the laudable role credit unions had played in creating wealth within the society and said if the unions were effectively regulated, they could do even more to reduce poverty in the rural and other areas of the country to significant levels.
The celebration was on the theme, “Local trusted – serving you.”
Mr Basing said during the past 50 years that credit unions had been in existence in Ghana, they had contributed to building the culture of savings.
He noted the importance of savings in the economic development of the country and said this needed to be encouraged.
The board chairman urged the people to continue to have confidence in the credit unions as they moved to deliver more qualitative services.
He also advised the unions to come up with practices that would give hope to the people and credit unions.
The board chairman stated that the unions had made significant strides in the areas of assets, savings, loan services and membership.
To date, there are about 527 unions with membership totalling over 550,000 operating under the umbrella of CUA.
A lecturer at the Pharmacy Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Dr Yaw Dwomoh-Fokuo, commended the board for working hard to win the trust of the membership of the unions.
He said the work of the board had resulted in the growth of savings mobilisation, credit management, product development and service delivery.

PRODUCE QUALITY COCOA BEANS — BISIW (PAGE 22, NOV 9, 2010)

2010-11-13T00:21:00.000-08:00

REGIONAL Managers of Olam Ghana Limited, a leading cocoa Licensed Buying Company (LBC), have held their annual conference in Kumasi with a call on cocoa buying companies to produce quality cocoa beans for the 2010/2011 main season to enable the country to maintain its position as the producer and supplier of best grade cocoa.
The Senior Regional Manager of the Quality Control Company (QCC) in the Ashanti Region, Mr S.E. Bisiw, who made the call, warned that stiff sanctions would be applied against LBCs which produce unwholesome cocoa beans in the main cocoa season.
The sanctions, which could lead to withdrawal of licenses, were to ensure that LBCs operated within the guidelines set for the production of quality beans.
According to Mr Bisiw, demands by buyers of Ghana’s cocoa enjoined players of the industry, especially LBCs to ensure that the country continued to maintain her image on the international market as the producer and supplier of quality grade cocoa.
The regional manager expressed concern about increased proportions of under-fermented, and black and decayed beans (abinkyi) found in prepared cocoa presented for grading and sealing by LBCs in recent times.
He said that was why the QCC was implementing the rigid measures to enforce operational procedures for the main crop season in order to improve upon the quality of Ghana’s cocoa.
Mr Bisiw said the last few seasons had recorded challenges in the area of quality and there was the need to reverse the negative situation.
He attributed the situation to deliberate acts by some unscrupulous field operatives for their selfish gains at the expense of the hard won reputation of Ghana’s premium cocoa.
Mr Bisiw stated that Ghana’s cocoa had over the years fetched premium price on the international market, and nothing should be done to reverse it.
He emphasised that if the quality of cocoa beans were poor, their products suffered and the cocoa industry as a whole loses.
“There is no way Ghana could sell cocoa, which is low grade and get away with it,” the QCC regional manager stressed.
He therefore appealed to all stakeholders in the cocoa industry to adopt best practices to keep the name of the country high on the international market.
Mr Bisiw stated that consumer sophistication and expectation kept increasing all over the world, adding “This informed QCC’s determination to enforce the 7.5 per cent acceptable limit of moisture content in cocoa beans.”
In a speech read on his behalf, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, said the government would continue to promote the cocoa industry in spite of the discovery of oil in commercial quantities.
He said the cocoa industry occupied an important place in national development so nothing would be done to disrupt its growth.
The Regional Minister said the recent increase in the producer price of cocoa and the payment of bonuses to farmers were all part of measures to motivate farmers to increase production.
“The cocoa farmer, I can assure you, would be better off under this government following interventions adopted,” he said.
The Country Head of Olam Ghana Limited, Mr Amit Agrawal, gave the assurance that the company would continue to adopt measures that would advance the strides of the cocoa industry.
He also stated that the company was honouring its social responsibilities as a way of complementing government’s efforts at developing the cocoa growing communities.

