World Bank worries about increasing poverty in the North
Mills cuts sod for Ultra-modern Palace Hotel
Land dispute between Kulaw and Yeji communities threatens peace
African Decade of the disabled launched.
Privatisation not a "Monster" - Hammah
Storekeeper embezzles 110 million cedis
Research centre produces black fly repellent
Catholic Bishop urges Ghanaians to exercise voter responsibly
Churches asked to embark on social action plan
Use festivals to initiate development programmes - Adabre
Dan Ayim Antwi acts as TUC Boss
National Farmers' Day award winners call on minister
Floods destroy farms in Fanteakwa
Workshop on female genital mutilation held in Bawku
Two fire victims receive items from Assembly and NADMO
Muslim Youth asked not to erect canopies near streets
World Bank worries about increasing poverty in the North
Tamale (Northern Region) 30 Nov '99
Mr Peter Harrolds, World Bank Country Director, has said while Ghana has chalked appreciable successes in a number of sectors of the economy, "the increasing poverty in Northern Ghana gives cause for concern".
"The government has done well in lowering inflation and improving road and health sectors, but poverty in the north is going up, as compared to the south, and becomes a fundamental issue that gives enormous concern."
Mr Harrolds was speaking at the opening of a two-day Regional Workshop in Tamale on Monday which discussed the World Bank Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) organised by the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) and the World Bank.
The workshop, the sixth and last of a nation-wide forum, brought together representatives of civil society organisations from the Northern and Brong Ahafo regions.
They brainstormed on the World Bank's lending policies and their effect on the country's development.
Mr Harrolds identified education, urban water supply and private sector development as other areas, which witnessed low performance.
He disagree with suggestions that the incidence of poverty is linked to the bank's policy which supports the withdrawal of agricultural subsidies.
He explained that "the poorest farmer does not use much fertiliser and therefore does not benefit from subsidies on agricultural inputs."
He said those who benefit from subsidy on fertilisers are the few commercial farmers.
Mr Harrolds said the poorest is helped in other ways like, providing extension services and improving rural infrastructure, adding "the returns to the farmer in these areas are much higher than from agricultural subsidies".
He agreed that soil degradation and infertility in the north is real and that there ought to be public investment in soil conservation to improve agricultural yields.
Mr Harrolds said the workshop is intended to provide forums for the public to tell the bank what should be done differently from what it had been doing so far.
In a speech read on his behalf to open the workshop, the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Josuah Alabi said decentralised approach in dealing with the country's assistance strategy, "provides for a larger cross-sectional civil society participation in policy formulation".
This is in recognition of the preponderant role of civil society in the national development effort and the government will continue to encourage Ghanaians to play this role through constructive criticism and alternative suggestions to problem solving, he said.
He praised the bank for initiating the workshop, saying it has shown sensitivity, dynamism and readiness to modify its models to suit the needs of beneficiaries.
Mr Alabi urged the participants to be bold, realistic and frank in their contributions but at the same time to be objective so that "collective solutions can be found to the country's economic problems".
GRi../
Mills cuts sod for Ultra-modern Palace Hotel
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 Nov. '99
Vice-President John Atta Mills on Tuesday cut the sod for the commencement of work on a Five-Star hotel to be sited at the present Accra Race Course.
The 340-room Palace Hotel Complex with a 385-condominium apartment block, is estimated at 200 million dollars.
The project, a joint venture between the government and Air Harbour Technologies of Saudi Arabia, is expected to be undertaken in two phases and would be completed within 30 months. Actual construction work will begin in June next year.
Air Harbour, led by its Executive Chairman, Hani Yamani, is providing for all the cost of construction whiles the government of Ghana is providing the land and other initial logistics.
The hotel would have 12,000 square-metres of offices, an ultra-modern recreational centre, food outlets, sports complex, a 5,000-square meter area for a shopping mall and a car park that can accommodate about 2,000 vehicles.
Vice-President Mills said the project marks a healthy partnership towards meeting the shortfall in the hospitality industry and urged all stakeholders to ensure the realisation of a 15-year tourism development plan for the country.
