Bolgatanga, Oct 16, GNA - Eight communities in the Upper East and Northern regions have identified and proposed to adapt high priority climate change adaptation strategies to help meet the challenges of climate change.      The most important strategies they are proposing to adapt include, dry season farming, livestock rearing, tree planting, preparation and use of organic manure and income generating activities.   These, they explained, would not only help the people to supplement their income as a result of poor yields from rain fed agriculture but also build up soil fertility and protect the environment.      The communities are Tariganga, Farfar, Kugri, and Akara in the Garu-Tempane District and Zambulugu, Saamin, Jawani and Dimia in the Mamprusi East District.      They are being led and supported by the Adaptation Learning Programme (ALP) under CARE International-Ghana, in its five year programme to work with poor and vulnerable communities to help them identify and adapt positively to the challenges of climate change.      The communities that had earlier identified and validated potential adaptation strategies at various community-wide meetings, were holding a workshop in Bolgatanga, organized by ALP, to analyze the feasibility of the adaptation strategies and adapt those that they needed most.      Other strategies they proposed to adapt were; early maturing and drought resistant crops, forming savings and loan schemes, encouraging the youth to learn vocational skills, advocating for good road network to connect communities to nearby big markets and building reinforced, strong foundation houses to withstand floods and wind storms.      Mr Romanus Gyang, Manager of ALP, explained that the process involved many steps, the first being a climate vulnerability capacity assessment (CVCA) conducted in the communities which documented the hazards and coping strategies, then the potential adaptation strategies were identified, and the possible challenges and ways of finding solutions to them also discussed.      The criteria covered the feasibility, sustainability, how beneficial and how environmentally friendly each proposed strategy was.      “All that was geared towards helping the communities to select strategies that are resilient for implementation so as to avoid the possible situation of mal-adaptation,” he said.      Mr Gyang said the communities, which were selected on pilot basis, were involved in every stage because it was important that they did most of the preparation and work on their own so as to sustain the programme.   GNA...

Baare(U/E), Oct 16,  GNA - A 46- year-old Medical Assistant, Mrs Georgina B Bansarigya, has been en-skinned as Queen Mother for the Baare Traditional Area in the Talensi District.    En-skinning the Queen Mother in his palace, the Chief of the Baare,  Naba Naba Nyaakora Mantii, said it took a broad consultation of elders and opinion leaders from the area to enskin the Queen Mother whom he noted was much focused and development oriented.   He appealed to the people, particularly women, to give the Queen Mother the maximum support to enable her bring more development to the area.   He said the decision to en-skin a Queen Mother for the area was a directive from the National House of Chiefs.   The Queen Mother whose skin name is “Pognaba Nemalteng”, meaning development oriented One, said one of the major problems she helped address in the community was to ensure that people in the area practiced family planning, by sensitizing both women and men.     She said the issue of malnutrition was a setback to the community and explained that it was not that there was no food in the area but lack of knowledge on how to adopt the practice of good nutrition.   “I will embark upon a vigorous education programme to school mothers on good nutrition so as to help curb malnourishment of people especially children in the area”.    She expressed regret at dropout rate of female students in the community and said most of them stopped school because of teenage pregnancies and early marriages.   The youth Chief,  Bisnab Asampana Anangton who was also en-skinned by the Chief, pledged to eoganise peace talks among the various groups in the community to pave way for development.   GNA...

