Month: November 2013

Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Hon. Inusah Fuseini has told his constituents in the Northern Region to vote him out if they no longer require his services instead of attempting to lynch him.

Hon. Inusah Fuseini was reportedly chased away by irate NDC youth at a meeting in Tamale.

According to reports, the action by the irate NDC youth was meant to express their displeasure on their MP’s alleged neglect of his constituents since he assumed office.

But speaking on Radio XYZ’s Strict Proof on Monday, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources condemned the behavior of the youth adding that if they are not pleased with his work, it is better they vote him out instead of attacking him in public.

He, however, denied that he was chased away by the irate youth but confirmed that his official vehicle was destroyed by his constituents while one of his followers was mercilessly beaten.

“Why would they even want to lynch me; representing the people of Tamale is it a crime?” Hon. Fuseini queried.

“If the people of Tamale who voted me into office do not want me to represent them again, it is not by lynching me because I have other responsibilities, I have a family to look after.

“They wait and if it is time to vote; then they remove me from office and not lynch me,” Hon. Inusah Fuseini said.

The Member of Parliament for Sissala East constituency, Sulemana Alijata Gbentie has given the assurance that the One laptop per child programme was still on-board, hence schools that have not yet benefited will definitely take turn to receive such computers under the programme.

Madam Sulemana Alijata made the promise when she visited the United Primary school in the Zongo community at Tumu where she donated some items to school children as part of her educational support to basic schools in the area.

The items distributed included some 160 pieces of Chinese canvass, 45 school bags, and a total of 500 exercise books.

She also made an avowed promise to the school children that all infrastructure projects earmarked to them in the district will duly be implemented as government was working tirelessly to secure funding for all the projects which have been halted.

She said contractors will soon get to site to continue all the abandoned educational projects which she indicated were due to lack of funds.

She reiterated that government has even received proceeds from the $1 billion Eurobond to facilitate the speedy implementation of projects and programmes under the 2013 budget, thus all priority projects will be taken care of in due time.

Jonathan Jeffrey Adjei/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle, Mr. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has reiterated his commitment to bring development to his constituency through the promotion of higher education.

He therefore appealed to students in the area to pursue higher education and take advantage of emerging opportunities in the oil and gas industry.

Mr. Buah, who is also the Minister for Energy and Petroleum Resources, made these remarks in an interview with the ghanamps.gov.gh on the sidelines of a programme to present scholarship packages to two underprivileged students in his constituency.

The beneficiaries were Master Frank Azane, an orphan and resident of Aiyinasi who clocked aggregate eight in the 2012 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), and Miss Scholarstica Akasi Anyimiah,an-8-year-old hearing impaired from Awiebo.

Mr. Buah said Master Frank who scored B3 in Core English and A in all other subjects in the WASSCE, approached his office for assistance as he was unable to further his education last year due to financial constraints.

The MP said he was touched by the sterling performance of the student and had paid GHc1,500 as admission fees to enrol him at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) this year, to pursue an undergraduate course in Geological Engineering to equip him with the technical expertise to fit into the oil and gas industry.

He said Scholarstica had also been enrolled at the Sekondi School for the Deaf after he had paid an admission fee of GHc500.

Mr. Buah placed on record that his office will be visiting the girl at the school monthly to cater for her needs until she completed the course. He further pledged his readiness to improve upon the living conditions of his constituents as part of the Better Ghana Agenda.

Afua Yeboah

The Member of Parliament for Amasaman Consitutency, Hon. Nii Laryea Emmanuel has funded the refurbishment of the Doblo market in the Ga West Municipality in the Greater Accra Region.

According to him, the project was aimed at creating the right avenue to empower the residents in the area to improve on their economic lives in order to fend for themselves and their families.

He said he injected about Ghs10, 000 to have the project completed on time for the residents of Dobloo and surrounding areas to accordingly sell their wares.

In another development Nii Laryea said he has directed stakeholders in the Dobloo area to give him estimates of cost to refurbish a dilapidated classroom block for the public school for the township since education was the bedrock of which a society thrives.

He made the above information known in an interaction with GhanaMps.gov.gh.

Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Mr. Anthony Christian Dadzie, the Member of Parliament for Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese is making efforts to address infrastructure challenges confronting educational institutions in the area.

The MP has supplied fifty (50) bags of cement to Potoako to enable them commence the construction of a new school block. Also his support towards the construction of a new 6-unit classroom at Brafoyawo which is progressing steadily is expected to aid in admitting more pupils to school.

Meanwhile, the newly established Day senior high school at Amosima is also expected to start admitting students for this academic year.

This is also hoped to create opportunity for more children in the area to have secondary education.

He advised the district assembly to consider instituting an educational trust fund to expand financial support to needy children in the district.

On the performance of students in BECE, Mr Dadzie bemoaned the 43.7% passing rate for the entire district and called for greater commitment, dedication and hard work on all stakeholders in the education sector to improve the performance of students in subsequent examinations.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament for Manso-Adubia in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Yaw Frimpong Addo, has presented 60 sets of jerseys valued millions of Ghana Cedis to some selected youth teams in the Constituency.

