| News Home (Main Page) | | African Newspaper | | LATEST WORLD NEWS | | | Ghanaian Media: | | Public Agenda | | GNA-Ghana News Agen. | The Statesman | | | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2009 | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2008 | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2007 | | PHOTO REPORTS | | VIDEO REPORTS | | ARTS in GHANA | | Food & Drinks in Ghana | | Africa Cup 2008 | | Ghana Hotels | | Links / Websites | | Ghana Districts | | Ghana Tourism | | Ghana Classifieds | Names in Ghana | | | | * 19.01.2010 | Driver is put before court for knocking two children * Source: GNA | | Asamankese, Jan. 19, GNA - Emmanuel Boadu, a driver, was on Tuesday granted a GHC 1,000.00 bail with one surety when he was arraigned before the Asamankese Circuit Court charged with traffic offences. Boadu pleaded guilty with explanation to careless driving without due care and attention and negligently causing harm to two persons. He will re-appear on January 30. Prosecuting, Police Inspector Peter Azigi told the court that on September 02 Boadu, who was driving a taxi, knocked down two children aged five and seven years. Herbert Adu Osafo and Rabiu Issah sustained injuries and were taken to Asamankese Government Hospital. | Child labour is a social canker, director * Source: GNA | Duayaw-Nkwanta (B/A), Jan. 19, GNA - A one-day workshop on worst forms of child labour in cocoa growing areas has ended at
Duayaw-Nkwanta in the Tano North District. It was attended by 60 community child labour protection committee members drawn from 10 cocoa growing areas in the district and
was organised by Aid for Change Ghana, an NGO in collaboration with the district assembly. Closing the workshop Mr. Joseph Kwabena Obeng, Deputy District Coordinating Director, said child labour had become a societal canker
that needed urgent measures to eradicate it. He said: "Like a disease, if it is allowed to continue most of our children of school-going age would become liabilities of the state". Barima Akwasi Amankwa, a resource person, appealed to parents to enrol their children in school and to provide them with basic
teaching and learning materials. He reminded parents of Article 3 of the International Labour Organisation convention 182, of which Ghana is a signatory that states
that any parent found in the sale and child trafficking would be made to face the full rigours of the law. | | | | ______________________ |
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| LATEST GHANA NEWS Tuesday, 19 January 2010 WEEK 02 - 2010 |
| * Tuesday, 19 January 2010 | | Burkina Faso 0 - 1 Ghana | National Drivers Academy to be established soon * Source: GNA | Accra, Jan. 19, GNA - The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and its state collaborators would in the next few weeks establish a
Akosombo - Tema road Picture (c) ghana-net.com & EventPicture.co.uk
National Drivers Academy (NDA), an official of the Commission said in Accra. Mr David Osafo Adonteng, Director, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the NRSC, who made the announcement, said the NDA would provide formal training to drivers under a system of professional and vocational career development designed in fulfillment of national and international standard requirement for road safety, professional ethics and competence.
