Busunya (B/A), Nov. 21, GNA – Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Joseph Owusu, Nkoranza South Municipal Police Commander, has said the Police was ready to prevent any trouble in the coming elections. He advised the youth of political parties not to allow themselves to be deceived by politicians to foment trouble at polling stations since the law would deal with them drastically. DSP Owusu gave the advice when addressing a Parliamentary Candidates debate at Busunya in the Nkoranza North District of the Brong-Ahafo Region. The event was organised by the Nkoranza North District Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE). Participants at the event included, Major Derek Yaw Oduro (Rtd) Incumbent NPP Parliamentary Candidate, Mr Kwadwo Agyei-Dwomor, for the NDC, Mr Kwaah Abdul Rahman for the PPP, Mr Daniel Baffoe for the CPP and Miss Esther Getrude Worae for the NDP. DSP Owusu urged drinking bar operators close to polling stations to avoid operating on that day so that miscreants do not use their facilities to create trouble. He said the Ghana Police Service had trained personnel to ensure adequate security in all the communities and called on the youth to be disciplined and comport themselves at the polling stations. Mr Emmanuel Kwame Etsiwah Ansah, Nkoranza North District Director of the NCCE, said the debate was to introduce the candidates to the electorate for them to know their vision, policies and programmes.     GNA ...

Accra, Nov. 21, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday gave the assurance that Government would continue to uphold most of her foreign policies that would ensure peace, unity and development among her neighbours.   He said: “Government will continue to promote regional integration that will subsequently promote business and massive investment in the country.”   President Mahama gave this assurance when he participated in the second Institute of Economic Affairs Presidential Debate that featured the National Democratic Congress, New Patriotic Party, Convention Peoples Party and Peoples National Convention on account of their representation in Parliament.   The President said his relations with neighbouring countries especially the Ivory Coast was very cordial and his administration would continue to deepen that relation for mutual benefit. He promised to also cooperate with neighbouring countries to harmonize the tax regimes to ensure the free flow of goods and services among them and to stem the perennial smuggling that had existed among the countries in the past.   President Mahama said government would also adopt economic diplomacy that would promote investment and lift up the image of the country by promoting tourism and other social activities in the country.   The President also promised to continue with the peacekeeping policy that government had upheld in the past saying “government is committed to deepening our foreign policies with our neighbours and other countries.”     GNA ...

Accra, Nov 21, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday announced that government had done a lot and would continue to provide facilities that would reduce the high rate of maternal mortality in the country.   He said in the initial phase, government had already established 1300 CHPS compounds to bring healthcare to the doorsteps of women in the rural areas.   President Mahama announced this when he contributed to the second Institute of Economic Affairs Presidential Debate in Ghana.   The Presidential debate is engaging only Political Parties that have representation in Parliament and therefore reduced it to the National Democratic Congress, New Patriotic Congress, Convention People’s Party and People’s National Convention.    President Mahama said maternal mortality was linked to the provision of other amenities and government would continue to provide motorable roads that would encourage private and commercial vehicles to transport patients to and from rural areas of the country.   He said in addition to those steps, government had also procured a total of 161 ambulances that were managed by the Ghana Ambulance Service to attend to emergency cases in the rural areas.   President Mahama said government was also establishing communication centres, where emergency cases could immediately be reported to health centres and the ambulance services to help prevent deaths.   The president said government had established a number of polyclinics and his administration was committed to increasing those facilities to ensure that many more people had adequate access to health facilities in the country.         GNA ...

