Kumasi, Oct. 24, GNA – Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, has encouraged teachers to work assiduously to improve the quality of the nation’s education.      He was receiving this year’s National Best Teacher, Mrs Patricia Ampofowaah Boso, to his Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on Wednesday.      She was accompanied by the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr Joseph K. Onyinah, and other prize award winners from the region.       The Asantehene renewed his pledge to do everything to support the development of education.      He congratulated them for the good job they have been doing to make the region proud, adding that, they should keep this up.      Mr Onyinah gave high marks to teachers in Ashanti, for what he said was their professionalism, commitment and dedication.      He said it was not surprising that they had since the past four years been excelling in the “national best teacher awards” - both the teaching and non-teaching categories. GNA  ...

Kumasi, Oct. 24, GNA - Soroptimist International of Kumasi, a society of women professionals committed to gender equality, has appealed to the political parties to give prominence to women’s development issues.   Mrs Ellaine Owusu, President of the society said women require governmental and institutional support to give them more social protection and enhance their economic situation to boost their contribution to national progress.   The expectation was that the parties would implement effective policies and programmes to support women empowerment in all fields, when given the mandate to govern.     Speaking at the society’s meeting held in Kumasi on Wednesday, she said it was of essence to highlight issues that tend to inhibit the progress of women     Mrs Owusu called on civil society organisations, traditional authorities and policy makers to work together to advance the cause of women.     The meeting provided the platform to assist the members to have better understanding of their roles to engineer gender activism.     Soroptimist clubs work towards human rights protection, equality, development and peace through international goodwill, understanding and friendship. GNA  ...

Wa, Oct. 24, GNA - The educational system in the Wa area is still beset with challenges in spite of efforts by the Wa Municipal Assembly to help address the concerns with investments in the Junior High Schools.   Out of 2,134 candidates presented for the BECE in the Municipality this year, 1,289 of them representing 61.1 per cent passed and this is lower than the 68.3 per cent passes for 2011.   Teacher absenteeism, inadequate teaching and learning materials, congestion in classrooms in some schools and lack of monitoring are the major reasons accounting for the average performance of the pupils.   Alhaji Duogu Yakubu, the Municipal Chief Executive, made this known at the second ordinary meeting of the Assembly on Tuesday.   He said perennial shortfalls in meeting revenue targets continue to plague the Assembly as it could only collect 200.092.81 Ghana Cedis representing 54.53 per cent of the projected sum of 366,919.00 as at August.   Alhaji Yakubu attributed their poor performance in revenue generation in recent times to the absence of a Valuation Officer who is responsible for issuing demand notices for the payment of revenue.   He said the District Assemblies Common Fund which supports the Assemblies to carry out their programmes had not been regular with the first quarter allocation of 60,000 Ghana Cedis arriving in July while that of the second quarter had just been received. GNA...

Juaso (Ash), Oct. 24, GNA - The Juaso Circuit Court has ordered a farmer to be held in jail for four years for the theft of a tractor jerk valued at GH¢1,800.00.      Daniel Amu, who was charged with stealing and escaping from lawful custody, pleaded guilty.      The court presided over by Justice Alex Obeng-Asante sentenced him to four years imprisonment for stealing and another two years for escaping, to run concurrently.      Police Chief Inspector Emmanuel Ofori told the court that the complainant, a chainsaw operator and the convict both live at Obogu in the Asante-Akim South District.      The complainant after close of work about four months ago left the jerk in the Akotia Forest.    He returned four days later only to discover it had been stolen.      He was tipped off that Amu was responsible for the theft and caused his arrest.      The prosecution said he confessed to the crime in his caution statement and told the police he sold it for GH¢200.00 to a scrap dealer.      While being kept in police custody, Amu fell sick and was taken to the hospital for treatment where he escaped. He was re-arrested after a week. GNA    ...

