PRESBY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION HOLDS 2ND CONGREGATION (PAGE 20)

LACK of a modern Information and Communications Technology (ICT) laboratory at the Presbyterian College of Education at Akropong-Akuapem is adversely undermining efforts to enhance the teaching and learning of ICT in the college.
The Principal of the institution, Mr Emmanuel K. Osei, who made this known, has therefore, appealed to the government to assist the institution to construct a modern ICT laboratory.
That, he believed, would enable the students to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in ICT to make a positive impact in their profession in the future.
Mr Osei was speaking at the second congregation of the college during which 313 students who completed in 2008 graduated.
Three of the graduands had second class upper division, 45 obtained second class lower division, 166 had third class, 99 had pass while 52 are still awaiting their results.
According to the principal, the place of ICT in the development of any nation could not be overemphasised, a situation that had made the study of ICT compulsory even from the primary level of education.
He stated that unfortunately lack of a modern ICT laboratory in the institution over the years had undermined the ability of its students to acquire the knowledge and skills in ICT.
“While every teacher is supposed to equip himself with knowledge and skills in ICT, we seriously lack adequate resources to teach ICT in our college,” he stressed.
“Even though we have set up a small laboratory from our own resources, we will be grateful if the government could assist our college to put up a modern laboratory fully equipped with modern computers and hooked to the Internet,” the principal said.
Highlighting other problems facing the college, Mr Osei stated that although his outfit had a capacity to enrol at least 500 students every year, the institution was only able to admit 321 students last year.
“This low intake is affecting the smooth running of the college as we have empty classrooms, empty dormitory rooms, chairs left unoccupied, among others,” he stated, adding that “this is against the background of the fact that we have shortage of teachers in several schools in the country”.
Mr Osei also mentioned lack of accommodation as one of the problems facing the staff of the institution, noting that bungalows meant for individual families were now shared by two or three families, leading to congestion in most homes.
He, therefore, appealed to the government to assist the college to construct flats for both teaching and non-teaching staff.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, who expressed concern over the inability of pupils from public schools to compete with their counterparts from the private ones, appealed to the graduands to eschew laziness, absenteeism, lateness to school and other social vices such as drunkenness to enable them to impact positively on their pupils.
“Let the community and the school see you as the newly trained teachers with new ideas and zeal who have come to make a difference in the school by leading exemplary lives and being role models to your pupils and the community,” he emphasised.
He expressed the government’s readiness to upgrade all colleges of education to full tertiary status and which would be adequately equipped to enable them to produce more professional teachers who could efficiently handle schools.
The Krontihene of Akuapem Traditional Area, Osahene Ofei Kwasi Agyeman IV, expressed the preparedness of traditional authorities in the area to support the institution to pursue the purpose for which it was established.

MULTICHOICE GHANA FURNISHES SCHOOLS (PAGE 11)

MULTICHOICE Ghana, operators of DStv, has established resource centres furnished with DStv hardware, televisions and VCR recorders in 20 senior high schools (SHS) across the country.
The initiative is aimed at providing innovative educational resources to enhance teaching and learning in the beneficiary schools.
The schools are the Ada SHS and Ningo Senior High Technical School, Greater Accra Region; Nifa SHS and Aburi Presbyterian Senior High Technical School, Eastern Region; Mfantsiman Girls SHS and the Enyan Denkyira Senior High Technical School, Central Region.
Others are the Notre Dame SHS and Bongo High School, Upper East Region; Queen of Peace SHS and Ola SHS, Volta Region; Simms SHS and Akumadan SHS, Ashanti Region; Acherensua SHS and Sacred Heart SHS, Brong Ahafo Region, and the Walewale SHS and Damango SHS, Northern Region.
The rest are the Wa Senior High and Technical School and Queen of Peace SHS, Upper West Region; St. Augustine’s Senior High and Technical School and Nsein SHS, Western Region.
The Public Relations Executive of MultiChoice Ghana, Ms Anne Sackey, disclosed this during a visit to find out how students of the Nifa SHS and the Aburi Presbyterian Senior High and Technical School, the two beneficiary schools in the Eastern Region, were utilising the facilities to improve their academic performance.
Ms Sackey said the establishment of the MultiChoice Resource Centres formed part of the company’s community development strategy aimed at leveraging its resources and expertise to the development of communities within which it operated.
She expressed the satisfaction of her outfit at providing the schools with equipment, as well as with access to the DStv Education Bouquet, which, she said, combined sounds and imagery of television to support teaching and learning.
“The findings of a monitoring and evaluation report conducted in 2008 revealed that 86 per cent of Ghanaian schools equipped with MultiChoice Resource Centres believe that the DStv Education Bouquet provides appropriate content to enhance teaching and learning process,” she disclosed.
The public relations executive added that “not only has the DStv Education Bouquet improved students’ vocabulary due to news and other educative channels that are watched regularly, but the use of video images has also attracted the attention of students, since pictures help them to form a better understanding of issues”.

