A car and property tracking security device to help curb crime and protect property in the country has been launched in Accra.
The Tramigo T22 GPS/GSM device, enables busy business owners, companies, transport owners, taxi owners and drivers to track, control and monitor their vehicles and assets simply from their GSM phone.
The Tramigo T22 was designed to report a range of vital information, such as location, speed and duration of trips by any vehicle (including boats, trucks, etc.) directly to an authorised mobile phone.
It also generates journey reports and monitors the usage of vehicles by advising when the ignition of a vehicle is switched on and off.
Launching the device yesterday, the Minister of Transport, Mr Mike Hammah, said the technology could not have come at any better time than now.
“The product certainly has come in good time to support and enhance some of the measures recently introduced by the Ministry of Transport and the National Road Safety Commission, including the use of log books in all commercial vehicles to help check [speeding] by tracking when vehicles depart their operational terminals and when they arrive at their destinations,” he said.
Mr Hammah noted that the crime prevention benefit of the product in enabling owners to demobilise their vehicles when stolen would go a long way to curb the numerous reported cases of snatching and stealing of cars by armed robbers in homes and the streets.
He said as the country envisaged to make Ghana the gateway to Africa and the subregion, issues of security could not be overlooked as it remained a major factor in attracting or otherwise turning away foreign investors, travellers, tourists and foreign capital.
He was hopeful that all road transport stakeholders, the general public and the security agencies especially the Ghana Road Transport Co-ordinating Council, would take advantage of the technology to bring about some level of safety and security in the society.
The Chief Executive Officer of Proffworld Link Consult (PLC), the main distributors of the device, Mr Hugh K. Aryee, said his company would collaborate with the Ghana Police Service to enhance security in the country.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Boost for public sector housing (27/04/09)
THE Public Sector Housing Fund established by the government, has provided seed money of GH¢10million to the HFC bank to disburse as mortgages at affordable interest rates to public sector employees.
This is part of a new strategy adopted to address the problem of house financing to provide shelter for majority of Ghanaians.
The Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Albert Abongo, said this in a speech read on his behalf at a luncheon organised by the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) and the Ghana Real Estate Development Association (GREDA) in Accra on Thursday.
The minister said as a result of the lack of a body to regulate the activities of real estate developers, estates had been developed without social amenities.
“In other cases, estate developers have charged home owners for services which they never provided,” he added.
He said the quality of work on some of the houses also left much to be desired, adding that some estates were gradually turning into slums, thereby eroding the capital value of the properties.
He announced that the ministry would soon engage stakeholders to come out with regulatory framework for the industry.
Mr Abongo said factors such as the industry’s dependency on imported building materials, inaccessibility of land, private individuals delivery of 90 per cent housing stock and the unavailability of mortgage finance were constraints that made houses expensive and impeded the increase in housing delivery.
He emphasised government’s commitment to improve the housing situation in the country.
He said the draft revised housing policy was ready and is undergoing strategic environmental impact assessment by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before it is sent to Cabinet and Parliament for formal approval.
The President of GREDA, Dr Alexander Tweneboa, said the purpose of the meeting was to highlight issues of concern to GREDA and the challenges that the private sector faced in the housing sector.
He expressed optimism that the dialogue would form the basis of future discussions to work together and achieve the dreams of homeowners and decent accommodation for majority of Ghanaians.
He said Ghana was currently facing an acute housing problem, adding that, production was only above 30,000 units per annum instead of the annual estimated requirement of 110,000 and 140,000 units.
He said in order to develop a sustainable way forward, there was the need to dialogue with government on ways in which GREDA could assist government to effectively play its facilitation role in the housing industry and provide Ghanaians with affordable houses.
Dr Tweneboa suggested that as the government sought to reduce unemployment, emphasis should be placed on the construction industry as a major growth pillar for accelerated growth, social cohesion and economic empowerment.
He made a couple of policy suggestions, which he said would make it possible for the private sector to assist with the delivery of affordable housing.
They included the lifting of Value Added Tax/National Health Insurance Scheme (VAT/NHIS) levies on building materials, restructuring and strengthening of the Town and Country Planning Department and encouraging partnerships between financial institutions and municipal authorities.
This is part of a new strategy adopted to address the problem of house financing to provide shelter for majority of Ghanaians.
The Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Albert Abongo, said this in a speech read on his behalf at a luncheon organised by the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) and the Ghana Real Estate Development Association (GREDA) in Accra on Thursday.
The minister said as a result of the lack of a body to regulate the activities of real estate developers, estates had been developed without social amenities.
“In other cases, estate developers have charged home owners for services which they never provided,” he added.
He said the quality of work on some of the houses also left much to be desired, adding that some estates were gradually turning into slums, thereby eroding the capital value of the properties.
He announced that the ministry would soon engage stakeholders to come out with regulatory framework for the industry.
Mr Abongo said factors such as the industry’s dependency on imported building materials, inaccessibility of land, private individuals delivery of 90 per cent housing stock and the unavailability of mortgage finance were constraints that made houses expensive and impeded the increase in housing delivery.
He emphasised government’s commitment to improve the housing situation in the country.
He said the draft revised housing policy was ready and is undergoing strategic environmental impact assessment by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before it is sent to Cabinet and Parliament for formal approval.
The President of GREDA, Dr Alexander Tweneboa, said the purpose of the meeting was to highlight issues of concern to GREDA and the challenges that the private sector faced in the housing sector.
He expressed optimism that the dialogue would form the basis of future discussions to work together and achieve the dreams of homeowners and decent accommodation for majority of Ghanaians.
He said Ghana was currently facing an acute housing problem, adding that, production was only above 30,000 units per annum instead of the annual estimated requirement of 110,000 and 140,000 units.
He said in order to develop a sustainable way forward, there was the need to dialogue with government on ways in which GREDA could assist government to effectively play its facilitation role in the housing industry and provide Ghanaians with affordable houses.
Dr Tweneboa suggested that as the government sought to reduce unemployment, emphasis should be placed on the construction industry as a major growth pillar for accelerated growth, social cohesion and economic empowerment.
He made a couple of policy suggestions, which he said would make it possible for the private sector to assist with the delivery of affordable housing.
They included the lifting of Value Added Tax/National Health Insurance Scheme (VAT/NHIS) levies on building materials, restructuring and strengthening of the Town and Country Planning Department and encouraging partnerships between financial institutions and municipal authorities.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Unilever hands over prize to winner(27/04/09)
UNILEVER Ghana Limited last Wednesday presented a $38,000 two-bedroom house to the first winner of the Key soap “Aseti ama me” promotion at Oyibi, a suburb of Accra.
The winner, Hajia Aishatu Mumuni, expressed her gratitude to Unilever for the prize.
Hajia Mumuni, who sells salt, used the opportunity to urge members of the public to buy Key soap, since the promotion was real.
The Category Manager of Unilever in charge of Home Care, Mrs Leticia Insaidoo, said the promotion was part of the company’s annual promotion strategies to reward its loyal consumers and give back to society.
That, she said, was to create some excitement in the world of their consumers.
