Story: Kofi Yeboah
(GT workers and traffic wardens clash)
AN attempt by some private traffic wardens to tow a broken-down vehicle being used by some workers of Ghana Telecom (GT) nearly resulted in a clash when the workers resisted the move.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday along the road between the Accra Psychiatric Hospital and the national office of the Scripture Union, drew a large crowd to the scene, bringing the normally busy street hawking business on that stretch of the road to a temporary standstill.
When the Daily Graphic got to the scene around 11:30 a.m., the traffic wardens had clamped the Nissan double cabin vehicle, with registration number GW 3943 X, and there was total confusion.
The GT workers, who had been laying underground telephone cables in the area, had earlier resisted attempts by the traffic wardens to tow the vehicle.
It took the intervention of a police patrol team to calm the mounting tension.
According to the workers, they had been laying underground telephone cables in the area in the past few days but their vehicle broke down that very day.
They said they parked the vehicle on the pavement and called for a mechanic to fix it.
However, they said before they could realise, the traffic wardens had come to clamp the vehicle, asking them to pay a fine of GH¢40.
The workers said they refused to pay the fine and resisted the towing of the vehicle because they did not think parking the vehicle on the pavement obstructed vehicular traffic in any way.
Furthermore, they submitted, they had informed the traffic wardens that the vehicle had broken down and was being fixed.
After some verbal confrontations, the traffic wardens left the scene amidst boos from the workers and other onlookers.
The vehicle remained clamped at the time the Daily Graphic left the scene around 12:30 p.m.
Monday, September 8, 2008
OLA TO SENSITISE YOUTH TO VIOLENCE-FREE ELECTION (p.13) 06-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE Ola Youth Association (OYA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Cape Coast in the Central Region, has initiated a programme to sensitise the youth to the need to desist from violence during this year’s electioneering.
The programme include public forums and visitation to communities and schools to interact with the youth, especially students, and sensitise them to the need to promote peace.
An official of OYA, Ms Doris Boateng, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said the essence of the programme was to let the youth understand that they would be the worst affected in the event of violence and conflict.
"We are preparing very well towards the forthcoming elections, not in support of any political party, but to promote peace among the people, especially the youth", she said.
The Ola Youth Association was established in 2006 with the objective of helping the youth to desist from violence and crime, while developing their potential for better prospects in the future.
Cape Coast, the capital of the Central Region, appears to be one of the constituencies that is generating keen contest among the political parties in the run-up to the December elections.
Ms Boateng said invariably, contests of that nature degenerated into violence and conflict, adding that the youth were the most vulnerable in such situations.
"Our motive, therefore, is to help the youth protect themselves during times of conflict and violence, especially this year’s elections", she said.
Ms Boateng said there was no need for the youth to fight among themselves simply because they belonged to different political persuasions.
She advised the youth to engage in healthy political discourse devoid of insults and rancour, stressing that "everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion, so you just go straight to the point and talk about your own party".
Ms Boateng said the association also sensitised the general public to the need to promote peace and avoid conflict.
"We also inform the public about the benefits of religious, ethnic, geographical and political tolerance,” she added.
THE Ola Youth Association (OYA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Cape Coast in the Central Region, has initiated a programme to sensitise the youth to the need to desist from violence during this year’s electioneering.
The programme include public forums and visitation to communities and schools to interact with the youth, especially students, and sensitise them to the need to promote peace.
An official of OYA, Ms Doris Boateng, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said the essence of the programme was to let the youth understand that they would be the worst affected in the event of violence and conflict.
"We are preparing very well towards the forthcoming elections, not in support of any political party, but to promote peace among the people, especially the youth", she said.
The Ola Youth Association was established in 2006 with the objective of helping the youth to desist from violence and crime, while developing their potential for better prospects in the future.
Cape Coast, the capital of the Central Region, appears to be one of the constituencies that is generating keen contest among the political parties in the run-up to the December elections.
Ms Boateng said invariably, contests of that nature degenerated into violence and conflict, adding that the youth were the most vulnerable in such situations.
"Our motive, therefore, is to help the youth protect themselves during times of conflict and violence, especially this year’s elections", she said.
Ms Boateng said there was no need for the youth to fight among themselves simply because they belonged to different political persuasions.
She advised the youth to engage in healthy political discourse devoid of insults and rancour, stressing that "everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion, so you just go straight to the point and talk about your own party".
Ms Boateng said the association also sensitised the general public to the need to promote peace and avoid conflict.
"We also inform the public about the benefits of religious, ethnic, geographical and political tolerance,” she added.
ECO-HAVOC - SEA CLAIMING ADA, SEKONDI, SHAMA & KETA (Front page) 06-09-08
Story: News Desk Report
STRONG tidal waves have swept through some communities along the country’s coastline from Keta, through Ada to Sekondi and Shama, rendering thousands of people homeless and destroying houses and other properties, running into thousands of Ghana cedis.
