The Government of Japan has provided the Birim South District Assembly in the Eastern Region with a grant of One hundred and three thousand Five hundred and fifty-one U.S dollars for the improvement of educational facilities for Adinkro School Complex, in Accra yesterday.
This is under the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots and Human Security Projects (GGHSP) scheme.
The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Mr. Keiichi Katakami who presented the grant said that the Grassroots and Human Security Project is one of Japan’s ODA Scheme that responds to local community needs in developing countries.
The Ambassador disclosed that Adinkrom Primary School block was constructed over twenty years ago out of mud.
“Since its establishment, no maintaince activity has been done on this only educational infrastructure in the community, this has resulted in a dilapidated structure; obviously unsafe and unsuitable for proper academic activities”, he added.
“Improving the quality of education amongst the youth of Adinkrom and its surrounding communities will better prepare them for their future ahead”, he stressed.
He said that since the GGHSP began in Ghana in 1989, the Government of Japan has funded a total of two hundred and twenty-four projects nationwide.
The Ambassador Mr. Keiichi Katakami said that education is a key foundation for social development, adding that education provides requisite conditions for every individual to enhance his or her own economic ability.
“The Government of Japan supports initiatives under primary education so the children of Ghana can obtain the tools they need to contribute actively to the growth of this country”, he said.
He urged the Birim South District Assembly to ensure that the project is successfully completed to be able to contribute to the education and development of the youth in the district.
The District Chief Executive of Birim South, Honorable Nana Baffour Mensah-Takyi, receiving the grant, expressed appreciation to the Japan Embassy for the kind gesture done the Birim District.
“I want to commend the Embassy of Japan for the numerous assistance they have provided so far for the Government of Ghana and the Birim South District in particular.I am convinced that certainly, this will not be the last project the Embassy will provide for the District.
He said that the Assembly and the community are prepared to maintain the facility that would be provided.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
SFP TO FEED 1,400,000 PUPILS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The Deputy National Co-ordinator of the School Feeding Programme (SFP), Mr. Francis Yaw Gyarko has said that the SFP will feed 1,400,000 pupils in the primary and kindergarten nationwide next academic year.
Speaking to the Times on Monday, Mr. Yaw Gyarko said that the SFP has been able to feed 656,000 children in the kindergarten and primary schools so far and the SFP authorities and the government has planned to extend the number next academic year in order to reach their target of feeding all the children in the Kindergarten and primary schools in the country.
“About 25% of public schools have been covered so far and it is the target of the School Feeding Programme to feed all the children in the primary and kindergarten schools in the country”, he said.
He said that the programme was meant to feed poor and vulnerable children in public schools especially those in the rural areas.
“The programme was also meant to increase enrolment of children into the public schools and reduce poverty in the rural areas”, he added.
Mr. Gyarko also said that the programme will help boost domestic agriculture in the sense that foods produce in the country will be used to feed the children, saying that this will enable local farmers to get enough capital to farm and also discourage the importation of foreign foods into the country.
Answering a question on whether the School Feeding Programme will be extend to the Junior High School, Mr. Gyarko said that the target of feeding all primary and kindergarten school children has not been achieved, thus, the Programme cannot feed the JHS pupils until it has been able to reach its target.
Speaking to the Times on Monday, Mr. Yaw Gyarko said that the SFP has been able to feed 656,000 children in the kindergarten and primary schools so far and the SFP authorities and the government has planned to extend the number next academic year in order to reach their target of feeding all the children in the Kindergarten and primary schools in the country.
“About 25% of public schools have been covered so far and it is the target of the School Feeding Programme to feed all the children in the primary and kindergarten schools in the country”, he said.
He said that the programme was meant to feed poor and vulnerable children in public schools especially those in the rural areas.
“The programme was also meant to increase enrolment of children into the public schools and reduce poverty in the rural areas”, he added.
Mr. Gyarko also said that the programme will help boost domestic agriculture in the sense that foods produce in the country will be used to feed the children, saying that this will enable local farmers to get enough capital to farm and also discourage the importation of foreign foods into the country.
