Story: Nana Konadu Agyeman, Koforidua
17/03/08
Lack of funds and irregular supply of chippings are said to be adversely affecting construction works on the Affordable Housing Projects off the Akwadum Road at Koforidua.
The 2,805 housing unit project, being developed on 106 acres of land, will comprise 1,056 two-bedroom apartments and 1,523 single bedroom apartments, all contained in four-storey buildings.
When completed, the project will have facilities such as clinics, shopping centres, a post office, a community centre, a police post, schools, churches and mosques to meet the standard of a modern community.
Some of the contractors working on the multi-million dollar project aimed at alleviating accommodation problems facing workers in the New Juabeng Municipality, expressed those concerns when the Daily Graphic visited the project site on Wednesday.
The contractors, who spoke to the Daily Graphic on condition of anonymity, mentioned lack of funds and irregular supply of chippings by the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, as a major cause for the delay of the project.
According to them, at least between 100 and 200 housing units were to have been completed within six to eight months after the sod-cutting ceremony in June 2007, by the then Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang.
However, they said, due to the lack of funds and scarcity in the supply of chippings, progress of work on the project had slowed down, a situation which they noted, had led to the steady rise in the cost of the project.
Besides, some of the contractors also expressed their displeasure at the delay in the payment for work done at the various stages of the project, making it almost impossible for them to purchase materials such as cement, sand and water, which were not being supplied to them by the government, as well as pay their workers on time.
“Majority of us have secured loans from the various financial institutions to undertake this project and as a result of the delay in payment of certificate for the work done, we find it difficult to go for more loans from the banks,” some of the contractors pointed out.
They added that the interest accruing on such loans had made it impossible for them to pay back and complete the project on time.
“Increase in the price of building materials such as cement, sand and water, as well as labour force, has also made the cost of the project higher than the original cost of the contract we had earlier signed,” said one of the contractors.
The contractors, therefore, appealed to the government as a matter of urgency, to release more funds and ensure prompt supply of chippings to facilitate the early completion of the project.
During the visit by the Daily Graphic, it was observed that after nine months into the commencement of the project, only a handful of the units had gone beyond the lintel level, while majority were still at the foundation stage.
At the time of the visit, only a few of the units were seen being worked on by workers, who were mixing and casting concrete for the first floor, while others were raising pillars and laying the foundation.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Atibie prepares for paragliding festival
Story: Nana Konadu Agyeman, Atibie
17/03/08
FEVERISH preparations are being made towards the successful organisation of the fourth Ferdinand Ayim International Hang and Paragliding Festival this Easter at Atibie in the Kwahu South District in the Eastern Region.
This thrilling sport, which will take place on top of the 250-metre high Odwoanoma Mountain, with a take-off of paragliders, will this year witness the carrying of passengers to be landed at the Nkawkaw Sports Stadium.
This would be after they had been flown several minutes in the sky over the Nkawkaw township and the Kwahu Ridge.
The festival, which kicks off from March 20 and ends on March 25, is expected to attract about 25 international pilots from South Africa, United States of America, Germany, France and England.
They would be led by Mr Walter Nesser, a veteran paraglider believed to have discovered the paragliding site on top of the Odwoanoma Mountain and had since 2005 been taking part in the event.
Last Easter, 24 experienced international pilots from the same countries took part in the thrilling sport.
The festival has now become the leading tourist attraction in the Kwahu area and the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations has been assisting in organising it as part of efforts to develop the tourism potential of the country.
It is expected to be witnessed by hundreds of local and international tourists, who would also be privileged to see side attractions such as hiking to the Amena Wiafe Cave, which is about 200 metres down the mountain. It is believed that the Kwahus originally settled there before moving up the mountain to their present settlements.
A visit to the sport site, which is now known as the Jake Obetsebi Lamptey Paragliding Site, on Tuesday revealed that a spectators’ stand had been provided at either side of the launching pad.
The grassy launching pad had also been rehabilitated but the recent heavy downpour led to the development of gullies on a portion, which have been sealed.
