HEAVYWEIGHTS of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) have descended on the Atiwa Constituency to unleash their final shots ahead of tomorrow’s by-election.
With simultaneous rallies that brought the constituency alive yesterday, the NDC pulled a large crowd at Anyinam, while the NPP also did same at Kwabeng, in numbers that made it difficult to predict the outcome of tomorrow’s exercise.
At Anyinam, the NDC lined up speakers including the party’s National Chairman, Dr Kwabena Adjei; the General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia; the National Organiser, Mr Yaw Boateng Gyan; and the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, while on the NPP list were the party’s leader and flag bearer for the 2012 presidential polls, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; the National Chairman, Mr Jake Obetseby-Lamptey, and the General Secretary, Mr Owusu Afriyie, among others.
The speakers at the two separate events urged the electorate to vote for their respective candidates.
The Atiwa seat was declared vacant following the death of Kwasi Annoh Ankama, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area.
The candidates contending the seat are Mr Emmanuel Atta Twum of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), a human resource person who also is the current District Chief Executive for the Atiwa District, and Mr Kwasi Amoako Attah, a legal practitioner who is also the current Presiding Member of the Atiwa District Assembly.
Others are Mr Kasum Abdul Karim, a farmer, for the PNC and Mr George Apraku Padmore, a journalist, standing on the ticket of the New Vision Party.
Prior to the rallies, the two main contending parties had resorted to intense house-to-house and mini campaigns at various communities and towns in the Atiwa Constituency to canvass for votes for their respective parliamentary candidates.
They had also aggressively engaged in accusations and counter-accusations of each other’s attempt to buy votes and rig the election.
The campaign tour undertaken by the NDC involved Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia and the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, and his deputy, Mr Baba Jamal, who also took the opportunity to explain to the electorate the impact of government policy on the socio-economic development of the country and, particularly, the Atiwa District.
The NPP’s campaign tour, led by its flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the National Organiser of the party, Alhaji Muctar Bamba, was used to introduce the NPP’s parliamentary candidate, Mr Kwasi Amoako Atta, to the electorate and canvass for votes for him.
On security measures being adopted to ensure the safety of the electorate, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ransford Ninsin, said 1,200 police personnel, comprising 735 policemen from the Eastern Region and 465 policemen from the Greater Accra, Western, Central and the Volta regions, would be deployed at all the 113 polling stations in the Atiwa Constituency.
He explained that to ensure maximum safety of the electorate, 10 police personnel would be stationed at each polling station at five strategic areas at Nkuaben, Osino, Anyinam, New Jejeti and Akyem Akropong to respond to emergency situations.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
ENFORCE LAWS TO PROTECT NATURAL RESOURCES (PAGE 22, JULY 24, 2010)
MEMBERS of the Eastern Regional Lands Commission have called on the government to ensure the strict enforcement of environmental laws and regulations to preserve and protect the country’s natural resources from depletion.
They also urged the government to adequately resource all the environmental enforcement agencies to empower them to effectively monitor the activities of small-scale miners across the country.
“The low priority given to the enforcement of environmental laws and the inability of environmental agencies to effectively monitor the activities of licensed small-scale miners could partly have contributed to the widespread pollution of water bodies, depletion of forest and the degradation of farmlands, as well as the environment over the years,” they stated.
They made the call after a day’s tour of the various mining sites at Akwatia.
During the tour, the members came face-to-face with the extent of depletion of forest covers and the pollution of the Birim River as a result of the activities of both licensed small-scale mining companies and illegal miners at Akwatia and its environs.
The tour took the members of the commission to the abandoned consignment of the Ghana Consolidated Diamonds (GCD) where both licensed and illegal miners had diverted the course of the Birim River and were found mining at the base of the river.
Besides, the visit also enabled the members to interact with officials of the Kwaebibirem District Assembly.
The members were informed that almost on a daily basis, galamsey operators die in pits and the assembly provides assistance in retrieving the bodies for burial.
