Bolgatanga, August 30, GNA - Women's Awareness Centre (WAC), a non-governmental organization (NGO), working to prevent migration of young girls from the Upper East Region to the Southern part of Ghana in search of menial jobs, has trained and provided 26 girls with seed capital to start economic activities. The girls, who passed out at the weekend in Bolgatanga, undertook a two-year training in sewing, hairdressing, batik, tie and dye making and were each provided with equipment and Gh¢ 200 to start work with.

Speaking at the passing-out ceremony, the Director of the WAC, Mrs. Mary Bozumbil said the NGO was committed to fighting against economic marginalization of women in Ghana. She said the NGO established a Skills Training School in the in the Bolgatanga Municipality to train and equip girls, especially those who had dropped-out of school with income-generating skills to enable them to earn a decent living. The Director of WAC said that the NGO recruited teachers and provided logistics for the training that was free of charge. Mrs Bozumbil expressed the hope that the training would help prevent girls from migrating to from the region to the Southern part of the country for menial work. She said the School would introduce training in Music, Cultural Dance, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), English, Mathematics and Women Soccer next academic year. A former Presiding Member of the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly, Mrs. Agnes Atayila commended the NGO for establishing the School to train and create jobs for girls. She appealed to the trainees to impart the knowledge acquired to others to help them to also establish their businesses, and to use their seed capital judiciously.

Winneba (C/R), Aug. 30, GNA - A 21-member Governing Council of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), headed by Dr Emmanuel K. Andoh, Omanhene of Enyan Maim Traditional Area in the Central Region, has been inaugurated in Winneba.

Other members are Professor Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw, Vice Chancellor, Professor Mawutor Avoke, Pro-Vice chancellor, Dr. E G. Don Arthur, Dr Ruby Selenu Avotri, Mr E. Ekow Anyanful, Mr Paul Effah, Professor Steve Sobotie, Professor R. T. Awuah both Principals of the Kumasi and Mampong Campuses of the University.

The others are Mr C. Y Akwaa-Mensah, Mr B. K. Kpodo, both Registrar and Finance Officer of the UEW respectively, Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah, Director General of the Ghana Education Service, Mr Frank Eshun and Mr Benjamin Menyah.

The rest are Mr W. Z Haruna, Mr W. Agyei-Bieni, Mr Alex Cofie, Dr Kofi Agyarko, Mr Thomas Dabriboyen-Ziem, Mr Saed Farouk and Mr Moses Asare Affran

In his inaugural address read for him, the Minister of Education Mr Alex Tettey Enyo said government would adequately resource the university and address the infrastructural and logistic problems, in order to facilitate effective teaching, learning and research. Mr Tettey Enyo said the University being the only wholly teacher focused higher institution that the nation looks up to, it has to improve the human resource required to transform the schools and colleges.

The Minister expressed the hope that with the new council, right policies will be formulated to improve on management's capacity to deliver to ensure the effective and efficient running of the University.

"We also hope that in your quest for excellence and scholarship, you will not deviate from your primary mandate of teacher development in Ghana.

"As members of council, you should all demonstrate a high sense of integrity, transparency and fairness in decision marking during your deliberations," the Minister said. Mr Tettey Enyo urged members of the Council to live up to expectation while ensuring that the business of the University is done in a peaceful and congenial atmosphere.

On behalf of the Council, the Chairman, Dr Andoh, pledged they would do their very best to honour the noble call to national duty and thanked the President for the honour done them. Professor Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw, Vice-chancellor of the University called for effective and efficient collaboration from all members of the council towards the promotion of the institution.

Police morgue choked –

400 unclaimed bodies

JUDGMENT DAY AT VODAFONE

By Solomon Davids

Workers of Vodafone Ghana are living in fear and anxiety as Tuesday,1st September, 2009 approaches.

The day, tagged as˜Judgment Day by the workers, would see the release of the list of the next batch of workers to be affected by the compulsory redundancy package put together by the management of the company.

