Published in the Daily Graphic on 29/04/2010, pg 51
Story: Matilda Attram
The Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs, Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, has identified the lack of comprehensive data, research and information as a major setback in its efforts at eliminating human trafficking in the country.
She said the inability of researchers to collect, collate and analyse information into a national database for planning affected proposed programmes for the fight against human trafficking.
The minister said this when she launched ‘Intervention and Database on Human Trafficking in Ghana’, a research by Rescue Foundation, Ghana.
The event, which was held in Accra yesterday, was to officially present to the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs a documented data on the research undertaken by the organisation and its partners on human trafficking in Ghana.
Mrs Azumah-Mensah said frequent reports on human trafficking in the country would help the government strategise its measures at eliminating the phenomenon and improving on its development efforts.
According to her, Ghana had been cited as a source, transit and receiving country for human trafficking by the Trafficking in Persons Report Department of the United States of America (USA).
She said the government was determined to eliminate human trafficking in the country, hence the passage of the Human Trafficking Act (Act 694) in 2005.
“Eliminating human trafficking is a priority for the government of Ghana, as enshrined in its Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II (GPRS II), apart from the establishment of agencies to promote human rights,” she added.
She commended the Rescue Foundation for a good work done and called on all to join in the fight against the phenomenon to enable Ghana to achieve its objectives.
In a presentation, the Research Officer at the Department of Children (DoC) at the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, Mr Sylvester Kyei-Gyamfi, indicated that most traffickers were found to be Ghanaians.
According to him, 1,808 people were rescued from human trafficking in the country between 1998 and 2010, noting that the victims comprised 1,124 females, 614 males and 70 others whose gender could not be identified by the researchers.
He said 77.7 per cent of the victims investigated were children below 16.
Mr Kyei-Gyamfi observed that although human trafficking was a serious crime, people who engaged in it faced no harsh punishment.
He added that poverty was the main cause of human trafficking in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rescue Foundation, Ghana, Mrs Sylvia Hinson-Ekong, said the collection of secondary data that emanated from projects and implemented by organisations working on human trafficking had become the singular source of information for the country.
She added that many organisations implemented projects but did not make data collection and management a crucial part of the implementation process.
She described Rescue Foundation as a non-governmental organisation which partnered the security agencies, the ministry, the Department of Social Welfare, among other institutions, in a form of capacity building to rescue trafficked victims, especially children.
She advised parents to refrain from giving away their children to strangers, since the practice hindered victims’ education and potential.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Medical team undertakes cleft lip repair
Published in the Daily Graphic on 15/04/2010, pg 11
Story: Matilda Attram
The Rotary Club of Accra West in collaboration with a 25-member medical team from Alliance for Smiles, a non-profit humanitarian organisation in the United States is performing a two-week surgery for Cleft lip children in Accra.
The club is organising the surgeries, freely, at the Ridge Hospital in Accra, in line with its social responsibilities.
At the opening ceremony, the President of Accra West Rotary Club, Mr Ekow Paintsil, said the exercise was initiated to provide essential medical care for needy children to “put smiles on the faces of the less privileged in society, especially, children.”
He expressed the need for society to encourage people with deformity to partake in communal activities through love and support.
Mr Paintsil expressed gratitude to the management of Ridge Hospital for their support in executing the project and called on the public to take advantage of the exercise to help solve such problems.
The Mission Director of Alliance for Smiles, Mrs Barbara Fisher, stated that the organisation is a non-profitable one which offered support for the development of needy children around the world.
She indicated that although the project signified the first visit of the organisation in Africa, it had served hundreds of children across the western world for five years.
“We adore children because they are important to society. The future of our society is in their hands,” she said.
She hoped the organisation would operate on 70 children within the two-week period and called on the public to take advantage of the surgery adding that “We are here to serve children and make life better for them and their future.”
The Medical Director of the Ridge Hospital, Dr Obeng Apori, expressed gratitude to Rotary Club of Accra West and Alliance for Smiles for supporting the health delivery service of the country.
He appealed to the organisation to train more Ghanaian health professionals in the cleft lip surgery to enable more patients in the country and in neighbouring countries, to benefit.
Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that affect the upper lip and roof of the mouth. They are among the most common birth defects that affect children. The incomplete formation of the upper lip (cleft lip) or roof of the mouth (cleft palate) can occur individually, or both defects may occur together. The conditions can vary in severity and may involve one or both sides of the face.
A cleft, or separation of the upper lip and/or the roof of the mouth, occurs very early in the development of unborn babies. During foetal development, certain components of the upper lip and roof of the mouth fail to form normally.
Cleft lip repair is a type of plastic surgery to correct this abnormal development both to restore function and to restore a more normal appearance.
Most clefts can be repaired through specialised plastic surgery techniques, to improve children’s ability to eat, speak, hear and breathe, and to restore a more normal appearance and function.
Story: Matilda Attram
The Rotary Club of Accra West in collaboration with a 25-member medical team from Alliance for Smiles, a non-profit humanitarian organisation in the United States is performing a two-week surgery for Cleft lip children in Accra.
The club is organising the surgeries, freely, at the Ridge Hospital in Accra, in line with its social responsibilities.
At the opening ceremony, the President of Accra West Rotary Club, Mr Ekow Paintsil, said the exercise was initiated to provide essential medical care for needy children to “put smiles on the faces of the less privileged in society, especially, children.”
He expressed the need for society to encourage people with deformity to partake in communal activities through love and support.
Mr Paintsil expressed gratitude to the management of Ridge Hospital for their support in executing the project and called on the public to take advantage of the exercise to help solve such problems.
The Mission Director of Alliance for Smiles, Mrs Barbara Fisher, stated that the organisation is a non-profitable one which offered support for the development of needy children around the world.
She indicated that although the project signified the first visit of the organisation in Africa, it had served hundreds of children across the western world for five years.
“We adore children because they are important to society. The future of our society is in their hands,” she said.
She hoped the organisation would operate on 70 children within the two-week period and called on the public to take advantage of the surgery adding that “We are here to serve children and make life better for them and their future.”
The Medical Director of the Ridge Hospital, Dr Obeng Apori, expressed gratitude to Rotary Club of Accra West and Alliance for Smiles for supporting the health delivery service of the country.
He appealed to the organisation to train more Ghanaian health professionals in the cleft lip surgery to enable more patients in the country and in neighbouring countries, to benefit.
Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that affect the upper lip and roof of the mouth. They are among the most common birth defects that affect children. The incomplete formation of the upper lip (cleft lip) or roof of the mouth (cleft palate) can occur individually, or both defects may occur together. The conditions can vary in severity and may involve one or both sides of the face.
A cleft, or separation of the upper lip and/or the roof of the mouth, occurs very early in the development of unborn babies. During foetal development, certain components of the upper lip and roof of the mouth fail to form normally.
Cleft lip repair is a type of plastic surgery to correct this abnormal development both to restore function and to restore a more normal appearance.
Most clefts can be repaired through specialised plastic surgery techniques, to improve children’s ability to eat, speak, hear and breathe, and to restore a more normal appearance and function.
Child labour cripples children's
Published in the Daily Graphic on 15/04/2010, pg 11
Article: Matilda Attram
Child labour continues to pose problems that result in child abuse and hinder the growth and development of children. Child labour seriously undermines efforts to provide children the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
The Children’s Act, 1998 (ACT 560), defines a child as a person below 18 years. A child is said to be a victim of child labour when he or she engaged in hazardous work that is injurious to his/her health, and deprived him or her of education and development.
Section 89 of the Act states that the minimum age for a child to be employed shall be 15, while section 91 states that the minimum age of a person in hazardous tasks which may include going to sea, mining and quarrying, carrying heavy loads, farming, working with manufacturing industries where chemicals are produced or used, is 18.
The Act further regarded places where machines are used and others such as drinking bars, hotels and places of entertainment where an individual would be exposed to immoral behaviours, as unsuitable for children to work.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also defines child labour as “work that exceeds a minimum number of hours depending on the age of child and on the type of work which is considered as harmful to the child”.
According to the 2001 UNICEF report, an estimated 250 million children work under hazardous conditions in developing countries.
Hundreds of children are found hawking on the streets of Accra and other major cities in the country. Some are also found engaged in stone quarrying, others are used as farm hands, others engaged in the sale of iced water and “iced kenkey” among other items on the streets of major cities in the country, risking their lives to generate income, while others assist the elderly and physically impaired in begging for alms. Some of these children even lose their lives as a result of working in extremely dangerous environments.
