East Ayawaso gets a SHS complex

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East Ayawaso gets a SHS complex Accra, Jan. 25, GNA – Dr Mustapha Ahmed, Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, on Wednesday cut the sod for work to begin on a three-storey 12 classroom block and offices for the proposed Senior High and Technical School for East Ayawaso in the Greater Accra Region.

The first phase of the project sited on a piece of land behind Kanda Presbyterian Primary and Junior High School, is estimated at GHC230,000.

It is expected to be completed within six months for admissions by September 2012.

He commended executives of East Ayawaso Constituency of the NDC, Assembly members and other committee members for their hardwork and dedication towards the  realisation of the project. 

Dr Ahmed said the project was being executed in consultation with the chiefs, elders and other opinion leaders of the community to bring about progress in the lives of the people.

He explained that the project was being financed by the GETFund, portion of the MP’s Share of the Common Fund, but would appreciate donations from the public especially, the beneficiary community to ensure the timely completion of the project.

Dr Ahmed stated that as the Member of Parliament for East Ayawaso, he thought it best to initiate the project to help address the challenges posed by the Senior High School Placement system.

“Difficulties of the placement system often frustrate parents and their wards in attaining Senior High School education in the community,” he said.

Dr Ahmed pointed out that as a community project, it would be owned by the community and urged all the committees set up to ensure the successful completion of the project on schedule.

He expressed the hope that the project would be expanded in future to accommodate more students.

GNA

Boko Haram is a threat to ECOWAS sub-regional security – Security Expert

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Boko Haram is a threat to ECOWAS sub-regional security – Security Expert Accra, Jan 25, GNA – A security expert on Wednesday said the terror campaign of Boko Haram in Nigeria poses a major security threat to West Africa and called on ECOWAS to intervene to deal with the insurgency.

“The potential threat of Boko Haram is not only to Nigeria but to the whole of the West African sub-region,” he said.

“Sadly ECOWAS is a joke. Its response to political crisis in West Africa is awful, our sub-regional leaders are quick to sign conventions and pass resolution but inept in implementation,” Dr Emmanuel Kwesi Aning, Director of Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.  

He said the ECOWAS protocol relating to the mechanism for conflict prevention, management, resolution, peace-keeping and security’s objectives was among other things to prevent, manage and resolve internal and inter-state conflicts.

He said Article 25 clearly states that in cases of aggression or conflict in any member state or threat thereof, in case of internal conflict that threatens to trigger a humanitarian disaster or that poses a serious threat to peace and security in the sub-region the Mediation and Security Council shall intervene.

Dr Aning said in spite of these articles ECOWAS is still waiting at the fringes without any direction and mechanism to deal with the Boko Haram insurgency.

He ruled out military options to suppress the uprising and said “Boko Haram does not require military response, it should be the last recourse.  It immediately demands a swift socio-political response to deal with the growing social vices especially corruption which is deep rooted among Nigerian elite class”.

Dr Aning traced the genesis of Boko Haram to 1986 radical religious rebellion led by a fundamentalist preacher which exploited the Maitatsinb riots but was brutally surprised.

He said the group went underground growing steadily to emerge again in the last five years as a force to reckon with. It has a multifaceted approach joining forces with allied groups to peruse their objective.

Its hallmark is the ability to shift its operational movement and forming ad hock alliance to achieve its mission, he said.

He said: “Targets for bombing are carefully selected to achieve operational objective, as well as sending operational message to the rest of the world”.

Dr Aning suggested that the Nigerian government adopt combination of strategies of which the military option should be the very last and that there should be no short term solutions.

He said Nigeria should deal with issues of corruption, provision of the needs of the greater majority whilst the elite community must face the economic realities of their actions on the masses.

He also expressed reservation about the recent removal of oil subsidy in Nigeria and said it was an unfavourable economic policy which the Boko Haram and allied forces are exploiting to advance their cause.

More than 935 people have been killed in some 164 suspected attacks by the group during the period.

The group has claimed responsibility for bombing churches, police stations, military facilities, banks, and beer parlors, in northern Nigeria, as well as the United Nations building and police headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital.   

Suspected Boko Haram members, often riding motorcycles and carrying Kalashnikov rifles under their robes, have gunned down numerous Christian worshipers, police officers, and soldiers, and assassinated local politicians, community leaders and Islamic clerics who oppose the group.

