From Issah Alhassan

Sixteen children, ranging between the ages of 18 months to 11 years, have undergone free successful cardiac surgeries at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), under the benevolence of a medical team from the Boston University Children’s Hospital in the United States of America (USA).

The beneficiary children underwent the surgeries, which normally would have cost between GH¢12,000 to GH¢24,000, free of charge in nine days of operations, in collaboration with personnel of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). The medical team is led by Ghanaian-born Dr. Fynn Thompson,

The visit by the team was the result of a longstanding partnership between them and the management of KATH, which began in 2007, as part of efforts to assist the hospital in the treatment of patients, mostly children, with congenital heart diseases.

About 100 children have so far benefitted from the programme, which is performed every year by the team made up of 32 medical personnel from the US-based medical facility.

It is also part of efforts aimed at assisting the management of KATH to set up its own Cardiothoracic Centre, and to help train local medical personnel to provide independent services to patients in need of cardio services.

The leader of the team, Dr. Fynn Thompson, told journalists in an interview that he was hopeful the long term plan to get a permanent centre for KATH would soon be realised.

He said the service being rendered was purely voluntary, stressing that congenital heart diseases are prevalent everywhere across the world, and that the biggest challenge in Africa was access to treatment.

Dr. Thompson observed that it is against this backdrop that the team continues to assist KATH towards the treatment of patients and the establishment of a Paediatric Heart Centre.

The Chief Executive Officer of KATH, Prof. Ohene Adjei, noted that the hospital fully appreciated the contribution of the team, which, he said, had saved many children from death.

He disclosed that some local surgeons were currently receiving training in South Africa as part of plans towards the establishment of a cardio centre at the hospital.

A spokesperson of the beneficiary parents, Mr. Winfred Wogblegbe, expressed appreciation to the US medical team and the management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for the kind gesture.

The team has, meanwhile, presented items, including football and school bags, to the patients.

By Alfred Adams

Sea erosion has become a raging nightmare for inhabitants living around beaches where there seems to be no availability of a sea defence wall to protect them from sea erosion.

It is said to be even worse when in times of high tidal waves, you may be in your room, and the waves arrive taking over your room and entire houses overnight, rendering you homeless. 

This is the problem currently facing people living around or within communities close to the sea shore. 

In Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis, the problem of sea erosion displacing the coastal inhabitants is rampant.

In areas such as New Takoradi, Ngyiresia,Upper Dixcove, Lower Dixcove and Shama among others, the problem of sea erosion is very disturbing. 

In New Takoradi and Shama, there have been some effort to address the problem, but the effort is nothing good to write home about.

The sea defence wall project currently ongoing in both New Takoradi and Shama to address the problem of sea erosion has stalled.

In the Ahanta West District, for instance, one community which is sitting in the middle of sea erosion is New Amanful, otherwise known as ‘Amanful-Kuma, located southwest of Takoradi.

In this community, the problem of sea erosion has become so serious that in no time the sea would take over the whole community.

For now, the sea has succeeded in taking over a number of houses, a cemetery, church buildings, and roads among a host of others.

This development has left the inhabitants of New Amanful, whose livelihood depend on the sea, very worried. They do not when they would be the next victims of sea erosion.

In this community called New Amanful, there is no sight of serious business activity or recreation center in the area.

The only investor who risked putting up a recreation center, by name Captain Bridge, has had the resort damaged by the sea.

Consequently, the investor has started laying a sea defence wall to protect his property. He has consequently spent a whopping sum of GH¢50,000 on the laying of the defence wall, but this is not enough, and wants the government to assist.

A visit to New Amanful revealed the ugly spectacle of how the sea water has the potency of rendering the inhabitants homeless if nothing is done to save the situation.

In an interview with an elder of the community, Opayin Stephen Faido, he told this file that the inhabitants of the community, including himself, do not really sleep at night, because they do not really know when the sea would flood the place.

He confirmed that indeed the sea had succeeded in rendering some people in the community homeless. That apart, it had taken over the main road to a satellite community.

This ugly development, according to Opayin Faidoo, posed a grave danger to both their lives and property.

AGONY OF VICTIMS

Opayin Faidoo told this file that the pain and agony victims of the sea erosion go through was devastating.

He said the victims of the erosion had to squat with friends or relations for some years before they could eventually succeed in putting up a temporary structure to house themselves. He added that others who could not ended their lives.

On her part, another elder of the community, Mame Kwansima, confirmed how the sea had succeeded in taking over a cemetery, houses, roads and schools.

She has, therefore, appealed to the central government to come to their aid by erecting a sea defence wall to address the situation.

When this file visited the area, one thing that is believed to have contributed to the sea erosion is the problem of sand winning.

The inhabitants in the area, as well as others, are reported to be winning sand on the shoreline, and this has contributed to the problem of erosion.