REVERSE H IGH RATE OF IMMORALITY IN SOCIETY (PAGE 21)

THE Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has called on churches to help reverse the high rate of immorality and indiscipline in the country which are eroding the moral fibre of society.
He said churches, as moral guides, had a huge responsibility to protect and preserve morality in society to enable it to instil uprightness in the people, particularly the youth, to save them from destruction.
“If we are only concerned about saving our souls but do not help to save the souls of others, especially our youth, we will be answerable to our maker one day”, the regional minister stated.
Speaking at the annual delegates’ conference of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Choirs’ Union at Begoro last Sunday, Mr Ampofo said “this is a period of introspection to look into ourselves and wake up to our calls to save society from moral degeneration”.
The event on the theme: “Put on the whole amour of God”, brought together the various choir associations of Presbyterian churches under the Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery.
It was also used to inaugurate the new executive of the union.
Mr Ampofo stated that although many churches had sprung up in every corner of the country lately, immorality and indiscipline had been on the ascendancy, notably among the youth who had become the most vulnerable.
He said although the churches had been carrying out their day-to-day preaching on television and radio stations, they seem to have no answers to evils of society.
Mr Ampofo mentioned the commonest acts of immorality among the youth as indecent dressing, pornography, Internet fraud, lesbianism, homosexualism, disobedience and various acts of indiscipline.
“The evil days are here with us now but we must not throw our hands in despair. All we need to do is to depend on Christ to enable us find to answers to these evils plaguing our society”, he said.
Mr Ampofo pledged that as a leader, he would lead the crusade against indiscipline and immorality as well as teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS, which he described as the leading cause of death in the region.
The Chairman of the Akyem Abuakwa Presbytery, Rev. P.K. Dekyem urged Christians to lead upright lives to enable them to become worthy ambassadors of Christ.
“Since we are not battling against flesh and blood, we must avail ourselves of Christ’s power in order to overcome the evils and challenges of this world”, he told the congregation.

METRO MASS TRANSIT GETS PERMANENT TERMINAL (PAGE 20)

A NEW regional permanent terminal for the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Limited is expected to be ready in Koforidua soon.
The terminal, which is located close to the offices of the Graphic Communications Group Limited, when completed, would make it possible for the company’s buses to be loaded in a serene atmosphere.
Currently, the buses, which ply almost all the major routes in the region, have been using a section of the main street close to the Ghana Commercial Bank as its terminal and this does not only create vehicular traffic, but also inconveniences for pedestrians and passengers.
Inspecting the uncompleted terminal at the weekend, the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, expressed dissatisfaction about the current situation at where the buses load and asked the contractor working on the new terminal to complete the project on time.
He also directed the chief engineer of the New Juaben Municipal Assembly to ensure that the access road to the new terminal was completed as soon as possible.
Inspecting the access road to the regional offices of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), the regional minister stressed the need for the road to be put to good shape without delay.
The Regional Depot Manager of the MMT, Mr Lawrence Fianu, thanked the regional minister for his concern on the operations of the MMT and gave the assurance that the company would continue to render quality services to the people. 

 
 

NEW GYAASEHENE FOR KWABENG (SPREAD)

THE Chiefs of the Gyaase Division of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area in collaboration with the elders of Kwabeng, capital of the Atiwa District of the Eastern Region, yesterday installed Nana Kofi Adjei Twini I as the acting Gyaasehene of Kwabeng.
The 55-year-old regent, who is currently the Akyempemhene of Kwabeng, is the Managing Director of Mac-Dic Enterprises Limited, operators of Mac-Dic Royal Plaza Hotel in Koforidua.
Nana Twini’s installation followed the death of the Gyaasehene of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area, Osabarima Darkwa Woe II, recently.
He would act in that capacity until the chiefs and people of the area nominate and install a substantive Gyaasehene in the future.
At a ceremony to install the new Gyaasehene, the chief of Adasawase, Osabarima Kwame Tia I, advised Nana Twini to show humility and respect in his dealings with the people to enable him to win their goodwill.
For his part, the acting Gyaasehene appealed to the people to forgo past bickering among them and forge ahead in unity to enable them to contribute meaningfully to the area’s development.
“Since our area is peaceful, we must collectively resolve to unite and maintain such peace by preparing to let go of past misunderstandings and wrongs against us,” he appealed to the people.
Nana Twini also called for the co-operation and support of the chiefs and people of the area, saying, “I cannot accomplish the task given me alone and, therefore, will need your advice and encouragement to surmount the challenges.”