From the Dangme East District, Kofi Yeboah reports that the situation has put a halt to fishing, which is the main occupation of the people in the affected areas of Ada.
Totope, one of the most affected communities, has virtually been washed away, a situation that has necessitated their immediate resettlement.
About 700 metres of the road leading to the village from Ada Foah has been washed away by the sea about four feet deep, making it extremely difficult for the inhabitants to commute to and from the village.
Officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the district said they could not even find a place to mount tents for the people and were, therefore, making frantic efforts to resettle the people of Totope.
The tidal waves are said to be very high and swift during the night, sweeping the coastal areas, but becoming low during the day.
Many houses, mostly made of mud and thatch roofing, in some of the affected areas have collapsed, while others have been submerged with a few buried half way in the sand, since last Wednesday when the waves began pounding the coastal areas.
Information gathered indicated that the severest form of high tidal waves was yet to be experienced as has been the case every year over the past three decades.
Notwithstanding the danger ahead, the inhabitants of Akpablanya, Totope, Lolonyakope, Ayigbo and Azizanya are more willing to live with the danger than to abandon their ancestral homes.
“Master, there is no place to go. If you go to Ada Foah, you are going to rent a room and there is no money,” Mr Joe Baah, a resident of Ayigbo, said in response to a question as to why they were not leaving the area.
“We are praying for the sea to calm down,” he added.
Indeed, the people do not seem to be bothered by the devastation being caused to their environment as they were seen taking life easy with some children between the ages of three and 12 having fun swimming in the lake created by the tidal waves.
The only precaution some of them have taken is to evacuate their properties to safe grounds and pass the night elsewhere.
The sea erosion in the affected communities is said to have started in the late 1970s, a period of three decades within which the sea has crept about four kilometres inland, forcing some of the communities to abandon their homes.
According to some of the residents, government officials had visited the area on many occasions with promises to construct a sea defence wall to solve the problem, but all to no avail.
The District Chief Executive for Dangme East, Mr Israel Narh Baako, said a soil test to ascertain the quality of soil was undertaken in January and February to pave the way for the construction of the 31-kilometre sea defence wall, which would stretch from Azizanya to Wokumagbe
He said at the moment, the government was looking for funds to undertake the project estimated to cost $50 million and assured the affected communities that as soon as the fund was available a permanent solution would be found to the problem.
From Keta, Victor Kwawukume reports that the tidal waves sweeping across the coastal areas of the Volta Region show no sign of abating as more communities continue to be affected.
The situation was more aggravated at Dzita on Thursday night as the waves destroyed more homes and properties and rendered more people homeless.
Residents told the Daily Graphic that at least 50 more homes were devastated by the waves, rendering more than 200 people homeless.
As of 10 a.m. yesterday morning, commercial vehicles were sighted evacuating people from places in Keta that had not been affected.
At Kedzi and Vodza, where the sea defence wall and groynes are in place to repel strong tidal waves from coming on land and causing destruction, there was widespread grief as several canoes, fishing nets and outboard motors that had been anchored at the beach were carried away by the strong waves.
Fishermen at the areas were grieving over their losses as they recounted that they could not raise the needed money to purchase new canoes and outboard motors.
One fisherman who identified himself as Efo Kodzo, could not hold back his tears as he stood helplessly and watched the current crush his canoe into pieces.
According to the fishermen, the last time they witnessed tidal waves of this magnitude was 11 years ago and some described the current waves as the first test case for the sea defence and the groynes that were built to repel the waves.
At Sorku-Horvi and Blekusu, where there is no sea defence, the sea had entered the homes of people but not with the force comparable to the devastation at Dzita, Akplowotorkor, Atorkor and surrounding areas.
The situation is having a serious effect on commercial activities in the area as the predominant occupation of the people of the Kedzi-Vodza-Blekusu-Adina area is fishing.
According to the fishermen, for the past three days, they have been unable to go to sea, thereby leading to loss of revenue and placing them in danger of famine.
The women fishmongers have also had their commercial activities curtailed by the situation and now have to help their male counterparts to collect water from their rooms.
They have called on the government to assist them with relief items, especially food, to help them cope with the situation.
At the time of filing this report, the District Chief Executive, Mr Edward Kofi Ahiabor, had intimated that officials from the national office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) were on the way to the area to assess the situation.
He also renewed his call for assistance from the state and other international bodies.
The Member of Parliament for the Anlo Constituency, Hon. Clement Kofi Humado, who was also in the area to assess the situation, announced plans to source for relief items for those affected.
From Sekondi, Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu reports that tidal waves swept through the coasts of Sekondi and Shama in the Western Region at dawn yesterday, in what observers believed is a new phenomenon sweeping across the Gulf of Guinea.