A youth of the community, Richard Famous Mensah, confirmed to this file that sand winning has been occurring in the area, and had contributed directly to the problem of sea erosion.

He told this file that people outside the community used to come to win sand there, but they put a stop to it.

Pix: How sea erosion has exposed the soil

Pix: Mame Kwansima speaking to this reporter

Pix: The road to Amanfu-Kuma

Stories from Issah Alhassan

The Principal of the Offinso College of Education, Mr. Lloyd Alexander Djangmah, has appealed to the government and other stakeholders in education to assist the college in the area of infrastructure, in order to help meet its accommodation challenges.

Mr. Lloyd Djangmah said though the school continued to receive numerous applications from prospective students seeking to enter training college, it was unable to admit more, because of the infrastructure challenges confronting it.

The Principal made the call during an induction ceremony to officially welcome 500 newly-admitted students for the 2013/14 academic year.

He indicated that the college received a total of 4,136, out of which 3,396 were qualified applicants, but the school could only offer admission to only 500 of them, including 300 from the 2011/2012 group, and 200 from the 2013 year group.

Mr. Lloyd Djangmah said the figure represented an increase of 50.50% for males, and 104.4% females, compared to the preceding years, adding that the overall increase in intake stood at 66.7%, made up of an increase from 300 to 500 students.

He stressed that but for the accommodation and other infrastructural limitations the college could have admitted more, a situation, he said, required urgent attention from the government and other stakeholders.

The Principal of the College, therefore, urged the newly-recruited students to observe discipline and strict adherence to college rules and regulations, in order to ensure a successful completion of their courses, and warned that the college will not hesitate to sanction any student found culpable of breaching the rules and regulations.

“You need to show respect and obedience to all, especially teaching and non-teaching staff and to people in the community at large,” he advised.

He further warned that, as a faith-based institution believing in the one Supreme God, the college does not compromise on issues of morality, hence, indecency in any form was unacceptable in the school.

The Chief Executive Officer of Ameen Scientific Herbal Hospital in Kumasi, Sheikh Dr. Amen Bonsu, has called on both traditional and orthodox medical practitioners to recognise and work on their similarities, instead of differences that exist between the two medical systems, to provide comprehensive medical care for Ghanaians.

According to him, an effective health delivery system for Ghana must be one that inculcates and tolerates both orthodox and traditional practitioners.

Sheikh Dr. Ameen Bonsu made the call at the maiden graduation ceremony of Ameen Professional College in Kumasi over the weekend, during which 37 graduates passed out after obtaining a certificate in Complementing Health Nursing.

The ceremony also coincided with the matriculation of 42 fresh students to pursue courses in Complementary Health Nursing.

Sheikh Dr. Bonsu said herbal medicines remained integral part of the health care system in Ghana and the West African sub-region.

He, however, lamented that in spite of its significant role in modern medicine, indigenous herbal practices had been on the low level for some time, a situation he attributed to the perceived antagonistic relationship that exists between practitioners of herbal medicine, and their counterparts in the conventional system.

According to him, the conventional approach must not be seen as the paramount or better health system than the indigenous one, adding that the approaches and practices in both systems must be encouraged to complement each other.

The General Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners, Stephen Boateng, noted that Ghana sits on top of a gold mine of thousands of different plants, roots and herbs that may contain chemicals needed to treat and cure diseases that are currently leading to potential human extinction.

He warned that if actions are not taken to study and preserve these medicines, they could soon become part of many natural products in Africa that foreigners deem profitable and exploitable.

The Director of the institution, Mariam Amin, said the institute, which was established in 2010 with 30 students, now had a student population of 120.

From Richard Owusu-Akyaw

The Amansie West District Assembly has decided to use its share of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) of GH¢368,147.59, as the allocation for the first and second quarters of the year, for the completion of selected projects in the district.

The District Chief Executive, Mr. Alex Kwame Bonsu, announced at the special general meeting of the Assembly at Manso-Nkwanta recently, that the Assembly would engage itself in the construction of a 6-unit classroom block, with office, staff common room, and library at

Manso-Aponapon, and the construction of a 4-unit teachers’ bungalow at the Mansoman Senior High School at Manso-Atwere.

Other projects to be considered under the said funding include the construction of a 4-unit teachers’ bungalow at Manso-Adubia Senior High School, and the construction of a 4-unit teachers’ bungalow at Esaase-Bontefufuom Senior /Technical School.

He announced that the drilling and mechanisation of a borehole at the Abuoso Clinic, drilling and mechanisation of borehole at Manso-Odaho, the construction of a children’s ward at Manso-Nkwanta, the procurement of building materials to support community-initiated projects,

construction of a 3-unit classroom block at Mosikrom (DDF), completion of teachers’ quarters at Manso-Brofoyedru, construction of 3-unit kindergarten block at Mim/Domi, construction of a 3-unit classroom block at Pakyi No.1, and the renovation of the residence of the District Chief

Executive at Manso-Nkwanta, under various interventions considered for implementation before the end of the year.