At almost all the offices of the telecommunication company, workers could be seen discussing the likely outcome of the release, the people likely to be affected and the effects of being unemployed.

The facial expression depicts a combination of fear, anxiety and despair, with some of them praying for the day to come quickly for them to know their fate. What makes the day more dreadful is the fact that no criteria have been set for selecting those to be affected; as a result, it is difficult to predict who is to be affected.

It is therefore at the whims and caprices of the top management members to determine who qualifies or not, as there are not performance assessment modalities in the company to evaluate the contribution of individual workers to the overall output of the company.

In despair, some of the workers have started preparing themselves for the worst, even though they don’t know who is going to be on the list. To them, it is better to prepare for the worst, that when it comes, one does not get shocked; if the best comes, then one has to thank his God.

Less than a year after taking over the ownership of the only state-own communication network, Vodafone Ghana, finding the number of workers too high for the achievement of set targets, has through high-handed compulsory means succeeded in sending home 1,900 workers.

Initially, 864 workers were disposed of under a voluntary package of three-month salary for each year of service in the company. An additional 78 workers also found their way out through the same package.

However, having failed to convince more workers to follow suite, Vodafone is now applying rough tactics to forcefully retire more members of staff under a compulsory redundancy scheme. Some staff have been targeted and barring any last minute intervention, more workers would exit Vodafone in next few months. However, a section of the workers and the public believe that the exercise is aimed at ensuring the comfort of some top management members, some of whom are lodging in hotels and taking home fat salaries at a high cost to the company, which could not make profit last year.

The Daily Democrat can state categorically that the Villagio Hotel at the Airport Area, close to the house of former President Kufuor, is host to some of them. Stay tuned.

Bibiani (W/R) Aug. 28, GNA - The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), has been urged to focus on delivering on its election campaign promises and stop blaming the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the country's harsh economic conditions. Mr Emmanuel Aidoo, an N.P.P. activist in the Bibiani-Anwhiaso-Bekwai District, said what Ghanaians were demanding, was an improvement in their living conditions, jobs and money in their pockets but not excuses.

Addressing a press conference held by the party's Youth Wing at Bibiani, he said, it was difficult to rationalize why the "NDC finds it always convenient" to hold the NPP responsibility for its non-performance.

The youth had met the press to respond to what they said was "dirt throwing and harassment" by the NDC in the area to ruin the reputation high ranking members of the NPP including former District Chief Executive Kingsley Adjei-Manu.

Mr Aidoo said if there was evidence of wrong doing against any member of the party, who has held a public office, the right and lawful thing to do was to prosecute such a person in court.

"Political threats, intimidation and harassment would certainly not do. This is unhelpful to the sustenance of peace."

He said the way the NDC activists were terrorizing perceived supporters of the NPP in the district including groups like the cocoa mass spraying gangs, public and civil servants gave cause for concern and must be condemned.

The NPP Government, he said, left office with an impressive record of socio-economic achievement and that no amount of name calling could erase this.

Koforidua, Aug. 28, GNA - The Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Mohammed Baba-Jamal, on Thursday said Ghana was not a poor nation but rather problems of leadership and corruption had affected her development

He noted that Ghanaians were living in poverty in the midst of abundance due to the inaction of their leaders and the silence of the voices of justice at the appropriate time made it possible for evil to triumph in the country.

Mr Baba-Jamal made the observation at the formal opening of the Third Session of the Ninth Synod of Anglican Diocese of Koforidua at Koforidua. The four-day synod is under the theme "Put Your Thoughts into Action".

He expressed government's appreciation to the contributions of the Anglican Church and other religious organizations towards Ghana's socio-economic development. Mr Baba-Jamal gave the assurance that government would never harass its political opponents because it recognized the role of the minority in Ghana's democratic dispensation.

He advised the leadership of the minority political parties to offer constructive criticisms to the ruling government always with the national interest at heart.

The Anglican Bishop of Koforidua Diocese, Right Reverend Francis Benjamin Quarshie, urged politicians to stop the glorification of poverty in the country.

