Accra, Oct. 23, GNA - Voters now have 42 days instead of the original 21 days to transfer their votes to other polling stations of their choice as provided under the new Electoral Constitutional Instrument (CI 75).   Accordingly, interested voters have to apply for such transfers in the coming days before the election is due.   Mr Ahmed Sulley, Deputy Chairman, Finance and Administration, Electoral Commission (EC), who announced this at a colloquium on ensuring peaceful elections in Ghana, said such applications of transfer should be done on individual basis and not on behalf of another person or groups of persons.   The colloquium hosted at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre was on the theme: “Preserving National Security in Elections 2012 and Beyond” and it was attended by various security agencies, civil society groups, political parties and religious organizations.   Mr Sulley said the EC has currently three separate voters’ registration lists made up of one genuine list, multiple or double list and an exceptional list all which totaled about 14 million voters.   He said the EC was consulting with other stakeholders to decide on the fate of those who engaged in double voting and was considering whether to place a ban on them from voting in any general elections until further notice or to persecute such offenders.   Mr Sulley said the EC also had to create the 45 new constituencies in fulfillment of Article 47 (5) of the Constitution that mandated EC to review the boundaries of the country in a given period and that since 2004 the Commission had not done so despite the fact that Ghana’s population had increased.   He said the Commission was working hard to ensure a successful 2012 elections and that the Police must also do well to provide “total security at the printing house and strong rooms where ballot are kept”.    Mr Sulley said there should be no sale of alcohol within 500 meters of registration centres on the day of elections and also warned electoral officials to refrain from showing partisanship at polling stations.   Mr Patrick Timbilla, Police Commissioner in charge of Operations, said the Police would stay above the fray and ensure a congenial and peaceful atmosphere for the entire country.   He appealed to the general public to stay vigilant and help prevent people from ballot box hijacking and the creating chaos at polling stations on Election Day stressing that the Police and other security agencies would not rest on their oars to arrest such misfits who might want to destabilize the country.   He said it was also important for motor riders to park their motorbikes somewhere before they go to the polling station to vote saying various security measures has been rolled out to ensure adequate security measures both at the district and regional levels.   Lieutenant Colonel Larry Gbevlo Lartery, National Security Coordinator, urged the EC to nominate its district electoral officers to chair the various security taskforce to complement efforts of the Police.   Mrs Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu, Director of the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA), appealed to the media to spread the ground rules of the elections and educate the public on their civic responsibilities.   GNA...

Koforidua, Oct. 23 GNA - Mr Kofi Asamoah, Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has acknowledged Ghana’s economic growth rate for the past years in the context of a global economic and financial crisis.     He however noted that such unprecedented economic growth rate achievements of the country failed to create decent jobs for Ghanaians hence the high rate of unemployment among the people, especially the youth.      “The reality however is that the unprecedented growth rate like the periods of the structural adjustment policies in the 1980s had failed to create decent employment for Ghanaians” he emphasized.      Mr Asamoah called on government to put in place a package of support measures for the private sector, which is considered as the engine of growth, to provide decent jobs for the teeming youth.      He made the call at the Eastern Regional Council of Labour meeting in Koforidua on Tuesday.      Mr Asamoah said the state would not be able to provide the needed employment for the teeming jobless Ghanaians if the present situation of importing everything into the country continues.      He urged government to empower indigenous Ghanaians in the productive and manufacturing sectors to take the commanding heights of the economy, which would serve as the only way of providing jobs to the thousands of young men and women coming out of universities and other tertiary institutions.      Mr Asamoah also urged government to review the nation’s trade policy and the unbridled trade liberalization regime that places domestic firms in unfair competition against “mature” and highly subsidized firms in the developed countries.      He identified one major problem confronting manufacturing sector in the country as high interest rate of banks and urged government as a matter of urgency to undertake strategic intervention in the money market to bring down cost of borrowing.      Mr Asamoah said the situation as it stands now was not ideal since the banks were holding the rest of the business community to ransom by charging exorbitant interest rates even as inflation tends to fall and the Bank of Ghana primes rate was systematically reduced.      Mr Asamoah expressed concern about violation of workers’ rights by private employers as many companies refused to allow union formation.      He said decent employment entailed the right of workers to freely associate and organize for purposes of collective bargaining and that both men and women at work could freely participate in decision making that affect their lives as the law states.       Mr Asamoah urged Ghanaians to ensure that the peace they are enjoying is maintained beyond the election.     The Eastern Regional secretary of the TUC, Ms Francisca Borkor Bortey, commended the various unions for organizing well during the year and urged them to propagate the message of peace.    GNA...

