Story Mary Ankrah
THE Forestry Commission (FC) has pledged its commitment to continue the fight against illegal logging operations and the chainsaw menace in the country.
Already, the five-member rapid response team set up and deployed to the Western, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions has been successful in carrying out a number of operational measures to combat those activities in the forest and wildlife sector.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of the FC, Mr Samuel Afari Dartey, about 154 illegally constructed hamlets within the catchment area of the Sui River Forest Reserve in the Sefwi Wiawso District in the Western Region had been demolished, while 31 hectares of illegal farms had also been destroyed in the Krokosua Hills and the Tano-Offin Forest reserves.
In addition, 18 chainsaw machines were seized during the operations, about 11,000 pieces of assorted lumber seized, 51 logs confiscated, mostly in the Nkawie and Goaso forest districts, and 45 vehicles impounded for illegally conveying lumber or logs.
Speaking at the FC’s end-of-year party in Accra last Friday, Mr Dartey said by March 2013, a new regulation that would restrict access to illegal timber/timber documentation in the European Union (EU) would come to force, hence the need to strengthen the commission’s capacity to deal with the situation.
According to data from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, at the beginning on the 20th century Ghana’s forest cover was about 8.2 million hectares, but now it was about 1.6 million hectares, with an estimated 65 hectares being lost every year owing to logging and chainsaw operations, as well as other human activities.
It has also been established that the annual cost of forest depletion to the country stands at $300 million.
Officially, there are about 200 licensed timber companies operating in the country and these companies are under obligation to replant areas under their jurisdiction.
According to Mr Dartey, although efforts were being made to position Ghana for the new timber trade regime in the EU, there were still some challenges in that respect. But he was upbeat that everything would be done to ensure unfettered timber export to the EU in 2013.
The challenges, he noted, arose out of the country’s legality licensing system under the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) which, he indicated, would not be ready before the EUTR came into effect.
“The FC is considering implementing an interim strategy to meet this challenge which will be completed and made available for discussion before the EUTR comes into force,” he said.
Mr Dartey added that plans were underway to expand the Wood Industry Training Centre (WITC) to become a full-fledged training school to ensure continuous improvement of the staff of the FC.
Sixteen employees of the commission were honoured with certificates, cash and household items for their dedication and hard work throughout the year.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Thursday, December 27, 2012. Front Pg & Pg. 3. Church services mark xmas
Story: Graphic Reporters
Church services were held throughout the country to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ on Tuesday.
While some people trooped to the churches to praise God for His mercies throughout the year, fun-loving ones thronged entertainment joints to have fun, with music and movies taking centre stage.
On the night of December 24, some Christians attended church services, while others engaged in a variety of entertainment activities to usher in the Christmas celebrations.
For most people, especially Christians, the events of Christmas Day began with church services.
Others also organised parties and exchanged gifts to express the love they have for their neighbours, family members and friends.
During the church services, the sermons focused on the need for peace, unity, reconcilation and love for national development.
The congregations also prayed for the development and prosperity of the country, the government and Ghanaians in the coming year.
At the Calvary Methodist Church, Community Three, Tema, the Very Rev Rosebud Margaret Adjaottor reminded Christians that the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ was the celebration of joy for mankind and continuous evangelisation, Albert Sam reports.
Rev Adjaottor, however, noted with regret that some Ghanaians were not celebrating the festive occasion with joy and happiness for the simple reason that they had not accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
She, therefore, urged Christians to say ‘no’ to unbelievers and continue vigorously with their evangelisation to win more souls for Christ.
At the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star (BCS) Church at Odorkor, Christmas Day church service was marked with praises and thanksgiving to God for the birth of Christ, who is the founder of Christianity, Mary Ankrah reports.
Preaching on the theme: “Without Christ there is no Salvation”, the Priestess, Senior Christ Servant Sister Priscilla Mensah, encouraged the brethren to continue to believe in Jesus, so that they would not be disappointed in their daily endeavours.
She said Jesus’ birth had saved all mankind and for that reason Christians would continue to rejoice and celebrate His birth.
At the Atomic Hills Baptist Church, the Assistant Pastor, Robert Assilenu, tasked Christians to see Christmas as a time to build their spirituality and belief in God and not just see the season as a festival worth celebrating, Jasmine Arku writes.
Basing his sermon on Matthew chapter 2:1-12, he urged the congregation to count the protection, grace and mercy that God had bestowed on them throughout the year.
“Count the accidents, sicknesses and difficult times that God has delivered you from. The best way you can give back to Him is offer yourself to Christ in praise and worship,” he said.
For his part, the General Overseer of the Global Revival Ministries, Rev Robert Ampiah Kwofie, urged Ghanaians to live in peace and love and draw lessons from the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ, reports Salomey Appiah.
He said Jesus Christ was born to bring peace and goodwill to humanity and so in this Yuletide love and peace must reign among the people of Ghana.
“We should not allow anything, including political affiliations and our differences, to rob us of our peace in this season and after the season,” he said.
Rev Ampiah Kwofie, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said Christmas should be seen as a special occasion, since it marked the birth of the Saviour.
He urged Ghanaians to be humble, no matter their positions, because Jesus Christ was born in a stable where animals were kept.
In a Christmas message from the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), its President, Apostle Dr Opoku Onyinah, sent greetings of love and peace to members of the church and all Ghanaians who had lived as a united people under the banner of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, saying that although there had been challenges in 2012, “our Living God once again proved Himself faithful to us”.