The waves left in their wake a lot of debris on the streets, making it difficult for motorists to ply the roads, especially in Sekondi.
The waves washed across the sea defence wall at Sekondi and filled gutters, thereby rendering the coast very foggy.
No casualties have, however, been reported.
Food vendors who were preparing for the day’s activities were not spared the resultant confusion, as their wares were washed away by the waves.
The already weak Bakano bridge that links Nkontompo to Sekondi, also had its plight worsened with the ferocious pounding by the waves.
“I was very scared at dawn when I saw the waves coming; from where I was standing it was very high,” Mr Maddy Edwards, a resident said.
He said the situation was such that “we only pray that the next day comes to meet us without the sea water flooding our rooms.
“I woke up early as usual, to set my fire to prepare for my customers, but before I realised, the waves had washed my wares onto the street amidst a strong wind and fog,” said a kenkey seller.
The Metropolitan Director of NADMO, Mr Alex Adu-Buahene, asked the people not to take the situation for granted and asked those who had relatives on higher grounds to join them until further notice as the situation could be serious, should the waves recur in the night.
STRONG tidal waves have swept through some communities along the country’s coastline from Keta, through Ada to Sekondi and Shama, rendering thousands of people homeless and destroying houses and other properties, running into thousands of Ghana cedis.
From the Dangme East District, Kofi Yeboah reports that the situation has put a halt to fishing, which is the main occupation of the people in the affected areas of Ada.
Totope, one of the most affected communities, has virtually been washed away, a situation that has necessitated their immediate resettlement.
About 700 metres of the road leading to the village from Ada Foah has been washed away by the sea about four feet deep, making it extremely difficult for the inhabitants to commute to and from the village.
Officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the district said they could not even find a place to mount tents for the people and were, therefore, making frantic efforts to resettle the people of Totope.
The tidal waves are said to be very high and swift during the night, sweeping the coastal areas, but becoming low during the day.
Many houses, mostly made of mud and thatch roofing, in some of the affected areas have collapsed, while others have been submerged with a few buried half way in the sand, since last Wednesday when the waves began pounding the coastal areas.
Information gathered indicated that the severest form of high tidal waves was yet to be experienced as has been the case every year over the past three decades.
Notwithstanding the danger ahead, the inhabitants of Akpablanya, Totope, Lolonyakope, Ayigbo and Azizanya are more willing to live with the danger than to abandon their ancestral homes.
“Master, there is no place to go. If you go to Ada Foah, you are going to rent a room and there is no money,” Mr Joe Baah, a resident of Ayigbo, said in response to a question as to why they were not leaving the area.
“We are praying for the sea to calm down,” he added.
Indeed, the people do not seem to be bothered by the devastation being caused to their environment as they were seen taking life easy with some children between the ages of three and 12 having fun swimming in the lake created by the tidal waves.
The only precaution some of them have taken is to evacuate their properties to safe grounds and pass the night elsewhere.
The sea erosion in the affected communities is said to have started in the late 1970s, a period of three decades within which the sea has crept about four kilometres inland, forcing some of the communities to abandon their homes.
According to some of the residents, government officials had visited the area on many occasions with promises to construct a sea defence wall to solve the problem, but all to no avail.
The District Chief Executive for Dangme East, Mr Israel Narh Baako, said a soil test to ascertain the quality of soil was undertaken in January and February to pave the way for the construction of the 31-kilometre sea defence wall, which would stretch from Azizanya to Wokumagbe
He said at the moment, the government was looking for funds to undertake the project estimated to cost $50 million and assured the affected communities that as soon as the fund was available a permanent solution would be found to the problem.
From Keta, Victor Kwawukume reports that the tidal waves sweeping across the coastal areas of the Volta Region show no sign of abating as more communities continue to be affected.
The situation was more aggravated at Dzita on Thursday night as the waves destroyed more homes and properties and rendered more people homeless.
Residents told the Daily Graphic that at least 50 more homes were devastated by the waves, rendering more than 200 people homeless.
As of 10 a.m. yesterday morning, commercial vehicles were sighted evacuating people from places in Keta that had not been affected.
At Kedzi and Vodza, where the sea defence wall and groynes are in place to repel strong tidal waves from coming on land and causing destruction, there was widespread grief as several canoes, fishing nets and outboard motors that had been anchored at the beach were carried away by the strong waves.
Fishermen at the areas were grieving over their losses as they recounted that they could not raise the needed money to purchase new canoes and outboard motors.
One fisherman who identified himself as Efo Kodzo, could not hold back his tears as he stood helplessly and watched the current crush his canoe into pieces.
According to the fishermen, the last time they witnessed tidal waves of this magnitude was 11 years ago and some described the current waves as the first test case for the sea defence and the groynes that were built to repel the waves.