She said there were two tokens, black and grey, adding that consumers who found black tokens while cutting the soap, instantly won laundry bowls while those who found the grey tokens with the inscription “winner + a unique code” won one of the two two-bedroom houses.
She stated that Key soap sought to find a way of rewarding loyal consumers by giving them a gift that would really delight them in these times of economic hardships.
Mrs Insaidoo added that Key Soap was on a mission of making the day-to-day activities of its consumers delightful and assured consumers to expect more from Key soap.
Caption: The winner, Hajia Aishatu Mumuni, holding her key and flanged by members of her family with Mr Akofa Attah (left), Head of Grand Building, Unilever Ghana Limited, addressing the audience after handing over the key to the house to Hajia Aishatu Mumuni.
The winner, Hajia Aishatu Mumuni, expressed her gratitude to Unilever for the prize.
Hajia Mumuni, who sells salt, used the opportunity to urge members of the public to buy Key soap, since the promotion was real.
The Category Manager of Unilever in charge of Home Care, Mrs Leticia Insaidoo, said the promotion was part of the company’s annual promotion strategies to reward its loyal consumers and give back to society.
That, she said, was to create some excitement in the world of their consumers.
She said there were two tokens, black and grey, adding that consumers who found black tokens while cutting the soap, instantly won laundry bowls while those who found the grey tokens with the inscription “winner + a unique code” won one of the two two-bedroom houses.
She stated that Key soap sought to find a way of rewarding loyal consumers by giving them a gift that would really delight them in these times of economic hardships.
Mrs Insaidoo added that Key Soap was on a mission of making the day-to-day activities of its consumers delightful and assured consumers to expect more from Key soap.
Caption: The winner, Hajia Aishatu Mumuni, holding her key and flanged by members of her family with Mr Akofa Attah (left), Head of Grand Building, Unilever Ghana Limited, addressing the audience after handing over the key to the house to Hajia Aishatu Mumuni.
Divine Grace School holds first graduation (27/04/09)
THE Divine Grace School at Weija, which consists of nursery, primary to junior high school level, has held its inauguration and first graduation ceremony.
Fourteen boys and 13 girls graduated from the JHS level.
The Director of Education for Ga West Municipal Assembly, Mr Daniel Budu Asiedu, who addressed the ceremony called on the private sector to compliment government’s efforts at providing formal education for children of school age.
He noted that government had to collaborate with the private sector to achieve goals of the Education Strategic Plan which states that every Ghanaian Child who is of school age should be in school by the year 2020.
Mr Asiedu said formal education was crucial to the socio-economic development of a country, adding that any effort to inculcate knowledge, skills and moral values in the young ones of the society were commendable.
He congratulated the founders of the school for their vision of establishing the school and noted that if an individual was denied formal education, that individual became a liability to the society.
Mr Asiedu said it was important for all stakeholders to collaborate to ensure that children were given the opportunity to access quality education, adding that "If placement by the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) was anything to go by, then one could say that about 70 per cent of placements in the top senior high schools (SHS) were always taken by children from the private schools".
He said this was evident that the private schools were playing their role in the provision of quality education effectively.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Mary Theresa Ashun said since its establishment, the school had excelled in many competitions including French and General Science quizzes, sporting activities and recently qualifying to the next stage of a spelling bee competition.
She said the school had awarded 25 students with full scholarships, while 15 have been given half scholarships.
The headmistress said the school was striving to help the children develop holistically so that the high standard required of them would be fulfilled.
She called on philanthropists and benevolent organisations to help the school equip its Science laboratory and the library, as well as complete the construction of a three-storey classroom block, to compliment the delivery of quality education in the school and double the school’s enrolment.
The Member of Parliament for Weija, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, observed that the private sector had contributed immensely to the development of the country.
She urged the staff of the school to teach the students and nurture them into becoming responsible adults and advised parents to spend more time with their wards in order to encourage them in their academic life to help them excel.
Mrs Ashun said the school had a population of 466 students with 39 teaching and non-teaching staff.
The Assembly Member for Bortiannor Electoral Area Mrs Vera Boamah advised parents to visit the school often to see how their wards were doing.
She appealed to the Ministry of Education to reconsider the embargo placed on the supply of text books to private schools.
Fourteen boys and 13 girls graduated from the JHS level.
The Director of Education for Ga West Municipal Assembly, Mr Daniel Budu Asiedu, who addressed the ceremony called on the private sector to compliment government’s efforts at providing formal education for children of school age.
He noted that government had to collaborate with the private sector to achieve goals of the Education Strategic Plan which states that every Ghanaian Child who is of school age should be in school by the year 2020.
Mr Asiedu said formal education was crucial to the socio-economic development of a country, adding that any effort to inculcate knowledge, skills and moral values in the young ones of the society were commendable.
He congratulated the founders of the school for their vision of establishing the school and noted that if an individual was denied formal education, that individual became a liability to the society.
Mr Asiedu said it was important for all stakeholders to collaborate to ensure that children were given the opportunity to access quality education, adding that "If placement by the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) was anything to go by, then one could say that about 70 per cent of placements in the top senior high schools (SHS) were always taken by children from the private schools".
He said this was evident that the private schools were playing their role in the provision of quality education effectively.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Mary Theresa Ashun said since its establishment, the school had excelled in many competitions including French and General Science quizzes, sporting activities and recently qualifying to the next stage of a spelling bee competition.
She said the school had awarded 25 students with full scholarships, while 15 have been given half scholarships.
The headmistress said the school was striving to help the children develop holistically so that the high standard required of them would be fulfilled.
She called on philanthropists and benevolent organisations to help the school equip its Science laboratory and the library, as well as complete the construction of a three-storey classroom block, to compliment the delivery of quality education in the school and double the school’s enrolment.
The Member of Parliament for Weija, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, observed that the private sector had contributed immensely to the development of the country.
She urged the staff of the school to teach the students and nurture them into becoming responsible adults and advised parents to spend more time with their wards in order to encourage them in their academic life to help them excel.
Mrs Ashun said the school had a population of 466 students with 39 teaching and non-teaching staff.
The Assembly Member for Bortiannor Electoral Area Mrs Vera Boamah advised parents to visit the school often to see how their wards were doing.
She appealed to the Ministry of Education to reconsider the embargo placed on the supply of text books to private schools.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Divine Grace School Dedicated (23/04/09)
Story & picture: Jennifer Dornoo
§The Divine Grace School at the Ghana Industrial and Commercial Estate Limited (GICEL) Estate at Weija in Accra was dedicated last Monday with a call on teachers to groom their pupils to become great personalities in the future.
Most Rev. Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle Accra Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Church, who performed the ceremony, noted that as leaders of the future it was important for teachers to complement the efforts of parents and the society by helping to identify the potentials of children to make them useful adults in the future.
He advised the pupils of the school to be obedient to their parents and teachers so that they can grow in stature, noting that an obedient child would grow in wisdom and have the fear of God in him.
The archbishop noted that like Jesus, children were expected to love their neighbours and do good so that they would become useful citizens in future.
The proprietor of the school, Mr Charles Kwodwo Ashun, said the school which was established in September, 2003 was to suppliment efforts of government to provide education to meet the needs and aspirations of parents who had settled in New Weija.