The council’s theme for 2012: “Walking in the Steps of Christ”, focused on the subject of discipleship in the Ghanaian church.
From Tamale, Vincent Amenuveve reports that residents of Tamale marked the season with church activities and other social events.
On Christmas Day, various churches organised special church services, while some residents, including holiday makers, trooped to the various nightclubs to have fun.
Preaching the sermon on the topic, “Understanding the power and the purpose of Christmas”, at the Winner’s Chapel in Tamale, the Resident Pastor, David Olaiya Oladobe, reminded Christians that Christmas was more than just the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
“It is rather the celebration of your deliverance and liberty and the Glory of God in your life,” he said.
Making reference to Luke 2:8-11, Pastor Oladobe said the purpose of Christmas was to reveal God’s glory to mankind.
George Ernest Asare reports from Kumasi that at the St Peter’s Catholic Church at Asuoyeboa, Rev Fr Isaac Manu, who delivered the sermon, advised Christians to allow the love that the birth of Jesus Christ brought to the world to reflect in their lives.
He said that could be done if the Christian community always empathised and sympathised with those who were lonely, poor, sick, dejected and rejected by society.
He said celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ without the characteristic of the Man who exhibited great love for mankind undermined the essence of Christianity.
“When we fail to sympathise and empathise with the poor, the lonely and the downtrodden in society, it shows that we are celebrating Christmas in darkness, which is sinful,” he said.
From Koforidua, A. Kofoya-Tetteh reports that the Eastern Regional capital witnessed its heaviest vehicular traffic on Monday, December 24 when hundreds of vehicles of all types converged on the town.
The vehicles, which carried both holiday makers within the New Juaben municipality and people from the surrounding towns and villages, were in Koforidua for last-minute shopping for the Yuletide.
What worsened the situation was the diversion of a larger fleet of vehicles on the Nsawam-Suhum-Bunso stretch of the Accra-Kumasi Highway to the town as a result of the bad nature of that portion of the highway which is currently under construction.
The heavy vehicular traffic, which started about 8 a.m., eased about 11 p.m.
The traffic was also partly due to an annual street carnival organised by Y&K, a trading company, during which the Asafo Adjei Street, the main artery in Koforidua, is blocked between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. for revelers to have their day.
The heavy vehicular traffic, coupled with the large number of people who flocked the town, compelled the Eastern Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), under the command of Chief Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah, to deploy 70 policemen to direct traffic, especially at vantage points.
Chief Supt Peprah, who personally led the operation, said he was compelled to deploy such a large number of policemen because Koforidua had not seen such a large fleet of vehicles before
GRAPHIC SHOWBIZ, Thursday, December 27, 2012, Pg. 3 & 8. National Theatre unveils new plans
By Mary Ankrah
THE National Theatre of Ghana (NTG) has begun repositioning itself to compete in the national and global market of arts and culture, the deputy Executive Director (Artistic) of the NTG, Mrs Amy Appiah Frimpong, has said.
In doing that, she said, the NTG would introduce new programmes and freshen the old ones to meet international standards as well as attract more Ghanaians to patronise its arts and cultural activities.
Mrs Frimpong made this known at the launch of the 20th anniversary of the NTG in Accra last Thursday.The one-year long anniversary is slated for January 2013 to December 2013, and will be on the theme: “National Theatre at 20: Still the Hub for Culture and Artistic Excellence”.
She indicated that the NTG planned to focus more on it assets while using its potentials to make more productive gains in the Ghanaian and international market of arts and culture for continuous growth.
The move, she said, would enable the theatre to revitalise itself and be known for its quality arts experiences, strong educational programmes,conducive environment and friendly community space for audiences of all backgrounds.
“ We should be the first place on everyone’s mind every time they look for something entertaining, educational or just sharing time with friends,” she opined.
It will be marked with various activities, including performances such as high life, drama, concert party, funworld, World Theatre Day and kiddafest, among other entertainment programmes.
She said efforts were also underway to reach out to members of the arts domain to consider the National Theatre as a preferred location for all their activities.
She, therefore, called on all Ghanaians, corporate bodies and organisations to support its creative process and vision to generate funds for its programmes and activities to make tickets affordable to all classes of people in society, especially those in the rural areas.
Monday, December 24, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Monday, December 24, 2012, Pg. 54 National Theatre reposition itself
By Mary Ankrah
THE National Theatre of Ghana (NTG) has begun repositioning itself to compete in the national and global market of arts and culture, the deputy Executive Director (Artistic) of the NTG, Mrs Amy Appiah Frimpong, has said.
In doing that, she said, the NTG would introduce new programmes and freshen the old ones to meet international standards as well as attract more Ghanaians to patronise its arts and cultural activities.
Again, she indicated that the NTG planned to focus more on it assets while using its potentials to make more productive gains in the Ghanaian and international market of arts and culture for continuous growth.
The move, she said, would enable the theatre to revitalise itself and be known for its quality arts experiences, strong educational programmes,conducive environment and friendly community space for audiences of all backgrounds.
“We should be the first place on everyone’s mind every time they look for something entertaining, educational or just sharing time with friends,” she opined.
Mrs Frimpong made this known at the launch of the 20th anniversary of the NTG in Accra last Thursday. The one-year long anniversary is slated for January 2013 to December 2013, and will be on the theme: “National Theatre at 20: Still the Hub for Culture and Artistic Excellence”.
