TOR TAKES DELIVERY OF CRUDE OIL (BACK PAGE, OCT 30)

THE Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) yesterday began taking delivery of the 997,000 barrels of crude oil imported into the country last Sunday.
The unloading of the product for TOR, which began at 10:48 a.m., is expected to take three days.
The ship which brought the product, imported into the country by Sahara Energy, spent over 96 hours offshore at the Single Point Mooring (SPM) facility, following difficulties with the acquisition of Letters of Credit (LCs).
Inside sources at the refinery told the Daily Graphic that an arrangement had been reached with Sahara Energy for the rest of the payment to be effected at an agreed date after successful delivery of the oil.
The acting Managing Director of TOR, Dr Kwame Ampofo, would, however, not comment on this new development, as he told this reporter that he was attending a board meeting when he finally answered his telephone after failing to do so for the past four days.
When reached on telephone, the Deputy Minister of Energy, Dr Kwabena Donkor, told the Daily Graphic that the issue at hand was a technical and operational one.
“We at the ministry are in charge of policies and supervision,” he remarked.
The absence of crude oil at the refinery, 10 months into the ruling National Democratic Congress administration, has seen the government and the workers of the refinery on a collision course, with the latter threatening to embark on a strike.
The move saw the President visiting the refinery last week to ascertain its true state and also interact with the workers, while assuring the nation of the importance the government attached to the operation of the refinery, which he described as one of the pivots of the country’s economic development.
The move resulted in the government reaching an agreement with Sahara Energy, which imported the 137,000 metric tonnes of crude oil into the country, while the government struggled for LCs to facilitate delivery, until Ecobank Ghana went to its rescue.

UNCERTAINTY OVER CRUDE OIL DELIVERY (OCT 29, SPREAD)

THE anticipated delivery of crude oil to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) yesterday for refining was still uncertain at the time of going to press.
This is because the $54 million worth of letters of credit (LCs) so far guaranteed by Ecobank Ghana only cover the cost of 750,000 barrels out of the more than 997,000 barrels of crude brought into the country last Sunday by Sahara Energy.
Sources close to TOR, which disclosed the details to the Daily Graphic, were, however, unable to say what would happen to the rest of the consignment of crude if the full cost was not paid.
The sources said another vessel carrying finished products imported into the country by Chase Petroleum had arrived at the Single Point Mooring (SPM) facility near Kpone and had begun unloading its cargo into storage facilities in the Accra Plains Depot.
Although top management officials at the refinery were tight-lipped about the latest development, other sources told the Daily Graphic that the consignment’s delivery, which was expected to have been done yesterday evening, might have to wait till the end of today.
The vessel, ‘Wilhelmina’ , which is carrying the 997,000 barrels of crude, has been on anchorage at the Tema Harbour since Sunday waiting to berth for onward delivery, while the consignee agency, Sahara Energy, demands LCs that will serve as guarantee that the crude will be paid for after delivery.
Frantic efforts by the government and TOR management to get Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) to provide the needed guarantee failed following the refinery’s indebtedness to GCB to the tune of about $600 million.
The move saw Ecobank Ghana stepping in to provide the LCs after officials of the Finance and Energy ministries, as well as TOR, on Tuesday had held a hectic 24-hour meeting with the bank, resulting in the $54 million to cover more than 80 per cent of the cargo, leaving the government to look elsewhere for money to settle the remaining 20 per cent.

ECOBANK GUARANTEES LCS FOR OIL DELIVERY (PAGE 3, OCT 28)

ECOBANK Ghana Limited has raised $54 million worth of letters of credit (LCs) to enable the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to take delivery of 997,000 barrels of crude oil for refining.
The refinery may, however, have to wait till the end of today, by which time Sahara Energy in Nigeria is expected to have received confirmation of receipt of payment.
The consignment of crude has been on anchorage at the Tema Harbour since Monday waiting to berth at the Single Point Mooring (SPM) facility near Kpone for onward delivery, while the consignee agency, Sahara Energy, demands LCs that will serve as guarantee that it will be paid for the delivery.
Attempts by the government and TOR on Monday to get Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) to provide the needed guarantee failed because the refinery was already indebted to GCB to the tune of some $600 million and the new guarantee would raise the level of indebtedness further to undesirable limits.
Daily Graphic sources disclosed that ECOBANK, after a hectic meeting with officials of the Finance and Energy ministries, as well as TOR, yesterday, agreed to provide the LCs to cover more than 80 per cent of the cargo.
The sources added that owing to the level of the transaction, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) had to grant the guaranteeing agency ECOBANK an exemption before it could agree on the deal as part of the conditions spelt out in the contract.
They further indicated that TOR needed to put its documents in order following a formal request for the LCs late on Monday afternoon after GCB had failed to raise the LCs.
ECOBANK Ghana and its parent company, ECOBANK Development Corporation (EDC), were in June this year contracted by the government to restructure TOR’s debt to enable it to recommence regular operations.
The absence of crude oil since September last year has led to agitation among TOR’s workers who threatened to embark on an industrial action if the President did not step in to save the situation.
The agitation also saw the workers accusing some officials of the Energy Ministry of subverting the importation of crude oil, leading to an artificial shortage of petroleum products, because of the huge profit margins they were generating from the importation of finished petroleum products for TOR.
Officials of TOR, as well as the representing ministries brokering the deal, are tight-lipped over the latest development, as calls to their phones went unanswered.

TEMA INSTALS CHIEF IMAM (DAILY GRAPHIC, CENTER SPREAD,MON OCT 26)

THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to operate from the international conference center as parts of government’s interim measure to revive activities following last week’s fire outbreak that raised down the 10-storey building housing the ministry.
The sector minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni disclosed this to the Daily Graphic at the outdooring ceremony of the Tema Metropolitan Chief Imam Alhaji-Salley Iddrisu Sika and his deputy Alhaji Adam Abubakari in Tema.
The ceremony also witnessed the launch of the Tema Metro Islamic Development Fund which is aimed towards the mobilization of resources for economic and infrastructure development in Muslim communities within the metropolis.
Alhaji Mumuni noted government as a matter of urgency has adopted a three tier approach which would see the construction of a modern office complex at the former students hostel premises which was reclaimed by government to house the ministry in its long term programme whilst feverish arrangements would be made within the next two weeks to secure a permanent office structure to accommodate staffs.
The minister commended the Muslim community in the Tema metropolis for a peaceful transition of leadership following the death of the late chief imam, Alhaji Abdul Samad two months ago.
He indicated the concept of globalization which comes with modern development has caught up with the world, hence the need to live in peaceful co-existence as parts of efforts being made towards instigating our economy into the new globalised society.
He challenged Muslims to seek knowledge in order to interprete themselves better to the world while they make strives towards investing in their children’s education as education is the “key to a nation’s development”. He remarked.
He commended the incoming chief Imam for the launch of a development fund which would go into facilitating development of Muslim children as well as Muslim communities and urge all to contribute towards sustaining the fund.
The new chief imam, Ahaji Salley Iddrisu Sika in his address noted the underdevelopment of Muslim communities was due to the low level of education of residents, hence the need to develop approaches aimed at complementing the efforts of the National Chief Imam to improve the situation.
He said an advisory board would be put in place in all mosques within the metropolis to plan activities that would facilitate the implementation of programmes aimed at improving the lives of the people.
Imam Iddrisu-Sika challenged endowed Muslims to support the less privileged, the aged and widows in Muslim communities.
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Krakue II who administered the oath of office challenged the chief Imam to uphold the virtues of Islam, pointing out that the absence of peace retard development in the communities.
The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Kempes Ofosuware commended the new chief Imam for playing a major role in the smooth transition.
Ahaji Iddrisu-Sika was born in Accra on the 22nd September 1929. He had his elementary school at the Accra High elementary school and later proceeded to Accra High School between 1940-1948 for his secondary education.
He later trained as a librarian and served as an assistant librarian at the famous Balm Library of the University of Ghana and subsequently, at the Akuafo Hall of the same university.
Later, he joined the Kaiser engineers as a general foreman during the construction of the Akosombo Dam, the Volta Aluminum Company as well as government silos at the cocoa processing company.
The Deputy Minister of Water Resource, Works and Housing, Alhaji Saani Iddi who launched the fund donated an amount of GH¢100 as seed money for the fund.
Alhaji Mumuni who pledged GH¢1000 as the President’s personal donation also donated an undisclosed amount towards the fund.
The Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Mr Alfred Agbesi, former Greater Accra Regional Minister Sheik I.C Quaye, Numo Addison Adinortey, municipal chief executive of Ashaiman and a member of the council of state Hajia Hajara Ali were among the dignitaries that graced the occasion.