Accra, Nov. 21, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday outlined plans that government had initiated to improve and promote science and Technology in the country.   He said apart from instituting the first ever Science Congress, where the best Scientist was given a car as a prize, government had also provided 5000 scholarships to science students especially girls who were willing to pursue Science, Technology and Mathematics in tertiary institutions.   President Mahama said this during his contribution to the second Institute of Economic Affairs Presidential debate in Accra.   The debate which was also participated by Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Forster Abu Sakara, Presidential Candidate of the Convention People’s Party and Mr Hassan Ayariga, Presidential candidate of the People’s National Convention was the last in the series before the December Polls.   President Mahama said government had distributed 66,000 laptop computers to students and would increase that distribution to ensure that they were conversant with the necessary skills that could spur the country into an advanced stage.   On management of the oil resources of the country, President Mahama said a number of legislations were underway to ensure that the benefits of oil and gas was maximized.   He said government had passed the Petroleum Management bill which was waiting Parliamentary approval, while the Local Content bill, which would increase the capacity of Ghanaians to participate in the oil and gas exploitation, was also underway to ensure maximum benefit to the country.   President Mahama said government was also encouraging the foreign companies to engage and maximize the participation of local companies.   He announced that government was also establishing the gas processing plant that would reduce the perennial importation of gas and its related products.   President Mahama said government would collaborate with neighbouring countries to fight against marine crime and make maximum benefits of the marine system in the country.   He said apart from providing the navy with seven new marine boats to execute their duties at the coastal areas, government was also training the police to operate marine vessels to complement the efforts of the navy.    President Mahama said outboard motors were also given to the fisherfolk to step up their operations to increase job creation in the country.   He denounced the perennial pollution of the seas and called on the public to desist from that practice as it could stifle all the efforts government was initiating to improve on living standards of people living along the coastal areas of the country.   On empowerment of women, President Mahama promised to set up a women endowment fund for women ready to take up political and responsible positions in society.       GNA ...

Accra, Nov. 21, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday blamed politicians inflaming tensions in the media by producing concocted stories and falsehood designed to discredit their political opponents.   “The Ghana Journalist Association and the Private Newspapers Association of Ghana have the responsibility to step up surveillance by imposing self-regulation on Practitioners to strictly adhere to the rule of the game,” President Mahama said.   He was contributing to the question on media regulation in the second Institute of Economic Affairs Presidential debate that featured the National Democratic Congress, New Patriotic Party, Convention Peoples Party and People National Convention.   The first Presidential debate was held in Tamale a month ago and this debate was the second and final one leading to the forthcoming December polls.   President Mahama said although the media had performed tremendously well in the country, there was the need for self-regulation for them to desist from deliberate concoction of stories and falsehood.   He said it was in that line of building the capacity of Journalists that motivated the NDC government to provide the media with GH¢2million to train and re-equip media houses and their personnel to become abreast with modern trends of communication.   The President appealed to Journalists to be circumspect and stay away from rumors.   GNA ...

Nyinahin (Ash), Nov 22, GNA – The Nyinahin Magistrate Court has sentenced a farmer, Azumah Issah, to 700 days imprisonment for escaping from lawful custody.       The convict, who had been arrested for attempted rape on April 11, feigned insanity, when arraigned.         The court therefore ordered that he should be sent to the Ankafo Psychiatric Hospital and there he escaped but was re-arrested at Appiakrom in the Atwima-Mponua District on November 15.        He pleaded guilty to the offence.        The court presided over by Mr Sam Nibi directed the police to prosecute the convict for rape.   GNA...

Nyinahin (Ash), Nov 22, GNA – The Nyinahin Magistrate Court has sentenced a farmer, Azumah Issah, to 700 days imprisonment for escaping from lawful custody.       The convict, who had been arrested for attempted rape on April 11, feigned insanity, when arraigned.         The court therefore ordered that he should be sent to the Ankafo Psychiatric Hospital and there he escaped but was re-arrested at Appiakrom in the Atwima-Mponua District on November 15.        He pleaded guilty to the offence.        The court presided over by Mr Sam Nibi directed the police to prosecute the convict for rape.   GNA...

Cape Coast, Nov. 22, GNA – A Cape Coast magistrate’s court on Wednesday jailed Anthony Edem Kofi Esirifi, a 21-year-old unemployed man, for 18 months in hard labour for stealing two mobile phones and GHc200.00   Esirifi pleaded guilty.   Chief Inspector Safo Khanen told the court presided over by Mr. Ohemeng Mensah that last Saturday,  Aba Korba,  a fishmonger and resident of Moree locked her room and  slept in front of the room.   The court heard that when Korba woke up the next morning she realized that someone had broken the window and entered the room and stole GHC 200.00 and two mobile phones.   Chief Insp. Khanen said last Monday, when the complainant went to a phone repairing shop to collect her repaired phone, she met the convict holding one of the stolen phones.   The prosecution said the complainant raised the alarm and the convict was apprehended and handed over to the police.   Chief Inp. Khanen said Esirifi in his caution statement told the police that he bought the phone from an unknown person.   GNA...

