Export of e-waste to developing countries condemned

A Five-member research team led by a member of the Flemish Parliament in Belgium, Mr Rudi Daems, has expressed concern about the importation of old electronic equipment from Belgium to Ghana and the West-African sub-region as a whole.
The team, after two years of intensive research on the health and environmental effect of these goods, generally referred to as ‘e-waste’ in Africa and Asia, is calling on the Ghanaian government to ensure that foreign governments and stakeholders strictly comply with regulatory frameworks such as the Basel Convention on hazardous and other wastes that Ghana acceded to on May 30, 2003, and other directives by the European Union on electronic goods.
Mr Daems, who expressed this concern at a press conference in Accra, said the Basel Convention and these directives specified that the exportation of electronic goods from developed to developing countries could be done only on condition that they could be re-used or easily recycled.
He said Ghana had agreed to the importation of electronic goods out of Europe, however it had not ensured strict adherence of these agreements by the European Commission.
The purpose of his visit, he said, was also to convince public opinion and political leaders in Belgium/Europe that it was unacceptable for Western countries to allow the exportation of illegal goods to developing countries.
“There is not enough control in European harbours. That is why I will make a resolution for the Belgian and Flemish Parliament to stop the export of e-waste to developing countries by strengthening the inspection power in European harbours,” he stated, and pointed out that his aim was not to stop the importation of second-hand goods to Africa and Asia but the conditions had to be that the goods were 100 per cent re-usable and could be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.
According to him, he and his crew did some research with the help of the Belgian Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and managed to trace some illegal containers leaving the harbour of Antwerp in Belgium towards the Tema harbour in Ghana.
“A few containers were stopped and sent back to the producer in Germany but other containers with ‘suspect’ content were not stopped because the vessel had already left the harbour when official documents were delivered to customs and the Belgian EPA,” he stated.
He disclosed that in total, 13 containers designated as ‘suspect’ arrived at the Tema Container Terminal and the MPS Terminal at the Tema Harbour.
Apparently, he said officials of the shipping company, MSC Suez, refused to attend a container inspection when their vessels, Julie Delmas and MSC Suez arrived in Tema on Sunday January 24, 2009.
He said the Customs and the EPA in Ghana had the authority to open these suspected containers without the consent of the shipping company (MSC Suez) as it happened in European harbours and therefore was calling on Customs in Ghana to also strengthen its inspection power, and hoped that the government of Ghana would swiftly act on the situation by sending back some containers with illegal e-waste to Europe.
That, he said, would be a strong symbolic statement to all countries in Europe.
Mr Deams, however, disclosed that the importation of these goods was legally forbidden if they could not be re-used as second-hand goods, noting that the basis for these legislation was that most electronic goods contained toxic materials that when burnt set free dioxins that were extremely dangerous to human health.
He explained that the Basel Convention on hazardous and other waste regulated the transboundary movement of these waste applying what he called the “Prior Informed Consent” procedure, which obliged every member country to ensure that hazardous wastes were managed and deposited in an environmentally sound manner.

Gbese factions told to observe peace

THE Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has appealed to the two factions in the Gbese chieftaincy dispute to observe the peace until all issues pending at the courts are determined.
Consequently, it said, the police had been instructed to ensure the maintenance of peace and security in the area.
A release issued in Accra by the REGSEC and signed by the Chief Director of the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council, Mr F.T. Nartey, advised members of the feuding parties and the police not to act in a way that would undermine the security in the area.
Earlier, the Nii Ayi-Bonte faction had accused the James Town District Police Commander, Supt E. K. Asare, of supporting the Nii Okaidja III faction.
But in his reaction, Supt Asare denied the allegations levelled against him and said he was only performing his traditional role as a policeman.
He said nothing would influence him to compromise his neutrality as a public official, and noted that a police patrol team had been temporarily stationed at Gbese to maintain law and order.
He said upon a tip-off that the Nii Okaidja III faction were wielding guns and offensive weapons, his men went there and were able to retrieve eight empty shells of cartridges at the scene of the clash but they found no weapons during their search.
Supt Asare said one of the victims, Mr Charles Lamptey, who sustained gunshot wounds after the clash, reported at the station and he was issued with a police medical report form to attend hospital for treatment and report back for further investigations.
“On Friday January 23, 2009, Mr Lamptey, who is a Fire Service worker stationed at Winneba and a native of Gbese, returned his medical report form and led the police to Gbese where he identified three suspects believed to be supporters of Nii Okaidja III, as his assailants,” he added.
Subsequently, he said, the three were arrested and on January 24, 2009, Mr Lamptey identified Alex Aryee as the person who shot him when an identification parade was organised at the James Town Police Station.
He said Aryee had, however, been charged and would soon be arraigned.
Supt. Asare said apart from the report by Mr Lamptey, no one else had reported to them concerning the clash.
He said after the arrest, the police went to the area the following day and realised that more people sustained gunshot wounds but they had not reported to the police.
He said the police conducted a search at the Gbese Mantse’s Palace, which was alleged to have some ammunitions concealed there, but no weapon was found.
Supt. Asare said checks were also conducted on some vehicles that were alleged to be carrying weapons but again nothing was found in them.
He also said a search was conducted on the premises of the three suspects but no weapons were found.