Child labour continues to pose increasing concern among nations, especially developing ones such as Ghana. Information from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) indicated that there was an increase in child labour cases involving children between the ages of five and 17 in the country in 2001.
The report presented an estimated population of over 1,031,220 children under age 13 to be involved in child labour. Two hundred and forty-two thousand and seventy-four (242,074) children engaged in hazardous child labour and 2,474,545 representing 39 per cent out of 6,361,111 children in Ghana were engaged in economic activities, according to the GSS.
A report by the United Nation Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) also indicated that, based on a study conducted by the Tulane University in 2008, an estimated number of 1.6 million children are engaged in child labour in Ghana.
The report explained that these children work under hazardous conditions,such as carrying heavy loads, spraying pesticides, using machetes to clear undergrowth and burning vegetation.
The editorial column of the Daily Graphic February 9, 2009, issue concern about reports of children in the Eastern Region spotted to be engaged in ferrying tourists in canoes without any safety equipment.
Over the past few years, Initiatives, structures and mechanisms aimed at identifying and solving the problem were set up to improve upon children’s rights and welfare. Governments, as well as agencies and societal organisations including private ones have all joined the cause to curb this menace.
In connection with this, the ‘International Year of the Child’ was declared and accepted in 1979 by the United Nations (UN) with UNICEF creating the awareness on problems facing children in the world, and the measures to solve them.
Article 32 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates “The right of the child must be recognised by the state, protected from economic exploitation and any work that is likely to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development”.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted to ensure that member countries protected the rights of the child and Ghana was the first country among other sovereign nations to ratify the convention as a sign of the country’s commitment to protect working children from exploitation and hazardous conditions.
Again, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1999 launched a major global programme by instituting the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), with a request to individuals and agencies that provide advisory services, to focus on child abuse. The establishment of the Ghana National Commission on Children (GNCC) under the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) in 2001 was also to oversee the welfare and development of children, and to co-ordinate services which would aim at promoting the rights of the child.
Other programmes to improve on the welfare of children in the country include issues discussed on child labour under the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy for 2006 through 2009 (GPRS II), indicating that priority will be given to special programmes to combat the worst forms of child labour under which the government is implementing the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty which introduces a cash transfer programme to support families to fight against child labour.
Also, the Government's National Policy Guidelines on Orphans and Other Children Made Vulnerable by HIV AIDS and the implementation of the National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Child Labour, as well as other projects, are being implemented with support to the National Plan of Action in Ghana.
These demonstrate the commitment governments (past and current) and civil society organisations, NGOs, religious organisations and other social clubs, have attached to solving child labour.
The worst forms of child labour activities are predominant in rural areas, as compared to urban areas. Such activities of child labour manifests not only in street hawking but also in most rural areas, where most parents do not value education.
UNICEF is therefore, emphatic on the problem of child labour and describes it as “ a prison that withers both capabilities and potentials of children" and the problem has been attributed to many factors in our own society. Mention could be made of poverty, single parenting and sheer ignorance. The increasing cases of school dropouts, broken homes, peer pressure, unplanned families, gender roles, rural-urban migration and outmoded cultural practices, all contribute to the practice of child labour in our country.
A report by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on a study conducted with regards to the problem of child labour in communities across the country in 2008, observed that some rural dwellers regarded child labour as part of a training programme for children. Parents of child labour victims may think of only the economic benefits gained, but the problem does cause more harm than good to the family and society.
We are grateful to the government and all other organisation for their efforts in addressing the problem. There is however, the need to intensify measures including sensitisation programmes such as durbars involving community leaders, drama, movies and house-to-house campaigns on the need to stop child labour.
Also, there is the need for effective implementation of the policies on the rights of the child, which would go a long way in arresting the situation. Therefore, those who persist in breaking the law should be made to suffer the penalty.This will deter others from doing same.
Another issue is the need to enhance the implementation of effective family planning measures to ensure that couples give birth to children they can adequately cater for.To succeed in the fight against child labour in Ghana, attitudes must change and this could be achieved through major forms of inter-personal communication, where interactions and participation are encouraged.
