Kumasi, Nov 13, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday directed the Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture Affairs to review the allowances of chiefs and submit proposals to government for immediate action.      The President has also authorized the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture Affairs and Attorney General’s Department to work out modalities that would facilitate efforts aimed at ensuring that paramount chiefs and Queenmothers effectively work together.     President Mahama, National Democratic Congress presidential candidate for Election 2012, gave this directive when he addressed a special meeting of the National House of Chiefs at Kumasi.   The meeting attracted leaderships of various regional Houses of chiefs and Queenmothers from selected paramountcies of the country.     President Mahama said he was aware of challenges of chieftaincy, and that his administration would work hard to provide the necessary legal, infrastructural and logistical support for the institution.     The President said government had procured 12 vehicles for distribution to all the Regional Houses of Chiefs and the National House of Chiefs.     He also promised that government would complete all abandoned and uncompleted offices of the various Houses of Chiefs to facilitate their work.     President Mahama appealed to chiefs advocating the location of district capitals in their traditional area to exercise restraint since political demarcations were not conterminous with various traditional areas of the country.       President Mahama promised to support chiefs to institute effective Alternative Dispute Resolution to complement efforts of other judicial systems in the country.     Naa Professor John Nabila, President of the National House of Chiefs, appealed to government to review the inadequate allowance for chiefs at all levels.     He requested that such allowance should include linguists and other sub or divisional traditional authorities, who help chiefs to carry out their duties.   GNA ...

On November 7, an elementary school teacher in south central Louisiana allegedly told her class of fourth graders that she was “attending America’s funeral” because Barack Obama won the presidential election, according to a report by KATC, the local ABC television affiliate.

Kumasi, Nov. 13, GNA - MTN Ghana has pledged to continue contributing to the development of the society through its corporate social responsibility to the various communities across the country. Mrs Adwoa Afrakoma Baah Obeng of the Northern Sector Branch said they would continue to give back to society. She said this when the company feted its staff and members of their families in Kumasi. Also invited to share in the merry-making were orphans from the Ashan Children’s Home at Danase in the Afigya-Kwabre District. They were treated to some exquisite “Azonto” dancing alongside free eye screening. Mrs Obeng assured their customers of quality service delivery and encouraged them to remain loyal. The company later presented bags of cement, rice, sugar, maize and fruit drinks valued at about GH¢7,000.00 in support of the orphanage.       GNA ...

Kumasi, Nov. 13, GNA - Pregnant women have been cautioned to refrain from self-medication since that could have harmful effects on their unborn babies. Dr Joseph Opoku Buabeng, Head of the Dental, Ear, Eye, Nose and Throat Directorate of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) said they should also ensure that they vaccinated their kids against measles, meningitis and other diseases. Avoiding the urge to self-medicate, he noted, would significantly assist in reducing the incidence of deafness among children. Dr Buabeng gave the advice at the start of a two-day free health screening for children with hearing defects at the Jamasi School for the Deaf in the Sekyere South District. KATH and the Starkey Foundation, a United States (US)-based NGO, jointly carried out the exercise where about 960 children were expected to benefit. The goal of the exercise was to identify those, who could be assisted with hearing aids. Mr William F. Austin, Founder of the Starkey Foundation, said most of the cases of deafness were the result of the inappropriate use of drugs. He said it was important to be careful about the drugs they take, especially for the treatment of malaria and underlined the need for decisive action to tackle noise nuisance and early treatment of ear infections.       GNA ...