He made the announcement at the launch of a training programme being organised by MTN Ghana, the leading mobile operator in Ghana, for 125 of its staff members and drivers across the country in batches of 15. The yearly training programme, dubbed: "Defensive Driving Training" for staff of MTN nationwide, was under the theme " Saving Lives and Property; whilst reducing cost and preventing casualties on our roads". Mr Adonteng noted that drivers were at the centre of the question of road safety, saying that road accident statistics in Ghana indicated that driver error contribution ranked highest in the cause of road accidents. He observed that drivers' attitude on roads was characterised by aggression, impatience, which reflected in over-speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, fatigue, wrong overtaking, and disrespect for traffic laws and for other road users. "We believe that drivers are professionals and for that matter they deserve all what professionals possess - recognition, training and
better condition of service to ensure that they play their role in road safety campaign effectively," he said. He urged drivers to be conscious of their road safety regulations and to commit themselves to the application of the knowledge acquired in defensive and responsible driving. Mr Adonteng took the opportunity to appeal to MTN to include road safety in their social responsibility activities by sponsoring the NRSC's road safety programmes on radio. Available statistics at the NRSC indicated that the country spends about GH¢165,000, representing 1.6 per cent of GDP on road accidents every year, which affects the economic progress of the country. Mr Samuel Koomson, Fleet and Transport Manager of MTN said the company believed that in order to reduce the carnage on the roads it was necessary to refresh the skills and knowledge of drivers annually, and to introduce drivers to new technologies and regulations regarding road safety mechanisms. "MTN has consistently reduced vehicular accident rate from an average of eight to four between 2004 and now through training of our staff and we shall continue to train our staff to have a zero accident record on our roads," he said. Mr Fred Benning, Senior Manager, General Service at MTN Ghana said the training programme was targeted at MTN drivers to ensure reduction in speeding, the use of mobile phones whiles driving, and to avoid driving whiles tired. He said alongside better education, "we are planning a series of measures to improve the way the rules of the road are enforced and we believe also in cracking down on drivers, who fail to adhere to the laws of the road." | | > BACK to TOP < | Government urged to give adequate remuneration to fire volunteers * Source: GNA | Nkoranza (B/A), Jan. 19, GNA - Mr Jones Tommy Smart, Nkoranza South District Coordinator of the National Youth Employment
Programme (NYEP), has called for adequate remuneration for community fire volunteers to motivate them to protect the environment. He said if government provided monthly allowances for the volunteers, they would be motivated enough to carry out their activities effectively and to the satisfaction of society. Mr Smart made the call when he interacted with the President of the Environmentally Concerned Citizens Association of Ghana, Mr
Joseph Yaw Aidoo at Nkoranza in the Brong Ahafo Region. He cited Zoom Lion Company as an example and said the workers put off their best and remained committed to the discharge of their
duties because they receive adequate remuneration. Mr Smart, therefore, advised district assemblies to arrange special incentive packages for the volunteers indicating that the provision of
items such as Wellington boots, cutlasses and uniforms would encourage them to render dedicated services. The NYEP Coordinator commended fire volunteers for their selfless services and appealed to assembly members and traditional
authorities to support them. Mr Aidoo noted that bushfires are man-made disasters that could be avoided if people handled fire with care. He said protecting the environment is a shared responsibility and urged Ghanaians to be wary of how they handled naked fires. | | > BACK to TOP < | Commuters in Kumasi call for Govt's intervention * Source: GNA | Kumasi, Jan 19, GNA - Some commuters in the Kumasi Metropolis have appealed to the government to act with urgency to assist private commercial transport owners to acquire high occupancy buses for their operations and bring to an end the transportation crisis in the metropolis. They said the use of high occupancy buses for metro transit was the surest way to solve the acute transportation problems, especially during the morning and evening rush hours. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi in separate interviews, they expressed disgust at the difficulties they go through, getting vehicle from one destination to another. They attributed the situation to the over-reliance on 15-seat mini buses and said there were the causes of the traffic congestion in the metropolis. The transport stations presently are characterized by long queues in the mornings and the situation is worsened in the evening especially at the Kejetia terminal and the central business district of Adum. Some commuters are now forced to change about three vehicles before they reach home, paying more than double the normal fare. Ms Ernestina Asante, a resident of Atonsu said the "only solution to the daily nightmare is for the government to assist private transport operators to acquire buses which can pick more passengers at a time." She suggested to transport owners to also form cooperatives to enable them acquire high occupancy buses for their operations. Mr G.K Acheampong, Secretary of the Anwomaso branch of the GPRTU, said even though most commuters in the past were not enthused about the use of buses, the situation now is different. He appealed to the government to provide soft loans to transport owners to acquire big buses. Mr Acheampong also appealed to the Department of Urban Roads to expand some of the existing roads in the metropolis and rehabilitate the deplorable ones to facilitate easy movement of vehicles. Mr Vincent Owusu, a resident of Sokoban, said the traffic congestion has been fuelled by the unbridled desire of individuals to acquire their own means of transportation due to the absence of efficient and reliable public transport system. He wondered what had happened to the Metro Mass Transit system introduced by the NPP government. He urged the government to take a critical look at the current transportation problem and to address it since it was contributing to the low productivity. | | > BACK to TOP < | Fire breaks out at Tema Oil Refinery's loading rag * Source: GNA | Tema, Jan 19, GNA - One person was reported to have died and another injured when fire broke out at the Loading Rag area of the
Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) on Tuesday. The injured person is in critical condition and has been taken to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
It took personnel from the TOR Fire Brigade and the National Fire Service more than one hour to bring the fire under control.