The DCE gave the assurance that despite the bad nature of most of the roads in the district, the Kumpese-Datano-Keniago, Antoakrom-Ahwerewa, Moseaso-Abodease-Korko, Akropong-Kobeda, Kwakokrom Junction-Kwakokrom; Dawuaso-Nkyeremia (Pakyi No.6 and 7) Abore-Nkaasu, Adubia-Ajarjokrom, Mim-Domi-Odaho, Agroyesum-Ankam, Manso-Nkran-Edwenase roads, among others, would be reshaped.

The Assembly, he said, was about to form a Technical Committee to work for the implementation of the street naming and house numbering project before the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the General Assembly has unanimously approved recommendations by the executive committees that the Ghana Education Service (GES) provides the list of final year teacher trainees to the District Assembly for support of GH¢200 each.

It was also recommended that the Assembly should complete all uncompleted Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) projects in the district.

The General Assembly also wants the administration to liaise with chiefs and landlords to secure land for waste disposal sites, especially in the large communities, and that the communities should agree with miners on their social responsibilities before they are allowed to start mining in the area.

From Richard Owusu-Akyaw

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), in collaboration with the various transport unions operating at the Kejetia Lorry terminal, on Sunday organised a clean-up exercise to de-silt choked drains at the facility.

Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service were also at hand to use their equipment to facilitate the removal of the slabs over the gutters.

The Special Aide to the Mayor of Kumasi, Mr. Samuel Gyamfi, who co-ordinated the exercise, said it was intended to keep good sanitary conditions at Kejetia and forestall any future endemic outbreak there, as the gutters were de-silted to drain stagnant waters.

He indicated that the KMA would ensure the terminal is free from health hazards and miscreants, and keep it clean and hygienic.

Mr. Gyamfi told Ashanti File that the main motive behind the clean up exercise was to keep Kejetia clean.

The Kejetia Lorry Terminal was redeveloped by the Government of Ghana, with assistance from the World Bank, under the supervision of the Department of Urban Roads, under the Urban II Project.

With the aim of optimising the use of the facility through properly organised vehicle operations and facility management, the management of the facility was entrusted in FREKO FD Enterprise Limited, a private liability company in Kumasi, since June 2, 2002.

The manager (Freko), in line with the terms of the agreement, was required to market the terminal to commercial vehicle operators in order to attract them to use the terminal for their passenger loading purposes, as well as market the terminal to travellers in order to ensure that the vehicles which patronise the terminal have an adequate number of passengers to board their vehicles.

Obligations of the manager, as well, included employing qualified and experienced personnel required to carry out the services, and employ a system of revenue collection such as a 24-hour toll collection service that will maximise utility and revenue.

By the agreement, the manager shall be responsible for the acts, defaults, neglect, commissions and omissions of the personnel, and shall indemnify the owner against all claims, proceedings, cost charges and liabilities of any description, in respect of the agreement.

As part of her responsibilities, the manager makes sure vehicles operating from the terminal comply with the bye-laws of the owner and all road traffic regulations, and ensure an efficient system of managing the place, including legitimate means of restricting entry and unauthorised parking, among others.

But the management of the Kejetia Lorry terminal has, since November 10, 2013, been taken over from Freko FD Company Limited by the KMA, which owns the place.

The KMA explained that the FREKO FD had, over the last years, short-changed the KMA, and had failed to efficiently execute terms of the agreement, leaving the Kejetia terminal in a mess.

“When you go to Kejetia now, everything is in a mess, toilets are spilling over, there is too much congestion everywhere, waste all over,” the City Mayor frustratingly lamented.

He, therefore, defended the take-over of the terminal, stressing that the KMA had been making between GH¢10,000 and GH¢12,000 daily in revenue, while Freko paid the KMA GH¢80,000 monthly.

The KMA is currently embroiled in a legal tussle with the management of FREKO FD Enterprise Limited, which has operated the terminal for almost 11 years.

Stories from Isaac Akwetey-Okunor

It was a spectacular scene of enviable Ghanaian culture, as residents, old and young, of Otwereso, a farming community in the Akyemansa district, poured onto the major streets of the town to jubilate over the installation of three chiefs.

The colourful event was observed last Monday for the three chiefs, who are Baffour Korankye Adade I, Nsanahene, Nana Kwasi Kwaah and Nana Abagye Nkansah, Gyasahene and Kyidomhene respectively.