A large portion of the access road uphill from Atibie to the festival site has developed deep potholes and gullies, making driving on it difficult.
When contacted on the bad state of the access road and the preparations so far made towards the event, the Principal Local Government Inspector of the Kwahu South District Assembly, Mr Joseph Appiah Sarpong, gave the assurance that preparations were still ongoing to improve the condition of the access road to enhance free movement of vehicles and people to and from the launching pad.
According to him, unlike the previous festivals, where there were a number of enthusiastic passengers who could not climb to the top of the mountain due to the bad nature of the access road, this time the Kwahu South and West District Assemblies, together with the Ministry of Tourism and Disaporan Relations, the Ghana Tourism Board (GTB) and the Ghana Tourism Development Company, were making every effort to ensure that the access road would be in good shape.
He also pointed out that a parking lot had been provided at the bottom of the mountain, where visitors could park their vehicles and board buses which would be made available to transport people to the summit of the mountain.
This, he said, would do away with congestion at the place.
On security, Mr Sarpong indicated that unlike the last festival during which the services of 70 security personnel were engaged, this year’s event would see the bigger number of security men and women on duty.
On the safety of the pilots and their passengers, he hinted that trees at the edge of the take-off points that posed a threat to the smooth take-off last year had been cut down.
Touching on entertainment, he indicated that apart from a musical concert which would be organised at the Nkawkaw Sport Stadium and which would be free for those who had tickets to be flown, the Adowa Dance Ensemble and the Kete Cultural Troupe would be there to showcase the country’s rich music and dance.
As part of efforts to ensure standard in the services to be provided, he said his outfit had organised a number of seminars for staff of the hospitality facilities in the area to enable them to render quality services to the people.
For his part, the Eastern Regional Director of the GTB, Mr Sampson Donkor, said a tourism receptive facility had been built by the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations close to the take-off site, to provide refreshment, relaxation, entertainment and rest room services.
17/03/08
FEVERISH preparations are being made towards the successful organisation of the fourth Ferdinand Ayim International Hang and Paragliding Festival this Easter at Atibie in the Kwahu South District in the Eastern Region.
This thrilling sport, which will take place on top of the 250-metre high Odwoanoma Mountain, with a take-off of paragliders, will this year witness the carrying of passengers to be landed at the Nkawkaw Sports Stadium.
This would be after they had been flown several minutes in the sky over the Nkawkaw township and the Kwahu Ridge.
The festival, which kicks off from March 20 and ends on March 25, is expected to attract about 25 international pilots from South Africa, United States of America, Germany, France and England.
They would be led by Mr Walter Nesser, a veteran paraglider believed to have discovered the paragliding site on top of the Odwoanoma Mountain and had since 2005 been taking part in the event.
Last Easter, 24 experienced international pilots from the same countries took part in the thrilling sport.
The festival has now become the leading tourist attraction in the Kwahu area and the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations has been assisting in organising it as part of efforts to develop the tourism potential of the country.
It is expected to be witnessed by hundreds of local and international tourists, who would also be privileged to see side attractions such as hiking to the Amena Wiafe Cave, which is about 200 metres down the mountain. It is believed that the Kwahus originally settled there before moving up the mountain to their present settlements.
A visit to the sport site, which is now known as the Jake Obetsebi Lamptey Paragliding Site, on Tuesday revealed that a spectators’ stand had been provided at either side of the launching pad.
The grassy launching pad had also been rehabilitated but the recent heavy downpour led to the development of gullies on a portion, which have been sealed.
A large portion of the access road uphill from Atibie to the festival site has developed deep potholes and gullies, making driving on it difficult.
When contacted on the bad state of the access road and the preparations so far made towards the event, the Principal Local Government Inspector of the Kwahu South District Assembly, Mr Joseph Appiah Sarpong, gave the assurance that preparations were still ongoing to improve the condition of the access road to enhance free movement of vehicles and people to and from the launching pad.
