Public Agenda articles from October 2008

Public Agenda archives from October 2008

Country to Ban Smoking in Public Places.
October 31, 2008... Byline: Ama Achiaa Amankwah Ghana will soon ban smoking in public places mainly to protect non-smokers and children. Passive smoking (the inhalation of second-hand smoke) has been proven to be as destructive as smoking itself since...

Yorubas Call for Otumfuo's Intervention in a Chieftaincy Feud.
October 31, 2008... Byline: Oppong Baah The Yoruba Community in Kumasi has condemned one Mallam Rufai Aliyu Alao, who is styling himself as the head of the Yoruba community in Kumasi in contravention of royal directives. The Community castigated Mallam...

Mahama Blames Mob Justice On Failure of Criminal Justice System.
October 31, 2008... Dr Edward Mahama, Presidential Candidate of People's National Convention (PNC), on Wednesday said he would ensure justice for all under his presidency, blaming the lynching of suspects on the failure of the criminal justice system. He...

Election 2008 - The Running Mates' Angle on Education.
October 31, 2008... Byline: Wisdom Dzidedi Donkor The second Millennium Development (MDG2) set by the United Nations that all children should receive basic education by 2015 is perhaps the world's most important and ambitious goal. It is important...

Dr. Mahama to Transform Sports.
October 31, 2008... The Flag bearer of the People's National Convention (PNC) Dr. Edward Mahama has promised to institute proactive programmes and vibrant policies to revolutionize Ghana sports if given the nod in the 2008 elections. Dr Mahama pointed out...

WHO Representative Commends Country for Reducing Maternal Mortality.
October 31, 2008... Dr Daniel Kertsz, Country Representative of the World Health Organisation(WHO) has commended the government for finding practical solutions to the reduction of maternal mortality in the country. He also commended the Ghana Health Service...

NPP And NDC Must Honour Debate On Education.
October 31, 2008... The first of two Presidential Debates put together by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) came off successfully in Accra on Wednesday night. Following on the heels of this debate will be a presidential running mates debate on...

Parliament Urged to Pass LI On Northern Development Fund.
October 31, 2008... Parliament has been urged to ensure the passage of the Legislative Instrument (LI) on the Northern Development Fund (NDF) before the dissolution of the House. The Northern Patriot in Research and Advocacy (NOPRA), a Civil Society,...

Ghanaians Told to Love And Protect One Another.
October 31, 2008... Byline: Opong Baah Apostle Elijah Opoku Ware, Head of the Ashanti Branch of the Church of Christ (Spiritual Movement), has called on Ghanaians to love one another and be their brother's keeper no matter one's tribe or religious...

Christian Redemption Cleans Up Anyaa Police Station.
October 31, 2008... Byline: Wisdom Dzidedi Donkor As part of activities marking its fifth anniversary, the Anyaa Branch of the Christian Redemption International Church, has organized a clean up exercise at the premises of the Anyaa Police station. The...

New CEO for Ghana Telecom.
October 31, 2008... Ghana Telecommunications Company Ltd is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. David Venn as the new Chief Executive Officer of the company. Mr. David Venn is taking over from Mr. Dickson Oduro-Nyaning whose contract appointment ends...

Drug Trafficking As a Security Threat in Region.
October 31, 2008... The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said even though International mining companies have mining operations in Guinea and are eyeing big investment plans, at the same time the country, most of whose population live in...

415 Former Child Labourers in Kwaebibirem Assisted.
October 31, 2008... Four hundred and fifteen children withdrawn from worst forms of child labour and placed in schools in the Kwaebibirem District have been given school kits of uniforms, foot wear, bags and exercise books. Three hundred and eleven of the...

Road Accident Fatality Rate to Be Reduced to Single Digit By 2015.
October 31, 2008... Byline: Ayuure Kapini Atafori Ghana's National Road safety Commission (GNRC) is working to reduce the accident fatality rate to single digit by 2015, comparable to highly motorised countries like Sweden and Denmark. The NRSC...

Drug Money 'Tainting Ghana Poll'.
October 31, 2008... Ghana's election campaign could be tarnished by money from West African drug trafficking, an official has said. Kwesi Aning, head of research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, said the "very fabric" of...

Dr Nduom Gives Condition for Production of Oil.
October 31, 2008... "If the oil is not going to benefit Ghanaians then it must stay under the ground," Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, Presidential Candidate of the Convention People's Party (CPP) said at the first Election 2008 Presidential Debate. He said, "CPP led...

