Month: November 2012

Mr Dan Botwe, Member of Parliament (MP) for Okere, has distributed 100 sewing machines and hair dryers to some vocational training institutions and individual trainers to support training of 182 young ladies in apprenticeship to acquire skills in dressmaking and hairdressing.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on Monday after the distribution of the items to the beneficiaries, Mr Botwe said his main aim was to ensure that the ladies acquired skills which could land them jobs or make them self- employed after completing their training within the next two to three years.

The MP said since he became MP he noticed the high rate of unemployment among the youth in the constituency and tried to find a solution to that problem.

Mr Botwe said as a way of solving the problem, he realized that there were a number of the young people who could not get employed even if thousands of jobs were opened due to lack of employable skills and decided to use part of his common fund to train the young ladies.

He said the next batch of the sponsorship would go to young men who wanted to acquire skills in carpentry, automobile mechanic (fitting), tailoring, masonry and driving.

Mr Botwe said all the beneficiaries completed Junior High and Senior High Schools and could not further their education due to financial difficulties and added that such categories of people should not be left to their fate.

He commended the trainers who agreed to accept GHC 200.00 each per trainee instead of the normal fee of GHC300.00.

The Assembly Member for Adukrom Methodist Mission Electoral Area, Ms Angelina Konadu Addo, who received the items on behalf of the beneficiaries, commended Mr Botwe for his efforts to solve unemployment problems in the area.

One of the beneficiaries, Ms Rosina Ofori, on behalf of her colleagues thanked Mr Botwe for the gesture.

She told the GNA that some of the apprentices had completed Junior High School for more than three years, but due to financial difficulties they could not further their education.

One of the trainees told GNA that the programme had come at the right time and that they would complete the training to make them useful to society.

GNA

Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Minister for Water Resources, Work and Housing on Friday cut the sod for the construction 5,000 housing units christened Nyame Dua Estates at Kpone near Tema under the Mass Housing Project.

Mr Mensah said Sethi Realty of India is executing the project in a private-public partnership agreement in which the government of Ghana is providing the land and the costs for the project is being borne by the real estate company.

He said there would be tax exemption for building materials imported purposely for the project.

“It gives me great joy to be part of this ceremony to commence a project, which will deliver 5,000 housing units to persons in the low and middle income brackets,” he said, adding that “my joy comes firstly, from the fact that, the project is going to supply urgently needed housing and the fact that apart providing jobs and incomes it will further stimulate the general economy of Kpone and its surrounding areas.”

The Minister said the housing sector employs literally thousands of people directly and indirectly and acts as boost for other industries and sectors, from primary to tertiary.

He said the importance of housing in national development is not in doubt as it provides the basic need of shelter.

Mr Mensah said that Ghana faces a huge housing shortfall estimated to be 1.7 million housing units and explained that to be able to clear this deficit alone the nation would require an annual delivery rate of about 170,000 units for the next 20 years.

He said regrettably, current annual supply ranges between 40,000 and 50,000 units.

He commended Sethi Realty for their intervention and for choosing to invest in the area and thereby bring the needed stimulation to the local economy.

Mr Manab Pattnaik, Chief Executive Officer of Sethi Realty, gave the assurance that his company would deliver the project at an affordable cost to the low and middle-income people.

He said housing was very important to every society and was full of praise for the Mr Alban Bagbin, the former Minister of Water Resources, Work and Housing for initiating the project whiles in office.

Mr Parag Date, Architect and Town Planner of the company, said they were into the construction of smart cities, which aside the residential facilities would have a school, hospital, church, market, open parks, packing lots, among others.

He explained that the project, located on a 90-acre piece of land, would include the construction of two to three bedrooms apartments at affordable costs.

The sod cutting ceremony was witnessed by Ajaneesh Kumar, Deputy Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr C. S. Sethi, Chairman Sethi Realty Group Ltd, Alhaji Yahaya H. Yakubu, Director Housing of the Ministry and Mr Joe Abbey, Managing Director of Tema Development Corporation.

GNA

The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and a Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya Constituency, Prof Mike Quaye over the weekend commissioned three projects valued at One Billion Cedis at Taifa in the Greater Accra Region.

The projects included a building to house a police station, a hospital and an ICT Centre.

Professor Mike Oquaye said whiles serving the constituency over the past two terms, he had been he had been able to construct an ECG-Office, Taifa Community School, a Post Office and a Yam Market at Haatso.

He said his tenure also facilitated the supply of water tanks and electricity poles to other communities within his constituency and this has created cottage industries for many.

Prof Mike Oquaye paid tribute to all who have contributed in diverse ways towards the development in his constituency and presented the keys of the projects to the Municipal Assembly.

He said for the ICT centre, he had acquired 30 computers added that the facility be made free to all children within the area.

He said the numerous projects he had initiated would be continued by the incoming MP Lawyer Sarah Adwoa Sarfo and thanked the NPP ward members who assisted him whiles serving the constituency.

Mr John Kwao Sackey, the MCE for Ga-East Municipal Assembly, said the new police station would help curb armed robbery within their vicinity and reminded the party functionaries on the need to maintain peace of the area in the coming elections.

Lawyer Adwoa Sarfo, the NPP Parliamentary candidate for the constituency, praised Prof Oquaye for the various infrastructural developments undertaken in the constituency during his tenure and also appealed to the gathering to ensure that peace prevails in the area.

In attendance at the commissioning included a former IGP Mr Ernest Opoku, Assembymen, Chiefs, and political party activists.

GNA

Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, on Thursday donated four computers and five motor cycles to the Methodist Church, Ghana to aid in the mobility of the mission’s evangelizing activities.

The donation was also with the support of Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOSAG).

Mr Mensah stressed the need for the prospective riders of the motor cycles to constantly wear the crash helmet and to observe road safety regulations whiles riding.

Most Rev Prof Emmanuel K Asante, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, expressed appreciation to Mr Mensah and CLOSAG for the kind gesture.

GNA

Member of Parliament for the Sunyani East Constituency, Hon. Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh has renovated a four-unit classroom block for the St. Anselm’s Anglican Junior High School (JHS).

The block, which also has an office and a computer laboratory, was funded from the MP’s share of the Common Fund at the cost of GHs34, 000.

Mr. Adu Gyamfi Gyan, Regional Manager of Anglican schools was grateful for the project and called on others to emulate the good works of the MP.

Hon. Ameyaw-Cheremeh for his part said he had sponsored over 1,500 students with scholarships at all levels of education.

He however advised the pupils to put up their best to improve on their academic status.

Ghanamps.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament for Kwabre East in the Ashanti Region Hon. Kofi Frimpong has commissioned three (3) separate classroom blocks for some schools in the constituency.

Beneficiary schools include Asante Gyapong Roman Catholic primary school at Aboaso (6-unit), Kenyase D/A Primary School (6-unit), and Sarfo D/A Junior High School (3-unit) and were funded from the MP’s share of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).

Hon. Frimpong commissioning the separate projects advised the people to maintain the structures and urged parents to send their wards to school.

Nana Gyamera Pinsan II and Queenmother of Aboaso for their part commended the MP for the projects.

Ghanamps.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho West, Mr. Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, has presented 264 laptops to 11 basic schools on behalf of the government, as part of the free distribution of computers to schools in the country, to aid the teaching of Information Communication (ICT).

Presenting the items, the MP stressed the need for the beneficiary school authorities to ensure that the computers were put at the disposal of the pupils, to ensure that they used it in teaching and learning, so as to ensure that government’s vision of ensuring that all schools become computer literate would not be hindered.

Mr. Bedzrah said it was very important for pupils to take advantage of the opportunity to become computer literate, to enable them to be abreast with the changing technological development of the times, which would not only enhance their personal activities, but also promote national development.

The MP asked teachers to avoid taking the computers home for their personal use, and also urged pupils to take their lessons more seriously, particularly, in computer studies, because the government had decided to equip all basic institutions with computers.

A Form One Junior High School (JHS) student at Ashanti-Kpoeta, Liticia Duamekpor, who received the items on behalf of the schools, thanked the MP and the government for the efforts being made to promote the teaching of ICT in schools in the area, and promised that pupils and students in the District would take their lessons more seriously.

The Chronicle

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Fomena, Nana Abu Bonsra, has donated computers to five educational institutions in the Fomena constituency to enhance the teaching and learning of information communication technology (ICT).

The institutions are the Akrokerri Community Nursing Training College, T. I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School at Fomena, Dompoase Senior High School, Akrokerri College of Education, and Asare Bediako Senior High School, also at Akrokerri.

Each of the schools received three computers, while the District Secretariat of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) got one.

The 16 computers were acquired at the cost of GH¢30,000

Mr. Charles Yaw Assuah-Yeboah, District Director of Education, received the computers on behalf the schools at a ceremony at Fomena last Friday. He commended the MP for his efforts at promoting the study of ICT in the constituency. E N D.

The Chronicle

To ease congestion at the Mim Urban Health Center in the Asunafo North Municipality, a newly-constructed Out-Patient Department (OPD) complex has been handed over by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Robert Sarfo-Mensah, through the Municipal Health Directorate.

The newly-constructed OPD complex consists of a laboratory, dispensary, store room, toilet and bath facilities, and a bedroom self-contained for a staff at the facility.

At the handing over ceremony, the Administrator of the Goaso Municipal Hospital, Mr. Namiak Sampson Konja, who represented the Municipal Health Director of Asunafo, commended the Member of Parliament for the timely intervention of the provision of the Complex.

Mr. Konja reiterated that the OPD Complex would improve upon healthcare delivery at the Mim Urban Health Center, because the expansion had made it possible for the facility to have a laboratory, dispensary, and a store room, where drugs and other relevant items could be kept.

He continued that the OPD would ease congestion at the facility, as well as reduce pressure on staff, at both the Mim Urban Health Center and the Goaso Municipal Hospital, which serves as a referral center in the Municipality.

According to the Administrator of the Goaso Municipal Hospital, the Ghana Health Service took over the facility when it was a Maternity Home in the year 2010, since then there has been no renovation or expansion till the provision of the OPD complex.

He encouraged Ahafo citizens both home and abroad to contribute to moving the community forward in development.

Mr. Konja used the opportunity to enumerate other projects Robert Sarfo-Mensah had undertaken in the municipality concerning health, including the provision of medical equipment to all health facilities, construction of a modern laundry facility for the Goaso Municipal Hospital, renovation of the Gyasikrom CHPS compound, provision of a polytank to the Asumura Health Center, provision of Multi TV Digi-boxes to all health facilities, and construction of a six-unit bedroom accommodation at the Goaso Municipal Hospital among others.

The Midwife in charge of the Mim Urban Health Center, Mrs. Sarah Ayitey, commended the MP, and gave the assurance to deliver quality healthcare to the people of Mim and surrounding communities, whilst ensuring effective routine maintenance at the facility.

Nana Yaw Bofah, Ankobeahene of the Mim Traditional Council, who represented the Omanhene of Mim as the chairman for the occasion, could not hide his gratitude to the MP, calling on the electorate of Mim to vote massively for the MP to continue the good developmental projects he had been doing for the constituency.

He gave the assurance that the chiefs and people of Mim would always support Robert Sarfo-Mensah in prayers, for him to be successful in his quest to retain the seat, come December 7, 2012.

The Robert Sarfo-Mensah, on his part, commended the Municipal Health Directorate for minimising the cost of the project, which was funded through the MP’s share of the National Health Insurance Authority Fund.

Mr. Sarfo-Mensah noted that Ghana could have developed rapidly, if cost and waste were minimized when undertaking development projects by the various assemblies, as was done by the Asunafo North Municipal Health Directorate, which manage to use a total of GH¢63,000 for such a huge project.

He stated that development projects in every district depend mostly on the assemblies, but due to the imbalances and inequities out of political expediencies, MPs are given some funds to undertake other projects to balance the situation somehow.

However, Mr. Sarfo-Mensah entreated the entire populace of the country to be vigilant and monitor the activities of the assemblies, by serving as social auditors to minimise waste and cost involved in developmental projects.

The MP continued to advise the people of Mim to make good use of the Mim Urban Health Center, to allow the Goaso Municipal Hospital to concentrate on more comprehensive cases for effective healthcare delivery in the municipality.

Mr. Sarfo-Mensah later cut the sod for the construction of a Maternity Ward Complex at Ampenkro, which would also have a laboratory, lying place, dispensary, store room, consulting room, weighing center, and self-contained bedroom for the midwife.

He advised the electorate to tolerate the opposition’s view, and desist from unnecessary political arguments that have the tendency to infuriate passions to create chaos, prior to the December 7, general elections.

The Chronicle