Last Updated- Feb 28, 2010 19:33 - - 0 Comments

Some retrenched workers of GWCL miss out on tools package

Over 50 retrenched workers of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in the Volta region seemed to have missed out on a tools package, as part of the company’s retraining and resettlement programme for affected workers.

Only 43, out of about 90 such former workers, who called at the Company’s offices in Ho on Friday, were listed as those to receive the tools.

Some of them, who called at the offices of the GNA in Ho with testimonials as proof of having completed their apprenticeship, alleged that the consultant could not explain to them why their names were not on the list.

Mr Joseph Tetteh Adjavon, one of the former workers said, the consultant did a poor job and described it as “a stab in the back of the workers”.

Mr Samuel Amudzi, a former security man of the company said he and four others hired a taxi from Sogakope in the South Tongu district to Ho with the hope that they would receive their tools but he was told that his name was not on the list.

Mr Agbedzodzi Adalete, who also could not hide his disappointment, said they were given orientation before the retrenchment exercise, after which they took up training in various trades.

He said they could not survive on the retrenchment money alone and appealed to the consultant to find a solution to the problem.

Mr Cephas Donkor, the Consultant told the GNA that about 1,605 people were retrenched by the GWCL in 2005.

He said before the retrenchment, those who were to be affected were given pre counselling to condition them towards the retrenchment.

Mr Donkor said they were given entrepreneurial and skills training after which they were asked to learn the trades of their choice.

He said many of them were “dazed” by the money given them and could not complete the process.

Mr Donkor said only 414 people nationwide followed the process and were therefore eligible for the package.

Source: GNA

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Kan Dapaah chairs WAAPAC

Mr. Kan Dapaah

Mr Albert Kan Dapaah, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has been unanimously elected as the Chairman of the West Africa Association of Public Accounts Committee (WAAPAC).

A press release issued in Accra, said Mr Dapaah was elected at the annual general meeting of the Association held in Accra for a two year term.

The release said WAAPAC brings together members of PAC in West Africa, to promote a non-partisan forum and encourage among its members the exchange of views on issues of general interest.

It said the primary objective of WAAPAC was to facilitate and encourage interaction among PACs, government and other stakeholders in order to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public funds within the Sub-region.

Mr Kan-Dapaah, a former Cabinet Minister for eight years brings, into bear his wealth of experience in auditing and parliamentary duties, having been a member of parliament for 13 years.

He was once the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ghana and Vice President of the Association of Accountancy Bodies in West Africa .

The release quoted Mr Dapaah as saying that his appointment was both an honour and a challenge.

He will be assisted by two deputy chairpersons from Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Source: GNA

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Sekondi/Takoradi hit by water shortage

The Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis is experiencing water rationing as a result of the drying up of River Pra and River Anakwa that supplied water to the treatment plants at Daboase and Inchaban.

Mr. Mark Teiko Cudjoe, Production Manager of the Ghana Water Company Limited in charge of Western Region, said the water level of the rivers had gone down affecting extraction, treatment and distribution of water.

The Production Manager, who took journalists round the treatment plants to ascertain the situation, said that the Daboase head works which produces 6 million gallons of water, could only supply 4 million gallons daily while the Anankwa River at Inchaban produced 5,000 gallons instead of 4 million gallons daily.

Mr Cudjoe said that activities of illegal miners “galamsey” operators, particularly around the River Pra was affecting cost of water production and treatment and that “We have already carried out four desilting this year”.

Source: GNA

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Attorney General pledges justice for all

Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrissu - Attorney-General

Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, on Friday pledged to ensure that justice becomes accessible to all the citizenry irrespective of their status in the society.

She said the provision of efficient and transparent legal system was important to strengthening the rule of law and observance of human rights.

Mrs. Mould-Iddrisu made the pledge at the inauguration of the nine-member Ministerial Advisory Board (MAB) for the Ministry in Accra.

The Board is to promote constant interactions between the Ministry; users of its services and advise the Minister on adjustments in policy directions, planning objectives and operational strategies.

These are the Copyright Office, Registrar-General’s Department, Ghana School of Law, the Council for Law Reporting, Legal Aid Scheme, Law Reform Commission and the Serious Fraud Office.