The Land Commission members, who were joined by officials of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), observed at first hand how licensed miners use big excavators to degrade the base of the Birim River, forests and farmlands in the Akwatia area.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Board Chairman of the commission, Nana Kodua Kesse, said the objective of the commission was to promote the judicious use of lands by society and ensure that land use was in accordance with sustainable principles and the maintenance of a sound eco-system.
He said in line with such in objective, members of the commission decided to tour some of the mining sites at Akwatia to enable them to know and understand the impact of the activities on the environment in the area.
In the view of Nana Kodua Kese, the uncontrolled activities of both licensed and illegal miners, as well as illegal chainsaw operations over the years had led to the incessant flouting of environmental laws and regulations.
He said that had led to the rapid depletion of forests, heavy pollution of water bodies and the degradation of farmlands and the environment in general, leading to countless un-reclaimed mining sites in the region.
“Until our environmental laws and regulations are respected promoted, greedy individuals, including chainsaw and galamsey operators, will continue to exploit our resources and pollute our bodies at the expense of the masses today and posterity,” Nana Kodua Kesse stated.
He added, “we can only ensure adherence of environmental laws only when the government and environmental enforcement agencies pay a high priority to negative environmental concerns as pertaining to the negative operations of galamsey miners and lawless licensed miners”.
At the Kwaebibirem District Assembly where members of the commission held a meeting with the staff, Messrs Delali Nyablodzo and Samuel Ayim Antwi, the District Co-ordinating Director and the Finance Officer of the assembly.
They also urged the government to adequately resource all the environmental enforcement agencies to empower them to effectively monitor the activities of small-scale miners across the country.
“The low priority given to the enforcement of environmental laws and the inability of environmental agencies to effectively monitor the activities of licensed small-scale miners could partly have contributed to the widespread pollution of water bodies, depletion of forest and the degradation of farmlands, as well as the environment over the years,” they stated.
They made the call after a day’s tour of the various mining sites at Akwatia.
During the tour, the members came face-to-face with the extent of depletion of forest covers and the pollution of the Birim River as a result of the activities of both licensed small-scale mining companies and illegal miners at Akwatia and its environs.
The tour took the members of the commission to the abandoned consignment of the Ghana Consolidated Diamonds (GCD) where both licensed and illegal miners had diverted the course of the Birim River and were found mining at the base of the river.
Besides, the visit also enabled the members to interact with officials of the Kwaebibirem District Assembly.
The members were informed that almost on a daily basis, galamsey operators die in pits and the assembly provides assistance in retrieving the bodies for burial.
The Land Commission members, who were joined by officials of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), observed at first hand how licensed miners use big excavators to degrade the base of the Birim River, forests and farmlands in the Akwatia area.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Board Chairman of the commission, Nana Kodua Kesse, said the objective of the commission was to promote the judicious use of lands by society and ensure that land use was in accordance with sustainable principles and the maintenance of a sound eco-system.
He said in line with such in objective, members of the commission decided to tour some of the mining sites at Akwatia to enable them to know and understand the impact of the activities on the environment in the area.
In the view of Nana Kodua Kese, the uncontrolled activities of both licensed and illegal miners, as well as illegal chainsaw operations over the years had led to the incessant flouting of environmental laws and regulations.
He said that had led to the rapid depletion of forests, heavy pollution of water bodies and the degradation of farmlands and the environment in general, leading to countless un-reclaimed mining sites in the region.
“Until our environmental laws and regulations are respected promoted, greedy individuals, including chainsaw and galamsey operators, will continue to exploit our resources and pollute our bodies at the expense of the masses today and posterity,” Nana Kodua Kesse stated.
He added, “we can only ensure adherence of environmental laws only when the government and environmental enforcement agencies pay a high priority to negative environmental concerns as pertaining to the negative operations of galamsey miners and lawless licensed miners”.