“Towards a successful election 2012: The role of various Stakeholders”  (A GNA feature by George Larbi)  Koforidua, Oct. 24, GNA - In a little over a month from now, Ghanaians will go to the polls once again to decide who should be the leader of the country and those who go to the legislature to make laws for the country for the next four years. The various political parties have already hit the ground running, with lots of tension across the country. The biometric registration exercise generated so much chaos and violence in various parts of the country and if there are any lessons to learn Ghanaians should start from today. The question which needs to be asked is: "What are we supposed to do as a nation to ensure that this year’s general election does not tear the nation apart?" The answer to this question is simple. All stakeholders including the political parties, the media, law enforcement agencies, the government, the Electoral Commission, and civil society organizations and all others should play their respective roles well to make the election incident free. One thing is clear, that this is not the first time Ghana is going into an election to elect a president and parliamentarians. Already five general elections have gone by without any problem. Ghana had gained a lot of international recognition because of the way we are deepening our democratic principles. It is against this background that it would be important for all stakeholders to play their roles well to make this year’s election successful for the country to achieve another commendation from the international community. From the point of view of the political parties it is an undeniable fact that the success of this year’s election depends on the way they conduct themselves. If  recent developments are anything to go by, then it is time for them to revise their notes well.  Political parties should ensure peaceful electioneering campaigns devoid of intolerance, provocation, and over-reaction to opponents’ views and ideologies. The parties and candidates should focus on issues rather than attack personalities, resort to the use of intemperate language, and ethnocentrism.  Ghanaians should see each other as one people with a common destiny. The parties in this direction should educate their members, especially their communication teams who go on radio and television on how to speak.  Indeed, it will not be out of place to urge political parties to impose some sanctions on their members who use unacceptable language on their opponents. Political parties should not see themselves as enemies but rather opponents in order to sustain the peace the nation is enjoying presently. They should also ensure that they disband all alleged vigilante groups and enforce the Political Parties' Code of Conduct. Again they should ensure that their manifestos reflect the tenets of the 1992 Constitution on the Directive Principles of State Policy. If there is another stakeholder that has a very important role to play in this year’s election, then it is the media. The able men and women in the media fraternity  should be commended for their watchdog role in our society.  It is a fact that since Ghana entered the Fourth Republic,  the role of the media in deepening the country's democratic dispensation cannot be overemphasized. However, some concerns have been raised by well-meaning Ghanaians about the mediocrity, lack of professionalism and lack of balance which sometimes characterize the performance of some media houses, both print and electronic. It is important for the media to be circumspect with their reportage on insults, hate speech and negative propaganda that are spewed out by politicians, and the so-called ‘serial callers’ and political commentators. This development sparked off conflicts and wars in other countries hence the need to avoid using intemperate language on air. It is dangerous for Ghana's fledgling democracy and injurious to the character formation of our youth. Managements of Media houses should therefore apply stringent internal censorship to address these shortcomings. The media should be able to use airtime and space to discuss more useful, profitable and development-oriented issues which can promote peace, before, during, and after the general elections than give that time to politicians to hurl insults on each other. Only when the media operate responsibly will they impact on society positively. One other way to ensure sanity on air is for the radio station owners to equip their stations with delayed transmission devices to help cut out vulgar language and negative contributions from serial callers, especially those who appear to have a fixed political agenda. The way the two leading parties, the ruling National Democratic Congress and the opposition New Patriotic Party have positioned themselves is not the best, and it is important for the media to be careful of manipulation from politicians. In societies where there is heightened political tension, media practitioners can easily buy into the agenda of politicians, who invariably are the source of events leading to conflicts in society today. In the 2008 presidential run-off, for instance, a popular radio station in Accra raised tension to boiling point by asking the members of a certain political party to arm themselves and marched to the Electoral Commission, ostensibly, to protect the vote of that political party. The tension created by a group of young men and women armed with all manner of offensive weapons besieging the Electoral Commission, only needed a spark from the other side of the political divide to ignite a huge flame to consume everything in its way. The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the National Media Commission (NMC) should see to maintain order in the media houses before they do irreparable damage to the country.  One important step that needs to be taken is the strengthening of the powers of the NMC in order to regulate the media landscape effectively. The Electoral Commission (EC) is considered as the referee of elections in this country, and as already stated earlier, this is not the first time the EC is going to conduct elections of this magnitude in Ghana. It has made a name for itself since 1992 across the African continent. The EC should bear it in mind that the success or failure of the impending election largely depends on it. What happened in the district assembly elections in 2010 which some people termed as “tot tot” should not be repeated in this year’s general election. The EC should create a level playing field for all political parties to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in December. The Commission should also come out and explain some of the electoral laws to the general public, especially on issues like who is an “ordinary resident”. This created so much confusion and tension in the just-ended biometric registration exercise. The EC, again, should ensure that the recent creation of additional constituencies is not done to favour any particular political party. Furthermore, it should not hesitate to let Ghanaians know the challenges the Commission is going through. This is because Ghanaians will not accept any excuse from the EC should the election fail to meet their expectations. Reports of breaking down of registration equipment during the biometric registration exercise should be a wake up call to the EC if the verification machines will be used in December. The Commission should not hesitate to discipline any of its staff who identifies himself or herself with a political party in order to maintain its hard won credibility. The EC should collaborate effectively with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and political parties to educate party agents on their rights and responsibilities. Also, the EC should also intensify voter education on the verification process; liaise with security agencies to guarantee the security of the entire electoral process. One other issue which needs to be addressed by the EC is the omission of some electoral areas in the Constitutional Instrument (CI) 78 which was passed into law recently. The law enforcement agencies including the police should live up to expectation and deal with people who would try to foment trouble irrespective of their political affiliation.  They should not be seen as agents for a particular political party. What happened at Akwatia, Chereponi, and Atiwa where no one was arrested and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others, despite the level of impunity that took place there, does not speak well of the security agencies, especially the police. The police service should free itself from any political interference, whether real or perceived, and be independent. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the country deserve some commendation for the role they have been playing to ensure that peace is sustained in the country. Ghana’s politics in many ways is shaped by religion, ethnicity, and other considerations. It is obvious that the CSOs are better positioned to play a leading role in ensuring free and fair elections in December. They have the capacity to prevent social, religious, political and internal conflicts. The December 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections offer those organisations another opportunity to play their role in Ghana’s developmental process. The general expectation is that they will show commitment and adopt a more pro-active and holistic approach in preventing conflicts and violence at all levels. In these critical moments the entire nation should exercise political maturity as a means of deepening Ghana’s democracy. The nation is larger than  any political party, and its prestigeous position as a “haven or oasis of peace” in the West African sub-region must be maintained by all means.       GNA ...

