Story: Maxwelll Adombila Akalaare & Mary Ankrah
THE Ghana Reinsurance Company Limited (Ghana Re) has repeated calls on the National Insurance Commission (NIC) to institute measures that will help address the outflow of businesses from the country to foreign markets.
The company is of the view that getting corporate institutions in the country to first exhaust local capacity before resorting to foreign markets would help stem capital flight in the insurance industry and its rippling effects on the entire economy.
The Managing Director (MD) of Ghana Re, Mr Gustave Siale, made the appeal at the launch of the company’s 40th anniversary celebrations in Accra today (Friday).
The event is under the theme ‘40 Years of Ghana Re; Reaching New Heights.’
The company also used the occasion to donate GHc 51,000 to some needy institutions in the health and education sectors.
The beneficiaries are the Urology Department of the Medical Emergency Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), GHc 5,000; the Accident Centre of KBTH, GHc 7,000; College of Health Science of KBTH, GHc 8,000; the Department of Child Health of KBTH, GHc 5,000.
The School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), GHc 8,000; Student Financial Aid Office of the University of Ghana, GHc 6,000; Ghana Heart Foundation, GHc 6,000, and Ghana National Trust Fund, GHc 6,000.
Making the call, Mr Siale said “the objective for setting up this our dear company was to increase retention capacity within the country so as to reduce the outflow of foreign exchange.”
“The company, however, is contending with the flight of foreign exchange from the country not for want of the provision of capacity but the inability of some insurance companies to cede businesses to Ghana Re,” the MD bemoaned.
He was, however, grateful to the NIC for mooting a new insurance policy that would, among other things, address such challenges.
The Commissioner of Insurance at the NIC, Mrs Nyamikeh Kyiamah, later told the Daily Graphic that the NIC was confident the new policy would help stop the capital outflow.
While declining to comment further on how that will be done, Mrs Kyiamah said “we are looking at a situation where the companies will have to exhaust local capacity before taking businesses out.
“The new law will work and we are sure it will address all these challenges,” the commissioner assured.
Ghana Re was formed in 1972 as a department under the then State Insurance Corporation now SIC Insurance Company Limited.
It was, however, detached in 1984 and subsequently made a limited liability company in 1995, with the government as the sole owner.
The anniversary celebration, according to the Mr Siale, would span from now till the end of next month.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Saturday, September 29, 2012. Pg.32 Ghana hosts ECOWAS Fair next year
Story: Mary Ankrah
Ghana will host the seventh edition of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Trade Fair in Accra next year.
The fair, slated for the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre from October 24 to November 4, 2013, will be on the theme: “Regional integration through trade”.
This will be the second time Ghana is hosting the ECOWAS Fair, after it successfully hosted the second edition in 1999.
Speaking at the launch of the publicity and promotional campaign in Accra on Wednesday, the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Dr Joseph Samuel Annan, said a national committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Director of the ministry had been set up to plan the event.
“I assure the Commission for ECOWAS and the business community in the sub-region that Ghana has accepted the responsibility and will do its best to ensure a successful seventh ECOWAS Fair,” he said.
He said the country would position itself to maximise sales in certain non-traditional export commodities during the fair and promote products and services which it strategically wanted to grow to benefit the economy.
He, therefore, pledged the ministry’s commitment to ensure that the ECOWAS Fair was brought to an appreciable level.
Dr Annan called on Ghanaians and the business community in West Africa to fully participate in the fair, with the view to contributing to the growth and development of all the economies in the region.
Ghana will host the seventh edition of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Trade Fair in Accra next year.
The fair, slated for the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre from October 24 to November 4, 2013, will be on the theme: “Regional integration through trade”.
This will be the second time Ghana is hosting the ECOWAS Fair, after it successfully hosted the second edition in 1999.
Speaking at the launch of the publicity and promotional campaign in Accra on Wednesday, the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Dr Joseph Samuel Annan, said a national committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Director of the ministry had been set up to plan the event.
“I assure the Commission for ECOWAS and the business community in the sub-region that Ghana has accepted the responsibility and will do its best to ensure a successful seventh ECOWAS Fair,” he said.