He observed that successive governments since independence had explained all economic interventions in the interest of poor farmers, teachers, workers and the ordinary man on the street but politicians were never described as poor in their endeavours.

Rt. Rev. Quarshie said those developments had made Ghanaians unappreciative about what they could do to improve their living standards but always sought assistance from somewhere else. He called on politicians to refrain from thinking about themselves as Godfathers but rather to serve and create the necessary environment for the people to improve their living standards. Rt. Rev. Quarshie appealed to the clergy to help the people realise their potentials and live independent lives without relying on anyone.

Accra, Aug. 28, GNA - Mr Yaw Takyi-Ferkah, European Union Co-ordinator in Ghana, on Thursday said local communities must be empowered to be self sufficient in taking decisions on their developmental needs. This, he said, would drive their capacity building initiatives. Mr Takyi-Ferkah, made the observation when he opened a day care centre for Atible community in the Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region.

The project was jointly funded by the European Union and the Kwahu South District Assembly at a cost of GH¢6,135,476. He said the construction of the day care centre marked the 904th infrastructural joint projects by the European Union and the Government of Ghana under the 6th Microprojects Programme. A community-based rural development programme, the Atible project aims at assisting rural communities to have access to social facilities. Mr Takyi-Ferkah said the European Union had, from 2006 to 2009, funded numerous projects nationwide, which include the construction of 293 Classroom blocks, 50 Day Care centres, Teachers quarters, rural Clinics and nurses' quarters.

The rest, he said, were Vault Chamber Public toilets, Culverts, Warehouses, Libraries, 17 Bore holes, one ICT centre, one Sanitation wall, a feeding and crafts centre, and 237 income generating centres. On the impact of EU microprojects on beneficiary communities, Mr Takyi-Ferkah said, "it has empowered them to take decisions on their developmental needs thus making them less dependent on the government." He called on the Ministry of Education, District Assemblies, and the Parent-Teacher Associations to make provision in their budgets to cater for the regular maintenance of the buildings.

Dr. Godfried Osei Bonsu-Twum, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Akuapem South Municipal Assembly, thanked the EU for its rural development focus and human resource mobilisation effort. He noted that the project would lay a firm foundation for the education of children in the municipality.

The MCE said the EU microproject was one of the reliable interventions the Assembly relied on in most cases to solve some of the problems in the rural communities.

He announced that the Assembly had recently acquired a grader to improve the road network in the area, adding that although the country was currently faced with many developmental challenges, "there is light at the end of the tunnel."

Bolga Residents not happy with poor

state of roads

Accra, Aug. 27, GNA - The Minority in Parliament on Thursday appealed to the Minister of Interior to investigate, arrest and prosecute those who masterminded the last Tuesday's killings at Agbogbloshie, Accra.

The aggressive assailants reportedly used machetes, axes, iron rods, stones and other crude or lethal weapons to hack two of the victims to death and consequently inflicted degrees of life threatening multiple wounds on others.

Police report indicates that three persons lost their lives in the attack. Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Minority leader, who made this appeal at a news conference at Parliament, named the deceased as Alhassan Hussein, J.Y. Sule and M. Suala.

He also named the injured as Kamel Naazo and Anas, who sustained serious injuries and were receiving treatment at the Police Hospital. Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu wondered why some of the people, who allegedly masterminded the killings, were still walking about freely in the streets of Accra and other places with impunity.

"The inaction of the Minister of Interior is not encouraging or inspiring and does not in any way serve as a deterrent to the culprits, who are determined to violate and flout the laws of the country with absolute impunity," he said.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the victims at the hospital have allegedly named names such as Sule, Mohammed Ayatu, Sahana, Awal Voulina Naa, Sule Nabiya, Abdallah Rasta and Abdallah whom they said were responsible for the act.

He, therefore, called on the Minister to expedite action on the investigations to ensure that the perpetrators received the appropriate punishment for their crimes.

