NINETEEN taxis have been impounded by the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) from owners who are said to have defaulted in the payment of loans for their purchase.
The move by the centre, in its quest to recover loans from the micro credit and taxi beneficiaries, was executed mainly in the Greater Accra Region between Monday, April 26, 2010 and yesterday.
It is to be extended to the various regions in the country as part of efforts by MASLOC to recover various sums of monies from its defaulters.
The Chief Executive Officer of MASLOC, Madam Bertha Ansah-Djan, told the media in Accra that efforts were still underway to recover more taxis from loan defaulters.
She said in 2008 the centre gave out 292 vehicles to various individuals, but 70 per cent of them were in arrears at the time the new management took office.
“In January we made it clear that we were going all out to make sure that we recover our monies from both the micro credit and the taxi beneficiaries who are in arrears,” she said.
Madam Ansah-Djan said the centre had so far recovered about 50 per cent of the loans since the new management assumed office.
She said the exercise to recover the loans had become tedious due to the lack of proper records of group and individual beneficiaries.
Madam Ansah-Djan, however, noted that the centre would do all it could within the law to recover the loans.
She warned recalcitrant beneficiaries to pay their loans as early as possible to avoid embarrassment.
“Management is putting in proper structures that would see MASLOC rise to the occasion in its quest to reduce poverty in our communities. This restructuring is also to help us not to repeat the mistakes of the past especially with loan disbursement.”
A board member of MASLOC, Mr Pius Austin, said the centre was finding it difficult to recover the loans due to improper records on the beneficiaries.
He said records available at the centre contained wrong addresses of beneficiaries, which had made tracing them very tedious, and attributed the problem of wrong addresses and poor records to the hasty processing of the loans.
He also alleged that the GH¢1 million which was allocated to flood victims in northern Ghana in 2008 went to individuals as loans and had not been recovered.
Mr Austin said measures were being put in place to clean up the list of defaulters.
The measures were also to ensure that defaulters were identified and prosecuted according to the terms of the loans.
He noted that the Eastern Region alone had 194 defaulters, but quickly added that the centre had lodged a complaint with the Koforidua District Court to help with the prosecution of the defaulters.
“We are also making arrangements to involve some state institutions such as the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to help in the prosecution of defaulters.”
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
FULA DEFENDS KABILA AS GROUP CALLS FOR HIS SACK (PAGE 13, APRIL 28, 2010)
The Greater Accra Women’s Organiser of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Madam Aisha Sulley Fula, has said the behaviour of a youth group calling for the resignation of the National Youth Organiser, Mr Kwabena Bomfeh, was uncalled for, adding that the group did not even belong to the party and therefore, had no rights to demonstrate or ask for the resignation of the youth organiser.
A group called the Concerned Youth for the Conventions People’s Party (CPP) Renaissance, held a demonstration at the party’s headquarters on Monday calling for the resignation of the National Youth Organiser, Mr Kwabena Bomfeh, aka Kabila.
The move, the group said, was to present a petition to the party executives and the Central Committee to investigate the social misconduct of Mr Bomfeh.
However, Madam Fula explained that if the group had a problem with him (Mr Bomfeh), the best way was to use dialogue to resolve the issues instead of going public.
She said “ if any one wants ‘Kabila’ out of office, that person must contest at congress and win. Kabila is a winning material and absolutely no one can take him out”.
She said Mr Bomfeh had two more years before the end of his term in office and therefore any one who wanted him out should wait for the next congress.
The group which comprises youth in the various tertiary institutions and constituencies carried placards with inscriptions such as, “Kabila go back to your roots, Kabila must go, Kabila does not belong to the CPP”.
Their quest to present the petition to the party executives who were at the office premises at the time of the demonstration proved futile as they were resisted and prevented from entering the party’s office.
The spokesperson for the group, Mr Frederick Opaque, said the call for Mr Bomfeh’s resignation as youth leader stemmed from his gross incompetence and negligence in the exercise of his duty.
“We wish to bring to the notice of the Central Committee of our party certain untoward social misconduct and serious acts of sabotage on the part of Mr Bomfeh and also for rapid disciplinary action against him”
He said the refusal of the executives to take the petition they presented would call for another action from the youth, saying “we would go to any level to make our petition known because we have brought out concrete issues that need to be addressed”.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Opoku said Mr Bomfeh’s resignation would pave way for a more credible and devoted person to rebuild the youth wing, which he had so far failed to manage.
He noted that since his assumption of office two-and-a-half years ago, he had collapse over 18 youth branches in the tertiary institutions (TESCHART) which was now their prime concern.
Mr Opoku appealed to the central committee of the party to organise an early congress to give the youth adequate time to prepare for elections in 2012.
In another development, Sebastian Syme reports that the Convention People's Party (CPP) parliamentary candidate for the Okaikoi South Constituency in the 2008 election, Mr Anthony Mensah, has called on the National Youth Organiser of the party, Mr Kwabena Bomfeh, to resign from his position to save the party from further disintegration.
Describing Mr Bomfeh as a “traitor”, a “saboteur” and an “intruder” who did not have the interest of the CPP at heart, Mr Mensah said the actions of the youth organiser over the years had amounted to undermining the growth of the party and, thus, his continued stay in office could spell doom for the party.
The call for Mr Bomfeh's resignation comes on the heels of incessant calls by some CPP youth demanding that he vacates his post.
Addressing a news conference in Accra, Mr Mensah produced a speech for a proposed press conference purportedly written by ‘Kabila’ ahead of the 2008 presidential run-off in which he mobilised parliamentary candidates of the CPP in the Greater Accra Region to endorse the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo.
Mr Mensah questioned the loyalty of Mr Bomfeh, who is popularly known as Kabila, to the party when he undermined the party's presidential candidate, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, in the 2008 polls and rather showed open support for the NPP.
He stressed the need for the Central Committee of the party to institute disciplinary action against Mr Bomfeh, since the youth in the party had lost confidence in his leadership.
He believed that the CPP could have done better in the last presidential votes if not for some “selfish” members of the party whose apron strings, he said, were tied to other political parties.
Mr Mensah, who is a security consultant, said the country needed the CPP as a third force to neutralise the unhealthy political rivalry between the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the NPP.
When the Daily Graphic contacted Mr Bomfeh for his reaction, he questioned the authority of Mr Mensah in the party to call for his resignation, since the party had structures through which he could make his case.
A group called the Concerned Youth for the Conventions People’s Party (CPP) Renaissance, held a demonstration at the party’s headquarters on Monday calling for the resignation of the National Youth Organiser, Mr Kwabena Bomfeh, aka Kabila.
The move, the group said, was to present a petition to the party executives and the Central Committee to investigate the social misconduct of Mr Bomfeh.
However, Madam Fula explained that if the group had a problem with him (Mr Bomfeh), the best way was to use dialogue to resolve the issues instead of going public.
She said “ if any one wants ‘Kabila’ out of office, that person must contest at congress and win. Kabila is a winning material and absolutely no one can take him out”.
She said Mr Bomfeh had two more years before the end of his term in office and therefore any one who wanted him out should wait for the next congress.
The group which comprises youth in the various tertiary institutions and constituencies carried placards with inscriptions such as, “Kabila go back to your roots, Kabila must go, Kabila does not belong to the CPP”.
Their quest to present the petition to the party executives who were at the office premises at the time of the demonstration proved futile as they were resisted and prevented from entering the party’s office.
The spokesperson for the group, Mr Frederick Opaque, said the call for Mr Bomfeh’s resignation as youth leader stemmed from his gross incompetence and negligence in the exercise of his duty.
“We wish to bring to the notice of the Central Committee of our party certain untoward social misconduct and serious acts of sabotage on the part of Mr Bomfeh and also for rapid disciplinary action against him”
He said the refusal of the executives to take the petition they presented would call for another action from the youth, saying “we would go to any level to make our petition known because we have brought out concrete issues that need to be addressed”.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Opoku said Mr Bomfeh’s resignation would pave way for a more credible and devoted person to rebuild the youth wing, which he had so far failed to manage.
He noted that since his assumption of office two-and-a-half years ago, he had collapse over 18 youth branches in the tertiary institutions (TESCHART) which was now their prime concern.
Mr Opoku appealed to the central committee of the party to organise an early congress to give the youth adequate time to prepare for elections in 2012.
In another development, Sebastian Syme reports that the Convention People's Party (CPP) parliamentary candidate for the Okaikoi South Constituency in the 2008 election, Mr Anthony Mensah, has called on the National Youth Organiser of the party, Mr Kwabena Bomfeh, to resign from his position to save the party from further disintegration.
Describing Mr Bomfeh as a “traitor”, a “saboteur” and an “intruder” who did not have the interest of the CPP at heart, Mr Mensah said the actions of the youth organiser over the years had amounted to undermining the growth of the party and, thus, his continued stay in office could spell doom for the party.
The call for Mr Bomfeh's resignation comes on the heels of incessant calls by some CPP youth demanding that he vacates his post.
Addressing a news conference in Accra, Mr Mensah produced a speech for a proposed press conference purportedly written by ‘Kabila’ ahead of the 2008 presidential run-off in which he mobilised parliamentary candidates of the CPP in the Greater Accra Region to endorse the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo.
Mr Mensah questioned the loyalty of Mr Bomfeh, who is popularly known as Kabila, to the party when he undermined the party's presidential candidate, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, in the 2008 polls and rather showed open support for the NPP.
He stressed the need for the Central Committee of the party to institute disciplinary action against Mr Bomfeh, since the youth in the party had lost confidence in his leadership.
He believed that the CPP could have done better in the last presidential votes if not for some “selfish” members of the party whose apron strings, he said, were tied to other political parties.
Mr Mensah, who is a security consultant, said the country needed the CPP as a third force to neutralise the unhealthy political rivalry between the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the NPP.
When the Daily Graphic contacted Mr Bomfeh for his reaction, he questioned the authority of Mr Mensah in the party to call for his resignation, since the party had structures through which he could make his case.
Monday, April 26, 2010
GOVT TO EXPAND TERTIARY EDUCATION (SPREAD LEAD, APRIL 26, 2010)
The government has released GH¢3 million for the expansion of tertiary education in the country.
The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, said the funds were for the establishment of two public universities — the University of Health and Allied Sciences and the University of Energy and Natural Resources.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, at the launch of the 10th anniversary of the Wisconsin International University College on the theme, “Making higher education accessible to diverse people”, Mr Mahama indicated that a task force was working hard on the modalities for the establishment of the two universities.
He said the level of knowledge and entrepreneurial skills acquired by the youth would play a key role in the country’s economic development and, therefore, called on tertiary institutions to offer programmes that would make the youth acquire skills that could easily make them self-employed.
He said the government was determined to make education the cornerstone of the country’s development agenda, with emphasis on skills acquisition.
“It is through tertiary education that the nation can train the needed manpower to accelerate its socio-economic development,” he stressed.
Mr Mahama said the government was aware of the challenges private tertiary institutions and students faced and pointed out that in spite of budgetary constraints, “we will continue to adopt policies and programmes that will promote a conducive environment for tertiary education”.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof Naana Opoku-Agyeman, said higher education played an important role in a country’s development, adding that it was the driving force of a country’s social, economic and cultural sectors.
“Making higher education accessible to all should not just be an end but a means for the government to integrate it into the nation’s budget,” she said.
She expressed concern over what she termed “the influx of remedial classes in the country” and called for the strengthening of the country’s educational system to ensure quality tuition that would prepare students for the job market.
The Principal of the Wisconsin International University College, Dr John A. Sackey, said it was affiliated to the UCC after its establishment in 2000 and received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board (NAB).
He said the university offered both graduate and undergraduate programmes that sharpened the skills of students and prepared them well for the job market.
Awards were presented to the founding fathers of the university and long-serving members of staff.
The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, said the funds were for the establishment of two public universities — the University of Health and Allied Sciences and the University of Energy and Natural Resources.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, at the launch of the 10th anniversary of the Wisconsin International University College on the theme, “Making higher education accessible to diverse people”, Mr Mahama indicated that a task force was working hard on the modalities for the establishment of the two universities.
He said the level of knowledge and entrepreneurial skills acquired by the youth would play a key role in the country’s economic development and, therefore, called on tertiary institutions to offer programmes that would make the youth acquire skills that could easily make them self-employed.
He said the government was determined to make education the cornerstone of the country’s development agenda, with emphasis on skills acquisition.
“It is through tertiary education that the nation can train the needed manpower to accelerate its socio-economic development,” he stressed.
Mr Mahama said the government was aware of the challenges private tertiary institutions and students faced and pointed out that in spite of budgetary constraints, “we will continue to adopt policies and programmes that will promote a conducive environment for tertiary education”.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof Naana Opoku-Agyeman, said higher education played an important role in a country’s development, adding that it was the driving force of a country’s social, economic and cultural sectors.
“Making higher education accessible to all should not just be an end but a means for the government to integrate it into the nation’s budget,” she said.
She expressed concern over what she termed “the influx of remedial classes in the country” and called for the strengthening of the country’s educational system to ensure quality tuition that would prepare students for the job market.
The Principal of the Wisconsin International University College, Dr John A. Sackey, said it was affiliated to the UCC after its establishment in 2000 and received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board (NAB).
He said the university offered both graduate and undergraduate programmes that sharpened the skills of students and prepared them well for the job market.
Awards were presented to the founding fathers of the university and long-serving members of staff.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
TWO DREADFUL FEMALE MOSQUITOES IDENTIFIED (PAGE 19, APRIL 24, 2010)
Ghana has been identified as having two of the most dreadful female mosquito species which account for the scourge of malaria in the country, a medical entomologist of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Aba Baffoe-Wilmot, has said.
The two species are the Anopheles Gambiae and the Anopheles Funestus.
Significantly, she said, those two species did not breed in polluted waters and filthy places but in small collections of seepage water, rain pools that were stagnant and often muddy, potholes, foot or hoof prints, roadside ditches and on rice fields.
Dr Baffoe-Wilmot was speaking on the topic, “Counting malaria out — All hands on deck”, at a monthly health promotion meeting organised by the GHS as part of activities to commemorate this year’s World Malaria Day which falls on April 25, each year.
She said out of the 3,500 mosquito species in the world, about 400 were anopheles, with 40 of the anopheles being the world’s most important vectors.
She, however, noted that the Anopheles Gambiae and the Anopheles Funestus mainly bit indoors and at night.
She advised that the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets should be of importance to every individual and household.
She stated that at the moment Ghana was at the controlling phase of the fight against malaria and must aim at 80 per cent coverage of interventions before getting to the elimination stage and then to the eradication phase where it could get to the World Health Organisation (WHO) certification.
“There is the need for the government and the private sector to prioritise malaria control in resource allocation and social responsibility, respectively, because no single actor can do it alone,” she said.
Dr Baffoe-Wilmot said there should be collaboration between the public and the private sectors, individuals and households, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international partners and insurers to help support the cause to control malaria in the country.
For his part, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Dr Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, said there was the need for more education on the devastation of malaria in the country to create adequate awareness among the citizenry.
He also advised the public to practise environmental management to help in the reduction of malaria cases in the country, since it served as an annual economic burden in Ghana and Africa as a whole.
He, therefore, called for all hands to be on deck to kick malaria out.
Malaria is caused by the plasmodium parasite and it is transmitted through the female anopheles mosquito, with simple symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, loss of appetite and severe symptoms such as severe anaemia, blood in urine, convulsion, jaundice and extreme general weakness.
The two species are the Anopheles Gambiae and the Anopheles Funestus.
Significantly, she said, those two species did not breed in polluted waters and filthy places but in small collections of seepage water, rain pools that were stagnant and often muddy, potholes, foot or hoof prints, roadside ditches and on rice fields.
Dr Baffoe-Wilmot was speaking on the topic, “Counting malaria out — All hands on deck”, at a monthly health promotion meeting organised by the GHS as part of activities to commemorate this year’s World Malaria Day which falls on April 25, each year.
She said out of the 3,500 mosquito species in the world, about 400 were anopheles, with 40 of the anopheles being the world’s most important vectors.
She, however, noted that the Anopheles Gambiae and the Anopheles Funestus mainly bit indoors and at night.
She advised that the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets should be of importance to every individual and household.
She stated that at the moment Ghana was at the controlling phase of the fight against malaria and must aim at 80 per cent coverage of interventions before getting to the elimination stage and then to the eradication phase where it could get to the World Health Organisation (WHO) certification.
“There is the need for the government and the private sector to prioritise malaria control in resource allocation and social responsibility, respectively, because no single actor can do it alone,” she said.
Dr Baffoe-Wilmot said there should be collaboration between the public and the private sectors, individuals and households, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international partners and insurers to help support the cause to control malaria in the country.
For his part, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Dr Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, said there was the need for more education on the devastation of malaria in the country to create adequate awareness among the citizenry.
He also advised the public to practise environmental management to help in the reduction of malaria cases in the country, since it served as an annual economic burden in Ghana and Africa as a whole.
He, therefore, called for all hands to be on deck to kick malaria out.
Malaria is caused by the plasmodium parasite and it is transmitted through the female anopheles mosquito, with simple symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, loss of appetite and severe symptoms such as severe anaemia, blood in urine, convulsion, jaundice and extreme general weakness.
Friday, April 23, 2010
FOCUS ON ISSUES CONCERNING CHILDREN (SPREAD, APRIL 23, 2010)
THE media have been advised to make a more conscious effort to give more attention to issues concerning children.
During discussions between a delegation from the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) Office in Accra and the management of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), the two sides expressed the need for the media to dwell more on the positive portrayal of children than had been the practise in the past.
To that end, the two groups agreed to stimulate public interest in children’s issues and create the appropriate partnership and linkages for public discourse on those issues.
The Country Representative of UNICEF, Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, led the three-member delegation from UNICEF, while the Managing Director of the GCGL, Mr Ibrahim Awal, also headed the four-member GCGL team.
Dr Haque commended Ghana for its efforts at prioritising children’s issues, pointing out that ”Ghana has a lot of credit in such areas as health, education, HIV/AIDS, children’s safety and protection”.
She was, however, quick to add that there were many areas that needed to be improved, saying that called for partnership between civil society and the government, as well as other stakeholders.