Answering a question on whether the School Feeding Programme will be extend to the Junior High School, Mr. Gyarko said that the target of feeding all primary and kindergarten school children has not been achieved, thus, the Programme cannot feed the JHS pupils until it has been able to reach its target.
Friday, August 27, 2010
CHILD LABOUR IN GHANA, AN ISSUE OF CONCERN....MAKE GHANA A BEAUTIFUL PLACE FOR A CHILD TO LIVE IN
Child labour is a work that harms children’s health or keeps them from attending school.
These activities are beyond the reach of statistical survey but the numbers likely to be over 10 million.
Child labour is a widespread, growing problem in the developing world. About 250 million of the world’s children work, nearly half of them work full-time. Some children regularly participate in the labour force to earn a living or supplement household income, and this prevents children from participating in schools.
According to the 1992 data for Ghana, one girl in three and one boy in four does not attend school. This is mostly found in the rural areas where these children are used to work on farms.
Child labour in Africa, especially Ghana, is unpaid work in family agricultural enterprise. Of the 28% of children engaged in child labour, more than two-third are in school.
The darkest category of child labour relates to those children caught up in criminal activities such as prostitution, military enrolment, slavery such as bond labour or child trafficking which involve the removal of child from its home, often involving deception and payment for a wide range of exploitative purpose.
Childhood is the most innocent stage in human life. It is that phase of life where a child is free from all the tensions, fun-loving, play and learns new things and is the sweetheart of all family members. But this is only one side of the story. The other side is full of tensions and burden. Here the innocent child is not the sweetheart of the family, instead he or she is an earning machine, working entire day in order to satisfy the needs and wants of his or her family.
Child labour not only causes damage to a child physical and mental health but also deprive of his or her basic right to education, development and freedom.
UNICEF report says that 80% of girls working as domestic servant are between the ages of 10-14 years.
The high cost of schooling and poor quality and irrelevance of education has also pushed many children into work.
Family characteristics play a big role in the child decision to work or to go to school. The father’s education has a significant negative effect on child labour. The effect is stronger on girls than boys so adult literacy could indirectly reduce the amount of child labour.
To improve human capital and reduce the incidence of child labour in Ghana, the country’s school system should reduce families schooling cost, adapt to the constraint on schooling in rural areas, where most children must work at least part-time, more relevant to the needs of labour market.
If these things are done, more families may decide that schooling is available as opposed to child labour for their children.
The situation of child labour is worse in our rural areas. Children aged less than 8 are taken to the farm to weed a plot of land that even an elderly one may find it difficult to weed. Some carry very heavy loads of fire-wood to their houses after hard day’s work.
When a child complains about this he or she will be beaten severely and would be denied of food for some number of days.
In the urban centers, children are mostly found in traffic, selling to feed themselves and their families. Some of these children are sometimes being knocked-down by cars.
When you visit the fishing communities, you often see children as young as 9 years being taught how to fish instead of going to school. These children either go fishing with their fathers or wait to carry the fish that will be caught.
Poverty is the main cause of child labour in the country. It is observed that poor families have more number of children, so it becomes difficult for them to survive on the income of only one family which is also quite less. So they make their small children source of income. They make their children work in factories, shops, even selling items on the streets.
Some parents even carry infants to the streets to earn money from begging. There are very bad effects of child labour for our society, which forces some children to steal things from others in order to satisfy their living, many small girls are also made to indulge in prostitution.
It is time to eliminate bad practices from our society. The general public, individuals and organizations should collaborate with the government to put a stop to child labour in the country.
Parents who force their children to engage in practices like selling on the streets should be arrested and prosecuted. Those who engage in child trafficking must be brought to the law court.
Let’s all come together to fight against child labour by helping children and imparting education among that part of society from where majority of the child labour comes.
Poor families should be given knowledge about family planning so that they are not burdened by children. It would be advisable not to keep small children at home for taking domestic help in daily househood chores.
Let us all take some step in this direction so that we can bring smiles to many faces and make this world a beautiful place for a child to live in.
These activities are beyond the reach of statistical survey but the numbers likely to be over 10 million.
