Oguaa Poly lecturers react to sex scandal allegations

Alleviation fund beneficiaries refuse to pay back

Review policy on income -Ofosu-Ampofo

Ten awarded scholarship by La Palm Beach Hotel

Ghana Urges UNESCO to Translate Project into African Languages

Minister's entourage in accident

Assembly will not interfere in impasse

Catholic church holds mass wedding

Finding a way out of conflicting moral values

Sea erosion threatens Axim township

NDC will sustain peace and stability - Adam

President orders Wenchi DCE to hand over to regional minister

Cape Coast (Central Region) 14 June ’99

Lecturers of the Cape Coast Polytechnic have denied involvement in any sex scandal on the campus.

In a press statement issued in Cape Coast on Friday, the lecturers said they share offices and do not have individual computers in their offices.

The lecturers were reacting to an allegation made by the head f the Engineering Department of the Polytechnic, Mr.Tomy Madichie, which he terms a "sex scandal and unbelievable level of moral decadence that has eaten deep into the institution".

The statement issued by the Executives of the local branch of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) said, "it is not true that lecturers show pornographic films in their offices.

"No lecturer has also received any warning letter on the screening of pornographic films on the computer".

The statement said as far as POTAG was concerned, no lecturer is behind Mr Madichie", whose own conduct has been referred to a disciplinary board for investigation.

The lecturers also alleged that Mr Madichie has taken one of the female students in his department as his girl friend and that the girl's father has taken legal action against Mr Madichie on the matter, which is before the courts.

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Kenyasi, (Brong Ahafo) 14 June ’99

Out of 240 million cedis granted as loans to 967 people under the poverty alleviation scheme in the Asutifi district, only 15 million cedis representing about seven per cent have been paid back.

The District Chief Executive, Mr Hyiaman Asante-Amoako, said this during the second ordinary meeting of the district assembly at Kenyasi on Thursday.

He said the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), which assisted the assembly to implement the scheme, is to institute measures including legal action to recover the money.

Mr Asante-Amoako explained that the scheme is a revolving one and said it is important that those who benefit from it pay back on time to enable others to enjoy the facility.

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Koforidua (Eastern Region) 14 June ’99

Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, has urged the Ministry of Local Government to review it's policy on income and employment generation fund and to ensure that 60 per cent of the fund is allocated to women's groups in the districts.

The Income and Employment Generation Fund or the Poverty Alleviation Fund allows district assemblies to allocate 20 per cent of their common fund to assist small-scale enterprises in their districts at interest rates lower than the prevailing commercial bank rate.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo was speaking at the opening of the 17th Eastern Regional review Conference of the 31st December Women's Movement at Koforidua on Thursday.

Fifty delegates are attending the three-day conference, on the theme ''Poverty Reduction''.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 14 June ’99

Ten people from La in Accra on Friday received scholarships from La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra to undertake a six-week course in hotel management and catering.

Recipients would be trained in front office, house keeping, food and beverage service and kitchen skills at the Hotel, Tourism and Catering Training Institute (Hotcat) in Accra.

Mrs Jeanne Donkoh, Public Affairs Manager said each beneficiary would have the tuition fee of 800,000 cedis paid to enable them attend the course to be held between June 14 to July 23.

"After completion, participants will be absorbed into the system as skilled workers."

Mr Sasone Banin, Managing Director, said as people, who would be dealing directly with customers, they should be nice to people they would come into contact with.

Mr Akorfio Sowah, Executive Director of La Traditional Council, on behalf of the community, expressed appreciation for the scholarships.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 14 June ’99

Ghana has called on UNESCO to ensure the translation of the "History of African Project" book into different African languages.

This will make it possible to teach African history and culture to people outside the continent.

Mr Ekow Spio Garbrah, minister of Education, said this last night on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport after leading a five-member delegation to Paris, France, for an executive board meeting of UNESCO.

He said Ghana made it clear that African history is not for Africans alone but also for other nationals.

Therefore, schools outside the continent must be encouraged to include African history in their curriculum.

