Search for common ground to resolve conflicts
President Rawlings calls for peace and harmony
Government to set up UN pre-mission school
Vibe FM to organise Personal Development Show '99
Search for common ground to resolve conflicts
Bekwai (Ashanti) 22 Nov. '99
The Very Reverend Samuel F. Kusi-Appiah, Superintendent Minister of Bekwai Circuit of the Methodist Church, has asked Ghanaians to always endeavour to search for common ground for resolving disputes.
This, he said, calls for open-mindedness, a genuine disposition to act in good faith and avoiding mischief in their approach to issues of public concern and interest.
He was preaching the sermon at a thanksgiving service in honour of the new Bekwai Omanhene, Nana Karikari Appau II, at the Bekwai Wesley Methodist Church.
The Very Reverend Kusi-Appiah said there could not be peace and progress in any society where people simply show disrespect for law and those in authority.
He, therefore, told the congregation that as Christians they should ensure that they do not act in any manner that would undermine the authority of the state and its institutions.
The Circuit Superintendent reminded the people of Bekwai that after eight years of bitter dispute over the Paramount stool, the time had come for them to work together and pool resources to address the socio-economic problems of the area.
He asked for God's guidance for the new Omanhene and prayed that he would be God-fearing to make his reign successful.
Nana Appau told the congregation that his vision is to unite and reconcile the people in the traditional area, mobilise and harness the vast human and material resources to improve their living conditions.
He, therefore, asked for the co-operation and support of all to translate this vision into reality.
Nana Appau had earlier made a personal donation of medical equipment and roofing sheets worth several millions of cedis in support of the Bekwai Government hospital.
The equipment included three boxes of sphygmomanometer, for measuring blood pressure, pocket mask, turning fork and patella, small pans.
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President Rawlings calls for peace and harmony
Nkwanta (Volta Region) 22 Nov. '99
President Jerry John Rawlings has called on the various ethnic groups in the Nkwanta District of the Volta Region to live in unity and harmony.
He expressed concern about chieftaincy and land disputes among ethnic groups that had often degenerated into open conflicts.
He said diverse ethnicity should be made to serve as the basis for consensus building based on mutual respect and understanding for one another.
This was contained in a speech read for him by the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Mr Kwasi Aboagye, at a durbar of the chiefs and people of Guan-Akyode to mark their annual 'Gyogyible' (Yam) festival at Nkwanta on Saturday.
It was on the theme: "Reviewing traditions to cope with the challenges of the new millennium".
President Rawlings told the people that the Permanent Peace Negotiating Team (PPNT) was working to bring understanding among the various ethnic groups in the district to settle chieftaincy and land disputes.
He said the government is coming out with a dynamic national lands policy which will address bottlenecks confronting land administration and management, the major source of conflicts in the country.
The visit to the area recently by the Administrator of Stool Lands, he explained, was the beginning of innovations the government planned to inject into land administration to make regulations on lands responsive to the needs and aspirations of the people.
President Rawlings said the Forest Resources Management Regulation was enacted last year to protect the environment and guarantee sustainable life for posterity.
With the approach of the harmattan, he called on the people to prevent the outbreak of bushfires.
President Rawlings assured the people that despite the limitations imposed by dwindling national revenue, the government was committed to improving the living conditions of the people without discrimination.
He announced that constructional work on the Kadjebi-Nkwanta-Damanko road had been repackaged for competitive tender and evaluation for eventual award to the most capable contractor.
The President announced that the Community Water and Sanitation Agency had programmed to drill 25 boreholes and rehabilitate 20 others in the Nkwanta District.
He said the Nkwanta Hospital was being rehabilitated to attain the status of a district hospital.
The District Chief Executive for Nkwanta, Mr Ben K. Nyame, called on chiefs to modify outmoded customs including forced marriages and widowhood Rites, which are affecting girl-child education, and abuse of women's rights.
He urged the people to co-operate with the government in the development of the Kyabobo Range National Park to promote tourism, investment and employment to the area.
The Member of Parliament for Nkwanta, Mr Gershon Gbediame, called on the people to plan new programmes to enhance their culture, productivity and development.
In a welcoming address, Nana Agyei urged the Permanent Peace Negotiation Team to ensure that provisions in agreements signed between settler communities and their benefactors in the Nkwanta and Krachie Districts "are fully implemented to promote peace and harmony".
He called for the early reconstitution of the panel of Appeal Committee of the Stool Lands Boundary Settlement Commission to enable it to dispose of cases filed before it some 20 years ago, particularly the appeal on the Kpassa lands case between the Akyode and Nanumba traditional areas.
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Government to set up UN pre-mission school
Accra (Greater Accra) 22 Nov. '99
The government said on Monday that it intends to set up a United Nations Pre-Mission training facility for officers and men who will be posted on international peacekeeping duties and called for logistic support from her UN partners for its successful running.
The facility is expected to improve training and development schemes for servicemen internationally to enable them to meet the required standards of UN peacekeeping, Mr Joseph Awa Laryea, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs said.
He was opening a one-week "training of trainers" workshop for United Nations Civilian Police (UNCIVPOL) at GIMPA in Accra.
The workshop, the first ever to be held for Africa, follows those organised for Europe in Sweden and Asia in Malaysia.
Some 40 police officers from 19 countries are attending and are expected to pass on knowledge acquired to fellow officers through their local training programmes before they embark on UN peace missions.
Mr Laryea paid tribute to peacekeepers world-wide and said Ghana, the fourth largest contributor of peacekeepers, has left an indelible mark in the history of international peacekeeping which dated back to pre-independent times.
Mr Peter Nanfuri, Inspector-General of Police said in the past, police officers were not specifically trained to meet adequately the demands of UN Peacekeeping Operations.
"Our officers have been thrown into the cauldron of UN Peacekeeping Operations, and they have survived largely by their own instincts and previous experiences."
Mr M. A. Alhassan, a Representative from the UN Secretariat, said the aim of the workshop was to foster a common approach to selection and training, share policing models of good practices through interaction and demonstrations.
The Accra workshop is being funded by Sweden with instructors from Ghana, Canada and Norway.
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Vibe FM to organise Personal Development Show '99
Accra (Greater Accra) 22 Nov. '99
The first ever Personal Development Conference and Exhibition Show to assist the youth to acquire knowledge, skills and experience is scheduled for November 26 to 27, 1999 at the British Council, Accra.
The show, which is being organised by Vibe FM, an Accra FM station, and sponsored by the British Council, Accra mail, SI-FEX Digital Limited and Vita malt, is under the theme "Formal education makes you a Living but personal development makes you a fortune."
It would focus on career development, customer service, self-presentation and management skills, effective goal setting and result attainment, time and stress management and attitudinal skills, among others.
The Rev. Charles J. Buckman Snr., Founder and Chairman, National Planning Committee of Personal and Development Show, told GNA in an interview on Monday in Accra.
He said there would be exhibitions and conferences that would provide a platform for the various human resource/personnel managers, directors and top management personnel in the private and the public sectors to share their experiences and ideas with the youth.
Rev. Buckman said the youth, apart from constituting the largest segment of the society, are the most socially active and productive sector of the population.
"Since this segment of the population contains the bulk of our human resource potential, it is imperative that effective harnessing and mobilisation be done to accelerate the rate of development of the country."
He said personal development is vital for every society because it makes the individual become more versatile, have a stronger power base and "ability to treat life in a stronger and more positive manner in the face of an increasingly competitive world."
He said the conference would provide an opportunity for participants to discuss and learn more about important topics in the area of personal development management, recruitment and training of staff to meet company's expectations and requirements.
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