THE Inspector General of Police, Mr Paul Quaye Tawiah, has urged the Greater Accra Regional Security Forum to initiate a legislation that will oblige estate developers to provide police stations and barracks in every new estate community they establish.
He explained that the provision of these facilities would help the police to ensure security and law and order in the communities.
The IGP was addressing the maiden session of the Greater Accra Regional Security Forum in Tema to plan and tackle security threats confronting various localities and the region as a whole.
He said the time had come for the district assemblies to allocate resources to provide the facilities to already established communities which did not have police presence.
Mr Tawiah noted that organised and serious crimes in their various forms were still being recorded, although the rate had decreased considerably.
Highlighting some statistics on armed robbery, he said in 2008, the Accra/Tema police regions recorded 850 robberies and in 2009 a comparatively lesser number of 513 robbery cases were recorded.
Mr Tawiah said at the same time a total of 335 suspected armed robbers were arrested in the region whilst a few others died during confrontation with the police.
He stated that a total of 133 firearms were seized from these suspected armed robbers.
The Inspector General said the police and the assemblies had inter-related challenges, adding that “the very problems that hamper the success and development of the assemblies equally render policing strategies ineffective”.
He expressed concern about the activities of squatters and land guards, explaining that several criminal activities were planned and perpetrated by these groups.
The Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashietey, said the fight against the narcotics menace at the global level continued to be a major challenge.
He noted that as a result, the government had adopted strategies to seriously combat the menace and these were yielding positive results.
Nii Armah Ashietey said the government would continue to implement the intelligence acquisition analysis and application strategies, and the informant system and deepen police presence through massive and intensive day and night patrols, among others.
The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Robert Kempes Ofosuware, who played host to the forum, enumerated some phenomenal threats and danger to security in the metropolis.
He said the high incidence of armed robbery, theft and physical assault, prostitution, narcotic drug business and drug abuse, menace of land guards and sex tourism were some of the dangers to security in the area.
The forum was attended by Service Commanders, National Security Co-ordinators, Service Personnel, Police and Military and all stakeholders concerned with security.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
TMA DONATES TO SHAMO QUAYE MEMORIAL TOURNEY (PAGE 47)
The Tema Metropolitan Assembly has donated a magnificent trophy and six footballs to the sporting community in Tema at the re-launch of the Shamo Quaye Memorial Tournament which was to kick off on December 24, 2009. Also presented was GH¢10,000 to support the players.
The trophy, valued at GH¢8000, was to be presented to the champion of the tournament, which faded out because of lack of support.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Robert Kempes Ofosuware, commended some companies, including the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Tema Development Corporation (TDC) and Myroc, for their support which contributed to the revival of the games.
He was of the view that the tournament would help unearth football talents and also rekindle the communal spirit and interaction among the various communities.
An organiser of the tournament, Mr David Boafo, who received the package, thanked the Assembly for the gesture.
He said the tournament would involve all the communities in Tema to rekindle the spirit of soccer in the youth.
Mr Boafo was optimistic that the games would also encourage the youth to make sports one of their priorities, while remembering some of the talented footballers the metropolis had produced.
He gave the assurance that everything would be done to enhance soccer to make it attractive to the youth especially with a Chief Executive who has a passion for the game.
The trophy, valued at GH¢8000, was to be presented to the champion of the tournament, which faded out because of lack of support.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Robert Kempes Ofosuware, commended some companies, including the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Tema Development Corporation (TDC) and Myroc, for their support which contributed to the revival of the games.
He was of the view that the tournament would help unearth football talents and also rekindle the communal spirit and interaction among the various communities.
An organiser of the tournament, Mr David Boafo, who received the package, thanked the Assembly for the gesture.
He said the tournament would involve all the communities in Tema to rekindle the spirit of soccer in the youth.
Mr Boafo was optimistic that the games would also encourage the youth to make sports one of their priorities, while remembering some of the talented footballers the metropolis had produced.
He gave the assurance that everything would be done to enhance soccer to make it attractive to the youth especially with a Chief Executive who has a passion for the game.
TEMA FIRE SERVICE LAUNCHES RESCUE PATROL UNIT (BACK PAGE)
THE Tema Regional branch of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has set up a Road Traffic Accident Rapid Response Unit to patrol the Accra-Tema Motorway to give prompt attention to accident victims.
By this innovation, the Tema regional office will patrol the Motorway from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily to ensure rapid and effective rescue of accident victims.
Speaking to the media in Tema on Christmas Eve when the fully equipped vehicle was launched, the Regional Commander, Mr Gilford Tetteh Adams, said the station lacked adequate equipment and, therefore, felt certain decisions needed to be taken to salvage the situation.
Mr Adams said the pick-up for the Road Traffic Accident Rapid Response Unit was equipped with a spine board, cutting equipment, spreaders, distinct headlights and hydraulic equipment for professional extrication of accident victims, all at a cost of over GH¢5,000 from its internally generated funds.
He noted that for effective performance while handling accident victims, the Tema regional office re-trained 38 of its personnel for the two units.
Mr Adams explained that many accident victims died because of unprofessional handling.
Mr Adams appealed to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly and other organisations to assist the office by providing a vehicle to be used as ambulance to quicken the pace of the rescue exercise.
Mr Adams advised drivers to be mindful of the bumpy nature of the Motorway and drive with care because most recent accidents were caused by the rough and bumpy surface.
Men from the newly launched unit undertook an extrication exercise, during which they handled accident victims using the spine board and the hydraulic equipment.
By this innovation, the Tema regional office will patrol the Motorway from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily to ensure rapid and effective rescue of accident victims.
Speaking to the media in Tema on Christmas Eve when the fully equipped vehicle was launched, the Regional Commander, Mr Gilford Tetteh Adams, said the station lacked adequate equipment and, therefore, felt certain decisions needed to be taken to salvage the situation.
Mr Adams said the pick-up for the Road Traffic Accident Rapid Response Unit was equipped with a spine board, cutting equipment, spreaders, distinct headlights and hydraulic equipment for professional extrication of accident victims, all at a cost of over GH¢5,000 from its internally generated funds.
He noted that for effective performance while handling accident victims, the Tema regional office re-trained 38 of its personnel for the two units.
Mr Adams explained that many accident victims died because of unprofessional handling.
Mr Adams appealed to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly and other organisations to assist the office by providing a vehicle to be used as ambulance to quicken the pace of the rescue exercise.
Mr Adams advised drivers to be mindful of the bumpy nature of the Motorway and drive with care because most recent accidents were caused by the rough and bumpy surface.
Men from the newly launched unit undertook an extrication exercise, during which they handled accident victims using the spine board and the hydraulic equipment.
Monday, December 28, 2009
CHANGE ATTITUDE TO WORK (PAGE 18, DEC 28)
The Executive Chairman of the State Enterprises Commission (SEC), Mr Yaw Klinogo, has called on workers of the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) to change their ways of doing things and consider the growth of the corporation through hard work and dedication to duty.
“You have to die a little to enable the company to succeed in its endeavours,” he said.
Mr Klinogo was addressing the management and staff of the TDC at its end-of-year awards ceremony, during which some retirees were also presented with gifts.
He said 10 years ago, the TDC was faced with difficulties but commended the workers for the present successes it had achieved through hard work.
He was of the view that the corporation could achieve more successes if the union and the Senior Staff Association worked in concert with management to take decisions for the growth of the organisation.
He said Tema had to regain its original image which made it the most unique town in the country and was referred to as a model in planning and structural development.
The board of the TDC, Mr E.O. Adjetey, said the corporation was pursuing change for the better.
He stressed the need to maximise profit and utilise available resources to generate funds.
He tasked management and workers to bring back Tema to its former glory and redesign it into a viable tourist centre for future generations.
The acting Managing Director of the TDC, Mr Joe Abbey, said the corporation would re-visit most of its abandoned projects to generate revenue.
He said encroachment was the challenge the corporation faced during the year and called for ministerial and police support to enable it to re-develop some old communities and sites.
Mr Abbey said the exercise was capital intensive and the corporation would, therefore, solicit financial support and guarantees to undertake the project.
He said the TDC would make its presence felt in communities, including new settlements, by opening up offices in those areas to collect revenue, ward off encroachers and offer other services.
He commended the workers for their determination to ensure the growth of the TDC.
Some workers were presented with prizes for their dedication and long service. Some of them have served the company between 10 and 40 years, while four members of staff were seen off to start their retirement.
Present at the ceremony were the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema, Mr Kempes Ofosu Ware, and the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive, Numo Adinortey Addison.
“You have to die a little to enable the company to succeed in its endeavours,” he said.
Mr Klinogo was addressing the management and staff of the TDC at its end-of-year awards ceremony, during which some retirees were also presented with gifts.
He said 10 years ago, the TDC was faced with difficulties but commended the workers for the present successes it had achieved through hard work.
He was of the view that the corporation could achieve more successes if the union and the Senior Staff Association worked in concert with management to take decisions for the growth of the organisation.
He said Tema had to regain its original image which made it the most unique town in the country and was referred to as a model in planning and structural development.
The board of the TDC, Mr E.O. Adjetey, said the corporation was pursuing change for the better.
He stressed the need to maximise profit and utilise available resources to generate funds.
He tasked management and workers to bring back Tema to its former glory and redesign it into a viable tourist centre for future generations.
The acting Managing Director of the TDC, Mr Joe Abbey, said the corporation would re-visit most of its abandoned projects to generate revenue.
He said encroachment was the challenge the corporation faced during the year and called for ministerial and police support to enable it to re-develop some old communities and sites.
Mr Abbey said the exercise was capital intensive and the corporation would, therefore, solicit financial support and guarantees to undertake the project.
He said the TDC would make its presence felt in communities, including new settlements, by opening up offices in those areas to collect revenue, ward off encroachers and offer other services.
He commended the workers for their determination to ensure the growth of the TDC.
Some workers were presented with prizes for their dedication and long service. Some of them have served the company between 10 and 40 years, while four members of staff were seen off to start their retirement.
Present at the ceremony were the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema, Mr Kempes Ofosu Ware, and the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive, Numo Adinortey Addison.
Monday, December 21, 2009
TEACHERS URGED TO BE PATIENT (PAGE 11, DEC 21)
THE Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Pre-Tertiary Education, Mrs Elizabeth Amoah-Tetteh, has urged teachers to be patient for the Government to find lasting solutions to their problems.
Mrs Amok-Tetteh was responding to some concerns of teachers at a forum organised by the Member of Parliament for the Tema West Constituency, Mrs Irene Naa Torshie Addo, for about 1,000 teachers drawn from the constituency.
The forum afforded the teachers the opportunity to interact with the deputy minister and to put across the challenges facing them.
Some of the concerns were about the non-payment of allowances, delayed promotions, cuts in administrative grants for teachers affordable houses.
Mrs Amoah-Tetteh commended the teachers, especially those who teach at the basic level, for their contribution to nation building.
She said the President was aware of their predicament and was working towards finding lasting solutions to them, hence the systematic approach to their situation.
Mrs Amoah –Tetteh noted that teachers had sacrificed sufficiently and would need to be rewarded accordingly, adding “without you teachers, nation building and human resource development will be lacking”.
She said no amount of ridicule should deter them from doing their good work.
The Tema West MP pledged to make available, her funds for 2010, for education in Tema West.
She said she had plans to acquire 678 computers for schools in the constituency, and expressed cncern about the condition of some schools in Batsonaa, Sakumono and Spintex road areas.
Mrs Addo expressed worry that some of the schoolchildren had no tables and sat on stones for their classes under dilapidated structures and therefore, expressed the need to support them.
She called on the teachers to form small clubs within their areas of operation to enable them to know one another better to be able to render support when necessary.
Mrs Amok-Tetteh was responding to some concerns of teachers at a forum organised by the Member of Parliament for the Tema West Constituency, Mrs Irene Naa Torshie Addo, for about 1,000 teachers drawn from the constituency.
The forum afforded the teachers the opportunity to interact with the deputy minister and to put across the challenges facing them.
Some of the concerns were about the non-payment of allowances, delayed promotions, cuts in administrative grants for teachers affordable houses.
Mrs Amoah-Tetteh commended the teachers, especially those who teach at the basic level, for their contribution to nation building.
She said the President was aware of their predicament and was working towards finding lasting solutions to them, hence the systematic approach to their situation.
Mrs Amoah –Tetteh noted that teachers had sacrificed sufficiently and would need to be rewarded accordingly, adding “without you teachers, nation building and human resource development will be lacking”.
She said no amount of ridicule should deter them from doing their good work.
The Tema West MP pledged to make available, her funds for 2010, for education in Tema West.
She said she had plans to acquire 678 computers for schools in the constituency, and expressed cncern about the condition of some schools in Batsonaa, Sakumono and Spintex road areas.
Mrs Addo expressed worry that some of the schoolchildren had no tables and sat on stones for their classes under dilapidated structures and therefore, expressed the need to support them.
She called on the teachers to form small clubs within their areas of operation to enable them to know one another better to be able to render support when necessary.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
'SODOM AND GOMORRAH' SETTLEMENT SPRINGS UP IN TEMA COMM 3 (PAGE 29, DEC 15)
A 'Sodom and Gomorra' settlement with over 200 wooden structures has sprang up at Tema Community Three.
The settlement in an area demarcated for a buffer zone to absorb gas emanating from the treatment plant where effluent from the township is discharged before flowing into the sea.
The encroachers are suspected to have come from Accra and elsewhere where demolishing and ejectments have taken place.
The Ramseyer site, a conserved wet land stretching along the Sakumono land, has also seen encroachment with wooden structures and mighty well-designed buildings while some people have also demarcated and laid claims to portions of the Mexico Junior High School premises at Community Two.
The Metropolitan Engineer, Mr Victor Mensah, who went round with journalists to witness the extensive encroachment going on in Tema, said the people had ignored all warnings from the Assembly to move from the areas.
He said the Assembly would need the will power to demolish those structures because the actions of the encroachers had violated the development plan for the metropolis.
The structures at the Ramseyer site are situated in watercourses and could obstruct the flow of water during flooding and therefore lead to flooding in other areas of the metropolis.
At the Mexico Junior High School, the head teacher, Ms Joyce Tei, said the encroachers had put up their sleeping places and while school was in session, they relaxed and smoked on the veranda. She said portions of the school park had been turned into roads for nearby residents, stating that occasionally vehicles knocked some of the schoolchildren down.
On the rounds it was observed that some of the structures whose owners had violated the building laws were churches, herbal clinics, sleeping places, hairdressing salons, vehicle workshops.
Mr Mensah said the occupants were asked to produce their legitimate permits which allowed them to live there but noted that for the past two months they had failed to show up.
What they showed to the engineer on the rounds was a permission to operate business there and signed by their association chairman.
Mr Mensah called for a national housing policy to give the nation a clear indication of the number of houses to be built every year.
Mr Mensah said rural-urban migration had also contributed to the population burst in the metropolis and the use of every available space which had been deliberately left for a purpose.
He was not happy that the administrative differences between the Assembly and the Tema Development Corporation had not been solved because residents took advantage of the situation to situate structures anywhere.
Mr Mensah said the Assembly continue to identity other illegal developments to ensure that the metropolis did not become a slum other than what it was planned to be.
The settlement in an area demarcated for a buffer zone to absorb gas emanating from the treatment plant where effluent from the township is discharged before flowing into the sea.
The encroachers are suspected to have come from Accra and elsewhere where demolishing and ejectments have taken place.
The Ramseyer site, a conserved wet land stretching along the Sakumono land, has also seen encroachment with wooden structures and mighty well-designed buildings while some people have also demarcated and laid claims to portions of the Mexico Junior High School premises at Community Two.
The Metropolitan Engineer, Mr Victor Mensah, who went round with journalists to witness the extensive encroachment going on in Tema, said the people had ignored all warnings from the Assembly to move from the areas.
He said the Assembly would need the will power to demolish those structures because the actions of the encroachers had violated the development plan for the metropolis.
The structures at the Ramseyer site are situated in watercourses and could obstruct the flow of water during flooding and therefore lead to flooding in other areas of the metropolis.
At the Mexico Junior High School, the head teacher, Ms Joyce Tei, said the encroachers had put up their sleeping places and while school was in session, they relaxed and smoked on the veranda. She said portions of the school park had been turned into roads for nearby residents, stating that occasionally vehicles knocked some of the schoolchildren down.
On the rounds it was observed that some of the structures whose owners had violated the building laws were churches, herbal clinics, sleeping places, hairdressing salons, vehicle workshops.
Mr Mensah said the occupants were asked to produce their legitimate permits which allowed them to live there but noted that for the past two months they had failed to show up.
What they showed to the engineer on the rounds was a permission to operate business there and signed by their association chairman.
Mr Mensah called for a national housing policy to give the nation a clear indication of the number of houses to be built every year.
Mr Mensah said rural-urban migration had also contributed to the population burst in the metropolis and the use of every available space which had been deliberately left for a purpose.
He was not happy that the administrative differences between the Assembly and the Tema Development Corporation had not been solved because residents took advantage of the situation to situate structures anywhere.
Mr Mensah said the Assembly continue to identity other illegal developments to ensure that the metropolis did not become a slum other than what it was planned to be.
TEMA, ASHAIMAN HONOUR TEACHERS (PAGE 29, NOV 15)
The Tema Metropolitan and Ashaiman Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Education Service has awarded 30 deserving teachers who excelled in their various subject areas at its 2008 and 2009 Best Teacher Awards Ceremony held in Tema.
The ceremony was on the theme, 'Quality Education in the hands of well-motivated Teachers'.
The awardees were presented with standing fans, table top fridges, 21 inch Sanyo television sets, gas stoves, gas cylinders, wax prints and hampers.
There was no overall best winner but the various winners were adjudged according to the levels and subject areas.