WATER FACILITY FOR FARMING COMMUNITIES INAUGURATED (BACK PAGE)

A MODERN water facility to provide 10 farming communities in the Kwahu North District (Afram Plains) with clean drinking water has been inaugurated.
The GH¢600,000 project, with a pumping base at Kayera, would supply 500 gallons of water per day to Alavanyo, Agotime, Lomnava, Mim Chemfre, Kpedome, Atideke, Catapilar Tornu, Alahele, Kayera and Nyipkogyi communities.
The Small Town Water project was undertaken by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) and funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).
Inaugurating the project, the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said the provision of clean drinking water to the communities would help to significantly reduce various water-borne diseases in the area to prolong the lives of the people, especially children.
He charged the caretakers of the project to maintain it at all times to enable the beneficiary communities derive maximum benefit from it.
The Regional Minister commended DANIDA for its commitment to improving the health status of people in poor communities, saying “by your support, you are assisting the government to solve multi-faceted water related-problems in deprived areas”.

ABURI GIRLS STUDENTS RECEIVE HEAD OF STATE'S AWARD (SPREAD)

THE Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has urged the youth to utilise enormous resources, especially ICT, at their disposal to develop their talents and skills to become responsible future leaders.
He said the nation needed the youth to continue with its development agenda and they should, therefore, take advantage of facilities at their disposal to develop their talents and skills to contribute meaningfully to the national agenda.
Speaking at the Head of State Award Scheme at the Aburi Girls’ Senior High School (SHS) on Saturday, he advised them to shun negative practices such as occultism, internet fraud, lesbianism and premarital sex, all of which have the tendency to ruin their lives.
The Head of State Award Scheme, which was introduced in the country in 1967, aims at encouraging young persons 14 years and above to engage in voluntary self-development activities meant to inculcate in students virtues that ensure sound, moral and intellectual development.
The 171 students of Aburi Girls’ SHS who participated in the programme were given silver medals and certificates.
The Regional Minister said lately indiscipline — particularly among the youth, who are the future leaders — had eaten deep into every aspect of society.
He mentioned common acts of indiscipline among the youth to include occultism, breaking of school bounds, pilfering, lesbianism and homosexualism, premarital sex and internet fraud known in local parlance as “Sakawa”.
Mr Ampofo noted that the youth could not grow to become responsible citizens unless they were disciplined.
“Teachers must also adopt proper ways of moulding the character of students to enable them to grow and become good citizens who can contribute meaningfully to the country’s socio-economic development,” he stated.
According to him, since the government recognised education as an effective tool for national development, it was making conscious efforts to ensure that every child of school age, especially the girl-child, had access to affordable and quality education.
“This is why the capitation grant has been increased by 50 per cent and school uniforms will also be provided for pupils at the basic level by September this year,” he stated.
Mr Ampofo added that subsidies for second-cycle institutions would also be reviewed to relieve parents of their financial burdens, saying “all these interventions are being instituted by the government to ensure that schools and students are well resourced to enhance teaching and learning”.
He also appealed to Parent-Teacher Associations to incorporate HIV and AIDS education programmes into the school activities to educate students on the need to abstain from irresponsible sexual lifestyle.
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Sport, Nii Nortey Duah, advised the students to avoid bad company and aim high to enable them to achieve their dreams.