  Cape Coast, Oct 15, GNA - Professor Haruna Yakubu, Vice Chancellor of the University of Development Studies (UDS), said Ghana could achieve accelerated development within the next few years if the government would explore the establishment of more community senior high schools where the focus would solely be on science and technology education.       Prof. Yakubu made the suggestion in a speech read on his behalf at the 36th anniversary and 10th Speech and Prize Giving Day of the Academy of Christ The King Senior High School in Cape Coast at the weekend.      It was on the theme: “Science and Technology: The Plight of Community Senior High Schools”.     Consequently, a curriculum on scientific and technological innovations should be evolved where methods of using local materials to acquire scientific knowledge in more creative ways would be encouraged to facilitate growth in all sectors of the country’s advancement.      He underscored how scientific and technological knowledge had contributed to the economic growth of developed countries by the conquest of diseases, improvement in productivity, creation of new materials and many others and therefore urged all students to take those courses more seriously.    Central Regional Minister, Mrs. Ama Benyiwa-Doe, congratulated the school for its tremendous achievement despite its “humble beginnings” and advised the students to take their studies seriously and take up science and technology based subjects to contribute to nation building in future.     She gave the assurance that the government would do its best to develop infrastructure to aid effective teaching of science and technology in all schools in the country.     Mr Ebo Barton-Oduro, Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast, said the establishment of the Science Resource Centre in Cape Coast by his office was part of efforts to improve science and technology education in the area.      He reiterated calls to students to be more scientific and technologically alert to enable them to take jobs to fill the vast vacancies in that area within the shortest possible time for them to contribute meaningfully to national growth.       The Headmaster, Mr Victor Kofi Mensah-Adator, said of the 201 students presented for the 2011 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE),  98.3%  passed whilst in 2012,  96.8% of the 237 candidates passed.      He was of the hope that the school would attain better results in the coming years and urged the students to study harder to justify the efforts of their parents, the hard working tutors as well as the government that continued to develop infrastructure for the school.      Mr Mensah-Adator expressed gratitude to the late President, Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills, for his directive that saw the construction of new school building at its new site.      He was also full of praise for the Parent-Teachers Association of the school for providing a mechanized borehole, purchasing a bus as well as the on-going construction of a headmaster’s bungalow which he hoped would be completed soon.    He appealed to the government to build modern science and computer laboratories, boarding facilities and bungalows for staff to ease their  accommodation problems.      Prizes were awarded to deserving students and teachers for their excellent performances.     GNA ...

  Wa, Oct. 15, GNA - Youth Alive Ghana, a non-governmental organization (NGO), in partnership with Star–Ghana, on Saturday organised a youth street dance competition dubbed:  “Azonto for Peace dance “,    in Wa.       It was a strategy to bring together young people in the Wa Municipality in the Upper West Region, to propagate to them peace messages.         The NGO educated the youth, who operate at the Wa main lorry park, on their constitutional rights, tolerance and democracy, before organising the street dance competition, to enable young people to campaign for violence-free elections.       Mrs. Agnes Chiravira, Director of Youth Alive Ghana, said that the competition was aimed at promoting peace ahead of Election 2012.        She advised the youth to shun politicians, who would attempt to use them to create violence in the December polls.            Alhaji Rashid.Daud.Yahaya , chairman of the Regional Peace Council, who spoke on the theme: “A Peaceful Ghana , Our collective Responsibility “, called on Ghanaians to unite and ensure peace in December, and for national development.       Mr. Ibrahim Abdul Samadu, who emerged the over all winner of the competition, received 30 Ghana Cedis and a T-shirt as his prize.     GNA ...

  From Albert Oppong-Ansah, a GNA Special Correspondent, Hyderabad, India (Courtesy, Convention on Biodiversity Secretariat, Global Environmental Facility and Internews).     Hyderabad (India), Oct. 15, GNA - Mr Bakary Kante, Director, Division of Environmental Law and Conventions (DELC) charged to with carrying out the functions of United Nations Environmental Programme, has urged African countries to incorporate green environmental mechanisms to infrastructural development.     He said the move would help promote greener cites and reduce the continuous destructions of the continent’s valuable biodiversity resource.    “We cannot stop the growth of cities but we can make the cities more environmentally friendly for our survival and the action is now,” he said.     Mr Kante said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during the launch of the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook Report at the on-going 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known as COP 11 in Hyderabad, India.     He said if Africa and the world wanted to survive, then there was no choice left than to adopt and live with green and wildlife’s.     “Although it is estimated that from the world’s total urban area is expected to triple between 2000 2030, with urban population set to double to around 4.9 billion in the same period, our continent has the opportunity, capacity and the resource to be part of the development but can still maintain its biodiversity,”, he said.     Mr Kante said the continent had lots of biodiversity yet it was tagged as poor, adding that the resource could be a good source of wealth creation if properly kept.     “The average person in Africa depends on the near-by river for fish and water for free. One can just also walk straight to the forest and pluck a leaf or the bark to be used as medication”, he said.     Mr Braulio Dias, Executive Director of CBD, said the report identified Africa as one of the fastest continents urbanizing resulting in the growth of people in the cities of less than one million people.     He said these cities had weak governance structures, high level of poverty and low scientific capacity regarding biodiversity.     Mr Dias said: “The way our cities are designed, the way people live in them and the policy decisions of local authorities would define, to a large extent, future global sustainability. The innovation lies not so much in developing new infrastructural technologies and approaches, but to work with what we already have. The results often requires fewer economic resources and more sustainable”. ...

  Koforidua, Oct. 15, GNA - Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah, NPP’s Parliamentary Candidate for New Juaben South, has said the free Senior High School (SHS) policy of the party would not be an empty promise.    He said the policy would be implemented to benefit every Ghanaian and thereby raise the standard of education in the country saying voters ought to give the NPP a chance in this year’s general election to see the full implementation of the policy in 2013.    Dr Assibey-Yeboah said this at a mammoth rally of the party in Koforidua on Sunday as the party met supporters to explain some of the campaign promises to the people.    The rally attracted some party officials including Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, former Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Yaw Barimah, former Member of Parliament for the New Juaben South and Mr Mike Oquaye Junior, a leading member of the party.    Dr Assibey-Yeboah said “I challenge the NDC to provide an alternative education policy to counter the NPP’s free SHS policy”.    Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku said the NDC propaganda against the free SHS policy was as a result of ignorance and lack of vision to improve the country’s educational sector.   He urged the electorate not to listen to the NDC and vote massively for Nana Akufo Addo and the NPP to implement the policy to enable every Ghanaian child to have access to secondary education.    Mr Yaw Barimah said he was surprised at the NDC’s stance against the transformational education policy.    He said it was during the time of the NPP government that Koforidua and its environs witnessed massive infrastructural developments such as the construction of roads, streets lights and many more developmental projects within the Municipality.    Mr Mike Oquaye Junior  said the NDC for engaging in corrupt practices and urged the electorate to vote against them.    He said the ruling NDC had demonstrated that paying judgement debts were more important than providing free education to the country’s future leaders.   Dr Samuel Yaw Annor, the Eastern Regional Chairman of the NPP, said Nana Akufo Addo was unperturbed by the ruling party’s criticisms but remained committed to implementing the free SHS policy.     GNA ...

  Accra, Oct. 15, GNA - A proponent of the Akuafo Cheque system under which farmers are paid with a special cheque for the purchase of cocoa has thrown his weight behind the demand of cocoa farmers that the payment system in its original form should be brought back. In a statement to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday, Dr Michael Gbordzoe, who said he and three others submitted proposals for the Akuafo Cheque system to the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), defended the merits of the system in its original form and said the gains must not be lost. "The significant advantages that the farmers have gained through the Akuafo Cheque payment system should be defended and not thrown away," he said. The Ghana Cocoa, Coffee and Shea-nut Farmers Association should do everything legally possible to exert pressure on the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and the current Government to put measures in place now to entrench the original Akuafo Cheque payment system to the advantage of the farmers and the nation Ghana and not allow this to be manipulated by the Licensed Buying Companies. Dr Gbordzoe said the rationale behind the introduction of the Akuafo Cheque payment system included the failure or inability of COCOBOD to pay the cocoa farmers for cocoa and the acute liquidity problems prevailing at the time leading to the withdrawal of the 50 cedi notes from circulation. "Even if the PNDC could mobilize funds from any sources at that time to pay the farmers for their produce, the banks would be left with serious and acute-to-chronic liquidity problems if the COCOBOD were to embark on cash payments." If cash payments were effected, most farmers would put their sums of money 'under their pillows' or elsewhere at home and would not necessarily or willingly go to banks to save their money. Farmers are now being paid in cash and with the Akuafo Cheque system. Dr Gbordzoe said paying through the cheque system implied also creating savings accounts for the farmers, preferably with the Agricultural Development Bank or other Ghanaian-owned banks, with long term advantages for the farmers and the banks. "The farmers' cheque payment system would also contribute in a way to the capitalization efforts of the banks since the farmers would not normally withdraw all their monies from the bank within a short period of time," he said. The system was also to eliminate the tremendous influence of middlemen associated with cash payments by buying agents leading to the farmers getting less net earnings for their produce. Dr Gbordzoe said most of these factors were still relevant today, especially liquidity factors, net earning for the farmers for their produce, reduction of the influence of middle men associated with local or foreign controlled Buying Agents or Companies, and speculation on the commodities associated with cash-flows.     GNA ...

  Jirapa, (U/W), Oct. 15, GNA – Women smallholder farmers in the Jirapa District of the Upper West Region, at the weekend alleged that some politicians in authority allocated to themselves tractors brought into the country by government for farmers.    The farmers said  that the tractors were to help boost  food production, but some politicians were taking them, to the detriment of the actual beneficiaries.      The women smallholder farmers expressed the concern at an engagement platform with parliamentary aspirants of the Jirapa constituency, in Jirapa.     It was organised by Action Aid-Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with the Community Aid for Rural Development, on the theme: “Smallholder Agriculture Sensitive Manifestoes and Party Pledges to Reduce Poverty”. The farmers called on government to ensure that the practice was stopped, to make the tractors accessible to smallholder farmers, especially the women.       According to the women, in the area, two out of three farmers were women; seven out of 10  bags of maize were produced by women; nine out of 10 persons in agro-processing were women and eight out of 10 persons in the marketing of food were women, yet they had limited access to inputs, and tractor services.     They appealed to the Government and Parliament to ensure that more investments were made in women smallholder farmers, by increasing public spending on smallholder agriculture, devoting special budget for women farmers, and affirmative action of 40 per cent of agricultural resources, targeted at women, to increase food production and reduce poverty.     Mr. Tontie Binado, Action Aid Right to Food and Climate Change Programme Officer, said the platform sought to draw the attention of key stakeholders to the challenges confronting smallholder farmers that had the potential to undermine food security and poverty reduction efforts in Ghana.     He said recognising the role of the legislature in giving policy direction in the country, the NGO hoped that the nationwide platforms would offer vulnerable farmers the opportunity to bring out critical issues, which would inform agricultural policy decisions in the next Parliament.     Mr. Tontie said the NGO also believed that if issues affecting smallholder farmers were addressed appropriately, it  would contribute to ensuring food security, improving rural livelihoods, and poverty reduction in the country.   GNA ...

  Apam (C/R), Oct. 15, GNA – Mr Lee Ocran, Minister of Education, has donated a quantity of furniture to schools in Gomoa West District.     The presentation of the furniture was an outcome of the Minister’s visit some schools in the district about three months ago.     During the visit, the Minister observed that the schools were in need of furniture and therefore ordered 1,900 dual desks, 2,800 mono desks, 400 tables and 2,400 chairs for kindergarten children and 260 tables and chairs for teachers.     Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, Gomoa West District Chief Executive who presented the furniture on behalf of the Minister to the District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service for distribution to schools expressed gratitude to the Minister for the gesture.     He said the furniture would go a long way to enhance teaching and learning in the schools.     The DCE said the donation re-enforced government decision to expand access to facilities in schools to make teaching and learning comfortable.     “These are some of the basic things the schools need to promote quality education but not make SHS education free,” the DCE pointed out.     Mr Aidoo-Mensah expressed concern about use of classrooms for public activities such as meetings and church services and advised teachers to ensure that good care was taken of the furniture to make them last.     Mr Victor Okoe Marbell, Human Resource Officer at the Gomoa West District Directorate who received the items on behalf of the Acting District Director assured the donor that a good care would be taken of them.     He said furniture situation in the schools was worrying and thanked the Minister for solving one of the major problems facing the district.     GNA ...

  Accra, Oct. 15, GNA – The Public Consultations Programme for National Action Plan under the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Ghana initiative takes off on Wednesday October 17.    The programme will be organised in three zones and climaxed with a national validation workshop at the Accra International Conference Centre, on November 7th to look at all reports from the three zones for further action.    The consultation for the northern zones comprising the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions is slated for October 17 at the Modern City Hotel, Tamale.    Dr Tony Aidoo, Head of Policy Evaluation and Oversight Unit at the Office of the President, who announced this in Accra on Monday said, the public consultations for the middle zone comprising the Eastern, Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions would be held at the Senator Hotel in Kumasi on October 24.    “Public consultations for the southern zone comprising the Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western regions will take place at the Sanaa Lodge in Cape Coast on October 31st,” he said.    He said participants had been drawn from both government institutions and civil society organizations to ensure fair representation on each side.    Launching the programme, Dr Aidoo said OGP is a new voluntary, international multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to their citizenry to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.     He said Ghana was already doing much in this area and under the OGP those efforts needed to be demonstrated, monitored and evaluated over a period of time.     Dr Aidoo said in September 2011, Ghana signed onto the OGP initiative to improve public services, increase public integrity, manage public resource effectively, create safer communities and increase corporate accountability.     He said in connection with that Ghana was expected to develop a national Action Plan for submission to the Global Secretariat of the OGP by December 2012 and demonstrate progress in implementation by April 2013.       He said a 20-member National Steering Committee for OGP Ghana was inaugurated in August this year, to plan, develop and implement Ghana’s Action Plan in accordance with the process of multi-stakeholder consultations agreed by OGP member countries.  The steering committee was also expected to influence institutional arrangements to achieve the envisaged open government result.     The Public Sector Reform Secretariat serves as the secretariat for OGP-Ghana, with the support of the World Bank and in collaboration with the Institute of Democratic Governance, a civil society group to provide technical expertise and logistic support to the activities of the Steering Committee. GNA ...

  Anomabo (C/R), Oct. 15, GNA – Mr Henry Kweku Hayfron, Mfantseman Municipal Chief Executive, has asked Ghanaians to have a free-minded discussion on the education policies of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).      He said this would inform the people as to which of the policies would be beneficial to the nation’s future leaders.     Mr Hayfron said such discussion must be devoid of partisan politics because “it is the nation’s future that is at stake.”     Addressing a durbar at Anomabo to climax the annual “Okyir” festival of the chiefs and people of Anomabo at the weekend, the MCE said whilst the NDC is saying that it would expand education facilities to make many people have access to secondary education, the NPP is saying that it would make the secondary education free.     Mr Hayfron urged Ghanaians to assess conditions in the nation’s kindergartens, primary and the junior secondary schools and see whether they were the best for the senior high schools to be made free.     Responding to an accusation made by Nana Egyir Aggrey, Mpuntuhen of Anomabo that politicians had made the town “a Promise Land” where they failed to redeem promises made to the people, Mr Hayfron said he would not hold brief for the past politicians but could say with confidence that the NDC had redeemed all promises made to the people of Anomabo.     He said a visit to the Kwegyir Aggrey Senior High School in the town alone could tell the work the NDC Government had done over there.      The MCE appealed to people in the private sector to create jobs for their youth to do and stop relying on government alone to solve the unemployment in the country.     Mr Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, Deputy Central Regional Minister urged politicians to live in peace and also bear in mind that the society was bigger than the political parties they affiliated with.     He appealed to politicians to support their opponents in their quest to access projects for their areas and stop what he called “pull him down attitudes.”     Mr Quansah who is also the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman West said discussions were ongoing for the conversion of the Anomabo Health Centre into Accident and Trauma Centre to cater for the victims of the numerous road accidents which occur in the area.      The MP commended the Anomabo Union on its efforts to bring development to the town.     Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, the NPP Parliamentary aspirant for Mfantseman West called for peaceful election devoid of troubles on December 7.     In a welcoming address, Nana Egyir Aggrey expressed concern about unfulfilled promises made by politicians.     He called for upgrading of the Health Centre into a hospital and a permanent accommodation for the Police Station.     Nana Egyir Aggrey commended the government for siting a Fisheries University which was under construction in the town.     The Mpuntuhen instituted a GH₵15,000 Education Endowment Fund to support needy but brilliant children.      GNA ...

  Mumford (C/R), Oct. 15, GNA – Mr Kofi Mintah, a founding member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has asked the party's youth to work harder to woo more supporters and  to abide by the electoral laws during the upcoming general election. He also urged them to educate the electorate on the voting procedures to prevent them from spoiling their ballot papers.     Mr Mintah made the observation at the launch of the Young Democrats, a youth association within the NDC, at Mumford in the Central Region.       He cautioned them to desist from hooliganism and to help to make the election incident-free.     Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, Gomoa West District Chief Executive said the inauguration of the Young Democrats was a remarkable event as the party needed the youth involvement to make them grow to become a responsible replacement for the elders after their exit.     The DCE expressed satisfaction that Mumford which used to be a stronghold of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was fast becoming an NDC stronghold.     He enumerated a number of development projects the town had benefitted from under the NDC administration, which included the rehabilitation of the market in town, school blocks, toilet facility and a landing beach which was about to be constructed.     He announced that the contractors who were going to work on the construction of the landing beach had arrived in the town and had set up their camp.     Mr Kobina Darko, NDC Youth Organiser for Gomoa West Constituency called on Ghanaians to discard the NPP Flagbearer’s pledge to make Senior High School education free and regard it as mere campaign talk.     He said Ghanaians could have taken him serious if he had said he was going to make attendance to public toilets free in the country.     Nana Kwame Arhin, NDC Constituency Chairman recounted some years past when the party could not get people at Mumford to put on NDC regalia provided for free.     Mr Ivan Paapa Johnson, Chairman of the Young Democrats assured the party that they would work hard to ensure a massive victory in the forthcoming elections. GNA ...

  Accra, Oct. 15, GNA – Clement Kofi Humado, Minister of Youth and Sports has congratulated the Black Stars and Black Maidens on their achievements over the weekend.     The Black Stars sealed qualification to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Malawi 1-0 last Saturday in Lilongwe to advance 3-0 on aggregate whilst the Maidens claimed bronze at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, beating Germany by a lone goal.     In a statement, the Minister said: “This achievement by the Maidens who played a major part of the game with ten (10) players shows how determined and strong willed Ghanaian women are.     “It is a milestone in the development of women football in Ghana and Africa. I believe this valiant performance by these girls will inspire the other female national teams to do well in subsequent world tournaments.     “I also congratulate the Black Stars for qualifying to AFCON 2013 by beating their Malawian counterparts on Saturday 13 October, 2012 in Malawi.”     Meanwhile, the Maidens are expected to arrive on Monday evening at 19h00 GMT from Azerbaijan.     The achievement of the Maidens is the first by any national women’s team at a major global tournament.     GNA ...

  Accra, Oct. 15, GNA – The National Sports Authority (NSA) has announced that bonuses for the 2011 All Africa Games held in Maputo, Mozambique are ready for collection.     According Hannah Hamid Issakah, Acting Public Affairs of the NSA, medal winners at the multisport event held from 3-18 September in Mozambique are to contact the General Secretaries of their respective sporting associations on the payment of the balances of their bonuses.      He said: “the exercise has already begun ad and all those who are yet to collect the remainder of the bonus should do so immediately.”     It will be recalled that Ghana claimed 17 medals at the 10th edition of the quadrennial event made up of four gold, five silver and eight bronze.     Gold winners were entitled to 5,000 dollars each; 2,500 dollars for silver whilst bronze medallists are due to receive 1,500 dollars.   GNA ...

  Awutu Bontrase (C/R), Oct. 15, GNA - Mr Oppey Abbey, was on Sunday elected the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirant for Awutu-Senya West Constituency, in the party’s primaries at Awutu Bontrase.        He polled 192 votes, to defeat Mr Justice Quaye, a banker, who had 138 votes, and Mr Patrick Amoakwa, who obtained 60 votes, in balloting  that was supervised by Mr Haruna Esserku, member of the NPP National Executive Committee.         Mr Abbey thanked the delegates for electing him to contest for the seat, and promised to collaborate with them to ensure victory for the NPP in the December 7 elections.      He asked party supporters to woo the electorate to vote for the NPP in December.     Mr Esserku called on party supporters to bury their differences and campaign for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the NPP flag bearer in Election 2012, and Mr Abbey, so that they could  win the polls.   GNA ...

  Ajumako (C/R), Oct. 15, GNA – The Ajumako Enyan Essiam (AEED) constituency branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has elected Mr Festus Beedu Turkson, 42, as its parliamentary candidate.     Mr Turkson, a Senior Accounts Officer of the Ghana Health Services, polled 423 votes to beat the other contestant, Mr John Kobena Amissah, who had 108 votes.     Mr Turkson replaces the late Ato Quainoo who died on September 25.     He expressed gratitude to party members and told them “we have only 53 days to work hard to capture the seat from the ruling NDC so get united and move forward for victory.”     Mr Danquah Smith, the Central Regional Chairman of the party, appealed to party members nationwide to unite and peacefully campaign to ensure success come December 7.   GNA ...

  Saltpond (C/R), Oct. 15, GNA – Mr Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, the Deputy Central Regional Minister, has said he was committed to ensuring quality education in his constituency hence his organisation of vocation classes, quiz and debate competitions.   He said this at a quiz competition he organised for senior high schools in his constituency at the weekend.    The schools are Mfantsiman Girls, Hariom Methodist High, Mankessim Secondary Technical, Obama College and Kwegyir Aggrey Secondary Technical.     Mr Quansah appealed to students to make the best out of the investment their parents were making in their education.     Mr Quansah, the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman West, said it would be most unfortunate for a student to waste the investment through laziness and uncomplimentary behaviour whilst at school and become a liability on their parents.     Anomabo Kwegyir Aggrey Senior High/Technical School scored 34 points to come first, Mfantsiman Girls and Saltpond Hariom Senior High scored 33 and 31 points respectively to place second and third.     Saltpond Methodist High School was fourth with 28 points while Mankessim Secondary Technical School and Mankessim Obama College placed fifth and sixth with 27 and 22 points respectively.     A computer and GH₵500 and GH₵300 were presented to the first and second schools.  Hariom SHS received GH₵300 for placing third and certificates were presented to participating schools.     GNA ...

  Accra, Oct. 15, GNA – Multimedia Group Limited (MGL), a media and entertainment company has returned 3000 Ghana Cedis to ‘Sir’ Cecil Jones Attquayefio as part of donations realised from his charity game held last June.     The amount was handed over to a staff of the company as a “Thank You” package from the organisers of the game, Primeval Consult, in recognition of the former’s support towards the organisation of the match, played to honour and celebrate the achievements of the one-time best coach in Africa.     In a statement to clarify matters in the wake of disturbing remarks borne out of the game, MGL said one of the stations under their umbrella, Joy FM, was approached by the organizers to help promote the game, which led to a programme that yielded 7500 Ghana Cedis.     “One of the Multimedia stations, JOY FM was approached by the organizers of the event – Primeval Consult to use its sports platform to promote the event. During the phone-ins, there were persistent demands and so the programme auctioned tickets for the testimonial match at special rates.       “The live on-air program yielded GHC7, 000.00. Details of this including the buyers were published on myjoyonline.com. An additional cash amount of GHC 500.00 was donated by a friend of JOY Sports, Daniel Amoateng, bringing the total amount realized on JOY FM to GHC 7,500.”     The breakdown of the donation that came through the radio station also include a 1000 Ghana Cedis each from Minister of Communications, Haruna Iddrisu, Randy Abbey and famed lawyer, Ernest Thompson.           Ace broadcaster, Kwame Sefa Kayi and Egbert Faibille Jnr, Managing Editor of the Ghanaian Observer newspaper doled out 200 Ghana Cedis and 500 Ghana Cedis respectively to compliment a further 300 cedis donated by listeners identified as Fiifi and Thomas.     According to MGL, the donations were handed over to Lawrence Opare-Otoo, Chief Executive of Primeval Consult.      “It later emerged that the organizers presented a cash amount of GHC 3,000 to a member of the sports team as “Thank You” for helping to promote the testimonial match.     “Management of JOYFM asked the team member to refund the GHC 3,000 when this anomaly was brought to the attention of the station. Management handed over the GHC 3,000 to Coach Jones Attuquayefio on October 2, 2012. He has acknowledged receipt of the amount.”     Meanwhile, Primeval Consult through its CEO Opare-Otoo are yet to comment on the whereabouts of the remaining 4500 Ghana Cedis plus other donations in the region of 6,500.000 cedis yet to reach the veteran trainer.     Attuquayefio earlier poured out to GNA Sports that he received a paltry 1000 US dollars from the organisers of the charity match which fetched over 27,000 Ghana Cedis from gate proceeds and donations.     GNA Sports can confirm that Black Stars striker, Asamoah Gyan doled out 3000 US dollars on the day of the game to the coach’s cause while captain John Mensah gave 500 Ghana Cedis as his contribution.         It therefore comes as a shock, how the organizers could afford to dole out a “thank you” package of 3000 Ghana Cedis, which is more than what the coach received.     The organiser, Opare-Otoo in the build-up to the game said part of the proceeds would be given to Attuquayefio and the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Department at the  Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, but he is yet to fulfil his pledge to the latter.      Information pieced together by GNA Sports indicates the National Sports Authority (NSA) waived all financial obligation related to the usage of the national stadium enabling Opare-Otoo the luxury of using the arena without a cost.          Opare-Otoo, a former broadcaster, it will be recalled was behind the fund- raising dinner for the Retired National Footballers Association of Ghana (RENFAG) in July, 2011 which was graced by Liverpool legend, John Barnes.         Attuquayefio is one of Ghana's renewed coaches has for the last two years battled with throat cancer which has truncated his illustrious career which saw him chalk several successes.         He guided Hearts of Oak to the CAF Champions league title in 2000 and the Super Cup a year on. He was also at the helm when the Phobians won the maiden CAF Confederations Cup in 2004.     GNA  ...

  Mankessim (C/R), Oct. 15, GNA – Osagyefo Amanfo Edu VI, Omanhen of Mankessim Traditional Area, has urged Ghanaians to change the mindset that they could not transform their communities for the better if their commuities were in bad shape.     “We have been seeing many unpleasant things in our communities to the extent that we do not regard them as bad any longer,” the Omanhene said at the handing-over of a drainage system constructed by Cossa Construction Works to the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly and the chiefs and people of Mankessim.     The drainage system forms part of the Tripartite Partnership Project being implemented by the Training Research and Networking for Development (TREND) on behalf of the Government of Ghana for Mankessim in the Central Region, Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region and Huni Valley in the Western Region with supporting funds from the African Development Bank.     Osagyefo Amanfo Edu commended Government for making Mankessim a beneficiary of the project and was happy that the project had put to rest the perennial flooding of parts of the town.     Mr Henry Kweku Hayfron, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said for Mankessim to be considered as beneficiary of the project among only two other towns showed the love the government had for the town.     He cautioned against defecation and throwing of rubbish into the drains.     The MCE said the assembly would put in place a management team to liaise between the assembly and the acontractor to ensure that the project was well maintained.     Mr Eugene Larbi, Managing Director of TREND, said Mankessim was selected as a beneficiary because it had already a prepared sanitation plan which the project could easily rely on.     He said sustainability was very important and appealed to the people to keep the facility in good order.     Nii Odai Laryea of Maple Consult, a Consultant to the Project, noted that sacrifice and selfishness made the difference between developed and the underdeveloped world.      "Whilst people in the developed world were prepared to sacrifice to build their communities, those in the underdeveloped world wanted everything for themselves alone," he said.      Mr John Etuah, Project Desk Officer at the Municipal Assembly, urged management to do a devoted work to improve sanitation in the town.   GNA ...

  Cape Coast, Oct. 15, GNA – Mr Samuel Adu Yeboah, Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has challenged the founder of the party, Former President Jerry John Rawlings to mention the corrupt people he said were in the NDC or hold his peace.     Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Cape Coast, Mr Adu Yeboah said it was unfortunate that the Former President had been making blanket allegations of corruption against the party without pointing out a single person as being corrupt.     He said as the founder, he was mandated by the constitution to discipline any member who was not abiding by the principles on which the party was founded.     The Regional NDC Chairman pointed out that the behaviour of the founder right from the assumption of office of the late President Mills Government indicated that he had a secret agenda to support his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings in her bid for the presidency.     He said nobody within the NDC was against his support for the wife but said that he should not use that “to give the dog a bad name and hang it.”     Mr Adu Yeboah said it had been stated in the Bible that; “No one can serve faithfully two masters,” and since ex-President Rawlings' wife had founded a party and he had decided to support her, it would be better for him to join the wife and leave the NDC alone.    He appealed to members of the NDC to ignore the former President and concentrate on their campaign strategy to win the upcoming election to enable the party to continue with the Better Ghana agenda which had given hope to many Ghanaians.     GNA ...