General Nunoo Mensah’s Comment Is Unfortunate

The Communication Director of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Brong Ahafo Region, Collins Mahama, has described the comments made by the National Security Advisor, Brigadier General Nunoo Mensah calling on Ghanaians who can’t sacrifice for the country to take their passport and move out of the country as unfortunate.

According to him, the General’s advice to Ghanaians to be discipline was in a right direction, but telling Ghanaians to move out of the country if they can’t make sacrifices is unfortunate and worrying.

Speaking on Ark Fm, a local radio in Sunyani, Mr. Mahama said if government workers go on strike which is not against the law, then they should be paid.
He however said if they do it contrary to the law, he will support calls for the government to withdraw their salaries.

It will be recalled that the National Security adviser took a swipe at workers in the country whom, he says, consistently use strikes to get their concerns addressed.  
He mentioned that the many strikes on the labour front is a sign of high level indiscipline in the country.

The security adviser was speaking at the commissioning of a nine-classroom block he built for O’reilly Senior High School in Accra, and called for the suspension of salaries of such striking employees.

Many commentators including members of the ruling NDC have described the security adviser’s comments as unfortunate, while some have even called on him to retract his statements.

The Brong Ahafo Regional Communication Director of the NPP, Kofi Ofosu Boateng, in his subsmission also called on government staffers to stop making such comments that irritates Ghananians.
He said if the government feels it difficult to rule the country they should leave it for Ghananians to choose competent people to rule the country.

“If they can’t manage the country, the Brigadier and his government should also back off and allow competent people to rule”, he added.

 

From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Minister Stoned For Over Dead Boy

INFORMATION REACHING DAILY GUIDE indicates that some angry youth of Odumase near Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo regional capital, on Thursday afternoon pelted the Deputy Regional Minister, Justice Samuel Agyei with stones and sachet water.
The youth who were angry over the shooting and killing of a member of the community by the police, vented their spleen on the Brong Ahafo Deputy Regional Minister and his team, throwing all sorts of offensive weapons at them.
Mr Agyei was leading a delegation of police chiefs to visit the family of the 24-yearold bike repairer, Osei Kwabena Aberega, who was allegedly shot dead by the police on Monday evening.
The angry youth had vowed to deal with any policeman that comes to the area because they believed the police were no longer protecting the citizenry but rather killing innocent people.
Kwabena Aberega was said to have been gunned down by the police for allegedly smoking wee in the company of a friend.
An eyewitness said the incident happened in front of her around 9:15pm on Monday evening when she was packing stuff in her store, and getting ready to go home.
She said she saw the police arresting a man who was in custody now, claiming he was smoking Indian hemp with the deceased.
According to her, the man in custody, who was by then handcuffed, was crying and pleading with the police to let him go because he was not smoking marijuana as he was from the Odumase Secondary School campus where he worked as a pantry man.
The eyewitness said when Kwabena Aberega saw the maltreatment being meted out to his friend by the police, he took to his heels and one of the policemen went after him, only for his dead body to be discovered later.
It was based on this brutality that the youth chased away the Minister and his police team, as they came visiting the bereaved family.
According to the senior sister of the deceased, Comfort Aberega, on Thursday morning, the Deputy Minister sent the family a message that he and his entourage would be coming to visit and console them.
She said in the afternoon, they heard shouts in the streets and when they inquired about it, an eyewitness told them that it was the youth in the town who were hooting at the police that had come to the chief’s palace with the Minister.
Madam Comfort said the Minister was not able to come to their house because the eyewitness told the family the youth in the town prevented the police by throwing stones and water at them in front of the Odumase chief’s palace.
She said due to the situation, the Minister later sent someone to tell them he would come back on Friday to visit them.
She noted that the family did not know the youth who were demonstrating against the police over the death of her brother.
She said her late brother was a good man who was known by everybody in the community because of the nature of his job.
She further told the paper that the family would not rest until justice was done because they believed their son was killed unjustly.
Comfort was of the opinion that the police wanted to cover up for the policeman who killed her brother, but they would pursue the matter until the right thing was done.
FROM Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Cop Kills Bike Repairer

Police in Sunyani on Monday evening shot and killed a 24-year-old motor bike repairer, Osei Kwabena Aberega, at Odumase in the Sunyani West District of the Brong Ahafo Region.

