THE THOUGHTS ROOM

Story: Jasmine Arku & Linden Morris THE Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Mike Hammah, has called on mining companies to give local entrepreneurs the opportunity to take part in the value chain in the private sector. He said although mining companies were not compelled to do so, there was the need for them to show interest and consider proposals submitted by local entrepreneurs. Mr Hammah made the call when the newly appointed Senior Vice-President of AngloGold Ashanti, Ghana, Mr Peter Anderton, paid a courtesy call to him at the ministry. He added that the government was considering a review of the mining policy which would define the responsibilities of mining companies to the communities in order to support their development. He congratulated AngloGold Ashanti on upholding policy guidelines and its responsibilities to the development and maintenance of mining communities. Mr Hammah said the mining sector played an important role in growing the country’s economy, addin

Story: Jasmine Arku ONE thousand, three hundred and ten youth in the Greater Accra Region have been enrolled onto the Youth in Road Maintenance and Repairs Module of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP). The module, which has already been launched in the Central, Northern, Ashanti, Volta and Eastern regions, is expected to create jobs for more than 10,000 youth in the areas of repairing and maintaining the country’s roads regularly and clearing bushes and other impediments along the roads. Launching the module in the Greater Accra Region, the Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashietey, expressed the belief that the programme would go a long way to decrease the “unceasing road accidents and carnage that occur on our roads”. He said while the objective of the programme was to provide the youth with jobs, it would also ensure that they contributed significantly to the socio-economic development of the nation. Mr Ashietey, therefore, entreated the beneficiaries and other interested yo

Story: Jasmine Arku & Evelyn Akagbo MORE than 90,000 workers in the informal sector have enrolled onto the Informal Sector Fund of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), three years after its introduction. The workers, including footballers, boxers, musicians, hairdressers, seamstresses, farmers and traders, will benefit from the SSNIT Pension Scheme on attaining their retirement ages. The Marketing Officer of the SSNIT Informal Sector Fund, Mr Prince Boakye, made this known to journalists during a float organised by the Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) in Accra yesterday. Organised on the theme, “Join the third-tier pension scheme”, the float formed part of a campaign to get majority of informal economy operators to participate in saving towards their retirement. The participants, who were drawn from the vario

SRUCTURES of the Achimota Primary School are currently in a deplorable condition and pose a threat to the lives of pupils. Pupils of the school have been studying in the temporal wooden structures which were built in 1959. A visit to the school by the Daily Graphic revealed that for the past 52 years, the school had not seen any major rehabilitation work. This reporter visited the school when old students of the school made a presentation to the school’s sick bay. The presentation was made possible through the benevolence of Maxim Cosmetics and the items included disinfectants, liquid soap and paints. All the classrooms are without windows while some of the wood used in the construction work are worn out and at the verge of collapse. Most disheartening is the fact that the classrooms are packed with about 50 pupils being attended to by one teacher, whilst the pupils have no option than to write on broken desks. The Headmaster of the Basic Department, Mr Frank Armah, said he had written

The Anglican Diocese of Accra has ordained the first three women deacons as priests of the Anglican Church of Ghana. The three are Rev Mrs Stella Bentsi-Enchil, Rev Mrs Alberta Kennies Addo and Rev Ms Susanna C. Naana Ackun. In a sermon, the Archbishop and Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa and Bishop of Accra, the Most Rev Dr Justice O. Akrofi, reminded the new priests of their call to fulfil the vision of God for mankind. He said they had been called among many and, therefore, they should act as leaders with great respect, humility, patience and love for all. He reminded them of the various gifts which God had endowed them with and urged them to facilitate the different gifts within the church in order to promote its growth. The Most Rev Dr Akrofi also urged them to uphold holiness and make Christ the centre of their lives. "Have concern for modest life within your own priestly vocation. The development of your own spirituality should be paramount if you are to

SQUATTERS have taken over the Museum of Science and Technology (MST) project in Accra which was abandoned decades ago. The project, estimated to cost GH¢52.10 when it was initiated in 1974, now requires thousands of Ghana cedis to complete. A visit to the project site revealed that squatters had turned the uncompleted building into dwelling places, while hawkers had used some portions as storage places for their goods. It was also observed that some monuments and artefacts also lay on the bare floor of the abandoned building. Other portions had also been left to decay, while window glasses had also broken. Being the brainchild of Alan M. May and Wright, then lecturers at the University of Ghana, Legon, the MST was established in August 1965 to preserve the cultural heritage and the monumental achievements in science and technology of the country. Briefing the Daily Graphic on the project, the Principal Curator of the MST, Mr Agyiri Sackey, attributed the unfinished state of the projec

A Former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, yesterday appeared before the vetting committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to justify herself as a potential flag bearer of the party for the 2012 general election. Mrs Rawlings arrived at the NDC Headquarters flanked by members of the Friends of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings (FONKAR). The vetting, which started rather late as a result of the late arrival of the former First Lady, was held behind closed doors. After about an hour and a half of drilling and questioning, Mrs Rawlings emerged, ostensibly pleased with the process, with one exception. "It took a rather longer time than I expected," she told the press. She added, however, that "the questions were fair". According to her, the issues brought up by the six-member committee were based on "a way forward for the party". She said her next steps were to continue with her tour of the country in preparation for the July 8 NDC congress to e

