DAILY GRAPHIC, Saturday, October 27, 2012, Pg. 3. 4,000 out of lotto Business- Following withdrawal of SIMNET

Story: Naa Lameley & Mary Ankrah
ABOUT 4,000 lotto receivers have been out of business for more than a month now following the decision by SIMNET Ghana Limited to withdraw its services to the National Lottery Authority (NLA).

Since October 3, 2012, SIMNET Ghana, a technical service provider for the NLA, has terminated its operations with the NLA because of disputes over the payment of bills for rendered services.

Consequently, lotto receivers who operate terminal portable machines (TPMs) on the SIMNET platform have been out of business for more than four weeks now.

Additionally, their money has been locked up in the TPMs.

The total amount locked up in the SIMNET machine is unknown, but the Director of Corporate Planning and Sales at the NLA, Mr Kplorlali Gbologa, said it was estimated at GH¢500,000.

The NLA does not also know the exact number of lotto receivers who have been affected by the sudden shutdown.

However, an official of the NLA said there were about 4,000 TPM machines, although not all of them were active at the time of the crisis.

“For four weeks now I have not worked and, worst of all, my money is locked up in the system,” a lotto operator, Madam Ophelia Attimo, told graphic.com.gh in Accra.

According to her, in all the 22 years that she had worked as a lotto operator, “this is the first time I have had to go through a situation like that”.

“Some of us borrowed money to invest in this business and we, therefore, expect the NLA to give us a tangible feedback,” another lotto operator, Mr Kwesi Max Boison, stated.

SIMNET’s termination of services to the NLA may not have been sudden, after all, since, according to the National Chairman of the Lottery Receivers Union, Mr Daniel Mensah, the union received a letter from EDITEC UK dated May I, 20I2 stating that the NLA owed EDITEC for the services it had rendered to the NLA.

EDITEC UK is a manufacturer supplier of SIMNET Ghana.

The letter, which was copied to the Chief Executive Officer of the NLA, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and SIMNET Ghana, threatened to terminate the services of EDITEC to SIMNET and, consequently, the national lottery operator.

Sections of the letter stated: “As painful as it would be for EDITEC, the current situation will unfortunately leave us with no option but to shut down the NLA system, with the multiple consequences that will result from that. We hereby need to make it very clear, should the situation not come back to normal within the next days, as per each part’s obligation, we will have no choice but to stop our services and, therefore, make it impossible for NLA to use the EDITEC system.”

Currently, the NLA is working towards restoring the livelihoods of the affected operators and has, consequently, met with those in the Greater Accra Region to discuss the way forward.

At the session, the NLA announced its plans to re-train operators, beginning from November 15, 2012, during which the authority would provide the operators with the requisite skills to enable them to handle and operate a new system of sale machines.

Mr Gbologa said all the new machines would be loaded with credit reflecting what each person had on his or her TPM before the shutdown.

He explained, however, that the NLA could still not determine how much some operators had on their TPMs, adding that a lot was being done to ensure that nobody lost his or her money.

He commented sparingly on the tussle between the NLA and SIMNET, since the matter was currently before court.

DAILY GRAPHIC, Thursday, October 25, 2012, Pg.42. Ghanaians urged to promote peace

Founder and President of the Worldwide Miracle Outreach (WMO),

 Rev. Dr Lawrence Tetteh

Story: Mary Ankrah
The Founder and President of the Worldwide Miracle Outreach (WMO), Rev. Dr Lawrence Tetteh, has called on Ghanaians to be circumspect in their utterances during the run-up to the December general election.

He again called on all stakeholders to recognise the need to have a collective responsibility to make the country a beacon of hope in the sub-region.

Dr Tetteh in an interview said he believed every Ghanaian had a lot to be thankful to God for and called on all to be ambassadors of peace.

“We owe Ghana a responsibility to make it better than how we met it and every stakeholder must be fair and firm in doing so”, he added.