Love Not Money, Says NDC.
October 31, 2008... Byline: John the Baptist Anirra Abaah A new wave of politics is doing the round in Kumasi; "Politics of love not money" is what the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is preaching in Kumasi, hopeful to catch, like savannah wildfire across...

The Dark Side of Ghanaian Politics.
October 31, 2008... Byline: Kofi Akosah-Sarpong Politics can be a complicated matter. It doesn't matter whether in the advanced democracies or emerging ones like Ghana. How intricate it is, is informed by the players, peculiar environment, more the...

Minister Asks Ghanaians to Rediscover Their Culture for Development.
October 31, 2008... Byline: Ayuure Kapini Atafori Samuel K. Boafo, Minister for Chieftiancy and Culture, has asked Ghanaians to rediscover their culture and use it a tool for development in rapidly globalising and competitive world. Mr Boafo called on...

Lands Commission And Pension Bills Passed Into Law.
October 31, 2008... Parliament on Wednesday passed the Lands Commission and National Pension Reform Bills into law. The Lands Commission Bill seeks to create a one-stop-shop for land administration and the provision of services by bringing together all the...

Wacam Donates to Angel of Hope Orphanage.
October 31, 2008... WACAM, a grass root Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) as part of activities marking its 10th anniversary celebration has donated items worth about GHC500 to the Angel of Hope Orphanage in Tarkwa. The Executive Secretary of WACAM, Mr....

ATAG to Revitalize the Craft Industry.
October 31, 2008... Aid to Artisans Ghana (ATAG) is making drastic efforts at developing a strategic plan to help revitalize the Crafts Industry in Ghana. This would render the industry attractive and competitive in the Global Market, and contribute...

Nana Addo & Prof. Mills in Shadow Boxing.
October 31, 2008... It had been feared that any debate amongst the presidential candidates of the NPP, NDC, PNC and CPP could be reduced to verbal exchanges between the two bitterest rivals-the NPP and NDC. This caused one of the moderators, Prof. Kwame...

Parties Gang Up to Remove Sitting MP.
October 31, 2008... Byline: Oppong Baah The Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Member of Parliament (MP) for Amansie East, Hon. Kofi Opoku Adusei may be an unhappy man indeed. The "we no go sit down make them cheat us everyday" wind of yester - years is...

Running Mates to Debate Education.
October 27, 2008... The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) is putting finishing touches to plans to bring the presidential running mates of the four leading political parties (NPP, NDC, CPP and PNC) to debate issues bordering on education. ...

Protecting the Credibility of the Electoral Commission.
October 27, 2008... The 2008 elections will test our beliefs in democracy, tolerance, diversity and respect for human dignity. It will prove whether we are walking the talk of democracy. Unfortunately everything is being done by some political parties to...

The E-Zwich Monopoly - is Ghipps a Referee Or a Competitive Player?
October 27, 2008... Byline: Jonathan Thompson Despite massive public acceptance of the e-zwich technology introduced by the Bank of Ghana (BoG), recent developments have generated serious concerns about its tendencies to monopolize the system and stifle...

Chamber of Mines Fights Back CHRAJ's Human Rights Report On Mining.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Selorm Amevor The Ghana Chamber of Mines has expressed dissatisfaction with Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)'s report on the state of human rights abuse at mining communities. According to the...

A Healthy Ghana is a Wealthy Ghana.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Frankie Freeman Proper health care is a vital component of a successful, affluent nation. "Creating wealth through health", a phrase coined by Ghana's Ministry of Health, describes the notion that, if Ghana is to progress into a...

35-Year-Old Carpenter Arrested for Defiling 14-Year-Old Girl.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Wisdom Dzidedi Donkor A 35 year old carpenter, Daniel Ahorsu has been arrested by the Police in Ho for defiling a 14 year old primary six pupil of the Ho Polytechnic Model Primary School. Narrating the incident to Public...

Revamp Tertiary Education.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Basiru Adam The former CEO of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission and Investment Consultant, Mr. Kwame Pianim has said that tertiary education in Ghana needs to be revamped in order to produce students who would learn to...

Letter to the Speaker.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Godwin Yaw Agboka The concern about the fallen (or falling) standards of the English language is as old as the debate about the relative importance of the teacher and the doctor. The question was once asked: Whose salary-between...

Gov't Unveils Plans to Integrate Orphaned And Vulnerable Children Into Families.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Ama Achiaa Amankwah The Coordinator of the Care Reform Initiative (CRI) of DSW, Ms Helena Obeng-Asamoah, has announced that government is exploring the possibility of other families taking care of orphans and vulnerable children...