Mrs. Mould-Iddrisu is the Chairperson and other members are Mr. Ebo Barton-Odro, Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Justice Abdullah Iddrisu of Ghana Judicial Service, Mr. Justice Kus-Minkah Premo, National Vice President, Ghana Bar Association and Professor Kofi Quashigah, Dean of Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon.

The rest are Mrs. Amma Gaisie, Solicitor General, Ministry of Justice, Mr. Suleiman Ahmed, Acting Chief Director, Ministry of Justice, Mr. Nii Osah Mills, Nii Osah Mills and Associates and a representative of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Select Committee.

Mrs. Mould-Iddrisu expressed concern about the high attrition rate among staff as a result of the appalling staff condition especially with regard to State Attorneys.

“I must, however add quickly that this will soon be a thing of the past as I have taken the steps to address this situation,” she said.

The Attorney General said another disturbing problem was the skewed distribution of Attorneys among the various grades, while the middle level grades such as Principal and Senior State Attorney were few, the lower grades such as Assistant State Attorneys were many and such a situation had created a huge problem for the Ministry in the discharge of its mandate.

Mrs. Mould-Iddrisu called on members of institutions operating under the Ministry to provide useful feedback to the Board to fashion out credible practices and policies which would respond to the needs of the people especially the less privileged in society.

She asked members of the Board to bring their individual knowledge, skills and competence to bear on the performance of the Ministry.

“Indeed, we must acknowledge that it is an honour to be called upon to serve your nation in a special capacity,” she said.

Source: GNA

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Ministry of Education to abolish school shift system

Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister of Education on Friday announced that the Ministry is developing a programme for the phasing out of the school shift system.

He said the sector has noted with concern the negative effect of the shift system on teaching and learning in the schools and was taking steps to redress the situation.

Mr Tettey-Enyo made the announcement in an answer to a question by Mr Theophilus Tetteh Chaie, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central, who wanted to know when new classroom blocks will be provided for the New Abossey Okai Primary School at Mataheko, since government has committed itself to abolish the shift system.

The Minister said the shift system was basically due to inadequate classroom infrastructure to accommodate the large number of pupils in a catchment area and that the system was mostly found in the urban centres where there were large population of pupils.

Mr Tettey-Enyo stated that the Ministry has also noted the efforts of some District Assemblies to help address this challenge and commended the Accra Metropolitan Assembly in particular, which has indicated its desire to construct classrooms in schools with shift system.

He said nevertheless, the New Abossey Okai Primary School would be considered along the others in the implementation of the government policy of providing school infrastructure to accommodate the pupils.

Source: GNA

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CID asked to investigate fire outbreaks, bomb threats

The Police administration has charged personnel of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to elicit information leading to apprehension of individuals regarding fire outbreaks and bomb threats in the country.

Mr. Paul Tawiah Quaye, Inspector General of Police (IGP), who gave the directive, said “We must put our ears on the ground, make judicious use of our intelligence gathering skills and tap vital information by using our most trusted informants to stop these fake and ill-intended alarms before a permanent damage is inflicted on the security image of the country”.

He gave the directive at the annual WASSA, organised by the CID in Accra on Friday.

Mr. Quaye said bomb scare, threats and the recent abnormal fire outbreaks affecting both public and private properties were a new phenomenon, which was creating panic and anxiety among the populace and required professional solution.

He announced that the Police administration had secured a three-million European Union (EU) Grant and 12.5 million dollar Spanish Protocol Grant.

Mr. Quaye said four million dollars out of the amount would be used to purchase Automated Fingerprint and Imaging System for the Criminal Data and Statistics Bureau of the CID to boost its scientific investigations and operational effectiveness.

He said the Police administration was negotiating for funds to procure crime detection equipment that would assist personnel to cope with advancing technological criminality trends.

“Improvement and refurbishment of our forensic laboratory has also commenced,” the IGP said.

Mr. Quaye reiterated that “2010 is our year of image redemption” and called on CID personnel to review the manner in which it treated suspects in custody and ensure expeditious investigations and strict adherence to the respect for fundamental and human rights.

