Accra, Oct. 23, GNA -The Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Kweku Asante, Chairman of the National Peace Council, says election related violence is still a threat to the country.   "As the day of election approaches, there seem to be some political stress, with all the insults and unpleasant exchanges that go on between politicians."   Rev. Kweku Asante said this on Tuesday, at a Colloquim on Ensuring Peaceful Elections in Ghana, which was organised by the Kofi Annan International Peace Training Centre (KAIPTC), held in Accra.   It was under the theme, "Preserving National Security in Elections 2012 and Beyond."   He said although the country had the status of being an icon of political stability on the continent, there were a number of factors that indicated early warning signs of potential electoral violence.   Rev. Asante said for any society to remain intact, people had to have confidence in the justice system and remain assured, that they did not have to take the law into their own hands. "    “Let us uphold justice, as we work towards peace and the rule of law. Let us ensure that during these elections, there are no malpractices such as the snatching of ballot boxes and other electoral mal-practices."   He said ensuring peace was not the duty of the security agencies alone, adding that, all well meaning Ghanaians should endeavor to play their role in ensuring that the country did not sink into electoral violence.   Lt. Col (Rtd). Gbevlo-Lartey, National Security Coordinator, said whilst Ghanaians were basically a "peace loving people", there was still the need to go the extra mile to ensure a peaceful election.   He said for the purpose of the election, the Electoral Commission was basically in charge of how the entire process was supposed to be conducted.   "We are suggesting to the EC that at the regional level for example, there should be a regional election security committee, headed by the senior most EC official, down to the district level."   Lt. Col (Rtd). Gbevlo Lartey said there was the need for a security arrangement that could clearly be followed, in order to make law enforcement much clearer.   He stressed that where the conduct of the elections was concerned, the EC was basically in charge, adding that, the National Security apparatus was well prepared to handle any unpleasant situation that might come up during the election.   Dr. Kwesi Aning, Director and Dean of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the KAIPTC, said considering the typical nature of happenings during election periods in the country, "we should not at all be complacent about the peace we are enjoying".   He said factors such as the hyping of political differences by the media, the tendency for politicians to use the youth to achieve their aims through engaging them in disruptive acts, and even suggestive language used by politicians that subtly urged violence among other factors, called for a concerted effort to ensure that there was peace.   The occasion was attended by representatives from the security agencies, civil society organisations, the media and students among several others.     GNA...

Gomoa Buduburam (C/R), Oct. 23, GNA – The President of Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Council, Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II has appealed to the Government to increase the allowance being paid to traditional rulers.   Addressing a traditional council meeting at Gomoa Buduburam recently, Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea urged the Government to institute a proper salary scale for not only the paramount chiefs and queens, but for all chiefs especially those in charge of communities.   “The current GH¢ 150 and GH¢ 80 being paid to paramount chiefs and queens respectively do not commensurate with their responsibilities”, he said.   “Democracy thrives in a peaceful atmosphere”, he said and added that if chiefs whose main duty was to promote peace in society were denied a reasonable share of the national cake, then there was something amiss.   Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea said apart from promoting peace, chiefs played important roles in community development and implementation of government policies and programmes.   “Chiefs and queens deserve a good salary as is the case in some African countries,” he said and pointed out that the government must not be deceived in asserting that chiefs enjoyed royalties and therefore needed no salary.   He said only a few traditional rulers were endowed with minerals and other valuables in their lands.   Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea said some chiefs had been exploiting their subjects with unreasonable fines when they held arbitrations just to make ends meet and said if they were well-paid, there would not be the need for such fines.   The paramount chief expressed concern about the failure of the Ghana Refugee Board to pay royalty on the Buduburam land. The Liberian refugees had been on the land for about 30 years. The Akyempim Traditional Council is the landlord.   Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea appealed to the Government to rectify the anomaly without further delay.   The paramount chief showed concern about how some Ghanaians were scrambling for the property of Liberian refugees returning to their country and noted that nobody had the right to own any property of a Liberian refugee because such property should belong to the Traditional Council and said at the appropriate time the Council would issue a directive on such property.   He called for the rehabilitation of Apam-Afranse and Kyiren Nkwanta-Mando roads to facilitate the movement of people and goods.   Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe, Central Regional Minister, appealed to chiefs and queens to ensure peaceful elections come December 7th by urging their people to abide by the electoral laws.     GNA...