Damaged dams still not repaired

Most of the dams which collapsed in the three northern regions as a result of the heavy rains which displaced more than 300,000 residents some two years ago have still not been reconstructed, Mr Sylvester Adongo, the Northern Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), has disclosed.
Speaking at the first public screening of “Water is Life”, a documentary by the German Development Co-operation (GTZ) and MOFA on the rehabilitation project, he said the situation, which badly affected the farms of residents, resulting in shortage of food, had still not been properly addressed.
He said with this year’s rainy season a few months away, residents of the affected regions, with assistance from GTZ and other donor partners, had taken it upon themselves to rehabilitate the collapsed dams which were built at the time of the country’s independence, to avoid another disastrous flooding.
He said from the European Emergency Relief Fund of 800,OOO euros, only 18 dams had been rehabilitated, with over 60 yet to undergo manual rehabilitation under the “Food for Work” programme by GTZ.
Mr Adongo said there were over 500 dams in the three northern regions, most of whom had stood the test of time but were now wasting away because of exposure to natural forces.
He said the people realised that they could not rely solely on the government for support and, therefore, took it upon themselves, with assistance from the donor partners, to repair the collapsed dams to discourage the migration of the people down south for greener pastures.
“The national budget does not go that far and some of these residents, mostly farmers, have been waiting for years for repairs to be done on the dams, which they use for the irrigation of their crops and as drinking water for their cattle,” he added.
The Country Director of GTZ, Dr Fred Brandl, said the GTZ assisted the people in the transfer of knowledge and helped in building stone bridges which it believed lasted longer than the concrete bridges built by machines.
He said the project was an all-inclusive one which involved at least one person from each affected family, with each family benefiting from relief under the “Food for Work” programme to ensure food security in the region.

‘Mr Muscle’ makes comeback

SC Johnsons, producers of liquid detergents and disinfectants, has relaunched “Mr Muscle", a home cleaning detergent after it has improved the formula and the packaging.
The product, which has three different specifications, has been chemically composed to respond to the peculiar needs of its Ghanaian clients. It has been designed to deal with tough cleaning chores in bathrooms, toilets and the kitchen, the company said.
The Marketing Director of SC Johnsons, Mrs Doris Kwawukume, in an address, said the new product was based on research on the cleaning needs and habits of Ghanaians and the problems associated with them.
The findings, she said, indicated that majority of Ghanaians did not want to spend more time cleaning their homes.
“As a consumer-oriented company, this gave us an indication of what offerings to make to our consumers," she stated.
Mrs Kwawukume said their research laboratory was then commissioned to come up with toilet, kitchen and bathroom cleaners that offered Ghanaians a solution to their cleaning needs as well as meeting their pockets.
“From bathroom to kitchen, windows to floors, hard surfaces to soft, this is a world where difficult cleaning problems require tough measures and Mr Muscle provides a wide range of products at a range of prices to do the right job,” she said.
The Brands Manager of SC Johnson, Ms Hafsa-Rimatha Arthur, said the relaunch of Mr Muscle was to establish SC Johnson as the most comprehensive answer to all household cleaning problems in the country.

KNUST, Cape Vars, others to represent Ghana

FOUR universities in Ghana will represent the country at the Zain Africa Challenge Championship Festival to be held in Kampala, Uganda, from February 13 to 23, 2009.
They are the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the University of Cape Coast (UCC), the Valley View University (VVU), and the University for Development Studies (UDS).
The four emerged winners out of the eight competing universities in a national tournament in which contestants answered questions on basic knowledge, including science, literature, history, religion, social science, fine art, sports, general knowledge, as well as current events.
The universities form part of 32 teams from eight African countries who will compete in a gruelling 12-week challenge for the ultimate prize of $50,000 for the winning university and $5,000 for the student contestants. These are part of Zain’s $1,000,000 total investment in cash, educational grants and teaching materials.
According to the Public & Communications Manager of Zain Ghana, Ms Carmen Bruce-Annan, the event was an indication of the organisation’s commitment to its corporate social responsibility to improve the standard of education wherever it operated. She urged the contestants to let the rest of Africa see Ghana’s rich educational system, adding that with Zain’s support, she was sure they would stand up to the task and deliver.
The Event Liaison for KNUST, Dr Peggy Oti-Boateng, said the challenge had taught them a lot and was hopeful that with her formidable team she was sure they would lift the ultimate prize.
Dr Daniel Ganu, the Liaison for VVU, said his students had prepared very well and had high expectations after going through two straight wins in the national tourney.
Each of the four contestants from the four other universities who could not make it to the finals received a consolation prize of GH¢120, along with their liaisons and coaches, while each institution got $1,000 grant in teaching aids.

African-American Medical team in Ghana to explore areas of collaboration

AN African-American medical team from the United States of America is to partner the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) to improve on healthcare delivery in the country.
The partnership, according to the team, would serve as an intervention to the problem of brain drain, which they noted had an increasing impact on developing countries, including Ghana.
This was announced when a five-member delegation from the National Medical Association (NMA), a global health initiative, held a meeting with the leadership of the GCPS in Accra yesterday.
According to the team, the partnership would enhance relations with physicians, surgeons and affiliated organisations in Ghana in the upgrading of healthcare specialists.
The assistance, according to Ms Carolyn Barley Britton, a medical doctor and associate professor at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, was part of the NMA’s global initiative to provide medical expertise for physicians and medical students in Africa.
“The NMA believes that the current state of health care in Africa requires the same kind of response that motivated African-American physicians more than 100 years ago to get organised and fight for equality, justice and timely access to medical care,” she said.
She disclosed that the medical team would share materials from the NMA’s consortium of US-based medical schools and professional organisations to serve as a learning mechanism for health institutions that were not familiar with the needs of the developing world.
The collaboration would further provide opportunities for US physicians to learn more about Ghana and its people and the diseases that were more prevalent in Africa and also provide physicians from Ghana access to new technologies and innovations to supplement their training, she added.
The President of GCPS, Professor Ofosu-Amoah, took the team through the history of Ghana’s medical schools, their challenges and achievements up to the present.
He said since the establishment of a medical school at the University of Ghana, Legon, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the country had not looked back.
Prof Ofosu-Amoah recalled that a survey conducted some time ago indicated that about 90 per cent of trained healthcare specialists were concentrated in two regions in Ghana, adding that to reverse that trend, the college was keen on training specialists to assist regional and district hospitals in the remaining eight regions.
The Director of the college, Professor Paul Nyame, said the college had adopted a step-wise approach where specialists received training for three to four years and could afterwards upgrade their skills, depending on their areas of specialisation.
He said what the college needed was adequate infrastructure and teaching materials and he expressed the belief that through the assistance, all Ghanaians, irrespective of their status, could benefit from quality and affordable healthcare services.