At the Kwaebibirem District Assembly where members of the commission held a meeting with the staff, Messrs Delali Nyablodzo and Samuel Ayim Antwi, the District Co-ordinating Director and the Finance Officer of the assembly.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
DEPUTY MINISTER COMMENDS CATHOLIC GROUP (PAGE 43, JULY 21, 2010)
Deputy Minister commends Catholic group)
Story: Nana Konadu Agyeman, Koforidua
THE Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal, has commended the Community of the Holy Family of Devine Mercy, a Catholic group at Koforidua, for promoting the teaching and learning of French among basic schools in the region.
He said such commitment was gradually helping to reverse the low interest of students and pupils in the study of French, which he described as a language that “today has a global appeal to many people.”
“Since we are surrounded by Francophone countries, there is the need to learn French to help in our political, social and economic interactions with our neighbours,” Mr Jamal stated.
Speaking at the 2010 Devine Mercy French award for some selected basic schools in the Eastern Region, Mr Jamal said “language is a basic tool for development and it is a means by which both students, intellectuals and business-minded people can gain access to vast and varied supply of knowledge and experiences that are in the hands of our Francophone neighbours.”
This year’s competition, the third in a series, was organised for 120 pupils and students from selected basic schools at Koforidua, Tafo, Suhum, Somanya and Akosombo.
For the primary category, pupils from the Wesley International School, Koforidua obtained 93.2 per cent to place first, followed by pupils of the Carol Gray School, Somanya and the Solomon School, Koforidua, who had 83.5 and 82.5 per cent to take the second and third positions, respectively.
At the JHS level, the Star at Suhum School had 89 per cent to take the first position while the Akosombo International School and the Riis Presbyterian School at Koforidua had 86.3 and 86.1 per cent to take the second and third positions, respectively.
The competition was sponsored by the Mac Dic Royal Plaza Hotel, the Y & K Investment Limited and the Antarctic Limited, both at Koforidua.
Mr Jamal said since the country was surrounded by French-speaking neighbours, the need for learning and teaching French had become more indispensable.
He, therefore, advocated the need for the learning of French to be made a compulsory subject from the basic to the tertiary level of education in the country.
According to him, if the inclusion of French was made a compulsory subject and a requirement into tertiary institutions such as the university, students would be motivated to study the language to improve themselves.
“We can only hope to make Ghana the gateway to West Africa if we can encourage our people to see the need to study French in this era of global village which required our people be armed with the language that will enable them to cross boundaries and still find their way in any French-speaking country”, Mr Jamal stated.
He, therefore, expressed the hope that the Ghana Education Service would give serious consideration to the call for French to be included in the curricula of educational institutions from the basic to the tertiary levels.
Mr Jamal urged the Community of the Holy Family of Devine Mercy to collaborate with the French Embassy in the country to enable them to get more schools from all the 21 municipalities and districts in the region to also benefit from the French competition, stressing “if we engage the youth in this productive venture, it will help them to acquire knowledge and also reduce their involvement in social vices”.
Story: Nana Konadu Agyeman, Koforidua
THE Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal, has commended the Community of the Holy Family of Devine Mercy, a Catholic group at Koforidua, for promoting the teaching and learning of French among basic schools in the region.
He said such commitment was gradually helping to reverse the low interest of students and pupils in the study of French, which he described as a language that “today has a global appeal to many people.”
“Since we are surrounded by Francophone countries, there is the need to learn French to help in our political, social and economic interactions with our neighbours,” Mr Jamal stated.
Speaking at the 2010 Devine Mercy French award for some selected basic schools in the Eastern Region, Mr Jamal said “language is a basic tool for development and it is a means by which both students, intellectuals and business-minded people can gain access to vast and varied supply of knowledge and experiences that are in the hands of our Francophone neighbours.”
This year’s competition, the third in a series, was organised for 120 pupils and students from selected basic schools at Koforidua, Tafo, Suhum, Somanya and Akosombo.
For the primary category, pupils from the Wesley International School, Koforidua obtained 93.2 per cent to place first, followed by pupils of the Carol Gray School, Somanya and the Solomon School, Koforidua, who had 83.5 and 82.5 per cent to take the second and third positions, respectively.
At the JHS level, the Star at Suhum School had 89 per cent to take the first position while the Akosombo International School and the Riis Presbyterian School at Koforidua had 86.3 and 86.1 per cent to take the second and third positions, respectively.