The cause of the fire is not yet known but an eye-witness said there was an explosion at the Loading Rag Area that was followed by the fire outbreak.
Information gathered by the Ghana News Agency was that the incident would not affect the operations of the refinery.
Efforts to reach Management of the Refinery to comment on the incident proved futile since they were in an emergency meeting. | | > BACK to TOP < | NGOs refund money misapplied in Eastern Region * Source: GNA | Koforidua, Jan. 19, GNA - Three local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which misapplied funds provided by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) for HIV/AIDS activities, had been made to refund the amount involved.
They are Tajaaf Foundation of New Juaben Municipality, Child Education Assistance Project of Akuapem North District and Riverstone Foundation of the Yilo Krobo District. This was revealed by Ms Rita Ntoso, Project Officer of Drama Network, a lead NGO supervising local NGOs working to promote safe sexual life styles and the reduction of HIV. It was at a review meeting of the Eastern Regional AIDS Committee with stakeholders and NGOs operating in HIV prevention activities in the region.
Ms Ntoso did not give details of the amounts involved but said her organization had recommended the abrogation of the contract of Riverstone Foundation for non performance and for lack of a stable office. Another NGO, Klo Drivers Alliance, involved in the project in Upper Manya Krobo District, also had its contract terminated for non performance. Ms Ntoso said during the second half of last year, the project was able to establish 79 non traditional condom distribution centres in the districts where it operated like akpeteshie bars, lotto kiosks and fast food joints.
She said during that period, the local NGOs engaged in the project were able to sell 98,475 male condoms and 3,917 female condoms.
Mr Kwasi Owusu Poku, Senior Programmes Officer of Theatre for a Change, a NGO, suggested that in future, funds from the GAC should not be shared equally among the local NGOs but should be based on performance.
He said the capacities of the local NGPs differ and that tended to affect their performance hence high performing NGOs needed to be given more funding to enable them achieve results. Dr Sampson B. Ofori, Eastern Regional Co-ordinator of the National Aids Control Programme (NACP), called on the NGOs to account for HIV test kits given to them and urged them to work in collaboration with the Ghana Health Services to help bring down HIV prevalence in the region.
The Regional HIV Focal Person, Ms Golda Asante, called on the District Focal Persons to terminate the contract of non-performing local NGOs and not to wait till they mess up the project before taking action. Ms Asante urged the District Focal Persons to encourage the local NGOs to consider prayer camps when selecting vulnerable groups and also engage in activities that would help reduce stigmatization and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. | > BACK to TOP < |
_____________________________________________________ ----- | Archived News for 2010 | | | Tuesday, 19 January 2010 | - National Drivers Academy to be established soon - Government urged to give adequate remuneration to fire volunteers - Commuters in Kumasi call for Govt's intervention - Fire breaks out at Tema Oil Refinery's loading rag - Professor urges Africans to know their identity - Respect the right of workers to join unions of their choice - NGO presents 55 computers to establish ICT centre at Akoase - NGOs refund money misapplied in Eastern Region - Driver is put before court for knocking two children - Child labour is a social canker, director | | | Go to 20.01.2010 Go to 18.01.2010 Go to 17.01.2010 | | Your REPORT Your STORIES * Your PHOTOS PUBLISH NOW! | 
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| | | | * 19.01.2010 | Professor urges Africans to know their identity * Source: GNA | Cape Coast, Oct. 19, GNA - A professor of Anthropology at the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil, Prof. Luis Nicolau Pares, has said it was important for Africans to know much about themselves and assist each other to appreciate the importance of their origin, religion and ethnic backgrounds. This would serve as a springboard towards the re-union of all Africans and those in the Diaspora. He said in Brazil "mina" refers to the slaves living along the coast and that irrespective of their destination, a slave once transported from the Elmina Castle is identified as a member of the Mina Nation.
