The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has donated items to some selected institutions. The donation, which took place at the forecourt of the ministry, was primarily aimed at improving the lives of the less-privileged during the festive period. The selected institutions include the Gambaga Witches Camp, the Mampong Babies Home, the Akropong School for the Blind, the Royal Seed Home and Partners in Community Development Programme (PACODEP) and Rescued Trafficked Children. The rest are the Boys Remand Home, the Sunyani Central Female Prison, the Ho Female Prison, Shelter for Abused Children and the Girls Correctional Centre. Each beneficiary institution received pieces of cloths, bags of rice, gallons of oil, boxes of Cerelac, cartons of Ideal milk, boxes of Chocolim, sanitary towels and bags of water. The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, said the ministry was mandated to ensure the empowerment of the vulnerable, the excluded, the aged and persons with disability through the use of social protection and other innovative interventions. “We view this as our obligation towards achieving national development. As we enter this festive occasion to celebrate with our loved ones, there are some who will struggle through the season for varied reasons and that is our motivation for this gesture,” she said The minister commended the various sponsors of the donation, adding that their relentless efforts had enabled the ministry to ensure improved livelihoods for beneficiaries.

President John Dramani Mahama, has urged drivers to avoid reckless driving to prevent accidents on the roads during the Christmas season. He said it was crucial for drivers to avoid speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol to save lives and property. President Mahama made the call at the President’s annual Christmas Party for selected school children at the Castle Gardens, Osu in Accra yesterday. As usual, the pupils were feted to food and drinks and presented with assorted gift items. The President advised the passengers, including children to speak up against reckless driving or the flouting of traffic regulations. That, he said, was crucial to prevent accidents and the consequent injuries and loss of lives. The President said often when the police deployed officers on the road, drivers complained that they were being harassed. Rather, he said, the police were on the road to enforce traffic regulations and support the police to prevent accidents. Accident rates in Ghana go up during Christmas seasons due mainly to reckless driving. Patriotism President Mahama called for collaboration between the government and other stakeholders, to nurture patriotism and nationalism in children. That he said, would make the children grow into responsible adults, who would contribute more to the country’s socio-economic development of the country. President Mahama made the call at the President’s annual Christmas Party for selected school children at the Castle Gardens, Osu in Accra yesterday. He expressed worry over the eroding sense of nationalism and patriotism in the country and their replacement by selfish values. Civic education President Mahama stressed the need for basic schools to pay attention to lessons on civic behaviour, courtesy and patriotism. He said at his recent meeting with members of the Council of State, the issue of the waning sense of patriotism among the youth of the country came up strongly in their discussions. Basic education President Mahama said the government spent about 60 per cent of the educational budget on basic education alone to get the foundation right. He said the capitation grant, the school feeding programme and the distribution of free uniforms and exercise books would continue to ensure quality education for every child of school age. “More than 13 million textbooks have been distributed to meet the ratio of one pupil to one textbook in all the core subjects. All these actions of government are being taken to prepare you for your future," he told the children. President Mahama impressed on the pupils that they could achieve academic excellence if they continued to be disciplined.  "If you achieve high academic laurels in school, the sky will be your limit in the future," he told them. The President advised the pupils to be always conscious of the environment and advised them against indiscriminate littering and also educated them on the need to conserve power and adopt preventive measures to help curb the spate of fire outbreaks in the country. The Minister for Education, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, announced that the ministry would introduce a programme next year to whip up children’s interest in reading to help address the falling standards in English language proficiency among pupils and students. She advised the schoolchildren to do their best and be proud of their country at all times. So far, she said, more than 60,000 computers had been distributed under the basic schools computerisation project, while a number of teachers had been trained in ICT and supplied with laptops. basic schools to pay attention to lessons on civic behaviour, courtesy and patriotism. He said at his recent meeting with members of the Council of State, the issue of the waning sense of patriotism among the youth of the country came up strongly in their discussions.