Article: Matilda Attram
Child labour continues to pose problems that result in child abuse and hinder the growth and development of children. Child labour seriously undermines efforts to provide children the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
The Children’s Act, 1998 (ACT 560), defines a child as a person below 18 years. A child is said to be a victim of child labour when he or she engaged in hazardous work that is injurious to his/her health, and deprived him or her of education and development.
Section 89 of the Act states that the minimum age for a child to be employed shall be 15, while section 91 states that the minimum age of a person in hazardous tasks which may include going to sea, mining and quarrying, carrying heavy loads, farming, working with manufacturing industries where chemicals are produced or used, is 18.
The Act further regarded places where machines are used and others such as drinking bars, hotels and places of entertainment where an individual would be exposed to immoral behaviours, as unsuitable for children to work.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also defines child labour as “work that exceeds a minimum number of hours depending on the age of child and on the type of work which is considered as harmful to the child”.
According to the 2001 UNICEF report, an estimated 250 million children work under hazardous conditions in developing countries.
Hundreds of children are found hawking on the streets of Accra and other major cities in the country. Some are also found engaged in stone quarrying, others are used as farm hands, others engaged in the sale of iced water and “iced kenkey” among other items on the streets of major cities in the country, risking their lives to generate income, while others assist the elderly and physically impaired in begging for alms. Some of these children even lose their lives as a result of working in extremely dangerous environments.
Child labour continues to pose increasing concern among nations, especially developing ones such as Ghana. Information from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) indicated that there was an increase in child labour cases involving children between the ages of five and 17 in the country in 2001.
The report presented an estimated population of over 1,031,220 children under age 13 to be involved in child labour. Two hundred and forty-two thousand and seventy-four (242,074) children engaged in hazardous child labour and 2,474,545 representing 39 per cent out of 6,361,111 children in Ghana were engaged in economic activities, according to the GSS.
A report by the United Nation Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) also indicated that, based on a study conducted by the Tulane University in 2008, an estimated number of 1.6 million children are engaged in child labour in Ghana.
The report explained that these children work under hazardous conditions,such as carrying heavy loads, spraying pesticides, using machetes to clear undergrowth and burning vegetation.
The editorial column of the Daily Graphic February 9, 2009, issue concern about reports of children in the Eastern Region spotted to be engaged in ferrying tourists in canoes without any safety equipment.
Over the past few years, Initiatives, structures and mechanisms aimed at identifying and solving the problem were set up to improve upon children’s rights and welfare. Governments, as well as agencies and societal organisations including private ones have all joined the cause to curb this menace.
In connection with this, the ‘International Year of the Child’ was declared and accepted in 1979 by the United Nations (UN) with UNICEF creating the awareness on problems facing children in the world, and the measures to solve them.
Article 32 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates “The right of the child must be recognised by the state, protected from economic exploitation and any work that is likely to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development”.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted to ensure that member countries protected the rights of the child and Ghana was the first country among other sovereign nations to ratify the convention as a sign of the country’s commitment to protect working children from exploitation and hazardous conditions.
Again, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1999 launched a major global programme by instituting the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), with a request to individuals and agencies that provide advisory services, to focus on child abuse. The establishment of the Ghana National Commission on Children (GNCC) under the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) in 2001 was also to oversee the welfare and development of children, and to co-ordinate services which would aim at promoting the rights of the child.
Other programmes to improve on the welfare of children in the country include issues discussed on child labour under the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy for 2006 through 2009 (GPRS II), indicating that priority will be given to special programmes to combat the worst forms of child labour under which the government is implementing the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty which introduces a cash transfer programme to support families to fight against child labour.
Also, the Government's National Policy Guidelines on Orphans and Other Children Made Vulnerable by HIV AIDS and the implementation of the National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Child Labour, as well as other projects, are being implemented with support to the National Plan of Action in Ghana.
These demonstrate the commitment governments (past and current) and civil society organisations, NGOs, religious organisations and other social clubs, have attached to solving child labour.
The worst forms of child labour activities are predominant in rural areas, as compared to urban areas. Such activities of child labour manifests not only in street hawking but also in most rural areas, where most parents do not value education.