The three, who had a black cloth wrapped around their waists with their chests virtually bare, and having leaves in their mouths, were carried shoulder high by some well-built young man through the principal streets of the town, amid the usual drumming, singing and firing musketry, to the durbar grounds where a large crowd were patiently waiting for them.

The oath of office, secrecy and allegiance, which they swore before the Chief of Otwereso, Osabarima Ofosu Kwabi I, attracted intermittent applause from relatives and friends at the durbar grounds.

Outlining the meaning and responsibilities as Nsanahene in an interview with the Eastern File shortly after the ceremony, Baffour Adade I said the Nsanahene can best been described as the Minister of Finance, as is known in mainstream governance.

The astute businessman, who is married with eight children, and known in private life as Kofi Kitiwa, aka Kofi Korankye, continued that his role as the Nsanahene of the Odau Traditional Area, with Otwereso being the capital, among other things was to manage the human, natural and financial resources of the area.

Conceding the challenges ahead of him, the Nsanahene pledged to combine business skills and tradition to bring accelerated socio-economic development to improve the living standard of the people.

On development, the newly-installed Minister of Finance for the Odau Traditional Area appealed to residents, both home and abroad, to contribute their widow’s mite towards development, since it was a collective responsibility.

Another area of concern to the chief is the area of information technology, which, according to him, the youth in the area, particularly school children, were at disadvantage, and negatively affecting teaching and learning at their respective schools.

He explained that having been installed as the Nsanahene, he would mobilise the people towards the construction of a modern library with the state of the art ICT centre.

The Gyasahene and Kyidomhene have also called for the support of parents to control the spate of teenage pregnancy that is gradually engulfing the area.

Stories from Isaac Akwetey-Okunor

The management of Chocho Industry and Company Limited, a rural-based industry located in the Suhum Municipality, has presented 25 street lights to the Suhum Traditional Council (STC).

The street lights, which cost GH¢62,500, was by the company to help improve on the security situation of the municipality, which has seen some criminal activities in recent times.

Presenting the items at this year’s Odwira festival celebrated by the people, the wife of Alhaji Mustaph Boateng, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Hajia Jamina Boateng, aka Hajia Chocho, said the presentation was part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

According to her, man was the product of society, and therefore, in order to create an environment conducive for prosperous business, there was the need that all hands are put on deck, since that feat could not be achieved by an individual alone.

This, she said, motivated the company to supply the lights, since most of Suhum did not have street lights, thereby creating a good environment for unscrupulous individuals, who are enemies of development, to strike.

Acknowledging that Chocho industry alone cannot develop Suhum, but rather a pool of corporate bodies and individuals, the company would continue to support any development project embarked upon by either the Assembly or traditional leaders.

Apart from the presentation of the street lights, the company has, within this month, presented some Chocho products to inmates of the Nsawam Prisons, and paid the school fees of orphans among others.

On his part, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Chocho Industry, Mr. Kojo Ampah Sahara, urged youth in the country to emulate the kind gestures demonstrated by generous personalities such as his boss, Alhaji Mustaph Boateng.

The PRO averred that Alhaji Mustaph Boateng, prior to the establishment of the company, pledged that he would channel any profit accrued from business to impact positively on people’s lives.

Confirming and fulfilling the promise, he said (PRO) he was not surprised that a chunk of the company profit has been put into corporate social responsibilities.

Talking about the workforce, the PRO underscored that the contributions of Chocho towards limiting, if not eradicating the mass youth unemployment not only within the operational area of the company, but the country at large, was overwhelming.

He, therefore, called on the government to support industries in Ghana, particularly the rural based ones, through the creation of level playing field and easy accessibility of loans to expand their businesses.

He argued that the solution to mass unemployment among the youth depended on rural based industries, since they create large employment grounds for most of the youth within their catchment areas.

He explained that these youth, who otherwise would join the unemployment bandwagon, as well as travelling to the big cities to chase non-existing white collar jobs, are absorbed by these rural based industries.

As part of managing the Disability Fund, the Executive Committee of the Bosome-Freho District Assembly has taken the initiative to offer employable skills to People Living with Disability (PLWD) in the district and their caretakers to earn them a living on a sustainable basis.

Mr. Kwame Adarkwah, District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, announced at the Assembly General Meeting that the Executive Committee also recommended that part of the fund be set aside to cater for unforeseen disability emergencies.

The initiative follows a directive by the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), after it had realised that the beneficiaries of the fund only use the money to feed themselves, instead of profitable ventures.

He entreated members of the assembly to get data on all PLWDs in their respective Electoral Areas, while the Social Welfare Officer designs a format for them to use for the exercise.

He asked the members to submit a list of communal labour days in all communities within their jurisdiction, in order for the Assembly to monitor its effectiveness, and also to boost maintenance culture in the communities.