The Minority leader on behalf of the group expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed to government to appropriately compensate their relatives.

Koforidua, Aug. 27, GNA - Six persons including two mental ill were killed when they were knocked down by vehicles at various locations in the Eastern Region recently.

The dead were identified as Ibrahim Issaka, 65, who was killed on the Akosombo-Atimpoku road, Abraham Ntow, 58, on the Suhum-Anum-Apapam road, Awudu Tomko, 57, on the Obomeng-Mpraeso road and Akosua Darkoa on the Anyinam-Nkawkaw road.

The lunatics, whose identities were not known were knocked down on the Kumasi-Apedwa stretch and the Nkawkaw-Kumasi road. This brings to 12 the number of people have been knocked and killed by motorists.

According to the Regional MTTU Commander, Police Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, all the bodies have been deposited at various government hospitals pending autopsy whiles the offending drivers had been granted police enquiry bail.

He expressed worry about the high rate of vehicles knocking down pedestrians in the area and warned drivers that the police would not spare anyone whose recklessness would result in fatal accident. The MTTU Commander noted that precious lives lost during accidents could not be brought back, hence the need for drivers to obey traffic regulations to ensure the safety of human lives.

Three northern region lose trees at

alarming rate

Kumbungu (N/R), Aug 27, GNA - The Northern Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Mr. Abu Iddrisu, has said about 22,000 hectares of trees were cut down annually in the three northern regions resulting in land degradation, climate change and abject poverty due low crop yields.

"The poor are often tempted to exploit the natural resources to meet their immediate livelihood thereby depleting these resources and destroying the very base on which they depend on which perpetuate poverty and suffering", he said.

Mr. Iddrisu was addressing the regional celebration of World Environment Day at Kumbungu in the Tolon/Kumbungu District. The event, which was well patronised, was under the theme; "Your planet needs you - unite to combat climate change". Mr. Iddrisu urged the people to plant trees as a major environmental enhancement measure to minimize environmental degradation, improve soil fertility, increase crop yields and reduce poverty. He said it was an erroneous belief that when one plants a tree he/she would die adding that on the contrary tree planting was an important component of the environment and must be done with all the seriousness it deserves.

The Regional Director of the EPA said EPA was collaborating with the Tolon/Kumbungu District to supply 6,000 seedlings of cassia, albizia, mango and neem to be planted and nurtured in the district and the exercise would be replicated in all the other districts in the region.

The Northern Regional Minister, Mr. Steven Sumani Nayina, called on the people of the north to collectively take action to change the prevailing worsening environmental conditions in the area. He appealed to all the districts in the Northern Region to develop two acres of multipurpose plantations in their respective districts to inculcate the culture of tree nurturing and stimulate the interest in tree growing.

The District Chief Executive for Tolon/Kumbungu District, Mr. Iddi Manza Mahama, said most of the trees in the area were cut down for fire-wood, cleared for farming, persistent bush burning, illegal chainsaw operation among others were the major reasons for cutting trees.

Dakpema Naa Mohammed Dawuni, the Chief of Tamale, urged the people to unite and fight hunger and poverty instead of wasting their energies and resources on conflicts.

Tema Chapter of GJA condemns attack

on journalist

Accra, Aug 26, GNA - Uniformed and plain clothes police personnel have been deployed at Agbogbloshie in Accra to maintain calm as well as gather intelligence on what caused bloody clashes there on Tuesday that led to the death of three people.

Chief Inspector Kweku Dompreh, Officer in-charge of Police Public Relations for the Accra Region, told the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday that calm has returned to Agbogbloshie area following the deployment of policemen.

On Tuesday Agbogbloshie, one of the major market centres in Accra, witnessed violent clashes that resulted in deaths and injury to three people.