UNICEF is therefore, emphatic on the problem of child labour and describes it as “ a prison that withers both capabilities and potentials of children" and the problem has been attributed to many factors in our own society. Mention could be made of poverty, single parenting and sheer ignorance. The increasing cases of school dropouts, broken homes, peer pressure, unplanned families, gender roles, rural-urban migration and outmoded cultural practices, all contribute to the practice of child labour in our country.
A report by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on a study conducted with regards to the problem of child labour in communities across the country in 2008, observed that some rural dwellers regarded child labour as part of a training programme for children. Parents of child labour victims may think of only the economic benefits gained, but the problem does cause more harm than good to the family and society.
We are grateful to the government and all other organisation for their efforts in addressing the problem. There is however, the need to intensify measures including sensitisation programmes such as durbars involving community leaders, drama, movies and house-to-house campaigns on the need to stop child labour.
Also, there is the need for effective implementation of the policies on the rights of the child, which would go a long way in arresting the situation. Therefore, those who persist in breaking the law should be made to suffer the penalty.This will deter others from doing same.
Another issue is the need to enhance the implementation of effective family planning measures to ensure that couples give birth to children they can adequately cater for.To succeed in the fight against child labour in Ghana, attitudes must change and this could be achieved through major forms of inter-personal communication, where interactions and participation are encouraged.
GJA launches 2009 awards
Published in the Daily Graphic on 16/04/2010, middle pg or spread
Story: Matilda Attram
THE 2010 Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) awards competition was launched in Accra yesterday.
Nine new awards have been introduced. The new categories bring to 38 the number of awards to be contested for.
The new awards include Small and Micro Scale Enterprises (SMEs), HIV and AIDS, Development Journalism for furthering MDGs, Crime and Court reporting and Hygiene and Sanitation,
The rest are the Best Report on Anti-Corruption, Best Report on Education, Best Cartoonist, and Democracy and Peace-building. All the awards except that of Democracy and Peace Building will go to individual contestants.
The awards ceremony, scheduled for August 15, 2010, will be the 15th media awards competition of the association.
The already instituted awards are Radio, Television and Print, Investigative reporting, Photojournalism, Sports, Arts/Entertainment and Domestic Tourism, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu Award for Business/Finance and Economic Reporting, Environment, Health, Parliamentary Reporting, Political Reporting, Disability, Telecommunications, ICT (on-line journalism), and the Columnist.
The rest are Best Lay-out and Designed Newspaper, Best Rural Radio Station, Human Rights and the Best Radio/Television Programme for the six main local languages in the country.
At a press briefing in Accra, the President of the GJA, Mr Ransford Tetteh, said the awards competition was instituted to promote high journalistic standards, as well as motivate members who excelled in their work.
“The GJA constitution charges the association to promote high journalistic standards and reward excelling members. It is for this reason that the annual GJA awards was instituted,” he said.
He explained that entries for the competition would be received in all categories except that of the Journalist of the Year.
“In the case of the Journalist of the Year, nominees from the public including professionals will inform the thoughts of the Awards Committee,” he stated.
Mr Tetteh also indicated that the competition would include the participation of the public in the selection of contestants for some selected categories through a ‘Predict to Win’ draw which would be announced later.
The Vice-President of the GJA, Mr Affail Monney, encouraged all journalists to participate in the competition to win awards for their good works.
The competition requires interested journalists and media houses to submit three best stories to the Award Committee.
Closing date for entries is May, 17, 2010.
Story: Matilda Attram
THE 2010 Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) awards competition was launched in Accra yesterday.
Nine new awards have been introduced. The new categories bring to 38 the number of awards to be contested for.
The new awards include Small and Micro Scale Enterprises (SMEs), HIV and AIDS, Development Journalism for furthering MDGs, Crime and Court reporting and Hygiene and Sanitation,
The rest are the Best Report on Anti-Corruption, Best Report on Education, Best Cartoonist, and Democracy and Peace-building. All the awards except that of Democracy and Peace Building will go to individual contestants.
The awards ceremony, scheduled for August 15, 2010, will be the 15th media awards competition of the association.
The already instituted awards are Radio, Television and Print, Investigative reporting, Photojournalism, Sports, Arts/Entertainment and Domestic Tourism, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu Award for Business/Finance and Economic Reporting, Environment, Health, Parliamentary Reporting, Political Reporting, Disability, Telecommunications, ICT (on-line journalism), and the Columnist.