GNA

Supreme Court orders Registrar to serve hearing notices on two Deputy Ministers

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Supreme Court orders Registrar to serve hearing notices on two Deputy Ministers Accra, Jan. 24, GNA – The Supreme Court (SC) has directed its Registrar to serve hearing notices on Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Information and Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Deputy Minister of Environment Science and Technology.

The court gave the directive on Tuesday in the case in which the two Deputy Ministers are challenging Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey’s right to purchase a Government bungalow he occupied as a Minister of State.

At its sitting presided over by Mr Justice William Atuguba, the court noted that hearing notices had not been served on the two Deputy Ministers of State.

He, therefore, directed the Registrar to ensure hearing notices were served on them for the substantive issue to be heard and adjourned the case sine die.

At its previous sitting, the court unanimously dismissed preliminary objections raised by Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey, National Chairman of New Patriotic Party (NPP), quizzing its jurisdiction to hear the case brought against him.

In the latter part of 2008 the two Deputy Ministers of State sued the Attorney-General, Chairman of Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands at the Lands Title Registry for allocating the property to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey.

In a writ invoking the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, the applicants prayed the court to declare that by virtue of Articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution, the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing in the NPP Government, did not have the power to direct the sale, disposal or transfer of any Government or public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey or any other person or body under any circumstances whatsoever.

The applicants also prayed the court to order that any such direction for the disposal, sale or outright transfer of the said property in dispute or any other public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was illegal and unconstitutional.

They were seeking a declaration that by virtue of Articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution, the Government was obliged to retain and continue to use, in the public interest, the property in dispute.

The applicants were also seeking a further declaration that the purported sale of the said Government bungalow, located at St Mungo Street, Ridge, Accra, by the NPP Government to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was in utter contravention of Articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution.

According to the plaintiffs, the Supreme Court should order that the purported direction by the then Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, for the disposal, sale or outright transfer of the said property in dispute to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey smacked of cronyism, was arbitrary, capricious, discriminatory and a gross abuse of the discretionary power vested in a public officer under the 1992 Constitution.

They were praying the court to declare that a publication by the Chairman of Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands, which announced that the said property had been allocated to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was unconstitutional, void and must be struck out as such, since it was in contravention of Articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution.

Furthermore, the plaintiffs were praying for an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the Chairman of Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands and their agents “From perfecting the registration of a parcel of land designated as Parcel No 29, Block 12, Section 019, in extent 1.04 acres more or less, as delineated on Registry Map No 003/019/1998, on which is situated in the Republic of Ghana Bungalow No 2, located at St Mungo Street, Ridge, Accra, in the name of Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey”.

A statement of case accompanying the writ said Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey allocated onto himself the Government bungalow in dispute as his duty post and resided at the said duty post at a huge cost to the State from 2001 to 2008, although he resigned from his public office sometime in 2007 to pursue his presidential ambition.

It said in 2001, when Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, the head office of Public Works Department carried out, at his behest, renovation to the tune of GH¢ 17,254 “Through Brockwell Construction & Engineering Limited, not to mention further additional refurbishment carried out at his instance to his taste at extraordinary expense to that State”.

According to the statement of case, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey subsequently applied to the Chairman of Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands for a land title certificate to effectuate what it termed “The illegal and unconstitutional transaction”.

It said the Chairman of Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands took the above steps to regularise the grant to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey a land certificate in relation to the said property to effectuate the purported sale of the said government bungalow and plot to him.

The statement of case said, the applicants wrote to the then Attorney-General, protesting the sale of the said bungalow, but the Attorney-General replied and pointed out that the matter was a Constitutional issue.

They further argued that the then Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, did not have the power to “Direct the sale, disposal or transfer of any government or public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey or any person or body under such circumstances and that any such direction for the disposal, sale or outright transfer of the said property in dispute or any other public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was illegal and unconstitutional”.

The SC panel included Mr Justice Stephen Allan Brobbey, Ms Justice Sophia Akuffo. Ms Justice Rose Owusu, Ms Justice Sophia Adiniyira, Mr Justice Julius Ansah,  Mr Justice Jones Victor Dotse,  Mr Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonney and Mrs Justice Vida Akoto- Bamfo.

GNA

Amend the Rent Act-Rent Officer

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Amend the Rent Act-Rent Officer Accra, Jan.25, GNA-Government has been asked to amend the Rent Act of 1963 to address changing trends regarding housing and accommodation in the country.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday, Mr Fred Tawiah, Greater Accra Regional Principal Rent Officer, Rent Control Department, noted that the Department needed more power to adequately regularize the activities of landlords, accommodation agents and housing in general.

