Accra, Jan. 20, GNA – The Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing on Monday supported the introduction of pre­paid meters for commercial and industrial water consumption by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).

 Takoradi, Jan. 20, GNA— Some mourners at Apowa in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region were shocked when a talisman was removed from the grave of a 40-year old woman last Saturday.

Accra, Jan. 20, GNA – The International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Monday said that about 202 million people worldwide were unemployed in 2013, an increase of almost 5 million compared with the 2012 figure. It said the uneven economic recovery and successive downward revisions in economic growth projections had had an impact on the global employment situation, adding that this reflects the fact that employment is not expanding sufficiently fast to keep up with the growing labour force. The ILO’s “Global Employment Trends 2014: The risk of a jobless recovery” report which was made available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra by the ILO said the bulk of the increase in global unemployment is in the East Asia and South Asia regions, which together represent more than 45 per cent of additional jobseekers, followed by Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. It said by contrast, Latin America added fewer than 50,000 additional unemployed to the global number – or around 1 per cent of the total increase in unemployment in 2013. It said overall, the crisis-related global jobs gap that had opened up since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008, over and above an already large number of jobseekers, continues to widen. According to the ILO report, in 2013 this gap reached 62 million jobs, including 32 million additional jobseekers, 23 million people that became discouraged and no longer look for jobs and 7 million economically inactive people that prefer not to participate in the labour market. “If current trends continue, global unemployment is set to worsen further, albeit gradually, reaching more than 215 million jobseekers by 2018. “During this period, around 40 million net new jobs would be created every year, which is less than the 42.6 million people that are expected to enter the labour market every year. “The global unemployment rate would remain broadly constant during the next five years, at half a percentage point higher than before the crisis,” the reporter said. The report said young people continued to be particularly affected by the weak and uneven recovery. It said: “It is estimated that some 74.5 million young people – aged 15–24 – were unemployed in 2013; that is almost one million more than in the year before. “The global youth unemployment rate has reached 13.1 per cent, which is almost three times as high as the adult unemployment rate. Indeed, the youth-to-adult unemployment ratio has reached a historical peak. It is particularly high in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean and Southern Europe”. The report said importantly, in the countries for which information exists, the proportion of young people neither in employment, nor in education or training (NEET) had continued the steep upward trend recorded since the start of the crisis. It said in certain countries, almost one-quarter of young people aged 15 to 29 are now NEET. It said in 2013, 375 million workers (or 11.9 per cent of total employment) are estimated to live on less than $ 1.25 per day and 839 million workers (or 26.7 per cent of total employment) had to cope with $ 2 a day or less. The report explaind that this was a substantial reduction in comparison with the early 2000s when the corresponding numbers of working poor below $1.25 and $2 were more than 600 million and more than 1.1 billion, respectively. It said in 2013, the number of workers in extreme poverty declined by only 2.7 per cent globally, one of the lowest rates of reduction over the past decade, with the exception of the immediate crisis year. The report said informal employment remains widespread in most developing countries, although regional variations are sizeable. It also shows that a rebalancing of macroeconomic policies and increased labour incomes would significantly improve the employment outlook. It said with 23 million people estimated to have dropped out of the labour market due to discouragement and rising long-term unemployment, active labour market policies need to be implemented more forcefully to address inactivity and skills mismatch. The study offers the latest global and regional information and projections on several indicators of the labour market, including employment, unemployment, working poverty and vulnerable employment.GNA

Takoradi, Jan.20, GNA—More than 50 workers of Schlum Berger, an oil service firm in the Western Region, on Monday demonstrated against the management for poor working conditions.The workers wore red arm band and chanted war songs in front of the company’s premises at Apremdo near Takoradi.They complained bitterly against the oil firm for not increasing their salaries for the past two years because they had proposed to join a labour union.When the GNA contacted Mr. Fuseini Iddrisu, General Secretary of the General Transport and Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), he said the workers petitioned the Union and expressed their interest to join the union about two years ago.Therefore, he said, the union also wrote a letter to the management of Schlum Berger in January 2012 to cooperate in order to facilitate the process of unionizing the workers.He said when the workers are unionized it would help them to get a bargaining certificate to negotiate with management for better working conditions and Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).However, Mr. Iddrisu said, since 2012, the management of the oil firm was not cooperating to ensure smooth unionization of the workers therefore the issue of CBA as well as salary and wage negotiation still lingers on, hence the demonstration by the workers.He said the union would petition the National Labour Commission (NLC) and urged the aggrieved workers to exercise patience.Mr Iddrisu said some multi-national oil service companies operating in the country were not treating the local workers fairly and urged the NLC to crack the whip on defaulting oil firms since the local content law on petroleum had been passed to ensure fairness in the sector.GNA

Yendi (N/R), Feb.20, GNA - Mr Bede Ziedeng, the Northern Regional Minister, has appealed to the chiefs and people of Dagbon to use the successful celebration of the Damba festival to bury their differences and let peace prevail in the traditional area.He said the government was on track in prosecuting its development agenda but it could only do that and even double the pace of development in an atmosphere of peace and togetherness.Mr Ziedeng made the appeal in Yendi on Sunday during the celebration of the Damba Festival at the forecourt of the Gbewaa Palace where the people celebrated in unity on the theme: “Honouring our Culture and Traditions, Advancing our Father”.He said a divided home could not be supported in any way and the government needed the support of every Ghanaian to be able to change the living conditions of people in the country.He commended both the Kampakuya Na, regent of Dagbon and the Bolin-Lana for the maturity they displaced so far in ensuring that they resorted to peaceful means and use of dialogue in resolving their differences rather than to violence.He said the peaceful coexistence had enabled the people to enjoy the Damba and advised them to continue to work together for the development of Dagbon for the betterment of the youth.Mr Ziedeng commended the security agencies for their effort and determination to maintain peace in the whole Northern Region and Dagbon in particular.He said the government could not afford to continue to spend scarce resources mainly on conflict resolution when the country needed good roads, good health facilities, quality education, portable water and good sanitation as well as reliable electricity supply. He said he was happy to see chiefs from the Abudu Royal Family at the Damba Festival led by Bolin-Lana Abdulai Mahama and Sunson-Na Shani Amidu II, representatives of Nanton Na among others as well as some youth chiefs who celebrated the Damba together at the Gbewaa Palace.In an address read on his behalf the Regent of Dagbon and Acting President of Dagbon Traditional Council, Kampakuya Na Abdulai Yakubu Andani called on Dagombas not to see themselves as Abudus or Andanis but as a united family from one umbilical cord especially in these trying times for prosperity, development and peace. The Kampakuya Na Yakubu Andani said, “Never again shall the world associate Dagbon with division, intolerance, violence and lack of progress”, adding that the major common enemy they faced was poverty, environmental change, and unfavorable market forces.He said all over the world sons of Dagbon were making great strides and suggested that those who made great achievements must be honoured and celebrated to inspire others to work hard. He said those who abandoned Dagbon needed to come back home and build on the foundations their fathers left for them as means of contributing in growing a strong successful nation, which they would bequeath to the younger generation.GNA

Accra, Jan 20, GNA -The Ministry of Roads and Highways has held discussions the University of Ghana on how best the Ministry could absorb the cost of the rehabilitation of some University roads into the Ministry’s 2014 budget. A statement in Accra by Alhaji Amin Aminu Sulemana, the Minister for Roads and Highways and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday said the discussions followed the University authorities’ intention to start levying tolls on all vehicles using the new roads, which have been rehabilitated under an agreement with a private firm. It said the Ministry had already stated the government’s view and that the rehabilitation of campus roads was a laudable initiative because such schemes facilitated and supported academic work.It however said there was concern that the introduction of tolls could create a number of inconveniences for some of the regular and rightful road users. "It is hoped that a more conducive solution could be found to end the controversy generated by the announcement of the tolls," the statement said. Alhaji Sulemana said the Ministry would ensure that roads on the campuses of major institutions were maintained at reasonable standards across the country.GNA

Accra, Jan. 20, GNA – The Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) is to open new service stations at Teshie and Nungua as part of the Company’s strategy to expand its operations in the oil marketing industry. The two stations would market petroleum and other energy products, Mr Patrick Akpe Akorli, the Managing Director of the oil giant, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra on Monday. “Opening of the new service stations is aimed at strengthening our geographical spread to ensure that every car owner has access to good energy,” he said. Mr Akorli said in GOIL had embarked on large-scale modernization of its filling stations as part of the broader aim of rebranding the company. “The objective is to provide modern stations in every region to serve the communities. GOIL believes in supporting economic activities at the local level, and wealth creation,” he said. Mr Akorli, also known as Togbe Adza-Nye IV Dutrofia of Ziavi in the Volta Region, said the new stations at Teshie and Nungua have GOIL Convenience shops which have been branded the GOIL C-shop (C meaning convenience). He said GOIL C-shop was becoming the standard at GOIL Service and Filling stations and that the Company was looking at a situation where all GOIL stations in the country would have GOIL C-shops. Mr Akorli said GOIL had plans to open shopping, fast food and recreation centres at strategically located stations in cooperation with owners of strong brand names in the leisure and entertainment industry.Mr Raphael Cudjoe, a car owner at Sakumono Estates, said it was refreshing GOIL had finally decided to make its presence felt at Teshie and Nungua, a huge market in the oil marketing industry.“We have waited for long because we are aware of the quality of GOIL’s service and its reputation of sellers not cheating customers. It is our hope the Company will maintain and build on its reputation,” he said. GOIL remains one of the forerunners in the state-owned enterprises sector and the petroleum industry in general and has maintained its market leadership in gasoline, premix, LPG, bunkering and lubricants since 2002. The Company has also entered the bitumen market and recently made its presence felt in the aviation oil market.GNA