The unfortunate incident, which happened on the Odumase -Adantia road, has created tension at the community making residents to become very worried.
The community protested on Tuesday against the conduct of the police.
An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said the incident happened in her presence around 9:15pm on Monday evening, when she was packing her wares from her store to go home.
She said she saw the police arresting one man, who is in custody now, claiming he was smoking weed (marijuana) with his friend Kwabina Osei Aberega, now deceased.
According to her, the man in custody, who was by then handcuffed, was crying and pleaded with the police to let him go because he was not smoking marijuana since he was from the Odumase Secondary School campus, where he worked as a pantry man.
The eye-witness said when  Kwabena Osei Aberega saw the maltreatment being meted out to his friend by the police, he took to his heels and one of the policemen went after him.
She further mentioned that she saw the police returning from the direction where he had followed Kwabina Osei but didn’t see Kwabina again until late in the night that she heard that he had been shot dead.
When DAILY GUIDE visited the deceased house on Wednesday morning, the family expressed worry over the way the police were handling the issue and claimed their son was not a weed smoker.
The sister of the deceased, Comfort Aberega, who went to the mortuary to see the body of his younger brother, expressed deep sorrow over the incident.
She said the police had refused to release the body to them because they claimed they were waiting for post mortem to be done on the body to ascertain whether it was truly the gun that killed him.
The father of the deceased, Anaaba Aberega, who was in tears when DAILY GUIDE visited the house, called on the authorities to investigate his son’s death and bring the offender to book since he claimed his son was not a weed smoker.
Meanwhile the Brong Ahafo Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Christopher Tawiah, said the police had begun investigations into the matter.
According to him, the police personnel were on patrol on Monday when the deceased and his accomplice, Alidu Ibrahim (now in custody), were found smoking weed.
They were ordered to stop but the deceased took to his heels, he said.
The police PRO narrated that one of the police officers gave him a hot chase and arrested him, but in the process of being handcuffed, the deceased struggled with the police officer who was armed.
He said in the process, the policeman’s riffle went off hitting the victim on the side of his waist.
ASP Tawiah alleged the victim ran for about 200 metres and fell down dead. He said the body had since been deposited at the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital morgue.
ASP Christopher Tawiah stated that the policeman, who was involved in the shooting incident, had been arrested to assist in investigations.
 From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Support Your Priests – Bishop

THE ANGLICAN Bishop of Sunyani Diocese, Right Rev Dr Festus Yeboah-Asuamah, has called on Christians to always support their church Ministers with prayers to be able to help the church and the word of God grow.

According to him, being a priest is a task that calls for more prayers to help priests grow more spiritually.
The Bishop was speaking at the ordination of five deacons to priesthood and two brothers to deacons at the St Anselm’s Anglican Church in Sunyani.
Rev Yeboah-Asuamah told the new ministers that their call into priesthood is a noble one, which would indeed come with a lot of challenges.
He entreated them to remain prayerful in all their endeavours and focus on helping the church grow spiritually and physically.
The Bishop urged them to be ambassadors of God’s word so as to expand the Kingdom of God.
Rev Yeboah-Asuamah called on the church to give their full support to the newly- ordained priest and deacons to help the Anglican Church grow, to enable them to accomplish their call and win more souls for God.
The Diocesan Chancellor of the Anglican Church in Sunyani who is the Supervising High Court Judge, Justice David Ofosu-Quartey took the newly- ordained priests through the administration oaths.
The newly-ordained Ministers were; Rev Frank Kusi, Rev Collins Opoku, Rev Thomas Adjei Baffoe, Reverend John Agyemang Prempeh and Rev Richard Obeng.
Brothers Nathaniel Barimah and Gabriel Afrifa Kodom were also inducted to the diocesan Diaconate.
From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

BA Minister Visits Daily Guide

As part of measures to establish rapport with the media, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Paul Evans Aidoo, on Thursday toured some media houses in the regional capital, Sunyani to interact with staff of the various media houses.

In an interaction with staff of Western Publications Limited, publishers of DAILY GUIDE, News One, Business Guide and Guide Young Blazers, the Minister assured the workers that his outfit would welcome every media house in the region.
“Regional Coordinating Council programmes are not limited to any media house,” he added.
The Minister disclosed that he would visit the media houses regularly to interact with staff to encourage them to give off their best for the country.
Mr. Aidoo, who was accompanied on the tour by his Deputy, Justice Samuel Adjei, PRO, Augusta Offeibea Tettey and other officials of the RCC, said he would forward the demands of the paper for adverts to the Municipal and Districts Assemblies (MDAs) in the region.
The Minister spoke highly of the late Mark Sam Essien, former Western Regional Editor of DAILY GUIDE, stating that he would really miss him.
He encouraged the staff to work with government to develop the country.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Bureau Chief of DAILY GUIDE, Fred Tettey Amoako, congratulated the Minister for interacting with the media in the region.
He mentioned that though the paper was doing well in the country, it faces challenges such as the lack of adverts from government agencies.
According to him, adverts help the paper to grow and pleaded with the Minister to encourage district assemblies in the region to channel some of their adverts to the paper and not only the state-owned newspapers.
 From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Sunyani Businesses Bemoan Tariff Increases

Some business people in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo Regional capital, have expressed worry over the recent increases in tariffs by the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC).