15 suspected drug dealers nabbed

THE Police yesterday announced the arrest of 15 suspected drug dealers in their various hideouts in Accra and vowed to carry out President Mills’s promise to curb all forms of crime.
Quantities of substances suspected to be cocaine and Indian hemp were also seized in the operation launched by the Inspector General of Police, Mr P. K. Acheampong, to deal with crimes in the country.
The arrests followed a meeting of the top hierarchy of the Police Administration and regional, divisional and unit commanders on Thursday, January 23, 2009.
At the meeting, the IGP charged all regional, divisional and unit commanders to intensify day and night patrols and engage in snap checks and other intelligence related methods of combating crime.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Director of Police Public Affairs, Deputy Superintendent of Police Kwesi Ofori, said to ensure efficiency in their operations they had to revise their operational strategy and inject dynamism into it.
“To fight this menace, all the commanders had to conduct intelligence-led operations in their areas of jurisdiction, and as much as possible try to earn public support in their activities”, he disclosed, and cited some of the areas where arrests were made as, Avenor, Adabraka, Kwame Nkrumah Circle and Alajo.
DSP Ofori said the exercise would continue until violence and drug related crimes were reduced to the barest minimum.
He said the seized drugs would be sent to the Police Forensic Laboratory for examination and pointed out that those arrested would be investigated and put before court after appropriate charges had been preferred against them.
He also appealed to members of the general public with information that can assist the police to arrest hardened criminals and wanted persons to call the Police Information Room on 021-773906 or 021-773900.
Other contacts in parts of Accra, are Accra-West- 021-303638, Darkuman- 021-221131; Korle-Bu- 021-664 249, Tesano-021-228111, Airport- 500975, Kwabenya -021-402999 and Tema Regional Information Room- 022-202936 or 022-202855.

Association moves to ensure food security

THE Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen (GNAFF) has devised a strategy to improve and sustain the country’s food stock to ensure food security in the country.
According to the association, “the strategy could lead to an agriculture-led socio-economic development of Ghana” and has, therefore, appealed to the government for assistance in its implementation.
The Executive Secretary of GNAFF, Mr Charles K. Annan, who made this known in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said the strategy covered crop, animal and fisheries sectors.
In the crop production sector, for example, he cited the establishment of serviced agricultural land at community levels, where land would be allotted to smallholder farmers for the cultivation of maize, rice, groundnuts, sorghum, cowpea and soybean.
“For the animal production sector, we intend to establish out-grower schemes for broiler, egg and ruminant production”, he stated, and added that for the fisheries sector, they would ensure the establishment of out-grower fish farming units for freshwater fish and shellfish.
These activities, he said, were based on a “service provision” approach, whereby service providers would make available to farmers and fisherfolks a wide range of services that would enable farmers and fisherfolks access technologies, which would enhance agricultural production.
“The use of service providers creates a ‘multiplier effect’ in the rapid transfer of technologies. This is because it will be possible to engage professional agriculturists to directly undertake or supervise the provision of on-farm services and fisheries production services”, he added.
That, Mr Annan noted, also meant that farmers and fishermen would be able to have the benefits of technologies utilised in precision farming systems and gradually accumulate knowledge for better management.
“For example, in crop farming, Precision Farming Systems (PFS) field activities would produce valuable field and management information. Farmers can thus accumulate knowledge about their farms and production systems to achieve better management”, he indicated.
PFS, he said, was a system where electronic information technology was used to collect, process and analyse multi-source data for decision making.
Mr Annan acknowledged the importance of the strategy, which he said improved a farmer’s management skills through the accumulation of data and information.
Some of the advantages of this strategy, he said, contributed to an overall yield increase, reduced production costs, better decision making in agricultural management, and reduced environmental impact through timely application of agro-chemicals at an accurate rate to reduce environmental pollution.
With adequate assistance from the government, he said PFS’s field activities could produce valuable field and management information where the data would be stored in tools and computers.
“Farmers can thus accumulate knowledge about their farms and production systems to achieve better management to ensure food security in the country”, he said.

ECG acquires modern cable test van

THE Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has inaugurated a new cable test van from Megger Limited of Germany.
The van, which cost €597,733, will enable the ECG to easily locate underground cable faults and test the insulation levels of transformers, switch gears and overhead networks.
The acquisition of the special-purpose vehicle, according to the Managing Director of the ECG, Mr Jude Adu-Amankwah, was an indication of the company’s desire to invest more in new technologies to enhance its service delivery.
The van, he disclosed, would facilitate the easy tracking of routes and detection of cables wherever they had been laid and noted that in the past the ECG had to resort to the crude method and inconvenience of randomly digging out buried cables to locate and repair suspected faults.
“Presently, we have only one roadworthy cable test van which we deploy when the need arises for us to locate faults on our high and medium voltage underground cables,” he said, and pointed out that because the single van had to move from one location to another across ECG’s operational areas in the country, the company often encountered delays in locating faults.
Mr Adu-Amankwah said the van had arrived at a time when the ECG was geared up to improve upon its service delivery to its customers nation-wide.
The International Sales Representative for Megger Limited, Mr Damon Mount, said his company considered it essential to provide quality service and delivery for its customers so that they in turn could replicate that quality service to their customers.
“We feel that the purchase of this new cable test van actively shows ECG’s commitment to provide a reliable and efficient power system for years to come,” he stated.