In spite of the fire that gutted the Old Parliament House in Accra last Thursday, documents belonging to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) and the Commission on Judgement Debts are said to be intact. While CHRAJ  has dismissed claims that its investigations into recent corruption issues such as SADA and the SUBAH saga were lost in the fire outbreak, the Judgement Debt Commission has assured the public, especially its stakeholders, that although the fire incident had been severe, it did not affect any life and that it would not seriously affect its work. For its part, EOCO said although computers and lorry tyres contained in one big store were destroyed, that had not affected its operations. In a radio interview, the Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mrs Lauretta Vivian Lamptey, said although the commission lost substantial documents to the fire, there were back-ups for recent works and gave an assurance that there was no cause for alarm, as the commission had a back-up system. At a news conference in Accra yesterday, she blamed the fire on poor electrical wiring in the building. She said although she had filed a number of complaints about the deteriorating electrical wiring system, nothing had been done about it.    At an emergency meeting chaired by the Chief of Staff, Mr Prosper Bani, and attended by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, and  representatives of the affected offices in the building, the affected offices were requested to provide preliminary reports on their needs. The Old Parliament House accommodates CHRAJ, the EOCO and the Commission on Judgement Debts. CHRAJ items destroyed However, a Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mr Joe Whittal, told the Daily Graphic that the commission lost its entire library, which contained all its publications since its inception, foreign law reports and journals dated as far back as 1914. He added that the entire Public Education Department had also been lost and that the department was responsible for nationwide protection and promotion of fundamental freedoms and human rights. According to Mr Whittal, the Research Unit that published all reports, including the annual state of human rights report, had also been destroyed, as well as data and equipment, including computers and records, both on soft and hard copies. “The fire also gutted the Human Resource Unit, destroying all documents and records that were kept in that office,” he said. He said the whole of the Anti-Corruption Department had been completely destroyed, along with equipment and documents. He added that the stores unit that recently made a large procurement, including stationery, tyres, computers, among others, was also gutted by the fire.  Also the office of the Transport Officer which contained keys to 15 newly purchased cross-country vehicles and some other documentation on the commission’s assets was destroyed. The deputy CHRAJ boss stated that about 40 members of staff had been displaced as a result of the  fire outbreak. The CHRAJ headquarters, therefore, he said, could not operate, as the fire had disrupted electricity supply. EOCO A source at the EOCO told the Daily Graphic that because of the extensive destruction of its property, EOCO had been compelled to move into its newly established offices ahead of the scheduled date. Judgement Debt Commission A statement signed and issued by Mr George William Dove, the Public Relations Officer of the Judgement Debt Commission, said the commission would relocate to a place to be announced soon. It expressed its gratitude to the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) for their prompt response which ensured that the fire was put out. “The Commission of Inquiry into Judgement Debt awaits the Fire Report from the Fire Service to know the cause of the fire,” it said, and expressed appreciation to the  public for their concern and unflinching support for the commission’s work.

A survey conducted by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in 2012 on teenage pregnancy has revealed that about 750,000 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 became pregnant in that year, with 14,000 of them coming from the Central Region. The Chief Justice, Justice Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, disclosed this  in a speech read on her behalf by a Court of Appeal judge, Mrs Justice Barbara Ackah Yensu, at the launch of the State of the World Population 2013 Report in Accra yesterday. The launch, on the theme, “Motherhood in childhood: Facing the challenges of adolescent pregnancy”, was attended by a cross-section of the media, representatives of United Nations bodies, interest groups and the Kayayei Association in Accra. Mrs Justice Wood stressed the need to empower girls to enable them to make informed decisions in and for their lives. She said adolescents were the future and that depending on the opportunities available to them and the choices they made during their time, “they can become empowered and active adults or be neglected and rooted in poverty”. She, therefore, charged parents, religious and opinion leaders to create the right environment for children to grow and develop properly. Situation globally Mrs Justice Wood reiterated the fact that millions of girls worldwide were coerced into unwanted sex or marriage, thereby exposing them to unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and dangerous childbirth. She said statistics available indicated that 70,000 adolescent deaths occurred annually from complications in pregnancy and childbirth in developing countries. The Report The report revealed that 20,000 girls below the age 18 give birth in developing countries daily, with nine in 10 of them occurring within marriage or a union. It said pregnancy had major consequences on a girl’s health, since health problems were more likely if she became pregnant too soon after reaching puberty. In a welcoming address, the UNFPA Representative, Dr Bernard Coquelin, stressed the fact that teenage pregnancies affected girls negatively when it came to health, education, attainment and basic rights. “The girls need a safe and healthy transition into adulthood, but in some cases this is not reality,” he said, adding that “in many parts of the world, adolescents - especially girls - may be taken out of school, coerced into unwanted sex, subjected to early and forced marriage, bear unwanted pregnancies, experience unsafe abortion or become infected with HIV”. Documentary A documentary depicting the real life stories of girls between the ages of 16 and 18 in the Central Region who had to deal with the consequences of teenage pregnancy was shown as part of the launch  to educate members of the kayayei association on the risk of early child-bearing.