He said with a growth of 10 per cent by the year 2010, Ghana would be able to attract more than one million tourists which would generate a little over 1.5 billion dollars.
Owuraku Amofa, Deputy Minister of Tourism, and Chairman of the Ghana Tourist Board, said the partnership for the project was based on mutual trust, respect and commitment to sustain the private sector position as the engine of growth in national economic development.
He outlined the targets under the tourism development plan saying it is projected to have 6,385 two-star and high accommodation facilities by the year 2005, and a progressive increase of up to 8,250 rooms of the same categories five years later.
For Mr Yamani, the project means a greater leap in the Ghanaian industry in terms of competition and efficiency besides its impact on the economy.
"It will be one of the greatest legacies of President Rawlings's government," he said.
Mr Yamani, who has invested in the construction industry world-wide, expressed the hope that with "transparency and efficient relationship", the project would become a reality in 30 months.
The ceremony was marked with colourful performance by some Ghanaian culture groups and was witnessed by prominent personalities.
They included Mr Justice D.F. Annan, Speaker of Parliament, Members of the Council of State and diplomats.
The dignitaries including the Vice-President were later taken through the project designs that was exhibited at the nearby Accra International Conference Centre.
GRi../
Land dispute between Kulaw and Yeji communities threatens peace
Salaga (Northern Region) 30 Nov. '99
A protracted land dispute between the people of Kulaw in the East Gonja district and neighbouring Yeji in the Atebubu district is degenerating into an armed conflict.
Mr Jerry Draman Jackson, East Gonja District Chief Executive told the GNA in Salaga on Sunday that the District Security Committee (DISEC) has instituted measures to avert any possible breach of the peace.
He reiterated his appeal to the two parties to remain calm while efforts were being made to find amicable solution to their problem.
He said the Kulaw community has complained to him about alleged encroachment on their lands and persistent harassment by their neighbours, which had created tension between them.
Mr. Jackson advised the people not to take the law into their own hands but to report all complaints to the security agencies for prompt action.
Meanwhile Mr. Jackson has embarked on an outreach programme in a number of rural communities to explain the government's policies and programmes.
During the tour, which has so far taken him to Lantinkpa, Kunalai, Kidenge, Dagbambia, Bagabaga, Kunkuo, and Kpalbusi, Mr. Jackson identified lack of employment, good drinking water, roads and schools as major problems facing the communities.
Mr. Jackson said the District Assembly has released 25 million cedis for the construction of a primary and JSS school blocks at Kpalbusi, and that an additional 20 million cedis would be released to the area council as credit facilities for farmers and income generating groups.
Bunjai area council would also receive 12 million cedis as credit facilities to help generate employment while schools and hand dug wells at Dagbambia and Kunkuo, would be rehabilitated.
Mr. Jackson said Lanbinkpa, Kanakulai and Kidenge, which were seriously affected by the 1994 ethnic conflict, would also be rehabilitated to facilitate the resettlement of the displaced people.
GRi../
African Decade of the disabled launched.
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 Nov. '99
The African Decade of Disabled People was launched in Accra on Tuesday with a call on governments to do more to improve the quality of life of disabled persons on the continent.
The decade, which begins from the year 2000 to 2009, is being launched under the auspices of the Pan African Federation of the Disabled (PAFOD) as part of the International Day of the Disabled which falls on 3rd December, this year.
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) is expected to launch the decade in the year 2000, during its Heads of State Summit.
Mr Charles Appiagyei, President of the Physically Disabled, who performed the launch at a day's seminar for media practitioners, said some failures of the 1983-1992 United Nations Decade for the Disabled, have necessitated an African approach to the handling of problems of those with disabilities.
Mr Appiagyei said by and large, the UN decade had a global approach to the problems of disability and the solutions that were offered were general and global.
"There is therefore the need for a decade of disabled people in Africa, which would have an African approach to the problems of disability and thus develop African solutions to the problems."
He said wars and other forms of violence, poverty and epidemics are among some of the reasons for the increasing incidence of disability on the continent.
Mr Appiagyei called on the OAU to ensure that the gains of the decade are not reversed and that the advancement of the disabled remains part of the responsibilities of the organisation.
