GRi Newsreel 22-04-99

Tamale (Northern Region) 22 April 

The Tamale Tizaa NDC Youth Association, has appealed to the government to release funds for the early completion of the Tamale roads rehabilitation project.

A statement signed by Mr Yussif Yacubu, secretary of the association said although the government has initiated a number of projects in the municipality the delay in the roads rehabilitation is being exploited by some people "to gain cheap popularity."

It was in reaction to sentiments expressed at a public forum by a group calling itself Tamale Concerned Citizens Association at the weekend. The Forum discussed irregular water supply and the road project in the municipality.

The statement cited the rehabilitation of the Tamale water supply system as an example of the government's desire to give the people of Tamale good drinking water.

"What is more important is that we of Tizaa NDC Youth are appealing to the people of Tamale to pay their water bills to enable the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation to meet the cost of production". The statement said.

Nkawie (Ashanti Region) 22 April 

Farmers in the Atwima district have called for a review of the maturity period for the repayment of agricultural loans from the banks.

The present nine month period is "too short" because it puts beneficiaries under pressure to sell their produce at "give-away prices" to raise money to pay back the loans.

This was the consensus at a forum at Nkawie to find ways of increasing agriculture production.

It was organised by the district assembly for farmers, agriculturists, researchers, chiefs, assembly members, and unit committee and area council members.

The farmers also want interest rate on loans reduced as an incentive particularly to the youth to take to farming.

They commended the government for its bold initiatives like the Youth in Agriculture programme and the Village Infrastructure Project designed to enhance production.

Mr Kwabena Asante, District Best Farmer appealed for the construction of silos in the district to store food.

The Gomoa District Assembly, has instituted a levy of 1,000 cedis a term on every Senior Secondary School student in the district to generate funds for the provision of facilities in schools and for awarding scholarships for brilliant but needy children in the area. The levy has become necessary because of the increasing demand for facilities in schools. Mr Kow Anyanful, district chief executive, was speaking at the assembly's first ordinary session of the year at Apam.

Even though the assembly spends greater part of its resources on education, it is not adequate to meet the demands of the communities, he said.

The DCE said the Assembly generated 90 million cedis from its traditional sources last year. It is however, yet to receive its ceded revenue for 1997/98 and the last quarter allocation of the district assemblies common fund.

He called on assembly and unit committee members for assistance to enable the assembly to generate more revenue.

Tarkwa (Western Region) 22 April 

Vice President John Evans Atta-Mills on Wednesday said the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission is reviewing proposals for tariff increase from the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation (GWSC).

Addressing the opening session of the seventh quadrennial delegates' conference of Mine Workers Union at Tarkwa, he said the cost of production in the mines has gone up with the "justifiable increase" in electricity tariffs.

In general the prices of things are going up in line with the new paradigm of paying economic rates for services, Professor Atta-Mills said. Escalating mining cost is a worldwide phenomenon, and the impact of it is seen in the exit of Barnex from Prestea and its take-over by Prestea Gold Resources established by the mine workers.

Professor Atta-Mills said there is the possibility of the closure of some more mines if the downward trend of their operations continues.

Mines must adjust their operating plans to accommodate these difficulties in the short term, but the only way to survive into the next millennium and continue to make profits is for the mines to undertake the restructuring that is being done elsewhere under similar circumstances.

Professor Atta-Mills said this reshaping of the industry is and would continue to take the form of employing state of the art technology to improve productivity and cut costs, as well as improving labour's contribution and labour-management relations.

He urged the mines to enhance their management through computers and state-of-the art technology, among other measures.

Professor Atta-Mills urged the management of the mines to cut production costs to the barest minimum, saying overly high labour cost should be avoided, and productivity markedly improved by changing inefficient working practices.

The management of the mines should tackle the labour cost problem as is being done elsewhere by reducing the number of employees through increased use of contract labour, the introduction of labour-saving technology, flexible job classification systems and fair lay-off where they are found to be unavoidable.

Mr Robert Cole, general secretary of the Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU), mentioned schemes to address the "unnecessary disparities and inequalities between expatriates and Ghanaian staff in terms of remuneration and other conditions of service" as one of the union's proposition for moving the industry forward.

The union is of the opinion that the efficient management of human and material resources is what should be the way forward and not redundancies or mine closure.

Mr Cole renewed calls to the government to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 176, which seeks to promote occupational health and safety in the mines and enact the necessary laws to conform to the convention.

