Kumasi, Oct. 14, GNA – The Ghana National Flour Users Association (GNFUA), has entreated its members to endeavor to work under hygienic conditions.   This, it said, would enable them come out with wholesome products as consumers were becoming more conscious of their health in respect of what they eat and where it is produced.   The GNFUA said in the wake of stiff competition confronting the bakery industry such as the changing taste of consumers, importation of foreign products and the high cost of production the members ought to adhere strictly to acceptable practices to sustain their businesses.   Mrs Comfort Akotuah, Ashanti Regional President of the Association, told the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi that, the bakery industry had become more sophisticated.    In view of this, bakers who tend to be innovative and business-conscious were likely to have a competitive advantage over their colleagues.   Mrs Akotuah, while highlighting programmes to commemorate the Association’s 10th anniversary celebrations, said it had planned to use the occasion to sensitize members on their roles, duties and responsibilities for the growth of the industry.   The celebration would see the leadership educate the members on breast cancer and other health issues, donation to the orphanage and refresher course for the members.   The Regional President stressed the need for members to form partnerships so as to facilitate their activities, particularly in the importation of raw materials, accessing of loans and sharing of experiences for their own benefit.   GNA...

Amman (Jordan), Oct. 14, – Engineers and scientists are expected to use Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology to merge the Dead and the Red seas under the “Two Seas Canal Project” worth 10 billion dollars.     RO, occurs when water is moved across a membrane against a concentration gradient from lower to higher concentration, under pressure to force ions, molecules and bacteria to be filtered, which is used purposely for the commercial desalination of seawater.     The project, to run in three-phases would be financed through international and multi-national institutions with counterpart funding from beneficiary countries, namely, Palestine, Jordan and Israel, would haul in 700,000 cubic metres of water into the Dead Sea from the Red Sea, a distance of 180 kilometres.      Results of feasibility studies and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) supported by the World Bank and other donors are yet to be released for concrete works to commence.       The region is witnessing water scarcity with its main freshwater source, the River Jordan, which has kept shrinking in size and posing declines in its annual flow from more than 1.3 billion cubic meters per year to less than 30 million cubic meters annually.      With Israel, Jordan and Syria, each grabbing as much clean water as they could, it is ironically the sewage that is keeping the river alive today.      In fact, water scarcity is a disincentive to many in the agriculture and industrial sectors as well as for domestic consumption, largely due to urbanization, pollution and global warming.      Mr Batir Wardam, environment expert and researcher, said the project, though ambitious, is expected to revive the biodiversity and water scarcity in the region.      He called for use of science to distinguish between myths and reality while urging the media to lead the crusade by setting the right agenda.      General Secretary of the Ministry of Water, Mr Bassem Talfah, said the situation is scary, which demands prompt action hence the invitation to the private sector to strike partnership with to government to diversify funding and implementation of the project.      He said the sector needs higher investment portfolios resulting from higher financial outlays in production cost stating that this manifests in a financial gap of One Billion Jordanian Dinar.      Mr Khaled Irani, President of Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, said the problem of water scarcity is not only a humanitarian issue but economic as well.     “Sixty-six percent of water is imported into Jordan of which 15 percent goes into agricultural activities. We cannot wait for the commencement of this project as its prospects are overwhelming.”        He entreated stakeholders to avoid knee-jerk reactions even as the recommendations are released and positive that the project would provide an alternative means for water in the country and beyond.     Contrarily, Dr Samir Mahmoud, media expert, said double-political commitment was needed to actualize the Two-Seas canal project as it is “haunted by political inactivity.”     “With the pace of development and disregard for timelines, the canal project will not see the light of day now, not within the next two decades,” he suggested.   He said merging the two seas would have an environmental catastrophe for Jordan, especially for occupying the lowest bit of the project.     Dr Mahmoud explained that Jordan’s location with increased salinity could be a bouquet for destabilization of the ecology in relation to marine life and culture of the Dead Sea.   GNA...