He said the country would position itself to maximise sales in certain non-traditional export commodities during the fair and promote products and services which it strategically wanted to grow to benefit the economy.
He, therefore, pledged the ministry’s commitment to ensure that the ECOWAS Fair was brought to an appreciable level.
Dr Annan called on Ghanaians and the business community in West Africa to fully participate in the fair, with the view to contributing to the growth and development of all the economies in the region.
Friday, September 28, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Friday, September 28, 2012, Pg.38. Anlos launch Golden Jubilee of Hogbetsotso
Story: Mary Ankrah
THE Golden Jubilee of the Hogbetsotso Festival of Anlos has been launched with a call on the Anlos to unite for peace and development.
The event, dubbed: “Golden Jubilee Hogbe 2012 Reloaded”, is slated for October 28 to November 5, 2012.
This year’s celebration, which is on the theme: “Deeping our Reconciliation, Unity and Peace towards accelerated Development”, would be marked with activities including sod-cutting for the Awoamefia Palace project, clean-up exercise, presentation of traditional rulers, traditional rites preceding the main event and football gala, among other activities.
Launching the festival in Accra, Prof. Kofi Anyidoho of the University of Ghana and Chairman of Council of University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, entreated the people of Anlo not to forget their past challenges and try to settle their differences and unite to ensure development to move the country forward.
He observed that festivals are not only celebrations but reconciliation times for families, community heads and rulers to join heads together to resolve long standing issues.
Adding his voice, the Awoamefia of the Anlo State, Togbi Sri III, in a speech read on his behalf, said the commemoration of the festival every year marks the burning desire of the Anlos to remember, celebrate and reaffirm their identity as a special unit among the Ewes, and also to re-enact the historic character of the migration of the Anlo people.
“It is important for us to remember our forebears, not only those who led us on that journey but especially those who insisted that the journey be celebrated as a festival”, he said.
He observed that the Anlo, for about 13 years, have been buffeted by strife, division, quarrel and conflict which led to loss of lives and urged the people to be committed to peace and unity.
THE Golden Jubilee of the Hogbetsotso Festival of Anlos has been launched with a call on the Anlos to unite for peace and development.
The event, dubbed: “Golden Jubilee Hogbe 2012 Reloaded”, is slated for October 28 to November 5, 2012.
This year’s celebration, which is on the theme: “Deeping our Reconciliation, Unity and Peace towards accelerated Development”, would be marked with activities including sod-cutting for the Awoamefia Palace project, clean-up exercise, presentation of traditional rulers, traditional rites preceding the main event and football gala, among other activities.
Launching the festival in Accra, Prof. Kofi Anyidoho of the University of Ghana and Chairman of Council of University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, entreated the people of Anlo not to forget their past challenges and try to settle their differences and unite to ensure development to move the country forward.
He observed that festivals are not only celebrations but reconciliation times for families, community heads and rulers to join heads together to resolve long standing issues.
Adding his voice, the Awoamefia of the Anlo State, Togbi Sri III, in a speech read on his behalf, said the commemoration of the festival every year marks the burning desire of the Anlos to remember, celebrate and reaffirm their identity as a special unit among the Ewes, and also to re-enact the historic character of the migration of the Anlo people.
“It is important for us to remember our forebears, not only those who led us on that journey but especially those who insisted that the journey be celebrated as a festival”, he said.
He observed that the Anlo, for about 13 years, have been buffeted by strife, division, quarrel and conflict which led to loss of lives and urged the people to be committed to peace and unity.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Wednesday, September 26, 2012, Back Page.
 |
|
The Chairman of the
Council of State Prof. Kofi
Awoonor (right)
in a tete-a-tete with Minister of
Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu at the opening of the 3rd Africa Regional Preparatory Meeting for World
Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) of the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Accra yesterday. |
Story: Charles Benoni Okine & Mary Ankrah
A CRUCIAL national fibre-optic project to
provide sufficient broadband capacities is being initiated to enhance the work
of the various municipal, metropolitan and district assemblies.
The sod-cutting ceremony for the
commencement of work on the multi-million dollar project will be performed by
the Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, on Friday, September 28,
2012.
The cables will be laid from Ho in the
Volta Region to Bawku in the Upper East Region under what has been tagged as
the Eastern Corridor Fibre-Optic project.