They noted that businesses have recorded some losses lately, stressing that the increment would worsen their plight.
CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE gathered that some companies in the municipality are planning to lay-off some workers following the tariff hikes on Wednesday.
Hairdressers, barbers, fashion designers and others who use electricity and water daily, announced plans to increase their fees in order to effectively pay their bills.
They complained bitterly when CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE visited their establishments to find out how they would cope under the current circumstances.
The new tariffs take effect from Tuesday, October 1.
At Sista’s Place, a prominent beauty saloon, the Manager, Salina Enyan said she would sack some of the workers in order to break even.
She indicated that “I know the chemical shops where we buy our products will increase their fees so the only option is for me to increase mine,” she added.
The Manager of Furniture Works, Joshua Afedi Annor, also said due to their energy consumption, they would also increase their fees.
He also pleaded with government to have mercy on the poor Ghanaian and reduce the tariffs.
A worker at Likers Supermarket in Sunyani said his outfit would take the necessary measures to make profits.
The General Manager of Storm Fm, a radio station in Sunyani, Francis Owusu Ansah, said his outfit would not increase their advert rates because they can’t team up with government to burden the ordinary Ghanaian.
He said the company would have to adjust in order not to register losses.
 From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Robbers Attack DAILY GUIDE Reporter

Residents of Dunkwa-On-Offin in the Central Region are currently living in fear as result of several robbery attacks in the area.

Over the weekend two separate robbery attacks were recorded on the Ayanfuri-Dunkwa Road.
Commuters were robbed of their monies and belongings at gunpoint.
In one of the robbery incidents, which occurred at Adwinpanaye and Kwamiprakrom on the Ayanfuri-Dunkwa road around 7pm on Saturday, the robbers, numbering about five and said to be of Fulani extraction, subjected passengers to severe beatings after taking their possessions.
A reporter of DAILY GUIDE in the Brong Ahafo Region, Vivianna Mensah, who was on board one of the vehicles during the attack, escaped with bruises on most part of her body after she and other passengers were subjected to beatings by the robbers.
Narrating her ordeal to the paper, Ms. Mensah said she travelled to the area to attend her grandmother’s funeral and was returning from Ayanfuri to Dunkwa around 7pm on Saturday in a taxi cab.
Upon reaching a sharp curve, they saw a parked taxi cab and realized that the road had been blocked with logs.
According to her, within seconds, the robbers, who wielded guns, came from the bush and ordered the passengers to surrender their monies, mobile phones among others, which they obliged.
She said the robbers then dragged them from the taxi to the floor hitting them while pointing guns at them.
She said they warned them not to raise their heads.
In the course of the attack, which lasted for about an hour, two vehicles emerged and the passengers were also robbed of their belongings.
She said the police later came to the scene shooting after the robbers had already fled into the bush.
She lost her Galaxy tap, GH¢1,200, wallet containing her ID cards and ATM card, among others.
Meanwhile, the military personnel at a base at Ayanfuri have managed to arrest two of the suspects. The suspects were arrested the following day at the scene of the incident.
FROM Fred Tettey Alarti-Amoako, Sunyani

‘Control Child Bearing’

The Brong Ahafo Regional Director of Education, Dr Adjei Hinneh, has admonished parents to adopt proper birth control mechanisms in order to reduce the pressure on educational infrastructure that is recorded every year, due to the high enrollment in schools.

According to him, admission in 2010 for kindergarten at ‘my first day at school’ which was 89,000 increased to 93,000 in 2011 and went up again in 2012 to 98,000.
He related the increase to parents’ failure to practise family planning.
He also advised parents to do their best by providing their wards with little things like slate, crayon and other things that would encourage them to stay at school.
Dr Hinneh was speaking at this year’s ‘my first day at school’ ceremony and commissioning of six-unit classroom block at Nyamaah School in Sunyani which was heavily attended by parents and traditional leaders.
He urged the teachers to lead exemplary life which could be emulated by the pupils.
The Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, Kwasi Oppong Ababio, in his welcome address applauded parents who have chosen to enrol their children in school and urged them to fully play their roles to make the children successful in their various schools.
He said the Sunyani Municipal Assembly recognises education as the key to development. He added that the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA) through the Assembly had implemented over 250 development projects since 2009 in the Sunyani Municipality with the educational sector taking a chunk of them.
The MCE promised that the Assembly would continue to work hard to improve academic standards in the municipality through the construction of more school infrastructure and provision of furniture and logistics.
Mr Ababio revealed that the six-unit classroom block which cost GH¢ 199, 719.50 is a promise he made to the queen mother of Sunyani on her 40^th anniversary.
The building which was named after the queen mother, he said, is an appreciation for the invaluable role she has played towards the development of the municipality.
He called on the queen mother to continue to support them especially on gender mainstreaming.
The headmistress of Nyamaah School, Mercy Baah Nuakoh, said the management intends to divide the school into “A” and “B” due to high enrolment and therefore appealed to the assembly to construct more classroom blocks for them.
She said new admissions into the school, especially at the kindergarten level was steadily progressing and appealed to parents to collaborate with teachers to ensure that they always attend Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meetings.
The queen mother of Sunyani Traditional Area, Nana Yaa Nyamaah II, thanked the Municipal Assembly for the honour done her. She pleaded with parents to stop buying funeral cloth and invest in their children’s education.
 From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

4 Years SHS Is Better Than 3 Years

The Brong Ahafo Regional Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Dabie, has called on those who matter in the educational system to reconsider going back to the four-year system of education at the senior high school level.