It will be marked with various activities, including performances such as high life, drama, concert party, funworld, World Theatre Day and kiddafest, among other entertainment programmes.
Mrs Frimpong said as a result of its competitors, businesses were expanding and the National Theatre was losing some of its market share, hence the need to reposition itself.
She said efforts were also underway to reach out to members of the arts domain to consider the National Theatre as a preferred location for all their activities.
She, therefore, called on all Ghanaians, corporate bodies and organisations to support its creative process and vision to generate funds for its programmes and activities to make tickets affordable to all classes of people in society, especially those in the rural areas.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr Alex Asum-Ahensan, in a speech read on his behalf, stressed the need to integrate arts in the school curriculum to improve on academic performance and student discipline since arts had the potential to revitalise communities and promote economic prosperity.
According to him, the free and unimpeded access to the internet and access to foreign cultures through films, videos, televisions and the like were a threat to the Ghanaians culture, and as such needed to be protected.
"We must endeavour to sustain our own culture and adapt positively to change and pressure from whatever source. Our culture must be developed in such a way that it can withstand undesirable influences", he added.
Moreover, he pointed out that arts did not feature prominently in Ghanaian school curriculum and teachers who were charged with the responsibility of developing artistic talents also lacked the resources and empowerment.
Towards that end, he said the Ministry of
Chieftaincy and Culture would collaborate with the Ministry of Education, the
National Development Planning Commission, traditional authorities, civil
society organisations and other relevant institutions to craft an appropriate
policy that would seek to integrate culture studies into school curricula.
DAILY GRAPHIC, Monday, December 24, 2012, Pg. 56. Acoustic music studio for Chorkor
Story: Mary Ankrah
A US$12,400 acoustic and sound music studio has been opened at Chorkor in Accra to assist less privileged children in that community to develop and improve their music talents.
BASICS International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), initiated the project which was funded by the Australian High Commission through the Australian Government’s Direct Aid Programmes.
The aim of the project is to find an avenue for children in the community to discover their music talents and to enable local musicians to record their music at an affordable price.
Inaugurating the studio in Accra yesterday, the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr William Billy, underlined Australia’s commitment to helping the less privileged in deprived communities across the country to better their lives and reduce poverty in those communities.
During the inauguration, the Australian High Commissioner also presented an amount of GH¢32,233 to the BASICS International to fund programmes to support the disadvantaged children in the community.
He disclosed that money was raised from the Australian community annual Melbourne Cup charity dinner held last month to support disadvantaged children in Chorkor.
“Together with our sponsors who have assisted in raising such a generous amount, we hope the funds will be put into good use to assist children at BASICS,” he said.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the NGO, Ms Patricia Wilkins, said the donation would help BASICS to expand its initiatives by adding screen printing workshop and other future creative works to meet the needs of the children and the community.
She thanked Australia and its government for the support and pledged to make good use of the money and the studio in order to improve the lives of the beneficiaries and the country as a whole.
According to the Programme’s Director, Mr Allotey Bruce-Konuah, for the past 12 years, BASICS has been providing programmes, services and aids for children in the community to improve the quality of life for the people.
He said about 100 children (from six to 20 years) visited the BASIC social intervention centre each day after school for assistance to do their homework and private tutoring. They also participate in extra curricular activities including computer training, sewing, music and dance, cooking, poetry, drama and film making, among other activities.
A US$12,400 acoustic and sound music studio has been opened at Chorkor in Accra to assist less privileged children in that community to develop and improve their music talents.
BASICS International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), initiated the project which was funded by the Australian High Commission through the Australian Government’s Direct Aid Programmes.
The aim of the project is to find an avenue for children in the community to discover their music talents and to enable local musicians to record their music at an affordable price.
Inaugurating the studio in Accra yesterday, the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr William Billy, underlined Australia’s commitment to helping the less privileged in deprived communities across the country to better their lives and reduce poverty in those communities.
During the inauguration, the Australian High Commissioner also presented an amount of GH¢32,233 to the BASICS International to fund programmes to support the disadvantaged children in the community.
He disclosed that money was raised from the Australian community annual Melbourne Cup charity dinner held last month to support disadvantaged children in Chorkor.
“Together with our sponsors who have assisted in raising such a generous amount, we hope the funds will be put into good use to assist children at BASICS,” he said.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the NGO, Ms Patricia Wilkins, said the donation would help BASICS to expand its initiatives by adding screen printing workshop and other future creative works to meet the needs of the children and the community.
She thanked Australia and its government for the support and pledged to make good use of the money and the studio in order to improve the lives of the beneficiaries and the country as a whole.
According to the Programme’s Director, Mr Allotey Bruce-Konuah, for the past 12 years, BASICS has been providing programmes, services and aids for children in the community to improve the quality of life for the people.
He said about 100 children (from six to 20 years) visited the BASIC social intervention centre each day after school for assistance to do their homework and private tutoring. They also participate in extra curricular activities including computer training, sewing, music and dance, cooking, poetry, drama and film making, among other activities.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Tuesday, December 11, 2012, Pg. 7. Beauty of democracy
Feature By: Mary Ankrah
Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be. Sydney J. Harris
Once again, the beauty of democracy manifested on December 7 and 8, 2012 when most Ghanaians, old, young, strong and weak, queued patiently to cast their vote, to elect their president and parliamentarians for the sixth time under the Fourth Republic.
