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

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

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

  Wa, Nov. 04, GNA – Eleven personalities who have distinguished themselves in various fields of endeavor have been honoured by the National Youth Authority (NYA) in the Upper West Region.      The awards dubbed “Youth Achievers Awards” was organised in collaboration with the Youth Rights Foundation for Africa to commemorate the African Youth Day celebration.      The awards which are in two categories namely; special awards and priority areas award were given to individuals who have contributed towards youth development as well as some youth for distinguishing themselves in various fields.      Dr Edward Gyader, Dean of the University for Development Studies (UDS) Medical school in Tamale, Mr Alban Bagbin, Minister of Health, Mr Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister, Madam Sedinam Ahoinu Tamakloe, NYA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Archibald Donkor, Deputy Director, NYA and Rafiq Salam, Joy FM Upper West Correspondent picked meritorious awards under the special award category.      In the Priority Areas Award, Mr Abdulai Ahmed was honoured for Entrepreneurship, Mr Hudu Abdul-Wahab, Leadership, Peace Building and Good Governance, Mr Bakuoru Karim, Modern Agric, Suwera Prosper, ICT and Illiasu Baba Yussif for Health and Environment.      Mr Mumuni Sulemana, Regional Youth Director, said the awards were meant to appreciate and motivate the efforts of the awardees as well as challenge others to work hard to enable them win the awards next year.      He said NYA had established the Upper West Youth Endowment Fund to support brilliant but needy students and business minded youth and appealed to all who have the development of the youth at heart to contribute generously to the fund.      Mr Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister, urged the youth to be committed to whatever they did and also channel their energy to productive courses.      He appealed to the youth to stay disciplined and avoid being influenced by self seeking politicians.       Mr Alban Bagbin, thanked NYA and Youth Right Foundation for Africa for honouring the youth and urged the youth to take advantage of the numerous opportunities offered by government to better their lot.   GNA...

Accra, Nov. 04, GNA – Compassion Ghana, a NGO, has commissioned a computer resource centre at the Redemption Hour Child Development Centre (CDC) to improve teaching and learning of Information Communication Technology among children in Accra.   The facility which costs 54,000 dollars includes 36 computers, two printers, projector, photocopy machine and some computer books.   The project initiated in partnership with the Redemption Hour Faith Ministry, is aimed at equipping the children of Redemption Hour CDC to acquire the skills and knowledge in ICT and to help them develop their spiritual life, socio-emotional life.        Commissioning the project, Mr Justice Dadson, Partner Preparation Specialist of Compassion Ghana, said before the project started about 92 per cent of the registered children of Redemption Hour CDC attended schools without an ICT facility.   “So the general objective of this intervention is to improve teaching and learning at the Centre by enabling the registered children to have access to ICT resource centre”, he said.    He said it was important that children become more familiar with ICT at an early age to help them acquire the needed skills in ICT to climb the educational ladder adding that they would need it more in future as the world is moving to technology world.   “In this dynamic world it will get to a time that your illiteracy in ICT will not only make you less useful in an organization but you may also not be to survive in an industrialized community”, he noted.   Mr Dadson commended Redemption Hour CDC for taking the right step in establishing the computer laboratory.   He urged them to take good care of the center so that it would achieve its intended purpose.   Speaking of behalf of Redemption CDC, Madam Doris Van Dyck, acknowledged the importance of the project saying “it will help alleviate the concerns of the needy children in the community be it in education, health, clothing and feeding to a certain level where each child would be able to cater for his or herself”.   She commended Compassion Ghana for their effort  and assured them of Redemption Hour CDC’s commitment to maintain and properly manage the centre for achieve its stated purpose.   GNA...

Accra, Nov. 05, GNA – ‘Back Home from Justice’ a movie by Abeiku Sagoe, a veteran actor, producer and a movie director, was on Sunday premiered in Accra.   The movie, which is the fifth by Mr Sagoe, centres on the extent people could go to become chiefs in their villages and it was shot at locations in Kumasi, Accra, Cape Coast, Elmina and Akwanda.   The movie featured several artistes including William Addo, Martha Ankomah, Eddie Nartey, Fred Amugi, Edinam Atasti, Vicky Zugah amongst others.   It portrays how Cudjoe played by Eddie Nartey returns from prison on a presidential pardon after serving twelve out of thirty years for the murder of his girlfriend.   In his absence, Gyarteng played by Solomon Sampah, does everything to be selected to the stool, only that the queen mother would not nominate him.   Then Cudjoe takes another girlfriend who is soon murdered, but this time, Cudjoe flees from the police to avoid justice and it takes his intelligent school mate, Adzo played by Vicky Zugah, an undercover police agent, posing as a mad woman to unravel the mystery surrounding the murder.   For the rest of the story, ‘Back Home from Justice’ is available in any movie shop.   Abeiku Sagoe, an artiste with over 40 years experience in the movie industry, has won both local and international awards and some of his productions include: ‘A Knock from Inside’, ‘Samori’, and ‘Avenger’ and ‘Nemesis’.   In 2004, his film, ‘Nemesis’ was officially selected for exhibition at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival and was actually only one of three films in the category from Africa.   He is also the writer, director and producer of the highly rated ‘Standard Life’ which is currently serialized on TV3 and shown at 9pm on Mondays.    GNA...

