Accra, Nov. 4, GNA – Mr Abuga Pele, Executive Director of Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA), has commended the Goodwill International Group (GIG) for successfully training the youth in oil and gas.      He said “I must commend the authorities of the Goodwill International Group especially its CEO, Mr Philip Akpeena for getting the foresight, wisdom and the expertise to train Ghana’s youth to fill gaps in the local content required in the oil and gas industry”.      Mr Pele was speaking to the media after a graduation ceremony of beneficiaries of the MDPI/Goodwill oil and gas training for some 7,020 persons organised in Accra.      Mr Pele said GYEEDA had no regrets partnering the Goodwill and MDPI for such a national exercise adding that the essence of nation building was about creating jobs and giving the youth the needed employable skills to cater for their future.       He said GYEEDA sponsored more than 4,000 youth to gain practical experience on the oil and gas from Goodwill training and expressed the hope that the beneficiaries would use the experience to gain employment from oil companies as well as forming their private enterprises to participate in the oil and gas value chain.      Earlier, Mr Kofi Humodo, Minister of Youth and Sports, in a speech read on his behalf, thanked Goodwill International Group and its partners for developing the programme.      He expressed the hope that the next group would be engaged in a similar training, which should commenced immediately to enable rapid increase of Ghanaian youth with the needed competencies and certificates for effective enforcement of the local content policy guidelines.      The Goodwill International Group in partnership with the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI) trained a total of 7,020 people on oil and gas aimed at filling gas in Ghana’s oil and gas local content requirement.       In addressing the challenges, government developed the local content policy guidelines to maximize the benefits of oil and gas wealth generation by optimizing the use of local expertise, goods and services in the oil and gas value chain.      Mr Philip Assibit Akpeena, Executive Director of Goodwill International Group, said to enable Ghanaian youth benefit from the local content package, Goodwill in partnership with the GYEEDA and other public and private organisations as well as individuals developed the programme and conducted it at the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI).      He said the programme was designed and delivered by internationally accredited trainers and service providers including Petro-skills, Micro 3 strategy and Health check International, among others to ensure that the content and delivery methodology as well as documentations and   certification met the global standards of the industry.      Mr Akpeena said regulatory requirements, ethics and expectations of local players, policy makers and policy owners, as well as public and private enterprises linked to the industry were considered in the planning and delivery of the programme.      He said local organisations such as the Ghana Maritime Academy and Ghana Petroleum Skills Development Institute and some experts of some of the universities were directly involved in the programme’s planning and delivery.      He said the delivery process was harmonised at both convergence level with local content requirements and opportunities and at divergence levels with international standard requirements and work abroad.      He said beneficiaries had been prepared in competency based courses linked to their respective careers and levels of education, to equip them with practical hands-on skills to take full advantage of opportunities in the oil and gas industry.      Mr Akpeena said the programme was in line with the government’s commitment to youth employment and local content facilitation and enforcement and that Goodwill would do its best to collaborate with agencies that aimed at its human resource development especially in the oil and gas sector.   GNA...

Sunyani, Nov. 5, GNA – Mr Hayford Francis Amoako, Secretary General, National Democratic Party (NDP), has held a meeting with the Brong-Ahafo Regional Executive Committee and Constituency Executives to discuss strategies crafted to win Election 2012.       He pledged the commitment of the National Executive Committee to provide the various campaign teams with the necessary logistics to make their activities easier and ensure victory.       Mr Amoako, a former Member of Parliament for Nkoranza, speaking to the Ghana News Agency after the meeting, advised the executives and parliamentary candidates not to succumb to monetary pressures and threats from groups and individuals and divide their ranks.      “None of the Parliamentary Candidates should step down or defect from the party due to threats of injury or even death because the party would massively win Election 2012.”      The NDP Secretary General however, admonished to work assiduously in their constituencies to improve the chances of NDP on December 7, adding, “We should win more than half of the constituencies in the Region in the Parliamentary elections. It is therefore, incumbent on you to work harder”.       Mr Amoako encouraged them to keep up with the good work and assured them that their concerns would be addressed.       The executives pledged their unflagging support and undying love for the party and promised to be faithful.       They informed the Secretary General about some of the activities they had embarked upon in their constituencies and called on the National Executive Committee for support and encouragement.       The executives raised some concerns and called for immediate action to redress them to ensure total victory in their constituencies.   GNA...