The various categories were kindergarten, primary, basic, junior high school, senior high school, technical and vocational levels and science and mathematics.
Some non-teaching staff of the service were also awarded for their dedication to duty.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, in a speech read on his behalf by a director at the Ministry of Education, Mrs Mary Lankai Quaye, observed that the quality of teachers determined the development of a nation.
She noted that teachers played a key role in shaping the human resource of the country and therefore called for motivation from all sectors to encourage them to work harder.
Mrs Quaye was of the view that teachers needed to be well-motivated to enable them to perform their functions as counsellors, teachers and sometimes parents to needy children.
She stated that the government recognised the role of teachers hence the institution of the awards and the introduction of study leave and distance education to encourage them to work harder.
Mrs Quaye appealed to district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies to support the programme with resources to make the prizes attractive and motivating.
She urged the teachers to continue to be hardworking to turn out good materials for the country's human resource.
Mrs Quaye congratulated the award winners, noting that all teachers worked hard but only a few could be selected for the awards.
The outgoing Metropolitan Director of Education, Mrs Victoria Opoku, outlined some challenges facing the office in Tema.
She said the current office accommodation had been served with ejection notice and the staff were not working under a conducive atmosphere.
Mrs Opoku appealed to the Ministry of Education to help find office accommodation for them.
A representative of the award winners, Mr Godwin Adja, on behalf of other award winners, expressed gratitude to the organisers but urged them to hold the event annually instead of waiting for two years.
The chairman for the event, Mr Emmanuel Adjei Annang, who is the Greater Accra representative on the Council of State, gave the assurance that he would help the Tema Metropolitan Directorate of the GES to acquire an office to enable them to perform their functions effectively.
He commended the organisers for the effort they put in the event to award the deserving teachers and congratulated the awardees on their hard work.
The ceremony was on the theme, 'Quality Education in the hands of well-motivated Teachers'.
The awardees were presented with standing fans, table top fridges, 21 inch Sanyo television sets, gas stoves, gas cylinders, wax prints and hampers.
There was no overall best winner but the various winners were adjudged according to the levels and subject areas.
The various categories were kindergarten, primary, basic, junior high school, senior high school, technical and vocational levels and science and mathematics.
Some non-teaching staff of the service were also awarded for their dedication to duty.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, in a speech read on his behalf by a director at the Ministry of Education, Mrs Mary Lankai Quaye, observed that the quality of teachers determined the development of a nation.
She noted that teachers played a key role in shaping the human resource of the country and therefore called for motivation from all sectors to encourage them to work harder.
Mrs Quaye was of the view that teachers needed to be well-motivated to enable them to perform their functions as counsellors, teachers and sometimes parents to needy children.
She stated that the government recognised the role of teachers hence the institution of the awards and the introduction of study leave and distance education to encourage them to work harder.
Mrs Quaye appealed to district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies to support the programme with resources to make the prizes attractive and motivating.
She urged the teachers to continue to be hardworking to turn out good materials for the country's human resource.
Mrs Quaye congratulated the award winners, noting that all teachers worked hard but only a few could be selected for the awards.
The outgoing Metropolitan Director of Education, Mrs Victoria Opoku, outlined some challenges facing the office in Tema.
She said the current office accommodation had been served with ejection notice and the staff were not working under a conducive atmosphere.
Mrs Opoku appealed to the Ministry of Education to help find office accommodation for them.
A representative of the award winners, Mr Godwin Adja, on behalf of other award winners, expressed gratitude to the organisers but urged them to hold the event annually instead of waiting for two years.
The chairman for the event, Mr Emmanuel Adjei Annang, who is the Greater Accra representative on the Council of State, gave the assurance that he would help the Tema Metropolitan Directorate of the GES to acquire an office to enable them to perform their functions effectively.
He commended the organisers for the effort they put in the event to award the deserving teachers and congratulated the awardees on their hard work.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
DON BOSCO YOUTH HOME TO BE EXPANDED (PAGE 30, DEC 14)
A Catholic-based charitable organisation has embarked on an expansion programme in a youth home at Tema Newtown in order to fight child labour, streetism, school dropout and truancy at the beach community of the area.
Located at Tema Manhean, overlooking the sea, the Don Bosco Youth Home started operations in 2003 and has over 100 children between the ages of eight and 16, who are undergoing rehabilitation and reformation for re-integration into the community.
The inmates were picked from the beach, the streets and the harbour where child labour was prominent.
The children underwent two phases of sponsorship rehabilitation and reformation during which they were given psychological and health training.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Programme Co-ordinator, Mr Francis Tetteh, who is also a social worker, said site plans were ready for an expansion programme in the next two months, to make room for the centre to enrol younger children, as well as adults, in it.
Mr Tetteh said the project was initiated in 1993 by Fr Ivan Stojanivic, a Crotian, who set up vocational centres in Sunyani, in the Brong Ahafo Region, and Tema, in the Greater Accra Region.
He said the Tema Newtown centre catered for orphans and vulnerable children who lacked parental care and came from a poor-economic background.
He said the children, when picked, were investigated and given psychological training to facilitate their quick absorption into mainstream life.
Mr Tetteh noted that most of the children who went through training at the centre found it rather difficult to re-integrate into the community, because of a lack of amenities in the community.
He stated that the centre was funded through fund raising and support from some good-spirited people and organisations, and commended the Zenith Bank in Tema, the latest to visit the centre for presenting GH¢5,000 worth of items to the children.
Located at Tema Manhean, overlooking the sea, the Don Bosco Youth Home started operations in 2003 and has over 100 children between the ages of eight and 16, who are undergoing rehabilitation and reformation for re-integration into the community.
The inmates were picked from the beach, the streets and the harbour where child labour was prominent.
The children underwent two phases of sponsorship rehabilitation and reformation during which they were given psychological and health training.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Programme Co-ordinator, Mr Francis Tetteh, who is also a social worker, said site plans were ready for an expansion programme in the next two months, to make room for the centre to enrol younger children, as well as adults, in it.
Mr Tetteh said the project was initiated in 1993 by Fr Ivan Stojanivic, a Crotian, who set up vocational centres in Sunyani, in the Brong Ahafo Region, and Tema, in the Greater Accra Region.
He said the Tema Newtown centre catered for orphans and vulnerable children who lacked parental care and came from a poor-economic background.
He said the children, when picked, were investigated and given psychological training to facilitate their quick absorption into mainstream life.
Mr Tetteh noted that most of the children who went through training at the centre found it rather difficult to re-integrate into the community, because of a lack of amenities in the community.
He stated that the centre was funded through fund raising and support from some good-spirited people and organisations, and commended the Zenith Bank in Tema, the latest to visit the centre for presenting GH¢5,000 worth of items to the children.
TRADERS, HAWKERS IN ASHAIMAN TO RELOCATE (PAGE 30, DEC 14)
THE Ashaiman Municipal Assembly has given ultimatum to hawkers and traders who operate in the central business area of the municipality to move to the old lorry park known as Kufour Station by the close of the week.
Drivers who stop and pick up passengers in the middle of the road were also advised to load from the station.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic on the assembly's decongestive exercise the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Numo Adinortey Addison, said the assembly, with support from the Police and the Military, cleared the Kufour Station of all dilapidated structures and re-arranged the Kufour Station to make way for those who would be going there.
He, however, denounced reports that the assembly was demolishing structures used by the hawkers, noting that they would not inconvenience anybody, and insisted that people should operate within the confines of the assembly’s bye-laws.
The MCE said the assembly, with support from the Police and the Military only re-arranged the haphazard placement of tables at the station to make room for the hawkers.
Mr Addison explained that the assembly had since June this year been having a series of meetings with various associations of hawkers, traders and drivers to prepare their minds on the need to clear the roads to make Ashaiman a law-abiding municipality.
He said all the parties had agreed to move at a certain time, but they were later found still selling in the streets.
Mr Addison said the assembly was determined to maintain peace and order in the central business area of the municipality, but would not want to use force.
He, therefore, appealed to the traders to move away from the streets and pavements to the re-arranged 'Kufuor Station' as discussed earlier.
Mr Addison said some of the street hawkers and the traders had sheds in the market, but had persistently refused to move and operate in the market .
He stated that the drivers had also unlawfully created their own lorry parks at three different areas, causing vehicular congestion which worsened the situation.
Mr Addison gave an assurance that the assembly would ensure that the 24-acre land recently allocated to it by the Tema Development Corporation would be developed to help ease the current congestion situation.
He said the assembly was in the process of joining hands with private entities for early completion of the project, which would include a lorry park and a market complex.
Mr Addison noted that land was necessary for the assembly to build up its capacity to enhance development.
Meanwhile, some traders who were affected by the exercise which was to pave the way for the decongestion felt they were rather being harassed.
Drivers who stop and pick up passengers in the middle of the road were also advised to load from the station.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic on the assembly's decongestive exercise the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Numo Adinortey Addison, said the assembly, with support from the Police and the Military, cleared the Kufour Station of all dilapidated structures and re-arranged the Kufour Station to make way for those who would be going there.
He, however, denounced reports that the assembly was demolishing structures used by the hawkers, noting that they would not inconvenience anybody, and insisted that people should operate within the confines of the assembly’s bye-laws.
The MCE said the assembly, with support from the Police and the Military only re-arranged the haphazard placement of tables at the station to make room for the hawkers.
Mr Addison explained that the assembly had since June this year been having a series of meetings with various associations of hawkers, traders and drivers to prepare their minds on the need to clear the roads to make Ashaiman a law-abiding municipality.
He said all the parties had agreed to move at a certain time, but they were later found still selling in the streets.
Mr Addison said the assembly was determined to maintain peace and order in the central business area of the municipality, but would not want to use force.
He, therefore, appealed to the traders to move away from the streets and pavements to the re-arranged 'Kufuor Station' as discussed earlier.
Mr Addison said some of the street hawkers and the traders had sheds in the market, but had persistently refused to move and operate in the market .
He stated that the drivers had also unlawfully created their own lorry parks at three different areas, causing vehicular congestion which worsened the situation.
Mr Addison gave an assurance that the assembly would ensure that the 24-acre land recently allocated to it by the Tema Development Corporation would be developed to help ease the current congestion situation.
He said the assembly was in the process of joining hands with private entities for early completion of the project, which would include a lorry park and a market complex.
Mr Addison noted that land was necessary for the assembly to build up its capacity to enhance development.
Meanwhile, some traders who were affected by the exercise which was to pave the way for the decongestion felt they were rather being harassed.
Monday, December 7, 2009
VAT DESCENDS ON DEBTORS (PAGE 30, DEC 7)
Officials of the VAT Service descended on debtors to recover over GH¢268,556 owed by operators of various businesses in the Tema metropolis.
They were acting according to Section 34 of the Value Added Tax Act (546)1998 which authorises the service to recover money owed it, and a warrant of distress signed by the Commissioner of the VAT Service, Mr Anthony Ewereko Minlah.
During the exercise, some debtors who had failed in their obligations to the service paid their debts by issuing post-dated cheques to avoid the closure of their companies.
One of the companies, Parkobi Clearing and Forwarding office, was locked up when it could not settle their indebtedness of GH¢ 3,165 owed the VAT Service.
The others who were able to pay up their debts included Ave Maria Resort and Wellness Center, located at the former Halcrow Beach. It owed GH¢5,49.79; Care – Two Shipping Agency - GH¢ 1,170; Favorite Shipping Company Ltd - GH¢1,554, and Pipeline Trading Company - GH¢1450.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic before the exercise, the Head of the Tema local VAT Office, Mrs Nanzirata Duweijua, expressed her unhappiness that people in business waited for the service to send out officials before they paid their debts.
She noted that officials went out from time to time to demand payments but the debtors did not pay heed to them and waited till force was used to make them meet their obligations.
Mrs Duweijua explained that the exercise was necessary because the year had almost ended, and that old debts had to be retrieved.
She said most of the debtors had their outstanding debts spanning a period of two and three years.
Mrs Duweijua appealed to defaulting businessmen and women to pay their debts within the 21-day grace period to ensure that the amount did not accumulate and create problems for them.
She hinted that some cheques issued by the debtors bounced, while some played hide-and-seek with the VAT Service.
Mrs Duweijua, therefore, urged people in business to pay their debts to help develop the nation and gave the assurance that the exercise would continue till all the debtors fulfilled their obligations to the service .
They were acting according to Section 34 of the Value Added Tax Act (546)1998 which authorises the service to recover money owed it, and a warrant of distress signed by the Commissioner of the VAT Service, Mr Anthony Ewereko Minlah.
During the exercise, some debtors who had failed in their obligations to the service paid their debts by issuing post-dated cheques to avoid the closure of their companies.
One of the companies, Parkobi Clearing and Forwarding office, was locked up when it could not settle their indebtedness of GH¢ 3,165 owed the VAT Service.
The others who were able to pay up their debts included Ave Maria Resort and Wellness Center, located at the former Halcrow Beach. It owed GH¢5,49.79; Care – Two Shipping Agency - GH¢ 1,170; Favorite Shipping Company Ltd - GH¢1,554, and Pipeline Trading Company - GH¢1450.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic before the exercise, the Head of the Tema local VAT Office, Mrs Nanzirata Duweijua, expressed her unhappiness that people in business waited for the service to send out officials before they paid their debts.
She noted that officials went out from time to time to demand payments but the debtors did not pay heed to them and waited till force was used to make them meet their obligations.
Mrs Duweijua explained that the exercise was necessary because the year had almost ended, and that old debts had to be retrieved.
She said most of the debtors had their outstanding debts spanning a period of two and three years.
Mrs Duweijua appealed to defaulting businessmen and women to pay their debts within the 21-day grace period to ensure that the amount did not accumulate and create problems for them.
She hinted that some cheques issued by the debtors bounced, while some played hide-and-seek with the VAT Service.
Mrs Duweijua, therefore, urged people in business to pay their debts to help develop the nation and gave the assurance that the exercise would continue till all the debtors fulfilled their obligations to the service .
Friday, December 4, 2009
PTA DONATES GENERATOR TO TEMASCO (PAGE 17, DEC 4)
THE Parent Teacher Association of Tema Secondary School has donated a 50 KVA generator set worth GH¢11,500 to the school and renovated a one storey headmistress bungalow at the cost of GH¢ 36,777.23 to help improve security and enhance academic work.
The PTA Chairman, Mr David Bansa handed the projects over to the chairman of the board of directors of the school, Major (rtd) Kwabena Tandoh.
He said the PTA saw the need to provide the school with the generator because students had to stay in the dark whenever lights went off for their studies and other activities.
He noted that the situation had affected studies and created insecurity since outsiders could take undue advantage of the darkness to enter the compound.
Mr Bansa said the PTA also had plans to immediately provide the school with an Information and Communications Center (ICT) to update students on the subject which is a core subject in the school's curriculum.
He said contract for the project was to be signed for work to start on the installation of the systems.
The Board Chairman of the School, Major Kwabena Tandoh (rtd.) commended the PTA for aiding the students to enhance learning and teaching .
He said such gestures went a long way to support the eforts of the government and the school management boards.
Major Tandoh expressed the board and teachers’ gratitude to the PTA and gave the assurance that the bungalow and the generator would be properly maintained.
The headmistress of the School, Mrs Elizabeth Ama Asare, said the effort of the PTA was a good initiative that must be encouraged.
She drew attention to the current condition of an uncompleted two-storey girls dormitory block. Work on the project has reached roofing level but it has been abandoned since 2005.
Mrs Asare said the project, which was started by the Ghana Education TRust Fund (GETFund), could house more than 400 girls.
She noted that boarding facilities at the school were limited and that if steps were not taken to provide additional structures, the school might not be able to admit female boarding students for the next academic year.
For this academic year, she said the school could only admit 200 girls for boarding .
She said the Achitectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL) was the consultant while the contractor was Elfabot Construction, which was occassionally sighted visiting the project site but did not do any work.
Mrs Asare appealed to the government, the sector Ministry and the GETFUND to ensure quick completion of the school’s projects to alleviate the burden on the school authorities.
The PTA Chairman, Mr David Bansa handed the projects over to the chairman of the board of directors of the school, Major (rtd) Kwabena Tandoh.
He said the PTA saw the need to provide the school with the generator because students had to stay in the dark whenever lights went off for their studies and other activities.
He noted that the situation had affected studies and created insecurity since outsiders could take undue advantage of the darkness to enter the compound.
Mr Bansa said the PTA also had plans to immediately provide the school with an Information and Communications Center (ICT) to update students on the subject which is a core subject in the school's curriculum.
He said contract for the project was to be signed for work to start on the installation of the systems.
The Board Chairman of the School, Major Kwabena Tandoh (rtd.) commended the PTA for aiding the students to enhance learning and teaching .
He said such gestures went a long way to support the eforts of the government and the school management boards.
Major Tandoh expressed the board and teachers’ gratitude to the PTA and gave the assurance that the bungalow and the generator would be properly maintained.
The headmistress of the School, Mrs Elizabeth Ama Asare, said the effort of the PTA was a good initiative that must be encouraged.
She drew attention to the current condition of an uncompleted two-storey girls dormitory block. Work on the project has reached roofing level but it has been abandoned since 2005.
Mrs Asare said the project, which was started by the Ghana Education TRust Fund (GETFund), could house more than 400 girls.
She noted that boarding facilities at the school were limited and that if steps were not taken to provide additional structures, the school might not be able to admit female boarding students for the next academic year.
For this academic year, she said the school could only admit 200 girls for boarding .
She said the Achitectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL) was the consultant while the contractor was Elfabot Construction, which was occassionally sighted visiting the project site but did not do any work.
Mrs Asare appealed to the government, the sector Ministry and the GETFUND to ensure quick completion of the school’s projects to alleviate the burden on the school authorities.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
JAPAN ASSISTS GHANA WITH FOOD AID (PAGE 31, DEC 1)
Japan has provided a food package of 16,035 tonnes of rice to Ghana as part of its official assistance towards meeting the country’s food requirements.
