Chanta Fire:Mum Dies

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Wednesday,27 September,2006 (Front Page)

Felicia Duodo, the 30-year-old fishmonger, who together with her one-and-a half year old son sustained multiple burns when fire gutted their room at Chantan, a suburb of Accra on September 16, died last Saturday at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) where she had been on admission for a week.

The son, Augustine Tikwa, is however responding to treatment and hospital sources said he was expected to be discharged yesterday.

Felicia is the third member of the family to die after her husband, Kofi Tikwa, an auto sprayer, and their other son, seven-year old Ebenezer Tikwa died on the day of the incident.

The fire was said to have been caused by a lit candle placed close to the wooden structure that the family had used as accommodation for the past 10 years.

Personal belongings including a television set, sound system, two video decks, refrigerator, gas cylinder and cooking ware were among the debris of the completely burnt structure.

The source told Times that Augustine was getting well and would be discharged by the close of day but "he will be required to come for further check-ups and for the dressing of the wounds.

The source said that the discharge of the boy was upon the request of the relatives of the deceased mother who said they could not pay for the hospital bills.

Strange Image At Maamobi

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Tuesday, 26 September 2006 (Front Page)

ONE hundred and sixty days after the March 29 solar eclipse and four days after the annular eclipse, there was yet another phenomenon yesterday in Accra.

This time, it was at Maamobi, predominantly muslim suburb of Accra where a mysterious image allegedly appeared in a Mosque and three rooms in various houses.


Significantly, it was three days after the start of this year’s Ramadan by Muslims.

The alleged appearance of the mysterious golden image attracted hundreds of residents in and around Maamobi.

They thronged the area to catch a glimpse of the image believed to be similar to the holy cloth used to cover the ‘kaba’ (the most holy structure in muslim located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia towards which muslims face when praying).

The strange imageThe image which was allegedly sighted in a room in the area around 4.30 am with some Arabic writings could better be seen through louvre blades.

When the Times got to the various scenes around 10:30 am, one of the houses which reported the appearance allegedly lost it People from far and near, young and old, students and traders alike were seen struggling to peep through the windows of the various locations where the phenomenon reportedly appeared, as all the entrants to the rooms, including the mosque, were closed.

Salim Alhassan, an eye-witness, who allegedly witnessed the phenomenon in his father’s room, told the Times that he was in the room at about 4:30 am when his grandmother entered to serve his father a cup of tea, and upon seeing the image which had then started developing, she started screaming.

He said that upon questioning, she pointed to the image with some Arabic writings on it, adding that at first, it was not very visible but gradually became clear and visible.

He said information about the image spread very fast and people started thronging the area to view it.

The Imam of Eakaza Mosque, Dzazaudeen Abubakar, told the Times after watching the image at all the four location that the only difference between the phenomenon and what is in Mecca is that the one in Mecca is black in colour while what appeared at Maamobi was shiny.

Asked of its significance to Islam, he replied: "It makes us believe that Islam is a good religion on the earth".

A young lady, who gave her name only as Saddia, thinks the appearance of the image is a blessing from God, considering the fact that they are in the fasting period.

"It has strengthened my believe that Allah is great and is really there for us," she said.

Sheikh Shaibu Arimiyao, Greater Accra Regional Manager of the Islamic Education Unit, when contacted, said that even though he had not seen the image, the basis of people’s belief in it needed to be established.

He cautioned Muslims to exercise maximum restraint "in order not to be misled into a belief that is alien to Islam".

He said: "We in Islam do not believe that an object that is sacred and situated at a particular place (Mecca) can appear elsewhere" he added.

Sheikh Arimiyao noted that there were satanic forces that could deceive people into some imaginations, hence the need for the Muslim faithful to be cautious about the image.

When the Times contacted the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Nuhu Sharubutu, he said he had not heard about it and so could not comment on the matter.

Malaika 2006 Launched

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Saturday,23 September 2006 (Times Weekend)

The final 20 young ladies selected nationwide for the Miss Malaika 2006 crown will from next week in Accra undertake rigorous grooming and training to transform them for the contest.

This follows the launch of the event by the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relation, Mr. Joe Baidoo Ansah at Alisa Hotel in Accra on Tuesday evening.

The Miss Malaika Event is one of the prestigious pageants in the country which seeks to locate, groom, and present to the world a young, beautiful, intelligent, responsible and dedicated modern African woman.

The 20 young daring women were short listed from 50 ladies selected from the preliminary stage in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Cape Coast at the semi-final stage based on their physical presence, intellect and boldness.

The young ladies, who possess height, shape, intellegince, poise, elegance and style among others, would be in the house for five weeks where they would engage in many activities.

While in the house, the ladies would be filmed live for a Miss Maliaka Reality TV show which will make it possible for the public to first identify them and be part in making the Miss Malaika Queen by voting for their favourite through SMS.

Two out of the 20 ladies whose performance might not be impressive in the house will each week be evicted by viewers for the five consecutive weeks they would be in the Malaika Mansion.

For the first time in the history of pageant in Ghana, the final ten ladies would be taken on a fun-trip outside the country before they keenly compete for the coveted Malaika crown on November 4, 2006 at the posh Accra International Conference Centre, Accra.

“So as you can see, the stage is set for a brilliant and engaging show this year,” said Mrs.Theresah Ayaode, Executive Director of Charter House, organizers of the event, at the launch.

She said that for the past three years, the organizers of the pageant have engaged the nation in the search to locate budding young women who would not only experience a truly life changing event, but also contribute to society by undertaking a social work with the National Malaria Control Programme.

