DEMO AGAINST MMDCE's IS LAWLESS-Adjei Darko

Former Local Government Minister in the erstwhile Kufuor government, Kwadwo Adjei- Darko, has described as unlawful the behavior of some National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters who demonstrated  against the elections of Metropolitan Municipal District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

 

“Its complete lawlessness to hit the streets to demonstrate against any MMDCE, if you are party member and you feel your MMDCE is not doing well tell your Assembly member so that he or she can vote against the person when he is brought before them to be confirmed”, he added.

Mr. Adjei –Darko noted that NDC supporters have always been demonstrating against MMDCEs but those MMDCEs are always confirmed by the Assembly members that are sent there by the people.

He called on the media not to give much attention to  people calling for  dismissal  of MMDCEs and appealed to them to educate people on laid down procedures in presenting petitions.

The Programmes Officer for CDD Ghana, Paul Mensah Aborampah has disclosed that, the attitude of NDC members against the President's nominees was worrying.

According to him, the behavior being put up by some supporters of the NDC is against the laws of the land and it must be stopped.
He said when this happens the MMDCEs feel uneasy working in the constituency which compels them to do the biding of the party supporters instead of working for the people in the district.

He was speaking on the recent agitations by NDC supporters against elections of MMDCEs and how it can affect the government. He said the behavior being put up by party supporters can worry the President in ruling the country.

“This will only put pressure on the DCEs when they begin to work and it can have effect on the development of the area”, he added.

“We were worried when the former President Mills said DCEs should open their doors for the foot soldiers and give them jobs. We wrote a press release against it because we believe every Ghanaian should get a job not foot soldiers alone."

Mr. Aborampah reiterated calls for the election of MMDCEs to ensure accountability. 

"There has been many research concerning the Assemblies and the DCEs which the President is privy to, so he can go through and get competent people for the various Assemblies", he declared. 

By: Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

 

 

Market Woman Happy About Security

Nana Bosoma Market

Some traders at the Sunyani Central Market have expressed their excitement over the measures being put in place by the Ghana National Fire Service to provide 24-hour security for the market to avoid any fires.

According to them, they have been worried about the recent fires at the various markets in the country's markets. The traders said they will give their maximum support to the officers who will be stationed at the market to guard there.

“We are really excited about the step being taken by GNFS and we will do everything they ask of us because our entire livelihood is here”, one woman declared.

One woman, who gave her name as Paulina, called on the officers to concentrate more on the various chop bars at the market and also educate the people about their presence so as not to scare the market women and their buyers.

Madam Paulina believed the step being taking by the fire service will go a long to help them avoid any future fires.

The women also called on the taskforce and the Municipal Assembly to help move the market woman who  are selling on the road leading to the market so that in case of any occurrence the fire officers can move quickly to the market to save the situation.

Meanwhile, the Brong Ahafo Regional Communication Director of the NPP, Kofi Boateng, has called on the Ghana National Fire Service to be efficient so that the President will not bring any officials from outside the country to investigate fires in the country.

He accused GNFS of not filling their vehicles with water thereby going to places of fires without water and leaving the people stranded whiles they watch their things burn.

“Make sure your fire tenders are working properly and fill the tanks so that you can put out fires when you are called that there is fire at any place”, he added. 
By: Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Woman, 66, Writes BECE

 

66 Year Old Mary Gyabiah

 

66-year-old woman, Mary Gyabiah, made history when she wrote her first paper in the on-going Basic Education Certificate Examination at the Mansen Senior High School Examination Centre at Wamfie in the Dormaa East District of Brong-Ahafo.

In an interview with pressmen, Madam Gyabiah, a mother of eleven, explained that she started school from Primary Three in 2006.

She said although she is a farmer, she realized that one can't progress without education. Madam Gyabiah, who attends Nsesereso-Asuhyiaeso D/A School, said  she wanted to turn her life around and impact positively on the lives of children, teachers and opinion leaders in the community.

Asked how she managed with her learning, she noted that although her classmates and teachers helped her it was not an easy task and appealed to parents not to hesitate to provide the things their wards need for school for children to climb higher in the education ladder.

She was proud to say that she can now write her name and sign her signature when she goes to the bank instead of thumb-printing.

 Touching on some challenges facing her, the 66-year-old woman said her main challenge is a waist problem bedeviling her and appealed to well meaning Ghanaians and government to come to her aid as she hopes to further her education to the Dormaa Senior High School.

The Dormaa East District Director of Education, Nana Otu Acheampong,  noted that Madam Gyabiah has been acting as a role model to the students and teachers as she counseled them, adding that she even advised him.