She noted that Ghanaian children had made huge progress in their development but said they continued to face various challenges such as child abuse, child exploitation and child neglect.
According to her, UNICEF had, over the years, helped in many diverse ways, including direct interventions, as well as the creation of the requisite partnerships and linkages for children’s welfare and their general development.
She commended the GCGL for using its publications, notably the Daily Graphic and the Junior Graphic, to champion children’s issues, adding that write ups on the environment, safety, health, education, child mortality and malnutrition were all children-related issues and the group must be praised for them.
Mr Awal, for his part, stated that as a corporate entity, the GCGL recognised its role in highlighting children’s issues as highly important. The company also heavily subsidised the cover price of the Junior Graphic to enable as many children as possible to acquire it.
He welcomed Dr Haque’s call for partnership between the two organisations and asked Mr Ransford Tetteh, the Editor of the Daily Graphic, and Mrs Mavis Kitcher, the Editor of the Junior Graphic, who were both at the meeting, to liaise with the UNICEF office to work out the modalities for fruitful collaboration.
Mrs Kitcher said it had always been the duty of the paper to constantly give prominence to issues affecting children and, therefore, welcomed any collaboration from an international body such as UNICEF.
She said apart from motivating children to read, it was also the objective of the paper to engage them positively to understand and appreciate pertinent issues that worked against their overall development.
The other members of the UNICEF delegation were Mr Rene Van Dongen, the Deputy Representative, and Madam Evelyn Offeibea Baddoo, the Communications Officer, while Mr Albert Sam, the Public Affairs Manager of the GCGL, was the other member of the GCGL team.
During discussions between a delegation from the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) Office in Accra and the management of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), the two sides expressed the need for the media to dwell more on the positive portrayal of children than had been the practise in the past.
To that end, the two groups agreed to stimulate public interest in children’s issues and create the appropriate partnership and linkages for public discourse on those issues.
The Country Representative of UNICEF, Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, led the three-member delegation from UNICEF, while the Managing Director of the GCGL, Mr Ibrahim Awal, also headed the four-member GCGL team.
Dr Haque commended Ghana for its efforts at prioritising children’s issues, pointing out that ”Ghana has a lot of credit in such areas as health, education, HIV/AIDS, children’s safety and protection”.
She was, however, quick to add that there were many areas that needed to be improved, saying that called for partnership between civil society and the government, as well as other stakeholders.
She noted that Ghanaian children had made huge progress in their development but said they continued to face various challenges such as child abuse, child exploitation and child neglect.
According to her, UNICEF had, over the years, helped in many diverse ways, including direct interventions, as well as the creation of the requisite partnerships and linkages for children’s welfare and their general development.
She commended the GCGL for using its publications, notably the Daily Graphic and the Junior Graphic, to champion children’s issues, adding that write ups on the environment, safety, health, education, child mortality and malnutrition were all children-related issues and the group must be praised for them.
Mr Awal, for his part, stated that as a corporate entity, the GCGL recognised its role in highlighting children’s issues as highly important. The company also heavily subsidised the cover price of the Junior Graphic to enable as many children as possible to acquire it.
He welcomed Dr Haque’s call for partnership between the two organisations and asked Mr Ransford Tetteh, the Editor of the Daily Graphic, and Mrs Mavis Kitcher, the Editor of the Junior Graphic, who were both at the meeting, to liaise with the UNICEF office to work out the modalities for fruitful collaboration.
Mrs Kitcher said it had always been the duty of the paper to constantly give prominence to issues affecting children and, therefore, welcomed any collaboration from an international body such as UNICEF.
She said apart from motivating children to read, it was also the objective of the paper to engage them positively to understand and appreciate pertinent issues that worked against their overall development.
The other members of the UNICEF delegation were Mr Rene Van Dongen, the Deputy Representative, and Madam Evelyn Offeibea Baddoo, the Communications Officer, while Mr Albert Sam, the Public Affairs Manager of the GCGL, was the other member of the GCGL team.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
GIMPA WOMEN'S COMMISSION HOLDS HEALTH EDUCATION (PAGE 11, APRIL 22, 2010)
According to health experts, cervical cancer forms a greater percentage of all gynaecological cancers seen at the Korle-Bu and the Komfo Anokye Teaching hospitals in Accra and Kumasi respectively.
To educate and create awareness of cervical, breast and prostate cancers among students of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), the Women's Commission of GIMPA has organised a programme dubbed "Know your health status".
Giving a lecture on cervical cancer, a cytotechnologist at the School of Allied Health Sciences, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ms Lois Adunyame, said cervical cancer affected the cervix.
She said statistics show that globally, a woman dies of cervical cancer every two minutes and about 80 per cent of the deaths occur in developing countries as a result of weak or non-existent cervical cancer screening and treatment programmes.
She explained that symptoms of cervical cancer were not obvious and may not be seen at all until it had reached an advanced stage.
Some of the symptoms at the advanced stage include abnormal bleeding, post-menopausal women bleeding, pelvic pain and heavy vaginal discharges which may be smelly.
Ms Adunyame said doctors have proven that the major cause of cervical cancer was the Genital Human Papalloma Virus (HPV), which could be transmitted through sexual contact.
She explained that the virus was a germ found in the skin of the genital area of both male and female and has the potential of converting the normal cells into cancerous ones.
She said the only guarantee of not acquiring the virus was total abstinence from sex, adding that ladies who engaged in early sexual activities were at a high risk of acquiring the virus.
She noted that cervical cancer could be detected through early screening using the Papanicolaou (pap) smear method for the early detection of the cancer cells in the cervix.
Ms Adunyame advised women to go for regular pap smear to help reduce their chances of acquiring the cancer.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, later, the Executive Secretary of the Cancer Society of Ghana, Rev. Fr Victor Sackey, said a national cancer committee had been formed to put in place a cancer care plan for the country.
He was optimistic that by the end of the year a "blue print" national policy would have been put in place to help tackle the various cancers in the country effectively.
"Most developed countries have national policies and regulations on cancers, coupled with the availability of statistics, to help monitor its development,” he said and explained that apart from not having a national policy, there was also inadequate statistics to help monitor the development of cancer cases in the country.
Rev. Fr Sackey said statistics available in the country at the moment were mainly gathered by pathologists in the main teaching hospitals and, therefore, appealed to the government to come to the aid of cancer patients in the country by putting in place a national policy and more screening centres.
"Issues of cancer need to be tackled urgently and so the government must provide resources and logistics for the training of specialists in the area to help in the early diagnosis and treatment of patients," he said.
Rev. Fr Sackey noted that at the moment Ghana had no specialist nurse in cancer to help in the treatment of the disease.
The Women's Commissioner of GIMPA, Hajia Hanatu Abubakar-Bimi, said the programme was under the auspices of the Student Representative Council (SRC) to help create awareness among the students.
She advised women to feel at ease, take bold steps and put aside all cultural and religious barriers to go for screening and treatment.
To educate and create awareness of cervical, breast and prostate cancers among students of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), the Women's Commission of GIMPA has organised a programme dubbed "Know your health status".
Giving a lecture on cervical cancer, a cytotechnologist at the School of Allied Health Sciences, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ms Lois Adunyame, said cervical cancer affected the cervix.
She said statistics show that globally, a woman dies of cervical cancer every two minutes and about 80 per cent of the deaths occur in developing countries as a result of weak or non-existent cervical cancer screening and treatment programmes.
She explained that symptoms of cervical cancer were not obvious and may not be seen at all until it had reached an advanced stage.
Some of the symptoms at the advanced stage include abnormal bleeding, post-menopausal women bleeding, pelvic pain and heavy vaginal discharges which may be smelly.
Ms Adunyame said doctors have proven that the major cause of cervical cancer was the Genital Human Papalloma Virus (HPV), which could be transmitted through sexual contact.
She explained that the virus was a germ found in the skin of the genital area of both male and female and has the potential of converting the normal cells into cancerous ones.
She said the only guarantee of not acquiring the virus was total abstinence from sex, adding that ladies who engaged in early sexual activities were at a high risk of acquiring the virus.
She noted that cervical cancer could be detected through early screening using the Papanicolaou (pap) smear method for the early detection of the cancer cells in the cervix.
Ms Adunyame advised women to go for regular pap smear to help reduce their chances of acquiring the cancer.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, later, the Executive Secretary of the Cancer Society of Ghana, Rev. Fr Victor Sackey, said a national cancer committee had been formed to put in place a cancer care plan for the country.
He was optimistic that by the end of the year a "blue print" national policy would have been put in place to help tackle the various cancers in the country effectively.
"Most developed countries have national policies and regulations on cancers, coupled with the availability of statistics, to help monitor its development,” he said and explained that apart from not having a national policy, there was also inadequate statistics to help monitor the development of cancer cases in the country.
Rev. Fr Sackey said statistics available in the country at the moment were mainly gathered by pathologists in the main teaching hospitals and, therefore, appealed to the government to come to the aid of cancer patients in the country by putting in place a national policy and more screening centres.
"Issues of cancer need to be tackled urgently and so the government must provide resources and logistics for the training of specialists in the area to help in the early diagnosis and treatment of patients," he said.