Public asked to handle naked fires cautiously

THE Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has urged the general public to be cautious when handling naked fires and electrical equipment during this harmattan season.
It said the intensity of the harmattan this season had increased, as a result “we are beginning to experience a lot more fires than we usually do during these periods”.
The Deputy Public Relations Officer of the service, DOIII Timothy Osafo-Affum, who made the appeal in Accra yesterday, disclosed that the GNFS sub-station at the headquarters, for instance, had responded to about 10 fires in just the last one week against an average of three to five fires per week.
Among the 10 was the recent fire at the residence of the renowned Gynaecologist, Dr Victor Kumoji, who died under circumstances still under investigations by the GNFS.
DOIII Osafu-Affum, therefore, advised the general public to be careful when dealing with naked fire or the way they handled activities that could possibly lead to fire disaster.
That, he said, was because “some of the things we used to do that do not lead to fire outbreaks could now result in fire outbreaks”.
For instance, he said smokers who left cigarette butts or any combustible material anywhere could easily start fires.
“This is because the setting in of the harmattan absorbs the moisture content in these flammable materials, thus increasing their ignition temperature”, he explained.
He, however, expressed worry over instances where some people always attempted to extinguish fires before calling them, noting that “it is not advisable at all, because most often, before we get to the scene, the harm has already been done”.
He, therefore, urged the general public not to hesitate to call them on their emergency line “192 or 772446” to enable them to respond quickly to disasters.
He also urged leaders of the various major market centres to act cautiously in order to avoid disasters this year.

Demonstrate commitment to fight against corruption - CJA urges Mills Administration

The Committee for Joint Action (CJA), a pressure group has called on the Mills Administration to demonstrate its commitment to the fight against corruption by expeditiously implementing the recommendations contained in various Auditor General’s reports.
It also urged the government to move quickly to prosecute all those found culpable of stealing monies belonging to the state and take steps to avoid the recurrence of such sordid acts in the present administration.
Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr, a leading member of the committee who stated this at a press conference in Accra yesterday enumerated several of such alleged corrupt and misappropriation of state funds as reported in the Auditor’s General Report.
He quoted from the 2005 and 2006 Auditors General Report on Public Accounts and mentioned other government transactions such as the commitment of $ 100 million for the purchase of the two presidential jets and the sale of 70 per cent of the shares in Ghana Telecom.
“In eight ministries alone under the NPP government, ¢ 44,814,014,679 were lost to the public in 2005 as a results of a combination of actors including corruption, maladministration, inefficiency and sheer negligence” he said.
“It is our hope and expectation that the Mills' Administration will honour the pledges it made to the people of Ghana to fight corruption and maladministration. We call on the government to review all the cases raised by the CJA and ensure that every pesewa lost to the Ghanaian tax payer is recovered".
Mr Pratt again called on the new government to reduce fuel prices and taxes that “President Mills promised during his campaign".
He stated that the CJA would measure President Mills-led NDC government by the same yardstick it used to measure the NPP when it was in power adding that “we shall continue to insist on the alleviation of the hardship confronting Ghanaians and hold the feet of government and its officials to the fire of accountability".
He also reminded President Mills of the unsolved murder of the Ya-Naa and 40 of his kinsmen as well as the alleged torture and murder of Alhaji Issah Mobila, the Northern Regional CPP chairmen by the military.
Touching on some of the alleged corrupt practices stated in the report, he alleged that under the Ministry of Transportation, the Chief Accountants of Department of Urban Roads at Sekondi embezzled ¢1.2 billion, the Department of Urban Roads also paid for landed properties totalling ¢40.77 billion without receipts while fuel purchases amounting to ¢321.8 million were not recorded in the vehicle log book.
Mr Pratt also gave another example in the report which said that the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations single-sourced and awarded a mosquito spraying contract of ¢2 billion to Messrs Sunrise International (Gh) Ltd without approval of the Public Procurement Board.
He said the Ghana Police Service Headquarters Treasury also made purchases of ¢1, 499,296,600 without obtaining a minimum of three quotations contrary to Section 43 of the Public Procurement Act.

Gbese Stool factions engage in Skirmishes

THE two feuding factions of the Gbese Manste stool saga in Accra on Saturday, were engaged in a series of skirmishes to prevent each other from occupying the palace.
According to the James Town District Police Commander, Superintendent E. K. Asare, his outfit had a distress call that there were some disturbances at the Gbese Manste's palace, so he mobilised his men a with support from the Regional Police Command and went there to restore order.
Supt. Asare explained that before the December 2008 general elections, his outfit received a letter from Nii Okaidja III, one of the claimants to the stool notifying the police of his intention to visit the palace which supporters of Nii Ayibontey, another claimant had been occupying.
"We advised him against pursuing that visit and wait till the elections were over before he could embark on that visit and he agreed so after the elections he again sought our permission to go there and we did not deny him that request but refused to provide him security", he stated.
"When we got to the scene, we searched the whole place and everyone we saw there but found no guns and some of the offensive weapons that residents alleged they were being brutalised with", he stated but pointed out that after observing the tension that had mounted there he had to ensure that his patrol team made a series of checks at the premises of the palace which was being occupied by followers of Nii Okaidja III.
According to him, the residents in the community had alleged that followers of Nii Okaidja III had at dawn, after they had left the scene, forcefully ejected the followers of Nii Ayibontey II from the palace, resulting in two reported casualties, and had taken possession of the palace.
The matter, he indicated was still in court and the court had not given them any direction as to what to do concerning conflict.
At present, he said the issue had been reported to the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Oppong Boanuh who was conferring with the Inspector General of Police to see how best to resolve the problem.
“We are also arranging with the Regional Police Command for an amour car to be stationed there, considering the tension mounting there” , he pointed out that the police would not relent in their effort to protect the residents of the community.
Supt Asare further mentioned that the two Police Chiefs would call the leaders of the two feuding factions, to call their followers to order.
In a related development, he said the police were also investigating an alleged incident involving Henry Tetteh alias “Mini Okee” and four of his colleagues who threatened the followers of Nii Okaidja III when they besieged the palace and indiscriminately fired warning shots to intimidate the occupants.
When the Daily Graphic visited the scene, the streets around the palace were deserted and burnt items were scattered all over the place, whilst followers of Nii Okaidja III guarded in the palace, warding off residents they suspected to be supporters of Nii Ayibontey II.