Mr Francis Boison, President of FODA, said wrong attitudes have hampered the successful integration of the disabled into society.
Mr Nicholas Halm, Secretary-General of FODA, said the subject of "disability is usually ignored by the media and when it is discussed, more often than not, persons with disabilities are seen as either tragic or heroic."
Mr Samuel Asare, Vice President of the Ghana National Association of the Deaf, appealed to the media to assist in breaking the traditional stereotyped images of people living with disability by using words and phrases that stress equality and the active participation of all individuals in the society.
GRi../
Privatisation not a "Monster" - Hammah
Takoradi (Western Region) 30 Nov. '99
The Deputy Minister of Roads and Transport, Mr Mike Hammah has asked workers not to see the Government's privatisation programme as a "Monster".
Mr Hammah explained that privatisation is rather meant to revitalise depressed organisations to enable them to improve upon their performance and make them profitable.
He was speaking at a send-off party organised at Takoradi by the management of the Ghana Railways Corporation (GRC) for the out-going Managing Director Mr Moses K. Arthur and his two deputies, Mr S. K. Agboletey and Mr Raymond Afekey, on Sunday.
The privatisation of the GRC is on course, he said, adding that it would be completed by the end of next year.
He assured workers of GRC that the privatisation of the Corporation would not be used to victimise any member of staff.
The Deputy Minster emphasised the important role the railway plays in the resuscitation of the Country's economy and urged the workers to work harder than before to help turn round the Corporation.
Mr Arthur appealed to the Government to continue to assist the GRC, adding that such assistance should always be made available in good time and in adequate amounts.
In view of the declining hauling capacity of the GRC, there is the need to speed up action on recently conceived projects, as well as exploring other avenues for partnership with the private sector, like container transport pending a carefully worked out arrangement.
GRi../
Storekeeper embezzles 110 million cedis
Tarkwa (Western Region) 30 Nov. '99
Elizabeth Ntrakwa, a store-keeper of Cocoa Inputs Company Limited (CIC), a subsidiary of the Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) at Bogoso, in the Western Region, has allegedly embezzled 110 million cedis belonging to her employers.
Elizabeth is on Police enquiry bail and would be arraigned before a court soon.
Mr Daniel Dankwa Amoah, Tarkwa Divisional Commander of Police, said Elizabeth was employed two years ago by CIC, which sells farming inputs.
He said Elizabeth got a hint that her account books were going to be audited so she hatched a plan, which involved the watchman, Adamu Gruma.
Grumah was to pretend to be sick and absent himself from duty on the day the plan was to be carried out.
Accordingly, he was given a hand-spraying machine with a promise of one million cedis if the plan succeeded.
Gruma failed to attend to duty on August 26, the very night the store was broken into.
Elizabeth consequently made a report to the Police the following day but no arrest was made.
Mr Amoah said he later got wind of the deal and ordered the arrest of Elizabeth on 5 November and in the course of Police investigations, she admitted selling some items amounting to 51 million cedis to some customers, whom she could not identify.
GRi../
Research centre produces black fly repellent
Tamale (Northern Region) 30 Nov. '99
The Tamale Parasitic Diseases Research Centre (PDRC) of the Ministry of Health has produced a repellent from plant extracts against the black fly, a causal agency of river blindness.
The herbal cream, which has been tested successfully on a number of people at Adayilli, an onchocerciasis endemic community in the Savelugu-Nanton District, is the result of collaboration between Mr Gilbert Dery of the Centre and some herbalists.
Mr. Dery, who declined to disclose the herbal components of the cream, told the GNA in Tamale on Monday that it contains active ingredients that also kill the black fly.
Two farmers at Adayilli, Mr. Mahama Imoro, 25, and Mr Abdul Samed, 35, who confirmed Mr. Dery's claim, said the cream offers the best relief since the Onchocerciasis Control Programme stopped the aerial spraying of the fly four years ago.
Samples of the cream have been supplied to a number of district assemblies in the region.
As part of efforts to rid the Northern Region of the black fly, the PRDC, in collaboration with the National Onchocerciasis Secretariat, has carried out education campaigns on how to deal with the black fly.