The December 7 elections was the sixth consecutive Presidential and Parliamentary elections since Ghana returned to democratic rule in 1992.
Like the case of other election years, political parties defended their democratic gains by developing strategic interventions to promote free, credible and violent free elections.
Again, for the first time, the country used the Biometric Voter Registration and Verification System, which in spite of some challenges during the election days, helped in minimising the occurrence of election fraud, multiple registration and voting, a bloated voters’ registers and disputed polling station results, all triggering tension. But there is more room for improvement.
It is not surprising that Ghana is on the frontline of peace after the successful and peaceful elections. This has proved to the world that the country is a true African success story, whose best days are yet to come.
However, the election year was characterised by gargantuan disasters such as the death of the sitting late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills; the former late Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, the Melcom shopping centre collapse involving 81 victims and 14 deaths; the plane crash that killed ten people, and a series of road and fire accidents, claiming lives and property.
Although it had been tough for the country in this electioneering year, the people showed great concern in making the election a very peaceful, violence-free and successful one.
This has demonstrated that Ghanaians cherish the peace it’s enjoying and are committed in maintaining it as well.
They have also come to the realisation that whether election or no elections life goes on and there is no need to kill each other just because of an election.
It is on this note that the entire country dedicates the peaceful election to the memories of the late President Prof. John Evan Atta Mills and former late vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama and all those who ensured that peace prevailed during the election.
As was captured by the former United Nations General Secretary, Kofi Annan at the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in Lisbon, August 1998, “No one is born a good citizen, no nation is born democratic. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a life time. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself from its youth severs its lifetime; and is condemned to bleed to death”.
Now more than ever the people who had been put in positions to lead must be responsible for the characters of their congress.
If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it would be that the people of Ghana tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption, which should not happen and so let us all forge ahead in unity to make a better Ghana and continue to make the country a beacon of hope for the world.
God bless us all!
Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be. Sydney J. Harris
Once again, the beauty of democracy manifested on December 7 and 8, 2012 when most Ghanaians, old, young, strong and weak, queued patiently to cast their vote, to elect their president and parliamentarians for the sixth time under the Fourth Republic.
The December 7 elections was the sixth consecutive Presidential and Parliamentary elections since Ghana returned to democratic rule in 1992.
Like the case of other election years, political parties defended their democratic gains by developing strategic interventions to promote free, credible and violent free elections.
Again, for the first time, the country used the Biometric Voter Registration and Verification System, which in spite of some challenges during the election days, helped in minimising the occurrence of election fraud, multiple registration and voting, a bloated voters’ registers and disputed polling station results, all triggering tension. But there is more room for improvement.
It is not surprising that Ghana is on the frontline of peace after the successful and peaceful elections. This has proved to the world that the country is a true African success story, whose best days are yet to come.
However, the election year was characterised by gargantuan disasters such as the death of the sitting late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills; the former late Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, the Melcom shopping centre collapse involving 81 victims and 14 deaths; the plane crash that killed ten people, and a series of road and fire accidents, claiming lives and property.
Although it had been tough for the country in this electioneering year, the people showed great concern in making the election a very peaceful, violence-free and successful one.
This has demonstrated that Ghanaians cherish the peace it’s enjoying and are committed in maintaining it as well.
They have also come to the realisation that whether election or no elections life goes on and there is no need to kill each other just because of an election.
It is on this note that the entire country dedicates the peaceful election to the memories of the late President Prof. John Evan Atta Mills and former late vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama and all those who ensured that peace prevailed during the election.
As was captured by the former United Nations General Secretary, Kofi Annan at the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in Lisbon, August 1998, “No one is born a good citizen, no nation is born democratic. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a life time. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself from its youth severs its lifetime; and is condemned to bleed to death”.
Now more than ever the people who had been put in positions to lead must be responsible for the characters of their congress.
If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it would be that the people of Ghana tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption, which should not happen and so let us all forge ahead in unity to make a better Ghana and continue to make the country a beacon of hope for the world.
God bless us all!
DAILY GRAPHIC, Tuesday, December 11, 2012, Pg.28. Water filteing equipment inroduced
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| Mr John Griffith, the Inventor from the Safe Water Trust, a non-governmental organisation based in England, demonstrating how the filter is used |
RURAL dwellers in the country will get good and safe drinking water with the help of a new technology that will filter water from their rivers, streams, ponds and lakes.
Known as the aquafilter, the equipment has been designed and developed to meet the needs of people who lack clean water especially in deprived communities.
It is said to remove about 99.9 per cent of bacteria from unclean waters during filtering to prevent consumers from contracting diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid, dysentery and any other sickness.
Speaking at a press conference to introduce the equipment onto the Ghanaian market, the inventor from the Safe Water Trust (a non-governmental organisation based in England), Mr John Griffith, said more than 3,000 of the filters were being used in the Gambia, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and DR Congo, among other countries as well as on pilot basis in some parts of the country.
According to him, two units of the filter had been developed - the aquafilter community for large populations including schools, communities, clinics and villages and the aquafilter family for household use.
He said the filter had been developed using hollow fibre ultra-filtration membrane which would hold back dirt, bacteria and virus, adding that the filter would provide five litres of drinking water per minute.