Zain introduces Africa Challenge Competition

In its quest to develop Africa’s youth and highlight the excellent educational opportunities in African universities, Zain Ghana Telecommunication has introduced the Zain Africa Challenge Competition.
The contest will be the first-ever Pan African academic competition to be televised.
Students from 76 universities from eight African countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia will participate.
Seven universities will be competing from Ghana and they are the University of Ghana, Legon, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Development Studies (UDS), Valley View University (VVU), University of Mines and Technology (UMAT), University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the University College of Education, Winneba (UCEW).
Out of these universities from Ghana, four would be chosen through a national tournament to represent the country at the final competition, which will be held in Kampala, Uganda, and would award nearly US$1,000,000 in total cash, educational grants and teaching materials.
The Country Manager for Zain Ghana, Mr Philip Sowah, said in Accra at the weekend that the initiative was an indication of Zain’s commitment to its corporate social responsibility and particularly in Ghana, where it focuses on education, arts and culture.
“Zain is committed to education. This is why education is the main focus of our corporate social responsibility strategy,” he stated, adding that it was important to Zain that its social and cultural projects had a positive impact on the people of all the countries in which they operated.
He expressed appreciation to all the Vice Chancellors, students, coaches, the liaisons and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) who were working tirelessly to make the initiative a success.
The Executive Producer of the competition, Mr Richard Reid, who briefed some of the students from the competing universities present, said the teams would be competing for the largest prizes of US$50,000 to the universities and $5,000 to participants.
He said the competition was about broadening the minds of the youth and encouraging teamwork among them.
“We want them to realise that hard work can reap good rewards — its not just about winning the money, its about the experience and the life lessons they learn along the way,” he stated.
The questions in the fast-paced quiz programmes, Mr Reid noted, covered a wide range of topical areas including History, Science, African Culture, Geography, Literature, Music, Current Affairs and Sports.

Decongesting Accra- Hawkers express diverse views

SOME hawkers in the central business district of Accra have expressed diverse opinions on the issue of the decongesting of the city to rid the streets of hawkers.
In separate interviews, some were of the view that such an exercise by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) task force, popularly called “Abaayei”, was necessary to ensure free human and vehicular movement in the city, while others said conditions at the Pedestrian Shopping Mall at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle must be improved to attract street hawkers to the area before any decongesting.
Some of the hawkers said the previous government had given them the liberty to sell on the streets and ,therefore, the current government should do the same.
Some of them also urged the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to institute good policies to create job opportunities for the numerous unemployed youth on the streets to clear the streets of hawkers.
During a tour of some market centres in the city, the Daily Graphic observed that most of the hawkers were busily roaming the streets, while others had displayed their wares on pedestrian walkways, obstructing pedestrian movement in the process.
A hawker, Grace Ayi, asked for the expansion of facilities at the Pedestrian Shopping Mall, saying that although she was aware that most of the stalls were not being used by those who had acquired them, she believed that if facilities were improved, some of them would willingly occupy the facility.
Bismark Antwi, an electrical gadgets hawker who sells his goods on the pedestrian walkway under the pedestrian bridge at the Nkrumah Circle, also expressed the hope that the new administration would complete unfinished projects by the previous administration, particularly the Achimota Highway, and at the same time ensure an improvement in the living standard of Ghanaians.
Another hawker, Kwadwo Poku, who sells men’s underwear at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, expressed the hope that the new government would continue the good initiatives of the previous administration, particularly the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Two hawkers at the Kaneshie Market, Kofi Amoako and Kofi Ebiasa, expressed optimism that the current government would continue with programmes like the School Feeding Programme, which they said had benefited many parents immensely.
When the Daily Graphic sampled views from a cross-section of hawkers around Tudu and the Agbogbloshie Market on their expectations of President Mills’s administration, some said they expected a total change in order to move the country forward in the right direction.
Mr James Boakye, a pineapple seller at the Tudu Lorry Station, said he expected the government to establish more schools to cater for children of school age.
Another hawker, Mr Kwame Badu, who sells belts at Agbogbloshie, said he was tired of hawking and preferred his carpentry profession. He hoped that with the government’s support through loan facilities, he could revive his profession.
A hawker who gave her name only as Sister Nancy expressed regret that though the AMA had built the Pedestrian Shopping Mall for hawkers, the hawkers had abandoned their stalls because they wanted to increase sales and revenue, thereby causing traffic congestion on the streets of Accra.
In a related development, traders at the Hawkers’ Shopping have called on the government to demonstrate the needed political will and clear hawkers along the streets, reports MacLiberty Misrowoda.
They said that was necessary to ensure that hawkers, who have abandoned the Shopping Mall built for them, return to the market to decongest the streets.
The also called on the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) to consider reconstructing the fence wall around the mall to make it more visible to the people.
They stressed the that, “many people are not aware that this place is a market thus making trading here very sluggish”, the traders added that most people get what they want from their colleagues selling outside depriving them of their income after paying heavy taxes to the government.
Some traders, Richard Amoah, Kwame Asante and Kwabena Kankam questioned why big financial institutions like the Ghana Commercial Bank located near the market has it walls short and a mere hawkers’ market has such a tall wall around it.
The Daily Graphic went round the mall on Wednesday to find out why most of the sheds were empty while a lot of them were jammed outside the market making brisk business.
When asked why the sheds were empty, Richard Amoah said most of the traders have shops in Accra and other locations and as business was not good at the mall, they have dejected or rented the sheds and relocated to the other markets.
Another trader, Madam Eva Asamoah alleged that some of the shades in the market belong to some staff of the AMA, “this sheds is not for me, someone rented it to me and most of the people here are not the first occupant of the sheds”.
A trader, Madam Benedicta Nyarko also said the activities of some pick pockets posed a security risk to traders who close late in the evening.