Accra, October 24, GNA - Mr. Guy Amarteifio, the Greater Accra Regional Librarian, has appealed to the government, chiefs and other stakeholders to support public libraries for the country to achieve the objective of a middle income status.     Mr Amarteifio was speaking at the International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) which is a project of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) and celebrated annually in commemoration of Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday.      Christian Anderson was a prolific writer of children’s books and famous for his fairy tales which were not meant merely for children but also for adults. Some of his books are “The Improvisator,”  “The Tinder Box,”  “Big Claus and Little Claus,” “The Princess,”  “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and the “Ugly Duckling”which was his autobiography.     The celebration is on the theme, “once upon a time, there was a story that the whole world told and the message was written by Francisco Hinojosa of Mexico”. Mr Amarteifio said the Ghana Library Authority (GhLA) representing the IBBY Ghana, celebrated the ICBD annually by organizing competitions among Junior High, Upper primary and Pre Schools in the form of quiz, spelling Bee, Essay Writing, Reading, Drama, Poetry Recital, Cultural and Singing throughout the country basically in the Districts, Municipalities, and the Metropolis.      He said 14 schools were selected in the Accra Metropolis for the competition which is intended to address the perennial problem of reading in the country, showcase the importance of public libraries in national development and to encourage every pupil to read and have access to books and other reading materials.      He said the reading culture had declined considerably, and as a result, competitions are the means by which GhLA in collaboration with other interested parties would whip up enthusiasm in reading.    Mr Amarteifio said the GhLA had been promoting and marketing its programmes and services through the various extension activities and outreach services. It organizes book fairs, increased its membership drive and organized reading promotion activities to help children to cultivate the reading habit, encourage library use and assist in the provision of quality education. GhLA also provides Information Communication Technology centres and provides mobile library services with support from the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications to automate the public library system.     He expressed appreciation to all stakeholders for their consistent support towards the programmes every year and for their handsome donations towards the organization of the programme and appealed to companies to support the GhLA.       GNA ...

