ICGC LOOKS BACK AT NATIONAL HISTORY (SHOWBIZ, PAGE 15, NO 25, 2010)

By Nurudeen Salifu

A very engaging atmosphere took charge of the Tamale Jubilee Park last Monday night when performers from the National Theatre resident groups thrilled fans to a heart-throbbing performance in dance, drama and music.
It was a night that Tamale had never witnessed and owed its gratitude to the organisers of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC), 2010, who put together the show as part of activities for the week-long event that got off to a smooth start last Saturday.
The National Symphony Orchestra opened the show with some insightful songs that sought to throw light on the current societal trends and the adulteration of Ghanaian culture.
The National Drama Company, with its assemblage of experienced actors, was the next to perform as it set the stage for an evening of humorous and educative drama appropriate for an occasion like NAFAC.
The actors performed a play entitled “Short arms and the Baobab,” written and directed by Dzifa Glikpoe, who is currently the Acting Artistic Director of the National Theatre.
The Baobab in the play, as explained by Madam Glikpoe, stood for motherhood and that the play talks about the responsibilities that come along with being a teenage mother.
“In fact, the message that this play seeks to convey to young people is that it is not easy being a parent and that they should take their time and take up such responsibilities when they are matured and well prepared,” she stated.
As expected, the actors gave off their best in communicating this message as a young man and woman got caught up in a teenage relationship that ended them in a quagmire of troubles.
With a baby, who finally passed away due to lack of care and the teenage father who shirked his responsibilities and escaped to the city, only to meet his death, the message was succinctly delivered for the youth to appreciate.
At about 9:30pm, the Ghana Dance Ensemble then took the stage with a highly energetic rhythmic performance, which depicted life at Bukom. It was this performance that revived the apparently tired and sleepy crowd as they watched the performers mime and dance, while the backing drummers and singers produced sounds to match the actions.
The main thrust of their performance was to educate the youth on the effects of juvenile delinquency and how single parenting could impact negatively on children’s growth.
After such an exhilarating artistic display, it was now the turn of the cultural group at the Centre for National Culture (CNC) in Tamale, called ‘Tiyumba’, which performed a drama piece titled: “When the king is dead.”
The import of the play, written and directed by Antoinette Kotoko and delivered in the Dagbani language, was to throw more light on the chieftaincy institution of the Dagombas, with particular focus on the funeral and succession activities that take place when the chief dies.
It also sought to show avenues for peace-building in times of crisis during the search for a new king. With the appropriate traditional regalia, movements, dance and speech, the actors beautifully rendered the play to bring an exciting evening to a close.
For some people, who witnessed the show, it was such a wonderful performance that needed to be sustained and given more support to thrive.
“For me, these performances were not just about music and dance, but the role that theatre arts could play in national development, such as communicating for positive social change,” the Director of the Centre for National Culture in the Upper East region, Mr Kombat Fuzzy told Graphic Showbiz.
He described the programme as fantastic and well-co-ordinated, adding that “we have been able to entertain, educate, inform and transform at the same time.”

ASHAIMAN ASSEMBLY STRATEGIES TO INCREASE REVENUE (PAGE 42, NOV 25, 2010)

THE Ashaiman Municipal Assembly is adopting effective strategies to improve revenue generation to finance development projects in the municipality.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Numo Adinortey Addison, made this known at the passing out parade of newly recruited city guards.
He said the concept of grassroots development was vital to the country’s middle income objective as well as the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on poverty eradication.
The eight female recruits underwent a six-week intensive training programme at the Ghana Police College where they were taken through foot drills, criminal law, public relations and the local government act.
Mr Adinortey stated that the city guards unit of the assembly was created to assist in its revenue mobilisation drive and to also assist police personnel on traffic duties, decongestion and maintenance of law and order.
He entreated the recruits to ensure that residents in the municipality were accorded the needed respect and courtesy in the discharge of their duties, stressing that they should also work hard to ensure the criminality tag associated with the municipality was a thing of the past.
The MCE expressed concern about street-hawking which had taken a new dimension in the municipality, although the assembly had in the past spent a huge chunk of its revenue on decongestion.
Mr Adinortey appealed to the residents to co-operate with the assembly and the guards in revenue mobilisation to help improve the assembly’s developmental drive.
A Member of the Council of State, Mr Adjei Annang, who represented the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashittey, challenged the guards to live above reproach as they contribute their quota towards the development of the assembly and the community as a whole.