A cargo vessel, the MV Cido Pacific, which conveyed the consignment, valued at U$10 million, docked at the Tema Port last Saturday.
Last year, Japan provided a similar package of 8,060 tonnes of rice but doubled the consignment this year.
Port security officials had taken measures to secure the cargo and ascertain the wholesomeness of the rice.
According to the Managing Director of Marino Logistics Ghana Limited, Mr Yaw Yirenkyi Attuah, the company had been contracted by the Japanese government to lift all donations provided under Japan’s official development assistance (ODA).
He said since 2000, the company had been in charge of shipments to countries including Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Cape Verde.
Mr Yirenkyi stated that the Japanese government usually monitored the shipments to ensure that the consignments got to their destination.
The President of Marino Logistics Company Limited, Japan, Mr Shoji Komatsu, said he was happy to be associated with the shipment of ODA cargo to Ghana, especially because of the peace and stability in the country and the willingness of the people to tolerate people from different cultures.
A cargo vessel, the MV Cido Pacific, which conveyed the consignment, valued at U$10 million, docked at the Tema Port last Saturday.
Last year, Japan provided a similar package of 8,060 tonnes of rice but doubled the consignment this year.
Port security officials had taken measures to secure the cargo and ascertain the wholesomeness of the rice.
According to the Managing Director of Marino Logistics Ghana Limited, Mr Yaw Yirenkyi Attuah, the company had been contracted by the Japanese government to lift all donations provided under Japan’s official development assistance (ODA).
He said since 2000, the company had been in charge of shipments to countries including Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Cape Verde.
Mr Yirenkyi stated that the Japanese government usually monitored the shipments to ensure that the consignments got to their destination.
The President of Marino Logistics Company Limited, Japan, Mr Shoji Komatsu, said he was happy to be associated with the shipment of ODA cargo to Ghana, especially because of the peace and stability in the country and the willingness of the people to tolerate people from different cultures.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
SCRAP BUSINESS CAUSING HAVOC IN TEMA (NOV 28, PAGE 18)
What started like scrap business is gradually becoming a health hazard and a security risk to people in Tema and Ashaiman.
Drains, available spaces and streets are now being used as dumping grounds for scraps after the private scrap dealers have collected them from house to house.
It is common to see young men with push carts shouting out to residents for scraps, and other discarded plastics and metals.
Some of these items are discarded computers, car parts, vehicle tyres, fridges, car bodies, cooking pots, gas and electric cookers and cut pieces of abandoned vessels along the beaches.
The cart pushers, after gathering the scrap, dump them at selected sites before conveying them to their final destination in Ashaiman. Also before conveying the scraps to the main site at Ashaiman, the scrap dealers segregate them into grades such as aluminium, steel, cast, iron, plastics, etc. and abandon the left-overs thus creating dirt and filth.
Some residents whose houses are near the dumping grounds said all efforts to get the private scrap dealers to clear them have proved futile.
They claimed that the scraps now served as mosquito breeding grounds and hiding places for reptiles and other dangerous creatures.
Some of the most affected residents have appealed to the Environmental Department of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly to exercise its control over this growing canker.
During her rounds the Correspondent of the Daily Graphic found out that the main big drain in which water from parts of Community Seven, the whole of Communities Eight and Nine flow through to Community 10 into the Sakumo Lagoon before entering the sea, is one of the main scraps dumping points.
There is always someone standing-by at the dumping site to receive items from individuals who have something to sell.
Because of the nature of the scraps, they pose serious danger to vehicle tyres as the pointed material easily puncture them, and pedestrians have to be careful when using those areas to avoid being injured.
During rains some of the scraps are washed down the drains.
It was gathered that previously when the steel industry was booming, scrap dealers from other parts of the country, especially the Suame Magazine, came to Tema with loads of scraps for export and to sell to the steel industries.
According to the sources, at a certain time the business became more lucrative when financiers in the business quoted high rates which the local industries were unable to afford.
This, the reporter gathered, attracted many redundant youth into the scrap business who worked for big time people.
The source said to be able to present the expected quality material for sale to the big players in the business the truck pushers had to dump at selected places to enable them to select what they needed.
It was also gathered that the dumping grounds were operated by scrap dealers from Accra who dumped and waited for vehicles from Accra to convey the days consignment of scraps to various destinations.
Some people the Daily Graphic spoke to were not happy with the activities of the scrap dealers because apart from the environmental hazards, some of the scrap dealers went round looking for steel and plastic materials left in the backyards of houses.
Refuse containers, metal covers on drains, sign posts and steel pots used by food vendors in preparing their food are picked up by the scrap dealers.
A trader at Tema Community Nine, Madam Adjoa Pokua, claimed that some scrap dealers once sneaked into her house and stole her money container and gas cooker which had been left outside the house after she had undertaken a house cleaning exercise in her house.
Some of the scrap dealers the Daily Graphic spoke to denied that they were spies but accepted that they were creating filth where they dumped the scraps.
Their concern was the money they expect to make from the business and as such they give no thought to the negative impact their activities have on their own health and the community in general.
Another question that came up was if they paid taxes on the business which involves exporting the scrap to earn foreign currency.
Some suggestions that came up were that the TMA should register the scrap dealers, find them a convenient place to dump their scraps and make them pay the necessary fees.
The assemblymember in whose community the drain is, Mr Alex Owusu Asare, noted that he had reported the conduct of the scrap dealers to the assembly’s task force but was told that the dealers had been warned to quit on two occasions.
Attempts to seek the side of officials of the metropolitan administration failed but Mr Asare confirmed that the activities of the scrap dealers were known to the assembly .
Drains, available spaces and streets are now being used as dumping grounds for scraps after the private scrap dealers have collected them from house to house.
It is common to see young men with push carts shouting out to residents for scraps, and other discarded plastics and metals.
Some of these items are discarded computers, car parts, vehicle tyres, fridges, car bodies, cooking pots, gas and electric cookers and cut pieces of abandoned vessels along the beaches.
The cart pushers, after gathering the scrap, dump them at selected sites before conveying them to their final destination in Ashaiman. Also before conveying the scraps to the main site at Ashaiman, the scrap dealers segregate them into grades such as aluminium, steel, cast, iron, plastics, etc. and abandon the left-overs thus creating dirt and filth.
Some residents whose houses are near the dumping grounds said all efforts to get the private scrap dealers to clear them have proved futile.
They claimed that the scraps now served as mosquito breeding grounds and hiding places for reptiles and other dangerous creatures.
Some of the most affected residents have appealed to the Environmental Department of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly to exercise its control over this growing canker.
During her rounds the Correspondent of the Daily Graphic found out that the main big drain in which water from parts of Community Seven, the whole of Communities Eight and Nine flow through to Community 10 into the Sakumo Lagoon before entering the sea, is one of the main scraps dumping points.
There is always someone standing-by at the dumping site to receive items from individuals who have something to sell.
Because of the nature of the scraps, they pose serious danger to vehicle tyres as the pointed material easily puncture them, and pedestrians have to be careful when using those areas to avoid being injured.
During rains some of the scraps are washed down the drains.
It was gathered that previously when the steel industry was booming, scrap dealers from other parts of the country, especially the Suame Magazine, came to Tema with loads of scraps for export and to sell to the steel industries.
According to the sources, at a certain time the business became more lucrative when financiers in the business quoted high rates which the local industries were unable to afford.
This, the reporter gathered, attracted many redundant youth into the scrap business who worked for big time people.
The source said to be able to present the expected quality material for sale to the big players in the business the truck pushers had to dump at selected places to enable them to select what they needed.
It was also gathered that the dumping grounds were operated by scrap dealers from Accra who dumped and waited for vehicles from Accra to convey the days consignment of scraps to various destinations.
Some people the Daily Graphic spoke to were not happy with the activities of the scrap dealers because apart from the environmental hazards, some of the scrap dealers went round looking for steel and plastic materials left in the backyards of houses.
Refuse containers, metal covers on drains, sign posts and steel pots used by food vendors in preparing their food are picked up by the scrap dealers.
A trader at Tema Community Nine, Madam Adjoa Pokua, claimed that some scrap dealers once sneaked into her house and stole her money container and gas cooker which had been left outside the house after she had undertaken a house cleaning exercise in her house.
Some of the scrap dealers the Daily Graphic spoke to denied that they were spies but accepted that they were creating filth where they dumped the scraps.
Their concern was the money they expect to make from the business and as such they give no thought to the negative impact their activities have on their own health and the community in general.
Another question that came up was if they paid taxes on the business which involves exporting the scrap to earn foreign currency.
Some suggestions that came up were that the TMA should register the scrap dealers, find them a convenient place to dump their scraps and make them pay the necessary fees.
The assemblymember in whose community the drain is, Mr Alex Owusu Asare, noted that he had reported the conduct of the scrap dealers to the assembly’s task force but was told that the dealers had been warned to quit on two occasions.
Attempts to seek the side of officials of the metropolitan administration failed but Mr Asare confirmed that the activities of the scrap dealers were known to the assembly .
GAS PIPLELINE PROJECT TO BE READY NEXT YEAR (BACK PAGE, NOV 28)
THE West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCO) will have the compression capacity to supply the Volta River Authority (VRA) with enough gas to power four of its 110 megawatt turbines by the first quarter of 2010.
Work on the compressor station in Nigeria and the regulating and metering stations in Tema, Lome and Cotonou is nearing completion and the inauguration of the system will commence by the end of this year to pave way for the deliveries, which will benefit Benin and Togo as well.
The Managing Director of WAPCO, Mr Jack Derickson, made this known at a stakeholders’ forum in Tema to give an update on the project, pipeline safety, emergency responses, risk and danger signs and unauthorised activities and also share some of the challenges facing the company.
The stakeholders, made up of regulatory agencies, NGOs and the communities along the pipeline, included representatives from the Ghana National Fire Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, fishermen associations in Tema and Kpone and the Kpone and Tema traditional councils.
Mr Derickson stated that in April 2009 WAPCO supplied gas to the VRA station at Aboadze under an interim sales arrangement but had to abandon it in May 2009 because of the vandalisation of the pipelines in the Niger Delta region upstream the WAPCO connection to the system.
He explained that the compressor station under construction in Lagos would enable WAPCO to transport higher volumes of gas from Nigeria to Ghana, Togo and Benin.
He expressed WAPCO's commitment to engage in open, proactive and responsive communication with its stakeholders through regular meetings.
Mr Derickson commended the stakeholders for their tremendous support, which had promoted the success of the project, noting that WAPCO was guided by internationally accepted norms, rules and regulations.
The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Robert Kempes Ofosuware, commended WAPCO for initiating a series of community and stakeholders fora which, in his view, were tools for sustainable partnership.
There were presentations on project update, overview of natural gas, pipeline safety, emergency responses, as well as offshore pipeline security.
Work on the compressor station in Nigeria and the regulating and metering stations in Tema, Lome and Cotonou is nearing completion and the inauguration of the system will commence by the end of this year to pave way for the deliveries, which will benefit Benin and Togo as well.
The Managing Director of WAPCO, Mr Jack Derickson, made this known at a stakeholders’ forum in Tema to give an update on the project, pipeline safety, emergency responses, risk and danger signs and unauthorised activities and also share some of the challenges facing the company.
The stakeholders, made up of regulatory agencies, NGOs and the communities along the pipeline, included representatives from the Ghana National Fire Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, fishermen associations in Tema and Kpone and the Kpone and Tema traditional councils.
Mr Derickson stated that in April 2009 WAPCO supplied gas to the VRA station at Aboadze under an interim sales arrangement but had to abandon it in May 2009 because of the vandalisation of the pipelines in the Niger Delta region upstream the WAPCO connection to the system.
He explained that the compressor station under construction in Lagos would enable WAPCO to transport higher volumes of gas from Nigeria to Ghana, Togo and Benin.
He expressed WAPCO's commitment to engage in open, proactive and responsive communication with its stakeholders through regular meetings.
Mr Derickson commended the stakeholders for their tremendous support, which had promoted the success of the project, noting that WAPCO was guided by internationally accepted norms, rules and regulations.
The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Robert Kempes Ofosuware, commended WAPCO for initiating a series of community and stakeholders fora which, in his view, were tools for sustainable partnership.
There were presentations on project update, overview of natural gas, pipeline safety, emergency responses, as well as offshore pipeline security.
Friday, November 27, 2009
...INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE OVERHAULED (PAGE 29, NOV 27)
The Tema Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Robert Kempes Ofosuware, has announced the assembly's plans to overhaul the entire development infrastructure of the metropolis to enhance its standard .
As a first step, he said the assembly was instituting a town hall meeting to be held across the metropolis to collate information from the grassroots and also advocate strict adherence to its bye-laws .
Mr Ofosuware made the pronouncement in Tema during an interaction with the media during the Assembly's Core Heads meetings last Monday .
He stated that the development exercise would cover waste management, sanitation, development control and road rehabilitation .
Mr Ofosuware expressed concern about the deteriorating state of the metropolis, emphasising the indiscriminate dumping of heavy materials and domestic waste in open drains, irregular payment of refuse collection fees and inadequate equipment and limited logistics .
The chief executive said the assembly would ensure that all departments operating under it worked seriously to redeem their image .
He noted that the TMA, like all other assemblies, was beset with many challenges, including revenue mobilisation, adding that the assembly would with immediate effect comb through the metropolis to ensure that people who had arrears their in levies and property rates paid up.
Mr Ofosuware said since his assumption of office, he had embarked on an outreach programme to interact with traditional rulers, opinion leaders, corporate bodies and the residents, with the intention of assessing and observing at first-hand the true state of affairs to enable him to map out programmes that would mitigate the problems .
He said the assembly was dialoguing with the Ministry of Roads and Highways and was optimistic that very soon all roads in Tema would be renovated.
He disclosed that the assembly was discussing with a recycling company the possibility of collecting solid waste generated in the metropolis to be turned into energy cubes, fertiliser, clinker, among others.
Mr Ofosuware said all areas which had been encroached on would be retrieved, and unauthorised structures within the Sakumono Ramser site and along all ceremonial and major roads in the metropolis extending from the business centre, through the dual roads and the Akosombo road, would be removed .
Mr Ofosuware, therefore, appealed to the media to assist the assembly to put acrross its programmes to the public in order to prepare the minds of the people for any action from the assembly.
He announced that the assembly, in its bid to keep the metropolis clean, had commissioned an independent panel to determine the cleanest community, which would be awarded a package to motivate them in order to encourage others.
As a first step, he said the assembly was instituting a town hall meeting to be held across the metropolis to collate information from the grassroots and also advocate strict adherence to its bye-laws .
Mr Ofosuware made the pronouncement in Tema during an interaction with the media during the Assembly's Core Heads meetings last Monday .
He stated that the development exercise would cover waste management, sanitation, development control and road rehabilitation .
Mr Ofosuware expressed concern about the deteriorating state of the metropolis, emphasising the indiscriminate dumping of heavy materials and domestic waste in open drains, irregular payment of refuse collection fees and inadequate equipment and limited logistics .
The chief executive said the assembly would ensure that all departments operating under it worked seriously to redeem their image .
He noted that the TMA, like all other assemblies, was beset with many challenges, including revenue mobilisation, adding that the assembly would with immediate effect comb through the metropolis to ensure that people who had arrears their in levies and property rates paid up.
Mr Ofosuware said since his assumption of office, he had embarked on an outreach programme to interact with traditional rulers, opinion leaders, corporate bodies and the residents, with the intention of assessing and observing at first-hand the true state of affairs to enable him to map out programmes that would mitigate the problems .
He said the assembly was dialoguing with the Ministry of Roads and Highways and was optimistic that very soon all roads in Tema would be renovated.
He disclosed that the assembly was discussing with a recycling company the possibility of collecting solid waste generated in the metropolis to be turned into energy cubes, fertiliser, clinker, among others.
Mr Ofosuware said all areas which had been encroached on would be retrieved, and unauthorised structures within the Sakumono Ramser site and along all ceremonial and major roads in the metropolis extending from the business centre, through the dual roads and the Akosombo road, would be removed .
Mr Ofosuware, therefore, appealed to the media to assist the assembly to put acrross its programmes to the public in order to prepare the minds of the people for any action from the assembly.
He announced that the assembly, in its bid to keep the metropolis clean, had commissioned an independent panel to determine the cleanest community, which would be awarded a package to motivate them in order to encourage others.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
UNILEVER FOUNDATION TO EMPOWER BEST FEMALE GRADUATES (SEPT 26, PAGE 30)
The Unilever Foundation for Education and Development’s (UFED), excellent awards will now empower best female graduates from public tertiary institutions as part of efforts to promote the well-being and growth of society.
The foundation has, therefore, presented awards 16 female graduates from various public tertiary institutions in the country who excelled in various fields of study during the 2007 - 2008 academic year.
They were presented with certificates of recognition and undisclosed amounts of money and would also have their names put on the UFED’s Excellence Board at their former institutions to serve as a perpetual recognition and reminder to their colleagues.
This is the first time in the 10-year history of the UFED that it has extended its programme to cover only female graduates to serve as an encouragement to them to work harder.
The foundation had hitherto, awarded both male and female graduates who excelled in their areas of study .
The selected female graduates who were adjudged by their institutions as those who had obtained the highest scores came from the polytechnics in Takoradi, Bolgatanga, Kumasi, Wa, Koforidua, Cape-Coast, Accra, Sunyani, Tamale and Ho.
Others were selected from the University of Cape-Coast, University of Education-Winneba, University of Ghana and University for Development Studies.
All the institutions had one representative each except the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) which had two graduates who scored the highest marks in BSc Human Biology and Clinical Microbiology.