Tamale, Oct. 24, GNA – The Northern Region branch of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), has given government a 6-day ultimatum to respond to the inter-ministerial committee report on the payment of Single Spine Salary Structure premium to its members.     Mr Ali Anafo, Northern Regional Secretary of the Association, addressing members at a conference in Tamale on Wednesday, said CLOGSAG members in the region would resume its strike action if by close of Monday October 29, government fail to respond to their demands.     “Members of the Northern Region branch of CLOGSAG are requesting for an immediate response from government to the inter-ministerial committee report of premium to our constituents”, he  said.     Mr Anafo said CLOGSAG was aware that the inter-ministerial committee had presented its report to government but nothing concrete had been said regarding the premium.     He  said:  “As a result of the total silence of government on the issue tension and anxiety is mounting among our members. We have, therefore, resolved that by Monday, October 29, 2012 if no firm response is received from government, members of CLOGSAG in the Northern Region will visit our suspended strike action”.     GNA ...

Accra, Oct. 24, GNA - The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), the umbrella students’ body in Ghana, has elected new executives to steer its affairs for the 2012/2013 academic year.      This is contained in a statement signed by Andrews Kofi Gyan, President and Louisa Atta-Agyemang, Genearl Secretary of the students’ union,  copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra.      It indicated that the rest of the national executive committee members included Precious Asieduaa Gyan, Treasurer, Naziru Iddriss, Co-ordinating Secretary, Adwoa Amoaniwaa Owusu, Press and Information Secretary, and Mary Akorli Mwuwornu, Women’s Commissioner.     The others were Eric Boakye Danquah, Financial Controller, Patrick Nkansah, Programmes and Project Secretary, Eugene Ackom-Damtey, Education and Democratisation Secretary, and Seth Odame-Mensah, International Relations Secretary.     The statement said the new NUGS leadership was elected at a national delegate’s congress on September 8, 2012 in Accra, after the one scheduled for August, 2012, in Kumasi, ended abruptly because of confusion due to alleged political interference from the two leading political parties - the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party.  GNA ...

Bolgatanga, Oct 24, GNA - Africa Agriculture Company Limited (AGDevCo) , a foreign company,  is to  empower farmers of the Tono Irrigation project area in the Upper East Region to go into  commercial farming. The farmers over the years have been facing challenges including lack of improved seeds, poor yields, lack of market for their produce, lack of storage facilities and farming equipment for land preparation and harvesting. The Company, which is to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Irrigation Company of Upper East Region (ICOUR) that is managing the farmers, would be introducing new varieties of rice, soya beans, maize and provide the farmers technical support. They would also be supported in storage, marketing and land preparation. Briefing the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, about the project the team leader of the Company, Mr Yasser Toor, said the company intended spending 24 million dollars over a three-year period and would start with 3 million dollars. He said the reason for selecting the Upper East Region was that it had the biggest potential in terms of agriculture and with support, the good yields would improve upon the livelihoods of the people. The Regional Minister who expressed happiness about the project said about 80 per cent of people in the Region are farmers and when supported would help reduce the poverty situation in the area. He said ICOUR for the past years had been neglected by governments leading to challenges the farmers were facing and that was why the government was encouraging public/private partnership. Mr Woyongo said there were plans by the government to build a new irrigation facility at Sesili in the Builsa South District and another one at Pwalugu which would be used for irrigation and hydropower generation.  “All these, when completed, would provide jobs for people in the Region particularly the teaming youth who often migrate in search for jobs elsewhere,” he said. Mr Issah Bukari, the Managing Director of ICOUR, said the project had already started and his outfit was facilitating its implementation.     GNA ...