Leader of Sex Trade Syndicate At Osino SHS On the Run.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Iddi Moro A probe has been set by the authorities of Osino Senior High School in the Eastern Region following an alleged sex trade involving some students of the school. A form three student who is alleged to be the leader of...

Why Ghanaian Musicians Will Continue to Slip Down the Deep Trenches of Poverty.
October 27, 2008... Byline: John the Baptist Anirra Abaah Music has been tagged "an international language", a cultural instrument often used at festivals, funerals, dances, dinners, parties, weddings and political rallies. Music also adds spice to...

Christ Outreach Orphanage Cries for Help.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Jonathan Thompson The Founder and Mother of the Christ Outreach Orphanage at Kasoa Kae Me Bre in the Central Region, Madam Rose Abekah, has appealed to individuals and organizations to come to the aid of the orphanage. The...

Afigya Kwabre District Makes Progress.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Misbahu B. Bulmuo Barely eight months after it was created, the Afigya Kwabre district has made impressive strides towards bringing development to its citizens. The district has been the beneficiary of infrastructural...

2008 Elections is Test for Country's Democracy - CHRAJ.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Ebenezer Hanson The forthcoming elections will test the extent to which Ghanaians believe in tolerance, diversity, human dignity and other pertinent democratic tenets, Ms. Anna Bossman, Acting Commissioner for Human Rights and...

Akyem South District Prepares for Peaceful Elections.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Misbahu B. Bulmuojuaso The District Chief Executive for Asante Akyem south Hon. Abdul Karim Boakye Yiadom has said that the district has instituted a security task force in line with statutory requirements. This he said is...

Constitution Silent On Replacement of Presidential Candidates.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Ebenezer Hanson The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Freddie Blay, believes it is time the nation took a look at the constitutional silence on how a presidential candidate is to be replaced in the event of death or...

Trade Agreements Harm Agric Sector - GTLC.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Mahama Zakaria The Ghana Trade and Livelihood Coalition (GTLC) has blamed the collapse of the agricultural industry on the failure of the Ghana Government to appreciate the implications of trade agreements on the agriculture...

Women Urged to Help Promote Peace.
October 27, 2008... Byline: Baba Yaro Kofi Women have been urged to help promote peace before, during and after the forthcoming 2008 general elections since they were the most vulnerable during conflicts. The Upper East Regional Director of Ministry of...

Newmont Schools Students On Mining And Environment.
October 24, 2008... Byline: From Iddi Moro The General Manager in- charge of environment and social responsibility at Newmont Akyem project, Mrs. Helen Macdonald, has stated that the company's long term success depended on creating value and wealth within...

We Want Peace During Elections - PWDs.
October 24, 2008... Byline: Frederick Asiamah The Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled has appealed for peace before, during and after the December 2008 general elections. According to the society, persons with disability (PWDs) are the most...

Wood Carvers Benefit From Marketing And Packaging Course.
October 24, 2008... Byline: Selorm Amevor About 100 wood carvers at the Aburi Industrial Center(AIC) in the Eastern Region have benefited from a six day training workshop to enable them enhance and build on their capacity through the adoption of new...

Northern Development Fund - Mirage Or Reality.
October 24, 2008... Byline: Abdallah Kassim Government, in its 2008 Budget, stated the establishment of a northern development fund to address the yawning socio-economic and development gap between the ever progressing Southern Ghana and the lagging North....

Making the Northern Development Fund a Reality.
October 24, 2008... Seeing the need to bridge the socio-economic and development gap between the north and the south, the government in its 2008 Budget announced the establishment of a Northern Development Fund. Although many northerners from the political...

Citizens Who Depend On Remittances May Have to Tighten Their Belts.
October 24, 2008... Byline: Basiru Adam Ghanaians who depend on their relatives living abroad may have to be a bit less demanding in view of the global economic crisis as they are not going to find their benefactors as generous as before, Mr. Kwame Pianim,...

Excitement Galore As Zoomlion Launches Technology Transfer Centre.
October 24, 2008... Byline: John the Baptist Anirra Abaah Excitement filled the air as staff of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, executives and staff of the Ghana Association of Garages, others from the National Vocational Training Institute, Kumasi, students from...

MPs Kick Each Other's Feet Over Sloppy Law.
October 24, 2008... Byline: Ebenezer Hanson Members of Parliament (MPs) have received the flak for passing a law which is said to contain "fundamental and typographical errors" resulting in a negative effect on revenue generation. Curiously, the accuser...