Addressing the beneficiaries at a presentation ceremony held at the premises of Unilever in Tema, a trustee of UFED, Mr Andrews Evans-Quayson said one of the objectives of the foundation was to inculcate the culture of excellence in Ghanaians as a means of encouraging others to follow.
He said the foundation would continue to look out for the demonstration of excellence to spur posterity on to pursue excellence.
Mr Evans-Quayson said in pursuit of women's empowerment programme, the UFED sponsored the national annual science, maths and technology education clinic of the Ghana Education Service held between August 31st to September 4, 2009.
The programme attracted 130 female students.
Mr Evans-Quayson said since its inception in 2000, the UFED had honoured 150 graduates from public tertiary institutions at a cost of GH¢50,000.
He emphasised that Unilever had no hand in the selection of the beneficiaries. Various institutions submitted the list of beneficiaries.
Mr Evans-Quayson congratulated the award winners and advised them not to be complacent but to impact positively on their communities and at their work places.
The Public Relations Manager of Unilever, Ms Bernice Natue said women needed to be encouraged to attain greater heights.
She said it was very pleasing to see that women were gradually excelling and called on young graduates to be the engine that would start the revolution to bring women at the fore front in education and other professions.
Ms Natue urged them to be courageous and never allow themselves to be discouraged but strive hard to reach the top.
The foundation has, therefore, presented awards 16 female graduates from various public tertiary institutions in the country who excelled in various fields of study during the 2007 - 2008 academic year.
They were presented with certificates of recognition and undisclosed amounts of money and would also have their names put on the UFED’s Excellence Board at their former institutions to serve as a perpetual recognition and reminder to their colleagues.
This is the first time in the 10-year history of the UFED that it has extended its programme to cover only female graduates to serve as an encouragement to them to work harder.
The foundation had hitherto, awarded both male and female graduates who excelled in their areas of study .
The selected female graduates who were adjudged by their institutions as those who had obtained the highest scores came from the polytechnics in Takoradi, Bolgatanga, Kumasi, Wa, Koforidua, Cape-Coast, Accra, Sunyani, Tamale and Ho.
Others were selected from the University of Cape-Coast, University of Education-Winneba, University of Ghana and University for Development Studies.
All the institutions had one representative each except the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) which had two graduates who scored the highest marks in BSc Human Biology and Clinical Microbiology.
Addressing the beneficiaries at a presentation ceremony held at the premises of Unilever in Tema, a trustee of UFED, Mr Andrews Evans-Quayson said one of the objectives of the foundation was to inculcate the culture of excellence in Ghanaians as a means of encouraging others to follow.
He said the foundation would continue to look out for the demonstration of excellence to spur posterity on to pursue excellence.
Mr Evans-Quayson said in pursuit of women's empowerment programme, the UFED sponsored the national annual science, maths and technology education clinic of the Ghana Education Service held between August 31st to September 4, 2009.
The programme attracted 130 female students.
Mr Evans-Quayson said since its inception in 2000, the UFED had honoured 150 graduates from public tertiary institutions at a cost of GH¢50,000.
He emphasised that Unilever had no hand in the selection of the beneficiaries. Various institutions submitted the list of beneficiaries.
Mr Evans-Quayson congratulated the award winners and advised them not to be complacent but to impact positively on their communities and at their work places.
The Public Relations Manager of Unilever, Ms Bernice Natue said women needed to be encouraged to attain greater heights.
She said it was very pleasing to see that women were gradually excelling and called on young graduates to be the engine that would start the revolution to bring women at the fore front in education and other professions.
Ms Natue urged them to be courageous and never allow themselves to be discouraged but strive hard to reach the top.
16 SUSPECTS ESCAPE FROM POLICE CELL (SEPT 22, PAGE 3)
Sixteen suspects in police custody at the Tema Community 22 Police Station broke cell at dawn yesterday and escaped from lawful custody when a police officer attempted to send food to one of them.
Two of the suspects were later re-arrested by the Tema night patrol team, with the other 14 still on the run.
The Tema Regional Police Commander, ACP Augustine Gyenning, who confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic, said the Officer, Sgt. Rockson Baffuor, whose alleged negligence led to the escape of the suspects, had been placed in police custody while investigations continued.
He also appealed to the public to assist in re-arresting the runaway suspects by reporting to the police any suspicious movements in their areas.
ACP Gyenning said on Sunday, September 20, 2009 after 6 p.m. when the cells at the Community 22 Police Station had been closed, a boy aged about 13 years went to the station with a bowl of food for one of the suspects.
He said the Station Police Orderly requested that the boy bought a plastic bag into which the food could be poured and passed through the peep hole for the suspect.
Commander Gyenning said the boy left and did not return as a result of which the food could not be given to the suspect.
He said when the Orderly's supervisor, Sgt. Rockson Baffuor, reported to work at about 9 p.m., he (the orderly ) reported the incident to him but his supervisor, Sgt. Baffuor, decided to give the food to the suspect.
According to Commander Gyenning, Sgt. Baffuor ignored the advice of the Orderly and proceeded to open the cells at that hour without any precaution and presence of armed guard.
ACP Gyenning said on opening the cells, the suspects pushed Sgt. Baffuor down, trampled on him and took to their heels in different directions.
He said the suspects had their cases before the courts and some were to appear in court yesterday.
Commander Gyenning, who described the incident as shameful because of the status of the officer involved, said the suspect who was to be given the food was a robber being tried by a court.
He said Sgt. Baffuor would be investigated and, if found culpable, would be made to produce the suspects within 10 days.
Commander Gyenning said if he was not able to produce the suspects within the stipulated time, he would be made to face service inquiry.
The police have also intensified their search for the cell breakers.
Two of the suspects were later re-arrested by the Tema night patrol team, with the other 14 still on the run.
The Tema Regional Police Commander, ACP Augustine Gyenning, who confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic, said the Officer, Sgt. Rockson Baffuor, whose alleged negligence led to the escape of the suspects, had been placed in police custody while investigations continued.
He also appealed to the public to assist in re-arresting the runaway suspects by reporting to the police any suspicious movements in their areas.
ACP Gyenning said on Sunday, September 20, 2009 after 6 p.m. when the cells at the Community 22 Police Station had been closed, a boy aged about 13 years went to the station with a bowl of food for one of the suspects.
He said the Station Police Orderly requested that the boy bought a plastic bag into which the food could be poured and passed through the peep hole for the suspect.
Commander Gyenning said the boy left and did not return as a result of which the food could not be given to the suspect.
He said when the Orderly's supervisor, Sgt. Rockson Baffuor, reported to work at about 9 p.m., he (the orderly ) reported the incident to him but his supervisor, Sgt. Baffuor, decided to give the food to the suspect.
According to Commander Gyenning, Sgt. Baffuor ignored the advice of the Orderly and proceeded to open the cells at that hour without any precaution and presence of armed guard.
ACP Gyenning said on opening the cells, the suspects pushed Sgt. Baffuor down, trampled on him and took to their heels in different directions.
He said the suspects had their cases before the courts and some were to appear in court yesterday.
Commander Gyenning, who described the incident as shameful because of the status of the officer involved, said the suspect who was to be given the food was a robber being tried by a court.
He said Sgt. Baffuor would be investigated and, if found culpable, would be made to produce the suspects within 10 days.
Commander Gyenning said if he was not able to produce the suspects within the stipulated time, he would be made to face service inquiry.
The police have also intensified their search for the cell breakers.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
ROTARY CLUB OF TEMA FULFILS AGREEMENT (SEPT 15, PAGE 29)
The Rotary Club of Tema has fulfilled its part of an agreement reached with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the GETfund to supply books to libraries of senior high schools in the country.
Under the book project, the GES/GETfund were expected to submit the list of needy schools which have structures for libraries but did not have books, to benefit from the project.
To date, Rotary Club of Tema has since October 2008 distributed over 33,100 books valued at US $ 496,500 to 18 senior high schools in Upper West Region, 22 SHSs in Upper East, 35 SHSs in the Northern Region and seven SHSs in other regions in the country.
Before the inception of the project, the Rotary Club of Tema had been distributing books to the universities and other institutions in the country and since 1996 to date they have given out US$3,535,105 books.
The Chairman of the Books Committee of the club, Mr Sammy Buckman, told the Daily Graphic at Tema when the GES took delivery of a quantity of books for distribution to some schools in the northern sector of the country that the book project originated from a book fair the club organised in March 2008 in collaboration with the Brothers’ Foundation of the USA.
He said representatives of the GES and GETfund who were present at the fair saw the benefits that schools in Ghana could get from the book fair, and, therefore, offered to collaborate with the Rotary Club of Tema to supply books to feed starving libraries in the country.
Mr Buckman said any needy school which had a library qualified to be supplied with the books.
He expressed his gratitude to the Brothers' Brother Foundation for contributing to help promote literacy in Ghana.
Mr Buckman emphasised that the objective of the project was to ensure that students acquired the habit of reading and reseacher to build on their knowledge based on their study disciplines.
He said the books covered all areas of study, including the Sciences , Arts , Business and the Visual Arts.
Mr Buckman urged the GES to make more structures available to encourage the club to seek more assistance to fill them with books for the benefit of the students .
At the time of the interview DAF trucks were being loaded with the books to be sent to 32 SHSs in the Northern Region. The GES brought trucks to cart the books.
The Liaison Officer of the GES project, Mr Maxwell Agbewale -Koku, and Mr Hutchful of the GES were present to receive the books which the President of Rotary Club of Tema, Mr John Bisiw, handed over.
Under the book project, the GES/GETfund were expected to submit the list of needy schools which have structures for libraries but did not have books, to benefit from the project.
To date, Rotary Club of Tema has since October 2008 distributed over 33,100 books valued at US $ 496,500 to 18 senior high schools in Upper West Region, 22 SHSs in Upper East, 35 SHSs in the Northern Region and seven SHSs in other regions in the country.
Before the inception of the project, the Rotary Club of Tema had been distributing books to the universities and other institutions in the country and since 1996 to date they have given out US$3,535,105 books.
The Chairman of the Books Committee of the club, Mr Sammy Buckman, told the Daily Graphic at Tema when the GES took delivery of a quantity of books for distribution to some schools in the northern sector of the country that the book project originated from a book fair the club organised in March 2008 in collaboration with the Brothers’ Foundation of the USA.
He said representatives of the GES and GETfund who were present at the fair saw the benefits that schools in Ghana could get from the book fair, and, therefore, offered to collaborate with the Rotary Club of Tema to supply books to feed starving libraries in the country.
Mr Buckman said any needy school which had a library qualified to be supplied with the books.
He expressed his gratitude to the Brothers' Brother Foundation for contributing to help promote literacy in Ghana.
Mr Buckman emphasised that the objective of the project was to ensure that students acquired the habit of reading and reseacher to build on their knowledge based on their study disciplines.
He said the books covered all areas of study, including the Sciences , Arts , Business and the Visual Arts.
Mr Buckman urged the GES to make more structures available to encourage the club to seek more assistance to fill them with books for the benefit of the students .
At the time of the interview DAF trucks were being loaded with the books to be sent to 32 SHSs in the Northern Region. The GES brought trucks to cart the books.
The Liaison Officer of the GES project, Mr Maxwell Agbewale -Koku, and Mr Hutchful of the GES were present to receive the books which the President of Rotary Club of Tema, Mr John Bisiw, handed over.
IS NKRUMAH'S VISION FOR TEMA DIMMING (SEPT 15, PAGE 29)
As Ghanaians and the entire African continent celebrate the centenary birthday of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, many people would be reminded of his vision to lay a solid foundation for the country's infrastructure.
Tema was built to represent the 'treasure island' of the country, and powered by a well-planned layout, modern housing project, vibrant port, manufacturing industries and a first-class motorway to link it to Accra, the seat of government.
This vision brought about the slogan 'Nkrumah Never Dies' as it was sang in the days of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) to herald his vision, which was thought to be the springboard for the country’s national development.
Though the entire country benefited from the hydro power projects, industrialisation, schools, ports, health and agricultural programmes, Tema formed the bedrock of most of the programmes.
The slogan 'Nkrumah never dies' might never cease while referring to Dr Kwame Nkrumah, this famous son of Africa and Ghana in particular, his vision and ideals, which carried civilisation and development across the length and breadth of Africa and the world as well.
The celebration and remembrance of Dr Nkrumah’s centenary will also rekindle the memory of those contemporaries to enlighten the youth and give them the opportunity to learn about the vision of this great son of Ghana and Africa.
As of now, many people (not only the youth) do not know how Tema came to be and how it blossomed during and after the industrial revolution launched by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Launching the centenary celebrations, the Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, praised Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah for laying a solid foundation for the country's infrastructure, adding that the many schools, roads, ports, health facilities, a hydro power project and his vigorous industrialisation formed the nucleus of a vision he had for Ghana.
Mr Mahama suggested that there was no tribute to pay Dr Nkrumah than to keep his name and works continuously aflame.
The success story of Tema, which was not achieved on a silver platter, needed to be kept ablaze because Dr Nkrumah incurred the displeasure of some landowners to fulfil his intention of building an industrial city to help transform Ghana from external dependency to a state of self dependence.
The realisation of these ideals started in the 1950s when he had the foresight and idea to develop Tema because of its location and the benefits that the country could accrue from the resources available at the time.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah's determination was to develop the Tema harbour as his major brain child to enable the country to take delivery of the heavy equipment and materials for the construction of the Akosombo dam to generate energy.
He also realised that the workforce would need accommodation on site, and therefore, set up the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) to develop the township.
The Ghana Cargo Handling Company and the Ghana Ports Authority, which handled cargo at the Tema port, were later merged to become the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, now the mother of all handling companies at the port.
Dr Nkrumah spread his vision further and was instrumental in initiating the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) project and the then Ghana -Italian Petroleum Company (GHAIP) now the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).
The Cocoa Products Company, now the Cocoa Processing Company, was to become a giant cocoa company with several operational sectors but Dr Nkrumah could not accomplish his vision for the project before he was overthrown in the 1966 coup d'etat.
The giant silos, which were to form the basis for the vision for cocoa processing project, have been abandoned on the premises of the company in the industrial area of Tema.
To date, no one has been able to tell the uses of the silos, which were said to have been installed by some Russians. Whether they were for storage purposes or for any other use remains a mystery.
Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah boosted his industrial revolution by entering into partnership with other countries to tap their speciality to accelerate the country’s industrialisation programme to create job avenues for Ghanaians.
Some of these establishments were the Akasanoma Electronic Factory, Ghana Textile Manufacturing Company, Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation (GIHOC) a chain of companies which had the Paints Division, Meat Factory, Footwear, Beverages, Eveready Battery Factory, State Fishing Corporation, Food Complex Corporation, designed for food canning, flour and fishmeal, among others. All these companies had long buses which conveyed workers to and from work on shift basis.
Tema enjoyed a 24-hour life because the city was always busy with workers who had closed from or were going to work in the morning, afternoon or night duties.
Tema, which in the past hosted about 80 per cent of the country's industries, now has just a few to boast of, rendering the city quiet after a certain hour of the night.
The only company that has seen some growth is the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority which has proved its worth since its inception.
The Akosombo Hydro power project and the Tema Oil Refinery have had some setbacks because of the longitivity of some of the obsolete equipment which need to be changed.
The state of housing in the city has not been the best as most buildings have developed cracks, and the streets and roads have not seen any rehabilitation since they were built.
Dr Nkrumah compulsorily acquired 63 square miles land from the stools of Tema and Kpone, with portions from neighbouring communities under the Tema Town and Port acquisition of land Ordinance number 38 of 1952 which was leased to a registered development body referred to as the Tema Development Corporation.
The government incurred the displeasure of the indigenous people at the time but Dr Nkrumah had a positive vision to develop the country under a scheme supposed to start from Tema.
Tema was a small community where the people engaged in both fishing and farming on small scale but today it cannot boast farmlands as most of the lands have been acquired for housing projects while the majority of Ghana's industries have been closed down.
In the early days when Dr Nkrumah initiated his vision of a vibrant port, there were hosts of entertainment centres in Tema to serve tourists, sailors and visitors who were passing through, at affordable costs.
Some of these facilities, including the famous Meridian Hotel, operated by the State Hotels Corporation which oversaw the port, had a nightclub known as the Zero Room Night Club, where strip dancers entertained patrons to the club, mainly made up of sailors who were out to while away the nights.
Other private dance halls with great names at the time were the Talk of the Town Hotel dance hall and restaurant, Bonn Homme night club and El Passo, among others.
Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah had the vision of making Tema a uniquely planned city, and therefore ensured that it was planned to fit in an urban settlement but the planning was not complete as he envisaged before he was overthrown.
Some of the reasons assigned to his choice of Tema for the modern industrial city could be seen clearly now as the world continues to come closer into a global village and every country needs each other.
The purpose was linked to its location with the Atlantic Ocean, making it easy to import and export goods the world over to boost trade.
Now Tema has seen steady growth in population with the influx of many people from the hinterland.
Though some development has taken place, most of it has been done haphazardly to the extent that Tema is gradually becoming a slum.
Some good things have, however, been done to reflect the changing trends like the establishment of the Free Export Processing Zone to encourage manufacturing for export.
These manufacturing companies are granted some incentives to bring in raw materials and export manufactured goods.
Tema will have remained the small village that it was without the vision of Dr Nkrumah who created the planned community, the motorway, the port, industries, housing project etc.
The current state of Tema cannot be said to reflect the vision Dr Nkrumah had for Tema because most plans have remained on the drawing board all these years or have been abandoned altogether.
Some industries have closed down, those operating have obsolete equipment while the sanitation situation keeps deteriorating each passing day, and sewer pipes overflow freely into streets.
Some buildings have not seen paint for over so many years, as cattle and fowls stray, blurring the vision Dr Nkrumah had for Tema.
It is the hope and expectation of many that Tema would bounce back to life, the industries revamped while the people adopt good sanitation practices to make the harbour city the vibrant industrial hub Osagyefo Dr Kwame envisioned.
