THE Deputy Minister of Education, Mrs Elizabeth Amoah Tetteh, has called for the reintroduction of school farms and gardens to encourage the youth to participate in agriculture and greening the environment.
She said this would complement the government’s efforts at ensuring a sustainable environment as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Addressing the first national youth conference on biodiversity at the weekend, Mrs Amoah Tetteh said while the term biodiversity might not be well known or understood, the ecological services it provided were well known as they were vital to everyday lives of the people.
The conference, which brought together students from the junior and senior high school levels and other youth groups was to observe the International Day for Biological Diversity on the theme, “Invasive Alien Species”. It was used to launch a tree planting competition for schools in the country.
Mrs Amoah Tetteh said a report by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) released in 2005 indicated that human activities had taken the planet to the edge of a massive wave of species extinction that was a threat to human survival.
The Deputy Minister encouraged students and the youth to contribute their quota in the quest for reduction in biodiversity losses and commended Hero Productions for the initiative to get the youth involved in environmental issues.
A representative of the Forestry Commission, Mr Yaw Kwakye, said given the current rapid decline in biodiversity worldwide and the increasing extent, as well as the intensity of many human activities that generated negative impacts, the objective of halting the decline in biodiversity by 2010 would require extraordinary efforts.
He said prevention was the most cost-effective method against invasive alien species, adding that halting the establishment of potential invasive species was the first line of defence.
The Executive Director of Hero Productions, organisers of the programme, Mr Peter Paul Hammond, said the organisation sought to plant and nurture 50 million trees in the country in the next three years.
He said the tree planting competition among schools in the country was to enable the youth to contribute towards the achievement of MDG seven.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
GJA holds Awards Clinic (22/5/09) page 3
A NOVELTY clinic to examine the standard of assessment of the annual awards of the Ghana Journalists Association was held at the International Press Centre in Accra.
The clinic was also intended to educate journalists interested in contesting for GJA awards to know what was required of them.
Addressing the opening session last Wednesday, the President of the GJA, Mr Ransford Tetteh said the clinic, organised as part of the 60th edition of the GJA awards, would improve transparency of the scheme and raise the standards of entries and assessment.
He was hopeful that the clinic would generate cross fertilisation of ideas and address some of the concerns about the awards with the view to making the scheme better to promote excellence in journalism and media practice.
Mr Tetteh acknowledged that the most difficult part of the awards scheme was the selection of winner of the Journalist of the Year award and, therefore, appealed to civil society and media personnel to make an input in the selection process so that whoever won the award would reflect the broad consensus of the awards committee and the general public.
Mr Tetteh said the leadership of the association was convinced that the current mode of submitting entries by all contestants apart from the journalist of the year fell in line with best practices all over the world.
The Vice President of the GJA, Mr Affail Monney said the Journalist of the Year award of the GJA, which had been named “ PAV Ansah Journalist of the Year” was given annually to the person who had consistently shown throughout the year under review to have accumulated a body of journalistic work that the association could be proud of as exemplary for the professional practice and advancement of journalism in Ghana.
He stated that “Through the award, the association seeks to show recognition for and the need to ignite pride and promote excellence in journalism in the country”.
Mr Monney added that the executive of the GJA should be able to defend the award winner and his or her work based on sound journalistic standards and ethical principles even if the selection was surrounded by controversy.
He said in addition to applying the basic journalistic standard of accuracy, balance, relevance, clarity, background, completeness, social impact, fairness, ethical standards and language presentation, the individual to be named the PAV Ansah Journalist of the Year would be subjected to a higher standard of excellence in reporting and writing as well as the over all exhibition of professionalism.
Mr Monney said that only published works in print and broadcasting media between January and December of the previous calendar year were eligible for consideration for the award.
He said that if no individual was considered deserving to be adjudged as meeting the high journalistic standard for the Journalist of the Year, the award would be withheld as a strategy to encourage further improvement of standards of journalism in Ghana.
The Chairman of the GJA Awards Committee in 2008, Mr Berifi Apenteng, Chairman of the Committee in 2007, Mr Kweku Rockson and Dr Doris Dartey, Member of both awards committee took journalist through requirements of the awards and challenges the committees faced in selecting winners for the various awards.
Dr Doris Dartey said 50 per cent of categories did not win awards in the 2006 awards while 44 per cent categories did not win awards either because there were no entries or individuals failed to meet the requirements of the awards.
She, therefore, advised applicants to present their best and ensure they meet all the requirements of the association.