Dr Tetteh indicated that it would be sad for the electorate to lose their lives because of a day’s elections, noting that there was more to gain as Ghanaians if we promoted peace.

For that reason, he urged all religious and political leaders, as well as stakeholders not to lose sight of what the country would lose in case of violent elections.

“Having travel across the African continent and the world, I see Ghana as a safe haven which we must not destroy”, he said.

He used the occasion to also admonish Ghanaians to turn to God in prayers because there was ultimate power in prayers and that “a prayerless nation is a powerless nation and a prayerless leader is a powerless leader”.

Quoting Chronicle 4: 17 from the Holy Bible, Dr Tetteh observed that people who were called by the name of God needed to be humble, pray, seek the face of God and turn from their wicked ways so they could hear from Heaven to heal the lands.

In that light, he announced that the WMC was organising a crusade slated for November 1 to November 3, 2012 at the International Trade Fair Centre in Accra to pray for the healing of Ghanaians and the country.

The crusade is expected to be attended by world famous Christian leaders including Dr Richard Robert of the Oral Roberts Ministry in the United States of America and Rev. Paul Naughton from Benny Hinn Ministries in the United Kingdom.

DAILY GRAPHIC, Monday, October 21, 2012.

Story: Mary Ankrah
 THE chiefs and people of the Akwamu Traditional Area in the Eastern Region have reconciled after 20 years of turmoil and chieftaincy disputes to revive their dead “Akwamu Nhyiamu kese festival (Akwamu homecoming event).

The dispute, which erupted after the death of the paramount chief of the Akwamu State, the late Odeneho Kwafo Akoto II, was said to have incited most of the citizens to leave the state to settle elsewhere and retarded growth and development in the area.

This year’s festival is slated for November 2 to November 11, 2012 and will be celebrated on the theme: “Akwamu homecoming: Re-awaking the Akwamu Spirit”.

It would be marked with various activities including vigil, clean-up exercises, performance of purification rites and rituals, visitation and presentation of gifts to the aged at Akwamufie, Remembrance Day, float, launching of the Akwamu Gorge conservation trust for  the Akwamu hill community forest projects, grand durbar and Akwasidae.

It is expected that the festival would foster and sustain an atmosphere of unity and peace for the development of the state and bring the sons and daughters of the state back home to learn their rich history and culture.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of the festival in Accra last Monday, Mr Godfred Akyea-Darkwah, Chairman of the Marketing and Planning Committee, in a speech read on behalf of the paramount chief, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, observed that the chieftaincy dispute, which was characterised by high unemployment, low investment opportunities, high education drop-out rate, disunity and poverty had ceased, following the installation of a new paramount chief.

In addition, he noted that the celebration of the festival was crucial to bring happiness among the people to come together to build the area as “the peace pipe has already been smoked. Our differences have been buried”.

Mr Akyea-Darkwah called on the people of Akwamu, Ghanaians and investors to invest in the tourist potential of the area and benefit from the rich natural resources and investment features of the area.

Launching the festival, Oyiakehyire Ansa Kwao IV, the Adumasahene in the Akwamu area, invited the people of Akwamu both at home and abroad, all Ghanaians and tourists to the festival which was expected to strengthen unity and peace in the area.

He used the occasion to advice Ghanaians to maintain peace before, during and after the general elections to raise Ghana’s democratic credentials.

Like most Akans, the Akwamus migrated from Bono Manso to settle at the Twifo-Heman forest at the latter part of the 16th century. This group of Akans belonged to the Aduana family and are blood brothers of the Asumennya, Dormaa and Kumawu.

Traditionally the Akwamuhene has jurisdiction over the Akosombo part of the Volta River.
The Tini Waterfalls, the Akosombo Dam and the Senchi Bridge are some of the cultural heritage sites of the area.