Child labour is a widespread, growing problem in the developing world. About 250 million of the world’s children work, nearly half of them work full-time. Some children regularly participate in the labour force to earn a living or supplement household income, and this prevents children from participating in schools.
According to the 1992 data for Ghana, one girl in three and one boy in four does not attend school. This is mostly found in the rural areas where these children are used to work on farms.
Child labour in Africa, especially Ghana, is unpaid work in family agricultural enterprise. Of the 28% of children engaged in child labour, more than two-third are in school.
The darkest category of child labour relates to those children caught up in criminal activities such as prostitution, military enrolment, slavery such as bond labour or child trafficking which involve the removal of child from its home, often involving deception and payment for a wide range of exploitative purpose.
Childhood is the most innocent stage in human life. It is that phase of life where a child is free from all the tensions, fun-loving, play and learns new things and is the sweetheart of all family members. But this is only one side of the story. The other side is full of tensions and burden. Here the innocent child is not the sweetheart of the family, instead he or she is an earning machine, working entire day in order to satisfy the needs and wants of his or her family.
Child labour not only causes damage to a child physical and mental health but also deprive of his or her basic right to education, development and freedom.
UNICEF report says that 80% of girls working as domestic servant are between the ages of 10-14 years.
The high cost of schooling and poor quality and irrelevance of education has also pushed many children into work.
Family characteristics play a big role in the child decision to work or to go to school. The father’s education has a significant negative effect on child labour. The effect is stronger on girls than boys so adult literacy could indirectly reduce the amount of child labour.
To improve human capital and reduce the incidence of child labour in Ghana, the country’s school system should reduce families schooling cost, adapt to the constraint on schooling in rural areas, where most children must work at least part-time, more relevant to the needs of labour market.
If these things are done, more families may decide that schooling is available as opposed to child labour for their children.
The situation of child labour is worse in our rural areas. Children aged less than 8 are taken to the farm to weed a plot of land that even an elderly one may find it difficult to weed. Some carry very heavy loads of fire-wood to their houses after hard day’s work.
When a child complains about this he or she will be beaten severely and would be denied of food for some number of days.
In the urban centers, children are mostly found in traffic, selling to feed themselves and their families. Some of these children are sometimes being knocked-down by cars.
When you visit the fishing communities, you often see children as young as 9 years being taught how to fish instead of going to school. These children either go fishing with their fathers or wait to carry the fish that will be caught.
Poverty is the main cause of child labour in the country. It is observed that poor families have more number of children, so it becomes difficult for them to survive on the income of only one family which is also quite less. So they make their small children source of income. They make their children work in factories, shops, even selling items on the streets.
Some parents even carry infants to the streets to earn money from begging. There are very bad effects of child labour for our society, which forces some children to steal things from others in order to satisfy their living, many small girls are also made to indulge in prostitution.
It is time to eliminate bad practices from our society. The general public, individuals and organizations should collaborate with the government to put a stop to child labour in the country.
Parents who force their children to engage in practices like selling on the streets should be arrested and prosecuted. Those who engage in child trafficking must be brought to the law court.
Let’s all come together to fight against child labour by helping children and imparting education among that part of society from where majority of the child labour comes.
Poor families should be given knowledge about family planning so that they are not burdened by children. It would be advisable not to keep small children at home for taking domestic help in daily househood chores.
Let us all take some step in this direction so that we can bring smiles to many faces and make this world a beautiful place for a child to live in.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
CHILD LABOUR IN GHANA....WHO CARES?
Childhood is the most innocent stage in a human life. It is that phase of life where a child is free from all the tensions, fun-loving, play and learn new things, and is the sweetheart of all family members.
But this is only one side of the story.The other side is full of tensions and burden.Here the innocent child is not the sweetheart of the family, instead he is the earning machine working the entire day in order to satisfy the needs and wants of his or her family.
Child labour not only causes damage to a child physical health but also keep him deprive of his right to education, development and freedom.
But this is only one side of the story.The other side is full of tensions and burden.Here the innocent child is not the sweetheart of the family, instead he is the earning machine working the entire day in order to satisfy the needs and wants of his or her family.
Child labour not only causes damage to a child physical health but also keep him deprive of his right to education, development and freedom.
Monday, August 23, 2010
NITA GETS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A 9 member Board of directors for the National Information Technology Agency has been inaugurated in Accra, Friday.
The National Information Technology Agency (NITA) which is responsible for the regulation of Information Technology Communication (ICT) and electronic transaction in the country was established by an Act of Parliament (Act 771) in 2008.
The objective of the Agency is “to regulate the provision of ICT, ensure provision quality ICT and promote standards of efficiency and ensure high quality of service”.
The board is under the chairmanship of Dr. Nii Naaku Quaynor, and Mr. William Tevie as the Acting Director General.
Other members are Mr. Charles Aboah, Dr. Tony Aidoo, Mr. Eugene Agben, Mrs. Gladys Quarshie, Mr. Sylvester Kow Williams, Dr. Narteh Siaw-Sappore and Mr. Daniel Asante.
Inaugurating the board, Hon. Haruna Idrisu, the Minister for Communication asked the board to use their experience and expertise to support the Ministry of Communication and NITA to ensure the development of ICT in the country.
He urged the board to guide NITA to provide technology standards for specified hardware and software and ensure compliance with standards set for the Agency.
“Indeed how we strategise to take advantage of new and emerging technologies to improve upon service delivery to the citizenry rest on your shoulders”, he told the board.
Mr. Haruna Idrisu added that the board has to provide a strategic direction to empower NITA to persue the management of the nation’s ICT resources on a unified platform.
He said that the intervention would help eliminate the tendency of government agencies and institutions managing information technology resources independently and in an incompatible manner resulting in a waste, redundancy and unnecessary duplication.
Mr. Haruna Idrisu urged the board to work hard to move into the ICT “money zone” through effective delivery service.
“I challenge you to work hard under the guidance of the board to generate revenue and wean itself of the consolidated budget with the shortest possible time”, he added.
Mr. William Tevie, the Acting Director General of NITA said that NITA is in the middle to deploying different kinds of projects in the ICT space for government which include deploying eGovernment applications, intra government communication among others.
He promised that the board will work hard and make sure that the board delivers value to the government.
A 9 member Board of directors for the National Information Technology Agency has been inaugurated in Accra, Friday.
The National Information Technology Agency (NITA) which is responsible for the regulation of Information Technology Communication (ICT) and electronic transaction in the country was established by an Act of Parliament (Act 771) in 2008.
The objective of the Agency is “to regulate the provision of ICT, ensure provision quality ICT and promote standards of efficiency and ensure high quality of service”.
The board is under the chairmanship of Dr. Nii Naaku Quaynor, and Mr. William Tevie as the Acting Director General.
Other members are Mr. Charles Aboah, Dr. Tony Aidoo, Mr. Eugene Agben, Mrs. Gladys Quarshie, Mr. Sylvester Kow Williams, Dr. Narteh Siaw-Sappore and Mr. Daniel Asante.
Inaugurating the board, Hon. Haruna Idrisu, the Minister for Communication asked the board to use their experience and expertise to support the Ministry of Communication and NITA to ensure the development of ICT in the country.
He urged the board to guide NITA to provide technology standards for specified hardware and software and ensure compliance with standards set for the Agency.
“Indeed how we strategise to take advantage of new and emerging technologies to improve upon service delivery to the citizenry rest on your shoulders”, he told the board.
Mr. Haruna Idrisu added that the board has to provide a strategic direction to empower NITA to persue the management of the nation’s ICT resources on a unified platform.
He said that the intervention would help eliminate the tendency of government agencies and institutions managing information technology resources independently and in an incompatible manner resulting in a waste, redundancy and unnecessary duplication.
Mr. Haruna Idrisu urged the board to work hard to move into the ICT “money zone” through effective delivery service.
“I challenge you to work hard under the guidance of the board to generate revenue and wean itself of the consolidated budget with the shortest possible time”, he added.
Mr. William Tevie, the Acting Director General of NITA said that NITA is in the middle to deploying different kinds of projects in the ICT space for government which include deploying eGovernment applications, intra government communication among others.
He promised that the board will work hard and make sure that the board delivers value to the government.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
FIND A LASTING SOLUTION TO WATER PROBLEM IN THE COUNTRY.
Water since the creation of the world has been an important commodity in the lives of men.
There is no doubt that man can never live without water. The lack of water coupled with the lack of basic sanitation and the death of education on hygiene, it is also one of the obstacles to progress and development in every country.
Lack of water in a country contributes to wide spread of suffering, including increased poverty, depressed education and political instability.
The issue of water problem has been a thorn in the flesh of many governments across the world, especially in Africa.
The people of this country have been facing water problem for some years now but nothing has been done about it. The people in the Northern Region, Central and Greater Accra has the biggest of this water problem in the country.
Do we always have to sit and be arguing about this issue without solutions?
We have a lot of water bodies in the country but we don’t make good use of them.
The Weija Lake is located near Kasoa but the people of Kasoa have the biggest problem when it comes to getting access to potable drinking water.
I am therefore appealing to the government, the Minster Water Resources Works and Housing and those in authority to help find a lasting solution to this water problem in the country.
I will also suggest that all water bodies especially must be used to provide water to the people of Kasoa and its environs and the government must provide bole holes to every part of the country especially the rural areas.
I am very optimistic that taking these solutions into consideration will help end water problem issues in the country.
Water since the creation of the world has been an important commodity in the lives of men.
There is no doubt that man can never live without water. The lack of water coupled with the lack of basic sanitation and the death of education on hygiene, it is also one of the obstacles to progress and development in every country.
Lack of water in a country contributes to wide spread of suffering, including increased poverty, depressed education and political instability.
The issue of water problem has been a thorn in the flesh of many governments across the world, especially in Africa.
The people of this country have been facing water problem for some years now but nothing has been done about it. The people in the Northern Region, Central and Greater Accra has the biggest of this water problem in the country.
Do we always have to sit and be arguing about this issue without solutions?
We have a lot of water bodies in the country but we don’t make good use of them.
The Weija Lake is located near Kasoa but the people of Kasoa have the biggest problem when it comes to getting access to potable drinking water.
I am therefore appealing to the government, the Minster Water Resources Works and Housing and those in authority to help find a lasting solution to this water problem in the country.
I will also suggest that all water bodies especially must be used to provide water to the people of Kasoa and its environs and the government must provide bole holes to every part of the country especially the rural areas.
I am very optimistic that taking these solutions into consideration will help end water problem issues in the country.
Friday, August 20, 2010
To mark this year’s World Humanitarian Day, the Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator, Madam Elizabeth Moundo on Wednesday lighted a candle to honour Ghanaians who have lost their lives in Humanitarian service, in Accra.
On December 2008, the General Assembly set aside August 19th to “increase public awareness about humanitarians, the UN associated personnel who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause and those who have lost their lives in the cause of duty”.
The Day has its origin from the bombing of the United Nations Office in Iraq on 19th August 2003, in which 22 people lost their lives including the then Special Representative of Secretary General, Sergio Viera de Mello.
Madam Elizabeth Moundo said that man-made and natural disasters cause immense suffering for millions of people every year and it is often among the world’s poorest, most marginalized and vulnerable individuals.
She said that there are currently more than 27 million refugees in the world, due to man-made or natural disasters.
“One out of every six people in the world is chronically hungry. Humanitarian aid workers strive to ensure that all those who have experienced traumatic event and need life-saving assistance receive it regardless of where they are in the world, their region, social group or nationality”, she added.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy National Coordinator for NADMO, Mr. Ebenezer Dodsu, the National Coordinator of NADMO, Mr. Kofi Portuphy said that since occurance of natural disasters cannot be prevented, Humanitarian aid workers will continue to make it effects less severe on vulnerable communities.
He said that Humanitarian aid workers sometimes risk their lives into difficult terrain such as conflict areas in order to bring smiles to the faces of affected people by disasters.
“It is in this vein that we see the institution of the World Humanitarian Day to give proper recognition to the sacrifices made by humanitarian and aid workers as a right move”, he stressed.
Mr. Kofi Portuphy then called on all disaster management agencies to pay a particular attention to people with special needs such as pregnant women, children, the aged as well as the physically challenged.
He added that “People in these mentioned categories are more vulnerable, and will always need our attention in all humanitarian operations”.
On December 2008, the General Assembly set aside August 19th to “increase public awareness about humanitarians, the UN associated personnel who have worked in the promotion of the humanitarian cause and those who have lost their lives in the cause of duty”.
The Day has its origin from the bombing of the United Nations Office in Iraq on 19th August 2003, in which 22 people lost their lives including the then Special Representative of Secretary General, Sergio Viera de Mello.
Madam Elizabeth Moundo said that man-made and natural disasters cause immense suffering for millions of people every year and it is often among the world’s poorest, most marginalized and vulnerable individuals.
She said that there are currently more than 27 million refugees in the world, due to man-made or natural disasters.
“One out of every six people in the world is chronically hungry. Humanitarian aid workers strive to ensure that all those who have experienced traumatic event and need life-saving assistance receive it regardless of where they are in the world, their region, social group or nationality”, she added.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy National Coordinator for NADMO, Mr. Ebenezer Dodsu, the National Coordinator of NADMO, Mr. Kofi Portuphy said that since occurance of natural disasters cannot be prevented, Humanitarian aid workers will continue to make it effects less severe on vulnerable communities.
He said that Humanitarian aid workers sometimes risk their lives into difficult terrain such as conflict areas in order to bring smiles to the faces of affected people by disasters.
“It is in this vein that we see the institution of the World Humanitarian Day to give proper recognition to the sacrifices made by humanitarian and aid workers as a right move”, he stressed.
Mr. Kofi Portuphy then called on all disaster management agencies to pay a particular attention to people with special needs such as pregnant women, children, the aged as well as the physically challenged.
He added that “People in these mentioned categories are more vulnerable, and will always need our attention in all humanitarian operations”.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
GHANA ARMED FORCES HOSTS AFRICA ENDEAVOUR 2010
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on Monday hosted the 2010 Africa Endeavour (AE), a US-Africa Command’s Annual communication exercise that focuses on inter-operation and information sharing, in Accra.
The exercise between the US and Africa partners is to develop command, control communication tactics, techniques and procedures that can used by the African Union in support of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and peacekeeping missions.
This exercise was under the distinguished patronage of Lt Gen. JH Smith, Minister of Defense and HE Mr. Donald Teitelbaum-US Ambassador on the theme “Uniting Africa Militaries and partners through communication and information systems interoperability”.
Participants are delegates from 34 countries and 4 other regional and sub-regional bodies from Africa. Some of the participating countries are: Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo Republic, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Gambia.
Lt Gen. JH Smith, Minister of Defense in his address, elaborated on one of African Union’s objective which is to promote peace, security and stability on the continent.
He added that there will be a need for a united and collaborative front in ensuring this objective.
“As we live in an interconnected world, disasters, trans border crimes like terrorism, drugs, small arms trafficking and proliferation of small arms, know no borders”, he stated.
The Minister advised that since these acts pose major threats to global peace and security, it is necessary to form a united front with their partners and confront them decisively before they bring any destabilizing situations to them.
Lt. General JH Smith in declaring the Test exercise opened, urged the Union to be guided by the same zeal, dedication and commitment with which they had tackled all previous exercise to work towards achieving their goals of developing a workable concept to support the employment of the African Standby Force.
Addressing the gathering, Brigadier-General Joseph Searyoh, Director of Defense Communication and Information Systems of GAF, said information transcends every sphere of activity including military operation.
He added that in multi-national operation environment information is one important factor that enables unity of effort.
The Brigadier-General explained that Africa Endeavour holds the key to this all important factor of information sharing, aimed at harmonizing procedures, tactics and techniques among us.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on Monday hosted the 2010 Africa Endeavour (AE), a US-Africa Command’s Annual communication exercise that focuses on inter-operation and information sharing, in Accra.