 Koforidua, Oct. 23, GNA - Mr Kofi Asamoah, Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has called on Ghanaian workers not to be swayed by the “sweet” campaign promises of the various political parties, but to make informed decisions and vote wisely during the upcoming elections.      He said workers should analyze effectively political party manifestoes and promises and vote wisely for candidates who had the most convincing and pragmatic ideas about the creation of jobs, improvement in incomes and access to housing, education, health, electricity, water and sanitation.      Speaking at the Eastern Regional Council of Labour meeting in Koforidua on Tuesday, Mr Asamoah said working people had permanent interests in seeking improved working conditions and their well-being and aspirations and therefore workers should look out for their allies in development during elections.      Mr Asamoah said politicians had failed over the years to fulfill their campaign promises of job creation and urged workers to examine critically the one who could really live up to expectation.     On the employment situation in the country, he said the informal sector of the economy employed about 80 per cent of the workforce, and contributed to the production of goods and services.      Mr Asamoah appealed to Government to support the informal sector to be able to create more jobs for the youth and advised workers of the sector to form unions to articulate their views.     He cautioned workers not to allow self-seeking politicians to use them to foment trouble, before, during, and after the December elections.   GNA...

Bawku (UE), Oct. 23, GNA- Circumcision of female children seems to be on the increase in the Bawku Municipality and its environs as parents are still carrying out the act secretly.      Statistics by stakeholders including the Social Welfare, Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Education Service shows that children between the ages of one year to 17 years go through the ordeal in Bawku or neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso, Togo or Niger.      About 30 per cent of girls living in the area are recruited to undergo the exercise in Bawku or sent to the neighboring countries yearly.      Most of the girls, who go through the act, either become school dropouts or face psychological problems, because they must stay at home until the wound heals which takes a long time.      Mrs Lydia Issaka, Municipal Girl-Child Education Officer, disclosed this at an advocacy forum organized by the Municipal Education Directorate for stakeholders, opinion leaders, traditional leaders, artisan groups and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA)        The forum was aimed at find lasting solutions to the problem of female circumcision, as it was hampering the education of girls at Bawku in the Upper East Region.      Mrs Issaka noted that about 15 girls believed to have gone through the practice could not take part in the Basic Education Certificate Examination this year.      She explained that most girls are lured to neighbbouring countries by their parents or close relatives, where they are forcibly circumcised.      Communities that practice female circumcisions include Pusiga, Zong-Ntinga, Jentiga and Badoor, among others in the municipality.       She called on stakeholders to expedite action on finding an antidote to the issue as it was the major factor for the falling standards of education, especially girls in the area.      Mr Benedict Yindol, Bawku Municipal Director of Education, said challenges including supervision, poor performance and girl- child education were the major issues hindering the development of education in the area.      He said as a result of the ban on men from riding motor bikes in the municipality, circuit supervisors found it difficult to reach their circuits to supervise teachers.      He said even though there are many challenges facing the directorate it had instituted the school monthly census to check on teachers.   Mr Yindol said the inspectorate unit had adopted the mass supervising approach in which all supervisors move to a circuit at a time to supervise teaching and learning.   GNA...