DAILY GRAPHIC, Friday, October 19, 2012, Pg. Okaikoi North NDC rival-factions go separate ways

Story: Mary Ankrah
There was confusion yesterday at the Okaikoi Electoral Commission District office when rival factions of the ruling National Democratic Congress attempted to file their nominations  to contest as parliamentary candidates for the Okaikoi North Constituency in the December elections.

This follows disagreement over who should file their nomination on the party’s ticket to contest the December parliamentary election in the Okaikoi North Constituency.

The two – Mr Andrew Okaikwei and Mr Abdul Nasiru Abass – had an encounter as to who was the approved parliamentary candidate.

According to the District Electoral Director, Mrs Gladys Pinkrah, she received Mr Abass’ nomination form which was attached with a letter of introduction signed by the General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Asiedu Nketia, stating that he (Abass) was the parliamentary candidate to contest on the ticket of the NDC in Okaikoi North.

While going through the process, she said, Mr Okaikwei challenged the process insisting he was the approved candidate.

He also had with him, a letter of introduction signed by the Greater Accra Regional NDC Chairman, Mr Ade Coker, and a court injunction stating he could file in as the parliamentary candidate for Okaikoi North.

“Actually, I was in a dilemma and did not know which nomination form to accept because they both came in with letters of introduction,” she said.

Mrs Pinkrah further explained that since she could not accept any of the two nomination forms from the two candidates she sent them to the EC head office together with the letters and the court injunction for further decision to be taken by the EC.

Supporters of both candidates who were clad in NDC T-shirts besieged the EC district office waiting for their candidates to file their nomination forms.

Some supporters of Mr Okaikwei besieged the EC district office to express their displeasure and anger about the situation.

They threatened that if the situation was not rectified in favour of their preferred candidate, Mr Okaikwei, they would not vote for the NDC party or would “vote skirt and blouse”.

 “We are going to form our own party, we are going independent. No more NDC,” Aunty Adiza and Jamila yelled on top of their voices.

In an interview with the constituency organiser for Okaikoi, Mr Carl Adugu, he said the national executive of the party met to resolve the issue and confirmed Mr Abass as the approved candidate for the Okaikoi North Constituency.

However, Mr Okaikwei told newsmen that he was going to file as an independent candidate, since the executives of NDC had failed to resolve the problem and recognised him as the parliamentary candidate for Okaikoi North.

“There is a big problem in the NDC party that needs to be solved and if President Dramani Mahama does not put his foot down to resolve those problems he will fail many people,” he observed.

True to his threat, Mr Okaikwei filed as an independent parliamentary candidate for  Okaikoi North while Mr Abass filed as the NDC candidate for the same constituency.

Earlier in the day, there was heavy police presence at the Constituency Office of the EC to prevent possible clashes between the factions.

DAILY GRAPHIC, Wednesday, October 17, 2012. Pg.20. 'Exercise patience for children with dyslexia’

Story: Mary Ankrah
TEACHERS and parents need to exercise patience for children with dyslexia (a learning disability) to enable such children to overcome the condition to improve on their academic performance.

Mrs Joy Bannerman Addy, the Director of U2kan, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), gave the advice at the launch of the first dyslexia awareness week dubbed “Empower people with dyslexia” in Accra on Monday.

The awareness week was to educate and sensitise Ghanaians, especially parents, teachers and caretakers on dyslexia and promote the awareness of people with the condition in order to help them to improve their lives.

Dyslexia is a learning disability in children who, despite formal classroom experience, fail to attain the language skills of reading, writing, spelling and word pronunciation.

Children or adults with the condition which is caused by the brain’s inability to translate images received from the eyes or ears into understandable language, find it difficult to express themselves clearly or fully comprehend what others articulate.

Letter and number reversals are the most common warning signs. Such reversals are fairly common up to the ages of seven or eight, and usually diminish as they grow up.

