Back page. Wed. April 23/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor, has said her decision to promote education among vulnerable groups for the last seven years was based on her conviction that education is the key to development.
She explained that that was why the Mother and Child Foundation, which she founded and of which she is the Chief Patron, pays particular attention to deprived communities and the vulnerable in the society.
The First Lady said this when the Princess of The Kingdom of Thailand, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhom, paid a courtesy call on her at her office in Accra yesterday.
The Princess, who is in the country to participate in the on-going UNCTAD conference in Accra, met with the First Lady to consider possible areas of collaboration between them.
According to the First Lady, her foundation has a lot to benefit from the Princess who is also into community and social development.
Mrs Kufuor said “I have learnt with great admiration, your activities and successes within the area of community and social development”.
“Again I have been informed of your activities with the several philanthropic organisations that you chair, and I cannot help but recognise that we have shared interests and visions”.
For the past three decades, the Princess, who holds a doctorate degree in Development Education, has promoted education as a means for community and social development.
She is also involved in mother and child care, trains the handicapped to use information technology (IT) to develop independent living and learning skills as well as training people in agricultural extension to improve the nutritional conditions of school children.
The Project Co-ordinator of the Mother and Child Foundation, Mrs Nana Yaa Frimpong, briefed the Princess on some of the projects undertaken by the foundation, which she said, included the building of primary schools, bakery for young mothers and the provision of micro finance for young women.
She enumerated some of the major challenges facing the organisation as lack of finance to acquire equipment and raw materials to train the young mothers.
Princess Sirindhom who runs several philanthropic organisations and foundations, promised the Mother and Child Foundation that she would consider some of their challenges.
The two women later exchanged gifts.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Govt committed to reducing illiteracy-First Lady
Spread. Tues. April 22/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor, has said that the promotion of Universal Basic Education and the move to reduce the level of illiteracy by half by 2015 is very high on the government’s agenda.
She has, therefore, commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the role it has so far played in the promotion of children’s education in the country.
Mrs Kufuor said this when Mrs Ban Soon-Taek, wife of the United Nations Secretary-General, called on her at her office in Accra yesterday.
The two also visited the Osu Children’s Home where they interacted with the caregivers and children.
The visit to the home was at the request of Mrs Ban, who expressed the desire to visit a nursery or children’s home during her visit to the country with her husband who is attending the ongoing UNCTAD XII conference in Accra.
According to the First Lady, children at the home were equally educated to keep them out of the streets and also to ensure that they were not left out of the development drive of the country.
Mrs Ban for her part commended President Kufuor for the development progress Ghana had achieved so far.
At the children’s home, she said she was impressed with the level of dedication and commitment that the caregivers were giving to the children there.
Her entourage, which included officials from UNICEF, took her and the First Lady to the Children’s Department of the home and the E-learning centre situated within a two-storey block built and furnished by the International Central Gospel Church.
The Deputy Minister of Manpower, Youth, Employment, Mrs Frema Osei Opare, who welcomed the First Lady and Mrs Ban to the children’s home, said the government’s policy on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) was to ensure that such children were reintegrated into communities where they could develop their full potential.
She said the home aimed at creating a more homely atmosphere for the children so that their reintegration into the larger communities did not affect them.
UNICEF after the visit donated assorted drinks, biscuits, a bag of rice, two bags of fortified soya, T-shirts, caps and pocket diaries to the home.
The home, which currently has 155 children between the ages of four weeks and 23, was established in 1949 by some private individuals before it was taken over by the government in 1962.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor, has said that the promotion of Universal Basic Education and the move to reduce the level of illiteracy by half by 2015 is very high on the government’s agenda.
She has, therefore, commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the role it has so far played in the promotion of children’s education in the country.
Mrs Kufuor said this when Mrs Ban Soon-Taek, wife of the United Nations Secretary-General, called on her at her office in Accra yesterday.
The two also visited the Osu Children’s Home where they interacted with the caregivers and children.
The visit to the home was at the request of Mrs Ban, who expressed the desire to visit a nursery or children’s home during her visit to the country with her husband who is attending the ongoing UNCTAD XII conference in Accra.
According to the First Lady, children at the home were equally educated to keep them out of the streets and also to ensure that they were not left out of the development drive of the country.
Mrs Ban for her part commended President Kufuor for the development progress Ghana had achieved so far.
At the children’s home, she said she was impressed with the level of dedication and commitment that the caregivers were giving to the children there.
Her entourage, which included officials from UNICEF, took her and the First Lady to the Children’s Department of the home and the E-learning centre situated within a two-storey block built and furnished by the International Central Gospel Church.
The Deputy Minister of Manpower, Youth, Employment, Mrs Frema Osei Opare, who welcomed the First Lady and Mrs Ban to the children’s home, said the government’s policy on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) was to ensure that such children were reintegrated into communities where they could develop their full potential.
She said the home aimed at creating a more homely atmosphere for the children so that their reintegration into the larger communities did not affect them.
UNICEF after the visit donated assorted drinks, biscuits, a bag of rice, two bags of fortified soya, T-shirts, caps and pocket diaries to the home.
The home, which currently has 155 children between the ages of four weeks and 23, was established in 1949 by some private individuals before it was taken over by the government in 1962.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Graphic to get modern press house
Spread. April 19/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) will by May next year inaugurate a $10 million modern press house.
The press house, which is currently at the foundation stage, will be the first one-stop press house in West Africa with modern colour printing equipment with the capacity to print both newspapers and magazines on commercial basis.
This was made known by the Managing Director of GCGL, Mr Ibrahim Awal, when some members of the National Media Commission (NMC) paid a working visit to the company yesterday.
Mr Awal said on completion of the facility, it would be in the position to print half of the Daily Graphic and its sister papers in colour in response to customer demand.
He said the press house would, among other things, also provide commercial colour printing to companies and private entities as a means of generating more revenue.
He assured the NMC that with the upcoming 2008 elections, the company as a state-owned media organisation, was going to be fair and objective in all of its reportage.
He said one major project that the company was aiming at and which would further ensure that the company was fair and balanced in its reportage, was the establishment of a radio station that would further complement the work of the seven newspapers of the company and called on the commission to assist it in achieving its dream.
The MD said the dream of establishing a multi-media broadcast company, which had been on the drawing board of the company for sometime now, would be a good asset especially during election periods.
Enumerating some of the challenges that the company was facing, the MD mentioned the cost of news print, saying that although the cost was skyrocketing the company in response to its social responsibility still sold its papers at 50Gp to ensure that they were affordable.
He also mentioned the escalating cost of fuel, saying that it was affecting the company in its distribution of the newspapers across the country.
The Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Ransford Tetteh, gave the assurance that the paper would endeavour to give a fair and balance reportage to all the presidential aspirants and their various political parties in the upcoming 2008 elections.
The members of the commission commended the GCGL for the work that it was doing in terms of educating the populace through its news reportage.
They, however, called on the company not to be complacent with its achievement but strive and achieve what it had set out to achieve.
Members of the commission promised to assist the company in achieving its dream of becoming a multi-media house.
The members — who included Rev. (Dr) Fred Deegbe of the Christian Council, Mr Nicholas Kodzo Akyire of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, Miss Lucy Brown of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Kweku Rockson of the Ghana Institute of Journalism and Mr Perry Ofosu of the Institute of Public Relations — were later taken round the company’s facilities.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) will by May next year inaugurate a $10 million modern press house.
The press house, which is currently at the foundation stage, will be the first one-stop press house in West Africa with modern colour printing equipment with the capacity to print both newspapers and magazines on commercial basis.
This was made known by the Managing Director of GCGL, Mr Ibrahim Awal, when some members of the National Media Commission (NMC) paid a working visit to the company yesterday.