She urged the public to vote for their favourite queen when the series start showing on TV as they would also stand the chance of winning fantastic prizes.

To the 20 delegates, she said: “The Miss Malaika show is the best experience of your youth you can ever have. Seize the opportunity, have fun, learn lessons and use them to improve your life”.
The reigning Miss Malaika 2005 Queen, Patricia Akuamoah, said that the pageant should not only be termed as “a life changing experience” but “it’s an opoortunity, eye opener and a turning point”.

She described the transformation that the crown has brought her as “remarkable” adding that not only is she a dedicated, ambitious and young, she it has made her bold, mature, independent and exhibited a high degree of eloquence, elegance and grace.

She admitted that along the prestige and fame that came with the crown were many challenges and responsibilities which she had to face during her reign, adding “my greatest challenge was combining my school work with the duties that I was expected to fulfill as an ambassador for malaria prevention campaign”.

Miss Akuamoah advised the ladies to show their “extra-factor” which she said is one unique, special and distinctive quality that will make them different from others and guarantee them the Malaika crown.

She indicated that although her campaign is not ended yet, a lot has been achieved as she’s been able to organized malaria prevention competition among JSS students, held malaria prevention educative talks on radio, provided television and radio infomercials and newspaper write ups among other.

She commended the National Malarial Control Programme for its immense support which has made it possible for her campaign to be effective.

The Queen advised the young women to put in their best at all times, be themselves and have fun as well, stressing that “the competition would be tough but rewarding, taxing but enjoyable and most importantly memorable”.

K.K Fosu and Jane Awindor gave the audience at the launch good musical performances.

Conservationists Meet On African Elephants

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Thursday, 24 August 2006 (Page 4)

More than 25 delegates from 18 African countries are meeting in Accra to review the challenges confronting the management and conservation of the biggest game on earth – African Elephants.

The three-day symposium was organized by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission in Ghana with funds from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on Tuesday, the Executive Director of Wildlife Division, Ofori Frimpong ,said human and wildlife conflicts have the potential to escalate due to the increasing clearing of lands around wildlife protected areas.

He said, the growing human population near the protected areas with virtually no buffer zones between the agriculture dominated landscape and the wildlife reserves themselves posses great challenges that need collective ideas and inputs from stakeholder to manage".

Mr.Frimpong indicated that most of the elephant ranges and their habitats are under severe threat from illegal and sustainable resource exploitations and utilization.

Cross border migration of elephants from Ghana to Burkina Faso and vice versa through the Red Volta corridor with its associated illegal hunting for elephant ivory is another major challenge in elephant conservation.

In Ghana, Elephants can be found in the Kakum National Park in the Central Region, Bia National Park and Ankasa Rain Forest in the Western region, the Kyabobo National Park and some parts of the Brong-Ahafo Region.

He suggested the strengthening of collaboration to find local solutions to specific country problems.

"Our quest to speed up the pace of sustainable development as an agricultural-based economy will definitely place on us some of the challenges afore mentioned."

He called on the delegates to share information and knowledge to continually reassess their strengths, weaknesses and opportunities as organizations involved in conservation.

The Head of Elephant Programmes of the Wildlife Division, Moses Kofi Sam said the expansion of roads, towns and farming had caused rapid loss not only of natural vegetation conservation but the elephants too.

He said that there are about 2000 elephants scattered within the 12 ranges in Ghana, one third of which are found in forest and the rest in the savanna areas, adding that the Wildlife Division had collaborated with NGOs to update the status of some of the elephant population in the various ranges.

Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, Andrew Adjei-Yeboah, who opened the meeting said the government is committed to the conservation of biodiversity for the ultimate benefit of the present and future generations.

He said traditional authorities in Ghana for decades now, have shown great commitment to the conservation of wildlife noting that "this has been seen in the institution and enforcement of customary rules and regulations that protected wildlife and their habitats"

He said government is concerned about the plight of elephants on the continent and their dwindling populations and it would therefore support measures at the international level to improve their status.

Another area of concern, Mr Adjei-Yeboah said is the poaching of elephants which is fuelled by illegal trade in ivory, adding that "Ghana will continue to collaborate with all agencies dealing with these conservation challenges".

Minister Warns Against Assault On Teachers

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Tuesday, 22 August 2006(Page 15)

Any community that assaults or poses a threat to a teacher or teachers will have its school closed down, Mrs. Angelina Baiden-Amisah, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sports, has warned.

Any teacher, who misconducts his or herself will also face severe sanctions, she further warned.

Speaking to the Times shortly after launching a UNESCO Teacher Training Initiative for Sub-Saharan Africa (TTISSA) in Accra on Wednesday, she observed that teacher-beating is becoming a phenomenon in the country and, therefore, called for measures to safeguard them.

The initiative, which aims to increase the number of teachers and improve the quality teaching was taken at the UN General Assembly held in Paris, France last year where 46 African countries were selected to progressively participate through a four-year cycle by 2015.

She cited an instance of her order for the closure of a school in Accra for a week, after a gang raided the school and threatened the teachers and management and beat up a teacher for punishing a student who reported the incident to the gang.

Mrs. Baiden-Amissah indicated that whenever such an incident occurs, a committee will be set up to delve into the matter and if it is found out that the teacher or teachers were assaulted unnecessarily, then that school will be closed down, to "serve as a warning to them and other communities."

She indicated that the country needs more teachers to meet the demands arising out of the introduction of the Capitation Grant by the government noting that "efforts are being made to train enough teachers to fill in the gap."