POLICE GRAB 98 WEAPONS (1B, NOV 9, 2010)

2010-11-13T00:06:00.000-08:00

Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

THE Ashanti Regional Police Command has retrieved 78 weapons, including five AK 47 assault rifles and 91 rounds of ammunition, in an operation code-named “Operation Drag Net”.
According to the police command, the AK 47 rifles were those either seized from policemen on duty or stolen from police stations.
The other weapons include 23 shotguns, 42 locally-manufactured pistols and eight imported pistols, while the ammunition includes 56 packets of AA and BB cartridges, 23 single rounds for AK 47 rifles and 12 single rounds for G3 rifles.
The Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Timbillah, made this known when be briefed journalists on the arrest of three persons, including a 73-year-old businessman, for selling three foreign pistols and 12 rounds of ammunition.
Alhaji Azumah Zamramah, the businessman who lives at Alabar in Kumasi, Rauf Yussif, 55, a trader at the Timber Market, and Kwabena Nketiah, 42, a second-hand clothes dealer at Atonsu, were arrested upon a tip-off and in their respective statements to the police they admitted the crime.
Mr Timbillah said upon the tip-off, personnel of the Ashanti Regional CID and the Buffalo Unit arrested the suspects, who were selling the pistols at a unit price of GH¢600.
The Regional Commander said Alhaji Zamramah further stated that one Gao man was the source of his supply but could not mention his name.
He indicated that the police were preparing to prosecute them before a court in Kumasi.
Operation Drag Net, according to DCOP Timbillah, is aimed at gathering intelligence that would assist the police to, among other things, mop up illegal weapons from the system and arrest and prosecute the suspects, clamp down on drug users, and locate and destroy all hideouts of criminals.
He described the method as a preventive police strategy which also had the view to frustrating criminals by hitting at them before they struck.
The initiative is being supported by the already existing police reward system, which provides monetary reward of between GH¢1,000 and GH¢20,000 for informants who provide relevant information leading to successful arrests and prosecution of criminals.
DCOP Timbillah said under the scheme, 58 persons had already been prosecuted and serving various terms of imprisonment ranging from 10 to 35 years.
In addition, 18 criminal hideouts in various locations in the metropolis had been identified and destroyed.
The regional commander called for public co-operation to ensure the success of the operation, saying, “without public support, we can’t succeed”.
In a related development, the Drug Law Enforcement Unit in Kumasi has arrested two persons, Adongo Azure, 30, and Charles Ayine, 26, for possessing dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp. DCOP Timbillah said they were being processed for court.

MEASLES CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED AT AHENEMA-KOKOBEN (PAGE 22, NOV 6, 2010)

2010-11-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

THE Atwima Kwanwoma District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Tony Nyame, has launched the national mass measles campaign at Ahenema-Kokoben with a call on parents to take keen interest in the exercise because of its benefits.
He said the government had provided all the logistics to make the exercise successful and it was important that the people embraced it by playing their part with all seriousness.
The four-day exercise was expected to vaccinate children of nine months to under five years.
Children within the age group would also be given Vitamin ‘A’ capsules to make them strong and healthy.
Mr Nyame stated that the future of the nation depended on how well today’s children were groomed to take up future challenges.
He called on the people to register with the National Health Insurance Scheme to enable them enjoy its benefits.
The DCE also called for healthy living among the people to prevent contracting preventable diseases.
The Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Joseph Oduro, described the immunisation as a serious programme that must be embraced by all.
He disclosed that only one case of measles had been reported in the region this year but it had since been treated.
He said since 2002, no child had died of measles in the country.
Dr Oduro stated that measles was a dangerous disease which could kill, cause blindness, brain damage among other complications.
“We don’t want our children to fall victims to any of these complications,” he said.
The District Director of Health Services, Mrs Dorothy Afoakwa, said it would be unpardonable for parents to allow their children to suffer from the disease when it was preventable.
“Let us therefore, get every child to be immunised and the nation will be the eventual winner,” he said.