A government directive to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to purchase or renew their insurance cover with only wholly or partially owned state insurance companies is stirring controversy in the insurance industry. Some players in the industry say that the apparent introduction of monopoly into the industry is likely to affect the operations of private companies which are playing key roles in the economic development of the country. President John Dramani Mahama, in a directive dated December 9, 2013 to all ministers of state and signed by Dr Raymond Atuguba, the Executive Secretary to the President, said with immediate effect MDAs should purchase or renew their insurance cover required in the course of government business solely with insurance companies wholly or partially owned by the state. According to the directive, any MDA which had cause to do otherwise must first of all obtain the required permission. “I would be grateful if all ministers could ensure that MDAs under the jurisdiction of their ministries comply strictly with this directive,” Dr Atuguba said in the letter to the MDAs. Reaction from Insurers  Operators in the insurance industry are, however, not happy with the directive. Members of the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA) and the Ghana Insurance Brokers Association (GIBA) have described the directive as a discriminatory order which seeks to preclude private insurance companies from participating in the insurance business of government. They have, therefore, written to President Mahama to, in the interest of the growth and development of the insurance industry in Ghana, reverse the directive with immediate effect. “It is our respectful opinion that the current directive is completely at variance with the positive efforts that your government is making to promote the private sector as the engine of growth,” they said. Number of Insurance Companies Out of the 48 licensed insurance and reinsurance companies in the country, only State Insurance (SIC) Ghana Limited, SIC Life Insurance Company Limited and Ghana Reinsurance Company (GRC) Limited are either partially or wholly owned by the state. However, the SIC is a public listed company whose shares are held by both local and foreign investors, with the government owning about 40 per cent shares. The GIA and the insurance brokers argued that the privately owned insurance and broking companies made a significant contribution to the economy, as the industry employed 4,000 permanent staff and more than 5,000 people as insurance sales agents. “This discriminatory directive will lead to retrenchment of staff and loss of income-earning opportunities for the large number of citizens who sell insurance as agents,” they said. The industry, they said, exclusively funded the operations of the National Insurance Commission through the payment of fees and levies and also made significant contributions to the National Road Safety Commission, the National Health Insurance Authority, the Motor Insurance Compensation Fund, the Fire Fund, as well as the national treasury through the payment of various taxes. Private insurance companies, they said, also undertook significant corporate social responsibility projects that benefited marginalised and deprived segments of the population. “We are at a loss as to who the real beneficiaries of this directive will be in the long run. We are in no doubt that the directive will not inure to the benefit of the nation and will only serve the interest of a few individuals,” they said. Explaining further the action of the government, a source at the Presidency said the directive was not to crowd out private insurance companies.It said if any MDA had any reason to renew insurance with a private company, it could apply for permission to do so. It said the insurance law provided that an insurer had the liberty to choose any insurance company to do business with.   Monopoly In the late 1980s, Section 64 of the Insurance Law 1989, PNDCL 227, required all government agencies, statutory bodies or corporations in which the government owned more than 50 per cent interest to be insured with the SIC. After about two decades, the law was repealed because it was found to be inconsistent with government policy on the private sector and government’s obligations under international treaties. That led to the enactment of the Insurance Act, 2006, Act 724 which removed the monopoly enjoyed by the SIC and created conditions for a level playing field for all market players. In the reinsurance market, it was also found that the GRC was also enjoying monopoly. Parliament, therefore, repealed the Ghana Reinsurance Organisation Law, 1984 (PNDCL 79) and the Ghana Reinsurance Organisation (Amendment) Law 1987 (PNDC Law 169). Subsequently a 20 per cent compulsory legal concession to the GRC which came into effect in 2009 was also removed.   Writers Email Address: [email protected]