Rev. Fr Sackey noted that at the moment Ghana had no specialist nurse in cancer to help in the treatment of the disease.
The Women's Commissioner of GIMPA, Hajia Hanatu Abubakar-Bimi, said the programme was under the auspices of the Student Representative Council (SRC) to help create awareness among the students.
She advised women to feel at ease, take bold steps and put aside all cultural and religious barriers to go for screening and treatment.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
GHANA MARKS WORLD MALARIA DAY (SPREAD, APRIL 20, 2010)
The world’s giant insecticide treated mosquito net was unveiled in Accra yesterday.
The 30x20 feet net, which was made possible through the collaboration of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was mounted by ProMPT Ghana as a prelude to the commemoration of World Malaria Day celebrations scheduled for April 25, 2010 worldwide.
The programme, which was on the theme: “Counting Malaria Out”, was to help promote the four key malarial prevention and control actions in the country.
The four key actions are nightly use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs), intermittent preventive malaria treatment for pregnant women, indoor residual spraying (IRS) and prompt and appropriate treatment for all malarial infections.
The acting Mission Director of USAID, Mr David Atteberry, said if Ghana adhered to those four proven malarial control actions, the country would be able to address issues of malaria.
Mr Atteberry said it was important that young children and pregnant women slept under an ITN every night to help prevent them from having the illness.
“To support the government of Ghana, the US Government is providing 955,000 ITNs for distribution to pregnant women and children under five years in the Northern and Eastern regions over the next one to four months. The American people are also procuring an additional 850,000 ITNs for distribution in other regions later this year.”
Aside the provision of ITNs, he said USAID would be carrying out an IRS campaign in six rural districts of the Northern Region.
He explained that the campaign would entail the spraying of insecticides to the interior walls of houses to kill and repel malarial transmitting mosquitoes, which could remain active for three to six months.
For her part, the Programme Manager of NMCP, Dr Constance Bart-Plange, said the public should treat malaria with seriousness and a sense of urgency, since it had the potential of crippling the country.
She said “the battle against malaria cannot be attained without the use of treated nets, since they serve as a barrier between an individual and the mosquito”.
She, therefore, advised that infected persons should visit a health centre for accurate diagnosis and treatment with artemisinin-based combination medications.
“The era of the use of chloroquine to treat malaria is past,” she noted.
The 30x20 feet net, which was made possible through the collaboration of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was mounted by ProMPT Ghana as a prelude to the commemoration of World Malaria Day celebrations scheduled for April 25, 2010 worldwide.
The programme, which was on the theme: “Counting Malaria Out”, was to help promote the four key malarial prevention and control actions in the country.
The four key actions are nightly use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs), intermittent preventive malaria treatment for pregnant women, indoor residual spraying (IRS) and prompt and appropriate treatment for all malarial infections.
The acting Mission Director of USAID, Mr David Atteberry, said if Ghana adhered to those four proven malarial control actions, the country would be able to address issues of malaria.
Mr Atteberry said it was important that young children and pregnant women slept under an ITN every night to help prevent them from having the illness.
“To support the government of Ghana, the US Government is providing 955,000 ITNs for distribution to pregnant women and children under five years in the Northern and Eastern regions over the next one to four months. The American people are also procuring an additional 850,000 ITNs for distribution in other regions later this year.”
Aside the provision of ITNs, he said USAID would be carrying out an IRS campaign in six rural districts of the Northern Region.
He explained that the campaign would entail the spraying of insecticides to the interior walls of houses to kill and repel malarial transmitting mosquitoes, which could remain active for three to six months.
For her part, the Programme Manager of NMCP, Dr Constance Bart-Plange, said the public should treat malaria with seriousness and a sense of urgency, since it had the potential of crippling the country.
She said “the battle against malaria cannot be attained without the use of treated nets, since they serve as a barrier between an individual and the mosquito”.
She, therefore, advised that infected persons should visit a health centre for accurate diagnosis and treatment with artemisinin-based combination medications.
“The era of the use of chloroquine to treat malaria is past,” she noted.
Monday, April 19, 2010
AFRICAN NEEDS MORE GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP SCHOOLS — TITI-OFFEI (SPREAD, APRIL 19, 2010)
The Governor-general of Graduate School of Governance and Leadership (GSGL), Rev. Gideon Titi-Offei, has underscored the need for a world-class Africa postgraduate school to complement Africa’s tremendous effort at establishing democratic governance and economic stability.
Such a school, he said, would transform the human resources of the continent into highly productive human capital with the requisite competencies.
He made the call at the first graduation ceremony of GSGL on the Spintex Road in Accra on Saturday.
Ninety-six business executives graduated with a certificate in Business Administration at the end of a 12-week course at the school.
The course offered them a broad-based practical understanding of business management and its functional areas with emphasis on best practices.
The GSGL is a prestigious Christian postgraduate school which is currently offering accelerated executive education programmes through its centre for executive education.
Participants who were awarded the certificates completed six courses at the core stage of the study programme and one course at the specialisation stage.
Rev. Titi-Offei said GSGL’s value-added training model revolved around a dynamic knowledge market that introduced students to the latest thinking and concept within the knowledge environment.
He said that would turn out Africa’s political, corporate and business leaders ready to impact their skills on Africa and engage the world.
He advised the graduates to ensure that they impacted positively on their workers in an atmosphere of love, peace and joy.
Touching on “Entrepreneur’s Motivated Mind”, the Executive Chairman of Edge Institute, Mr Ato Sarpong, said entrepreneurs had some qualities which made them successful.
He said an entrepreneur needed to lead his or her own life, have unlimited opportunities, discover his/her passion, have a spirit of intuition and perseverance and be a risk taker.
Mr Sarpong said engaging in those practices motivated leaders to achieve a particular goal and aim.
For his part, the Board Chairman of GSGL, Rev Dr S.B. Asore, said education did not end after graduation, since the search and quest for knowledge was a never-ending venture.
He said with the financial meltdown affecting economies globally with Africa not being an exception, it had become imperative that the upcoming generation was taught the principles becoming successful entrepreneurs.
The ceremony was also used to launch a new programme, a “Certificate of Advanced Studies in Executive Business Administration”.
The programme would be running for 16 weeks and has been designed for corporate and business executives.
It covers areas such as contemporary leadership, managerial accounting, business economics, human resource management, general management and business plan development.
Such a school, he said, would transform the human resources of the continent into highly productive human capital with the requisite competencies.
He made the call at the first graduation ceremony of GSGL on the Spintex Road in Accra on Saturday.
Ninety-six business executives graduated with a certificate in Business Administration at the end of a 12-week course at the school.
The course offered them a broad-based practical understanding of business management and its functional areas with emphasis on best practices.
The GSGL is a prestigious Christian postgraduate school which is currently offering accelerated executive education programmes through its centre for executive education.
Participants who were awarded the certificates completed six courses at the core stage of the study programme and one course at the specialisation stage.
Rev. Titi-Offei said GSGL’s value-added training model revolved around a dynamic knowledge market that introduced students to the latest thinking and concept within the knowledge environment.
He said that would turn out Africa’s political, corporate and business leaders ready to impact their skills on Africa and engage the world.
He advised the graduates to ensure that they impacted positively on their workers in an atmosphere of love, peace and joy.
Touching on “Entrepreneur’s Motivated Mind”, the Executive Chairman of Edge Institute, Mr Ato Sarpong, said entrepreneurs had some qualities which made them successful.
He said an entrepreneur needed to lead his or her own life, have unlimited opportunities, discover his/her passion, have a spirit of intuition and perseverance and be a risk taker.
Mr Sarpong said engaging in those practices motivated leaders to achieve a particular goal and aim.
For his part, the Board Chairman of GSGL, Rev Dr S.B. Asore, said education did not end after graduation, since the search and quest for knowledge was a never-ending venture.
He said with the financial meltdown affecting economies globally with Africa not being an exception, it had become imperative that the upcoming generation was taught the principles becoming successful entrepreneurs.
The ceremony was also used to launch a new programme, a “Certificate of Advanced Studies in Executive Business Administration”.
The programme would be running for 16 weeks and has been designed for corporate and business executives.
It covers areas such as contemporary leadership, managerial accounting, business economics, human resource management, general management and business plan development.
Friday, April 16, 2010
TATA AFRICA HOLDINGS LAUNCHES NEW VEHICLE (SPREAD, APRIL 16, 2010)
The TATA Africa Holdings (Ghana) Limited has introduced a mini-truck “Tata Ace” to Ghana with the sole aim of helping businessmen and women to owe distribution vehicles.
The new Tata Ace is powered by a small and efficient unique twin cylinder 16bhp and 700cc diesel engine suitable for both rural and urban use. The 4-wheeler has the ability to carry a variety of payloads. It has a dual circuit hydraulically activated brakes with a 30-litre fuel tank capacity.
Speaking at the launch, the Deputy General Manager of Tata Africa Holdings, Mr Vivek Saraswat, said the vehicle had the ability to navigate narrow by-lanes owing to its turning radius of 4.3 metres.
He said the Tata Ace was a high performance, low maintenance, safe and reliable vehicle. He was optimistic that the vehicle would meet the needs of its target market.