Monday, December 10, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Monday, December 10, 2012, Pg.56. 11 Arrested for electoral malparactice
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| Mohammed Ali and Rashid Imoro were arrested at the Kwashieman Cluster of Schools Collation Centre at the Ablekuma North Constituency in the Greater Accra Region for setting ablaze electoral materials |
ELEVEN suspects, including three who set ablaze electoral materials at the Kwashieman Cluster of Schools Collation Centre at the Ablekuma North Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, have been arrested by the Accra Regional Police Command.
Eight others were arrested at various polling stations at Dansoman, Odorkor, Nima and Korle-Bu on Friday for multiple registration and impersonation.
According to the Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Frank Adufati, the suspects, after casting their vote, quickly went back to the same polling station to cast another vote and they were arrested.
He said all the suspects were currently in custody at the various police stations and were being processed for court on Monday.
He gave the names of the three who set ablaze the electoral materials as Adani Issifu, 37, a trader from Abossey Okai Zongo, Mohammed Ali, 31, a graphic designer from Ayigbe Town, and Rashid Imoro, a 32-year-old onion seller, also from Ayigbe Town, an Accra suburb.
He said the three were in the company of seven others who stormed the collation centre while counting was in process and started struggling with the security men who managed to rescue the ballot boxes and arrested three of the suspects.
Chief Superintendent Adufati said seven of them managed to escape arrest but an intensive search had been mounted for their arrest.
He said luckily none of the ballot boxes were affected but the thugs managed to get hold of some collation papers which they quickly set ablaze.
The ballot box was rescued by the police and had been transported to the Odorkor Police Station for the final counting of votes.
According to an eyewitness, Mr Nii Allotey, on Saturday evening, after the voting exercise, some land guards and macho men in two cars and on motorbikes and fully armed entered the Kwashieman Collation Centre in the Ablekuma North constituency,and started firing shots into the air and later left later.
He said he managed to get the registration number of one of the cars as GS 3637- 09.
In addition, one of the Electoral Commission (EC) officials who pleaded anonymity said the culprits were believed to have been hired by one of the parliamentary candidates of the constituency.
He indicated that the men forced their way into the collation room despite the presence of security personnel demanding to be shown who the EC officer in charge was but they all refused to mention or point to him.
“We were all terrified by the authority with which the leader of the group asked for the identity of the officer,” he said, adding that when they did not answer, the leader of the group said “then somebody will have to die”.
He said when the police officer in charge heard him say that “then somebody will die”, the police officer confronted him and he left with his men.
In a few minutes, he said, another group of people came with machetes and a pistol and set fire to the collation sheets and after several attempts to open the ballot boxes room failed, they took off but the police were able to arrest three of them.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
MIRROR, Saturday, December 8, 2012, Pg. "Accept God's Chosen"
By Mary Ankrah
GHANAIANS have been advised to accept anyone who will be declared winner in the polls held yesterday.
They have also been discouraged to avoid anything that would plunge the country into civil war or bloodshed after the elections.
Accordingly, the “chosen president” has been advised not to raise his or her party’s flag but the flag of Ghana and become a leader for all.
“Any chosen president that would honour his party above Ghana, the motherland, could promote acrimony that shall divide the country.”
The founder and Presiding Missionary of the Seventh Day Congregation of Theocracy (SDCT), Apostle Kadmiel H. Agbalenyoh, gave the advice at an intercessory prayer for the 2012 elections in Accra.
The intercession prayer was on the theme: “May God Choose our President.” It brought together members of the church and some parliamentary candidates to pray and seek the face of God to choose a leader for the nation.
Preaching on the theme for the intercession, Apostle Agbalenyoh said those that the citizens would vote into power should consider their positions as divine intervention from God and must work diligently, truthfully and with loyalty for the growth and development of the nation.
He said the people could also help by asking God in prayers to provide faithful parliamentarians and a president who would unite all parties under the laws of God and the Constitution of the country.
Apostle Agbalenyoh observed that although Ghanaians had heard so many promises and policy statements from the various political parties and their aspirants, it was imperative that they prayed fervently for God to appoint good leaders with “good hearts.”
He advised the citizens to learn from the recent American elections and refrain from abusive language and attack on personalities to promote national peace and unity.
GHANAIANS have been advised to accept anyone who will be declared winner in the polls held yesterday.
They have also been discouraged to avoid anything that would plunge the country into civil war or bloodshed after the elections.
Accordingly, the “chosen president” has been advised not to raise his or her party’s flag but the flag of Ghana and become a leader for all.
“Any chosen president that would honour his party above Ghana, the motherland, could promote acrimony that shall divide the country.”
The founder and Presiding Missionary of the Seventh Day Congregation of Theocracy (SDCT), Apostle Kadmiel H. Agbalenyoh, gave the advice at an intercessory prayer for the 2012 elections in Accra.
The intercession prayer was on the theme: “May God Choose our President.” It brought together members of the church and some parliamentary candidates to pray and seek the face of God to choose a leader for the nation.
Preaching on the theme for the intercession, Apostle Agbalenyoh said those that the citizens would vote into power should consider their positions as divine intervention from God and must work diligently, truthfully and with loyalty for the growth and development of the nation.
He said the people could also help by asking God in prayers to provide faithful parliamentarians and a president who would unite all parties under the laws of God and the Constitution of the country.
Apostle Agbalenyoh observed that although Ghanaians had heard so many promises and policy statements from the various political parties and their aspirants, it was imperative that they prayed fervently for God to appoint good leaders with “good hearts.”
He advised the citizens to learn from the recent American elections and refrain from abusive language and attack on personalities to promote national peace and unity.