The Minister said the conference discussed the slave trade and decided that the subject must be placed on the agenda of the next general conference.

He said the slave trade project would demonstrate to the outside world what Africans went through so as to appreciate African problems and the need to justify the strong emphasis on her culture and educational structure for development.

On education, the minister said it is one of the priorities of the organisation and it has decided to place emphasis on mathematics, science and girls' education.

For this reason, he said, a substantial amount of its budget is spent on education in general.

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Juaboso (Western Region) 14 June ’99

Eight people were injured when a bus grazed the sides of three vehicles conveying the entourage of a minister of state to a durbar at Juaboso in the Western Region.

Mr J.H. Owusu-Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture and his deputy, Mr Mike Akyeampong were to address a durbar organised in their honour by the chiefs and people of Juaboso.

The two ministers and Mr Kingsley Asoah-Apima, District Chief Executive for Juaboso escaped unhurt.

Mr Eric Blorkpoh, a director of GTV Agro Link programme is among those who sustained injuries. All the eight were treated and discharged at the local health centre.

The incident happened in front of the Juaboso district administration block soon after the minister and his entourage had alighted from the vehicles and were heading towards the durbar ground.

The driver of the bus, which was descending a hill towards the durbar grounds, lost control of his vehicle and ran into the cars carrying the minister's entourage.

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Ejura (Ashati), 14^th June 99 -

The Ejura-Sekyedumasi District Assembly last Friday resolved not to interfere in the impasse between Mrs Joana Appiah-Dwomoh, Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister who is also and Acting District Chief Executive, and the Assemblyman for Kasei, Mr Oliver K. K. Nti, since the case is before a competent court of law.

The assembly members said it will not only be "naive and wrong" on their part to comment on the issue but it will also amount to contempt of court.

The resolution was passed at an emergency meeting of the assembly held at Ejura to discuss a series of letters and publications by Mr Nti, against Mrs Appiah-Dwomoh and Mr Fuseini Alidu, District Co-ordinating Director.

Following the letters and publications, Mrs Appiah-Dwomoh has instituted a legal action against Mr Nti.

It was the view of the assembly that the acting DCE, being a citizen of Ghana, has every right to institute a legal action to redeem her image and salvage her reputation.

It was of the conviction that the final determination of the case in the court will help bring the rampant and numerous anonymous letters written by people in the district to a halt and thereby return the district to the path of peace and development.

On the call for a probe into the assembly by Mr Nti, the meeting said they were not against it; but since the issue is in court, there was no need for any such thing now.

Mr E. K. Antwi, Presiding member of the Assembly, disclosed that the assembly voted 20 million cedis for poverty alleviation this year, saying the money has already been disbursed to 13 groups in the district.

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Accra (Greater Accra), 14^th June 99 -

Fifty-seven couples on Saturday had their marriages blessed at a grand ceremony at the St Paul's Catholic church in Accra with a call on them to protect their marriages which "is the most precious gift God has given you".

The mass wedding, the largest to be organised in the Catholic church, is aimed at encouraging couples, especially those who cannot afford expensive weddings, to have their marriages blessed.

It also saw the conversion of six of the couples, who were not Catholics, into the Catholic faith while 17 others were baptised.

In his message, The Most Reverend Dominic K Andoh, Archbishop of Accra, said the wedding is important to the church as it allows couples to take the holy communion which, he noted, reigns high in the church.

He said what the church needs from them is a pure heart and a peaceful marriage rather than material wealth, adding that ''what we are witnessing today should not be a nine-day wonder but should be long lived for others to emulate''.

The Most Rev Andoh urged the couples to take their husbands, wives and children as a valuable possession and asked for God's blessing to strengthen their marriages.

The couples included administrators, police inspectors, traders, plumbers, civil servants and a journalist.

The youngest bride and groom were 24 and 34 years old, and the oldest, 57 and 69 years respectively.

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Kayera (Ashanti), 14^th June 99 -

The First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, has called on chiefs, opinion leaders and the clergy to do more to assist the youth find their way through the confusion of competing and sometimes conflicting cultural and moral values.