In a speech read on his behalf by the
Chairman of the Council of State, Professor Kofi Awoonor, President John
Dramani Mahama said, “Under the e-government platform project, several IT
applications are being introduced for e-government, health, commerce, education
and agriculture, among many others.”
Against this background, President Mahama
stressed the need for a sufficient broadband capacity throughout the country.
The occasion was the opening of the 3rd
Africa Regional Preparatory Meeting for World Conference on International
Telecommunications (WCIT) of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
in Accra yesterday.
The meeting, which is being attended by
telecoms regulators, ministers of communications and telecoms experts across
the African continent, is aimed at reaching a common consensus for presentation
at the upcoming World Conference on International Telecommunications in
December 2012 (WCTI-12) in Dubai.
The ITU will be meeting to revise the
International Telecommunications Regulations (ITR) which were promulgated as
far back as 1988.
Africa has already held two preparatory
meetings in Cairo, Egypt, and Durban, South Africa, and the Accra meeting is
expected to finalise the position of Africa.
In the year it was promulgated, the ITRs
were instrumental in enabling the development of today’s global information
society.
Therefore, the new ITRs should have a
positive impact on ensuring its further growth.
The Dubai conference will address many
issues that were not on the table in 1988 which include the misuse of
numbering, cyber fraud, high data volumes and falling unit prices which is
putting pressure on infrastructure investment and high cost of Internet
connectivity in many developing countries.
“On June 28, 2012, the terrestrial fibre of
Ghana was successfully interconnected with the fibre of Burkina Faso and Togo
in fulfillment of the target of the ITU’s “Connect Africa’ initiative for
direct fibre link with neighbouring countries,” President Mahama said.
President Mahama said with the seven
terabytes capacity provided by the four sub-marine fibre-optic cables serving
the country through MainOne Cable, West Africa Submarine Cable System (WACS),
Glo-1 and SAT-3, the coming years would see a quantum leap in the usage of the
Internet in Ghana and the development of the ICT industry.
He said it was clear, therefore, that “to
bring the benefits of the technology revolution to our citizens and improve the
quality of their lives, much will depend on the shape and form the ITRs will
bring upon our nation’s development.”
He expressed the hope that all stakeholders
would approach the exercise in good faith to achieve mutually beneficial
outcomes.
For his part, the Minister of
Communications, Mr Idrrisu, said: “The moment has come for the review of the
ITRs which will be a treaty agreement dealing with norms and will indeed, be
different in law,”adding that the move was a huge responsibility being
undertaken by the ITU.
“The critical test of the WCIT 2012,
therefore, will be how contended our countries will be after the adoption of a
new set of regulations to guide the development of ICT in the coming years,” he
added.
Mr Iddrisu continued, “For us in Africa, we
have no illusions in the application of the Internet for education, governance,
health, commerce and indeed, every aspect of our social development.”
The Secretary-General of the African
Telecommunications Union (ATU), Mr Abdoulkarim Soumaila, expressed optimism
that the final preparatory meeting for the WCTI would meet the objectives to
make ITRs more relevant and valuable to all African countries with a clear idea
of the way forward and conclude on the African common position and any other
coordination.
The Director, Telecommunication
Standardisation Bureau of the ITU, Mr Malcom Johnson, for his part, expressed
delight that there had been a significant increase in participation in the
ITU-T, especially from Africa.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Saturday, September 25, 2012, Pg.19. 'Consider mental illness in policy making'
Story: Mary Ankrah
THE Mental Health Society of Ghana (MEHSOG) has called on the government and politicians to consider people with mental illness into their decision-making process.
They said such a consideration would enable them to actively participate in the democratic governance of the country.
They also entreated polling station agents to assist mentally ill persons to vote during the December 7 elections.
That, they said, would enable them to contribute their quota to the development of the country as well as reduce the menace of stigmatisation and discrimination that mentally ill and epileptic people suffer in their daily lives.
The National President of MEHSOG, Mrs Montana Minatu, made the call when she spoke to the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the fourth annual delegates congress recently held in Accra.
The two-days delegates congress was on the theme: “Ensuring Total National Development through Participation in the Democratic Governance and Peaceful Elections: The Role of People with Mental Illness in Ghana”.