The clinic was also intended to educate journalists interested in contesting for GJA awards to know what was required of them.
Addressing the opening session last Wednesday, the President of the GJA, Mr Ransford Tetteh said the clinic, organised as part of the 60th edition of the GJA awards, would improve transparency of the scheme and raise the standards of entries and assessment.
He was hopeful that the clinic would generate cross fertilisation of ideas and address some of the concerns about the awards with the view to making the scheme better to promote excellence in journalism and media practice.
Mr Tetteh acknowledged that the most difficult part of the awards scheme was the selection of winner of the Journalist of the Year award and, therefore, appealed to civil society and media personnel to make an input in the selection process so that whoever won the award would reflect the broad consensus of the awards committee and the general public.
Mr Tetteh said the leadership of the association was convinced that the current mode of submitting entries by all contestants apart from the journalist of the year fell in line with best practices all over the world.
The Vice President of the GJA, Mr Affail Monney said the Journalist of the Year award of the GJA, which had been named “ PAV Ansah Journalist of the Year” was given annually to the person who had consistently shown throughout the year under review to have accumulated a body of journalistic work that the association could be proud of as exemplary for the professional practice and advancement of journalism in Ghana.
He stated that “Through the award, the association seeks to show recognition for and the need to ignite pride and promote excellence in journalism in the country”.
Mr Monney added that the executive of the GJA should be able to defend the award winner and his or her work based on sound journalistic standards and ethical principles even if the selection was surrounded by controversy.
He said in addition to applying the basic journalistic standard of accuracy, balance, relevance, clarity, background, completeness, social impact, fairness, ethical standards and language presentation, the individual to be named the PAV Ansah Journalist of the Year would be subjected to a higher standard of excellence in reporting and writing as well as the over all exhibition of professionalism.
Mr Monney said that only published works in print and broadcasting media between January and December of the previous calendar year were eligible for consideration for the award.
He said that if no individual was considered deserving to be adjudged as meeting the high journalistic standard for the Journalist of the Year, the award would be withheld as a strategy to encourage further improvement of standards of journalism in Ghana.
The Chairman of the GJA Awards Committee in 2008, Mr Berifi Apenteng, Chairman of the Committee in 2007, Mr Kweku Rockson and Dr Doris Dartey, Member of both awards committee took journalist through requirements of the awards and challenges the committees faced in selecting winners for the various awards.
Dr Doris Dartey said 50 per cent of categories did not win awards in the 2006 awards while 44 per cent categories did not win awards either because there were no entries or individuals failed to meet the requirements of the awards.
She, therefore, advised applicants to present their best and ensure they meet all the requirements of the association.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Accra East Rotary rehabilitates Aquinas science block (18/5/09)
THE Rotary Club of Accra East has initiated a $100,000 project to improve on water supply, health delivery and educational facilities in rural and urban communities this year.
As part of the project the club has carried out plumbing works and painting on a two-storey science laboratory of the St Thomas Aquinas Senior High School at a cost of GH¢3,500.
The Project Director of the club, Mr Joe Hyde, who supervised the project, said the club undertook the work as part of its corporate social responsibility.
He said the Interact Club of the School and the Rotaract Club of the Institute of Professional Studies, which were both junior clubs of Rotary, assisted in the painting of the science laboratory.
He said the Rotary Club had donated books on different subjects to selected libraries and schools in the country.
The President of the club, Mr Yaw Assah-Sam, said the Club had provided boreholes in eight communities on the Akuapem Ridge to provide water for the people.
The communities are Kitasi, Aburi, Apirede, Ahwerase and Obosomase, as well as the Mampong School of the Hearing Impaired and Abiriw Teenage Mothers Centre.
Additionally, the club sponsored six doctors from abroad to offer free medical care to the people of Aburi in the Eastern Region.
Mr Assah-Sam said the club organised educational programmes such as interactive career guidance to students to give them the opportunity to talk to professionals in various fields.
He assured the public of the club’s commitment to embarking on more community projects to help develop the communities.
As part of the project the club has carried out plumbing works and painting on a two-storey science laboratory of the St Thomas Aquinas Senior High School at a cost of GH¢3,500.
The Project Director of the club, Mr Joe Hyde, who supervised the project, said the club undertook the work as part of its corporate social responsibility.
He said the Interact Club of the School and the Rotaract Club of the Institute of Professional Studies, which were both junior clubs of Rotary, assisted in the painting of the science laboratory.