Ho, Oct. 23, GNA - Mr Ransford Kani, Projects Officer National Board for Small-Scale industries (NBSSI), Volta Region, has called for more interaction between business development support interventions and business support bureaucracies, such as the NBSSI.   He said that linkage was crucial for the achievement of targets of the intervention support groups, because data necessitating the interventions were provided largely by the bureaucracies.   Mr Kani was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of a Venture Capital Regional Round Table Forum, held under the auspices of the Venture Capital Trust Fund, in Ho on Tuesday.   He said by the continual association with business people over the years, the NBSSI could be of enormous help to the various business support groups in the country.   Mr Kani said without collaboration with these organizations, the business support groups could easily miss their targets.   Business people mainly from the small-scale sector, officials of state institutions in areas of business support and advice, members of business associations and service providers attended the Roundtable.   Participants were taken through lectures on Venture Capital, Challenges of Venture Funding and Investment Challenges.   Mr Emmanuel Osei Akuamoah, Head of Administration and Finance said what Venture Capital Trust Fund had to offer was equity and not loans.   He said the Fund was established by an act of parliament in 2004 to “provide financial resources for the development and promotion of venture capital financing for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in priority sectors of the economy as shall be specified from time to time.”   Mr Akuamoah said the Fund had since been available to grow businesses but needed to project itself to get more clients.   He observed that business people in the Volta Region for example had not benefited from activities of the Fund, when the Fund was perhaps, what they needed to start, expand or revive their businesses.   Mr Akuamoah explained that equity financing, was hassle-free than bank loans.   Representatives of Fund Management Companies associated with the Fund took participants through processes to follow to qualify for the partnerships, duration of such partnerships and exit arrangements.   Besides a seed capital of Gh¢22.4 million, the Fund had additional capitalization from local banks.             GNA...

Apam (C/R), Oct. 23, GNA – The President of the African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council, Rev. Prof. S.K. Adjepong has urged African countries to eschew violence in politics in order to promote good governance and development of the continent.   Speaking at validation workshop on draft Gomoa West District APRM Governance report at Apam, the APRM Governing Council President, commended the Gomoa West District Oversight Committee for playing a leading role in the activities of the APRM.   He said the work of the APRM had been non-partisan and called on participants at the workshop to feel free to speak their minds, adding that “democracy is about feeling free to speak one’s mind”.   Rev. Prof. Adjepong accused some media houses for not promoting development. “Instead of discussing issues which can enhance the country’s development, they dwell on discussing personalities”, he stressed.   He urged the government to resource the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) adequately to enable them to discharge their mandated responsibility of educating the public on the 1992 constitution effectively.   Rev. Prof. Adjepong said if Ghanaians took the work of the APRM serious, a lot of social evils such as corruption, nepotism and tribalism could be minimized in the country.   Mr Francis Yawson, the Administrator of the Apam St. Luke Catholic Hospital bemoaned the bad behaviour of some health workers towards their clients.   He reminded the people of the law that enjoins a client to take legal action against a health worker who shows disrespect to the right of a patient and said management of health facilities would not go to the aid of any staff confronted with such a situation.   Mr Yawson expressed concern about the activities of quack medical officers and spiritualists, who operate in the rural communities and prevent patients from seeking early treatment at medical facilities.   Mr Alex Sackey, Central Regional Director of the NCCE, expressed concern about too much apathy in the Ghanaian society, which was making it difficult for the citizens to know things concerning their country and even their own welfare.   “People want the country to develop but do not want to pay tax or levies.   Deputy Superintendent of Police L.K. Lumor, Apam District Police Commander, urged Ghanaians to have confidence in the Police.   Mr Charles Wiafe, Apam District Magistrate, also urged Ghanaians to make the law courts a place for exercising reformation more than making it punitive.   Dr. Mark Nii Lamptey, Chairman of the District Oversight Committee of the APRM, appealed to Ghanaians to help to make the December 7th general election violent-free.   Nana Edu Effrim X, Chief of Apam, called for conscription of school leavers into the military to turn the tide of indiscipline in the country     GNA...

Bawku (U/E), Oct. 23, GNA - Mr Stephen Yakubu, Member of Parliament (MP) for the Binduri Constituency has donated a 30,000 Ghana Cedi ambulance to help ensure the delivery of quality health services in the area.      The ambulance which was purchased from part of the MP’s common fund would provide free services to people in the area and those in the surrounding communities.      Mr Yakubu said most people living in the area were poor and could not afford transportation to health centres to access health services and that the donation would assist the needy in the area.      He said as part of measures to promote health in the area, he had constructed pavilions to all Community Health Planning Services Compound (CHPS) in the constituency to ensure the provision of  shade to the infirm and nursing mothers who visit such health centres.   He said he has also provided roofing for two nurses’ quarters and donated solar powered lights and other domestic logistics to ensure the comfort of health workers in the area.   Mr Yakubu said efforts are being made to improve the road infrastructure in the area with the bridging of the Bazua and Binduri roads to network the two communities and allow trade to occur between them.   Dr Thomas Afful-Mensah, Municipal Health Director, who received the facility commended the Member of Parliament for his effort in promoting health services in the area and called on other developmental partners to emulate his example.   GNA ...