He noted that the school which started with 14 children now had 466 students with 30 teaching and non-teaching staff.
“It is a fully-fledged private basic school, which has as its motto ‘Knowledge, Humility and Loyalty’ with its first batch of Junior High School (JHS) students currently writing their Basic Education Certificate Examination”, he said.
Mr Ashun said the school would hold its first graduation and official inauguration on Saturday, April 25, 2009.
CAPTION: Most Rev. Palmer-Buckle (left), being assisted by the Headmistress of the School, Mrs Mary Ashun (second left) Mr Ashun and the Parish Priest of SS Peter and Paul Parish, Fr John Straathof (right) to unveil the plaque after the dedication.
§The Divine Grace School at the Ghana Industrial and Commercial Estate Limited (GICEL) Estate at Weija in Accra was dedicated last Monday with a call on teachers to groom their pupils to become great personalities in the future.
Most Rev. Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle Accra Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Church, who performed the ceremony, noted that as leaders of the future it was important for teachers to complement the efforts of parents and the society by helping to identify the potentials of children to make them useful adults in the future.
He advised the pupils of the school to be obedient to their parents and teachers so that they can grow in stature, noting that an obedient child would grow in wisdom and have the fear of God in him.
The archbishop noted that like Jesus, children were expected to love their neighbours and do good so that they would become useful citizens in future.
The proprietor of the school, Mr Charles Kwodwo Ashun, said the school which was established in September, 2003 was to suppliment efforts of government to provide education to meet the needs and aspirations of parents who had settled in New Weija.
He noted that the school which started with 14 children now had 466 students with 30 teaching and non-teaching staff.
“It is a fully-fledged private basic school, which has as its motto ‘Knowledge, Humility and Loyalty’ with its first batch of Junior High School (JHS) students currently writing their Basic Education Certificate Examination”, he said.
Mr Ashun said the school would hold its first graduation and official inauguration on Saturday, April 25, 2009.
CAPTION: Most Rev. Palmer-Buckle (left), being assisted by the Headmistress of the School, Mrs Mary Ashun (second left) Mr Ashun and the Parish Priest of SS Peter and Paul Parish, Fr John Straathof (right) to unveil the plaque after the dedication.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Government committed to gender equity (21/04/09)
THE Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), Ms Akua Sena Dansua has reaffirmed government’s commitment to ensure gender equity in decision-making at all levels in order to attain equal participation of men and women in national development.
She said since women constituted more than half of the country’s population, they should be encouraged to be part of governance and decision-making, since their exclusion from such a process would hamper the attainment of national development goals.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day stakeholders workshop to discuss the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) gender policy in Accra on Wednesday, the minister said the government’s commitment to mainstream gender issues in development is reflected in the adoption of an Affirmative Action policy which had resulted in the appointment of women into key positions.
She said that was also reflected in the adoption of gender responsive budgeting adding that, that placed a special responsibility on public sector officials to integrate gender into their policies and programmes.
Ms Dansua commended GIMPA for its initiative and expressed optimism that the policy would spell out a well-defined strategy to promote the integration of gender-sensitive programmes in institutional set-ups to help address gender disparities.
She said GIMPA had been identified as one of the institutions responsible for building the capacity of senior public officials in gender mainstreaming skills under the joint Government of Ghana and African Development Bank, Gender Responsive Skills and Community Development project, being executed by MOWAC.
Ms Dansua urged all stakeholders participating in the forum to make valuable contributions to enrich the policy to build the capacity of public servants with the skills of addressing gender inequalities for the attainment of good governance and sustainable development.
The Rector of GIMPA, Prof. Agyeman Badu said the workshop which was organised by the institute in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat was to review GIMPA’s gender policy to train leaders to appreciate gender related issues.
He said the leadership of GIMPA was committed to support the Gender Centre to develop a Training curriculum for both gender specific training programmes and cross-cutting gender training into regular programmes.
The Advisor of Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD) of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Mrs Janet Kathyola, said there was the need to recognise the relationship between good governance and gender equality, and their mutual contribution to sustainable development, adding that gender equality was core to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
She added that ensuring gender equity in public service delivery and development outcomes required a public service that had the relevant gender competence to make gender the mainstream of all stages of policy and programme implementation processes such as budgeting and human resource management.
She said since women constituted more than half of the country’s population, they should be encouraged to be part of governance and decision-making, since their exclusion from such a process would hamper the attainment of national development goals.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day stakeholders workshop to discuss the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) gender policy in Accra on Wednesday, the minister said the government’s commitment to mainstream gender issues in development is reflected in the adoption of an Affirmative Action policy which had resulted in the appointment of women into key positions.
She said that was also reflected in the adoption of gender responsive budgeting adding that, that placed a special responsibility on public sector officials to integrate gender into their policies and programmes.
Ms Dansua commended GIMPA for its initiative and expressed optimism that the policy would spell out a well-defined strategy to promote the integration of gender-sensitive programmes in institutional set-ups to help address gender disparities.
She said GIMPA had been identified as one of the institutions responsible for building the capacity of senior public officials in gender mainstreaming skills under the joint Government of Ghana and African Development Bank, Gender Responsive Skills and Community Development project, being executed by MOWAC.
Ms Dansua urged all stakeholders participating in the forum to make valuable contributions to enrich the policy to build the capacity of public servants with the skills of addressing gender inequalities for the attainment of good governance and sustainable development.
The Rector of GIMPA, Prof. Agyeman Badu said the workshop which was organised by the institute in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat was to review GIMPA’s gender policy to train leaders to appreciate gender related issues.
He said the leadership of GIMPA was committed to support the Gender Centre to develop a Training curriculum for both gender specific training programmes and cross-cutting gender training into regular programmes.
The Advisor of Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD) of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Mrs Janet Kathyola, said there was the need to recognise the relationship between good governance and gender equality, and their mutual contribution to sustainable development, adding that gender equality was core to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
She added that ensuring gender equity in public service delivery and development outcomes required a public service that had the relevant gender competence to make gender the mainstream of all stages of policy and programme implementation processes such as budgeting and human resource management.
Monday, April 20, 2009
(44 upgrade skills in Peri-Operative and Critical Care Nursing) 20/04/09
THE School of Peri-Operative and Critical Care Nursing (PON/CCN) at Korle-Bu has held its third graduation ceremony with a call on the graduates to strive to change the negative perception about health workers, especially nurses.
This, according to the Deputy Director of Human Resource for Health Development (HRHD) of the Ministry of Health (MOH), Dr Kwesi Asabir, could only be achieved, if the graduates worked diligently and humanely as professional nurses.
Forty four nurses graduated, with 21 of them acquiring diploma in Peri-Operative Nursing (PON), while 23 acquired diploma in Critical Care Nursing (CCN).
Dr Kwesi Asabir advised the graduates to use the knowledge acquired to contribute their quota to the development of the nursing profession and the country.
He said the ministry believed quality training of health professionals could only be achieved through the provision of excellent practical training schemes in the form of clinical work, demonstrations and field attractions.
He announced that the ministry had made arrangements to procure more physical anatomical models for nursing schools and utility vehicles to enhance practical teaching and learning.