He said her academic performance was average and hoped she will be able to continue to the Senior High School level.

In a related development, a 45-year-old man at Wamanafo D/A JHS, Abu Musah is also in JHS Two.

 Mr. Musah who is a cocoa farmer narrated that during his childhood years his guardians did not send him to school.
He said he is acquiring formal education to learn how to read because a literate cocoa farmer cannot be cheated easily by cocoa purchasing clerks.

 He also encouraged young people not to hesitate to go back to the classroom as it is better late than never.

From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

BECE KICK START IN SUNYANI

SOME OF THE BECE CANDIDATES IN SUNYANI

Daily Guide information from examination centers in Sunyani the Brong Ahafo Regional capital indicates that more girls absented themselves from the exams as compared to their male counterparts. The reason for their absent was not immediately known by the paper but some pupils the paper spoke to believe their mates were pregnant and therefore felt shy to sit for the exams..

In an interaction with the Brong Ahafo Regional Director of Education, Dr. Adjei Hinneh he said he was still going rounds to the centers to know the number of absentees and their reasons.

He noted that the BECE was extended from April to June to allow the pupils sometime to study more to be able to pass the exams convincingly.

“I know the teachers have done their best and the children will surely excel if they take to what their teachers thought them”, he mentioned.

Dr. Hinneh said all centers in the region were ready for the examination and believed everything will go on well as they have planned.

He advised the pupils to read through the questions before they attempt to answer and see the exams as the mock they wrote in school so they can take the fear off. “Do an independent work and do not rush into answering questions, make sure you understand”, he told the pupils.

He said any center that will be seen as involved in examination malpractice will be derecognize by the education service and will ban it from becoming examination center.

The Education Director said in all 35, 784 are writing the exams in the region with 16, 50 girls and 19,754 boys. He also said 1330 schools are writing the exams with 328 private schools and 1002 public schools in Brong Ahafo.

Some of the students the paper spoke to after their first paper were optimistic and said they are sure of passing the exams with distinction.

NACOMP Trains Team Leaders on mosquito control

Team Leaders at the training

 

The Nationwide Mosquito Control Programme (NACOMP), under Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a waste management and sanitation firm, has trained it team leaders in the Northern Sector of the country on mosquito control activities.

The participants drawn from Brong-Ahafo, Ashanti, Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions were also trained on how to use the phoenix mosquito spraying machine to control mosquito borne diseases during the three day training programme held in Sunyani, Brong-Ahafo Regional Capital.

Addressing the 117 participants, a member of the Technical Advisory Committee from Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Dr. Samuel Kweku Dadzie explained the training is basically to equip the participants on the idea of mosquito and the need to control the insects.

According to him, mosquitoes cause yellow fever, malaria and elephantiasis, that is why he said it is necessary for the training to help them identify areas suitable for breeding of the insects and for spraying.

“The mosquito that cause malaria is the same insects that gives elephantiasis so people need to be educated to be careful”, he added.

Dr. Dadzie explained the training is also to educate them on safety measures on proper handling of insecticides used in spraying the insects as well as the maintenance of the spraying machines.

Mr. Alhaji Ziblim, an official of NACOMP who took the participants through safety and spraying techniques, called on the team leaders to avoid the intake of alcohol when mixing the chemicals or spraying.

He advised them to strictly adhere to all safety measures during the spraying exercise.

The National Head of NACOMP, Ebenezer Kwame Addae, explained it was set up in 2009 with the aim of controlling mosquito borne diseases.

He said the training is Ministry of Health and NACOMP collaboration to control mosquitoes and other mosquito related diseases

Mr. Addae said the training would empower the participants and build their capacities in mosquito control activities as well as improve their efficiency in the control programme.

Welcoming the team leaders, the Brong Ahafo Regional Manager of Zoomlion, Kofi Sekyere called on them to take the training serious so as to enable them find effective ways of controlling the spread of mosquitoes.

He was optimistic that participants will be well abreast with issues concerning mosquito at the close of the programme

From  Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

CHREP To Support Prisoners

Lawyer Kweku Antwi-Agyei, CED CHREP

 

 

Centre for Human Rights Enforcement and Prisoners Aid (CHREP), a Sunyani based Non-Governmental Organization has been launched in Sunyani to advocate for the enforcement of basic human rights to eradicate injustice from the Ghanaian penal system and to advocate for restorative oriented Justice System.

Speaking at the launching, the brain behind CHREP, Lawyer Kwaku Antwi-Agyei, said the formation of CHREP is mainly to speak for the poor, the destitute, the down trodden and the imprisoned.