Sunyani, Nov. 5, GNA– The Brong Ahafo Regional Secretariat of the National Democratic Party (NDP) has appealed to religious leaders to intervene on behalf of the party’s flagbearer, Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings, to contest for the presidency in Election 2012.      Making the appeal at a press conference in Sunyani, Nana Obiri Pantanpram, Brong-Ahafo Regional Chairman of NDP, said the inclusion of its flagbearer on the ballot paper would be in the supreme interest of the nation.      The Electoral Commission (EC) rejected the nomination forms of Nana Konadu citing major errors as the reason for their action.      However, she is seeking redress at an Accra Fast High Court (Human Rights Division).      Nana Pantanpram said they agreed with the decision of the flagbearer to seek redress and expected that the party would contest for the Presidency on December 7.      He said it was wrong for the EC to exclude its flagbearer from the polls and indicated that the NDP had come to stay and poised to win Election 2012.      Prince Agyei, Brong-Ahafo Regional Communications Director of NDP, denied that the party had collapse in the Region, and urged all party faithful and sympathisers to disregard the rumour.      He noted that it was a ploy by those who were opposed to the party to persuade its members to join other political parties.     “The NDP is still strong and existing in the Region, its members are still united and campaigning for the party which has probity, accountability, social justice and progress of the people as its tenets,” he added.      Prince Agyei said the party would contest in 22 out of the 29 constituencies in the Region on December 7 and was confident that all their parliamentary candidates would win their seats.   GNA...

Bolgatanga (UE), Nov. 5, GNA - Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister, has taken delivery of 2000 footballs from the Ministry of Youth and Sports for onward distribution to senior high and technical schools and districts in the region.   This was contained in a statement released by the Acting Regional Public Relations Officer, Mr Peter Atogewe Wedam in Bolgatanga.   Mr Woyongo, who thanked the Sports Ministry for the gesture, said the move would help promote sports in the region.   He said it would also help produce the needed young and energetic footballers to replace the current players in the national male and female teams many of whom were getting old.   The Minister expressed the hope that the presentation would whip up interest of the youth in sports and enhance sports development in general in the region.   He cautioned sports masters in the various schools against selling the footballs or keeping them to themselves.   Mr Woyongo commended basic school pupils who won prizes at the just ended Milo Marathon in Accra for their achievements.   He also congratulated the Black Maidens for their feat in the just ended Women’s Under-17 World Cup and encouraged young girls to participate actively in football.   Mr Michael Frimpong, Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, who presented the footballs, disclosed that each SHS would receive 15 footballs whilst each district and municipal assembly take home 115 footballs to help develop sports in their respective districts.   Mr Frimpong said the Ministry had already done similar distributions in other regions across the country and was working to distribute other sports kits in future.   Mr Thomas Awiah, Regional Physical Education Coordinator at the Ghana Education Service thanked the Sports Ministry for the gesture.   He appealed for the provision of adequate support for other sport disciplines such as hockey, hand ball, and table tennis in order to develop the youth in all the areas of sports in the country.   The sports coordinator said 23 public senior high and technical schools, 11 private SHS, three community SHS and other technical/vocational schools would all receive the footballs.   GNA...