The competition was sponsored by the Mac Dic Royal Plaza Hotel, the Y & K Investment Limited and the Antarctic Limited, both at Koforidua.
Mr Jamal said since the country was surrounded by French-speaking neighbours, the need for learning and teaching French had become more indispensable.
He, therefore, advocated the need for the learning of French to be made a compulsory subject from the basic to the tertiary level of education in the country.
According to him, if the inclusion of French was made a compulsory subject and a requirement into tertiary institutions such as the university, students would be motivated to study the language to improve themselves.
“We can only hope to make Ghana the gateway to West Africa if we can encourage our people to see the need to study French in this era of global village which required our people be armed with the language that will enable them to cross boundaries and still find their way in any French-speaking country”, Mr Jamal stated.
He, therefore, expressed the hope that the Ghana Education Service would give serious consideration to the call for French to be included in the curricula of educational institutions from the basic to the tertiary levels.
Mr Jamal urged the Community of the Holy Family of Devine Mercy to collaborate with the French Embassy in the country to enable them to get more schools from all the 21 municipalities and districts in the region to also benefit from the French competition, stressing “if we engage the youth in this productive venture, it will help them to acquire knowledge and also reduce their involvement in social vices”.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
ASUOGYAMAN ASSEMBLY DISTRIBUTES EXERCISE BOOKS AND UNIFORMS (PAGE 42, JULY 15, 2010)
THE Asuogyaman District Assembly in the Eastern Region has started distributing free exercise books and school uniforms to pupils in first cycle educational institutions in the area.
The exercise, according to the District Chief Executive (DCE) Mr Johnson Ehiakpor, was in line with the government’s initiative to ensure that children of poor parentage were educated like those of the rich.
He said in all 13 million exercise books and 2,000 school uniforms would be given out to pupils in the district, adding that those in primary three would receive nine exercise books each while those from primary four and six and the junior high schools (JHS) would have 13 each with the JHS pupils getting drawing and graft papers in addition.
Mr Ehiakpor, who personally conducted the exercise, gave out 100,012 exercise books and unspecified number of school uniforms to pupils in four educational circuits in the district, namely Gyakiti, Akosombo, Anum/Boso, Frankadua/Asikuma, Apeguso and Senchi.
Some of the beneficiary schools were Gyakiti Presbyterian Primary, Tortibo Local authority (L/A) Primary and JHS, Dodi-Asantekrom Presbyterian Primary and JHS, Frankadua L/A Primary and JHS, Mpakadan Presbyterian and JHS and Adome L/A Primary.
The Queen of Akwamu, Nana Afrakuma II, who together with some of the queens in the area witnessed the distribution of the items, praised the government for the initiative and called on parents to take advantage of the scheme to enrol their children in school.
That, she said, would help develop the area.
A number of parents who also witnessed the distribution of the items, said the donation had come at the right time since most of them could not provide their children with the uniform.
The parents who were thankful to the government for providing their children with the items, expressed the hope that the gesture would be sustained so that their children and wards would be able to go to school.
The exercise, according to the District Chief Executive (DCE) Mr Johnson Ehiakpor, was in line with the government’s initiative to ensure that children of poor parentage were educated like those of the rich.
He said in all 13 million exercise books and 2,000 school uniforms would be given out to pupils in the district, adding that those in primary three would receive nine exercise books each while those from primary four and six and the junior high schools (JHS) would have 13 each with the JHS pupils getting drawing and graft papers in addition.
Mr Ehiakpor, who personally conducted the exercise, gave out 100,012 exercise books and unspecified number of school uniforms to pupils in four educational circuits in the district, namely Gyakiti, Akosombo, Anum/Boso, Frankadua/Asikuma, Apeguso and Senchi.
Some of the beneficiary schools were Gyakiti Presbyterian Primary, Tortibo Local authority (L/A) Primary and JHS, Dodi-Asantekrom Presbyterian Primary and JHS, Frankadua L/A Primary and JHS, Mpakadan Presbyterian and JHS and Adome L/A Primary.