The rest are Best Lay-out and Designed Newspaper, Best Rural Radio Station, Human Rights and the Best Radio/Television Programme for the six main local languages in the country.
At a press briefing in Accra, the President of the GJA, Mr Ransford Tetteh, said the awards competition was instituted to promote high journalistic standards, as well as motivate members who excelled in their work.
“The GJA constitution charges the association to promote high journalistic standards and reward excelling members. It is for this reason that the annual GJA awards was instituted,” he said.
He explained that entries for the competition would be received in all categories except that of the Journalist of the Year.
“In the case of the Journalist of the Year, nominees from the public including professionals will inform the thoughts of the Awards Committee,” he stated.
Mr Tetteh also indicated that the competition would include the participation of the public in the selection of contestants for some selected categories through a ‘Predict to Win’ draw which would be announced later.
The Vice-President of the GJA, Mr Affail Monney, encouraged all journalists to participate in the competition to win awards for their good works.
The competition requires interested journalists and media houses to submit three best stories to the Award Committee.
Closing date for entries is May, 17, 2010.
Consider views of grass-roots in dev projects- Ashietey
Published in the Daily Graphic on 16/04/2010, pg 14
Story: Matilda Attram
A FOUR-DAY international seminar on the challenges of globalisation on local governments in Africa has opened in Accra.
It is aimed at initiating effective ways to improve on local governance and decentralisation within African countries.
The seminar which is being organised by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) of the Osun State of Nigeria in collaboration with the Local Government Workers Union (LGWU) of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) is also intended to enhance the skills of participants towards effective performance in their localities.
Addressing the opening session of the seminar, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashitey noted that decentralisation was an effective means and a primary process of development that provided opportunities for all to contribute to promoting national development.
He said decentralisation through local governance was a key to the elimination poverty on the African continent.
The minister stated that the system of local governance constituted how local people were involved in the decision making processes concerning the development.
He said it also amounted to the way people at the grassroots benefited from development facilities that would enhance their living.
“We can only move forward if we move with the people at the grassroots areas. They must be given the chance to decide on their needs as they also contribute their views for better planning and implementation,” he said.
He observed that Ghana based her development on local governance through democratisation, planning and budgeting, and resource mobilisation to improve on her major agenda of national development.
Nii Ashittey advised heads and members of local government institutions, district and municipalities assemblies to undertake their duties well irrespective of their political affiliations adding that “development should be our great concern.”
In his welcoming note, the General Secretary of LGWU of Ghana (TUC), Mr Joe Boahene stressed the need to improve on the revenue generation ability of local government authorities to facilitate development in local and rural areas.
He also encouraged local government authorities to be efficient to enhance development.
The President of NULGE of the Osun State of Nigeria, Comrade Alhaji Kayode Afolabi, indicated that local governments were the pivot of socio-economic planning and development in their areas of authority and added that “ it should be considered as the most important facilitator of economic and social development at the grassroots.”
He stated that, Nigeria had over the years made efforts to intensify its local governance to facilitate quality service delivery at the local levels of development.
He said the current local government system in Nigeria aimed at restructuring the local government administration in conformity with modern society to enhance the lives of the people.
“The reform focuses on the administration of the public at the grassroots level where development is closer to the majority of the population,” he stated.
Alhaji Afolabi further expressed the need for effective leadership in the management of local government institutions to help resolve the challenges of globalisation.
He also urged leaders of local government institutions to be competent and responsive in the execution of their responsibilities.
The chairperson for the occasion, Mrs Faustina Essandoh-Yeddu, emphasised the importance of the welfare of the people in development and encouraged participants to use their experiences and ideas to better the lives of others.
Story: Matilda Attram
A FOUR-DAY international seminar on the challenges of globalisation on local governments in Africa has opened in Accra.
It is aimed at initiating effective ways to improve on local governance and decentralisation within African countries.
The seminar which is being organised by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) of the Osun State of Nigeria in collaboration with the Local Government Workers Union (LGWU) of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) is also intended to enhance the skills of participants towards effective performance in their localities.
Addressing the opening session of the seminar, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashitey noted that decentralisation was an effective means and a primary process of development that provided opportunities for all to contribute to promoting national development.
He said decentralisation through local governance was a key to the elimination poverty on the African continent.