Kintampo (B/A), Jan. 20, GNA – The Kintampo North Municipal Hospital mortuary has installed new fridges with a capacity to hold about 100 bodies. The facility was jointly inaugurated and handed over to the Hospital by Mr Stephen Kunsu, the Member of Parliament for Kintampo North and Mrs Alice Vorleto, the acting Kintampo North Municipal Director of Health Services.It was funded through the MP’s common Fund. Mr Kunsu expressed commitment to continue to assist financially for smooth and effective operation of the Hospital and appealed to citizens of the Municipality to contribute in tackling problems facing the facility. Mrs Vorleto expressed joy for the inauguration of the expanded facility and said the Hospital was the biggest health facility between Techiman and Tamale and due to the centrality of its location, it was the first place to treat road accident victims but the burden had always been the lack of space to preserve the dead. She said the acquisition of the new fridges became necessary following the frequent breakdown of the old 12-body fridges. Dr Gavin Apio, the Medical Superintendent of the Hospital, said the Hospital was making strides and in 2013 it recorded only one maternal death out of 2,087 deliveries. He said it was a 125 bed-capacity Hospital with only one Medical Officer but handled at most 100 major surgeries in a month. Dr Apio said delivering health care services was a shared and collective responsibility and appealed to the Municipal Assembly to make it a priority to sponsor the training of health care professionals, especially midwives and anesthetists. The Kintampo Municipal Hospital was established by the British Colonial Government for the Royal West African Frontier Force War during World War Two for military personnel who were stationed at Kintampo.GNA

From: George-Ramsey Benamba, GNA Special Correspondent in Abu Dhabi, UAE Abu Dhabi,(UAE ), Jan 20, GNA- President John Dramani Mahama on Monday morning joined other world leaders to participate in the Abu Dhabi sustainability week in a renewable energy conference. President Mahama, who was the Guest of Honour at the opening session of the conference focused on Africa as the next frontier in water, environment and energy, was joined the leaders of Ethiopia, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Also in attendance were Hamdam bin Mohammed Al- Maktoum, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Ghana's Energy and Petroleum Minister, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, among other dignitaries. The opening session focused on the rise of the United Arab Emirates in the areas of culture, construction, education, sustainable access to water and job creation and how those measures could be implemented in Africa to enhance the continent's socio-economic development. It is estimated that the world population would rise to 8 billion by 2030 and this would call for 30 percent increase in potable water, 50 percent demand for energy and 50 percent demand for food. As a result Africa is seen as the next growth pole in these commodities on account of her endowment in those natural resources, giving the indication that the world would focus on the continent for survival and growth. The conference would therefore give the UAE the opportunity to share its expertise and experience with developing African countries to take advantage to develop their resources. As the host of the international Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the UAE has been actively involved in encouraging the widespread adoption of renewable energy. The first sustainability conference held last year attracted 30,000 participants from 150 countries. The main agenda of the conference is to tackle the world's pressing issues in energy, water and environment, accelerate the global adoption of renewable energy and sustainable development. It is also expected to address water challenges in the arid regions of the world. At the end of the three- day conference, participants would be expected to stimulate investment in water, energy and environment projects and to empower young generations and entrepreneurs. There is also exhibitions of various technologies and innovations on water, energy, environment, engineering and construction and is expected to feature issues that would provide solutions to challenges in water, environment and energy throughout the world. President Mahama is expected to attend to attend the Zayed Future Energy Prize ceremony later on Monday evening. The Zayed future energy prize is another commitment from Abu Dhabi in the field of renewable energy and sustainability. The annual $ 4 million prize was created to honour the legacy of His Holiness Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan late founding father of the UAE and to inspire the next generation of Global energy innovators to create solutions for the future.GNA