The Deputy Minister noted that senior secondary school graduates were being recruited to be trained so as to help close up the gap.

Launching the initiative, she asked institutions which prepare teachers to ensure that their products acquire the requisite knowledge, competencies, skills and dispositions that would make them effective on the field.

She also reminded teachers to promote quality teaching through diagnostic testing, guidance and counseling of students for better learning outcomes.

She assured UNESCO of government’s preparedness to support the initiative for it to adequately address the needs of the teaching profession in the country.

¢1.5b Scholarship For 400 Needy Students

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Tuesday, 22 August 2006 (Page 16)

The Areeba Educational Scholarship Pro-gramme has pre-sented ¢1.5 billion scholarships to 404 needy but brilliant students for the 2006/2007 academic year to enable them to pursue their education successfully.

Hundreds of the beneficiaries, were selected from the country’s tertiary, senior and junior secondary schools after a screening process by the scholarship secretariat in Accra.

A total of 170 people have successfully benefited from the scholarship programme which was instituted six years ago with about ¢183 million which covered 182 beneficiaries.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony in Accra at the weekend, the Deputy Director General of the Ghana Education Service, Ms. Lydia Osei, said government is taking measures to bridge the gap between rural and urban schools by putting up decent infrastructure and creating the same congenial atmosphere for effective teaching and learning.

She observed that the infrastructure situation in schools, especially in the rural areas, discourage teachers from accepting postings to these places noting that providing good infrastructure would motivate teachers to be at post in such areas.

She appealed to the company and other stakeholders to comple-ment government’s effort at improving educational infrastructure in the rural areas.

Ms. Osei urged the recipients to study hard to reciprocate the investment in them saying, "You have to work very hard to realize your aim".

She warned the beneficiaries that the scholarship would depend on their academic performance, conduct and social responsibilities.

She commended Areeba for the initiative to support brilliant but needy students to pursue their education successfully.

The scholarship supervisor, Mrs. Betty Andah, said the scholarship programme forms part of the company’s programme to assist brilliant but needy students in the country.

Mrs. Andah said the company in its quest to help raise the standard of education in the country has constructed a six classroom block for Odorkrom near Akosombo in the Asuogyaman District and a vocation/technical school for the people of Damango in the Northern Region.

Mother To Child HIV/AIDS Transmission Still High - Report

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Saturday, 19 August 2006 (Page 3)

The Ghana Aids Commission (GAC) says 603 children below the age of four last year tested HIV positive in spite of the Free Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) services introduced by the commission in 2003.

The Commission’s Research Coordinator, Atuahene Kyeremeh, who made this known at a forum yesterday, attributed the widespread incidence of PMTCT to the failure of many pregnant mothers to access the service.

PMTCT is a service for counseling and testing for the HIV status of present women at ante-natal clinics to protect the unborn child against contracting the virus.

Speaking at a workshop to disseminate research findings on sexual exploitation of children in tourism and its implication for the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Ghana, he said 227 other children aged between five and nine were also reported of being HIV positive.

"We have low uptake of the PMTCT service and this is worrying," he stated.

Mr.Kyeremeh said, about 30 to 40 per cent of children born to HIV positive mothers get infected, and therefore called for the strengthening of the PMTCT services in Ghana.

He said that last year, 603 children below four years were reported of being HIV positive while 227 within the age group of five to nine were also reported of being HIV positive.

He said HIV/AIDS impact on children is complex and multifaceted, adding that it has created orphans globally, and "in Ghana, it would have created about 291,000 orphans by 2015".

He explained that knowing the HIV status of the pregnant mothers would help to put them on anti retroviral treatment which would protect the child from contracting the virus.

Mr.Kyeremeh said if nothing is done and more and more children get the virus, the low HIV/AIDS prevalent rate in the country would go up. He therefore appealed to all to help in the campaign against the disease.

The research was conducted by the Ghana NGO Coalition on the Rights of the Child to assess the prevalence, magnitude and consequences of child sex tourism with focus on boys at La and Osu, in Accra.

It aimed at highlighting the fact that boys are also exploited sexually by tourists.

Presenting the findings, a research coordinator of the coalition, Edmund Acquaye, said in their attempt to sexually abuse children tourists adopt various strategies including money inducement and promises to take the prospective victim abroad.

He said: "The study revealed that anal sex among the boys was rampant. Most of the respondents pointed this out and they stressed on the fact that in recent times one gets a lot of money in anal sex".

Mr.Acquaye indicated that some of these boys agree to have sex with their partners without a condom because according to them, it attracts a higher fee, although 90 per cent of respondents said they have heard of HIV/AIDS.

He observed that the high promotion of tourism would lead to an increase in sexual exploitation, hence he stressed the need to look at the badside of tourism.

He said a tourist admitted the fact he was engage in homosexuality and that his clients mostly boys had no age limit adding "his main aim of traveling to Ghana was to have fun and carry on these sexual exploitative activities"

He called for a well structured and systematic community based sensitization on sexual exploitation of children.

Ghana has been selected among 17 other African countries to participate in a-four-year pilot UNESCO sponsored programme to restructure national teacher policies and teacher education.

The Teacher Training Initaitive for Sub-Sahara Africa (TTISSA) which aims to increase the number of teachers and improve the quality of teaching, was initiated at the UNESCO general assembly in Paris last year, where 46 African countries were selected to progressively participate.

The project, launched in Accra on Wednesday will, among other things, focus on school level curricula to meet new needs of learners through appropriate technologies and distance education, develop networks for teacher training institutions for joint activities and sharing of resources and good practices among member countries.