 He pleaded with the government and everyone involved in education in the country to put aside political differences and consider the four-year system of education again to help push education forward in the country.
According to him, the recent WASSCE results have shown that the four-year education is the best. He said since infrastructure is already in place, the government should reconsider and go back to the four-year system introduced by the erstwhile Kufour government to produce matured graduate.
Mr Dabie who was interacting with the media in Sunyani on education expressed worry over the way education is being politicized in the country and called on Ghanaians to think of the future of the country when meddling with education.
He further mentioned that, the NDC in their manifesto mentioned that they would build ten additional teachers’ training colleges in the country was quick to ask that since this has not materialized, he is wondering where the teachers from the training colleges would teach after coming out of school.
“The three years will bring redundancy in the schools because there will not be classes for teachers to teach,” he added.
He pleaded with the teachers to give their best when teaching so as not to produce half-baked graduates who he claimed speak and write only Pidgin English.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister for Education who is also the Member of Parliament for Techiman North, Alex Kyeremeh has denied allegations in the public that the four-year students who wrote the WASSCE with the three-year students did better.  He noted that, the three-year students performed equally better than the four year students.
Mr Kyeremeh called on Ghanaians to have faith in the educational system because the government has put in place measures to improve the educational system.
 From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

‘Lower Interest Rate On Loans’

The National President of Ghana Association of Business Education Teachers (GABET), Gordon Osei Marfo, has appealed to micro-finance institutions in the country to lower their interest rates on loans so that their customers may not eventually become poorer than they were.
He also commended them for their vital role in the country’s development and said a visit to some micro-finance institutions showed that many applicants especially parents queued up for loans to pay their wards’ school fees and also inject some of the money into their businesses.
Mr. Marfo, who was speaking at the 21^st Conference of GABET in Sunyani, further called on the Central Bank to put in place mechanisms for detecting unregistered micro-financial institutions and getting them either to regularize their operations or shut down.
“This in my opinion will help eliminate or at least reduce fraud on unsuspecting public,” he added.
The GABET President expressed worry over the refusal of public nursing training schools to admit business students who seek admission at their institutions and commended some private nursing schools for going all out to admit their students.
Mr. Marfo, who is also the assistant headmaster of Twene Amanfo Senior High Technical Institute (TASTECH) in Sunyani, called on his colleagues to encourage their students to read cost accounting, as students who intend reading accountancy, auditing, taxation, financial management and other related business programmes should have knowledge in cost accounting.
Speaking on judgment debts, the President of GABET expressed worry over the many judgment debts and admonished the government to prosecute offenders after ordering them to pay the money.
“Additionally government officials who through omission or commission or negligence bring about such debts should be brought to book,” he opined.
The guest speaker at the GABET five-day conference and workshop under the theme “The Growth of microfinance industry and its impact on the economy”, Dr. Yaw Gyimah-Larbi, Assistant Director, Banking Supervision Department, said the theme for the conference was timely considering the fact that most stakeholders in the microfinance industry seemed to have been taken by surprise with the recent proliferation of microfinance institutions all over the country.
“The role of microfinance institutions in ensuring credit availability to the economically poor people and small entrepreneurs is critical in the sustainability of growth in the poor and emerging economies such as ours,” he added.
He said due to the influx of the microfinance institutions in the country, the Bank of Ghana would be publishing licensed micro-finance institutions in the dailies soon and advised people to go on their website and check the licensed ones before dealing with them.
He also mentioned that the Bank of Ghana intends to constantly monitor and review the business environment and enact laws or issue out relevant guidelines that would ensure stakeholder satisfaction thereby enabling the micro finance sector to remain vibrant and sustainable.
From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

GIBA Denies Meeting Gbevlo

Executive Secretary of Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Gerald Ankrah,  has denied media reports that the National Security has met GIBA members to deliberate on how they will operate on the day of the Supreme Court verdict.

According to him, the group together with the National Media Commission (NMC) and National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) are on regional tour organising workshops for their members on how they can help maintain peace before and after the Supreme Court verdict.
Mr. Ankrah, who sounded surprised, said none of the members of GIBA had informed the association of any meeting with the national security. “We haven’t received any invitation from the national security for any meeting” he added.
He denied the reports on Ark FM in Sunyani and said it was unconstitutional for the national security to tell radio stations not to pick phone calls or have panel discussions after the Supreme Court verdict.
Mr. Ankrah said the Association had already organised workshops in the Eastern, Ashanti, Greater Accra, and the Northern regions.
He noted that the next stop would be in the Central and Western regions. He also promised that the association would train all its members in the country before the Supreme Court verdict.
From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Kotokrom To Protest Against Government

Some Inhabitants of Kotokrom in the Sunyani West District of the Brong Ahafo are calling on the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister to come to their aid and clear the refuse dump that is causing havoc in their area or else they will hit the streets to protest against the suffering they are going through.