DAILY GRAPHIC, Saturday, December 8, 2012, Pg. Allanblackis, economic tree
Story: Mary Ankrah
SOME Ghanaian farmers are now making gains from the fruits of the Allanblackia (“Kusieadwe” or “Sonkyi”) tree used for the production of natural vegetable oil.
Natural vegetable oil produced from the fruit of the tree can be used in the manufacturing of food and non-food products.
The tree, aside from the seed serving as an additional source of income for farmers, has a medicinal value for the cure of toothache, diarrhoea, upper respiratory tract infections, dysentery and stomach-ache.when incorporated with other trees and crops such as cocoa.
The Allanblackia tree, which grows in the wild in the Western, Central, Eastern and Ashanti regions of the country has started to attract international attention.
It is at a result of this that the Allanblackia partnership in Ghana, including the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Technoserve (TNS) and the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) is seeking for investors and stakeholders to develop businesses out of the tree.
Speaking at a national forum on the tree in Accra on the theme: “Allanblackia: An Economic Tree,” the Project Manager for Technoserve, Mr Adu-Sarkodie, said to increase supply and provide local communities with an opportunity to grow the tree on their homesteads, Unilever had supported the establishment of a private-public initiative, Novella Africa, to set up supply chains and to cultivate the trees for commercial seed production.
He said the tree had the potential to produce 50 to 200 kilogrammes of seed per season, generating revenue of GH¢20 to GH¢100 per tree.
According to him, there was enough Allanblackia in the wild to produce over 120 metric tonnes of oil to sustain Uniliver’s soap manufacturing industry in the country.
Mr Adu-Sarkodie said the tree was being domesticated by the FORIG and intercropped by farmers with other trees and crops such as cocoa for sustainable biodiversity conservation and management in the country.
“When intercropped, farmers and their crops are safe because it serves as a windbreak and the productivity of your crops are improved,” he said.
In his presentation, the Project Coordinator of IUCN, Ghana, Mr Samuel Kofi Nyame, asserted that a massive use of the Allanblackia could reduce poverty in target communities through new income generation possibilities; increased export earnings and improved economic development.
He explained that once the government mainstreamed Allanblackia into national level development priorities and programmes, it would improve afforestation as well as restore degraded lands.
Mr Joseph Adubofuor of the Department of Food Science and Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) said Allanblackia floribunda kernels were high yielding oilseed which could serve commercially as a rich source of oil with a proximate composition of fat content of 67.59 per cent while the fatty acid profile content, stearic acid and oleic acid was about 52 and 45 per cent, respectively.
“The percentage composition of the triglycerides make the use of Allanblackia floribunda an alternative vegetable fat to palm oil, cocoa butter and shear butter fat in food and non-food products,” he emphasised.
For his part, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asuogyaman, Dr Jones Asare-Akoto, observed that the plant was doing better in terms of foreign exchange than cocoa in other countries and could be useful for the economic growth of the country.
SOME Ghanaian farmers are now making gains from the fruits of the Allanblackia (“Kusieadwe” or “Sonkyi”) tree used for the production of natural vegetable oil.
Natural vegetable oil produced from the fruit of the tree can be used in the manufacturing of food and non-food products.
The tree, aside from the seed serving as an additional source of income for farmers, has a medicinal value for the cure of toothache, diarrhoea, upper respiratory tract infections, dysentery and stomach-ache.when incorporated with other trees and crops such as cocoa.
The Allanblackia tree, which grows in the wild in the Western, Central, Eastern and Ashanti regions of the country has started to attract international attention.
It is at a result of this that the Allanblackia partnership in Ghana, including the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Technoserve (TNS) and the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) is seeking for investors and stakeholders to develop businesses out of the tree.
Speaking at a national forum on the tree in Accra on the theme: “Allanblackia: An Economic Tree,” the Project Manager for Technoserve, Mr Adu-Sarkodie, said to increase supply and provide local communities with an opportunity to grow the tree on their homesteads, Unilever had supported the establishment of a private-public initiative, Novella Africa, to set up supply chains and to cultivate the trees for commercial seed production.
He said the tree had the potential to produce 50 to 200 kilogrammes of seed per season, generating revenue of GH¢20 to GH¢100 per tree.
According to him, there was enough Allanblackia in the wild to produce over 120 metric tonnes of oil to sustain Uniliver’s soap manufacturing industry in the country.
Mr Adu-Sarkodie said the tree was being domesticated by the FORIG and intercropped by farmers with other trees and crops such as cocoa for sustainable biodiversity conservation and management in the country.
“When intercropped, farmers and their crops are safe because it serves as a windbreak and the productivity of your crops are improved,” he said.
In his presentation, the Project Coordinator of IUCN, Ghana, Mr Samuel Kofi Nyame, asserted that a massive use of the Allanblackia could reduce poverty in target communities through new income generation possibilities; increased export earnings and improved economic development.
He explained that once the government mainstreamed Allanblackia into national level development priorities and programmes, it would improve afforestation as well as restore degraded lands.
Mr Joseph Adubofuor of the Department of Food Science and Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) said Allanblackia floribunda kernels were high yielding oilseed which could serve commercially as a rich source of oil with a proximate composition of fat content of 67.59 per cent while the fatty acid profile content, stearic acid and oleic acid was about 52 and 45 per cent, respectively.