The Queen of Akwamu, Nana Afrakuma II, who together with some of the queens in the area witnessed the distribution of the items, praised the government for the initiative and called on parents to take advantage of the scheme to enrol their children in school.
That, she said, would help develop the area.
A number of parents who also witnessed the distribution of the items, said the donation had come at the right time since most of them could not provide their children with the uniform.
The parents who were thankful to the government for providing their children with the items, expressed the hope that the gesture would be sustained so that their children and wards would be able to go to school.
KOFORIDUA HOUSING PROJECT TO BE REVIEWED (PAGE 42, JULY 15 2010)
WORK on the stalled multi-million dollar Koforidua affordable housing project (off the Akwadum-Suhum road) will soon be revived to ensure its speedy completion.
In this regard, the government is currently sourcing funds from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and other financial institutions to boost the capacity of the 18 contractors working on the project to enable them to finish work on time.
The Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Ahmed Mustapha disclosed this in Koforidua.
He said “the government is committed to obtaining the needed funds to facilitate the early completion of the project started by the previous government to provide decent accommodation for the people.”
Dr Mustapha said this when he and the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal, paid a working visit to the site of the project last Monday.
The visit was to enable the minister to observe the progress on the project and also have first-hand information about the challenges facing the project, which started in 2007.
The 2,805 housing unit project which is being developed on 106 acres, will comprise 1,056 two-bedroom apartments and 1,523 single bedroom apartments, all contained in four-storey buildings.
The project aimed at alleviating accommodation problems facing workers and their families, will have facilities such as a clinic, a shopping centre, a post office, a community centre, a police post, schools, churches and mosques, to meet the standard of a modern community.
Dr Mustapha said as part of the government’s pursuit of the better agenda policy, all affordable housing projects, including the one at Koforidua, which were started by the previous government, would be given priority to ensure their early completion.
That, he believed, would help provide decent and affordable housing units for Ghanaians, especially average income earning workers and their families.
Dr Mustapha gave the assurance that the government was also determined to acquire legal entitlement to the site for the affordable housing projects to curtail any future litigation that could stall the progress of the project.
He pledged the government’s support for the contractors, stressing “we are ready to partner with you the contractors to identify obstacles that impede the progress of the project.”
For his part, Mr Jamal said the early completion of the Koforidua housing project would provide relief for most workers, who stayed in nearby towns such as Suhum, Akwadum and Akyem Tafo and had to commute daily to Koforidua to work.
He also stated that the proximity of Koforidua and Accra had made the Eastern Regional capital a favourite working destination for most companies and their workers, who he said, were now relocating to the fast-growing area.
In this regard, the government is currently sourcing funds from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and other financial institutions to boost the capacity of the 18 contractors working on the project to enable them to finish work on time.
The Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Ahmed Mustapha disclosed this in Koforidua.
He said “the government is committed to obtaining the needed funds to facilitate the early completion of the project started by the previous government to provide decent accommodation for the people.”
Dr Mustapha said this when he and the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal, paid a working visit to the site of the project last Monday.
The visit was to enable the minister to observe the progress on the project and also have first-hand information about the challenges facing the project, which started in 2007.
The 2,805 housing unit project which is being developed on 106 acres, will comprise 1,056 two-bedroom apartments and 1,523 single bedroom apartments, all contained in four-storey buildings.
The project aimed at alleviating accommodation problems facing workers and their families, will have facilities such as a clinic, a shopping centre, a post office, a community centre, a police post, schools, churches and mosques, to meet the standard of a modern community.
Dr Mustapha said as part of the government’s pursuit of the better agenda policy, all affordable housing projects, including the one at Koforidua, which were started by the previous government, would be given priority to ensure their early completion.
That, he believed, would help provide decent and affordable housing units for Ghanaians, especially average income earning workers and their families.
Dr Mustapha gave the assurance that the government was also determined to acquire legal entitlement to the site for the affordable housing projects to curtail any future litigation that could stall the progress of the project.