New government asked to endorse the APRM process

THE National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (NAPRM-GC) has asked the government to endorse the APRM process and ensure its facilitation to achieve growth and development for the people of Africa.
It said the council was a non-partisan body and the process was a people-centred process, which all government’s in Africa had to endorse to ensure the uplift of their people in a quest to re-ignite African renaissance.
The Chairman of the NAPRM-GC, Professor S. K. Adjapong, made the appeal in Accra yesterday when a 12-member APRM Commission from Benin visiting the country to learn from Ghana’s experience paid a courtesy call on the council at its secretariat.
He said he believed their work was beyond the government and expressed the hope that members of the current government would realise that and endorse the process, which had equally involved them when they were in opposition.
Briefing the APRM Commission from Benin, Prof. Adjapong advised them that a lot depended on the way they conducted their activities in a non-partisan approach, involving the people at the grassroots throughout the process.
He recalled that the NAPRM-GC attended a forum in Benin last year, where a consensus was reached that there was the need for a collaborative link among all the countries in the sub-region that had agreed to the review mechanism.
The idea of collaboration, he noted, was certainly in the right direction considering one of the goals of the APRM, which advocated the fostering of co-operation among African countries.
That, he believed, was part of a process to form the nucleus of the ECOWAS APRM group to ensure the overall development of the region.
For the visiting APRM Commission from Benin, Prof. Adjapong disclosed that the NAPRM-GC would organise a workers session for them to properly learn from Ghana’s experience.
On what Ghana had achieved so far in post-APRM, he indicated that the council had launched the APRM Watch, a report detailing the activities of the council, adding that the major post review of the process was the monitoring and evaluation of the Programme of Action, under which each country that had undergone the process was required to submit a report to the APRM Secretariat in South Africa.
The process, Prof. Adjapong indicated, had to be people-centred through sensitisation and dissemination of information at all levels, adding that “it must be domesticated to ensure its effectiveness”.
To ensure that, he said the council had inaugurated district oversight committees in all the 170 districts in Ghana to enhance the process, indicating that the committees were responsible for the continuation of the sensitisation process and the organisation of the people to be able to monitor and evaluate the process with the assistance of the Municipal and District Chief Executives.
He also disclosed the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Ghana, Benin and Mali, which would later include Nigeria.
“The Centre is a place where students can visit, learn and conduct research on APRM,” he stated.
The outgoing Executive Secretary of the APRM Commission from Benin, Mr Seraphin Lissassi, said Benin was the first French-speaking country to be reviewed under the APRM and were happy having the opportunity to learn from Ghana’s experience.
He said it was important to recognise the process as an African process that every democratic government had to subject itself to.

GRAPHIC honours workers

SIXTEEN workers of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) who distinguished themselves in 2008 were at the weekend honoured at the company’s annual awards ceremony and dinner dance held at the Accra International Conference Centre.
Mr Richard Afutu, a Principal Graphic Designer in the Newspapers Department, was adjudged the Overall Best Worker of GCGL for his unsurpassed commitment to work. He also won the Best Employee of the Design Unit in the Departmental Awards.
In the Recognition Awards, workers who won external awards to lift the image of the company high were also honoured. They are Mrs Hadiza Billa Quansah of the Junior Graphic, Mr Nii Laryea Korley of the Graphic Showbiz, Mr William Asiedu of the Mirror and Mr Maurice Quansah of the Graphic Sports.
They were adjudged the Best Reporters, in Rural Reporting, Entertainment, Environment and Sports respectively at the 2008 Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) awards.
The Graphic Sports team were also given award for the success of Graphic Sports, which was rewarded as the sports paper of the year in the GJA Awards.
Workers who were adjudged the best employees in their various departments are Ms Mary Aggrey, an Administrative Officer in the Human Resource and Administration/ Legal Department; Mr Johnson K. Akuttey, a Senior Driver in the Technical Service Department; Mr Emmanuel Clottey, a Principal Procurement Officer in the Procurement Unit; Mr Isaac Asiedu, a Lithographer in the Production Department; and Mrs Elizabeth Dodoo, a Senior Proofreader in the Advert and Business Development Department.
Others are Mr Emmanuel Antwi, a Principal Circulation Clerk in the Sales and Circulation Department; Mr David Asigri, a Circulation Clerk at Bolgatanga (Regions); Mr Edmund Arhin, an Accounts Officer in the Finance & Audit Department; Mr Kwame Asare Boadu, a Principal Staff Writer (Regions); Mr Nii Laryea Korley, a Senior Reporter of the Graphic Showbiz; and Mr Albert K. Salia of the Daily Graphic.
The Managing Director’s prestigious award, the Special Award, went to Mr Kobby Vincent Asmah, the Political Editor of the Daily Graphic, for his hard work and diligence towards ensuring fairness and equal opportunities for all political parties and independent candidates during the 2008 general election.
The Managing Director of GCGL, Mr Ibrahim Awal, announced the introduction of a new publication, the Graphic Event, a promotional paper intended to keep the company’s hard-won trust and bond between it and its readers.
He was of the view that just as the Graphic Business had been widely accepted by the business community, and was doing well on the stands, the Graphic Event would also do well considering the level of attention to be given to it.
In addition, Mr Awal said the new press house being built by GCGL would be ready for use by the end of August this year, adding that when completed, the new press house would add more colour to the company’s products and make them more appealing to the public.
He said the company was determined to increase its revenue target as it did in the previous year when it declared a dividend of about GH¢400,000 to the government, an increase in what management had projected.
“2009 will be a challenging year, considering the effect of the world financial crisis which has led to the loss of millions of jobs worldwide,” he stated, and urged the workers to work extra hard to enable the company to achieve it targets for the year.