THE sanitation situation at the School of Hygiene in Accra which trains environmental health inspectors is in a mess. A visit by the Daily Graphic to the school revealed that while the building accommodating the students leaks badly, the surroundings are also engulfed in filth and stench. The bins are overflowing with rubbish which, according to the students, have not been attended to for over a week. In addition, the toilets and bathrooms in the students’ hostel are in a bad state, with sewerage from the second floor spilling onto the first and ground floors. The white walls of the building are also defaced as a result of algae infection, while most of the water closets (WC) are not in order. The cemented corridors are green and full of potholes, with stench emanating from the bathrooms which are choked with stagnant water. The President of the Students Representative Council of the school, Mr Michael Affordofe, who briefed the Daily Graphic, said the bad state of the bathrooms had co

THERE is shortage of blood to meet the requirements of hospitals in the country. The Korle-Bu Blood Bank, for instance, needs at least 200 units of processed blood daily to serve the increasing number of emergencies reported to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The situation has compelled the hospital to request pre-deposits from relatives of patients before the patients receive transfusion. According to the Donor Services Manager of the National Blood Service, Dr Tetteh Carboo, there were only 82 available blood units, with only 20 processed, at the Blood Bank as of yesterday. He said due to the gap, commercial blood donors took money from desperate relatives of sick people in order to donate blood on behalf of the patients. That, Dr Carboo said, was not encouraging, because research had shown that blood given by such donors usually tested positive for HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis B. Speaking to the Daily Graphic at this year’s celebration of the World Blood Donor’s Day which was held on the t

Story: Jasmine Arku Statistics from the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) indicate that about 23 per cent of accident victims are occupants of commercial buses. Most of these accidents which are preventable bring into perspective the role of transport organisations and unions in the broad framework for reducing the national crash fatality levels. Between January and May this year, 5, 340 accidents were recorded, with 740 people losing their lives and 4, 950 others sustaining various degrees of injury. At the launch of the second edition of the National Road Safety Awards scheduled to place in November, this year, the Executive Director of the NRSC, Mr Noble John Appiah, called on Ghanaians to demand safety on the roads in order to reduce the increasing levels of road accidents in the country. The focus of the award is to help raise the profile of transport organisations and unions to complement the broad framework of road safety management in the country. The award, which is inst

A HIGH-level meeting to raise awareness on the need to encourage women to take leadership positions to address the gender, equity and inclusion dimensions of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) has been organised in Accra. The meeting, organised by Water Aid Ghana (WAG), was to emphasise the need for women to take up leadership roles in their communities and at national levels to shape WASH outcomes for improved development. This is in view of the realisation that Ghana is making little progress towards the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to health and sanitation despite the good progress made towards safe water supply. Sanitation, which has been identified as a cross-cutting factor in the MDGs, has also been related to obstacles constraining progress to the attainment of the MDGs. The Regional Head of Water Aid West Africa, Madam Mariame Dem, noted that, there was the need to mainstream inclusion and equity in the allocation of resources used in address

Private University Students are to benefit from the Mathematics, Science and Technology Scholarship Scheme (MASTESS) in the next academic year. The scheme, initiated in 2009, was to revamp interest and enrolment in mathematics, science and technology programmes at the tertiary and pre-tertiary levels and was targeted at needy students. At a review workshop of the first phase of MASTESS, organised by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), the Deputy Minister of MEST, Dr Kofi Omane-Boamah, noted that, previously the scheme did not incorporate private university students because it was difficult determining the legibility of students pursuing mathematics and science-related programmes. He said an additional GH¢2 million would be invested into the scheme. He noted that, the first phase of the scheme had been successful, registering about 5,000 students from the public institutions during the 2010/2011 academic year. Despite the success chalked, Dr Omane-Boamah noted th

FOURTEEN student cadets and five escorts have been selected to represent Ghana at this year’s International Sea and Air Cadet Exchange Programme in Hong Kong, the United States of America and the United Kingdom. The two-week programme will give the cadets and escorts the opportunity to put the skills they have learnt in school to work in a practical environment. Ghana is the only African country among the 21-member countries expected to participate in the programme. The participants were drawn from various schools in the country on eligibility basis, with support from the government and their parents. At a brief ceremony in Accra to outdoor the 19-member delegation, a Deputy Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Charles Aheto Tsegah, said the exchange programme was an opportunity for the students to broaden their experience in cadet training. He said it would also build the key qualities required of the youth to participate in public service activities. The Minister for Yo

The Country Director of Compassion International Ghana, Reverend Jemima Amanor, has called on the government to be proactive in enforcing laws protecting children through the initiation of a comprehensive child protection policy which would spell out the responsibilities of all stakeholders . “Orphan and vulnerable children need to be re-integrated with their families because the best place for the child is the home and not an institution,” she said. Rev Amanor was speaking at a ceremony to climax the celebration of the International Day of the African Child in Accra. This year’s celebration was themed, “All Together for Urgent Action in Favour of Street Children”. The celebration was marked with poetry recitals, cultural displays, exhibitions and drama depicting the plight of street children in the country. The International Day of the African Child was instituted by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU), in honour of children who participated in the Soweto

THE ninth edition of the Pan African Historical Project (PANAFEST) and Emancipation Day was launched in Accra on Monday with a call on Africans in the Diaspora to make meaningful contributions towards the development of Africa. The Minister of Tourism, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, who made the call, said without the collaboration of all Africans, the development of the continent could lack behind that of the developed societies. She said: “Emancipation Day is a continuous call to all Africans and the people of African descent to become more committed to the emancipation of the African continent”. This year’s celebration is on the theme, “Re-uniting the African family — Challenges and Prospects”. The celebrations will be characterised by a colloquium to renew the role PANAFEST has played and can continue to play in sustaining the magnificent legacy of Africa. PANAFEST was mooted by the late Mrs Efua Sutherland in the mid 1980s as a cultural vehicle for bringing together Africans on the continen