 Mrs Addy observed that about 10 per cent of people in every country had dyslexia, lowering their chances of success if they did not get the right people to detect it and help those affected to overcome their disability.
A dyslexic person, she said, appeared bright, intelligent and articulate but unable to read or write and  usually complained of headaches when reading.

They are also forgetful, lack concentration and are disorganised in the classroom.

Despite these challenges, Mrs Addy indicated that such persons were creative and friendly.

According to her, dyslexia was hereditary and persisted throughout a life time and children with such disorder might show signs of depression and low self-esteem at home and school as well as become unmotivated and develop a dislike for school.

“The child's success in school may be jeopardised if the problem remains untreated”, she said.
In that light, she said, children or adults with such condition could only be managed through a learning assessment process of using the sensory of touch, sight and hearing.

Mrs Addy observed that the method involved teaching children to learn spellings, for example, not only by hearing and saying the sounds of the letters, but also by using their visual and tactile (touch).

“Dyslexia does not affect the entire life of a child or adult. It is just a part of a child’s life that is affected”, she indicated.

Sharing his experience with the Daily Graphic, 15 year-old Andrew Kisseh, a dyslexic, and a past student of the University of Ghana Basic School at Legon in Accra, said through the support of his father, he was overcoming his condition gradually although he sometimes misses B’s for D’s and had little difficulty in spelling.

“ My friends called me dumb because I could not read and write in class. I always lose concentration and it was difficult to understand any lesson at school but now I have improved through the assessment process”, he opined.

DAILY GRAPHIC, Saturday, October 13, 2012, Pg. Queens from Africa form Cultural Leaders Network

Story: Mary Ankrah
AFRICAN QUEENS are in Ghana for a brainstorming meeting to develop structures and approaches for the formation of an African Women Cultural Leaders Network (AWCLN).

The meeting which started on Thursday will end on Monday, October 14, 2012, and it has attracted about 15 queens from across Africa including Kenya, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, South Sudan, North Africa and Ghana among other countries.

The initiative for the establishment of AWCLN came about during a Global Power Women Network Africa meeting held in Harare, Zimbabwe in May this year. 

The outcome document at the end of that meeting called for the creation of a women’s cultural leaders union, which would be a forum to work towards the improvement of the lives of women and children in Africa.
 
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the brainstorming meeting in Accra yesterday, the wife of the Asantehene, Lady Julia Osei Tutu, observed that queens were agents of change and their roles in society could help combat dangerous disease such as HIV/AIDS, and harmful traditional practices including early and forced marriage as well as female genital mutilation.

“We are African role models that can inspire and unite our people to overcome development challenges for the benefit of all”, she said.

In that direction, Lady Osei Tutu, urged African queens to  focus on harnessing the power of culture and be inspired by the works of past great African kings, queens and great leaders so they could promote positive and life-changing progress within their communities.

That, she said was because most African royal women over the centuries had played vital roles in society in the area of politics and  military, as well as being cultural custodians in promoting, preserving, and passing their culture  to the next generation.

“We must be brave and fearless in auditing traditional practices. We must be brave and fearless when proposing new solutions and pointing out where initiatives have failed, she stated.

In her remarks, the African Union (AU) Social Affairs Commissioner, Mrs Bience Gawanas, noted that the ultimate goal of the network was to engage in concrete socio-cultural activities at national, regional and continental levels to impact positively on the lives of women and children and also improve on their livelihoods.

 “We must do all of these as part of our on-going efforts to strengthen the rebirth of our beloved continent at the political, social, economic and cultural levels”, she urged the queens.
 
She assured that the AU was ready to provide all the necessary support for the initiative as its mandate was closely linked to that of the Department of Social Affairs in the areas of Culture and Health which included reducing mother and child mortality, combating HIV and AIDS and reducing poverty.

In history, African royal women had contributed immensely to building their empires and nations. Notable of these women were Yaa Asantewaa the Queen of Ejisu in Ghana who was considered to be a great female military leader, Queen Amina of Zaria in present day Nigeria and Queen Nzingha of Ndongo (now Angola).