Gomoa Asempanyin (C/R), Nov. 5, GNA – The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Gomoa West, Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah has stated that the government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is not against making Senior High School (SHS) education free as is being propagated by certain political parties.   Speaking at the inauguration of two school blocks at Gomoa Asempanyin and Gomoa Oguan both in the Gomoa West District, Mr Aidoo-Mensah said all what the government was saying was that access to educational facilities for use by the students and training of enough teachers to teach the students must be secured before the start of the free SHS policy.   He said currently the schools were bedevilled with many challenges such as inadequate classrooms resulting in overcrowding, in some cases as much as 90 students to a class, inadequate furniture with students sitting in threes instead of twos to a desk, and inadequate teachers.   The DCE said these challenges had hindered the attainment of quality education by the schools which at times resulted in some of the schools scoring zero per cent in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).   He said starting free SHS policy by next academic year if given the nod in the upcoming elections would compound the problems in the educational system which the government was working hard to resolve.   Mr Aidoo-Mensah recounted the problems created by the decision of the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to increase the duration of SHS from three to four years for the students when no provision was made for classroom and dormitory accommodation for the students.   " For how long would our students be allowed to continue to attend classes under trees?" the DCE asked.   Mr Aidoo-Mensah promised to put up teachers' quarters in the town as soon as the Assembly received its share of the District Development Fund.   Nana Kumasah Krampah I, Mankrado of Gomoa Asempanyin expressed gratitude to the government for the number of development projects the town had benefited from.   He commended Mr Francis Kojo Arthur, Member of Parliament for the area for constructing a road linking the town with Gomoa Maim which had been abandoned for about 40 years.   Mr James B. Pratt, Headmaster of the School appealed for teachers’ quarters to enable the teachers to stay in town to help to control the pupils after school hours.   At Gomoa Oguan, Nana Okusae Edu XVII, Chief of the town appealed to the Assembly to connect electricity to the school to facilitate the teaching and learning of ICT.   The Headmistress, Miss Leticia Mensah appealed for teachers’ quarters, a library and computer centre.   GNA...

Takinta (W/R), Nov. 5, GNA - The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in the Jomoro District has identified four rivers suitable for cage-fishing and has appealed to investors to assist the youth to go into that type of fish farming.      The rivers are Amanzule at Nzulezo, Tano at Elubo and Ellenda Wharf, Abbey Lagoon at Jewi Wharf and New Town Wharf and Balebangla at New Town.       The Jomoro District of Director of MOFA, Mr Kenneth Buadu, said this at the Jomoro District celebration of Farmers’ Day celebration at Takinta.           Mr Buadu said experimental studies on the project in the Tano River yielded good result, an indication of its economic viability.      He said proper establishment of the project in the area would produce large quantities of tilapia, nilelotical, cad fish, lobsters and shrimps for local consumption and export.     He explained that cage-fishing matures between four and six months depending on management practice, adding that an initial capital of between 1,000.00 Ghana cedis could start the project which most youth in the area could not afford.      Mr Buadu said cage fishing is booming in the Volta Lake.     The Omanhene of Western Nzema Traditional Area, Awulae Annor Adjaye, who chaired the function, said with off shore oil drilling in the area, sea fishing would be affected soon.        A 61-year-old farmer at Onzanyamenleye near Elubo, Mr Charles Hammond, was adjudged the Jomoro District best farmer and took home a double-door refrigerator, a radio cassette player, a bicycle, a spraying machine, six cutlasses and two pairs of Wellington boots.   GNA...

Winneba, Nov 5, GNA - Mr Francis Egyarko Donkoh, the Central Regional Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has predicted that the party would win 18 out of the 23 parliamentary seats in the Central Region.    He said the party’s youth wing, including students associations in tertiary institutions, are working hard to ensure that the target is achieved.    Mr Donkoh said this at the inauguration of the Senior Patriots Club of the University of Education Winneba (UEW) in Winneba.    He said the youth wing, apart from house to house campaign to explain the message of the party to voters especially floating ones, would also be vigilant at the polling stations on December 7.    Mr Donkoh said the NPP had the capacity to fulfil its campaign promises and the party’s presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had a vision and urged Ghanaians to vote massively for him on December 7.    He appealed to NPP supporters to step up their campaign on free Senior High School education to parents to understand the need to vote for NPP.      Mr Alex Afenyo Markin, NPP parliamentary candidate for Effutu, appealed to voters in the constituency to reject the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to pave way for development projects.   Mr Markin appealed to the supporters not to launch personal attacks on their political opponents but give them reasons why they should vote for the NPP   GNA...