Making the presentation at the various youth clubs, Mr. Yaw Frimpong anticipated that the donation would go a long way to enhance the efficiency of youth football in various communities.

The MP also used the opportunity to advise the youth to abstain from acts of violence and only be focused by making education a priority, adding that parents should also show extra interest in the education of their wards.

Hon. Yaw Frimpong also called on the students in the area to study hard and be disciplined in school, adding that, education is important to improve their lives.

Receiving the items on behalf of the clubs, owners and managers of the various teams expressed gratitude to the MP for the kind gesture and appealed for more of such supports.

They promised to use the items for the intended purpose so as to build the talents of the community children in sporting activities.

Emmanuel Frimpong Mensah/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Mr Samuel Ambre , Member of Parliament( MP) for Assin North, has called on farmers not to exploit the labour of school children on their farms.

He said the practice tend to interfere in the education of the children, which is very crucial to the development of the area and the country at large.

Mr Ambre made the call when he launched the Assin Senchem Zone of Cocoa farmers Association at Assin Senchem near Assin Foso.

He commended the Assin Foso Municipal Directorate of Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD) Division of Ghana Cocoa Board, for introducing an alternative livelihood programme for cocoa farmers in the area.

The MP said the programme would help the farmers to earn extra income and improve their lot.

Mr Felix Kwame Quainoo, Municipal Director of CSSVD said the alternative livelihood programme was introduced to support the earnings of the farmers and reduce their overdependence on cocoa.

He said the programme would include grasscutter rearing, piggery, poultry production and cocoa seedling production.

Mr Ayiku Tetteh, the extension officer in the area, said among the 400 listed for the programme , 270 have so far benefited.

He said the farmers group has procured 30 acres of land for seedling production next year.

The Member of Parliament for Berekum East, Dr. Kwabena Twum Nuamah says society is to be blamed for the massive corruption in the country.

“In Ghana now, it pays to be corrupt because the society itself is pushing to be corrupt. If you are in government and you are not corrupt, you become the odd one out and so everyone is trying very hard to be corrupt”, he stated.

Dr. Twum Nuamah was commenting on the latest Gallup survey, which named Ghana as one of the corruption endemic countries in the world.

The survey conducted between April and May last year, saw Ghana named as the third most corrupt countries with a free press out of about 20 countries surveyed.

But government maintains that it has instituted measure to nib the situation in the bud.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Friday, Dr. Kwabena Twum Nuamah said he is not surprised about the research findings.

According to him, corruption in Ghana especially in government, is not a perception but a truism.

Dr. Twum Nuamah contended that politicians could not be blamed for being corrupt when in government because they are pressured by the insatiable request of their constituents.

“We live in a country, where when you are given a position in government, people think it is an opportunity for you to amass wealth. Our mindset is pushing politicians to become corrupt”, he bemoaned.

The Berekum East MP underscored the need for politicians to take the bull by the horn and say “enough is enough”.

He said if the society does not change their perception about politicians and public officials, the situation will degenerate.

Dr. Twum Nuamah feared if adequate steps are not taken to nid corruption in the bud, the society will degenerate and Ghana will become a “banana republic”

Myjoyonline.com

The first Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast South, Mr Ebo Barton Oduro on Saturday donated sixteen sporting wheel chairs to the Cape Coast branch of the Ghana Federation of Disabled (GFD) to enhance their performance.

Ten of the wheel chairs are to be distributed to individual members to ease their movements whilst the remaining six are for their Basket Ball Team.

At a ceremony to hand over the wheel chairs at Abura, a suburb of Cape Coast, Mr. Barton Oduro mentioned the numerous challenges faced by persons with disability in the country and indicated that instead of the society empathizing with them, it has rather shied away from its responsibilities and resorted to intimidation and taunting.

He said Article 29 of the 1992 Constitution makes provision for the right of disabled persons and mandates parliament to enact laws, which ensures the enforcement of the rights of persons with disabilities.

Act 715 states that persons, who infringe on the rights of the disabled or discriminates against persons with disabilities, can be convicted to a fine not exceeding 50 penalty units or to a prison term not exceeding three months.

Mr. Barton-Oduro said existing institutions and buildings to which the public has easy access are currently tasked to make alterations to provide easy access for the disabled and entreated Local Authorities and permit-issuing agencies to ensure that all new public buildings are provided with disability friendly facilities.

He said the Government is interested in the welfare and total wellbeing of each individual and will do everything within its power to ensure that.

He commended the federation for establishing the first Cerebral Palsy Centre in Ghana, at the Aboom Special Needs School, where the School Feeding programme is running and also mobilizing digital and assistive devices for its members.

He also lauded their effort in facilitating the engagement of two sign language interpreters at the Metro and Regional Hospitals to assist the deaf members in seeking health care and a free Senior High School Scheme for the wards of all unemployed members, as well as scholarships for those at the basic level.

The Chief of Abura, Nana Kodwo Addai II, who chaired the function, appealed to the general public to desist from discriminatory acts against the physically disabled; as they can do a lot to help in developing the country.

He cited examples of physically disabled persons in high positions, notable being the Minister for Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, Dr. Henry Seidu Daanaa, who is making strides, despites his condition and encouraged those with disabilities not to look down on themselves.

“If you are disabled, it does not mean your life is over; your body may be damaged but your soul is not”

Mr. George Frimpong, the Cape Coast GFD Coordinator, who is also the Regional Special Education Coordinator, observed that the disabled are discriminated against because society does not recognize the fact that they can also contribute to the development of the society.

He thanked the MP for his gesture, describing it as a step which will create an enabling and inclusive society for the disabled and also make sport possible to all.

Mr. Charles Ezekiel Obboh, a member of the GSPD Basket Ball Team, said one of their biggest challenge is travelling by public transport, especially by taxis and advocated for the enforcement of the Disability Act that protect their rights.

He recounted the team’s inability to travel to Nigeria to participate in an invitational tournament, because they did not have passports and other documents and made an appeal to the Government and Non-Governmental Organizations to help them acquire passports in order not to miss another opportunity.

He appealed for more educational scholarships to enable its members to further their education.

A set of jerseys for the football team of the deaf, as well as RLG laptop computers, were distributed to them by the government.

Receiving the items, Mr. Hector Ato Anaman, the Financial Secretary of GFD expressed gratitude to the MP for recognizing their needs and coming to their aid and promised to safeguard the items.

The ceremony was followed by a route match to the new Cape Coast Stadium Complex, currently under construction and watched a wheel chair basketball and table tennis games for the blind between Western and Central Region members of GFD at the University of Cape Coast campus.

In 2010, the MP donated Wheelchairs to the Basket Ball Team and as a result, two of them have been selected to join the national team.

The first Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast South, Mr Ebo Barton Oduro on Saturday donated sixteen sporting wheel chairs to the Cape Coast branch of the Ghana Federation of Disabled (GFD) to enhance their performance.

Ten of the wheel chairs are to be distributed to individual members to ease their movements whilst the remaining six are for their Basket Ball Team.

At a ceremony to hand over the wheel chairs at Abura, a suburb of Cape Coast, Mr. Barton Oduro mentioned the numerous challenges faced by persons with disability in the country and indicated that instead of the society empathizing with them, it has rather shied away from its responsibilities and resorted to intimidation and taunting.

He said Article 29 of the 1992 Constitution makes provision for the right of disabled persons and mandates parliament to enact laws, which ensures the enforcement of the rights of persons with disabilities.

Act 715 states that persons, who infringe on the rights of the disabled or discriminates against persons with disabilities, can be convicted to a fine not exceeding 50 penalty units or to a prison term not exceeding three months.

Mr. Barton-Oduro said existing institutions and buildings to which the public has easy access are currently tasked to make alterations to provide easy access for the disabled and entreated Local Authorities and permit-issuing agencies to ensure that all new public buildings are provided with disability friendly facilities.

He said the Government is interested in the welfare and total wellbeing of each individual and will do everything within its power to ensure that.

He commended the federation for establishing the first Cerebral Palsy Centre in Ghana, at the Aboom Special Needs School, where the School Feeding programme is running and also mobilizing digital and assistive devices for its members.

He also lauded their effort in facilitating the engagement of two sign language interpreters at the Metro and Regional Hospitals to assist the deaf members in seeking health care and a free Senior High School Scheme for the wards of all unemployed members, as well as scholarships for those at the basic level.

The Chief of Abura, Nana Kodwo Addai II, who chaired the function, appealed to the general public to desist from discriminatory acts against the physically disabled; as they can do a lot to help in developing the country.

He cited examples of physically disabled persons in high positions, notable being the Minister for Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, Dr. Henry Seidu Daanaa, who is making strides, despites his condition and encouraged those with disabilities not to look down on themselves.

“If you are disabled, it does not mean your life is over; your body may be damaged but your soul is not”

Mr. George Frimpong, the Cape Coast GFD Coordinator, who is also the Regional Special Education Coordinator, observed that the disabled are discriminated against because society does not recognize the fact that they can also contribute to the development of the society.

He thanked the MP for his gesture, describing it as a step which will create an enabling and inclusive society for the disabled and also make sport possible to all.

Mr. Charles Ezekiel Obboh, a member of the GSPD Basket Ball Team, said one of their biggest challenge is travelling by public transport, especially by taxis and advocated for the enforcement of the Disability Act that protect their rights.

He recounted the team’s inability to travel to Nigeria to participate in an invitational tournament, because they did not have passports and other documents and made an appeal to the Government and Non-Governmental Organizations to help them acquire passports in order not to miss another opportunity.

He appealed for more educational scholarships to enable its members to further their education.

A set of jerseys for the football team of the deaf, as well as RLG laptop computers, were distributed to them by the government.

Receiving the items, Mr. Hector Ato Anaman, the Financial Secretary of GFD expressed gratitude to the MP for recognizing their needs and coming to their aid and promised to safeguard the items.

The ceremony was followed by a route match to the new Cape Coast Stadium Complex, currently under construction and watched a wheel chair basketball and table tennis games for the blind between Western and Central Region members of GFD at the University of Cape Coast campus.

In 2010, the MP donated Wheelchairs to the Basket Ball Team and as a result, two of them have been selected to join the national team.