According to the people they have appealed several times to the Sunyani West Municipal Chief Executive for the past one year but he hasn’t done anything about it.

They said the refuse was pushed close to their house when the MCE came to commission a close by public toilet started by the erstwhile NPP government.

According to Adjei Darkwah, the rubbish was pushed close to their house because the MCE didn’t want the rubbish to block the way to the public toilet.

He noted that, the MCE promised to take the refuse off the area since it in the middle of people’s houses but he has refused to take it off and people still throw rubbish there.

Mr. Darkwah said right now that the rains has set in it will drain the dirt’s into their homes and also they will find it difficult staying in their rooms because of the stench that comes out from the rubbish when it rains.

When our reporter visited the site, a preparatory school was spotted close by the refuse dump with several houses surrounding the refuse dump.

The Director of the Heavenly Royals Preparatory Daycare School, Kwasi Nkrumah said the closeness of the school to the refuse has caused parent to take their children from the school for fear of contracting airborne diseases.

 He expressed his fear that the school might collapse because of the refuse dump.

He noted that they have appealed to the Assembly woman and all those that they can help them in taking off the rubbish but nobody is ready to help them in taking it off.

According to him, when it rains the stench becomes so great that they always close the school when they see the signs of rains.

 From Vivianna Mensah, Kotokrom

llegal Mining Decline Quality of Water In BA

Source of water for people of Abronye curveso

Information gathered by the Daily Guide indicates that there has been a decline in quality and quantity of water resources in the Brong Ahafo due to illegal mining, discharge of untreated industrial effluent, bad farming practices among others.

To access the quality of these water resources, water quality campaign was carried out from January, 2011 to December 2012 on some selected water resources in the region.

After the assessment and comparing the results with Water Resources Commission criteria for raw water, it was revealed that almost all the ground water sources were slightly acidic and may have the potential to cause health problems to the users.

This was made known by Jackson Adiyiah Nyantakyi, a programme officer at the Environmental Protection Agency at a dissemination of environmental results in Sunyani.

He disclosed that the research took place in Rivers Tain, Subin, Pru, Goa, Tano, Akokora as well as the Kintampo and the Fula waterfalls including some boreholes at places like Drobo, Jinijini, Atebubu and Kwame Danso Senior High schools and an Artesian well at Bonsu near Nkoranza.

He has therefore called on NGOs and CWSA to first investigate into the geology of places before drilling boreholes for communities. “Chambers containing lime may be constructed and connected to the boreholes to increase the pH before consumption”, he advised.

A senior programme officer at EPA, Anthony Duah, has also called on District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies to purchase noise detector metres to measure noise pollution to be able to prosecute those who offend the law.

He further gave ways to help clamp down on noise pollution as planting of trees in and around sound generating areas. He also advised that churches are given a plan where temples will be designed in search a way that suitable noise absorbing materials for the walls, windows and ceilings can be used.

According to him, regulations should be imposed to restrict the usage of playing loudspeakers in crowded and public places.

“Social awareness programmes should be taken up to educate the public about the causes and effects of noise pollution”, he added.

The Principal Programme Officer of EPA, Samuel Oteng, who spoke on behalf of the Brong Ahafo Regional Director of  the EPA, Philomena Boakye Appiah, stated that the effective approach to handling environmental problems required a multi-sectoral approach.

According to him, EPA Act, 1994(Act 940) mandates the Agency to prescribe standard and guidelines relating to the population of air, water, land and noise.

He mentioned that section 10(3)(e) of the Local Government Act, 1993 (Act462) empowers the MMDAs to be responsible for the development, improvement and management of human settlements and the environment in the districts.

Mr. Oteng stated that to know the implications of one’s activities and make informed decisions, the relevant information should be put out appropriately and the media has the advantage of reaching the public, since the media provides the largest platform for the dissemination of information and creation of awareness.

“We as humans beings are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature, and this can be achieved only when we make individual as well as collective effort to operationalize the concept of sustainable development”, he added.

 

From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Student Burnt With Hot Water

17 year old student of Barahamia Islamic school at Penkwase in the Sunyani municipality is currently undergoing treatment at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital after her next door neighbor allegedly poured hot water on her.

The suspect whose name was only given as Rita is said to have picked up a fight with the victim, Abiba Awudu at their house in Sunyani Zongo.

The girl who looked traumatized told journalists that her neighbour picked a fight with her when an old lady in the house nearly fell because of a curtains pole she left in the middle of the house.

She said the old lady asked who placed the curtains pole in the house and the suspects instead of saying the victim did rather started insulting her parents.