The mini-truck is also being promoted through a campaign dubbed “Small is Big”, which began at the Makola Market with the sole aim of attracting customers.
Mr Saraswat said “we are excited about interacting with our end customers and getting some immediate feedback on our products”.
He told the Daily Graphic that the promotional campaign suggested that the Tata Ace was small in size but big in technology and value for money, adding that the vehicle would be selling at GH¢13,500.
Explaining the term of service, he said the company would give customers the opportunity of a 50 per cent down payment with the rest of the money spread over a six-month period with no interest.
Mr Saraswat said the company was at the moment in a collaboration with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Access Bank to grant loans to individuals who would want to purchase the mini-truck.
He, therefore, advised businessmen and women to take advantage of the offer to owe a distribution truck for their goods.
The new Tata Ace is powered by a small and efficient unique twin cylinder 16bhp and 700cc diesel engine suitable for both rural and urban use. The 4-wheeler has the ability to carry a variety of payloads. It has a dual circuit hydraulically activated brakes with a 30-litre fuel tank capacity.
Speaking at the launch, the Deputy General Manager of Tata Africa Holdings, Mr Vivek Saraswat, said the vehicle had the ability to navigate narrow by-lanes owing to its turning radius of 4.3 metres.
He said the Tata Ace was a high performance, low maintenance, safe and reliable vehicle. He was optimistic that the vehicle would meet the needs of its target market.
The mini-truck is also being promoted through a campaign dubbed “Small is Big”, which began at the Makola Market with the sole aim of attracting customers.
Mr Saraswat said “we are excited about interacting with our end customers and getting some immediate feedback on our products”.
He told the Daily Graphic that the promotional campaign suggested that the Tata Ace was small in size but big in technology and value for money, adding that the vehicle would be selling at GH¢13,500.
Explaining the term of service, he said the company would give customers the opportunity of a 50 per cent down payment with the rest of the money spread over a six-month period with no interest.
Mr Saraswat said the company was at the moment in a collaboration with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Access Bank to grant loans to individuals who would want to purchase the mini-truck.
He, therefore, advised businessmen and women to take advantage of the offer to owe a distribution truck for their goods.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
STREET CHILDREN BENEFIT FORM SPECIAL TRAINING (PAGE 11, APRIL 13, 2010)
A number of street children are benefiting from an ongoing special training and educational programme organised by the Special Attention Project (SAP), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), to make them productive.
The organisation which is based at Kaneshie in Accra intends to educate children who are not enrolled in school and live on the streets in and around the Kaneshie Community,
A survey conducted by the SAP among children at the Catholic Action for Street Children (CAS), another NGO that takes care of children who have dropped out of school, showed that a number of the children had typical learning problems and while some were able to learn to read and write, others could not do so.
Speaking at the launch of SAP in Accra, the Co-ordinator of the organisation, Ms Margaretha Ubels, said the SAP initiated the special training and education project as a way of addressing the result of the survey.
She said most of the children should be in school, but their learning disabilities made it difficult for them to enrol under the formal educational system since most of them would need extra attention in order to keep up with academic work.
Ms Ubels said the organisation was supervising 25 children who were drawn from Kaneshie and its environs, after several interactions to find out their special learning disability.
“Learning difficulty” is a special challenge that affects the different learning skills of a child. It includes dyslexia, which is associated with difficulty in learning specific skills related to words such as reading and spelling.
Other forms of learning difficulties are attention deficit disorder, which is associated with short attention span and high levels of distraction, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Children with this disorder can be hyperactive, have too much energy, cannot sit still for minutes and are very impulsive.
Ms Ubels said if there was a combination of a learning problem and an unstable family situation, the child would be at a high risk and end up on the street.
She, therefore, advised parents to give special attention to their wards to enable them identify their special learning difficulty.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Mawuli Tetteh, a specialist in addressing specific learning disabilities in Children, said lots of people with learning disabilities had been successful in their careers because they learned to overcome their barriers which enabled them to accomplish their dreams and desires.
He said the disorders in some of the children were found to be a catalyst for success, forcing them to develop and utilise their hidden talents.
He said the successes chalked up by persons with learning disabilities, despite their difficulties, showed that dreams could be fulfilled so long as they are encouraged.
Mr Tetteh, therefore, advised parents not to neglect their wards because they had special learning disabilities, but support and encourage them, adding that teachers who teach such children should also endeavour to give special attention to them to help them develop their skills.
The organisation which is based at Kaneshie in Accra intends to educate children who are not enrolled in school and live on the streets in and around the Kaneshie Community,
A survey conducted by the SAP among children at the Catholic Action for Street Children (CAS), another NGO that takes care of children who have dropped out of school, showed that a number of the children had typical learning problems and while some were able to learn to read and write, others could not do so.
Speaking at the launch of SAP in Accra, the Co-ordinator of the organisation, Ms Margaretha Ubels, said the SAP initiated the special training and education project as a way of addressing the result of the survey.
She said most of the children should be in school, but their learning disabilities made it difficult for them to enrol under the formal educational system since most of them would need extra attention in order to keep up with academic work.
Ms Ubels said the organisation was supervising 25 children who were drawn from Kaneshie and its environs, after several interactions to find out their special learning disability.
“Learning difficulty” is a special challenge that affects the different learning skills of a child. It includes dyslexia, which is associated with difficulty in learning specific skills related to words such as reading and spelling.
Other forms of learning difficulties are attention deficit disorder, which is associated with short attention span and high levels of distraction, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Children with this disorder can be hyperactive, have too much energy, cannot sit still for minutes and are very impulsive.
Ms Ubels said if there was a combination of a learning problem and an unstable family situation, the child would be at a high risk and end up on the street.
She, therefore, advised parents to give special attention to their wards to enable them identify their special learning difficulty.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Mawuli Tetteh, a specialist in addressing specific learning disabilities in Children, said lots of people with learning disabilities had been successful in their careers because they learned to overcome their barriers which enabled them to accomplish their dreams and desires.
He said the disorders in some of the children were found to be a catalyst for success, forcing them to develop and utilise their hidden talents.
He said the successes chalked up by persons with learning disabilities, despite their difficulties, showed that dreams could be fulfilled so long as they are encouraged.
Mr Tetteh, therefore, advised parents not to neglect their wards because they had special learning disabilities, but support and encourage them, adding that teachers who teach such children should also endeavour to give special attention to them to help them develop their skills.
GOVT URGED TO PURSUE CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PLANS (SPREAD, APRIL 12, 2010)
THE Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Professor Yaw Agyeman Badu, has called on the government to pursue capacity development programmes that will be envisioned and implemented by society as a whole.
That, he said, should be done through the empowering of key stakeholders, including individuals and institutions, to help achieve the across-society influences and linkages which would make the desired transformation realistic.
Prof Agyeman Badu, who was speaking at the 17th graduation and admission ceremony of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG), said the government should view commitments to capacity development as a strategic investment which would yield over time and not as heavy costs to be borne.
This year, the institute admitted 319 new members, while 231 graduated as Chartered Accountants (CA) and 28 as accounting technicians.
Awards and certificates were given to successful students who excelled in their examinations. The ultimate prize went to 21-year-old Isaac Danso Agyiri who wrote all 15 professional papers at the first attempt in two and a half years.
"In Ghana we have made a commitment to pursue a policy of human resource development to create a pool of knowledgeable, well-trained and disciplined workforce with capacity to promote sustainable socio-economic growth,” Prof Agyeman Badu said.
He said the institute, therefore, had a huge responsibility of providing capacity programmes for the human resource needs of all sectors of society.
He said technology had consigned Ghana and many African countries behind the developed countries and it was, therefore, imperative that the country developed human capacity for information management in all sectors of the economy.
Prof Agyeman Badu called on the newly admitted members and the graduates to apply professionalism, ethics and integrity in their various work places.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, said the primary requirement of ICAG members was for them to adopt the attitudes of transparency and accountability and a high sense of integrity.
He urged them to exhibit a high level of responsibility, skill and competency as their trademark in the profession.
He said the recent improvement in the institute’s pass rates lent credence to total quality management efforts through effective monitoring and control mechanisms employed to upgrade its standards.
Mr Tettey-Enyo commended the ICAG for staying on course with its professional and technicians’ training programmes.
That, he said, should be done through the empowering of key stakeholders, including individuals and institutions, to help achieve the across-society influences and linkages which would make the desired transformation realistic.
Prof Agyeman Badu, who was speaking at the 17th graduation and admission ceremony of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG), said the government should view commitments to capacity development as a strategic investment which would yield over time and not as heavy costs to be borne.
This year, the institute admitted 319 new members, while 231 graduated as Chartered Accountants (CA) and 28 as accounting technicians.
Awards and certificates were given to successful students who excelled in their examinations. The ultimate prize went to 21-year-old Isaac Danso Agyiri who wrote all 15 professional papers at the first attempt in two and a half years.
"In Ghana we have made a commitment to pursue a policy of human resource development to create a pool of knowledgeable, well-trained and disciplined workforce with capacity to promote sustainable socio-economic growth,” Prof Agyeman Badu said.
He said the institute, therefore, had a huge responsibility of providing capacity programmes for the human resource needs of all sectors of society.