According to him, the committee observed that most of the people in the communities had been refusing to pay their levies to the Assembly to aid the development of the district, as a result of which it had been recommended that the siting of developmental projects would now be based on a community’s effort on payment of levies.

The DCE disclosed that the Executive Committee also recommended that the Assembly collaborate with the Regional Feeder Roads Directorate to help reshape most of the district’s roads, which are in a deplorable state.

From Joyce Addai

The Ahafo-Ano North District Education Directorate has organised a two-day literacy training workshop for 60 lower primary school teachers to update their skills on the use of sounds and phonetic to teach their pupils.

The programme was sponsored by the DFID, and would be held in all the 7 circuit centers of the district in two weeks, to enable all lower primary school teachers benefit from it.

The participants were taken through topics like language literacy – the 3 modes, and attributes of letters.

The District Director of Education, Mrs. Victoria Achiaah Osei, said the two-day literacy training workshop would enable school children understand how to read and write.

She appealed to teachers to take their lessons seriously to enable them impart the knowledge acquired to the children.

Mrs. Achiaah Osei also appealed to parents to invest in their children’s education to enable them become very useful citizens.

She announced that the District Assembly would soon come out with bye-laws to deal with children who refuse to attend school and engage in trading.

Stories from Ernest Best Anane

The Agogo State Senior High School (SHS) has celebrated its 50^th Anniversary, with a call on the government and stakeholders to help expand the infrastructural facilities of the school.

The theme of the celebration was: “50 years of Discipline and Steady Academic Progress – The Role of the stakeholders.”

The Headmaster of the School, Dr. Alexis Frimpong Nimoh, said at the Speech and Prize Giving Day ceremony that though the school was 50 years, headmasters had, all these years, been living in a rented house two kilometres away in town.

He complained that there was no accommodation for the two Assistant Headmasters (Academic and Domestic) on campus, a situation which makes the administration of the school and control of students very difficult and ineffective.

He also bemoaned accommodation problem for teachers, saying of the 98 teachers, only seven were resident on campus.

According to him, a block of flats for the teachers, which was started in 1977, was abandoned in 1979, and called for its reactivation to address the acute accommodation problem of teachers at the school.

He said the school population had increased tremendously, but did not have adequate classrooms for the growing population.

This, he said, had resulted in some classes being too large to handle for any serious academic work. The situation, he said, would require an additional 15-unit classroom block to help absorb the 2013/ 2014 academic year batch of fresh students, in order to reduce overcrowding in the classrooms.

Besides the school has no Assembly Hall, and that morning devotions and other gatherings of the school are all held in the open, at the mercy of the weather.

Dr. Nimoh also stated that the school was coping with a make-shift library, which takes only 30 students at a time, and therefore, needed a modern library to enhance the academic activities of the school.

He said because of lack of dormitories, the ground floor of the administration block had been converted into a dormitory, and hoped the government would release funds for the contractor to speed up work on the construction of the new 3-storey boys’ dormitory.

According to him, the school had not benefited from the supply of vehicles to schools in recent times, and underscored that a donation of a bus to the school as a birthday present would be very much appreciated.

Edmond Peprah, the School Prefect, complained that the school was constantly being hit by perennial water problems which were affecting studies.

He appealed to philanthropists, non-governmental organisations and the Ghana Education Trust Fund to provide the school with a KIA truck or water tanker to supply water whenever there is a shortage.

Mr. Samuel Yaw Adusei, Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, represented the President, John Dramani Mahama, at the occasion.

By Bernice Bessey

The inability of the government and city authorities to effectively manage waste system in the country to reduce, recycle refuse has led to uncontrollable cries from residents and business operators close to dumping sites like that at Pantang in the Madina Municipality.

According to the Chairman of the residents association, Elvis Akuamoah, Abokobi-Pantang comprises of the Pantang Hospital, South Abladjei, Parakuo Estates, Liberty Avenue, Anointed Area, East Pantang, E.P. Down (Agbogba) and New City (Abokobi), among others.

He noted that the areas were all zoned as residential areas, and it was, therefore, not right for the city authorities to demarcate a portion of the area as refuse dump.

At a press briefing recently, the Chairman noted the dumping site was having negative health implications on them, especially children, patients and health workers at the Pantang Hospital, since it close to these places.

“When the dumping started, we raised serious concerns about the appropriateness of siting a refuse dump within a residential area. We did that knowing very well that such a practice would have serious implications (both health and security wise) on residents.  We also recognised the violation of our Economic and Social (ECOSOC) rights, as guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution,” he stated.

Mr. Akuamoah added that the smoke from the burning of the rubbish often engulfed the entire area and spreads from Abokobi to Ayikuma and Oyibi.

“With some little wind, the stench also spreads as far as it can go.  The health complications suffered by we, the residents, resulting from this continuous exposure to the smoke, flies and bad odour, have increased quite substantially, and yet this situation is completely avoidable.”