SEKYERE AFRAM PLAINS DISTRICT MAKES STRIDES (PAGE 22, NOV 6, 2010)

2010-11-12T23:19:00.000-08:00

TWO years after the creation of the Sekyere Afram Plains District, the district assembly is systematically moving its development agenda forward in a bid to improve the living conditions of the people.
The district used to be part of the Sekyere East District but the vast nature of the latter necessitated its division by the former government.
Sekyere Afram Plains District shares common boundaries with other districts in the region, including Sekyere Central to the West, Sekyere East and Asante Akyem North to the south.
Besides, it also shares boundaries with other districts outside the Ashanti Region such as Kwahu North in the Eastern Region to the East and the Sene District in the Brong Ahafo Region to the north.
The district has about 106 communities and hamlets. Since its creation, the district has proudly taken steps to occupy its rightful place among the districts of the country and has potential to develop rapidly.
At the third ordinary meeting of the assembly at Kumawu recently the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr J.K. Dankwah, praised the contribution of assembly members in advancing the development process.
He, therefore, wished members who were seeking re-election the best of luck and also urged those who were not seeking re-election to put their rich experience at the disposal of the new members who will win elections.
Over the years, the Ministry of Local Government has impressed on district assemblies to place emphasis on generating funds locally to complement what comes from the central government to finance their development projects and programmes.
As a result of that, the Sekyere Afram Plains District has adopted measures to enable it to improve on its finances.
Mr Dankwah told the meeting that the assembly was able to mobilise GH¢154,879 from its local revenue sources as of September 30, 2010, representing 62 per cent of the estimated revenue target of GH¢227,134.
He said in spite of that, it had become clear that the assembly would continue to rely much on the common fund to finance most of its projects.
Mr Dankwah said the assembly had received GH¢211,353 as its share of the common fund for the second quarter of the year and the amount was being used to finance some approved projects and programmes for 2010.
The DCE urged the revenue unit of the assembly to fully implement the revenue improvement action instituted to achieve the revenue target at the end of the year.
Development projects have been key on the assembly’s agenda. In that respect, it has used part of its common fund to undertake a number of development projects.
Mr Dankwah mentioned some of the completed projects as the construction of a classroom block and office at Akrokyere, area council office at Anyinofi and a 16-seater vault chamber facility each at Wonoo and Nkwanta.
He said there had also been spot improvement on the Temate-Drobonso road, extension of electricity to the teachers’ quarters at Kumawu, Abotanso and Akrofoso,as well as the rehabilitation of the toilet facility at Apebiakyere-Kumawu.
“Ten other projects at various locations of the district have also reached various stages of completion,” he stated.
Mr Dankwah said following the assessment of the assembly by the sector ministry, it scored 74.5 per cent and in that respect, the assembly qualified to benefit from the District Development Facility.
The DCE said the assembly had since been allocated GH¢626,650 to undertake various development projects.
Already, the assembly had approved about 20 projects in a number of towns and villages for execution under the facility. They include the construction of classroom blocks, toilet facilities and rehabilitation of slaughter houses.
The assembly is also benefiting from the second phase of the Millennium Development Authority projects.
They include provision of small water systems at Abotanso and Pepease, boreholes at Dagomba and Aninagya, classroom blocks at Oyoko, Bodomase, Pepease, Drobonso and Dagomba.
Mr Dankwah further stated that the government had awarded contract for the construction of steel bridges over River Afram on the Drobonso-Dawia road, and River Pru on the Anyinofi-Ayim road.
He said when completed, the project would make accessibility to the Afram Plains easier, thus improving the collection of fees from farm products in the Afram Plains.

WELLINGTON TO COACH CHEALSEA (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, BACK PAGE, NOV 1, 2010)

2010-11-06T08:02:00.002-07:00

By Kwame Asare Boadu, Sunyani

THE management of Berekum Chelsea has appointed Orlando Wellington as the new head coach of the club.
Wellington, who takes over from Steve Pollack, recently led the national Under 20 team to qualify for next year’s African Championship.
Only last week, Wellington quit Kpando Heart of Lions in what was linked to disagreements over his national team job.
He will head a three-man technical team at Chelsea, which will also include former Hearts of Oak coach Yusif Abubakar, and Baba Alhassan.
Sources at Chelsea said they would give the coach the freedom to handle the Black Satellites alongside his club activities.
Chelsea did what management called a strategic recruitment this season and it appears the team is strengthened to prosecute the national league with confidence.
In Bismark Idan and Emmanuel Clottey, they possess two promising strikers who can create troubles for opponents.
Clottey was invited to the Black Stars recently and had his first cap when the national team drew goalless with Sudan in an African Nations Cup qualifier in Kumasi.
From all indications, the football season would see a better Berekum Chelsea.
Management hopes the team would place in the top four to underline the growth of the side.