Accra, Oct 14, GNA – No Muslim pilgrim is stranded at the Hajj Village in Accra, Alhaji Halidu Haruna, Public Relation Officer of the National Hajj Committee (NHC), Ghana, said on Sunday to refute media allegations.      This is contrary to media speculations that some pilgrims for the 2012 Hajj are stranded at the Hajj Village in Accra.      Alhaji Haruna explained that those still at the village comprised people who were affected by the new Hajj law; people who paid late to their agents and those whose visas were mistaken for others by the Saudi Arabian Embassy.      The PRO made these known when he addressed the intended pilgrims at the newly constructed Hajj Village near the Kotoka International Airport.      The Saudi authorities had introduced and implemented a law, which bans intended female pilgrims, who are less than 45 years of age to enter the country without being accompanied by a relative, spouse or guardian.      The new law was passed when Ghana had already dispatched 4,438 pilgrims in 14 flights. The law took effect when the 15th flight was ready to fly to Saudi Arabia.      Alhaji Haruna said the deadline for payment of this year’s Hajj was August 31st 2012 in addition to a two-day grace period, adding “Intended pilgrims who pay after the grace period cannot make it to Hajj.”      He said another problem the Committee identified was that female pictures scanned were used to processed visas for male passports by the Saudi embassy. This, he said, had caused a lot of problems for the Committee and added that the Saudi Embassy was rectifying the anomalies.      Alhaji Haruna said the Committee had signed an agreement with Egypt Air to airlift the Ghanaian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia on 18-return flights, with each airlifting 317 pilgrims. This will bring the total to 5,706 instead of a national quota of 5,700.      “A schedule flight would be arranged to airlift the few remaining pilgrims who have paid early and not yet gone and those who are not affected by the new law,” he assured.      Alhaji Haruna said pilgrims, who rush to the media to make allegations against the NHC, should tell the media the truth: “Those who rush to the media are those who have paid late and would not tell the media the truth that they have paid late”.      He appealed to pilgrims to exercise restraint as the NHC work hard to resolve the anomalies with the Saudi Embassy. “If a pilgrim falls within the categories that have been identified by the NHC, he will definitely perform the Hajj on 25th October (Arafa). We still have two weeks more to the date.”      According to an official timetable obtained by the GNA, Hajj is expected to fall between October 24 and 29. Hijri dates for 1433H (2012) Hajj and Umrah seasons are as follows:      The first day of arrival in the Kingdom for pilgrims was September 27th, whilst the last date for arrival of pilgrims in the Kingdom by air at the King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, or at the Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Madina, would be October 20th.      The last date for pilgrims to travel from Jeddah to Madina by bus was October 11th  and last date for pilgrims to travel from Jeddah to Madina by air is October 18, while the last date for pilgrims to travel from Madina to Makkah by bus (before Hajj) is October 21.      The last date for pilgrims to travel from Madina to Jeddah by air (before Hajj) is October 22, with the final date for departure (return trip) being November 29.      Ghana’s Hajj village was relocated to the Kotoka International Airport area following the Allied Air Cargo Boeing 727-200 crash at the original Village near the El-Wak Sports Stadium.   GNA   ...

Agona Kwanyako (C/R), Oct 14, GNA - The Agona Rural Bank recorded a net profit of GH¢58,123 in 2011 as against GH¢20,399 in 2010, representing 184. 9 percent increase.      The bank’s total deposit increased from GH¢1,615,950 in 2010 to GH¢2,251,450 in 2011.      Major Ben Donkoh (retired), Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, made this known at the 26th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the shareholders at Agona Kwanyako in the Central Region.      The bank’s savings mobilization improved from GH¢3,162,918 in 2010 to GH¢4,100,518 in 2011, representing an increases of 29.6 per cent.      Major Donkoh announced that the shareholders had approved a merger with Breman Brakwa Rural Bank to improve capitalization operations of the two banks.      He said the consultant contracted by ARB Apex Bank with Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) on the merger, has submitted its report for the two banks to commerce business soon.      Major Donkoh made strong appeal to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to consider buying shares in the rural banks to enhance their financial operations.      He said, “Owning shares in the rural banking industry would support them to perform their roles efficiently as an engine of growth of the rural economy”.      According to Major Donkoh, the District Assemblies Common Fund was set up by the government for socio-economic development of the rural Area and to narrow poverty gap between urban and rural folks.      He renewed the appeal to the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development and central government to consider allowing rural banks to manage the District Assembly Common Fund instead of the commercial banks.      Mr Richard Mettle Addo, head, research and marketing of ARB Apex Bank in a speech read for the Acting Managing Director of the bank, Mr Duke Osam-Duodu, said Apex bank in collaboration with the DANIDA had established rural finance to support merger of rural banks.      Mr Kweku Acquaah, President of Central Regional of Association of rural banks, appealed to shareholders to buy more shares to increase the bank’s share capital.   GNA...

Cape Coast, Oct. 14, GNA - The University of Cape Coast (UCC) branch of the Tertiary Education Information Network (TEIN), has described the free Senior High School (SHS) education promise by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as “a mere political gimmick” intended to deceive the electorate.     It said the Network, a wing of the ruling National Democratic Congress at the university, was not against free education for all per se, but a critical look of the proposed policy by the NPP showed that if the Government was made the sole financier of education, quality and standards would be compromised.     In a statement signed by Felix Horsu, Propaganda Secretary of the UCC TEIN and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the Network accused the NPP of trying to mislead the people of Ghana with its non-feasible proposal to institute free SHS education.     It said such a proposal would automatically increase enrollment and that would put pressure on the already inadequate infrastructure of the schools, adding that the issue of infrastructure must be addressed to help achieve quality education.     It further stated that the free education being preached by the NPP was “a phantom policy, which will not see the light of day” but was just to throw dust in the eyes of Ghanaians.     The statement also indicated that the NPP was desperate to win power and added that the country’s education was experiencing a huge teacher deficit where in some schools the teacher-student-ratio was one is to 70.     “We want to put on record that we are not against free education,” the statement stressed but added that for it to be achieved, all the bottlenecks facing the current educational system needed to be addressed in order not to discourage competition among students' desire to score high marks to get the best SHS to attend.     TEIN, therefore, urged all Ghanaians, particularly the youth to reject the NPP and vote for President John Dramani Mahama in his bid to achieve the Better Ghana Agenda for all in the country.   GNA     ...