COMPANY DONATES TO ROTARY CLUB (DAILY GRAPHIC,PAGE 30, MON OCT 27)

TROPICAL Cable and Conductor limited has presented various sizes of electrical cables to the Rotary Club of Tema towards electrification works on the Tema Community 11 police station being constructed by the club.
Making the donation, the Marketing Manager of Tropical Cable, Mr Frederick Blasu said the cables which cost GH¢ 1600 would complement the club’s efforts at ensuring that the community have functional security.
Mr Blasu indicated that as a member of the UN Global Compact Network Ghana, Tropical Cable and Conductor limited was committed to upholding the principles of human rights, labour standards, environmental protection and anti-corruption, and it is for this reason that, “we have decided to partner the rotary club and the Police service to ensure residents in our community are safe and secure”.
The President of the Club, Mr John Bisiw expressed profound appreciation to the company for providing the cables.
He noted that the donation would relieve the financial burden on members who are finding it difficult in sourcing funds for the project.
At the same ceremony, Pasico Ghana Limited, producers of NACO Louvre frames and blades also donated quantities of louvre blades and frames towards the completion of the project.
The divisional commander of the Tema Community Two police station, Superintendent Gabriel Amankwah Dokyi in whose jurisdiction the project is being constructed, paid glowing tribute to the two companies for their support and appealed for more assistance in the provision of logistics to help them to carry out their duties effectively.
The project which was initiated by the Rotary club of Tema last year at an estimated cost of GH¢ 1.1 billion when completed, would serve four Communities whose residents presently have to travel to Community Two when they need the services of the police.
The project which is being roofed, has a charge office, male, female and juvenile cells, as well as a four-unit office for personnel.

SHIP WITH CRUDE OIL AWAITS LC (DAILY GRAPHIC, TUE OCT 27, BACK PAGE)

THE vessel carrying the consignment of 137,000 metric tonnes of crude oil which arrived in the country last Sunday from Warri in Nigeria, has been on an anchorage offshore Ghanaian waters awaiting a confirmation of letters of credit (LC) by the Ghana Commercial Bank.
A a source at TOR told the Daily Graphic at press time yesterdsy that “the GCB needs to confirm letters of credit to enable the vessel carrying the crude to dock at the Single Point Mooring (SPM) facility near Kpone,”
The consignment which was procured by Sahara Oil, according to the source, was a temporary arrangement outside government plans to ensure that TOR resumed its operations.
The absence of crude oil 10 months into the ruling National Democratic Congress' administration has seen the Government and workers of the nation’s only refinery on a collision course, with the latter threatening to embark on strike.
The move saw the President moving in last Thursday to the refinery, to ascertain its true state and also interact with workers for first-hand information on the situation, while assuring the nation of the importance the Government attached to the activities of the refinery, which he described as one of the pivots of the country’s economic development.
The workers’ protest also saw the Tema District Council of Labour issuing a two-week ultimatum to the Government to lift crude oil for TOR to enable it to begin full operations.
Deputy Energy Minister, Dr Kwabena Donkor, as well as the acting Managing Director of TOR, Dr Kwame Ampofo, could not be reached for their comments on the latest development as many calls to their phones went unanswered.
Officials of Sahara Oil who agreed to speak to the Daily Graphic could not be reached either as their chief executive was reported to be in a meeting.

CLIMATE CHANGE HAMPERS DEV IN AFRICA — CJ (PAGE 17, OCT 24)

THE Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Wood, has said climate change has contributed greatly to the high poverty levels in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mrs Justice Wood said this in a speech read on her behalf at the Stand Up and Take Action (SUTA) games in Tema held as part of activities marking the Global Day Against Poverty.
The celebration was on the theme, “We can’t wait; Stand up, take action, End Climate Change and Poverty Now”.
She indicated that climate change was one of the most serious threats facing humanity, adding that it would affect the lives of children and future generations if it was not addressed properly.
She said human activities, such as carbon emissions and pollution of rivers and water bodies, had contributed massively to the depletion of the ozone layer, which had in turn contributed to the climate change being experienced across Africa today, and called on all to join hands towards saving the environment.
She said women had a major role to play in the restoration of the environment, as they were the leading patrons of domestic products and services.
Mrs Justice Wood expressed regret that women, who were the torch-bearers of the crusade to save the environment, were rather the main architects of environmental pollution and called on all to adopt safe environmental practices by thinking through their actions and tackling issues on climate change.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Abibiman Foundation, organisers of the programme, Mr Kwabena Okai Ofosuhene, indicated that the annual games organised for students from basic schools within the Tema metropolis formed part of the “Children and youth against climate change and poverty” concept developed by the United Nations Millennium Campaign (UNMC) aimed at promoting sports development, peace and togetherness among students.
He noted that the games provided an opportunity for citizens to show solidarity with millions of poor people across the country by demanding from the government an improvement in governance practices and ensuring accountability and transparency in engagements.
More than 500 pupils from eight zones in selected basic schools within the Tema metropolis joined the anti-poverty campaign and called on world leaders to assist in bringing relief to persons locked up in the state of deprivation.