Accra, Oct. 23, GNA - Apart from addressing the health concerns of millions of Ghanaians, Vodafone’s multi-award winning health TV show, HealthLine, also highlights the unsung heroes working to maintain or restore the health of many people in our communities.   These doctors and other healthcare professionals have dedicated their lives to providing urgent health needs for the communities, very often under extremely difficult financial and logistical circumstances.   A statement from Vodafone Ghana on Monday says “From often obscure locations in the country, Vodafone’s Healthline has spotlighted and celebrated many of these exemplary personalities who are contributing immeasurably to improving the lives of people in the communities they serve.”   These heroes include Dr. Imoro Azumah, a community doctor, philanthropist and Deputy Chief Physician Assistant of Abuakwa Health Centre in the Ashanti region; Mary Bayiriella, a retired nurse from Tumu in the Upper West Region who has dedicated her time and resources to improving the health of the people in her community.   The rest are a 79-year old retired midwife Mary Asamoah from Mankessim in the Central region, who for over 30 years has run the St. Anthony’s Maternity to save the lives of expectant mothers in her community, and Kwabena Kwandoh, who has set up the Benchmark foundation that provides residents of Tema with relevant health information on preventable diseases free of charge.   “Driven by burning desires and a passion to help and save humanity, these personalities often abandon the comforts and conveniences of urban life to serve rural communities. They often use their meager financial resources to buy drugs and other medical supplies for patients who cannot afford them.”   As was shared by Mary Bayiriella, she sets aside portions of her meager salary so she can buy drugs to treat illnesses like malaria and fever.   For Dr. Imoro, the statement says, he chose to enter the medical profession because there were no doctors in his area when he was growing up and felt that in personally addressing this issue, he could make a significant contribution to his country. The only Doctor treating the four thousand and more patients that visit his clinic each month, he has worked for the past 17 years to fulfill his dream of making a difference in people’s lives.   In likewise fashion, Mary Asamoah has for the past 30 years, saved hundreds of lives delivering needed healthcare for expectant mothers in her community whilst operating from her wooden-built clinic. Old age has not doused her passion for humanity, as she still nurtures the dream to upgrade the clinic to a more permanent structure that will continue support her community for many years to come.   For Kwabena Kwandoh, he was motivated to start the Benchmark Foundation when his father died from a preventable abnormal heart beat. He decided to use the unfortunate incident to empower the lives of his neighbors by providing health information on ailments that could easily be prevented.   One laudable characteristic and value resonates in each of the stories of these unsung heroes, and that is the value of self-sacrifice and love for humanity. Vodafone Healthline salutes these and several other people in the country who are serving their communities in all aspects of life. Vodafone Healthline commends them for the selflessness to improve the quality of lives of community members and Ghanaians as a whole.   This week on Healthline, the Doctors focus on skin and nail care, as they share valuable information on how to keep our nails healthy in the treatment room. Vodafone Healthline also looks at the story of Stella who has been suffering from an unusual growth around her left eye. Thanks to Vodafone who bore full costs of surgery and recovery for Stella, she successfully underwent surgery to correct her anomaly.   Vodafone Healthline airs on Sundays on TV3 at 5.00pm, eTV and Top TV at 8.00pm and GTV at 8.30pm, it is then repeated on Wednesdays on Metro TV and Crystal TV at 8.30pm.     GNA...

Accra, Oct. 23, GNA –The Reverend Douglas Birdsall, Executive Chairman of the Lausanne Movement, is to visit Ghana from Thursday October 25, 2012 as part of an African regional mission tour.    The tour seeks to acknowledge Christian leaders and to celebrate God’s continuous blessing for the growth and spread of Christianity in Africa, a statement to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said on Tuesday.   The Lausanne Movement was established after the International Congress on World Evangelization convened in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1974 by Rev. Billy Graham, a renowned American Evangelist.   It seeks to mobilize the church to send the Gospel to the whole world.   The statement said Rev. Birdsall, during his visit, would meet with Heads of Churches, Missions, Agencies, Seminary Lecturers, Corporate Executives and Younger Leaders on 25th October.   He will also speak on the topic: “The Strategic Role of the Church in Africa for Global Missions Today”.   The Executive Chairman of Lausanne will also interact with some young Christian leaders in line with Lausanne’s commitment to developing young leaders as the focus for global evangelism.   As part of the activities, in connection with this visit, Lausanne Africa in partnership with the Global Generosity Network, is working with African Leaders to establish the Missions Africa Trust Fund (MATF).   The MATF will be under African leadership and is envisioned to mobilize and multiply resources from Africa in support of Mission Initiatives in Africa and globally.   The statement noted that the first ever-global gathering of Lausanne leaders in Africa took place in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2010 and brought together four-thousand Christian leaders from 198 countries from across the globe.   It cited ‘The Cape Town Commitment,’ a document which now serves as the strategic framework for world evangelization for The Lausanne Movement, as the major outcome of the South Africa congress.   GNA...