Gomoa Afransi, Oct 14, GNA – Three rural banks in the Gomoa District of the Central Region, have resolved to form a merger to be known as Gomoa Community Bank.      This was after shareholders of the Gomoa Ajumako Rural Bank limited at Gomoa Afransi, Gomoa Rural Bank Limited at Apam and Eastern Gomoa Assin Rural Bank at Gomoa Dominase, have voted favourably for the resolution.      Mrs Rose Newman, Board Chairman of Gomoa Ajumako Rural Bank made this known at the 22nd Annual General Meeting of the bank at Gomoa Afransi on Saturday.      She said the merger was in line with the directive by the Bank of Ghana (BOG) to community and rural banks whose stated capital does not reach GH¢150,000, to merge with others to avoid liquidation.      She said with the current status of a community bank, the three now had to raise additional capital of up to GH¢10 million to qualify in line with the capitalization requirement.       She said the board of directors after careful consideration of recommendations by a special consultant, resolved and accepted the proposal to enable the bank continue to carry its financial services to customers.      Mrs Newman said in term of profit sharing in future, the Gomoa Ajumako Rural bank held 30 per cent, Gomoa Rural bank, 45 per cent and Eastern Gomoa Assin rural bank, 25 per cent.      She said the new Community bank would commence business in mid November, 2012 with its headquarters sited at Apam Junction.      Mrs Newman said despite the merger all staff would be maintained and encouraged them to work hard to improve productivity.     The Gomoa Ajumako rural bank granted loans and advances to the tune of GH¢532,442 in 2010 and GH¢700,088 in 2011.       The bank’s total deposit also increased from GH¢1,400,631 in 2010 to GH¢2,041,066 in 2011, an increase of 46 per cent.      Mrs Eunice Osei-Bonsu, Manager, Research and Marketing of ARB Apex bank in speech read for the Managing Director of Apex Bank, Mr Duke Osam-Duodu  said the bank had developed a new product to help rural banks clear cheques one day instead of the current three days.      Mr Kweku Acquaah, President of Central Regional Chapter of Association of Rural banks, urged shareholders to take advantage of the merger to purchase more shares.   GNA...

Accra, Oct 14, GNA - MTN Ghana Limited has apologized to prepaid subscribers across the country for experiencing difficulty in making and receiving calls.       A statement issued in Accra by the company said its technical team are currently working to restore full services as soon as possible.     “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused,” it said.   GNA    ...

Akosombo, Oct 14, GNA - The Aboadze Thermal Plant and a Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Project are in the process to generate additional 300 megawatts of power by the end of the year to boost energy supply in the country.      Mr Kwaku Andoh, the Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority (VRA), announced this at the Biennial National Congress of the VRA Senior Staff Association at Akosombo at the weekend.      He said the 300 new megawatts in the pipeline would not rely on Gas for its operation and that would make up for the 300 shortfall of power supply in the country at the moment.      According to the CEO, the shutdown of the West Africa Gas Pipeline had impacted negatively on the operation of the VRA since it had to pay 50 million dollars every month to lift crude oil from Nigeria to support its operation.      He explained that VRA had to lift crude from Nigeria because Ghana’s crude oil was not up to the specification needed by VRA in its operation and indicated that despite the gas pipeline problem that had affected the VRA, it made profits in 2011.      Mr Andoh said VRA posted an impressive profit of about 40 million cedis in 2011, describing it as an achievement which had not been recorded in many years including its non-power areas mentioning the Akosombo Hotels that also posted impressive profits in its operation.      He said the VRA would soon be operating one of the largest dams in Nigeria called Shiroro, which had a generation capacity of 600 megawatts to add to its expansion since Nigeria was privatizing all its energy generation companies and had invited the VRA to bid.      He said despite the challenges VRA was making strides due to the cooperation of its staff, particularly the able leadership of the Senior Staff Association.      Mr Andoh added that the VRA was concerned with the power situation and would ensure that it put measures in place to contain the situation.      Mr Ben Hornunyegah, a lecturer at the Ho Polytechnic, who spoke on the theme: “Promoting Good Corporate Governance in VRA: The Role of The Senior Staff Association”, said corporate governance aimed at achieving high performance and VRA must therefore ensure that it would always be prepared to answer questions from its stakeholders.      He urged members of the Senior Staff Association to show leadership by example, adding that as seniors, they should have a better approach to demanding conditions of service.      He said while a junior Staff would use demonstration to press home his demands, a senior staff should use the wearing of red bands whiles working.      Mrs Marian Antwi, the outgoing chairman of the Senior Staff Association, pledged the support of the members to management in its bid to end the energy crises through cooperation and dialogue.     She thanked the management of the VRA, the executives and the entire members of the Association for the support given her in the 10 years of steering the affairs of such a vibrant and important Association and hoped that the new executives would continue with the good works.   GNA...

