THE Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, has inaugurated a seven-member committee of inquiry to investigate the recent disturbances at Agogo in which a number of people were injured and property destroyed.
The committee, set up by the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), comprises the regional lands officer as chairman, representatives of the immigration service, Attorney General’s Department, Bureau of National Investigations and the Asante Akim North Municipal Assembly, and the Municipal Co-ordinating Director.
Among the terms of reference, the committee is to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the disturbances, circumstances leading to the shooting and wounding of some citizens and to identify those who fired the gunshots, and circumstances that led to the mob attack on the Agogo Police Station.
Other areas to be tackled by the committee include related matters of significance to the committee’s work, and to make recommendations to forestall any future occurrence.
On May 1, this year, about seven people were injured and massive destruction caused to property when a section of the youth of Agogo clashed with Fulani herdsmen.
The local people accused the Fulani herdsmen of destroying their farms, raping women and creating fear in the communities.
In his inaugural address, Mr Opoku-Manu noted that disturbances like the one that occurred at Agogo sent wrong signals to the outside world and had the potential to disorganise the development of the community.
“It is, therefore, important that we always adopt the right approaches and use appropriate channels in seeking redress to whatever grievances we have,” he said.
The minister stated that the security situation in the region had generally been calm so far, and, therefore, any acts that would disturb the situation would not be tolerated.
Peace, he noted, was crucial to the development of the region and added that “any act or omission that tends to compromise the security of the region is regrettable”.
He said the REGSEC was determined to adopt measures that would prevent the recurrence of such incident.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
KNUST TO BEGIN MSC IN POLYMER SCIENCE (PAGE 11, MAY 12, 2010)
THE Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ms Sherry Ayittey, has stressed the need for the expansion of the polymer industry in Ghana to take advantage of the downstream processes of the oil industry.
In a speech read on her behalf at the opening of a stakeholders workshop on a Masters programme in polymer science, which is due to begin at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) next academic year, the minister said the polymer industry, which is currently based on the processing of primary polymeric products, should be expanded to include "the synthesis of polymers”.
Polymers are among the major downstream products of the oil industry and with the country due to begin commercial production of oil in the last quarter of the year, the minister was optimistic that the expansion of the polymer industry would have a significant role to play in expanding the benefits of the oil industry.
Many oil producing countries have developed large polymer industries, which formed part of their huge chemical industries.
Saudi Arabia, for example, has one of the leading chemical companies in the world today- Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) – which deals a lot in polymers.
The KNUST had developed the MSc Programme in collaboration with the School of Chemistry of the University of Manchester, the Development Partnership for Higher Education (DELPHE) and the UK’s Department of International Development (DFID).
The aim of the programme is to provide graduate students of different specialities the opportunity to gain multifaceted education and training in polymer science and technology, leading to professional careers in academia, industry, public institutions and self-employment.
Apart from the advantages of polymers, it also come along with negative environmental consequences since the high volume of polymers such as plastics and rubbers are bio non-degradable.
In Ghana, this is a major problem as gutters have been choked with plastic materials.
Ms Ayittey said the government’s “Better Ghana” agenda took great interest in environmental sanity and pledged the government’s support to the KNUST to continue to train the needed manpower for national development.
She also called on the university authorities to work with companies that littered the environment with their by-products to ensure that the nation remained on course to achieving a clean environment by 2015.
The minister further called for a comprehensive programme that would ensure that companies that recycled plastic materials could collect and recycle the materials with efficiency.
“I also challenge the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to improve their approach to waste collection,” she added.
The Pro Vice Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. E.O. Ellis, stressed the tremendous impact chemistry had had on mankind but said the negative consequences could not be downplayed.
The Provost of the College of Science of KNUST, Prof. Aboagye Menyeh, said the university needed to invite stakeholders in shaping the syllabus for the programme because eventually, it was the society that would benefit from the products of the new programme.
In a speech read on her behalf at the opening of a stakeholders workshop on a Masters programme in polymer science, which is due to begin at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) next academic year, the minister said the polymer industry, which is currently based on the processing of primary polymeric products, should be expanded to include "the synthesis of polymers”.
Polymers are among the major downstream products of the oil industry and with the country due to begin commercial production of oil in the last quarter of the year, the minister was optimistic that the expansion of the polymer industry would have a significant role to play in expanding the benefits of the oil industry.
Many oil producing countries have developed large polymer industries, which formed part of their huge chemical industries.
Saudi Arabia, for example, has one of the leading chemical companies in the world today- Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) – which deals a lot in polymers.
The KNUST had developed the MSc Programme in collaboration with the School of Chemistry of the University of Manchester, the Development Partnership for Higher Education (DELPHE) and the UK’s Department of International Development (DFID).
The aim of the programme is to provide graduate students of different specialities the opportunity to gain multifaceted education and training in polymer science and technology, leading to professional careers in academia, industry, public institutions and self-employment.
Apart from the advantages of polymers, it also come along with negative environmental consequences since the high volume of polymers such as plastics and rubbers are bio non-degradable.
In Ghana, this is a major problem as gutters have been choked with plastic materials.
Ms Ayittey said the government’s “Better Ghana” agenda took great interest in environmental sanity and pledged the government’s support to the KNUST to continue to train the needed manpower for national development.
She also called on the university authorities to work with companies that littered the environment with their by-products to ensure that the nation remained on course to achieving a clean environment by 2015.
The minister further called for a comprehensive programme that would ensure that companies that recycled plastic materials could collect and recycle the materials with efficiency.
“I also challenge the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to improve their approach to waste collection,” she added.
The Pro Vice Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. E.O. Ellis, stressed the tremendous impact chemistry had had on mankind but said the negative consequences could not be downplayed.
The Provost of the College of Science of KNUST, Prof. Aboagye Menyeh, said the university needed to invite stakeholders in shaping the syllabus for the programme because eventually, it was the society that would benefit from the products of the new programme.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
MAKING THE BEST OF SHANGAI EXPO (PAGE 10, MAY 11, 2010)
I HAVE decided to go to town (apologies to the late Prof P.A.V. Ansah) and African governments are my targets.
As one of the 24 African journalists who covered the opening of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, I was ashamed to learn that only four African countries were able to provide the funds to put up their own pavilions.
Apart from Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, no other Africa country was able to raise the capital to establish its own pavilion.
They had to live on the generosity of the Chinese government, which put up the huge Africa pavilion in which individual African countries, including Ghana, operated.
“Oh! Africa”, was how a colleague African journalist exclaimed as he shook his head in disbelief.
All this happened at a time when some African leaders lived ostentatious lives at the expense of a programme like the Shanghai Expo, which brings the world together to find solutions to problems with the view to changing the lives of their people for the better.
When at all will African leaders live up to their responsibilities and stop disgracing their countries before the eyes of the international community?
Let me pause here before I deviate from the significance of the Expo and the great efforts put up by the Chinese government to welcome the world for the grand event.
Clearly, the World Expo in Shanghai could not have chosen a better theme than ”Better City, Better Life”.
Why? Humanity is at a turning point as majority of the world’s population currently live in urban communities, a situation that has made sustainable urban development a top global priority.
Visitors to the Expo are being introduced to the latest green technologies for urban life, which the world has developed.
It is refreshing that Ghana is participating in the event and it is expected that the nation will come out of the half-year Expo better placed to change the state of its cities for the better.
The theme for the Expo reflects the common aspiration of mankind for improved lives in the cities through strategic policy initiatives, and the Chinese government must be congratulated for making the Expo a top priority, right from the first day of preparations making it the biggest World Expo ever in the 156 year old history of the global event.
As I watched Chinese President, Hu Jintao, open the curtains for the Expo on April 30, I could not but agree with the European Union(EU) President, Jose Manuel Barusso, that “the Expo is a symbol of the rise of the East.”
Mr Barusso, who was among the 19 world leaders who took part in the glittering opening ceremony of the mega-event was overwhelmed by the level of inputs into the organisation of the Expo, the first to be held by a developing nation and said it demonstrates the growing influence of China in world affairs.
Chinese government sources say about $6 billion was spent on the organisation of the event but a section of the media put the figure at a staggering $54 billion.
It is the first time that the EU, which is China’s biggest trade partner, is participating in the global event outside a European country and according to the EU ambassador to China, Mr Sege Abou,”The presence of Barusso at the event is a signal that the EU is optimistic and confident about Sino-EU relations as well as the development of China and Shanghai.”
China expects to exceed the estimated 70 million visitors at the Expo.
Long queues, way beyond the expectation of organisers, continue to form at the gates to the site as of May 5, and people had to wait for hours before securing tickets.
The EU and other world economies are learning useful lessons but it is uncertain whether Africa in general and Ghana in particular are in the same position.
Some 192 nations and 56 international organisations and people across the world are in Shanghai to discuss cultural development, address concepts in the area of housing, living and work environment, and showcase significant examples of sustainable and societal growth.
Officials at some of the pavilions are inviting visitors to interact with them on how cities will be like in the not too distant future.
Through movies and other educational materials, the Pavilion of Future,
for instance, is proposing possibilities of factors that drive human development in the cities.
The China pavilion, the most visited so far, takes visitors on a journey through the Chinese wisdom in the evolution of cities.
Beginning with the unprecedented urban development China has experienced in the past 30 years, their exhibitions throw light on the path they took to reach that height.
The visitor is then made to look into the future to predict what the future will be for the Chinese urbanisation programme.
Surely, these are clear demonstrations of the high value China puts on urbanisation. Today, China’s cities are one of the best managed in the world.
From Beijing to Shanghai, Nanjing, Chongging, Wenjiang and Zhenjiang among many others, China has built magnificent cities with highly effective municipal administrations.
Ghana is participating in the event under questionable preparations and the question remains whether the nation can come out any better as expected.
For instance, I did not see the importance of displaying the huge picture of President Mills at the event when none of the countries has the picture of their presidents at their various pavilions.
Against the background of the leadership qualities of the President, I think he will not like the idea of placing his picture at the main entrance to the pavilion.
Only the pictures of Michael Essien and Dominic Adiyiah are attracting some attention at the Ghanaian pavilion and I suggested to an official at the pavilion, Mr Ben Heh, to discuss with his bosses and do something about the situation.
Either President Mills or his vice will visit the Expo to celebrate Ghana Day on July 8, but what is very important is for our cities to reap maximum benefits from the Expo.
Why are the metropolises not represented at the Expo when the focus of the event is on cities?
Ghanaian cities, particularly Kumasi and Accra, are facing serious challenges with respect to their development initiatives.
Sanitation, traffic management, environment, haphazard development and noise making are but a few of the problems in the cities in Ghana today.
There are public toilets in Chinese cities and they are well managed to the extent that the first visitor can hardly notice any of the facilities without the signpost.
This is the direct opposite in our cities. Apart from the unhygienic environment at the public toilets, their management has been politicised, bringing along attendant problems.
As a nation, we have to learn something good from the Shanghai Expo so that the rot in our system can be eliminated to enable the people enjoy better lives in the cities.
As one of the 24 African journalists who covered the opening of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, I was ashamed to learn that only four African countries were able to provide the funds to put up their own pavilions.
Apart from Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, no other Africa country was able to raise the capital to establish its own pavilion.
They had to live on the generosity of the Chinese government, which put up the huge Africa pavilion in which individual African countries, including Ghana, operated.
“Oh! Africa”, was how a colleague African journalist exclaimed as he shook his head in disbelief.
All this happened at a time when some African leaders lived ostentatious lives at the expense of a programme like the Shanghai Expo, which brings the world together to find solutions to problems with the view to changing the lives of their people for the better.
When at all will African leaders live up to their responsibilities and stop disgracing their countries before the eyes of the international community?
Let me pause here before I deviate from the significance of the Expo and the great efforts put up by the Chinese government to welcome the world for the grand event.
Clearly, the World Expo in Shanghai could not have chosen a better theme than ”Better City, Better Life”.
Why? Humanity is at a turning point as majority of the world’s population currently live in urban communities, a situation that has made sustainable urban development a top global priority.
Visitors to the Expo are being introduced to the latest green technologies for urban life, which the world has developed.
It is refreshing that Ghana is participating in the event and it is expected that the nation will come out of the half-year Expo better placed to change the state of its cities for the better.
The theme for the Expo reflects the common aspiration of mankind for improved lives in the cities through strategic policy initiatives, and the Chinese government must be congratulated for making the Expo a top priority, right from the first day of preparations making it the biggest World Expo ever in the 156 year old history of the global event.
As I watched Chinese President, Hu Jintao, open the curtains for the Expo on April 30, I could not but agree with the European Union(EU) President, Jose Manuel Barusso, that “the Expo is a symbol of the rise of the East.”
Mr Barusso, who was among the 19 world leaders who took part in the glittering opening ceremony of the mega-event was overwhelmed by the level of inputs into the organisation of the Expo, the first to be held by a developing nation and said it demonstrates the growing influence of China in world affairs.
Chinese government sources say about $6 billion was spent on the organisation of the event but a section of the media put the figure at a staggering $54 billion.
It is the first time that the EU, which is China’s biggest trade partner, is participating in the global event outside a European country and according to the EU ambassador to China, Mr Sege Abou,”The presence of Barusso at the event is a signal that the EU is optimistic and confident about Sino-EU relations as well as the development of China and Shanghai.”
China expects to exceed the estimated 70 million visitors at the Expo.
Long queues, way beyond the expectation of organisers, continue to form at the gates to the site as of May 5, and people had to wait for hours before securing tickets.
The EU and other world economies are learning useful lessons but it is uncertain whether Africa in general and Ghana in particular are in the same position.
Some 192 nations and 56 international organisations and people across the world are in Shanghai to discuss cultural development, address concepts in the area of housing, living and work environment, and showcase significant examples of sustainable and societal growth.
Officials at some of the pavilions are inviting visitors to interact with them on how cities will be like in the not too distant future.
Through movies and other educational materials, the Pavilion of Future,
for instance, is proposing possibilities of factors that drive human development in the cities.
The China pavilion, the most visited so far, takes visitors on a journey through the Chinese wisdom in the evolution of cities.
Beginning with the unprecedented urban development China has experienced in the past 30 years, their exhibitions throw light on the path they took to reach that height.
The visitor is then made to look into the future to predict what the future will be for the Chinese urbanisation programme.
Surely, these are clear demonstrations of the high value China puts on urbanisation. Today, China’s cities are one of the best managed in the world.
From Beijing to Shanghai, Nanjing, Chongging, Wenjiang and Zhenjiang among many others, China has built magnificent cities with highly effective municipal administrations.
Ghana is participating in the event under questionable preparations and the question remains whether the nation can come out any better as expected.
For instance, I did not see the importance of displaying the huge picture of President Mills at the event when none of the countries has the picture of their presidents at their various pavilions.
Against the background of the leadership qualities of the President, I think he will not like the idea of placing his picture at the main entrance to the pavilion.
Only the pictures of Michael Essien and Dominic Adiyiah are attracting some attention at the Ghanaian pavilion and I suggested to an official at the pavilion, Mr Ben Heh, to discuss with his bosses and do something about the situation.
Either President Mills or his vice will visit the Expo to celebrate Ghana Day on July 8, but what is very important is for our cities to reap maximum benefits from the Expo.
Why are the metropolises not represented at the Expo when the focus of the event is on cities?
Ghanaian cities, particularly Kumasi and Accra, are facing serious challenges with respect to their development initiatives.
Sanitation, traffic management, environment, haphazard development and noise making are but a few of the problems in the cities in Ghana today.
There are public toilets in Chinese cities and they are well managed to the extent that the first visitor can hardly notice any of the facilities without the signpost.
This is the direct opposite in our cities. Apart from the unhygienic environment at the public toilets, their management has been politicised, bringing along attendant problems.
As a nation, we have to learn something good from the Shanghai Expo so that the rot in our system can be eliminated to enable the people enjoy better lives in the cities.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
MPS EDUCATION FUND REALISES GH¢200,000 (PAGE 14, MAY , 2010)
AN Education Fund instituted by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, about a year ago, has realised about GH¢200,000.
The fund, which solicits support from public and private institutions and individuals, is aimed at supporting the development of educational infrastructure in the constituency.
Dr Akoto disclosed this at the inauguration of two schools, which were financed from the fund at GH¢ 60,000 at Ohwimase and Nyankyerenease, both in the constituency last week.
The projects included a three-classroom block for the Anglican Primary School at Ohwimase, which cost GH¢40,000, and a two-unit classroom block for the Nyankyerenease Methodist Kindergarten, which cost GH¢20,000.
Furniture was provided for all the three classrooms in the Ohwimase project.
Dr Akoto underscored the importance of education in the development of the nation and gave the assurance that he would do everything possible to sustain the fund so that more projects would be undertaken in the constituency.