“Her insults on my parent got me angry so we fought and she bite my left hand and the neighbours separated us because my parents were not at home”, the victim said.

According to her after the neighbours separated them she went to change her clothes to go and bath. She said, immediately she stepped out of her room to go and bath the suspects threw hot water on her.

When Daily Guide spoke to the victim’s mother, Muniratu Seidu she said they reported the matter to the police and the suspects was arrested but has been granted bail to appear before court on Thursday 22^nd August 2013.

When Daily Guide visited the Sunyani Municipal Police Station, the crime Officer was not on his seat to answer whether the case has come to his unit. 

 From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Let Tackle Unsafe Abortion

The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Director in-charge of Public Health, Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang, has stated that for Ghana to achieve MDG five by reducing maternal mortality by 75% by 2015 there is the need to accelerate maternal mortality reduction effort by tackling unsafe abortion and teenage pregnancy in the country.

 

He explained that, Statistics available indicates that unsafe abortion was the second leading cause of maternal mortality in Ghana, accounting for 15% of maternal deaths, and also accounted for 25 to 30% of maternal deaths leading in teaching hospitals in the country.

 

This, he said  impede the country’s efforts at achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 which primarily aimed at reducing maternal mortality by 75% by year 2015.

 

Dr. Tinkorang made this known at the Inception Meeting organized by the Brong Ahafo Regional Chapter of the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health to officially launch the MDGs Accelerated Framework (MAF) Accountability Project in the region.

 

The Coalition with support from STAR Ghana, a multi-donor agency funded by USAID, European Union, DANIDA and UKaid is implementing MAF Accountability Project in 30 Districts across the country to monitor the implementation of MAF National, Regional and Districts Plans.

 

In the Brong Ahafo, three organizations are responsible for monitoring the project in three districts namely Sunyani Municipal, Tano South and Jaman North Districts in the region.

 

Dr. Tinkorang also identified high unsafe abortion rate, high teenage pregnancy and low family planning acceptor rate as some of the major challenges facing reproductive health in the region.

 

He mentioned inadequate partners to support reproductive health services and inadequate access to adolescent health services in the region as further challenges facing reproductive health.

 

The Deputy Regional Director therefore extended hands of partnership to organizations and institutions especially CSO’s to partner the health directorate to seriously tackle reproductive health in the region.

 

The Brong-Ahafo Co-ordinator of the Ghana Coalition of NGO’s in Health, Kobina Afena-Sam, said the main objective of the MAF Accountability Project is to ensure that resources allocated by Development Partners and Ghana Government are judiciously used.

 

He appealed to the District Health Directors to open-up and be ready to provide information needed to ensure effective monitoring of the project.

 

 From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Youth Unemployment Is A Serious Problem

The CEO of Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), Raphael Godlove Ahenu, has noted that youth unemployment is a serious problem that needs radical government intervention as well as intervention by other stakeholders such as cooperating partners, NGO’s and business entities.

 

He therefore stressed the need for Metropolitan, Municipal District Assemblies to collaborate with Civil Societies to put in place down-to-earth interventions to help equip the teaming unemployed youth with vocational skills and resources to enable them establish their businesses.

 

This, according to him, will help drastically reduce the unemployment situation in the country as well as reduce reliance on government for employment opportunities.

 

The CEO of GLOMEF was speaking at the inauguration of the Kwatire-Adantia Youth in Action (KAYIA), a youth group at Kwatire in the Sunyani West District of the Brong Ahafo.  

 

The main aim of the Association is to equip and upgrade the skills of the youth and women in the area with vocational skills such as hairdressing, tailoring, fashion design and ICT, among others.

 

Mr. Ahenu noted that youth unemployment is a major challenge facing youth in Ghana in particular and the world as whole.

 

The CEO therefore challenged world leaders especially those in Africa to come out with measures that will create more avenues for the youth to develop their potentials.

 

The President of the Kwatire-Adantia Youth Association, Bernard Oduro Takyi, said a survey conducted by the leadership of KAYIA on youth unemployment in the two communities revealed that about 70% to 80% of the youth and women in the area are unemployed.

 

According to him, sustainable means of livelihood for women and youth is the surest way in eradicating extreme poverty.

 

He noted that in order to sustain and create the need market base for the association, his outfit is pursuing sustainable partnership with LESDEP, MASLOC, Ministry of Youth and Sports as well as District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies and other likeminded NGO’s.

 

Mr. Oduro Takyi mentioned fashion design, gari and food processing, grass cutter rearing, mushroom farming, poultry and fish farming as some of the projects the Association will tackle.

 

The DCE for Sunyani West, Agnes Kusi, in a speech said Youth unemployment in Ghana now is a veritable social time bomb waiting to detonate.  

 

According to her, there are certain sectors which can create vast business opportunities and vistas for the youth.

She mentioned agro-based industries, the transportation sector, tourism and the hospitality industry, personal services such as tailoring, beauty care and hairdressing, among others.