Accra, Oct. 23, GNA - Staff of Tigo, as part of the ‘Tigo Day Out’ initiative, have visited the Osu Girls’ Vocational Training Centre to mentor and interact with inmates of the facility.   The Girls’ Vocational Training Centre is part of the Osu Correctional Centre.   A statement Tigo Ghana on Monday says, prior to spending the day with inmates of the facility, the Staff made brief stop-overs to interact with inmates of the other departments of the Centre including the Shelter for Abused Children, the Junior Boy’s Remand and the Junior Girls’ Remand.    The Girls’ Correctional Facility trains inmates, between the ages of 10 and 15, in various vocational disciplines such as hairdressing, catering, and batik tie and dying.   Led by the Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Deborah Akakpo, members of the team and the mentors for the day, Silvia Owusu Ankomah, the Regulatory Manager and Faustina Ofosu-Ntiamoah, the Direct Sales Manager, Ashanti Region took the inmates through various mentoring sessions and shared some life experience stories with them as a form of encouragement.   Deborah Akakpo entreated the girls to take their vocations seriously to help improve their personal lives and the nation as a whole.   ”Being disciplined, focused and hardworking is one of surest ways to attain great heights in life,” he told them.     The girls also took the opportunity to ask various questions on how to improve their personal lives and academic work.   At the end of the programme, the team gave out variety of Tigo souvenirs to inmates including beautifully branded books, pens and water bottles. Additionally, the girls who answered questions during the session received Tigo branded umbrellas.    The ‘Tigo Day Out’ activity, a partnership with Child Resource and Research Centre (an NGO), is part of the premier telecom operator’s CSR Strategies to enrich the lives of the marginalized and less- privileged in society.   The day provides a platform for senior management officials and other members of staff to interact, mentor and coach children within the various correctional facilities across the country. It is held on the last Friday of every month.   The next edition of ‘Tigo Day Out’ will be held at the Swedru Remand Centre in the Central Region     GNA...

Tema, Oct. 23, GNA -- The Tema Community one District Police has mounted a search for a suspect, Clifford Dziwornu Agblezah who allegedly shot and killed 30-year old Arim Issah at the Vienna City Night Club at Tema Community eight.       Agblezah, who is believed to be in his early 40s, is stout in body built, dark in complexion and about 5.9 feet tall.      Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Reynolds Manteaw, Tema Community One District Crime Officer told the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday that the incident occurred on Monday dawn at about 01:50 hours.      DSP Manteaw indicated that the deceased who went to the night club to have fun, came out and was standing in front of the club when Agblezah who was driving an unregistered saloon car drove into the premises.      He said Agblezah came out of the car and gave a warning shot after somebody banged on his vehicle.      The deceased approached and inquired from Agblezah what the problem was after he (suspect) has returned to his car after giving the warning shot.      The Crime Officer said Issah who turned to leave the scene was shot in the head by Agblezah who drove off after the incident.      The body of Issah, who died instantly, had been deposited at the Police Hospital mortuary whilst investigations continue.      DSP Manteaw appealed to the general public to volunteer information to the police that can lead to the arrest of Agblezah.   GNA...

Accra, Oct. 23, GNA - The Tema Container Terminal (TcT) would enhance infrastructure and adopt improve ways of handling cargo to help ease the congestions at the port, Mr Jason Reynard, Country Managing Director has said.   Speaking at the 10th anniversary celebration of TcT, Mr Reynard said the company’s focus was on increased capacity through the adoption of efficient equipment to scale up operations and delivery of service to clients.   TcT was inaugurated in September 2002 and has in its ten years handled over one million full import, export and empty containers serving the needs of the maritime industry and helping keep Tema’s ports free of congestion.   Mr Reynard said during the period the company had invested over six million dollars in equipment and terminals.   He said while the company was the sole operator in the beginning, other terminals had since joined but the growth of the market and the development of the country had outgrown the current capacity of the ICDs.   “Since we started operations, we were the only ICD operating, we have seen the Tema landscape change,” he said.   TcT utilizes a terminal operating system IPAKI, which provides real time information on movement of containers to clients and the ports and provides employment for over 200 staff.   Mr Reyanrd said the Terminals were also connected to the customs software GCnet ensuring data capturing and electronic lodging of customs entries to ensure efficient collection of duties and taxes before the release of the container.   To ensure delivery of quality service, he said TCT renewed its ISO 9001:2008 certification for reception storage and delivery of full import containers after the initial certification by Bureau Veritas in 2009 and the company remained the only certified terminal in Ghana.   The 10th anniversary celebration also saw the merger between TcT and Bollore Africa Logistics subsidiary Trans Meridian Maritime Services (TMMS), export and empty container handling company under the brand name TcT. A new corporate logo was also unveiled to mark the beginning of a new partnership.   Mr Reynard said TcT would leverage the synergies between the two companies to scale the competition and remain the top ICD ompany.       GNA...