The East Gonja, West Gonja, East Mamprusi, West Mamprusi, Bole and Saboba-Chereponi Districts were animated to assume responsibility for community-directed treatment with Ivermectin and the provision of information on the presence of the black fly.
Mr. Dery said the Zabzugu-Tatale, Yendi and Savelugu-Nanton Districts, which have been invaded by the fly, would be included in the programme.
He said the OCP has succeeded in eliminating "the onchocerca volvulus", the parasitic worm in the black fly that causes blindness.
This has freed vast areas of the fly and allowed the people to resume farming and other economic activities.
GRi../
Catholic Bishop urges Ghanaians to exercise voter responsibly
Yendi (Northern Region) 30 Nov. '99
The Catholic Bishop of Yendi, The Right Reverend Vincent Sowah Boi-Nai, on Monday called on Ghanaians to exercise their franchise in a responsible manner in next year's general elections.
He was speaking on "Preparations towards free, fair and peaceful elections in the year 2000" at a seminar organised by the Yendi Catholic Diocese to sensitise the public on the need to ensure a successful conduct of the elections.
Representatives of political parties, the security agencies, religious bodies and opinion leaders drawn from the Yendi, Zabzugu/Tatale, aboba/Chereponi and Nanumba districts attended it.
Rt. Rev. Boi-Nai said the need to build up a culture of responsibility depends on one's inner commitment to place community interest before partisan advantage.
"If the aim of a political party is to stop all projects initiated by the ruling party, then the country is heading for trouble.
"Again, if at every election candidates and canvassers feel intimidated and not free to vote or if local thugs can dictate whom to vote for, then there is defeat of democracy and we have no one to blame but ourselves".
He said the examples of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Julius Nyerere tell the value that can be brought to bear on public life.
Rt. Rev. Boi-Nai said these men were not idealists but realists who showed that there was not only the politics of hegemony of the ruling party but also politics of service to one's fellow beings.
"We have to go further than empty moral speeches and condemnation of social evils to develop a sense of responsibility that is all-embracing."
He appealed to political parties to conduct their campaigns in a peaceful and decent manner to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.
The Yendi District Chief Executive, Mr Mohammed Alhassan, said, in an address read for him that the true purpose of political campaigning is to enable the people to choose the candidates and strategies best able to fulfil their common aspirations.
The guiding principles during such campaigns should, therefore be tolerance, transparency and respect for others opinions.
Mr Mohammed Ghani Abukari, District Electoral Officer, said the introduction of photo identity cards for all qualified voters would eliminate the problem of impersonation and greatly enhance next year's elections.
He said the Electoral Commission would continue to involve registered political parties in its programmes through inter-party consultative and registration review committees.
GRi../
Churches asked to embark on social action plan
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 30 Nov. '99
The Reverend Kwadwo Owusu-Sarpong, Asawasi District Pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, on Sunday said it is the social responsibility of the Church to engage in social action to support poor members.
He said if the poor are supported to improve their conditions, then they could in turn contribute to the Church financially with ease.
"As a Church the spiritual and human development is more important, therefore, let us go beyond physical development of chapels, manse and purchase of vehicles, development goes beyond that".
Rev. Owusu-Sarpong was delivering the sermon at the Eighth District Missionary Anniversary (Asempatrew) celebrations of the Church at Kaase in the Kumasi Metropolis.
The theme for the celebration was "Jesus Christ - the Beginning and the End".
The District Pastor said all congregations are expected to draw action plans, which will bring sustainable relief to the poor and the needy in the Church.
"I consider it worthwhile if a congregation would dedicate an annual harvest or a special appeal towards the poor in the Church".
He asked the church members to enter the new millennium with new vision, strength and determination.
"I expect that we shall be re-awakened to the task of evangelisation through, which many more souls would be led to the saving Grace of Jesus Christ and the faith of those who are already in the Lord would be firmly established".
GRi../
Use festivals to initiate development programmes - Adabre
Yeji (Brong Ahafo) 30 Nov. '99
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr. Donald Adabre, has urged communities to use their annual festivals to initiate development programmes for accelerated development.