It will also address the status, working conditions and performance of teachers so as to give a new image to the teaching profession to be more attractive and thereby inspire confidence and efficiency.

Speaking at the launch, Ms. Elizabeth Moundo, Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office in Accra, said the initiative is designed to assist countries in synchronizing their teacher education and labour policies with national development priorities for Education-For-All and the Millennium Development Goals.

She said that the right to education is for all and it is therefore important to focus on teachers as the most significant component of the education system.

The project will be implemented in close collaboration with governments, especially ministries of education, teacher education institutions and educators.

The Chairman of the TTISSA advisory committee, Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, said the initiative has come at the right time given the acute teacher student ratio in the country.

He hoped that it would address the shortage of teachers, especially in the rural areas to make the teaching profession more attractive, as Ghana cannot train enough teachers to fill the gap by using conventional means.

Prof. Anamuah-Mensah, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, suggested that with Ghana benefiting from the inititative, teachers would in due course be licensed and their promotion based on performance and not on the number of years they have served.

Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Angelina Baiden-Amissah, who launched the initiative assured UNESCO of government’s support in running the project to adequately address the needs of the teaching profession.

She urged teacher training institutions to ensure that their products acquire the requisite knowledge, competencies, skills and dispositions that would make them effective on the field.

"Teachers, too, should promote quality teaching through diaqnostic testing, guidance and counseling of students for better learning outcomes," she said.

Mrs.Baiden-Amissah said that curriculum reforms in all teacher training institutions would be pursued to include literacy, sustainable development, HIV/AIDS prevention and management, information and communications technology and appealed to the private sector to support the initiative to enable Ghana to adequately prepare its human resource to be globally competitive.

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Friday, 18 August 2006 (Page 4)

Fun And Games At 'Old Skuuls' Reunion

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Saturday, 05 August 2006
(Times Weekend)

The Joy F.M Old Skuuls Reunion last Saturday created a magnificent and unifying atmosphere at the Aviation Social Centre where thousands of current and old students of many schools thronged to re-live and reminisce over their old school days.

For about ten hours, the Aviation Social Centre in Accra was thrown into ecstatic mood as old classmates and schoolmates met. For some it was the first time meeting old pals after a long time.

Every part of the Aviation Social Centre vibrated with variety of music from huge loud speakers which were positioned at the various spots along the street from the El-Wak Stadium traffic lights to the centre.

The road leading from the El-Wak traffic light was blocked by police personnel detailed to provide security for the event resulting in a long traffic jam from the Flagstaff House, through the 37 Military Hospital and the El-Wak stadium to Burma Camp area.

With few reported incidents of theft and technical hitches, this year’s Skuuls Reunion, the sixth in the series, witnessed the most impressive turnout, and was described by many as "one big exciting and reuniting event one wouldn’t want to miss in a life time".

Before the curtain was raised for the various activities around 12 noon, the student associations were seen everywhere with their musical instruments singing ‘jama’ songs and school anthems.

The more than 60 tertiary and second cycle schools which participated in the event, started trooping to the event grounds as early as 8.00 am to participate in the variety of outdoor games and sporting activities that had been lined up to mark the special reunion.

The event was mostly characterized by scenes of clapping, singing, hugging, cuddling, kissing, shouting, and jumping and the likes that are associated with schoolmates.

For some ladies, the Skuuls Reunion provided a suitable platform for them to show off their "fashion sense". It was more of a fashion parade for these "beauties" as they appeared in the "I’m awares, show your backs, bare backs, mini skirts" and other ‘killing’ dresses.

Like last year, a group which claimed to be old students from a Tuobodom school became a cynosure of all eyes as the crowd surged forward to catch a glimpse of the members, some of whom wore pampers while others wore primary school uniforms and carried a caged rabbit. In fact, their outfit depicted the dress worn by Nkasei in their "Yefri Tuobodom" video clip which raised a lot of controversy last year.

In the evening various hip-life artistes took centre stage and rendered captivating musical performances. People craned their necks in order to have a clear view of their performances while some also tried to climb the stage to dance.

Among the artistes that performed at the event were Lord Kenya, Obrafuor, Tic Tac, Bright of Buk Bak fame, Praye, Jay Dee, 2 Toff, and Reggie Zippi among others.

After the various competitions among the schools present, Accra Academy was adjudged the winners of the Tug-of-War, Ofori Panin Secondary School and West African Secondary school also won the "gari soaking", competition of the mixed school category with Aburi Girls’ Secondary School and St. Paul’s Secondary School at Denu winning the single sex category.

PNC Advocates Policy On Drug Abuse

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Thursday, 03 August 2006 (Page 3)

The People’s National Convention (PNC) has proposed a national drug and substance abuse policy that will define strategies for the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of victims.

Addressing a press conference in Accra yesterday, Dr.Edward N. Mahama leader of the party, observed that drug and substance abuse has now become a major killer and destroyer of health in the country.

He suggested that the formulation of such a policy should include parent’s and family, school, work place and professional strategies, among others, for it to become the basis for a comprehensive law.

It will define the role of local government in law enforcement, rehabilitation and integration of drug abusers into mainstream society, he added.

Dr. Mahama who is a medical doctor and a former lecturer at the University of Ghana Medical School, mentioned marijuana, cocaine, sedatives, stimulants, alcohol and narcotics as some of the drugs being abused in the country, and said that the situation as it is now stifles the potential and well-being of the youth and "threatens our national security".

He stated that licit and illicit drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, have permeated every segment of our society, adding "it is most alarming in children and adolescents".