  

DAILY GRAPHIC, Thursday, October 11, 2012, Pg.48 Church raises funds to support orphanage

The Founder and General Overseer of the Christian Worship Centre (CWC) church, Ghana, Rev. Hansen Mettle (2nd from left), with some members of the church, about to cut the anniversary cake

Story: Mary Ankrah
The  Christian Worship Centre (CWC) church, Ghana, located at Bubuashie in Accra, has climaxed its 25th anniversary celebrations with a fund-raising dinner.

The fund-raising dinner, held in Accra last Saturday, was to support an orphanage managed by the church called  the “CWC Children’s Village,” located at Fise near Amasaman.

 The orphanage has 40 children under its care with three of them in senior high school.

According to the Founder and General Overseer of the church, Reverend Hansen Mettle, the needs of the children, which include feeding, clothing, accommodation and education, are taken care of by the  church and with donations from the general public.

He said the fund raising was intended to  help build a nursery and a sick bay for the orphanage.

Addressing the members at the event, Rev Mettle noted that due to economic pressures  many Christians found themselves fighting on what to gain rather than what to give out and were therefore unable to support the less privileged.

He stressed that when  society gave hope to the less privileged  by investing in them their future would be shaped for the better and they would not indulge in social vices such as armed robbery or prostitution.

“It is not how much you can contribute money to raise the church or take care of it but how you can become a blessing to someone in dire need,” Rev Mettle stated.

He indicated that the CWC planned to build and operate a facility for children with special needs and with peculiar problems such as mental illness, slow learning and other disabilities.

The anniversary, which was on the theme: “Declaring the Goodness of God and Mercy”, was marked with a year-long activities including seminars, counselling, health walk and fun games.

DAILY GRAPHIC, Wednesday, October 10, 2012, Pg.47. More donate towards Farmers Day

Mr Raymond Kassah of the Kasapreko Ghana Limited presenting a cheque to the deputy Minister of Agriculture, in-charge of Fisheries, Mr Nii Amasah-Namoale

Story: Mary Ankrah
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, in-charge of Fisheries, Mr Nii Amasah-Namoale, has announced that all donations towards the support of this year farmers’ day celebration will end by October 19, 2012.

The closure of the donations, he said, was to enable the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) have adequate time to sort out the items and cheques presented so it would know the items needed to arrange or buy to balance what it had received from institutions, organisations, sponsors and individuals so far.

He made this known in Accra last Tuesday when eight more organisations presented various items to support the 28th Farmers Day celebration slated for November 2, 2012 at Abokobi in the Ga East Municipality on the theme: “Grow More Food: Strengthening Farmer Based Organisations for Market Place Bargaining Power”.

The organisations included the Metropolitan Insurance (MET) which sponsored the best farmer of the year with one-year insurance over valued to cover the house the best farmer would receive and its content including personal accident within the house and furniture; Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), GHC 15, 000; Action Motors, GHC 1,000; Koudijs and Shyams Ghana Limited, 50 bags of 50 kilograms of Koudijs feeds plus GHC2, 500, and the Ghana Chamber of Mines donated GHC 5,000.

The rest are Cocoa Input Ghana Limited which presented some house cooking materials worth of GHC 6,000; Kasapreko Ghana Limited presented 30 pieces of assorted brands of Kasapreko products and GHC 1,500 while Olam Ghana Limited sponsored the best cocoa and cashew nut farmer with GHC 6,000 each, GHC 6,000 to the best farmer and GHC2, 000 to the planning committee for the farmers day celebration.

Mr Namoale thanked the various organisations for their immense contributions and sponsorship towards the farmers’ day celebrations and appealed to other stakeholders and organisation to make theirs to make the occasion a successful one.

“The farmers will always be glad for your wonderful contributions and would be loyal to produce more food for the country”, he added.

