Food ration attract girls to school regularly
Mortal remains of the late General Afrifa
re-buried.
Krobo (Ashanti Region) 28 January 2002- The mortal remains of the late Lieutenant-General Okatakyie Akwasi Amankwaah Afrifa, a former Head of State and one of the eight top military officers executed by firing squad in the heat of the June 4, 1979 coup d'etat were finally re-buried at Krobo near Asante Mampong on Saturday.
A high-powered government delegation joined the thousands of mourners from all walks of life at the re-burial and funeral rites. They included Mr Joseph Henry Mensah, Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo Marfo, Minister of Finance, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, Attorney General, Mr Kwadwo Mpianin, Chief of Staff and Ms. Gloria Akuffo, Deputy Attorney-General.
The rest were Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister, Madam Ama Busia, Member of the Council of State, Mr Dan Botwe, General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Daasebre Osei Bonsu 11, Omanhene of Asante-Mampong traditional area.
The re-burial was preceded by a service at the Krobo Wesley Methodist Church where emotionally touching tributes were read to the memory of the late Head of state by his wife Christie, the Attorney General, the children and the family.
The Very Reverend Richard Asua-Sekyere, Superintendent Minister in charge of the North Tema Circuit of the Methodist Church, in a sermon asked Ghanaians to talk more about things that unite them and not what would tear the nation apart and divide the people.
He said as a nation it was important for all to resolve never to allow the dark chapters of the political past to be every revisited. "Let no one take the law into his or her own hands," he said, adding that, "we should always uphold the rule of law and abide by the principles of fairness and justice."
The Very Rev. Asua-Sekyere advised government appointees to ensure openness, transparency and accountability in all that they do. The late General Afrifa, who was born at Asante Mampong in 1936, joined the military in 1957 and held several command positions in the Ghana Armed Forces.
His remains together with those of the seven other top ranking military officers, which were exhumed from an unmarked grave at Adoagyiri in the Eastern Region were handed over to their families at the Garrison Presbyterian/Methodist church at the 37 Military Hospital on Thursday, December 27, last year.
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Tamale (Northern Region) 28 January 2002 - The Ministry of Health has identified influenza 'B', yellow fever and hepatitis 'B' as new childhood killer diseases.
The emergence of these diseases now brings to nine, the number of childhood killer diseases in medical circles, Dr Sylvester Anemana, Northern Regional Director of Health Services announced at Babies and Mothers Awards Day in Tamale, on Friday.
Dr Anemana said efforts were being made to minimise the scourge of the new diseases on children and urged mothers to cooperate with health authorities to have their children immunised.
Dr Anemana announced that hepatitis 'B' cases were high among children in the region, recording five per cent of cases of children brought to the hospital. He said the hospital would support the public health unit with a disease control officer and also provide it with a motorbike to facilitate their operations.
The Day was organised by the Public Health Unit of the Tamale Regional Hospital for mothers who observed personal hygiene and also breastfed and immunised their children against all the nine childhood killer diseases.
Action Aid Ghana, New Energy and Christian Children's Fund of Canada sponsored it. Other sponsors were the Lions Club, Rotary Club and the Akosombo Textile Limited.
Madam Margaret Nmini, Principal Nursing Officer of the Public Health Unit, said the hospital achieved 100 per cent in its breastfeeding target last year. A total of 3,234 deliveries were made at the hospital last year and all the babies were breastfed during their stay at hospital.
Madam Nmini said 2,403 out of the 3,234 deliveries were immunised against the nine childhood killer diseases. In all, 10 mothers and their babies were honoured with Madam Andaratu Abdul-Rahman and her baby, Abibata Alhassan emerging as the overall winner.
She took away a set of saucepans, half piece of cloth and a certificate as her prize.
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Denu (Volta Region) 28 January 2002 - Saint Paul's Secondary School at Denu, in the Ketu District risks loosing a chunk of its land to the original owners unless compensation which had remained unpaid since 1960 when the land was acquired was paid.
As a result of the non-payment of the compensation the owners are fast encroaching on the land thus threatening any future expansion of the school. Mr Stephen Adzamli, Headmaster of the school bemoaned the situation during the 44th Saint Paul's Day celebration at the school during which hard working tutors and students were honoured.
Saint Paul's Day is held on January 25 every year on the Catholic calendar in honour of Saint Paul, who is the patron saint of the school.
Mr Adzamli warned the students against the threat of HIV/AIDS and urged them to see the campaign against the disease as a struggle for survival and actively participate in it. He said classrooms and teachers bungalows needed rehabilitation and expansion, while the staff common room needed refurbishment.
The school scored 99.1 per cent in the last Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) while discipline had also improved considerably following leadership courses organised by the Catholic Diocese for the school prefects.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 January 2002 - Adom International Mission (AIM), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) for the promotion of health, agriculture, forestry and sustainable development in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya district has established a Community Agriculture Institute at Ofaakor to train farmers.