Bawku (U/E), Oct. 23, GNA – To ensure good sanitation, a seven member Municipal Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee (MIACC) was on Tuesday inaugurated in the Bawku Municipality.   The members include representatives of the Community Development Agency, Ghana Health Service, the Red Cross and the Municipal Assembly.   Others are the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, Ghana Education Service and Ministry of Food and Agriculture.   The Committee was charged to ensure the running of a program dubbed Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) which is to ensure the provision of portable drinking water, clean environment and the promotion of environmental hygiene in the area.   Mr Dramani Imurana, Assistant Director in-charge of Human Resource of the Assembly who chaired the committee, said tackling the challenge of poor sanitation in the area was a paramount concern to the Committee.   He said environmental health was a major priority to the Assembly and that it was committed to ensuring the promotion of good sanitation in the area for the wellbeing of the people.   Mr Emmanuel Nyaaba, Municipal Environmental Health and Sanitation Officer, said while the millennium development goals targeted 54 per cent improvement in sanitation in the year 2012, the area had achieved only 14 per cent so far.    He said some of the challenges facing the environmental health sector included fuel for vehicles to help dispose-off waste and logistics to manage the waste in the area.   Mr Nyaaba said as a result of the conflict in the area, no developmental partner or NGOs were interested in working in the area and called for assistance from all friends of the environment.     GNA ...

Accra, Oct. 23, GNA - Kludjeson Institute of Technology (KIT) is working in partnership with Skillsoft Limited, a pioneer in the field of e-learning innovations to provide Ghanaians and public institutions skills in information and communication technology.   The vision is to deliver tailor-made ICT competencies through technology based e-learning solutions to enable students acquire skills that would set them ahead in the corporate world in a cost effective manner.   Mr Jeremie Ferre, General Manager, Africa, the LR Management Group, who led technicians to get the servers for the courses ready, said students would leverage on KIT access to e-learning courses, acquire the necessary skills and be able to sit for external examinations for certification.   “There are possibility to access the e-learning courses in different ways such as mobile access using the Kpad and Kphone, mobile e-learning management systems, laptops and personal computers,” he said.   Mr Ferre said the partnership would also be looking to explore opportunities in the education sector in line with government policies to enhance the use of ICT for accelerated development.   Already, there are plans to deploy e-learning projects to large number of Ghanaians in all parts of the country, especially in the Senior High Schools.   The e-learning centre current curriculum is based on providing students with skills for international IT certifications such as Cisco and Comp Tia.   Enrolled learners will register at the centre and go through the curriculum of the e-learning courses at self-pace learning environment while taking full ownership of learning and to experience a practical way of learning.   Mr Kofi Kludjeson President of KIT said the type of skills training to be offered at KIT would differ from the onerous and limited classroom format, which is mostly being used by most ICT training institutions and did not allow for experiential learning that the students required most.   He said there was an on-going cooperation with Ghana education Service and the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools to provide ICT training skills to over one million Senior High Students over the next three years.   There are also plans by KIT to build about 540 centres in Senior High Schools over the country to provide the necessary skills to the students so that by the time they leave secondary school.   “There is no limit to the programme and rural schools can also benefit from the programme and be able to access the over 50,000 books on the platform,” he said.   Skillsoft Limited, a pioneer in the field of learning with a long history of innovation. Skillsoft provides cloud based learning solutions for its customers worldwide, ranging from global enterprises, government, and education to mid-sized and small businesses.   Skillsoft's courses, books and videos have been developed by industry leading learning experts to ensure that they maximize business skills, performance, and talent development.     GNA...

Adabokrom (WR), Oct. 23, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama said on Tuesday that the next tenure of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) which comes into effect from January 2013 would concentrate  on the construction of more Senior High Schools in deprived areas of the country.   He said that would ease the pressure that had bedevilled the existing number of schools in the urban areas over the years.   President Mahama announced this when he addressed a gathering at Adabokrom in the Bia West district of the Western Region as part of his five-day campaign tour of the region.   The President also addressed similar rallies at Debiso, Bia, and Sefwi-Asawinso among other communities in the Bia East and West Constituencies with the residents, old and young, pouring out in the hundreds to interact with him.   President Mahama outlined measures to ensure that the SHS in deprived communities are well catered for  to attracted resourceful teachers, saying that “teachers would be adequately motivated to take up postings and responsibility in the rural and deprived areas of the country”.   He said over 20,000 families of teachers would be provided with housing facilities that would be constructed, while more classroom facilities would also be expanded to admit more students in the schools.   President Mahama said most of the students in the rural areas had not been able to pursue their education on account of distance and the limited facilities in those schools and therefore, the expansion of such facilities would open opportunities for students.   He pleaded with parents to take advantage of the innovation to send their children to benefit from second cycle education.   Most Communities along the route who were originally not on the President's stop schedule, usually upon hearing of his presence in the area, ambushed the convoy, forcing the campaign team to stop to address party supporters, chiefs and people.   The people and chiefs of the Western Region have, throughout the tour, applauded the NDC under late President John Evans Atta Mills and its current leader President Mahama for the tremendous development projects initiated in the region.     GNA      ...