Mr. Quaye said they must strictly comply with SI 201 global professional standard and warned that personnel who would misconduct themselves would not be shielded.

He said even though the Police Service could not achieve its set targets for 2009, it had recorded massive improvements to significantly reduce incidences of robberies and narcotic drugs trafficking.

Mr. Quaye called on the CID to continue to deliver professional services as efforts were being made to provide the needed facilities.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku, Director of CID, said with strategic planning and support the unit had successfully prosecuted 518 cases with 170 convictions while 322 cases were pending.

He said last year, the CID begun retraining programmes on investigative topics for detectives and would continue this year to enhance investigative skills of personnel.

DCOP Adu-Poku advised personnel to endeavour to protect the image of the service.

“As detectives, we must avoid acts, omissions or commissions that would drag the image of the Police Service in the mud. We should respect the rights of suspects and be civil to the public for their support and cooperation, “he said.

Source: GNA

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MP to pay GH¢400 fees for each youth to learn ICT

Nii Nortey Dua, Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku Constituency, is to pay GH¢400 enrolment fees for each youth in his constituency to benefit from the Information Communication Technology (ICT) module under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP).

Nii Nortey Dua, who is also Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, said he would used his share of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to pay the fees and therefore asked interested persons to register with the NYEP offices for payment to be effected.

He announced this at a ceremony organised by the Ledzokuku Constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to present certificates of recognition to members of the party, who served as Poling Station Agents for the 2008 general election at Teshie near Accra on Saturday.

The 312 certificates, designed in the NDC’s colours, were signed by the President, John Atta Mills, Dr Kwabena Adjei, NDC Chairman and Nii Nortey Dua, representing the party’s appreciation of the efforts and contributions of the agents.

Nii Nortey Dua said the efforts of the agents enabled the NDC to wrestle the Ledzokuku Parliamentary Seat from the New Patriotic Party after it held for eight years.

The Deputy Minister also announced that he was developing a module called Youth-in-Dressmaking for interested youths in his constituency to undergo six months training and become professional designers.

The idea, according to him, was to give the youth the right attitude for profitable self-employment and financial freedom.

He said even though government successfully rolled-out the Youth-in-ICT programme, most of the youths have not been benefiting because they could not pay the GH¢400 enrolment fees.

Nii Nortey Dua, however, said he was keen on turning the situation around for his constituents.

He said he was also collating data on graduate unemployment in the constituency and had asked all university and polytechnic graduates to register and be enrolled in well-crafted entrepreneurial and marketing programmes to enhance their skills to become self-employed.

“I have also scheduled a meeting with the physically challenged in the constituency to enable them to decide what to be done for them and I will impress on the District Assembly to release two per cent of its revenue, as mandated by the law, towards serving their interests” the MP said.

He said in the next three weeks, he would open a Constituency Parliament where every community within it would send two persons to represent them at meetings concerning the constituency’s development.

He said this year, he would begin the construction of a-six classroom block for Agblesa community in the northern part of the constituency and build library fitted with ICT facilities at Teshie to improve educational standards in the constituency.

Nii Nortey Dua told members of the party not be carried away by what others might be saying but to remain committed to party as it moved into action this year to deliver projects that would improve their living conditions.

Mr Daniel Amartey Mensah, District Chief Executive for Ledzokuku Krowor, said his administration had embarked on numerous projects including rehabilitation of roads, street lighting, provision of health and educational facilities and water to better the lot of the people.

Sam Nii Bonney Quist, Ledzokuku Constituency Chairman of the NDC said the presentation of the certificates showed that the party recognized any contribution of its members and called on the members to continue to work for its victory in subsequent elections.

Mr Danny Anang, National Vice Chairman of the NDC and Member of the Ledzokuku branch commended the polling station agents for their hard work.

Source: GNA

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Ghana is beacon of success – Richard Branson

Mr Richard Branson, Founder and Chief Executive of the Virgin Group, a British venture capital conglomerate, has noted that “Ghana is a beacon of success in the sub-region” and should capitalize on her successes to transform society.

He said the country’s institutions had significantly improved with favourable business climate and competitive market, making her to be more attractive to investors.