Diaso (C/R), Nov. 22, GNA- Four parliamentary candidates for the Upper Denkyira West constituency have called on the people of Diaso, a farming and mining community and its environs, to turn up in their numbers on December 7 to exercise their franchise.       The candidates, who made the call on Wednesday at a parliamentary debate organized by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), said the debates and campaigns messages would be useless if electorate did not turn up to cast their votes.          Mr. Benjamin Kofi Aryeh, the Member of Parliament seeking re-election on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Kofi Ackah Yankey, the District Chief Executive, representing the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Bernard Asomah for the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and Mr. Daniel Ohene Darko, an independent candidate, took turns to answer questions on education, employment, health  and women and children      Addressing the issue of affordable, accessible, quality and equitable SHS education in the area, Mr. Aryeh said he had already set up the Ayamfuri SHS with funding from GETFund and his share of the Common Fund.   He said he would also build and improve structures in existing schools to improve teaching and learning in them, adding that if free education is prioritized in the country, it would be achievable.       Mr. Darko said he would ensure there was at least four SHSs in every district and would also ensure government supports individuals or groups who want to set private schools in the area in order to make it a government/private partnership where education would be accessible and affordable to all.        Mr. Yankey said the area did not have any standard kindergarten and that the   basic schools were dilapidated and if given the nod he would ensure better ones are put up in order to make the foundation ‘solid’ before the students enroll in SHS, adding that teacher-motivation was also very important in improving teaching in the area.        In the area of employment creation, Mr. Darko said he would set up an MP’s “Apprenticeship Programme” where about 202 interested persons would be selected from electoral areas and given training in different fields after which they could also train others.       Mr. Asomah said the PPP would set up factories and companies using the state purchasing power where the people would be employed and paid salaries whilst Mr. Aryeh and Mr. Yankey said they would encourage young entrepreneurs, support and resource them to set up their own businesses and operate on their own. Addressing the issue of women and children in the area, the NPP candidate said it all boiled down to education, so he would empower them through higher education and also provide credit facilities to support their businesses.   The Independent candidate said he would establish more nurseries and KGs where mothers could leave their children and have time to work and that he would also ensure they have access to loans to grow and expand their businesses.       The PPP candidate said he would ensure maternal and infant mortality rates were drastically reduced and the NDC candidate pledged to support and empower women as well as make girl-child education paramount.      In the area of agriculture, all the aspirants promised to ensure farmers get easy access to credit facilities as well as other farm inputs and that equitable distribution of incentives for the promotion of farming in the area would be encouraged.      Other areas tackled were environment, sports, housing as well as roads and infrastructure.        Mr. Cletus Abang, Central Regional Director of the NCCE urged the electorate to make an informed choice and vote wisely come December 7 whilst Mr. Samuel Arhin, District Director of the NCCE called on them to ensure the elections were peaceful and also live in harmony with one another before, during and after the elections.   GNA...

Accra, Nov. 22, GNA- The Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MoWAC) will join the rest of the world to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Sixteen days of activism has been set aside by the United Nations for countries to use to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women. The theme for the campaign is: “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let's End Violence against Women”. Activities in Ghana will include a National Durbar (November 26) in Tamale, a visit to the Witches Camp at Gambaga (November 27) and a Youth Symposium at the Walewale Senior High School (November 28) all in the Northern region. This 16-day period will also highlight other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. Briefing the media in Accra, Mr Gershen Koku Kumor, Acting Chief Director of MoWAC, said the lined activities will engage community leaders, public sector officials and the general public to understand the issues about gender violence and to garner their support to champion against gender-based violence. He noted that the theme was timely for Ghana due to the upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary elections considering what some countries like Somalia, Sudan, and Rwanda have suffered as a result of conflict arising out of their elections. He said in situations like this it was women and children who suffered the atrocities and called for the need to advocate against keeping guns in homes. Mr Kumor noted that the importance of gender equality was underscored by its inclusion as one of the eight Millennium Development Goals, which served as a framework for decreasing poverty and improving the quality of life of the ordinary Ghanaian women. “Discrimination against women and girls including gender-based violence, economic discrimination, reproductive health inequalities, and harmful traditional practices remain the most persuasive forms of gender inequality”, he added.      He called for the need to review Ghana’s traditional approach to a more proactive strategy that will ensure zero tolerance for gender based violence.       The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991.        Participants at that meeting chose the dates November 25, which is International Day Against Violence Against Women, and December 10, International Human Rights Day to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights.   GNA ...