The union is calling on the management of the various mining-related companies to begin serious thinking about putting in place a comprehensive retirement scheme for their employees to supplement the SSNIT pension.

Mr Cole urged the government to take the union's proposals on alternative job creation in mining communities seriously.

The poor performance of the Ghana Railway Corporation (GRC) is affecting bulk mining companies like the Ghana Manganese and Ghana Bauxite and that if nothing is done about it, these two companies may not be able to survive.

Mr Cole said the routine escalation in electricity tariffs is becoming a growing concern and added that some internal arrangement must be explored in an attempt to mitigate the burden on mining companies.

Mrs Esther Lily Nkansah, Western Regional Minister, expressed the hope that discussions at the conference would be directed towards the creation of peace and harmony at the industrial front.

Aburi (Eastern Region) 22 April 

The Minister of Tourism, Mr Mike Gizo has called for a more effective collaboration and co-ordination among government sectors to enhance the pace of development of tourist centres.

The Tourism Ministry has the technical expertise to advise on adding value to tourist sites, but does not have the capital needed to develop these attractions.

In some cases, the Minister pointed out, the sites fall outside its domain.

Mr Gizo on a tour of the Eastern Region on Wednesday, stressed the need to add value to tourist sites and charge commercial rates to enable the country to reap maximum dividends from the industry.

Places he visited included the Papaye Tourist Village at Konkonuru, Aburi Botanical Gardens (ABG) and the Little Acre Hotel, also at Aburi.

He was not happy about the lack of maintenance at some of these places, and added that while government was prepared to develop the infrastructure, these sites must be made to generate enough revenue to meet operational costs.

Efforts would be made to rehabilitate the roads and pavements at ABG and asked the management to be more commercial oriented since it is the second oldest national park in Africa after Morocco's.

Mr Theophilus Agbovi, the curator at the gardens disclosed that 65,000 visitors were recorded last year.

Management is in the process of planting 20 hectares with indigenous trees to replenish some of the near extinct trees in the country, he added.

At the Aburi Industrial Centre, Mr Gizo assured the workers of the government's intention to build a craft village at the centre.

Accra (Greater Accra) 22 April

 An Centre to promote international commercial arbitration in Africa has been established in Lagos, Nigeria.

The centre, known as "Lagos Centre", was set up under the auspices of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee (AALCC).

A draft law relating to the establishment and existence of the Lagos Centre will be promulgated before May, this year. These were made known on Wednesday when Mrs Eunice R. Oddiri, acting director of the centre, presented her report at the on-going five-day 38th annual session of the AALCC in Accra.

The Nigerian government has given its blessing to the siting of the centre in Lagos and an agreement to that effect is expected to be signed between the AALCC and the government on Monday, April 26, she said.

Outlining the objectives of the Centre, Mrs Oddiri said it would co-ordinate and assist in the activities of existing arbitral institutions, particularly those in Africa. It would also render assistance to other national arbitral bodies, enforcement of arbitral awards and get involved in an advisory role in the drafting of arbitration laws.

In order to popularise the Centre, workshops, seminars and conferences have been held in the past year, and another seminar has been slated for April 28, this year.

Mrs Oddiri said the Lagos Centre would be a force to reckon with in Africa in the next millennium.

Deliberations at the session are being presided over by Mr Martin Amidu, Deputy Attorney-General who was elected AALCC president on Monday.

Accra (Greater Accra) 22 April

The Rotary clubs of Accra West and Neubury of Germany as well as Rotary International on Wednesday donated 180 million cedis to Children in Need, Ghana (CING) in support of their educational outreach programme.

The programme, dubbed "Outreach Preventive Educational Program", involves travelling to schools and communities throughout the country to educate the youth on issues affecting them.

Some of the topics to be discussed include dangers of street life, basic rights of the child, importance of education, self-esteem and peer education and adolescent reproductive health. Mr Dan Owusu-Afari, President of Accra West Rotary, said the money is in response to the numerous appeals for assistance by CING, a non-governmental organisation.

Many NGOs collect huge sums of money from their sponsors ostensibly to help unfortunate children on the streets but do not use the money for that purpose, he said.

"I am very glad that CING is an NGO of a difference since they are using the money for the purpose for which it was donated."

Mrs Alberta Quartey, Chairperson of Ghana National Commission on Children, who elaborated on some violence acts against women and children, urged parents to love and support their children, appreciate their contributions and share their aspirations "This will make them the happiest children and freely communicate with their parents whenever they are in need without any fear''.