Dr Asabir said the vibrant post-basic programme being organised by the Peri-Operative and Critical Care Training School was an indication of the ministry’s commitment to speciality nursing and healthcare delivery, even with limited resources.
That commitment, according to him, was borne out of the need to confront persistent and new health challenges that had the potential to derail the nation’s progress towards the goal of wealth creation.
He said the MOH had observed that the school had made significant contributions to speciality nursing and human resource challenges in the health sector.
“The school has also started fulfilling its mandate of improving access to specialist services outside the teaching hospitals and urban areas,” he added.
Dr Asabir congratulated the graduates and expressed the hope that they would put what they had learnt into good practice.
Mrs Cecilia Kalitse from the Nurses and Midwives Council (NMC), who represented the Registrar of the NMC, Mrs Veronica Darko, urged the graduates to serve their clients to the best of their abilities to enhance the image of the profession.
She said most accident victims died out of poor handling, and therefore, called on all nurses to help in the national crusade of teaching the public the right ways of handling such victims to save lives.
She advised nurses to handle clients and patients in their care with great care, and also act professionally.
The school prefect, Mr Joel Kpodo, on behalf of his colleagues, expressed disappointment at the manner in which stakeholders in the health sector treated nurses who had acquired additional skills in peri-operative and critical nursing.
He appealed to the various stakeholders to value the PON/CCN programme not just as an “added knowledge”, but also as a programme which offered the registered general nurses an opportunity to upgrade their professional qualifications to attain promotion to the next available rank.
Mr Kpodo appealed to the government to help equip the institution with modern technologies, learning and training materials and other equipment for quality training.
He also called on the school authorities to introduce distance learning programmes to help more nurses access training and skills in PON/CCN.
Mr Kpodo entreated his colleagues to continue to upgrade themselves and give advanced quality health care to their clients and patients.
Ms Belinda Anukpui and Ms Rejoice Gbologah emerged the best students among the graduates. Seven graduates were also awarded for their dedication and hard work over the years in the school.
They included Mr Joel Kpodo, Ms Belinda Anukpui, Ms Judith Arko, Ms Joyce Odum, Ms Lucy Ofosu-Appiah, Ms Marian Ofori Atta and Ms Salamatu Yusif.
This, according to the Deputy Director of Human Resource for Health Development (HRHD) of the Ministry of Health (MOH), Dr Kwesi Asabir, could only be achieved, if the graduates worked diligently and humanely as professional nurses.
Forty four nurses graduated, with 21 of them acquiring diploma in Peri-Operative Nursing (PON), while 23 acquired diploma in Critical Care Nursing (CCN).
Dr Kwesi Asabir advised the graduates to use the knowledge acquired to contribute their quota to the development of the nursing profession and the country.
He said the ministry believed quality training of health professionals could only be achieved through the provision of excellent practical training schemes in the form of clinical work, demonstrations and field attractions.
He announced that the ministry had made arrangements to procure more physical anatomical models for nursing schools and utility vehicles to enhance practical teaching and learning.
Dr Asabir said the vibrant post-basic programme being organised by the Peri-Operative and Critical Care Training School was an indication of the ministry’s commitment to speciality nursing and healthcare delivery, even with limited resources.
That commitment, according to him, was borne out of the need to confront persistent and new health challenges that had the potential to derail the nation’s progress towards the goal of wealth creation.
He said the MOH had observed that the school had made significant contributions to speciality nursing and human resource challenges in the health sector.
“The school has also started fulfilling its mandate of improving access to specialist services outside the teaching hospitals and urban areas,” he added.
Dr Asabir congratulated the graduates and expressed the hope that they would put what they had learnt into good practice.
Mrs Cecilia Kalitse from the Nurses and Midwives Council (NMC), who represented the Registrar of the NMC, Mrs Veronica Darko, urged the graduates to serve their clients to the best of their abilities to enhance the image of the profession.
She said most accident victims died out of poor handling, and therefore, called on all nurses to help in the national crusade of teaching the public the right ways of handling such victims to save lives.
She advised nurses to handle clients and patients in their care with great care, and also act professionally.
The school prefect, Mr Joel Kpodo, on behalf of his colleagues, expressed disappointment at the manner in which stakeholders in the health sector treated nurses who had acquired additional skills in peri-operative and critical nursing.
He appealed to the various stakeholders to value the PON/CCN programme not just as an “added knowledge”, but also as a programme which offered the registered general nurses an opportunity to upgrade their professional qualifications to attain promotion to the next available rank.
Mr Kpodo appealed to the government to help equip the institution with modern technologies, learning and training materials and other equipment for quality training.
He also called on the school authorities to introduce distance learning programmes to help more nurses access training and skills in PON/CCN.
Mr Kpodo entreated his colleagues to continue to upgrade themselves and give advanced quality health care to their clients and patients.
Ms Belinda Anukpui and Ms Rejoice Gbologah emerged the best students among the graduates. Seven graduates were also awarded for their dedication and hard work over the years in the school.
They included Mr Joel Kpodo, Ms Belinda Anukpui, Ms Judith Arko, Ms Joyce Odum, Ms Lucy Ofosu-Appiah, Ms Marian Ofori Atta and Ms Salamatu Yusif.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Melcom holds Furniture Bonanza draw (17/04/09)
THREE people have won return tickets to London in the Melcom Pre-Independence Furniture Bonanza in Accra.
They are Mr Mohammed Muda from Accra, Mr Sulemana Iliasu from Tamale and Dr Kwesi Orgle from Kaneshie.
The period of the bonanza was characterised by price reduction on furniture of up to 50 per cent and also opportunity for customers to win three return tickets to London in all 20 branches of the Melcom shops nationwide.
According to the Public Relations Officer, Mr Josiah Spio-Garbrah, customers who purchased furniture worth ¢50 from February 8 to March 23 , 2009 participated in the bonanza.
He said Melcom had on display colourful and attractive furniture for the home, office, hotels, conference rooms, bars and a wide range of outdoor furniture.
He said customers who patronised the furniture bonanza were thrilled and impressed by the large range of modern and exquisite furniture on display.
He added that Melcom still maintained reduced prices on most furniture in the shops throughout the country upon the request of customers.
One of the two Managing Directors of Melcom, Mr Maesh Melwani, noted that there were lots of plans to offer customers and potential ones with accessible, quality and affordable goods.
He announced that Melcom would be opening two more branches at Ashaiman and its biggest shop at Avenor soon to provide its increasing customers with quality goods at affordable prices.
He said promotions would be held on a regular basis on the different range of goods in all the shops with quality customer service to increase customer satisfaction.
They are Mr Mohammed Muda from Accra, Mr Sulemana Iliasu from Tamale and Dr Kwesi Orgle from Kaneshie.
The period of the bonanza was characterised by price reduction on furniture of up to 50 per cent and also opportunity for customers to win three return tickets to London in all 20 branches of the Melcom shops nationwide.
According to the Public Relations Officer, Mr Josiah Spio-Garbrah, customers who purchased furniture worth ¢50 from February 8 to March 23 , 2009 participated in the bonanza.