Accra, Oct. 23, GNA – Mr Fiifi Kwetey, a Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning has reiterated the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) commitment to ensure quality education that would be accessible to all.   He said access to quality education was the most critical need facing education in Ghana and not free education at Senior High School level as the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) wanted the electorate to believe.   “The National Democratic Congress has explained that in the light of resource constraints that face Ghana, just like other developing countries, our foremost attention must be on channeling resources to improve the quality of education and access to education,” he said.   Mr Kwetey was speaking at the NDC Forum for Setting the Records Straight series organised in Accra to highlight the achievements in the educational sector by the party and other strategies to achieve accessible quality education.   He said the promise made by Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, NPP Presidential Candidate to give free education at Senior High School level, when voted to power cannot be feasible because although the cost of education is important it is not the number one priority.   “NPP’s belief that the biggest problem facing the educational sector in Ghana today is the cost of second cycle education shows the complete lack of understanding by the NPP. Any elementary analysis of the educational situation in Ghana will reveal that the most critical factor facing the sector is access to quality education.”   Mr Kwetey said the NDC firmly believed that the best approach to advancing the educational fortunes of Ghana is to focus on expanding the educational infrastructure to increase access and invest in improving the quality of education and to pay maximum attention to basic level education.   He said education at the basic level is the root of the educational tree and by machining it completely free, compulsory and universal and subject to resource availability progressively make higher level education affordable.   He said “the NDC, unlike the NPP, is conscious of the fact that 18.3 per cent of children who should be in primary school are not in school; 53.9 per cent of children who should be in Junior High School are not in school”.   “The NDC is also aware that the existing 8,557 Junior High School cannot absorb the primary six pupils from 14,360 primary schools. The NDC is also aware that the same inadequate infrastructure problem afflicts the secondary and tertiary levels of education,” he said.   GNA...

Accra, Oct. 23, GNA – The first in a series of Election 2012 Presidential Debate is slated for Tuesday, October 30th at the Radach Hotel Tamale, the Institute of Economic Affairs stated in a statement to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.   The Debates will take the form of a policy dialogue engagement at which the Presidential Candidates will present their viewpoints, plans and programmes to the electorates.   The platform would also be used to point out weaknesses in the policies of their co-contestants and present alternatives to those policies and programmes.   The electorate on the other hand will receive first hand information on the   programmes and plans of each candidate.   In accordance with electoral arrangement, the Presidential Candidates will be arranged according to their position on the ballot paper, with President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress leading, whilst Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo takes the rear.   The two main contenders would sandwich the Presidential Candidates of the Convention Peoples Party, Dr Michael Abu Sakara Foster and Peoples National Convention’s Mr Hassan Ayariga in between.   According to the IEA the Debates will enable the electorate to make an informed choice on Election Day and it serve as efforts to consolidate multiparty democracy and promote issue based elections in Ghana.   The 2012 Presidential Debate will provide a common platform for the Presidential Candidates to answer questions on various aspects of the nation’s development process.   According to the IEA, the first Presidential Debate will be based on questions received from the following thematic areas; Economy, National Development Plan, Job Creation/Employment, Economic Growth, and National Debt.   On the social sector, the question will focus on Socio-Economic Infrastructure (including ICT), Education, Health, Water/ Sanitation, Food Security, Housing, Electricity and Power.   The rest of the question will seek answers on the private sector development, industrialization, and foreign policy.   The IEA Election 2012 Presidential Debate is being sponsored by StarGhana .   GNA...

Ho, Oct. 22, GNA -Mr Pontius Pilate Baba Apaabey, Deputy Volta Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) Monday commended political parties disqualified by the Electoral Commission (EC) from contesting the December Polls for exercising “moral tolerance” after their disqualifications.     “The decisions of the parties to engage the EC in further deliberations or resort to court actions are demonstrations of tolerance and confidence in the rule of law, which must be commended,” he said.        Mr Apaabey made the commendation at a Volta Regional Council of Labour Meeting in Ho.      He said tolerance is a powerful tool that ensures peaceful co-existence and praised the parties for not causing mayhem, irrespective of investments made towards contesting the elections.     Mr Apaabey said that show of tolerance should inspire political parties contesting the elections to abide by the electoral laws and allow the EC to carry out its constitutional duty.  “Nobody is born tolerant but we must all learn to be tolerant. If you are not satisfied with a development, you can go to the law court but not take to arms,” he stated.     Mr Apaabey advised any political party that emerged winner of the December Polls to restrain its excesses and accommodate the losers.     Togbe Adom Drayi II, Head of Organization Department of the Trade Union Congress Ghana (TUC-Ghana) called on Ghanaians to justify the European Union’s confidence in the country to organize credible and peaceful elections.     “Our expectation is that, all workers will go and vote and come back to work peacefully,” he said.     Togbe Drayi, who briefed workers on the Union’s last Congress, called for change of mind towards work to maximize productivity to justify the pay rise under the Single Spine Salary Structure.      Mr Elvis S. Van-Lare, Volta Regional Secretary of the TUC-Ghana described the labour front in the Region as relatively stable.     He appealed to the National Secretariat to increase logistics to the Region to make the district councils vibrant. GNA ...