Stop disparaging image of Volta Region — Abodakpi

THE Former Member of Parliament for Keta, Mr Dan Abodakpi, has described continuous allegations levelled against the Volta Region in the December 28, 2008 presidential run-off as lies and unfounded propaganda.
He has, therefore, entreated leaders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to stop disparaging the image of the region, because that had the tendency to undermine the unity, cohesion and stability of the country.
He said the NPP was just being irresponsible in their attempt to unnecessarily dent the image of the region as it continued to trumpet these allegations by giving the region an image it does not deserve.
Speaking in his capacity as the leader of the Volta Region Campaign Task Force of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at a press conference in Accra, he said soon after the December 28 presidential run-off, the NPP, sensing defeat in almost all the regions, engaged in a diabolical propaganda and name-calling of the region, but attempts to get these allegations stick to the region had failed, because they could not be substantiated as was indicated by the Electoral Commission (EC) during the declaration of the final result.
Mr Abodapki commended the Volta Regional Police Commander, Commander Dery, for the boldness he exhibited in coming forward to denounce the NPP’s allegations which were corroborated by the report of the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), particularly at a point when it was not yet certain whether the NPP would lose power.
That, he said, had earned him a lot of respect and appreciation by Ghanaians.
Mr Abodakpi also drew attention to the fact that the outgoing Minister of Interior, Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor had issued a public denial that not a single individual was murdered in the Volta Region during the run-off as alleged by the NPP Campaign Team and the leadership.
According to him, CODEO’s report indicated that election violence in the Ashanti Region had rather quadrupled from 12 to 48 between the December 7 polls and the December 28th polls, while that of the Volta Region had rather dropped from 12 to eight.
In the case of the Ashanti Region, he recalled that reports had been made to both the police and election observers as proof, and it was also widely reported by the media, whilst in the Volta Region, he was of the view that reports were not made because even if there were infractions, they were not of the magnitude that deserved police attention.
The polling results in the region, he said, showed clearly that the NPP had increased its votes in the run-off, from 93,000 to 106,000 between the two elections.
“This is an act the NPP should be grateful for, rather than attempting to damage the image of the region,” he added, and described that as an act that was only deepening the wedge already created by their forebears.

Govt asked to apply science, technology in devt.

THE President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS), Professor Reginald F. Amonoo, has urged the new government to dedicate itself to the application of science and technology to solve the country’s development problems.
He said while emphasising the study and application of science and technology, he would, however, caution that the government should not neglect the humanities, arts and culture, religious and moral studies, as well as philosophy.
Prof Amonoo made the appeal in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday and said overall education, with emphasis on applied research, was basic to solving most of the challenges that the new Prof Mills administration would face.
He said the academy was a society of learning, with interest in development through the application of its research findings to the development and advancement of Ghana and Africa at large.
Prof Amonoo suggested that since Ghana was in the tropics, solar energy should be the preferred source of energy the new government could resort to, stating that though it was expensive in the short term, in the long run it would be very beneficial to the country’s energy sustainability.
He proposed that instead of importing solar panels into the country, “we must try and construct our own panels so that their maintenance and enhancement become easier”.
On the use of wind energy, he noted that windmills could be built, particularly along the coastal belt where wind blowing from the sea to land could be positively exploited.
He further called on the new administration to take the issue of re-afforestation more seriously than it had been handled in the past.
The GAAS has also elected a 11-member council presided over by Prof Amonoo, who is a professor of French, to steer its affairs for a two-year period commencing January 2009 to December 2010.
Other council members are Prof Francis K. Nkrumah, a professor of Medicine and Paediatrics, as Vice-President of the Science Section, and Prof Lawrence A. Boadi, a professor of Linguistics, who retains his position as the Vice-President of the Arts Section of the academy.
Prof Elizabeth Ardayfio Schandorf, a professor of Geography, is the Honorary Treasurer, while Prof Seth K. A. Danso, a soil scientist, also retains his position as the Honorary Secretary.
Other members of the council are Dr Leticia E. Obeng, water and environment consultant and Immediate Past President of the academy; Prof Daniel A. Akyeampong, a professor of Mathematics; Prof Samuel K. Date-Bah, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana; Prof Samuel Sefa-Dedeh, a professor of Food Science; Prof Yaa Ntiamoah-Baidu, a professor of Zoology, and Prof Jacob Songsore, a professor of Geography.