He said Melcom had on display colourful and attractive furniture for the home, office, hotels, conference rooms, bars and a wide range of outdoor furniture.
He said customers who patronised the furniture bonanza were thrilled and impressed by the large range of modern and exquisite furniture on display.
He added that Melcom still maintained reduced prices on most furniture in the shops throughout the country upon the request of customers.
One of the two Managing Directors of Melcom, Mr Maesh Melwani, noted that there were lots of plans to offer customers and potential ones with accessible, quality and affordable goods.
He announced that Melcom would be opening two more branches at Ashaiman and its biggest shop at Avenor soon to provide its increasing customers with quality goods at affordable prices.
He said promotions would be held on a regular basis on the different range of goods in all the shops with quality customer service to increase customer satisfaction.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Committee for children's hospital project inaugurated (15/04/09)
A FIFTEEN-MEMBER Building Committee for the construction of a GH¢360,000 three-storey surgical theatre and intensive care unit for the Princess Louis Marie Hospital in Accra has been inaugurated.
The committee, which has membership cutting across professional groups in the construction industry, has Rev Fr Andrew Campbell as its chairman.
Other members of the committee include Mr John Awuah, Mr Patrick Okoto, Mrs Maame Yaa Nyarko, Mr Samuel Nortey, Mr Albert Asante, Mr Joseph Baah and Mr M.G. Tackey.
The rest are Mrs Agnes Nkrumah, Mr Eric Sifah, Mrs Theresa Yankah, Mr Kwesi Amon-Boahin, Mrs Evelyn Nelson-Freeman, Mr Mark A. Taylor and Mr Fred Kwofie.
At the ceremony to inaugurate the committee, two members of the Ghana International Health Foundation in Canada, Dr Faustina Yeboah and Ms Joyce Boye presented a microscope to the hospital, which was received by Rev Fr Campbell, who is also board chairman of the hospital.
A member of the committee, Mr Mark Anthony Taylor, who is also Chief Executive of Taylor Electrical Ltd, pledged to provide all the PVC pipes needed for electrical installations work on the project, which is expected to provide residence for medical officers as well.
Inaugurating the committee, Rev Fr Campbell said the hospital was poised to overcome the challenges which hindered the delivery of quality healthcare to children.
Among the challenges confronting the hospital, he said, were absence of basic equipment, residential accommodation for House Officers and vehicles.
Rev Fr Campbell expressed his appreciation to the various institutions who continue to supported the hospital.
The committee, which has membership cutting across professional groups in the construction industry, has Rev Fr Andrew Campbell as its chairman.
Other members of the committee include Mr John Awuah, Mr Patrick Okoto, Mrs Maame Yaa Nyarko, Mr Samuel Nortey, Mr Albert Asante, Mr Joseph Baah and Mr M.G. Tackey.
The rest are Mrs Agnes Nkrumah, Mr Eric Sifah, Mrs Theresa Yankah, Mr Kwesi Amon-Boahin, Mrs Evelyn Nelson-Freeman, Mr Mark A. Taylor and Mr Fred Kwofie.
At the ceremony to inaugurate the committee, two members of the Ghana International Health Foundation in Canada, Dr Faustina Yeboah and Ms Joyce Boye presented a microscope to the hospital, which was received by Rev Fr Campbell, who is also board chairman of the hospital.
A member of the committee, Mr Mark Anthony Taylor, who is also Chief Executive of Taylor Electrical Ltd, pledged to provide all the PVC pipes needed for electrical installations work on the project, which is expected to provide residence for medical officers as well.
Inaugurating the committee, Rev Fr Campbell said the hospital was poised to overcome the challenges which hindered the delivery of quality healthcare to children.
Among the challenges confronting the hospital, he said, were absence of basic equipment, residential accommodation for House Officers and vehicles.
Rev Fr Campbell expressed his appreciation to the various institutions who continue to supported the hospital.
clean up exerscise at Lartebiokorshie(15/04/09)
EXECUTIVE Members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Branch 'B' and the Atta Mills Fun Club in the Lartebiokorshie electoral area in the Ablekuma Central Constituency celebrated the Easter holiday with a clean-up exercise.
They also filled pot-holes on the streets and later organised a picnic to invigorate the two clubs.
The activities were to mobilise people in the vicinity to clean the environment while having fun.
The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central, Mr Theophilius Tetteh Chaie, said the exercise was to conscientise people on the importance of keeping their environment clean in order to avoid sicknesses.
He said they had planned to organise the exercise every two weeks in each of the five electoral areas in the constituency to keep the place free from filth because the constituency was densely populated and engulfed in filth, so there was the need to clean up the area in order to avoid the outbreak of any disease as the rainy season approached.
The Assembly member of the Lartebiokorshie Electoral Area, Mr Gamboidris Wangabi, expressed the belief that the youth had to help in keeping their surroundings clean because the exercise would eventually help people to save money which could have been used to treat filth-related sicknesses in the hospital.
He also gave the assurance that the electoral area would repeat the exercise every month to keep the gutters and surroundings clean and help to build a better Ghana.
The Acting Chairman of the Atta Mills Fun Club, Mr Joseph Tagoe, said it was important for them to help keep their environment clean instead of waiting for the government to intervene.
"It is important for members of the community to help develop their community to progress," he emphasised and urged all members of the community to
They also filled pot-holes on the streets and later organised a picnic to invigorate the two clubs.
The activities were to mobilise people in the vicinity to clean the environment while having fun.
The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central, Mr Theophilius Tetteh Chaie, said the exercise was to conscientise people on the importance of keeping their environment clean in order to avoid sicknesses.
He said they had planned to organise the exercise every two weeks in each of the five electoral areas in the constituency to keep the place free from filth because the constituency was densely populated and engulfed in filth, so there was the need to clean up the area in order to avoid the outbreak of any disease as the rainy season approached.
The Assembly member of the Lartebiokorshie Electoral Area, Mr Gamboidris Wangabi, expressed the belief that the youth had to help in keeping their surroundings clean because the exercise would eventually help people to save money which could have been used to treat filth-related sicknesses in the hospital.
He also gave the assurance that the electoral area would repeat the exercise every month to keep the gutters and surroundings clean and help to build a better Ghana.
The Acting Chairman of the Atta Mills Fun Club, Mr Joseph Tagoe, said it was important for them to help keep their environment clean instead of waiting for the government to intervene.
"It is important for members of the community to help develop their community to progress," he emphasised and urged all members of the community to
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Ghana to extend coastline (9/04/09)
THE Commonwealth Secretariat and the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) have presented documents of Ghana’s application and evidence for the extension of the country’s coastline to the Minister of Lands and Natural resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, in Accra.
The document will give the country the opportunity to extend her coastline from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles, which area Ghana would have exclusive sovereign rights over all natural resources.
Making the presentation at the ministry, the Legal Adviser at the Special Advisory Services Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Ms Judy Nadine, said the preparation of the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) claims was part of the secretariat’s mandate under its Maritime Boundary Delimitation Programme of assistance.
She said the Commonwealth had for the greater part of the decade being encouraging its member states to prepare their claims, and had a priority of helping its member states to maximise their maritime claims under Article 76 of the United Nations (UN) Convention.