He said the Rotary Club had donated books on different subjects to selected libraries and schools in the country.
The President of the club, Mr Yaw Assah-Sam, said the Club had provided boreholes in eight communities on the Akuapem Ridge to provide water for the people.
The communities are Kitasi, Aburi, Apirede, Ahwerase and Obosomase, as well as the Mampong School of the Hearing Impaired and Abiriw Teenage Mothers Centre.
Additionally, the club sponsored six doctors from abroad to offer free medical care to the people of Aburi in the Eastern Region.
Mr Assah-Sam said the club organised educational programmes such as interactive career guidance to students to give them the opportunity to talk to professionals in various fields.
He assured the public of the club’s commitment to embarking on more community projects to help develop the communities.
‘Set up advertising standards authority’ (18/5/09)
THE President of the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG), Mr Reginald Laryea has appealed to the government to establish an advertising standards authority to monitor and regulate the activities of advertising agencies.
He said the membership of such an authority could include representatives of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB), Ghana Standards Board as well as district and municipal assembles to avoid the multiple and duplicate instructions and regulations.
At separate courtesy calls on the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Nii Armah Ashitey and the Minister for Information Mrs Zita Okaikoi at their offices last Thursday, Mr Laryea explained that the proposed authority would enhance the smooth operations of advertisers and enforce the ethics of advertisers for sanity to prevail.
Mr Laryea was accompanied by executive members of the association. The calls were to welcome the ministers into office, offer the association’s support to them and help the ministries to generate revenue for development.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister Mr Ashitey thanked the association for its support and challenged the members to take up the responsibility for ensuring that places where they mounted their billboards were kept clean to beautify the city.
He urged advertisers to remove the bill boards of political parties that had not been removed after the 2009 elections.
He welcomed the idea of standardisation of advertisements in the country since he believed it would guide advertisers in the discharge of their duties.
For her part the Minister for Information, Mrs Okaikoi, said standardisation of advertisements would enable advertising agencies and the media to operate under strict codes to ensure good contents of advertisements.
He said the membership of such an authority could include representatives of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB), Ghana Standards Board as well as district and municipal assembles to avoid the multiple and duplicate instructions and regulations.
At separate courtesy calls on the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Nii Armah Ashitey and the Minister for Information Mrs Zita Okaikoi at their offices last Thursday, Mr Laryea explained that the proposed authority would enhance the smooth operations of advertisers and enforce the ethics of advertisers for sanity to prevail.
Mr Laryea was accompanied by executive members of the association. The calls were to welcome the ministers into office, offer the association’s support to them and help the ministries to generate revenue for development.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister Mr Ashitey thanked the association for its support and challenged the members to take up the responsibility for ensuring that places where they mounted their billboards were kept clean to beautify the city.
He urged advertisers to remove the bill boards of political parties that had not been removed after the 2009 elections.
He welcomed the idea of standardisation of advertisements in the country since he believed it would guide advertisers in the discharge of their duties.
For her part the Minister for Information, Mrs Okaikoi, said standardisation of advertisements would enable advertising agencies and the media to operate under strict codes to ensure good contents of advertisements.
Auto Expo(15/5/09)
Story: Francis Yaw Kyei & Jennifer Dornoo
A Minister of State at the Office of the President, Alhaji Amadu Seidu, has expressed the government's commitment to provide the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) with the needed resources to install speed limiters in vehicles to check speeding and indiscipline on roads.
Additionally, he said the government would support the commission to install cameras at strategic locations to check indiscipline and reduce carnage on the roads.
The speed limiters, when installed in commercial vehicles, will restrict drivers of commercial vehicles from moving above a specific speed limit.
Alhaji Seidu gave the assurance at the opening ceremony of the Ghana Auto Expo 2009 on the theme “Making the right automotive choices to ensure safety on our roads.”
The exhibition, organised by the Business and Financial Times (B&FT) at the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre in Accra, provided the opportunity for car dealers, oil marketing companies, vehicle finance and insurance companies and operators of vehicular tracking devices to display their products and services.
The occasion was also used to launch the Nissan Murano, a new Nissan model by Auto Parts Limited.
The Nissan Murano has 12 Air Bag Systems (ABS), Electronic Blinking System (EBS), Electronic Brake Distribution System (EBDS), among others, to ensure safety of passengers.
Alhaji Seidu said safety on the roads had been compromised largely owing to poor vehicle maintenance, inadequate public education and low level of regulation enforcement.