Cape Coast, Oct 14, GNA - Kofi Sam ,34, a mason, who lives at Amamoma a community near the University of Cape Coast (UCC), has been remanded into Police custody for defiling a six-year old girl through the anus.    The accused pleaded guilty with explanation but the court presided over by Mr. Samuel Asare Nyarko after hearing him, entered a plea of not guilty for him and remanded him into Police custody. He will reappear on Friday, October 19th.    Prosecuting Chief Inspector Charles Anku told the court that Sam on October 4, saw the victim around 0730 hours on her way to school and asked her to direct him to a provision store.    He said, the girl showed him two different stores but he did not like any of them and on their way to a third store, Sam grabbed her and forced her into an uncompleted structure nearby where he had anal sex with her.    After the act, the victim ran home amidst crying and informed her grandmother Madam Ekua Wangara, a farmer.    He said, Madam Wangara immediately organised people including the assembly man of Kwaprow, who assisted to arrest Sam and he was immediately handed-over to the Police.    Chief Inspector Anku added that a Police medical report form was issued to the complainant to take the girl to a government hospital for examination and treatment and the case was later transferred to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) in Cape Coast.   GNA...

Tatale, Oct 14, GNA - President John Dramani on Saturday announced that the implementation of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) would construct irrigation projects along the Oti River to provide jobs for the people of Zabzugu and Tatale-Sangule district.     He said apart from providing jobs for farmers to increase their production levels, it would also stem the perennial movement of the youth from the northern to the southern sector for non-existent jobs.    President Mahama announced this when he addressed a rally at Tatale in the northern region as part of his three-day campaign tour of the north-eastern parts of the region.    Tatale-Sangule district, one of the newly created districts in the country, was previously part of the Zabzugu Tatale district, which is a predominately farming area with the Bassares, Konkombas and Dagombas as the dominant ethnic groups.    President Mahama said the Zabzugu and Tatale areas contributed massively to food and cash crop production in the country and government would do everything possible to harness their potentials and provide them with the necessary support to enhance food production.    He commended the Bassare people for peacefully co-existing with other ethnic groups in the area and urged them to continue with that unity of purpose that could propel the development needs of the people in the coming years.    President Mahama stated: “It does not really matter, which ethnic group, location, social status or religious background, what matters now is the ability to work in unity towards achieving the development goals of your area, and I want to commend you all for making the best out of your environment.”    He said government would expand existing facilities at the health and Senior High schools in Tatale and Zabzugu and appealed to the people to send their children to school to justify the huge investment government was making in the helm of education.    He promised that government would also provide motorable roads between zabzugu and Tatale, adding that the Tatale area electricity expansion programme would commence soon to extend power to many more communities.    President Mahama advised them against ethnic conflicts as that was retrogressive and could impede the orderly development of the area.    “I will rather advise all of you to fight poverty, illiteracy and diseases, which have over the years stifled our initiatives,” he added.   GNA...

Sang (N/R), Oct. 14, GNA- President John Dramani Mahama on Saturday gave the assurance that government would continue to provide every community with their share of development projects, irrespective of their location, ethnic, and social status.   “The NDC government is a social democratic one and will continue to serve all people in society without discrimination and rancour.”   President Mahama gave the assurance when he addressed a rally at Sang in the Northern Region as part of his three-day campaign tour of the north-eastern parts of the region.   During his tour, President Mahama addressed similar rallies at Kpandai, Lungni, Wulensi, Bimbilla, Salaga, and would be addressing others in Yendi, Zabzugu, Tatate, Saboba and Chereponi.   The President said as Ghanaians they all had a stake in the national cake, and it was not the duty of government to skew the creation of development projects to their detriment since “every Ghanaian deserves the services of government”.   He said the implementation of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) in the three northern regions was meant to create socio-economic opportunities in the northern sector to stem the rural urban and north-south drift of the youth for non-existent jobs.   President Mahama promised that under the SADA programme, government would invest in commercial farming to discourage the youth from concentrating on white-collar jobs after they complete their education.   He said the promotion of commercial farming had already started with the establishment of a shea butter factory at Buipe in Gonja Central District, while rice mill and oil mills factories would be established and reactivated to provide jobs for the youth.   The president encouraged the electorate in the area to vote massively for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to continue with the Better Ghana Agenda that the late President John Evans Atta Mills initiated to advance the development needs of Ghanaians.   Mr Moses Mabengba, Regional Minister dispelled the rumour making the rounds that President Mahama would promote ethnic conflicts in the country when he wins the forthcoming general election.   He said the NDC government is caring for Ghanaians and would continue to introduce more social interventions that would make Ghanaians comfortable.     GNA...