She said under this process, Ghana stood to gain an additional continental shelf area (coastline) of between 9000 and 12000 kilometres in the Eastern and Western parts of the country.
She noted that the partnership with the committee for the Ghana National Continental Shelf Delineation Project, chaired by the minister, had been productive and fruitful, under which a significant amount of legal, technical and diplomatic work with neighbouring states had been done.
Ms Ndaona said the technical work included a boat cruise in November and December 2008, which gathered seismic data in the relevant areas of the continental shelf to support Ghana’s ECS submission before the deadline on May 13, 2009.
She said the document included an executive summary, the main body and appendices including the supporting scientific and technical data.
She said the necessary discussions had been made on the next steps to be taken by the government to ensure the successful lodging of the ECS submission to the UN before the deadline.
The minister said the importance of the subject could not be overemphasised, since it was tied to the socio-economic development of the country.
He said he was confident that Ghana was set to make her submission to the UN before the deadline in May.
He thanked the Commonwealth secretariat and BGR for their support, and said the government acknowledged their support for and sponsorship packages to the project.
He said it was his hope that the discussions and comments that would follow would be in the interest of the country.
The document will give the country the opportunity to extend her coastline from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles, which area Ghana would have exclusive sovereign rights over all natural resources.
Making the presentation at the ministry, the Legal Adviser at the Special Advisory Services Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Ms Judy Nadine, said the preparation of the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) claims was part of the secretariat’s mandate under its Maritime Boundary Delimitation Programme of assistance.
She said the Commonwealth had for the greater part of the decade being encouraging its member states to prepare their claims, and had a priority of helping its member states to maximise their maritime claims under Article 76 of the United Nations (UN) Convention.
She said under this process, Ghana stood to gain an additional continental shelf area (coastline) of between 9000 and 12000 kilometres in the Eastern and Western parts of the country.
She noted that the partnership with the committee for the Ghana National Continental Shelf Delineation Project, chaired by the minister, had been productive and fruitful, under which a significant amount of legal, technical and diplomatic work with neighbouring states had been done.
Ms Ndaona said the technical work included a boat cruise in November and December 2008, which gathered seismic data in the relevant areas of the continental shelf to support Ghana’s ECS submission before the deadline on May 13, 2009.
She said the document included an executive summary, the main body and appendices including the supporting scientific and technical data.
She said the necessary discussions had been made on the next steps to be taken by the government to ensure the successful lodging of the ECS submission to the UN before the deadline.
The minister said the importance of the subject could not be overemphasised, since it was tied to the socio-economic development of the country.
He said he was confident that Ghana was set to make her submission to the UN before the deadline in May.
He thanked the Commonwealth secretariat and BGR for their support, and said the government acknowledged their support for and sponsorship packages to the project.
He said it was his hope that the discussions and comments that would follow would be in the interest of the country.
Ghana spends $760m to treat Malaria (9/04/09)
THE Country spent $760million on the treatment of Malaria last year, a report by the Ministry of Health has indicated.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey when the Ambassador of Spain, Mrs Julia Olmo made a courtesy call on him in his office last Tuesday.
The call was to officially introduce the Ambassador to the Minister, brief him on some health projects Spain had undertaken with the country and to strengthen relations between the two countries.
The Minister stated that his priority was to eliminate the malaria disease in the country and the ECOWAS sub-region in the next two years, with the help of other Health Ministers of the sub-region.
He said the serious implications of the disease was its high cost of treatment and low productivity in the country.
He expressed concern about the inadequate number of ambulances which hindered the delivery of quality emergency services in the country.
He said the country had only 41 ambulances for all the public hospitals in the country with only six of them operating in the Greater Accra Region.
Dr Yankey appealed to the Ambassador to help provide vehicular and air ambulances for the country to ensure the delivery of quality emergency services and save more lives through accidents and disasters.
The Ambassador of Spain informed the Minister of a 5 million Euro fund targeted for feasibility studies at the ministry.
She pledged her country’s continuous support to the health sector and prayed that the relationship between the two countries would grow stronger.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey when the Ambassador of Spain, Mrs Julia Olmo made a courtesy call on him in his office last Tuesday.
The call was to officially introduce the Ambassador to the Minister, brief him on some health projects Spain had undertaken with the country and to strengthen relations between the two countries.
The Minister stated that his priority was to eliminate the malaria disease in the country and the ECOWAS sub-region in the next two years, with the help of other Health Ministers of the sub-region.
He said the serious implications of the disease was its high cost of treatment and low productivity in the country.
He expressed concern about the inadequate number of ambulances which hindered the delivery of quality emergency services in the country.
He said the country had only 41 ambulances for all the public hospitals in the country with only six of them operating in the Greater Accra Region.
Dr Yankey appealed to the Ambassador to help provide vehicular and air ambulances for the country to ensure the delivery of quality emergency services and save more lives through accidents and disasters.
The Ambassador of Spain informed the Minister of a 5 million Euro fund targeted for feasibility studies at the ministry.
She pledged her country’s continuous support to the health sector and prayed that the relationship between the two countries would grow stronger.
Japan supports rice production efforts (9/04/09) BP
Story: Jennifer Dornoo
THE Japanese government has handed machinery worth over $3.2 million to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to help revamp the production of rice.
The machinery, which includes 78 tractors, 20 rice mills and 22 water pumps were procured under the Japanese Government Grant Assistance for underprivileged farmers in 2007.
The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Keiichi Katakami, who did the handing over, said the machinery is to be distributed to farmers on hire-purchase basis to improve the rice sector.
He said this was part of steps being taken by the Government of Ghana to reduce poverty and accelerate development by modernising Agriculture.
The ambassador commended the efforts of government to modernise rice production to enable the country attain self-sufficiency and ensure food security through increased production.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said Ghana’s mechanisation policy was aimed at making available, appropriate sizes and capacities of machinery and equipment to all categories of farmers.
Mr Ahwoi expressed his appreciation to the government and people of Japan and expressed the hope that the coming years would see more of such fruitful co-operation between the two countries.
He said the Agricultural Engineering Services Directorate (AESD) of the ministry had a team of engineers and technicians who were ready to train and update the technical skills of tractor operators and mechanics throughout the country to make them more efficient in handling the machines.
He appealed to beneficiaries from the Eastern, Volta and the three northern regions of Ghana to do their instalment payments on time to enable the Japanese and Ghanaian governments sustain the programme.
THE Japanese government has handed machinery worth over $3.2 million to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to help revamp the production of rice.
The machinery, which includes 78 tractors, 20 rice mills and 22 water pumps were procured under the Japanese Government Grant Assistance for underprivileged farmers in 2007.
The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Keiichi Katakami, who did the handing over, said the machinery is to be distributed to farmers on hire-purchase basis to improve the rice sector.
He said this was part of steps being taken by the Government of Ghana to reduce poverty and accelerate development by modernising Agriculture.
The ambassador commended the efforts of government to modernise rice production to enable the country attain self-sufficiency and ensure food security through increased production.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, said Ghana’s mechanisation policy was aimed at making available, appropriate sizes and capacities of machinery and equipment to all categories of farmers.