ARSENAL FILE APPEAL (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, BACK PAGE, NOV 1, 2010)

2010-11-06T08:02:00.001-07:00

By Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi

IT appears the matter between Berekum Arsenals and Kumasi Asante Kotoko over the abortive Glo Premier League Match is not going to see an early resolution.
Days after the GFA disciplinary committee ruled on the matter, Arsenals have filed an appeal, claiming the ruling was flawed.
They contended that the ruling could not hold and that they deserved to be awarded the three points and three goals at stake.
Early last week, the verdict on the disciplinary committee came out on the abortive 6th week match.
While Asante Kotoko welcomed the decision, Arsenals described it as a travesty of justice.
They were, however, hopeful that the right thing would be done in the name of fairplay.
The disciplinary committee ruling directed that the match be rescheduled and played at a date to be determined by the Premier League Board (PLB).
According to the ruling, Ref. Okine was unable to convince the disciplinary committee that Kotoko deceived him wearing different jerseys from what were presented.
Again, the disciplinary committee indicated that the referee for the day should not have called off the match when he had convinced himself that a different strip other than the registered one was presented.
In their protests to the disciplinary committee, Arsenal demanded the three points and three goals but Asante Kotoko called for a repay.

HEARTS SCORE A HATTRICK (GRAPHIC SPORTS, LEAD STORY, NOV 2, 2010)

2010-11-06T07:51:00.001-07:00

TRUE to predictions, the rippling effects of Asante Kotoko’s defeat to old foes, Hearts of Oak, at the Baba Yara Stadium last Sunday, have told heavily on the technical team.
As of press time yesterday, the Graphic Sports gathered that Coach Ebo Mends had tendered in his resignation letter.
A reliable source close to management said the coach was summoned to a crucial management meeting where he was given the option to resign or get fired.
Not only that. The other technical members were also asked by management to leave.
Perhaps to save his little image left, Ebo Mends, the source said, went for resignation.
But, it was not known whether assistant coach, Ahmed Rockson, goalkeepers’ trainer, Joseph Carr and other supporting staff would follow in the path of Ebo Mends.
Developments before the match pointed to drastic action against the coach should Kotoko be beaten by Hearts of Oak.
For four seasons, Kotoko had not been able to account for Hearts at home- lost two and drew two - and they were very hopeful last Sunday’s encounter which was the fith in Kumasi in a row would end the string of poor performance against the Phobians.
Indeed, management had insisted that it had motivated the entire team enough to warrant victory and only hoped the coach would craft the right strategies to get the battle won.
But that was not to be as Hearts, under the tutelage of Paa Kwesi Fabin, plotted a demolishing exercise that was to create confusion in the camp of their opponents.
Fabin, who was vilified while in Kotoko, silenced his critics who perhaps masterminded his exit from the Fabulous club after the last season, with a tactical game that confused Asante Kotoko.
Like the ancient Roman General and Statesman, Julius Caesar, who said in his famous Latin statement, “Veni, vidi, vici,” meaning I came, I saw, I conquered, after his war with Pharnaces II of Pontius in the City of Zola in 47 BC, coach Fabin said after the victory that, “ We came, fought a great battle and conquered.”
The mannener the “general” Fabin marched his forces going by the name Accra Hearts of Oak to the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi last Sunday to shut out old foes, Asante Kotoko one-nil in their Glo Premier League match, was enough to tell his crticins in Kumasi that he was not finished as they believed.
By the way, the Hearts coach refused to comment on the performance of Asante Kotoko, the club he coached last season only to say that he was highly impressed by the output of his boys.
To Hearts’ CEO, Fred Crenstil, the outcome was a continuation of tradition. “Tradition goes on”, he said after the match.
Crenstil, who went round the stadium with his opposite number, Dr K.K. Sarpong, both waving white handkerchiefs to demand a peaceful match, was a happy man indeed after the match.
Ebo mends on the other hand admitted Kotoko had a bad day, maintaining that his team lost the battle in the middle. “ Our engine room broke down. Albert Bruce was unimpressive in the middle and we lost the match from there.”
He however insisted that sheer determination from Hearts contributed largely to their victory.
Indeed Asante Kotoko should count themselves lucky to have escaped with the slim defeat as Hearts cut took absolute control of the game and created decent chances.
It was not only the Kotoko coach who came under verbal vituperations from the crest fallen supporters. Some of the players received their share of the blame.
The supporters alleged the lifestyles of some of the players were very un-Kotoko and it there was no wonder they kept fumbling and tumbling.
With some 10 minutes to end the game, the demeanour of the Kotoko players surprisingly appeared they were leading on goals.
Instead of getting their acts together to push for the equaliser, they kept massing up in defence, committing elementary errors, an indication they were out of power to match their opponents.
From defence, through the middle to attack, Hearts were on top and what was to become a classic encounter of equals turned out to be a one-sided affair.
Goalkeeper Sammy Adjei proved why he should be on his way back to the national team with another great performance.
With alacrity, the keeper gathered the few dangerous balls that went to his post and his commanding influence told positively on the team.
Referee Cecil Fletcher was a bundle of controversy. Before the match, some Kotoko supporters had accused him of being a Hearts sympathiser, and only prayed that he would be fair.
But was he fair? Some of his decisions did not go on well for the Hearts of Oak fans, who thought the he might have been frightened by the allegations against him by the Kotoko supporters.
Hearts fans questioned why the referee disallowed two goals from Obed Ansah, the man who combined with Uriah Asante to created so much trouble for Asante Kotoko at the back.
Samuel Nzemaba who played on the left side of the Hearts defence was adjudged the best player for the day.