The MP stated that the shift system operating in the school as a result of inadequate classrooms was expected to end with the completion of the project.
He said while on the campaign trail for the 2008 election, he made a promise to undertake various educational projects if he was elected, and gave the assurance that he would never renege on his promise.
He stated that this year, six projects would be completed for various schools in the constituency.
He further promised to establish a computer centre for schools in the constituency next year.
The MP assured all the 14 communities in the constituency that each of them would have something to show from his education fund.
He urged parents to take keen interest in the education of their children because the children were the future leaders of the nation.
Dr Akoto emphasised that politics without development was of no use so he was determined to use his energy and resources to help in shaping the development of the constituency.
Dr Akoto commended the Ghana Education Trust Fund, LLL Timber Company and the BLLC Timber Company for the various supporting roles they played in bringing the project to fruition.
The Chief of Ohwim, Nana Appiah Kubi, commended the MP for his initiatives and said, “This is what every MP should be doing”.
He told the schoolchildren to take their studies seriously so that they could advance in their education.
The fund, which solicits support from public and private institutions and individuals, is aimed at supporting the development of educational infrastructure in the constituency.
Dr Akoto disclosed this at the inauguration of two schools, which were financed from the fund at GH¢ 60,000 at Ohwimase and Nyankyerenease, both in the constituency last week.
The projects included a three-classroom block for the Anglican Primary School at Ohwimase, which cost GH¢40,000, and a two-unit classroom block for the Nyankyerenease Methodist Kindergarten, which cost GH¢20,000.
Furniture was provided for all the three classrooms in the Ohwimase project.
Dr Akoto underscored the importance of education in the development of the nation and gave the assurance that he would do everything possible to sustain the fund so that more projects would be undertaken in the constituency.
The MP stated that the shift system operating in the school as a result of inadequate classrooms was expected to end with the completion of the project.
He said while on the campaign trail for the 2008 election, he made a promise to undertake various educational projects if he was elected, and gave the assurance that he would never renege on his promise.
He stated that this year, six projects would be completed for various schools in the constituency.
He further promised to establish a computer centre for schools in the constituency next year.
The MP assured all the 14 communities in the constituency that each of them would have something to show from his education fund.
He urged parents to take keen interest in the education of their children because the children were the future leaders of the nation.
Dr Akoto emphasised that politics without development was of no use so he was determined to use his energy and resources to help in shaping the development of the constituency.
Dr Akoto commended the Ghana Education Trust Fund, LLL Timber Company and the BLLC Timber Company for the various supporting roles they played in bringing the project to fruition.
The Chief of Ohwim, Nana Appiah Kubi, commended the MP for his initiatives and said, “This is what every MP should be doing”.
He told the schoolchildren to take their studies seriously so that they could advance in their education.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
CHINESE EXPORTS NOT INFERIOR (PAGE 3, MAY 5, 2010)
THE Chinese Government has dismissed assertions that the country exports inferior products to Africa.
It said the products the country exported to African countries were of various ranges from which importers could choose and that the assertion that the country exported only inferior goods could only be a figment of people’s imagination.
The Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister in charge of African Affairs, Mr Zhai Jun, said what one paid determined the quality of goods he or she received.
“All our products are of high quality and that is why we are the world’s biggest exporter and we are determined to maintain that position as we continue to dominate the market with our brand of quality goods,” he said at a meeting with African journalists covering the World Expo Shanghai 2010.
“Some products are made according to the price offered and if one offers the lowest price, one gets poor products,” he said.
In Ghana, some consumers have expressed worry over the quality of some Chinese products but the Asian giant says it cannot produce goods of inferior quality and maintain a leading role as the biggest exporter to the Africa market.
“Ghana is one of our main markets and we assure Ghanaians that we will meet their taste,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ghana is preparing feverishly to host its day at the expo on July 8, 2010.
A Deputy Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr Ben Heh, told the Daily Graphic that President Mills had been invited to attend the event.
He said the Ghana Pavilion had received its full complement of items and that all was set for the country to showcase what it had for the world.
Only four Africa countries — Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria — are to put up their own pavilions.
The Chinese Government had to dole out millions of yuans to put up a giant Africa pavilion at the expo site for the other Africa nations.