Mrs Quartey appealed to men, as heads of family, to help curb the issue of violence against women and children.

CING has registered 80 street children, out of which, 30 are resident at their new hostel at New Achimota, while the rest are still living on the streets and some with relatives.

Mr Amoah said the children are taken through training programmes such as literacy and numeracy, spraying and painting, metalwork and woodwork, dressmaking, hairdressing, weaving and general agriculture.

Accra (Greater Accra) 22 April  

The Chief Executive of Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Samuel Addokwei Addo on Wednesday vowed to continue with the demolishing of unauthorised structures in Accra saying the assembly had been pushed around for too long. "If in the past the AMA had been seen as an institution to be subjected to public ridicule and blame over the haphazard development in the city, those days are over," he said.

He said removal of all unauthorised structures have commenced according to plan and would continue until discipline prevails in their development. Areas of immediate concentration, he said, would be waterways, public parks, lands reserved for schools and road reservations.

The AMA boss was speaking in a radio broadcast following mixed reaction to the assembly's current exercise that started last week with the tearing down of a hotel near the airport. Many other houses at La Abormi and Tsui Bleoo at Teshie have also been demolished.

Mr Addokwei Addo gave a detailed account of the cases of flooding in the city saying that they are caused by the haphazard manner in which buildings and other structures have been allowed to spring up in areas that are clearly demarcated for other purposes.

"While the drainage facilities are choked by garbage dumped by some residents, the situation is worsened when a few individuals build in areas which are meant to serve as water courses so that when it rains water can have outlets."

Mr Addokwei Addo said whereas an individual may satisfy himself by building in an area where he is not supposed to, the result is often inimical to the interests of an entire community." Mr Addokwei Addo said Accra is overcrowded, haphazardly developing and gradually becoming an eyesore adding that those who travel praise the planning and layout of some cities like Abidjan, Kampala and Pretoria. "We have made it our goal to develop our own capital city of Accra to stand shoulder to shoulder with other cities."

He noted that despite warnings to developers, development and unapproved building persist. Mr Addokwei Addo noted that some of the illegal developments have come about through the connivance and complicity of some AMA staff. He said he has also observed a lack of co-ordination among various agencies charged with ensuring compliance with building regulations.

"This situation has created opportunities for some officials to do their own thing leaving it to others to clear the mess they have created. "I am determined to clear the mess as much as I can. And I will not hesitate to clear those officials messing up the AMA and its planning regulations."

Mr Addokwei Addo referred to the tearing down of the hotel on April 12 but said he could not go into details because of newspaper reports that the owner had commenced a court action. "Indeed, we have received a letter from the owner of the property, in which he states his intention to seek appropriate redress. We understand that language but we also recognise the spirit behind his letter and thank him for it. For obvious reasons, we reserve our comments for the appropriate forum and time."

The AMA boss said there were times, when in carrying out their mandate, some excesses might occur and said they appreciate it when it is pointed out to them. "We are willing to discuss the framework for appropriate remedy where excesses have occurred."

Mr Addokwei Addo said they, however, deplore the attempt by some groups to introduce confrontational partisan politics into the issue of enforcement of building regulations. "Indeed, it would appear that some of the persons leading the attacks on the AMA are the worst offenders of our building regulations. If any of them think that by orchestrating these attacks they can weaken the resolve of the AMA so that they go scot-free, then they are mistaken."

Mr Addokwei Addo said over the years, AMA had razed unauthorised structures to the ground but developers are becoming more and more vocal as if there is no law and order, thus perpetrating the nuisance.

He noted that political, economic, financial, ethnic, religious, and sometimes cultural ties and affiliations had always been exploited to prevent the enforcement of the law. "But the problems will have to be resolved sometime, someday, by someone. I have decided that the time is now, the day is today and the one is me."

Mr Addowei Addo said he is aware that by adopting this approach, he would be stepping on toes and very big ones at that. "I know that ultimately, even if, I may have to pay a price for doing what is right. That price will be nothing, compared to what the people of Accra will have to pay if we allowed rules and regulations to be flouted, with impunity, and if we allowed the contacts of a few, to be exploited to the disadvantage of the many."

He appealed to residents to be law abiding and work hard to make the capital safe, clean and beautiful.

Accra (Greater Accra) 22 April 

Osagyefuo Kuntukunuku the Second, Okyenhene, who went to the village last month, would be laid in state from August nine and buried on August 16, a delegation from Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council announced on Wednesday at the Castle, Osu. The delegation, which was led by Osabarima Kena Ampaw the Second, Adontenhene, called on President Jerry John Rawlings and formally informed him of the death and funeral arrangements for Osagyefuo Kuntukunuku.