As the areas mentioned are known to be facing severe water shortage problems, many of the residents have dug boreholes to enable them have access to potable water, but seepage from the refuse dump has been contaminating the water bodies, he said.

He stated that the refuse dump generates all kinds of ailments like cholera, asthma and other airborne diseases, saying, “The continuous burning during the day and at night is carcinogenic in the long term.  Therefore, residents are being exposed to cancer, in spite of their protests.”

With this environmental challenge, he noted, the assembly authorities were also creating markets close to the refuse dump, adding, “The situation constitutes a brazen abuse of our economic and social rights as Ghanaians, and an insult to our dignity.”

He called on the Ga East District Assembly, the Ghana Health Service, Town and Country Planning Department and the Environmental Protection Agency to intervene, starting from the site, which should be cleared, and the ecology of the areas affected, restored, as a matter of urgency.

The Chairman appealed for streetlights to be provided, and all bushes cleared, as a matter of priority, sanitise the areas affected, and enhance security for the residents.

“Once the place has been properly restored, we request that recreational facilities and a market complex should be constructed there for the benefit of all the surrounding communities,” Mr. Akuamoah charged.

By Bernice Bessey

For almost a decade that it was banned from sending Ghanaian students abroad for the pursuance of higher education, especially in the area of health, the Jvsalynn Foundation has resumed operations to assist students who were not admitted into the nine traditional universities and can’t   afford the exorbitant private institutions.

Mr. Gideon Aryeequaye, Director of the foundation, noted that Ghana, as a country, needed a vibrant human resource base to develop, but the traditional universities are unable to admit most of the overwhelming number of students seeking admissions.

Speaking at the re-launching of the Jvsalynn Foundation on Tuesday at the Alisa Hotel, Ridge, Accra, said the foundation operations were under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, National Youth Authority (NYA), Department of Social Welfare and overseas universities, but suffered a fraudulent accusation, which led to it suspending operations in 2004, the very year it began.

He said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), for almost 10 years, could not substantiate the visa fraud allegation leveled against the foundation.

“The accusations of the foundation by the BNI, CID Headquarters and EOCO, that its activities were fraudulent, were erroneous and unjust,” he bemoaned.

He added that many of the students were sent to the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Australia, Eastern Europe and the Republic of South Africa.

“Most of these students, who went on the programme, have completed their courses and have returned home, better qualified, and are occupying important positions in the Republic of Ghana,” he said.

In long term projection, Jvsalynn Foundation would be establishing a Science and Technology University in the Volta Region to support and revamp the lapses in the tertiary education.

Ras Mubarak, Chief Executive of the NYA, pledged the government’s support for the foundation to create a friendly environment for the youth.

He urged the youth to take advantage of foundation’s offers to acquire higher learning, adding that job placement in recent times had become competitive, and it was only education that could bridge the gap.

Stories From Richard Attenkah

Reconstruction works on the net mending wharf for artisanal fishermen operating at the Tema Fishing Harbour Landing Beach is currently on hold, following the decision of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), the company that gave out the contract, to terminate it.

The GPHA awarded the contract to FNB Investment Ghana Limited in November 2011 to support the artisanal fishing activities of the local fisher-folks, after the one they were using became dilapidated many years ago.

In November, 2011, therefore, when the late President John Evans Atta-Mills paid a working visit to the area, the fisher-folks pleaded with him to consider reconstructing the net mending wharf for them.

The late president then charged the Port Authority to see to it that it awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the wharf for the benefit of the fishermen.

The GPHA wasted no time to get the work done, and early this year, Mrs. Dzifa Ativor, Minister of Transport, visited the construction site to familiarise himself with work on the project.

Julius Carl Hermond, Project Manager for FNB Investment Ghana Limited, promised the Minister in the presence of the media that he was optimistic that by June this year, his outfit would complete the reconstruction works.

However, work on the project continues to be at a standstill, thus prompting the GPHA to terminate the contract and look at the way forward.

According to information gathered by the Tema File, the GPHA terminated the contract with effect from 28 November, 2013.

The information continued that the GPHA sent a query letter to FNB Investment Ghana Limited, but the company refused to respond to it.

“You have refused, failed, or neglected to respond to our query letter, the project is far behind completion,” a portion of the query letter stated.

In terminating the contract, the GPHA also threatened to exercise its rights under the said contract, to ensure that FNB Investment Ghana Limited does not cheat the port authority.

The GPHA, according to the paper’s information, has asked the company to be present to work with its project engineer on Friday 29^th November to evaluate the work done by FNB Investment Ghana Limited.

If project engineers of the company fail to turn up, GPHA will go ahead to evaluate work done, and later take legal action against the company to retrieve any outstanding payments.”