Mr Awal said on completion of the facility, it would be in the position to print half of the Daily Graphic and its sister papers in colour in response to customer demand.
He said the press house would, among other things, also provide commercial colour printing to companies and private entities as a means of generating more revenue.
He assured the NMC that with the upcoming 2008 elections, the company as a state-owned media organisation, was going to be fair and objective in all of its reportage.
He said one major project that the company was aiming at and which would further ensure that the company was fair and balanced in its reportage, was the establishment of a radio station that would further complement the work of the seven newspapers of the company and called on the commission to assist it in achieving its dream.
The MD said the dream of establishing a multi-media broadcast company, which had been on the drawing board of the company for sometime now, would be a good asset especially during election periods.
Enumerating some of the challenges that the company was facing, the MD mentioned the cost of news print, saying that although the cost was skyrocketing the company in response to its social responsibility still sold its papers at 50Gp to ensure that they were affordable.
He also mentioned the escalating cost of fuel, saying that it was affecting the company in its distribution of the newspapers across the country.
The Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Ransford Tetteh, gave the assurance that the paper would endeavour to give a fair and balance reportage to all the presidential aspirants and their various political parties in the upcoming 2008 elections.
The members of the commission commended the GCGL for the work that it was doing in terms of educating the populace through its news reportage.
They, however, called on the company not to be complacent with its achievement but strive and achieve what it had set out to achieve.
Members of the commission promised to assist the company in achieving its dream of becoming a multi-media house.
The members — who included Rev. (Dr) Fred Deegbe of the Christian Council, Mr Nicholas Kodzo Akyire of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, Miss Lucy Brown of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Kweku Rockson of the Ghana Institute of Journalism and Mr Perry Ofosu of the Institute of Public Relations — were later taken round the company’s facilities.
Coalition monitors implementation of DV Bill
pg. 17 Sat. April 19/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
AFTER making valid contributions and successfully agitating for five years for the passage of the Domestic Violence Law (DV Law), gender activists in the country have not relented their efforts to ensure peace in the domestic setting.
The activists who formed the DV Coalition, constitute a pressure group still monitoring the implementation procedures of the law and are calling for a speedy implementation of a National Plan of Action (NPA) to make the law effective.
The DV Law which was passed by parliament in February last year after a lot of consultations and education had been done by both the government and gender activists, offers protection to people in the domestic setting.
The law, among other things, provides for the setting up of a management board to see to its enforcement, calls for the establishment of a fund for victims of domestic violence and the provision of temporal shelters for them.
After the passage of the law which makes the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs the implementing ministry,a series of consultations had been organised by the ministry which brought on board members of the DV Coalition and other stakeholders, including the police.
The consultative meetings were aimed at drafting a plan of action and that was finalised during the last meeting held earlier this year.
To ensure that provisions made in the law are implemented, members of the DV Coalition on Thursday organised a luncheon where they invited the Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Hajia Alima Mahama and some officials from her ministry to brief them on progress so far made with the drafting of the National Plan of Action for the implementation of the DV Law.
The luncheon was sponsored by the Ark Foundation, a member of the DV Coalition and the National Advocacy Project (NAP), a project put together by the Ark Foundation aimed at bringing together relevant stakeholders in government and non-governmental agencies for the provision of a holistic and effective response to violence against women and children and domestic violence in general.
The meeting was attended by the minister and her Chief Director, Mr Valentine Kuuzumi, the acting Director of the Department of Women, Mrs Francesca Phobee-Hayford, Mrs Marian Tackie, a Chief Director of the ministry and Mr Emmson Daniel Kattah, Director of Policy, Plan, Monitoring and Evaluation.
They were quizzed by members of the coalition on how far the ministry had initiated a plan of action and the establishment of a management board as prescribed by the law.
They also wanted to know how much money had been allocated into the implementation of the DV Law by the ministry as well as how much donor support the ministry had received with regards to the implementation of the DV Law.
The Chief Director introduced the acting Executive Co-ordinator of the DV Secretariat, Ms Christina Ankamah, who has been appointed by the ministry to oversee the management of the DV secretariat.
Touching on some of the issues raised by members of the coalition, the Chief Director assured the coalition the management board had been formed and assured that they were awaiting the Presidents nomination to serve on the board for it to be inaugurated.
On the issue of funds, Mrs Phobee-Hayford said an amount of GH¢1.7m has been earmarked for the implementation of some provisions of the DV law this year, saying that the ministry has allotted an amount of GH¢1,226,000 to the secretariat while the Netherlands Embassy has pledged a three year fund of 1.2 million Euros to support the law.
She said the ministry was still in the process of mobilising funds and that the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) were also getting on board.
She said for this year, the ministry has drawn up 50 activities that would be undertaken with regards to the implementation of the DV Law.
The Minister said ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have been sensitised to the issue of gender budgeting and that the ministry would ensure that MDAs adhered to the directive which she said had been adopted as a national policy.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
AFTER making valid contributions and successfully agitating for five years for the passage of the Domestic Violence Law (DV Law), gender activists in the country have not relented their efforts to ensure peace in the domestic setting.
The activists who formed the DV Coalition, constitute a pressure group still monitoring the implementation procedures of the law and are calling for a speedy implementation of a National Plan of Action (NPA) to make the law effective.
The DV Law which was passed by parliament in February last year after a lot of consultations and education had been done by both the government and gender activists, offers protection to people in the domestic setting.
The law, among other things, provides for the setting up of a management board to see to its enforcement, calls for the establishment of a fund for victims of domestic violence and the provision of temporal shelters for them.
After the passage of the law which makes the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs the implementing ministry,a series of consultations had been organised by the ministry which brought on board members of the DV Coalition and other stakeholders, including the police.
The consultative meetings were aimed at drafting a plan of action and that was finalised during the last meeting held earlier this year.
To ensure that provisions made in the law are implemented, members of the DV Coalition on Thursday organised a luncheon where they invited the Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Hajia Alima Mahama and some officials from her ministry to brief them on progress so far made with the drafting of the National Plan of Action for the implementation of the DV Law.
The luncheon was sponsored by the Ark Foundation, a member of the DV Coalition and the National Advocacy Project (NAP), a project put together by the Ark Foundation aimed at bringing together relevant stakeholders in government and non-governmental agencies for the provision of a holistic and effective response to violence against women and children and domestic violence in general.
The meeting was attended by the minister and her Chief Director, Mr Valentine Kuuzumi, the acting Director of the Department of Women, Mrs Francesca Phobee-Hayford, Mrs Marian Tackie, a Chief Director of the ministry and Mr Emmson Daniel Kattah, Director of Policy, Plan, Monitoring and Evaluation.
They were quizzed by members of the coalition on how far the ministry had initiated a plan of action and the establishment of a management board as prescribed by the law.
They also wanted to know how much money had been allocated into the implementation of the DV Law by the ministry as well as how much donor support the ministry had received with regards to the implementation of the DV Law.
The Chief Director introduced the acting Executive Co-ordinator of the DV Secretariat, Ms Christina Ankamah, who has been appointed by the ministry to oversee the management of the DV secretariat.
Touching on some of the issues raised by members of the coalition, the Chief Director assured the coalition the management board had been formed and assured that they were awaiting the Presidents nomination to serve on the board for it to be inaugurated.
On the issue of funds, Mrs Phobee-Hayford said an amount of GH¢1.7m has been earmarked for the implementation of some provisions of the DV law this year, saying that the ministry has allotted an amount of GH¢1,226,000 to the secretariat while the Netherlands Embassy has pledged a three year fund of 1.2 million Euros to support the law.
She said the ministry was still in the process of mobilising funds and that the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) were also getting on board.
She said for this year, the ministry has drawn up 50 activities that would be undertaken with regards to the implementation of the DV Law.