 

The DCE assured KAYIA that the Assembly will support them to ensure that the vision of the association is well executed.

 

Ten Years For Smoking India Hemp

Thirty-five-year old Collins Kumi from Dormaa Akwamu in the Dormaa East District of the Brong Ahafo Region, has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment by the Dormaa Circuit Court presided over by His Lordship Justice Alexander Osei-Tutu for possessing narcotic drugs.

 

Collins Kumi popularly known as ‘Rasta’ pleaded guilty to the offence and was convicted on his own plea.

 

Presenting the facts of the case, the Dormaa Municipal Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mahamud Yussif, said Kumi was arrested at a public cemetery at Dormaa Akwamu for possessing some quantity of wrappers suspected to be Indian hemp.

 

 DSP Yussif noted that Kumi was among others at the cemetery who took to their heels on seeing the police. He said the gang of Indian hemp smokers were chased but Kumi was the only one arrested. The rest of the gang, he said, were still at large.

 

 He disclosed that after he was arrested, a test was conducted on the herbs wrapped in a paper and it was found out to be Indian hemp.
He was subsequently charged and arranged before court where he pleaded guilty and was convicted by his own plea.

From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

 

Court Summons Creates Tension

The Brong Ahafo Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwaku Asomah- Cheremeh, has pleaded with the nine Supreme Court judges sitting on the 2012 election petition who have summoned the General Secretary of the NPP, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie and the NPP Communication team member, Hopeson Adorye for alleged unguarded remarks, to hold on to the contempt case until the main case is over.

According to him, the court summons has created tension among a section of Ghanaians which is not good for the peace the country is looking forward to as they awaits the Supreme Court verdicts.

“Many groups are calling for peace so we need to do everything to make the peace works”, he added.

The NPP Chairman, who was speaking on Ark FM, a local radio station in Sunyani, said many of the youth in the NPP are worried and have threatened demonstration because they believe many people have also erred.

Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh therefore pleaded with the nine judges to listen to the plea of the people calling for peace and hold on to the summons of the two NPP members until the final verdict is announced.

He called on well meaning Ghanaians and NPP party faithful to pray for the NPP general secretary and communication member as they face the Supreme Court.

The chairman said some NPP members in the Brong Ahafo region have been sent to Accra to join other party members to pray for the two members.

 

From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

“Health Minister’s Always Dodge Us”

The National President of Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners, Ghana (SPMDP) Dr. Kwasi Odoi-Agyarko, has expressed worry over the absence of the Health Minister, Sherry Ayittey at their 35^th Annual General Congress.

According to him, the absence of the Minister is not the first time Health Ministers have boycotted their meetings and said it a great worry to the society.

Dr. Odo-Agyarko was speaking at the 35^th Annual General Congress of the society in Sunyani under the theme: “Healthy Ageing”. He emphasized that, the CIA fact book on Ghana (February 2013) and the recently published 2010 Ghana Housing Population census, 6.7% of the country’s population are aged 60years and above and Ghana will have to broach its future needs for the aging population by the well traveled approach of the developed countries with the necessary modifications.

He mentioned that the United Nations has classified societies broadly into ‘young’ (4% or less of those aged 60+), matured (4-7%) and “ageing” (7% and above).
“According to this definition Ghana is presently falling under the category of ‘matured’ society which will soon reach the status of “ageing” society by 2020AD”, he added.

The President of SPMDP said the private sector is poised and ready to take challenge, however they must engage in a stakeholder consultative meeting to address the challenges in macroeconomics and health system of Ghana.
He added that the Health Minister’s name will be in a prominent place in the annals of Ghana’s Health Sector if she is able to help solve the many challenges in the sector.

Speaking on behalf of the Health Minister, the Director of Ghana Health Service, Dr. Appiah Danchira, said looking at the SPMDP one can say they are a microcosm of what the nation stands to be as the country pursue the policies targeted at increasing longevity.

The minister said the theme for the congress was interesting and challenging especially for the nation as it moves conscientiously into middle-income status and the government continues to pursue the better Ghana Agenda which will ultimately translate to better living conditions and prolong longevity and therefore affect positively the national average life expectancy.
She said available statistics in Ghana shows that life expectancy now stands at 64.22years.

She said the interest and the challenge in the positive attribute of an increased life expectancy is that it calls for serious policy decisions affecting the aged.

The Minister said it was her wish that the society deliberate well on their chosen theme, got the findings and recommendations so that after the congress it will inform the Ministry’s policy directions.

From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

 

 

Taxi Drivers On Strike

Some taxi drivers in the Sunyani Municipality have hit the streets of Sunyani to express their displeasure over the frequent increases in fuel prices and the attempt by their leaders to stop them from increasing fares.

According to the drivers, fuel prices have been increased three times but their leaders have warned them not to increase their fares. They said income tax has been increased from GHC6 to GHC12 coupled with the increases in tyres and other spare parts.