According to him, the high rate at which landlords in the Greater Accra Region had treated the Act with disdain and were charging rents without consulting the Department as stipulated in the Act.

 “It is pathetic to note that landlords have taken the law into their own hands and are charging rents as they pleased without consulting the Department.

Mr Tawaih said: “It is only the landlords who rent their office to corporate entities who often visit our office whenever they want to increase their rent, and we commend them for that”.

He charged tenants who feel cheated or not treated fairly by their landlords not to hesitate to contact the Rent Control Department for redress and asked accommodation agents to desist from charging 10 per cent on amount paid to landlords as that was against the law.

 “According to the law, accommodation agents are required to charge only five per cent on rent paid for only one year, and not the usual ten per cent on the total amount paid by tenants to landlords”.

He expressed regret that the current law did not give the Department  the mandate to regularize the activities of accommodation agents.

He admonished landlords to desist from collecting advance payment of two years and above as the law required of them to charge only up to six months.

Mr Tawiah cited non payment of rents and utility bills by tenants as some of the charges that landlords usually brought to the office.

 “Tenants on the other hand usually come to our office when landlords arbitrarily increase their rents”.    

 GNA

President Mills reshuffles Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State

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President Mills reshuffles Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State Accra, Jan. 25, GNA – President John Evans Atta Mills on Wednesday made changes in Ministerial appointments.

A statement signed by Mr J.K. Bebaako-Mensah, Secretary to the President said, Mr Benjamin Kunbour is the new Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Mr Alban S.K.Bagbin currently Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing moves to the Ministry of Health. 

Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare replaces Mr Alban Bagbin as Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing.

It said new appointments made were, Mr William Kwasi Aboah – Minister designate for the Interior, Mr Lee Ocran, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa – Minister designate for Education; Mr Fritz Baffour, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South – Minister designate for Information; Mr Moses Asaga – Minister designate for Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Dominic Azimbe Azumah, Member of Parliament for Garu/ Tempane – Minister of State designate at the Presidency, and Mr Amin Amidu Sulemani, currently Ghana’s Ambassador to Egypt  – Minister designate for Upper West Region.

The statement said the President had in addition, made changes and appointments in some Deputy Ministers.

Mr Stephen Ackah, Member of Parliament for Suaman – Deputy Minister designate for the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Developemt; Mr Isaac Vanderpuiye – Deputy Minister Designate for Greater Accra Region; Mr James Agyenim- Boateng, currently Deputy Minister of Tourism, moves to the Ministry of Information as Deputy Minister, while Mr Mohammed Baba Jamal becomes the Deputy Minister of Tourism;

Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology goes to the Ministry of Youth and Sports as Deputy Minister, while Mr Reuben Nii Nortey Dua, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports moves to the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing as Deputy Minister;

The rest are, Dr Mustapha Ahmed, currently Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing is now Deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology; Mr Henry Ametepey – Deputy Minister designate for the Volta Region to replace Colonel Cyril Neku ( Rtd.)

The statement said Alhaji Said Sinare had been appointed Ghana’s Ambassador designate to Egypt.

GNA

Police officers urged to take interest in road accident investigation

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Police officers urged to take interest in road accident investigation Accra, Jan 25, GNA – Assistant Commisioner of Police ACP Angwubutoge Awuni, Commanding Officer of the National Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), has tasked officers to make road accident investigation a major priority to avoid numerous petitions that were directed to the Headquarters for redress.

“I have observed with so much concern the laxity with which some of our accident investigators go about their duties. They either do not visit accident scenes or fail to take appropriate statements from relevant victims or witnesses”, he said.

ACP Awuni was speaking at the maiden meeting of all commanders of the Unit throughout the country in Accra on Tuesday.

He said it was important for officers to communicate directly with victims of road accidents and explain to them the status of cases to help address misunderstandings that erupt due to the absence of direct contact.

“We all know that some cases deserve to be forwarded to the Attorney –General’s Department for advice, there is no reason why victims should not be made aware of this action” he said.

The Commander entreated the officers to caution their subordinates to exercise restrain when dealing with motorists to prevent confrontations that sometimes occurred on the highways.

“Some of our men tend to be so impatient that they end up picking up quarrels or engage in physical confrontation with motorists. This kind of attitude is unacceptable as far as the ethics of the Police Service is concerned. It amounts to misconduct and therefore punishable” he stated.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCOP John Kudalor, and Director General of Police Operations, asked the commanders to constantly monitor the conduct of their officers and carefully educate them before they go out to their duties.

“We are much in the public view more than any other unit, you must try to carry yourselves like officers, and being in the police service is a calling so you must be ready to endure the challenges that come with it”, he said.

DCOP Kudalor assured the unit of the provision of vehicles and other logistics by the middle of the year to help in discharging their duties.

GNA

Odotobri Rural Bank donates to Otumfuo Educational Fund

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Odotobri Rural Bank donates to Otumfuo Educational Fund Kumasi, Jan 23, GNA-The Kumasi branch of the Odotobri Rural Bank has donated 5,000 exercise books worth GH¢ 3,500 to the Otumfuo Educational Fund in Kumasi.

Mr Jonny Owusu Boadi, Board Chairman of the Bank, said the donation formed part of the Bank’s corporate responsibility to boost academic work and ensure quality education delivery.

He said in view of the tremendous efforts by the Otumfuo Education Fund to raise the standard of education, it was imperative for stakeholders to contribute to the Fund to achieve its objectives.

He indicated that the Bank had over the years made various contributions in the form of sponsorship to students and also embarked on numerous development projects in the areas of educational facilities for deprived schools.

Mr Boadi said the Bank would continue to support educational development for the advancement of the country.

Nana Adu Mensah Asare, the Amakomhene, who received the books on behalf of the Fund, thanked the Bank for the gesture and called on other corporate entities to emulate them.

GNA

Chirano Trains drivers and traders on fire safety

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Chirano Trains drivers and traders on fire safety Ntrentreso (W/R), Jan 25, GNA- Commercial drivers have been advised to seek the assistance of the various Fire Service Offices before purchasing fire extinguishers for their vehicles and homes.

District Fire Service offices could be of immense help to safeguard the destruction of lives and property in case of fire outbreaks in vehicles and at home.

Mr Osman Agyeman, a Fire Officer at Chirano Gold Mines Limited (CGML) said this during an educational meeting with commercial drivers and traders at Ntrentreso.

He explained that there were several classes of fire and different types of fire extinguishers on the market and that most of the extinguishers may not be suitable for commercial vehicles.

“If an inappropriate one is used during a fire outbreak, it could lead to further destruction of a particular property”.

Mr Agyeman said while some fire extinguishers needs to be serviced regularly to make them potent for use during fires, its safety pin and seal should always be intact and should be inspected regularly to ensure that it was useable.

He cautioned commercial drivers not to attempt re-fixing electrical faults on their vehicles but should rather seek the assistance of qualified auto electricians and mechanics to prevent the increasing cases of fires among commercial vehicles.

Mr John Kennedy Anyanah, Senior Safety Officer of CGML, said he was not happy with the way most commercial drivers, especially taxis, which ply Bibiani, Wiawso, Bekwai, Ntrentreso, Akoti and Etwebo were mostly overloaded beyond the capacity of the vehicles.

He said such acts had contributed to several accidents, adding that, overloading also violates the insurance cover on the vehicle.

He therefore appealed to commercial drivers to stop over loading in order to prolong the lifespan of their vehicles as well as save lives.

Mr Anyanah said seat belts were meant to protect lives and urged all drivers and passengers to use seat belts whenever they board any commercial vehicle. 

Mr Anyanah reminded them that road signs and markings and are meant to guide drivers to prevent road accidents.

GNA

Health services in Bolgatanga Municipality improves

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Health services in Bolgatanga Municipality improves Bolgatanga Jan. 25, GNA The Bolgatanga Municipal Health Directorate says its programmes carried out in 2011 fared better than those in previous years.

Some of the programmes given special attention included detection and cure of Tuberculosis (TB), Expanded Programme of Immunization  (EPI) , Malaria Control, HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health and Nutrition.

Speaking at an annual review meeting organised to take stock of the performance of the Municipal Health Services against set targets on Wednesday, Ms Joyce K Bagina, Municipal Director of Health Services, said the detection rate of TB increased from 79.2 per cent in 2010 to 82.9 per cent in 2011, exceeding the national target of 70 per cent while the death rate reduced from 13.8 per cent in 2010 to 5.2 per cent in 2011.

She said apart from Measles and Yellow Fever, there has been significant increase in the coverage of all antigens from 2010 to 2011, as 95 per cent of all the vaccinations covered an excess of the target that was pegged at 95 per cent.