Chief Inspector Dompreh said the police had not yet made any arrests but had stepped up investigations into the incident. He said the police had heard comments that the violence was politically and ethnically motivated but they would conduct their own investigations instead of relying on comments. Chief Inspector Dompreh said one of the injured people was treated and discharged but the remaining two were on admission. He said police personnel would remain in the area and cautioned residents to desist from criminal acts. The Police Administration has warned perpetrators of the violence stop it immediately.

A statement issued in Accra and signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Deputy Superintendent of Police Kwasi Ofori, said:"The police will take reasonable steps such as arrests and prosecutions to stop this violence. The police will not allow any person or group of persons to import violence into the capital city." It said the police were at Agbogbloshie to de-escalate the on-going violence and assured the public that because locality was a market area, efforts would be made to protect life and property. The police appealed to local chiefs and opinion leaders in and around Agbogbloshie to advise their kinsmen and followers to desist from the criminal acts.

No placement for 567 teachers -

GNAT President

Cape Coast, Aug. 26, GNA - Mr Joseph Kweku Adjei, National President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), on Wednesday called on the Ghana Education Service (GES), to "relax" its quota system policy on study leave, to enable teachers who pursued further studies to be readily re-absorbed after completing their courses.

He expressed concern that 567 professional graduate teachers, most of whom were teaching at the basic schools and who completed such courses at the universities this year, had not been re-posted to any school because they had failed to obtain permission before undertaking the courses.

Mr Adjei made the call at the opening of the Central Regional Delegates' Conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) in Cape Coast.

The three-day conference is on the theme; "Teachers Unions' Response to the Challenges of Globalization: Re-positioning the Profession to meet the Challenges of Globalization".

According to the GNAT President, the explanation being given by the GES was that the names of the affected teachers had been deleted from the pay roll as they were considered as having vacated their posts. He expressed concern about a similar situation which arose last year, and described the situation as "regrettable," since there were a lot of vacancies that needed to be filled, particularly in the basic schools. Mr Adjei also tasked teachers to exhibit a high sense of professionalism, to help redeem the sinking image of the profession and said the union would work hard to have the end of service benefits improved.

Reverend Professor Emmanuel Adow Obeng, immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), urged teacher unions in the country not to seek the welfare of their members only, but to sanction those who flouted the code of ethics of the profession as well.

He expressed regret that some leaders of the unions sometimes used their positions to gain political favours, and said that was wrong. He urged them to endeavour to stay clear of politics, as that could affect their professional ethics. Touching on the theme of the conference, Rev. Prof. Obeng expressed regret about the lack of effective networking among teacher unions in the country.

He observed that teachers' unions in other parts of the world were networking to enhance their performance, and had in some cases, merged with the resultant positive influence on a wide range of issues affecting their wellbeing. Rev. Prof. Obeng tasked the three teachers' unions namely GNAT, National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to meet regularly, work together and find means of enhancing the profession to facilitate turning out quality graduates.

He said the unions could collaborate with the universities to come out with "tailor-cut" courses for their members to upgrade themselves to meet the challenges of globalization, which "had no place for half-baked scholars'.

Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, Central Regional Minister, in a speech read for her, said the union had the responsibility of ensuring that its members upgraded themselves to facilitate quality teaching.

Kumasi, Aug 26, GNA - A Kumasi High Court on Tuesday began hearing cases of remand prisoners whose warrants had expired while on remand in the Kumasi Central Prisons.

It is part of an initiative to help to decongest the country's prisons spearheaded by the Justice Ministry, the Judicial Service, the Ghana Police and the Ghana Prisons services under a programme dubbed "Justice for All."

In all 52 cases had been listed to be heard by the court. The offences range from stealing, threat of death, possession of narcotic drugs to robbery.

Remand prisoners, accused of murder would, however, be required to submit application to the court before their cases could be heard. The only exception is those who have contracted contagious diseases. The court, presided over by Mr Justice Frank Amoah, the Supervising High Court Judge, on day one of the sitting, heard 18 cases but none of the remand prisoners was freed. Four of them Afua Kyekye, Patricia Yeboah, Kwaku Poku and Yaw Kyereme, who have been languishing in the prison because of their inability to find people to sign their bail bond but now claim their relatives are ready, were asked to contact their relatives through a social officer to secure their release.