The minister stated that the system of local governance constituted how local people were involved in the decision making processes concerning the development.
He said it also amounted to the way people at the grassroots benefited from development facilities that would enhance their living.
“We can only move forward if we move with the people at the grassroots areas. They must be given the chance to decide on their needs as they also contribute their views for better planning and implementation,” he said.
He observed that Ghana based her development on local governance through democratisation, planning and budgeting, and resource mobilisation to improve on her major agenda of national development.
Nii Ashittey advised heads and members of local government institutions, district and municipalities assemblies to undertake their duties well irrespective of their political affiliations adding that “development should be our great concern.”
In his welcoming note, the General Secretary of LGWU of Ghana (TUC), Mr Joe Boahene stressed the need to improve on the revenue generation ability of local government authorities to facilitate development in local and rural areas.
He also encouraged local government authorities to be efficient to enhance development.
The President of NULGE of the Osun State of Nigeria, Comrade Alhaji Kayode Afolabi, indicated that local governments were the pivot of socio-economic planning and development in their areas of authority and added that “ it should be considered as the most important facilitator of economic and social development at the grassroots.”
He stated that, Nigeria had over the years made efforts to intensify its local governance to facilitate quality service delivery at the local levels of development.
He said the current local government system in Nigeria aimed at restructuring the local government administration in conformity with modern society to enhance the lives of the people.
“The reform focuses on the administration of the public at the grassroots level where development is closer to the majority of the population,” he stated.
Alhaji Afolabi further expressed the need for effective leadership in the management of local government institutions to help resolve the challenges of globalisation.
He also urged leaders of local government institutions to be competent and responsive in the execution of their responsibilities.
The chairperson for the occasion, Mrs Faustina Essandoh-Yeddu, emphasised the importance of the welfare of the people in development and encouraged participants to use their experiences and ideas to better the lives of others.
$9.484m to construct two ferries
Published in the Daily Graphic on 17/04/2010, back pg
Story: Matilda Attram
THE Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) has signed a $9.484 million contract with Arab Contractors for the construction of two new double-ended ferries and the rehabilitation of the floating dock at Akosombo.
When completed, the ferries are to connect Adawso on the southern shore to Ekye Amanfrom on the northern shore of the Volta Lake to enhance commercial activities in the Afram Plains.
The project, which is part of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) compact programme for Ghana, is expected to be completed in 20 months.
It will also enhance the Volta Lake Transport Company’s construction, repair and maintenance capabilities for ferries to save farmers much time and offer safe and reliable access of transportation to other users.
The Chief Executive Officer of MiDA, Mr Martin Esson-Benjamin, and the Engineer of Arab Contractors, Mr Usama Ibrahim Abdallah, signed the contract for their respective entities in Accra yesterday.
Mr Esson-Benjamin said the completion of the project would enlarge landing sites to increase ferry and vehicle handling capacities.
He said a contract for the extraction of tree stumps from the crossing route between Adawso and Ekye Amanfrom, to eliminate navigational and safety hazards, had already been negotiated with the VRA.
He further said the contract awarded to Arab Contractors also demonstrated the mutual relationship between Ghana and Egypt.
Mr Esson-Benjamin called on Ghanaians to support the MiDA and contractors working on various projects to complete them successfully.
Mr Usama Ibrahim Abdallah, who received documents to the contract, gave the assurance that the company “will use about 50 per cent of the facilities in Ghana to do its work. We will employ 50 to 80 people from the marine sector to help do the work”.
Mr Abdallah expressed gratitude to the management of MiDA and assured Ghanaians of the commitment of the company to complete the work on schedule.
The Director of Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Transport, Mr Siisi Essuman-Ocran, expressed the hope that the project would enhance effective operations on the Volta Lake to solve the transportation problems of the people in that area.
Story: Matilda Attram
THE Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) has signed a $9.484 million contract with Arab Contractors for the construction of two new double-ended ferries and the rehabilitation of the floating dock at Akosombo.
When completed, the ferries are to connect Adawso on the southern shore to Ekye Amanfrom on the northern shore of the Volta Lake to enhance commercial activities in the Afram Plains.
The project, which is part of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) compact programme for Ghana, is expected to be completed in 20 months.