COMPANY LAUNCHES PROGRAMME FOR FARMERS (PAGE 29, NOV 3, 2010)

2010-11-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

ARMAJARO Ghana Limited, a leading licensed cocoa buying company with headquarters in Kumasi, has in partnership with the state-owned Garden City Radio, launched an education programme dubbed Akuafo Badwa to educate farmers on best practices to help boost the nation’s cocoa industry.
The programme to be aired in the Akan language on Ghana Broadcasting Corporation’s (GBC) Garden City Radio in Kumasi will be handled by experienced broadcasters with deep knowledge in agriculture.
Experts in agriculture especially in the cocoa industry will also appear on the programme periodically to share their knowledge with farmers and other listeners.
The Managing Director of Armajaro Ghana Limited, Mr Rahu Gopinath, said at the inaugural ceremony last Friday that the company was a leader in getting the best for Ghana’s cocoa.
As a result he noted that farmers who constituted the bedrock of the industry could not be neglected in any way.
“That is why the company has consistently come out with initiatives to position farmers in a better position to increase production,” he said.
Mr Gopinath announced that the company’s traceable cocoa project, which reward communities for increase sales, had spent about $3 million to undertake various development projects in some communities in the Ashanti, Central and Western Regions.
An additional $1.8 million would be spent in due course, part of which would go into public education.
Mr Gopinath noted that the mass media was one sure way of reaching farmers with the right information and promised that the newly launched radio programme would be pursued with all seriousness.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, described the Armajaro-GBC partnership as laudable and urged farmers to patronise the programme to achieve its objective.
He said government’s commitment to developing the cocoa industry was on course and indicated that the recent increase in the producer price of cocoa was symptomatic of the commitment.
Mr Opoku-Manu said agriculture, being the backbone of the national economy, needed all the attention not only from government but also the private sector.
He urged presenters who would handle the radio programme to avoid the politicisation of issues.
“Garden City Radio is a national asset and you should try to serve the interest of all,” he said.
The Ashanti Regional Director of GBC, Mr Philip Baidoo, said it was important for the mass media to divert their attention from “too much politics” and take on social issues that could help better the lot of the people.
“We in GBC want to keep to the tradition by always getting what is best for the people,” he said.
Mr Baidoo stated that Ghana’s development had hinged much on cocoa and any programme targeted at improving production must be supported.