GAF BUILDS ROAD AT TSUI BLEOO JUNCTION (DAILY GRAPHIC, PAGE 23, NOV 25, 2010)

WORK has begun on a two-kilometre road to link Teshie Tsui bleoo Junction to Agblaze, both in the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA).
The project is being funded by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) at the cost of GH¢4,500 as part of its social responsibility.
When completed, the road would reduce traffic congestion and promote viable commercial activity in the predominantly fishing community.
Speaking at an inspection tour of the project site, Lt Stephen Karbo, a project officer at the 48 Engineers Regiment indicated that the GAF institution was committed to building a congenial atmosphere between the soldiers and the communities they operate in, the general public, as well as government agencies.
“And whereas GAF celebrates 60 years of military excellence, reshaping of the link road to create convenience for the community would also go a long way to help in crime reduction in the municipality,” he stated.
The Municipal Chief Executive for the area, Mr Daniel Amartey Mensah, commended the 48 Engineers and the Military High Command for the initiative, which he said would go a long way in complementing the assembly’s developmental goals.
He said the assembly was soliciting for funds for the construction of a dual carriage to link the Spintex Road and the Tema Motorway interchange project.
“It is our hope that the needed funds would be raised for the commencement of the project in March 2011,” he stated
Mr Mensah assured that LEKMA would not hesitate to award 20 per cent of its contract to the GAF after it had cleared the necessary processes from the National Procurement Authority.

SPILLAGE CUTS OFF FISHING COMMUNITY (BACK PAGE, NOV 20, 2010)

ABUVIE-Kpong, a fishing community near Asutsuare in the Dangme West District of the Greater Accra Region, has completely been cut off following the spillage of excess water from the Akosombo Dam.
The spillage, which was done a fortnight ago, inundated 50 acres of farmland and the main road connecting the community to other areas, bringing economic activities there to a standstill.
The situation has affected schoolchildren who often trek over a mile daily to school at nearby Jorkpo because they cannot afford the daily transport fare of 40Gp charged by boat operators to ferry them across to school.
When the Daily Graphic visited the community on Thursday some residents were seen idling, while others sat in groups discussing the effects of the spillage on their livelihood.
An elder of the community, Mr Amey Havor, told the Daily Graphic that residents had to abandon their fishing activities, while those with resources travel to Asutsuare, Kpong and Dzemeni to procure fish for sale to residents of the town.
The Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Winfred Nomotey-Tesia, who toured the community, expressed worry over the situation and appealed to the district assembly to, as a matter of urgency, provide a boat to help convey the children to and from school.
The Dangme West District Chief Executive, Mr Emmauel Odoi Anyemi-Lartey, said the assembly would move in to provide boats to convey the pupils as a temporary measure, while sustainable strategies would be developed to provide a respite for the people.

TTI WINS KOREA PRESIDENT'S CUP (GRAPHIC SPORTS, NOV 19, 2010, PAGE 11)

TEMA Technical Institute for the second time emerged winners of the bi-annual Korean Residents Association (KRA) President’s Soccer Cup after securing a 2-0 victory over Manhean Secondary Technical in the final at the Tema Stadium last weekend.
Both teams beat 38 other public and private senior high schools drawn from the Tema and Ashaiman Metropolis to reach the final, with the winner taking home GH¢1,500 and a giant trophy donated by the association. The second and third placed teams took home GH¢1,000 and GH¢500 respectively.
The event also saw Tema Secondary School clinching the first position in the girls division after beating Manhean Secondary Technical on a 3-0 aggregate.




Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Korea Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Sang Hak Lee, said the bi-annual football gala and marathon instituted four years ago has served as a platform of friendship between the two countries and also promoted education through sports, complementing the teaching and learning He commended the Ghana Education Service (GES) for immensely supporting the event, and was optimistic that the programme would unearth football and athletics talents to take Ghana to higher heights.
The Chief Executive of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), Mr Kempes Ofosuware, commended the association for putting up the programme which does not only serve as a platform to promote goodwill between the two countries but also seeks to promote youth development in sports.
Mr Ofosuware proposed for a collaboration between the TMA and the Harbour City of Korea for a sister city partnership that would go a long way to promote development between them.