He expressed optimism that the exhibition would sensitise vehicle owners and users to the need to buy and keep their automobiles in good condition.
He underlied the need for the public to always patronise new and genuine vehicles, auto-parts and accessories to prevent frequent breakdowns and eliminate high maintenance costs.
The Executive Director of B&FT, Mrs Edith Dankwa, said the exp. was to bring together vehicle sellers and buyers to educate them on the right automotive choices to make in order to ensure safety on the roads.
She said the rate of road carnage in the country was alarming and, therefore, needed an intervention to save lives and property.
Mrs Dankwa urged the public to be disciplined on the roads and advised them to take full advantage of latest vehicles, auto parts and accessories on display as well as various finance and insurance options at the exhibition.
The Manager of the Vehicle and Asset Finance (VAF) product of Stanbic Bank, Mr Peter Effah Owusu, said the bank participated in the event to provide the public with various financial solutions to enable them to purchase new and genuine vehicles for safety purposes.
A Minister of State at the Office of the President, Alhaji Amadu Seidu, has expressed the government's commitment to provide the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) with the needed resources to install speed limiters in vehicles to check speeding and indiscipline on roads.
Additionally, he said the government would support the commission to install cameras at strategic locations to check indiscipline and reduce carnage on the roads.
The speed limiters, when installed in commercial vehicles, will restrict drivers of commercial vehicles from moving above a specific speed limit.
Alhaji Seidu gave the assurance at the opening ceremony of the Ghana Auto Expo 2009 on the theme “Making the right automotive choices to ensure safety on our roads.”
The exhibition, organised by the Business and Financial Times (B&FT) at the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre in Accra, provided the opportunity for car dealers, oil marketing companies, vehicle finance and insurance companies and operators of vehicular tracking devices to display their products and services.
The occasion was also used to launch the Nissan Murano, a new Nissan model by Auto Parts Limited.
The Nissan Murano has 12 Air Bag Systems (ABS), Electronic Blinking System (EBS), Electronic Brake Distribution System (EBDS), among others, to ensure safety of passengers.
Alhaji Seidu said safety on the roads had been compromised largely owing to poor vehicle maintenance, inadequate public education and low level of regulation enforcement.
He expressed optimism that the exhibition would sensitise vehicle owners and users to the need to buy and keep their automobiles in good condition.
He underlied the need for the public to always patronise new and genuine vehicles, auto-parts and accessories to prevent frequent breakdowns and eliminate high maintenance costs.
The Executive Director of B&FT, Mrs Edith Dankwa, said the exp. was to bring together vehicle sellers and buyers to educate them on the right automotive choices to make in order to ensure safety on the roads.
She said the rate of road carnage in the country was alarming and, therefore, needed an intervention to save lives and property.
Mrs Dankwa urged the public to be disciplined on the roads and advised them to take full advantage of latest vehicles, auto parts and accessories on display as well as various finance and insurance options at the exhibition.
The Manager of the Vehicle and Asset Finance (VAF) product of Stanbic Bank, Mr Peter Effah Owusu, said the bank participated in the event to provide the public with various financial solutions to enable them to purchase new and genuine vehicles for safety purposes.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
FDB seizes unregistered drugs(MP12/5/09)
THE Food and Drugs Board (FDB) and the Ghana Police Service yesterday seized large quantities of unregistered drugs at the Okaishie Market in a special exercise to rid the Accra metropolis of fake and illegal medications.
The drugs included aphrodisiacs, slimming teas, as well as breast and hip enlargement products mostly made in China and Korea.
Notable among the aphrodisiacs were “3 days 3 centimetres”, “Man sex fancy soap”, “Golden power”, “African Viagoura”, “Super omega”, “Black God” and “Spain black butterfly”.
Other products had their names and inscriptions written in Chinese, which is an infringement of the Legislative Instrument 1541 of the Ghana Standards Board which demands that all products sold in the country should have English inscriptions to enable people to read them.
The Head of the Post-Market Surveillance Unit of the Drug Inspectorate Department of the FDB, Mr Eugene Addo, said there was a proliferation of those unregistered drugs on the Ghanaian market, hence the exercise.
He said the quality, efficacy and safety of the drugs could not be established because they had not been registered and tested by the FDB.
He said that some of the drugs, particularly the aphrodisiacs, had effects on the human heart, since they made people work more than necessary.
He said some of the products had also been mislabelled and given different names to deceive the public.
“A product like Diclofenac 25mg, which is a pain killer to be sold under prescription by doctors, has been labelled as moringa tablets and is being sold to deceive the public,” Mr Addo stated.