Accra, Oct. 14, GNA - Mr James Wooldridge, British Airways’ (BA) Commercial Manager for Ghana, says Ghana has benefitted greatly from the airline’s belief in investing in the communities in which they operate.      In a statement released to mark British Airways’ 75th anniversary in Ghana, which fell on Saturday October 13, Mr Wooldridge said: “It’s amazing to think that 75 years ago we were operating bi-planes that could carry seven passengers and the journey took over a week, when you consider that today we have daily flights a day that do the journey in about six hours.”   “We believe very strongly in investing in the communities we operate in, and Ghana has benefited greatly from such commitments over the past 75 years,” says Wooldridge.   As part of activities to mark the anniversary, the airline held a reception at the residence of the British High Commissioner for its clients and stakeholders on Thursday October 11.  It was a trip down memory lane as models showcased BA crew uniforms over the years.   Mr Mark Simons, British Foreign Office Minister, said it’s been a great year for Britain with the Queen’s Jubilee celebration, hosting of the Olympics as well as the celebration of the achievement of BA.   He said many people in the UK regard the airline as a “national institution” and make regular use of it.   He said the BA would continue to invest in Accra and pledged his commitment as the new Foreign Office Minister, to ensure that relations between Ghana and the UK continue to thrive and develop.   The statement said BA Ghana began 75 years ago when a handful of passengers boarded a biplane for a one-week journey which would pioneer an air service that today still links Ghana and the United Kingdom.   “On 13 October 1937, the DH86 Diana class aircraft operated by Elders Colonial Airways on behalf of Imperial Airways arrived in Accra for the first time. This once-weekly service between Southampton and Accra took almost one week, involving nine stops between the UK and the Central African hub of Khartoum.   A couple of years later, the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was formed under the BOAC Act, from the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Limited, a British airline that operated in Europe in the 1930s.   In 1974, the UK government dissolved BOAC and British European Airways to form the global carrier, British Airways, as we know it today. 1987 saw the airline privatised in a hugely oversubscribed flotation of shares on the London Stock Exchange, as well as the appointment of British Airways’ first women pilots.   In 2002, British Airways begun daily, non-stop flights between Accra and London on a Boeing 767 aircraft. The six-hour overnight flight is extremely popular for business travellers, who enjoy the convenience of a full working day in Ghana, and an early morning arrival for easy onward connection to other destinations” it added.   Today, British Airways operates to Ghana on a Boeing 777-200 aircraft with a four-class configuration, which features its innovative First (First Class) product, along with Club World (Business Class), World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) and World Traveller (Economy Class). Currently, British Airways is the only airline to offer a first class service in and out of Ghana, and its £100m investment into the improved product is proving extremely popular on the route.   Iberia, the Spanish national carrier, merged with British Airways in January 2011 to the International Airline Group and began twice-weekly operations to Ghana in July 2012, with Economy and Business Class Cabins on an Airbus A319 aircraft.   British Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, Keith Williams was recently in Ghana to support Flying Start, the airline’s partnership with UK charity, Comic Relief, which was launched two years ago to raise money around the world for good causes.   Flying Start hopes to raise £500,000 by the end of 2012 to vaccinate 100,000 Ghanaian children against deadly diseases.     GNA...