Accra, Oct. 22, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Monday sentenced a mechanic,Kwasi Badu,who conspired with two others to rob one Helen Yeboah of her two mobile phones valued at GH₵ 900 and a cash of GH₵1, 400, to 60 years imprisonment for robbery.     The accused pleaded guilty to the offence.     However, two of his accomplices Godfred Obeng Darko and Nii Solomon Lamptey, who were charged for conspiracy, robbery and possession of firearms pleaded not guilty to the charges and were remanded into prison custody to re-appear on October 25, 2012.       Two other accomplices Emmanuel Hammond alias Dead body and one Kwasi Ato are at large.     The Prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Patrick A. Morkeh said on December 13, 2011, the accused persons Kwasi Badu, Godfred Obeng Darko, Emmanuel Hammond and one Ato went on a robbery mission on the Odorkor Terrazzo road.     He said in the course of sharing their booty, a misunderstanding ensued between Darko and Hammond, leading to Darko shooting Hammond in the neck and chest.     He said the Police had a tipoff that the accused persons were hiding at a village called Buduatta in the Central Region and dispatched a team of Policemen to arrest the accused persons but they managed to escape through a window.     DSP Morkeh said on July1, 2012 Darko and Nii Solomon Lamptey were arrested from their hideout at Buduatta. A search in Darko’s room revealed a locally manufactured pistol and four cartridges.     He said Darko in his caution statement admitted the offence and mentioned Hammond, Ato and Badu as his accomplices.     He said Darko also revealed that he and his accomplices had been robbing people in Accra, Central Region, Volta Region, Tema and Takoradi.     DSP Morkeh also said Darko mentioned one Obour as the person who gave him the locally manufactured pistol but failed to lead the Police to arrest the said Obour.     On October 7, 2012 Kwasi Badu was also arrested from his hideout and charged with the offence.      GNA...

     Obuasi (Ash), Oct 22, GNA - Mr Johnny Owusu-Boadi, the Obuasi Municipal Director of Education, has called on teachers to avoid allowing monetary gains to undermine their performance in the classroom.       Mr Owusu-Boadi, said it was important for “the teachers have to work hard for the progress of the pupils under their care”.       Opening a day’s orientation workshop for the newly posted teachers to the Municipality, Mr Owusu-Boadi said the Municipality had a track record to maintain in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).       At the event organized by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) with support of the Municipal Education Directorate (MED), he said “since 2004 except 2008, Obuasi had been first in the national ranking of the BECE and that you are here to work to maintain the first position and also improve the percentage score”.      The Municipal Director urged them to make judicious use of the pupils’ instructional hours saying the ban on the use of mobile phones during instructional hours in the Municipality was still in force.      He advised the new teachers not to rush into improving or upgrading their academic and professional qualification at the expense of the pupils.      Mr Emmanuel Kwame Boateng – Marfo, the Municipal GNAT Secretary, said from a humble beginning as an organization of mostly primary school teachers, the GNAT now had majority of teachers in the public and private educational institutions with an estimated strength of over 150,000.       He said the institution of in-service training for teachers and the creation of economic services such as teachers fund were some of the achievements of the Association.       Topics discussed at the workshop included the importance of GNAT the youth and GNAT, women’s desk, promotions and transfers in the teaching service.     GNA  ...