Sewua (Ash), Oct 22, GNA - The Most Reverend Dr Daniel Yinkah Sarfo, Anglican Archbishop-elect for the Internal Province of Ghana, has performed the ceremony to consecrate a newly built chapel at Sewua in Bosomtwe District, with an admonition to Christians to continue to pray for peaceful polls on December 7th.   The nation, he said, was at the crossroads and that there was the need for Christians “to be on their feet”, making intercessory prayers to God for his abundant mercies of peace, security and stability.   Dr Henry Kwabena Opoku, a medical practitioner and a citizen of Sewua, single-handedly funded the construction of the Saint Anne’s Chapel.   The Anglican Archbishop gave him high marks for his extraordinary gesture of philanthropy and asked other members of the church to emulate.   He encouraged the congregation to adopt the habit of sharing, true fellowship, togetherness, and genuine faith in God.   They should also lead lives of purity so as to become good examples to the rest of society and win over more converts.   Archbishop Dr Yinka-Sarfo reminded them to use the chapel purely as place of prayer and other religious activities.   He expressed the gratefulness of the Church to Nana Kwaku Amankwa Sarkodie, Chief of Sewua for releasing a parcel of land for future development by the church.   Dr Opoku thanked God for giving him the strength and courage to undertake the project.     GNA...

Accra, Oct. 23, GNA - The 4th annual MTN Invitational Golf Tournament, has been fixed for Saturday, October 27, at the Tarkoradi Golf Club in the Western Region.   The tournament, which is being staged for the first time outside Accra, is aimed at reinforcing MTN’s leadership and affiliation with golf, a premium sport loved by decision makers of the business community.   It is also to express appreciation to the business community and customers for their loyalty to the MTN brand throughout the year and also provide opportunity for engagement between government officials, Chief Executive Officers (CEO) and decision makers in the business community.   A statement from MTN Ghana said, this year’s event, which will be under the theme, “MTN, providing total  Enterprise Communication  needs” will offer the CEO of MTN and MTN businesses the opportunity to engage the mining community and other key enterprise  customers  in Takoradi.   The statement said the event, will also seek to strengthen the already existing bond between MTN’s high value subscribers for making MTN the number one telecommunication company in Ghana and for continually maintaining their  loyalty.   MTN in 2009 together with Huawei organized a similar event at the Achimota Golf Club, which saw golfers from MTN subscribers participating in the event.   Again in 2010 and 2011, MTN together with Ericson placed the event at Celebrity Golf Club which also was patronized by from all over the country as well as MTN High Value stakeholders.   MTN, has for the past years assumed the status of the number one Corporate sponsor of Golf in the Ghana as it currently sponsors golf events at the Celebrity Golf Club, Tema Country Golf Club, Royal Golf Club amongst others.   GNA      ...

Gomoa Simbrofo (C/R), Oct. 22, GNA – The Minister of Education, Mr Lee Ocran has donated play materials, second-hand clothing worth GH¢ 6,000 and a cash of GH¢ 500 to the Gomoa Simbrofo Day Nursery.   The items were in a fulfillment of a promise he made to adopt the nursery when he paid a visit to the Simbrofo District Assembly Primary and Junior High School about two months ago.   Mr Clement Acquaye, a member of Gomoa West District Assembly, who made the donation on behalf of the Minister, urged the parents to always see to it that their children take their school lessons seriously.   He advised the children to learn hard to become prominent people in society.   Mr Acquaye told the parents that abject poverty in the district could only be broken through education.   He, however, noted with concern some dilapidated structures which were housing some KGs, especially in the rural areas and appealed to the government to provide decent structures for the schools.   Mr Albert K. Bentil head teacher of the JHS, who received the donation on behalf of the school, thanked the Minister and the Gomoa West District Chief Executive, Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah for their support.     GNA...