JOURNALISTS BRAINSTROM ON MELLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SPREAD)

A two-day encounter to brainstorm on how the media could complement the government’s efforts at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 ended at Akosombo at the weekend.
The two-day event, attended by 37 senior journalists, was on the theme: “The State and the Media as Development Partners in the attainment of the MDGs in Ghana”.
It brought together resource persons from civil society organisations and officials from the Information Services Department (ISD) and was organised by the ISD, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
At the opening ceremony last Thursday, a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr James Agyenim Boateng, underscored the need for effective collaboration between the government and the media to facilitate the total development of the country.
He said the media, as the Fourth Estate of the Realm, had been identified as a key player in the governance process of the country, hence the need to resource them to enable them to perform their duties efficiently and effectively.
“This can only be achieved through the acquisition of appropriate knowledge and skills and the provision of the necessary tools that will facilitate their role to create an informed, knowledgeable and united society in which every citizen will contribute to the country’s development,” he said.
Mr Boateng pointed out that his outfit was making every effort to further promote and consolidate media pluralism and national unity through media-related activities for good governance in the country.
In his presentation, the Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peace-building (WANEP), Mr Emmanuel Bombande, called on the media to pay less attention to politics, which, he said, had over the years created unhealthy suspicion among the people and undermined their resolve to unite and contribute to the country’s development.
“If we the media do not work together with a common goal and help identify challenges and obstacles to national development, we will still lag behind and fail to complement efforts by the government to achieve the MDGs by 2015,” he stated.
For his part, the Dean of Journalism Studies of the African University College of Communications (AUCC), Dr Absalom Mutere, called for the empowerment of media practitioners to enable them to discharge their duties more professionally.
He also expressed concern over the infiltration of the profession by people with little or no training in journalism, a situation which, he said, had lowered the overall credibility of the profession in the country.
“The credibility of journalism emanates from how we tell the truth, which defines us as professional practitioners,” Dr Mutere stated.

POLICE ACCIDENTALLY SHOOT BANK STAFFF (PAGE 40)

THE swift response by the Koforidua police to rescue their colleagues allegedly locked up and being subjected to assault by a mob in the yard of the Koforidua Timber Market last Friday, led to the shooting of a 36-year-old man.
Mr Francis Donkor, a staff of the Adonteng Rural Bank was hit by a stray bullet in the left thigh and the stomach when a shot fired into the ground by a policeman, deflected and hit him.
The victim, who had then closed from work and reached the scene when a passenger alighted from his taxi cab, when he was mistaken for one of the mob who had brutally assaulted members of the police patrol team.
He was reported to have screamed for help and was rushed to the Eastern Regional Hospital where he is responding to treatment.
Briefing the Daily Graphic about the incident, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr George Anko-Bill, said at about 4.30 p.m. last Friday, a police patrol team on duty along the Suhyen-Nkurakan road, spotted a KIA truck loaded with timber products suspected to have been illegally acquired.
He said when the patrol team signalled the driver of the truck with registration number ER 88 B to stop, he refused and sped off but the police pursued the vehicle to the Koforidua Timber Market.
DCOP Anko-Bill said as soon as the KIA truck and the police vehicle entered the yard of the market, some of the traders locked up the main gate and pounced on the unarmed policemen, severely assaulting them.
He said the policemen, who had no means to escape, called for reinforcement but when the additional police personnel arrived, they could not get access to the market as the gate was closed.
“In an effort to rescue their kidnapped colleagues, a policeman fired a shot to deter the mob but the bullet deflected and mistakenly hit the victim”, DCOP Anko-Bill said.
The regional commander admitted that Mr Donkor was not part of the mob that pounced on the policemen, saying “he was only a victim of circumstances”.
He, therefore, expressed his outfit’s unreserved apology to Mr Donkor and his family.
DCOP Anko-Bill appealed to the public to help the police to protect the environment, especially the forests, stressing “We must not collude with people who fell trees illegally for their selfish interests”
When Daily Graphic contacted sources at the Timber Market, they stated that they had been instructed by the authorities at the place to always keep the main gate closed to prevent the police from entering the yard to conduct any operations.
“We, therefore, decided to shut the main gate when the KIA truck and the police vehicle entered the yard”, the sources stated, denying that a mob attacked the police patrol team.
The sources stated that when the police patrol team attempted to arrest the driver of the vehicle, one Kwabena Annan alias Taller, intervened but was severely assaulted by the policemen.
“When the police reinforcement arrived, they fired several warning shots cautioning that they will shoot anyone who will dare go the rescue of Taller”, they quoted one of the policemen as saying that.