This year farmer’s day celebration has been brought earlier than the usual first week of December in view of the December 7 general election

DAILY GRAPHIC, Wednesday, October 9, 2012, Pg.48. Rain causes flood on portion of N1 highway Rain causes flood on portion of N1 highway

Story & picture: Mary Ankrah

Portions of the Abeka Lapaz  section of the N1 highway last Friday got flooded after a down pour of rain between 3:15 p.m. and 3: 40 p.m.

The situation affected smooth driving on that stretch of the road as drivers hard a hard time trying to manoeuvre in the flowing water, causing a huge traffic on the road.

Pedestrians also had difficulties crossing  the road due to the water on the streets, creating an opportunity for some young persons to make money by offering to carry people across for a fee of GHC1.00.

Many people had to walk barefooted in order to walk in the pool of water that had collect over a large portion of the road.

DAILY GRAPHIC, Monday, October 8, 2012, Pg.80. Prof Abraham inducted as new NAFTI Rector

Prof. Linus Abraham holding his mantle of office (a sword) as he is being sworn in as the Rector of the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) by Prof. Kofi Anyidoho of the University of Ghana and Chairman of Council of University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho (right), last Friday in Accra.

Story: Mary Ankrah
THE National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) has inducted Prof Linus Abraham as the new Rector of the institute.

He is the first graduate of the institute to assume the high office of Rector of the school.

 Prof Abraham, who had been the substantive Rector of the Institute for over two years and  currently serving as a member of the advisory board for the Ministry of Information, is a professor in visual communication, broadcast journalism, cultural studies and new media studies.

Speaking at  the inaugural ceremony after he was inducted into office last Friday in Accra, Prof Abraham observed that although the institute had contributed substantially to the growth of the Ghanaian and African media industry, it had receive no or little support from the government.

"The Government of Ghana has not been able to make up for the shortfall in funding and the Institute has since struggled to survive”, he noted.

Prof Abraham was, however, optimistic that “we are now resolved to find solutions to the numerous problems that NAFTI was facing and have re-dedicated ourselves to becoming the centre of excellence for professional and intellectual training in the media arts”.

In that direction, Prof Abraham disclosed that the management and Board of Directors of the school had envisaged transforming NAFTI into a media arts university that would provide a modern and dynamic training environment to facilitate the growth of the creative and media arts industry in the country.

As a media art university, he said, NAFTI would provide training at the undergraduate and graduate levels in film, graphic and production design, photography, animation, video, multimedia production, broadcast journalism and entertainment business management among other programmes.

The process of transformation,  which had been on-going for the past two years, he said, was in two phase and the first phase involve the redefining of the governance structure of the school and promulgation of a new statue of incorporation which included the rehabilitation of the civil structures of its current location, re-equipping the school with digital machines and expansion of its academic programmes as well as establishment of new departments.

While the second phase is expected to be completed in about seven to 10 years’ time, the new NAFT Arts University, he indicated, would be relocated to a new site on the Dawhenya road where the expanded university would be built to facilitate commercial creative arts production in the country as well as generate funds for the school.

He said there was the urgent need to complete the school’s complex which was started over 30 years ago and rehabilitate its existing studios and students hostel to promote the strategic development and expansion of NAFTI into a Media Arts university and therefore appealed to the government to expedite funds for that purpose.

He observed that the strides made so far by the institute were possible with the help from international benefactors including the Germans, the France, the Australians, and some individual Ghanaians who, in diverse ways had provided support to the school.

The Minister for Information, Mr Fritz Baffour, expressed the government’s commitment to transforming the school into a first class university, adding that the government was soliciting a credit facility of 35 million Euros for that purpose.

JUNIOR GRAPHIC, Wednesday, October 3, 2012, Pg.3. Graphic gives to the needy

Story: Mary Ankrah
THE Management and staff of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) has donated packed food to the Osu Children’s Home at Labone and the Dzorwulu Special School, both in Accra.