He was addressing a grand durbar of the chiefs and people of Yeji in the Atebubu District on Saturday to round off their annual Kajuji yam festival.
Mr. Adabre commended the chiefs for their role in maintaining peace and security in the district through the formation of a District Council of Chiefs.
He said the National Democratic Congress would continue to keep faith with the people by providing them with the needed infrastructure to open-up the area.
He deplored the high rate of environmental degradation caused by charcoal burning and bush burning, and asked the people to help check the trend.
The Omanhene of Yeji, Nana Yaw Kabreso, commended the government for connecting the area to the national grid and for providing infrastructure to enhance the living standard of the people.
He appealed to the government to complete the Yeji community fisheries complex to offer employment for the youth.
Nana Kabreso also expressed his people's appreciation to the government for making the Jato Zongo-Yeji road motorable and for reshaping the Prang-Yeji road.
GRi../
Dan Ayim Antwi acts as TUC Boss
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 Nov. '99
Mr Dan Ayim Antwi, General Secretary of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), has been nominated to act as Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
A release issued in Accra on Monday by Kwamena Amponsah, Public Relations officer of TUC, said Mr Antwi is to act in the absence of the Secretary-General Christian Appiah Agyei and his Deputy, Kwesi Adu-Amankwah, who are currently out of the country on official assignments.
GRi../
Farmers tour Tema companies.
Tema (Greater Accra) 30 Nov. '99
This year's 63 award winning farmers on Monday toured the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) and Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to acquaint themselves with their operations.
They went on an hour cruise at the port.
Mr Kwaku Duah Boateng, Acting Director General of GPHA and Mr I. K. Vander Puije, General Manager in charge of Cocoa Section of CPC at separate functions congratulated the farmers for their immense contribution to the economy.
At the CPC, Mr Vander Puije said due to innovation of its products the company has gained international recognition and has won both local and international awards.
Mr Duah Boateng briefed the farmers and said most of their products pass through the port for export, saying that the GPHA would continue to support award winning farmers as a morale booster.
At a lunch hosted by the GPHA, the farmers appealed to the government to arrange ready market for their produce since middlemen take advantage to buy at reduced prices to their disadvantage.
GRi./
National Farmers' Day award winners call on minister
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 Nov. ’99
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Joseph Owusu-Acheampong, said on Monday that the Ministry would work hard to remove bottlenecks that hinder agricultural production.
This is to enable farmers produce more and end the importation of food from neighbouring countries.
The Minister was speaking when award winners of this year's National Farmers' Day called on him at the ministry.
Mr Owusu-Acheampong said the government instituted the awards in recognition of the important role farmers play in the economy.
The awards are therefore to ginger them to do better.
The Minister said farming is an important vocation. It is therefore unfortunate that some people think that farmers must be poor.
He urged the award winners to strive to change this perception.
Mr Owusu-Acheampong urged them to send their children to school saying education is the key to power and the future of children. "You must therefore ensure that you push their children to attain the highest level of education.
Fifty-seven out of the 63 award winners called on the Minister as part of a week's programme to mark the day which falls on 3rd December.
The venue for this year's celebration is Bolgatanga in the Upper East region.
As part of the programmes lined up for this year's celebration, the farmers will visit the Tema Harbour, the Cocoa Processing Company and the hydro-electric Dam at Akosombo.
GRi./
Floods destroy farms in Fanteakwa
Dedesawirako (Eastern Region) 29 Nov ’99
About 3.5 hectares of farmland belonging to 12 communities along the Volta Lake in the Fanteakwa District have been destroyed by floods.
Crops destroyed included pepper, maize, tomatoes, beans, tobacco, and groundnut. The affected communities are Dedesawirako, Agavedzi, Tremoleveme, Petefor, Adakpe, Odotom, Gravel Pit, Harbour, Abuakwa, Ganyokope, Senukpo and Vugigli.
The district co-ordinator of National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr. S. K. Danso advised the people not to farm or build near the Volta Lake to avert such disaster.
He said the amount of money being used by the government on disaster programmes could be used to develop other sectors of the economy if communities heed to advice on disaster prevention.