Dr Mahama said that drug and substance abuse has become a serious problem in Ghana, and "some of our elite and prestigious schools are facing this menace quietly, with wee traffickers lacing "shito" a pepper sauce, with substances for some unsuspecting young people who then develop the habit".

Dr Mahama revealed that he had to dismiss one of his nurses who has become addicted to a substance.

"The unfortunate thing about the situation is that she needed help but there are no programmes in our current system," he noted.

"Recent news reports indicate that drug barons may have already infiltrated our national security and confirmed to some extent the impression that it is a multi-billion dollar business profiting a few but leaving considerable cost in the reform of violent armed robberies, road traffic, accidents involving substance abused impaired drivers," he said.

Dr Mahama said that that since drug and substance abuse is a global problem, it should be dealt with in a global approach.

He proposed that the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union should combine combating drug and substance abuse with the fight against, HIV/AIDS, and African youth emigration.

'Old Skulls Reunion' Here Again

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Saturday, 29 July 2006 (Times Weekend)

THE time is here again! The Aviation Social Centre in Accra will today be "electrified". It will become the assembly point in Ghana for thousands of current and old students from the country’s tertiary and second cycle institutions to reminisce about old school days.

All roads in the metropolis leads to the Aviation Social Centre for this year’s Joy F.M Old Skuul Reunion.

More than 60 old school associations have registered to participate in today’s event which starts at exactly 9am.

In the last week, about 10 of these old schools associations such as Adisco, G.S.T.S, Ketasco, Okuass, Rosec, Presec Legon, WASS and Mawuli have been featured live on Joy F.M’s programmes.

Characterize by scenes such as singing, clapping, hugging, cuddling, kissing, shouting, jumping and the likes, the Old Skuuls Reunion which is the sixth in the series, will create a large platform for broad smiles as people meet their friends whom perhaps, they have not meet for decades.

The student associations will be competing in various activities like jama and school anthem, ampe, four-a-side football, tug of war, gari soaking, eba eating and formation dance which is a new addition.

The large crowd expected at the centre will also be entertained with musical performances from the erstwhile Nescafe African Revelation Champions; Praye, Okurasinii of TV3 Mentor fame, Wutah, Obrafuo and Eebo; new entrant in the music industry.

The Sales and Marketing Manager of Joy F.M, Max Fugar said organizers will give attention to the older folks who will make it to the event grounds to participate in the event.

Speaking to the Times, he said a different stage will be set up for the older generation who participate in the event, adding "we are introducing pop chain and card playing for the older folks."

He said that there is going to be improved security at the grounds, saying that over 40 police personnel are expected to ensure sanity and discipline. He also noted that the 37 Military Hospital is providing ambulance service to respond to any emergency that may arise.

He said the Old Skuuls Reunion would create a platform for participants to re-establish link with their old friends and establish business relationships, noting "we are asking everyone to come with their call cards which we will take and enter into a database".

Have You Paid Tax On Your Rent?

By Stephen Kwabena Effah & Julia Gursztyn
Friday, 28 July 2006 (Page 3)

Do you know it is mandatory for every tenant to withhold a tax of 10 per cent every month from the gross rent to be paid their landlords?

Well, if you do not know, the Internal Revenue Regulations 2001 requires every individual to deduct 10 per cent from his rent to be paid to the Internal Revenue Services (IRS).

A Chief Inspector of Taxes of IRS, Kwasi Oppong-Damoah, who said this at a seminar on withholding tax and rent tax in Accra on Wednesday, explained that if after deducting the 10 per cent, the individual fails to pay to the IRS, he or she will be surcharged.

The seminar was organised by the IRS to educate and sensitize finance officers who handle withholding tax so as to obtain the needed cooperation and appropriate response and also to explain to house owners what is required of them in terms of tax payment.

Mr.Oppong-Damoah said if the amount is not paid to IRS within three months, the individual will pay a penalty of 20 per cent and after three months it will attract a 30 per cent penalty.

The withholding tax of 10 per cent may be taken from the gross rent, adding, "the tax so withheld is final and the rent shall not be included in ascertaining the individual’s income after withholding the tax," he explained.

He indicated that companies that construct residential and commercial premises for sale or for letting have exemption for a period of five years from when the operations commenced.

However, the exemption is available only to companies and not individuals in the real estate business.

Mr.Oppong-Damoah observed that even though the laws have been in existence since 2001,a lot of people are not complying with them.

He therefore urged individuals and companies to comply with the law to avoid being surcharged.

The Commissioner of IRS, Maj. Daniel S.Ablorh-Quarcoo (Rtd), said that excessive dependence on external resources to push the country’s development agenda can put brakes on its efforts whenever unfavourable developments occur in the donor countries.

He noted that withholding taxes constitute a big chunk of IRS collection but quite a substantial portion of taxes deducted in accordance with the withholding tax law have not found its way to the consolidated fund.

He attributed this to negligence and attitude of financial officers and individuals, adding that returns on rent tax have not been encouraging in spite of the boom in the real estate sector countrywide.

Maj.Ablorh-Quarcoo therefore urged finance officers of various organizations and house owners to live up to their responsibilites to avoid leakages in rent tax and withholding tax payments.

"If government will be able to deliver the goods and meet our many expectations in the form of the provision of adequate infrastructure and social amenities, then it behoves on us as good citizens, both corporate and individual, to perform our part of the contract," he said.

Phone Snatcher Thrown Into Odaw River

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Tuesday, 25 July 2006 (Page 3)

AN unidentified man in his late 20s was yesterday morning beaten, stripped and thrown into the Odaw stream by a mob at Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra for allegedly snatching a mobile phone.