He said technology had consigned Ghana and many African countries behind the developed countries and it was, therefore, imperative that the country developed human capacity for information management in all sectors of the economy.
Prof Agyeman Badu called on the newly admitted members and the graduates to apply professionalism, ethics and integrity in their various work places.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, said the primary requirement of ICAG members was for them to adopt the attitudes of transparency and accountability and a high sense of integrity.
He urged them to exhibit a high level of responsibility, skill and competency as their trademark in the profession.
He said the recent improvement in the institute’s pass rates lent credence to total quality management efforts through effective monitoring and control mechanisms employed to upgrade its standards.
Mr Tettey-Enyo commended the ICAG for staying on course with its professional and technicians’ training programmes.
MARS BUSINESS SCHOOL LAUNCHES 35TH ANNIVERSARY (PAGE 11, APRIL 12, 2010)
MARS Business Secondary School has launched its 35th anniversary celebration with a call on students to lay a better foundation for their future.
The Safety Manager of Process and Plant Sales Limited, Mr Solomon Amoo, who is also an alumnus of the school, made the call and said building a better foundation in their education by studying hard was the only way the students could make it in life.
He advised the students to keep friends who would help them realise their dreams and detach themselves from those who would lead them astray.
The school, which was established in 1975, has contributed its quota to the development of the nation through raising leaders who have made it in various fields of endeavour.
The school is also known for its sports activities and has produced many sportsmen in the country including Laryea Kinston of Black Stars and Lawrence Adja Tetteh, a former captain of Accra Hearts of Oak.
Mr Amoo also called on the students to hold on to the good things their teachers were imparting to them to help prepare themselves for the challenging job market.
The Founder and Proprietor of the school, Rev. Fr. John J.M. Martey, told the Daily Graphic that the vision of the school was to achieve educational excellence through quality education.
He said between 1985 and 1995, there was no house in Mataheko, Russia and Sukura from which one could not find a student attending Mars Secondary School, adding that the school, without financial support from any organisation, had provided quality education to the communities.
Rev. Martey said the school had provided educational re-awakening and consciousness of second cycle education in the locality.
He said the school offered courses in business finance, secretarial and general arts, as well as courses for professional students at Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA), which prepares students for the labour market.
Speaking on the theme for the anniversary,” the role of Mars Business School as education provider in nation building,” Mr Eric Agyeman-Badu, Internal Auditor at the Institute of Professional Studies, said the school had grown over the years to provide quality education to its students.
He noted that despite the school's infrastructural challenges, it had managed to raise leaders and establish other campuses and also provide educational services to the children of Russia and the surrounding communities.
The Safety Manager of Process and Plant Sales Limited, Mr Solomon Amoo, who is also an alumnus of the school, made the call and said building a better foundation in their education by studying hard was the only way the students could make it in life.
He advised the students to keep friends who would help them realise their dreams and detach themselves from those who would lead them astray.
The school, which was established in 1975, has contributed its quota to the development of the nation through raising leaders who have made it in various fields of endeavour.
The school is also known for its sports activities and has produced many sportsmen in the country including Laryea Kinston of Black Stars and Lawrence Adja Tetteh, a former captain of Accra Hearts of Oak.
Mr Amoo also called on the students to hold on to the good things their teachers were imparting to them to help prepare themselves for the challenging job market.
The Founder and Proprietor of the school, Rev. Fr. John J.M. Martey, told the Daily Graphic that the vision of the school was to achieve educational excellence through quality education.
He said between 1985 and 1995, there was no house in Mataheko, Russia and Sukura from which one could not find a student attending Mars Secondary School, adding that the school, without financial support from any organisation, had provided quality education to the communities.
Rev. Martey said the school had provided educational re-awakening and consciousness of second cycle education in the locality.
He said the school offered courses in business finance, secretarial and general arts, as well as courses for professional students at Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA), which prepares students for the labour market.
Speaking on the theme for the anniversary,” the role of Mars Business School as education provider in nation building,” Mr Eric Agyeman-Badu, Internal Auditor at the Institute of Professional Studies, said the school had grown over the years to provide quality education to its students.
He noted that despite the school's infrastructural challenges, it had managed to raise leaders and establish other campuses and also provide educational services to the children of Russia and the surrounding communities.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
JOBS FOR 10,000 YOUTH (PAGE 18, APRIL 10, 2010)
The Deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Omani Boamah, has disclosed that the government in collaboration with Zoil Ghana Limited is targeting the employment of at least 10,000 Ghanaian youth for the ongoing Coastal Zone Development Project.
He said, “we have targeted to employ at least 10,000 of the youth to train them in the management of our beaches. The training, among other things, would equip them to mend nets for fishermen and re-plant thousands of coconut trees along the coast to make the beaches a viable tourist destination along the West Coast in the next five years .
This, he said, would further create more jobs, aside the economic benefits the country may derive.
Dr Omani Boamah made this statement when he toured some beaches in Accra to assess and familiarise himself with the work and activities of the workers, also known as Eco Brigade.
He was accompanied by his counterpart from the Sports Ministry, Nii Nortey Dua, the National Coordinator of the project, Lt. Col. Blood-Djraku, Mr Jonathan Takie Komme, Member of Parliament for Odododiodioo Constituency and Mr Daniel Amartey Mensah, Municipal Chief Executive for Ledzokuku-Krowor, all in the Greater Accra Region.
Dr Boamah and his team were taken round by Mr Robert Colemen, Director of Operations for Zoil Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, which is collaborating with the Government towards the implementation of the project.
In an interaction with the workers, Dr Boamah and his team congratulated the workers for the good work they were doing in cleaning the country’s beaches, and expressed their appreciation to Mr Coleman and Zoil for the good work.
For his part, Mr Colemen was happy that the project had been very successful, stating that “Zoil is very happy that its collaboration with government is able to create such huge employment for the youth in Ghana”, explaining that the Coastal Zone Development project covered all the country’s beaches from Aflao to Elubo.
He said “we have thousands of workers who were recruited from the various coastal communities working on the beaches and also at the oil drilling sites to ensure the proper management of our beaches.”
He called on the workers to use their expertise to educate their colleagues on the need to keep the beaches clean.
He said, “we have targeted to employ at least 10,000 of the youth to train them in the management of our beaches. The training, among other things, would equip them to mend nets for fishermen and re-plant thousands of coconut trees along the coast to make the beaches a viable tourist destination along the West Coast in the next five years .
This, he said, would further create more jobs, aside the economic benefits the country may derive.
Dr Omani Boamah made this statement when he toured some beaches in Accra to assess and familiarise himself with the work and activities of the workers, also known as Eco Brigade.
He was accompanied by his counterpart from the Sports Ministry, Nii Nortey Dua, the National Coordinator of the project, Lt. Col. Blood-Djraku, Mr Jonathan Takie Komme, Member of Parliament for Odododiodioo Constituency and Mr Daniel Amartey Mensah, Municipal Chief Executive for Ledzokuku-Krowor, all in the Greater Accra Region.
Dr Boamah and his team were taken round by Mr Robert Colemen, Director of Operations for Zoil Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, which is collaborating with the Government towards the implementation of the project.
In an interaction with the workers, Dr Boamah and his team congratulated the workers for the good work they were doing in cleaning the country’s beaches, and expressed their appreciation to Mr Coleman and Zoil for the good work.
For his part, Mr Colemen was happy that the project had been very successful, stating that “Zoil is very happy that its collaboration with government is able to create such huge employment for the youth in Ghana”, explaining that the Coastal Zone Development project covered all the country’s beaches from Aflao to Elubo.
He said “we have thousands of workers who were recruited from the various coastal communities working on the beaches and also at the oil drilling sites to ensure the proper management of our beaches.”
He called on the workers to use their expertise to educate their colleagues on the need to keep the beaches clean.
SECOND PHASE OF 'ALLANBLACKIA PROJECT' LAUNCHED (PAGE 19, APRIL 10 2010)
The second phase of the project for standard setting and sustainable supply chain management of the Allanblackia tree, known locally as “sonkyi or kusie adwe”, has been launched in Ghana.
Oil derived from Allanblackia seeds can be used for cooking, preparing medicines, making of soaps and the manufacture of margarine and cosmetics. It can also be used in preparing ice-cream, coatings, cake and for baking cookies.
The tree grows naturally in the forest, adjoining areas and to some extent on farms, especially in the Central, Western, Ashanti and Eastern Regions of Ghana.
The project, being promoted by the Swiss government and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is to help reduce poverty in Ghana and to improve the livelihoods of Ghanaian farmers while promoting biodiversity in the country.
It also seeks to provide guidance on how to tackle technical aspects related to the regeneration and determination of the appropriate ecology of the Allanblackia tree, especially, on farms and to develop sustainable value chains through the elaboration of standards for the tree.
The $6 million project is a public-private partnership, with the Swiss government contributing $ 1.9 million. Other partners contributing to the project include Unilever, the World Agro-forestry Centre, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and IUCN.
At the Launch, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Ghana, Mr Nicholas Lang, said the objective of Switzerland’s economic development to Ghana is to support the implementation of Ghana’s poverty reduction strategy with the ultimate aim of supporting Ghana to become a middle income country.