Accra, Oct. 23, GNA – An Accra Magistrate Court on Tuesday ordered three out of 15 persons suspected to have had a hand in the murder of the chief of Oblogo, Nii Kwaku Bibini III, to be remanded into prison custody.     The three on remand are Ibrahim Tetteh alias Hotcake, Moses Attoh and Abdul Rauf.      The remaining 12 who are on bail are Kofi Kpoh, Agenyega Amedeka, Comfort Aryeek, Samuel Kponmegbe, Otokunnor Sackey, Samuel Tetteh, Gabriel Aheto, Mr Prince Sackey, Enoch Kofi, Joshua Tetteh, Joseph Laryea and Salifu Sumaila.      A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) George Amega prayed the court that the cells at the Criminal Investigation Department was being decongested and fumigated as such the three who have been remanded by the court be sent to prison custody instead of being in the custody of the Police.      According to DSP Amega, the Police had also not received any advice from the Attorney Generals Department on the case docket.      Lawyers for the accused persons objected to prosecution’s submission explaining that they might not have access to them which may create some difficulties for them.      According to the lawyers, sometimes the Police turn to forget accused persons sent on remand at the prisons and they did not want their clients to experience same that.      The court presided over by Mr Ali Baba Bature obliged the prosecution and adjourned the case to November 5.      The accused persons who had their pleas preserved are being charged with conspiracy to commit crime and murder.      According to the prosecution in 2011, a certain Amadu Salifu was killed by one Alex Cudjoe who is at large. In the course of investigations, the late chief was arraigned for abetment of murder at James Town Magistrate Court.      He said the chief was granted bail at an Accra Human Rights Court on condition that he would not set foot in Oblogo till the final determination of the trial in order to ensure peace in the town.     According Prosecuting Officer, the chief, not satisfied with the bail condition, failed to appear before the James Town Court and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest but he appealed against the bail condition at an Accra High Court which rescinded the decision of the Human Rights Court on grounds that it restricted his movement.   The chief was however bonded by the High Court to ensure that there was peace in the town.    DSP Amega said on April 8, 2012, the acting chief of Oblogo, Nii Okine, in the company of others, went to the Weija Police Station to report that the late chief was seen with some persons shooting indiscriminately but the police rushed to the scene to discover that the allegation was frivolous.    In addition, the prosecutor noted that the deceased, later that day, went to the police and gave them a copy of the court ruling on his bail and it was handed over to the District Commander and the Crime Officer.    DSP Amega said the acting Oblogo chief and his alleged accomplices had earlier threatened that the unthinkable would happen if the deceased continued staying in the town.    A few days after the alleged threat, Nii Bibini was killed and investigations revealed that on the said date, the deceased had engaged the services of a carpenter and mason to renovate some parts of his palace which was burnt.    The police officer stated that at about 1600 hours on that day, a group of people including the accused persons stormed the palace of the deceased, chased him and killed him.       Ibrahim Laryea was later arrested. During investigations, it was revealed that Laryea ordered his friend to shoot the deceased but his friend failed to do so and he shot the chief.  The prosecutor said a search in the house of Ibrahim revealed a pump action gun.       He added that Attoh mobilized people to cause chaos at the late chief’s palace and vandalized the property of his son, which is yet to be assessed.       The prosecutor said on April 2,0 2012, some of the suspects were arrested and a search in their homes led to a retrieval of six mobile phones, cutlasses, cartridges, pump action guns among others.       Investigations also revealed that Nii Okine was one of those who organized people against the deceased, adding that an Opel Astra and Ford were vandalized by the suspects.       The prosecutor said during an autopsy performed on the deceased by Dr. Aboagye Blankson of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, pellets were retrieved from his skull and body.      The police officer said the autopsy report was yet to be submitted and that the rest of the suspects were later arrested, with some admitting to the offence.       DSP Amega said investigations are  underway to arrest more suspects.   GNA...

Gomoa Nkoransa (C/R), Oct. 22, GNA – The Chief of Gomoa Nkoransa in the Gomoa West District, Nana Opoku Mensah Abobo Egyir V, has urged the electorate to go home after casting their votes to allow election officials to carry on with their work.   Nana Opoku Mensah Abobo Egyir, who is the Saanahen of Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Council, cautioned against going to polling stations to dictate to trained election officials.   Speaking at the inauguration of a multi-million cedis palace he constructed for Gomoa Nkoransa, the Gomoa Akyempim Saanhen said he was against some political parties asking their supporters to stay at the polling stations after casting their votes until the 5pm when voting would be over.   He said overcrowding at the polling stations could create problems and disturb peace.   The inauguration of the palace coincided with the celebration of the annual Akwanbo Festival of the town.   Addressing a durbar, the chief expressed concern about the high intake of alcoholic drinks, which were sometimes laced with drugs by the youth of the town.   He said the attitude had made the people lazy, resulting in abject poverty facing the people.   “What kind of legacy are we bequeathing to our children”, the chief asked.   Nana Opoku Mensah Abobo Egyir was not happy with the decline in communal activity in the town and said standard of living could not be improved with lukewarm attitude towards communal activities.   “Do not compel us to use the police and courts to develop our community”, the chief stressed.   Nana Ob Entsir Kumah VIII, Adontsenhen of Gomoa Akyempim called on the people to vote for a political party which could bring them development.   “We vote for development”, he said and appealed to them to make the upcoming elections very peaceful.   Mr Francis Kojo Arthur, Gomoa West Member of Parliament, advised chiefs and queens not to allow state durbars to be used by politicians to champion their political campaigns. He warned that could be dangerous.     GNA...