AGRIC SECTOR NEEDS MORE SUPPORT (PAGE 32)

A commercial farmer has called on the government to provide the much needed support to the agricultural sector, especially crop farmers, to enable it to increase production.
Increased agricultural production, he said, would not only ensure food security but also make it possible for the country to export food to earn foreign exchange for development.
The farmer, Mr Alex Tinkorang, the Chairman of Kwanim GDK Limited, which is engaged in mechanised farming at Kwanim in the Kwahu North District in the Afram Plains, made the call when the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, visited the farm to acquaint himself with what went on there last Thursday.
The regional minister was accompanied by his deputy, Baba Jamal; the Eastern Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr Godwin Eklu; the Eastern Regional Manager of the Department of Feeder Roads, Mr David Brobbey, and officials of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA).
“Mechanised farming in the country stands an advantage of cushioning the country against the increasing prices of food and reducing poverty, particularly in rural communities with large arable land, if adequate state support is given to farmers,” Mr Tinkorang stated.
He said since the country had been blessed with abundant arable land, the government must seriously consider providing fertilisers at subsidised prices to encourage the people, particularly the youth, to go into mechanised farming.
Sharing a personal experience, he said although the Afram Plains were endowed with large tracts of arable land, the land still lacked adequate phosphorous, a situation which had to be improved with the application of fertilisers to enhance food production in the area.
According to him, the $38-million project, targeted at producing between 10 and 12 metric tonnes of maize in the next three years, would also be used to cultivate soya beans, rear pigs and fish.
On challenges facing the farm, the chairman said it was going through tough times and appealed to the government to facilitate the extension of electricity to the farm and the construction of road to the area.
For his part, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said since agriculture was vital to efforts aimed at reducing poverty in the country, the government had made it a priority to assist farmers, including large-scale ones, to ensure adequate food security in the country.
He commended the management and staff of the farm for their vision and hard work, as well as the Kwahu traditional authorities for releasing the land for the project, saying, “We will give you the needed support to make this farm a model one to be replicated across the country.”
He further stressed the need for collaboration between the farm and the various crop research institutions in the country to enhance food production.

2 DIE IN ACCIDENT AT NYAME BEKYERE (PAGE 47)

TWO persons died and others sustained serious injuries in a motor accident last Saturday when a 207 Mercedes Benz bus collided head-on with a Volvo taxicab at Nyame Bekyere on the Koforidua-Mamfe road.
The dead, a two-and-a-half-year-old boy and a woman believed to be about 65 who are yet to be identified, were among four passengers on board the taxi travelling from Koforidua to Mamfe.
The passengers on board the 207 Benz bus were travelling from Accra to Koforidua to attend an engagement ceremony when their vehicle collided with the taxicab about 4.45 p.m.
Those who sustained serious injuries were rushed to the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua and are responding to treatment, while the bodies of the dead have been deposited at the morgue of the same hospital.
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Eastern Regional Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, said the MTTU was informed of the accident at Nyame Bekyere about 4.45 p.m. on Saturday.
According to him, the driver of the 207 Benz, on reaching a curvy, descending portion of the road at Nyame Bekyere, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the taxicab, which was travelling from the opposite direction.
“The Benz bus, which was overloaded, had a brake failure and since it was descending a steep portion of the road, the driver lost control and collided with the oncoming taxi,” the MTTU Commander stated.
Supt Sarfo Peprah advised motorists, especially those who plied the Koforidua-Mamfe road, to desist from overloading, since “the road is curvy and steep”.
In another development, a Nissan Urvan travelling from Accra was involved in an accident near the Peduase Lodge on the Pantang-Mamfe road last Friday.
Sketchy reports obtained from police sources indicated that six of the passengers and the driver who sustained injuries were rushed to the Tetteh-Quarshie Memorial Hospital at Mampong and are responding to treatment.

OFOSU-AMPOFO LAUDS MPS FOR SUPPORT (PAGE 15)

THE Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has lauded the contributions of Members of Parliament (MPs) in the region to the success of the confirmation processes for the President’s nominees for DCE positions in the region.
Such contributions, he said, had significantly helped in the achievement of favourable endorsement of persons nominated for the position of DCE.
“The secret of getting 100 per cent endorsement in most confirmation processes is through the ability of our MPs, most of whom are members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to appeal to assembly members to vote massively for the nominees,” Mr Ofosu-Ampofo stated.
Speaking at the confirmation process of Madam Ophelia Koomson as DCE for Oda in Akyem-Oda, the regional minister stated, “This positive gesture by our MPs is a demonstration of their preparedness to see to the rapid development of their respective areas.”
He said although 21 out of the 28 MPs in the region were members of the NPP, their desire to see the accelerated development of their respective municipalities and districts had motivated them to put the national interest above their individual interests.
“I am extremely proud that the commitment of our MPs to ensure teamwork at the local level for rapid progress of their areas has encouraged them to join hands to ensure smooth confirmation processes,” Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said.
He indicated that if MPs and assembly members could collaborate and continue to adopt a non-political approach to national issues, “we can hope to fast-track the development of our municipal and district assemblies”.
Given the positive attitude towards the confirmation processes by the MPs, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo appealed to the assembly members to do away with unhealthy politics that could undermine their ability to contribute positively to the progress of their respective areas.
“I believe we can collectively achieve this inspiring development approach if we do away with associating every issue with partisan politics in our deliberations,” the regional minister told the assembly members.