Tertiary Institutions Urged to Do Self-Assessment.
October 24, 2008... The Executive Secretary of the National Accreditation Board, Mr. Kwame Dattey, has appealed to tertiary institutions in the country to establish Internal Quality Assurance units to assess their performance on regular basis even before his...

BUI Diversion Work to Be Completed in December.
October 24, 2008... Byline: From Doe Lawson Diversion works on the Bui Dam Project will be completed in December 2008. After the diversion of the river, the main work on the construction of the dam will begin and it is expected to be completed in four...

Why Western Aid And Development to Africa is a Big Lie.
October 24, 2008... Byline: Dr. Kwame Osei At last month's United Nations session where the world's leaders gave speeches about the state of the world, some Afrikan 'leaders' expressed concern that western nations would not be able to send Afrika 'aid'...

Entrenching Poverty And Inequality in Country.
October 24, 2008... Byline: Sachibu Mohammed Ho On Wednesday June 18 2008, the Hon Minister of Defence, Albert Kan Dapaah announced in parliament plans to establish a military hospital in Kumasi. Apparently Iam not the only Ghanaian who got this news with...

Whistle Blower Pays Bloody Price.
October 24, 2008... Byline: Amos Safo Anti-corruption campaigner, Mr. Mohammed Yakubu Alhassan has gone into hiding after several threats on his life, including physical torture at the hands of a pension siphoning syndicate whose modus operandi he has...

Market Women Appeal to GCB to Make Loan Process Flexible.
October 24, 2008... Byline: Wisdom Dzidedi Donkor, Ho Market Women at the Ho Central Market have appealed to the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) to revise the "high demands" that participants in its 'kudi nkosuo' programme would have to go through to access...

Less Than 400,000 Ctizens Pay for Water.
October 24, 2008... Byline: Ama Achiaa Amankwah The Acting Managing Director of Ghana Water Company Ltd (GWCL), Mr. Kweku Botwe has disclosed that the company has not more than 400,000 customers paying for the water they consume. He therefore called on...

"Government Has No Business Doing Business".
October 24, 2008... Byline: Daniel Chachu "The economic function of government is not merely to maintain a stable macro environment; its primary responsibility to its citizens is to foster their general welfare." (Rathin Roy, Adviser, UNDP and John Weeks:...

Life As Former MPs is Not Pleasant - Former MPs.
October 24, 2008... Byline: Wisdom Dzidedi Donkor Former Members of Parliament have appealed to the government to consider instituting a pension scheme for the sitting MPs, "so that when they retire or leave Parliament their sufferings and hardship may be...

HIV And Aids Prevention Beyond 'A. B. C' Will Reduce Infection Among Women.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Ama Achiaa Amankwah Advocates of women's reproductive health rights have called for new approaches to existing mechanisms of reducing HIV and AIDS among women. They are worried that current methods such as abstinence,...

A Development Strategy for the North.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Mahama Zakaria Dr Charles Jebuni of the Center for Policy Alternative (CPA) has stated that northern Ghana can contribute to the overall development of the country if the development gap was bridged. But he said the north was...

Media Urged to Complement Campaign to Improve Maternal And Child Health.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Mahama Zakaria -Tamale Ghana ranks forty-two (42) in under- five mortality globally with about 80,000 children under five dying each year mostly from preventable causes. The Northern Regional Director of Ghana Health Service...

"Eschew Politics of Hatred, Division And Bitterness", Says Bishop K. E. Yamoah.
October 20, 2008... Byline: John the Baptist Anirra Abaah An evangelist, Bishop Kinglew Emmanuel Yamoah, of the Evangelical Calvarian Church of Ghana Incorporated, at Adukrom, a suburb of Kumasi, Ashanti, has called on Ghanaians to eschew politics of...

Bizcom and Internet Cafe Scams in the Garden City, Kumasi.
October 20, 2008... Byline: John the Baptist Anirra Abaah The late Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first President had cause to complain when in his fiery wind of change he tried to get other African leaders of newly independent African countries to...

Another Disaster Looms At Kasoa Toll Booth.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Wisdom Dzidedi Donkor It has been barely six weeks ago when a cargo Benz vehicle heading towards Kasoa ran into another vehicle ahead of it causing a series of crashes of four other vehicles ahead. The said accident according to...

Country Needs At Least 50 Universities.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Basiru Adam The president of the Central University College (CUC), Prof. Victor Patrick Gadzekpo has said that Ghana needs a minimum of 50 universities, each with an average student population of about 20,000 to be able to cope...