At Sorku-Horvi and Blekusu, where there is no sea defence, the sea had entered the homes of people but not with the force comparable to the devastation at Dzita, Akplowotorkor, Atorkor and surrounding areas.
The situation is having a serious effect on commercial activities in the area as the predominant occupation of the people of the Kedzi-Vodza-Blekusu-Adina area is fishing.
According to the fishermen, for the past three days, they have been unable to go to sea, thereby leading to loss of revenue and placing them in danger of famine.
The women fishmongers have also had their commercial activities curtailed by the situation and now have to help their male counterparts to collect water from their rooms.
They have called on the government to assist them with relief items, especially food, to help them cope with the situation.
At the time of filing this report, the District Chief Executive, Mr Edward Kofi Ahiabor, had intimated that officials from the national office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) were on the way to the area to assess the situation.
He also renewed his call for assistance from the state and other international bodies.
The Member of Parliament for the Anlo Constituency, Hon. Clement Kofi Humado, who was also in the area to assess the situation, announced plans to source for relief items for those affected.
From Sekondi, Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu reports that tidal waves swept through the coasts of Sekondi and Shama in the Western Region at dawn yesterday, in what observers believed is a new phenomenon sweeping across the Gulf of Guinea.
The waves left in their wake a lot of debris on the streets, making it difficult for motorists to ply the roads, especially in Sekondi.
The waves washed across the sea defence wall at Sekondi and filled gutters, thereby rendering the coast very foggy.
No casualties have, however, been reported.
Food vendors who were preparing for the day’s activities were not spared the resultant confusion, as their wares were washed away by the waves.
The already weak Bakano bridge that links Nkontompo to Sekondi, also had its plight worsened with the ferocious pounding by the waves.
“I was very scared at dawn when I saw the waves coming; from where I was standing it was very high,” Mr Maddy Edwards, a resident said.
He said the situation was such that “we only pray that the next day comes to meet us without the sea water flooding our rooms.
“I woke up early as usual, to set my fire to prepare for my customers, but before I realised, the waves had washed my wares onto the street amidst a strong wind and fog,” said a kenkey seller.
The Metropolitan Director of NADMO, Mr Alex Adu-Buahene, asked the people not to take the situation for granted and asked those who had relatives on higher grounds to join them until further notice as the situation could be serious, should the waves recur in the night.
Friday, September 5, 2008
COUNCIL MAKES PEACE MOVES (p.20) 05-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE National Peace Council (NPC) has held separate high-level meetings with key actors in the electoral process to review the state of peace and stability in the country.
This follows the recent political clashes in parts of the Northern Region in particular and the country in general.
The meetings, presided over by the Chairman of the NPC, Peter Cardinal Appiah-Turkson, involved senior officials of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the Electoral Commission (EC) and political parties.
The meetings were attended by the Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Wood; the Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt Gen J. B. Danquah; the Director-General in charge of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Patrick Timbilla; the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, and his two deputies, Messrs Sarfo Katanka and David Kanga.
Among those from the political parties were the flag bearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom; the flag bearer of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Mr T. N. Ward-Brew; the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Peter Mac Manu; the party’s General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow; the General Secretary of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Mr Bede Ziedene, and a representative of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
The meetings with the Chief Justice and the senior security officials were held on Tuesday, while those with the EC officials and the political party representatives were held on Wednesday.
Conspicuously absent were representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the largest opposition party, but according to its General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the party’s absence was because it was not invited.
He said he just heard about the meeting in the media when some journalists called him to find out about what transpired.
Mr Nketia said the NDC was one of the few political parties that had five vice-chairpersons and two deputy general secretaries, so it was never short of officials to represent the party at any function.
When contacted, the Executive Secretary of the NPC, Mr P. K. Opoku-Mensah, however, insisted that the NDC was invited to the meeting.
According to him, the letter of invitation to the party was received by one Elorm at the NDC headquarters about two weeks ago.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the proceedings, the Research Officer of the NPC, Mr Emmanuel Sowatey, said the security officials outlined how they would co-ordinate in their strategies to deal with flash points and maintain the peace.
He said the security officials stressed the need for the nation to have trust and confidence in state institutions, who in turn, must play their roles efficiently.
Mr Sowatey said they also urged the NPC to liaise with other state institutions to create more awareness on the civic responsibilities of the people.
He said during the meeting with the Chief Justice, she indicated the role the Judiciary would play in the peace process.
Mr Sowatey said Mrs Justice Wood noted that some courts would be designated to handle election disputes rather than the creation of separate courts to handle such matters as had been suggested by some people.
He said various issues were discussed at the meeting with the EC officials, key among which was the need to clean the voters register.
Mr Sowatey said the EC officials urged political parties, religious leaders, parents and all Ghanaians to contribute their quota to ensure a clean register by discouraging minors from registering and abiding by electoral rules, among other responsibilities.
He said the EC officials also urged political parties to restrain their members from indulging in acts that could undermine the peace.
Mr Sowatey said the political parties, on their part, stressed the need for prompt prosecution of anyone who was involved in fomenting violence.
Mr Sowatey said the aim of the meetings was to understand the concerns of the key actors and find how best to address them.
He appealed to owners of small arms to register their weapons, while calling on those who had registered but not renewed their licences to do so.
THE National Peace Council (NPC) has held separate high-level meetings with key actors in the electoral process to review the state of peace and stability in the country.
This follows the recent political clashes in parts of the Northern Region in particular and the country in general.
The meetings, presided over by the Chairman of the NPC, Peter Cardinal Appiah-Turkson, involved senior officials of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the Electoral Commission (EC) and political parties.
The meetings were attended by the Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Wood; the Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt Gen J. B. Danquah; the Director-General in charge of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Patrick Timbilla; the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, and his two deputies, Messrs Sarfo Katanka and David Kanga.
Among those from the political parties were the flag bearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom; the flag bearer of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Mr T. N. Ward-Brew; the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Peter Mac Manu; the party’s General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow; the General Secretary of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Mr Bede Ziedene, and a representative of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
The meetings with the Chief Justice and the senior security officials were held on Tuesday, while those with the EC officials and the political party representatives were held on Wednesday.
Conspicuously absent were representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the largest opposition party, but according to its General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the party’s absence was because it was not invited.
He said he just heard about the meeting in the media when some journalists called him to find out about what transpired.
Mr Nketia said the NDC was one of the few political parties that had five vice-chairpersons and two deputy general secretaries, so it was never short of officials to represent the party at any function.
When contacted, the Executive Secretary of the NPC, Mr P. K. Opoku-Mensah, however, insisted that the NDC was invited to the meeting.
According to him, the letter of invitation to the party was received by one Elorm at the NDC headquarters about two weeks ago.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the proceedings, the Research Officer of the NPC, Mr Emmanuel Sowatey, said the security officials outlined how they would co-ordinate in their strategies to deal with flash points and maintain the peace.
He said the security officials stressed the need for the nation to have trust and confidence in state institutions, who in turn, must play their roles efficiently.
Mr Sowatey said they also urged the NPC to liaise with other state institutions to create more awareness on the civic responsibilities of the people.
He said during the meeting with the Chief Justice, she indicated the role the Judiciary would play in the peace process.
Mr Sowatey said Mrs Justice Wood noted that some courts would be designated to handle election disputes rather than the creation of separate courts to handle such matters as had been suggested by some people.
He said various issues were discussed at the meeting with the EC officials, key among which was the need to clean the voters register.
Mr Sowatey said the EC officials urged political parties, religious leaders, parents and all Ghanaians to contribute their quota to ensure a clean register by discouraging minors from registering and abiding by electoral rules, among other responsibilities.
He said the EC officials also urged political parties to restrain their members from indulging in acts that could undermine the peace.
Mr Sowatey said the political parties, on their part, stressed the need for prompt prosecution of anyone who was involved in fomenting violence.
Mr Sowatey said the aim of the meetings was to understand the concerns of the key actors and find how best to address them.
He appealed to owners of small arms to register their weapons, while calling on those who had registered but not renewed their licences to do so.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
CALL FOR LINKAGE BETWEEN RESEARCH, HEALTH POLICY (p.34) 03-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Mrs Gladys Norley Ashietey, has stressed the need for a link between research and health policy, planning and service delivery to enable the country to achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on health.
She observed that Ghana might not be able to achieve the MDGs on health unless the weak health systems and infrastructure were addressed.
“We need to continuously review our health policies and work towards strengthening and re-orienting our health systems to perform, especially under situations of severe resource constraints,” she said.
Dr Mrs Ashietey made the remark in Accra yesterday when she opened a two-day conference on a “Ghanaian-Dutch collaboration for health research and development”.
It is being organised by the Health Research Unit (HRU) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
The participants are discussing the findings of a five-year collaborative health research project and the relevance of research to the improvement of health delivery.
Topics being discussed include “Sustainable research for development”, “Health care financing”, “Improving the quality of health service”, and “The partnership and policy issues”.
Dr Mrs Ashietey re-iterated the need for an increased investment in health research, in view of its relevance to improvement in the health delivery system.
“There is enough evidence to show that policies that are rooted in well-organised research have always stood the test of time. But in our special circumstances, we need a faster and more effective way to better generate knowledge, better share knowledge and better translate it into effective and affordable interventions and strategies that make health care accessible to the most needy and vulnerable,” she noted.
The deputy health minister, therefore, challenged research scientists, both in the public and private sectors to collaborate in their efforts towards helping address those challenges.
She said in order to make a difference, there was the need for innovation and capacity development to generate, review and implement appropriate interventions.
Dr Mrs Ashietey lauded the collaboration between Ghana and The Netherlands in the health research project and expressed the hope that it would continue.
Giving an overview of the project, the Director of the HRU, Prof. John Gyapong, said the project had three major thrusts - to better attune health research to the needs of policy makers and beneficiaries; to emphasise the need to strengthen national capacity for health research; and to address the imbalances in North-South collaborative research by promoting genuine research co-operation between Ghana and The Netherlands.
Seventy-three research proposals were sponsored under the project, covering the thematic areas of health financing, quality health care, health communication and decentralisation.
A former Minister of Development Co-operation in The Netherlands, Prof. Jan Pronk, who delivered the keynote address, said for research to achieve its intended goals, it had to be relevant, applicable in the short term, and related to the marginalised in society.
The Director-General of the GHS, Dr Elias Sory, who chaired the function, said the HRU was being transformed into a department and expressed the hope that it would get more funding to undertake further research projects.
THE Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Mrs Gladys Norley Ashietey, has stressed the need for a link between research and health policy, planning and service delivery to enable the country to achieve its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on health.
She observed that Ghana might not be able to achieve the MDGs on health unless the weak health systems and infrastructure were addressed.
“We need to continuously review our health policies and work towards strengthening and re-orienting our health systems to perform, especially under situations of severe resource constraints,” she said.
Dr Mrs Ashietey made the remark in Accra yesterday when she opened a two-day conference on a “Ghanaian-Dutch collaboration for health research and development”.
It is being organised by the Health Research Unit (HRU) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
The participants are discussing the findings of a five-year collaborative health research project and the relevance of research to the improvement of health delivery.
Topics being discussed include “Sustainable research for development”, “Health care financing”, “Improving the quality of health service”, and “The partnership and policy issues”.
Dr Mrs Ashietey re-iterated the need for an increased investment in health research, in view of its relevance to improvement in the health delivery system.
“There is enough evidence to show that policies that are rooted in well-organised research have always stood the test of time. But in our special circumstances, we need a faster and more effective way to better generate knowledge, better share knowledge and better translate it into effective and affordable interventions and strategies that make health care accessible to the most needy and vulnerable,” she noted.
The deputy health minister, therefore, challenged research scientists, both in the public and private sectors to collaborate in their efforts towards helping address those challenges.
She said in order to make a difference, there was the need for innovation and capacity development to generate, review and implement appropriate interventions.
Dr Mrs Ashietey lauded the collaboration between Ghana and The Netherlands in the health research project and expressed the hope that it would continue.
Giving an overview of the project, the Director of the HRU, Prof. John Gyapong, said the project had three major thrusts - to better attune health research to the needs of policy makers and beneficiaries; to emphasise the need to strengthen national capacity for health research; and to address the imbalances in North-South collaborative research by promoting genuine research co-operation between Ghana and The Netherlands.
Seventy-three research proposals were sponsored under the project, covering the thematic areas of health financing, quality health care, health communication and decentralisation.
A former Minister of Development Co-operation in The Netherlands, Prof. Jan Pronk, who delivered the keynote address, said for research to achieve its intended goals, it had to be relevant, applicable in the short term, and related to the marginalised in society.
The Director-General of the GHS, Dr Elias Sory, who chaired the function, said the HRU was being transformed into a department and expressed the hope that it would get more funding to undertake further research projects.
INTERNATIONAL AID - WHAT WAY FORWARD FOR GHANA? (p.31) 02-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
AS the world focuses attention on Ghana for the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which opens in Accra tomorrow, the debate on whether or not Ghana should wean itself off foreign aid has been re-ignited by two highly respected minds on finance and economics.
Whereas the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, insists that foreign aid is necessary for the country’s development, the Chairman of the Board of Unilever, Ghana, Dr Ishmael Yamson, submits that after 50 years of independence, Ghana should have by now been in the driving seat and not be depending on aid for its development.
Ghana depends heavily on foreign grants, loans and technical assistance from multilateral institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and about 33 major countries to undertake development projects.
“It’s all about international trade and we all depend on each other. If we wean ourselves off foreign aid, who will buy our cocoa?” Mr Baah-Wiredu asked.
But, according to Dr Yamson, the country was placing too much emphasis on aid and behaving as if without aid, it could not develop, adding, “If we continue to be aid-dependent, we will continue to be poor.”
About 1,200 delegates, including ministers from more than 100 countries, heads of bilateral and multilateral development agencies, donor and civil society organisations from all over the world are expected to converge on the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) for the next three days to discuss how best to make aid more transparent, accountable and results-oriented in order to reduce poverty and inequality in the world.
The forum, which is under the joint auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), will examine the results of development aid, what needs to change and how the international aid system can deliver what the organisers describe as the "best bang for the buck".
The delegates, at the end of the forum, are expected to endorse the Accra Agenda for Action, a forward-looking document that identifies the challenges and responses to emerging issues with the aim of achieving the targets agreed in the 2005 Paris Declaration.
Back to the aid debate in Ghana, the finance minister cited the Bible, saying even about 2,000 years ago, people depended on each other and so there was nothing wrong about relying on aid for development.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the important issue was not about Ghana weaning itself off foreign aid but rather, how effective the nation utilised the aid.
When asked to justify that submission, he pointed at the free maternal care programme, the Mallam-Yamoransa road, and various development projects financed through HIPC funds, as some of the landmark legacies of foreign aid.
“We are able to do all these things because others are helping us,” he stressed.
On the Accra forum, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the meeting was expected to be a marketplace for the sharing of ideas on how best to make effective use of aid.
He expressed the hope that Ghana, as the host nation, would have its name placed high on the world map and also derive immense benefit from the meeting, particularly in the promotion of businesses.
“By hosting the event on our soil, Ghana faces a significant opportunity to present itself to the international community not only as a dynamic nation that successfully pursues socio-economic reforms in a complex and globalised environment but also as a nation that has effectively managed donor assistance to the ultimate benefit of our citizens,” the minister said.
Taking a different position on the issue, Dr Yamson said although aid was supposed to help deliver on wealth creation, poverty eradication and enhanced prosperity, the country should not depend on it for development.
He said since time immemorial when the nation started receiving foreign aid, it had not been able to extricate itself from poverty, blaming the situation, to a large extent, on poor monitoring and evaluation.
Dr Yamson stressed the need for aid to be properly monitored and evaluated to convince the donors that “we’ve used it for the intended purpose”.
He said there was the need for Ghana to consolidate the aid received by directing donors to buy into the country’s development programmes, rather than allowing them to dictate how the aid should be utilised.
Dr Yamson said much as it was worthy to mention development projects undertaken from aid resources, the largesse of donors determined how fast the country developed because anytime there was a slack in aid from donors, the country’s development suffered.
He said Ghana should use the Accra forum to demonstrate to the world that it was serious about taking charge of its own development and that “we are a determined people who will not be a beggar country for ever”.
Diverting attention from economics to politics, Dr Yamson, who is also Chairman of Ishmael Yamson and Associates, called on all political parties and individuals to embrace peace in the run-up to the December election.
He said development could not take place in the country unless there was peace and tranquillity, adding that Ghana was more important than any political party or individual and so “we must place the country first before party, individual and anything else”.
AS the world focuses attention on Ghana for the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which opens in Accra tomorrow, the debate on whether or not Ghana should wean itself off foreign aid has been re-ignited by two highly respected minds on finance and economics.
Whereas the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, insists that foreign aid is necessary for the country’s development, the Chairman of the Board of Unilever, Ghana, Dr Ishmael Yamson, submits that after 50 years of independence, Ghana should have by now been in the driving seat and not be depending on aid for its development.
Ghana depends heavily on foreign grants, loans and technical assistance from multilateral institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and about 33 major countries to undertake development projects.
“It’s all about international trade and we all depend on each other. If we wean ourselves off foreign aid, who will buy our cocoa?” Mr Baah-Wiredu asked.
But, according to Dr Yamson, the country was placing too much emphasis on aid and behaving as if without aid, it could not develop, adding, “If we continue to be aid-dependent, we will continue to be poor.”
About 1,200 delegates, including ministers from more than 100 countries, heads of bilateral and multilateral development agencies, donor and civil society organisations from all over the world are expected to converge on the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) for the next three days to discuss how best to make aid more transparent, accountable and results-oriented in order to reduce poverty and inequality in the world.
The forum, which is under the joint auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), will examine the results of development aid, what needs to change and how the international aid system can deliver what the organisers describe as the "best bang for the buck".
The delegates, at the end of the forum, are expected to endorse the Accra Agenda for Action, a forward-looking document that identifies the challenges and responses to emerging issues with the aim of achieving the targets agreed in the 2005 Paris Declaration.
Back to the aid debate in Ghana, the finance minister cited the Bible, saying even about 2,000 years ago, people depended on each other and so there was nothing wrong about relying on aid for development.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the important issue was not about Ghana weaning itself off foreign aid but rather, how effective the nation utilised the aid.
When asked to justify that submission, he pointed at the free maternal care programme, the Mallam-Yamoransa road, and various development projects financed through HIPC funds, as some of the landmark legacies of foreign aid.
“We are able to do all these things because others are helping us,” he stressed.
On the Accra forum, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the meeting was expected to be a marketplace for the sharing of ideas on how best to make effective use of aid.
He expressed the hope that Ghana, as the host nation, would have its name placed high on the world map and also derive immense benefit from the meeting, particularly in the promotion of businesses.
“By hosting the event on our soil, Ghana faces a significant opportunity to present itself to the international community not only as a dynamic nation that successfully pursues socio-economic reforms in a complex and globalised environment but also as a nation that has effectively managed donor assistance to the ultimate benefit of our citizens,” the minister said.
Taking a different position on the issue, Dr Yamson said although aid was supposed to help deliver on wealth creation, poverty eradication and enhanced prosperity, the country should not depend on it for development.
He said since time immemorial when the nation started receiving foreign aid, it had not been able to extricate itself from poverty, blaming the situation, to a large extent, on poor monitoring and evaluation.
Dr Yamson stressed the need for aid to be properly monitored and evaluated to convince the donors that “we’ve used it for the intended purpose”.
He said there was the need for Ghana to consolidate the aid received by directing donors to buy into the country’s development programmes, rather than allowing them to dictate how the aid should be utilised.
Dr Yamson said much as it was worthy to mention development projects undertaken from aid resources, the largesse of donors determined how fast the country developed because anytime there was a slack in aid from donors, the country’s development suffered.
He said Ghana should use the Accra forum to demonstrate to the world that it was serious about taking charge of its own development and that “we are a determined people who will not be a beggar country for ever”.
Diverting attention from economics to politics, Dr Yamson, who is also Chairman of Ishmael Yamson and Associates, called on all political parties and individuals to embrace peace in the run-up to the December election.
He said development could not take place in the country unless there was peace and tranquillity, adding that Ghana was more important than any political party or individual and so “we must place the country first before party, individual and anything else”.
Monday, September 1, 2008
GHANA HAS POTENTIAL TO BECOME ECONOMIC LEADER - PROF NWANKWO (p.50) 01-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
A LECTURER at the University of London Business School, Prof. Sonny Nwankwo, says with the current economic performance, Ghana has the potential to become the leader in economic growth in Africa.
He, however, said in order to achieve that goal, the country had to develop and promote its unique potential competencies.
Prof. Nwankwo made the point in Accra last Thursday when he delivered a lecture on, “Developing a customer orientation”, which was organised by the University of Ghana Business School.
He said by the turn of this century, it would be Africa’s turn to launch into development, but pointed out that there was the need for the continent to develop its competencies to make that dream come alive.
Prof. Nwankwo said it was important to tell the story of Africa better, particularly with respect to its cultural sensitivity and relationships between companies and stakeholders in the development of relationship markets.
He said globalisation opened new opportunities for new markets and urged African countries to take advantage of those opportunities.
Prof. Nwankwo said there was the need to develop a philosophy on simple marketing strategy, but he was quick to add that the process of putting forward a marketing strategy was more important than the strategy itself.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Clifford Nii Boi Tagoe, who chaired the function, said there was a huge gap in database available in Africa and called on research institutions to help provide the right information for the development of strategies for Africa.
Attendance at the lecture was very encouraging as every space in the conference room of the Erata Hotel at East Legon, the venue for the programme, was occupied, compelling some people to stand in and outside the room to listen to proceedings.
Many of the participants were, however, disappointed because they could hardly hear anything in view of the poor quality sound of the public address system.
The situation worsened when the rain set in as the sound generated from the splash of the rain on the roof of the conference room virtually drowned the lecturer’s voice.
A LECTURER at the University of London Business School, Prof. Sonny Nwankwo, says with the current economic performance, Ghana has the potential to become the leader in economic growth in Africa.
He, however, said in order to achieve that goal, the country had to develop and promote its unique potential competencies.
Prof. Nwankwo made the point in Accra last Thursday when he delivered a lecture on, “Developing a customer orientation”, which was organised by the University of Ghana Business School.
He said by the turn of this century, it would be Africa’s turn to launch into development, but pointed out that there was the need for the continent to develop its competencies to make that dream come alive.
Prof. Nwankwo said it was important to tell the story of Africa better, particularly with respect to its cultural sensitivity and relationships between companies and stakeholders in the development of relationship markets.
He said globalisation opened new opportunities for new markets and urged African countries to take advantage of those opportunities.
Prof. Nwankwo said there was the need to develop a philosophy on simple marketing strategy, but he was quick to add that the process of putting forward a marketing strategy was more important than the strategy itself.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Clifford Nii Boi Tagoe, who chaired the function, said there was a huge gap in database available in Africa and called on research institutions to help provide the right information for the development of strategies for Africa.
Attendance at the lecture was very encouraging as every space in the conference room of the Erata Hotel at East Legon, the venue for the programme, was occupied, compelling some people to stand in and outside the room to listen to proceedings.
Many of the participants were, however, disappointed because they could hardly hear anything in view of the poor quality sound of the public address system.
The situation worsened when the rain set in as the sound generated from the splash of the rain on the roof of the conference room virtually drowned the lecturer’s voice.
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