Accra, Oct. 14, GNA - For nearly a decade of commercial citrus farming at Odumafo in the Eastern Region, 56 years old Kojo Marfo says, his highest sale of orange fruits after a good harvest was GH¢900.00 for a planting season.     “That year was a happy time for my family and I because we’ve never had that much money. God blessed us that year when some market women from Burkina Faso came and bought our oranges at 50 pesewa more for a sack full,” Marfo says with a smile.     After fixing the price of a bag of oranges for Marfo, the market women also load the bags with the fruits themselves without any scale of measurement and to their satisfaction level.     This is the “pittance reward” many smallholder farmers like Marfo are getting out of their sweat to feed our population. The reason is mainly because smallholders act alone in the production and marketing of their produce all the time.     Marfo’s story goes to confirm that though many years of research and experience had shown that small farmers acting alone did not benefit from higher food prices and income, many African countries including Ghana, are still not taking advantage of agricultural cooperatives and or associations.       Farmers acting collectively in strong producer associations or organisations and cooperatives are better able to take advantage of many opportunities including market access, bargaining power, and fairer commercial conditions, which help them to mitigate the effects of food and other crises.     Today there are examples of innovative producer associations and cooperatives in both developed and developing countries that had proven successful in helping small producers overcome different constraints. But these too often are limited in scale and scope.   FAO World Food Day 2012      In recognition of this and many other reasons, the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), has decided to throw the searchlight on cooperatives towards the celebration of this year’s World Food Day, which falls on October 16th every year.     “Agricultural Cooperatives: Key to Feeding the World” is the chosen theme for the 2012 World Food Day to increase the understanding of the role and importance of agricultural cooperatives and producer associations or organisations in achieving food security and reducing poverty.      As Ghana and all other countries observe the Day, governments are expected to promote the formation of such special enterprises as a way out of hunger and poverty.     The FAO is also asking governments and policy makers to put in place the rights policies, transparent legislations, incentives and opportunities for dialogue, since all these are necessary conditions for cooperatives and producer organisation to develop and growth.             There is broad agreement smallholders will provide much of the extra food needed to feed more than nine billion people by 2050 and experts have noted that one of the steps to achieve food security is to support and invest in cooperatives.      The International Cooperative Alliance defines a true cooperative as “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise”.      Cooperatives are present in all countries and in sectors including agriculture, finance, food, health, marketing, insurance, credit, etc… It is estimated that one billion are members of cooperatives globally, generating more than 100 million jobs.    Ghana observes World Food Day 2012      “Agricultural and food cooperatives are already a major tool against poverty and hunger but they could do much more. It is time to strengthen these organisations and facilitate their expansion while creating a favourable business, legal, policy and social climate in which they can thrive,” FAO concept paper on the 2012 World Food Day notes.      To make the celebration more meaningful and beneficial to the local farmer, the Ghanaian government has adopted a sub theme: “Restoring Coconut Farmers’ Livelihood through Farm-Based Organisations (FBOs)” to raise the importance of cooperatives in raising income and creating more jobs.      The celebration, which will take place at Bewadze in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region, will therefore attract many FBOs across the country.      In Ghana, the agric sector is made up mainly of smallholder farmers, who are disadvantaged in accessing inputs, credit, extension services and markets for their produce. Through the activities of FBOs, farmers strengthen their bargaining power in the market place, and ensuring equity and a cost-effective extension service delivery system.      FBOs also facilitate the dissemination of information on agricultural technologies and best farming practices that are environmentally friendly. Strong groups could also empower their members to influence policies that affect their livelihood.  However, currently in Ghana, most FBOs are weak in terms of financing and organization.      The National Planning Committee of the World Food Day under the chairmanship of Yaw Effah-Baafi, a Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture said every arrangement had been made to herald successful celebration. Activities planned include flag raising, educational seminars on the parent theme, clean market project, coconut planting and symbolic signing of petition to end hunger.    Role of Cooperatives      Statistics show that in 2008 the top 300 cooperatives were responsible for an aggregate turnover of US1.1 trillion dollars, which is the size of the world’s tenth largest economy, Canada and nearly the size of Spain.      In Kenya, 70% of coffee, 76% of dairy, 95% of cotton are owned by cooperatives; in the US, dairy cooperatives control about 80% of dairy production; In Columbia, the national federation of coffee growers provides production and marketing services to 500,000 coffee growers; In Brazil cooperatives are responsible for 40% of the agricultural GDP and six per cent of total agribusiness export.    Conclusion      Cooperatives need government and Governments need cooperatives. Whereas government regulation of cooperatives is important, it is equally important that cooperatives have the autonomy to govern and manage themselves by formulating their own bye-laws. In some countries like the US and Costa Rica, cooperative education has been mainstreamed into schools curricular.      If Kojo Marfo decides today to join a famer association, his interest will no doubt be served. He together with others will be helped to achieve their shared social, cultural and economic aspirations. For Marfo to continue to work hard to produce food to feed the population, it is important for relevant stakeholders to come together with clear roles and responsibilities to define the enabling environment where producer organisation can develop.     A GNA feature by Lawrence Quartey...

Accra Oct. 14, GNA- Dr Kwabena Duffour, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning on Friday said the National Lottery Authority (NLA) had paid a total of GH¢ 188.4 million into the consolidated fund and paid 87 per cent of its 2012 targets into the fund.   Dr Duffour noted that the Authority raked in the highest revenue ever in its history as a result of the ongoing Portable Automated Data Process Machine (PADPM) project when the NLA sold up to  GHȼ 5.5 million in a record week.   He was speaking as a guest speaker at a dinner dance of the Authority to celebrate its 5thAnniversary in Accra.   Dr Duffour said the country is now listed among the top 10 fastest growing economies in the World and the fastest growing economy in Africa.   He said Ghana however remains dependent on international financial and technical assistance as well as remittances from Ghanaians in the Diaspora.   He said steps are being undertaken to re-engineer the institution by restructuring the organisation, its products portfolios and platforms as well as to develop its human talents.   Dr Duffour commended the efforts of the Authority which has metamorphosed from the Department of National Lotteries for their role over the last 50 years in supporting government in employment generation.   Mr Kojo Andah, Director General of the Authority said the corporate entity has covered all the laws pertaining to lottery whilst its primary duty was to generate revenue for national development.   He said the Authority had employed close to 7,000 including 5,500 new jobs under the PADPM.   Mr Andah said the Authority is convinced that its collaboration with private institutions would help ensure sanity within the legal space established by the National Lotto Act 722, in 2006.   GNA...