Takoradi, Oct, 22, GNA -- The MTN Ghana, on Monday organised a forum to educate members of the Ghana Hairdressers and Beautician Association (GHABA) in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, on how to use modern information technology to enhance their businesses.     The participants were taught how to use the Internet to search for new hair styles, good customer service tips, data, MTN Foundation and mobile money.      The forum was instituted by the MTN early this year, for identifiable groups in the country.   The Senior Sales Manager for MTN in-charge of the Western and Central Regions, Mr. Samuel Appiah, assured subscribers that the company would continue to invest in advanced network infrastructure to boost its services.     He said that MTN would provide innovative telecommunication services to subscribers throughout the country.     Mr. Appiah said the network would continue to partner identifiable groups in the country to achieve mutual benefits.       He said the MTN had organised similar events in other regions to educate various groups on how to use modern information technology to improve their businesses.     The Western Regional President of GHABA, Mrs. Joyce Amemor,  commended the MTN for educating members on how to use information technology to enhance their work.     GNA ...

Accra, Oct. 22, GNA - DSP Gifty Mawuenyega Tehoda has filed two applications before the Human Rights Court seeking for enforcement of her human rights and an interim injunction against the Inspector General of Police over her dismissal.     Tehoda contends that her rights had been violated following her interdiction and subsequent dismissal. According to her, while the two actions were before the Human Rights Court, the Ghana Police Service served her with her dismissal letter thereby affecting the main action in court. Mr E.A Voduagbo, her counsel had told the court that following the latest development of her client dismissal, they would like to seek an adjournment to amend the two applications. Counsel further indicated that they intend challenging her dismissal and cited the Inspector General of Police with contempt.      The Ghana Police Service had set up a Service Inquiry to hear the case of DSP Tehoda even though her lawyers protested.      When DSP Tehoda asked that she should be allowed to look for a different lawyer to represent her at the Service Inquiry, the Ghana Police Service allegedly went ahead to dismiss her.     The IGP''s lawyer indicated that he had not filed response to the two applications because of the development and agreed to the two weeks adjournment for him to consult his superiors on the issue.     The Human Rights Court therefore adjourned the matter to November 7.     On September 4, this year, the Human Rights Court in Accra rejected the application for reinstatement of DSP Gifty Mawuenyega Tehoda into the Police Service on procedural grounds.      DSP Tehoda was discharged three months ago for lack of evidence in the cocaine-turned-baking soda case. Prior to her discharge, the Police Service had interdicted her, stripping her of her position as the Deputy Head of the Commercial Crimes Unit of the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID).     GNA ...

Takoradi Oct. 22, GNA - Rexford Bandoh, a restaurant supervisor at the Planters Lodge in Takoradi, on Monday appeared before the Takoradi Circuit Court “B” for allegedly stealing an amount of GHC12,350 belonging to a guest of the hotel.     The Court granted the accused, who pleaded not guilty, a bail ofGHC 20,000 with two sureties to re-appear on November 13 this year.     Prosecuting, Police Inspector Seth Ahelegbe, said at about 22.00 hours on October 17, this year, the management of the Planters Lodge informed the Police that they have arrested the accused person for stealing GHC12,350 belonging to one George Quarteng-Mensah, a guest at the hotel.     He said the Police went to the hotel and met the accused and the manager and during interrogation, the accused person denied the allegation until a CCTV footage was played showing the accused person opening the bag of the guest and removing one brown file and two white envelopes.     Inspector Ahelegbe said the Police arrested the accused and took him to the Police Station but again denied the offence in his caution statement.     He said further investigations revealed that Quarteng-Mensah and his foreign business partners, who lodged at the hotel, went to the restaurant to take their meal.     Inspector Ahelegbe said after the meal, Quarteng-Mensah left his handbag containing some personal documents and the money in the restaurant when leaving for a meeting at the hotel. He said Quarteng-Mensah did not find the handbag when he went back to the restaurant but was directed to the front desk restaurant where it was handed over to him.     Inspector Ahelegbe said Quarteng-Mensah opened the bag for inspection and discovered that the money had been stolen and reported the incident to the manager of the hotel.   GNA ...