Wa, Oct. 24, GNA – Northern Youth for Nana Addo (NOYONA), a youth pressure group aligned to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Upper West Region, has endorsed the party’s free Senior High School (SHS) education.       The youth group said if implemented, it would be one of the best education policies in the country since independence.      Mr. Iddris Bomsia, leader of NOYONA, at a media encounter in Wa, said the free SHS would help to alleviate the burden and suffering of parents, who strive hard to send their children to SHS, and put money in their pockets, thereby, helping to eliminate poverty.         He said this laudable idea proposed by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo -Addo, NPP presidential candidate for Election 2012, should have been included in the manifestoes of other political parties rather than attacking it.     Mr. Bomsia expressed shock that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its presidential candidate, President John Dramani Mahama, a key beneficiary of free education, were vehemently opposing the free education policy.     He asked Ghanaians, particularly the youth not to fall prey to the unrealistic and uninformed tribal sentiments of the NDC.     Mr. Bomsia appealed to the electorate to vote massively for Nana Akufo-Addo in December, to enable him to implement the free SHS.     GNA ...

Cape Coast, Oct.24, GNA - Former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday asked Ghanaians to vote for a visionary President that could transform the nation, and seek the wellbeing of the people.     He said it was only the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that had the required human resources to offer best leadership for the country, to propel it to an accelerated growth and transformation.     Former President Kufuor, who was speaking at the campaign launch of Mr. Alfred Thompson, NPP parliamentary candidate for Cape Coast South on Tuesday, called on Ghanaians to vote massively for the party to save the country from doldrums.      He said Ghana has resources that could be harnessed to propel its accelerated growth and lamented that: “It is unfortunate that in the mist of all these resources including cocoa, gold, timber, bauxite and the recent oil find, and with cocoa securing better prices on the world market, the country is going through tough times with the prices of goods escalating”.     Former President Kufuor said that it would take quality and a visionary leadership to save the country, and added that issue about whether a leader should be young or old was needless, but what was important was for a leader to have a team of think-tanks that would be able to deliver quality leadership to bring about the needed transformation of the nation.   He reminded Ghanaians that it was under NPP’s leadership that several social and economic interventions including the National health Insurance Scheme, Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education, the National Youth Employment were implemented to give quality life to Ghanaians.      On the free Senior High School (SHS) education being expounded by the NPP presidential candidate for Election 2012, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,  Former President Kufuor said it was not an empty promise because all the interventions put in place during his the last NPP administration materialised without oil money.       He said teachers would be motivated and given better remunerations for them to give of their best under a free SHS policy, and asked Ghanaians to give Akufo-Addo the opportunity to give them the best.        Other NPP stalwarts including, Mr. Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, parliamentary candidate for Mfantsiman West , Dr. Nana Ato Arthur, parliamentary candidate for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem, Mr. Kennedy Agyapong, parliamentary candidate for Assin North, who addressed the gathering, said the free SHS policy was feasible, and asked the electorate to vote the NPP to power in December.      Mr. Agyapong appealed to electorate to vote  the National Democratic Congress (NDC) out of power because it had failed the people of the region and the NDC had no legacy for the people to see.     He stressed that the stadium and main market projects, among others, initiated by the NDC were not implemented, the people should vote the NDC out for failing them.     GNA ...

Bolgatanga, Oct 24, GNA - The Upper East Region has inaugurated an Election Taskforce to ensure that the Region does not record any incident during the December general election. Members of the Taskforce are made of the Police, CEPS, Fire Service, Prison Service, Immigration, BNI and the Electoral Commission.  Inaugurating the Taskforce at the Regional Coordinating Council the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, appealed to the members to work hard to ensure that the Region records the least problems in the elections. He said the President had assured the International Community that the election would be organized in a peaceful manner, adding that it would not be in the interest of the government to mar the international recognition Ghana had chalked in terms of democracy.  The Upper East Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Plice Bright Oduro said the Police would soon come out with deployment plans including meetings with political parties. He said the police would endure that the elections in the Region are peaceful.     GNA ...