She noted that HIV control activities were intensified as incidence of the disease was rather high, rising from 2.6 per cent in 2009 to 3.8 per cent in 2010. All health facilities were then equipped and started offering Prevention of Mother to Child transmission treatment to pregnant women and 45 counsellors were trained to help with it while all second cycle schools in the area were visited and given education as well as counselling  on the disease.

Radio sensitization programmes were also carried out.

“At the Out Patients Departments (OPD) of health facilities in the Municipality, there was a decrease in the 2011 Malaria cases as compared to the figure in 2010, from 152,156 in 2010 to 129,645 in 2011.”

Ms Bagina explained that the improvement could have been due to the intensive education on malaria preventive measures and the use of insecticide treated bed nets.

Antenatal coverage was increased from 79.4 per cent in 2010 to 84.9 per cent in 2011 while supervised deliveries increased from 69.1 per cent to 76 per cent during the same period.

In the area of nutrition, 221 children were seen with acute malnutrition and 71.1 per cent cured.

Ms Bagina said the shortage of personnel which was a problem had improved as about five Diploma General Nurses and several enrolled nurses were posted to the Municipality while Health Extension Workers and Health Promotion Assistants were also assigned to the facilities to help.

She said Family Planning (FP) patronage was rather low and called on the personnel to work hard at educating the people on the need to plan their families.

 “Some reasons for the poor response to FP include traditional beliefs against the prevention of procreation, refusal of husbands to allow their wives, inconvenience of having to take pills everyday and misconception about side effects”, she said.

Dr James Akpable, Upper East Deputy Regional Director of Health Services, called on the health workers to make innovations in their usual duties and plan differently to enable them perform better.

He assured them that they would be getting more funds this year to carry out their duties.

GNA

Bongo River Tree Restoration Project Launched

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Bongo River Tree Restoration Project Launched Bongo (U/E), Jan 25, GNA – Tree Aid, in collaboration with the Bongo Traditional Authority and the Bongo District Assembly, has started a project to restore and maintain vegetation around the major rivers in Bongo, Upper East Region.

Mr Philip Goodwin, Chief Executive officer of Tree Aid, said the major concern of his outfit was to create an opportunity for individuals particularly the poor to generate income to create forest enterprises and manage the resources more securely and ultimately protect the environment.

 “Poverty creates greater problems for the environment but a degraded environment creates more poverty”, he said, noting that Tree Aid had made effective interventions to break that cycle of environmental decline.

He explained that the project was planned after a visit showed that the area was challenged with deforestation along the rivers.

Mr Andrews Dokurugu, Project officer of Tree Aid in Burkina Faso, said the removal of vegetation along river banks in the area was a matter of great concern, saying the trees were extremely important and checked soil erosion as well as protecting the water body.

 “This is especially crucial because the rivers and streams in this district feed the Vea Dam which is the main source of water for the Bongo Municipality” he said.

He said his outfit intended to work effectively with the community and other traditional authorities to replant the lost vegetation along the major river banks with the local tree species and added that farmers who work along the rivers would be brought on board to put in place appropriate farm management practices that would reduce soil erosion and the silting up of the rivers.

Mr Dokurugu said Tree Aid planned to incorporate enterprises based on tree products to ensure t individuals in the area had alternate livelihood activities devoid of the tendency to over exploit the natural resources.

He said the pilot project would take an initial three-year timeline to cover 15 kilometres of the overall length of 50 kilometers of the river.

He was however hopeful that, at the end of the project the forest and the biodiversity along the rivers would be restored and ultimately conserve the water body. Also farmers would have been sensitized to adopt appropriate practices that would ensure long term sustainable management of resources.

Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area, Bonaba Baba Salifu Alemyarum, expressed appreciation to Tree Aid for the attempt at restoring trees and protecting the water bodies.

He recounted his childhood days and said there were numerous trees along the river banks with water in the rivers during the dry season which was used for irrigation farming by their fathers.

He called on his sub-chief and people to embrace the initiative and support Tree Aid to carry out the tree restoration project which would be of immense benefit to them.

Mr Albert Abongo, Member of Parliament for the area, said the government was committed to improving the environment and that 30 million Ghana Cedis had been allocated in this year’s budget under the government forestation programme.

Mr Abongo appealed to the community chiefs and the District chief Executive to support the project and come out with punitive measures to protect the depletion of trees in the area.

GNA

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