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA - Air Commodore Kwame Mamphey (Rtd), Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), has stressed the need for other institutions to collaborate with the GCAA towards search and rescue operations in the event of emergencies.    He said there was the need for other aviation stakeholder institutions to join the GCAA in such collaborative efforts in order for Ghana to meet the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) requirements under Article 25, which stipulates that each contracting state must provide measures of assistance to aircraft in distress in its territory as it may find practicable.      Air Cmdr. Mamphey said this at the opening of a two-day Aviation Search and Rescue Seminar in Accra.   In a statement issued to the GNA, he said there was also the need to strengthen relationship with each collaborating institution and to develop the human capacity to make certain that personnel were ready and prepared to work in the event of any emergency.       The importance of collaborative efforts, he noted, had been brought to the fore by the Allied Air accident on June 12 and thus highlighted the need for increased training for the personnel.      He also called on relevant aviation authorities to put measures in place to guarantee the safety and security of their patrons in the event of mishap.    The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, National Disaster Management Organization, the Ghana National Fire Service, National Ambulance Service, Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Armed Forces, and the Ghana Police Service among others.   Participants would be trained in identified areas of Search and Rescue, including communication and coordination exercises and full-scale search and rescue exercises.     GNA ...

Kumasi, Nov. 13, GNA – A group of lecturers from the various tertiary institutions, calling themselves “Intellectuals for National Development” (IND), have expressed their opinion on the free Senior High School (SHS) discourse, saying it is feasible and cannot wait.     The group said considering the resources of the country, infrastructure and teachers, “there is absolutely no excuse to delay introduction of free SHS in Ghana”.     They said with determination and the right priorities, backed by political goodwill and the integrity of the leadership, nothing was impossible.     Dr George Mainoo, the Communication Director of the group, said this at a press conference held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.     He said the inability of previous governments to make education free was mainly due to the lack of funds but the picture was now different as the “nation at the moment had enough resources to meet the full cost of secondary education”.              “Ghana, once a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about US$6 billion as at 1992 can now boast of GDP of about US$37.12 billion as at 2012 and a middle income nation.”     He said additionally, it has become an oil-producing country with the potential to become an industrialized nation and that “any action vigorously embarked upon to reduce corruption and setting priorities would make money available for education.”     Highlighting some benefits the country stood to gain with the policy, Dr Mainoo said it has the potential to provide abundant and quality supply of human resources to support its industrialization.     Again, it would improve the quality of life and income levels of the people as parents could save money for other things.     He rejected the claim that the free SHS could compromise the quality of the nation’s education saying the policy “implies the provision of a comprehensive educational programme emanating from the 1992 constitution and emphasizing principles of social justice for every Ghanaian school going child, irrespective of his/her background”.     GNA ...

Accra Nov. 13, GNA- Nana Nkansah Boadi Ayeboafo, the owner of the five-storey building which housed the collapsed Achimota Melcom Shopping Complex has been remanded into police custody by an Accra District Magistrate Court.            In the dock with Ayeboafo on Monday was Carl Henry Clerke, Municipal Head of Works Department of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) who was also remanded.            The two accused persons are facing a provisional charge of negligently causing harm.            They have pleaded not guilty to the charge before the court presided over by Mrs. Mariam Affoh and are to reappear on November 30.            Prosecuting Mr. Yaw Twumasi-Ankrah, the Chief Prosecutor of AMA told the court that on November 7, this year at about 9:45 am a five-storey building that housed Melcom's Shopping Complex at Achimota, Accra, collapsed while workers and shoppers were inside the building.            Mr. Twumasi-Ankrah said in the process, 82 persons and others got trapped.             He said a Combined Emergency Team from the Ghana National Fire Services, National Ambulance, Ghana Police Service, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Ghana Armed Forces and other security personnel were able to rescue 82 persons some of whom were currently on admission at the 37 Military Hospital.            According to the prosecutor during investigations, it came to light that the owner of the building was Ayeboafo and it is believed that the materials used in the construction of the building were of low quality.            On the part of Clerke, the prosecutor noted that Clerke failed to perform his rightful duties as head of Works Department of the AMA.            Mr. Twumasi-Ankrah told the court that investigations were ongoing and prayed the court to remand the accused persons to assist in the investigations.   GNA ...