The Minister said ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have been sensitised to the issue of gender budgeting and that the ministry would ensure that MDAs adhered to the directive which she said had been adopted as a national policy.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Students appeal for release of allowances
Pg. 31 Fri. April 18/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
STUDENTS on the Ghana Government Scholarship under the Year Abroad Programme in Cotonou-Benin have appealed to the Scholarships Secretariat to release their allowances which are in arrears for five months to enable them to carry out their various programmes of study.
They say failure of the secretariat to remit them may lead to a majority of them abandoning their courses, a situation, which they note would mean a waste of state resources.
According to the students, after their first allowance was paid in October last year when they began their training, they have had to resort to pressurising the Ghana Mission in Benin to draw money from its resources to sustain them with the hope that when their allowances were finally released the mission would be reimbursed.
However, for the past five months the secretariat has not made any money available and this has created a difficult situation for the mission’s coffers. The Ghana mission has therefore informed the students of its inability to continue paying them for April because it was cash strapped.
A delegation of the students who visited the Daily Graphic, said the situation was no different from their colleague students in Lome-Togo on the same programme who currently were leaving on food aid of rice and oil, provided to them by the Ghana Mission in Togo.
This they said has made life unbearable for the over 200 students, who are undertaking their scholarship training at the Benin Centre for Foreign Languages of the University of Abomey Calavi.
Last Tuesday, the students sent a petition signed by 207 students to the office of the Chief of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs in Accra, to as a matter of urgency intervene in the situation.
The petition was copied to the Head of Mission of the Ghana Embassy in Benin, the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat in Accra, the Minister of Education Science and Sports, the Director of the Ghana Institute of Languages, the Head of Modern Language University of Ghana and the head of Department of Modern Language of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
It said among other things that some of the students were sick while others were unable to attend lectures because they cannot buy food to sustain them.
The students who started their programme in October last year and received their first allowance within that period, had to put pressure on the Ghana Mission in Benin to pay from their own resources from November to March as the secretariat failed to pay after the first instalment.
But according to the student delegation, the Mission has now made it known to them that they cannot support them for the month of April as their budget was over stretched and hence the students decision to petition the Chief of Staff.
A copy of the offer of scholarship dated September 27, 2007, to the students which was made available to the Daily Graphic, stated among other things that the students were to receive a monthly allowance of CFA 130,000 and book allowance of US$100,000.
When the Scholarships secretariat was contacted, none of the officials there was ready to comment on the issue with the explanation that the Registrar of the secretariat, Mr Fuseini Lancer was indisposed.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
STUDENTS on the Ghana Government Scholarship under the Year Abroad Programme in Cotonou-Benin have appealed to the Scholarships Secretariat to release their allowances which are in arrears for five months to enable them to carry out their various programmes of study.
They say failure of the secretariat to remit them may lead to a majority of them abandoning their courses, a situation, which they note would mean a waste of state resources.
According to the students, after their first allowance was paid in October last year when they began their training, they have had to resort to pressurising the Ghana Mission in Benin to draw money from its resources to sustain them with the hope that when their allowances were finally released the mission would be reimbursed.
However, for the past five months the secretariat has not made any money available and this has created a difficult situation for the mission’s coffers. The Ghana mission has therefore informed the students of its inability to continue paying them for April because it was cash strapped.
A delegation of the students who visited the Daily Graphic, said the situation was no different from their colleague students in Lome-Togo on the same programme who currently were leaving on food aid of rice and oil, provided to them by the Ghana Mission in Togo.
This they said has made life unbearable for the over 200 students, who are undertaking their scholarship training at the Benin Centre for Foreign Languages of the University of Abomey Calavi.
Last Tuesday, the students sent a petition signed by 207 students to the office of the Chief of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs in Accra, to as a matter of urgency intervene in the situation.
The petition was copied to the Head of Mission of the Ghana Embassy in Benin, the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat in Accra, the Minister of Education Science and Sports, the Director of the Ghana Institute of Languages, the Head of Modern Language University of Ghana and the head of Department of Modern Language of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
It said among other things that some of the students were sick while others were unable to attend lectures because they cannot buy food to sustain them.
The students who started their programme in October last year and received their first allowance within that period, had to put pressure on the Ghana Mission in Benin to pay from their own resources from November to March as the secretariat failed to pay after the first instalment.
But according to the student delegation, the Mission has now made it known to them that they cannot support them for the month of April as their budget was over stretched and hence the students decision to petition the Chief of Staff.
A copy of the offer of scholarship dated September 27, 2007, to the students which was made available to the Daily Graphic, stated among other things that the students were to receive a monthly allowance of CFA 130,000 and book allowance of US$100,000.
When the Scholarships secretariat was contacted, none of the officials there was ready to comment on the issue with the explanation that the Registrar of the secretariat, Mr Fuseini Lancer was indisposed.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Let's curb excessive noise making-Yirimea
Spread Thurs. April 17/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE Deputy Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, Alhaji Ahmed Awudu Yirimea, has noted that excessive noise in the urban setting is gradually becoming a way of life and culture of lawlessness that needs to be curbed.
Accordingly, he said, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had developed ambient noise level guidelines in conformity with World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
The guidelines, among other things, indicate that industries must work within the EPA’s permissible noise level, while religious activities must be conducted in such a way that the noise level is controlled within the premises of the religious groups.
The minister was speaking at the launch of the Third National Noise Awareness Day in Accra yesterday.
The day, which was marked on the theme, “Noise reduction: Our collective responsibility”, was organised by the EPA and the ministry and brought together stakeholders such as representatives of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), health officials and personnel from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).
The minister appealed to district assemblies and the police to help reduce noise during festive seasons and also called on community leaders and traditional authorities to step up efforts at sensitising people to the negative effects of noise, saying that the youth and the aged were the most vulnerable.
Alhaji Yirimea also called on all to consider noise reduction as a poverty alleviation strategy, saying that “if we succeed in this campaign, we shall witness considerable improvement in our environment and save ourselves from noise pollution and its attendant health problems”.
A retired ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist, Dr James Danso-Adams, in a presentation on the harmful effects of noise, said excessive noise could lead to irreparable deafness in one’s ear.
According to him, noise-induced hearing impairment could lead to life-long deafness.
Dr Danso-Adams, who is currently working at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, said although the country did not have statistics on noise-induced deafness, the situation was serious among people who worked in the mines and in heavy- duty industries.
He said people who worked in the mines and as tarmac operators at the airport and who were exposed to excessive noise constantly for between five and eight hours a day could become deaf.
He also said exposure to excessive noise could lead to high blood pressure, indigestion, ulcers, heartburn, gastro-intestinal malfunctions and heart abnormalities.
Dr Danso-Adams, therefore, recommended that the general public be educated on the dangers associated with noise to help reduce the amount of noise that people made.
The Chief Environment Officer of the AMA, Mr Divine Sarppor, indicated that his outfit had initiated 31 court actions against people who made excessive noise in the metropolis.
He said the AMA had bye-laws regarding noise making and called on people to adhere to them.
The Executive Director of the EPA, Mr Jonathan Allotey, in a welcoming address, called on people to take legal action against neighbours who made excessive noise, adding that it was the collective responsibility of all to ensure that noise was reduced to its barest minimum.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE Deputy Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, Alhaji Ahmed Awudu Yirimea, has noted that excessive noise in the urban setting is gradually becoming a way of life and culture of lawlessness that needs to be curbed.
Accordingly, he said, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had developed ambient noise level guidelines in conformity with World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
The guidelines, among other things, indicate that industries must work within the EPA’s permissible noise level, while religious activities must be conducted in such a way that the noise level is controlled within the premises of the religious groups.
The minister was speaking at the launch of the Third National Noise Awareness Day in Accra yesterday.
The day, which was marked on the theme, “Noise reduction: Our collective responsibility”, was organised by the EPA and the ministry and brought together stakeholders such as representatives of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), health officials and personnel from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).
The minister appealed to district assemblies and the police to help reduce noise during festive seasons and also called on community leaders and traditional authorities to step up efforts at sensitising people to the negative effects of noise, saying that the youth and the aged were the most vulnerable.
Alhaji Yirimea also called on all to consider noise reduction as a poverty alleviation strategy, saying that “if we succeed in this campaign, we shall witness considerable improvement in our environment and save ourselves from noise pollution and its attendant health problems”.
A retired ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist, Dr James Danso-Adams, in a presentation on the harmful effects of noise, said excessive noise could lead to irreparable deafness in one’s ear.
According to him, noise-induced hearing impairment could lead to life-long deafness.
Dr Danso-Adams, who is currently working at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, said although the country did not have statistics on noise-induced deafness, the situation was serious among people who worked in the mines and in heavy- duty industries.
He said people who worked in the mines and as tarmac operators at the airport and who were exposed to excessive noise constantly for between five and eight hours a day could become deaf.
He also said exposure to excessive noise could lead to high blood pressure, indigestion, ulcers, heartburn, gastro-intestinal malfunctions and heart abnormalities.
Dr Danso-Adams, therefore, recommended that the general public be educated on the dangers associated with noise to help reduce the amount of noise that people made.
The Chief Environment Officer of the AMA, Mr Divine Sarppor, indicated that his outfit had initiated 31 court actions against people who made excessive noise in the metropolis.
He said the AMA had bye-laws regarding noise making and called on people to adhere to them.
The Executive Director of the EPA, Mr Jonathan Allotey, in a welcoming address, called on people to take legal action against neighbours who made excessive noise, adding that it was the collective responsibility of all to ensure that noise was reduced to its barest minimum.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Transport of harzadous chemicals...2 Bodies develop policy
Back pg. Wed. April 16/08
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ghana Chamber of Mines are developing a policy and legal framework for the safe transportation of hazardous chemicals in the country.
The draft document will come out with guidelines to regulate the proper haulage of industrial materials that are harmful to humans when exposed.
The two organisations began a workshop in Accra yesterday to work on the document, which is also expected to harmonise and co-ordinate other regulations in the system, incorporate a training manual for transporters as well as develop an emergency preparedness plan for mitigating accidents when they happen during the transportation of such chemicals.
Stakeholders at the workshop include the EPA, the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana National Fire Service.
Others are the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Red Cross/Red Crescent Society, Ghana Private Road Transport Union, Chemical and Petroleum Workers Union of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Tema Oil Refinery.
Hazardous materials include materials that have toxins, irritants, corrosives, explosives, carcinogens or other agents that can damage the lungs, skin, eyes or mucous membranes. Examples of such materials are sodium cyanide, asbestos, sodium hydroxide, cadmium metal and mercury.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ms Joyce Aryee, said best practices in product stewardship required companies to take responsibility for the manner in which the inputs in their supply chain were managed before they were stocked, adding that arriving at workable guidelines for the effective management of hazardous materials in the country was appropriate.
She enumerated three conditions which she said the state should consider and act upon to reduce the exposure of the public to dangers in the transportation and handling of hazardous materials by road.
She noted that since majority of mining companies and other heavy industries were located in the Western Region, “it should make a lot of sense to route all imports for these industries through the Takoradi Port”.
She explained that the distance from the Takoradi Port was shorter than from the Tema Harbour, adding that hauling from Takoradi will help reduce the exposure of these materials to the public.
Secondly, she said “rather than transporting all our major imports such as fuel, cement and hazardous chemicals by road, we should consider haulage by rail as the norm”.
This, according to her, will help ease the potential hazards that will arise should the unfortunate happen, adding that using rail transport will also protect and extend the life of our roads.
Thirdly, she said the current procedures for importing explosives used in the mining and quarry industries demanded that explosive consignments are stored among other less hazardous materials at the ports for several days before they are cleared.
That, she said, was worrying as any mishap such as a fire outbreak could have dire consequences for the whole harbour infrastructure.
She, therefore, proposed a change in the permitting process to allow the adoption of a single import permit that will automatically allow companies to import, clear and take delivery of explosives as soon as they arrive at the port.
The Executive Director of EPA, Mr Jonathan Allotey, said between January and December 2003, seven accidents leading to the spillage of chemicals with serious health, environmental and financial consequences were reported to the EPA.
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ghana Chamber of Mines are developing a policy and legal framework for the safe transportation of hazardous chemicals in the country.
The draft document will come out with guidelines to regulate the proper haulage of industrial materials that are harmful to humans when exposed.
The two organisations began a workshop in Accra yesterday to work on the document, which is also expected to harmonise and co-ordinate other regulations in the system, incorporate a training manual for transporters as well as develop an emergency preparedness plan for mitigating accidents when they happen during the transportation of such chemicals.
Stakeholders at the workshop include the EPA, the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana National Fire Service.
Others are the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Red Cross/Red Crescent Society, Ghana Private Road Transport Union, Chemical and Petroleum Workers Union of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Tema Oil Refinery.
Hazardous materials include materials that have toxins, irritants, corrosives, explosives, carcinogens or other agents that can damage the lungs, skin, eyes or mucous membranes. Examples of such materials are sodium cyanide, asbestos, sodium hydroxide, cadmium metal and mercury.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ms Joyce Aryee, said best practices in product stewardship required companies to take responsibility for the manner in which the inputs in their supply chain were managed before they were stocked, adding that arriving at workable guidelines for the effective management of hazardous materials in the country was appropriate.
She enumerated three conditions which she said the state should consider and act upon to reduce the exposure of the public to dangers in the transportation and handling of hazardous materials by road.
She noted that since majority of mining companies and other heavy industries were located in the Western Region, “it should make a lot of sense to route all imports for these industries through the Takoradi Port”.
She explained that the distance from the Takoradi Port was shorter than from the Tema Harbour, adding that hauling from Takoradi will help reduce the exposure of these materials to the public.
Secondly, she said “rather than transporting all our major imports such as fuel, cement and hazardous chemicals by road, we should consider haulage by rail as the norm”.
This, according to her, will help ease the potential hazards that will arise should the unfortunate happen, adding that using rail transport will also protect and extend the life of our roads.
Thirdly, she said the current procedures for importing explosives used in the mining and quarry industries demanded that explosive consignments are stored among other less hazardous materials at the ports for several days before they are cleared.
That, she said, was worrying as any mishap such as a fire outbreak could have dire consequences for the whole harbour infrastructure.
She, therefore, proposed a change in the permitting process to allow the adoption of a single import permit that will automatically allow companies to import, clear and take delivery of explosives as soon as they arrive at the port.
The Executive Director of EPA, Mr Jonathan Allotey, said between January and December 2003, seven accidents leading to the spillage of chemicals with serious health, environmental and financial consequences were reported to the EPA.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
GMA launches news magazine
spread Thurs April 10
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE Ghana Medical Association (GMA) yesterday launched its news magazine to enhance health education to the people.
The monthly magazine, ‘GMA Focus’, is also an advocacy mouthpiece on social and medical issues both within the medical profession and the wider health sector.
The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr George Amofa, launched the magazine and called on members of the GMA to ensure that contributors to the news magazine were guided by the core values of the GHS.
The values, which he said were a guide to health professionals, emphasise people centredness, professionalism, teamwork, discipline, innovation and excellence, and integrity.
Those values, according to him, were the fundamental values of life that society would have to inculcate.
Dr Amofa said a lot of things were going wrong in the country because people did not care about their health.
A past President of the GMA, Prof. Agyemang Badu Akosa, who chaired the function, called on health professionals to practise the profession holistically.
He said every human action affected the health of people and therefore health personnel needed to educate and sensitise people to healthy living, adding that not until people were ready to practise healthy living, the health of the country would not improve.
The Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Ransford Tetteh, who was a special guest at the launch, called on the GMA to use the news magazine to educate the general populace on the need to keep their surroundings healthy.
He deplored instances where people lived in unhealthy environments created by themselves, attracting contagious diseases and said the GMA could use the magazine to educate such people.
He said the news magazine had come at a time when a lot of education was required for people to embrace healthy lifestyles for economic growth.
He commended the GMA on the introduction of the magazine and called on the association to ensure that it was made available to all so that people could take their destiny into their own hands and assured the association of the GJA’s readiness to support it in achieving its aim.
The General Secretary of the GMA and Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, said each edition of the news magazine would feature a dominant theme and regular columns that would include, ethics and practice, faith and health, finance and investments and a student page with the aim of fostering a better relationship between the GMA and medical students.
He said the magazine would also be based on three areas — public health education and advocacy, the need to appreciate great but unrecognised work in medical practice and the provision of a platform for holding creative conversations.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE Ghana Medical Association (GMA) yesterday launched its news magazine to enhance health education to the people.
The monthly magazine, ‘GMA Focus’, is also an advocacy mouthpiece on social and medical issues both within the medical profession and the wider health sector.
The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr George Amofa, launched the magazine and called on members of the GMA to ensure that contributors to the news magazine were guided by the core values of the GHS.
The values, which he said were a guide to health professionals, emphasise people centredness, professionalism, teamwork, discipline, innovation and excellence, and integrity.
Those values, according to him, were the fundamental values of life that society would have to inculcate.
Dr Amofa said a lot of things were going wrong in the country because people did not care about their health.
A past President of the GMA, Prof. Agyemang Badu Akosa, who chaired the function, called on health professionals to practise the profession holistically.
He said every human action affected the health of people and therefore health personnel needed to educate and sensitise people to healthy living, adding that not until people were ready to practise healthy living, the health of the country would not improve.
The Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Ransford Tetteh, who was a special guest at the launch, called on the GMA to use the news magazine to educate the general populace on the need to keep their surroundings healthy.
He deplored instances where people lived in unhealthy environments created by themselves, attracting contagious diseases and said the GMA could use the magazine to educate such people.
He said the news magazine had come at a time when a lot of education was required for people to embrace healthy lifestyles for economic growth.
He commended the GMA on the introduction of the magazine and called on the association to ensure that it was made available to all so that people could take their destiny into their own hands and assured the association of the GJA’s readiness to support it in achieving its aim.
The General Secretary of the GMA and Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, said each edition of the news magazine would feature a dominant theme and regular columns that would include, ethics and practice, faith and health, finance and investments and a student page with the aim of fostering a better relationship between the GMA and medical students.
He said the magazine would also be based on three areas — public health education and advocacy, the need to appreciate great but unrecognised work in medical practice and the provision of a platform for holding creative conversations.
'CHRAJ committed to womens empowerment'
Pg3 Tues. April 15
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has committed itself to pay particular attention to Government's Affirmative Action Policy for women's empowerment.
The Commission will also monitor the recommendations contained in the women's manifesto with a view of passing legislation in favour of women's economic empowerment.
The acting Commissioner of CHRAJ, Ms Anna Bossman, made the commitment at a symbolic ceremony when the Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Flemming Bjork Pedesen, handed over the Millennium Development Goal 3 (MDG3) Champion Touch to her at a ceremony in Accra.
The handover of the touch to Ms Bossman is a "call to action" on MDG3, which seeks to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005 and at all levels by 2015 and also aims at promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women.
This makes Ms Bossman one of three eminent women of the country who have committed themselves to ensuring that issues concerning women are given priority attention. The other two are Ms Adisa Lansah Yakubu, Project Co-ordinator of Africa 2000 network, and Nana Oye Lithur, African Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI).
The aim of the campaign to "call to action" is primarily to obtain a commitment by all governments to make gender equality and women's empowerment key issues, especially if the world was to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
According to the commissioner, the Commission was committed to promoting gender mainstreaming within the Commission and ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and continually monitor and influence government policy to ensure gender equality and consistency.
She said the Commission had started off with the upgrading of its women's desk to a unit and personally committed herself to speaking words of motivation and encouragement to young girls and women in all social spheres through fora and activities to make them more aware of their rights.
The Danish Ambassador on the other hand said his government acknowledged the Ghanaian government's efforts at raising the status of women in the country for national development.
He said the Denmark's government efforts at women's empowerment was guided by its strategy that seeks to promote equal rights and opportunities for both women and men in all areas of society.
Mr Pedesen said the empowerment of women was one of the key priority areas guiding Denmark’s development policy, which seeks to reduce poverty by promoting sustainable development through pro-poor economic growth, equal participation by men and women in the development process and promotion of respect for human rights, including women's rights.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has committed itself to pay particular attention to Government's Affirmative Action Policy for women's empowerment.
The Commission will also monitor the recommendations contained in the women's manifesto with a view of passing legislation in favour of women's economic empowerment.
The acting Commissioner of CHRAJ, Ms Anna Bossman, made the commitment at a symbolic ceremony when the Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Flemming Bjork Pedesen, handed over the Millennium Development Goal 3 (MDG3) Champion Touch to her at a ceremony in Accra.
The handover of the touch to Ms Bossman is a "call to action" on MDG3, which seeks to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005 and at all levels by 2015 and also aims at promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women.
This makes Ms Bossman one of three eminent women of the country who have committed themselves to ensuring that issues concerning women are given priority attention. The other two are Ms Adisa Lansah Yakubu, Project Co-ordinator of Africa 2000 network, and Nana Oye Lithur, African Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI).
The aim of the campaign to "call to action" is primarily to obtain a commitment by all governments to make gender equality and women's empowerment key issues, especially if the world was to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
According to the commissioner, the Commission was committed to promoting gender mainstreaming within the Commission and ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and continually monitor and influence government policy to ensure gender equality and consistency.
She said the Commission had started off with the upgrading of its women's desk to a unit and personally committed herself to speaking words of motivation and encouragement to young girls and women in all social spheres through fora and activities to make them more aware of their rights.
The Danish Ambassador on the other hand said his government acknowledged the Ghanaian government's efforts at raising the status of women in the country for national development.
He said the Denmark's government efforts at women's empowerment was guided by its strategy that seeks to promote equal rights and opportunities for both women and men in all areas of society.
Mr Pedesen said the empowerment of women was one of the key priority areas guiding Denmark’s development policy, which seeks to reduce poverty by promoting sustainable development through pro-poor economic growth, equal participation by men and women in the development process and promotion of respect for human rights, including women's rights.
Make a formal request for legal aid–Board tells female prisoners
Pg 11 Tues April 15
By Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE provision of legal aid is a constitutional obligation, as well as a civil and human right for people who cannot afford the services of private legal practitioners.
The Legal Aid Board was thus established under the Legal Aid Scheme Act, 1997, “to provide efficient and effective legal services to the poor in the Ghanaian society at minimal cost, to enable them to defend and prosecute their human and legal rights”.
Apart from the Board, which is a government agency, there are other non-government agencies, which include the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) - Ghana, which set up the first Legal Aid Programme in the country in 1985.
The services rendered by FIDA, Ghana, is known as the Ghana FIDA Legal Aid Clinic and target mostly indigent women and children. The services include free legal advice, arbitration and counselling, as well as representation in court for indigent persons who cannot otherwise afford the services of a lawyer.
Recently, during a visit by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mrs Oboshie Sai Cofie, to the Nsawam Female Medium Security, the female inmates called for legal aid to be extended to them.
Reacting to the calls by the inmates, an Assistant Director of Prisons in charge of the Nsawam Female Prisons, Madam Charity Araba Magnusen, confirmed their plight and explained that lawyers no longer visited the women to provide free legal services.
According to her, that had made a number of them serve their full prison terms because they did not have the resources to contract the services of lawyers to appeal against their conviction.
The situation at Nsawam is no different from many of the country’s prisons, as most of these incarcerated women, as well as some men, are ignorant of some of the laws in the country and how they can use them to their advantage.
The Greater Accra Regional Director of the Legal Aid Scheme, Mr Martin C. Nwosu, said in an interview that the situation needed further attention since prisoners, just like any other person living in the country, were covered by the Legal Aid Act.
Explaining who was qualified to benefit from the scheme, he said it was to provide efficient and effective legal service for poor Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians in the country who had a reasonable ground for taking, defending, prosecuting or being a party to any legal proceedings.
The Legal Aid Scheme Act, 1997 (Act 542) Subsection One states that “For the purposes of enforcing any provision of the Constitution, a person is entitled to legal aid in connection with any proceedings relating to the Constitution if he/she has reasonable grounds for taking, defending, prosecuting or being a party to the proceedings”.
Subsection Two, goes further to state that “A person shall also be entitled to legal aid – (a) if he earns the Government minimum wage or less and desires legal representation in any – (i) criminal matter; or (ii) civil matter relating to landlord and tenant, insurance, inheritance with particular reference to the Interstate Succession Law, 1985 (PNDCL 111), maintenance of children and such other civil matters as may from time to time be prescribed by Parliament; or (b) if in the opinion of the Board, the person requires legal aid.
The Act further states in Subsection (3) that “For the purposes of this Act, legal aid shall consist of representation by a lawyer, including all such assistance as is given by a lawyer, in the steps preliminary or incidental to any proceedings or arriving at or giving effect to a compromise to avoid or to bring an end to any proceedings.
According to Mr Nwosu, the Act further mandated that people seeking legal aid must first come to the offices of the Board and go through the necessary procedures, stressing that what could be done for prisoners was for either relatives or prison officers to make a formal request to the offices of the scheme in any of its 10 regional offices across the country.
Mr Nwosu said officers from the scheme could only move in to offer services to prisoners when they made initial moves and fulfil the necessary requirements.
The most worrying issue, he said, was the case of people who were on remand. He said these people could have their cases dragging to the extent of they themselves sometimes getting forgotten about and therefore not having the opportunity to access justice and this, he said, was one of the major factors causing congestion in most prisons in the country.
The scheme, enshrined in Article 294 of the 1992 Constitution, presently covers about 10 thematic areas, which include both civil and criminal cases, and most of the cases predominantly dealt with yearly by the Board had to do with child maintenance and inter-state succession.
Liaising with the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS), FIDA and the Department of Social Welfare, the scheme, Mr Nwuso said, last year dealt with 265 cases of child maintenance and 495 cases of interstate succession.
According to him, about 90 to 95 per cent of applicants who applied for legal aid qualified to be represented by the scheme and said so far the success rate had been phenomenal.
He said the scheme, to help in easing the congestion in the country’s prisons, had ventured into mediation and arbitration of cases, but represented their clients in court in cases that really needed to be taken to court.
Giving statistics on the operations of the scheme, he said in 2006, it received 1,847 cases out of which 96, representing 11.6 per cent were settled and in 2007, a total of 2,969 cases were received and 232 representing 17.2 per cent, were settled amicably.
What, however, was retarding the efforts of the scheme, according to Mr Nwosu, was the issue of logistics, which included transport and office stationery, adding that presently, the scheme worked with 12 private lawyers, who, according to the Regional Director, were paid stipend and this, he said, was also discouraging most lawyers in private practice from assisting them.
By Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
THE provision of legal aid is a constitutional obligation, as well as a civil and human right for people who cannot afford the services of private legal practitioners.
The Legal Aid Board was thus established under the Legal Aid Scheme Act, 1997, “to provide efficient and effective legal services to the poor in the Ghanaian society at minimal cost, to enable them to defend and prosecute their human and legal rights”.
Apart from the Board, which is a government agency, there are other non-government agencies, which include the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) - Ghana, which set up the first Legal Aid Programme in the country in 1985.
The services rendered by FIDA, Ghana, is known as the Ghana FIDA Legal Aid Clinic and target mostly indigent women and children. The services include free legal advice, arbitration and counselling, as well as representation in court for indigent persons who cannot otherwise afford the services of a lawyer.
Recently, during a visit by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mrs Oboshie Sai Cofie, to the Nsawam Female Medium Security, the female inmates called for legal aid to be extended to them.
Reacting to the calls by the inmates, an Assistant Director of Prisons in charge of the Nsawam Female Prisons, Madam Charity Araba Magnusen, confirmed their plight and explained that lawyers no longer visited the women to provide free legal services.
According to her, that had made a number of them serve their full prison terms because they did not have the resources to contract the services of lawyers to appeal against their conviction.
The situation at Nsawam is no different from many of the country’s prisons, as most of these incarcerated women, as well as some men, are ignorant of some of the laws in the country and how they can use them to their advantage.
The Greater Accra Regional Director of the Legal Aid Scheme, Mr Martin C. Nwosu, said in an interview that the situation needed further attention since prisoners, just like any other person living in the country, were covered by the Legal Aid Act.
Explaining who was qualified to benefit from the scheme, he said it was to provide efficient and effective legal service for poor Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians in the country who had a reasonable ground for taking, defending, prosecuting or being a party to any legal proceedings.
The Legal Aid Scheme Act, 1997 (Act 542) Subsection One states that “For the purposes of enforcing any provision of the Constitution, a person is entitled to legal aid in connection with any proceedings relating to the Constitution if he/she has reasonable grounds for taking, defending, prosecuting or being a party to the proceedings”.
Subsection Two, goes further to state that “A person shall also be entitled to legal aid – (a) if he earns the Government minimum wage or less and desires legal representation in any – (i) criminal matter; or (ii) civil matter relating to landlord and tenant, insurance, inheritance with particular reference to the Interstate Succession Law, 1985 (PNDCL 111), maintenance of children and such other civil matters as may from time to time be prescribed by Parliament; or (b) if in the opinion of the Board, the person requires legal aid.
The Act further states in Subsection (3) that “For the purposes of this Act, legal aid shall consist of representation by a lawyer, including all such assistance as is given by a lawyer, in the steps preliminary or incidental to any proceedings or arriving at or giving effect to a compromise to avoid or to bring an end to any proceedings.
According to Mr Nwosu, the Act further mandated that people seeking legal aid must first come to the offices of the Board and go through the necessary procedures, stressing that what could be done for prisoners was for either relatives or prison officers to make a formal request to the offices of the scheme in any of its 10 regional offices across the country.
Mr Nwosu said officers from the scheme could only move in to offer services to prisoners when they made initial moves and fulfil the necessary requirements.
The most worrying issue, he said, was the case of people who were on remand. He said these people could have their cases dragging to the extent of they themselves sometimes getting forgotten about and therefore not having the opportunity to access justice and this, he said, was one of the major factors causing congestion in most prisons in the country.
The scheme, enshrined in Article 294 of the 1992 Constitution, presently covers about 10 thematic areas, which include both civil and criminal cases, and most of the cases predominantly dealt with yearly by the Board had to do with child maintenance and inter-state succession.
Liaising with the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS), FIDA and the Department of Social Welfare, the scheme, Mr Nwuso said, last year dealt with 265 cases of child maintenance and 495 cases of interstate succession.
According to him, about 90 to 95 per cent of applicants who applied for legal aid qualified to be represented by the scheme and said so far the success rate had been phenomenal.
He said the scheme, to help in easing the congestion in the country’s prisons, had ventured into mediation and arbitration of cases, but represented their clients in court in cases that really needed to be taken to court.
Giving statistics on the operations of the scheme, he said in 2006, it received 1,847 cases out of which 96, representing 11.6 per cent were settled and in 2007, a total of 2,969 cases were received and 232 representing 17.2 per cent, were settled amicably.
What, however, was retarding the efforts of the scheme, according to Mr Nwosu, was the issue of logistics, which included transport and office stationery, adding that presently, the scheme worked with 12 private lawyers, who, according to the Regional Director, were paid stipend and this, he said, was also discouraging most lawyers in private practice from assisting them.
Confab calls for effective water, sanitation policy
Pg 55 Mon. April 14
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
A conference on water and sanitation has ended in Accra with a call on governments to put in place policies, strategies and plans for an effective institutional development on water and sanitation delivery.
Accordingly, experts and professionals in the water and sanitation sector have also been called upon to document and share innovative approaches to benefit a majority of the populace.
The call was part of recommendations at the end of the 33rd Water Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) International Conference which started from Monday, April 7, 2008.
The conference, which was on the theme, “Access to Sanitation and Safe Water: Global Partnerships and Local Actions”, brought together experts in the water and sanitation sector from across the world.
The Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, who closed the conference, said Ghana was aiming at ensuring total sanitation throughout the country and commended the work of Zoomlion, a private waste management organisation.
According to her, the government’s mission of ensuring good sanitation was achievable but said it would also require the involvement of all.
She said achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on water and sanitation should be a short-term goal, adding that “nothing prevents us, as individual developing countries, from aiming higher”.
Mr Jon Lane of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, who gave a global overview on sanitation, said 2.6 billion people lacked the use of toilet facilities.
He said the progress on water globally was doing better than sanitation but noted that Africa was lagging behind in both aspects.
A summary of reports on environmental sanitation called for the issue of the definition of sanitation, globally, nationally and locally, to be revisited.
It also called for advocacy for political commitment to enable change on economic, social and health issues.
On the provision of effective water supply, participants called for thorough training, baseline surveys and a follow up on users of household water treatment systems (HWTS), as well as more research to establish the factors that influenced households to select HWTS to ensure their expansion.
They also suggested that reducing connection fees to households might make it easier for the poor to have access to water where the utility supply was available.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
A conference on water and sanitation has ended in Accra with a call on governments to put in place policies, strategies and plans for an effective institutional development on water and sanitation delivery.
Accordingly, experts and professionals in the water and sanitation sector have also been called upon to document and share innovative approaches to benefit a majority of the populace.
The call was part of recommendations at the end of the 33rd Water Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) International Conference which started from Monday, April 7, 2008.
The conference, which was on the theme, “Access to Sanitation and Safe Water: Global Partnerships and Local Actions”, brought together experts in the water and sanitation sector from across the world.
The Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, who closed the conference, said Ghana was aiming at ensuring total sanitation throughout the country and commended the work of Zoomlion, a private waste management organisation.
According to her, the government’s mission of ensuring good sanitation was achievable but said it would also require the involvement of all.
She said achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on water and sanitation should be a short-term goal, adding that “nothing prevents us, as individual developing countries, from aiming higher”.
Mr Jon Lane of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, who gave a global overview on sanitation, said 2.6 billion people lacked the use of toilet facilities.
He said the progress on water globally was doing better than sanitation but noted that Africa was lagging behind in both aspects.
A summary of reports on environmental sanitation called for the issue of the definition of sanitation, globally, nationally and locally, to be revisited.
It also called for advocacy for political commitment to enable change on economic, social and health issues.
On the provision of effective water supply, participants called for thorough training, baseline surveys and a follow up on users of household water treatment systems (HWTS), as well as more research to establish the factors that influenced households to select HWTS to ensure their expansion.
They also suggested that reducing connection fees to households might make it easier for the poor to have access to water where the utility supply was available.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Wives of NPP’s aspirants meet First Lady
pg. 17 Wed. April 09/08
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
The wives of former NPP’s presidential aspirants have come together to form a campaign team to compliment the efforts of the campaign team of thier flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to win this years presidential and general elections.
They are Mrs Comfort Owusu-Agyeman, Mrs Helena Apraku, Mrs Alberta Oquaye and Mrs Esther Obetsebi-Lamptey. The rest are Mrs Tina Owusu-Ankomah, Mrs Adelaide Owusu-Agyepong, Mrs Agnes Frimpong Boateng and Mrs Rosemary Addo-Kufour.
This is to show unity and togetherness among women fraternity within the party and further cement their friendship to promote democracy in the country.
In line with this, the group paid a maiden visit to the First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor at her office in Accra yesterday and briefed her on developments so far.
It was also an occassion where the flagbearers wife, Mrs Rebecca Akufo Addo was formerly introduced to the First Lady.
The First Lady, particularly advised Mrs Akufo Addo to endeavour to stand firmly by her husband and help him take the right decisions that would be in the interest of the nation.
This she said would bring her views at par with that of her husband when he is elected in the December 2008 elections to serve as the president of the country.
The First Lady also called on her to always consult her husband on issues before coming out in public when she becomes the First Lady.
Mrs Kufuor further called on the aspiring first lady to ensure that she consulted more with her peers on national issues to move issues concerning women forward.
Broad range of national issues were discussed ranging from politics, to the economy, social, sanitation and education.
She pledged her support to the cause of the ladies and further advised that they should not see themselves as competing with each other but rather should work together as a team for the good of their party.
Mrs Owusu-Agyeman who was the spokesperson for the group thanked the First lady for her cordial reception.
She said the meeting with the First Lady was their maiden one and would be meeting other women groups and men across the country to discuss the interest of the nation.
The aspiring First Lady commended Mrs Kufuor on her achievements so far and resolved to work harder to advance the cause of women in the country.
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
The wives of former NPP’s presidential aspirants have come together to form a campaign team to compliment the efforts of the campaign team of thier flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to win this years presidential and general elections.
They are Mrs Comfort Owusu-Agyeman, Mrs Helena Apraku, Mrs Alberta Oquaye and Mrs Esther Obetsebi-Lamptey. The rest are Mrs Tina Owusu-Ankomah, Mrs Adelaide Owusu-Agyepong, Mrs Agnes Frimpong Boateng and Mrs Rosemary Addo-Kufour.
This is to show unity and togetherness among women fraternity within the party and further cement their friendship to promote democracy in the country.
In line with this, the group paid a maiden visit to the First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor at her office in Accra yesterday and briefed her on developments so far.
It was also an occassion where the flagbearers wife, Mrs Rebecca Akufo Addo was formerly introduced to the First Lady.
The First Lady, particularly advised Mrs Akufo Addo to endeavour to stand firmly by her husband and help him take the right decisions that would be in the interest of the nation.
This she said would bring her views at par with that of her husband when he is elected in the December 2008 elections to serve as the president of the country.
The First Lady also called on her to always consult her husband on issues before coming out in public when she becomes the First Lady.
Mrs Kufuor further called on the aspiring first lady to ensure that she consulted more with her peers on national issues to move issues concerning women forward.
Broad range of national issues were discussed ranging from politics, to the economy, social, sanitation and education.
She pledged her support to the cause of the ladies and further advised that they should not see themselves as competing with each other but rather should work together as a team for the good of their party.
Mrs Owusu-Agyeman who was the spokesperson for the group thanked the First lady for her cordial reception.
She said the meeting with the First Lady was their maiden one and would be meeting other women groups and men across the country to discuss the interest of the nation.
The aspiring First Lady commended Mrs Kufuor on her achievements so far and resolved to work harder to advance the cause of women in the country.