Farmers' Day Celebration is a Cover-Up for Gov't's Inefficiencies -GTLC.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Selorm Amevor The Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition (GTLC) have accused both present and past governments of using the Farmers Day celebration as a cover up for their inefficiencies in the agricultural sector. According...

Nigerians Control Lucrative Scrap Business.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Frederick Asiamah Having virtually taken over the banking and entertainment industries, Nigerians have now become the kingpins of the fast-growing scrap industry in Ghana, Public Agenda's investigations have established. At...

No More Excuses, End Poverty And Hunger Now.
October 20, 2008... Last week Friday, October 17, the International Community celebrated the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty in solidarity with millions of poor people worldwide who sleep on empty stomachs. The World Food Programme,...

Media Perspectives On National Issues - the German Initiative (2).
October 20, 2008... Byline: Amos Safo Last week, I started the first part of this article to illustrate the importance the German Federal Government attaches to media perspectives on national issues; hence the sponsorship of Matilda Asante and yours truly...

Teenage Pregnancy Hits Akwatia.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Ama Achiaa Amankwah Akwatia township, which years back earned its name as "the diamond town" due to the economic benefits mining had brought is said to be experiencing an increase in teenage pregnancies. Speaking to Public...

Atta Mills' Administration Will Re-Demarcate Districts.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Ebenezer Hanson A Prof. John Evans Atta Mills-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration has served notice that it would tidy up what it brands" the mess created by New Patriotic Party(NPP)" by re-demarcating the...

Human Resource Development is Vital to Economy - DR Bawumia.
October 20, 2008... Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, running mate of the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has stressed the importance of human resource development, which he said made the injection of capital into education vital. Speaking to students in...

Kufuor Urged to Ensure Passage of Right to Information Bill.
October 20, 2008... The coalition on the Right to Information-Ghana has made an urgent appeal to President John Agyekum Kufuor to, without any further delay; expedite the passage of the Right to Information Bill into law. The Coalition challenged the...

Interior Minister Orders the Release of a 16-Year-Old Boy From Jail.
October 20, 2008... Byline: Kwaku Baah-Acheamfour The Minister of Interior, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, has charged authorities of the Ankaful Prisons to release Yaw Fosu, a 16year old former pupil of Breman Anwiam Junior School of the Assin District, from the...

Standard Bank Wins Three Awards.
October 20, 2008... Standard Bank, parent company of Stanbic Bank, has won three further awards from two emerging market publications, reinforcing its position in the industry as one of the world's leading emerging market focused banks. Emeafinance, an...

The Economic Significance of the Food & Beverages Industry in Tourism.
October 17, 2008... Byline: John the Baptist Anirra Abaah According to a report in the Global Tourist Magazine, quoted by Awake Magazine in 2006, "Tourism is the number one employer in the world. "There is reason for it." It is also widely known that...

It is Lawful to Comment On a Court Case-Dr. Atuguba.
October 17, 2008... Byline: Selorm Amevor A law lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Raymond Atuguba has indicated that the assertion by sections of academia and legal practitioners that a case before a court cannot be commented on is a reversal of the...

World Health Organisation Launches Mental Health Programme.
October 17, 2008... Byline: Ayuure Kapini Atafori The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a programme on mental health to enable persons with mental illness to lead healthy lives with the help of proper care, psychological assistance and...

Political Party Officials At Bole Schooled On Public Order Act.
October 17, 2008... Byline: Leonard S. The Bole District Electoral Security Task Force, has organized a one day public sensitization programme at Bole to update the skills of various political party executives and their parliamentary candidates on the...

Government Asked to Stop Paying Lip Service to Agriculture Sector.
October 17, 2008... Byline: Selorm Amevor The Right to Food Policy Advisor at Actionaid, Ms. Anna Antwi has called on government to show a strong political will by supporting the agriculture and food sectors of the country. According to her, the...

Enhancing Education for Children of Cocoa Farmers.
October 17, 2008... Many children and their parents are aware that good education is the foundation for a secure future. In fact education all over the world has proved to be an equalizing factor, lifting many individuals and nations out of poverty and...

Diabetes in Country Women.
October 17, 2008... Many Ghanaian women have Diabetes. Diabetes also affects men but women are more likely to be affected than men. Therefore it is extremely important for Ghanaian women to learn more about this very common illness. This article seeks to explain...

Tuobodom Calls for Government's Intervention.
October 17, 2008... Nana Baffour Asare II, a rival chief of Tuobodom in the Techiman Municipality, has appealed to the Government of Ghana to help solve the town's longstanding chieftaincy problem. The call comes after security officers averted bloodshed on...