Malaria Research Hospital for Teshie

THE government has signed a $7.28 million contract with the government of the People’s Republic of China for the construction of a 100-bed hospital with a malaria research centre at Teshie, a suburb of Accra.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Minister for Health, Major Courage Quashigah (retd), acknowledged the enormous importance of traditional herbal medicine and advocated its incorporation in the delivery of health service in Ghana.
He said Ghanaians had for far too long underestimated the importance of traditional herbal medicine, saying the time had come for it to be merged with orthodox medicine in the delivery of health care in the country.
“We may as well start incorporating them before it is too late and we need to move a bit faster,” he said, and commended the Chinese government for sponsoring Ghanaian health professionals to undertake courses in China.
“We really appreciate this gesture,” he added, and recalled that during one of his visits to China, it was estimated that about 80 per cent of the rural population there still relied on traditional herbal medicine, which was closely attached to orthodox medicine, with one easily being referred to herbal treatment when orthodox treatment was ineffective.
The Head of the Capital Investment Management Unit of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Mr Jackson G.K. Abankwa, said the contract with the China Geo-Engineering Corporation of China was upon the request of the government of Ghana in furtherance of the implementation of the Beijing Summit.
“The People’s Republic of China is providing financial support for the design and construction of the project, site clearance and levelling, construction equipment and materials, technical professionals for the construction and installation of medical equipment and associated infrastructure,” he added.
Mr Abankwa disclosed that the government of Ghana, on the other hand, would bear the responsibility of providing the land for the construction, demolition of existing structures and provide utilities like water, electricity and telecommunication to the site.
“Ghana shall also exempt duty on imported equipment and materials for the project and goods required by the Chinese technical team working on the project,” he noted, and described the contract as another milestone in co-operation between the two countries.
The Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Hu Yujie, said the agreement was in furtherance of a promise made by the Chinese President, Hu Jintao, to Africa.
He said a medical team from China would come to Ghana from time to time to assist in the delivery of services at the hospital which would provide both Ghanaian and Chinese traditional herbal medicine.
He noted that three schools being constructed by the Chinese government in some parts of the country as gifts for Ghanaian children were yet to be completed and expressed the belief that the hospital would be of importance to all Ghanaians.

Traders call for change in election calender

SOME traders within the central business district of Accra, have expressed dismay at the turn of events following the presidential run-off on December 28, 2008.
They have, therefore, appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC), to move the election period from the month of December to a different month, either before or after the Christmas festivities, to enable them do brisk business especially during the Yuletide period.
Generally, business has been picking up slowly in some markets within the central business district.
Some traders in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic said a lot of people were not in town because of the tension that had mounted during the electioneering period.
Abena Pokua, a trader at Kantamanto, said she would be very grateful if the election date was moved to a different month since the process had disorganised trading activities.
"People were afraid to come to the market because they do not know what might happen any moment, and some of my friends are saying they want the elections to be completely over before they start trading, " she said.
Mr Charles Nkansah, a trader at the Tema station lorry park said although wares of traders were being patronised, business was not as brisk as expected and expressed the hope that the electioneering period would be over for them to make some income.
He said he and his colleagues travelled to their various home towns to celebrate the Christmas festivities and upon their return, they expected business to pick up but events had not turned the way they had anticipated.
A ‘trotro’ driver at the Tema station lorry park, Kwesi Agyei, who plies the Legon-Madina road was of the view that business in the city was slow because most people had travelled to their hometowns and were now returning.
He said although the elections had slowed down trading activities, he was sure that within a few weeks business would be brisk.
At the Makola Market, one could hear the usual shouts of GH¢1 by traders who were busily going about their activities.
Meanwhile some paraded their wares on the streets and pavements in the absence of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Task Force, whose duty it was to ensure adherence to AMA bye laws on hawking and selling on the streets.
Another trader who gave her name as Kande said she was not happy with the turn of events, considering the investment she had made prior to the Christmas festivities.
Whilst some streets in the business district seemed deserted, traffic as usual has mounted in areas originally known to be traffic-prone.

GHANECC donated Baptist School Complex and Orphanage at Suhum

THE Ghana Netherlands Chamber of Commerce and Culture (GHANECC) has donated items worth GH¢2,500 to the Baptist School Complex and Orphanage at Suhum in the Eastern Region.
The items included clothing and foodstuffs as well as cash.
The Manager of GHANECC, Ms Francesca Holdbrook-Smith, said she decided to mobilise support for the complex following a visit she paid to the complex two years ago and saw the efforts the founder was making to make the place a better place for the orphans.
“I believe these kids, some of whom are very young, have a lot of potential and if they are given the needed support they will become useful to the society,” she told the Daily Graphic.
She said the chamber focused most of its efforts at providing sound marketing and business information, while facilitating trade between the two countries and promoting business connection between the business community in both countries.
She said the donation was part of the Chamber’s effort to make the children at the orphanage celebrate the Christmas festivities meaningfully.
She advised the kids to be obedient and make the best out of the opportunities being offered them at the complex.
The Project Manager for GHANECC, Ms Sherifa Fuller, also advised the kids to study hard and believe in themselves because there was nothing they could not achieve if they made up their minds to achieve their objectives.
The Founder and Pastor of the complex, Reverend Victor Ofori-Amoah, expressed profound gratitude to GHANECC for the support and gave the assurance that the items would be used for the benefit of the kids.
He said the complex catered for about 105 students from six regions, and that most of them were sent there by the Department of Social Welfare and opinion leaders in the community and its surroundings.
According to him, the school started under a cocoa tree with few orphans and its population continued to grow with the support of benevolent associations and individuals in society.
Reverend Ofori-Amoah said the school, which started in September 1996, now had only nine classrooms, which were not enough for the pupils, looking at their increasing number and their desire to study.
The complex, he said, had about 26 workers some of whom served as teachers in the school. Among them are three senior high school graduates who are at the moment looking for admission to some of the country’s tertiary institutions.