He was left in the water for about an hour before being rescued by three people who took him to the nearby Neoplan Station police post.

The one who allegedly threw him into the river was also arrested by the police.

The duty officer at the police post, Lance Corporal Geoffrey Ayernor, confirmed the arrest of the two people when the Times contacted him but declined to comment, saying ‘it is above me to give information. I will brief my boss when he is in for him to brief you."

However, an eyewitness told the Times that the suspected thief was arrested by the mob around the Awudome cemetery for snatching a lady’s mobile phone.

While being taken to the police station, he was stripped and beaten and on reaching the Odaw drainage just behind the police post at Circle, a member of the mob pushed him into the water.

The incident attracted a large crowd most of whom craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the suspect who had covered his face with his hands, apparently to avoid being identified.

Vehicular and pedestrian movement on the usually busy Odaw bridge became more difficult as people shoved their way through to catch a glimpse of him.

WAEC Examinations Under Scrutiny

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Tuesday, 18 July 2006 (Page 3)

The Consultative Council for Teachers Associations (CCTA), a grouping of subject teacher associations, has asked the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to take cognisance of the national goals and objectives of member countries in setting questions for schools.

Citing the report of Presidential Review Committee on Education set up in 2002, CCTA President, Samuel M. Quartey, said the education system continues to suffer from state examinations such as the Basic Education Certificate Examination and Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination which are used as indicators of quality.

Professor Quartey, who was speaking at a forum organised by the CCTA, said “there is so much competition that teachers tend to over emphasise solving problems for examinations rather than encouraging meaningful learning.”

Dubbed ‘Time with WAEC’, the forum was aimed at analysing the conduct and test administration by WAEC in the public school system to acquire relevant knowledge necessary to enhance teaching, curriculum and examination syllabuses.

He said subjects at any level of education are selected because of their possible contribution to the attainment of national goals and objectives, adding, “subjects are not being taught because of the knowledge they give but because such knowledge will help us achieve national goals and objectives,” Prof. Quartey stated.

“It is therefore not helpful to the nation when questions for assessment are not related to the national goals and objectives.”

He said examination set the tone for teaching and learning noting that no matter how well the universities train the teachers, they will be compelled to tailor their teaching to the demands of the final examination by WAEC.

Prof.Quartey said that although positive modifications have been made in certain subject areas, when it comes to subjects like social studies, science and technology, “one doubts whether efforts in these directions are prompting teachers to teach in the right direction.”

He said statistics from the 2002 educational report showed that only 8.7 per cent of pupils in public schools reached a mastery level of 60 per cent in English and 55 per cent in Mathematics, noting, “this is an indictment on the quality of education in Ghana.”

He said government’s directive for 60 per cent/40 per cent science admission into universities and secondary schools, respectively has become necessary because of the importance the nation attaches to science and technology.

He observed, however, that BECE questions in technical skills hardly ever expose students to skills and “one wonders how the technical skills student is made to identify parts of tools rather than the appropriate use of the tools.”

It is not therefore surprising that even students who perform very well in technical and vocational skills at the junior secondary level refuse to go to technical and vocational institution, he said.

Faulty GC-Net Affects Goods Clearance At KIA

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Saturday, 15 July 2006 (Page 4)

ACCESSING the GC-Net has become a problem for clearing agents at the Kotoka International Airport due to the high number of users.

Consequently, the agents have resorted to manual processing and clearance of goods at the terminal, making the process cumbersome.

GC-Net, an acronym for the Ghana Community Network Service, generates customs delivery orders electronically to notify clearing and forwarding agents about the readiness of consignments to be cleared from the ports.

Mr Afindabs Dahaman, Principal Collector of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), attached to the Aviance Cargo Village Terminal, who disclosed this to the media in Accra, said “we have reported the situation to the authorities to get it done as soon as possible to facilitate the clearance of goods.”

He was speaking during a visit by the Minister of Aviation, Gloria Akuffo to the Airport.

The Director of Airport Management, Chris Quaye, told the minister that the GCAA is arranging with Eco Bank to provide ATM machines at the Departure Hall where passengers can cash money.

The GCAA has acquired a high powered resolution X-ray machine to be installed soon to beef up the security inspection of luggage at the airport, he said.

The Director of Aviation Security, Major Awudu Mahama, said the GCAA will soon acquire security cameras to enhance its surveillance within the airport and outside.

He said a place will be designated at the Arrival Hall where the public will wait and receive their relatives and business clients.

Ms. Akuffo told reporters after the tour that she was very impressed with the developments at the airport.

She assured the GCAA of government’s support saying, “we will give GCAA, the necessary encouragement to ensure that they work hard towards the making of the airport, the hub of aviation in sub-Sahara Africa.”

She suggested to the GCAA to commercialize its newly-acquired machine used in lifting distressed aircraft to generate some income.

Farmers Use Toxic Chemicals

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Wednesday, 12 July 2006 (Front Page)

A number of chemicals banned in most developed countries are still being used by farmers in some communities in Ghana.

The chemicals which are said to be having devastating effects on human life and the environment, were banned under the Stockholm Convention in 1985. They include DDT, dieldrin, eldrin and lindane.

Emmanuel Odjam-Akumatey, Executive Director of Ecological Restorations, a non-governmental organization, disclosed in Accra on Monday at a news conference on the subject “Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).”

He said the use of agro-chemicals in the country has reached an alarming rate and this was causing reproductive dysfunction, suppression of the immune system and developmental abnormalities in both humans and animals.