It will also enhance the Volta Lake Transport Company’s construction, repair and maintenance capabilities for ferries to save farmers much time and offer safe and reliable access of transportation to other users.
The Chief Executive Officer of MiDA, Mr Martin Esson-Benjamin, and the Engineer of Arab Contractors, Mr Usama Ibrahim Abdallah, signed the contract for their respective entities in Accra yesterday.
Mr Esson-Benjamin said the completion of the project would enlarge landing sites to increase ferry and vehicle handling capacities.
He said a contract for the extraction of tree stumps from the crossing route between Adawso and Ekye Amanfrom, to eliminate navigational and safety hazards, had already been negotiated with the VRA.
He further said the contract awarded to Arab Contractors also demonstrated the mutual relationship between Ghana and Egypt.
Mr Esson-Benjamin called on Ghanaians to support the MiDA and contractors working on various projects to complete them successfully.
Mr Usama Ibrahim Abdallah, who received documents to the contract, gave the assurance that the company “will use about 50 per cent of the facilities in Ghana to do its work. We will employ 50 to 80 people from the marine sector to help do the work”.
Mr Abdallah expressed gratitude to the management of MiDA and assured Ghanaians of the commitment of the company to complete the work on schedule.
The Director of Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Transport, Mr Siisi Essuman-Ocran, expressed the hope that the project would enhance effective operations on the Volta Lake to solve the transportation problems of the people in that area.
350,888 Write BECE
Published in the Daily Graphic on 20/04/2010 pg 17 (Spread or middle)
Story: Matilda Attram
THIS year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) began throughout the country yesterday with 350,888 registered candidates.
The examination, which will last five days, is taking place at 1,278 centres, with candidates answering questions from seven subjects.
The subjects are English Language, Mathematics, Social Studies, Integrated Science and Basic Design Technology, which form the core subjects of the examination.
The rest are, French and Local Languages, which form the elective subjects of the examination.
On a tour to some selected centres in Accra by the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, most of the candidates appeared confident as they wrote English Language, which was the first subject.
At the Achimota School Complex, which is under the Okaikoi Sub Metro, which hosted 1,158 candidates from 15 schools, the examination started 20 minutes late due to the uneven distribution of shading pencils.
The PRESEC Staff School and the West Africa Senior High School (WASS), which are centres in the Ga East District, had a total of 1,304 candidates including three pregnant candidates from 27 schools sitting for the examination.
Four candidates were absent at the time of the minister’s visit to those centres.
At the Adentan Municipality, 1,475 candidates were expected to sit the examination, but nine candidates were absent during the visit.
Giving his overall impression of the conduct of the candidates, Mr Tettey-Enyo commended them for turning out in their numbers to sit the examination and wished them well.
He advised them to eschew any examination malpractice and approach the examination by answering the questions to the best of their ability.
He asked invigilators at the various centres not to compromise their integrity, but help to ensure a smooth conduct of the examination.
Story: Matilda Attram
THIS year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) began throughout the country yesterday with 350,888 registered candidates.
The examination, which will last five days, is taking place at 1,278 centres, with candidates answering questions from seven subjects.
The subjects are English Language, Mathematics, Social Studies, Integrated Science and Basic Design Technology, which form the core subjects of the examination.
The rest are, French and Local Languages, which form the elective subjects of the examination.
On a tour to some selected centres in Accra by the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, most of the candidates appeared confident as they wrote English Language, which was the first subject.
At the Achimota School Complex, which is under the Okaikoi Sub Metro, which hosted 1,158 candidates from 15 schools, the examination started 20 minutes late due to the uneven distribution of shading pencils.
The PRESEC Staff School and the West Africa Senior High School (WASS), which are centres in the Ga East District, had a total of 1,304 candidates including three pregnant candidates from 27 schools sitting for the examination.
Four candidates were absent at the time of the minister’s visit to those centres.
At the Adentan Municipality, 1,475 candidates were expected to sit the examination, but nine candidates were absent during the visit.
Giving his overall impression of the conduct of the candidates, Mr Tettey-Enyo commended them for turning out in their numbers to sit the examination and wished them well.
He advised them to eschew any examination malpractice and approach the examination by answering the questions to the best of their ability.
He asked invigilators at the various centres not to compromise their integrity, but help to ensure a smooth conduct of the examination.
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