“The percentage composition of the triglycerides make the use of Allanblackia floribunda an alternative vegetable fat to palm oil, cocoa butter and shear butter fat in food and non-food products,” he emphasised.
For his part, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asuogyaman, Dr Jones Asare-Akoto, observed that the plant was doing better in terms of foreign exchange than cocoa in other countries and could be useful for the economic growth of the country.
Friday, December 7, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Friday, December 7, 2012, Center Spread (pg.24&25) Voters scramble for vehicles to destinations
Story: Mary Ankrah & Gloria Bamfo
A large number of prospective voters who sought to travel to their constituencies outside Accra yesterday to cast their ballots in today’s elections were confronted with challenges of no buses to convey them to their destinations.
As a result, some resorted to boarding cargo trucks in a desperate attempt to reach their destinations before voting day.
A visit to the Kaneshie, Tudu, Neoplan, Tema and VIP lorry stations, all in Accra, by the Daily Graphic saw long queues of stranded passengers, many of whom were visibly frustrated.
Some of those who were travelling to Kumasi and beyond said they had been in the queues since 4 a.m.
They explained that they could not leave Accra earlier because of other engagements, such as work and business.
“For three hours I stood in the queue and about six vehicles had come but I couldn’t get space in them. I wish I had travelled earlier, but my work didn’t allow me to,” Ali Kwame, a passenger at the Neoplan Station who was travelling to Assin Fosu, complained.
Another passenger, Ms Gladys Amponsah, who resorted to boarding a cargo truck to Kumasi for a fare of GHC10, said she registered to vote in Kumasi and had no choice but to travel there to cast her ballot.
She said if she had foreseen the difficulty, she would have made arrangements to vote in Accra.
“I can’t afford not to vote and that is why I have risked my life boarding a cargo vehicle, so that I can get to Kumasi where I can vote,” Mrs Amponsah said.
Officials at the lorry stations explained that some of the buses which had conveyed travellers to the other regions the previous day had failed to return, hence the acute shortage of buses.
According to them, some of the buses which left Accra on Tuesday to the regions were waiting to convey passengers back to Accra.
Nicolas Amos, a conductor at the Kaneshie Metro Mass Station, said the shortage of buses could also be attributed to the hiring of vehicles by politicians to transport voters to constituencies outside Accra to vote.
According to him, as of 10:10 a.m. yesterday only one bus had left Accra for Obuasi, but there were many passengers in the queue who had to travel to exercise their franchise today.
At the Ho Bus Station, although 25 buses had left as of 11 a.m., there were still many people waiting in a queue for their turns to buy tickets.
The situation was not different at the Kpando, Somanya and Koforidua stations.
The illegal increases in fares which usually characterise acute shortages of buses were absent.
According to the Ho Station Master, Mr Bernard Gegbe, the station was likely to be crowded for a long time, as many passengers preferred to travel after work.
A student of the University of Cape Coast, Mr Newton Kumi, said he was travelling all the way from Cape Coast to Kpando to vote because it was his right as a citizen of Ghana to vote.
He added that he would return to Cape Coast as soon as the voting was over.
Mr Kingston Dzeidzorm, also a passenger, said for him, travelling every four years to vote had become routine.
DAILY GRAPHIC, Friday, December 7, 2012, Pg. CJ urges peaceful voting
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The Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, receiving an
award citation from Rev. Dr Sam Ato Bentil, the General Treasurer of the
Assemblies of God at the climax of the 40th anniversary celebration of the
Liberty Centre Assemblies of God Church at Abeka-Lapaz in Accra.
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Story: Mary Ankrah
THE Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, has emphasised the need for Ghanaians to protect the reputation of the country by ensuring that they vote peacefully in the December 7 elections.
She said that was because the international community was looking up to Ghana to go through its democratic elections peacefully, as the country had set good examples for other countries in its previous elections.
Mrs Wood gave the advice at the climax of the 40th anniversary celebration of the Liberty Centre Assemblies of God Church at Abeka-Lapaz in Accra on the theme: “Celebrating 40 years of God’s Greatness.”
As part of the anniversary, the church donated assorted items to the Christ Faith Foster Home at Frafraha, near Accra, and painted and changed mosquito nets of the buildings at the home.
The church also dedicated and blessed its Cathedral for worship.
Mrs Wood advised that the Election Day be dedicated to God since Ghanaians trusted that they would go through a successful election.
“Anything that happens on that day need not distract Ghanaians from worshipping God,” she admonished, adding that God needed leaders who would make a change in the nation.
She further urged Ghanaians to avoid partisan politics and work towards peace and unity and added that God wanted all to live in accordance with the standards that He has set by allowing His will to be done.
Speaking at the function, Rev. Dr Sam Ato Bentil, the General Treasurer of the Assemblies of God and a Senior Pastor, advised the members to go to the polls to vote peacefully for their candidates of their. He also urged all to abide by the electoral rules and regulations to ensure peace and stability in the elections.
Counting on the successes of the church, he observed that God had given the church great successes over the past 40 years, stating that thousands of souls had come to the saving knowledge of Christ and the weak had been strengthened.
“The poor were preached to and the broken hearted were healed. Liberty proclaimed to captives and prison doors opened for liberation to be experienced,” he added.
He said as part of the church’s social responsibilities, it would build a modern educational complex and urged the members to lend a helping hand to achieve the visions of the church to the glory of God.