KUMASI POLICE AT WAR WITH CARELESS DRIVERS (PAGE 19, NOV 2, 2010)

2010-11-06T03:16:00.000-07:00

SIXTY-ONE drivers who have been arrested by a police special task force of the Ashanti Regional Police Command have been fined various sums of money by the Kumasi Circuit Court.
The fines ranged from GH¢220 to GH¢440.
Thirty other drivers arrested in the exercise were being processed for court.
Chief Inspector Yusif Mohammed Tanko, the Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, told the Daily Graphic that the exercise, which started about two weeks ago, would continue until some acceptable measure of sanity was brought on the roads.
He mentioned road traffic offences committed by the drivers to include speeding, overloading, driving without driver’s licence, lack of vehicular insurance and using vehicles with worn-out tyres, among others.
Chief Inspector Tanko said the regional police command had declared war on traffic offences and would not tolerate any acts on the part of drivers that would put the lives of passengers in danger.
He mentioned the Kumasi-Obuasi, Kumasi-Mampong, Kumasi-Offinso, and the Kumasi-Sunyani roads as some of the areas where most of the traffic offences occurred.
The public affairs officer indicated that before the exercise took off, the police mounted an educational programme to prepare the drivers for what was ahead.
“Yet some of them did not heed our advice and have been caught in the web of the law,” he said.
Chief Inspector Tanko advised drivers to always keep to the laws so that they would not find themselves in trouble.
He said road accidents were causing destruction to lives and property, stressing that it was incumbent on drivers to help the police to check the menace.

HEARTS BEAT KOTOKO AGAIN (BACK PAGE, NOV 1, 2010)

2010-11-06T02:37:00.000-07:00

A PHENOMENAL display by Accra Hearts of Oak saw them overpowering archrivals, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, 1-0 in their Glo Premier League top-liner at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi yesterday.
Offensive midfielder, Douglas Nkrumah, sent the Hearts supporters to the raptures with the only goal from a spot-kick on the 65th minute.
The Phobians played at a frenetic pace, controlling every bit of the match and could have run home with a bigger scoreline had they remained focused in front of goal.
Kotoko could not ignite the spark and they got lost tactically, and the more aggressive and tactically disciplined Hearts treated the near-capacity crowd to some copybook football.
And finally when controversial referee, Cecil Fletcher, ended the game, the “auros, auros” chorus of the visitors vibrated through the stadium.
Hearts made their intentions clear from the start when Douglas Nkrumah rounded Aziz Ansah but failed to go past keeper Isaac Amoako. Ansah, who was making a return debut for Kotoko after a stint in Nigeria, was a bundle of nerves and could hardly recover from his runs, gave Hearts a field day on the left side of attack.
Sammy Adjei, very composed on the afternoon, was superb in post, turning away two dangerous shots from Alex Asamoah and Samad Oppong on the 11th and 16th minutes respectively.
As the game wore on, it appeared Kotoko were lost in the middle where Albert Bruce was a total flop.
After Douglas Nkrumah failed to take advantage of a bright opportunity on the 20th minute, petit midfielder, Obed Ansah, prised open the Kotoko defence, heading past Isaac Amoako, but it was ruled offside.
The chances fell to Hearts who were in total command, but again when Nkrumah’s low drive kissed the post on the 24th minute, Obed Ansah only headed away in front of an empty net.
Alex Asamoah was taken out of the game in the first half following an injury and his exit proved a big blow for Kotoko since Louis Agyeman and Samad Oppong faded out as the Hearts back four of Bobie Ansah, Nzemaba, Boampong and Osei Bonsu cleared their lines with ease.
After recess, Kotoko attempted to gather some spirit but had no attacking fuzz as the strikers faded out. It was a matter of course that Hearts found the leader. Wilson Andoh raced onto a pass and sped in from the left.
As he set off with searing pace, he shot into the area and the ball hit the hand of Ofosu Appiah in the area. Nkrumah made no mistake about it to set Kotoko crumbling for the second time in eight days.