Tema was built to represent the 'treasure island' of the country, and powered by a well-planned layout, modern housing project, vibrant port, manufacturing industries and a first-class motorway to link it to Accra, the seat of government.
This vision brought about the slogan 'Nkrumah Never Dies' as it was sang in the days of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) to herald his vision, which was thought to be the springboard for the country’s national development.
Though the entire country benefited from the hydro power projects, industrialisation, schools, ports, health and agricultural programmes, Tema formed the bedrock of most of the programmes.
The slogan 'Nkrumah never dies' might never cease while referring to Dr Kwame Nkrumah, this famous son of Africa and Ghana in particular, his vision and ideals, which carried civilisation and development across the length and breadth of Africa and the world as well.
The celebration and remembrance of Dr Nkrumah’s centenary will also rekindle the memory of those contemporaries to enlighten the youth and give them the opportunity to learn about the vision of this great son of Ghana and Africa.
As of now, many people (not only the youth) do not know how Tema came to be and how it blossomed during and after the industrial revolution launched by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Launching the centenary celebrations, the Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, praised Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah for laying a solid foundation for the country's infrastructure, adding that the many schools, roads, ports, health facilities, a hydro power project and his vigorous industrialisation formed the nucleus of a vision he had for Ghana.
Mr Mahama suggested that there was no tribute to pay Dr Nkrumah than to keep his name and works continuously aflame.
The success story of Tema, which was not achieved on a silver platter, needed to be kept ablaze because Dr Nkrumah incurred the displeasure of some landowners to fulfil his intention of building an industrial city to help transform Ghana from external dependency to a state of self dependence.
The realisation of these ideals started in the 1950s when he had the foresight and idea to develop Tema because of its location and the benefits that the country could accrue from the resources available at the time.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah's determination was to develop the Tema harbour as his major brain child to enable the country to take delivery of the heavy equipment and materials for the construction of the Akosombo dam to generate energy.
He also realised that the workforce would need accommodation on site, and therefore, set up the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) to develop the township.
The Ghana Cargo Handling Company and the Ghana Ports Authority, which handled cargo at the Tema port, were later merged to become the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, now the mother of all handling companies at the port.
Dr Nkrumah spread his vision further and was instrumental in initiating the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) project and the then Ghana -Italian Petroleum Company (GHAIP) now the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).
The Cocoa Products Company, now the Cocoa Processing Company, was to become a giant cocoa company with several operational sectors but Dr Nkrumah could not accomplish his vision for the project before he was overthrown in the 1966 coup d'etat.
The giant silos, which were to form the basis for the vision for cocoa processing project, have been abandoned on the premises of the company in the industrial area of Tema.
To date, no one has been able to tell the uses of the silos, which were said to have been installed by some Russians. Whether they were for storage purposes or for any other use remains a mystery.
Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah boosted his industrial revolution by entering into partnership with other countries to tap their speciality to accelerate the country’s industrialisation programme to create job avenues for Ghanaians.
Some of these establishments were the Akasanoma Electronic Factory, Ghana Textile Manufacturing Company, Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation (GIHOC) a chain of companies which had the Paints Division, Meat Factory, Footwear, Beverages, Eveready Battery Factory, State Fishing Corporation, Food Complex Corporation, designed for food canning, flour and fishmeal, among others. All these companies had long buses which conveyed workers to and from work on shift basis.
Tema enjoyed a 24-hour life because the city was always busy with workers who had closed from or were going to work in the morning, afternoon or night duties.
Tema, which in the past hosted about 80 per cent of the country's industries, now has just a few to boast of, rendering the city quiet after a certain hour of the night.
The only company that has seen some growth is the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority which has proved its worth since its inception.
The Akosombo Hydro power project and the Tema Oil Refinery have had some setbacks because of the longitivity of some of the obsolete equipment which need to be changed.
The state of housing in the city has not been the best as most buildings have developed cracks, and the streets and roads have not seen any rehabilitation since they were built.
Dr Nkrumah compulsorily acquired 63 square miles land from the stools of Tema and Kpone, with portions from neighbouring communities under the Tema Town and Port acquisition of land Ordinance number 38 of 1952 which was leased to a registered development body referred to as the Tema Development Corporation.
The government incurred the displeasure of the indigenous people at the time but Dr Nkrumah had a positive vision to develop the country under a scheme supposed to start from Tema.
Tema was a small community where the people engaged in both fishing and farming on small scale but today it cannot boast farmlands as most of the lands have been acquired for housing projects while the majority of Ghana's industries have been closed down.
In the early days when Dr Nkrumah initiated his vision of a vibrant port, there were hosts of entertainment centres in Tema to serve tourists, sailors and visitors who were passing through, at affordable costs.
Some of these facilities, including the famous Meridian Hotel, operated by the State Hotels Corporation which oversaw the port, had a nightclub known as the Zero Room Night Club, where strip dancers entertained patrons to the club, mainly made up of sailors who were out to while away the nights.
Other private dance halls with great names at the time were the Talk of the Town Hotel dance hall and restaurant, Bonn Homme night club and El Passo, among others.
Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah had the vision of making Tema a uniquely planned city, and therefore ensured that it was planned to fit in an urban settlement but the planning was not complete as he envisaged before he was overthrown.
Some of the reasons assigned to his choice of Tema for the modern industrial city could be seen clearly now as the world continues to come closer into a global village and every country needs each other.
The purpose was linked to its location with the Atlantic Ocean, making it easy to import and export goods the world over to boost trade.
Now Tema has seen steady growth in population with the influx of many people from the hinterland.
Though some development has taken place, most of it has been done haphazardly to the extent that Tema is gradually becoming a slum.
Some good things have, however, been done to reflect the changing trends like the establishment of the Free Export Processing Zone to encourage manufacturing for export.
These manufacturing companies are granted some incentives to bring in raw materials and export manufactured goods.
Tema will have remained the small village that it was without the vision of Dr Nkrumah who created the planned community, the motorway, the port, industries, housing project etc.
The current state of Tema cannot be said to reflect the vision Dr Nkrumah had for Tema because most plans have remained on the drawing board all these years or have been abandoned altogether.
Some industries have closed down, those operating have obsolete equipment while the sanitation situation keeps deteriorating each passing day, and sewer pipes overflow freely into streets.
Some buildings have not seen paint for over so many years, as cattle and fowls stray, blurring the vision Dr Nkrumah had for Tema.
It is the hope and expectation of many that Tema would bounce back to life, the industries revamped while the people adopt good sanitation practices to make the harbour city the vibrant industrial hub Osagyefo Dr Kwame envisioned.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
TEMA SERVICE PROVIDERS INFLATE NHIS BILLS (PAGE 30)
The Manager of the Tema National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Mrs Alice Obeng, has decried the submission of inflated bills by service providers in the metropolis, culminating in debts to the scheme.
She said as of June 2009, the scheme owed service providers over GH¢1million, being payments for the second quarter of the year.
Mrs Obeng was speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview on the performance of the scheme in the Tema metropolis.
She stated that service providers delayed in submitting bills, and that instead of presenting them on a quarterly basis, they accumulated them without indicating what belonged to a particular period.
Mrs Obeng said itemised medical treatments were not clearly indicated to make assessment easy to understand.
She therefore, appealed to service providers to go by the laid- down regulations to make it easy for the scheme to work on the bills on time to prevent vetting of what had been submitted.
The scheme manager said because of improper billing, the scheme had always paid less than what it owed.
Mrs Obeng said the scheme received GH¢ 747,271.06 last Monday August 31, 2009 as payment for the third quarter, but it would have to use the amount to defray some of the debts.
She said the metropolis had 52 active facilities made up of five government health facilities and 47 private ones caring for 374,571 people as of June 2009.
The state-owned facilities are the Tema General Hospital , Tema Polyclinic , Tema Manhean Health Centre , Ashaiman Health Post and the Oyibi Health Post, while the others are private hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.
Mrs Obeng stated that since the inception of the scheme in 2004, over 529,000 people were targeted to be under as per the 2000 Census, but expressed regret that some residents had not renewed their membership of the scheme after it expired, thereby reducing the membership to 374,571 .
She said the scheme had started registering members for the new system which would be renewed every year for a period of five years until the permanent cards came into operation .
Mrs Obeng urged the service providers to do proper billing, avoid delays and deliver on time for early reimbursement.
She also called on patients who sought medical care at the various facilities to be patient with the service providers because they needed to go through records to ascertain that they were really members of the scheme .
She said as of June 2009, the scheme owed service providers over GH¢1million, being payments for the second quarter of the year.
Mrs Obeng was speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview on the performance of the scheme in the Tema metropolis.
She stated that service providers delayed in submitting bills, and that instead of presenting them on a quarterly basis, they accumulated them without indicating what belonged to a particular period.
Mrs Obeng said itemised medical treatments were not clearly indicated to make assessment easy to understand.
She therefore, appealed to service providers to go by the laid- down regulations to make it easy for the scheme to work on the bills on time to prevent vetting of what had been submitted.
The scheme manager said because of improper billing, the scheme had always paid less than what it owed.
Mrs Obeng said the scheme received GH¢ 747,271.06 last Monday August 31, 2009 as payment for the third quarter, but it would have to use the amount to defray some of the debts.
She said the metropolis had 52 active facilities made up of five government health facilities and 47 private ones caring for 374,571 people as of June 2009.
The state-owned facilities are the Tema General Hospital , Tema Polyclinic , Tema Manhean Health Centre , Ashaiman Health Post and the Oyibi Health Post, while the others are private hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.
Mrs Obeng stated that since the inception of the scheme in 2004, over 529,000 people were targeted to be under as per the 2000 Census, but expressed regret that some residents had not renewed their membership of the scheme after it expired, thereby reducing the membership to 374,571 .
She said the scheme had started registering members for the new system which would be renewed every year for a period of five years until the permanent cards came into operation .
Mrs Obeng urged the service providers to do proper billing, avoid delays and deliver on time for early reimbursement.
She also called on patients who sought medical care at the various facilities to be patient with the service providers because they needed to go through records to ascertain that they were really members of the scheme .
Sunday, September 6, 2009
OBTAIN BUILDING PERMITS FIRST OR... (PAGE 30)
THE Tema Development Corporation (TDC) has advised potential developers to acquire permits from the corporation before erecting structures in the government’s acquired areas to avoid penalties and demolition.
Developers have also been urged to verify the status of lands they buy from chiefs in the area to ensure that they are within the TDC land area.
The Managing Director of the TDC, Mr Joe Abbey, gave the advice in an interview with the Daily Graphic on the need for the TDC to demolish over 100 illegal structures on its 365-acre land made up of 481 plots at Adjei Kojo.
He said the encroachers had put up some structures on the land after allegedly paying varied amounts to the Chief of Adjei-Kojo.
Mr Abbey said they were met with hostilities from the chief and his supporters during the demolition exercise, and therefore the TDC could not initiate the planned scheme for the area.
The Managing Director said the TDC had earlier prepared the land, provided water, roads and electricity before being chased by the chief and the people.
He said in 2002 , the Adjei-Kojo Chief brought an action against the TDC and some of its officials and went to court to claim the land but unfortunately the Tema High Court and an Appeal Court ruled in favour of TDC in late 2008.
The disputed land was found to be within the 63 square mile area compulsorily acquired by the government under the Tema Town and Port (Acquisition of land) Ordinance number 38 of 1952 and subsequently leased to the TDC.
Mr Abbey said most lands of the TDC had been encroached upon, noting that the coporation would enter those areas to take inventory of the land and ascertain the extent of encroachment.
He stated that with the ruling of the courts, TDC now had a renewed authority to take over the Adjei -Kojo land, which did not include the village.
Mr Abbey explained that the TDC did not include the villages of the acquired areas in its development scheme.
He said the TDC had always developed around the villages and not in them, and, therefore, did not disturb the people.
Mr Abbey cited examples of Santeo, Sakumono, Lashibi and Nmlitsakpo as model villages which had benefited from the development of the TDC.
He said those whose illegal structures were demolished as a result of the dispute would be considered for allocation of land in the area but they would be made to pay for it.
Mr Abbey noted that the Adjei Kojo land would be re-designed and given out to private developers to put up decent houses for orderly development .
He said the TDC still had land for development and also completed houses for sale.
Mr Abbey denounced the public outcry that the TDC had completed its responsibilities as per its establishing instrument.
He said the TDC had a lot of work to do to ensure that the acquired area was fully utilised, adding that the law establishing it did not indicate that the powers vested in the coporation would be changed.
Mr Abbey noted that the public would need to give support to the TDC to enable to do its work as expected to ensure orderly development.
He re-echoed the need for all developers to ensure that they acquired permits from the TDC and also regularised their property with the corporation for peaceful co-existence.
Developers have also been urged to verify the status of lands they buy from chiefs in the area to ensure that they are within the TDC land area.
The Managing Director of the TDC, Mr Joe Abbey, gave the advice in an interview with the Daily Graphic on the need for the TDC to demolish over 100 illegal structures on its 365-acre land made up of 481 plots at Adjei Kojo.
He said the encroachers had put up some structures on the land after allegedly paying varied amounts to the Chief of Adjei-Kojo.
Mr Abbey said they were met with hostilities from the chief and his supporters during the demolition exercise, and therefore the TDC could not initiate the planned scheme for the area.
The Managing Director said the TDC had earlier prepared the land, provided water, roads and electricity before being chased by the chief and the people.
He said in 2002 , the Adjei-Kojo Chief brought an action against the TDC and some of its officials and went to court to claim the land but unfortunately the Tema High Court and an Appeal Court ruled in favour of TDC in late 2008.
The disputed land was found to be within the 63 square mile area compulsorily acquired by the government under the Tema Town and Port (Acquisition of land) Ordinance number 38 of 1952 and subsequently leased to the TDC.
Mr Abbey said most lands of the TDC had been encroached upon, noting that the coporation would enter those areas to take inventory of the land and ascertain the extent of encroachment.
He stated that with the ruling of the courts, TDC now had a renewed authority to take over the Adjei -Kojo land, which did not include the village.
Mr Abbey explained that the TDC did not include the villages of the acquired areas in its development scheme.
He said the TDC had always developed around the villages and not in them, and, therefore, did not disturb the people.
Mr Abbey cited examples of Santeo, Sakumono, Lashibi and Nmlitsakpo as model villages which had benefited from the development of the TDC.
He said those whose illegal structures were demolished as a result of the dispute would be considered for allocation of land in the area but they would be made to pay for it.
Mr Abbey noted that the Adjei Kojo land would be re-designed and given out to private developers to put up decent houses for orderly development .
He said the TDC still had land for development and also completed houses for sale.
Mr Abbey denounced the public outcry that the TDC had completed its responsibilities as per its establishing instrument.
He said the TDC had a lot of work to do to ensure that the acquired area was fully utilised, adding that the law establishing it did not indicate that the powers vested in the coporation would be changed.
Mr Abbey noted that the public would need to give support to the TDC to enable to do its work as expected to ensure orderly development.
He re-echoed the need for all developers to ensure that they acquired permits from the TDC and also regularised their property with the corporation for peaceful co-existence.
COCAINE IN SUGAR: PORT SECURITY ON HIGH ALERT (PAGE 21)
Security agencies at the Tema Port have suspended their operations to enable them to co-ordinate arrangements required for the discharge of the sugar on the MV Eferm, which docked on Tuesday with a substance suspected to be cocaine.
The cocaine was concealed in bags marked as sugar consigned to Ghana and Matadi.
According to a security co-ordinator at the port, Captain Anthony Cudjoe (retd), the original arrangement to discharge the cargo had to be suspended to enable the security agencies to plan and discuss with all stakeholders their respective roles in the exercise before any action could be taken.
The exercise, he said, would stall certain activities at the port to ensure strict security adherence to smooth operation.
The security agencies had earlier planned to discharge the cargo and scan it to clear any foreign matter and thoroughly search the vessel.
Captain Cudjoe (retd) explained that the agencies, made up of the National Security, Ghana Police Service, BNI, Port Security, Ghana Maritime Authority and NACOB, were meeting on September 3, 2009 to hold talks with owners of the scan machines, make transport arrangements and ensure availability of warehouses for the cargo after scanning it.
Captain Cudjoe indicated that the two floating bags retrieved by the security last night, after on-the-spot chemical analysis, had been declared to be sugar and not cocaine as was being circulated.
He, however, said to clear all doubts, the bags had been sent to NACOB for thorough investigations.
Captain Cudjoe said the three marine officers who were picked for interrogation were still being held, while the other crew members were still confined to the vessel under close security.
He noted that the local agents, Global Cargo and Commodities, were ensuring the safety of the crew by supplying them with their needs.
Captain Cudjoe said the body of the deceased crew member was not accepted by the 37 Military Hospital officials and, therefore, had now been conveyed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for the autopsy to establish the cause of death.
He also declined to give the identity of the crew members, indicating that until they were indicted, it was against international law to mention their names, especially the names of those who had been invited for interrogation.
A joint operation of security agencies at the port led to the discovery of five bags of a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panama vessel MV Eferm from Brazil, which, after being at the break-waters for 10 days, docked at the Tema Port on Tuesday.
A Filipino crew member was also found dead in one of the cabins at the time the vessel docked at the Tema Port.
The cocaine was concealed in bags marked as sugar consigned to Ghana and Matadi.
According to a security co-ordinator at the port, Captain Anthony Cudjoe (retd), the original arrangement to discharge the cargo had to be suspended to enable the security agencies to plan and discuss with all stakeholders their respective roles in the exercise before any action could be taken.
The exercise, he said, would stall certain activities at the port to ensure strict security adherence to smooth operation.
The security agencies had earlier planned to discharge the cargo and scan it to clear any foreign matter and thoroughly search the vessel.
Captain Cudjoe (retd) explained that the agencies, made up of the National Security, Ghana Police Service, BNI, Port Security, Ghana Maritime Authority and NACOB, were meeting on September 3, 2009 to hold talks with owners of the scan machines, make transport arrangements and ensure availability of warehouses for the cargo after scanning it.
Captain Cudjoe indicated that the two floating bags retrieved by the security last night, after on-the-spot chemical analysis, had been declared to be sugar and not cocaine as was being circulated.
He, however, said to clear all doubts, the bags had been sent to NACOB for thorough investigations.
Captain Cudjoe said the three marine officers who were picked for interrogation were still being held, while the other crew members were still confined to the vessel under close security.
He noted that the local agents, Global Cargo and Commodities, were ensuring the safety of the crew by supplying them with their needs.
Captain Cudjoe said the body of the deceased crew member was not accepted by the 37 Military Hospital officials and, therefore, had now been conveyed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for the autopsy to establish the cause of death.
He also declined to give the identity of the crew members, indicating that until they were indicted, it was against international law to mention their names, especially the names of those who had been invited for interrogation.
A joint operation of security agencies at the port led to the discovery of five bags of a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panama vessel MV Eferm from Brazil, which, after being at the break-waters for 10 days, docked at the Tema Port on Tuesday.
A Filipino crew member was also found dead in one of the cabins at the time the vessel docked at the Tema Port.
Friday, September 4, 2009
ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS URGED TO ADOPT GOOD WORK ETHICS (PAGE 28)
A Director of Traditional and Alternative Health at the Ministry of Health, Mr Peter Arhin, has called on operators of private health facilities to adopt good in practices to enable the ministry to achieve its goal of building the private sector to provide 50 per cent of healthcare services.
He explained that the private sector was expanding and with entrepreneurial drive it could build the needed capacity to partner the ministry for the benefit of the people.
Mr Arhin made the call at the inauguration of a branch of the Crystal Hospital in Tema. The hospital has other branches at Ashaiman, Michel Camp and Adjei-Kojo.
He commended the management of the facility for expanding fast to serve various communities in the area.
Mr Arhin emphasised the need to provide quality service with good human relations that would enable them to develop and post messages on notice boards at the precincts of their facilities to educate patients on their rights and responsibilities.
He stressed the need for them to obtain early feedback on the conditions of the patients they handled and therefore suggested that the private alternative medicine practitioners should visit patients at home to find out their conditions and how they were responding to medication.
Mr Arhin also commended the private alternative medicine practitioners for considering preventive health care and alternative health.
The Medical Director of the Crystal Hospital, Dr Wisdom Amegbletor, noted that the use of drugs was not the only way to manage ailments but also care and professional sensitivity one showed patients.
He said corruption was contagious, and therefore implored all clients to report any staff who did not perform his or her duties properly or tried to extort money from them.
Dr Amegbletor announced that the hospital had entered into a partnership agreement with all the communities in which it operated to form feedback teams to monitor its operations and the actions and inaction of the staff.
He said the hospital was moving from curative to promotional and preventive health by encouraging lifestyle change and healthy eating among the people.
Dr Amegbletor expressed his appreciation to Dr Charles Vardon Odonkor, who had run the facility as 'Odonkor's Clinic' but decided to give it out to the management of Crystal Hospital owing to his advanced age.
Dr Odonkor, who retired from active service four years ago, had run the facility for over 40 years and expressed his determination to ensure that a well-resourced and energetic person continued to provide healthcare services at the facility.
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku, praised Dr Odonkor for using the land for the purpose for which he acquired, noting that some people acquired lands for specific purposes but diverted them into other unapproved uses.
He urged the management of the hospital to take good care of the people and not to take their lives for granted. “If you do that your clients will desert you,“ he advised.
Nii Kraku also called on the management of the health facility to intensify efforts to adopt the home visitation exercise and maintain good customer service.
He explained that the private sector was expanding and with entrepreneurial drive it could build the needed capacity to partner the ministry for the benefit of the people.
Mr Arhin made the call at the inauguration of a branch of the Crystal Hospital in Tema. The hospital has other branches at Ashaiman, Michel Camp and Adjei-Kojo.
He commended the management of the facility for expanding fast to serve various communities in the area.
Mr Arhin emphasised the need to provide quality service with good human relations that would enable them to develop and post messages on notice boards at the precincts of their facilities to educate patients on their rights and responsibilities.
He stressed the need for them to obtain early feedback on the conditions of the patients they handled and therefore suggested that the private alternative medicine practitioners should visit patients at home to find out their conditions and how they were responding to medication.
Mr Arhin also commended the private alternative medicine practitioners for considering preventive health care and alternative health.
The Medical Director of the Crystal Hospital, Dr Wisdom Amegbletor, noted that the use of drugs was not the only way to manage ailments but also care and professional sensitivity one showed patients.
He said corruption was contagious, and therefore implored all clients to report any staff who did not perform his or her duties properly or tried to extort money from them.
Dr Amegbletor announced that the hospital had entered into a partnership agreement with all the communities in which it operated to form feedback teams to monitor its operations and the actions and inaction of the staff.
He said the hospital was moving from curative to promotional and preventive health by encouraging lifestyle change and healthy eating among the people.
Dr Amegbletor expressed his appreciation to Dr Charles Vardon Odonkor, who had run the facility as 'Odonkor's Clinic' but decided to give it out to the management of Crystal Hospital owing to his advanced age.
Dr Odonkor, who retired from active service four years ago, had run the facility for over 40 years and expressed his determination to ensure that a well-resourced and energetic person continued to provide healthcare services at the facility.
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku, praised Dr Odonkor for using the land for the purpose for which he acquired, noting that some people acquired lands for specific purposes but diverted them into other unapproved uses.
He urged the management of the hospital to take good care of the people and not to take their lives for granted. “If you do that your clients will desert you,“ he advised.
Nii Kraku also called on the management of the health facility to intensify efforts to adopt the home visitation exercise and maintain good customer service.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
COCAINE — POLICE QUIZ 3 CREW MEMBERS (PAGE 3)
THREE crew members of the alleged cocaine courier vessel M.V. Eferm have been taken to the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) in Accra for interrogation.
They are the Captain, Chief Engineer and the Chief Cook. Their names were being withheld for security reasons.
The rest of the 23-member crew are still being held on the Panamanian vessel on which the cocaine was hidden in 14,000 tonnes of sugar being carried from Brazil.
A joint operation by the National Security, the police, the NACOB and the Port Security in Tema last Tuesday led to the discovery of five bags of a substance suspected to be cocaine on board the M.V. Eferm.
The body of the Filipino crew member who allegedly committed suicide on the vessel following the discovery of the suspected cocaine has been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital morgue for autopsy to ascertain the cause of death.
A Tema Port security officer, Captain Anthony Cudjoe (retd), told the Daily Graphic that the other crew members would be invited later as investigations continued.
He said the actual weight of the five bags of suspected cocaine found on the vessel was 163 kilogrammes, while another bag weighing two kilogrammes was later found by security personnel outside the ship.
Captain Cudjoe disclosed that the 14,000 tonnes of sugar on the vessel was consigned to Ghana and Matadi in The Congo.
He explained that 8,000 tonnes were expected to be offloaded in Ghana while 6,000 tonnes were scheduled to be delivered in The Congo.
Captain Cudjoe said every single bag of the sugar would be scanned to ensure that the culprits did not get away with any concealed cargo of the substance.
At the time of filing this report, security agencies had started an operation to clear the vessel of all items and cargo.
Captain Cudjoe said the security was on the beat and would ensure that there was a thorough search on the vessel.
He said the berthing area of the vessel had been declared a security zone and there was serious monitoring currently.
They are the Captain, Chief Engineer and the Chief Cook. Their names were being withheld for security reasons.
The rest of the 23-member crew are still being held on the Panamanian vessel on which the cocaine was hidden in 14,000 tonnes of sugar being carried from Brazil.
A joint operation by the National Security, the police, the NACOB and the Port Security in Tema last Tuesday led to the discovery of five bags of a substance suspected to be cocaine on board the M.V. Eferm.
The body of the Filipino crew member who allegedly committed suicide on the vessel following the discovery of the suspected cocaine has been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital morgue for autopsy to ascertain the cause of death.
A Tema Port security officer, Captain Anthony Cudjoe (retd), told the Daily Graphic that the other crew members would be invited later as investigations continued.
He said the actual weight of the five bags of suspected cocaine found on the vessel was 163 kilogrammes, while another bag weighing two kilogrammes was later found by security personnel outside the ship.
Captain Cudjoe disclosed that the 14,000 tonnes of sugar on the vessel was consigned to Ghana and Matadi in The Congo.
He explained that 8,000 tonnes were expected to be offloaded in Ghana while 6,000 tonnes were scheduled to be delivered in The Congo.
Captain Cudjoe said every single bag of the sugar would be scanned to ensure that the culprits did not get away with any concealed cargo of the substance.
At the time of filing this report, security agencies had started an operation to clear the vessel of all items and cargo.
Captain Cudjoe said the security was on the beat and would ensure that there was a thorough search on the vessel.
He said the berthing area of the vessel had been declared a security zone and there was serious monitoring currently.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
COCAINE VESSEL HELD AT TEMA (1b)
Story: Rose Hayfron Darko & Della Russel Ocloo, Tema
A Joint operation by the National Security, the police, the Narcotic Control Board and the Port Security has led to the discovery of five bags of substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panaminian vessel which docked with cargo later found to be sugar from Brazil.
A Filipino crew member whose identity is yet to be established was alleged to have committed suicide after the discovery of the cocaine.
The 23 crew members, as well as the ship, have been placed under security guard to avoid any intrusion.
The area around Berth Three, where the vessel MV St Eferm docked yesterday afternoon, was cordoned off and declared a security zone.
Information gathered at the port indicated that Agency Global Cargo and Commodities based in Tema was the local agent for the vessel.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the incident in Tema, the Chairman of the NACOB Board, Captain Assassie Gyimah (retd), said the vessel arrived in the country 10 days ago but was able to berth yesterday afternoon only for the security to discover the bags of the substance suspected to be cocaine.
He said the substance looked like sugar and, therefore, required expertise of officials of the security agencies and NACOB to detect the substance.
He said the vessel, flying a Panamanian flag, carried 14,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil.
Captain Gyimah said security search during the joint operation at about 5.30 p.m. uncovered five parcels of whitish substances believed to be cocaine.
Meanwhile the body of the Filipino crew member has been conveyed to a mortuary in Accra for further examination and autopsy.
A Joint operation by the National Security, the police, the Narcotic Control Board and the Port Security has led to the discovery of five bags of substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panaminian vessel which docked with cargo later found to be sugar from Brazil.
A Filipino crew member whose identity is yet to be established was alleged to have committed suicide after the discovery of the cocaine.
The 23 crew members, as well as the ship, have been placed under security guard to avoid any intrusion.
The area around Berth Three, where the vessel MV St Eferm docked yesterday afternoon, was cordoned off and declared a security zone.
Information gathered at the port indicated that Agency Global Cargo and Commodities based in Tema was the local agent for the vessel.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the incident in Tema, the Chairman of the NACOB Board, Captain Assassie Gyimah (retd), said the vessel arrived in the country 10 days ago but was able to berth yesterday afternoon only for the security to discover the bags of the substance suspected to be cocaine.
He said the substance looked like sugar and, therefore, required expertise of officials of the security agencies and NACOB to detect the substance.
He said the vessel, flying a Panamanian flag, carried 14,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil.
Captain Gyimah said security search during the joint operation at about 5.30 p.m. uncovered five parcels of whitish substances believed to be cocaine.
Meanwhile the body of the Filipino crew member has been conveyed to a mortuary in Accra for further examination and autopsy.
COCAINE VESSEL HELD AT TEMA (1b)
Story: Rose Hayfron Darko & Della Russel Ocloo, Tema
A Joint operation by the National Security, the police, the Narcotic Control Board and the Port Security has led to the discovery of five bags of substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panaminian vessel which docked with cargo later found to be sugar from Brazil.
A Filipino crew member whose identity is yet to be established was alleged to have committed suicide after the discovery of the cocaine.
The 23 crew members, as well as the ship, have been placed under security guard to avoid any intrusion.
The area around Berth Three, where the vessel MV St Eferm docked yesterday afternoon, was cordoned off and declared a security zone.
Information gathered at the port indicated that Agency Global Cargo and Commodities based in Tema was the local agent for the vessel.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the incident in Tema, the Chairman of the NACOB Board, Captain Assassie Gyimah (retd), said the vessel arrived in the country 10 days ago but was able to berth yesterday afternoon only for the security to discover the bags of the substance suspected to be cocaine.
He said the substance looked like sugar and, therefore, required expertise of officials of the security agencies and NACOB to detect the substance.
He said the vessel, flying a Panamanian flag, carried 14,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil.
Captain Gyimah said security search during the joint operation at about 5.30 p.m. uncovered five parcels of whitish substances believed to be cocaine.
Meanwhile the body of the Filipino crew member has been conveyed to a mortuary in Accra for further examination and autopsy.
A Joint operation by the National Security, the police, the Narcotic Control Board and the Port Security has led to the discovery of five bags of substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panaminian vessel which docked with cargo later found to be sugar from Brazil.
A Filipino crew member whose identity is yet to be established was alleged to have committed suicide after the discovery of the cocaine.
The 23 crew members, as well as the ship, have been placed under security guard to avoid any intrusion.
The area around Berth Three, where the vessel MV St Eferm docked yesterday afternoon, was cordoned off and declared a security zone.
Information gathered at the port indicated that Agency Global Cargo and Commodities based in Tema was the local agent for the vessel.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the incident in Tema, the Chairman of the NACOB Board, Captain Assassie Gyimah (retd), said the vessel arrived in the country 10 days ago but was able to berth yesterday afternoon only for the security to discover the bags of the substance suspected to be cocaine.
He said the substance looked like sugar and, therefore, required expertise of officials of the security agencies and NACOB to detect the substance.
He said the vessel, flying a Panamanian flag, carried 14,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil.
Captain Gyimah said security search during the joint operation at about 5.30 p.m. uncovered five parcels of whitish substances believed to be cocaine.
Meanwhile the body of the Filipino crew member has been conveyed to a mortuary in Accra for further examination and autopsy.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
TEMA, TDI PORTS TO BENEFIT FROM OIL FIND (PAGE 34)
The Tema and Takoradi harbours stand to gain a lot from the country's oil find in terms of employment and revenue generation as the country steps out to become an oil-producing country very soon.
This gives positive indications of the country becoming 'a country of hope' with job generation and use of expertise and human resource at its peak.
Estimates show that the country is expecting 120,000 barrels of oil and 120 million standard cubic feet of gas per day in the phase one of operations at the Jubilee Field Project.
The Deputy Energy Minister, Dr Kwabena Donkor, said the discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities would provide the country an immense opportunity to effectively improve on its economy.
He also said all sectors of the economy were being positioned for the take-off into the new economic horizon created by the oil and gas discoveries.
According to Mr Nestor Percy Galley, the acting Director-General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire has facilities for support services and, therefore, making it competitive for Ghana to work fast to install the needed facilities which will give the country full benefits and to contribute to job creation.
He said marine and technical facilities needed to support and provide adequate services to the oil fields would include expansion of the existing facilities at the Takoradi Port, which serves as the nearest commercial port to the oil fields.
Mr Galley disclosed that the an estimated amount of $ 50 million would be needed for the first phase short-term expansion project at the Takoradi Port to serve the oil fields. He said the second phase, which would be the actual project, would be based on the need of the services of the companies and therefore the GPHA would liaise closely with them to identify their needs. Mr Galley said the authority would offer employment opportunities to local people and Ghanaians who had the expertise in the fields of marine technology and port services.
He stated that the authority had already started work with the oil drilling companies on a low key, while waiting for the main aspects of the work.
Mr Galley said the GPHA was working feverishly to ensure that a modest arrangement was made at the Takoradi Port to reap the benefits of the country's oil find.
He said the port would need to undergo some expansion with the provision of certain facilities to make the Takoradi Port capable of providing support services of oil production.
These, he said, would include deep draft berthing facilities for vessels bringing plant and equipment for the oil field, office accommodation for oil companies, open and covered storage facilities for the production materials and pipes and free zone area for production materials.
Mr Galley noted that other areas to be considered by the GPHA were pipe welding, supply of fresh water, bunkering facilities for supply vessels and cranes for handling of plant and materials and trained workforce for stevedoring of plants and machinery from vessels.
He noted that the Takoradi Port would also be dredged and land reclaimed to be developed into oil services facility to support oil production in the short term.
Mr Galley said to ensure partnership, the GPHA had made arrangements to meet the immediate needs of some of the oil companies at the Takoradi Port to enable them to store and weld their drilling pipes and risers and also provide a place for the liquid and bulk plants.
He said the GPHA had also leased out its bauxite berth for rig repairs while other areas in the port had been allocated for storage of equipment and pipes for the oil fields.
Mr Galley reiterated the job opening that the oil find would create in the Tema and Takoradi Metropolitan areas, which are the two port cities in the country, noting that the GPHA would employ and train people in specialised fields while the oil companies would also target local people for on-the-job, artisanal and other duties.
This gives positive indications of the country becoming 'a country of hope' with job generation and use of expertise and human resource at its peak.
Estimates show that the country is expecting 120,000 barrels of oil and 120 million standard cubic feet of gas per day in the phase one of operations at the Jubilee Field Project.
The Deputy Energy Minister, Dr Kwabena Donkor, said the discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities would provide the country an immense opportunity to effectively improve on its economy.
He also said all sectors of the economy were being positioned for the take-off into the new economic horizon created by the oil and gas discoveries.
According to Mr Nestor Percy Galley, the acting Director-General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire has facilities for support services and, therefore, making it competitive for Ghana to work fast to install the needed facilities which will give the country full benefits and to contribute to job creation.
He said marine and technical facilities needed to support and provide adequate services to the oil fields would include expansion of the existing facilities at the Takoradi Port, which serves as the nearest commercial port to the oil fields.
Mr Galley disclosed that the an estimated amount of $ 50 million would be needed for the first phase short-term expansion project at the Takoradi Port to serve the oil fields. He said the second phase, which would be the actual project, would be based on the need of the services of the companies and therefore the GPHA would liaise closely with them to identify their needs. Mr Galley said the authority would offer employment opportunities to local people and Ghanaians who had the expertise in the fields of marine technology and port services.
He stated that the authority had already started work with the oil drilling companies on a low key, while waiting for the main aspects of the work.
Mr Galley said the GPHA was working feverishly to ensure that a modest arrangement was made at the Takoradi Port to reap the benefits of the country's oil find.
He said the port would need to undergo some expansion with the provision of certain facilities to make the Takoradi Port capable of providing support services of oil production.
These, he said, would include deep draft berthing facilities for vessels bringing plant and equipment for the oil field, office accommodation for oil companies, open and covered storage facilities for the production materials and pipes and free zone area for production materials.
Mr Galley noted that other areas to be considered by the GPHA were pipe welding, supply of fresh water, bunkering facilities for supply vessels and cranes for handling of plant and materials and trained workforce for stevedoring of plants and machinery from vessels.
He noted that the Takoradi Port would also be dredged and land reclaimed to be developed into oil services facility to support oil production in the short term.
Mr Galley said to ensure partnership, the GPHA had made arrangements to meet the immediate needs of some of the oil companies at the Takoradi Port to enable them to store and weld their drilling pipes and risers and also provide a place for the liquid and bulk plants.
He said the GPHA had also leased out its bauxite berth for rig repairs while other areas in the port had been allocated for storage of equipment and pipes for the oil fields.
Mr Galley reiterated the job opening that the oil find would create in the Tema and Takoradi Metropolitan areas, which are the two port cities in the country, noting that the GPHA would employ and train people in specialised fields while the oil companies would also target local people for on-the-job, artisanal and other duties.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
TOGOLESE PRESIDENT TOURS SUNON ASOGLI POWER, PIONEER FOOD (SPREAD)
The visiting Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbe, on Tuesday visited the Sunon Asogli Power Plant and the Pioneer Food Cannery Limited in Tema.
At the Sunon Plant, President Gnassingbe, who was accompanied by the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, was briefed on the background of the plant by the Chief Executive, Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli State in the Volta Region.
Togbe Afede said the plant, estimated at $600 million, would start generating power in October, this year with a production capacity of 200 megawatts.
He said by October 2010, the plant would be generating 560 megawatts of power to supplement what the Volta River Authority (VRA) currently generates.
Togbe Afede said the visit of the Togolese President was very important because of the interest that Togo has shown in receiving power from Ghana.
He was optimistic that the Sunon Power Plant had come at a time when neighbouring Togo needed support and said plans were underway for the plant to receive gas which would be used to generate the power.
Togbe Afede later led a team of officials from the plant to conduct President Gnassingbe and Mr Mahama round the plant.
President Gnassingbe expressed his happiness about the project, from which his country would soon be receiving power.
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku II, and his entourage, Members of Parliament and officials of the plant welcomed the visiting Togolese President on his arrival at the plant.
At the Sunon Plant, President Gnassingbe, who was accompanied by the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, was briefed on the background of the plant by the Chief Executive, Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli State in the Volta Region.
Togbe Afede said the plant, estimated at $600 million, would start generating power in October, this year with a production capacity of 200 megawatts.
He said by October 2010, the plant would be generating 560 megawatts of power to supplement what the Volta River Authority (VRA) currently generates.
Togbe Afede said the visit of the Togolese President was very important because of the interest that Togo has shown in receiving power from Ghana.
He was optimistic that the Sunon Power Plant had come at a time when neighbouring Togo needed support and said plans were underway for the plant to receive gas which would be used to generate the power.
Togbe Afede later led a team of officials from the plant to conduct President Gnassingbe and Mr Mahama round the plant.
President Gnassingbe expressed his happiness about the project, from which his country would soon be receiving power.
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku II, and his entourage, Members of Parliament and officials of the plant welcomed the visiting Togolese President on his arrival at the plant.
DIRECT ENERGIES INTO BENEFICIAL ACTIVITIES (PAGE 29)
THE youth have been advised to direct their energies at worthwhile and beneficial activities which would give them a strong foundation to face the future.
A Director at the Ledzokuku Municipal Education Office, Mrs Rosetta Addison Sackey, who gave the advice, expressed concern about recent reports about some youth getting involved in crime-related activities such as armed robbery, rape, defilement, murder and drug abuse.
She, therefore, called for intensified efforts by parents, teachers and society at large to ensure discipline among the youth.
Mrs Sackey made the call at the graduation ceremony of the Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly (LEKKMA) III and IV Primary Schools at Nungua. It was on the theme: 'Discipline - a tool for quality education”.
Mrs Addison said the rate at which indiscipline was gradually creeping into the youth required vigorous disciplinary action by both parents and teachers to achieve positive results.
Mrs Addison expressed the view that a lot could be achieved through shared responsibility among the Church, teachers, parents and society at large to instil discipline in children.
She expressed regret that some of the vandalism exhibited by some youth in destroying school properties at all levels were indications of the depth of indiscipline among the youth.
Mrs Addison urged the pupils to allow themselves to be moulded into disciplined youth who would be expected to take up various leadership positions in future.
The education director advised parents to limit the freedom granted children, and encourage them to pursue their future careers or studies in an atmosphere of discipline.
She emphasised the need to make education enticing enough to attract more children, especially girls.
The head teacher of the school, Ms Helena Abrokwa, said the population of girls in the school had increased because of a strategy adopted by the school’s management. As part of the strategy, more girls are encouraged to compete with their male counterparts in outdoor and academic activities and to broaden their knowledge.
Ms Abrokwa said it was the intention of the management to keep the girls in school instead of allowing them to drop.
Ms Abrokwa commended the teaching staff for their devotion and co-operation which enabled it to achieve excellent standards, and also urged them to do more to attain higher goals.
The school was established in 1979 and currently has a student population of 446 out of which 70 were graduating from basic six to junior high school.
The pupils performed sketches and poetry recitals while outstanding pupils were presented with certificates and parcels for their hard work in academics work and for winning laurels in sports for the school.
A Director at the Ledzokuku Municipal Education Office, Mrs Rosetta Addison Sackey, who gave the advice, expressed concern about recent reports about some youth getting involved in crime-related activities such as armed robbery, rape, defilement, murder and drug abuse.
She, therefore, called for intensified efforts by parents, teachers and society at large to ensure discipline among the youth.
Mrs Sackey made the call at the graduation ceremony of the Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly (LEKKMA) III and IV Primary Schools at Nungua. It was on the theme: 'Discipline - a tool for quality education”.
Mrs Addison said the rate at which indiscipline was gradually creeping into the youth required vigorous disciplinary action by both parents and teachers to achieve positive results.
Mrs Addison expressed the view that a lot could be achieved through shared responsibility among the Church, teachers, parents and society at large to instil discipline in children.
She expressed regret that some of the vandalism exhibited by some youth in destroying school properties at all levels were indications of the depth of indiscipline among the youth.
Mrs Addison urged the pupils to allow themselves to be moulded into disciplined youth who would be expected to take up various leadership positions in future.
The education director advised parents to limit the freedom granted children, and encourage them to pursue their future careers or studies in an atmosphere of discipline.
She emphasised the need to make education enticing enough to attract more children, especially girls.
The head teacher of the school, Ms Helena Abrokwa, said the population of girls in the school had increased because of a strategy adopted by the school’s management. As part of the strategy, more girls are encouraged to compete with their male counterparts in outdoor and academic activities and to broaden their knowledge.
Ms Abrokwa said it was the intention of the management to keep the girls in school instead of allowing them to drop.
Ms Abrokwa commended the teaching staff for their devotion and co-operation which enabled it to achieve excellent standards, and also urged them to do more to attain higher goals.
The school was established in 1979 and currently has a student population of 446 out of which 70 were graduating from basic six to junior high school.
The pupils performed sketches and poetry recitals while outstanding pupils were presented with certificates and parcels for their hard work in academics work and for winning laurels in sports for the school.
EFFORTS TO GIVE SUPPORT TO AIDS VICTIMS (PAGE 31)
The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Ghana) in collaboration with the Tema Metropolitan Aids Committee has organised a one-day policy dialogue forum in Tema to provide recommendations to policy makers on how to improve access to justice for AIDS and HIV infected and affected women.
The forum, which brought together stakeholders, representatives of Civil Society Organisations and state institutions, implored the judiciary to improve on knowledge relating to the stigmatisation of people living with HIV and AIDS.
The forum, on the theme, “Promoting and protecting the rights of women affected and infected by HIV and AIDS” also called on (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service to apply the law to protect people with the infection.
A member of FIDA Ghana, Mrs Chris Dadzie, who made a presentation on the role of legal aid institutions in providing comprehensive legal assistance for women infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. urged members of the public to curb activities which stigmatised infected people.
She noted that though there was a law that ensured that infected people were protected, the legal system had not defended them adequately, and therefore encouraged some people to violate the rights of infected people.
Mrs Dadzie appealed to NGOs working to educate the public to defend the infected people and intensify their operations to change the concept of discrimination against infected people.
She was optimistic that the legal system might change for the better if the stakeholders intensified their operations to defend women who were discriminated against.
Mrs Dadzie said the 1992 Constitution had provisions on the Criminal Code, the Domestic Violence Act, Labour Act, Intestate Succession Act and the HIV/Aids policy all of which point to human rights violation against women, among others.
Mrs Dadzie emphasised the need for a legal framework and environment to prevent HIV, noting that inadequate access to health care , legal services, resources for economic security and participation in decision-making at all levels had affected the human rights of the affected people.
She called on people living with the virus who had been stigmatised to consult officials of DOVVSU, Social Welfare, FIDA and the CBOs for support and advice on their rights.
The Tema Metropolitan HIV and AIDS Focal Person, Mr Kwame Brefo-Boateng, said according to the National HIV Prevalence and AIDs Estimates, an estimated 236,151 persons lived with HIV in Ghana in the year 2008, with an adult prevalence rate of 1.7 per cent.
He stated that the prevalence rate in Tema at the same time was 2.0 per cent, which hitherto was 2.2 per cent in 2007, 3.6 per cent in 2006 and 2.7 per cent in 2005.
Mr Brefo-Kwame said most of the cases involved people between the prime ages of 20 and 45.
He said Tema used to rank among other towns with a prevalence rate of 6.4 per cent, which was above the National average of 3.1 per cent.
Mr Brefo-Kwame urged them not to be complacent but continue to take precautions and avoid practices which would put them in situations that could lead to infection.
Speaking on negative socio-cultural practices and women's vulnerablity to violence, HIV and AIDS, Mr Brefo-Kwame appealed to every individual to be bold to go for testing to ascertain their status to help reduce infection and also mitigate the impact of the disease on health and socio-economic activities while promoting lifestyles.
Mr Brefo-Kwame outlined some negative socio-cultural practices that influenced female vulnerability to HIV infections to include widowhood rites, societal acceptance of polygamy and extramarital affairs rape, early sexual activity, truancy and broken home.
He said drug abuse and refusal to use condoms could be contributory factors to infection of the disease.
Mr Brefo-Kwame recounted violence against women to include rape, child marriage, female genital mutilation, widow inheritance, religious bondage and attacks on house helps as socio-cultural practices that had been meted out to women
He said the disease still had no cure, and therefore appealed to women, to lead healthy lifestyles to avoid being infected by the disease. An infected middle-aged man who attended the forum disclosed that those affected by the disease were stigmatsed, citing himself as an example.
He said neighbours had on a daily basis harrassed him and his wife, making life uncomfortable.
The man living with the HIV/AIDS appealed to FIDA and DOVVSU to come clear on the laws which made it illegal for people to stigmatise those living with the disease.
The forum, which brought together stakeholders, representatives of Civil Society Organisations and state institutions, implored the judiciary to improve on knowledge relating to the stigmatisation of people living with HIV and AIDS.
The forum, on the theme, “Promoting and protecting the rights of women affected and infected by HIV and AIDS” also called on (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service to apply the law to protect people with the infection.
A member of FIDA Ghana, Mrs Chris Dadzie, who made a presentation on the role of legal aid institutions in providing comprehensive legal assistance for women infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. urged members of the public to curb activities which stigmatised infected people.
She noted that though there was a law that ensured that infected people were protected, the legal system had not defended them adequately, and therefore encouraged some people to violate the rights of infected people.
Mrs Dadzie appealed to NGOs working to educate the public to defend the infected people and intensify their operations to change the concept of discrimination against infected people.
She was optimistic that the legal system might change for the better if the stakeholders intensified their operations to defend women who were discriminated against.
Mrs Dadzie said the 1992 Constitution had provisions on the Criminal Code, the Domestic Violence Act, Labour Act, Intestate Succession Act and the HIV/Aids policy all of which point to human rights violation against women, among others.
Mrs Dadzie emphasised the need for a legal framework and environment to prevent HIV, noting that inadequate access to health care , legal services, resources for economic security and participation in decision-making at all levels had affected the human rights of the affected people.
She called on people living with the virus who had been stigmatised to consult officials of DOVVSU, Social Welfare, FIDA and the CBOs for support and advice on their rights.
The Tema Metropolitan HIV and AIDS Focal Person, Mr Kwame Brefo-Boateng, said according to the National HIV Prevalence and AIDs Estimates, an estimated 236,151 persons lived with HIV in Ghana in the year 2008, with an adult prevalence rate of 1.7 per cent.
He stated that the prevalence rate in Tema at the same time was 2.0 per cent, which hitherto was 2.2 per cent in 2007, 3.6 per cent in 2006 and 2.7 per cent in 2005.
Mr Brefo-Kwame said most of the cases involved people between the prime ages of 20 and 45.
He said Tema used to rank among other towns with a prevalence rate of 6.4 per cent, which was above the National average of 3.1 per cent.
Mr Brefo-Kwame urged them not to be complacent but continue to take precautions and avoid practices which would put them in situations that could lead to infection.
Speaking on negative socio-cultural practices and women's vulnerablity to violence, HIV and AIDS, Mr Brefo-Kwame appealed to every individual to be bold to go for testing to ascertain their status to help reduce infection and also mitigate the impact of the disease on health and socio-economic activities while promoting lifestyles.
Mr Brefo-Kwame outlined some negative socio-cultural practices that influenced female vulnerability to HIV infections to include widowhood rites, societal acceptance of polygamy and extramarital affairs rape, early sexual activity, truancy and broken home.
He said drug abuse and refusal to use condoms could be contributory factors to infection of the disease.
Mr Brefo-Kwame recounted violence against women to include rape, child marriage, female genital mutilation, widow inheritance, religious bondage and attacks on house helps as socio-cultural practices that had been meted out to women
He said the disease still had no cure, and therefore appealed to women, to lead healthy lifestyles to avoid being infected by the disease. An infected middle-aged man who attended the forum disclosed that those affected by the disease were stigmatsed, citing himself as an example.
He said neighbours had on a daily basis harrassed him and his wife, making life uncomfortable.
The man living with the HIV/AIDS appealed to FIDA and DOVVSU to come clear on the laws which made it illegal for people to stigmatise those living with the disease.
VALCO EMPLOYEES HOUSING COOP GET 20 MORE HOUSES (PAGE 31)
The VALCO Employees Housing Co-operative Society Limited (VEHOCS) has completed and handed over 10 blocks of 20 houses to its members bringing to 201 the number of beneficiaries since the society started operating in 1992.
Each of the workers, most of whom are unemployed as a result of layoffs, is entitled to a two-bedroom self-contained unit with facilities.
At the inauguration of the houses, the acting Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Mr Felix Ampomah Kusi, said co-operative development was an important and integral part of the national multi-sectoral approach to fight against poverty.
He explained that the poor could be mobilised in their small way to contribute financially to achieve meaningful results to better their lot.
Mr Kusi commended members of VEHOCS for working hard to acquire the houses.
This, he noted, was achieved through determination, dedication and concerted effort, as well as through the support of stakeholders.
Mr Kusi urged other groups of people to take advantage of the co-operatives to reduce poverty, stating that there were other areas such as agriculture, finance, industry and service co-operatives which could be taken advantage of.
The Deputy Managing Director of VALCO, Mr George Dodd, commended the workers for coming together to make such huge investments to accommodate their members.
He said management would not relent in its efforts to give support to the workers when the need arose and urged them to ensure that the investment was put to good use.
The President of VEHOCS, Mr Jerry Aikins, said the inauguration of the 20 houses represented the completion of the first phase of the housing project initiated by VEHOCS.
He urged other VALCO workers who were either laid off or still in employment to join the society to benefit from the scheme, adding that those who had benefited must also ensure that they paid up to enable the society to provide more houses for other members.
Mr Aikins noted that the society had a total of 252 members and had earlier housed 181 of them and therefore with the allocation of the 20 units the total number of beneficiaries had come to 201.
He expressed the gratitude of members to Nene Martey Kpone-Gbugbla and elders of Mataheko-Afienya for releasing the land and promised to ensure that it was used for the purpose for which it was allocated.
Mr Aikins announced that the society was ready to start the next phase of the project immediately and re-echoed to members to make do with their commitments.
He appealed to the Dangme West District Assembly to aid the beneficiaries to put the road network in good shape to encourage the people to take settlement as early as possible.
The District Co-ordinating Director of Dangme West, Mr Emmanuel Nartey, commended the workers for the effort and called on other workers to emulate the example.