It brought representatives from different organisations of mental health and epilepsy services as well as their primary care-givers across the country to enable them deliberate on issues that affect mental ill persons in participating in development.
The congress also afforded the delegates the opportunity to share ideas and experience on how mentally ill people could be empowered to participate in governance and national development.
Mrs Minatu observed that it was important for people with mental illness to participate in ensuring peaceful, free and fair elections because such people suffer most when there is conflict in the election process.
“Government and politicians must be more interested in issues about persons with mental illness or epilepsy because their votes count in the coming elections”, he opined.
For his part, the deputy Minister for Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Sekyere Antwi-Boasiako, observed that mental illness and epilepsy were devastating illness as it makes it impossible for the country to maximise the use of resources and subtract from the contributions that people who suffer from mental illness or epilepsy could potentially make to national development.
“Government recognises that accelerated and inclusive national development efforts require all human resources to be effectively harnessed”, he said.
THE Mental Health Society of Ghana (MEHSOG) has called on the government and politicians to consider people with mental illness into their decision-making process.
They said such a consideration would enable them to actively participate in the democratic governance of the country.
They also entreated polling station agents to assist mentally ill persons to vote during the December 7 elections.
That, they said, would enable them to contribute their quota to the development of the country as well as reduce the menace of stigmatisation and discrimination that mentally ill and epileptic people suffer in their daily lives.
The National President of MEHSOG, Mrs Montana Minatu, made the call when she spoke to the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the fourth annual delegates congress recently held in Accra.
The two-days delegates congress was on the theme: “Ensuring Total National Development through Participation in the Democratic Governance and Peaceful Elections: The Role of People with Mental Illness in Ghana”.
It brought representatives from different organisations of mental health and epilepsy services as well as their primary care-givers across the country to enable them deliberate on issues that affect mental ill persons in participating in development.
The congress also afforded the delegates the opportunity to share ideas and experience on how mentally ill people could be empowered to participate in governance and national development.
Mrs Minatu observed that it was important for people with mental illness to participate in ensuring peaceful, free and fair elections because such people suffer most when there is conflict in the election process.
“Government and politicians must be more interested in issues about persons with mental illness or epilepsy because their votes count in the coming elections”, he opined.
For his part, the deputy Minister for Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Sekyere Antwi-Boasiako, observed that mental illness and epilepsy were devastating illness as it makes it impossible for the country to maximise the use of resources and subtract from the contributions that people who suffer from mental illness or epilepsy could potentially make to national development.
“Government recognises that accelerated and inclusive national development efforts require all human resources to be effectively harnessed”, he said.
Monday, September 24, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Monday, September 24, 2012, Pg. 94. Tragedy disrupt Graphic Games
Story: Mary Ankrah
STAFF of Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), last Saturday, had
their excitement about an inter-departmental games turn into sorrow as news of
the tragic death of their colleague broke moments before the early morning
health walk to start the event at the El Wak Stadium.
Samuel Konadu, a driver detailed to deliver the company's newspapers to Kumasi, met his untimely death in a gory accident near Anyinam on the Accra-Kumasi highway.
Although many of the workers were at the El-Wak Stadium as of 5:40am for the games, they could not continue with the events on hearing the death of their colleague who died in the line of duty, forcing the cancellation of the programme in his honour.
Samuel Konadu, a driver detailed to deliver the company's newspapers to Kumasi, met his untimely death in a gory accident near Anyinam on the Accra-Kumasi highway.
Although many of the workers were at the El-Wak Stadium as of 5:40am for the games, they could not continue with the events on hearing the death of their colleague who died in the line of duty, forcing the cancellation of the programme in his honour.
Most of the staff who had reported for the games, on hearing the
news looked devastated. While some grouped and talked about the accident,
others sat quietly in shock.
It’s unfortunate that we have to cancel the event even though staff were
really in the mood for some fun, but what is the point in doing so when we have
such a tragedy on our hands, it’s so so heart –breaking, Samuel Bio, a proof
reader and Boye Nartey, a communication technician said.