Asankragua(WR), Oct. 22, GNA- President John Dramani Mahama on Monday cautioned illegal miners (galamsey operators) against the destruction of cocoa farms in search of minerals as that could stifle cocoa production.     He said: “The minerals you are searching for are temporal, but the cocoa farms will continue to serve future generations if you keep them well.”     President Mahama gave the caution when he addressed a rally at Asankragua in the Amenfi West District of the Western Region as part of his five-day campaign tour of the region.     The President also addressed rallies at Dadieso, Aowim, Wiawso, Bodi and Akontambra , where he outlined the development agenda of the ruling National Democratic Congress.    He denounced the high incidence of illegal mining activities and appealed to the chiefs and people in the affected communities to draw up a plan for government to take action and find lasting solutions to the menace.    President Mahama said although small scale miners were allowed to operate with licenses, government would however, not issue such permits to the operators if their activities would be inimical to the communities they operated in.   The President said government would continue to support cocoa farmers to achieve higher production levels and would therefore not allow illegal miners to thwart all the efforts they were making to revamp the cocoa industry.   Nana Anyani Boadum III, Divisional Chief of Asankragua in a speech read on his behalf commended the government for constructing and maintaining a number of feeder roads in the Amenfi West District of the Region.   He however appealed to government to upgrade the local health centre into a hospital or a polyclinic to cater for the health needs of the people.   Nana Boadum III also appealed to government to increase the cocoa districts from the current two to five to cater for the needs of cocoa farmers in the area.     More ...

Cape Coast, Oct. 22, GNA – The circuit court in Cape Coast granted 1,000 Ghana cedis bail to Mr. Ebenezer Sam, an accountant of the Far East Mercantile Limited, accused of embezzling GHc 8,129.06.      He would re-appear before court on Friday November 2.     Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Andam Okyere, told the court presided over by Mrs. Florence Kai Otu that the Manager of company, Mr. George Assah on Tuesday, April 10 reported to the police that Sam has embezzled money belonging to the company.    The prosecution said Sam did not render accounts for money collected from customers of the company for three days, and kept the key to the company’s safe, and absented himself from the work.     ASP Andam Okyere said the manager became suspicious of Sam’s action and when he ordered that the safe should be broken into in the presence of relatives of the accused, 15,522 00 was found in it.     The prosecution said when the manager checked the cash book of the company as from 1 to 13 April, he realized that Sam did not account for GHc 8,129.06.     GNA ...

Sunyani, Oct. 22, GNA – The Brong-Ahafo Regional Secretariat of the National Democratic Party (NDP) at the weekend said it believed the Electoral Commission’s (EC) rejection of Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings nomination form was a calculated attempt by certain individuals who had compromised with the EC to collapse the party.     It has however, expressed doubts about the integrity of the EC in all the electoral processes to ensure free, fair and transparent Election 2012.      The EC on Thursday, October 19, rejected the nomination of Nana Agyemang-Rawlings, a former First Lady and Flagbearer of the NDP citing major errors on her forms.     At a press conference in Sunyani, Nana Obiri Pantanpram, NDP Brong-Ahafo Regional Chairman of the party clad in a mourning cloth emphasised that the “Regional Secretariat was solidly behind Nana Konadu in any decision she might take to seek justice:”.     He attested that the NDP was formed out of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and since then the NDC had adopted series of strategies to divide and “bury” the NDP.     Nana Pantanpram explained that it was not the first time an error had appeared on a flagbearer’s nomination form therefore, the EC should have informed Nana Konadu of such errors than rejecting the forms.     He regretted that the EC had dented its credibility saying it was unfortunate and disgraceful on its part to allow some politicians to dent its national and international reputation.     Nana Pantanpram emphasised that the NDP had come to stay and would endeavour to participate and win the December 7 polls.   GNA ...

Yamfo (B/A), Oct. 22, GNA – Miss Freda Prempeh, Tano North Parliamentary Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the weekend, launched her campaign with a promise to upgrade the Yamfo Health Centre into a full-fledged hospital when voted into power.     Addressing hundreds of supporters, sympathisers and activists of the party at the Yamfo lorry park, she noted that the Saint John’s Hospital at Duayaw-Nkwanta, the only hospital in the Tano North District could not cater for all the referral cases in the constituency.     Ms Prempeh explained that since quality healthcare delivery was paramount in nation building, the health of the people would continue to be her main priority.     She regretted that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), a legacy left by the NPP Government for the NDC Government for the benefit of the citizenry had collapsed.     The NPP Parliamentary Candidate said she would use a percentage of her common fund to ensure that all the aged in the constituency registered free of charge under the scheme and procured modern equipment for the upgrading of the Yamfo health centre.     She expressed concern about the poor nature of road networks linking the farming communities, noting that the constituency did not benefit from a single project under the NDC Government’s supposed better Ghana agenda.     Ms Prempeh told the ecstatic supporters that voting for her alone would not be enough and entreated them to ensure that majority of them participate in the election and vote for the NPP.     This, she said would be possible if they educate the electorate on the NPP manifesto especially those at the grassroots.     Ms Prempeh, a Communication Expert, who had been an assembly member for the La Loko electoral area on two consecutive terms, expressed the optimism that with her experience in the local government system, the electorate would vote for her to represent them for improved livelihood.     Mrs Otiko Afisa Djaba, NPP National Women’s Organiser said all was set for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, NPP Presidential Candidate to implement the free Senior High School (SHS) next year but could only become a reality when Ghanaians vote for the party.   She affirmed that she had benefited from such policy in the past and challenged Ghanaians to vote for the NPP during Election 2012 and see whether it could not fulfill the promise.     Mrs Djaba entreated the electorate to ignore all counter accusations from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the policy was not feasible next year and vote for the NPP to benefit from it.     Mr Ernest Akubour Debrah, incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North advised the people to support Ms Prempeh as they did for him for development.     He said she had the capabilities to perform to their expectation and advised them to vote for her.     GNA  ...

Tamale, Oct. 22, GNA - Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur on Monday gave another dimension to the peace of the 2012 elections by urging the electorate to vote massively for a clear winner to emerge at the first round.      He said doubts began to emerge when the results of the elections were close to call and when there was a thin margin of win.      He, therefore, asked the electorate to come out and vote massively with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC)  as the preferred party because it was development oriented. Vice President Amissah-Arthur, who is also the running mate of President John Dramani Mahama, the presidential candidate of the NDC, made the appeal when he addressed supporters of the party after calling on traditional leaders in the Tamale Municipality.   The calls were part of a two-day visit and final leg of a five-day visit to the Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions. The Vice President had arrived on Sunday evening to a rousing welcome and addressed rallies in the metropolis in the Tamale Central, North and South constituencies.      He then paid a courtesy call on Dakpema Mohamed Alhassan, Chief of Tamale at his palace, and visited the Guikpe palace and  solicited their blessing for peaceful polls.      The traditional leaders praised the NDC Government for the concern for the Northern Region, the construction works at the Tamale Hospital, and the establishment of the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), that was aimed at bringing social and economic interventions in the three northern regions of Ghana.      Vice President Amissah Arthur thanked the chiefs for their contributions to peace in the region.      “I can’t come here without thanking you for your contributions to the peace of Tamale. May that peace extend to other parts of Ghana and the whole of Ghana,” Vice President Amissah-Arthur said at the palace of the Guikpe Naa Abdulai Alhassan.      The Guikpe Naa expressed appreciation to the government and the NDC for what it had done for the Dagbon Area, and assured the Vice President of their support for Government’s development agenda.       He appealed to the Administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), Mr Sam Garba, for the completion of a primary school started recently.      The Vice President used the occasion to introduce Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini,  a veteran journalist and Night Editor of the Daily Graphic  as the NDC parliamentary candidate for the newly created Zalerigu North Constituency.      Vice President Amissah-Arthur also paid homage to the Pogolana Palace, and later addressed the leadership of the Tamale Central Mosque.       He is yet to address students at the Tamale Campus of  the University for Development Studies. GNA ...