Prof Pares said this when he delivered a lecture on the topic "African nations and ethnic identity in the mina coast and Brazil; An Atlantic comparative perspective." He traced the origin of some African ethnic groups who are now living in Brazil and the Americas and drew similarities in their mode of worship and way of life and said it could serve as a community bonding. Prof Pares said the worship of deities with different names within the same temple in Brazil, commonly referred to as "Candomble", a Bantu language meaning reunion, is common among African slaves and it had been adopted by some whites in Brazil and beyond. He said "condomble," which has become an icon of identity of "Africaness" in Brazil dates back to the 18 century, serving as one of the unifying dynamics of language, kingship and religious links. Prof. Pares said with this development "condomble" had the potential of bonding communities in the present day Brazil as people with different ethnic and religious backgrounds come together to worship their different deities. He said the idea that the similarity in the Atlantic perimeter had brought common languages, religion and beliefs to the entire African continent and elsewhere could also help unite people from the continent and in the Diaspora. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang underscored the importance of preserving "our language and culture" to the overall development of the nation and urged all to take African studies seriously to enlighten people on their identity.
She expressed disappointment that while those in the Diaspora are striving to get to the source of their religion and culture, Africans are themselves trying to suppress and destroy the source and described the lecture as a great challenge to all Africans not to ignore the promptings. The Vice-Chancellor said the lecture is part of the University's lecture series that seeks to ensure collaboration between UCC and other universities to foster friendship, research and exchange of programmes. | | > BACK to TOP < | NGO presents 55 computers to establish ICT centre at Akoase * Source: GNA | Akoase (E/R), Jan. 19, GNA - Big Step Foundation, a non-governmental organization, on Tuesday donated 55 computers, two printers and four industrial sterilizers worth GHC 35,000 to the Akoase community for the establishment of an Information Communication Technology Centre (ICT).
Mr Samuel Amoah Aning, Project Manager of the NGO, said it was the organization's contribution to enhance ICT studies in the Birim North District.
He said the NGO had provided some computers to set up ICT centres at Ayirebi, Kotokuom, and Adausena, all in the Birim North District and Asankare in the Ashanti Region to improve ICT studies. The Assistant Director in charge of Supervision at the District Education office, Mr Isaac Adjah, commended the NGO for the donation. The Chief of Akoase, Nana Kwakye Acheampong 11, advised school children in the community to guard against indulging in immoral activities such as pre-marital sex, drunkenness and drug use and concentrate on their studies, especially in ICT. 19 Jan. 10 | Respect the right of workers to join unions of their choice * Source: GNA | Kumasi, Jan 19, GNA - Mr Samuel Kwasi Donkor Baffoe, Industrial Relations Officer, Union of Industry, Commerce and Finance (UNICOF) of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) in-charge of Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions, has called on employers to respect the right of workers to join any labour union of their choice. They should refrain from threatening their unionized employees with dismissals.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, Mr Baffoe said the trade unions provided platform to discuss not only improved conditions of service but also resolve grievances for the promotion of industrial peace and harmony.
Their goal is to achieve increased productivity through better working conditions and job security. Mr Baffoe spoke of plans to organize leadership training programmes to build the capacity of UNICOF members to raise performance. He said it was important the workers were assisted through education to sharpen their skills and expertise to achieve optimal production growth.
He drew attention to the need for mutual understanding between labour and employers to enhance productivity. Mr Baffoe urged workers to ensure that the Unions are strengthened to maintain an impregnable labour front and said this was in their own interest. | | |
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