Mr Maxwell Asiamah Ofori, one of
the company’s drivers, said he saw his colleague Konadu, last Friday night and
bid him farewell, as he was going to Kumasi, and Konadu said he would be back
to participate in the games, little did he expect to hear of his death.
In honour of the deceased, the company presented the snack and lunch prepared for the event to the Osu Orphanage home at Labone and the Dzorwulu Special School, both in Accra.
In honour of the deceased, the company presented the snack and lunch prepared for the event to the Osu Orphanage home at Labone and the Dzorwulu Special School, both in Accra.
Presenting the packages to the Osu Children’s Home, the acting Manager
for Marketing and Public Affairs, Mr Hope Adusu, said it was the company’s
pleasure to carter for the poor, needy and the vulnerable in society as part of
its social responsibility and therefore seized the occasion to fete the
children and show love.
Ms Annie Kpdekpo, Assistance Supervisor of the home, who received the
items, thanked Graphic for its kind gesture and for remembering the children in
the home.
She urged other organisations to continue to support the home in order
to complement government efforts so that the children would be happier and grow
to become good citizens of the country.
She said the orphanage was home to children from three weeks old to 26 years.
She said the orphanage was home to children from three weeks old to 26 years.
She also said the home received children in different circumstances and
through the grace of God, two were in the university and one other child was
working in a catering firm.
At the Dzorwulu Special School, one of the teachers, Mr Kwame Osam
Sarsah, who received the packages, thanked Graphic for the donation.
He also appealed to the general public, corporate organisations and
individuals to help support the school, particularly, with equipment such as
sewing machines and hair driers to help train the children to better their
skills and knowledge in their vocation.
DAILY GRAPHIC, Monday, September 24, 2012, Pg.28. Boy, 9, found hanging
Story: Mary Ankrah
A NINE-YEAR-old boy was found hanging at a house near the NTHC building in Accra last Saturday.
Nyartwe was said to be chatting outside the house with his friend, Maa Akosua Ayensu, when he picked a rope from the house to hang himself in front of a shop nearby.
According to Maa Ayensu, Nyartwe picked the rope he used in hanging himself from their house, H/No. D436/4, tied it to an iron bar at the shop and slipped his head into the rope.
She told the Daily Graphic that when she found his friend in the rope, she quickly rushed to the house to draw attention to what Nyartwe had done but she was ignored.
According to Nyartwe’s mother's, Ms Millicent Baah, she was at the market selling her items when one of her sons came to inform her that Nyartwe had hanged himself.
She wondered what could have prompted her son to hang himself.
“I give him everything and he is not bothered by anything. There was no sign that he could do such a thing. What actually could have prompted the little boy to do what he did?” she asked in tears.
The Public Affairs Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, DSP Freeman Tetteh, said it was too early to establish whether the incident was a suicide or not.
The body of Daniel Nyartwe has since been deposited at the Ridge Hospital mortuary for autopsy.
 |
| Daniel Nyartwe |
Nyartwe was said to be chatting outside the house with his friend, Maa Akosua Ayensu, when he picked a rope from the house to hang himself in front of a shop nearby.
According to Maa Ayensu, Nyartwe picked the rope he used in hanging himself from their house, H/No. D436/4, tied it to an iron bar at the shop and slipped his head into the rope.
She told the Daily Graphic that when she found his friend in the rope, she quickly rushed to the house to draw attention to what Nyartwe had done but she was ignored.
According to Nyartwe’s mother's, Ms Millicent Baah, she was at the market selling her items when one of her sons came to inform her that Nyartwe had hanged himself.
She wondered what could have prompted her son to hang himself.
“I give him everything and he is not bothered by anything. There was no sign that he could do such a thing. What actually could have prompted the little boy to do what he did?” she asked in tears.
The Public Affairs Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, DSP Freeman Tetteh, said it was too early to establish whether the incident was a suicide or not.
The body of Daniel Nyartwe has since been deposited at the Ridge Hospital mortuary for autopsy.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Saturday, September 22, 2012, Pg.11. Let's embrace efforts to address gender imbalanceg.
Story: Mary Ankrah
THE Deputy Director of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWAC), Mrs Mabel Cudjoe, has called on both men and women to embrace efforts to address existing gender imbalance in society.