Three others, Aduma Tigre, Baba Tahiru and Kwadwo Sarfo, charged with robbery were ordered by the Presiding Judge to be brought before the Kumasi High Court One on September 14. Another person, Anthony Antoo, accused of threat of death, who looked emaciated should be medically examined by the prison's medical staff.

The High Court subpoenaed the Konongo Magistrate Court, some police officers and court officials to appear before it on the second day of the sitting to clarify matters bothering on alleged missing of dockets and to furnish the court with relevant information to help in the determination of some cases. This is the third in the series of court sittings in the country's prisons. The earlier ones took place at James Town in Accra and the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons.

Tepa, Aug 25, GNA - A 28-year-old suspected car snatcher ran out of luck when he failed in a broad daylight attempt to seize an Opel Astra taxi cab at knife point and was set on by a mob.

The timely intervention by the police saved John Nyadzi from being lynched and he is now receiving medical attention at the Tepa Government Hospital in the Ahafo-Ano North District under a 24-hour police guard. Assistant Superintendent of Police Emmanuel Adu Boahen, Tepa Divisional Crime Officer, told the Ghana News Agency that they received a distress call from a Good Samaritan at about 1030 hours on August 24 that a mob was on the verge of meting out instant justice to a suspected robber and quickly moved in.

On arrival, he said, they found the suspect badly beaten and took him to hospital.

Nyadzi was said to have forced open the door of the cab, pulled a knife at a mechanic who was behind the steering wheel and demanded that he surrendered the ignition key. The mechanic Sumaila Issifu wou ld not be intimidated by the threat and sent a hefty blow to the face of the robber that dazed him. Having rendered Nyadzi weak, he raised the alarm, attracting a crowd that pounced on him, punching, kicking and hitting him with every object they laid hands on.

The Divisional Crime Officer said the suspect would be put before court.

* 24.08.2009 

Ghana recorded 22,541 HIV/AIDS cases

last year

Mr Kwame Brefo-Boateng, Tema Metropolitan HIV/AIDS Focal Person, on Tuesday said that 22,541 new HIV/AIDS infections, comprising 9,996 males and 12,545 females were recorded nationwide last year.

He said that 18,082 AIDS related deaths made up of 8,080 males and 10,001 females also occurred in the country during the same period. Mr Brefo-Boateng announced this at a day's dialogue on HIV/AIDS organized by the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Ghana) and WOMANKIND-UK, a British non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with the Tema Metropolitan AIDS Committee, in Tema on Wednesday.

The programme was on the theme: "Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Women Affected and Infected by HIV and AIDS". Mr Brefo-Boateng said negative socio-cultural practices such as inheriting of widows, popularly called "bye elections" in the Upper West Region made women vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

He also mentioned rape, defilement, prostitution, Female Genital Mutilation and the biological make up of the female reproductive organ as other vulnerability factors.

Mr Brefo-Boateng said the Metropolis recorded 177 HIV/AIDS cases last year, bringing the prevalent rate to 2 per cent, which according to him was an improvement on the 370 cases recorded in 2007, with a prevalent rate of 2.2 per cent.

He said that 612 people took Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) last year and 741 people went through the same exercise in 2007 in the Metropolis.

He said that out of 310 tuberculosis patients who were counselled on HIV/AIDS, 291 of them underwent VCT for the disease last year and 102 of them tested positive, in the area. Mr Faisal Bawa, Programmes Co-ordinator of FIDA-Ghana, said that women were mostly affected by HIV/AIDS partly due to violation of human rights perpetrated against them.

He said that "the HIV virus thrives where there are human rights violation. Many cultures engage in traditional practices that violate the rights of women and expose them to the disease." Mr Bawa said that stigmatization and discrimination against People Living with HIV/AIDS was violation of their rights which prevented others from going for VCT for the disease, leading to its spread.