Mr Senyo Sikatse, Deputy Director in charge of projects told the GNA at the weekend that the institute was the NGO's contribution to equip the youth with employable skills and to ensure food security in the country.
He commended the Chiefs and people of Ofaakor for their assistance and appealed for help to rehabilitate structures to accommodate students and to purchase a tractor and other farm equipment for the institute.
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Bawku (Upper East) 28 January 2002 - The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mahami Salifu has called for the reactivation of the Bawku peace process, saying dialogue as an alternative dispute resolution was what all peace loving people should encourage.
The government, he said attached great importance to peace and reconciliation, adding that, people who foment trouble would not be spared. Addressing the fifth monthly meeting of District Chief Executives in the region, at Bawku, the Regional Minister stressed the need to ensure food security and said the government would initiate plans to improve agricultural production.
Mr Salifu suggested to district assemblies to purchase and stockpile food during the harvest season from their poverty alleviation fund for sale during the lean season.
Mr Salifu expressed concern about the littering of polythene materials in the region and urged the DCES to adopt strategies to curb the situation, which he said degraded the environment and hampered animal and crop production. He asked the DCEs to make education a priority in their development plans as a way of "breaking the vicious cycle of poverty".
Dr Hakeem Wemeh, Chairman of the Council of the University for Development Studies (UDS), soliciting the support of the DCEs for the institution said their counterparts in the Upper West Region had pledged 50 million cedis every year.
He suggested to district assemblies in the three regions in the northern part of the country to invest in hostels at the various campuses of the university to raise revenue and to help in solving the accommodation problems of students.
Meanwhile, the Paramount Chief of the Mamprusi traditional area, Nayire Naba Gamni Mahamadu Abdulai at the weekend presented 20 bags of maize and two million cedis to victims of last year's ethnic conflict at Bawku.
Making the presentation on behalf of the chief, a delegation led by Mr Mahama Wuni extended Naba Abdulai's condolence to the bereaved families and urged the people to live in harmony to bring a lasting peace to the area.
He expressed gratitude to the government for the quick response to bring a permanent solution to the crisis.
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Apam (Central Region) 28 January 2002 - Parents of final year students of the Apam Secondary School have petitioned President J.A. Kufuor to personally intervene in the impasse at the school.
Some tutors of the school have embarked on strike action since last week to back their demand for the transfer of the Headmistress, Mrs Ester Hamilton from the school for mal-administration and financial malpractices.
Speaking to the GNA at Apam, Mrs Janet Mensah, a spokeswoman of the parents described the situation at the school as very alarming and had been giving them sleepless nights because "the future of our sons and daughters is hanging in a balance."
Mrs Mensah said barely six months from now the final year students would be expected to write their final examinations and "if they can not get teachers to teach them at this crucial time, how do we expect them to pass the examination."
"Please Mr President, do not allow the investments we have made in their education go to waste," she pleaded.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 January 2002 - Africans were on Saturday urged to positively embrace the celebration of African History Month in February to be able to tell and write their own history and restore in them the pride and dignity of their culture and civilization.
A statement issued by the Afrikan World Reparations and Repatriation Truth Commission (AWRRTC) in Accra on Saturday said Africa should continue to assert itself during the African History Month.
The event is celebrated internationally every year to re-affirm the "Truth" to all Africans that "man's first culture and civilization established on earth was an African-centred paradigm".
"From within this African-centred cultural paradigm manifested philosophy, science, democratic institutions of governance, fine arts, religious systems, even the spoken word and universal laws founded on principles which still govern the universe."
It said the Commission, in marking the month, was organising a series of lectures at the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre on February 2, 9, 16 and 22 on "Judaism and Christianity"; "The Stolen Religion from Afrika"; and "Thefts of Afrikan History and Spiritual Concepts".
The statement said it was by unveiling the truth of Africa's glorious past that the continent could be led into the educative empowerment process of "African, Know Thyself".
"This alone would help restore pride and dignity in the African character, giving African peoples the impetus and esteem to once again take charge of their lives and destiny as a self-reliant people.
"Let us now tell our own tale of truth from our own African-centred perspective," the statement said. It expressed the hope that the African History Month 2002 would lead to the blooming of the spirit of Pan-Africanism with its philosophy so well defined by the forebears of the continent.
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Bolgatanga (Upper East) 28 January 2002 - The Education Support Programme (ESP) of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) at the end of its first phase, attracted 50,635 girls in the Northern, Upper West and Upper East Regions to attend school regularly.
Schools in rural communities were given food rations for girls every month while 243,420 pupils in 1,096 primary schools had lunch every school day. Mr. Alban Bokumn, Senior Programme Officer, said at the end of a workshop for school supervisors, adding that the ESP undertook these activities with the aim of increasing enrolment of both boys and girls.
He said the Programme also built classroom blocks in 200 communities, teachers' quarters for 21 schools and two community libraries while furniture was provided for 134 schools.
Mr Bokumn explained that, even though the first phase of the programme had ended resources still available were being used to support schools and organise workshops for supervisors, adding that, the second phase was being planned.
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