Earlier in his welcome address, the President of KRA, Mr Do Jae Kofi Yim, stated that, work on a multipurpose sports complex currently under construction at Tema Community 3 the cost of $1million was far advance.

According to him, the complex which comes with a volley ball and basket ball courts, swimming pool, conference hall amongst other facilities would go to effectively build the capacity of the youth in the country in the area of sports.

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, Mr Nii Nortey Duah pledged his ministry’s support to the association and charge corporate institutions to redefine their social responsibility programmes that would incorporate the development of talents in the area of sports, saying, “their contribution would go a long way to promote sports development in the country as government alone cannot do all,” he stated.

Present at the ceremony was the Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Krakue II and the Tema Metropolitan Director of Education, Mr Kwesi Hutchful was called on the wining schools to put the cash prizes into the teaching of physical education.





CAPTION: Deputy Sports Minister, Nii Nortey Duah presenting the GHC1500 cheque to Collins Quarm, team captain of Tema Technical Institute

CHURCH OF CHRIST LAUNCHES HANDWASHING CAMPAIGN (PAGE 23, NOV 18, 2010)

THE Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), in collaboration with the Rural Water Development Programme of the Church of Christ, has launched a handwash campaign at Ashaiman aimed at improving upon the hygienic conditions of households within the municipality.
The wash day initiative sought to mobilise thousands of women in the community and its environs to wash their hands with soap in consolidation with global commitments.
The campaign dubbed, “Ashaiman Wash Day”, was to help break the cycle of disease transmissions while using women as agents of change for the adoption of hygienic behaviours and personal health conditions.
Speaking at the launch, the Extension Services Co-ordinator of the CWSA, Mrs Theodora Adomako-Adjei, indicated that studies conducted revealed over 2million children worldwide died of diarrhoea while 3.7million others died of respiratory infections annually.
According to her, 80 per cent of such infections leading to high incidence of deaths were caused by germs transferred into the body by hands, owing to the inability of majority of Ghanaians to wash their hands with soap at critical times, that is (during and after visiting the toilet), waste disposal amongst other tasks.
She said hand washing with soap was the most effective and inexpensive ways towards the prevention of diarrhoea and pneumonia, amongst other respiratory diseases.
It was for this reason, “We as an institution would not want to wait for an annual celebration of handwashing days before embarking upon campaigns aimed at improving sanitation and healthy life,” Mrs Adjei stated.
She challenged society to be inspired towards the adoption of simple but cost effective acts of washing with soap as a way of life.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Church of Christ Rural Development Programme, Mr Nathaniel Adams, said studies within Ashaiman and its environs revealed that, washing with soap at critical times was rarely practised.
He appealed to the general public to transform the idea of handwashing with soap from an abstract one to an automatic behaviour performed at homes, schools, communities to reduce deaths.
That, Mr Adams said, would make a significant contribution towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) on death among children below the age of five by 2015.
Gospel Musician, Grace Ashly, who is leading the campaign as a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) ambassador, charged the market women to vigorously campaign against unhygienic practices in their homes and work areas.
That she said would be a major contributor to the well-being of consumers who patronise their products.

GRACE ASHLY IS WASH AMBASSADOR (SHOWBIZ, PAGE 31, NOV 11, 2010)

By Della Russel Ocloo

GOSPEL musician, Grace Ashly, who was outdoored as a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) ambassador during the recent celebration of the global hand wash day, last Tuesday educated traders and the general public at the Ashaiman central market on the essence of hand washing  with soap.
The programme, put together by the Community Water and Sanitation Programme in collaboration with the Church of Christ Rural Water Development Programme, saw the gospel diva performing a special Wash Your Hand With Soap song she has recorded to promote the campaign which has been necessitated by the high incidence of morbidity, with children under five being the worst affected.
Speaking to Showbiz after the programme, Grace indicated that the apparent increase in the rate of diarrhoea and other respiratory diseases could be attributed to germs transferred into the body by the hands.
According to her, being a musician affords her the opportunity to effectively take the message about proper hand washing to the public.
Asked if she didn’t fear engaging in such altruistic activities which could affect her career as a gospel musician, Grace said the ability of a nation to progress depends to a great deal on the contribution every individual was willing to make.”
“For me, affecting the lives of people positively through music is a fulfilling task.”.
Touching on whether fellow gospel artistes feel jealous of each other’s successes, Grace said she rather preferred to describe some of her colleagues as hypocrites out to seek the downfall of fellow acts. She charged her colleague musicians to do away with pettiness and support causes that promote the development of Ghana.

REGULATION OF AFRICA MARINE CONTAMINATION IN THE OFFING (PAGE 55, NOV 8, 2010)

THE first Eastern and Southern African Port Managers Environmental Conference which took place in Mombasa, Kenya, has been hailed as a landmark towards achieving issues of regulating and control of environmental and marine contamination.
The conference saw players in the maritime industry in Africa and Europe discussing terms of reference to be used in setting up a continental forum to regulate and monitor environmental challenges in African ports.
The conference, organised by the Port Management Association for Eastern and Southern Africa in collaboration with the Ports Environmental Network-Africa (PENAf), a non- profit organisation with interest in environmental performance in African ports, was on the theme “Creating a platform for information and experience exchange to improve environmental performance in port area and hinterland logistics.”
The initiative was supported by the Kenya Ministry of Environment and the UNEP/Nairobi Convention and is expected to be formally launched at the 8th Pan-African Association of Ports Co-operation to be held in December in Arusha, Tanzania.
Facilitators from Eastern, Southern, Western and Central Africa used the conference as a platform to stimulate discussions on environmental challenges facing African ports while sharing best practices in environmental protection and management.
The Director General of the Kenyan Maritime Authority, Mrs Nancy Karigithu, said the increasing awareness of environmental threats, coupled with growing pressure on world resources, called for industry players to protect consumers’ safety and health.
She said players ought to put in place measures to mitigate and address the negative effects on the environment arising from their developments in the day to day operations of ports.
“A large proportion of urban population now lives in port cities, where exceptional demands for resources and infrastructure development in the coastal zone were putting pressure on fragile ecosystems thus threatening development related activities,” Mrs Karigithu lamented.  
She said the environmental concerns facing ports in the region, ranging from diverse issues such as ships operational waste, sewage and garbage, oil spills from marine accidents, dredging and disposal of dredged material, air pollution, traffic congestion, effluent discharge to hazardous cargo, were common to all the ports.
Mrs Karigithu, therefore, called for the effective enforcement of Port State Control while ensuring that reception facilities in ports could help a more efficient direction.
The Executive Co-ordinator of PENAF, Mr Harry Barnes-Dabban, expressed worry on water quality, noise, degradation of habitat for local communities which he said were due to a number of factors such as the lack of adequate urban planning, poor water quality arising from contamination with bilge water, ballast water, oily wastes, sewage, garbage and other residues in a ship, spills of oils, lubricants, fuels and other oily liquids.
That, he said, had seen society getting increasingly divisive, thus contributing to vast increase in legislation that imposed penalties on institutions, especially in areas involving the environment safety and health and consumer protection.
Mr Barnes-Dabban called for priority actions to include strengthening of existing mechanisms by investment in equipment and personnel, as well as enhancing co-ordination between government departments and other related organisations.
That, he stressed, was important for the integration of environmental and development issues into all aspects of decision making at the national and sub-regional level.
 
 
 
 

HUNDREDS DISPLACED BY FLOODS IN ADA AREA (BACK PAGE, NOV 6, 2010)

THREE Hundred and Eighteen people in six communities downstream of the Volta Lake near the Ada estuary have been displaced following the spillage of excess water from the Akosombo dam.
The predicament of the victims at Azizakpe, Alorkpem, Charwetsonya, Aflive, Alorwusode Kope and Adjim has been compounded by tidal waves, which pound coastal communities in November, every year.
The flooding swept away household items and livestock of the residents while the lake, which serves as a source of drinking water for the affected communities, has been contaminated.
During a visit by the Daily Graphic to the affected communities last Thursday, the displaced persons were busily salvaging their belongings from the debris while canoes and boat owners evacuated women and children to high grounds along the lake.
According to the residents, the scale of flooding, which started in the communities at about 2:30 a.m. was unprecedented.
They have, therefore, made a passionate appeal to the VRA to make available sand from the ongoing dredging project being undertaken in the lake by the authority, to build defence walls to protect the officials of the District Assembly Disaster Management Committee who toured the affected areas said they were surprised at the extent of damage.
The District Co-ordinator of NADMO, Mr Samuel Portuphy, told the Daily Graphic that the provision of tents, mattresses and other relief items was in progress while additional support was being sought from the regional office of NADMO to ameliorate the plight of the people.
The Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinator of NADMO, Mr Winfred Nomotey-Tesia, who was part of the inspection team, expressed worry about the situation and assured the people that NADMO would work in close collaboration with VRA and other stakeholders to restore life in the communities to normal as soon as practicable.
In a related development, one person is feared dead and a number of properties destroyed at Sogakope following persistent flooding over the last four days, reports Victor Kwawukume, Sogakope.
A man and a woman who attempted crossing from Kasa to Asutsuari in the North Tongu District had their canoe capsized. But while the woman was rescued, the man was still missing.
The Mepe community, which seems likely to be the most vulnerable point of flooding, was being monitored for an eventual evacuation in the event of the river there over-flowing its banks.

CUC TO INTRODUCE INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMES (PAGE 11, NOV 3, 2010)

THE Chancellor of the Central University College (CUC) has announced plans to introduce new and innovative programmes that will equip graduates to stand out on the job market and meet the growing trends in available opportunities across board.
He said the innovations would be in response to the continent’s development demands and its market needs.
Dr Mensah Otabil said this at the 9th congregation of the university at its permanent campus at Miotso in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra Region.
He said the economic transformation of the country could not be achieved without the highest quality of tertiary education.
According to him, the intensity of scientific and intellectual standards of a country is dependent upon the role each individual is willing to contribute, while society expects legitimate returns from its immense investment in university education.
Over 1,904 students graduated with degrees and master of philosophy in various disciplines from the university’s School of Theology and Missions, Business Management and Administration, Applied Science and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
The ceremony also saw eight female students sweeping all academic awards.
While congratulating the graduates for an important milestone of achieving fruitful future careers, he charged them to apply the necessary knowledge that would be beneficial to society.
Justice Mrs Sophia Akuffo, a Supreme Court Judge, who delivered the keynote address, charged society to adopt useful and positive crusades that would contribute immensely to reshaping the nation which she said was degenerating into disarray where rules and regulations were being trampled upon by all and sundry.
As we officially promote an emerging group of leaders and nation builders to another level through university education, she questioned whether we could, as a nation say we would get to our destination without adherence to laid down procedures and processes of governance.
Mrs Akuffo thus challenged the graduates to make the fruits of their studies rewarding to themselves and their families while placing their knowledge at the service of society and community.
She was optimistic that the basic quality education received from the university would drive them to touch the sky in their quest to climb higher on the wings of knowledge.
Justice Akuffo said personal values and beliefs would see some as champions.
“The champions are characterised by simple but basic principles and truths, such as humility, patriotism, loyalty, service to God and country as the value of ones’s knowledge would lie in the ability to lead or contribute to the unveiling truth,” she stated.
Earlier in his welcoming address, the President of the university, Professor Victor Patrick Yao Gadzekpo, expressed worry about the outright disrespect of the country’s core values and principles by the citizenry and charged the graduates to go all out as worthy ambassadors of an institution that had not only imparted book knowledge to them, but the principles of Godliness that was critical in developing their integrity.
A female student who graduated with a Bachelor of Science BSc in Economics, Nana Ama Dodoo, was adjudged the overall best student.
She took home a Toshiba laptop and a $1,000 cash prize donated by the chancellor of the university while Priscilla Naa Ayele Afutu who emerged the best graduating business student, received GH¢15,600 scholarship package to cover her cost of tuition for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme at the Tasmac London school of Business.
The Central University College founded by the International Central Gospel Church in 1991 as a Bible college was accredited as a tertiary institution in 1997 by the National Accreditation Board.
It currently runs programmes in Theology and Missions, Business Management with options in Banking and Finance, Human Resource Management and Social Sciences while feverish preparations have been made towards the introduction of Civil Engineering and Communication Studies in the 2010/11 academic year.