FIGHT OVER KUFUOR'S ESTATE (LEAD STORY, OCT 30, 2010)

2010-11-06T02:04:00.001-07:00

TWENTY children of the late business magnate and chief of Nkawie in the Ashanti Region, Bernard Mensah Kufuor, have mounted a legal challenge to how his numerous properties and huge foreign currency accounts in Ghana and abroad were vested in his niece and two of his children, 34 years after his death.
They claim that Mrs Comfort Joyce Wereko-Brobby, the niece, and Ben and David Kufuor, the children, used fraudulent means to take custody of the estates of the deceased, who was also the uncle of former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
Consequently, they have filed a writ at the Kumasi High Court seeking a declaration that all properties the late Mensah Kufuor mentioned in his will of May 9, 1964, and any other properties not specifically mentioned in the will fell into intestacy and should be vested in the estate of the deceased.
Among the numerous properties the deceased acquired in his lifetime are Ghana Primewood Products Limited in Takoradi, Bibiani Logging and Lumber Company Limited in Kumasi, Kufuor and Sons Furniture Limited in Kumasi, Atwima Timbers, Kumasi, Dormaa Sawmills, several tracts of lands in Accra, Kumasi and other parts of Ghana and two landed properties in England.
He also left behind a number of foreign accounts, including 560,000 Pounds Sterling in a UK bank account.
In their statement of claim filed by Accra-based lawyer, Egbert Faibille Jnr, the plaintiffs said prior to his death, the deceased executed a will in Ghana on May 9, 1964, which made Mrs Wereko-Brobby the biggest beneficiary of the estate, including two properties in England.
It said on October 19, 1964, the deceased executed another will in London in which he expressly revoked all former wills and codicils he made, and declared the England will to be his will.
The statement said the deceased also directed his executors and trustees of his England will to sell one of his buildings in London and share the proceeds among his children who survived him on his death, and also sell the other London property with the proceeds going to Mrs Wereko-Brobby.
Besides, the England will, according to the statement, directed that on his death, the cash balance in his West Pennsylvania Banking Trust in the USA be handed over to his wife, Justina Kufuor.
It said the Kumasi High Court granted a probate of the deceased’s Ghana will to the executors and the deceased’s two properties in London went to Mrs Wereko-Brobby, who then proceeded to London to take possession of the properties.
Plaintiffs stated that it was in London that Mrs Wereko-Brobby realised her uncle made another will there, which superseded the Ghana one.
The statement said Mrs Wereko-Brobby and David Kufuor made false presentations to the Probate Division of the High Court, England, to the effect that they were entitled to be granted letters of administration in respect of the estate of the deceased.
It said Mrs Wereko-Brobby’s failure to inform the family of the deceased about the England will when she knew that will cancelled the Ghana one and thereby benefiting from the Ghana will was fraudulent and could not, therefore, stand.
According to the statement, Mrs Wereko-Brobby had taken over Bibiani Logging and Lumber Company Limited while Ben Kufuor had taken over Ghana Primewood Products Limited with David Kufuor taking ownership of Atwima Timbers Limited.
It said when the plaintiffs found out that the whole deal that handed over the biggest share of the estates of the deceased to the defendants was fraudulent, their lawyer wrote to them pointing out the illegality of their actions and demanded that they relinquish all properties that had found their way to them.
The statement said a search conducted at the High Court registry in Kumasi by the plaintiffs revealed to their surprise that the late Mensah Kufuor did not deposit any will there.
“The defendants have been most fraudulent in their actions and conduct in respect of the estate of the late Bernard Mensah Kufuor,” it added, noting that only the court order “could compel them to release the assets of the deceased not mentioned in his England will.”

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

2010-10-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2010-10-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2010-10-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

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.

\

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

2010-10-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2010-10-25T05:33:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-25T03:58:00.001-07:00

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.

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

2010-10-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-22T07:02:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2010-10-21T03:39:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2010-10-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-10-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

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.