Takoradi, Oct. 14, GNA - Residents of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis have expressed disapproval at the sale of portions of the Casuarina Belt to private individuals and companies.      The Belt which lies along the Vodafone area and the Public Works Department office among other areas was created in 1922 by the then Governor Guggisberg to serve as a recreational centre and for any other social activity with the development and expansion of the Takoradi township.      The Resident at a Press conference though the belt served its purpose for over 70 years, it was during 1992 that the Metropolitan Assembly began selling portions of the land to private developers.      Mr Francis Eghan, a Concerned Citizen and leader at the Press Conference, said with Takoradi becoming highly choked with both human and vehicular traffic due to the oil find, "it was preposterous for the lands Commissioner and the political authorities to dispose of the few lands which should be to solve the congestion".       He said attempt to discuss this unpleasant phenomenon with the assembly had over the years been frustrated and unsuccessful.      Nana Atta Obo IV, Divisional Chief of Takoradi Amanfro, said aside the recreational centre aimed at improving the lifestyle of the people, a portion of the land was also designated to build an African Hospital comparable to the European Hospital in Takoradi.      He said the future of the Region was great and urged government to step in and reverse the sale of lands in the belt.   GNA...

Takoradi, Oct. 14, GNA - The Sekondi/Takoradi branch of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (STCCI) has called for a "One stop Shop" for licensing all products, goods and services to enable local businesses to develop and operate smoothly.      The chamber said the complexity as well as frustrations encountered by local entrepreneurs at the offices of both the Food and Drugs Board and the Ghana Standard Authority for certification of a product had over the years hindered the growth of the local industry.      Mr Samuel Dadzie, Western Regional Treasurer of the Chamber who addressed a press conference at Takoradi, said the seeming overlapping functions of the two agencies created undue delays in licensing and certification of businesses in the manufacturing and food sector.      "These challenges in view of the chamber are responsible for the low rate of growth in most among businesses particularly in the manufacturing sector, " he said.      Mr Dadzie said these delays had resulted in the lack of trust for operations of the two agencies concerned, resulting in high costs of production and low investor confidence.      He said the various agencies playing different roles had led to the payment of different amounts at any point for certification of a single product.      "While as it is possible for a business to visit just an office to present a sample to that particular agency which will carry out all test and deal with all agencies on the business' behalf".      The Chamber is also calling for a definition of the roles of the FDB and GSA so as to remove any ambiguity adding that government should as a matter of urgency pass the Food and Drugs Act and the Public Health Bill as well as the Standards Bill.      Mr Dadzie said the Policing and enforcement functions of the FDB and GSA should be critically reviewed since it is being used to intimidate businesses.      He said "it is the chamber's desire to contribute substantially to the growth and development of businesses in the region and entreated the ministries concerned in that regard to address the concerns raised.   GNA...

Koforidua, Oct. 14, GNA - A concerned group have reminded Members of Parliament that further delay in the passage of the Right to Information (RTI) bill could be a betrayal of public trust in the institution of Parliament.       The group including journalists, assembly members, public servants and opinion leaders, called on the leadership of Parliament, to honour their recent promise to ensure the passage of the RTI bill in conformity with the best practices in the world before Parliament rises.       This was contained in a communiqué issued by the group after a focus group discussion on the RTI, organized by the Eastern Regional Coalition on the Right to Information in Koforidua.        The  communiqué regretted that, despite the pronouncement of the Presidential candidates of the various political parties of their determination to fight corruption, entrench the democracy of the country  and run an open government  to ensure the total development of the country, none of them apart from President John Dramani Mahama had spoken about the passage of the bill into law to empower the citizens to take their destiny into their own hands and  contribute positively to the development of the country.       The group challenged the presidential candidates to demonstrate their promise of good governance by motivating their Parliamentarians to fight for the passage of the RTI with the various amendments needed to make it a good law.       The group expressed its appreciation to President John Mahama for his promise to ensure the passage of the RTI bill saying being the leader of a party in government with majority in Parliament he could do more to ensure the passage of the bill with all the needed amendments.       The communiqué appealed to the Ghana Journalists Association to make the passage of the RTI Bill a major political issue on its election platform.       It called on other Civil Society Groups to join the campaign for the passage of the RTI.   GNA...

Tumfa (E/R), Oct. 14, GNA - The Eastern Regional Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Bismark Tawiah-Boateng, has called on the people of Atiwa to vote for the party to witness further infrastructure development of the area.       He was speaking at the launch of the campaign of the NDC parliamentary candidate for Atiwa, Mr Emmanuel Atta Twum, who is also the District Chief Executive of the Atiwa District.       He said  in spite the fact that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) more often recorded very high votes in the area, it never rewarded the people with the necessary projects and the area remains very deprived.       Mr Tawiah-Boateng said the reward that the people received was the appointment of many of its citizens into various positions under President John Agyekum Kufuor’s government.        He said those appointees instead of lobbying for development projects for the area, only visited the place on festive occasions and holidays to display the expensive vehicles that they had acquired.       Mr Tawiah-Boateng said it was only under the government of the NDC that the Atiwa area saw tremendous development projects and called on the people to vote for the parliamentary candidate of the NDC, Mr Atta- Twum, and President John Mahama, to have more development projects.            The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Victor Smith, said after 12 years of being the Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South, eight years of which he was a senior member of President Kufuor’s government, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, could not boast of any serious development project in the area.       He urged the people of Atiwa not to take the promises of the NPP serious.      Mr Smith said the NPP gave similar promises in 2000 when they promised to extend the railway line to the North but could not fulfill it.     He said the NPP only extended the Senior High School (SHS) programme to four years without making provisions for extra classrooms and dormitories and created a lot of crisis for the country.     Mr Atta –Twum said he was offering himself to the people to be their servant to go to Parliament to lobby for development projects for the area.     He promised to work towards the provision of the small town water project for the area if given the nod among many projects.   GNA...

Koforidua, Oct. 14, GNA – Rt. Rev Michael Agyarkwa Bossman was on Sunday inducted into office as the new Bishop of the Koforidua Diocese of the Methodist Church at an induction  service  at the Koforidua Wesley Methodist Cathedral.       Rt. Rev Bossman, 53, was inducted into office by the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, the Most Rev Emmanuel Kwaku Asante and he takes over from Rt. Rev Friedrich Nnroh, former Bishop of the Diocese who  completed his term of office early this year.        Preaching the sermon, Most Rev Asante said, throughout human history,  from biblical times to this generation, God often chose people who society regarded as nonentities and make them great leaders to shame human beings who think they are wise.       He said this was because God chose people who could help fulfill the mission of God on earth and urged the new Bishop to totally surrender himself to God and he would help him to succeed.      He said everybody has some leadership qualities that could be exploited and called on people who have low esteem of themselves to see themselves in the way God regards them and change their perception of themselves.       Rt. Rev Bossman is the son of the late Rev. Matthew Agyarkwa Bossman, a Methodist Priest and was ordained in to priesthood in the same Cathedral in 1990.   GNA...

Accra, Oct. 14, GNA – Haiflow Sal, a division of the sara group, importers and distributors of high quality sanity ware, ceramic tiles and bathroom accessories over the weekend opened an ultra-modern showroom on the Spintex road in Accra.       Mr Karim Ghazale, Managing Director of Haiflow Sal, said the opening was appropriate and timely because their clientele of architects, designers, contractors, developers and retailers the area into an industrial and residential hub.       He said there were many high class facilities both commercial and residential springing up by the day in the country and these were creating the need for high quality building materials.        He said the company with over 40 years of experience dealing with high quality products sourced from reputable manufacturers has served the building material industry.        “We proudly represent world famous brands such as Grohe, Villeroy and Boch, Pavigres, Tredex and Gardenia Orchedia,” he added.         Mr Ghazale noted that the company has taken steps necessary to provide not only their products but also their experience to the African market.         He said to ensure the company’s client service was performing at the highest levels and maintaining quality brand and standards, “we undertake continuous testing to improve our products.”         He said the company has also designed training programmes for their professionals to bring them up to the speed with today’s ever changing products and the client’s demands.         The managing Director said in a couple of months, the company would begin a training sessions for tillers, plumbers and the general contractors to educate them on their new products installation and use.         Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, commended the company for their efforts to contribute to the development of the building industry.         He said their presence would also provide competition and efficiency in the industry.         The Sector Minister said with the commencement of housing project by government for workers, there would be the need for quality sanitary wares.         He said plans were advanced to initiate mortgage systems for workers to address the heavy housing deficit facing the country.   GNA...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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