DAILY GRAPHIC, Friday, December 7, 2012, Pg. Assemblies of God church donates to home
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Mr John Kwesi Ocran (extreme left), the youth pastor, Mr Nana
Kumi-Manu (2nd left), the General Treasurer of the Assemblies of God
and a Senior Pastor of the church Rev. Dr Sam Ato Bentil (2nd right)
and Mrs Kesewa Ayisi Ahwireng (right) inspecting the items before presentation
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Story: Mary Ankrah
THE Liberty Centre Assemblies of God church, last Saturday donated assorted items to the Christ Faith Foster Home at Frafraha near Accra as part of the church’s 40th anniversary celebration.
The items included food items, drinks, water, toiletries, paints, mosquito nets, used clothing, blankets and GhC 1,000. to support the home.
Speaking on behalf of the church, Mrs Kesewa Ayisi Ahwireng, said the church was committed to helping the needy and the vulnerable in society.
She stated that the gesture was an act demonstrating the example of God’s love of meeting the needs of others.
“We are people who give because Christ gave to the poor and needy”, she said.
She assured the home of the church’s support and constant visit to express love towards the less privileged in society.
For his part, the youth pastor, Mr Nana Kumi-Manu, commended the teachers and care takers of the home for helping to mould the children to grow and contribute to the development of the country.
He encouraged the children to be obedient and become responsible citizens in order to contribute to the growth of the nation.
The supervisor of the home, Madam Henrietta Asare-Agyeman, expressed her gratitude to the church for the donation.
She called on other organisations, individuals and the general public to support the home expand a school building under construction for children of the home.
According to Madam Asare-Agyeman, the home currently had 34 children aged between five to 19 years.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
DAILY GRAPHIC, Tuesday, December 4, 2012, Centre spread. Conference on science, technology opens in Accra
Story: Mary Ankrah
A TWO-DAY stakeholder conference to improve the use of science, technology and innovative (STI) ways of enhancing the living standards of people on the continent has opened in Accra.
Policy makers, financial and legal experts, African Diasporan organisations, organisations of returnees, government agencies and research scientists are participating in the conference with their European counterparts.
The platform is to enable the experts to enrich and strengthen the Africa-Europe STI cooperation by exchanging opinions and mutual learning on the role of research infrastructure (RI) in scientific and technological co-operation between the two continents.
Organised by the Promoting African European Research Infrastructure Partnerships (PAERIP) project, the conference is aimed at promoting research infrastructure partnerships between Europe and Africa in supporting the PAERIP project.
The PAERIP project, funded under FP7 (Infrastructures), is expected to explore opportunities for co-operation between the two continents in developing new research infrastructures.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ms Sherry Ayittey, underscored the need to ensure that development research in Africa was backed by adequate personnel with appropriate knowledge, skills and infrastructure.
She said it was imperative to invest more resources in creating conditions for strong knowledge in society to promote science, technology and innovation.
She observed that there was a significant gap in research capacity between European countries and Africa because many African countries lacked appropriate self-sustained research capacities in terms of adequate trained researchers and institutional capacities.
She said although many African countries had developed policies and programmes to guide the development of STI, it needed to be backed by adequate capacity and resources to ensure successful implementation.
Ms Ayittey noted that domestic mobilisation of resources was inadequate for many African countries and, therefore, called on Africa’s development partners, such as the European Union (EU), to support key research and development programmes by providing research infrastructure in Africa.
“We invest public money in science, not just for science’s sake but because we expect it to lift our socio-economic performance,” she said.
She also called on African governments to focus on building and sustaining excellent science and technology by helping the youth develop skills relevant to sustained employment and promote science and technology-based innovation and economic development.
A TWO-DAY stakeholder conference to improve the use of science, technology and innovative (STI) ways of enhancing the living standards of people on the continent has opened in Accra.
Policy makers, financial and legal experts, African Diasporan organisations, organisations of returnees, government agencies and research scientists are participating in the conference with their European counterparts.
The platform is to enable the experts to enrich and strengthen the Africa-Europe STI cooperation by exchanging opinions and mutual learning on the role of research infrastructure (RI) in scientific and technological co-operation between the two continents.
Organised by the Promoting African European Research Infrastructure Partnerships (PAERIP) project, the conference is aimed at promoting research infrastructure partnerships between Europe and Africa in supporting the PAERIP project.
The PAERIP project, funded under FP7 (Infrastructures), is expected to explore opportunities for co-operation between the two continents in developing new research infrastructures.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ms Sherry Ayittey, underscored the need to ensure that development research in Africa was backed by adequate personnel with appropriate knowledge, skills and infrastructure.
She said it was imperative to invest more resources in creating conditions for strong knowledge in society to promote science, technology and innovation.
She observed that there was a significant gap in research capacity between European countries and Africa because many African countries lacked appropriate self-sustained research capacities in terms of adequate trained researchers and institutional capacities.
She said although many African countries had developed policies and programmes to guide the development of STI, it needed to be backed by adequate capacity and resources to ensure successful implementation.
Ms Ayittey noted that domestic mobilisation of resources was inadequate for many African countries and, therefore, called on Africa’s development partners, such as the European Union (EU), to support key research and development programmes by providing research infrastructure in Africa.
“We invest public money in science, not just for science’s sake but because we expect it to lift our socio-economic performance,” she said.
She also called on African governments to focus on building and sustaining excellent science and technology by helping the youth develop skills relevant to sustained employment and promote science and technology-based innovation and economic development.
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