PARTIES WANT NEW REGISTER (1B)

ISSUES concerning security and the need for a new voters register dominated a three-day Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting which opened at Akosombo in the Eastern Region yesterday.
The meeting involves the Electoral Commission (EC) and all the political parties in the country and although the opening ceremony was held in camera, some of the participants the Daily Graphic spoke to expressed various views on the last general election.
Mr Huudu Yahaya, one of the representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), suggested that since the EC had admitted that the register for the 2008 elections had been bloated and the figures were more than what was statistically acceptable, it must be replaced with a new one.
That, he said, would make future elections more credible.
He also said the NDC was of the view that during general elections, representatives of political parties must be strategically placed at polling stations to observe the process, especially the counting of votes.
He also suggested that the EC must furnish the political parties on the movement of electoral materials to the voting centres. 
Nana Ohene Ntow of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) suggested the setting up of an IPAC security task force to complement the work of the state security apparatus to monitor future general elections, adding that such an initiative would not make it possible for macho men engaged by political parties to intimidate voters at the polling stations on voting day.
He also said the counting of votes must be done at selected centres, instead of at the polling stations, to make it impossible for people to interrupt the counting process.
For his part, Mr Bernard Monarh of the People’s National Convention (PNC) suggested that voting in future elections must start from 6 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. to make it possible for the counting of the votes to be done before nightfall.
That, he stated, would prevent the snatching of ballot boxes which normally occurred in the night.
The Democratic People’s Party’s (DPP’s) Mr Thomas Ward-Brew called for a constitutional review to make it mandatory for the state to sponsor political parties, while Mr Ivor Greenstreet of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) proposed the streamlining of the process for the replacement of lost voter identity cards.
The political parties being represented are the ruling NDC, the NPP, the CPP, the PNC, the Great Consolidated People’s Party (GCPP), the National Reform Party (NRP), the New Vision Party (NVP), the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) and the Reform Patriotic Democrats (RPD).
The event, on the theme, “Safeguarding the Integrity of the Ballot”, is to review the 2008 elections with the view to ensuring the integrity of future general elections so that their results will be acceptable to all participating parties.
It is being organised by the EC, in collaboration with the CAB Governance Consult, with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
The NDC is being represented by Messrs Yahaya and Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the party’s National Vice-Chairman and the National Organiser, respectively, while Nana Ohene Ntow, the General Secretary of the NPP, is leading his party’s team, with the CPP being represented by Mr Greenstreet, the party’s General Secretary.
The PNC is led by Mr Monarh, its General Secretary, with the DPP being represented by its leader and founder, Mr Ward-Brew.
All the other political parties are being represented by some of their national executives.

EVANS CONFIRMED KWAHU NORTH DCE (PAGE 14)

THE President’s nominee for the Kwahu North District (Afram Plains), Mr Charles Evans Apreku, has been confirmed for the position of District Chief Executive for the area.
The 40-year-old educationist was endorsed by 53 of the 67 votes cast, representing 79.1 per cent of the total votes, to get the nod.
The election was conducted by the Electoral Commission (EC), led by the Deputy Eastern Regional Officer, Mr Eric Mensah-Bonsu and witnessed by the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, and his deputy, Baba Jamal.
Prior to his confirmation, Mr Apreku asked the assembly members to forgive and forget all his errors, adding that “we must forgive each other to enable us to unite and contribute towards the development of our district”.
He expressed his readiness to bring his expertise to bear on the improvement of educational standards in the area.
After his approval, the new DCE commended the assembly members for the confidence reposed in him and also thanked President J. E. Mills for the honour done him.
Earlier, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo had charged Mr Apreku to co-operate with the people to enable them to develop the district, especially in the area of agriculture, tourism and education.
“At the end of your term in office, your success will be measured by what the people derived in the area of good health, education and food security,” he told the new DCE.
The assembly members also elected Nana Danso Ababio, the Pekutsihene, as the Presiding Member for the assembly.
This was after two persons contesting for the same position had stepped down and given their support to Nana Ababio. He gained 60 out of the 67 votes to get the nod.

BIRIM CENTRAL REJECTS NOMINEE (PAGE 13)

THE desire of a 57-year-old educationist, Madam Ophelia Koomson, to assume the position of Municipal Chief Executive for Birim Central in the Eastern Region was shattered when the assembly outrightly rejected her.
She polled 22 out of the 46 votes cast, representing 47.8 per cent.
Under the requirement, she should get two thirds of the votes to carry the day or half to enable her to go for a second balloting within 10 days.
Madam Koomson, the only female appointee whose approval would have completed the cycle of confirmations of all the 21 municipal and district chief executives in the region, thus had become the only nominee to have failed to secure half of the votes.
The nominee is currently the Vice Chairperson of the Akyem Oda Constituency and former treasurer of the party. She was also once an elected assembly member and government appointee at the assembly  
Her nomination initially sparked protests from a section of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters who staged a demonstration.
At Akyem Oda, the municipal capital, where the ballot was cast, the whole process delayed for nearly about one-and-half hours during which the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, held lengthy close door meetings with some of the assembly members after which he spent an additional 40 minutes in the assembly, pleading for support for the nominee.
According to him, Madam Koomson’s nomination was in line with the government’s policy of appointing a considerable number of women to top positions.
He said the nominee, who had a good working record and experience, could help advance the cause of the people in the municipality.
Mr Ampofo urged the people to bury their differences and support her.
In her speech prior to the voting, Madam Ophelia said as a human being she might have stepped on the toes of some of them and pleaded for forgiveness.
For his part, the Eastern Regional representative on the Council of State, Osabarima Owusu Gyamadu, who was also present at the gathering, asked the people to rally behind the nominee, since they were all one people.

SOS VILLAGE ASSISTS YOUTH IN AGRICULTURE (PAGE 20)

THE SOS Children’s Village at Asiakwa in the East Akyem Municipality is to assist youth in four selected communities of the area to go into organic farming.
The initiative, aimed at educating and promoting the interest of the youth in organic farming, will be undertaken at Asiakwa, Bunso, Sagyimase and Osino.
The project is also expected to provide employment to the youth to halt their migration to urban areas and ensure food security in the beneficiary farming communities.
Dubbed “Junior Farmer Field Life School”, the project is a collaboration between the SOS Village, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Ghana Organic Agriculture Network and Avalon International of the Netherlands and will be implemented in two phases over a three-year period.
Under the first phase, the initiative will boost the interest of youth between 14 and 18 years, mostly from poor homes, in organic farming.
The second phase will be targeted at young people between 18 and 25 years, who, after acquiring basic education in organic farming, will be provided with some money to acquire land to farm under the supervision of agricultural extension officers.
As part of preparation towards the implementation of the project, the Asiakwa SOS Village, in collaboration with its partners, has organised a 10-day workshop, which equipped selected teachers, agricultural extension officers and staff of the SOS with the rudiments of organic farming.
This is to enable them to facilitate and promote the interest of the youth in organic farming.
In an address at the close of the workshop, the Director of the Asiakwa SOS Village, Mr Josiah B. Nartey, said since the village was located within a poverty-stricken community, his outfit had decided to implement the project to give the youth, mostly from poor homes, basic knowledge and skills in organic farming.
This, he said, would not only provide employment to them to raise their living standard, but would also help halt the migration of the youth to the urban areas in search of non-existent jobs.
“If we are to be able to prevent the youth who are the vital human resource base of most of these poverty-stricken communities, we then can hope to encourage them to stay and contribute to the development of their communities to reduce poverty,” Mr Nartey stated.
To provide practical skills to the youth in organic farming, Mr Nartey said his outfit had set aside one demonstration farm at the SOS Village, while similar skills would also be replicated to other basic schoolchildren.
Mr Nartey urged the participants to go to the various communities to generate the interest of the youth in organic farming to ensure a successful implementation of the project.
Mr Jaap Van Derpol, a consultant for the SOS Children's Village, who was also one of the resource persons during the workshop, called on the participants to be role models for the youth in the communities, saying “we can achieve this by being punctual and disciplined in the discharge of our duties”.

LACK OF RESOURCES HAMPERSISD'S WORK (PAGE 29)

THE lack of resources, particularly fuel and lubricants, is hampering the ability of staff of the Information Services Department (ISD) to effectively perform their traditional role of disseminating government policies and programmes to the public.
The department has, therefore, appealed to the government and other benevolent organisations to support it to discharge its duties effectively.
The Eastern Regional Officer of the ISD, Mr Akwasi Amankwaa who made the appeal, said “the adequate provision of fuel and lubricants will enhance our ability to adopt effective strategies for vigorous public education and campaign on government policies across the country”.
Mr Amankwaa was speaking at a send-off party for the immediate past Eastern Regional ISD Officer, Mr Edwin H. Appeaning, at Koforidua.
The send-off party, which was attended by some of the retired officers of the ISD and the staff of the department across the region, was also used to honour Mr Appeaning and other former members of staff.
Mr Amankwaa stated that currently, all the 17 municipal and district offices of the ISD in the region had been provided with cinema vans, while some of them had also been equipped with computers, digital cameras, television sets and fax machines.
He, therefore, implored the staff to use such logistics judiciously to enhance their output.
“With such logistics at our disposal, the staff of the ISD being the mouthpiece of the government, should reposition ourselves and adopt strategies to embark on vigorous public education campaigns on government polices, programmes and activities”, he stressed.
He, however, indicated that the lack of other resources such as fuel and lubricants, were hampering the staff’s ability to embark on effective public education campaigns across the country.
“People in our communities are yearning and desirous to be educated and informed about the State of the Nation address, the 2009 budget statement, the manifesto of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, environmental and sanitation cleanliness and the achievements and challenges of the government after 100 days in office”, Mr Amankwah stated.
He also urged the ISD staff to cultivate the spirit of dedication and punctuality, and abide by the civil service code of conduct, stressing that they should work assiduously to enable them sustain the legacy of their predecessors.
For his part, Mr Appeaning expressed his gratitude to the management and staff of the department for their support and encouragement over the years.
He urged the younger staff to work harder and show humility and respect to their superiors to ensure success in their career.

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DON'T REVERT RENT TAX (PAGE 20)

LANDLORDS and landladies at Asamankese, capital of the West Akyem Municipality, have appealed to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to start tax collection on rent from the beginning of 2009 instead of reversing it to the previous years.
The landlords and landladies, who own different types of houses in the municipality, said since they had just been educated on the implementation of the rent tax, the IRS should spare them payment of the tax for the previous years.
According to them, that would prevent them from suffering from additional financial difficulties, since they had already been paying taxes in the form of property rate to the district assembly and the various stool lands in the municipality over the years.
The landlords and landladies expressed the concern at the fifth “Revenue Week”, a period set aside by the IRS for tax education, which was organised by the service at Asamankese at the weekend.
The event, which was on the theme, “Enhancing Tax Compliance: The Responsibility of the Income Earning Property Owners”, was used to educate them on the implementation of the rent tax, which takes effect from the previous years.
The landlords and landladies claimed that most of them were pensioners who survived on the incomes from their houses.
They acknowledged that although the tax on rent incomes had been in existence for many years, lack of education on it had made its implementation unknown to them.
For that reason, they said any effort by the IRS to plough taxes on past advances paid by tenants to them would worsen their already deplorable financial situation.
“Since we have just been educated on the rent tax, the government and the IRS must hesitate to apply the rent tax law to those of us in the informal sector,” they appealed.
Opanin Kwame Oduro, 87, one of the landlords, claimed that although he had collected various sums of rent advances from tenants in the past, part of the money was used to renovate his building for the occupants with a portion going to the municipal assembly and the stool lands as property rate.
Mr Stephen Yeboah, also a landlord, stated that since landlords and landladies had just been made aware of the rent tax, the IRS should start the collection of the tax only from the beginning of this year.
“My father and my grandfather did not pay tax on rent to the government but paid tax on property to the then local council and the Stool Lands Department,” Mr Yeboah stated.
He, therefore, urged the IRS to forgo the collection of rent tax from the previous years.
Responding to the concerns of the landlords and landladies, the Asamankese District Manager of the IRS, Mr Lawrence Kusi-Adu, assured them of forwarding their concerns to the authorities for redress.
Early on, Mr Kusi-Adu had educated the property owners on rent income and rent tax and appealed to them to comply with the tax law as part of their contributions to nation building.