He appealed to the beneficiaries to pay their property rates promptly to enable the assembly to provide the needed facilities in the area.
Nene Martey Kpone-Gbugbla, assisted by the Very Reverend Fr Andrew Campbell, cut the tape to inaugurate the houses.
Each of the workers, most of whom are unemployed as a result of layoffs, is entitled to a two-bedroom self-contained unit with facilities.
At the inauguration of the houses, the acting Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Mr Felix Ampomah Kusi, said co-operative development was an important and integral part of the national multi-sectoral approach to fight against poverty.
He explained that the poor could be mobilised in their small way to contribute financially to achieve meaningful results to better their lot.
Mr Kusi commended members of VEHOCS for working hard to acquire the houses.
This, he noted, was achieved through determination, dedication and concerted effort, as well as through the support of stakeholders.
Mr Kusi urged other groups of people to take advantage of the co-operatives to reduce poverty, stating that there were other areas such as agriculture, finance, industry and service co-operatives which could be taken advantage of.
The Deputy Managing Director of VALCO, Mr George Dodd, commended the workers for coming together to make such huge investments to accommodate their members.
He said management would not relent in its efforts to give support to the workers when the need arose and urged them to ensure that the investment was put to good use.
The President of VEHOCS, Mr Jerry Aikins, said the inauguration of the 20 houses represented the completion of the first phase of the housing project initiated by VEHOCS.
He urged other VALCO workers who were either laid off or still in employment to join the society to benefit from the scheme, adding that those who had benefited must also ensure that they paid up to enable the society to provide more houses for other members.
Mr Aikins noted that the society had a total of 252 members and had earlier housed 181 of them and therefore with the allocation of the 20 units the total number of beneficiaries had come to 201.
He expressed the gratitude of members to Nene Martey Kpone-Gbugbla and elders of Mataheko-Afienya for releasing the land and promised to ensure that it was used for the purpose for which it was allocated.
Mr Aikins announced that the society was ready to start the next phase of the project immediately and re-echoed to members to make do with their commitments.
He appealed to the Dangme West District Assembly to aid the beneficiaries to put the road network in good shape to encourage the people to take settlement as early as possible.
The District Co-ordinating Director of Dangme West, Mr Emmanuel Nartey, commended the workers for the effort and called on other workers to emulate the example.
He appealed to the beneficiaries to pay their property rates promptly to enable the assembly to provide the needed facilities in the area.
Nene Martey Kpone-Gbugbla, assisted by the Very Reverend Fr Andrew Campbell, cut the tape to inaugurate the houses.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
ROTARY CLUB'S POLICE STATION PROJECT NEARS COMPLETION (PAGE 30)
An estimated GH¢ 1.1 billion police station project initiated by the Tema Rotary Club last year is to be completed this year to serve communities 6, 10 ,11 and 12 which are far away from any police station facility in Tema but are areas where criminal activities have been on the ascendancy in the metropolis.
The project, which forms part of the club’s service to communities is presently at the roofing level .
The newly-elected President of the Rotary Club, Mr John Bisiw, made this known during a fund-raising programme at Tema.
He also expressed the club’s commitment to equipping the youth to face future challenges in life by providing the Gbetsile Cluster of schools with a community library.There are about 700 pupils and students from the Kindergarten, primary up to the junior high school level.
Mr Bisiw urged members of the club to ensure that they held on to voluntarism and continued to strive for the survival of needy people and fight against malaria, hunger, Aids, ,illiteracy and other forms of deprivations.
The biggest project of the Tema Rotary Club is its book distribution which equips schools and other institutional libararies with books.
Mr Bisiw said under this project, which is aimed at equipping the youth with good knowledge to face future challenges, the club had distributed over US$45 million worth of books to various institutions.
He recounted that the club had in the past year provided a clinic for the Kpone community, a blood bank for the Tema General Hospital, a set of surgical instruments to the La General Hospital and constructed a fence for the Padmore School in Tema.
The outgoing President of the Tema Rotary Club, Mr Ben Richard Aniagyei, thanked members for their support and assistance offered him during his tenure of office.
He congratulated all companies, individuals and Rotarians whose contributions in cash and kind made it possible for the club to undertake its projects.
Mr Aniagyei later installed the new President into office and urged him to work harder and in close collaboration with his board members to achieve the club’s objectives.
Some Rotarians were presented with the Paul Harris Fellow awards for their contributions to support the club’s humanitarian projects including polio eradication.
The club organised raffle games and lucky dips to raise funds for its projects.
The project, which forms part of the club’s service to communities is presently at the roofing level .
The newly-elected President of the Rotary Club, Mr John Bisiw, made this known during a fund-raising programme at Tema.
He also expressed the club’s commitment to equipping the youth to face future challenges in life by providing the Gbetsile Cluster of schools with a community library.There are about 700 pupils and students from the Kindergarten, primary up to the junior high school level.
Mr Bisiw urged members of the club to ensure that they held on to voluntarism and continued to strive for the survival of needy people and fight against malaria, hunger, Aids, ,illiteracy and other forms of deprivations.
The biggest project of the Tema Rotary Club is its book distribution which equips schools and other institutional libararies with books.
Mr Bisiw said under this project, which is aimed at equipping the youth with good knowledge to face future challenges, the club had distributed over US$45 million worth of books to various institutions.
He recounted that the club had in the past year provided a clinic for the Kpone community, a blood bank for the Tema General Hospital, a set of surgical instruments to the La General Hospital and constructed a fence for the Padmore School in Tema.
The outgoing President of the Tema Rotary Club, Mr Ben Richard Aniagyei, thanked members for their support and assistance offered him during his tenure of office.
He congratulated all companies, individuals and Rotarians whose contributions in cash and kind made it possible for the club to undertake its projects.
Mr Aniagyei later installed the new President into office and urged him to work harder and in close collaboration with his board members to achieve the club’s objectives.
Some Rotarians were presented with the Paul Harris Fellow awards for their contributions to support the club’s humanitarian projects including polio eradication.
The club organised raffle games and lucky dips to raise funds for its projects.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
FACELIFT FOR ASHAIMAN MARKET (BACK PAGE)
The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (AMA) is to rehabilitate the main Ashaiman Market at an estimated cost of GH¢150,000 to give the market a facelift.
Present conditions at the market are very deplorable with bad layout, causing overcrowding.
Compounding the problem is the frequent flooding that renders the place muddy whenever it rains, a situation which affects the free flow of traffic.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Numo Adinortey Addison, told the Daily Graphic that the project would be funded from the assembly's share of the District Assemblies Common Fund and internally generated resources.
He stated that the assembly needed to improve on its infrastructure for it to befit its status as a municipality.
The chief executive was of the view that Ashaiman was expanding steadily, with a corresponding increase in population, and that such development and expansion called for a general appraisal of the municipality.
Numo Addison stated that the market would be expanded and more sheds provided for the traders.
He said the assembly would provide places of convenience, and electricity extended to the market as part of the arrangement to enhance security.
He appealed to the women to vacate the sheds to pave way for the project to be executed anytime it became necessary.
Present conditions at the market are very deplorable with bad layout, causing overcrowding.
Compounding the problem is the frequent flooding that renders the place muddy whenever it rains, a situation which affects the free flow of traffic.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Numo Adinortey Addison, told the Daily Graphic that the project would be funded from the assembly's share of the District Assemblies Common Fund and internally generated resources.
He stated that the assembly needed to improve on its infrastructure for it to befit its status as a municipality.
The chief executive was of the view that Ashaiman was expanding steadily, with a corresponding increase in population, and that such development and expansion called for a general appraisal of the municipality.
Numo Addison stated that the market would be expanded and more sheds provided for the traders.
He said the assembly would provide places of convenience, and electricity extended to the market as part of the arrangement to enhance security.
He appealed to the women to vacate the sheds to pave way for the project to be executed anytime it became necessary.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
ASHAIMAN ASSEMBLY TDC URGD TO COLLABORATE TO REGISTER ALL HOUSES (PAGE 29)
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku, has urged the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly to co-ordinate with the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) to register all houses in the municipality to raise revenue for the assembly.
He explained that early residents of Ashaiman,which was then known as 'Kwasei', went there when the people of Tema were re-located to Manhean, and therefore, it was by compulsion and not by choice that they went there.
Nii Kraku said this when the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive, Numo Adinortey Addison, called on the Tema Mantse to present customary drinks to him to mark the celebration of the Homowo festival by the people of Tema Manhean.
The Tema Mantse said Ashaiman was a young municipality, and therefore, would need to harness all available resources to develop, as its population continued to grow.
He expressed concern about the way houses were being put up haphazardly.
Nii Kraku said the TDC, as the planning authority, could not be left out in bringing sanity to the system and must, therefore, be involved in ensuring proper development of the municipality.
He said residents of Ashaiman expected to benefit from its new status, and must therefore, work hard with his team of officers for the benefit of the people.
Nii Kraku advised the municipal chief executive to be firm in order to leave his mark on the municipality.
The Municipal Chief Executive,Numo Addison, expressed the gratitude of the assembly to the chief and his stool elders for their concern with regard to the development of Ashaiman .
He gave the assurance that he would work hard to ensure that the image of Ashaiman improved to attract people to it .
Numo Addison appealed to the traditional council to assist the assembly with land for development.
He said Ashaiman needed land for more schools, hospitality and recreational facilities, among others.
He urged landowners of Ashaiman to support the assembly to pursue its development agenda.
He was accompanied by the Presiding Member of the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly, Mr Nikoi Djanie, some assembly members and staff.
He explained that early residents of Ashaiman,which was then known as 'Kwasei', went there when the people of Tema were re-located to Manhean, and therefore, it was by compulsion and not by choice that they went there.
Nii Kraku said this when the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive, Numo Adinortey Addison, called on the Tema Mantse to present customary drinks to him to mark the celebration of the Homowo festival by the people of Tema Manhean.
The Tema Mantse said Ashaiman was a young municipality, and therefore, would need to harness all available resources to develop, as its population continued to grow.
He expressed concern about the way houses were being put up haphazardly.
Nii Kraku said the TDC, as the planning authority, could not be left out in bringing sanity to the system and must, therefore, be involved in ensuring proper development of the municipality.
He said residents of Ashaiman expected to benefit from its new status, and must therefore, work hard with his team of officers for the benefit of the people.
Nii Kraku advised the municipal chief executive to be firm in order to leave his mark on the municipality.
The Municipal Chief Executive,Numo Addison, expressed the gratitude of the assembly to the chief and his stool elders for their concern with regard to the development of Ashaiman .
He gave the assurance that he would work hard to ensure that the image of Ashaiman improved to attract people to it .
Numo Addison appealed to the traditional council to assist the assembly with land for development.
He said Ashaiman needed land for more schools, hospitality and recreational facilities, among others.
He urged landowners of Ashaiman to support the assembly to pursue its development agenda.
He was accompanied by the Presiding Member of the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly, Mr Nikoi Djanie, some assembly members and staff.
TEMA POLICE NAB 22SUSPECTED ROBBERS (PAGE 29)
The Tema Regional Police Patrol team arrested 22 suspected robbers at Gorme, near Ada, after they had terrorised and robbed travellers on the Ada -Accra stretch in the early hours of Tuesday August 11, 2009. One of the suspected robbers was however killed during the operation.
One of the suspects was nearly lynched and his condition is said to be critical.
The suspected robbers were numbered more than 30 and they were said to have engaged the police in a fierce battle during which the police was able to arrest 20 of them.
The suspects included juveniles who were allegedly armed with machetes and knives, and tracked down travellers who were returning from the Ada Asafotufiam festival.
Items found on them included a large number of mobile phones, a DVD player , a television set, travelling bags, matchetes and different types of knives.
The Tema Regional Police Commander, ACP Augustine Gyening, told the media that at about 12.30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 11, 2009, the police had information that some criminals were attacking unsuspecting residents, visitors and travellers who were returning form Ada after joining the people to celebrate the Asafotufiam festival that weekend.
He said the police suspected the robbers, whose ages ranged between 11 and 21 years, to be landguards at Dahwenya, Zenu , Gbetsile and their immediate surroundings, who had gone to Gorme on motorbikes and hid in some uncompleted buildings waiting to strike in the night.
ACP Gyening said when the police patrol team got to the area, the robbers in an attempt to escape, fired at the police compelling the police to return fire in self defence. Sensing danger the robbers allegedly ran into the community with the police in close pursuit.
He said when residents of the Gorme community saw the police chasing the suspected robbers they gave them support and succeeded in arresting 13 of them.
ACP Gyening said the remaining nine suspected robbers were rounded up in their various hideouts in the community when the police combed further in the morning.
He gave the assurance that the police would ensure that they protected citizens from criminals.
ACP Gyening warned against the use of landguards because it had contributed to armed robbery as the same people metamorphosed into armed robbers at night to terrorise people.
One of the suspects was nearly lynched and his condition is said to be critical.
The suspected robbers were numbered more than 30 and they were said to have engaged the police in a fierce battle during which the police was able to arrest 20 of them.
The suspects included juveniles who were allegedly armed with machetes and knives, and tracked down travellers who were returning from the Ada Asafotufiam festival.
Items found on them included a large number of mobile phones, a DVD player , a television set, travelling bags, matchetes and different types of knives.
The Tema Regional Police Commander, ACP Augustine Gyening, told the media that at about 12.30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 11, 2009, the police had information that some criminals were attacking unsuspecting residents, visitors and travellers who were returning form Ada after joining the people to celebrate the Asafotufiam festival that weekend.
He said the police suspected the robbers, whose ages ranged between 11 and 21 years, to be landguards at Dahwenya, Zenu , Gbetsile and their immediate surroundings, who had gone to Gorme on motorbikes and hid in some uncompleted buildings waiting to strike in the night.
ACP Gyening said when the police patrol team got to the area, the robbers in an attempt to escape, fired at the police compelling the police to return fire in self defence. Sensing danger the robbers allegedly ran into the community with the police in close pursuit.
He said when residents of the Gorme community saw the police chasing the suspected robbers they gave them support and succeeded in arresting 13 of them.
ACP Gyening said the remaining nine suspected robbers were rounded up in their various hideouts in the community when the police combed further in the morning.
He gave the assurance that the police would ensure that they protected citizens from criminals.
ACP Gyening warned against the use of landguards because it had contributed to armed robbery as the same people metamorphosed into armed robbers at night to terrorise people.
MARIE STOPES STEPS UP MATERNAL EDUCATION (PAGE 11)
A number of health-related organisations have intensified efforts at initiating projects and programmes geared towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
One of such organisations that is working towards the attainment of MDG 4, which relates to reducing child mortality and MDG 5, which relates to improving maternal health, is the Ghana branch of Marie Stopes International.
The organisation, in collaboration with queens in Tema Manhean, launched a programme to educate the people on maternal mortality in line with the attainment of the MDGs.
Participants were enlightened on improved methods of maternal care and family planning methods and the dangers involved in the use of herbs and other unapproved methods of aborting pregnancies.
Asafoanyemei in Tema Manhean who were present at the forum, expressed concern about the rate at which some women of reproductive age in the area had lost their lives as a result of the use of unorthodox means to prevent and terminate pregnancies.
According to Asafoanye Naa Kortu, there was the need for queens and elders of traditional areas to join hands with organisations engaged in education and provision of care to prevent maternal mortality .
She said teenage pregnancy coupled with school drop out was high in Tema Manhean and called for intensive education by the traditional authority and related organisations to curb the trend.
The Country Director of Marie Stopes International, Mrs Faustina Fynn-Nyame, said the organisation realised the importance of queens as role models in society and their role in offering advice to young women to lead responsible lives.
She advised the people to disabuse their minds of the misconceptions about family planning method and appealed to the queens to meet with the women from time to time to sustain the educational programme
Mrs Fynn-Nyame mentioned unsafe abortion haemorrhage and sepsis as some of the causes of maternal deaths and stressed the need for improved access to good reproductive health to reduce maternal mortality rates in the country
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku, expressed concern about the attitude of some women who resort to the use of dangerous concoctions to abort unwanted pregnancies and advised them to seek medical attention at the available clinics by making use of the health insurance scheme.
The participants were later taken through the practical use of modern family planning methods.
One of such organisations that is working towards the attainment of MDG 4, which relates to reducing child mortality and MDG 5, which relates to improving maternal health, is the Ghana branch of Marie Stopes International.
The organisation, in collaboration with queens in Tema Manhean, launched a programme to educate the people on maternal mortality in line with the attainment of the MDGs.
Participants were enlightened on improved methods of maternal care and family planning methods and the dangers involved in the use of herbs and other unapproved methods of aborting pregnancies.
Asafoanyemei in Tema Manhean who were present at the forum, expressed concern about the rate at which some women of reproductive age in the area had lost their lives as a result of the use of unorthodox means to prevent and terminate pregnancies.
According to Asafoanye Naa Kortu, there was the need for queens and elders of traditional areas to join hands with organisations engaged in education and provision of care to prevent maternal mortality .
She said teenage pregnancy coupled with school drop out was high in Tema Manhean and called for intensive education by the traditional authority and related organisations to curb the trend.
The Country Director of Marie Stopes International, Mrs Faustina Fynn-Nyame, said the organisation realised the importance of queens as role models in society and their role in offering advice to young women to lead responsible lives.
She advised the people to disabuse their minds of the misconceptions about family planning method and appealed to the queens to meet with the women from time to time to sustain the educational programme
Mrs Fynn-Nyame mentioned unsafe abortion haemorrhage and sepsis as some of the causes of maternal deaths and stressed the need for improved access to good reproductive health to reduce maternal mortality rates in the country
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku, expressed concern about the attitude of some women who resort to the use of dangerous concoctions to abort unwanted pregnancies and advised them to seek medical attention at the available clinics by making use of the health insurance scheme.
The participants were later taken through the practical use of modern family planning methods.
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