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA –The People’s National Convention (PNC) said it will institute proactive measures to deal firmly with corruption, a canker in both public and private sectors, if voted into power in the December 7 general elections.     A PNC government will fight corruption through the establishment of a special unit that would use innovative mechanisms to keep an eye on activities of public officials, private companies and foreign investors to nip corruption in the bud.     These are contained in PNC Election 2012 manifesto, captioned: “The PNC under the leadership of Mr Hassan Ayariga, as the President”,   copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday.      It stressed that the PNC would deal swiftly and effectively with cases of corruption and provide adequate resources from a dedicated fund to the Economic and Organised Crime Office and the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice.     The manifesto said that in order to make people desist from corruption, the PNC would apply effective sanctions on people who would be found to be corrupt.     Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on election 2012, titled: “Matters of concern to the Ghanaian voter,” indicated that the issue of corruption was of major concern to the Ghanaian voter.     Most respondents wanted government to severely punish corrupt officials, strengthen state institutions that deal with corruption and enforce laws on corruption.      The respondents called for public education on corruption, payment of appropriate wages to workers, and leaders should lead exemplary lives and there should be revision of assets declaration laws of people in authority, to curb corruption.    On the issue of national security, the PNC noted in its manifesto that the sanctity and security of the 1992 Ghana Constitution and territorial integrity are paramount, and to ensure their inviolability, national security under a PNC administration shall be given maximum attention and support, to deliver on its mandate of protecting the territorial integrity of Ghana.     The manifesto said: “In this connection, the Armed Forces, the Police and other security agencies charged with this task shall be modernized and re-equipped with the latest weapons and hardware to make them second to none in Africa.     “All entry points and government establishments shall have close circuit monitoring systems to enhance the work of national security”.        The PNC noted that under the Presidency of Mr Ayariga, the government would re-introduce the border guard concept to effectively police Ghana’s borders, adding it would also establish Army and Police Reserves for national emergencies.    The party hopes to modernize and well-resource the Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Prison Service, Ghana National Fire Service, National Disaster Management Organisation and other units that carry out emergency services, to deliver on their mandates.    However, in a survey conducted by the NCCE on the issue of national security, most respondents called for the provision of logistics for security personnel, challenge government to train more security personnel to maintain peace in the country, especially during elections.    The respondents called on government to provide every community with a police station, pay good salaries to security personnel, and proposed stiffer punishment for armed robbers.         GNA ...

Accra, Nov 13, GNA - The Local Enterprises and Skills Development Programme (LESDEP) is supporting the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) Ghana, with 50,000 dollars, to facilitate the organisation of this year’s week. The week, which is celebrated globally, is being held on the theme: “Fostering Job Creation and Economic growth through Entrepreneurship.” GEW is part of the world’s largest celebration of innovators and job creators, who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare. In Ghana, the week’s events are being hosted by Youth Enhancement International, a youth development and services organisation. The LESDEP financial support will help in the organisation of the event throughout the 10 regions of the country. Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah, Ambassador of GEW, said the Ghanaian youth must adopt and embrace entrepreneurial skills and aspire to establish their own jobs with the skills they have acquired. He said Ghanaians had enormous talents that could be channeled into entrepreneurship. Dr Grabrah advised the youth who had decided to go along the entrepreneurial route to gather courage to get back even if they failed in their first attempt. The events to be held are StartUp Weekend Accra scheduled from the 16th to the 18th of November. This activity is aimed at bringing individuals together to build and validate ideas within 54 hours.  Winners of the event will get funding and technical support to bring their ideas into fruition. The Entrepreneurs Go-to-school event will allow entrepreneurs from various industries to visit schools across the country to inspire, educate and mentor young people on the importance of entrepreneurship by sharing their entrepreneurial journey and experiences. Mr Stephen Gyasi Kwaw of Youth Enhancement International said the objective of the go-to-school event was to increase awareness and a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship among young people and to empower young to develop their enterprise skills.   GNA ...

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA – The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has proposed a budgetary allocation of  70,000 dollars for Media Relations for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.     The huge figure further adds to the several holes being punched into the budget submitted by the football governing body to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for review and consideration last week.     According to the budget chanced upon by GNA Sports, the GFA has penciled down the throat-choking five-figure sum, 70,000 dollars on just Media Relations.     This is contrary to reports that the GFA has yet to perform any such act that amounts to Media Relations at a major tournament. However, Media Relations continues to be a regular feature in the budget for such major tournaments especially with the Black Stars.     Globally acclaimed search engine, Wikipedia defines Media Relations as “working with various media for the purpose of informing the public of an organization's mission, policies and practices in a positive, consistent and credible manner.     “Typically, this means coordinating directly with the people responsible for producing the news and features in the mass media.”     The aftermath of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa popularized the term ‘media relations’ after then Minister of Youth and Sports, Ms. Akua Sena Dansua revealed that 50,000 dollars was earmarked for that purpose.     The sporting media was up in arms with the Sports Ministry and the GFA after the 50,000 dollars revelation following concerns from the personnel that no such activity occurred at the event generating massive brouhaha weeks unending after the competition.     Another interesting revelation in the proposed budget is Entertainment which has been pegged at 5,000 dollars. There were no further explanations to that point, GNA Sports gathers Joseph Langabel, Chief Drummer of the Black Stars provided some form of stress-free drumming and dancing to the team during last year’s tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.     Other notable additions are 5,000 dollars for the Extra Physiotherapist for the team, 5,000 dollars each for three proposed  security men and 8,000 dollars each for the Team Liaison Officer and Psychologist.     Another official tagged ‘Team Administrator’ will be entitled to 10,000 dollars.     The total budget for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations stands at 7,728,158 dollars, of which 1,064,900 is for the training camp in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 7-16 January next year.     GNA ...

Half Assini (W/R), Nov. 13, GNA - Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs)have been asked to create the enabling environment for community participation in local governance. Madam Fustina Essando Yedu, head of Department, Environmental Science Policy and Management of Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), who made the call, reminded MMDAs that the local government system seeks to enhance grassroots participation in decision-making. She was speaking at a three-day workshop on social accountability for heads of decentralized department, assembly members, chiefs and representatives of civil society organizations in the Jomoro District, at Half Assini on Monday. It was organised by the Institute of Local Government Studies in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and Local Governance Decentralization Programme for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies throughout the country. The programme aimed at introducing participants to community participation in local governance and accountability. Madam Yedu noted that there had been confrontation between some Assemblies and the people over the issue of accountability, and expressed the hope that the workshop would help participants to find solution to problems. Mr Sylvester Daddie,   District Chief Executive for Jomoro, appealed to the ILGS to live up to expectation on its duty of bringing to bear the practical meaning of local governance in the country. He asked the participants to contribute positively to the workshop, and make suggestions for the improvement of the decentralization process. Mr Daddie called on the people to support the assembly for the development of the area.       GNA ...

(A GNA feature by Francis Ameyibor)       Accra, Nov. 13, GNA – Ghana’s sixth consecutive general election has attracted various campaign strategies unknown in our democratic dispensation with leading political parties struggling to catch the attention of the electorates.     With the demise of late President John Evans Atta Mills, the political environment changed dramatically, with the Presidential tickets of the two leading parties suddenly turning from the south/north team for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to a north/south dimension.    Under its Election 2012 manifesto: “Advancing the Better Ghana Agenda,” the NDC claims that since 2009 Ghana had made significant progress, attaining and sustaining middle-income status for the first time in the nation’s history.   In an executive summary the NDC claims that it is presenting to the good people of Ghana, the 2012 manifesto that seeks to renew the covenant the party has with the people of Ghana in pursuance of our common and cherished goal of ‘Advancing The Better Ghana Agenda’ for all.      “This Manifesto is based on the achievements over the last four years during which period we established a firm foundation for delivering a program of economic recovery and sustained welfare for the people of Ghana.     “The 2012 NDC Manifesto therefore underscores our commitment to build a prosperous and equitable society”, it declares.     The NDC said under their management they have succeeded in maintaining a substantial growth rate and reducing inflation to single digit consistently.     “Our public and private sector policies and programmes have been robust and successful in building the foundation for the sustained prosperity that we promised our people.     “This solid foundation has to be advanced in a manner that our growth trajectory is accelerated, our social and welfare initiatives for ordinary citizens is expanded, the opportunities to provide access and quality education to ALL our children is achieved, and our nation is able to feed itself and reap the benefits in expanded trade of our diversified agricultural produce,” President Mahama stated.     The NDC is therefore using its achievement record over the past four years as basis for re-election, using a manifesto which they described as a bold, forward-looking agenda, which enumerates the party’s solemn commitment to advance the Better Ghana Agenda, under President John Dramani Mahama.     The party is pledging to expand the economy from its marginal middle-income status to a full-fledged middle-income status where growth and prosperity are spread equitably across the country and poverty is substantially reduced across the country.      It pledges to ensure that ENERGY FOR ALL becomes the bedrock of socio-economic transformation by expanding production and intensifying regular and reliable access to electricity and energy including those who currently do not have access.     The NDC says it would rapidly expand access to quality education at both the basic and secondary levels of education by ensuring that the 20 per cent of children who are not in school gain access to schooling; and the nearly 50 per cent who do not have access to secondary-level education gain access to JSS and SHS;     Promoting a thorough decentralized governance agenda in a manner that empowers regions and districts to acquire the needed resources and capacities to make decisions and be accountable to citizens, as well as providing the needed leadership to ensure that citizens’ voices matter in decision-making; that their demand for accountability is fulfilled and their aspirations for a Better Ghana "are reflected in the programmes and projects emanating from this Manifesto".    According to the NDC, the Peace and Stability bestowed on the nation by its recently departed father, Professor John Evans Atta Mills guided its preparation of the Election 2012 Manifesto.     The party therefore urges the electorate to peruse the manifesto and see why it is important to give President Mahama the mandate to continue to advance the Better Ghana Agenda.     It states that  the country's economic performance will be deepened and diversified to provide a basis for the provision of the basic human needs of the people under the next NDC administration.     "Our governance will be more thoroughly decentralized to enable citizens to access resources and demand accountability for services; Our infrastructure development will be intensified to accelerate the transformation of Ghana into a full middle-income status".         The manifesto also expalins that agriculture will be modernized to involve a strong partnership between private agricultural investors and peasant small-holders in a manner that introduces capital, technology and an expanded local and global market access.        According to the NDC all of these will enable the economy to expand, creating the needed jobs that will propel prosperity for all and Advance the Better Ghana Agenda.     The NDC says the 2013 administration journey will begin with a renewal and consolidation of the Social Compact we long established with the people of Ghana through years of sustained policies for the realization of social equity and developmental justice.      At one of his public engagements President Mahama noted that events of the last few months had demonstrated more vividly and vindicated the assertion by the founder in 2008 that “Ghana is larger than all of us, and the NDC’s victory is the victory of ordinary and truthful Ghanaians guided by the proven history and performance of a Social Democratic Party and Government.”     The President said in four years since the NDC began the “Better Ghana” agenda, it had kept faith with the people, supporting them to work hard to produce the nation’s wealth, to uphold truth, abhor corruption, and distributing the benefits of hard work equitably for the greater, social and economic well-being of all Ghanaians.    "As the new leader of our great party and the NDC’s Presidential Candidate for the 2012 elections, it is my pledge to provide the needed leadership to ensure that citizens’ voices matter in decision-making", President Mahama stated.     The party's campaign promise on education seeks, among other things, to eliminate the remaining 60 per cent of identified ‘Schools-Under-Trees’ and provide decent facilities for all rural schools;  ensure 100 per cent access for all children of school-going age in compliance with the constitutional requirement of FCUBE.  "Our educational assets will be rapidly expanded to provide equitable access for every child to enter and complete basic education, enter and complete secondary school" it says.    On health, it indicates that the next NDC Government will double the number of Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds from about 1,600 to 3,200 to meet the needs of under-served communities.    On Youth and Sports, the NDC promises to establish a GH¢10 million Jobs and Enterprise Development Fund to encourage and support young people to become successful entrepreneurs and create sustainable job opportunities.    On the economy the manifesto says the next NDC government will pursued in the next four years:  an average GDP growth rate of at least 8 per cent per annum and a single digit rate of inflation;     It further states the party's intention to establish Commissions of Enquiry to investigate matters related to public land acquisitions and empower the office of the Sole Commissioner responsible for the management of judgement debts to ensure the best interest of Ghana is served at all times.     "As social democrats, the NDC believes that it is the duty of the Government to pull the marginalized, disadvantaged and the poor into the mainstream of the socio-economic order. "We believe that universal access to health care, education, affordable food, water, electricity and housing is the right of every Ghanaian" says the manifesto, adding that the NDC Government will establish and implement a framework for collective and individual contribution to the peace, safety, security and stability of the country when retained in power.    The party declares that its 2012 Manifesto contains the policy initiatives that are required for building the new era of social justice and equity, a goal that has been pursued for the past two decades and which the NDC shares with many millions of Ghanaians.  The million dollar question is: "Will these campaign promises win the hearts and minds of the Ghanaian electorate so as to bring the NDC the much-needed votes?" This, obviously, is a question whose answer can be obtained only on December 7, 2012.       GNA ...

Sunyani, Nov. 13, GNA – A Leading Member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Brong-Ahafo Region on Tuesday refuted the wrong perception in the country that the party belonged to “Akans” only.     Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mr Frank Opoku Adjapong expressed concern that some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were going around painting such wrong picture about the party in the Region to make it unpopular.     He said the NPP remained a strong party under a great elephant that abhorred ethnicity that was why it always chose a running mate from the northern part of the country to bridge the gap.     Mr Adjapong, a businessman, said the NDC had no message for their campaign therefore the party’s hierarchy in the Region had set up various groups going round the Zongo communities to paint such wrong notions about the NPP.     He said for almost four years that the NDC took power the government had not done anything meaningful in the Zongo communities.     Mr Adjapong said when the NPP handed-over to the NDC, former President John Agyekum Kufuor’s government had laid a solid foundation for development but the NDC could not build on that.     He cited that the National Health Insurance Scheme was on the verge of collapse while pupils and students benefiting from the school feeding programme had reduced drastically.    Mr Adjapong appealed to Muslims to ignore such calculated and deliberate ploys adopted by the NDC to make the NPP unpopular but rather vote for the party on December 7.     Mr Adjapong said the combination of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as the NPP presidential candidate and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, as running mate was the best opportunity Ghana would ever have for development to thrive.     GNA ...

Wa, Nov. 13, GNA – Dr. Yaw Baah, Deputy General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has called on Ghanaians not to wait for politicians to give them promises but as voters they should rather tell them what they  need in terms of development.     He said politicians who are seeking the mandate of the people must begin to engage the people in a common platform for them to tell them what they need and what should be given to them first in order to add meaning to the democratic path that the country had chosen.     Dr. Baah, who made the call during the Upper West Regional Council of Labour meeting in Wa, stated that the labour union and others must begin to lead the crusade to change that practice.     “The only way we can get our politicians to do the right thing is to tell them what we want and force them to do it according to the way we want it to be done”, he said.   Dr Baah said the purpose for holding the Regional Council of Labour meeting was to brief workers on national issues and also to elect new Regional Executives to lead workers in the region for the next four years.     Some of the national issues Dr. Baah touched on were about the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) and the new pension scheme.     He said the Single Spine had come to stay and it should be made to work effectively and efficiently for all beneficiaries.     He said it was true that under the Single Spine, some people benefited more than others but noted that on the average everybody who had been enrolled into the policy benefited something.     Dr. Baah advised workers especially the young ones to make it a point to always visit SSNIT office frequently to check on their contributions and other details that would guarantee them a smooth retirement when the time comes.     GNA ...

Breman Asikuma (C/R), Nov. 13, GNA - Madam Ama Benyiwa-Doe, Central Regional Minister, has reiterated that the government has put in place measures to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections on December 7.          She said the National Democratic Congress has within three-and-half years in office, constructed 86 new school buildings in the region, some of them in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa district.0     Madam Benyiwa-Doe was addressing a durbar of the chiefs and people of Breman Asikuma Traditional Area, to mark the their annual Odwira Festival, at Breman Asikuma.     She said government has built CHIP compounds  to help address the health needs of  people in the rural areas.     Madam Benyiwa-Doe commended the chiefs and people for celebrating the festival peaceful, and expressed hope that the feat would be sustained.         Odeefor Amoakwa Buadu VIII, Paramount Chief of    Breman Asikuma,  announced that the traditional council for the area has awarded scholarships to 25 students  to enable them to complete the Senior High School.      He said the council has also constructed an Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre at Breman Asikuma to enhance the teaching of ICT.     Odeefor Amoakwa Buadu thanked the government for bringing development to the area, and cited water supply, extension of electricity and provision of ambulances to health facilities .     He appealed to the government to as matter of urgency rehabilitate the Breman Asikuma-Agona Swedru road to facilitate economic activities.      Mrs Georgina Nkrumah Aboah, District Chief Executive for the area, asked the people to be mindful of  HIV and AIDS while celebrating the festival.     GNA ...

Gomoa Ekwamkrom, (C/R), Nov. 13, GNA - A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Central Region, has dismissed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) claim that it would win Election 2012 because US President Barrack Obama has been retained in recent polls.      Mr Emmanuel Kofi Bruno said President Obama’s victory should not be linked to Ghana’s elections because socio-economic and political situations in American were entirely different from that of Ghana.      The NPP leading member, who was addressing a party rally at Ekwamkrom, near Agona Swedru on Sunday, cited that President Obama has been able to implement a new health policy and brought terrorism under control, by ensuring the killing of Osama Bin Laden.     Mr Bruno accused the NDC of economic mismanagement resulting in hardship, and appealed to the electorate to return the NPP to power on December 7 to enable the party to fufil its promises, particularly the free Senior High School education.     Mr Benjamin Otoo, Gomoa Central Chairman of the NPP, called on party members to intensify their house-to-house campaign and explain the party’s good message to the people.     Dr Edward Cudjoe, NPP parliamentary candidate for Gomoa Central Constituency, asked the people to vote for him and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, NPP presidential candidate for Election 2012, on December 7.    He warned the electorate not to vote for politicians who could not manage affairs of Ghana.   GNA ...

Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi has been elected as 2011-12 player of the season in the LFP awards, which are based on votes made by fellow players and coaches for the best footballers in the top two divisions.

Accra, Nov. 13, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it seeks to ensure the expeditious enactment of the Affirmative Action Act to provide a framework for addressing gender related injustices as a bait to attract more vote in Election 2012.     Propounding its gender blue print as captured in its Election 2012 manifesto: “Advancing the Better Ghana Agenda,” and made available to the Ghana News Agency, the party pledged to work with political parties and Civil Society Organizations to take the provisions of the Affirmative Action Act into account in sponsoring candidates for elections.      It said it would enact legislation to cover women’s rights, including reproductive rights more comprehensively and ensure that all public institutions adopt gender policies including recruitment policies aimed at achieving a balanced human resourcing of their institutions in terms of gender.     The party stated that it would work with the sponsors of the Women’s Manifesto to ensure that all municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) incorporate mainstream gender into their programmes as well as strategic plans.     Under the next NDC government, policies of gender responsive budgeting would be adopted by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. The government will also build on its record of women’s representation on all public Boards.     The party reminded the electorate that in 2008, the NDC then in opposition promised to review the mandate of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) in line with national development aspirations and work towards 40 per cent women in public service and at conferences and congresses of the party.      The NDC seeks to introduce major gender policy and legislation to mainstream gender issues in all aspects of national development; and to revise, update and implement its Affirmative Action Policy for Women issued in 1999.      It said the party now in government was able to appoint women to the positions of Speaker of Parliament, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Minister of Trade and Industry, Commissioner for CHRAJ, and Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education.     The rest are Government Statistician, Chief Executive of the Ghana Youth Authority, and Chairperson of the Ghana AIDS Commission while women were retained in office: the Chief Justice, Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission, and Chief Executive of the National Insurance Commission.      It said the NDC Government was able to institute the “Women in Local Governance Fund,” in 2010 to support women participating in local government elections.    The NDC said the government also established the Domestic Violence Fund and the Constitution Review Commission had made extensive proposals for improving the status of women in Ghana, which the NDC Government accepted in its White Paper.    It said an Affirmative Action Bill had been drafted and Regional consultations conducted on the draft that is now being finalized by the Attorney-General’s Department.    According to the document, the NDC administration through Parliament is enacting the “Property Rights of Spouses” and “Intestate Succession (Amendment)” Bills which are now in advanced stages of consideration in Parliament.    Meanwhile a survey conducted by the National Commission for Civic Education ranked women and children issues as the number four out of 14 matters of concern to the Ghanaian voter in election 2012.     On regional ranking of women and children issues; the Western Region ranked  third; Volta, Eastern, Ashanti, Central, Northern, Upper East, and Upper West considered it as the fourth highest priority in Election 2012; while Brong Ahafo ranked it fifth.      According to the survey, overwhelming majority of 71.6 per cent were females whilst 27.9 per cent were male.     The survey revealed that most people recommended that government should provide women with soft loans and that women and children issues should be given priority attention by the government.       Other issues raised in the survey are that government should educate women and children on their rights and privileges, government should give free education to children, create more employment opportunities for women, offer higher positions and appointments equal to men, and women and children should be given free health care.     GNA ...

Fourteen of the 16 teams, who reached next yearÂ’s African Cup of Nations, will start their final preparations this week in far-flung friendly internationals across three continents, stretching from the United States to Portugal and South Africa.

Enyan Abaasa (C/R), Nov. 13, GNA-  Some 480 vulnerable children and their mothers from six communities in the Central and Greater Accra regions are to benefit from a Child Survival Programme (CSP) being undertaking by Compassion Ghana International.        The beneficial communities are Denkyira, New Ebu, Sankor, Enyan Abaasa in the Central region and Ashaiman and Adamrobe in the Greater Accra Region.     Mr Amos Sarfo, Communication Manager of Compassion Ghana International, said this at the official launch of the first phase of the programme at Enyan Abaasa in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District.     Under the programme, the NGO would bear the medical bills of the 240 children and also cater for their education until they attain age 22.      Mr Sarfo said the 240 mothers would be given between 50.00 Ghana cedis and 100.00 Ghana cedis each to do petty trading while being given skills training by the NGO.   He said the programme and a magazine for the child Survival Programme were launched at Enyan Abaasa due to high rate of teenage pregnancy cases, especially among school girls. Mr Sarfo said the children could not be blamed for any mistake their parents committed before they were born and therefore must be supported and appealed to the parents and church partners in the beneficial communities to do everything possible to ensure the success of the programme.       He said the NGO had take up the challenge to support the under-privileged children in the selected communities and to help them to become responsible adults.         Mr Padmore Baffour Agyapong, Country Director of Compassion Ghana, said the reason to launch the programme was to ensure the holistic development of the Ghanaian Child.    He said Compassion Ghana International had reached 45,000 poor and needy children nationwide.    GNA ...