THE THOUGHTS ROOM

THE First Lady, Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills, has urged the youth to launch into the future with higher ideas and inspiration in order to attain greater heights. She said prospects for the unknown future could be achieved by developing talents and making use of opportunities presented to them. Mrs Mills made the call when she addressed a group of students from Washington D.C., USA, and Ghana at the Oiada Transatlantic Conference which was made possible by Polycom Corporation and Vodafone Corporation. The teleconference was between members of the Oiada International and Akoma Ntoaso Cultural Group of the USA and Ghana, respectively, to celebrate African culture and history in the world. The First Lady congratulated the group on initiating a network that sought to bridge the communication gap between two different cultures. “I am encouraged to see how technology is being used to promote peace and understanding between peoples by learning about what binds us as a people,” she said. She noted

A 23-page report on the state of sanitation in the Accra metropolis has revealed that most households and schools lack the basic water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, most importantly, toilet facilities. This was made known when the Ghana Watsan Journalists Network, a non-profit organisation with focus on water, sanitation and hygiene, presented the report to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly after a year-long campaign dubbed “Drop it in a whole”. The report, which was compiled as part of activities marking World Toilet Day 2010 by the GWJN with assistance from Water Aid Ghana, aimed at assessing and highlighting the state of sanitation conditions and facilities in some selected low income communities in Accra. According to the Co-ordinator of GWJN, Mr Peter Serinye, filth has a devastating effect on the nation's economy as official sources indicate that the nation spend at least US$ 700 million annually, treating malaria. He said it was necessary to understand that unsanitary c

The Nestle Group of Companies (NGC) has launched its Nestle Business Services (NBS) Africa in Accra, to offer internal shared services to Nestle operating companies in Central and Western Africa. NBS would provide four main categories of services, namely employee services, financial services, facilities and procurement services to the various subsidiary companies of Nestle operating across the continent from a central point in Accra. The Chief Executive Officer of NGC, Mr Paul Bulcke, said NGC believed in shared value, thus the establishment of the NBS Africa, in order to increase and improve on its performance. "We believe that grouping activities that used to be done in every country or sometimes in every factory into a single centre will help us to be more efficient globally," he said. He said "from here in Accra, Nestle suppliers located all over Africa will have their invoices processed to be paid and payroll of our thousands of employees in the region being process

THE first Ghana Health Awards that seeks to honour health institutions and individuals for promoting health care delivery in the country has been launched in Accra. The awards scheme also seeks to build a sense of patriotism and professionalism in health care professionals. To qualify for an award, Ghanaian health professionals would nominate colleagues, hospitals, clinics or other health care service providers that deserve recognition for outstanding performance, contribution, achievements and the level of professionalism exhibited in delivering quality health care services in the country. After this a panel of judges would review the entries and shortlist nominees for the various categories. Regional and national awards will be given to the best hospital and clinic, best private hospital and clinic, best doctor, nurse, best midwife and best laboratory technician. Other awards will include the best hospital or clinic in child care, best hospital or clinic in maternal health, best hosp

THE government is to construct 1,000 school blocks this year and additional 2,000 next year to eliminate schools under trees in the country. The Vice-president, Mr John Dramani Mahama, said the government had already built 1,500 school blocks last year. This will bring to 4,500 the total number of school blocks needed to phase out schools under trees throughout the country, he said and stressed that “no child will study under trees by the end of 2012”. He was speaking at the 84th Speech and Prize-giving/Founders Day of the Krobo Girls’ Presbyterian Senior High School on Saturday. Prizes were given to deserving students and teachers at the event. The school, which was established by Scottish missionaries in 1927, has produced prominent citizens and now has a student population of 1,600. Mr Mahama noted that the achievement of accelerated growth in every country, “depends on human capital”. Therefore, he said, the government was committed to creating a conducive atmosphere for teaching a

The Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES) and religious bodies have been urged to institute stricter measures to deal with male teachers who sexually harass female students in schools. The Director of the New York University in Ghana, Professor Akosua Anyidoho, who made the call said, “If a teacher or a school official, who should know better causes the termination of a girl’s education, the law should be made to deal with him”. “Such predators should not be allowed to teach; transferring them to other schools to continue their act is not enough a punishment and society, including religious bodies must condemn such acts unequivocally”, she added. Prof Anyidoho was speaking at the 84th speech and prize giving day/founders day of Krobo Girls’ Senior High School on the theme “Socio-economic development of Ghana, the role of Girl Education”. She emphasised that the growing tendency of such male teachers’ misbehaviour was completely unacceptable and must be stopped. She o

A Barrister at Law, Mr Ernest Kofi Abotsi has called for the review of the Criminal code which suppresses the freedom of expression of journalists. He said since the country was trying to consolidate its democracy, it was important that it addressed the challenges posed by collonially oriented laws which remained incompatible with the values of modern democracy. Mr Abotsi made the call when he presented a critique at a roundtable discussion on the criminal offences Act 29, 1960 and freedom of the speech which was organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa to propose an amendment to the Criminal code Act 29, 1960 in order to move forward the development of a democratic culture in the country, following the arrest of journalists who had in one way or the other violated certain provisions of the Act. He said the law as it stood now could be exploited by the state to undermine the rights of the media to free expression . He further noted that the continuous existence of the law co

THE Programmes Director of the Lutheran Church in Liberia, Reverend Moses B. Gobbah, has called on faith-based organisations (FBOs) to play a vital role in reaching communities infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. He said FBOs must be instrumental in convincing political leaders at the national, regional and local levels to prioritise the needs of affected populations. He said tackling the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa was a long-term task that required sustained efforts and the commitment of all sectors in providing care and treatment for people infected and affected by the disease. “Due to the inherent mandate of compassion, FBOs are in an excellent position to mobilise volunteers and provide spiritual, physical and emotional care for people living with HIV,” he noted. Rev Gobbah made the call at a seminar organised by the Lutheran Communion in Central and Western Africa (LUCCWA) to discuss the need to integrate HIV/AIDS discussions in theological education. He said the issues surrounding