Osagyefuo Kuntukunuku, President of the National House of Chiefs and a Member of the Council of State, died after a short illness.

President Rawlings recalled that a few years back when the Kibi Government Hospital was without a doctor, Osagyefuo Kuntukununku, a doctor by profession, stepped in and treated patients. "He demonstrated that he was not only there for ceremonial purposes. He did his best for his people."

President Rawlings appealed to the "king makers" of Akyem Abuakwa to strive to find a worthy replacement for the late Okyenhene, saying, "Government is aware of the importance of chiefs to their communities".

Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia, Chairman of the Council of State, said for the short period that Osagyefuo Kuntukunuku served on the Council, his contribution was tremendous. "He was a dedicated and a progressive member of the Council", he said.

Mr Nathan Quao, an Adviser to the President, said since his enstoolment in 1976, Osagyefuo Kuntukunuku worked tirelessly to raise the living standards of his people. "He contributed not only to chieftaincy but also to national development.

My humble appeal to you is to ensure a peaceful succession so that the people would not be without a leader for long," he said.

Nana Akuoku Sarpong, Presidential Adviser on Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Akuamoah Boateng, a Minister of State, Profesor Kofi Awoonor and Mr D.S. Boateng, both Presidential Staffers, praised the late chief, saying the nation had lost a great traditional ruler.

Nkoranza, (Brong Ahafo) 22 April

The Ghana branch of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) has organised a day's seminar at Nkoranza to educate people on the laws affecting families and some aspects of the 1992 Constitution. The 120 participants discussed maintenance of children, the intestate succession law, The Will Act and Marriage Law.

Miss Luch F. Arthur, co-ordinator of the seminar, advised couples to introduce their partners to their respective families for recognition. She asked couples who wish to contract their marriage through ordinance to ensure that the contract is blessed in recognised and registered churches.

Mrs. Emilia Adjapong of the Brong Ahafo regional FIDA office urged men to be loyal to their wives by performing all the necessary rites to make the marriage ideal. It is against the law for relatives of a deceased person's family to eject the surviving spouse from the late spouse's house or sleeping room and advised the people to desist from the practice.

Mrs Adjapong stressed the need for the people to prepare wills to prevent problems and confusion among family members after their death.

Miss Ursula Adjei, member of FIDA, who spoke on the maintenance of children, urged parents to provide equal opportunities in education for both male and female children.

Ejisu-Ashanti (Ashanti), 22nd April

Mr Akwasi Obeng-Adjei, Member of Parliament for Ejisu-Juaben, has appealed to the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation (GWSC) to provide the area with a booster station to ensure regular water supply.

Mr Obeng-Adjei regretted that the people have for a long time been relying on water from the Bafo and Kobri streams and from the private water tanker operators.

He told the people at Ejisu that the main pipeline that distributes water from the Kumasi booster station has broken down due to lack of regular maintenance.

'Since the area has not been catered for within the Community Water and Sanitation Programme, "we have to rely on the GWSC for Water', he said adding that public officials refuse postings to the area because of the water problem.

Chiraa (Brong Ahafo), 22nd April

Mr Donald Adabre, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister on Wednesday inspected progress of work on the 517 million cedi road rehabilitation works at Chiraa, near Sunyani. The 10- kilometre project involves the resealing of the main dual carriage street in the town as well as the construction of drainage along certain portions. The project which is about 95 per cent complete is being funded by the government and the World Bank with Messrs P.M.C, of Sunyani as the contractors.

Mr Joseph E. Amos, Regional Materials Engineer of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) told the Minister, that a new technique in road construction adopted from Australia is being used in the re-sealing exercise. He said the "pre-coated seal technology" is about 60 per cent cheaper than asphalt but comparable to asphalt in terms of durability.

Mr Adabre urged the GHA to consider expanding the drainage works in the contract to adequately protect the road, adding that almost the whole length of the road is susceptible to erosion due to the topography of the area. "Unless the drainage system is expanded, the multimillion cedis project could be damaged in the near future", he added.

At a meeting with the chiefs of Chiraa, Mr Adabre said the project is a further proof of the government's determination to improve Ghana's infrastructural base in order to raise the standard of living of the people.

The Sunyani district chief executive, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo spoke of plans to solicit funding for the construction of a hostel for the local secondary school. He said the assembly would sink three more boreholes to solve the acute water problem facing the town.

Kumasi (Ashanti), 22nd April

A book, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness," which seeks to make Christianity more relevant to the current national sanitary programme was launched at Kumasi on Wednesday. The 131-page book was written by the Reverend Professor Osei Safo-Kantanka, a crop scientist at the University of Science and Technology (UST) and a Minister of the Methodist Church of Ghana.

Rev Prof Safo-Kantanka has written three other books, -"Can a Christian be a Chief?", "Such men deserve recognition" and "Who is Jesus?".

The first copy of "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" was auctioned for 300,000 cedis.

Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, launched the book, saying that "the path to Vision 2020 is in the direction of the message contained in the book". He said efforts should be made by various Churches, Youth and Women groups to patronise the book. He reminded executives of district assemblies, development and youth associations that their functions should include enforcement of environmental sanitation bye laws.

Somanya (Eastern Region), 22nd April

Mr Ben Tetteh, Assemblyman for Blau Electoral Area at Somanya in the Yilo Krobo district has attributed perennial flooding in the area to the indiscriminate dumping of refuse at unauthorised places and called on unit committee members to help stop the practice.

Mr Tetteh said refuse not dumped at the appropriate sites are usually washed by torrential rains which result in the choking of drains and gutters, thus polluting streams and rivers in the area. Mr Tetteh who made the call at a meeting with members of four Unit Committees in the Blau electoral area on Thursday urged them to enforce measures that will influence the people to take sanitation seriously.

Wa ( Upper West Region) 22 April

Nine people have died of anthrax since last Tuesday at Kokoligo and Tampiane in the Lawra district of the Upper West region. It is suspected that they ate infected meat. Dr Francis Banka, Acting Regional Director of Health Services, said at Wa on Thursday that five patients, suspected to be suffering from the disease are on admission at the Nandom and Jirapa hospitals. Medical personnel have been sent to the affected areas.

Nandom and Jirapa hospitals have been adequately stocked with drugs to handle the situation, Dr Banka said, describing the situation as "not alarming" as both the Veterinary Services department of Wa, Lawra and the Ministry of Health are handling the situation. He, however, advised people to avoid eating the carcass of any dead animal.

Mr Edward Mark-Hansen, the Regional Development Officer in charge of Veterinary services, confirmed that laboratory test on a cow which died at Kokoligo revealed that it had contracted anthrax but , some people had eaten the meat.

All cattle and small ruminants in the area are being treated and all cattle within a distance of eight kilometres in the area are being vaccinated. Also a ban has been placed on the importation of cattle from the Lawra district.

So far, no other animals has been reported dead of the disease except cattle. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Health, are also formulating guidelines to ensure the proper slaughtering and handling of meat to prevent the spread of the disease in the region, Mr. Mark-Hansen said.

Sekondi (Western Region) 22 April

All timber task forces operating in the country are to cease operation with immediate effect, Dr Christina Amoako-Nuama, Minister of Lands and Forestry, has directed. She gave the directives on Wednesday to heads of departments under the Ministry during a two-day familiarisation tour of the Western Region.

The abolition of the timber task forces was necessary because instead of safeguarding the country's forests from the activities of illegal chain saw operators, they have rather encouraged them to deplete the forests, she said. The Minister expressed grave concern about malpractice, within some of the departments, with respect to the processing of land documents.

Dr. Amoako-Nuama said the malpractice in the processing of land documents have contributed to rampant land litigation. It has also led to some people putting up structures in unauthorised places. She warned that any member of staff caught indulging in any form of malpractice would be prosecuted.

Dr Amoako-Nuama advised the departments to use the media to educate the public on their operations and asked heads of departments to encourage good managerial practice to enable them stay on the job. To ensure efficiency in the departments, she said, the Ministry has initiated measures to transfer officers who have stayed at one station for several years.

Lieutenant Colonel Kaku Korsah, Shama-Ahanta East Metropolitan Chief Executive, called for the posting of more professional valuers to the districts.

The Minister later addressed workers of the Lands Commission, the Land Valuation Board, the Stool Lands Administration, the Forest Products Inspection Bureau (FPIB) and the Timber Export Development Board (TEDB) at separate meetings. She briefed the workers on the proposed Forest Commission and assured them that the transition would not worsen their plight.

Yendi (Northern Regin) 22 April

Head teachers of Primary and Junior Secondary schools under the Catholic Educational Unit in Yendi, Zabzugu-Tatale, Saboba-Chereponi and Gushegu-Karaga districts have ended a workshop at Yendi to upgrade their management and human relations skills.

The 69 participants discussed effective supervision, gender implications in education, managing people and promoting religious tolerance.

The Yendi district Director of Education, Mr J.A. Nangtomah, stressed the need for teachers to inculcate in their pupils the spirit of tolerance for them to know at an early age how to relate to their fellow human beings. Teachers should realise that they are role models in the community and should therefore live above board in order to inspire their pupils and the community.

Mr Nangtomah appealed to Parent Teacher Associations and Unit Committees to co-operate with school authorities to improve the standard of education in their localities.

Tema (Greater Accra) 22 April

The AFKO group of companies on Thursday presented eight double decker refrigerators worth 12 million cedis and a cheque for five million cedis as its contribution towards the impending African- American summit scheduled for May 15 to 22 in Ghana.

Mrs Young Ok Kim, executive chairperson of the company, said the donation was in response to an appeal launched by the National Planning Committee of the summit for assistance. The refrigerators would be allocated to hotels accommodating the dignitaries to the summit, Madam Monica Martinson, co-ordinator of the "Coco Palm Protocol" in-charge of furnishing, said.

She expressed gratitude to the company, saying: "your gesture is in line with Ghanaian hospitality".

The co-ordinator hoped other establishments would emulate AFKO and donate favourably.

The summit is to be held at the Ghana International conference centre in Accra with about 4,000 African-Americans comprising investors, financiers and businessmen and women.

Tamale (Northern Region) 22 April

Mr Mohammed Alhassan Adams, Tamale Municipal Chief Executive, has lauded government's efforts at promoting girl-child education to eliminate the high illiteracy rate among women. Coupled with the adult literacy programme, resulting in more women learning to read and write, the objective of raising awareness of women's rights is being achieved, he said.

Mr Adams was opening a three-day workshop on the theme: '' The rights and responsibilities of women in the constitution," organised by the Christian Mothers Association (CMA) of the Catholic Church and sponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation of Germany at Tamale on Thursday. Twenty-two women drawn from the two parishes of the Catholic Church in Tamale are attending the three-day workshop which is discussing girl-child education. gender awareness, savings as a component of income generating activity and civic education.

Mr Adams said the Christian Mothers Association and other women's groups have a crucial role to play in promoting women's rights and the moral upliftment of society.

Accra (Greater Accra), 22nd April

The Presby-Methodist Students Union (PMSU) of the University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, and the Greater Accra branch of the SSNIT National Pensioners Association on Thursday donated a total of 1.5 million cedis to the National Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. The PMSU donated one million cedis while the pensioners association donated 500,000 cedis, all of which will go to the Ghana Heart Foundation.

Mr David Ofori-Atta, President of PMSU, said the donation is part of their acitivities to launch the association's 15th anniversary celebrations.

Mr David Kotei, regional chairman of the pensioners association, said their donation was from the little contributions they get from the SSNIT allowances as pensioners. "We hope this money will help save a life, and we promise to come again sometime''.

Dr Ernest Aniteye, Anaesthetist Consultant of the Cadiothoracic Unit, received the donations on behalf of the centre and promised that the money will be put to good use. He said the foundation has not been able to achieve its target which will enable it to to treat patients free of charge as it would and expressed the hope that if every able-bodied Ghanaian pays 200 cedis a month they would be able to reach their target

Kumasi (Ashanti), 22nd April

The Methodist Church in Kumasi is fencing of a 13-acre land near the Suame roundabout where it would put up an International Conference Centre.

The Rev. Kwaku Asamoa-Okyere, chairman and general secretary of the Kumasi district of the Methodist church, made this known at the opening of the 38th annual synod of the district at the Ebenezer Methodist chapel at Bantama, in Kumasi, on Thursday. The theme for the five-day synod is "sustaining support for the Mission and Vision of the Church".

Rev. Asamoah-Okyere said a new five-classroom block at the Kwadaso Women's Training Centre in Kumasi is nearing completion to give vocational education to girls. Plans were also afoot to rehabilitate the Freeman Centre for Leadership Development as well as the Principal's bungalow.

The Right Rev. Peter Kwasi Sarpong, Catholic Bishop of Kumasi, decried the abuse of religion in the society and called for effective ways to control the situation.

The Rev. Dr Samuel Asante-Antwi, President of the Methodist Conference, said the nation as well as the Church needs committed and conscientious leaders at positions of trust.