Koforidua, Oct. 14, GNA - The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has established an mFriday Mobile Web Laboratory setup project, which the university authorities described as the first ever state-of-the-art mobile web lab in Ghana.   It was founded by a group of students and ICT professionals in September 2011, and offers ICT students and industry experts a platform to facilitate the designing, testing and launching of commercially viable mobile web applications to solve problems.   In collaboration with Vodafone, a major player in the telecommunication industry, KNUST have also set up an internet cafe at the College of Engineering reputed to be the fastest in Africa to boost teaching and research.   Professor William Otoo Ellis, Vice Chancellor of KNUST made this known in Koforidua at the weekend during the 7thBiennial Congress of the Alumni of the University referred to as “Teknokrats” on the theme: “Reducing Graduate Unemployment; The Role of Teknokrats.”   He said the academic entity has established a Quality Assurance Unit which has developed policies on quality assurance; teaching and learning; research; HIV and AIDS, and intellectual property to guide operations.   The university is also establishing off-shore centres under which a pilot project has begun in Dubai with Mechanical Engineering undergraduate top-up programme.   In this regard Prof Ellis has led a delegation to The Gambia, Nigeria and Liberia.   Mr Antwi Boasiako, Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare said government is committed to invest in skills development in order to structure the largely informal sector, adding that job creation is one of the critical pillars of the Better Ghana agenda.   Mr Ebenezer Okletey-Terlabi, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister who described the theme for the congress as “very apt and opportune” said the pervasiveness of poverty in the society is debilitating and threatens to keep the nation permanently in a vicious grip.   “Due to poverty, the society is only able to generate low levels of savings, resulting in low levels of investments with corresponding low levels of output, thus reinforcing...poverty,” he added.   Mr Okletey-Terlabi advocated the need for the academic board of the university to have constant dialogue with industry to restructure its curriculum so as to train students who would be more useful and functional to society.   “Entrepreneurship training should be part of every academic pursuit at the university to enable students to have a different orientation of exploring various opportunities as to create jobs for themselves and not to rely on government for employment.”   Mr Tony Danklu, National President of the Alumni, in his report to the Teknokrats, challenged them to be innovative and entrepreneurial in their operations and called on unemployed graduates to look beyond government and traditional private sector job opening for employment opportunities.   He appealed to teknocrats, home and abroad to get involved in the activities of the Alumni.   Entrepreneurs such as Dr Kofi Amoah, Dr Michael Agyekum Addo and Mr Elikem Nutifafa Kuenyehia lectured the tecknokrats on practical ways of establishing businesses with emphasis on creativity, innovation and the ability to take risks.   They also took the congress through the need for the unemployed graduates to develop business plans and cease the many business opportunities available and cited examples in the food vending industry and marketing of local cuisine to international standards.   Dr Amoah expressed the need for government to create a one billion- dollar entrepreneurship fund and initiate massive land reforms to facilitate job creation.   Daasebre Professor Emeritus Oti Boateng, Omanhene (Paramount Chief) of New Juaben, who chaired the function called on the alumni of the country’s universities to come together to create general theories of generating employment.   The term of the current National Executive led by Mr Danklu, President was extended for a year to allow for constitutional amendments. The rest are: Collins Obeng-Marnu, Vice-President, Eunice Akosua Ofosua Amoako, General Secretary, Ernest Paa Kwesi Elelakpodia, Assistant General Secretary, Fanny Enos, Treasurer, Kwame Ohene Ampofo, Evans Yevu Aryee-Quaye, Francis Appiah-Kubi and Evelyn Akua Mensah and Prof S. O. Asiama as Co-opted Executive Members.   As part of the five-day congress the tecknokrats organised career counselling for a number of Senior High School Students and health screening exercises.   GNA...

Tamale, Oct. 13, GNA - About 50 media practitioners in the Northern Region have undergone a three-day intensive training on HIV and AIDS aimed at equipping them with knowledge to help ensure effective reportage to curb the spread of the disease.   The training was also in line with government's National Strategic Plan (NSP) 2011 - 2015 aimed at reducing by half the spread of HIV and AIDS, and mother to child transmission to eventually stop new infections in the country.   The training, which ended in Tamale on Friday, was organised by the Ghana Aids Commission (GAC) in collaboration with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).   Participants were taken through topics including "The National Response to HIV and AIDS: Progress and Challenges" and "NSP 2011-2015: Towards Achieving Universal Access to Comprehensive HIV Services".   Dr Joseph Amuzu, Director of Policy and Planning at the GAC, who spoke on behalf of the Director General of the GAC, underscored the need for effective and continued education on the spread of HIV and AIDS to inform the lifestyle of the populace to ensure the elimination of the disease.   Dr Amuzu said even though statistics showed a continued decline in the spread of the disease over the years, a lot more needed to be done if the country was to attain her objectives outlined in the NSP 2011-2015.   He gave the prevalence of the disease in the country for the year 2011 saying the total number of persons living with HIV  was 217,428, whilst the number of HIV positive children was 31,576,  HIV positive Pregnant Women was 12,854 and annual new HIV infections for adults stood at 8,925 and that of children was 2,933.      Dr Amuzu therefore, stressed the need for education of the populace saying GAC recognised the role and contribution of the media towards the attainment of the NSP 2011-2015 hence the training.      Alhaji Alhassan Issahaku, Northern Regional Coordinating Director, said HIV and AIDS response was all-encompassing and required in-depth knowledge for effective education.      He therefore, lauded the training saying it would enable journalists and media practitioners to do accurate reportage on the disease.      Mr Affail Monney, Vice President of the GJA, who spoke on the topic: "The Role of the Media in the Response to HIV," called on journalists to go the extra mile to produce critical stories that would help to curb the spread of the disease.      Meanwhile, about 34 journalists who tested for HIV at the training were confirmed non-reactive or negative.     GNA...