Bawku (UE), Oct. 23, GNA - Mr. Mahama Ayariga, Deputy Minister for Education, at the weekend debunked the promise of New Patriotic Party (NPP) to make Senior High School education free, and said “it would be a fiction”.     He said it would be impossible to make education free at that level because “the country is young in terms of resources to operate such a system.’’      Mr. Ayariga said: the Upper West, Northern and Upper East Regions alone has a student population of four million, yet government had not been able to give them adequate attention  for the past twenty years'', and asked: " how much more adding the remaining seven regions’’.      The Deputy Minister said these during a tour of educational institutions, including Bawku Senior High School (SHS), Bawku Technical Institute, and Bawku Senior High Technical, to inspect completed and ongoing projects, and to interact with students to get first hand information about their performance.      Interacting with students at Bawku SHS, Mr. Ayariga said the country needed quality education instead of the creation of a system that would jeopardize the future of the country. He lamented that what would be the country’s faith if it should operate an unsustainable free educational system.      Mr. Ayariga, who is also National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Bawku Central, said the NDC government would build 200 more community secondary schools to provide affordable and quality education.     He said that government would extend electricity to every community to enhance teaching and learning.     Mr. Ayariga appealed to the students to vote massively for the NDC to retain it power for development for their schools and communities.     Mr. Bismark-Simon Kpuli, headmaster for Bawku SHS, commended government for providing school infrastructure to promote education.     He said the school had over the years performed well in the West Africa Senior High School Certificate Examination and sports.     Mr. Kpuli asked the students take their studies seriously to be able to pass their examination and acquire knowledge and skill for national development.   GNA ...

Wa, Oct. 23,  GNA – Thirty thousand more youth are expected to start their training under the ICT Module of the Ghana Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) later this year.     The beneficiaries are expected to be trained in a wide range of areas related to ICT, including mobile phone and computer assembling and repairs as well as entrepreneurship skills.     This follows the successful execution of the third contract by Rlg Communications and GYEEDA.     Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister announced this in Wa during the graduation of 537 youth who have already completed their skills acquisition training at the Rlg Institute of Technology.     The number forms part of the 7,134 beneficiaries who constituted the final batch of the third contract which had in it a total of 24,000 beneficiaries.     Alhaji Sulemana said the project was absolutely necessary as it offered an assurance to the teaming youth that the government had them in mind and would continue to implement youth friendly policies to empower them.     The Regional Minister also commended the continuous desire of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in ensuring that GYEEDA was given the necessary resources to facilitate the recruitment and training of more youth irrespective of their political affiliation.     This, he said, was imperative to correct the notion that only party youth befitted from GYEEDA.     Alhaji Sulemana also commended Rlg for expanding its training facilities across the country to pave way for more trainees to enroll.     He noted that government extremely appreciated the company’s effort in ensuring that the ICT module succeeded.     Mr. Yakubu Duogu, the Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) urged the trainees to emulate the example of the Rlg Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Roland Agambiri by taking advantage of the programme to become accomplished entrepreneurs.     Mr. Nurideen Saani, Regional GYEEDA Coordinator said the Agency was focusing on youth entrepreneurship and expanding its self-employment modules, adding that over 100,000 youth were in the process of being set up in small scale business ventures.     These include grass cutter rearing, bamboo processing, mobile phone repairs and assembling, dressmaking, sheanut and sheabutter processing and basketry among others.     Mr. Saani announced that the World Bank was supporting the programme with 65 million dollars and urged the youth to develop good business plans and forward them to GYEEDA for financial support.     Mr. Isaac Appiah, Head of the Rlg Institute of Technology noted that in the six-month mobile telephony certification programme, the trainees were taken through a number of courses including introduction to computers, mobile phone soft and hard wares, basic electronics and entrepreneurial skills.     The training, he believed, was enough to challenge the beneficiaries to position themselves adequately to face what he termed a challenging world driven by technology, innovation and knowledge.     Mr. Appiah said Rlg was pleased to partner government to implement the programme.     He added that upon recommendation by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism the company had decided to expand its training facilities to ensure that a lot more of the youth gained access to ICT Education and training.    Currently, the company had 46 centers dotted across the country and they hoped to double the number to ensure easy access by all irrespective of location, background or financial status, he said, adding that Rlg looked forward to engaging over 30,000 youth in its assembly plant after the expansion project on the plant.     He stated that the company would continue to do more until it reached its One million employment ratio in the country as promised by its Chief Executive Officer.   GNA ...