Mr Ahwoi expressed his appreciation to the government and people of Japan and expressed the hope that the coming years would see more of such fruitful co-operation between the two countries.
He said the Agricultural Engineering Services Directorate (AESD) of the ministry had a team of engineers and technicians who were ready to train and update the technical skills of tractor operators and mechanics throughout the country to make them more efficient in handling the machines.
He appealed to beneficiaries from the Eastern, Volta and the three northern regions of Ghana to do their instalment payments on time to enable the Japanese and Ghanaian governments sustain the programme.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Gender Budget Monitoring Unit for MOWAC (2/04/09)
Gender equality and empowerment of women are indispensable tools for advancing development, reducing poverty and also key to achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals that serves as a framework for halving poverty and improving lives.
In spite of tremendous efforts over the world, discrimination against women and girls, including gender-based violence, economic discrimination and others, still persist. Marginalisation of women due to some cultural practices has not helped in developing the capacity of women in Ghana and other countries.
To help strengthen women’s participation in economic decision-making through their engagement in budgetary processes, as well as enhance the incorporation of gender into economic governance and leadership processes, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Administration began a Gender Responsive Budgeting Initiative (GBI) to give a further boost to women’s participation in taking economic decisions.
That initiative became necessary after Cabinet approved the adoption of a gender responsive budgeting guideline for all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in the 2008 budget. It requires ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in the country to adopt a positive change in their organisational culture to accommodate gender responsive budgeting in their programmes and also give policy direction for all MDAs to take into account critical gender equality, equity and women empowerment concerns at all levels of activity planning and resource allocation.
Speaking at a seminar on Gender Budgeting for Directors of the various MDAs in the country, organised by the Civil Servants Association Ladies Club (CISALAC) in Accra on Tuesday, the Minister for Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC), Ms Akua Sena Dansua, said the government was to establish a Gender Budget Monitoring Unit at the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) to facilitate the implementation of gender budgeting in all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
She said the unit would be given the mandate to facilitate the development of gender based budgets in all the MDAs and monitor their implementation.
This she said was to ensure that the gender equity commitment of the government was respected and adhered to, adding that the objective was to ensure that the National and Sector Budgets for 2010 and beyond were gender responsive.
She stressed that the decision by the government to introduce Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) was born out of the realisation that poverty, vulnerability, marginalisation, social exclusion and the disparity gaps between geographical areas could be reduced faster, addressed and narrowed if the concerns and specific needs of all these segments were taken into account during sector and national policy design, budgeting and implementation.
Ms Dansua stated that the government therefore regarded GRB as an important tool for gender mainstreaming and women empowerment.
She said some of the benefits to be derived included promotion of good governance, ascertaining whether public expenditures were allocated in an equitable way, promoting the realisation of women's rights and promoting accountability and transparency.
She stressed that the GRB was not a separate budget but a budgeting tool or process that took into account the various concerns of males and females in any development planning.
She said the GRB was a holistic and effective approach to addressing human development since it responded positively to the needs and development aspirations of all segments of the population.
The Resident Representative of Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), Ghana, Mr Kunihiro Yamauchi, said the government of Japan had realised the important role of women in the social economic development of the country and would continue to champion the cause of women in Ghana.
He said the marginalisation of women due to some cultural practices had not helped in developing the capacity of women in the country.
The President of CISALAC, Mrs Cynthia Saar Bediako of MoFEP, said the seminar was to provide participants the opportunity to share knowledge and information on gender responsive budget and new trends in gender budgeting to accelerate the GRB and gender mainstreaming agenda.
She said participants of the workshop would be taken through the background of gender budgeting in Ghana, the existing situation, understanding gender and concepts, GRB, importance of budgeting and tools for analysis.
She said the one-day seminar would help the participants appreciate and criticise the budget and also contribute to the decision making process in Ghana.
In spite of tremendous efforts over the world, discrimination against women and girls, including gender-based violence, economic discrimination and others, still persist. Marginalisation of women due to some cultural practices has not helped in developing the capacity of women in Ghana and other countries.
To help strengthen women’s participation in economic decision-making through their engagement in budgetary processes, as well as enhance the incorporation of gender into economic governance and leadership processes, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Administration began a Gender Responsive Budgeting Initiative (GBI) to give a further boost to women’s participation in taking economic decisions.
That initiative became necessary after Cabinet approved the adoption of a gender responsive budgeting guideline for all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in the 2008 budget. It requires ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in the country to adopt a positive change in their organisational culture to accommodate gender responsive budgeting in their programmes and also give policy direction for all MDAs to take into account critical gender equality, equity and women empowerment concerns at all levels of activity planning and resource allocation.
Speaking at a seminar on Gender Budgeting for Directors of the various MDAs in the country, organised by the Civil Servants Association Ladies Club (CISALAC) in Accra on Tuesday, the Minister for Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC), Ms Akua Sena Dansua, said the government was to establish a Gender Budget Monitoring Unit at the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) to facilitate the implementation of gender budgeting in all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
She said the unit would be given the mandate to facilitate the development of gender based budgets in all the MDAs and monitor their implementation.
This she said was to ensure that the gender equity commitment of the government was respected and adhered to, adding that the objective was to ensure that the National and Sector Budgets for 2010 and beyond were gender responsive.
She stressed that the decision by the government to introduce Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) was born out of the realisation that poverty, vulnerability, marginalisation, social exclusion and the disparity gaps between geographical areas could be reduced faster, addressed and narrowed if the concerns and specific needs of all these segments were taken into account during sector and national policy design, budgeting and implementation.
Ms Dansua stated that the government therefore regarded GRB as an important tool for gender mainstreaming and women empowerment.
She said some of the benefits to be derived included promotion of good governance, ascertaining whether public expenditures were allocated in an equitable way, promoting the realisation of women's rights and promoting accountability and transparency.
She stressed that the GRB was not a separate budget but a budgeting tool or process that took into account the various concerns of males and females in any development planning.
She said the GRB was a holistic and effective approach to addressing human development since it responded positively to the needs and development aspirations of all segments of the population.
The Resident Representative of Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), Ghana, Mr Kunihiro Yamauchi, said the government of Japan had realised the important role of women in the social economic development of the country and would continue to champion the cause of women in Ghana.
He said the marginalisation of women due to some cultural practices had not helped in developing the capacity of women in the country.
The President of CISALAC, Mrs Cynthia Saar Bediako of MoFEP, said the seminar was to provide participants the opportunity to share knowledge and information on gender responsive budget and new trends in gender budgeting to accelerate the GRB and gender mainstreaming agenda.
She said participants of the workshop would be taken through the background of gender budgeting in Ghana, the existing situation, understanding gender and concepts, GRB, importance of budgeting and tools for analysis.
She said the one-day seminar would help the participants appreciate and criticise the budget and also contribute to the decision making process in Ghana.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Do away with divisive activities - moderator (1/4/09)
THE Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rt Rev Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, has called on Ghanaians to do away with activities that have the tendency of sowing seeds of division among the people.
“Let us remain as one people and one nation with a common destiny,” he stated.
Delivering his Easter message for the year, the Moderator said, “Let us use this period of Easter to pray for the peace, unity, stability and prosperity of our nation.”