This, she said, must be done not merely through advice and exhortation, but by example, adding that while sifting and discarding negative cultural practices, the best of the country's traditional values must be maintained.

Nana Konadu was speaking at the 15^th Anniversary celebration of the enstoolment of Nana Ama Serwaa Bonsu, Queenmother of Kayera, in the Offinso District.

The First Lady spoke of the need to acknowledge progressive and positive ideas that would promote the social and economic well-being of the people.

She also touched on the importance of education particularly that of the girl-child, saying, "do not budget to exclude your girl-child from education" and expressed expressed disappointment the performance of pupils in the Offinso District in last year's Basic Certificate Examination was not good.

She was, however, happy that the Assembly has appointed a special committee to study the situation and present a report which would be the basis of a forum on the improvement of education in the area.

Very soon the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) policy of the Government would come into force and it would be illegal to keep children of school going age at home.

The First Lady drew attention to the need for all to work seriously in a peaceful environment if "we are to attain the desired status of a middle income country by the year 2020".

"We cannot allow a few lawless people or rabble rousers disturb our hard-earned peace and political stability", she said adding, "we must join hands as one people and work towards sustaining what we have been able to achieve as a country to date".

Nana Serwaa Bonsu, earlier in her speech, explained that the anniversary celebration is not only for merry making but also as a forum for the discussion of effective strategies to check the socio-economic imbalances of the area.

She noted that solutions to problems facing the people lie with themselves and therefore appealed to them to rally behind the Chiefs to ensure accelerated development of the town.

Nana Konadu cut the sod for work to begin on a 100 million cedi Technical/Vocational School for the town.

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Accra (Greater Accra), 14^th June 99 -

The MP for Evalue-Dwira, Mr Kojo Armah, has appealed to the government and the Nzema East District Assembly to expedite action on the construction of a sea defence wall at Axim.

He said the sea is seriously eating into the Axim Township and washing away valuable properties which may "collapse the tourist city."

Speaking to the GNA on Friday in Accra, Mr Armah said several houses, fishing and farming equipment and some private and state property running into millions of cedis are threatened.

He blamed the problem on high tidal waves as well as stone and sand winning of the people adding that if the situation is not given priority attention, Ghana will lose a historic city.

The MP also deplored the bad state of Axim roads and said "not even a kilometre of the road is motorable. There are manholes and potholes," and urged the government to rehabilitate the roads without further delay.

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Asin, (Brong Ahafo), 14^th June 99 -

The Brong Ahafo Deputy Regional Minister, Alhaji Kwadwo Mama Adam, has said that, it is only the National Democratic Congress (NDC), that can lead Ghana to sustain peace, stability, development and respect that it enjoys outsider.

Speaking at a rally organised by the Jaman constituency of the party at Asin in the Brong Ahafo region on Friday, he asked members of the party to remain steadfast and to continue their efforts at attracting more people to the party.

Alhaji Adam who is also MP for Techiman South, explained that the June 4th uprising would continue to be celebrated because it reminds Ghanaians about the ills of the past and the virtues of probity and accountability that it stands for.

The MP for Jaman, Mr Nicholas Appiah-Kubi, advised the people to take next year's population census seriously.

On behalf of the regional chairman of the party, Nana Bora Brentuo, regional executive member, advised 16 people who have defected from NPP to be disciplined, honest and to help in the development of the area.

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Accra (Greater Accra), 14^th June 99 -

President Rawlings has directed that Mr D.D. Domfe, district chief executive of Wenchi, should hand over "immediately" to the Brong Ahafo regional minister.

A release signed by Mr J.L.M. Amissah, secretary to the president, and issued on Sunday said this is because Mr Domfe, whose tenure of office ended on May 31, "will not be re-nominated".

The release said the "regional minister should institute an enquiry into all the allegations levelled against the DCE by the youth wing of the party (NDC)"

It further directed the regional minister to ensure that "these directives are promptly executed".

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