Obengkrom (B/A), Oct. 22, GNA – Majority of pregnant students during the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the Brong Ahafo Region came from the Asutifi District.     This was made known by Mrs Kyei Abrafi, Asutifi District Girls Education Officer of the Ghana Education Service (GES), who said the district alone recorded 63 per cent of all related cases.     She said out of the 30 pregnant girls who participated in the examination in the Region, 19 of them and a nursing mother were from the Asutifi District and expressed concern about the high prevalent rate of teenage pregnancy in the district.     Mrs Abrafi was speaking at the celebration of International Rural Women’s Day at Obengkrom in the Asutifi District.     The event was jointly organised by Action Aid Ghana and Centre for Maternal Health and Community Empowerment (CMCE) on the theme: “The Empowerment of Rural women and their Role in Poverty and Hunger Eradication”.     Mrs Abrafi called for prompt attention by all stakeholders to be given to situation and help reverse the trend as more of such girls are being lured with money by galamsey operators in the district.     She said a survey conducted in nine schools last year revealed that 30 students including a class six pupil, were pregnant and therefore dropped out from school.   Mrs Abrafi said the situation was getting out of hand because parents did not see their children’s education as a priority as they failed to provide them with the necessary learning materials and called on parents to live up to their responsibilities.     Mr John Abaah, Programme Officer in-charge of Women’s Right in Action aid, said it was time to reduce poverty among women in the country by empowering them to fight for their rights.     He said about 70 per cent of women worldwide lived in poverty saying there was the need to resource and equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to venture into viable economic ventures.     Mr Abaa said though women smallholder farmers in the country formed the majority in food production, they did not have adequate access to farm lands and called on government to develop and implement appropriate policies on land administration.     Mr Salaam Mahama, a Member of CMCE, cautioned parents against the settlement of defilement and rape cases at home since it was against the law in the country and warned that defaulters would be prosecuted.     He urged parents to show concern about issues concerning their children because they were the country’s hope and future leaders.   GNA ...

Obuasi, Oct 22, GNA - Odotobri Rural Bank at the weekend donated items worth about six hundred Ghana cedis towards  the Obuasi Municipality Farmer’s Day celebration to be held at Kwabenakwakrom.     The items included 60 crocodile machetes, 10 pairs of wellington boots and five knapsack spraying machines.     Mr. Johnny Owusu- Boadi, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, and the General Manager, Mr. S.B. Ahmed, made the presentation on behalf of the bank.      He said: ‘’Odotobri has been contributing to the farmer’s day and best teacher’s awards day of the municipality every year, and we do this just to motivate our hardworking farmers and teachers’’.     Mr. Owusu-Boadi, who is also the Obuasi Municipal Director of Education, said the bank was committed to its social responsibility and allocated part of its profit to improving the lives of the people.     The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. John Alexander Ackon, who received the items on behalf of the Assembly, said the bank was a reliable partner for the development of the municipality.       He said the assembly would reciprocate this gesture by helping to facilitate the growth of the bank.   GNA ...

Sunyani, Oct. 22, GNA – Mr Daniel Kofi Kyere, National President of Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS), has appealed to members to endeavour to entice more surveyors into their fold.     He noted that quantity surveyors played an important role in national development and urged them to forge ahead towards a formidable institution.     Mr Kyere made the appeal when inaugurating the Brong-Ahafo Regional Association of Quantity Surveying Division of GhIS in Sunyani at the weekend.     It was on the theme: “The State of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors”.     He said efforts were being made by the leadership to ensure the promulgation of the Survey Council Bill into law, currently under consideration at Cabinet level.     Mr Kyere explained that the Bill, when promulgated into law, would guide their operations and the surveying profession in the country.     “The Institution is now fully fledged in the training of members to build their capacity to generate income and make them relevant to national development,” he added.     Mr Isaac Abbarm, Brong-Ahafo Regional Chairman of Quantity Surveying Division of GhIS, appealed to the Brong-Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), to ensure every municipal or district assembly had a professional quantity surveyor on their tender committees and review boards for effective and efficient operations.     The seven-member regional executive committee, sworn into office by Mr Kyere, are Mr Isaac Abbarm, Chairman, Mr Patrick Fiadjoe, Vice-Chairman, Ms Helena Nimo, Secretary, Mr Mohammed Ash-Shiaku, Assistant Secretary, Ms Monica Amontum, Treasurer, Mr Bright Kpabitey, Organising Secretary and Mr Yusif Inusah, Assistant Organsing Secretary.   GNA ...