He said that was the reason for the Swiss government’s effort to support the implementation of the commodity since it was interested in helping to alleviate poverty and improve the lives of Ghanaian farmers.
“ Our support to develop Allanblackia as a niche product for export with poverty reduction impact is one of the many projects that characterise our economic development relations with Ghana,” Mr Lang stated.
The ambassador added that the Swiss government was supporting the Allanblackia project for a number of reasons which include the promotion of sustainable small-scale use of tropical forests and agricultural lands by local communities, while raising awareness of environmental concerns.
He expressed the hope that work done to develop the best practice guidelines for Allanblackia harvesting would be the key reference to further develop the Allanblackia related standards in co-operation with all the partners.
Launching the project ,the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Henry Ford Kamel, said the country’s forestry sector had experienced several challenges such as excessive exploitation, illegal harvesting, degradation and weak regulatory framework.
Citing the example of the reduction in the nation’s forest cover from 8.2 million hectares in the 90’s to 1.6 million hectares due to factors such as illegal logging and chainsaw operations.
“ The challenges we face in the forest sector call for innovative measures that will make the use of forests and their resources sustainable, which is why the Allanblackia project is laudable and in line with the government’s development agenda”.
The Senior Forest Officer for West and Central Africa, Mr Martin Nganje, said the first phase of the project was launched on March 23, 2005 with a key reference for the elaboration of standards that would promote sustainable production and trade of Allanblackia and facilitate market access through an open multi-stakeholder platform.
Oil derived from Allanblackia seeds can be used for cooking, preparing medicines, making of soaps and the manufacture of margarine and cosmetics. It can also be used in preparing ice-cream, coatings, cake and for baking cookies.
The tree grows naturally in the forest, adjoining areas and to some extent on farms, especially in the Central, Western, Ashanti and Eastern Regions of Ghana.
The project, being promoted by the Swiss government and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is to help reduce poverty in Ghana and to improve the livelihoods of Ghanaian farmers while promoting biodiversity in the country.
It also seeks to provide guidance on how to tackle technical aspects related to the regeneration and determination of the appropriate ecology of the Allanblackia tree, especially, on farms and to develop sustainable value chains through the elaboration of standards for the tree.
The $6 million project is a public-private partnership, with the Swiss government contributing $ 1.9 million. Other partners contributing to the project include Unilever, the World Agro-forestry Centre, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and IUCN.
At the Launch, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Ghana, Mr Nicholas Lang, said the objective of Switzerland’s economic development to Ghana is to support the implementation of Ghana’s poverty reduction strategy with the ultimate aim of supporting Ghana to become a middle income country.
He said that was the reason for the Swiss government’s effort to support the implementation of the commodity since it was interested in helping to alleviate poverty and improve the lives of Ghanaian farmers.
“ Our support to develop Allanblackia as a niche product for export with poverty reduction impact is one of the many projects that characterise our economic development relations with Ghana,” Mr Lang stated.
The ambassador added that the Swiss government was supporting the Allanblackia project for a number of reasons which include the promotion of sustainable small-scale use of tropical forests and agricultural lands by local communities, while raising awareness of environmental concerns.
He expressed the hope that work done to develop the best practice guidelines for Allanblackia harvesting would be the key reference to further develop the Allanblackia related standards in co-operation with all the partners.
Launching the project ,the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Henry Ford Kamel, said the country’s forestry sector had experienced several challenges such as excessive exploitation, illegal harvesting, degradation and weak regulatory framework.
Citing the example of the reduction in the nation’s forest cover from 8.2 million hectares in the 90’s to 1.6 million hectares due to factors such as illegal logging and chainsaw operations.
“ The challenges we face in the forest sector call for innovative measures that will make the use of forests and their resources sustainable, which is why the Allanblackia project is laudable and in line with the government’s development agenda”.
The Senior Forest Officer for West and Central Africa, Mr Martin Nganje, said the first phase of the project was launched on March 23, 2005 with a key reference for the elaboration of standards that would promote sustainable production and trade of Allanblackia and facilitate market access through an open multi-stakeholder platform.
Friday, April 9, 2010
FIRE DESTROYS KORLE-BU SB-STATION (PAGE 31, APRIL 9, 2010)
Fire destroyed part of the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG’s) Sub-station “E” of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital yesterday.
The fire, said to have been caused by an electrical fault, partly burnt cables connected to the transformer that serves part of the hospital, leaving the Surgical Medical Emergency, Central Out-Patient Department (OPD), Accident Centre, Dental Department and the Pharmacy in total blackout.
Some patients and officials who saw thick smoke coming out through the window of the substation at 8:45a.m. used fire extinguishers to fight the fire before the arrival of fire service personnel few minutes later.
According to the second in command of the Electrical Workshop of the hospital, Mr Nana Agyemang Korang, the engineers of the hospital had worked on the change-over switches at the sub-station the previous day but could not finish with the work.
He said they decided to finish the work in the morning when they saw thick smoke coming out from the windows of the sub-station and called for fire extinguishers from nearby wards.
He said the engineers of the hospital were working closely with engineers of ECG to restore power to the departments affected.
The Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr Mustapha Salifu, said the engineers were working to replace the damaged cables caused by the fire and was optimistic that power would be restored to the affected areas, which he described as critical departments that needed immediate attention.
He, however, said if the engineers were not able to resolve the problem patients in the Surgical Medical Emergence Unit would be transferred to other wards in the hospital.
Mr Salifu assured Ghanaians that the management of the hospital was doing everything possible to address the problem.
The fire, said to have been caused by an electrical fault, partly burnt cables connected to the transformer that serves part of the hospital, leaving the Surgical Medical Emergency, Central Out-Patient Department (OPD), Accident Centre, Dental Department and the Pharmacy in total blackout.
Some patients and officials who saw thick smoke coming out through the window of the substation at 8:45a.m. used fire extinguishers to fight the fire before the arrival of fire service personnel few minutes later.
According to the second in command of the Electrical Workshop of the hospital, Mr Nana Agyemang Korang, the engineers of the hospital had worked on the change-over switches at the sub-station the previous day but could not finish with the work.
He said they decided to finish the work in the morning when they saw thick smoke coming out from the windows of the sub-station and called for fire extinguishers from nearby wards.
He said the engineers of the hospital were working closely with engineers of ECG to restore power to the departments affected.
The Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr Mustapha Salifu, said the engineers were working to replace the damaged cables caused by the fire and was optimistic that power would be restored to the affected areas, which he described as critical departments that needed immediate attention.
He, however, said if the engineers were not able to resolve the problem patients in the Surgical Medical Emergence Unit would be transferred to other wards in the hospital.
Mr Salifu assured Ghanaians that the management of the hospital was doing everything possible to address the problem.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
CLEANFARMS GHANA PROJECT LAUNCHED (PAGE 31, APRIL 7, 2010)
A project to locate and collect obsolete pesticides, veterinary products which pose a potential risk to the environment as well as human and animal health has been launched in Accra.
The project dubbed: "Cleanfarms Ghana Project" is a collaboration between CropLife Ghana, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (EPA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The objective of the project is to reduce the risk associated with obsolete stocks of pesticides that will over time deteriorate and cause harm to the environment.
Obsolete products include pesticides products that have expired, pesticides that have been banned or severely restricted because of high toxicity.
In a speech read on his behalf at the launch, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said Agriculture inputs were key components of modern agriculture, contributing to increase in crop yields achieved in recent decades.
He, however, said the total disregard for effective and efficient disposal could create adverse effects on the environment and also the economy.
He said the issue about the proper disposal of obsolete pesticides as well as their containers was a major task which the Government of Ghana (GoG) alone could not manage without the help of the private industry.
"It is, therefore, heart-warming for CropLife International through its national association, CropLife Ghana, to initiate such an exercise and GoG through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture would provide all the necessary assistance for the initiative”, he pointed out.
He said the agri-input business, largely due to the liberalisation policy of the government has increased the accessibility of inputs to the rural farmers, but had brought in its wake serious problems for the industry and therefore the need for all stakeholders to join hands to find a solution to the problem.
“ In this regard I will add my voice to that of the CropLife Ghana to call on all importers of agricultural inputs, especially, the pesticides, liquid fertilisers and veterinary pesticide products to set up mechanisms to retract all the used-empty containers from the field”.
Mr Ahwoi advised the general public to comply with the project directions and provide all the necessary information leading to the eventual cleaning and the disposal of such hazardous materials in the country.
Mr Ahwoi said it was a serious issue that needed to be tackled by appropriate authorities since it contributed massively to the stocking of obsolete products and was of the belief that the enforcement of the Pesticide Act would prevent future stocking of obsolete materials.
The Director, Chemicals Control and Management Centre of the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr John Pwamang, said unusable pesticide posed greater risks to people, animals and the environment than products in good conditions.
Mr Pwamang said the project involved the safeguarding of obsolete stockpiles that were identified as needing urgent action.
Throwing more light on the project, the Local Project Co-ordinator, Mrs Juliet Biney, said information obtained from the national inventory of stocks and their locations would be stored in the Obsolete Pesticide Management System (OPMS) for the necessary environmental risk assessment.