Accra, Nov. 22, GNA - Families of the 14 victims of the Melcom disaster who lost their lives have received GH¢10,000 each from government to help them give the victims befitting burial. At a short but emotional presentation ceremony in Accra on Thursday, mayor of Accra, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, said the donation was in fulfillment of government's promise of assisting victims of the disaster. He explained that the donation was besides the Melcom Disaster Fund established by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly with a seed capital of GH¢30,000, GH¢10, 000 from Zoomlion and GH¢25,000 cedis from the management of Melcom. The AMA fund would be disbursed to all 81 victims of the disaster when it hits GHȼ100, 000 and would ensure that only victims would benefit from it, he said  and added that  disbursement would be done whenever the fund accrued to GH¢100,000. Local Government Minister, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo smpathized with the families and said “money cannot replace the lives of your loved ones, but this is just to assist you”. Some of the relatives could not hold back their tears when their envelopes containing the money were handed over to them. Mr Neils Lutterodt who lost an uncle, on behalf of the bereaved family thanked government for the gesture saying that though it cannot replace the lives of their loved ones they were grateful.     GNA ...

Gomoa Mozano (C/R), Nov. 22, GNA - Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur on Thursday commissioned some education projects in the Gomoa Area of the Central Region and urged students to study diligently and achieve their objectives for the future. The projects include a girl’s dormitory for the Gomoa Mozano Senior High School, and an 18 unit two-storey building at the Gomoa Dawurampong Senior High Technical School. Other projects provided at the Mozano Senior High School within the last four years are a six-unit classroom block, another 12 unit classroom block which is at the finishing stage, and a 28-seater EITCHCER bus. Inaugurating the facilities, Vice President Amissah-Arthur advised the students to apply themselves to excellence in their studies so that they would become world class professionals in the global village. He commended the founders of the school for their vision, and the management on their effort that had seen its growth, with an assurance that Government was determined to improve the quality of education through improved facilities. The Vice President advised the students to be focused, and emulate good behaviors as they socialized, and have good role models to as they climbed the academic ladder. On the coming poll, Vice President Amissah-Arthur said there was the need for stability for continuity , and asked the electorate vote massively and retain the governing National Democratic (NDC). Mr Emmanuel Acquah, Headmaster of Mozano Senior High School, said “the school acknowledges the unprecedented recognition given the school by the NDC within the last four years.” He appealed to the Government to provide an administration block, staff accommodation, computers, science laboratory; and a Mahindra bus for the headmaster. Later at a durbar, Nana Kobena Baah, Gyaasehene of Mozano, appealed for improvement in the road network in the area, extension of electricity to Eshiem, a teachers training college in the area, a multi-complex market and a hospital. Vice President Amissah-Arthur later addressed a durbar of the chiefs and people of Gomoa Afransi, in the Gomoa Central Constiteucny where Nana Ogyedom Kwasi Atta appealed for a Government assisted secondary school in the area. Nana Atta also appealed for stronger with a stronger capacity to reduce the frequent power outages in the area. Vice President Amissah-Arthur used the occasion to introduce Rachel Nana Adwoa Appoh, the NDC Parliamentary candidate for Gomoa Central. The Vice President addressed a similar durbar at Gomoa Buduburam, and later called on Nana Dr Obeng Wiabo, Chief of Gomoa Nyanyano, who expressed an open support for the victory of the NDC. The Veep later addressed a rally and asked the people to retain the NDC to continue with projects yet to be finished.    GNA ...