  An 18-year-old boy, described as a terror of Effiduase in the Ashanti Region, has been remanded in custody for allegedly conspiring with some accomplices to rob a number of residents at Effiduase and its environs at gunpoint. Yaw Boakye was remanded by a Kumasi High Court, presided over  by Justice E.A. Lodoh, on three counts of robbery and two counts of unlawfully causing harm. Presenting the facts of the case to the court, the prosecutor, Mr Emmanuel Lawrence Otoo-Boison, a State Attorney, said Boakye, who claimed to be an auto electrician, together with his accomplices, forcibly entered the room of the complainants, a couple, around 7:30 pm on November 18, 2013, and attacked them at gunpoint. He said Boakye, who was wielding a locally manufactured pistol, attacked the husband and shot him in the stomach. The prosecutor said Boakye and his gang ransacked the room and took two mobile phones, GH¢800 cash and other personal items. According to Mr Otoo-Boison, the shouts of the man attracted his wife who was in the bedroom. As soon as she rushed into the hall, Boakye pointed the loaded pistol at her, pulled the trigger and shot her private parts. He said notwithstanding the injuries their victims sustained, which caused them to bleed profusely, Boakye and his accomplices, escaped with their booty in a taxicab which they had earlier hijacked from its owner identified as Kwaku Acheampong  at gunpoint. Mr Otoo-Boison said on their way, Boakye saw a Cocoa Purchasing Clerk coming from the opposite direction on a motorbike and, without any provocation, drove into the vehicle, hurting him in the process. According to Mr Otoo-Boison, unmindful of the injuries caused to the rider and his passenger, Boakye and his accomplices pounced on them and robbed them of the GH¢6,608 they had on them. The prosecutor said Boakye and his accomplices also robbed them of their two mobile phones before absconding. He said the riders reported the ordeal they went through to the Effiduase Police. Mr Otoo-Boison said later after the report was made to the police,  the Effiduase Police said they had information that Boakye had been arrested in another robbery case. The police accordingly followed up and arrested Boakye and put him before the court.    

  Relationship failures are always painful irrespective of who causes it. You may feel abandoned, rejected, inferior, humiliated, disappointed and exploited. You go through grief which may predispose you to bitterness which may shatter your life. Ten years ago, two young adults fell in love. The woman was ‘loaded’ and sacrificed everything to see her young man through to Masters Degree. She got him a good job. Just when they had completed arrangement for the traditional marriage, the man pulled out. His claim was that the woman was a year older and came from a different tribe. The woman was devastated and very bitter. She withdrew from social life and got angry with herself, her ex and the whole world. She suffered stroke and died later. This is what bitterness can do. What is bitterness? Bitterness is a feeling of acrimony, resentment, indignation or ill-will as a result of real or imagined grievance. It occurs when you think someone has taken something from you which you cannot get. It grows as you hold on to the hurt and remind yourself and others of the injustice you have experienced  in the hope that someone will save you and restore to you what you have lost. You justify yourself and keep accusing your lover. It does nothing to heal your wound. Instead, it causes your wound to be more infected. Bitterness predisposes one to many physical, emotional and mental problems. Today, psychologists assert that the majority of our diseases are caused by bitterness. This means if you become bitter, instead of being a victor, you become a victim no matter how right you are and how badly your partner has treated you. Bitterness tricks your conscience as substance abuse works; you long for it as you focus on it and justify your pain. Bitterness dominates all areas of your life. Overcoming bitterness Give yourself time to think of what your lover did to hurt you. Feel the pain so that you can get rid of it. You may do a symbolic act as you imagine the pain going away. Move away from things such as photos, video and mail that reminds you of your lover. Your ex has moved on and so must you. Do not hold on to him or her and hope for a comeback. Get over him or her even when you think you can’t do without him. Anyone who hurts you is not worthy of your pain.Email:  [email protected]. The writer is the Director of Eudoo Counselling Centre,West Legon. He is also the author of ‘your guide to marriage’ ‘love unlimited’ and ‘the journey of love’