Speaking at a training and capacity-building workshop for women parliamentary aspirants in the December general election in Accra on Wednesday, she said these efforts should not be seen or interpreted as a fight between women and men, but rather as a positive step to ensure the maximum utilisation of all human resources for development.
The workshop, which was organised by the Abantu for Development, a gender and policy advocacy non-governmental organisation in collaboration with the African Women Development Fund (AWDF) and Crossroad International, was on the theme: “Strengthening women’s capacity for effective participation in Election 2012”.
It provided the opportunity for women parliamentary candidates to discuss topics such as developing campaign messages and media engagement; developing key messages on critical issues of concern in their constituencies, and steps to raise funds.
Mrs Cudjoe observed that there was the need to optimise women’s participation in decision-making at the local, national and corporate, level through the formulation of strategies that would engage and bring other key groups such as traditional rulers and religious leaders on board.
She said the leaders of political parties needed to review their policies to create conditions that would optimise the participation of women through quota systems.
She said that was necessary because in spite of the various legislation and initiatives to enhance gender equality, women in Ghana were are still under-represented in all sectors of the economy with the worst being in the legislature, in local governance and also in the corporate environment.
Mrs Cudjoe indicated that although there was minimal increase in the number of women elected to Parliament from eight per cent in 1992 to 11 per cent in 2004, the number decreased in the 2008 general elections from 25 to 20 out of the total of 230 parliamentarians members, with the current number of women in parliament being 19.
She pointed out that the number of women elected to district assemblies in 1994 increased from 3 per cent to 5 per cent in 1998, and increased from 7.6 per cent in 2002 to 10 per cent in 2006. However, the number decreased from 10 per cent to 7 per cent in the district assembly elections held in December 2010, hence making it difficult to achieve the critical mass needed for effective and all inclusive participation in decision-making.
She was hopeful that the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill would help improve the situation since the constitution provided for equal access and equitable distribution in the property rights of spouses; non-discrimination at work, and equal rights to training, advancement and promotion for women.
The Director of Abantu, Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, in a speech read on her behalf, said the widespread gendered discrimination and structural challenges within political institutions and society as a whole limited the extent to which women in general and other marginalised groups exercised their rights to voice their concerns on issues that impacted on their well-being.
THE Deputy Director of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWAC), Mrs Mabel Cudjoe, has called on both men and women to embrace efforts to address existing gender imbalance in society.
Speaking at a training and capacity-building workshop for women parliamentary aspirants in the December general election in Accra on Wednesday, she said these efforts should not be seen or interpreted as a fight between women and men, but rather as a positive step to ensure the maximum utilisation of all human resources for development.
The workshop, which was organised by the Abantu for Development, a gender and policy advocacy non-governmental organisation in collaboration with the African Women Development Fund (AWDF) and Crossroad International, was on the theme: “Strengthening women’s capacity for effective participation in Election 2012”.
It provided the opportunity for women parliamentary candidates to discuss topics such as developing campaign messages and media engagement; developing key messages on critical issues of concern in their constituencies, and steps to raise funds.
Mrs Cudjoe observed that there was the need to optimise women’s participation in decision-making at the local, national and corporate, level through the formulation of strategies that would engage and bring other key groups such as traditional rulers and religious leaders on board.
She said the leaders of political parties needed to review their policies to create conditions that would optimise the participation of women through quota systems.
She said that was necessary because in spite of the various legislation and initiatives to enhance gender equality, women in Ghana were are still under-represented in all sectors of the economy with the worst being in the legislature, in local governance and also in the corporate environment.
Mrs Cudjoe indicated that although there was minimal increase in the number of women elected to Parliament from eight per cent in 1992 to 11 per cent in 2004, the number decreased in the 2008 general elections from 25 to 20 out of the total of 230 parliamentarians members, with the current number of women in parliament being 19.
She pointed out that the number of women elected to district assemblies in 1994 increased from 3 per cent to 5 per cent in 1998, and increased from 7.6 per cent in 2002 to 10 per cent in 2006. However, the number decreased from 10 per cent to 7 per cent in the district assembly elections held in December 2010, hence making it difficult to achieve the critical mass needed for effective and all inclusive participation in decision-making.