Nsawam-Afutu (E/R), Nov. 22, GNA – Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Flag-bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has re-emphasised that the free Senior High School (SHS) education policy by the party would relieve Ghanaians from the heavy burden of paying fees.     Nana Akufo-Addo said parents had suffered for far too long in paying heavy amounts of monies on their children’s education while those who could not afford see their wards either doing menial jobs or roam about aimlessly.     He made the statement on Wednesday when he made a brief visit to Afutu, a suburb of Nsawam, as part of his campaign tour to introduce the party’s parliamentary candidates to the people in the area.      Nana Akufo-Addo said without proper education to the youth as future leaders, the country would lack in its better developmental agenda and appealed to parents, guardians and supporters of the NPP to vote for him and his parliamentary candidates to allow his vision to come to fruition.     He said if NPP government was given the mandate in the coming December 7 election more jobs would be created in all the ten regions in order to give the youth employment.     Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, NPP parliamentary candidate for Nsawam-Adoagyiri who was introduced to the people by the Flag-bearer, called on members and supporters of the party to vote massively for Nana Akufo-Addo and himself for them to bring development and to restore the bad governance of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.     “We will not look on and allow the NDC party to destroy the economy of the country for the present and future generations to suffer so I am calling on all sympathisers of our great NPP party to go out there on December 7 to vote the NDC out,” Mr Annoh-Dompreh saidappealed.       GNA ...

Accra, Nov 22, GNA – Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, on Thursday donated four computers and five motor cycles to the Methodist Church, Ghana to aid in the mobility of the mission’s evangelizing activities. The donation was also with the support of Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOSAG). Mr Mensah stressed the need for the prospective riders of the motor cycles to constantly wear the crash helmet and to observe road safety regulations whiles riding. Most Rev Prof Emmanuel K Asante, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, expressed appreciation to Mr Mensah and CLOSAG for the kind gesture. GNA ...

Accra, Nov 22, GNA – Nokia, mobile phone manufacturer, on Thursday unveiled her Windows Phone 8 devices, Nokia Lumia 920 and the Nokia Lumia 820 smartphones at a short ceremony in Accra. The launch was in collaboration with Microsoft and MTN, a telecommunication service provider. The device which comes in variety of colours is equipped with an inbuilt wireless charging system, Nokia Maps and City Lens applications. Mr James Rutherford, Vice President of Nokia West Africa said Nokia aimed at satisfying the needs of customers and to “bring the best of technology to…customers to aid, excite and benefit their work and social lives”.     GNA ...

Kenyase (Ash), Nov. 22, GNA – The Garden City University College at Kenyase in the Kwabre East on Thursday matriculated 424 new students to pursue degree programmes in nursing, business and communication.         They are made up of 217 males and 207 females.    Professor Steve Sobotie, President of the University, reminded them to be disciplined, focused and to work hard.           They should develop the right attitude and explore the opportunity offered them to acquire knowledge and skills to become competitive in the job market.           He said while doing this, they should respect and accept to abide by the statutes, rules and regulations of the institution.            He warned against cheating in examinations saying that would not be tolerated and that plagiarism, copying from colleagues’ work and smuggling prepared notes to examination halls would attract appropriate sanctions.           Prof Sobotie gave the assurance that the University would provide the right environment to enhance teaching and learning.     GNA ...

Yawhima(B/A), Nov. 22, GNA – The management of Compassion Is Love In Action (CILIA) Children’s Home at Yawhima in the Sunyani Municipality has initiated the construction of a clinic to improve health care delivery to its inmates. The clinic comprising a short stay ward, nurse’s office, dispensary, consulting room and an Out-Patient Department (OPD) is estimated at about GH¢120,000. Reverend Mrs Charlotte Osei Kwarteng, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Home speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Yawhima on Thursday, said two US-based Ghanaian philanthropists had presented an initial amount of GH¢20,000 with a promise of further assistance towards the project. She said some building materials had been procured for the project which is expected to begin in December, 2012. Rev Mrs Kwarteng said as a non-profit making organisation, CILIA depended on her own resources as well as assistance from individuals and charitable organisations in the society. She appealed to government, charitable organisations, financial institutions and other philanthropists to assist the Home not only to complete the clinic on schedule but to undertake the other development projects for the welfare of the inmates. Rev Mrs Kwarteng said an urgent need of the Home was a means of transport for field trips for the inmates adding “It is my passionate plea and appeal to all individuals, groups and companies in Ghana and outside to come to our aid for holistic education and training for the inmates”. CILIA has 38 orphans with the oldest being two years and seven needy children. It is situated on an eight-acre land and currently has a security booth, an administrative block, a nursery and a temporal accommodation for the inmates. In addition, the Home has been designed to include a caretaker’s house, a bungalow for the Founder, dinning and an assembly hall with kitchen, a six-classroom block, chapel and a mission house, a workshop for vocational and technical training and dormitories for boys and girls.   GNA ...

Accra, Nov. 22, GNA - Mr Alex Asum-Ahensah, Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, on Thursday said the Ministry would ensure that culture became the bedrock of development in Ghana. "The Ministry and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, are seeking approval for proposed permanent arrangement for the Regional Coordinating Councils and the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, to support the Traditional Councils to enable Nananom promote good governance and national development." The Minister said this at the 2012 edition of the annual Meet the Press series, which was held in Accra. He said as part of the processes to ensure stability and security for national development, the Constitution had mandated the national house of chiefs to compile customary laws and lines of succession, applicable to each Stool or Skin in the country. The Minister said the project was to curtail litigation in chieftaincy affairs, clarify procedures for the knowledge of stool claimants, Kingmakers and other stakeholders. Mr Asum Ahensah said it was also to ensure peace and cohesion during periods of transition,  and to serve as an authentic documentation for instruction and reference for the codification of customary laws and succession. He said in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education with funding by the Government of Ghana, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the United Nations Development Program, "the project which started in the year 2000 continues". The Minister said research work had been done in about 113 paramountcies and reports on them written, as part of the enactment process adding that "in 2010, legislative instruments on Declaration of Customary Law for eleven traditional areas came into force." He said validated reports of fifteen traditional areas had been converted into draft customary declaration laws for transmission to parliament for passage into legislative instruments. "The completion of the project would tremendously reduce the numerous chieftaincy disputes that arise when a stool becomes vacant," said the Minister. Mr Asum-Ahensah said the Ministry acknowledged the emerging creative economy as a leading component of economic growth, employment, trade and innovation, as well as social cohesion in many countries. "More importantly, it recognizes the potential of the creative industries to shape and reinforce Ghana's economic growth, through job creation, income generation and export earnings." He said "this is why the Ministry in its five year Strategic Plan, as a major policy, sought to boost the creative industry by developing and promoting public-private partnership in that area, and strengthening the institutional support framework." The Minister said in pursuance of the "above objective", the ministry was working with civil society in the ten domains of the creative industry, as well as other cultural practitioners involved in the overall development of culture nationally. Mr Asum-Ahensah said the Ministry in collaboration with other stake-holders, under the guidance of the National Development Planning Commission, developed the Creative Industry Sector Medium-Term development Plan, under the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda(2010-2013), to inform initiatives and programs that would strengthen the sector to actively engage in the world trade in creative goods and services, estimated at 2.2 trillion dollars in 2000, and continuing to grow at five percent. The Minister mentioned inadequate budgetary allocation, poor resourcing of Traditional Councils, inadequate personnel and weak human resource capacity as some of the "several" challenges the Ministry and its sector agencies faced. On the Ministry's outlook for the coming year, 2013, he said the Ministry would continue with the second and third phases of the Ascertainment and Codification of the Customary Law Project, relating to Family and land in Ghana. Mr Asum-Ahensah said the National and three Regional Houses of Chiefs would be rehabilitated, adding that the Ministry also sought to complete the construction of the four Regional Theatres in the Brong Ahafo, Western, Ashanti and Eastern Regions. He said the Ministry intended to work closely with cultural practitioners and stake-holders in the creative industry, to implement the Creative Industry Sector Medium Term Development Plan. "This collaboration would be done with a view to developing and strengthening the country's creative economy in ways, that would enable Ghana to actively engage in the lucrative trade in creative goods and services," the Minister said.       GNA ...

Accra, Nov. 22, GNA – Mr Allan Nkrumah, a final year student of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology was on Thursday adjudged the winner of the final Season Three Goodlife game show organised in Accra.   For his prize, he received GH¢5,000 and other Goodlife souvenirs.   Mr Nkrumah battled it out with three other contestants in the Goodlife game show, which created a platform to address social and cultural issues related to the prevention of diseases as well as triggered an intensive health awareness campaign among Ghanaians by motivating them to choose prevention over treatment.   The Show is part of Ghana Health Service “Goodlife, Live it Well” campaign supported by the United States Agency for International Development with technical support from the Agency's Behaviour Change Support Project.   It was an entertaining and educational blend of multimedia and health information quizzes, which aimed at promoting health issues and to encourage good health practices.   The other contestants were Mr Selassie Setsoafia, a Service Person at the Ghana Technology University who won the second prize of GH¢2,000 and Madam Roselyn Paintsil, a student at the Institute of Professional Studies who received GH¢1,000 for the third prize.   Mr Kevin Nana Siaw a student of the Central University College who won the fourth prize also received GH¢1, 000.   Mr Nkrumah told the Ghana News Agency he would use a substantial amount of his prize to further his education and invest the rest of the money.   He urged the public to patronise the show and read widely so as to enroll in the game.   Mr Setsoafia disclosed that he would use his money as “seed money” to develop his passion in animation.   “As an Information and Technology graduate, my passion is in animation”, he added.   GNA...

Accra, Nov. 22, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday said his government was committed to providing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills to people with disabilities so as to contribute their quota to national development.   He said under the senior high school computerized project, some of the graduates would be integrated into the mainstream as ICT instructors or trainers while others would be maintained to repair broken down computers.   President Mahama said this at the maiden graduation ceremony of Persons with Disability ICT Project and distribution of Better Ghana laptops at the Accra International Conference Centre under the auspices of rlg Communications Limited.   He said it was not worth enrolling people with disability and the youth in schools without providing them employable skills to fit well into the world of work and ICT.   He said persons with disability should no longer associate themselves with tokenism and pettiness that sought to undermine their dignity, respect and self-esteem.   President Mahama said government had repositioned itself to preparing persons with disability and students across the educational divide with skills in ICT as part of government’s commitment to building a Better Ghana through technology and innovation.   He disclosed that in phase one of the project 60,000 laptops have been distributed to teachers and students in basic and senior high schools, nursing training colleges, colleges of education, polytechnics and universities to promote teaching and learning in ICT and research.   President Mahama added that while in phase two additional 100,000 would be distributed to basic and second cycle schools as well as tertiary institutions, 400, 000 would be circulated in the next four years.   He appealed to Ghanaians, especially the youth and other stakeholders, to work cordially with the security agencies to have successful elections to make Ghana the model of Africa.   Mr Roland Agambire, Chief Executive Officer of rlg Communications Limited, explained that rlg, in partnership with the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, launched the Persons with Disability ICT Project aimed at equipping them with ICT skills for the contemporary world.   Mr Agambire challenged the youth to follow their dreams, saying: “dream and you will succeed; the only disability in life is bad attitude.”   Mr Max Vardon, Executive Secretary of the National Council of Persons with Disability, pointed out social injustice, discrimination, poverty, hostility, lack of access to healthcare and education as some challenges facing people with disability in Ghana.   He expressed disappointment that persons with disability had been robbed of self-esteem, respect and dignity after 55 years of independence, and demanded their integration in the exigency of economic progress of Ghana.   2,400 out of 5,000 graduates, being the first group of trainees of rlg Institute of Technology, from Greater Accra, Eastern, Western, Central and Volta regions representing the southern sector, were presented with certificates and a set of tools to set up their own ICT hardware repair shops.   GNA...