He pledged the government’s support for the contractors, stressing “we are ready to partner with you the contractors to identify obstacles that impede the progress of the project.”
For his part, Mr Jamal said the early completion of the Koforidua housing project would provide relief for most workers, who stayed in nearby towns such as Suhum, Akwadum and Akyem Tafo and had to commute daily to Koforidua to work.
He also stated that the proximity of Koforidua and Accra had made the Eastern Regional capital a favourite working destination for most companies and their workers, who he said, were now relocating to the fast-growing area.
TAXI DRIVERS CAUTIONED AGAINST CAR SNATCHERS (PAGE 42, JULY 15, 2010)
THE Eastern Regional Police Command has appealed to taxi drivers who are hired from Accra to the region to be alert to car snatchers.
It said the command had observed with concern that lately, taxis were often snatched from their drivers at gunpoint in remote areas of the region.
“The modus operandi of the car snatchers is for one of its members to lure a driver of a fairly new taxi from Accra to the Eastern Region mostly at night or on Sundays and make the armed gang attack the driver and snatch the taxi,” the command stated.
In a statement signed by the Public Affairs Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command, Chief Inspector Yaw Nketiah-Yeboah, “the most notorious routes for the car-snatching gang are the New Tafo-Kukurantumi-Koforidua road and the Asuboni rails area off the Nkawkaw main road.”
According to the statement, 16 taxis, including eight bearing this year’s registration numbers, were snatched from their drivers within a period of six months in the Eastern Region.
“Three of these vehicles were snatched on June 5 and 6, 2010 at Enyiresi on the Bunso-Nkawkaw stretch of the Accra-Kumasi road and two others last Sunday at Akyem-Asafo,” it stated.
“This indicates that drivers of new taxis are the victims,” the statement said, and appealed to taxi drivers to avoid plying such routes at odd hours.
The statement also advised taxi drivers to immediately report any attack or suspicious and unusual movement by individuals to the nearest police barriers or police stations to enable the police to act in time.
It said the command had observed with concern that lately, taxis were often snatched from their drivers at gunpoint in remote areas of the region.
“The modus operandi of the car snatchers is for one of its members to lure a driver of a fairly new taxi from Accra to the Eastern Region mostly at night or on Sundays and make the armed gang attack the driver and snatch the taxi,” the command stated.
In a statement signed by the Public Affairs Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command, Chief Inspector Yaw Nketiah-Yeboah, “the most notorious routes for the car-snatching gang are the New Tafo-Kukurantumi-Koforidua road and the Asuboni rails area off the Nkawkaw main road.”
According to the statement, 16 taxis, including eight bearing this year’s registration numbers, were snatched from their drivers within a period of six months in the Eastern Region.
“Three of these vehicles were snatched on June 5 and 6, 2010 at Enyiresi on the Bunso-Nkawkaw stretch of the Accra-Kumasi road and two others last Sunday at Akyem-Asafo,” it stated.
“This indicates that drivers of new taxis are the victims,” the statement said, and appealed to taxi drivers to avoid plying such routes at odd hours.
The statement also advised taxi drivers to immediately report any attack or suspicious and unusual movement by individuals to the nearest police barriers or police stations to enable the police to act in time.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
GOVT, TRADITIONAL LEADERS MUST COLLABORATE FOR DEV (PAGE 14, JULY 13, 2010)
THE Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has called for effective collaboration between the government and traditional leaders to enhance the socio-economic development of the country.
He said such collaboration would also encourage consultation, counselling, co-operation and support to enable the government to achieve its quest to usher the country into the comity of middle income nations.
“Traditional leaders and the government as development partners have a common task which is to develop the communities and the nation and above all to promote the welfare of our people that have elected or appointed us to leadership positions,” Mr Mahama stated.
The Vice President made the call in an address read on his behalf by the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, at the Ohumkan festival of the chiefs and people of Akyem Tafo in the East Akyem Municipality of the Eastern Region on Saturday.