 According to him, the NGO will advocate for the welfare of prisoners, fight for their rights and draw attention of policy makers to their plight.

He said the fundamental human rights of prisoners in Ghana are being violated each passing day. He revealed that currently the Sunyani Central Prisons has over 800 inmates instead of the 271 inmates which it has as its capacity to accommodate prisoners.

Lawyer Antwi-Agyei said this has resulted into congestion, over-crowding and the concomitant spread of communicable diseases like HIV/AIDs, and TB. “Homosexuality, lesbianism, sodomy is also on the rise in our prisons”, he added.

“We look forward to a justice system where there will be expeditious trial or trial within a reasonable time, because justice delayed is justice denied”, he noted.

Lawyer Antwi-Agyei said the NGO will construct a modern day reform-oriented prisons, non custodial or probationary sentences for minor offences and young offenders.

He said the NGO will look forward to prisoners who are reformed to reintegrate into society after their terms of imprisonment.

The NGO which has lawyers, judges and influential persons in society as it board members, is focused on making prisons non-crowded, spacious and adequate number of prisons and of international standards.

The outgoing Sunyani High Court Judge, His Lordship Justice Ato Assan, who is also a board member of CHREP, called on everyone to join the NGO in advocating for the rights of prisoners and the poor in society.

The PRO for Brong Ahafo Regional Branch of Ghana Police Service, ASP Christopher Tawiah, disclosed that the police are trained on the welfare of prisoners, but the enforcement of some of the laws is the problem because the police service is not an income generating service.
He applauded CHREP for the initiative and said it will go a long way to help the society.

The newly elected board members has the President of Brong Ahafo Regional Branch of Ghana Bar Association, William Oduro Amponsah as its acting Chairman, Outgoing High Court Judge, Justice Ato Assan, MP for Sunyani East, Kwasi Ameyaw Cheremeh, Officer from the Social Welfare, Vida Mintah, Proprietress of Solomon Bennett Memorial School, Grace Bennett, Lawyer Kwaku  Antwi-Agyei the Executive Director of CHREP as its board members.

 

40 Million Euros To Eliminate Poverty In Brong Ahafo

Raphael Ahenu Jr. CEO of Global Media Foundation

 

A 40m euro project that seeks to help in eliminating extreme poverty, improving health care, education, transport, creating employment, ensuring sustainable agriculture, urban construction, provision of low cost housing and proving for pensions is to be implemented in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The project dubbed: “The Brong Ahafo Green Fund for Capital Enterprise”, with an investment of about 40 million Euros would deliver community habitation, jobs and food security for a community of 7000 people.

 

The CEO of the Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF), Raphael Godlove Ahenu Jr, disclosed this at a meeting with the Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Justice Adjei, when a ten member delegation from GLOMEF paid a courtesy call on him.

He said additionally, living wage jobs would be created in the sustainable, non-extractive construction sector (based on Organic Oils) where rental incomes support service oriented construction jobs will be offered.

 

The project he said is the initiative of New Directions Foundation (NDF) Limited, not for profit Company Limited by Guarantee based in UK, in partnership with GLOMEF, a human rights and anti-corruption media advocacy organization based in Ghana.

He noted that the purpose of the meeting with the Deputy Regional Minister was to brief him on the project and to solicit the support of government to ensure effective implementation of the project.

Briefing the Deputy Minister on the project, Mr. Ahenu said the project would be piloted in 15 communities in three selected districts in the Brong Ahafo region.

He mentioned the beneficiaries communities as Odumase, Chiraa, Nsuoatre, Dumasua and Fiapre in the Sunyani West District, Sunyani, Abisem, New Dormaa, Kotokrom and Atronie in the Sunyani Municipality as well as Kintampo, Babatokuma, Kunsu  Kraboso and Ayima in the Kintampo North Municipality.

According to him, under the project Regional Industries will be established by Berlin Technology Hub for manufacturing of low cost high efficiency Solar Energy to be made available to communities along with storage and re-use equipment to provide community Low Voltage power supply.

The CEO continued that the partnership is formed into a Company Limited by Guarantee and the company assumes the responsibility to request the components of the project from New Directions Foundation's partner in Ghana, and agrees to pay rent for the assets it uses.

The project when started, he said, will provide greater opportunities for the selected communities, which would bring total transformation to the people especially women. He called for maximum support from the government to ensure the success of the project.

The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Justice Adjei said eliminating poverty and creating jobs cannot be done by government alone and government needs support from all especially NGOs and the private sector. He thanked the NGO for taking up such initiative to help the people of Brong Ahafo.

From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani