Daily Graphic, Pg 11, Friday, January 29/10
Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
TWENTY post-graduate students from the Bakkie Graduate University (BGU), Seattle, in the United States of America (USA) are in the country to understudy how the work of government and non-governmental agencies impact on the lives of the deprived.
The students who are being hosted by the Ghana Christian University College (GCUC) are made up of businessmen, lawyers, social workers and industrialists whose aim is to learn at first-hand some success stories of urban ministry which is made up of government and non-governmental organisations.
The Director of the GCUC, Dr Manuel Budu Adjei said the students who were nationals from various countries including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Niger, Tanzania, China and the USA were the second to visit the country as part of a yearly programme which the two universities were embarking on.
The GCUC is an accredited university college which was founded in 1966 and runs two major programmes in the areas of theology and community development.
The BGU on the other hand is a member of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) having been awarded Reaffirmed Status as Category III and IV Institutions by the TRACS Accreditation Commission in 2005.
It seeks to strengthen leaders who mobilise resources for vulnerable people by means of contextual, Christian-based education innovatively delivered throughout the urban world.
As part of their programme, the group visited financial institutions, churches and business organisations, as well as slums in Accra to explore ways of transferring some of the positive impacts of the work of urban ministry on the marginalised in society.
According to Dr Adjei the objective of the visit was for the students to learn at first hand what the urban ministry was doing to reach out to the marginalised in society.
He said the two universities were also exploring ways of engaging in exchange programmes where students from the GCUC would also visit the BGU to learn good practices of the BGU.
The Director of Institutional Advancement, GCUC, Dr Johnson Asibuo said the visit would benefit the GCUC and the nation as a whole as most of the students who were business owners and industrialists would explore ways of coming to do business in the country in the near future.
On completion of their educational programme, he said the students would come out with dissertations which would enable people in other parts of the world to read about Accra.
The Registrar and Director of Academic Affairs of the BGU, Dr Judy Melton noted that the visit would help the students to be better equipped in their urban ministry to serve their communities better.
And also to be transformational leaders in their lives, ministry and community to become agents of change to better the lot of the deprived in urban societies.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Earthquake-All that you must know
Daily Graphic (Special Feature), Sat. January 23, 2010
Article by Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
"Today's night 12:30 to 3:30 am, COSMIC RAYS entering Earth from Mars. Switch off your mobiles today's night. NASA BBC news, plz pass to all your friends." A harmless text message, perhaps unintended but interpreted wrongly.
Many Ghanaians on the dawn of Monday, January 18, 2010 sat on tenterhooks as they awaited for an earthquake to rock their homes. Their fears confirmed a Biblical saying that “for lack of knowledge my people perish”.
According to geological experts, not even countries in the advanced world with their sophisticated machines are able to determine exactly when an earthquake will occur in a particular place. Earthquakes, they say, are unpredictable. However a text message from a mobile phone and an unknown source was able to keep almost the whole country awake till morning when the rumours were dispelled by the experts. It may be that the recent Haiti disaster and other historical records and repeated tremors experienced in Accra and its environs heightened the fear of the occurrence of a damaging earthquake in the country.
Earthquakes in Ghana
A study in 1986 on the history of earthquakes in West Africa showed that Accra was the most seismically active area in the region.
According to Dr Paulina Ekua Amponsah, Geological Survey Department (GSD), a recent review of geological and instrumental recordings in 2002 shows that earthquakes have occurred in the past and are still likely to occur within the vicinity of the intersection of the Akwapim Fault Zone and the Coastal Boundary Fault.
There have been damaging earthquakes in 1615, 1636, 1862, 1906 and 1939. The 1615 earthquake destroyed what was then known as Takoradi and the fortress of Sao Jorge at Elmina.
In 1636, an earthquake occurred in Axim in the Western Region and the whole of East Nzema was badly shaken. It caused a widespread collapse of buildings in that area. A gold mine in Aboasi, northeast of Axim was reported to have collapsed, burying many of the miners.
In 1862 a very strong earthquake struck Accra and caused considerable damage to many important structures. The Osu Castle, some forts and all stone buildings were rendered uninhabitable. Three people were killed in that earthquake. The shock accompanying the earthquake was felt along the coast east of Togo and in Benin.
Two severe shock waves were felt in Eastern Ghana and Togo at about 9:00 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. on November 20, 1906. It was estimated at 6.2 on the Ritcher Scale. Many buildings were greatly affected by this event; some had cracks and others were partly destroyed. No casualties were reported for this event. It was also experienced by people in Togo and Benin and during the same month several minor shocks lasting three weeks were felt.
On February 11, 1907 a fairly strong tremor was felt in Accra and Lome. An earthquake located in the sea and accompanied by tidal waves destroyed the wharf at Lome in Togo on May 11, 1911. The same day at 3:21 p.m., an earthquake was felt in Accra but it did not cause any damage.
The most destructive earthquake in Ghana that caused a lot of damage and loss of life and property occurred on June 22, 1939. That earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.5, occurred at about 7:20 p.m. and was lasted between 20 and 30 seconds. The intensity of the shock was greatest in James Town, a suburb of Accra. Seventeen people were killed, 133 injured and property worth £1 million in those days was destroyed.
Presently, no law exists in the country that makes geological survey a requirement before one puts up structures, thereby making the housing sector vulnerable in the event of a high-magnitude earthquake.
Microseismic studies in the country indicate that the seismic activity is associated with active faulting, particularly near the intersection of the two major fault zones; the Coastal Boundary Fault and Akwapim Fault Zone. Most of the earthquakes are said to have had their epicentres near the junction of these faults. The epicentres are related to the level of activity of these faults. It is, therefore, not recommended that any infrastructure be located near them.
Earthquake prone zones
Weija, Accra, Ho, Axim, Elmina and Cape Coast have been mentioned as some of the earthquake-prone areas and it is estimated that any location within a 50-kilometre radius of these areas are earthquake-prone.
Weija and McCarthy Hill in the Greater Accra Region, Gomoa Nyanyano near Kasoa in the Central Region, Ho in the Volta Region and Akosombo in the Eastern Region have been declared Ghana’s earthquake epicentres.
Also low-lying areas, reclaimed lands and hills are said to be at risk and the southern part of the country, according to a geologist with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Philip Yaw Oduro Amoako, should always prepare against an imminent earthquake which could happen any time, but nobody can tell the exact day and time one can happen.
Earthquake and earth tremors
Although many people know about these two, most of them do not know the difference. Experts say if the measurement is between one and 4.9 on the Richter Scale, it is known as a tremor and from five to 10 is an earthquake.
The country experienced earth tremors in 1997 and 2003 with the most recent being in 2005.
The 1997 tremors were felt in all the regional capitals and it occurred on January 8, February 14 and March 6, 1997.
Historical earthquakes of magnitude greater than 6.0 and current local tremors with magnitudes ranging from 1.0 to 4.8 on the Richter Scale have been recorded since the establishment of a seismograph station in the country.
Instrumental recording of earthquakes in Ghana began in 1914 when the colonial government installed a Milne’s single-boom seismograph in the country. It operated until 1933 when it ceased recording due to financial constraints. Several minor shocks were said to have been recorded during the period when the seismograph was in operation.
In March 1973, a seismograph observatory equipped with a world-wide Standard Seismograph Network (WWSSN) system was established at Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region. It operated continuously until October 1974 and then intermittently until continuous recording began again in 1977. At present, a nine-station radio telemetric network analogue recording system with a central recording station at the GSD in Accra is said to have broken down.
How prepared are we as a country?
The analogue seismograph, an instrument used in measuring the movement of the earth, which is the only one the country has, broke down two years ago but through the intervention of the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning on December 29, 2009 was asked to release an $3million which had been approved by the government for the purchase of a digital seismograph.
However, logistical constraints has over the years made it impossible for the GSD to identify earthquake-prone areas in the northern part of the country. Residents will, therefore, not know their fate.
The Director of GSD, Mr John Agyei Duodu, has stressed the need for the country to step up its preparedness in respect of the occurrence of an earthquake because earthquakes are unpredictable, hence the need to prepare by sensitisation and mass education on what to do before, during and after an earthquake.
He called for a step-up in the education on the measures needed to be taken in the event of an earthquake and the formation of voluntary groups to handle emergencies, among other things.
“People should know what to do before, during and after an earthquake”, he said.
Also according to experts, buildings that have unsupported arches are likely to collapse in the event of an earthquake but the current building regulations in Ghana do not take cognisance of seismic disasters.
Registration of SIM cards
A directive from the National Communications Authority indicated that from June 30, 2010 all new mobile SIM cards will have to be registered in the name of the user before they can be activated for use on any network. Existing subscribers will have a period of 18 months from the said date to submit to the new directive.
Although the directive is aimed at enhancing security and eliminating fraud and crime, it has not gone down well with many Ghanaians because of the involvement of the National Security.
The Monday, January 20, 2010 earthquake hoax originated from a mobile phone and the information was circulated across the country but till date no one knows where the message came from as the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) who were mentioned as the source have denied any knowledge of it.
Recently, a group of about 200 scientists and research officers of the International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and their Health in Developing Countries (INDEPTH) from across the world who went to Puni, India for their 10th annual general and scientific meeting were given only two registered SIM cards from India’s Ministry of Communication as the source of communication for the whole group.
Unlike how one can easily buy a SIM card on the street in this country, it is not easy to acquire a SIM card in India where you will have to write a letter of intent to the Ministry of Communications for them to consider the application before you are given one to use.
In other places one will have to produce an identity card such as passport before a SIM card is sold to one.
According to a Deputy Information Minister, Mr Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, the rumours of the impending earthquake reinforced the need for mobile phone operators to register SIM cards because if operators had records of all their customers, it would have been easy to trace the origin of the hoax earthquake message.
Article by Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
"Today's night 12:30 to 3:30 am, COSMIC RAYS entering Earth from Mars. Switch off your mobiles today's night. NASA BBC news, plz pass to all your friends." A harmless text message, perhaps unintended but interpreted wrongly.
Many Ghanaians on the dawn of Monday, January 18, 2010 sat on tenterhooks as they awaited for an earthquake to rock their homes. Their fears confirmed a Biblical saying that “for lack of knowledge my people perish”.
According to geological experts, not even countries in the advanced world with their sophisticated machines are able to determine exactly when an earthquake will occur in a particular place. Earthquakes, they say, are unpredictable. However a text message from a mobile phone and an unknown source was able to keep almost the whole country awake till morning when the rumours were dispelled by the experts. It may be that the recent Haiti disaster and other historical records and repeated tremors experienced in Accra and its environs heightened the fear of the occurrence of a damaging earthquake in the country.
Earthquakes in Ghana
A study in 1986 on the history of earthquakes in West Africa showed that Accra was the most seismically active area in the region.
According to Dr Paulina Ekua Amponsah, Geological Survey Department (GSD), a recent review of geological and instrumental recordings in 2002 shows that earthquakes have occurred in the past and are still likely to occur within the vicinity of the intersection of the Akwapim Fault Zone and the Coastal Boundary Fault.
There have been damaging earthquakes in 1615, 1636, 1862, 1906 and 1939. The 1615 earthquake destroyed what was then known as Takoradi and the fortress of Sao Jorge at Elmina.
In 1636, an earthquake occurred in Axim in the Western Region and the whole of East Nzema was badly shaken. It caused a widespread collapse of buildings in that area. A gold mine in Aboasi, northeast of Axim was reported to have collapsed, burying many of the miners.
In 1862 a very strong earthquake struck Accra and caused considerable damage to many important structures. The Osu Castle, some forts and all stone buildings were rendered uninhabitable. Three people were killed in that earthquake. The shock accompanying the earthquake was felt along the coast east of Togo and in Benin.
Two severe shock waves were felt in Eastern Ghana and Togo at about 9:00 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. on November 20, 1906. It was estimated at 6.2 on the Ritcher Scale. Many buildings were greatly affected by this event; some had cracks and others were partly destroyed. No casualties were reported for this event. It was also experienced by people in Togo and Benin and during the same month several minor shocks lasting three weeks were felt.
On February 11, 1907 a fairly strong tremor was felt in Accra and Lome. An earthquake located in the sea and accompanied by tidal waves destroyed the wharf at Lome in Togo on May 11, 1911. The same day at 3:21 p.m., an earthquake was felt in Accra but it did not cause any damage.
The most destructive earthquake in Ghana that caused a lot of damage and loss of life and property occurred on June 22, 1939. That earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.5, occurred at about 7:20 p.m. and was lasted between 20 and 30 seconds. The intensity of the shock was greatest in James Town, a suburb of Accra. Seventeen people were killed, 133 injured and property worth £1 million in those days was destroyed.
Presently, no law exists in the country that makes geological survey a requirement before one puts up structures, thereby making the housing sector vulnerable in the event of a high-magnitude earthquake.
Microseismic studies in the country indicate that the seismic activity is associated with active faulting, particularly near the intersection of the two major fault zones; the Coastal Boundary Fault and Akwapim Fault Zone. Most of the earthquakes are said to have had their epicentres near the junction of these faults. The epicentres are related to the level of activity of these faults. It is, therefore, not recommended that any infrastructure be located near them.
Earthquake prone zones
Weija, Accra, Ho, Axim, Elmina and Cape Coast have been mentioned as some of the earthquake-prone areas and it is estimated that any location within a 50-kilometre radius of these areas are earthquake-prone.
Weija and McCarthy Hill in the Greater Accra Region, Gomoa Nyanyano near Kasoa in the Central Region, Ho in the Volta Region and Akosombo in the Eastern Region have been declared Ghana’s earthquake epicentres.
Also low-lying areas, reclaimed lands and hills are said to be at risk and the southern part of the country, according to a geologist with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Philip Yaw Oduro Amoako, should always prepare against an imminent earthquake which could happen any time, but nobody can tell the exact day and time one can happen.
Earthquake and earth tremors
Although many people know about these two, most of them do not know the difference. Experts say if the measurement is between one and 4.9 on the Richter Scale, it is known as a tremor and from five to 10 is an earthquake.
The country experienced earth tremors in 1997 and 2003 with the most recent being in 2005.
The 1997 tremors were felt in all the regional capitals and it occurred on January 8, February 14 and March 6, 1997.
Historical earthquakes of magnitude greater than 6.0 and current local tremors with magnitudes ranging from 1.0 to 4.8 on the Richter Scale have been recorded since the establishment of a seismograph station in the country.
Instrumental recording of earthquakes in Ghana began in 1914 when the colonial government installed a Milne’s single-boom seismograph in the country. It operated until 1933 when it ceased recording due to financial constraints. Several minor shocks were said to have been recorded during the period when the seismograph was in operation.
In March 1973, a seismograph observatory equipped with a world-wide Standard Seismograph Network (WWSSN) system was established at Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region. It operated continuously until October 1974 and then intermittently until continuous recording began again in 1977. At present, a nine-station radio telemetric network analogue recording system with a central recording station at the GSD in Accra is said to have broken down.
How prepared are we as a country?
The analogue seismograph, an instrument used in measuring the movement of the earth, which is the only one the country has, broke down two years ago but through the intervention of the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning on December 29, 2009 was asked to release an $3million which had been approved by the government for the purchase of a digital seismograph.
However, logistical constraints has over the years made it impossible for the GSD to identify earthquake-prone areas in the northern part of the country. Residents will, therefore, not know their fate.
The Director of GSD, Mr John Agyei Duodu, has stressed the need for the country to step up its preparedness in respect of the occurrence of an earthquake because earthquakes are unpredictable, hence the need to prepare by sensitisation and mass education on what to do before, during and after an earthquake.
He called for a step-up in the education on the measures needed to be taken in the event of an earthquake and the formation of voluntary groups to handle emergencies, among other things.
“People should know what to do before, during and after an earthquake”, he said.
Also according to experts, buildings that have unsupported arches are likely to collapse in the event of an earthquake but the current building regulations in Ghana do not take cognisance of seismic disasters.
Registration of SIM cards
A directive from the National Communications Authority indicated that from June 30, 2010 all new mobile SIM cards will have to be registered in the name of the user before they can be activated for use on any network. Existing subscribers will have a period of 18 months from the said date to submit to the new directive.
Although the directive is aimed at enhancing security and eliminating fraud and crime, it has not gone down well with many Ghanaians because of the involvement of the National Security.
The Monday, January 20, 2010 earthquake hoax originated from a mobile phone and the information was circulated across the country but till date no one knows where the message came from as the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) who were mentioned as the source have denied any knowledge of it.
Recently, a group of about 200 scientists and research officers of the International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and their Health in Developing Countries (INDEPTH) from across the world who went to Puni, India for their 10th annual general and scientific meeting were given only two registered SIM cards from India’s Ministry of Communication as the source of communication for the whole group.
Unlike how one can easily buy a SIM card on the street in this country, it is not easy to acquire a SIM card in India where you will have to write a letter of intent to the Ministry of Communications for them to consider the application before you are given one to use.
In other places one will have to produce an identity card such as passport before a SIM card is sold to one.
According to a Deputy Information Minister, Mr Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, the rumours of the impending earthquake reinforced the need for mobile phone operators to register SIM cards because if operators had records of all their customers, it would have been easy to trace the origin of the hoax earthquake message.
Workshop on anti-malarial drugs
Daily Graphic, Pg 14. Friday, January 22, 2010
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
THE Dodowa Health Research Centre (DHRC) in the Dangme West District in the Greater Accra Region has identified 53 chemical shops in the district where a safety and efficacy study on antimalarial drugs sold to patients is to be undertaken.
The study is being replicated in the Kintampo and Navrongo Health Research centres and is being sponsored by the International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and their Health in Developing Countries (INDEPTH).
Dubbed: “INDEPTH Effectiveness and Safety Studies of Antimalarials in Africa (INESS),” the study is aimed at identifying the authenticity and effectiveness of antimalarial drugs that are being sold out to people to ensure that fake or unwholesome drugs are weeded out of the districts.
The Director of the DHRC, Mrs Margaret Gyapong, made this known to a group of journalists at Dodowa during a day’s training workshop on antimalarials organised by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN).
The INESS project, which is currently being replicated in Tanzania and will also be undertaken in Mozambique and Burkina Faso later, is aimed at providing national, regional and international health decision makers with independent and objective evidence on the safety and effectiveness of new antimalarial drugs as a basis for evolving a malarial treatment policy.
Giving a background to the implementation of the project, Mrs Gyapong said the project was in fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which included the development of new tools and evaluation of the effectiveness of both existing and new tools in specific health system settings.
According to her, Phases I, II and III randomised, controlled, clinical trials on new drugs were well supported and established the initial safety and efficacy of such new products.
Mrs Gyapong said, however, that large scale Phase IV studies in African health systems to determine effectiveness and rare adverse events through real-life systems were a missing piece in the drug development pipeline.
She said the INESS project would, therefore, develop and maintain a Phase IV Effectiveness Studies Consortium in Africa, as well as assess the effectiveness and safety of new malarial treatment and its determinants in real life in Africa.
The study, she said, would test the effectiveness of Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) such as Artemether-lumefrantine, Artesunate + amodiaquine, Artesunate + mefloquine, and Artesunate + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine proven to be efficacious and safe for large scale use in routine health systems using eight District Surveillance Survey (DSS) sites in four countries in Africa with continuous demographic surveillance for monitoring of outcomes.
The district-wide implementation project, Mrs Gyapong said, would cover more than two million population in the implementation countries and would link health facility data to population-based data of DSS.
She said the team had so far visited 856 households out of which 727 had been asked questions on fevers and 165 cases recorded.
Story: Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
THE Dodowa Health Research Centre (DHRC) in the Dangme West District in the Greater Accra Region has identified 53 chemical shops in the district where a safety and efficacy study on antimalarial drugs sold to patients is to be undertaken.
The study is being replicated in the Kintampo and Navrongo Health Research centres and is being sponsored by the International Network for the Demographic Evaluation of Populations and their Health in Developing Countries (INDEPTH).
Dubbed: “INDEPTH Effectiveness and Safety Studies of Antimalarials in Africa (INESS),” the study is aimed at identifying the authenticity and effectiveness of antimalarial drugs that are being sold out to people to ensure that fake or unwholesome drugs are weeded out of the districts.
The Director of the DHRC, Mrs Margaret Gyapong, made this known to a group of journalists at Dodowa during a day’s training workshop on antimalarials organised by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN).
The INESS project, which is currently being replicated in Tanzania and will also be undertaken in Mozambique and Burkina Faso later, is aimed at providing national, regional and international health decision makers with independent and objective evidence on the safety and effectiveness of new antimalarial drugs as a basis for evolving a malarial treatment policy.
Giving a background to the implementation of the project, Mrs Gyapong said the project was in fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which included the development of new tools and evaluation of the effectiveness of both existing and new tools in specific health system settings.
According to her, Phases I, II and III randomised, controlled, clinical trials on new drugs were well supported and established the initial safety and efficacy of such new products.
Mrs Gyapong said, however, that large scale Phase IV studies in African health systems to determine effectiveness and rare adverse events through real-life systems were a missing piece in the drug development pipeline.
She said the INESS project would, therefore, develop and maintain a Phase IV Effectiveness Studies Consortium in Africa, as well as assess the effectiveness and safety of new malarial treatment and its determinants in real life in Africa.
The study, she said, would test the effectiveness of Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) such as Artemether-lumefrantine, Artesunate + amodiaquine, Artesunate + mefloquine, and Artesunate + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine proven to be efficacious and safe for large scale use in routine health systems using eight District Surveillance Survey (DSS) sites in four countries in Africa with continuous demographic surveillance for monitoring of outcomes.
The district-wide implementation project, Mrs Gyapong said, would cover more than two million population in the implementation countries and would link health facility data to population-based data of DSS.
She said the team had so far visited 856 households out of which 727 had been asked questions on fevers and 165 cases recorded.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Training programme on biometric passports ends
Daily Graphic. Pg 20, Monday, January 18/10
Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
A Day's training programme has been organised by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), to educate its regional information officers and commanders on the introduction of the biometric passports next month.
The biometric passports, to be launched on February 3, 2010, will replace the old Machine Readable Passport (MRP) system that was introduced in the country 12 years ago.
Addressing the opening session, Director of Passports, Ms Afua Benneh, said the new passport regime was in compliance with a directive by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for member countries to phase out the use of the MRP by 2015.
The new passport, which will incorporate features such as a watermark paper, holographic foil, invisible and visible features and digital photographs, according to her, has “built-in efficient processing and issuance mechanisms designed to eliminate present frustrations caused by delays and middlemen.
Ms Benneh, however could not give the fees for the acquisition of the new passport, since, according to her, the fees for the new passport, expected to be more expensive than the present one, would need parliamentary approval.
The acting Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and Regional Integration (MFA&RI), Mr Lawrence Satuah, called for collaboration from all sectors of the economy to ensure that the new system took off effectively.
He said so far only Accra had been equipped with facilities to issue the new passport, adding that two other centres would be opened in other areas in Accra before similar facilities would established in the regions.
He appealed to prospective applicants to bear with them at this trying moment, saying that the system would be improved to make it more accessible.
A Deputy Director in charge of Operations, GIS, Mr Moses Gyamfi, in an address, called for serious commitment on the part of the regional officers to ensure that the new system took off smoothly.
He called on the officers to package the information that they would receive at the training in a way that people in their respective areas would understand it.
Giving an overview of the implementation of the new system, Mr Martin Quarshie, Deputy Director of Passports, MFA&RI, said the passport would help to guard against foreign nationals acquiring Ghanaian passports and also check against identity fraud and other malfeasance in the acquisition of passport in the country.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
A Day's training programme has been organised by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), to educate its regional information officers and commanders on the introduction of the biometric passports next month.
The biometric passports, to be launched on February 3, 2010, will replace the old Machine Readable Passport (MRP) system that was introduced in the country 12 years ago.
Addressing the opening session, Director of Passports, Ms Afua Benneh, said the new passport regime was in compliance with a directive by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for member countries to phase out the use of the MRP by 2015.
The new passport, which will incorporate features such as a watermark paper, holographic foil, invisible and visible features and digital photographs, according to her, has “built-in efficient processing and issuance mechanisms designed to eliminate present frustrations caused by delays and middlemen.
Ms Benneh, however could not give the fees for the acquisition of the new passport, since, according to her, the fees for the new passport, expected to be more expensive than the present one, would need parliamentary approval.
The acting Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and Regional Integration (MFA&RI), Mr Lawrence Satuah, called for collaboration from all sectors of the economy to ensure that the new system took off effectively.
He said so far only Accra had been equipped with facilities to issue the new passport, adding that two other centres would be opened in other areas in Accra before similar facilities would established in the regions.
He appealed to prospective applicants to bear with them at this trying moment, saying that the system would be improved to make it more accessible.
A Deputy Director in charge of Operations, GIS, Mr Moses Gyamfi, in an address, called for serious commitment on the part of the regional officers to ensure that the new system took off smoothly.
He called on the officers to package the information that they would receive at the training in a way that people in their respective areas would understand it.
Giving an overview of the implementation of the new system, Mr Martin Quarshie, Deputy Director of Passports, MFA&RI, said the passport would help to guard against foreign nationals acquiring Ghanaian passports and also check against identity fraud and other malfeasance in the acquisition of passport in the country.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Foundation fetes deprived children
Daily Graphic, Pg 11. Thurs. Jan 14/10
Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
OVER 200 deprived children residing in Agbogbloshie, a slum in Accra have been feted to food and drinks by the New Generation for Africa Foundation (NGAF), a non-governmental organisation based in Accra.
The programme organised for children whose parents are mostly head porters (Kayayei), was to make the children happy .
According to the Executive Director, Mrs Susanna A. Mahama, NGAF worked towards empowering children, women, families and other deprived members in the communities through integrated development programmes to add meaning and value to the lives of all children, through counselling, advocacy and service delivery.
The organisation also aims at improving the lives of children by collaborating with schools, parents, the community, civil society organisations, government agencies and the donor community.
She said although NGAF was not a religious-based organisation, it collaborated with some religious organisations to run a moral and preventive educational programme for children both in and out of school, including street children.
“Our vision is to ensure that, the rights of all Ghanaian children are respected by the society and to build a healthy and poverty- free Society in Ghana”, Mrs Mahama added.
She said a research conducted by NGAF last year, showed that mothers of the beneficiary children worked throughout the year , yet they found it difficult to make ends meet and acquire the basic necessities in life, namely, food clothing and shelter.
She said these children were growing up in an unfriendly environment where their rights were denied stressing that it behoved all Ghanaians to ensure that such children were given the needed care and support which would help their future.
She observed that children’s rights had not received enough attention, nor given enough priority in the country, and that she said made it very difficult to solicit funds to organise such activities for children whose parents coul not cater for them adequately.
A member of NGAF, Mrs Marylyn Amponsah Annan said the organisation would not stop at only organising parties for the children but would also empower their mothers so that they would be able to provide them with their basic needs as well as educate them.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
OVER 200 deprived children residing in Agbogbloshie, a slum in Accra have been feted to food and drinks by the New Generation for Africa Foundation (NGAF), a non-governmental organisation based in Accra.
The programme organised for children whose parents are mostly head porters (Kayayei), was to make the children happy .
According to the Executive Director, Mrs Susanna A. Mahama, NGAF worked towards empowering children, women, families and other deprived members in the communities through integrated development programmes to add meaning and value to the lives of all children, through counselling, advocacy and service delivery.
The organisation also aims at improving the lives of children by collaborating with schools, parents, the community, civil society organisations, government agencies and the donor community.
She said although NGAF was not a religious-based organisation, it collaborated with some religious organisations to run a moral and preventive educational programme for children both in and out of school, including street children.
“Our vision is to ensure that, the rights of all Ghanaian children are respected by the society and to build a healthy and poverty- free Society in Ghana”, Mrs Mahama added.
She said a research conducted by NGAF last year, showed that mothers of the beneficiary children worked throughout the year , yet they found it difficult to make ends meet and acquire the basic necessities in life, namely, food clothing and shelter.
She said these children were growing up in an unfriendly environment where their rights were denied stressing that it behoved all Ghanaians to ensure that such children were given the needed care and support which would help their future.
She observed that children’s rights had not received enough attention, nor given enough priority in the country, and that she said made it very difficult to solicit funds to organise such activities for children whose parents coul not cater for them adequately.
A member of NGAF, Mrs Marylyn Amponsah Annan said the organisation would not stop at only organising parties for the children but would also empower their mothers so that they would be able to provide them with their basic needs as well as educate them.
NYEP to absorb 30,000 into formal employment
Daily Graphic (spread), Tues, Jan. 12/10
Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho & Matilda Attram
THE National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) is implementing an exit plan to absorb more than 30,000 youths who are currently on the programme into formal employment.
The exit plan is to make room for a new set of youths to be employed under the programme, while the old set will be absorbed by their current employers or made to enter into a trading or vocational skills training to be introduced by the programme.
The National Co-ordinator of the NYEP, Mr Abuga Pele, who made this known at a press briefing in Accra yesterday, said a bill, the National Youth Employment Bill, would be laid before Parliament this year to help facilitate the activities of the programme.
The NYEP was introduced in the country by the former government in 2007 as a stop-gap measure to create employment for the youth and it is being financed with funds from the GETFund, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Road Fund, the Communication Talk Time Tax and the District Assemblies Common Fund.
Mr Pele said under the exit plan, institutions such as the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Police Service and the Ministry of Education would provide top-up training programmes for personnel under their outfits so that they could be formally absorbed into the various professions.
Also, the NYEP would liaise with private security agencies so that personnel who were under the Community Police Programme but were not enlisted into the Police Service would be employed to ensure that they did not become a threat to society, he said.
According to him, personnel who had not been employed formally would be encouraged to enter into trading and vocational skills training that would help them to be self-employed.
He said although the exit plan was yet to be implemented, all personnel who had been under the programme for the past two years were expected to end their tenure last December.
On the issue of arrears owed personnel of the NYEP, Mr Pele said arrears for October 2009 would to be paid this week, while those of November and December 2009 would be paid by the end of January this year.
He, however, cautioned that those who had already exited from the programme but were still drawing salaries from it should desist from that act, since any such person found out would be dealt with according to law.
He stated that the NYEP did not have any hand in the removal of some personnel from their stations and called on regional and district co-ordinators to reinstate such personnel till they were recalled.
Mr Pele called on the public to stop reading partisan politics into the programme, saying “that will not augur well for the whole country”.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho & Matilda Attram
THE National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) is implementing an exit plan to absorb more than 30,000 youths who are currently on the programme into formal employment.
The exit plan is to make room for a new set of youths to be employed under the programme, while the old set will be absorbed by their current employers or made to enter into a trading or vocational skills training to be introduced by the programme.
The National Co-ordinator of the NYEP, Mr Abuga Pele, who made this known at a press briefing in Accra yesterday, said a bill, the National Youth Employment Bill, would be laid before Parliament this year to help facilitate the activities of the programme.
The NYEP was introduced in the country by the former government in 2007 as a stop-gap measure to create employment for the youth and it is being financed with funds from the GETFund, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Road Fund, the Communication Talk Time Tax and the District Assemblies Common Fund.
Mr Pele said under the exit plan, institutions such as the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Police Service and the Ministry of Education would provide top-up training programmes for personnel under their outfits so that they could be formally absorbed into the various professions.
Also, the NYEP would liaise with private security agencies so that personnel who were under the Community Police Programme but were not enlisted into the Police Service would be employed to ensure that they did not become a threat to society, he said.
According to him, personnel who had not been employed formally would be encouraged to enter into trading and vocational skills training that would help them to be self-employed.
He said although the exit plan was yet to be implemented, all personnel who had been under the programme for the past two years were expected to end their tenure last December.
On the issue of arrears owed personnel of the NYEP, Mr Pele said arrears for October 2009 would to be paid this week, while those of November and December 2009 would be paid by the end of January this year.
He, however, cautioned that those who had already exited from the programme but were still drawing salaries from it should desist from that act, since any such person found out would be dealt with according to law.
He stated that the NYEP did not have any hand in the removal of some personnel from their stations and called on regional and district co-ordinators to reinstate such personnel till they were recalled.
Mr Pele called on the public to stop reading partisan politics into the programme, saying “that will not augur well for the whole country”.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
NYEP to absorb 30,000 into formal employment
Daily Graphic (spread), Tues. Jan. 12/10
Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho & Matilda Attram
THE National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) is implementing an exit plan to absorb more than 30,000 youths who are currently on the programme into formal employment.
The exit plan is to make room for a new set of youths to be employed under the programme, while the old set will be absorbed by their current employers or made to enter into a trading or vocational skills training to be introduced by the programme.
The National Co-ordinator of the NYEP, Mr Abuga Pele, who made this known at a press briefing in Accra yesterday, said a bill, the National Youth Employment Bill, would be laid before Parliament this year to help facilitate the activities of the programme.
The NYEP was introduced in the country by the former government in 2007 as a stop-gap measure to create employment for the youth and it is being financed with funds from the GETFund, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Road Fund, the Communication Talk Time Tax and the District Assemblies Common Fund.
Mr Pele said under the exit plan, institutions such as the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Police Service and the Ministry of Education would provide top-up training programmes for personnel under their outfits so that they could be formally absorbed into the various professions.
Also, the NYEP would liaise with private security agencies so that personnel who were under the Community Police Programme but were not enlisted into the Police Service would be employed to ensure that they did not become a threat to society, he said.
According to him, personnel who had not been employed formally would be encouraged to enter into trading and vocational skills training that would help them to be self-employed.
He said although the exit plan was yet to be implemented, all personnel who had been under the programme for the past two years were expected to end their tenure last December.
On the issue of arrears owed personnel of the NYEP, Mr Pele said arrears for October 2009 would to be paid this week, while those of November and December 2009 would be paid by the end of January this year.
He, however, cautioned that those who had already exited from the programme but were still drawing salaries from it should desist from that act, since any such person found out would be dealt with according to law.
He stated that the NYEP did not have any hand in the removal of some personnel from their stations and called on regional and district co-ordinators to reinstate such personnel till they were recalled.
Mr Pele called on the public to stop reading partisan politics into the programme, saying “that will not augur well for the whole country”.
Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho & Matilda Attram
THE National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) is implementing an exit plan to absorb more than 30,000 youths who are currently on the programme into formal employment.
The exit plan is to make room for a new set of youths to be employed under the programme, while the old set will be absorbed by their current employers or made to enter into a trading or vocational skills training to be introduced by the programme.
The National Co-ordinator of the NYEP, Mr Abuga Pele, who made this known at a press briefing in Accra yesterday, said a bill, the National Youth Employment Bill, would be laid before Parliament this year to help facilitate the activities of the programme.
The NYEP was introduced in the country by the former government in 2007 as a stop-gap measure to create employment for the youth and it is being financed with funds from the GETFund, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Road Fund, the Communication Talk Time Tax and the District Assemblies Common Fund.
Mr Pele said under the exit plan, institutions such as the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Police Service and the Ministry of Education would provide top-up training programmes for personnel under their outfits so that they could be formally absorbed into the various professions.
Also, the NYEP would liaise with private security agencies so that personnel who were under the Community Police Programme but were not enlisted into the Police Service would be employed to ensure that they did not become a threat to society, he said.
According to him, personnel who had not been employed formally would be encouraged to enter into trading and vocational skills training that would help them to be self-employed.
He said although the exit plan was yet to be implemented, all personnel who had been under the programme for the past two years were expected to end their tenure last December.
On the issue of arrears owed personnel of the NYEP, Mr Pele said arrears for October 2009 would to be paid this week, while those of November and December 2009 would be paid by the end of January this year.
He, however, cautioned that those who had already exited from the programme but were still drawing salaries from it should desist from that act, since any such person found out would be dealt with according to law.
He stated that the NYEP did not have any hand in the removal of some personnel from their stations and called on regional and district co-ordinators to reinstate such personnel till they were recalled.
Mr Pele called on the public to stop reading partisan politics into the programme, saying “that will not augur well for the whole country”.
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