NDC's UK and Ireland branch donates 12,000 pounds for Election 2000
Reschedule your marriages - Registrar of Marriages orders
Tema recorded 56 fire incidents in 1999
Assembly to improve water supply at health centre
Drivers urged to co-operate with security agencies
Civil servants urged to deliver quality service
Seven houses set ablaze at Asankrangwa
Black Volta to be dredged at Debre
Fire destroys second farm in Savelugu/Nanton district
NDC's UK and Ireland branch donates 12,000 pounds for Election 2000
Accra (Greater Accra), 6th January 00
The United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday donated 12,000 pounds to the party towards Election 2000.
Mr. Ekow Mends, chairman of the branch, presented the cheque and a quantity of a special millennium issue of the 'Akatamanso Magazine' to Alhaji Issifu Ali, Co-Chairman of the party, in Accra.
He said the donation is part of a special millennium fund raising dinner-dance held during the visit of Vice-President John E. A. Mills to London.
Alhaji Ali said the money would help the party in the election campaign and urged other branches to do the same.
Mr. Vincent Assiseh, National Press Secretary, said the party is working tirelessly to raise funds locally and externally for the forthcoming elections.
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Reschedule your marriages - Registrar of Marriages orders
Accra (Greater Accra), 6th January 00
Persons who have fixed Saturday, January eight for their marriages at the Registrar General's Department have been asked to reschedule their wedding dates.
This is as a result of the declaration of the day as a holiday for the Muslim festival of Eid Fitri.
A statement signed by Mr J.K. Harlley, Chief State Attorney said "all those whose marriages are scheduled for that day are to call on the principal registrar of marriages to reschedule their wedding dates".
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Tema recorded 56 fire incidents in 1999
Tema (Greater Accra), 6th January 00
A total of 56 fire outbreaks occurred in the Tema Municipality last year, destroying property totalling 1.81 billion cedis.
Twenty-seven of the outbreaks were in homes, 12 vehicular, eight electrical, and five each of industrial and bush fires but no casualties were involved in of them.
Mr. Francis Gyenyin, Assistant Chief Fire Officer in charge of Tema Office of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), told newsmen on Thursday that most of the fires were due to carelessness and ignorance about how to handle electrical appliances properly.
Mr. Gyenyin said his outfit would soon embark on an intensive programme to educate the public on the need to be cautious to enable them to prevent fire outbreaks.
In order to minimise the risk of fire outbreaks, the Municipal Fire Officer warned the public against constructing kiosks and other structures on pavements, access roads and water hydrants.
He said power fluctuations can cause fire and urged the ECG to inform the public to switch off their power when working on faulty transformers.
He advised against overloading of sockets in homes and offices to avoid fire outbreaks.
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Assembly to improve water supply at health centre
New Edubiase (Ashanti), 6th January 00
The Adansi East District Assembly has voted 55 million cedis to provide five additional boreholes to help improve water supply at the New Edubiase Health Centre.
In addition, the assembly is pursuing a boreholes mechanisation programme to address water problems facing residents at New Edubiase.
Barima Owusu Sekyere Agyeman, the District Chief Executive, announced these when he interacted with the staff of the New Edubiase Health Centre as part of his familiarisation tour of decentralised departments in the district.
He said the assembly is to construct new male and female wards as part of efforts to upgrade the health centre into a district hospital.
Barima Agyeman said under the European Union (EU) and the government's micro-project intervention, nurses at Aboabo, Ataase-Nkwanta and Bodwesango have been provided with accommodation, adding "it is now the turn of New Edubiase health centre".
The District Chief Executive praised the health staff for their prompt responses to emergency health cases in the district.
Mr. Kwasi Amankwaa, the District Director of Health Services, pledged the staff's preparedness to help improve health delivery in the area.
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Drivers urged to co-operate with security agencies
Offinso (Ashanti), 6th January 00
Nana Osei Sarfo-Kantanka, Offinso branch chairman of the Ghana Private Roads Transport Union (GPRTU), has urged drivers to co-operate with the security agencies to track down criminals.
Nana Sarfo-Kantanka drivers at Offinso that they must not condone and connive with criminals by carrying their booty or taking them to places where they go to rub innocent citizens.
He commended drivers in the Offinso district for their exemplary professional competence which saw them through the Christmas period without any accident and urged them to maintain that record in the new year.
He announced that the union has drawn up a comprehensive programme to educate their members on road safety regulations and cautioned the drivers against speeding and unnecessary over-taking.
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Civil servants urged to deliver quality service
Bolgatanga (Upper East), 6th January 00
Dr. Robert Dodoo, Head of Civil Service, has called on civil servants to stick to their official duties and deliver quality services to keep the system running properly.
They should also dedicate themselves to their responsibilities and work diligently to ensure efficiency.
Dr. Dodoo said these when he paid a courtesy call on Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper East Regional Minister, during a working visit to the region on Thursday.
"The era of 'go and come' and 'we are looking into it' should be over and there should not be unnecessary delays in carrying out your duties."
Dr Dodoo assured civil servants that they would be commended on merit and politicians can no longer sack or cause the transfer of civil servants at will.
He advised civil servants not to allow themselves to be influenced by politicians or accept bribes because such gifts with ulterior motives make the giving party include the cost into their goods and services, thereby inflating commodity prices.
He said a panel had been set up to monitor the output of civil servants and assess the work of Chief Directors and Co-ordinating Directors to ensure that they put up their best.
Alhaji Sulemana asked civil servants to contribute their quota to the development of the region not only by carrying out official duties but also by helping the administration to formulate policies for development.
He urged civil servants not to allow themselves to be distracted by political activities this year but concentrate on their work.
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Seven houses set ablaze at Asankrangwa
Asankrangwa (Western Region), 6th January 00
Unidentified persons this morning set ablaze seven houses at Asankrangwa following clashes between factions in a local chieftaincy dispute at the weekend.
Personal property estimated at billions of cedis were destroyed by the fire.
Unconfirmed reports alleged that the police started the fire in retaliation of the death of Corporal Adudarko Bosompem who was shot while on guard duties during the clashes.
Assistant Superintendent of Police(ASP) Yaw Adoko, who is in charge of the Asankrangwa district, and Superintendent Nana Koranteng Mintah, Commander of the Police Platoon sent to assist to quell the clashes, have both denied the reports.
According to ASP Adoko, the police informed the district Ghana National Fire Service(GNFS) of the fire outbreak when it saw smoke engulfing the town.
Asked why the GNFS made no attempt to put out the fire, Mr. Albert Mensah, an official of the service, said that the district office followed instructions from the regional Fire Officer not to move any fire tender for security reasons.
Houses set ablaze included Hotel Radjners, two drug stores, a beer bar, a radio cassette retail shop and a spare parts store.
Also destroyed were a saloon car belonging to Mr. Anthony Atobrah, accounts officer of All Saints Academy, a kiosk belonging to a seamstress, and the personal effects of Mr. Matthew Kissi, a driver of the Electricity Company of Ghana.
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Black Volta to be dredged at Debre
Damongo (Northern Region), 6th January 00
Shallow areas of the Black Volta at Debre are to be dredged to improve navigation from Akosombo to Buipe Port in the Northern Region.
Alhaji Amadu Seidu, Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, who announced this at Damongo, said a Dutch marine company will undertake the project this year.
Alhaji Seidu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Yapei/Kusawgu in the West Gonja District, was addressing the last session of the district assembly for 1999.
The session, which was also attended by Alhaji Abdalla Adam, MP for Daboya-Damongo and heads of decentralised departments, approved levies and projects to be undertaken in the next two years.
Alhaji Seidu said seven communities in the constituency have been earmarked to be connected to the national grid this year under phases one and two of the VRA Resettlement Trust Fund.
He suggested that tax defaulters in the district should be prosecuted if the assembly is to improve revenue from its traditional sources.
Alhaji Abdalla Adam stressed the need for assembly members to monitor the work of revenue collectors to ensure that all monies are properly accounted for.
He called on the assembly to increase its support to the agriculture sector to enable farmers to increase production and their earnings.
The District Chief Executive, Mr. Steve de-Graft Safo, assured the members that development projects will be equitably distributed for each electoral area to have its fair share.
He appealed to the members to work harder this year to enable the assembly to achieve its revenue target and meet the legitimate needs of the people.
Last year the assembly had a shortfall of 20.5 per cent of its revenue target, collecting 83.7 million cedis of its estimated 105.3 million cedis.
The presiding member, the Rev Dr Edward Haruna, urged the members to attend meetings regularly.
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Fire destroys second farm in Savelugu/Nanton district
Gushie (Northern Region), 6th January 00
A 70-acre maize farm at Gushie in the Savelugu/Nanton District belonging to Nanton-Naa, Alhaji Alhassan Sulemana has been destroyed by bushfire.
It is the second time in a month that such a disaster has occurred in the area. In the first incident the national best maize farmer, Alhaji Yakubu Fuseini, lost his 150 acre maize farm.
Commenting on the latest out-break the District Chief Executive, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna, warned that anybody found setting fire to the bush will face the full rigours of the law.
He said a task force has been formed to check the activities of hunters and herdsmen who invariably are the cause of such fires.
Alhaji Haruna asked chiefs, unit committees and assembly members to form anti-bush fire committees to check indiscriminate bush burning.
The Nanton-Naa could not tell the cause of the fire.
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