According to him, unlike the previous festivals, where there were a number of enthusiastic passengers who could not climb to the top of the mountain due to the bad nature of the access road, this time the Kwahu South and West District Assemblies, together with the Ministry of Tourism and Disaporan Relations, the Ghana Tourism Board (GTB) and the Ghana Tourism Development Company, were making every effort to ensure that the access road would be in good shape.
He also pointed out that a parking lot had been provided at the bottom of the mountain, where visitors could park their vehicles and board buses which would be made available to transport people to the summit of the mountain.
This, he said, would do away with congestion at the place.
On security, Mr Sarpong indicated that unlike the last festival during which the services of 70 security personnel were engaged, this year’s event would see the bigger number of security men and women on duty.
On the safety of the pilots and their passengers, he hinted that trees at the edge of the take-off points that posed a threat to the smooth take-off last year had been cut down.
Touching on entertainment, he indicated that apart from a musical concert which would be organised at the Nkawkaw Sport Stadium and which would be free for those who had tickets to be flown, the Adowa Dance Ensemble and the Kete Cultural Troupe would be there to showcase the country’s rich music and dance.
As part of efforts to ensure standard in the services to be provided, he said his outfit had organised a number of seminars for staff of the hospitality facilities in the area to enable them to render quality services to the people.
For his part, the Eastern Regional Director of the GTB, Mr Sampson Donkor, said a tourism receptive facility had been built by the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations close to the take-off site, to provide refreshment, relaxation, entertainment and rest room services.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Plan Ghana initiates project to popularise girls soccer
Story: Nana Konadu Agyeman
March 12, 2008
PLAN GHANA, a child-centred non-governmental organisation (NGO), is currently undertaking a project at Asesewa, capital of the newly-created Upper Manya Krobo District, to popularise football, especially among schoolgirls in the area.
The project, dubbed Girls' Football Project, is to encourage the enrolment of girls in school and also create a platform to unearth their potential and skills to enable them to grow up to take an active part in the decision-making process at the community level.
As part of the project, which would be implemented over a two-year period, schoolgirls and drop-outs alike would be selected from 40 communities in the area to form 10 teams with regular camp meetings and educational tours to be organised by Plan Ghana.
The initiative would offer the beneficiaries the opportunity to interact with a number of role models and also learn various vocational skills for income-generating ventures.
Plan Ghana’s Asesewa Project Manager, Mr Joseph Appiah, who made these plans known at a workshop at Asesewa, said the initiative would be implemented on a pilot basis in 10 communities after which it would be extended to other places.
He said the initiative, which formed part of the NGO's mainstream gender objectives, had a $100,000 sponsorship from its Germany-based counterpart, while the community would provide a counterpart funding of $15,000.
"Such funds will be utilised to purchase basic sports kits such as first aid kits, jerseys, footballs and the maintenance of football fields", Mr Appiah said. To ensure the successful implementation of the programme, the project manager said Plan would be liaising with stakeholders such as the Ghana Football Association, the Ghana Education Service, Child Rights International, the Manya Krobo District Assembly, the Ghana Health Service, Red Cross Society and Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service.
Giving the background of the project, Mr Ben Akuamoah-Boateng, a community facilitator of the NGO, said Plan Ghana had identified football, not only as a source of entertainment and leisure but also as an exercise enabling girls to unearth their potential in physical activity and creativity. Football also "serves as an avenue to educate, reorient, train and address issues that negatively impact on the realisation of their potential".
According to him, the NGO realised in its 2006 field report that out of the total number of girls enrolled in school annually, about 60 per cent of them dropped out while between 30 and 35 per cent of their male counterparts, suffered a similar fate.
Mr Akuamoah-Boateng stated that even though girls constituted the majority of the population in the various communities, they were usually marginalised as regards decision making.
He attributed the problem to economic constraints, single parenthood, broken homes, outmoded cultural practices and the greater emphasis placed on boys’ education.
Those situations, he noted, adversely affect the rights of girls to education, leading to growing neglect and abuse, truancy, teenage pregnancy and delinquency.
