East Gonja predicts increased food production
Implement Children's Act- parents, law enforcement agencies told
Civil Servants salary must be at par with public servants - Chigabatia
USAID to spend 10,000 dollars on historical sites
Refugee management workshop opens in Upper East
Property rate in Koforidua pegged at 35%
Public called to be wary of Ginseng Tonics
Develop policies on sexual harassment
Comprehensive water project for Ejura
East Gonja predicts increased food production
Kpandai (Northern Region) 10 Dec. '99
Rice, yam and cassava production in the East Gonja District is expected to increase this year despite the recent floods in the Northern Region.
Mr Osman Rahaman, District Director of Agriculture said this at the District Farmer's day at Kpandai.
He said the district would realise 97,000 metric tonnes of yam this year as against 72,000 metric tonnes last year.
Cassava would increase from 36,000 metric tonnes to 45,000 metric tonnes while rice production would go from 3,750 metric tonnes to 6,400 metric tonnes.
He said for the past five year's, the district has been the major producer of yam, cassava and rice, accounting for up to 18 per cent of the region's production.
Ten youth groups benefited from the Youth-in-Agriculture programme with each group receiving two million cedis as loans.
He appealed to beneficiaries to pay back in good time to sustain the programme.
Mr Rahaman commended the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) for assisting 800 farmers in 40 groups to cultivate 333 hectares of maize and 166 hectares of soya beans and planted 30,000 seedlings of various tree species.
He disclosed that army-worms destroyed over 100 hectares of cropped land at Adamupe, Kuwani, Kitoe, Naamu and Loloto in the Sabonjida zone while 800 hectares more farms were destroyed by floods in over 25 communities in the district.
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Implement Children's Act- parents, law enforcement agencies told
Tema (Greater Accra) 10 Dec. '99
Mr. Alfred Agbesi, a Tema private legal practitioner, on Thursday called on parents and law enforcement agencies to help implement the Children's Act 1998, Act 560, which protects the rights of the child.
"It is a very progressive law so parents, guardians, law enforcement agencies and all Ghanaians should help in its enforcement", Mr. Agbesi said at a seminar on "The rights of the child and parents responsibilities", dubbed "Saving them young through the millennium".
It was organised by Industrial Settlers Women Development Association (ISWODA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), to sensitise women on the rights of the child.
He called on society to pay particular attention to the rights of children for an orderly development.
"Every parent has the duty and obligation towards the child by protecting him/her from neglect, discrimination, violence and abuse".
Mr. Agbesi said parents must listen to their children and help them to participate in making decisions, which affect their well being.
Miss Lydia Bawa, Area Manager of State Insurance Corporation (SIC), called for constant education on laws protecting women and children since most people are ignorant of the human rights laws.
Miss Bawa, a lawyer, said specific gender laws are intended to foster equity and development but they would remain worthless unless conscious efforts are made to enforce and monitor them.
She noted that most issues confronting women and children stem from lack of education, adding, progressive initiative should be taken to address issues on sexual harassment, child labour and property rights of women, which are violated, even though, they are enshrined in the Constitution.
Miss Alen Agyeiwaah, President of ISWODA, appealed to the public to finance a recreational site in Tema for children.
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Civil Servants salary must be at par with public servants - Chigabatia
Sekondi (Western Region) 10 Dec. '99
Mr Smart Chigabatia, Executive Secretary of the Civil Servants Association, has called on the government to introduce a mechanism that would bring salaries in the civil service at par with those of the public service.
Addressing a durbar of civil servants at Sekondi on Thursday, Mr Chigabatia said the Association would be unable to negotiate for a salary structure that would enable them to meet all their needs if such a mechanism was not in place.
What the civil servants are agitating for are equitable distribution of the national cake and the establishment of an equitable salary structure.
Mr Chigabatia said the association was mobilising funds to set up a pension and credit scheme to enable civil servants to have access to credit on liberal terms.
Some of the workers urged the government to abolish the medical refund and re-introduce free medical care.
They said there has been bureaucratic difficulties and undue delays in the refund of medical claims.
Responding to these concerns, Mr. Chigabatia said the association was pressing for a health insurance scheme to ensure that people have access to medical care.
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USAID to spend 10,000 dollars on historical sites
Cape Coast (Central Region) 10 Dec. '99
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is to spend about ten thousand dollars towards the rehabilitation and restoration of ten historical sites within the Cape Coast Municipality to enhance its tourist attractions.
The sites include family houses of important personalities including the late Kobina Sekyi, John Mensah-Sarbah and Jacob Wilson-Sey, who played key roles in education and politics during the colonial era.
The Deputy Regional Minister, Mr H. Q. Jehu-Appiah on Thursday cut the sod at "Abramdo House", the first residence of the governor during the colonial era, to mark the start of the restoration works.
The restoration project is part of USAID's natural resource conservation and historical preservation project, being carried out in partnership with the Ghana Heritage Conservation Trust and Conservation International.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ms Gina Haney, project co-ordinator said the ten sites form part of 20 of such sites which have been earmarked for restoration.
Mrs Esi Sutherland-Addy, Chairperson of Heritage Conservation Trust, cautioned against the over-dependence on foreign assistance for such purposes, and urged people in the township to pool their own resources towards the restoration of more of such sites and to make sure that they are well maintained.
Mrs Sutherland-Addy stressed the importance of such sites and the need to ensure that the historical events associated with them are correctly written for posterity as well as tourists.
In an address read for the Central Regional Minister, Lt. Col. Charles Agbenaza, (rtd), he urged the people to take pride in their heritage and to do their best to protect, preserve and promote it.
He announced that an education and awareness campaign would be mounted in addition to the restoration exercise to highlight the history of those important figures.
The Omanhene of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, also in an address read for him, urged his people to treasure their heritage and charged them to take stock of all places of historical interest and institute measures to preserve them.
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Refugee management workshop opens in Upper East
Bolgatanga (Upper East) 10 Dec. '99
A two-day workshop on refugee management for security personnel stationed in the border towns in the Upper East Region has opened in Bolgatanga.
The workshop, aimed at preparing participants on how to handle the situation should there be an influx of refugees into the region, is being organised by the Ghana Refugee Board and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Hajia Fati Seidu, said the issue of refugee protection has become a matter of great concern to the international community.
She said Africa has the highest refugee population in the world with majority being women and children, adding that Ghana has played a leading role in finding solutions to the problem.
The workshop would help build the capacity of the officers at the frontiers and also sensitise all stakeholders to handle the problem and them to take it seriously.
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Property rate in Koforidua pegged at 35%
Koforidua (Eastern Region), 10th December 99
The New Juaben Municipal Assembly and the Landlords Association have agreed to peg the new landed property rate at 35 per cent instead of 50 per cent previously proposed by the Assembly.
The agreement was reached following a five-hour meeting between the executives of the two parties mediated by the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) at Koforidua on Wednesday.
Landlords in the Municipality considered the 50 per cent property rate proposed by the Assembly after the revaluation of property "very exorbitant".
This created tension between the two bodies with rumours and threats of demonstrations and mass agitation.
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi, who received a petition from the Landlords, directed the RCC to work out an acceptable percentage, which would suit the two parties.
Mr. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Deputy Regional Minister who led the mediation, told a news conference in Koforidua on Thursday that the agreement "put to rest the tension, which threatened peace and security in the Municipality".
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo urged the landlords not to arbitrarily increase rents.
He said the new rates affect only private residential property and called on the executives of the association to educate their members on the implementation of the accepted 35 per cent rate.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo also called on property owners who have already paid rates based on the 50 per cent face increase to consult the Assembly for refund of the 15 per cent difference.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Emmanuel Adu-Boateng, said the reduction would lead to "a serious shortfall in revenue estimates of the assembly."
He called on residents to pay their basic and other rates promptly to enable the assembly to provide efficient services.
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Public called to be wary of Ginseng Tonics
Accra (Greater Accra), 10th December 99
The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) on Thursday warned the public that it couldn't guarantee the quality, safety and efficacy of the various brands of ginseng tonic, a Chinese health drink, being produced and distributed in the country.
This is because the Board has not yet approved of the tonics produced by more than five companies locally.
A Board statement to called on individuals and companies involved in the manufacture and distribution of the tonic to stop and submit the necessary documents to the FDB for registration within a week.
The documents should include a list of ingredients in the preparation and the registration documents of both the premises and products to ensure their safety and efficacy.
The distribution and sale of Ginseng candies at lorry parks and on vehicles should also be discontinued, henceforth.
It called on the Police, GPRTU, other security agencies and the public to assist in these matters, since the actions of these companies contravene Sections 3, 14, 18 and 25 of FDB law (PNDC 305 B).
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Develop policies on sexual harassment
Accra (Greater Accra), 10th December 99
Dr. Ellen Bortei-Doku Aryeetey, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Science and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon, on Thursday called for the development of policies on sexual harassment to suit Ghanaian culture and religion.
Dr Aryeetey said this would enable the people to address its associated problems in a fair manner.
Presenting a paper on ''Defining Sexual harassment in Ghana'' at a public seminar organised by ISSER in Accra, the research fellow said sexual harassment is not restricted to any particular age group or gender and even children are at risk of being victims.
She said research findings indicate that sexual abuse is founded on socially conditioned gender inequality, an expression of gender politics and power struggle and women form the majority of the harassed.
''The results from the studies show a much wider identification of forms and sites of sexual harassment than are normally found in the literature''.
Prof. Kwesi Yankah, Former Head of Linguistic Department of the University, who chaired the function, said there is the need to incorporate sexual harassment policies in the second cycle institutions, where more institutional harassment go unnoticed.
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Comprehensive water project for Ejura
Ejura (Ashanti), 10th December 99
Contract for a comprehensive water project for Ejura estimated at about 188 million cedis, which involves the laying of pipelines, connection of water to private houses and the erection of public stand pipes will soon be awarded on contract.
The project, to be financed by the German Technical Co-operation Agency (GTZ) and the government of Ghana, is spread over a period of five years.
Already, the Ejura/Sekyedumase District Assembly has mobilised about 148.5 million cedis as counter-part funding towards the project.
This was made known by Major Ceasar Kwadwo Acheampong (rtd), Ejura/Sekyedumase District Chief Executive, at the third ordinary meeting of the assembly at Ejura on Wednesday.
He said the Ejura community has contributed 48.5 million cedis while the assembly has released 100 million cedis to finance the project.
The DCE said five out of the nine boreholes earmarked for Ejura under the project have been sunk.
Major Acheampong said the Ejura Urban Council has passed a resolution on the formation of Water and Sanitation Development Committee (WSDC) to manage the water system.
The assembly has from January to October this year collected 205.9 million cedis from its traditional revenue sources or about 73.93 per cent of targeted revenue and expended 195.6 million cedis on some capital and re-current expenditures.
It has received 359.5 million cedis out of an expected 1.4 billion cedis as its share of the Common Fund.
The DCE called on farmers to be mindful of the dry season and avoid setting bushfires, adding the Ghana National Fire Service would soon embark on a massive educational drive against starting bushfires.
Mr Emmanuel Kofi Antwi, Presiding Member, accused some assembly members of sacrificing the interests of their people for their selfish ends.
He accused some assemblymen of unhealthy interest in the award of contracts under the Common Fund, adding this amount to a betrayal of the trust of the people.
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