She was hopeful that the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill would help improve the situation since the constitution provided for equal access and equitable distribution in the property rights of spouses; non-discrimination at work, and equal rights to training, advancement and promotion for women.
The Director of Abantu, Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, in a speech read on her behalf, said the widespread gendered discrimination and structural challenges within political institutions and society as a whole limited the extent to which women in general and other marginalised groups exercised their rights to voice their concerns on issues that impacted on their well-being.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Saturday, September 15, 2012, Pg.15. Provide sign language interpreters in tertiary schools
Story: Mary Ankrah
THE Ghana National Association for the Deaf (GNAD) has appealed to the government to provide sign language interpreters in all tertiary institutions in the country.
The association has also urged the government to take up the responsibility for paying those interpreters it would provide for the tertiary institutions to reduce the burden on deaf students.
That, they said, would improve the performance of their members and enable them attain quality education, which is one of their human rights.
The National President of GNDA, Mr Emmanuel Sackey, made the appeal at an education seminar in Accra.
The seminar which was organised by the association, examined some of the challenges that deaf students faced in the various tertiary institutions in order to petition the government, principals of tertiary institutions, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), district directors of education and civil society organisations, and other organisations concerned with disability issues.
The seminar was expected to persuade the government and tertiary institutions to understand the needs of deaf students and help them overcome the hurdles they encounter in their education.
Speaking at the seminar, Mr Sackey said deaf students had several challenges, compared to those with other disabilities who had been provided with the needed facilities to improve their access to education.
“We are paying our taxes yet we are not enjoying facilities that the government should provide. This is blatant disregard for our rights to education and we can no long bear it”, he stated.
Mr Sackey observed that in spite of the challenges deaf students were facing in some tertiary institutions, the government was not ready to work with deaf people to enable them have equal rights to education and, therefore, called on the government to expedite their request.
In view of that, he said most of the deaf students in institutions which do not have interpreters had to quit school.
The Director of Operations at the National Council for Persons with Disability, Dr Neal Boafo, recommended that the interpreters who would be posted into the institutions should be recruited and trained to equip them with the requisite knowledge and technology to enable them to communicate well to students who are deaf.
To do that, he said, in the short term the government should identify specific tertiary institutions with sign language interpreters so that deaf students could access them while in the long term it provides some and ensures that all tertiary institutions comply with the directive to have such interpreters so that all students would have equal access to education.
According to the Director, Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Ms Rosemond Ndama Blay, the GES caters for interpreters for the students who are deaf at the basic and secondary level, adding that it was the responsibility of tertiary institutions to provide those facilities for such students.
THE Ghana National Association for the Deaf (GNAD) has appealed to the government to provide sign language interpreters in all tertiary institutions in the country.
The association has also urged the government to take up the responsibility for paying those interpreters it would provide for the tertiary institutions to reduce the burden on deaf students.
That, they said, would improve the performance of their members and enable them attain quality education, which is one of their human rights.
The National President of GNDA, Mr Emmanuel Sackey, made the appeal at an education seminar in Accra.
The seminar which was organised by the association, examined some of the challenges that deaf students faced in the various tertiary institutions in order to petition the government, principals of tertiary institutions, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), district directors of education and civil society organisations, and other organisations concerned with disability issues.
The seminar was expected to persuade the government and tertiary institutions to understand the needs of deaf students and help them overcome the hurdles they encounter in their education.
Speaking at the seminar, Mr Sackey said deaf students had several challenges, compared to those with other disabilities who had been provided with the needed facilities to improve their access to education.
“We are paying our taxes yet we are not enjoying facilities that the government should provide. This is blatant disregard for our rights to education and we can no long bear it”, he stated.
Mr Sackey observed that in spite of the challenges deaf students were facing in some tertiary institutions, the government was not ready to work with deaf people to enable them have equal rights to education and, therefore, called on the government to expedite their request.
In view of that, he said most of the deaf students in institutions which do not have interpreters had to quit school.
The Director of Operations at the National Council for Persons with Disability, Dr Neal Boafo, recommended that the interpreters who would be posted into the institutions should be recruited and trained to equip them with the requisite knowledge and technology to enable them to communicate well to students who are deaf.
To do that, he said, in the short term the government should identify specific tertiary institutions with sign language interpreters so that deaf students could access them while in the long term it provides some and ensures that all tertiary institutions comply with the directive to have such interpreters so that all students would have equal access to education.
According to the Director, Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Ms Rosemond Ndama Blay, the GES caters for interpreters for the students who are deaf at the basic and secondary level, adding that it was the responsibility of tertiary institutions to provide those facilities for such students.
DAILY GRAPHIC, Tuesday, September 18, 2012, Pg.49. 3 Arrested for diverting goods
Story: Mary Ankrah
THREE suspected thieves have been arrested for diverting a 40-footer container of used items from the Tema Port to a warehouse at Gbawe in Accra.
The suspects are Iddrisu Dauda, 27; Hamaza Yahubu, 26, and Seth Kwarteng, 45.
Two other suspects, Musah Mustapha, the driver in charge of a DAF 95 articulated truck, with registration number AS 3441 Z, who was engaged to cart the goods, and one Abu, who took the goods to a warehouse at Gbawe, are on the run.
Briefing the press in Accra, the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Timbilla, said based on police intelligence, the three suspects were arrested last Thursday, at about 4:00 p.m.
He said the complainant, who is a businessman, on September 3, 2012, at 6:00 a.m., cleared a 40-footer container stuffed with assorted items including used clothing, shoes, bags, toys and belts from the Tema Ports through his agent, who engaged the services of Mustapha to cart the goods to Kantamanto in Accra but he ended up diverting the goods to an unknown destination.
According to him, based on police intelligence, on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, some of the goods were located at the store of one of the suspected thieves, Kwarteng, who also deals in used clothing at Kantamanto.
He said although Kwarteng denied the theft of the goods when questioned by the police, he mentioned Abu as the person who brought the goods to his store for sale.
He said further investigations also revealed that Kwarteng and Abu took the goods to a warehouse at Gbawe CP Last Stop at house number 110.
Upon inspection at the warehouse, he said the police detected a lot of bales of used clothing with tags ‘Akomapa’ and assorted used clothing yet to be baled.
DCOP Timbilla advised the general public especially businesspeople to always inspect the vehicles they contract to cart their goods at the port especially their particulars, since some of them had been detected to be fake.
He also appealed to the public to always be willing to give out information in that regard, adding that the police would step up their intelligence in that direction.
THREE suspected thieves have been arrested for diverting a 40-footer container of used items from the Tema Port to a warehouse at Gbawe in Accra.
 |
|
The suspects: Iddrisu
Dauda, 27 (left); Hamaza Yahubu, 26 (middle),
and Seth Kwarteng,
45(right)
|
The suspects are Iddrisu Dauda, 27; Hamaza Yahubu, 26, and Seth Kwarteng, 45.
Two other suspects, Musah Mustapha, the driver in charge of a DAF 95 articulated truck, with registration number AS 3441 Z, who was engaged to cart the goods, and one Abu, who took the goods to a warehouse at Gbawe, are on the run.
Briefing the press in Accra, the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Timbilla, said based on police intelligence, the three suspects were arrested last Thursday, at about 4:00 p.m.
He said the complainant, who is a businessman, on September 3, 2012, at 6:00 a.m., cleared a 40-footer container stuffed with assorted items including used clothing, shoes, bags, toys and belts from the Tema Ports through his agent, who engaged the services of Mustapha to cart the goods to Kantamanto in Accra but he ended up diverting the goods to an unknown destination.
According to him, based on police intelligence, on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, some of the goods were located at the store of one of the suspected thieves, Kwarteng, who also deals in used clothing at Kantamanto.
He said although Kwarteng denied the theft of the goods when questioned by the police, he mentioned Abu as the person who brought the goods to his store for sale.
He said further investigations also revealed that Kwarteng and Abu took the goods to a warehouse at Gbawe CP Last Stop at house number 110.
 |
| Some of the bales found at the warehouse at Gbawe |
DCOP Timbilla advised the general public especially businesspeople to always inspect the vehicles they contract to cart their goods at the port especially their particulars, since some of them had been detected to be fake.
He also appealed to the public to always be willing to give out information in that regard, adding that the police would step up their intelligence in that direction.
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