She said one would be required to register any obsolete, unwanted pesticides and veterinary products with any of the campaign offices across the country before June 22, 2010
Mrs Biney explained that the collection and safeguarding phase would commence in August 2010 to March 2011 and advised the public to register any obsolete pesticide to make the campaign a success.
In the year 2000, the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) proposed an initiative to address the accumulation of obsolete pesticide stockpiles across the African continent, at the same time negotiations for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants were coming to a close.
African countries then requested for assistance to manage obsolete POPs pesticides, recognising that they pose serious threats to the health of both rural and urban population.
The project dubbed: "Cleanfarms Ghana Project" is a collaboration between CropLife Ghana, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (EPA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The objective of the project is to reduce the risk associated with obsolete stocks of pesticides that will over time deteriorate and cause harm to the environment.
Obsolete products include pesticides products that have expired, pesticides that have been banned or severely restricted because of high toxicity.
In a speech read on his behalf at the launch, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said Agriculture inputs were key components of modern agriculture, contributing to increase in crop yields achieved in recent decades.
He, however, said the total disregard for effective and efficient disposal could create adverse effects on the environment and also the economy.
He said the issue about the proper disposal of obsolete pesticides as well as their containers was a major task which the Government of Ghana (GoG) alone could not manage without the help of the private industry.
"It is, therefore, heart-warming for CropLife International through its national association, CropLife Ghana, to initiate such an exercise and GoG through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture would provide all the necessary assistance for the initiative”, he pointed out.
He said the agri-input business, largely due to the liberalisation policy of the government has increased the accessibility of inputs to the rural farmers, but had brought in its wake serious problems for the industry and therefore the need for all stakeholders to join hands to find a solution to the problem.
“ In this regard I will add my voice to that of the CropLife Ghana to call on all importers of agricultural inputs, especially, the pesticides, liquid fertilisers and veterinary pesticide products to set up mechanisms to retract all the used-empty containers from the field”.
Mr Ahwoi advised the general public to comply with the project directions and provide all the necessary information leading to the eventual cleaning and the disposal of such hazardous materials in the country.
Mr Ahwoi said it was a serious issue that needed to be tackled by appropriate authorities since it contributed massively to the stocking of obsolete products and was of the belief that the enforcement of the Pesticide Act would prevent future stocking of obsolete materials.
The Director, Chemicals Control and Management Centre of the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr John Pwamang, said unusable pesticide posed greater risks to people, animals and the environment than products in good conditions.
Mr Pwamang said the project involved the safeguarding of obsolete stockpiles that were identified as needing urgent action.
Throwing more light on the project, the Local Project Co-ordinator, Mrs Juliet Biney, said information obtained from the national inventory of stocks and their locations would be stored in the Obsolete Pesticide Management System (OPMS) for the necessary environmental risk assessment.
She said one would be required to register any obsolete, unwanted pesticides and veterinary products with any of the campaign offices across the country before June 22, 2010
Mrs Biney explained that the collection and safeguarding phase would commence in August 2010 to March 2011 and advised the public to register any obsolete pesticide to make the campaign a success.
In the year 2000, the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) proposed an initiative to address the accumulation of obsolete pesticide stockpiles across the African continent, at the same time negotiations for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants were coming to a close.
African countries then requested for assistance to manage obsolete POPs pesticides, recognising that they pose serious threats to the health of both rural and urban population.
CLEANFARMS GHANA PROJECT LAUNCHED (page 31, April 7, 2010)
A project to locate and collect obsolete pesticides, veterinary products which pose a potential risk to the environment as well as human and animal health has been launched in Accra.
The project dubbed: "Cleanfarms Ghana Project" is a collaboration between CropLife Ghana, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (EPA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The objective of the project is to reduce the risk associated with obsolete stocks of pesticides that will over time deteriorate and cause harm to the environment.
Obsolete products include pesticides products that have expired, pesticides that have been banned or severely restricted because of high toxicity.
In a speech read on his behalf at the launch, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said Agriculture inputs were key components of modern agriculture, contributing to increase in crop yields achieved in recent decades.
He, however, said the total disregard for effective and efficient disposal could create adverse effects on the environment and also the economy.
He said the issue about the proper disposal of obsolete pesticides as well as their containers was a major task which the Government of Ghana (GoG) alone could not manage without the help of the private industry.
"It is, therefore, heart-warming for CropLife International through its national association, CropLife Ghana, to initiate such an exercise and GoG through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture would provide all the necessary assistance for the initiative”, he pointed out.
He said the agri-input business, largely due to the liberalisation policy of the government has increased the accessibility of inputs to the rural farmers, but had brought in its wake serious problems for the industry and therefore the need for all stakeholders to join hands to find a solution to the problem.
“ In this regard I will add my voice to that of the CropLife Ghana to call on all importers of agricultural inputs, especially, the pesticides, liquid fertilisers and veterinary pesticide products to set up mechanisms to retract all the used-empty containers from the field”.
Mr Ahwoi advised the general public to comply with the project directions and provide all the necessary information leading to the eventual cleaning and the disposal of such hazardous materials in the country.
Mr Ahwoi said it was a serious issue that needed to be tackled by appropriate authorities since it contributed massively to the stocking of obsolete products and was of the belief that the enforcement of the Pesticide Act would prevent future stocking of obsolete materials.
The Director, Chemicals Control and Management Centre of the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr John Pwamang, said unusable pesticide posed greater risks to people, animals and the environment than products in good conditions.
Mr Pwamang said the project involves the safeguarding of obsolete stockpiles that are identified as needing urgent action.
Throwing more light on the project, the Local Project Co-ordinator, Mrs Juliet Biney, said information obtained from the national inventory of stocks and their locations would be stored in the Obsolete Pesticide Management System (OPMS) for the necessary environmental risk assessment.
She said one would be required to register any obsolete, unwanted pesticides and veterinary products with any of the campaign offices across the country before the June 22, 2010
Mrs Biney explained that the collection and safeguarding phase would commence in August 2010 to March 2011 and advised the public to register any obsolete pesticide to make the campaign a success.
In the year 2000, the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) proposed an initiative to address the accumulation of obsolete pesticide stockpiles across the African continent, at the same time negotiations for the Stockholm Convention on Persistence Organic Pollutants ( ??? ) were coming to a close.
African countries then requested for assistance to manage obsolete POPs pesticides, recognising that they pose serious threats to the health of both rural and urban population.
The project dubbed: "Cleanfarms Ghana Project" is a collaboration between CropLife Ghana, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (EPA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The objective of the project is to reduce the risk associated with obsolete stocks of pesticides that will over time deteriorate and cause harm to the environment.
Obsolete products include pesticides products that have expired, pesticides that have been banned or severely restricted because of high toxicity.
In a speech read on his behalf at the launch, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said Agriculture inputs were key components of modern agriculture, contributing to increase in crop yields achieved in recent decades.
He, however, said the total disregard for effective and efficient disposal could create adverse effects on the environment and also the economy.
He said the issue about the proper disposal of obsolete pesticides as well as their containers was a major task which the Government of Ghana (GoG) alone could not manage without the help of the private industry.
"It is, therefore, heart-warming for CropLife International through its national association, CropLife Ghana, to initiate such an exercise and GoG through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture would provide all the necessary assistance for the initiative”, he pointed out.
He said the agri-input business, largely due to the liberalisation policy of the government has increased the accessibility of inputs to the rural farmers, but had brought in its wake serious problems for the industry and therefore the need for all stakeholders to join hands to find a solution to the problem.
“ In this regard I will add my voice to that of the CropLife Ghana to call on all importers of agricultural inputs, especially, the pesticides, liquid fertilisers and veterinary pesticide products to set up mechanisms to retract all the used-empty containers from the field”.
Mr Ahwoi advised the general public to comply with the project directions and provide all the necessary information leading to the eventual cleaning and the disposal of such hazardous materials in the country.
Mr Ahwoi said it was a serious issue that needed to be tackled by appropriate authorities since it contributed massively to the stocking of obsolete products and was of the belief that the enforcement of the Pesticide Act would prevent future stocking of obsolete materials.
The Director, Chemicals Control and Management Centre of the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr John Pwamang, said unusable pesticide posed greater risks to people, animals and the environment than products in good conditions.
Mr Pwamang said the project involves the safeguarding of obsolete stockpiles that are identified as needing urgent action.
Throwing more light on the project, the Local Project Co-ordinator, Mrs Juliet Biney, said information obtained from the national inventory of stocks and their locations would be stored in the Obsolete Pesticide Management System (OPMS) for the necessary environmental risk assessment.
She said one would be required to register any obsolete, unwanted pesticides and veterinary products with any of the campaign offices across the country before the June 22, 2010
Mrs Biney explained that the collection and safeguarding phase would commence in August 2010 to March 2011 and advised the public to register any obsolete pesticide to make the campaign a success.
In the year 2000, the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) proposed an initiative to address the accumulation of obsolete pesticide stockpiles across the African continent, at the same time negotiations for the Stockholm Convention on Persistence Organic Pollutants ( ??? ) were coming to a close.
African countries then requested for assistance to manage obsolete POPs pesticides, recognising that they pose serious threats to the health of both rural and urban population.
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