The New Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA),Mr Koji Makino, has reaffirmed the willingness of the Japanese Government to assist Ghana pursue its development programmes, especially in the areas of infrastructure, such as transportation and energy. He also stressed the importance of agriculture, health, education and support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and capacity building as areas that the JICA operated in.    He made this known when he paid a working visit to the Country Director of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Accra. Mr Koji Makino, who has been in Ghana for barely two months now, has already visited some parts of the country to ascertain the situation on the ground.   He said Ghana needed to strengthen its industrial diversification by pursuing labour-intensive sector development programmes in such sectors as agriculture. Mr Makino praised Ghanaians for their stable democracy, growth and hospitality.

Sexual harassment suffered by girls from adults under the guise of offering help to needy female adolescents became one of the most topical issues last Wednesday during a day’s forum on children in Tamale. Many of the girls who took turns to ask questions wanted to know what to do when adults who provided them with their needs due to their parents’ inability to do so requested for sex in exchange. One girl asked if it was advisable to agree to such demands due to the support or decline them and where they would get educational support should they decline such demands. The forum, which brought together pupils from upper primary, junior high schools, religious and traditional leaders in the Tamale Metropolis, was organised by the Department of Children and funded by UNICEF. It served as a platform to find solutions to  challenges children faced. It was on the theme: “Ending Violence Against Children: Let’s resort to non-violent means of discipline.” The children raised other concerns, including lack of educational guidance, how to assess and choose good friends and how and where to seek help in terms of any form of abuse. The Acting Northern Regional Manager of the Department of Children, Mr Sanday Iddrisu, said the durbar was in response to the recent reports on violence against children and how stakeholders could best help to address the menace. “This is to seek solutions from the religious and traditional perspectives,” he said. The Communications Manager of the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC), Mr William Anim-Dankwa, advised pupils to seek guidance from close relatives, family friends, non-governmental organisations and state agencies responsible for children. He cautioned the children to refuse help from adults, who demanded sex in return for assistance and rather find support from teachers or religious leaders. “Some of you children are obsessed with fashion that you always want your parents to buy new bags, shoes and clothing for you. This is wrong and you must stop it,” he warned. The Child Protection Officer at UNICEF in charge of the Northern Sector, Ms Ruby Annang, appealed to parents to strive and provide the basic and educational needs of their children. She called on parents to desist from giving out their children, especially girls, to live with relatives, adding that most of those children were subjected to harsh treatment while others were engaged in child labour. — GNA

The President of the Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod, USA, Rev. Dr Matthew Harrison, has called on pastors to preach the undiluted word of God. He said pastors must preach the word of God openly and clearly to all people in order to make them appreciate the goodness of God. “I am tired of pastors who don’t preach the gospel,” he said at Oyibi, near Accra, last Sunday during the dedication of the Lutheran Theological Seminary . Rev. Dr Harrison said nothing should ever be taught at the seminary except from the Bible. He stressed the need for pastors to preach the pure word of God and teach the people what it meant to worship God. He thanked all those who contributed in diverse ways towards the construction of the building. The seminary building The $1-million seminary building was constructed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG) with financial support from philanthropists in the USA. The seminary, which has 42 rooms and a modern library, will be used for the training of pastors of the ELCG. Apart from the training of pastors, the two-storey building will also be used for conferences by the women and youth groups in the church. With the assistance of the Bishop of the ELCG, Rt Rev. Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, and other high-profile pastors of the Lutheran Church in the USA and Ghana, Rev. Dr Harrison cut the tape and unveiled a plaque to commemorate the dedication of the seminary . The pastoral team included the Director of Theological Education Office of International Mission, Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod, USA, Professor Timothy Quill; the President of the Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort-Wayne, USA, Rev. Dr Lawrence Rast Jr; Rev. Dr George Black of the Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod, USA, and the President of the ELCG Seminary, Rev. Yaw Gyakye Amoateng. Rt Rev. Dr Fynn said the seminary would be used to train pastors who would preach the gospel and not prosperity messages. Challenges The bishop of the ELCG recounted many challenges that were encountered in the course of constructing the seminary. He said lack of funds, controversy over land ownership and stealing of building materials had all conspired to kill the dream of building the seminary but in the end, the might of God prevailed. “The devil cannot control the church; it’s only Jesus who can,” he remarked. Rt Rev. Dr Fynn expressed gratitude to Professor Quill for helping to raise funds for the construction of the seminary. Scholarship He said all pastors under training had been offered full scholarship by the Wisconsin International University College (WIUC) and added that those who completed their courses would be sent to the USA for further studies. He said children of the ELCG pastors had also been offered 50 per cent scholarship by WIUC. Professor Quill asked the congregation to pray for the individuals in the USA who donated money for the construction of the seminary, while appealing to them (congregation) to take good care of the facility. For his part, Rev. Dr Black expressed the hope that after their training at the seminary, the pastors would share their seed with all Ghanaians. Writer’s Email: [email protected]