Accra, Oct.23, GNA - The Young Democrats (TYDE), a network of young professionals committed to social democratic ideals, has lauded President John Dramani Mahama on his performance at the Evening Encounter at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). A statement signed by Abdul-Karim Khalid, a Spokesperson for the group, said “Undoubtedly, President Mahama has demonstrated to Ghanaians that he is working for them.” The statement said the IEA encounter revealed the true character of the President as humble, accessible, decisive and action driven, adding, “He has also demonstrated exceptional knowledge and understanding of issues confronting Ghanaians and how he is working for the people of Ghana.” It said President Mahama demonstrated the need to adopt a holistic approach to governance by addressing the concerns of all sectors of the economy. The statement said: “It is instructive to note therefore that President Mahama has been able to reveal the unprecedented achievements of the NDC government under the Better Ghana Agenda.” “The President has clearly chatted the way forward on advancing the Better Ghana Agenda by building a strong and resilient economy capable of creating and sustaining jobs, putting people first in health, education and social protection as well as ensuring transparent and accountable governance”. It said:  “TYDE wishes to draw the nation’s attention to three key issues which distinguish President Mahama’s vision from others.” The statement said President Mahama was committed to ensuring the attainment of Free Universal Basic Education and that Ghana is a country where millions of children do not have access to basic education; hence do not go to school. It said: “Some have to walk long distances to school, others have to cross rivers to school and in some cases get drowned in boat accidents.” The statement said President Mahama promises the construction of 200 Senior High Schools, train more teachers and adequately motivate teachers and build one more university in the Eastern Region. GNA...

Ningo, Oct. 23, GNA – The Acting President of Great Ningo Traditional Council, Nene Kanor Atiapah III, has appealed to the government to build a sea defense wall at Ningo. He told the GNA that the coastline of Ningo is being devastated by the sea and if nothing was done the whole coastline might be submerged because already forts and private property had been destroyed. Nene Kanor Atiapah said as the coastline of Ada is being protected by a sea defence wall, it stands to reason that the same facility should be extended to Ningo to save the town. GNA...

Ho Oct. 24, GNA-Togbe Dadzawa III, Paramount Chief of Shia Traditional Area, has said Ghanaian politicians were the cause of the country’s underdevelopment. “Our politicians have made us poor,” he said and added that politicians were only interested in amassing wealth for themselves and families and not the development of communities. Togbe Dadzawa was speaking on Tuesday at a Town Hall Meeting organized by the Graphic Communications Group Limited in the Volta Region in Ho. The Meeting was to provide political parties and stakeholders a platform at the regional level to discuss issues that matter to the people and give politicians opportunity to state their programmes. It was on the theme, “Projecting the key issues for a peaceful election 2012.” Togbe Dadzawa said it was unfortunate that politicians only remember the route to communities when it was time for elections and abandon those routes after making promises to the people. He said for instance, in his community, politicians had made several promises to the people but failed to honour them. Togbe Dadzawa said but for the many self-initiated projects, the area would have been cut off from the rest of Ghana. “Look, even the CEPS office at Shia was built by the community and given to government free of charge. I have to levy my people for many other projects,” he said. Togbe Dadzawa said it was time politicians renewed their commitment to the development of communities and desist from making the country and the people poorer. He said he was for instance not comfortable with the proposed hike in pay to 7,200 cedis for Members of Parliament from about 3,000 cedis, saying high earnings was the attraction to parliament and not the desire to serve the people. Mr John Tsrakasu, Volta Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, said it was unfortunate that politicians take credit for the hard work of public servants, yet were quick to blame them, should their (politicians) policies fail to work. He said public servants were doing their best for the nation and urged politicians to commend their contribution to nation building. Representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), New Patriotic Party (NPP), Progressive Peoples’ Party (PPP) and Convention Peoples’ Party (CPP) engaged in a debate on what the parties would do for the Volta region in the areas of agriculture, economy, education, health and infrastructure should they win the December polls. Mr Richard Doe Agbenowosi, PPP Parliamentary Candidate for Hohoe-North, said his Party would establish an education police to enforce “free, compulsory but continued education of all children of school going age”. He said a PPP government would also abolish the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) and focus on adequate preparation of students for the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE). Mr Agbenowosi said his Party would promote cleaner environment to prevent diseases and save money for other sectors of the economy. He said it would also re-introduce Sanitary Inspectors in all communities, to enhance cleaner communities and hygiene. Mr Agbenowosi said his Party would support local entrepreneurs to improve the economy and embark upon massive irrigation projects. Mr Kwasi Aboagye, Volta Regional Chairman of the NDC, said his Party had delivered almost all manifesto promises made in 2008.    He said the NDC would modernize and mechanize agriculture, invest in livestock farming and maintain single-digit inflation and an annual growth rate of eight per cent to give meaning to its “Better Ghana Agenda.” Mr Aboagye said the NDC would expand education infrastructure and ensure 100 per cent access to education by all children of school going age. On health, he said, the Party would embark on “health for all agenda” and provide modern regional hospitals for all regions. Madam Exornam Jemima Lorenz, North-Dayi Parliamentary Candidate for the CPP, said the 12 years of NDC and eight years of NPP were all characterized by “heavy borrowing,” which is not good for the country’s future, and promised an incorruptible government from the CPP. She said the CPP would remove education disparities between rural and urban communities and enact legislations to regulate school fees. Madam Lorenz said a CPP government would expand the National Health Insurance Scheme to cover all ailments and make it free for the aged and children. Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Member of Parliament for Manhyia,former President Kufuor invested more in the Volta Region than other governments in the last 30 years. He said at the moment, the country was near collapse, with failed structures, weak infrastructure and unreliable power. Dr. Prempeh attributed the situation to leadership challenges and said the NPP would address the challenges and focus on how to improve livelihood of all Ghanaians. He reiterated the NPP’s commitment to offering free Senior High School education and said, “if NDC has money to build two new airports, we will use that money for the general good of our SHS students.” All the parties pledged to work towards successful and peaceful elections. GNA...