The taxi drivers who were furious about the conduct of their leaders said they are on strike and won’t work until the fares are increased.

They explained that after putting their operational costs together they run at a loss and therefore a new fare should be pegged.

The angry drivers sworn to deal with the regional GPRTU secretary for going on air to say they don’t have any right to increase the fares.

They also revealed that they won’t allow the Yutong buses which will be leaving for Accra in the evening to move thereby blocking the main entrance.

The drivers parked their vehicles at the main taxi rank at the Central Business District in the evening leaving passengers, especially workers stranded during the protest.

From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Youth Want MCE Fired

Information reaching Daily Guide indicates that some group of persons in the Sunyani East Constituency of the Brong Ahafo are making plans to stage a demonstration against the re-nomination of the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, Kwasi Oppong Ababio.

According to Daily Guide source, the group has had information that the President will re-nominate Mr Ababio for the MCE post come Tuesday, 6^th August 2013.

The group, believed to members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party in Sunyani East who are not happy about the MCE’s performance for the past for years, have vowed not to allow him retain his position.

Residents of Sunyani wake up on Wednseday morning to see posters in some parts of the municipality with inscription “Fired! Fired! Fired!!! SUNYANI EAST MCE, Hon. Kwasi Oppong Ababio By: YOUTH”.

Some residents who saw the posters said they later saw some police personnel from the regional police command removing the posters.

Meanwhile, a communication member of the NPP in Brong Ahafo, Apraku Tuffour, has alleged that the police officers claimed they were sent by the police commander to remove the posters from the town for security reasons.

 From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

BA Road Safety Launch Be Alert

The Brong Ahafo Regional Manager of the National Road Safety Commission, Abrampah Mensah Agyabeng, has stated that the rate at which accidents are increasing in the region is worrisome.

According to him, the region may record the highest accidents if stakeholders do not come together to help check the causes of many of these accidents killing people in the region.

The Manager was speaking at the Brong Ahafo Regional launching of “Be Alert! Look Out for other road users” campaign in Sunyani, where the leaders of drivers unions and the acting Brong Ahafo Regional Commander of MTTU were present.

He said the purpose of the “Be alert" campaign is to sensitize drivers to the fact that pedestrians are legitimate road users and should always expect them on or near the roadway.
“We will also educate pedestrians about minimizing risks to their safety by establishing eye contact with other road users and improving their visibility,” he added.

Mr. Agyabeng called on the media to collaborate with road safety commission to educate people to reduce accidents and crushes in the region.
He said for the first and second quarter of 2013, the region recorded 322 road accidents; killing 143 out of this there were 68 knockdowns injuring 477 others. The accidents involved 456 vehicles.

He expressed concern about unnecessary overtaking and speeding by motor riders who sometimes ignored traffic signals because they have no knowledge about traffic indicators.

The Road safety manager disclosed that nationally about 90% of accidents on the road are due to human error.
He said they will have a media outreach programme on radio, a walk, visitation to mosques, churches, film show on some horror accidents and bus terminals to educate them on road safety.

Making contributions at the launch, some media personnel called on the MTTU to enforce the laws governing the roads so us to instill discipline on the roads.
They also urged the riders, pedestrians and drivers to be discipline and observe the road regulations to avoid many deaths on the road.

The Acting MTTU Commander, ASP David Nyuah disclosed that after his one week stay in the region, he has observed that many people who are known in society are fast to come to the aid of offenders.
“That behavior is very worrying in the region, but I won’t allow that to disturb my job. Anybody who will be arrested for road offence will be processed for court”, he added.

 He however called on those people to stay away from his office because he won’t allow people coming to his office to plead on behalf of people who have committed road offence.
He called on drivers to be discipline and make sure everything is right with their cars and bikes before they take off from their house.

 From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

'We Are Peaceful People'

Some residents in Sunyani have expressed worry over the influx of police personnel in the streets of the Brong Ahafo regional capital.

The residents who believed the police are in the streets to see to it that there will be peace after the rulings of the election petition said they have lived in peace and will never fight because of elections.

According to the residents, they will live in peace to serve as an example to other regional capitals in the country. “Sunyani is calm and it will remain calm after everything”, one resident assured.

Speaking to Daily Guide a resident who gave his name as Richard Kusi said he has lived in Sunyani for the past fifty-five years and has witnessed several elections in the country but has not seen any one fighting with his or her neighbour because of elections.
He believed that after the Supreme Court ruling on the election petition there will be peace in the town and the country as a whole.

Mr. Kusi called on the police to use the information service van to move to the places believe to be volatile and educate people on the need to maintain peace rather than parading the police in the streets of the regional capital.

“There are many districts in the region that are known for election violence, so they should go there and educate them rather than staying in the regional capital which has always been peaceful”, he advised.

 He however mentioned that there is sanity in the regional capital because taxi drivers are not parking anyhow, but the police are still creating inconvenience for some people because of their presence and the amour cars that goes round the city.

 From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani