The Minister of Information, Mrs Zita Okaikoi, has deplored the dominance of politics and sports on the airwaves and in the newspapers at the expense of other development issues.
She also called on chief executives of media houses to recruit qualified personnel and ensure balance, fair, objective and accurate reportage across every spectrum of society.
The minister said most radio stations in the country had relegated to the background issues about the environment and sanitation, health, education, agriculture, women and children, as well as many other vital development issues.
At the 15th anniversary celebration of the Twin-City Radio in Takoradi, the minister said problems facing communities, environment, health, education, women and children were equally important as compared to sport and politics.
She said considering the power of the mass media, it would be very important if more time was devoted to other issues apart from sports and politics.
“It is against this backdrop that you must be mindful of your limitations on rights, freedoms, especially in the interest of national security, public order and morality for the purpose of protecting the reputations and freedom of other persons,” she said.
The minister said to ensure high journalistic standards and practice, “I am making a passionate appeal to chief executives of media houses to recruit qualified staff. For at the end of the day, the credibility of any media house depends on accurate, fair, objective and balance reportage.”
The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Ms Betty Bosumtwi-Sam, urged the station as a public broadcaster not to take sides in any event of conflict between persons or groups of persons to consolidate the needed peace for national development.
She reminded Twin-City Radio that they were accountable to the public. “Therefore, you are expected to be objective, factual, fair and accurate in your reportage.”
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
CALL ON CHRISTIANS TO HELP FIGHT TRIBALISM (PAGE 31)
Christians have been urged to champion the fight against tribalism, hatred, gossip, and envy which have bedevilled the society.
The Grand Lady, Sister Victoria Yellu, who made the call at the 19th Western Regional Conference of the Noble Order of Knights and Ladies of Marshall, said such behaviours were a complete setback for the socio-economic development of the country.
She said some members of the Christian fraternity had adopted negative behaviours that had gone a long way to mar the aims and objectives for which the Noble Order and other forms of religious organisations were founded.
“Our society is Christian and Catholic for that matter, so as brothers and sisters, let us eschew hatred, gossip, envy, the pull-him-down attitude and tribalism, and rather live as one family, consoling and encouraging one another and sharing our joy,” she said.
Sister Yellu said every citizen of Ghana should welcome and embrace one another irrespective of one’s tribal, ethnic or religious background and desist from acts that portrayed Christianity in negative terms.
For his part, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, said religious organisations in the country had been one major partner of government in the areas of education, agriculture development, health promotion, water and sanitation.
“Government will, therefore, continue to see the Church as a major collaborator in its agenda to move the country forward,” he said.
The minister urged religious organisations to be the vanguard in reconciliation to strengthen the country’s democratisation process.
“If you use your podium to champion reconciliation and national unity, the country would be stronger to fight against indiscipline, ethnicity, tribalism and corruption,” he said.
The Vicar General of the Sekondi/Takoradi Diocese, Very Rev. Fr. Oric Awotwe-Dadson, said there were many problems such as injustice, lack of peace, social inequities, crave for power and corruption that had afflicted the world today.
He said the sad part of the situation was that many of these conflicts were associated with Africa and the earlier the answers were found to issues of conflicts, war and marginalisation the needed peace for the development across Africa would not be achieved.
The conference also had officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who educated the congregation on environmental issues and the role of the Church in finding solutions to many environmental problems.
New regional executive members of the noble order were also elected into office.
The Grand Lady, Sister Victoria Yellu, who made the call at the 19th Western Regional Conference of the Noble Order of Knights and Ladies of Marshall, said such behaviours were a complete setback for the socio-economic development of the country.
She said some members of the Christian fraternity had adopted negative behaviours that had gone a long way to mar the aims and objectives for which the Noble Order and other forms of religious organisations were founded.
“Our society is Christian and Catholic for that matter, so as brothers and sisters, let us eschew hatred, gossip, envy, the pull-him-down attitude and tribalism, and rather live as one family, consoling and encouraging one another and sharing our joy,” she said.
Sister Yellu said every citizen of Ghana should welcome and embrace one another irrespective of one’s tribal, ethnic or religious background and desist from acts that portrayed Christianity in negative terms.
For his part, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, said religious organisations in the country had been one major partner of government in the areas of education, agriculture development, health promotion, water and sanitation.
“Government will, therefore, continue to see the Church as a major collaborator in its agenda to move the country forward,” he said.
The minister urged religious organisations to be the vanguard in reconciliation to strengthen the country’s democratisation process.
“If you use your podium to champion reconciliation and national unity, the country would be stronger to fight against indiscipline, ethnicity, tribalism and corruption,” he said.
The Vicar General of the Sekondi/Takoradi Diocese, Very Rev. Fr. Oric Awotwe-Dadson, said there were many problems such as injustice, lack of peace, social inequities, crave for power and corruption that had afflicted the world today.
He said the sad part of the situation was that many of these conflicts were associated with Africa and the earlier the answers were found to issues of conflicts, war and marginalisation the needed peace for the development across Africa would not be achieved.
The conference also had officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who educated the congregation on environmental issues and the role of the Church in finding solutions to many environmental problems.
New regional executive members of the noble order were also elected into office.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
GHANA YET TO EXPLOIT MOST OF ITS MINERALS (PAGE 20)
THE Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mines Tarkwa (UMaT), Prof. D. Mireku-Gyimah, has stated that the mineral resources the country is endowed with are yet to be fully exploited
He said the country was potentially rich, since it was gifted with more natural resources than what were being extracted currently.
At the university’s first congregation at Tarkwa, Prof. Mireku-Gyimah said the country had witnessed the exploitation of gold, diamond, bauxite, manganese and, to some limited extent, salt, sand and gravel.
“But we also have iron, casseterite, asbestos, limestone, marbles, andalusite, mica, talc, silica, garnet, felspar, sandstone, beryl columbite, lithium, monazite, copper, kaoline, as well as oil and gas which we are yet to tap to the country’s advantage,” he observed.
Prof. Gyimah-Boadi said the challenge at the moment was how to use correct mining and processing methods to exploit those minerals in an environmentally friendly manner to minimise environmental damage.
He said dealing with challenge would enable the country to derive maximum socio-economic benefits from the resources it was endowed with and still keep her environment intact.
Prof. Mireku-Gyimah said it was due to mining that a country like Ghana, with such a high level of natural resource deposits, was considered potentially rich.
Prof. Mireku-Gyimah said the university had only two academic faculties, namely Mineral Resources Technology and the Faculty of Engineering, with various departments under them.
The vice-chancellor said since everything the institution did concerned engineering, the current focus was to establish well-equipped laboratories, lecture halls and student hostels to enhance the study environment of the students.
He said the university would do everything possible to ensure that the dreams of a modern college of agricultural engineering and food processing technology or college of animal husbandry, or college of rubber and bamboo, paper production technology, became a reality in the near future.
He said the country was potentially rich, since it was gifted with more natural resources than what were being extracted currently.
At the university’s first congregation at Tarkwa, Prof. Mireku-Gyimah said the country had witnessed the exploitation of gold, diamond, bauxite, manganese and, to some limited extent, salt, sand and gravel.
“But we also have iron, casseterite, asbestos, limestone, marbles, andalusite, mica, talc, silica, garnet, felspar, sandstone, beryl columbite, lithium, monazite, copper, kaoline, as well as oil and gas which we are yet to tap to the country’s advantage,” he observed.
Prof. Gyimah-Boadi said the challenge at the moment was how to use correct mining and processing methods to exploit those minerals in an environmentally friendly manner to minimise environmental damage.
He said dealing with challenge would enable the country to derive maximum socio-economic benefits from the resources it was endowed with and still keep her environment intact.
Prof. Mireku-Gyimah said it was due to mining that a country like Ghana, with such a high level of natural resource deposits, was considered potentially rich.
Prof. Mireku-Gyimah said the university had only two academic faculties, namely Mineral Resources Technology and the Faculty of Engineering, with various departments under them.
The vice-chancellor said since everything the institution did concerned engineering, the current focus was to establish well-equipped laboratories, lecture halls and student hostels to enhance the study environment of the students.
He said the university would do everything possible to ensure that the dreams of a modern college of agricultural engineering and food processing technology or college of animal husbandry, or college of rubber and bamboo, paper production technology, became a reality in the near future.
AKYEA LAUDS 3-YER SHS PROGRAMME (PAGE 20)
THE Chairman of the National Service Board, Mr W. Nkunu Akyea, has lauded the return to the three-year senior high school (SHS) system, and called for resources to ensure its success.
“The debate should go beyond the government going back to three years and to rather look at the fulfilment of the basic needs of today’s educational system,” he said.
Mr Akyea told the Daily Graphic in Takoradi that the brouhaha over changing from four to three years had clouded the real issues that undermined the system’s efficient and effective delivery.
He said problems with the country’s educational system were not with the three or four years or the number of years spent, but investing in the system to ensure its success was what mattered.
According to him, “The new educational system requires more classrooms and a strong basic level, investing in teachers, training facilities at training colleges and accommodations to help the system work.”
Mr Akyea said one of the cardinal points that the debate should focus on was the need for stronger foundation of schools.
He said while the debate was good and healthy, nobody thought of what was recommended in the Anamuah-Mensah report and the main aim of establishing the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).
Mr Akyea said the good foundation recommended by the Anamuah-Mensah report would ensure the sterling performance of students at higher levels of education.
He said the objective of the GETFund was to provide finance to supplement the government’s efforts of ensuring quality education in the country.
Mr Akyea said the GETFund was to create the enabling environment for academic work as it had resulted in the building of residential and academic facilities for teachers and schools.
He said change in the educational system should not be seen as something new and that since the world was a dynamic place, change was inevitable.
Mr Akyea said the debate had provided the platform for people to ask questions as to how to do the right thing by providing the basic needs that would create the perfect environment for education to triumph.
He said “if we fail to embrace constant change to conform to the rest of the world, we would realise that before the student graduates, he or she is abreast of technology and time.”
He expressed the hope that the GETFund and the stronger government support would provide the basic teaching materials and facilities for the teacher to have a place to stay and have a peace of mind to work.
“The problem is lack of more classrooms and academic facilities so we should not be thinking about only the years,” Mr Akyea said.
“I will therefore stress that we take a look at the GETFund and the recommendation of the Ampomah-Mensah report instead of focusing on the number of years,” he said.
“The debate should go beyond the government going back to three years and to rather look at the fulfilment of the basic needs of today’s educational system,” he said.
Mr Akyea told the Daily Graphic in Takoradi that the brouhaha over changing from four to three years had clouded the real issues that undermined the system’s efficient and effective delivery.
He said problems with the country’s educational system were not with the three or four years or the number of years spent, but investing in the system to ensure its success was what mattered.
According to him, “The new educational system requires more classrooms and a strong basic level, investing in teachers, training facilities at training colleges and accommodations to help the system work.”
Mr Akyea said one of the cardinal points that the debate should focus on was the need for stronger foundation of schools.
He said while the debate was good and healthy, nobody thought of what was recommended in the Anamuah-Mensah report and the main aim of establishing the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).
Mr Akyea said the good foundation recommended by the Anamuah-Mensah report would ensure the sterling performance of students at higher levels of education.
He said the objective of the GETFund was to provide finance to supplement the government’s efforts of ensuring quality education in the country.
Mr Akyea said the GETFund was to create the enabling environment for academic work as it had resulted in the building of residential and academic facilities for teachers and schools.
He said change in the educational system should not be seen as something new and that since the world was a dynamic place, change was inevitable.
Mr Akyea said the debate had provided the platform for people to ask questions as to how to do the right thing by providing the basic needs that would create the perfect environment for education to triumph.
He said “if we fail to embrace constant change to conform to the rest of the world, we would realise that before the student graduates, he or she is abreast of technology and time.”
He expressed the hope that the GETFund and the stronger government support would provide the basic teaching materials and facilities for the teacher to have a place to stay and have a peace of mind to work.
“The problem is lack of more classrooms and academic facilities so we should not be thinking about only the years,” Mr Akyea said.
“I will therefore stress that we take a look at the GETFund and the recommendation of the Ampomah-Mensah report instead of focusing on the number of years,” he said.
NURSES URGED TO BE GUIDED BY CODE OF ETHICS (PAGE 20)
THE Nurses and Midwifery Council has been urged to be guided by their code of ethics to enable it to erase the negative public perception about its members.
The African Representative for ICM/UNFPA Project, Dr Jemima Dennis-Antwi, who made the call in Takoradi, advised her colleagues, “We must all join hands to address this challenge to redeem the public image of nurses and midwives.”
Dr Dennis-Antwi was speaking at the seventh biennial general meeting of the Ghana Registered Midwives Association (GRMA) on the theme: “Achieving Millennium Development Goals 4,5 and 6; The Role of the Midwife.”
She said, they could portray a good image of themselves when nurses and midwives changed their attitudes to work by relating cordially with their clients.
She said “The continuous public outcry about the attitude of nurses and midwives towards patients had created negative publicity for the profession. “The bad publicity we are receiving is gradually sweeping under the carpet all our good works”, Dr Dennis-Antwi stressed.
Dr Dennis-Antwi said with self examination, ethics would become more recognised because of its great naturalness since it constituted the foundation for true humanism towards which nurses and midwives must strive if they really wanted the culture of the profession to be truly ethical.
Dr Dennis-Antwi said through midwives, pregnant women could get access to adequate information and support the control of their reproductive health.
She said the work of midwives and nurses was very important to communities by the adoption of culturally sensitive approaches that allowed them to apply their basic knowledge of child bearing practices of women to build the needed community trust.
For his part, the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa Yankey, commended members of the GRMA for their service to God and country.
He said his ministry would do everything possible to ensure that the needed environment was created for the achievement of the MDGs.
There were solidarity messages from the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and other players in the medical fraternity.
The African Representative for ICM/UNFPA Project, Dr Jemima Dennis-Antwi, who made the call in Takoradi, advised her colleagues, “We must all join hands to address this challenge to redeem the public image of nurses and midwives.”
Dr Dennis-Antwi was speaking at the seventh biennial general meeting of the Ghana Registered Midwives Association (GRMA) on the theme: “Achieving Millennium Development Goals 4,5 and 6; The Role of the Midwife.”
She said, they could portray a good image of themselves when nurses and midwives changed their attitudes to work by relating cordially with their clients.
She said “The continuous public outcry about the attitude of nurses and midwives towards patients had created negative publicity for the profession. “The bad publicity we are receiving is gradually sweeping under the carpet all our good works”, Dr Dennis-Antwi stressed.
Dr Dennis-Antwi said with self examination, ethics would become more recognised because of its great naturalness since it constituted the foundation for true humanism towards which nurses and midwives must strive if they really wanted the culture of the profession to be truly ethical.
Dr Dennis-Antwi said through midwives, pregnant women could get access to adequate information and support the control of their reproductive health.
She said the work of midwives and nurses was very important to communities by the adoption of culturally sensitive approaches that allowed them to apply their basic knowledge of child bearing practices of women to build the needed community trust.
For his part, the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa Yankey, commended members of the GRMA for their service to God and country.
He said his ministry would do everything possible to ensure that the needed environment was created for the achievement of the MDGs.
There were solidarity messages from the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and other players in the medical fraternity.
RURAL BANKS ASSIST AMENFIMAN SHS (PAGE 20)
THE Amenfiman Rural Bank has equipped the home economics department of the Amenfiman Senior High School (SHS) at Wassa Akropong in the Amenfi East District in the Western Region.
The equipment, including gas stoves, three gas cylinders and their accessories, a measuring scale and different sets of cooking utensils worth thousands of Ghana cedis, was aimed at enhancing teaching and learning at the department.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the bank, Mr Steven Ampong, who made the presentation, said the donation formed part of the bank’s social responsibility to support education and provide other development projects in its catchment area.
He said gone are the days when businesses focused on profit at the expense of their corporate social responsibilities.
Mr Ampong said the department was different from the other departments, and it was important that tools needed for enhancement of academic work was provided.
“We, therefore, identified that if we want to help provide the needed skilled manpower for the development of the country, we are left with no option than to support the development of education in the region, especially technical and vocational skills,” he said.
Mr Ampong said more assistance had been extended to other educational institutions in the community, including a six-bedroom accommodation facilities for primary schools and the renovation of the police station in the area.
He said the company’s support for the police was to improve the security situation in the area in view of the upsurge of crime in that part of the region.
He urged members of the community to patronise the services of the bank, and to ensure that the loans they had contracted from it were paid back in time.
The Headmistress of the school, Miss Faustina Adarkwa, who received the gift, was grateful to the bank for assisting the school at a time that it needed the facilities most.
She said the items would enhance teaching and learning. Madam Adarkwa used the opportunity to appeal for more assistance from other organisations.
The equipment, including gas stoves, three gas cylinders and their accessories, a measuring scale and different sets of cooking utensils worth thousands of Ghana cedis, was aimed at enhancing teaching and learning at the department.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the bank, Mr Steven Ampong, who made the presentation, said the donation formed part of the bank’s social responsibility to support education and provide other development projects in its catchment area.
He said gone are the days when businesses focused on profit at the expense of their corporate social responsibilities.
Mr Ampong said the department was different from the other departments, and it was important that tools needed for enhancement of academic work was provided.
“We, therefore, identified that if we want to help provide the needed skilled manpower for the development of the country, we are left with no option than to support the development of education in the region, especially technical and vocational skills,” he said.
Mr Ampong said more assistance had been extended to other educational institutions in the community, including a six-bedroom accommodation facilities for primary schools and the renovation of the police station in the area.
He said the company’s support for the police was to improve the security situation in the area in view of the upsurge of crime in that part of the region.
He urged members of the community to patronise the services of the bank, and to ensure that the loans they had contracted from it were paid back in time.
The Headmistress of the school, Miss Faustina Adarkwa, who received the gift, was grateful to the bank for assisting the school at a time that it needed the facilities most.
She said the items would enhance teaching and learning. Madam Adarkwa used the opportunity to appeal for more assistance from other organisations.
DON'T FRUSTRATE CLIENTS — KAMEL (PAGE 20)
THE Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Henry Ford Kamel, has urged officials of the Lands Commission not to frustrate their clients.
He said reforms in the land sector were being carried out to reduce or completely eradicate problems in the sector.
Addressing the staff of the Western Regional Lands Commission in Sekondi, he said “the reforms will work if those responsible for their implementation work hard.”
Mr Kamel stressed the need for collaboration between assemblies and the Land Commission to ensure that land development in the regions did not create additional social cost.
“The commission must always put its clients and the public at the centre of its operations and one of the key objectives was to reduce bureaucracy, inefficiencies and frustration of the public”, he said.
According to him, if such irregularities associated with registration of land transactions were removed, they would improve security of tenure for those who acquired land.
Mr Kamel said with the discovery of oil in the region, land issues in the area had become important.
The deputy minister said the effective implementation of the provision, in collaboration with the planning authority, would go a long way to speed up attempts at protecting the country’s waterways.
“The regional land commissions should therefore collaborate effectively with the assemblies to ensure that land development does not create additional social cost”, he stated.
Mr Kamel also advised land owners in the region to be careful when disposing of their lands.
He urged the regional land Commission to closely regulate land disposal in the region.
The deputy minister said his ministry was mindful of the numerous functions enshrined in the commission’s Act 2008, but he was hopeful that the team in region would perform creditably.
He said reforms in the land sector were being carried out to reduce or completely eradicate problems in the sector.
Addressing the staff of the Western Regional Lands Commission in Sekondi, he said “the reforms will work if those responsible for their implementation work hard.”
Mr Kamel stressed the need for collaboration between assemblies and the Land Commission to ensure that land development in the regions did not create additional social cost.
“The commission must always put its clients and the public at the centre of its operations and one of the key objectives was to reduce bureaucracy, inefficiencies and frustration of the public”, he said.
According to him, if such irregularities associated with registration of land transactions were removed, they would improve security of tenure for those who acquired land.
Mr Kamel said with the discovery of oil in the region, land issues in the area had become important.
The deputy minister said the effective implementation of the provision, in collaboration with the planning authority, would go a long way to speed up attempts at protecting the country’s waterways.
“The regional land commissions should therefore collaborate effectively with the assemblies to ensure that land development does not create additional social cost”, he stated.
Mr Kamel also advised land owners in the region to be careful when disposing of their lands.
He urged the regional land Commission to closely regulate land disposal in the region.
The deputy minister said his ministry was mindful of the numerous functions enshrined in the commission’s Act 2008, but he was hopeful that the team in region would perform creditably.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)