61 trained in peri-operative nursing
Pg 15. Wed. April 09/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
SIXTY-ONE nurses from across the country are undergoing a specialised training aimed at upgrading their skills.
The three-day seminar is organised by the School of Peri-operative and Critical Care Nursing at Korle-Bu in Accra with resource persons from the Friends of African Nursing (FoAN), a UK-based nursing association.
Peri-operative nursing is a specialised field of nursing that takes care of patients before, during and after surgery. They work in surgical departments of hospitals, ambulatory surgery units, clinics and physicians’ offices and work closely with the surgical patient, family members and health-care professionals to help plan, implement and evaluate treatment.
The Minister of Health, Major Courage Quashigah (retd), who opened the seminar in Accra, said the work of the peri-operative nurse was unique and strategic for the advancement of surgery and critical care in the country.
“Unfortunately, our major concerns in public health have been of such dimensions that we have not always been able or willing to accord surgical care its eminent and rightful place in the planning and implementation of health sector programmes,” he said.
“I am afraid with the new health policy, this perception will carry on for some time. This is because the overwhelming challenge to the health of this nation has to be confronted through proper sanitation, nutrition and a change in lifestyle of the wider population,” he added.
The peri-operative nurse, according to the minister, has to be able to implement nursing actions to ensure and maintain a safe environment for the patient, as well as demonstrate the proper use of all operation room equipment and so commended the school for the programme.
He said one of the major strategies of the five-year programme of work in the health sector was to rehabilitate the infrastructure of teaching and regional hospitals, as well as institute formal and in-service training schemes for both clinical and management staff.
A co-founder of FoAN, Mrs Lesley Fudge, who gave an overview of the seminar, said it was aimed at keeping peri-operative nurses abreast of international practice.
Mrs Fudge mentioned topics to be treated to include the operating theatre environment, conflict management, personal development, clinical issues, legal background and risk management of patients.
The President of the Ghana Registered Nurses Association, Mrs Alice Darkoa Asare Allotey, called for a system of cross-professionalism in the health sector so that nurses could be trained to perform some functions of the doctor to help ease the workload of doctors.
A lecturer at the School of Peri-operative and Critical Nursing, Prof. Edward D. Yeboah, who chaired the programme, stressed the need for more specialised nurses.
The head of the Peri-operative school, Mr Kwaku Asante-Krobea, said the school had trained 408 specialised nurses since the school was established 11 years ago and called for more permanent infrastructure to facilitate its work.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
SIXTY-ONE nurses from across the country are undergoing a specialised training aimed at upgrading their skills.
The three-day seminar is organised by the School of Peri-operative and Critical Care Nursing at Korle-Bu in Accra with resource persons from the Friends of African Nursing (FoAN), a UK-based nursing association.
Peri-operative nursing is a specialised field of nursing that takes care of patients before, during and after surgery. They work in surgical departments of hospitals, ambulatory surgery units, clinics and physicians’ offices and work closely with the surgical patient, family members and health-care professionals to help plan, implement and evaluate treatment.
The Minister of Health, Major Courage Quashigah (retd), who opened the seminar in Accra, said the work of the peri-operative nurse was unique and strategic for the advancement of surgery and critical care in the country.
“Unfortunately, our major concerns in public health have been of such dimensions that we have not always been able or willing to accord surgical care its eminent and rightful place in the planning and implementation of health sector programmes,” he said.
“I am afraid with the new health policy, this perception will carry on for some time. This is because the overwhelming challenge to the health of this nation has to be confronted through proper sanitation, nutrition and a change in lifestyle of the wider population,” he added.
The peri-operative nurse, according to the minister, has to be able to implement nursing actions to ensure and maintain a safe environment for the patient, as well as demonstrate the proper use of all operation room equipment and so commended the school for the programme.
He said one of the major strategies of the five-year programme of work in the health sector was to rehabilitate the infrastructure of teaching and regional hospitals, as well as institute formal and in-service training schemes for both clinical and management staff.
A co-founder of FoAN, Mrs Lesley Fudge, who gave an overview of the seminar, said it was aimed at keeping peri-operative nurses abreast of international practice.
Mrs Fudge mentioned topics to be treated to include the operating theatre environment, conflict management, personal development, clinical issues, legal background and risk management of patients.
The President of the Ghana Registered Nurses Association, Mrs Alice Darkoa Asare Allotey, called for a system of cross-professionalism in the health sector so that nurses could be trained to perform some functions of the doctor to help ease the workload of doctors.
A lecturer at the School of Peri-operative and Critical Nursing, Prof. Edward D. Yeboah, who chaired the programme, stressed the need for more specialised nurses.
The head of the Peri-operative school, Mr Kwaku Asante-Krobea, said the school had trained 408 specialised nurses since the school was established 11 years ago and called for more permanent infrastructure to facilitate its work.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
‘Let’s check sexual harassment in schools’
Pg 11. Tues. April 1/08
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
A United States (US) barrister on a visit to the Valley View University at Oyibi, near Accra, has stressed the need for policies to be put in place to check sexual harassment in educational institutions.
“Institutions and employers should have a written policy on sexual harassment that defines the behaviour of harassers and offers remedies to victims”.
The barrister, Mr James C. Lee, made the statement at a lecture as part of the school’s activities on ‘Preventing sexual harassment’.
He said identifying sexual harassment and knowing how to respond to it was an important step in protecting lives on campus.
Mr Lee said sexual harassment included unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature which had the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s employment or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working or educational environment.
He also mentioned undesired physical contact, such as brushing someone, adding that while normally the creation of ‘hostile environment’ occurred over an extended period , a one-time occurrence, if severe, could be disturbing.
He said sexual harassment in schools also took the form where students were asked to respond sexually with the direct or indirect implication that his or her academic work would improve if they complied with the request.
Mr Lee said the person engaged in the harassing behaviour was often in a position of power, influence or authority over the individual toward whom the conduct was directed, adding that the behaviour was usually unwanted or unwelcome.
He said harassers were often respected, talented and well-liked and their behaviours could range from lewd remarks or jokes of a sexual nature to stalking and sexual assault.
He, therefore, called on the authorities of the university to bring the issue of sexual harassment to a halt by ensuring that students were adequately protected, as well as made aware of their rights.
He said “sexual harassment has no place in an educational setting devoted to the spiritual, intellectual, physical and psychological development of the people”.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
A United States (US) barrister on a visit to the Valley View University at Oyibi, near Accra, has stressed the need for policies to be put in place to check sexual harassment in educational institutions.
“Institutions and employers should have a written policy on sexual harassment that defines the behaviour of harassers and offers remedies to victims”.
The barrister, Mr James C. Lee, made the statement at a lecture as part of the school’s activities on ‘Preventing sexual harassment’.
He said identifying sexual harassment and knowing how to respond to it was an important step in protecting lives on campus.
Mr Lee said sexual harassment included unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature which had the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s employment or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working or educational environment.
He also mentioned undesired physical contact, such as brushing someone, adding that while normally the creation of ‘hostile environment’ occurred over an extended period , a one-time occurrence, if severe, could be disturbing.
He said sexual harassment in schools also took the form where students were asked to respond sexually with the direct or indirect implication that his or her academic work would improve if they complied with the request.
Mr Lee said the person engaged in the harassing behaviour was often in a position of power, influence or authority over the individual toward whom the conduct was directed, adding that the behaviour was usually unwanted or unwelcome.
He said harassers were often respected, talented and well-liked and their behaviours could range from lewd remarks or jokes of a sexual nature to stalking and sexual assault.
He, therefore, called on the authorities of the university to bring the issue of sexual harassment to a halt by ensuring that students were adequately protected, as well as made aware of their rights.
He said “sexual harassment has no place in an educational setting devoted to the spiritual, intellectual, physical and psychological development of the people”.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)