The event, which also marked the 25th anniversary of Osabarima Adusei Peasah IV’s installation as the Akyem-Tafohene, was on the theme “Unity in Development”.
The Vice President said the chieftaincy institution was vital for the progress and socio-economic development of the country, saying that “traditional authorities and the state as has always been the case play a complementary role in nation building”.
“I am therefore inspired and encouraged about the involvement, collaboration and contributions of chiefs towards the development of their communities and the country as a whole,” he stated.
He urged chiefs to show stronger commitment towards the development of their people and the communities to enable them to leave behind a legacy which posterity would judge them by.
“The success or otherwise of a chief is inextricably linked to solving problems of mankind, showing affection, care and love to humanity, values our chiefs must always strive to achieve”, Mr Mahama added.
He further urged traditional leaders and parents to lead the crusade in the fight against moral decay and indiscipline among Ghanaians, particularly the youth.
“Parents and traditional leaders, through whose leadership and control our children and the youth are nurtured, need to advise and guide them when their actions deviate or do not conform to our norms and values,” he stated.
He also advised the youth to avoid lifestyles, practices and behaviours which he described as “obscene and not considered prudent and righteous”.
The Vice President commended Osabarima Peasah for ensuring peace and progress in the area for the past 25 years, saying that the “government has noted with appreciation and admiration the peace and unity that have prevailed in your area”.
He pledged the commitment of the government to continue to provide infrastructure and social facilities to improve upon the quality of life of the people in Akyem-Tafo, adding that currently the road from Sokoda Juaso to Osiem-Old Tafo junction on the Koforidua-Bunso highway was under rehabilitation.
Osabarima Peasah expressed appreciation to the government for the development of the town but appealed for the rehabilitation of the only market in the area as well as some of the roads in the town to facilitate the movement of the people and goods.
He said such collaboration would also encourage consultation, counselling, co-operation and support to enable the government to achieve its quest to usher the country into the comity of middle income nations.
“Traditional leaders and the government as development partners have a common task which is to develop the communities and the nation and above all to promote the welfare of our people that have elected or appointed us to leadership positions,” Mr Mahama stated.
The Vice President made the call in an address read on his behalf by the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, at the Ohumkan festival of the chiefs and people of Akyem Tafo in the East Akyem Municipality of the Eastern Region on Saturday.
The event, which also marked the 25th anniversary of Osabarima Adusei Peasah IV’s installation as the Akyem-Tafohene, was on the theme “Unity in Development”.
The Vice President said the chieftaincy institution was vital for the progress and socio-economic development of the country, saying that “traditional authorities and the state as has always been the case play a complementary role in nation building”.
“I am therefore inspired and encouraged about the involvement, collaboration and contributions of chiefs towards the development of their communities and the country as a whole,” he stated.
He urged chiefs to show stronger commitment towards the development of their people and the communities to enable them to leave behind a legacy which posterity would judge them by.
“The success or otherwise of a chief is inextricably linked to solving problems of mankind, showing affection, care and love to humanity, values our chiefs must always strive to achieve”, Mr Mahama added.
He further urged traditional leaders and parents to lead the crusade in the fight against moral decay and indiscipline among Ghanaians, particularly the youth.
“Parents and traditional leaders, through whose leadership and control our children and the youth are nurtured, need to advise and guide them when their actions deviate or do not conform to our norms and values,” he stated.
He also advised the youth to avoid lifestyles, practices and behaviours which he described as “obscene and not considered prudent and righteous”.
The Vice President commended Osabarima Peasah for ensuring peace and progress in the area for the past 25 years, saying that the “government has noted with appreciation and admiration the peace and unity that have prevailed in your area”.
He pledged the commitment of the government to continue to provide infrastructure and social facilities to improve upon the quality of life of the people in Akyem-Tafo, adding that currently the road from Sokoda Juaso to Osiem-Old Tafo junction on the Koforidua-Bunso highway was under rehabilitation.
Osabarima Peasah expressed appreciation to the government for the development of the town but appealed for the rehabilitation of the only market in the area as well as some of the roads in the town to facilitate the movement of the people and goods.
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