For his part, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr Stephen K. Amoanor, commended Plan Ghana for its interventions to support the upbringing and protection of children and their communities over the years.
The MP pledged to contribute towards the success of the project and personally donated jerseys and footballs to the schoolgirls.
March 12, 2008
PLAN GHANA, a child-centred non-governmental organisation (NGO), is currently undertaking a project at Asesewa, capital of the newly-created Upper Manya Krobo District, to popularise football, especially among schoolgirls in the area.
The project, dubbed Girls' Football Project, is to encourage the enrolment of girls in school and also create a platform to unearth their potential and skills to enable them to grow up to take an active part in the decision-making process at the community level.
As part of the project, which would be implemented over a two-year period, schoolgirls and drop-outs alike would be selected from 40 communities in the area to form 10 teams with regular camp meetings and educational tours to be organised by Plan Ghana.
The initiative would offer the beneficiaries the opportunity to interact with a number of role models and also learn various vocational skills for income-generating ventures.
Plan Ghana’s Asesewa Project Manager, Mr Joseph Appiah, who made these plans known at a workshop at Asesewa, said the initiative would be implemented on a pilot basis in 10 communities after which it would be extended to other places.
He said the initiative, which formed part of the NGO's mainstream gender objectives, had a $100,000 sponsorship from its Germany-based counterpart, while the community would provide a counterpart funding of $15,000.
"Such funds will be utilised to purchase basic sports kits such as first aid kits, jerseys, footballs and the maintenance of football fields", Mr Appiah said. To ensure the successful implementation of the programme, the project manager said Plan would be liaising with stakeholders such as the Ghana Football Association, the Ghana Education Service, Child Rights International, the Manya Krobo District Assembly, the Ghana Health Service, Red Cross Society and Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service.
Giving the background of the project, Mr Ben Akuamoah-Boateng, a community facilitator of the NGO, said Plan Ghana had identified football, not only as a source of entertainment and leisure but also as an exercise enabling girls to unearth their potential in physical activity and creativity. Football also "serves as an avenue to educate, reorient, train and address issues that negatively impact on the realisation of their potential".
According to him, the NGO realised in its 2006 field report that out of the total number of girls enrolled in school annually, about 60 per cent of them dropped out while between 30 and 35 per cent of their male counterparts, suffered a similar fate.
Mr Akuamoah-Boateng stated that even though girls constituted the majority of the population in the various communities, they were usually marginalised as regards decision making.
He attributed the problem to economic constraints, single parenthood, broken homes, outmoded cultural practices and the greater emphasis placed on boys’ education.
Those situations, he noted, adversely affect the rights of girls to education, leading to growing neglect and abuse, truancy, teenage pregnancy and delinquency.
For his part, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr Stephen K. Amoanor, commended Plan Ghana for its interventions to support the upbringing and protection of children and their communities over the years.
The MP pledged to contribute towards the success of the project and personally donated jerseys and footballs to the schoolgirls.
Friday, March 7, 2008
NASARA Club to intensify campaign Pledges to match NDC boot for boot
Story: Nana Konadu
Agyeman, Koforidua
07/03/08
THE national executives of the Nasara Club, a wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has stated that it would go all out to ensure that people living in Zongo communities across the country would vote massively for the party.
This, according to them, would enable the party's presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo who they claimed was also born and bred in a Zongo community to emerge the ultimate winner in the 2008 general elections.
The National Organiser of the club, Alhaji Moctar Bamba, who made the declaration after the national and regional executives of the club called on elders and opinion leaders of the various Zongo communities at Koforidua , said "we as a wing of the NPP declare a holy war on the NDC to match them boot for boot and will not leave any breathing space for them to operate in any Zongo community".
"More than ever before, we have adopted multi-system strategies and are more determined to help our great party win about 60 per cent of the votes, come the general election in 2008", Alhaji Bamba emphasised.