Ho, Oct 24, GNA - The Volta Regional Chapter of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana, (CLOSAG) is slating a strike action from November 1 if delays in payment of premiums to its members, under the Single Spine Salary Structure, were not addressed.     A statement issued after an “important and urgent meeting” on Tuesday, signed by Samuel N. Danquah, Chairman and Victor Xornam Kportoe, Secretary, said the association was disenchanted by the utter inaction of the ministries which brokered the suspension of an intended strike action in September to enable them tackle the issue. It expressed regret that since then nothing had been heard from the report of the Inter-ministerial committee charged to handle the issue and report back. All “efforts, messages, sent to both Honourable Ministers of Employment and Social Welfare and Finance and Economic Planning and the National Leadership to give us the update on the issue proved futile,” the statement said. The statement said CLOSAG Volta Region Branch was reliably informed that the inter-ministerial committee had submitted its reports since October 3 but to date the Ministers who set up the committee had not spoken on the issue. It expressed reservations about the posture of the two ministries over the issue and warned that it might have to resort to industrial action in reaction to the flippant treatment being meted out to the CLOSAG leadership and its members. The statement said while it was a fact that “Civil and Local Government Staff shall be responsible to Government”, it was expected of government also to show concern for its staff. It expressed unhappiness about the level of support government had offered CLOSAG in the course of the implementation of the SSSS. “We want to emphatically say here that if by Friday, 26th October, 2012 nothing is heard from the Honourable Ministers of Employment and Social Welfare (MESW) and Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) through the National Leadership of CLOSAG, the Volta Regional  Chapter of CLOSAG will have no choice than to withdraw its services with effect from 1st November, 2012,” the statement said. GNA...

Tarkwa, Oct.  24, GNA - A Tarkwa circuit court has sentenced a farmer, Stephen Issah to five-years imprisonment in hard labour for intentionally and unlawfully causing harm to Mary Duseh.   He pleaded guilty.   Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Edward Paddy told the court presided over by Mr. Samuel Obeng Diawuo that the complainant who is a farmer resides in the same vicinity at Hunieso Pepesa in the Prestea Huni/Valley district with the convict.   He said on Sunday, October 14, at about 1:00 am, the complainant heard an unusual noise in her room while she was asleep, so she woke up only to see the convict in her room.   The Prosecutor said the convict used a hammer he was holding to hit the head and shoulders of the complainant and also held her throat to prevent her from shouting.   Inspector Paddy said this resulted in a struggle between the two and in the process the convict sustained bruises on the face and chest but he managed to escape through a window.   He said the complainant raised an alarm which attracted the nearby residents to her room but the convict was nowhere to be found.   The Prosecutor said the complainant made a report to the police.   Inspector Paddy said during investigation the police retrieved a hammer in the complainant’s room and this led to the arrest of the suspect.   The complainant is still on admission at the Tarkwa government hospital where she is receiving treatment.   GNA...