COUNCIL OF LABOUR ISSUES ULTIMATUM (PAGE 3, OCT 26)

THE Tema District Council of Labour has given the government a two-week ultimatum to lift crude oil for the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to enable it to begin full operations this year.
It said the council would advise itself on the next course of action at the end of the two-week ultimatum.
The Chairman of the council, Mr Wilson Agana, issued the ultimatum at an emergency meeting with members of the refinery unionised staff and organised labour in Tema last Friday as a follow-up to President Mills’s visit to the refinery in the wake of workers’ agitation over the non-availability of crude oil, for which the workers had threatened to embark on an industrial action.
Mr Agana noted that the prevailing situation of no oil for TOR to refine had negative repercussions for the country because of the heavy dependence of other industries on the refinery for their raw materials.
The Chairman of the senior staff of the refinery’s local union, Mr Bernard Entsiwah, commended the President for the visit and impressed upon him to initiate immediate steps towards the fulfilment of the promise he made to workers and the nation as a whole.
He urged the government to pay serious attention to the operations of the refinery, since it played a very significant role in the economic growth of the country.
Mr Entsiwah regretted that billions of Ghana cedis had been spent on the rehabilitation of the refinery but it had not been put to appropriate use “as a result of non-availability of crude oil”.
He attributed the situation to some people’s parochial interests and warned that it could cripple the country’s economy and endanger the emerging oil industry.
The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr Kofi Asamoah, called on the government to refer the alleged $300,000 loan taken by top officials at the Energy Ministry to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for investigations.
The workers had alleged that the loan was taken from the SG-SSB Bank to facilitate the procurement of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LGP) to be sold through a third party to TOR.
He also called on local unions to endeavour to channel their complaints through their mother unions.

SHOCK KILLS SATELLITES FAN (GRAPHIC SPORTS, PAGE 11)

A 63-year-old retired staff of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Mr Martin Yelyena Dakpie last Saturday met his untimely death, after failing to recover from the coma he suffered during the penalty shoot-out of the Ghana-Brazil clash at the just-ended FIFA Under-20 World Cup played in Egypt.
The deceased, who was watching the final match with his children at their community five residence in Tema, according to the wife, fell off his chair when a member of the Ghanaian team shot his the spot kick into the waiting arms of the Brazilian goalkeeper.
He remained in coma for eight hours and never learnt of Ghana’s triumph at the World Youth Championship till he died.
Mrs Veronica Dakpie said they immediately rushed him to the Meridian clinic, which is close to their residence where he was immediately placed on a drip. Checks on him revealed his blood pressure had risen to an abnormal rate of 280.
He was subsequently referred to the Tema General Hospital following the absence of a doctor on duty at the clinic.
“Although the doctors tried fruitlessly to revive him, he gave up the ghost at 6 p.m. Saturday night,” Mrs Dakpie said.
A pathologist’s report on the deceased indicated he died out of shock.

NO FEARS ...Crude oil will come, Prez assures (LEAD STORY, OCT 23)

PRESIDENT John Evans Atta Mills yesterday visited the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and assured workers that the government would definitely provide the refinery with the much needed crude oil to facilitate its operations.
“ I am here for one reason: I want crude oil. I want to assure you that you are going to get crude oil to run the refinery,” he said.
Interacting with the workers on the factory premises in Tema, President Mills said the government attached great importance to the activities of the refinery, which he described as one of the pivots of the country’s economic development.
He said the government was sensitive to the plight of the electorate who gave it the mandate to manage the country’s affairs and would not, by any stretch of the imagination, undertake actions which would inflict hardships on them.
According to him, the regular supply of petroleum products to the market was important to industry and manufacturing, for which reason the government would strive at all times to ensure that those products were on the market.
President Mills explained that the government had learnt very hard lessons from the operations of the petroleum sector, stressing that there were so many intrigues in the sector which it had discovered and was dealing with them to ensure that petroleum products were available to Ghanaians throughout the year.
He said the government sympathised with the broad masses of the people whenever there were shortages of fuel on the market and cautioned that individuals and groups of persons whose main intention was to sabotage the efforts of the government in the sector should reconsider their ways and change for the better.
“The government is learning its lessons the hard way, for which reason I want to assure those engaged in all sorts of malpractice in the petroleum sector that they will not get away with their acts which are harming the economy,” he said.
President Mills appealed to the workers to exercise restraint while the government took all the needed measures to address challenges facing the refinery.
The workers enjoined President Mills to take pains to investigate activities at the Ministry of Energy which they believed were the cause of the recent shortage of petroleum products in the country.
They also enjoined him to be watchful of the activities of some of his ministers whom they alleged were sabotaging his efforts to ensure the transformation of the country’s social and economic structures.

WILD JUBILATION AT TEMA (GRAPHIC SPORTS, OCT 20, GRAPHIC SPORTS)

Story: Della Russel Ocloo, Tema

THE anxiety that marked the Ghana-Brazil clash during the penalty shootout at the just-ended FIFA Under-20 championship turned into wild jubilations as scores of people went into a frenzy on the streets of Tema moments after the referee blew the final whistle to end proceedings.
From Community One through the principal streets in Community Four to Community Eight and Seven, jubilant supporters danced to brass band music amidst wild celebrations, thereby impeding vehicular movement across the stretch.
The celebrations, which lasted deep into the night saw motorists plying the motorway roundabout route linking Tema to Accra in heavy traffic, forcing some commuters on board commercial vehicles to alight and continue their journey on foot.
The frontage of Adom FM, a Tema-based radio station, witnessed a mammoth carnival ground moments after the final whistle. This held traffic for several hours on the Tema- Sakumono beach road, giving the Police a difficult task of controlling the situation
Residents of Ashaiman, however, kept vigil on the streets in front of the main lorry station amidst drumming and dancing.
When Daily Graphic visited the carnival grounds at about 10:30pm, night revellers were seen busily doing business. The situation also saw pickpockets having a field day, snatching mobile phones and anything they could lay hands on from by-standers.

TOR WORKERS UNHAPPY (PAGE 31, OCT 21)

WORKERS of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) are raising red flags over management’s inability to procure crude oil for processing, leading to acute fuel shortage throughout the country.
They are also calling for the removal of the Energy Minister, Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei, and one of his deputies, Dr Kwabena Donkor, whom they accused of subverting the refinery’s ability to procure crude for processing.
The workers threatened to embarked on an industrial action if the President did not intervene immediately to resolve the issue.
This was contained in a resolution jointly signed by Messrs Samuel Mills Anderson and Israel Adrah, secretaries of the junior and senior staff unions of the Tema District Council of Labour.
In the resolution, the leadership of the General Transport Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTP & CWU) and the Professional Management Staff Union (PMSU) called on the council to, as a matter of urgency, to confer with President Mills to intervene and bring lasting solution to the issue of crude oil procurement for the refinery.
The resolution said non-availability of crude oil for processing had resulted in a substantial deterioration of the refinery’s installations, which have been lying fallow for the past 10 months, expressing the fear that the inactivity would ultimately add up to the already huge TOR debt in view of the increasing cost of maintenance.
The workers also maintained that following TOR’s inability to import crude, the refinery was incurring a daily loss of $300,000 as a result of the shutdown of the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC) Plant.
The resolution noted that industries such as Unilever, Nestle, and Textiles Ghana Limited (GTP) operating in the Tema metropolis and depending on TOR for residual fuel as raw materials for their operations were on the verge of temporary closure owing to the crisis.
It wondered why an agreement between the government and Sahara Oil in which TOR was expected to take delivery of 900,000 barrels of crude oil by the close of this week had been cancelled, although the same company was supplying the Volta River Authority (VRA) light crude to enable VRA run its generating plant.
The acting Managing Director of TOR, Dr Kwame Ampofo, could not be reached for comment as several calls to his phone went unanswered.

TOILET OPERATORS TO GO TO COURT (PAGE 16, OCT 21)

Operators and managers of public toilets in the Ashaiman Municipality have issued a notice to commence legal action against the municipal assembly over the seizure of some of the facilities under their management.
The notice of issue, dated October 5, 2009 was addressed to the Municipal Chief Executive through their legal representatives, Kwasi Blay and Associates.
A copy of the letter, which was made available to the Daily Graphic, stated that the law firm was acting on behalf of its clients Seasuk Company Limited, Rajakwa Company Limited and 13 others.
The operators noted that: "Some persons perceived to be followers of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the municipality, without due process, had embarked on a seizure and management of the public toilets under the management and care of our clients".
The letter further stated that the first seizure was in January, this year, which lasted for four months, with the second and third also lasting seven and three days respectively. “ We are, therefore, urging the assembly to take the necessary action to ward off trespassers from the facilities and ensure that the operators delivered their services without any interruptions.
The operators, in two separate letters to the assembly dated July 29 and September 29, 2009, they had asked the assembly to extend the Franchise Agreement covering their operations for 17 weeks due to the unlawful seizures of the toilet facilities.
The solicitors indicated in the letter that due to the silence of the assembly on the extension, their clients "hold the view that the Franchise Agreements have been extended by a further period of 17 weeks, from December 01, 2010".
The operators denied allegations made by the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Addison Adinortey Numo, in his sessional address to the assembly at its second ordinary meeting of the second session on September 29 and 30, 2009.
According to the letter, in the said address, Mr Numo had alluded to the fact that there were complaints from the public that the toilets were not neat.
He also said reports from the Waste Management Department of the assembly “confirmed the existence of nuisance, offensive odour and breeding of flies, which posed health hazards to the communities, and there was the likelihood of an epidemic outbreak in the municipality".
The letter noted that the statement was a deliberate ploy to incite the assembly members and the public against them and create an atmosphere that will result in unilaterally terminating the Franchise Agreement.
The letter indicated that the operators had dutifully maintained and kept a clean environment at all the facilities under their management.
When the MCE, was contacted on telephone for his reaction to the new development he said the assembly was planning to meet the operators on Friday to discuss the issue amicably, because the assembly had decided to take over the management the facilities.
He gave an indication that the assembly was prepared to meet the operators in court, if they decided it to be so. ‘The courts are for everybody, ’ Mr Numo remarked.

DEVELOP INNOVATIONS IN ROAD SAFETY (PAGE 28, OCT 16)

THE Deputy Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, has called on automobile companies operating in the country to develop innovations in road safety practices.
She expressed regret that road accidents, which used to be the sixth on the list of 10 major causes of death in the country, had assumed a prominent position.
Mrs Attivor said the National Road Safety Commission’s (NRSC’s) projections indicated that road crashes would take the third position on the list of causes of death by the year 2020 if nothing substantive and immediate was done about it.
She was speaking at the opening of $2-million Vulco Tyre Centre by Rana Motors in Tema.
The new auto-boutique, which is expected to become a one-stop retail facility for Goodyear Tyres, would afford clients a wide range of tyres to suit their personalised choices and make available a choice of accessories for all types of vehicles.
The deputy minister commended Rana Motors for setting up the centre saying that road safety on our roads had over the years been compromised largely through poor vehicle maintenance, lack of adequate and genuine spare parts, human errors, poor visibility and recklessness and expressed the hope that the new workshop would contribute towards road safety.
She called on automobile distribution and related companies in the country to set up assembling points to complete the cycle of transfer of technology and provide employment for the youth.
Mrs Attivor said stakeholders should not hesitate to involve artisans in the Suame magazine in Kumasi and Kokompe in Accra and other centres across the country, which are making strides in the maintenance of vehicles.
According to Mrs Attivor, the ministry would continue to strengthen the NRSC and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to promote road safety campaigns and safety standards and called for a ban on the importation of second-hand tyres into to the country to avert tyre-related incidents.
The Chief Executive Officer of RANA Motors, Mr Essam Odaymart, said the Vulco concept was designed to bring a first class auto-shopping experience to its clients.
He noted that the retail franchise, which was introduced by Goodyear in 1996 as a convenience shop to its customers, offered quality automobile products and services under one roof.
The concept, which began in France, had since been implemented in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Croatia, Serbia and Morocco, with the Ghana centre being the first in the West African sub-region.
He said the concept was being promoted on the continent by the West African Tyre Services (WATS) and would soon have outlets in Takoradi, Kumasi, Ouagadougou and Bamako.
The Managing Director of WATS, Mr Vinay Kapoor, who has an oversight responsibility over Vulco, said the brand, which is built on safety and performance, would address the numerous road accidents in the country.
Present at the ceremony were Mr Ali Tamimi, Head of VULCO in Africa and the Middle East and representatives from various automobile companies operating in the country.

EASING TEMA PORT TRAFFIC CONGESTION...GPHA to construction 6-lane road (PAGE 29, OCT 16)

THE Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) will start construction works next year on a six-lane road from the motorway roundabout to the Tema Harbour as part of the project to ease traffic congestion in the port.
The project includes a dual-carriageway to be constructed from the Nungua barrier to the port, to ease vehicular movement in and out of the port, as well as the building of a new modern car park at Kpone, near Tema, to avoid the high rate of accidents around the port following the indiscriminate parking of trucks within the port business area.
The Director General of the GPHA, Mr Nestor Percy Galley, disclosed this at a staff durbar in Tema.
Mr Galley said in its quest to complement government’s objective to make the Tema port the hub in the sub-region, the GPHA would soon begin expansion works at the Takoradi and Tema ports.
These projects, according to Mr Galley, would involve the installation of oil service facilities at the Takoradi port to support Ghana’s emerging oil industry.
The Director-General noted that the problem of laid-up vessels which had added to the congestion inside the port was receiving attention.
Mr Galley indicated that construction works on a new maritime hospital project would soon take off following the acquisition of land, and that would form part of efforts to provide quality and accessible healthcare for its workforce.
He pledged his commitment to partner with the Ghana Customs, Exercise and Preventive Service (CEPS) to ensure that incidents of tax evasion, drug trafficking and related crimes were stemmed.
Mr Galley also asked stakeholders in the maritime industry to come on board to help the authority in the provision of quality services, as well as ensure that the government’s gateway programme was achieved.
He challenged the workers to maintain the highest form of discipline and professionalism in their various job descriptions and warned that employees found to engage in activities that contravened the regulations of the authority would be dealt with.
The Director of the Tema Port, Mr Richard Anamoo, charged workers to be committed to the improvement of productivity.
He said to ensure that employees played a functional role of turning its fortunes around, it would soon begin training in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for all staff and encouraged them to take advantage of the package immediately it began.
The workers called on the management to take a critical look at the concession agreement signed by the authority and the Meridian Ports Services, which they described as affecting the authority’s business for many GPHA employees were idling because of unavailability of tasks.

25-YEAR SENTENCE FOR AMERICAN PAEDOPHILE (OCT 16, PAGE 3)

THE Tema Circuit Court yesterday sentenced a 65-year-old American to 25 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for defiling eight children at Adjomanikope, near Sege in the Dangme East District.
The accused, Patrick Ken Larbash, is also to be deported back to the US after he has finished serving his sentence.
He pleaded not guilty to one count of unnatural carnal knowledge and seven counts of defilement under the Domestic Violence Law, Act 723.
Chief Inspector Matilda Tetteh had told the court, presided over by Justice Lorinda Owusu, that on August 28, 2009, the Greater Accra Regional office of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs had gone to Adjomanikope to organise a sensitisation workshop on the Domestic Violence Law, with special emphasis on human rights abuse.
She said the defiled children approached officials of the ministry after the programme and informed them of the activities of the convict, who frequently lured the victims, aged between three and 12, to his residence under the pretext of providing them with food and candies.
When he got them in his house, the convict engaged them in sexual encounters by stripping naked for the children to suck his genitals, while he mounted a digital camera to record the scenes.
A report was immediately lodged at the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit, which investigated the matter, leading to the arrest of the suspect who denied the allegations when interrogated.
However, a search conducted in his room revealed a Nokia 6080 phone, a digital camera, a laptop, pen drives and other recording gadgets containing pornographic materials showing him stark naked with children sucking his genitals.
These were tendered in court.
Larbash, whose counsel, Alhaji Tetteh, was conspicuously missing in court, was well composed throughout proceedings and maintained that he was innocent of the charges levelled against him.

OFORI-ATTA WINS BROLL GOLF TOURNEY (PAGE 39, OCT 16)

Earl Ofori-Atta of Kumasi Royal Golf Club returned a net score of 70 to beat over 100 golfers who participated in the maiden Broll Ghana invitational tournament played at the celebrity Golf Club last Saturday.
Martin Osei, who scored a net of 71, placed second, while Gyimah Kwakye scored a net of 72 to place third.
The Men’s group ‘B’ saw Ernest Kumi scoring a net of 67 to beat S. S. Nahesh on a count-back, while the Managing Director of Total Ghana limited, Jonathan Molapo, bagged 69 to clinch the third position.
Veteran Joy Arkutu won the ladies encounter by scoring a net of 71, beating Esi Cobbina, who netted 73 to place second, while Betty Richard scored 74 to win the third spot.

TEMA NPP EXECUTIVES PROTEST (DAILY GRAPHIC, PAGE 17, OCT 14)

SEVEN out of the 10 constituency executive members of the Tema West Constituency of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) are alleging they are living in constant fear, following acts of intimidations being employed by the Member of Parliament for the area, Ms Irene Naa Torshie Addo and her followers.
Addressing a press conference to register their protest, Dr Martin Kwasi Antwi, second vice Chairman of the constituency accused the MP, constituency chairman Mr Paul Azure Sampana, as well the Greater Accra Regional secretary of the NPP, Mr Albert Afaglo for breaching the modalities outlining the election of polling station executive as part of reforms adopted at the party’s recent delegates congress to widen its electoral college.
The press statement which was signed by the constituency secretary Mr Henry Osei-Owusu, alleged that after two unsuccessful attempts to validate and supervise the election of polling station executive of which the chairman and the MP boycotted, the regional executive conspired with the chairman and the MP to conduct the polling station election with some armed policemen and macho men which was contrary to the party's constitution.
Dr Antwi who was flanked by seven of the 10 member executive of the constituency, indicated the modalities for the elections were breached by the MP.
They also accused her of employing the services macho men and armed policemen to intimidate them to submit to her requests of selecting people across the 81 polling stations in the constituency, rather than electing as mandated by the reforms adopted at the national levels.
The executive called on Mr Afaglo, who they accused of conniving with a former Greater Accra Regional secretary of the party, Mr Ben Brown, who was delegated by the regional executive to help organise the elections to take steps to reverse illegality. This election saw both the MP and the chairman boycotting proceedings.
Ms Addo according to the executives was also following tribal lines by handpicking Gas as polling station executive thereby sidelining non Ga speaking people.
The constituency executive are therefore, calling on the national and regional executive of the party to call the MP and her allies to order to avert division among members within the constituency before members decide to embark on a mass defection to reduce the party's fortunes of retaining the seat in the 2012 general election.
The MP, Ms Addo when contacted on phone, refused to comment on the allegations levelled against her.
A counter press conference held by her supporters and addressed by the constituency chairman, Mr Paul Sampana, accused opposing factions of inflaming passions by running to the press to attract public attention.
He indicated his group followed the laid down modalities spelt out by the general secretary of the Party, and addressed to all constituency and regional offices nationwide.
He also denied the allegation that the MP was using macho men to intimidate the aggrieved faction into submitting to her request.
Mr Sampana noted that no one had selected anybody to the positions of the polling station executive; rather elections were conducted legitimately in the presence of some national and regional executive.
He therefore, called on Mr Osei-Owusu and his faction to desist from parading themselves as members and executive of the constituency.

LIONS CLUB HOLDS EYE SCREENING EXERCISE, DAILY GRAPHIC, MON OCT 12(CENTER SPREAD)

MORE than 75 percent of the people affected by blindness can be found in Africa and Asia, The World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed.
The President of the Lions Club of Tema, Lion Henry Boakye disclosed this at an eye screening seminar for staffs and students of the Tema campus of the Methodist University College.
The seminar was parts of activities commemorating world sight day was on the theme: ‘Gender and eye health-Equal access to Care.
This year’s celebration which was hosted by the Tema Lions Club also saw residents of community 8, 10, 11 and 12 all in the Tema metropolis also being screened and treated of various eye diseases.
Mr Boakye noted there are over 314 million people worldwide living with low vision and blindness. Out of this number, he said 45million people are blind, while 269 million people live with low vision.
‘It is for this reason the Lions Club as part its initiative to conquer blindness has embarked on an annual outreached programme to help sensitise people on the need to save their sight’, Mr Boakye said.
The Head of Ophthalmology department at the Tema General Hospital, Dr David Adiepena who took participants through eye safety tips indicated glaucoma which is genetically inherited is the major cause of blindness in the country.
He said the chronic simple glaucoma is a silence blind disease which in the long run blinds people after several treatments and appeal to people between the ages of 35years to go for eye examination regularly.
The Chairperson of Zone 161, Lion Kate Baaba Hudson told the gathering the exercise has become necessary following the large number of people who are living with various eye defects but are oblivious of the challenges.
She noted the sensitisation screening programme which was created in 1998 to help draw attention to the importance of eradicating preventable blindness and improve sight has over the years been extended to various educational institutions and communities of abode across the entire country.
Ms Hudson said the club is committed to help reduce the incidents of partial blindness and low vision among Ghanaian.
The Lions Club International is the world’s largest secular service organisation with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1.4million members in over 201 counties worldwide.
The Lions Club which is a member of the international body has in the past partnered health professionals in the Tema metropolis in creating awareness on HIV-AIDs, Tuberculosis, prostrate cancer, dental health care among other health related diseases.
In June this year, the club handed over the biggest eye center facility to the Tema General Hospital.

GUNMEN KILL COP ...Injure 3 others after robbing a bullion van (LEAD STORY)

GUNMEN opened fire on a bullion van on the Ashaiman-Nungua stretch in broad daylight yesterday, killing a policeman on board the van and injuring three others in the process.
The gunmen then fled in a Toyota Hilux pick-up with an amount of GH¢2,859 they grabbed from the van which, according to the police, was being used to collect money at various cash collecting points on behalf of the Tema branch of the HFC Bank and was heading towards Sakumono when it was attacked.
The fleeing robbers were encountered by the Stopper Eight Patrol Unit from the Accra Regional Police Command on the Spintex Road where there was a heavy exchange of fire between the robbers and the unit.
According to the Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, ACP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, the policemen were restrained by the presence of a crowd which massed up at the action zone when they heard of the gun fire and the suspected robbers took advantage of the crowd to escape.
He used the occasion to advise civilians to stay away from combat zones when violent criminals engaged the law enforcement agencies.
He said the Toyota vehicle being used by the armed robbers was abandoned, together with one pump action gun and an AK 47 rifle which they took from the police officer they had earlier shot and killed at Ashaiman.
ACP Yohuno said the vehicle, with registration number GT 1325-09, had been snatched from its owner at Tema Community 11 the previous day but when it was abandoned by the robbers on the Spintex Road, the number had been replaced with a fake one, GW 2966 Z.
The injured persons at the Ashaiman end of the incident were an official of the HFC Bank, who was also on board the bullion van, and two passengers on a 207 Benz bus which was caught in the line of fire. They are currently on admission at the Tema General Hospital.
The suspected robbers struck about 12:30 p.m. and shortly after that members of the Buffalo Unit of the Tema Regional Police Command arrived on the scene.
According to the police, a cash collection team from the bank which was on cash collection rounds in the Tema metropolis found a road blocked with logs when its bullion van got to the underground bridge at Klagon near Ashaiman.
According to members of the Buffalo Unit, when the driver of the bullion van slowed down, the robbers, who had taken vantage positions near the bridge, opened fire on the van, killing the police escort, Lance Corporal Amos Nkrumah, 29.
Corporal Nkrumah was hit in the neck and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Darbem Hospital in Ashaiman.
A second shot hit the lady official of the bank whose name was not immediately disclosed.
The police said after the second shot, the robbers started shooting into the air to disperse other motorists plying the route. Stray bullets from the indiscriminate shooting hit two passengers in a 207 Benz bus on the road, injuring them.
The driver of the van, however, escaped unhurt.
The Tema Regional Police Commander, ACP Augustine Gyening, told the Daily Graphic that he was yet to obtain a full briefing on the Ashaiman incident from his investigators.

HARNESS TOURISM POTENTIAL OF SHAI HILLS (PAGE 38, OCT 12)

THE chiefs and people of Manya Jokpanya, a farming community in the Dangme West District in the Greater Accra Region, have celebrated their annual Ngmayem festival with a call on the government to harness the tourism potential in the Shai Hills to the benefit of the nation.
Nene Tetteh Korabo, Manya Jokpanya Mantse, who made the call on behalf of the chiefs and people of the area, said the area was endowed with sites such as the Shai wildlife and game reserves, as well as remarkable enclaves and caves which if developed could generate huge revenue for the country.
The Ngmayem festival of the people of Shai signifies the end of severe famine which struck their forefathers when they migrated from Israel to the Shai Hills.
He expressed happiness at the fast rate at which the area was developing following decades of underdevelopment which beset the community and lauded residents of the community for their significant roles which had brought about improvement in the area.
Nene Korabo paid glowing tribute to the indigenes for their contributions towards the construction of a highway, basic school, and places of convenience, as well as ensuring that the community was connected to the national grid.
The Chief Executive of the Dangme West District Assembly, Mr Ayeme Odoi Lartey, pledged the government’s support to consolidate the efforts of the people to promote development of the area.
He challenged the youth to take advantage of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), which is set to start registration across the country as part of government’s measures being taken to improve the well-being of the citizenry.
The General Overseer of the Musama Disco Christo Church, Maknayeeba Jehu Appiah, who chaired the function, lauded the chief for his exemplary leadership and pledged his church’s support to the community in its missionary activities.
The colourful ceremony saw a display of the rich Ghanaian culture and heritage.

SHARE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS TEMA MANHEAN SCHOOL (OCT 5, PAGE 30)

A TEMA-BASED Christian non-governmental organisation (NGO), Share Foundation, has inaugurated a community library for the Tema Manhean TMA Junior High School.
The library, which was constructed at a cost of GH¢15,000, is stocked with books, a computer, a DVD player and other library materials. The project forms part of activities marking the foundation’s 4th anniversary celebrations.
Handing over the facility, the President of the foundation, Ms Lily Akua Mintah, said the donation was to afford children within the community an opportunity to maximise their potential.
In line with its vision of collaborating with stakeholders in all sectors to improve the lives of the less privileged in society, she said, the foundation saw the need to provide the facility for the community because the old one had deteriorated.
She was worried that reading and learning standards of schoolchildren had declined while community leaders and stakeholders in the sector looked on unconcerned and called on the students to take advantage of the facility to help build an enviable future for themselves
Ms Mintah pledged her outfit’s commitment to the development of the less fortunate youth in deprived communities across the country and appealed to the government and stakeholders in the education sector to embark on massive infrastructural development as part of measures to address the deteriorating standards in the sector.
Reverend Gilbert Amartey, the Chairman of Praise Valley Foundation based in the United Kingdom, who co-sponsored the library project, appealed to the students and teachers to make proper use of the facility and said his outfit would continue to partner Share Foundation yearly to help pupils who made strides in the improvement of their reading and writing skills.
he Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku II, who received the library on behalf of the community, expressed appreciation to Share Foundation for the gesture and asked residents, students and pupils to make good use of the facility.
Nii Kraku II regretted that standards of education within the Tema Manhean community continued to decline whilst most children were dropping out of school to engage in fishing and trading activities to support themselves.
He appealled to corporate institutions within the metropolis to institute packages for brilliant needy children within the metropolis.
The foundation presented scholarships to 20 brilliant needy pupils drawn from some public basic schools within the Tema Metropolis to cover their education at the junior high school level.

ASHAIMAN TO GET YOUTH TRAINING CENSTRE (PAGE 38, OCT 8)

A MULTI-million youth training centre to train semi-literate and uneducated youth within Ashaiman and its environs is to be constructed in the municipality.
The project, which is being initiated by the Holy Gabriel Anglican Church, is to afford the youth an opportunity to develop entrepreneurial skills, as well as reduce unemployment within the municipality.
The project, which is estimated at GH¢50,000, would have multi-purpose classroom blocks to be used for instructions, an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre which is equipped with high speed internet connectivity, a conference hall, lawn tennis court and bookshop, among other facilities.
A four-acre land has been acquired to begin constructional works on the centre and a vicarage for the church.
The parish priest in charge of the church, Reverend Father Kwasi Ellis, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic.
He indicated that the absence of entrepreneurial centres in government institutions across the country to train semi-literate and unemployed youth to be independent had contributed immensely to the high unemployment and illiteracy rate in the country, and this, according to Rev Ellis, had contributed considerably to the youth’s involvement in negative social vices. “It is for this reason that the parish has decided to embark on productive projects to engage them, as well as re-directing them towards serving God,” he remarked.
He regretted that Ashaiman, which is currently estimated to be populated with about 250,000 people showing an increase of 50,000 since the last census in 2000, was one of the poor communities among urban slums in the country.
He appealed to the government and the private sector to formulate programmes and projects that would go into creating investment opportunities to equip the youth within the municipality to develop and maximise their potential.
Rev Ellis challenged political leaders to redirect their focus on material gains into improving the lives of the youth, who are the nation’s heartbeat.
He also cautioned the youth to give a new definition to life’s perception as they strove in their various ways to please God’s purpose of creation.
He charged Ghanaians irrespective of their ethnicity, political affiliation or religious denomination to serve God righteously as life without Christ was like possessing a vehicle without having access to fuel product to enable one to move around.
The Holy Gabriel Anglican Church, which was established in 1983 as part of its efforts to complement the government’s efforts in the provision of education, has also established a junior high school in addition to its basic school.

STATE LOSES CASE TO NDK FINANCIAL SERVICES (PAGE 46, OCT 5)

THE Commercial Division of the Accra High Court has ordered the state to pay GH¢602,609.50, with interest at the contractual rate of five per cent from July 1, 2007, to NDK Financial Services for the breach of a contract by the Ghana Prisons Service when it declined to purchase combat boots from the Apex Consulting Services.
The court, presided over by Mrs Justice Margaret Welbourne, also awarded costs of GH¢50,000 against the state, which was represented by the Attorney-General.
The Prisons Service, in December 2005, contracted Apex Consulting Services, an Accra-based consulting firm, to supply 5,310 pairs of combat boots, valued at GH¢308,378.25, for use by prison officers.
Following the arrangement, Apex applied for a loan facility from NDK Financial Services to cover the cost of procuring the boots.
As a condition for the approval of the facility, the Prisons Service agreed to serve as a guarantor for the payment of the contract sum.
The guarantee was made under the condition that the service would pay the contract sum in the joint names of NDK Financial Services and Apex, but when the boots arrived at the Tema Port in September 2006, the service failed to take delivery of them, with the excuse that the boots were to be purchased from a different source.
As a result, Apex was unable to repay the loan as arranged, compelling NDK Financial Services to sue both Apex and the Attorney-General, praying the court to order the payment of GH¢602,609.50, being the purported balance on the loan as of June 30, 2007, interest at the rate of five per cent per month and additional costs.
The court held that the evidence before it indicated that the service did not take delivery of the boots and, therefore, it did not pay Apex to enable it to meet its obligations to NDK Financial Services.
It said the argument by the Prisons Service that Apex failed to supply the boots within 90 days was untenable because it did not find, on the face of the contract, any time or deadline for the delivery of the boots.
Furthermore, the court held that the argument by the Attorney-General that Apex was required to communicate acceptance or execute some documents, while in another breath alleging that there was a contract but Apex failed to deliver within the specified time, was untenable.
The court held that the boots were available for inspection and delivery but the Prisons Service failed to carry out the inspection, while no place was designated by the service for the delivery to be effected.
"Even when samples were delivered to them, they refused to act," the court held, and added that the defendant did not deny that it prepared a guarantee for Apex for the purpose of obtaining the facility to import the boots that the service had contracted Apex to supply.

SHUN 'GET RICK QUICK' ATTITUDE (OCT 3, PAGE 14)

THE Minister for Youth and Sports, Mr Rashid Pelpuo, has called on the youth in the country to shun the get “rich quick” attitude and contribute positively towards national development.
He said the youth must desist from engaging in social vices such as armed robbery, cyber fraud, often referred to as “Sakawa”, drug trafficking and drug abuse, among others.
The minister made the call when he delivered a keynote address at the opening of a three-day delegates congress of the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) at Prampram in the Dangme West District in the Greater Accra Region.
He expressed satisfaction at the efforts being made by the youth in their quest to show commitment toward building a successful future.
The congress, which is the sixth edition of the association, is on the theme ‘building the civic competence of the youth, a prerequisite for societal transformation’.
The minister commended members of the YMCA for initiating programmes and projects that were aimed at equipping young people in the country to take up leadership positions.
He said his ministry would organise a forum where the youth would be given a platform to discuss new proposals concerning the youth policy which was being laid before Parliament.
He said a unique national youth policy that would be backed by law would be put before Cabinet by the end of 2009. This policy, according to the minister, would reflect the aspirations and thinking of all Ghanaians.
The General Secretary of the YMCA, Mr Prosper Hoeyi, said the association’s vision was to empower young people to achieve their vision.
“Strides are being taken to develop the youth as productive and useful citizens,” he stated.
“It is this quest to widen the knowledge of our beneficiaries that had seen our organisation constructing 18 day care centres across the country, out of which two are located in Mpreaso and Akim Oda, both in the Eastern Region”, Mr Hoeyi indicated.
He, however, expressed regret at the approach adopted towards technical education, which, according to him, had been relegated to the background as the nation’s economy begs for men and women to drive its production sector.
The Youth National President of the YMCA, Mr Augustine Sarkwah, noted that there was the need for the participation of the youth in development debates as they were the ones who would take up the mantle of leadership in future.
He said the study of Social Studies ought to be redefined to include the elements of civic education, which is often relegated to the fringes of school life, leaving reading and mathematics to occupy major instructional hours.
Mr Sarkwah appealed to the government to consider the implementation of separate instructions on civic education in the basic schools to ensure students get the rudiments of government’s operations.
The Greater Accra regional secretary, Mr Reginald Foulkes Crabbe, in his welcoming address, called on the youth to use the forum as a period of reflecting on how to contribute their quota to the nation’s development.
Nene Atsure Denta III, Manklalo of Prampram and the acting President of the traditional council, who chaired the function, appealed to the youth to do away with negativity as they prepared themselves to take up the mantle to become future managers of Ghana’s economy.

ASHAIMAN TASK FORCE TAKES OVER TOILETS (OCT 2, PAGE 13)

Two months after being handed the management of two toilets facilities, the Ashaiman National Democratic Congress (NDC) task force has taken over the remaining 19 places of convenience from the operators.
The group’s latest action comes in the wake of the assembly’s failure to honour its promise of adding two other facilities to their earlier acquisition.
When the Daily Graphic visited one of the facilities in the community, the new operators said they had been positioned there by the leadership of the task force to manage and render accounts to them.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Addison Adinortey-Numo, in a telephone interview, confirmed the take over.
Mr Numo, who is currently attending a one-day seminar for metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives at Agona Swedru, said he had instructed the Presiding Member, Mr Emmanuel Nikoi-Dsane, to convene a meeting with the assembly members to find a possible solution to the problem.
Meanwhile, the secretary to the operators association, Mr Richard Ahwireng, said they had filed an official complaint at the Ashaiman Police Station, pending the outcome of investigations.
The Ashaiman District Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Peter Kobina, told the Daily Graphic that they had received a complaint from both the Municipal Chief Executive and the Ashaiman Toilet Contractors Association, and had, therefore, launched investigations into the forceful take-over.
The leader of the task force, Mr Eric Brown-Voryee, who was taken aback by the decision of some members of the group, has called on the chief executive and the police to arrest the group for seizing the facilities.
He indicated that the latest action of the group was illegal, considering the legal implications it would have for members following the Tema High Court’s decision in June this year barring individual parties from taking over the facilities following a binding contract between the assembly and the operators.
Public toilets within the Ashaiman municipality became a subject of controversy between supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in January this year when the latter assumed office.
The hullabaloo had seen the operators, who were believed to be functionaries of the opposition NPP engaging in a four-month legal battle with Mr Bawa Ibrahim, the NDC constituency secretary, and his organiser, Mr Habel Adjei, who were instrumental in the January seizures.