He said it was time Christians and others renewed their dedication and commitment to the tasks of stewardship to their neighbours by helping them and treating them with love, care, selflessness and dedication.
He urged all government officials, parliamentarians, the judiciary and all people in higher positions to consider the sacrifices that Christ made on the cross and resolve during the Easter season to cut down on their wants for the sake of others.
He urged Ghanaians to go the extra mile by sacrificing part of what they had for the needy in society.
“I, therefore, urge all of us to reshape our lives, priorities and lifestyles so that we can free up a part of our money and luxuries to give to our poor and needy brothers and sisters whose sorrows we may lessen and whose comfort we may increase,” Rt Rev Dr Frimpong-Manso stated.
He said it was his prayer that political and religious leaders of the nation, as well as traditional leaders, would turn their hearts to God and rely on Him to enable them to govern the nation creditably.
“As leaders, we must learn to give of ourselves wholeheartedly to serve the people,” he stated, adding that the citizens must also be willing to sacrifice selflessly for themselves and for the development of the country.
He cautioned against people who saw the church as a place for “personal contacts and business advantage” and advised them to attend church to worship God.
The Moderator advised all to give their lives to Christ in order to experience the power of the cross, saying that Christ’s cross was the hope for eternal life.
He noted that physical death was not the end of life but the gateway into God’s eternal home.
“Let this Easter bring you hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and let the relevance of the cross propel you to sacrifice for the sake of the other person,” he said.
“Let us remain as one people and one nation with a common destiny,” he stated.
Delivering his Easter message for the year, the Moderator said, “Let us use this period of Easter to pray for the peace, unity, stability and prosperity of our nation.”
He said it was time Christians and others renewed their dedication and commitment to the tasks of stewardship to their neighbours by helping them and treating them with love, care, selflessness and dedication.
He urged all government officials, parliamentarians, the judiciary and all people in higher positions to consider the sacrifices that Christ made on the cross and resolve during the Easter season to cut down on their wants for the sake of others.
He urged Ghanaians to go the extra mile by sacrificing part of what they had for the needy in society.
“I, therefore, urge all of us to reshape our lives, priorities and lifestyles so that we can free up a part of our money and luxuries to give to our poor and needy brothers and sisters whose sorrows we may lessen and whose comfort we may increase,” Rt Rev Dr Frimpong-Manso stated.
He said it was his prayer that political and religious leaders of the nation, as well as traditional leaders, would turn their hearts to God and rely on Him to enable them to govern the nation creditably.
“As leaders, we must learn to give of ourselves wholeheartedly to serve the people,” he stated, adding that the citizens must also be willing to sacrifice selflessly for themselves and for the development of the country.
He cautioned against people who saw the church as a place for “personal contacts and business advantage” and advised them to attend church to worship God.
The Moderator advised all to give their lives to Christ in order to experience the power of the cross, saying that Christ’s cross was the hope for eternal life.
He noted that physical death was not the end of life but the gateway into God’s eternal home.
“Let this Easter bring you hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and let the relevance of the cross propel you to sacrifice for the sake of the other person,” he said.
KASEC needs Science, Maths teachers (1/4/09)
THE Headmaster of the Kadjebi-Asato Senior High School (KASEC) in the Volta Region, Mr Musah Ayamba Issahaku, has expressed concern about the shortage of staff and inadequate logistics in the school.
He said the challenges posed a threat to the ability of the school to provide the students with quality education.
Speaking in Accra during the launch of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the school , Mr Issahaku said, the school needed additional teachers in Mathematics, English and Science and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The school also required Science laboratory assistants, a librarian, security men, office clerks, cooks and labourers.
He said the ban on employment had made it difficult to engage such workers.
The school has a problem of inadequate water supply, and frequent power outages in the night, which created a lot of disciplinary problems for the school.
He called on the old students union (KOSU) to help the school with a stand-by generator and a school bus.
The headmaster also called on the old students to help develop their alma mater to enhance quality education in the school.
He expressed the hope that the celebration of the anniversary, which would take off on October 3, 2009 on the theme: “Education, the key to development, the role of KASEC,” would help the school.
The Chairman of the school’s board of governors, who was also the special guest of honour, Mr Anthony Gyambiby, advised the old students to use the occasion to unite and support the school to advance the frontiers of knowledge and development.
“Make a commitment to contribute your quota towards the development of the school, ” he stated.
He pointed out that some challenges of the school, which included the Science Resource Centre which was ill equipped had adverse effects on teaching and learning in the school.
He said the library, which was small and could not accommodate the large number of students, was also not well-stocked with the requisite books and other modern learning materials.
Mr Gyambiby said the school needed a well equipped computer laboratory to prepare the students to become computer literate.
He said in order to solve the numerous problems facing the school there was the need to generate funds.
“We all need to demonstrate our preparedness to contribute our widow’s mite towards this noble agenda for the sustenance and development of the school,” he added.
He officially launched the 50th anniversary celebration of KASEC.
The acting President of the Kajebi Senior School Old Student’s Union, Mr George Nana Kankam, called on members of the union to do all they could to enhance the image of the school by contributing to the success of the anniversary celebrations.
He noted that a fund-raising dinner dance would be held on June 27, 2009 to raise funds for the development of the school.
He said the challenges posed a threat to the ability of the school to provide the students with quality education.
Speaking in Accra during the launch of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the school , Mr Issahaku said, the school needed additional teachers in Mathematics, English and Science and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The school also required Science laboratory assistants, a librarian, security men, office clerks, cooks and labourers.
He said the ban on employment had made it difficult to engage such workers.
The school has a problem of inadequate water supply, and frequent power outages in the night, which created a lot of disciplinary problems for the school.
He called on the old students union (KOSU) to help the school with a stand-by generator and a school bus.
The headmaster also called on the old students to help develop their alma mater to enhance quality education in the school.
He expressed the hope that the celebration of the anniversary, which would take off on October 3, 2009 on the theme: “Education, the key to development, the role of KASEC,” would help the school.
The Chairman of the school’s board of governors, who was also the special guest of honour, Mr Anthony Gyambiby, advised the old students to use the occasion to unite and support the school to advance the frontiers of knowledge and development.
“Make a commitment to contribute your quota towards the development of the school, ” he stated.
He pointed out that some challenges of the school, which included the Science Resource Centre which was ill equipped had adverse effects on teaching and learning in the school.
He said the library, which was small and could not accommodate the large number of students, was also not well-stocked with the requisite books and other modern learning materials.
Mr Gyambiby said the school needed a well equipped computer laboratory to prepare the students to become computer literate.
He said in order to solve the numerous problems facing the school there was the need to generate funds.
“We all need to demonstrate our preparedness to contribute our widow’s mite towards this noble agenda for the sustenance and development of the school,” he added.
He officially launched the 50th anniversary celebration of KASEC.
The acting President of the Kajebi Senior School Old Student’s Union, Mr George Nana Kankam, called on members of the union to do all they could to enhance the image of the school by contributing to the success of the anniversary celebrations.
He noted that a fund-raising dinner dance would be held on June 27, 2009 to raise funds for the development of the school.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)