When contacted, the Public Relations Manager of GPHA, Madam Joana Adda, confirmed that her outfit had terminated the contract.

Stories From Richard Attenkah

For the third time running, the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) has received the Best Service Plot Provider of Year Award for the year 2013, from the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA) at the Ghana Property Awards.

The Corporation picked up the same award for the first time in 2011, and again in 2012.

The TDC’s current project at Community 24 is nearing completion with the creation of a major road to link the community to the Tema Motorway.

Presenting the award, Dr. Alexander Tweneboa, former President of GREDA, congratulated the Tema-based estate developer for being consistent in the pursuit of providing serviced plots for the general public.

Mr. Joe Abbey, Managing Director of the TDC, receiving the Best Service Plot Provider of Year 2013, thanked the award organisers for the honour.

Stories From Richard Attenkah

Isaac Ashai Odamtten, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, on Wednesday paid a working visit to the Tema Development Corporation (TDC), where he called on management of the corporation to have a discussion with them on issues affecting the smooth operation of the two bodies.

The visit was also to officially introduce himself to the TDC management, and further discuss issues that would inure to the benefits of the two foremost institutions in the harbour city, and to set the tone for further collaboration between them.

Mr. Joe Abbey, Managing Director of TDC, commended Isaac Odamtten for the gesture, and explained that it was important for the two institutions to work hand in hand for the benefit of the Tema Metropolis.

He said it was not in anybody’s interest to dwell on the occasional jostling between the TDC and TMA, especially, as the fundamental interest was to make the city meet the expectations and needs of its residents and business interests.

On his part, Isaac Odamtten noted that he chose to visit TDC, firstly, to drum home the point that both institutions needed to work together, adding, “I do not see why we cannot leverage on each other’s expertise to make Tema a place of pride again.”

He called on the two institutions to set up more joint technical committees to streamline their activities, so as to remove the duplications that have characterised some of the developmental efforts in the metropolis.

In a related development, Ibrahim Baidoo, Chief Executive for the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA), also paid a similar call on management of the TDC.

Ibrahim Baidoo, speaking to The Chronicle, said the TDC has been one of ASHMA’s key stakeholders, and because of the agenda he had set out for the municipality, there was the need for him to pay a visit to the corporation to fraternise with them, and also deepen the relationship which exists between the two bodies for mutual benefits.

He explained that TDC had a major role to play in the forward march of the municipality under his watch, hence, the need to pay a courtesy call on management of the corporation.

The two institutional heads promised to work with each other for the benefit of Ghana.

Stories from Michael Boateng

Pupils of Techiman Methodist Junior High School in the Bong Ahafo Region have bemoaned the unconcerned attitude of their authorities towards getting them decent classrooms for effective teaching and learning.

The pupils were expressing their displeasure about studying under trees in an interview with B/A File on the school compound.

The deplorable nature and inadequate school building has force the school to hold classes under trees, which is not conducive for effective teaching and learning.

According to sources, parents have started withdrawing their children from the school, due to this problem.

Some of the pupils, who spoke with B/A File, expressed their readiness to undertake a peaceful march to the Techiman Municipal Education Office to drum home their concern.

Ironically, a storey building, which was constructed about 5 years ago by the government for the Primary division of the school, is idling.

Though construction work is not yet complete, the students are appealing to the necessary authorities to temporarily hand over the building to them, until they get a new classroom block.    

The Assistant Headmaster of the School, David Baason, said the Techiman Municipal Assembly had promised to construct a six-unit classroom block for them.

He, therefore, called on the assembly to expedite action on the project, in order to alleviate their problem.  

When contacted, the Deputy Minister for Education, Alex Kyeremeh, shared their concern, but advised schools in dire need of infrastructure to apply to the ministry, through their District Directorate of Education, for urgent attention.

Until something urgent is done to get decent classrooms for the Techiman Methodist Junior High School, these students will continue to study under the trees for a very long time.

Stories from Michael Boateng

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, has commissioned a dining hall facility for the Sunyani Nurses Training College.

Mr. Ameyaw-Cheremeh, at the commissioning, disclosed the cost of the project as GH¢100,000, which was funded with the MP’s share of the Health Fund, after a request was made by the school authorities and the student body.

According to him, the school authorities indicated that the manner at which food was being prepared at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital before it is transferred to the school’s premises was unpleasant, as it exposed the students to a whole lot of health risks.

He assured the school that as a legislator of the constituency, the commissioning of the dining hall facility would not be the end, but the beginning of lot more to come.

The Sunyani East MP noted that the problem of lack of the culture of maintenance among Ghanaians should not be entertained, and that the school authorities and the students should effectively espouse the culture of maintenance for the facility to meet its purpose.

He commended the school authorities for their support towards the rapid completion of the project to reduce the burden students have to go through before dining.