ASHAIMAN ADR SETTLES 393 CASES (OCT 2, PAGE 29)

THE Ashaiman Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) settled 393 rent, debt recovery, land and marital disputes between January and June this year.
This represents a significant increase over the 334 disputes settled by the centre between January and December 2008.
The cases were received from Tema Township, Sakumono, Zeenu, Adjei Kojo, Kakasunaka No 1/2, all in the Tema Metropolis, Mataheko and Afienya in the Dangme West District.
Since its establishment in 2000, the centre has settled over 3,000 cases and this, according managers of the facility, is an indication that residents in and around Ashaiman and its environs are gradually embracing the ADR concept.
The centre’s half-year report signed by Messers Gabriel Atsu and Kingsley Kutiame and addressed to the President of the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CENSOR), noted that the ADR initiative had helped people who did not have the resources or inclination to seek justice in the law courts to obtain redress.
The report indicated that rent cases reported at the centre increased to 259 for the period, as against 136 recorded in the first quarter of 2008 and this was attributed to the increased demand by landlords for rent advance ranging from a minimum period of two to three years.
On disputes relating to child neglect and maintenance, the report indicated that divorce, loss of jobs, bankruptcy, as well as undue interference in marriages by extended family members, were the major contributing factors to the problem. It further expressed disappointment at the conduct of some men who often refused to comply with settlements reached during arbitration.
Land disputes, which are also frequent in the municipality, witnessed a significant increase during the period under review. The report indicated that land disputes mostly occurred when the same piece of land was sold to more than one buyer, making siblings to engage the services of land guards to protect their individual interests.
These cases, according to the report, are rampant in surrounding towns such as Adjei-Kojo, Zeenu, Kuberkro and Bethlehem. It also said as a result of such disputes, developers had encroached on some lands and built on watercourses.
The report said debt recovery cases continued to increase, due to the springing up of micro-finance institutions operating within the municipality.
It said although percentage interest rates charged on these loans were very high, urgent demands such as payment of school fees, petty trading and rent advances often compelled people to seek the services of these institutions. Some of them, however, were unable to comply with the repayment agreement.
The centre appealed to the municipal assembly, non-governmental organisations, as well as corporate financial institutions operating within the municipality to come to their aid through the provision of computers and other logistics to enhance its operations.
The report was optimistic that the early passage of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Bill and an amendment to the Rent Act, as a way of responding to the changing needs and conditions of the people, will positively impact on the operations of ADR centres.
The ADR concept is an innovation which uses trusted community leaders as mediators and arbitrators in the settlement of disputes in communities and municipalities across the country.

DEVELOP NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY — GOVT URGED (OCT 2, PAGE 29)

THE Managing Director of Stanbic Bank Ghana, Mr Alhassan Andani, has called on the government to develop an effective national youth policy to ensure a fruitful future for Ghanaian youth.
Mr Andani expressed concern about the fact that successive governments had paid lip- service to issues concerning the youth, who are the nation’s heartbeat, and called on stakeholders to consider involving them in development debates as they are the ones who would be taking the mantle of leadership tomorrow.
He made the call at the induction of the newly elected President of Rotary Club of Tema, Mr John Bisiw.
Mr Bisiw noted that an estimated GH¢ 1.1 billion police station project which was initiated by the club last year was almost completed.
He said the project would serve Communities 6, 10 ,11 and 12 whose residents often had to travel as far as Community 2 to enable them to lodge complaints.
The police station, which is currently being roofed, has a charge office, male, female and juvenile cells, as well as a four-unit office for the personnel, he said.
Mr Bisiw pledged the club’s commitment to equipping the youth to face future challenges, hence the provision of a community library for the Gbetsile Cluster of Schools, a less-endowed school within the metropolis.
He announced that the club was sponsoring about 700 school pupils from nursery through primary and junior high school level and called for support to fight illiteracy, malaria, hunger, AIDS and other forms of deprivation.
The immediate past President of the club, Mr Ben Richard Aniagyei, expressed profound appreciation to members for their support and assistance during his tenure of office.
He commended all companies, individuals and Rotarians whose contributions in cash and kind made it possible for the club to undertake its projects.
Mr Aniagyei urged the new president to work in close collaboration with his board members to achieve the club’s objectives.
The Rotary Club of Tema, which is currently distributing books worth over $45million to equip school and other institutional libraries, also called for public cooperation to help arrest the decline in the falling standards of education in the country.
Some Rotarians were presented with Paul Harris Fellowship awards for their humanitarian service.

PROGRAMME FOR ASHAIMAN WATCH COMMITTEES (OCT 2, PAGE 29)

THE Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive, Numo Adinortey Addison, has announced that the municipal security committee is drawing up a programme to resource watchdog committees within the various electoral areas to improve security in the municipality.
The chief executive identified inadequate security, poor sanitary practices, as well as persistent fire outbreaks as major problems impeding development in the municipality.
He was addressing a forum organised by the Church of Christ Rural Water Development Project in partnership with the Ashaiman Traditional Council and Excellence Youth Development Centre, an Ashaiman-based non-governmental organisation (NGO).
He called on residents to collaborate with the assembly to ensure that the newly constituted Unit Committees in the municipality performed effectively.
The Co-ordinator of the Community Water and Sanitation Project, Ms Theodora Adomakomah-Adjei, expressed concern about the attitude of Ghanaians to sanitation and said that attitude was gradually becoming a norm in the country.
“It is surprising most people do not see anything wrong with indiscriminate littering of the environment and do not appreciate the need to practise simple hygiene, such as washing of hands with soap before meals,” Ms Adjei remarked.
The Municipal Fire Officer, Mr Victor Dzidzeme-Gawuga, took participants through fire prevention methods and urged residents to adhere to fire safety instructions to reduce the incidence of fire outbreaks, which is predominant in the community.
Ms Magdalene Lamisi Sam Awinongya, a runner-up in TV3’s Ghana’s Most Beautiful reality show, who is a resident of the municipality, appealed to the municipal assembly to consider establishing recreational facilities and youth centred-programmes which would divert the attention of the youth from engaging in anti-social vices.
She advised the youth to expend their energies on development programmes and create a positive image about Ashaiman, which is perceived to be a town noted for criminal activities.
Participants at the forum expressed regret at the slow pace of infrastructural development in the municipality and appealed to the assembly to take realistic measures to develop the area.
They also expressed disappointment at health care delivery in the community and appealed to stakeholders to collaborate with development agencies to meet the health needs of the people.