Mr Branson made the remark in a pre-recorded presentation played to participants at the just ended Opportunities Conference 2010, organised by Forethought, an indigenous events management firm in Accra.

His presentation was on the topic: “Effective Strategisation in a Competitive Global Market, how to Succeed in times of Adverse Challenges”.

The two-day conference themed “Shifting Paradigms, Shaping Possibilities” and sponsored by Zain Ghana, was to identify Ghana’s business opportunities and empower participants on how to create wealth out of those opportunities for the development country.

It was addressed by personalities drawn from the corporate, academic and public sectors, who spoke on wealth creation through entrepreneurship and innovation.

Conference participants included people from academia, students, entrepreneurs and business leaders from all sectors of the economy.

Mr Branson said with favourable business climate, Ghanaians should rise up to challenge and healthily compete with other business interests in order to enable them to enjoy gains of the country’s success story.

He advised especially young entrepreneurs not feel daunted by competition but to persevere adding that the beginning of every endeavour was challenging but those who pushed through became victors.

Using himself as an example, he said, despite the global economic meltdown, he had been working to launch an airliner called Virgin Atlantic on the Accra – London route by spring this year.

Mr Kwame Pianim, an Economist and Business Consultant observed that “The economy of Ghana in 2010 is at a historically defining moment with the oil find of 2007.”

Mr Pianim explained that the opportunities, which the oil sector would offer would be enormous and expressed the hope that they would help to propel the country into an era of accelerated and sustainable transformational development.

Ms Joyce Aryee, Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Mines said many natural resources such as Mica, Marble, Clay and Salt which had huge revenue base were under-exploited.

She, therefore, called for a carefully re-evaluated programme to mine such resources for the benefit of the country.

Source: GNA

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Mobile phones to be used to curb maternal mortality

Grameen Foundation, an NGO in healthcare services, is pioneering a concept of using mobile phones to monitor the condition of pregnant women and babies.

Ms Kirsten Gagnaire, Project Manager in an address at the fourth anniversary celebration of the Volta Foundation in Ho last Friday said, health workers manning Community Based Health Planning Services (CHPS) Zones would keep phone numbers of pregnant women to prompt them on what to do and when to seek medical help.

She said the two-way communication between nurses and pregnant women should help reduce maternal mortality in the country.

Ms Gagnaire said what was essential for the project, was access to mobile phones, which in certain cases, could be shared.

She said simple text messages to nurses from clients and quick cue back on what to do could make a big difference in the maternal health situation in the country.

Ms Gagnaire said pilot programmes were going on in selected areas of the country.

The theme of the anniversary was “Harnessing Our Energies for Accelerated Development of the Volta Region-2010, The Year for Youth Empowerment”.

Source: GNA

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Stakeholders sensitized on point of use water treatment

The Afram Plains Development Organisation (APDO), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to poverty reduction, has sensitized some key stakeholders in the water sector on the appropriate point of use (POU) treatment in the country.

The aim was to ensure that people treated water well no matter the source before drinking to prevent contracting diarrhoea diseases in northern Ghana where some sources of drinking water are contaminated.

Precision DX, an Accra based company is liaising with APDO to use aquatabs water purifying tablets to purify Point of Use water before consumption.

The Agricultural Rural Development (ARD) and the West African Water Initiative (WAWI) funded the programme, which brought together more than 70 participants from the Northern and the Upper East regions.

Mr. Dominic Dapaah, Northern Regional Programme Director of APDO, said water sources were often contaminated and stressed the need for point of use water treatment before consumption.

He said APDO was established in 1986 and was initially focused on the provision of safe water and sanitation facilities but later partnered with some development partners to help the poor and some vulnerable groups in society.

Mr Dapaah said APDO was also working to promote hygiene and sanitation services, education, information on HIV/AIDS and the sustainable use and management of natural resources.

On water treatment with aquatabs, Mr. Dapaah said, a lot contamination occurs during transportation of water from source to households including those who have access to improved water hence the need for treatment before use.

He said since 2008, a safe drinking water initiative has been in the process that included country-specific activities in the four WAWI countries, namely Ghana, Mali, Niger and Burkina-Faso to ensure that a commercial chlorine-based POU product was made available.

Source: GNA