“Because of illiteracy, the chemicals are wrongly applied and this is having devastating effects on the environment and the health of humans,” he stated, and added that the implication of releasing residual agro-chemicals to the surface and ground water is a threat to human life.

Mr Odjam-Akumatey noted that while countries from which Ghana imports the chemicals are moving away from their usage, Ghana continues to encourage their use.

He therefore called for the promotion and the use of natural pesticides (organic manure) which he described as “healthy to the soil” rather than the use of inorganic chemicals and appealed to the media to educate farmers on the dangers of persistent organic pollutants.

Farmers are currently being taught the preparation of compost or organic manure, production of organic pesticides from tree leaves and how and when to apply them to crops, he noted.

He said that Ecological Restorations is working with the various stakeholders to develop a national policy on the limit of persistent organic pollutants in the country.

A programme officer of the Environmental Protection Agency, Charles Koomson, noted that vegetable farmers in their desperate attempt to protect their crops and investments

“For instance, chemicals meant to be applied on cocoa, such as lindane, which is persistent, highly toxic and bioccumulating, are used on vegetables such as tomatoes,” he said, adding that such mixtures improvised by farmers have been on rampant use leaving residues that are higher than limits set by the WHO and FAO.

He wondered why some of the listed pollutants and pesticides banned under the Stockholm Convention since 1985 still find their way into the country.

Mr. Koomson said that the EPA is playing a major role in the promotion of safe management of chemicals in the country noting that a pesticides registration and licensing scheme had been put in place in accordance with the Pesticides Control and Management Act 1996.

He said the EPA is strengthening institutional capacity in terms of legal framework, intensive awareness raising and education, reduction of POPs releases through the identification of alternative non-POPs pesticides and promotion of integrated pest management.

He said ultimate elimination of pollutants in the country would depend on active participation of relevant national stakeholders including government, NGOs, departments and agencies, research institutions, the media and community based organizations.

He lauded the Ecological Restorations for creating awareness on the effects of the pollutants and the promotion of integrated pest management in vegetable cultivation in its bid to protect human health and the environment.

Krachi West Assembly Gears up for Development

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Tuesday,11 July 2006 (Page 15)

The Krachi West District Assembly in the Volta Region has set up four committees to assist in stepping up the development of the district.

The committees, which are agriculture and aqua –culture, tourism, transport and education will serve as a pressure group to lobby ministries and agencies to bring developmental projects to the district as a means of ensuring accelerated growth.

Inaugurating the committees in Accra at the weekend, the District Chief Executive, Kofi Mensah Demitia said that although the district is endowed with resources, it is faced with the a lot of problems which are mainly general infrastructure.

He mentioned the road network, potable water, sanitation, and schools as the areas that need serious attention.

He said that assembly is to train 60 secondary school graduates in the district as health aides to scale-up the shortfall of health professionals in the various health facilities in the area noting that a total of 13 health aides have been trained so far and posted
to the clinics and health posts in the district.

Mr.Demitia explained that the assembly is expected to spend about ¢210 million for the training of the health aides adding “we will spend about ¢3.5 million cedis on each of these health aides”.

He indicated that the health aides programme would be developed further by the assembly with time, noting that some of the aides would be enrolled in nursing training schools for them to become fully fledged nurses to serve the district.
He noted that the capitation grant introduced by the government in basic education has increased enrolment by 170 per cent, resulting in over population of classrooms in the district.

He said the district does not have enough trained teachers, noting “we received only 40 trained teachers this academic year and also almost the same number of old teachers in the district have left to further their education while some have also been transferred from the district”.

Currently, he said that “we have 270 classrooms without teachers”.

The D.C.E, however said the assembly has decided to recruit pupil teachers for a four-week modular training to acquire teaching skills after which they would be sent to the various schools to fill the lapses.

He urged the citizens of the districts who are in the various universities and colleges in the country to go to the district to assist in the teaching field whenever they are on vacation or practical attachment, stressing that the assembly would do all within its power to assist such people.

Mr.Demitia also indicated that the government has started a farming project in the district under the Skills Training and Employment Placement which he said would engage about 350 youth in the area.

He therefore urged the youth in the district to take advantage of all these opportunities existing in the area to make a better life for themselves rather than engaging in unnecessary things.

He also announced that the assembly is planning to establish a rural bank in the district to offer loans to small scale business to ensure accelerated growth in the area. He said the assembly is preparing the necessary document to be presented to the Bank of Ghana for approval.

He observed that a lot of funds and resources for small scale businesses are channeled through rural banks and therefore the establishment of a rural bank for Kete Krachi would make it easier for business minded people to access the funds and also ensure better living of the people.

Mr.Demitia expressed the hope that the Bank of Ghana approves the establishment of the rural bank when the proposal is submitted to it.

National Schools Quiz On Economics, October

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Monday, 10 July 2006 (Page 3)

A national quiz on economics is to be introduced by the end of this year for second cycle institutions to promote students’ knowledge of economic issues, says Samuel Nii Noi Ashong, a research fellow of the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA).

The programme, a component of CEPA’s capacity building efforts is to enhance students’ grasp of both local and international economic issues at an early age to be able to make informed debates and choices.

Speaking at the outdooring of Project Citizen Ghana, a civic education programme for students and youth groups in Accra, Dr.Ashong said CEPA was preparing towards the commencement of the quiz by October.

Under the theme: “Consolidating Democracy Through Youth Participation”, Project Citizen Ghana was organized by the National Commission for Civic Education and Civitas under the auspices of the United States Centre for Civic Education.

It aims at developing a democratic citizen capable of fully participating in governance with competence, responsibility and commitment for the fundamental values and principles of constitutional democracy.

Dr.Ashong observed that debates on economic issues sometimes lacked depth, saying “a lot of people debate on personalities rather than on the issues.”

He said CEPA would make available reports on the economy to the secondary schools and colleges to give students as well as teachers the opportunity to be abreast of the economy and also enhance their research work.

He said the world now revolves on economics hence the need for all to take the subject seriously.

Touching on the theme, Dr Ashong said democracy does not entail only the opportunity to vote in elections but also to participate actively in governance, adding that it is important for the citizenry to get involved in the democratic process of the country to ensure development.

Dr.Ashong noted that the world has become increasingly knowledge-based and therefore asked the students to concentrate on their studies to gain knowledge, and “once you acquire knowledge, you cannot be a slave to anybody”.

He commended the NCCE, Civitas and the other organizers of the project for making it possible for Ghana to benefit from it.

The chairman of the NCCE, Mr Larry Bimi, said the project which was started about five years ago aims at instilling in the youth the skills and the capacity to determine public policy issues and research on them to achieve goals.

This would make them understand the importance of participatory democracy which is crucial for national development.

He said currently the project is being replicated in Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and other African countries.

Health Insurance Personnel Ask For Service Conditions

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Thursday, 06 July 2006 (Page 3)

Managers of the District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme (DMHIS) have called on the National Health Insurance Council (NHIC) to come up with conditions of service for the employees of the scheme.

They explained that the employees of the scheme were not being motivated enough in their work because of the lack of conditions of service.

The call was made at a two-day workshop for scheme managers, information systems managers and claims managers of the DMHIS.

The workshop, organized by the NHIC Secretariat, in collaboration with the Institute of Local Government Studies, is intended to build the capacity of the managers in claims adjudication and to create a platform for discussion on efficient claims management system for the National Health Insurance Scheme.

It is also expected to provide an opportunity for the participants to enhance their knowledge on stakeholder relationship management for the successful implementation of the DMHIS, and discuss the role of appropriate information systems and technology in medical claims processing.

The participants expressed concern about the high charges at mission hospitals, lack of computers and delays in the issuance of identification cards for registered members of the scheme.

They therefore appealed to the NHIC to provide vehicles and other logistics to enable them to perform their functions satisfactorily to ensure the success of the health insurance scheme.

The Executive Secretary of the NHIC, Ras Boateng, said in an interview that the council has “engaged a consultant to help design human resource policies to guide the day-to-day running of the health insurance scheme programme.”

This will include a manual which will guide the employment and total management of the scheme.

On the issue of logistics, he indicated that the council has gone through a procurement process to acquire computers and vehicles for all the scheme offices to enhance their activities.

The council has already distributed 350 computers to some of the offices and will soon acquire 800 more computers and 140 vehicles, he said.

Mr. Boateng who opened the workshop said it forms part of the council’s efforts to ensure sustainability of funds derived from subscribers and government to manage the scheme especially in the payment of claims.

He said that the collection of contributions from members and the total efficiency in processing and management of claims from service providers is key to the survival and sustainability of the DMHIS.

When fully operational, he said, claims could account for 70 per cent of the volume of work of the DMHIS and therefore tasked the managers to perform their work with the highest efficiency.

Mr.Boateng also spoke about the collection of contributions from the informal sector which he described as vital for building a sustainable fund for the schemes and urged the managers to persuade even the poor to pay at least the minimum premium to access free health care for a whole year.

Procurement Board Launches Website

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Thursday, 06 July 2006 (Page 4)

The Public Procurement Board (PPB) on Tuesday launched a website in Accra to enhance the dissemination of information relating to public procurement in the country.

The website, www.ppbghana.org, provides information on the activities of the PPB and serves as a forum for advertisement for all procurement entities that fall under the scope of application of the law.

The site features tender notices, contract awards, procurement plans, history of Public Procurement Act and Government Procurement Act, policies and guidelines of the board and other procurement information related information.

The Chief Executive of PPB, Agyenim Boateng Adjei, said that suppliers, contractors and consultants would be encouraged to advertise on the website noting “the media, civil society, NGOs and the general public can also send in articles, views and comments on our website”.

He said that the launching of the Public Procurement Model of Excellence Tool and Margins of the Preference for Domestic Suppliers, Contractors and Consultants are all geared towards ensuring that public procurement is carried out to ensure judicious, economic and efficient use of state resources.

He invited the public to send in their suggestions to the Board and contributions to enable the board to improve and perfect the website to serve the purpose of the Act and bring efficiency into the public procurement system in the country.

Launching, the website on behalf of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Nana Juabeng Sereboe, Chief Director said procurement accounts for 50 to 70 per cent of government total expenditure and therefore called for effective management of public procurement to obtain value for state spending.

He said that since 2001, government has made several efforts to regulate expenditure and instil discipline in public finances.

Pointing out that in the current global village; information technology is the main driving forces of business, he said: “It is therefore critical that as a country, we take advantage of electronic procurement which brings sellers and buyers together through the internet.”

Nana Sereboe expressed the hope that the website besides providing most of the relevant information on public sector procurements to all stakeholders, particularly the private sector, would also increase the level of healthy competition that guarantees value for money.

He urged the PPB not to limit information on the website to only notices on tenders and contract awards but to let it be a source of information to guide the public on procurement.

“Make it a well of knowledge for the thirsty players in the procurement system to drink,” he advised.