It said the products the country exported to African countries were of various ranges from which importers could choose and that the assertion that the country exported only inferior goods could only be a figment of people’s imagination.
The Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister in charge of African Affairs, Mr Zhai Jun, said what one paid determined the quality of goods he or she received.
“All our products are of high quality and that is why we are the world’s biggest exporter and we are determined to maintain that position as we continue to dominate the market with our brand of quality goods,” he said at a meeting with African journalists covering the World Expo Shanghai 2010.
“Some products are made according to the price offered and if one offers the lowest price, one gets poor products,” he said.
In Ghana, some consumers have expressed worry over the quality of some Chinese products but the Asian giant says it cannot produce goods of inferior quality and maintain a leading role as the biggest exporter to the Africa market.
“Ghana is one of our main markets and we assure Ghanaians that we will meet their taste,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ghana is preparing feverishly to host its day at the expo on July 8, 2010.
A Deputy Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr Ben Heh, told the Daily Graphic that President Mills had been invited to attend the event.
He said the Ghana Pavilion had received its full complement of items and that all was set for the country to showcase what it had for the world.
Only four Africa countries — Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria — are to put up their own pavilions.
The Chinese Government had to dole out millions of yuans to put up a giant Africa pavilion at the expo site for the other Africa nations.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
MICHAEL ESSIEN, ADIYIAH THRILL AT CHINA EXPO (GRAPHIC SPORTS, BACK PAGE, `MAY 4, 2010)
HUGE photographs of Michael Essien and Dominic Adiyiah were the major attractions at the Ghana Pavilion when the World Exposition in Shanghai, China, dubbed World Expo Shanghai 2010, opened last weekend.
The Ghanaian authorities at the half-year long Expo which opened last Saturday decided to use the two footballers to sell the nation, and it appeared to have started well on the first day of the opening of the exhibition at the magnificent Expo grounds located along the Huangpu River in the Chinese financial capital of Shanghai.
Hundreds of people, most of them the youth, stood close to the photographs of the two players to take pictures for their albums.
Essien appears to be a household name in China even though Chinese are not so obsessed with football.
To some of the hundreds who went to the Ghana pavilion, Essien was one of the best things to happen to Ghana because it was through the footballer that they got to hear of the name Ghana.
Mr Ben Heh, a Deputy Director of Ghana’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, who was in charge of the Ghana pavilion, told me that the decision to use the two players was carefully thought out.
“Essien is a super star whose image if well harnessed, can tell positively on the nation’s development,” he said.
On Adiyiah, Mr Heh said the young player just emerged the best youth player in the world after that stupendous performance in the World Youth Championship in Egypt, and it was necessary to tap his popularity to the nation’s advantage.
One young Chinese of about 20 years said of Adiyiah that, “I wish he played his football in China.”
Another nation that is using its footballers to sell itself at the Expo is Cameroun. The country’s representatives at the Expo have placed pictures of Samuel Eto’o and other great players from the country at their pavilion, which also attracted people at the Expo.
The Ghanaian authorities at the half-year long Expo which opened last Saturday decided to use the two footballers to sell the nation, and it appeared to have started well on the first day of the opening of the exhibition at the magnificent Expo grounds located along the Huangpu River in the Chinese financial capital of Shanghai.
Hundreds of people, most of them the youth, stood close to the photographs of the two players to take pictures for their albums.
Essien appears to be a household name in China even though Chinese are not so obsessed with football.
To some of the hundreds who went to the Ghana pavilion, Essien was one of the best things to happen to Ghana because it was through the footballer that they got to hear of the name Ghana.
Mr Ben Heh, a Deputy Director of Ghana’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, who was in charge of the Ghana pavilion, told me that the decision to use the two players was carefully thought out.
“Essien is a super star whose image if well harnessed, can tell positively on the nation’s development,” he said.
On Adiyiah, Mr Heh said the young player just emerged the best youth player in the world after that stupendous performance in the World Youth Championship in Egypt, and it was necessary to tap his popularity to the nation’s advantage.
One young Chinese of about 20 years said of Adiyiah that, “I wish he played his football in China.”
Another nation that is using its footballers to sell itself at the Expo is Cameroun. The country’s representatives at the Expo have placed pictures of Samuel Eto’o and other great players from the country at their pavilion, which also attracted people at the Expo.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
2010 WORLD EXPO OPENS IN CHINA (PAGE2, MAY 1, 2010)
CHINA has hailed Ghana for her democratic credentials and promised to support the country to build on what has been achieved so far.
The Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in-charge of Africa Affairs, Mr Zhai Jun, told the Daily Graphic in an interview in the Chinese capital of Beijing last Thursday that, Ghana’s record in the rule of law was a shining example for the rest of Africa and that the Chinese government would continue to provide the necessary assistance to advance the process.
He said it was worth recognising that said since 1992, Ghana had been the torchbearer of Africa’s democracy having changed governments three times through various successful elections.
Mr Zhai who was speaking after a meeting with a group of Africa journalists covering the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai which opend yesterday said it was for this and other reasons that the Chinese government had invited President John Evans Atta Mills for a state visit to China this year.
He indicated that the government of the People’s Republic of China was in discussion with its Ghanaian counterparts to get a date fixed for the visit.
He used the opportunity to commend President Mills for his efforts to bring the people together to develop their nation and expressed the hope that the Ghanaian people would continue to join hands with the government to build their country.
At the meeting with the African journalists, the vice minister noted that China and African countries had a common goal of development, which is based on a win-win situation.
He, however, noted that as the strongest developing nation in the world, China had every reason to support the weaker ones to come up in their development strides.
He indicated that strengthening diplomatic relations with Africa is very important to China “and we shall not deviate from that.”
He acknowledged the growing media exchanges between China and Africa countries stressing that the two sides needed journalists to serve as a bridge between their quests to learn more from each other.
“The media exchanges between the two sides are becoming much stronger,” he said and disclosed that currently, four media organisations in Africa had permanent representatives in China who are operating with all the freedom at their disposal.
He, therefore, expressed the hope that other Africa media organizations would establish their presence in China.
Mr Zhai noted that the growth of Sino-Africa media relations was necessary because of the way the western media perceive things differently in the developing world.
“The practice where African media use the western media as a tool for advancing their course must change because it has not helped the continent,” he stressed.
He said the Chinese government was offering scholarships to more than 5000 people from Africa each year to study in Chinese educational institutions.
He further told the meeting that the Chinese government had established 20 ICT institutions in various Africa countries where the study of the Chinese language was being given attention.
The Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in-charge of Africa Affairs, Mr Zhai Jun, told the Daily Graphic in an interview in the Chinese capital of Beijing last Thursday that, Ghana’s record in the rule of law was a shining example for the rest of Africa and that the Chinese government would continue to provide the necessary assistance to advance the process.
He said it was worth recognising that said since 1992, Ghana had been the torchbearer of Africa’s democracy having changed governments three times through various successful elections.
Mr Zhai who was speaking after a meeting with a group of Africa journalists covering the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai which opend yesterday said it was for this and other reasons that the Chinese government had invited President John Evans Atta Mills for a state visit to China this year.
He indicated that the government of the People’s Republic of China was in discussion with its Ghanaian counterparts to get a date fixed for the visit.
He used the opportunity to commend President Mills for his efforts to bring the people together to develop their nation and expressed the hope that the Ghanaian people would continue to join hands with the government to build their country.
At the meeting with the African journalists, the vice minister noted that China and African countries had a common goal of development, which is based on a win-win situation.
He, however, noted that as the strongest developing nation in the world, China had every reason to support the weaker ones to come up in their development strides.
He indicated that strengthening diplomatic relations with Africa is very important to China “and we shall not deviate from that.”
He acknowledged the growing media exchanges between China and Africa countries stressing that the two sides needed journalists to serve as a bridge between their quests to learn more from each other.
“The media exchanges between the two sides are becoming much stronger,” he said and disclosed that currently, four media organisations in Africa had permanent representatives in China who are operating with all the freedom at their disposal.
He, therefore, expressed the hope that other Africa media organizations would establish their presence in China.
Mr Zhai noted that the growth of Sino-Africa media relations was necessary because of the way the western media perceive things differently in the developing world.
“The practice where African media use the western media as a tool for advancing their course must change because it has not helped the continent,” he stressed.
He said the Chinese government was offering scholarships to more than 5000 people from Africa each year to study in Chinese educational institutions.
He further told the meeting that the Chinese government had established 20 ICT institutions in various Africa countries where the study of the Chinese language was being given attention.
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