Accra, Nov 4, GNA - Ghana has booked a date with Cape Verde for an international friendly on Tuesday, November 13 in Lisbon, Portugal.             GNA Sports can confirm that the Black Stars would assemble in the Portuguese capital for the friendly which Ghana would be using as the final international brush up ahead of the 2013 African Cup of Nations.           The choice of opposition, according to information pieced together by GNA Sports was influenced by the team's the Stars will meet at the competition which would be for the last time held in even years. Ghana is pitted in Group B alongside Niger, DR Congo and Mali for the first phase of the biannual gathering.   Stars coach, Kwesi Appiah is expected to use the game to find tune his squad and also study new players for a place in his squad. Cape Verde booked their place at the continental showpiece after stunning Cameroon in the qualifiers.           It will be the first meeting between the two sides after the 2006 World Cup qualifiers.   GNA...

Accra, Nov 4, GNA - Black Stars' Andre Ayew has been short listed among ten players to compete for this year's Confederation of African Football (CAF) Player of the Year award scheduled for Accra next month.           Ayew emerged the only Ghanaian in the shortlist expected to be pruned to three before the 2012 edition of the plum event that celebrate the continents best performer for the year under review.       Other Black Stars players, Emmanuel Agyeman Badu and Kwadwo Asamoah who made the initial 34 could not advance according a communiqué from CAF.        The CAF technical and the media committees select players for the annual event formerly won by the ‘maestro’, Abedi Pele.         This is the second time Ayew has come this far having placed third behind Seydou Keita and Yaya Toure at the last edition also held in Accra last year.         The 10 nominees include Didier Drogba (Cote d’Ivoire), Alexander Song (Cameroon), Demba Ba (Senegal), Gervais Lombe Yao Kouassi (Cote d’Ivoire), John Obi Mikel (Nigeria), Younes Belhanda (Morocco), Christopher Katongo (Zambia) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon).       The list, according to CAF will be passed on to head coaches and technical directors of the affiliated National Associations to cast their votes for the first three.       The top three would be announce in the last week of November before the final announcement of the winner at the event billed for December 20 in Accra.        In other categories, trio, Emmanuel Clottey, Harrison Afful, Solomon Asante  all missed out on the shortlist for the Player of the Year (based in Africa) award.       Other awards to be contested for on the night are National Team of the Year, Women’s Footballer of the Year,  Women’s National Team of the Year, Club of the Year,  Most Promising Talent of the Year, Coach of the Year, Referee of the Year,  Legend Award, Fair Play Award, Platinum Award and Africa Finest XI.   GNA...

Kwabenakwa (Ash), Nov 5, GNA- Thirty farmers including farmer- based organizations, educational institutions and agriculture extension agents were honoured at this year’s Obuasi Municipal Farmer’s day held at Kwabenakwa near Obuasi.   Mr Micheal Kwasi Anokye, 55, was adjudged the best farmer and for his prize AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine would install a corn mill for him.   He also took home a spraying machine, Wellington boots, cutlasses and bars of key soap.   Mr. Lawrence Nana Bondah Obeng, the assembly member for Anyinam who was the first runner, was given a motor bike, Wellington boots, cutlasses, spraying machine and bars of key soap.   The second runner- up prize went to Mr. Emmanuel Sosu,  had a double- decker fridge, standing fan, spraying machine, Wellington boots and bars of key soap.   Addressing the farmers the Municipal Chief Executive, John Alexander Ackon, announced that the government, through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) subsidized over 4000 bags of fertilizer to farmers in the municipality.   GNA...

Ziope (V/R), Nov. 05, GNA - Farmers who won awards at the Agotime-Ziope District Farmers’ Day celebration have received support from the Assembly to build houses.        The farmers received between 15 and 30 bags of cement each, apart from other items and would be monitored and given other technical assistance to put up residential accommodations for themselves and for rent.       Mr Michael Kobla Adzaho, the District Chief Executive, said this at a durbar to mark day at Ziope.         He said the initiative was to increase the housing stock in the district and make it a preferred destination for nurses, teachers and other public servants.       “We will help the farmers to rent part of these houses out to nurses, teachers and other public servants to raise some money,” Mr Adzaho said.      He said it was unfortunate that irrespective of farmers’ huge contributions to nation building, many continued to live under poor conditions and expressed the hope that the initiative would help improve their living standards. Mr Adzaho commended the youth in the district for embracing farming and said this had reduced youth unemployment in the area.      “I am particularly happy about our youth who are now doing serious farming. Some even walk several miles to fetch water to irrigate their crops. It is very inspiring,” he said.       Mr Adzaho assured the people that the government would soon construct a dam at Ziope to meet water needs of farmers across the seasons in the area.      He advised them to form farmer-based groups so they could access loans to increase their yields.      Ten 10 farmers were awarded with Mr. Mathias Dzebu, 37, emerging as the District Best Farmer.        He farmed groundnut, cassava, yam, cocoyam, tomatoes, garden egg, pepper, sweet potato, plantain and palm oil.       Mr Dzebu also has fowls, guinea fowls, sheep and goats.       He received 30 bags of cement, a bicycle, a pair of Wellington boots, four cutlasses and a half piece of cloth.       Mr Dzebu told the GNA that the challenges facing farmers in the District were bad roads and the absence of a dam to irrigate crops.   GNA...