He advised the public to desist from using such drugs, since they were fake and could cause cancer and death.
He called on the various stakeholders to help to rid the market of those unregistered drugs which posed serious threats to health.
The traders refused to disclose the identity of their suppliers.
The drugs included aphrodisiacs, slimming teas, as well as breast and hip enlargement products mostly made in China and Korea.
Notable among the aphrodisiacs were “3 days 3 centimetres”, “Man sex fancy soap”, “Golden power”, “African Viagoura”, “Super omega”, “Black God” and “Spain black butterfly”.
Other products had their names and inscriptions written in Chinese, which is an infringement of the Legislative Instrument 1541 of the Ghana Standards Board which demands that all products sold in the country should have English inscriptions to enable people to read them.
The Head of the Post-Market Surveillance Unit of the Drug Inspectorate Department of the FDB, Mr Eugene Addo, said there was a proliferation of those unregistered drugs on the Ghanaian market, hence the exercise.
He said the quality, efficacy and safety of the drugs could not be established because they had not been registered and tested by the FDB.
He said that some of the drugs, particularly the aphrodisiacs, had effects on the human heart, since they made people work more than necessary.
He said some of the products had also been mislabelled and given different names to deceive the public.
“A product like Diclofenac 25mg, which is a pain killer to be sold under prescription by doctors, has been labelled as moringa tablets and is being sold to deceive the public,” Mr Addo stated.
He advised the public to desist from using such drugs, since they were fake and could cause cancer and death.
He called on the various stakeholders to help to rid the market of those unregistered drugs which posed serious threats to health.
The traders refused to disclose the identity of their suppliers.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Labone SHS girls given health talk (11/5/09)
SAVE Our Women International (SOWI) in collaboration with Ipas, both non-governmental organisations (NGOs), concerned with issues of women have organised a sensitisation health talk programme for female students at the Labone Senior High School in Accra.
The programme formed part of SOWI's activities for 2009 to help fight unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and the prevention of deaths among ladies in high schools.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SOWI, Ms Juliet Asante said it was very important for young ladies to be educated on sex and be given the platform to discuss it, since they knew a lot of things parents thought they were ignorant about.
She said SOWI was set up to educate and provide support to female fertility health, with special focus on unsafe abortions.
As part of its objectives, SOWI sought to raise public awareness on the dangers of unsafe abortions and also provide counselling services to victims.
She said it was in that light that SOWI and IPAS were setting up SOWI Mentoring Clubs (SMCs) in schools to help young ladies know their reproductive rights and take better charge of their lives.
Ms Asante added that the establishment of SMCs would also form an empowering drive that would encourage young ladies to focus on their education to ensure self worth.
A Counsellor, Mrs Paulina Siaw Akoto Debrah, took the students through issues such as prevention of pregnancies which included abstinence and the use of family planning methods, and bad practices in abortions which could lead to the damage of the womb and even death.
She advised the students to abstain from sex which could lead to unwanted pregnancies and to concentrate on their studies in order to achieve their objectives in life.
If they indulged in sexual activities, she said they could be psychologically affected when they mistakenly got pregnant and would not be able to concentrate on their studies.
The programme formed part of SOWI's activities for 2009 to help fight unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and the prevention of deaths among ladies in high schools.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SOWI, Ms Juliet Asante said it was very important for young ladies to be educated on sex and be given the platform to discuss it, since they knew a lot of things parents thought they were ignorant about.
She said SOWI was set up to educate and provide support to female fertility health, with special focus on unsafe abortions.
As part of its objectives, SOWI sought to raise public awareness on the dangers of unsafe abortions and also provide counselling services to victims.
She said it was in that light that SOWI and IPAS were setting up SOWI Mentoring Clubs (SMCs) in schools to help young ladies know their reproductive rights and take better charge of their lives.
Ms Asante added that the establishment of SMCs would also form an empowering drive that would encourage young ladies to focus on their education to ensure self worth.
A Counsellor, Mrs Paulina Siaw Akoto Debrah, took the students through issues such as prevention of pregnancies which included abstinence and the use of family planning methods, and bad practices in abortions which could lead to the damage of the womb and even death.
She advised the students to abstain from sex which could lead to unwanted pregnancies and to concentrate on their studies in order to achieve their objectives in life.
If they indulged in sexual activities, she said they could be psychologically affected when they mistakenly got pregnant and would not be able to concentrate on their studies.
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