The Chief of Dedesawirako, Barima Bosompem Ayirepe II, and the assemblyman for the town, Mr. Christopher Narh, appealed to NADMO and the Fanteakwa District Assembly to assist the victims.
GRi../
Workshop on female genital mutilation held in Bawku
Bawku (Upper Region) 29 Nov ’99
The Senior Medical Officer in charge of the Bawku Hospital, Dr Oscar Debrah, has said 394 out of 1,249 women who delivered at the hospital since January this year, were found to have undergone some form of female circumcision.
He said 10 per cent of those who had undergone female circumcision have had to be operated upon to facilitate delivery.
Dr Debrah disclosed this at a two-day sensitisation workshop on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) for traditional rulers, opinion leaders, women leaders, representatives of non-governmental organisations and health workers at Bawku.
The workshop was organised by the Association of Churches in Development Projects (ACEDEP) in collaboration with the District Assembly and the District Health Management Team (DHMT).
Dr Debrah cited severe bleeding, infection and related long-term consequences, including the likelihood of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, as some of the health related complications of FGM.
He called on traditional rulers to join in the campaign to stop the obnoxious practice.
The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Hajia Fati Seidu, said female circumcision is one negative cultural practice that has defiled all attempts for its elimination.
She said any cultural practice that is inimical to social progress and developmental aspirations of society should be modified or abolished in conformity with modern trends.
The Deputy Minister charged the participants, who she described as custodians of culture and tradition, to come out with workable proposals that can facilitate the eradication of outmoded cultural practices which retard the development of women and children.
The acting director of Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development (FORWARD), a London-based NGO, Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell, who is facilitating the workshop, said research has shown that FGM has no religious, moral, scientific or cultural basis and should therefore be stopped.
She noted that it is not enough to enact laws and bye-laws or even prosecute people caught practising FGM, since that, in most cases, drives the perpetrators underground.
"What is most important in eradicating FGM is to seek the commitment of society to appreciate the need to stop it," Dr Mwangu-Powell added.
Naba Asigri Apugrago Azoka II, paramount chief of Bawku Traditional area, pledged the support of his people to eradicate FGM and other negative cultural practices.
The Bawku-Naba advised his sub-Chiefs attending the workshop to attach great importance to issues that would come out of the workshop.
Mr Dominic Akudago, Bawku East District Chief Executive, who chaired the function, commended the organisers for showing interest in the socio-economic development of the area.
GRi../
Minister calls for more action on needs of disabled
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 Nov. ’99
Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, on Monday noted that meeting the needs of the disabled in the society poses a great challenge to Ghana's young democracy.
He said Ghana's disabled population of about two million is living in poverty. He said most of them belong to the one-third of the population who are currently living below the poverty line.
Mr Mumuni said this when he received a seven-member delegation from the Norwegian Association of the Disabled (NAD) led by its President, Mr. Gunnar Buvik in Accra.
The Minister had to relocate at the Accra Rehabilitation Centre in order to receive the delegation because the President of the association, himself a disabled, was in wheel chair and could not have access to the Minister's office.
Mr Mumuni called for the creation of user-friendly public buildings for the disabled to ease mobility and accessibility in order to ensure their rights.
The Minister, who touched on the need to empower the disabled, noted that this group of persons stands a great risk of social exclusion.
He said the needs of the disabled are high on the agenda of the government but the liberalisation of the economy and market forces have compounded the situation to the disadvantaged in society.
Mr Mumuni said the Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) programme being run in some parts of the country would soon be extended to all the 110 districts as part of measures to make the disabled economically independent.
Mr Buvik said the delegation is in the country to study the results of the CBR, which is being sponsored by his association in collaboration with the government of Ghana.
Mr Robert Tamm, Resident Representative of the NAD, said the team would undertake a study of the incidence of disability and sensitise disabled associations on the need to promote their rights.
GRi./
Two fire victims receive items from Assembly and NADMO
Aduamoa (Ashanti) 30th November 99
The Kwabre District Assembly and the Kwabre District Secretariat of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) have presented relief items worth 3.5 million cedis to two fire victims in the district.