The Principal of the school, Mr. Francis Omono-Asamoah, commended the Member of Parliament for responding to their call on time, and appropriately.

He said the fulfillment of the request by Mr. Ameyaw-Cheremeh had improved the standard of the school, in terms of facilities, because it was an unfortunate scene for students to routinely carry tables and chairs to and from lecture rooms, before and after dining.

Mr. Omono-Asamoah further indicated that sometimes food meant to be served, incidentally fell, causing inconveniences for both the students and authorities, due to the manner in which the food was being transported.

He assured the MP of the effective maintenance of the facility, as required, to ensure its prolonged existence.

Stories from William N-lanjerborr Jalulah

A total of 750 children, drawn from 25 communities in the Bongo District, who are not in school, have become beneficiaries of the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) Programme.

The issue of education for children in the region has become very critical, due to the fact that the region has many children dropping out of school, and others still out of the bracket of formal education.

It is estimated that 20,441 children are out of school in the Upper East Region.

The CBE programme is a policy of the government of Ghana with financial support from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to provide a springboard for children within the ages of 8 and 14 years to get into formal school after a period of complementary basic education.

At the Bongo District launch of the programme at Atampiisi, the Country Director of Afrikid Ghana, a child rights non-governmental organisation implementing the Programme, Mr. Nicholas Kumah, announced that after a period of animation and recruitment exercises, 30 classes had been sited within 25 communities in the Bongo District, and 30 local young volunteers recruited to serve as facilitators for the classes.

The 30 facilitators, made up of 18 females and 12 males, through the guidance and tutorship of master trainers, have been prepared through 15 days of residential training to teach these vulnerable 750 children.

Mr. Kumah said the required teaching and learning materials for the nine months classes have been provided for both learners and facilitators. The facilitators are given s monthly allowance of GH¢45, with arrangements in place to provide NHIS and bicycles for them, as well as educational support for those who would have the opportunity to make progress in the area of education.

According to him, a baseline survey, in collaboration with the Department of Community Development, had been carried out to give a clear picture of the out-of-school children in the beneficiary communities.

The programme is going for three years, and the Director said communities that would do well would get the chance to continue.

Mr. Kumah told teachers that the programme was an initiative of the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, thus, they should see it as paving way for high enrollment for their schools, come next academic year, and give it all the support.

The District Director of Education, Mr. Emmanuel Zumakpeh, said the programme was structured in such a way as to achieve multiple objectives.

He said to bridge the gender gap, each class of 25 pupils will comprise 13 girls and 12 boys. Also, 60% of all facilitators will be females.

The Paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area, Naba Baba Salifu Atamale Lemyarum, was convinced that the programme was the panacea for the high rate of school dropout and teenage pregnancy which had affected the standard of education in the area.

Stories from William N-lanjerborr Jalulah

Fifty students of the Industrial Art Department of the Bolgatanga Polytechnic in the Upper East Region have attended one week training in papermaking, in their bid to broaden their scope of using available local materials to produce quality artistic works.

Paper mmaking is the process of making paper, a substance which is used universally today for writing and packaging. Commonly used raw materials include the bark or pulp of specific trees such as the pulp-mulberry plants.

In paper making, a dilute suspension of fibers in water is drained through a screen, so that a mat of randomly interwoven fibers is laid down. Water is removed from this mat of fibers by pressing and drying to make paper.

The participants, made up of 38 males and 12 females, were taken through various stages of paper making.

The Head of Department of the Industrial Art Department of the Bolgatanga Polytechnic, Mr. Christopher Oppong, said that the Department was a young one, and therefore, needed the support to grow.

According to him, industrial art sector was one key sector that could address the unemployment problem in the Upper East, because the region was endowed with a lot of raw materials such as leather and basket straw, which artistes could take advantage of to produce beautiful and attractive products that could be their income activity.

He was not happy that even with the existence of the Bolgatanga Craft Village, most art works were imported from neighbouring Burkina Faso.

He also revealed that in his department, most of the students came from the southern part of the country, where raw materials were hard to come by, as compared with the Upper East Region.

As a result, Mr. Oppong said only traditional indigenous people used art products, while their contemporary counterparts did not patronise them.

As a measure to whip up the interest of the youth and public in art products, Mr. Christopher Oppong said his department would embark on an outreach programme next year.

Prof. Mary Hark, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA Design Studies, African Studies, and Art Department, was the lead resource person.

She said Ghana had a lot of respect on the international stage, in the area of her rich artistic works, and urged students of Industrial Art to take their course very serious.

She proposed the development of a designer incubator, an artist’s workshop space in Ghana, that is focused on using Ghanaian pulp-mulberry fiber and hand papermaking as its primary resource.

This workshop will use artistic activity to promote ongoing partnerships between arts professionals and others.