Hyderabad (India) Oct. 13, GNA-  Representatives from more than 170 countries including Ghana are meeting in Hyderabad, India, to deliberate on the way forward to protect the planet’s biodiversity.   The 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known as COP 11, follows the historic outcome of the 2010 Nagoya biodiversity summit.   In Nagoya, governments adopted a new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, and two new supplementary protocols to the CBD, setting the course for halting biodiversity loss by the end of the current decade.   The meeting commenced early October, 2012 with various side events and group meeting would end on 21st of October, 2012.   As part of the meeting there will be a High Level Ministerial Meeting (HLMM) from 16th to 18th where various Ministerial Delegation including Ms Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment Science and Technology would be expected to give brief statements.   Again the HLMM would also have a panel discussion where delegates from Ghana would be expected to moderate a section to deliberate on issues including Biodiversity for Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction.   Ms Jayanthi Natarajan, Minister of Environment and Forests, Government of India and COP 11 President, said the present global economic crisis should encourage leaders to invest more towards amelioration of the natural capital for ensuring uninterrupted ecosystem services, on which all life on Earth depends.   “Let us all be inspired by what Mahatma Gandhi said: ‘The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems’. So let us commit ourselves to what we are capable of doing.”   Mr Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary to the Convention on Biological Diversity urge leaders to adopt new approaches and mechanisms, emphasising the leveraging of resources from existing sources through mainstreaming, incorporating sustainability criteria in government procurement, reviewing and adjusting of economic instruments, and further engaging the business sector.   “We will be judged by our acts, not our words,” he said.   Ms Amina Mohamed, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UNEP said: “The collective experience and the new analysis through initiatives had illuminated that the costs of inaction are far higher and will rise and that the losses the world especially the poor—are sustaining annually as a result of unsustainable management of the natural world dwarf the investments.”   She said the private sector had a responsibility and a role to play too within the rules and regulations put in place by governments to ensure equity for all sectors of society.   The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty for the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources.   With 193 Parties, the Convention has near universal participation among countries.   The Convention seeks to address all threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from climate change, through scientific assessments, the development of tools, incentives and processes, the transfer of technologies and good practices and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders including indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the business community.     From Albert Oppong - Ansah, GNA Special Correspondent, Hyderabad, India (Courtesy, Global Environmental facility and UNEP)...

Accra, Oct. 13, GNA -The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) at the weekend presented “The Farmers Manifesto for Election 2012 and beyond”, to the leadership of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in Accra.   The manifesto provides a platform of common set of demands for the achievement of food security, poverty reduction and sustainable national development.   Mr Charles Kwowe Nyaabe, Programme Officer of PFAG, speaking at the presentation said small scale farmers’ face complex challenges and bottlenecks which required both central and local government intervention in concert with farmers.   He said farmers concerns ranged from low participation in agriculture and food security, governance and poor access to resources critical for making a living.   He said smallholder farmers particularly women should be given special consideration in the implementation of agricultural policy.   He said government and political parties should through the Bank of Ghana and other financial institutions regulate and make it mandatory for financial institutions to reduce the interest rates spread of their annual credit supply to farmers at a very affordable rate.   “Government and political parties should allocate specific financing schemes such as Export Development and Agriculture Investment Fund, Venture Capital Fund and MASLOC to specific banks to lend in equitable and very transparent manner and at affordable rate,” he added.   The farmers’ manifesto seeks to influence political parties’ manifestos for the 2012 elections and also to be used as a tool to hold governments accountable on the delivery on small scale farmers’ priorities in the development agenda.   Mr Nyaabe said Governments and political parties should strengthen their agricultural politics particularly in the food crop sector, to reverse decades of bias in favour of cash crop production.   “Government and Political Parties should facilitate the provision and timely access to all farm inputs needed by farmers.    He called on Government to redefine the Maputo Declaration so that within the overall 10 per cent minimum budgetary expenditure target on agriculture.   Dr Abu Sakara, Presidential Candidate of CPP, said the party’s agricultural policy would focus on attaining food security for the nation, income security for farmers and fishermen and self-sufficient in the industrial sector.   He said the emphasis would also be on the use science and technology to revolutionise agriculture.   “The transformation of our agriculture to evolve beyond food security thresholds of small holder farmers to providing for our industrial needs demands the emergence of medium to larger scale commercial farming,” he noted.   He said the peasant farmers constituted the overwhelming majority of all agricultural producers and the agrarian transformation programmes of a CPP government shall therefore revolve around them.   He assured the farmers that when voted into power his government would provide means of transportation from the farm to market centres.     GNA...