The company presented snacks and lunch to the children in honour of one of its driver, Mr Samuel Konadu, who met his untimely death in a terrible accident near Anyinam on the Accra-Kumasi highway while on his way to deliver the company's newspapers to Kumasi.

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 cater for the poor, needy and the vulnerable in society as part of its social responsibility and therefore seized the occasion to assist the children.

The Assistant Supervisor of the home, Ms Annie Kpdekpo, 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 also said the home received children in different circumstances, adding that through the grace of God, two were in the university and one other inmate 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, Wednesday, October 3, 2012, Pg. 22. Avernopeme youth raises funds for projects

Story: Mary Ankrah

THE Avernopeme Youth Association (AYA) in Accra has raised funds to embark on a number of projects in some schools in the Avernopeme District in the Volta Region.

The project which is expected to commence in November is estimated at the cost of GH¢20,000.
 A wall will be constructed around the Local Authority Junior High School (JHS) and electricity will be provided for both the Roman Catholic and Zion Basic Schools in the area.

Speaking at a fundraising ceremony in Accra, the Chairman of the Association, Mr Thomas Attigah, in a speech read on his behalf by the Secretary of AYA, Mr Dadason Samlafo, said the wall was intended to prevent stray animals from destroying the landscape of the school as well as provide a serene atmosphere for teaching and learning.

The fundraising which was on the theme: “Creating a Peaceful Environment for Education: Your role, My role” attracted some personalities, including the Member of Parliament for Avenor-Ave and the first Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Doe Adjaho, who contributed GH¢10,000 for the project.

The chairman used the occasion to appeal to government to expedite the rehabilitation of the Abor-Avernopeme road and other development projects in the district.

DAILY GRAPHIC, Wednesday, October 3, 2012, Center Spread Pg. 33. Check indiscriminate sale of helbal medicines

Story: Mary Ankrah

THE Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) has called on the government and other stakeholders to check the advertisement and marketing of uncertified herbal medicines and alcoholics because of the danger they pose to  society. 

At a press conference in Accra yesterday, the President of PSGH, Mr James Ohemeng Kyei, said there was a widespread and unchecked access to all classes of medicine marketed and sold across the country, including direct-to-consumer advertisement in the media.

The press conference was intended for the society to convey the outcome of its annual general meeting held in Cape Coast in September, 2012.

The theme for the society’s annual meeting was; “Rational use of Medicine: A Key to Quality Health Outcomes”.

According to Mr Kyei, “the absence of pharmacists to ensure professional pharmaceutical care and supervision in the private, public and other health facilities where medicines are managed, prescribed, dispensed and used was taking a huge toll on scarce national resources and putting patients at unacceptable risks”.

 Mr Kyei further entreated the government to expedite action on the establishment of the Ghana College of Pharmacists as a statutory institution to provide post-qualification specialist training for pharmacists in the country, as well as ensure that existing statutes including the Pharmacy Act 489, 1994, the Food and Drugs Law, PNDC Law 305b and all related legislation be adhered to in the interest of Ghanaians.

He underscored  the need for the government to equally speed up the financial clearance and all related matters for the employment of more pharmacists in the government health facilities, the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health to support clinicians in ensuring rational use of medicines across the country.

Towards rational use of medicines, the PSGH President recommended that there was a rational need to ensure a clear separation between prescribing and dispensing of medicines to help improve patient safety, reduce the chances of resistance strains of micro-organisms and high cost of healthcare, as well as promote the sustainability of the National Health Insurance scheme (NHIS).

“It is imperative that one of the essential commodities in health is medicines and needed to  be bought, managed and used rationally in line with international best practices and for the safety and benefit of the patient,” he emphasised.

Meanwhile, World Health Organisation (WHO) publication of 2010 indicated that more than 50 per cent of all medicines were prescribed, dispensed or sold inappropriately and 50 per cent of patients failed to take them correctly.