Accra, Nov. 5, GNA – Five Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are undergoing a five-day capacity training programme in Monitoring and Evaluation and Grants Management in Accra to strengthen their competencies.   They will be equipped with the necessary skills to monitor and evaluate their projects to achieve better results.   It was being organised by the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WASCI) with funding from the French Embassy in Accra under its Fund for Social Development project.   WACSI is a capacity building institute in West Africa that serves as civil society by providing them with requisite skills to promote professionalism within the sector.   The beneficiary organisations of the grant and capacity development scheme were Global Mamas at Ningo-Prampram, Greater Accra Region; Hunger Alliance of Ghana, Accra; Centre for Alternative Development, Tongo, Upper East Region; Children we Care Foundation, New Tafo, Eastern Region; and the Foundation for Information and Strategic Development, Sandema, Upper East Region.   Mr Charles Kojo Vandyck, Capacity Building Officer of WASCI, said the two trainings would serve as learning and sharing platform for the participants.   He said during the period, participants would be provided with requisite knowledge to promote efficiency in the management of project grants provided by the French Embassy.   “Four months after the training, WACSI will provide beneficiary organisations with technical advice to support their project management operations for projects specifically supported by the French Embassy.   “This is to ensure that the knowledge and skills acquired from these trainings are effectively utilized to achieve better results that would contribute to enhance social development in Ghana,” he said.   Mr Gilbert M. Atta-Boakye, Managing Partner at CICADA an M&E Consortium, said so far NGOs activities have made some progress but not getting things right.   He said even though the donor communities were making monies available for development projects at the end of the day, there was nothing to prove and stressed the need to evaluate their activities to see why things were done that way.   He said in some cases, the project vanished immediately the donors left the place and even those NGOs who included sustainability plan in their proposal did not implement those plans, so after two to three years, there was nothing to show for such projects.   “We need to find out if it is our thinking or our culture that is making us to think that those projects are not ours because the funding does not come from us,” he said.   Mr Atta-Boakye recommended that development practitioners should sit back to analyze and see if their targets were being met, if not they should go back and evaluate things all over.   He stressed the need for communities to see development as their own and develop the interest and the zeal to sustain them.   He also advocated serious governmental involvement to hold NGOs accountable for whatever contract they signed with the donors and to ensure that it was implemented to the later.   Every year, the French Government supports small and medium-scale development projects in Ghana by providing financial support to community-based CSOs with its special programme “Fund for Social Development”.   It was established in 1999 and focuses on poverty alleviation, especially on economic and social empowerment of the women and the deprived youth mainly through the support of income generating activities.   GNA...

Nyanyanu, (C/R) , Nov. 5, GNA – More than 40,000 delegates are expected to throng the Convention Grounds of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Nyanyanu, near Kasoa,in the Central Region for a three-day annual District Convention being organized on the theme: “Safeguard Your Heart”.   The convention, which promises a fresh examination of biblical references to the figurative heart, would feature lively discourses, dramatic bible readings and presentations, and a live drama.   Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra ahead of the convention slated for Friday 9th November 2012 to Sunday November 11th 2012, Mr. Samuel Gaskin, the Local Media Contact for the Witnesses’ Convention, told the Ghana News Agency that the convention would lay emphasis on how “protecting the figurative heart will enhance one’s spiritual well-being, family life and happiness”.   He said daily themes and titles of the programme would be based on passages of the scripture including 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Chronicles 28:9, and Matthew 12:34.   Mr Gaskin said: “The convention theme, “Safeguard Your Heart!” is based on Proverbs 4:23” and added that admission to the convention was free.   Throughout Ghana, there would be 97 conventions in 27 cities. The first of the 11 three-day successive events in Accra alone, has already taken place at Baatsona in Accra on Friday October 5, 2012.   Worldwide, Jehovah’s Witnesses number more than 7,600,000  and are active in more than 236 countries.   GNA...

Accra, Nov 5, GNA - Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur on Monday exuded confidence and was poised to explain the vision of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) at running mates’ debate to be held Takoradi on Tuesday.   He said the NDC had superior vision to the other parties, and he was very ready to explain the vision to Ghanaians.   The Ghana Institute of Economic Affairs, having organized an earlier one for the presidential candidates in Tamale, is organising another one for the vice presidential candidates for the parties with representation in Parliament.   The contestants are Vice President Amissah-Arthur, for the NDC; Madam Cherita Sarpong Kumankuma, for the Convention People’s Party (CPP); Madam Helen Sanorita Dzatugbe Matrevi, for the People’s National Convention; and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).   The debate comes off between 1830 and 1000 hours at the Takoradi Takoradi Akroma Plaza.   The flagbearers’ and running mates debates are intended to deepen multi-party democracy and promote issue-based elections in Ghana.   Tuesday’s encounter would provide an opportunity for the running mates to deal wittingly with issues of socio-economic importance and good governance as did their flagbeaerers.   It would offer the electorate an opportunity to assess the new faces on the political block and judge their suitability, especially the female running mates.   Vice President Amissah–Arthur told journalists in Accra, prior to leaving for Takoradi that despite being the first sitting Vice President to take part in the debate, the occasion would offer him the opportunity to explain ongoing programmes to Ghanaians.   He noted that all the other parties had ever been in power with records, but he as Vice President had more experience in administration than the other running mates and would use his experience to offer greater insights into issues that would be raised at the encounter.   The Vice President was the Governor of the Bank of Ghana before his selection as Vice President in August, while Dr Bawumia was a deputy Governor at the same institution before his selection to partner Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the NPP flagbearer in 2008, and retained again for the December 2012 polls.   The other two contestants, PNC’s Helen Matervi, 43, was a teaching assistant at the University of Cape Coast.   The CPP running mate, is a child’s rights advocate, and until recently was a traditional ruler in Dormaa in the Brong Ahafo Region.   GNA...

Accra, Nov. 5, GNA – An Accra High Court on Monday declined to grant an injunction filed against the Electoral Commission (EC) preventing it from printing the December 7, presidential ballot papers.   The court noted that the EC would suffer hardship as it prepare for the country’s general elections.   According to the court personal should not override that of public interest stressing that the hardship the EC would suffer cannot be compared to that of the individual.   The court presided over Sir Justice Dennis Agyei, a Court of Appeal Judge sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court Judge therefore awarded cost of GH¢500 against the New Vision Party, which dragged the EC to court.   The court noted that it had the jurisdiction to look at the substantive issues concerning the EC’s refusal to accept the NVP’s nominations forms.   On October 31, this year, after the NVP had sent the matter to court, it raised issue as whether it had the jurisdiction to preside over the case and interim injunction against the EC seeking an order to halt it from printing the December 7, presidential ballot papers.   The NVP had proceeded to the High Court after the EC had rejected its presidential nomination form on October 18, this year. The EC had rejected the NVP presidential nomination form, saying the forms were full of blank spaces, contrary to the requirement for completing the forms.   According to the EC, it had a constitutional duty to conduct the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 7 and any delay in carrying out the necessary preparation for the election would be detrimental to the whole nation.   It had therefore prayed the court to dismiss the application as it had no merit.   At the court's sitting on October 31, Mr J.K. Yeboah, counsel for NVP told the court that NVP, led by Prophet Daniel Nkansah had complied with Constitutional Instrument 75 by filling the presidential nomination forms.   However, he said, the EC, under the same Constitutional Instrument, rejected the forms without any justifying cause, adding that the action of the Commission constituted a breach of the candidate's rights as a corporate citizen.   According to Mr Agyemang, the High Court had the jurisdiction to hear the matter as no election had been conducted and they were not challenging the validity of a person who had been elected.   On the injunction, Mr Agyemang said the EC, after rejecting the presidential nomination form of the NVP; the presidential candidate had moved another step by balloting for positions on the ballot paper.   The NVP contended further that a great hardship would be inflicted on the party should it win the substantive case and the EC is subsequently directed to accept the nomination form.   “This is a clear case where the wheel of the law applies its brake on the defendant to stop any further movement,” the party added.   The EC, represented by Mr James Quarshie-Idun, had filed the Commission’s affidavit in opposition to the two applications.   GNA...

Accra, Nov. 5, GNA - Justice Irene Danquah, an appeal court judge in-charge of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), on Monday urged the public to embrace the ADR process as a reliable partner to the traditional justice delivery system.   She said ADR concept had complemented the court system by making access to justice cheaper, expeditious, non-adversarial and faster to the citizenry.   Justice Danquah was speaking at this year’s ADR celebration, which took place at the Adjabeng Magistrate court in Accra.   At every ADR week, parties who have cases pending in courts that are connected to ADR get the opportunity to have their cases settled through mediation.   Justice Danquah stated that the ADR process had helped in reducing backlog of cases in the courts substantially due to the mass mediation exercise.   She said currently, the ADR programme had been extended to 47 districts and circuits courts across the country with at least three mediators assigned to each of these courts.   She said between 2007 and 2011 a total of 16,080 cases were mediated out of which 8802 cases were settled representing 55 per cent settlement rate. Justice Danquah also noted that with land related cases becoming dominant in the courts, the Judicial Service in collaboration with the Land Administration Project had trained 30 surveyors to be used as mediators on pilot basis to reduce the backlog of land cases in the Land courts in Greater Accra.   Ms Elizabeth Quansah, the Magistrate in-charge of the Adjabeng court, said the ADR system was efficient, fast and not time wasting.   She added that ADR was very effective and guaranteed the interest of the parties in every aspect of the process.   Mrs Naa Afarley Dadson, a representative of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) dismissed the notion that lawyers were averse to the ADR process.   She said the ADR system was a mechanism which enabled parties to litigation to talk and come out with their own solutions to the problem.   GNA...

Sunyani, Nov. 5, GNA - Mr Kwasi Oppong Ababio, Sunyani East Municipal Chief Executive, has called on Ghanaians to be vigilant and not allow themselves to be influenced with monetary or material persuasion to indulge in acts that would affect the prevailing peace in the country.   He asked the youth to take a cue from the plight of refugees in the country and appreciate the need to be law-abiding and eschew violence.   Mr Ababio made the call when addressing the Brong-Ahafo Regional Delegates Congress of the Federation of Muslim Women Association in Ghana (FOMWA) at Sunyani.   FOMWA was established to bring all Muslim women together to review issues that affected Muslim women in the country and find solutions to them and improve on their education.   It was attended by Muslim women in the Region on the theme: “The Role of a Muslim Woman Towards Peaceful Election 2012”.   Mr Ababio pointed out that everyone was a target during violence and urged women to prevail upon their husbands, children and other relatives to refrain from acts that were likely to breach the peace.   Mr Ameyaw Kyeremeh, Member of Parliament for Sunyani East appealed to politicians to desist from the use of intemperate language and personal attacks during their campaign.   He said politicians should outline their policies and programmes to the people to make informed choices on December 7, and asked the women not to be complacent but continued to pray for a free, fair and peaceful election.   GNA...

Accra, Nov., 5, GNA - The Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG has elevated its Ga East Mission Field to a District status, with a call on members to seek unity and purity for the growth of the new District.   The Reverend Dr Godwin Nii Noi Odonkor, Chairperson of the Ga Presbytery, in a sermon, at a ceremony to elevate the Mission Field, in Accra on Sunday, called on Christians to show love and compassion for the sick, poor and less privileged, particularly those of other religions.   He explained that: “A Presbyterian Church District is one of the four courts of the Church. Under the leadership of the District Minister, a District is expected to empower, facilitate and coordinate the life and ministry of all congregations and preaching points in the District”.   Rev. Odonkor called on Christians to seek the blessing of God and dwell richly on the Holy Spirit, and make good use of variety of gifts, talents and abilities available in the church.   Rt. Rev. Professor Emmanuel Martey, Moderator of the General Assembly, PCG, appealed to members of the new District to strive to attain the goal for which God has called them.   He said: “support your Presbytery and the church as a whole and contribute effectively to the building of a strong and formidable religious body”.   Rev. Abraham Samuel Brenya-Abbey, Minister of the new District, said he would work hard to ensure the growth of the PCG.   He said: “Let us as a new District look up to the Lord and allow Him to do the fighting for us. The lord, who provided our needs when we were a Mission Field, would still provide us our needs now that we are a District”.   The Oyibi Congregation, now the headquarters of the District, was created in 1870, when the Basel Missionaries were engaging in evangelism, as part of efforts to establish churches across Ghana.   GNA...

Accra, Nov. 5, GNA – Defending league champions, Asante Kotoko and FA Cup lords, New Edubiase have until November 30 to confirm their participation in next year’s African Club Championships.   Kotoko will participate in the prestigious CAF Champions League, where as Edubiase will make their continental bow in the CAF Confederation Cup.   With the 2012 African Club Championships nearing its climax, GNA Sports can confirm that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has communicated to its affiliated National Associations including the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to confirm the participation of their respective clubs in the two competitions before the deadline.   Ghana is entitled to two clubs after failing to make it into the top 12-ranked National Associations permitted to enter two clubs each in the two competitions.   GNA Sports is reliably informed that the GFA has sent out the message to both Kotoko and Edubiase, and is awaiting their responses.      Till this stage, both clubs have made affirmed their decision to participate in the two competitions.   Either club can decide against participation at this stage but any such decision after the draw has been conducted will come with a fine and ban from appearing in future competitions.   Second-tier side Nania FC withdrew from the Confederation Cup after being drawn against FC Sequence, which came with a fine of 1,500 dollars and a three-year ban.   Meanwhile, the draw for the two competitions is expected to be held in Cairo, Egypt next month.   GNA...

Abenase (Ash), Nov 5, GNA – The chiefs and people of Abenase in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality through self-help had completed a mechanized small community water system to ensure access to potable water.   It comes with an overhead tank that has the capacity to hold 333,333 gallons of water.   Inaugurating it amidst fanfare, Mr. Richmond Frimpong, the assembly member of the area said the project was funded through voluntary contributions and special fund-raising.   He said with its completion, the population was now assured of clean and safe drinking water.   He singled out for commendation, Mr Barrack Ofori, a businessman and native of the town for donating the overhead tank.   The assembly member appealed to the government to address the water problem faced by rural communities to help reduce water related diseases.   Nana Yaa Norsowaa II, the queen, performing the ceremony to formally inaugurate the project, gave high marks to the assembly member and the unit committee for the transparency and accountability in the management of the people’s contributions.   She drew attention to the need to handle the facility with care and its regular maintenance to prolong the life span.   GNA...

Accra, Nov. 5, GNA – Liberty Professionals midfielder Kennedy Ashia leads the scorers chart of the 2012/2013 Premier League after six weeks of matches with five goals.   Ashia, shifted to the offensive midfield this season scored his fifth goal, the solitary strike that secured the maximum points at the expense of Berekum Arsenals at the Golden City Park in Berekum over the weekend.   He is closely trailed by the quintet of Mahatma Otoo (Hearts of Oak), Yakubu Mohamed (AshantiGold), Yahaya Mohamed (Amidaus Professionals), Latif Salifu (Berekum Chelsea) and Francis Narh (Tema Youth), all on four goals apiece.   Information gathered by GNA Sports indicates that Abdul Aziz Yusif (Real Tamale United) and Kofi Nti Boakye (Asante Kotoko) have each hit the back of the net thrice.   As many as 46 players have each scored one goal each in the premiership which has recorded 91 goals so far.   Below is the scorers chart:   5 - Kennedy Ashia (Liberty Professionals)   4 - Mahatma Otoo (Hearts of Oak), Yakubu Mohamed (AshantiGold), Yahaya Mohamed (Amidaus Professionals), Latif Salifu (Berekum Chelsea), Francis Narh (Tema Youth)   3 - Abdul Aziz Yusif (Real Tamale United), Kofi Nti Boakye (Asante Kotoko)   2 - Bright Luqman (Dwarfs), Osei Bonsu, Nuru Sulley (Hearts of Oak), Louis Agyemang (AshantiGold), Samuel Azumah (All Stars), Kabiru Moro (Medeama), Bernard Ofori (Edubiase)   1- Sulley Mohamed, Prince Boateng (King Faisal), Francis Morton, John Arthur, Prince Appiah (Dwarfs), Ibrahim Dauda, Edmund Owusu Peprah (Berekum Arsenals), Alex Asamoah, Emmanuel Allan, Daniel Gozah, Godfred Saka, Emmanuel Akuoko, John Ashong (Aduana Stars), Francis Coffie, Didier Kore, Aaron Amoah, (AshantiGold), Hanan Giwah, Salim Sakara, Emmanuel Kwamena, (Real Tamale United), Theophilus Anobaah, Otuo Acheampong, Daniel Larbi Koomson, Masawudu Suleiman (Medeama), Eric Bekoe, Ibrahim Issaka, Abdul Wahab (Berekum Chelsea), Michael Helegbe, Joseph Ochaya, Seidu Bancey (Asante Kotoko), Isaac Quansah, Franklin Osei, Daniel Acquaye, Prince Acquah, Benjamin Fadi, Nana Egyir (Heart of Lions), Joshua Otoo, Hafiz Adams, Emmanuel Adu (All Stars), Basit Adam, Sakyi Quaye (Edubiase), Isaac Amoah, (Amidaus Professionals), Moro Iddrisu, Edward Affum, Prince Attakora Gyimah (Hearts of Oak), Derrick Mensah, Daniel Appiah (Tema Youth)   GNA...

Ejisu (Ash), Nov 5, GNA - The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) says it is not happy about the unfair treatment of its members by the government.   This comes in the wake of unexplained reduction in the October salary of teachers. Some of the teachers were reported to have had their salary slashed by about a-half.   A press statement issued and signed by the Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Secretary of the Association, Mr Agyen Frimpong, said it was disturbing that since the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) it had been difficult for any teacher to tell his or her actual monthly take home pay.   He said even more irritating was the unjustified delay in the release of their pay slips.   “They are yet to receive their pay slips for August, September and October”, it added.   It said they had raised their concerns with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Controller and Accountant General’s Department but nothing had changed.   This was fueling apprehension and anger among the teachers and the GNAT demanded that things needed to be fixed and must be done quickly.   GNA...

Tamale, Nov. 5, GNA – The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), a non-governmental organization, is supporting a total of 16,600 female students across four regions of the country this year with scholarship package such as school fees, uniforms and footwear.   The package, which also includes notebooks, sanitary pads, soap and dry food ration, will guarantee the education of the beneficiaries, who are from less privileged homes and deprived communities, in the country.   The support was also to ensure retention rate of 98 per cent for Junior High School in beneficiary communities and 99.9 per cent for the Senior High Schools for girls on the CAMFED programme.   Mrs. Dolores Dickson, Executive Director of CAMFED-Ghana disclosed these in Tamale during the opening ceremony of the CAMFED 2012 Annual General Meeting, which brought together stakeholders of the organization.   The AGM, which was on the theme: “Driving up Educational Performance: Our Impact as Stakeholders” brought District Education Committees, CAMFED alumni (CAMA), mother support groups, teacher mentors and some directors of the GES to take stock of past programmes and achievements.   Mrs. Dickson said the successes of the organization could not have been possible without the hard working staff and stakeholders and commended them for their dedication, adding that “As stakeholders in education, it is essential for us to do self-reflection at some point to see how our actions are impacting on quality education”.   She said the year under review saw the continuation of the annual science, mathematics and technology camp where beneficiaries were well educated and broaden in horizon, saying that more females under the CAMFED sponsorship had progressed from second circle to the tertiary level.   Mrs. Dickson, however, lamented that the NGO due to its good works, had attracted numerous applicants and was struggling to cope with the demands for tertiary education support against the backdrop of increasing tertiary fees resulting in cutting down the numbers.   Mr. Charles Atia, Head of Operations at CAMFED-Ghana, said the NGO had grown since 2008 with operations extended to four regions and 30 districts from the initial one region and eight districts. Staff strength had also improved from five to 28 in 2012.   He said funding had also grown from US$609,587 in 2012 to 6,196,990 million dollars in 2012, which had enabled CAMFED to increase its partner schools from 242 in 2008 to 716.   He mentioned the MasterCard Foundation, DFID Ghana, Google, Credit Suisse, and Marple Trust Fund as the donors.   Mr. Atia said 1,184 businesses had been set up by young women with seed capital from CAMFED while many others had received training in business enterprises to grow themselves.   GNA...

Tamale, Nov 5, GNA - The 2011 Year Group of Diploma Teachers (regular) in the Northern Region, has appealed to the government to take steps to place its members onto the right salary structure and begin paying their salaries.   Addressing a press conference in Tamale on Monday, Mr Baako Yahaya, Public Relations Officer of the group, said since being handed appointment letters in September 2011, members had not received their substantive salaries.   Mr Yahaya, who is a teacher at Tamaligu Junior High School at the Karaga District, said "we have only been receiving allowances" which were not enough to sustain us throughout the month.   He said the group had made various attempts to get some responses from the appropriate authorities but yielded no positive results.   He said, “we called on the government to come to our aid at this difficult time by facilitating the payment of our arrears and placement onto the appropriate salary scale as soon as possible".   Mr Yahaya warned that if the problem persisted after a week, "members shall embark on a peaceful demonstration and subsequently a strike action".   He congratulated the affected teachers for their patience and appealed to them to exercise restraint until the ultimatum expired.   GNA...

Accra, Nov. 5, GNA – Ghana’s oldest existing club, Accra Hearts of Oak has been hit with another crisis following the resignation of their longest serving Administrative Manager/General Manager, Ashford Tettey-Oku on Monday morning.   Tettey-Oku, who has served the club for almost 20 years, tendered his resignation on Monday, November 5.   Tettey-Oku, who until the floatation of shares, was Administrative Manager and was upgraded to the position of General Manager after the floatation, cited personal reasons for his action according to information gathered by the GNA Sports.   His action has brought the clubs’ secretariat to a standstill, since the administrative machinery is now without a General Manager.   According to information gathered by the GNA Sports, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the club, Torbgui Afede XIV, has instructed the closure of the secretariat with immediate effect.   Torgbui Afede XIV, instructed one Apigy Asenu and a Board Member, Alhaji Amadu Moro Braimah, to take inventory of all the clubs properties at the secretariat and lock the office until further instructions.   However, investigations conducted by the GNA Sports indicates that, Tettey-Oku has for the past weeks been taking a lot of criticisms from sections of the club for playing a role in what has been described as poor recruitment exercise conducted by the club before the start of the season.   Hearts is now without a General Manager, Chief Executive Officer and a head coach.   The 2000 Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Champions League winners, has for the last three years failed to win the premiership and has been battling with poor form in the 2012/13 premiership.   Hearts, have so far won two out of the six matches in the premiership, with just seven points, from the total eighteen points and lying at the ninth position on the league table.   It would be recalled that the club, last Wednesday sacked coach C.K. Akunnor for the poor run in the league, with Chief Executive Officer Fred Crenstil refusing to seek a renewal of his mandate after it expired.   GNA...

Gomoa Ankamu (C/R), Nov. 5, GNA – Ghana’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Professor Samuel M. Quartey, has said the free Senior High School promise by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is a fallacy.   He said the promise being championed by the NPP presidential candidate for Election 2012, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, could not be supported by the present state of the economy.   Mr Quartey was addressing a night encounter organized by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to showcase development projects that were executed in the constituency on video clip, at Gomoa Ankamu near Apam.   He said: “any attempt to introduce free SHS in the country now can only mean compromising on mediocrity. Presently, quality education cannot be provided without parents or guardians paying something towards education”.   Prof. Quartey said the NDC was not against free SHS but the party was of the view that the time was not yet ripped for such a venture.   He said: “There are a lot of things to be done before free SHS can work perfectly and efficiently in the country”.   Prof. Quartey said government should provide additional classrooms and dormitories and train more teachers to make SHS accessible.   He said: “if the economy is good, the School Feeding Programme for instance would have covered all primary schools.”   Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, Gomoa West District Chief Executive, said the NDC government has invested education since it came to power in 2009.   He mentioned the construction of classrooms and dormitories provision of free school uniforms and others as government’s interventions to ensure that quality education in the country.   Mr Francis Kojo Arthur, Member of Parliament for Gomoa West, appealed to political parties to base their campaign on issues not on insults.   GNA...

Wa, Nov. 5, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama cut the sod on Monday for the construction of the Tumu-Han-Wa 161 kV electricity Transmission Line which is expected to improve reliable supply of electricity to Northern Ghana.   The project when completed would close the northern loop of Techiman-Tamale-Bolgatanga-Tumu-Wa-Sawla-Techiman transmission line.      It has been awarded to Forclum Energies of France, and is being funded by Societe General/GRIDCo at a total cost of 75 million US dollar.      President Mahama said at the ceremony in Wa that government had so far invested 400 million dollars in expanding power transmission in the country.      This, the President said,  had pushed the national electricity coverage from an average of 54 per cent to 72 per cent just within a space of four years.      President Mahama said government was looking forward to generating an additional 5,000 megawatts of power to further push the coverage from 72 per cent to above 90 per cent if given the mandate to serve another term in office in the December polls.     Mr. Charles Darku, Chief Executive of GRIDCo who gave the background of the project, said a 161 kV transmission line had been constructed between Techiman and Wa which was commissioned in 1995, as well as another one between Navrongo and Tumu.      He said there was, however, no 161 kV line between Navrongo and Bolgatanga, adding that the project proposal was therefore to construct a transmission link between Tumu-Han-Wa as well as another  line between Bolgatanga and Navrongo to establish the northern loop.       Mr. Darku said the project would improve the reliability of power supply to the Northern parts of Ghana, as well as the system performance.      The scope of work include the construction of 90km, 60km and 29km of 161 kV transmission lines between Wa and Han through the site for the proposed Azumah Mines, and between Han and Tumu as well as Bolgatanga and Navrongo.       Extension works would also be carried out at the Bolgatanga and Sawla substations and the construction of 161/34.5 kV substations at Wa and Tumu.      Mr. Darku said the project would also improve the quality of existing medium voltage supplies to Dapaong and Cinkasse in northern  Togo, and Po and Leo in Burkina Faso.      It will further improve the capability of VRA to meet the increasing demand for medium voltage supply to Northern La Cote d’Ivoire, Togo and Burkina Faso, as well as facilitate the export of power on the proposed Bolgatanga-Ouagadougou 225kV interconnection.      Mr. Gilbert Hie, Country Manager of Societe General said it was the company’s hope that the financing of the project would, among other things, assist government in meeting its desire to generate the 5,000 megawatts of energy for the country in the years ahead.      He said it was also the desire of SG and SG-SSB to partner government in the socio-economic development of the country and to strengthen the cordial business relationship that existed between them.   GNA...