They are Mr. Philip Owusu-Afriyie and Mohammed Osman of Aduamoa and Atimatim respectively.
Mr. Owusu-Afriyie, who lost everything in his room, received one million Cedis, five bags of cement, two bundles of roofing sheets, a mattress, four pieces of blanket, plastic buckets, two bags of rice, two lanterns and second-hand clothes.
Osman also had one million cedis, a bag of rice, mattress, two bundles of roofing sheets, blankets, bedsheets, buckets and a lantern.
Mr. Ernest Opoku-Fofie, Kwabre District Chief Executive (DCE) presented the items to the victims at separate functions.
He expressed his sympathy to the victims and urged them to make good use of the items in a way that would help them to meet the challenges and difficulties they would face.
The DEC asked the people to bury their political differences or inclinations and help the government to move the nation forward.
The nation needed absolute peace and tranquillity and not political upheavals and lawlessness, which only draw the nation back in its developmental efforts and create confusion and instability.
He pointed out that the government, through the District Assembly Concept is doing all that it can to enhance effective development.
Mr Owusu-Afriyie and Mohammed Osman thanked the DCE and the two organisations for the items and said what have been given to them would enable them to re-establish themselves.
GRi
Asokwa-East NDC holds seminar
Kumasi (Ashanti), 30th November 99
A one day seminar, organised by the Asokwa-East Constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for its ward activists and executives, to map out strategies towards winning the 2000 general elections has ended in Kumasi.
The seminar, which was attended by 100 party activists and executives, was also to create a platform for enlightening participants on new developments in the party and other national programmes.
Speaking on "Party discipline", Mr. Osman Boakye, Ashanti Regional Head of the Progressive Voluntary Organisations (PVO), asked NDC members and sympathisers not to let tribal and religious considerations influence them in their agitation for the selection of a Vice Presidential candidate of the party.
He said the NDC was national in character and that any attempt to use ethnic or religious affiliation of a person to give him any appointment will, therefore, defeat and undermine the cardinal principles of the party.
Mr. Boakye stated that the NDC already has its own internal mechanism for the selection of a Vice Presidential candidate and members should, therefore, appreciate it and allow the system to be used in making the selection.
Hajiaa Salamatu Kunte, Ashanti Regional Women's Organiser of the NDC, advised women within the party with identical skills and vocation to form co-operatives to enable them to benefit from financial assistance from the banks.
She advised women to transform their agitation for economic and political empowerment into reality by contesting for leadership positions not only at the unit and assembly levels but also at the national.
Alhaji Bawa Tanko, Chairman of the Asokwa-East constituency of the NDC, announced that the local executives would soon reorganise all the branches in the constituency, to strengthen their capacity to deliver their programmes at the grassroots level.
GRi
Muslim Youth asked not to erect canopies near streets
Kumasi (Ashanti), 30th November 99
Muslim Youth Clubs and Associations have been asked to refrain from the habit of erecting canopies near streets for the purpose of entertainment during festive occasions and celebration of weddings.
Imam Abdul Mumin Harun, Chairman of the Suame Islamic Youth association, said the Council of Ulamau and Muslim Elders were highly concerned about the practice since it casts a slur on the Islamic faith and must, therefore, not be allowed to gain grounds.
Imam Harun was speaking at a ceremony organised by the Suame Islamic Youth Association in Kumasi on Sunday to create a forum for the old executives to hand over to a newly elected one.
He observed that it has become the norm of Islamic Youth Clubs in Kumasi, in particular, to normally erect canopies, very close to the streets, especially around the Roman Hill area through to the Manhyia during festive periods, thereby obstructing vehicular movement and even exposing the celebrants to danger.
Imam Harun, however, made it clear that Islam cherishes the youth coming together to form clubs that would be used to bring about meaningful development.
Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, President of Youth in Action, a network of youth groups in Kumasi, asked Muslim Youth Clubs to make education of their members and neighbours, a priority in the planning of all their programmes.
He advised that as the next millennium draws closer, it was imperative for Muslim Youth Clubs to begin to devote their energies and resources to organise literacy classes for the adult illiterates in their neighbourhoods.
GRi