The national organiser, who declined to disclose the strategies adopted by the club, said contrary to popular claims by the NDC that Zongo communities in the country were strongholds of that party, the NPP had strongly identified with a large segment of the population in the various Zongo communities.
He claimed that the presidential candidate of the NPP was a Nima-Zongo born and bred boy who had identified himself with the needs and interests of the people, a situation which would enable the party win massive votes from such communities.
"Nana Addo Dankwa, a Zongo man born and bred with us at Nima, has well integrated with us over the years and knows our problems better than any other presidential candidate. We are proud to have one of us emerging to contest the presidency", he stated.
According to him, unlike the 20-year rule of the NDC regime, which saw no significant development in the various Zongo communities in the country, the seven-year rule of the NPP government had led to massive socio-economic development, peace and tranquility as well as good governance.
Alhaji Bamba mentioned the provision of various social amenities such as the construction of roads, health facilities, school buildings, the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Capitation Grant and the School Feeding programmes as well as the free ride for school children and the discovery of commercial quantities of oil as some of the good works of the present government.
He, therefore, urged the Zongo communities to critically assess the performance of the present government and that of the previous government under the NDC before casting their votes in the 2008 elections.
For his part, the Deputy National Chairman of the club, Alhaji Shiabu Musah Shariff, noted that Zongo communities across the country had over the years constituted major strategic targets for the various political parties.
He said it was in recognition of the significant role of Zongo communities in Ghana’s politic that the Nasara Club, a wing of the NPP, had set for itself the "object to appeal to the hearts and minds of our people to throw their weight behind our own brother, Nana Addo Dankwa".
As part of strategies to reach all the Zongo communities, he said the national executives of the club would tour all the regions to interact with the people and opinion leaders.
The Chairman of the club, Alhaji Fusseini Maiga, stated that unlike the NDC regime, where the people and the media had little or no right to express their views, the present government had created a friendly environment for freedom of speech, for both the media and the people.
Agyeman, Koforidua
07/03/08
THE national executives of the Nasara Club, a wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has stated that it would go all out to ensure that people living in Zongo communities across the country would vote massively for the party.
This, according to them, would enable the party's presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo who they claimed was also born and bred in a Zongo community to emerge the ultimate winner in the 2008 general elections.
The National Organiser of the club, Alhaji Moctar Bamba, who made the declaration after the national and regional executives of the club called on elders and opinion leaders of the various Zongo communities at Koforidua , said "we as a wing of the NPP declare a holy war on the NDC to match them boot for boot and will not leave any breathing space for them to operate in any Zongo community".
"More than ever before, we have adopted multi-system strategies and are more determined to help our great party win about 60 per cent of the votes, come the general election in 2008", Alhaji Bamba emphasised.
The national organiser, who declined to disclose the strategies adopted by the club, said contrary to popular claims by the NDC that Zongo communities in the country were strongholds of that party, the NPP had strongly identified with a large segment of the population in the various Zongo communities.
He claimed that the presidential candidate of the NPP was a Nima-Zongo born and bred boy who had identified himself with the needs and interests of the people, a situation which would enable the party win massive votes from such communities.
"Nana Addo Dankwa, a Zongo man born and bred with us at Nima, has well integrated with us over the years and knows our problems better than any other presidential candidate. We are proud to have one of us emerging to contest the presidency", he stated.
According to him, unlike the 20-year rule of the NDC regime, which saw no significant development in the various Zongo communities in the country, the seven-year rule of the NPP government had led to massive socio-economic development, peace and tranquility as well as good governance.
Alhaji Bamba mentioned the provision of various social amenities such as the construction of roads, health facilities, school buildings, the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Capitation Grant and the School Feeding programmes as well as the free ride for school children and the discovery of commercial quantities of oil as some of the good works of the present government.
He, therefore, urged the Zongo communities to critically assess the performance of the present government and that of the previous government under the NDC before casting their votes in the 2008 elections.
For his part, the Deputy National Chairman of the club, Alhaji Shiabu Musah Shariff, noted that Zongo communities across the country had over the years constituted major strategic targets for the various political parties.
He said it was in recognition of the significant role of Zongo communities in Ghana’s politic that the Nasara Club, a wing of the NPP, had set for itself the "object to appeal to the hearts and minds of our people to throw their weight behind our own brother, Nana Addo Dankwa".
As part of strategies to reach all the Zongo communities, he said the national executives of the club would tour all the regions to interact with the people and opinion leaders.
The Chairman of the club, Alhaji Fusseini Maiga, stated that unlike the NDC regime, where the people and the media had little or no right to express their views, the present government had created a friendly environment for freedom of speech, for both the media and the people.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
MOBILE LIBRAY SERVICE TO BE INTRODUCED SOON
STORY: Nana Konadu Agyeman, Koforidua
THE Ghana Library Board (GLB) will soon implement a nation-wide mobile library service to enable people living in deprived areas to have easy access to information and various reading materials.
The programme, dubbed Mobile Library Services (MLS), is aimed at bridging the information gap between people living in the urban areas and those in the rural areas, as well as offering lifelong education to promote literacy among those in the rural areas who lack access to libraries in their respective communities.
The programme will be carried out on a pilot basis in two deprived communities in each district for a period of three months.
The acting Executive Director of the GLB, Mr O.M. Tenkorang, who made this known at the opening of a two-day workshop at Mpraeso in the Kwahu South District on Thursday, said the programme would help to address the information, educational and recreational needs of the beneficiary communities, irrespective of their location in the country.
The workshop, on the theme, "Ensuring a Satisfactory Mobile Service Delivery: The Need for a Responsive Policy", was attended by regional librarians and their staff to draw up policy guidelines to ensure effective and efficient operation and sustenance of the MLS.
According to the Executive Director of the GLB, the re-introduction of the MLS in the country had become necessary to close the yawning information gap between people living in urban settlements and those in rural areas.
To that end, he said the government had donated 10 mobile library vans to the GLB to boost its public library services in rural communities where there were no libraries, a situation which he said had compelled the people to travel long distances to access such facilities in other towns.
A four-member committee, with Mr Frederick Noble as its chairman, has, therefore, been set up at the national level charged with the responsibility to plan, budget for and draw up policy guidelines to ensure the effective and efficient operations of the service.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, noted that public libraries played a vital role in the emotional, psychological, educational, socio-economic, political and cultural development of the people.
THE Ghana Library Board (GLB) will soon implement a nation-wide mobile library service to enable people living in deprived areas to have easy access to information and various reading materials.
The programme, dubbed Mobile Library Services (MLS), is aimed at bridging the information gap between people living in the urban areas and those in the rural areas, as well as offering lifelong education to promote literacy among those in the rural areas who lack access to libraries in their respective communities.
The programme will be carried out on a pilot basis in two deprived communities in each district for a period of three months.
The acting Executive Director of the GLB, Mr O.M. Tenkorang, who made this known at the opening of a two-day workshop at Mpraeso in the Kwahu South District on Thursday, said the programme would help to address the information, educational and recreational needs of the beneficiary communities, irrespective of their location in the country.
The workshop, on the theme, "Ensuring a Satisfactory Mobile Service Delivery: The Need for a Responsive Policy", was attended by regional librarians and their staff to draw up policy guidelines to ensure effective and efficient operation and sustenance of the MLS.
According to the Executive Director of the GLB, the re-introduction of the MLS in the country had become necessary to close the yawning information gap between people living in urban settlements and those in rural areas.
To that end, he said the government had donated 10 mobile library vans to the GLB to boost its public library services in rural communities where there were no libraries, a situation which he said had compelled the people to travel long distances to access such facilities in other towns.
A four-member committee, with Mr Frederick Noble as its chairman, has, therefore, been set up at the national level charged with the responsibility to plan, budget for and draw up policy guidelines to ensure the effective and efficient operations of the service.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, noted that public libraries played a vital role in the emotional, psychological, educational, socio-economic, political and cultural development of the people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)