The exercise between the US and Africa partners is to develop command, control communication tactics, techniques and procedures that can used by the African Union in support of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and peacekeeping missions.
This exercise was under the distinguished patronage of Lt Gen. JH Smith, Minister of Defense and HE Mr. Donald Teitelbaum-US Ambassador on the theme “Uniting Africa Militaries and partners through communication and information systems interoperability”.
Participants are delegates from 34 countries and 4 other regional and sub-regional bodies from Africa. Some of the participating countries are: Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo Republic, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Gambia.
Lt Gen. JH Smith, Minister of Defense in his address, elaborated on one of African Union’s objective which is to promote peace, security and stability on the continent.
He added that there will be a need for a united and collaborative front in ensuring this objective.
“As we live in an interconnected world, disasters, trans border crimes like terrorism, drugs, small arms trafficking and proliferation of small arms, know no borders”, he stated.
The Minister advised that since these acts pose major threats to global peace and security, it is necessary to form a united front with their partners and confront them decisively before they bring any destabilizing situations to them.
Lt. General JH Smith in declaring the Test exercise opened, urged the Union to be guided by the same zeal, dedication and commitment with which they had tackled all previous exercise to work towards achieving their goals of developing a workable concept to support the employment of the African Standby Force.
Addressing the gathering, Brigadier-General Joseph Searyoh, Director of Defense Communication and Information Systems of GAF, said information transcends every sphere of activity including military operation.
He added that in multi-national operation environment information is one important factor that enables unity of effort.
The Brigadier-General explained that Africa Endeavour holds the key to this all important factor of information sharing, aimed at harmonizing procedures, tactics and techniques among us.
GOVERNMENT URGED TO FEED PRIVATE SCHOOLS
The government has been urged to extend the school feeding programme to benefit private schools in the rural areas.
The proprietor of the Central Excellence Academy at Kasoa in the Central Region, Mr. Abubakari Mohamed, made the appeal at the school’s first graduation and fund raising ceremony on Saturday.
He said “this will promote quality education delivery in the rural areas and also unearth the talents of children in the rural schools”.
Mr Mohammed also called on non-governmental organisations to support private schools in less privileged areas by providing the children with books and chairs to facilitate easy learning.
Dr. John Ahenkorah of the Anatomy Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital,who was the guest speaker, urged parents to get involve in their children’s education by monitoring their assignments and assisting them in their choice of programmes offered in school.
He said that this will enable the children to feel a sense of belonging and learn hard to become good adults and future leaders of this country.
Dr. Ahenkorah advised parents to sacrifice their time and money to the good of their children and to make their children’s well-being the most important priority, saying “parents should not spend money on funerals and weddings but rather invest in their children’s education”.
The Chief Executive Officer of Gelma International School, at Kasoa, who chaired the function, cautioned parents to be careful of what they impart to children, noting that children keep what they acquire for a long time.
The students entertained guests with cultural exhibition, poetry recitals, and music and dance, whiles outstanding students were also awarded prizes.
The government has been urged to extend the school feeding programme to benefit private schools in the rural areas.
The proprietor of the Central Excellence Academy at Kasoa in the Central Region, Mr. Abubakari Mohamed, made the appeal at the school’s first graduation and fund raising ceremony on Saturday.
He said “this will promote quality education delivery in the rural areas and also unearth the talents of children in the rural schools”.
Mr Mohammed also called on non-governmental organisations to support private schools in less privileged areas by providing the children with books and chairs to facilitate easy learning.
Dr. John Ahenkorah of the Anatomy Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital,who was the guest speaker, urged parents to get involve in their children’s education by monitoring their assignments and assisting them in their choice of programmes offered in school.
He said that this will enable the children to feel a sense of belonging and learn hard to become good adults and future leaders of this country.
Dr. Ahenkorah advised parents to sacrifice their time and money to the good of their children and to make their children’s well-being the most important priority, saying “parents should not spend money on funerals and weddings but rather invest in their children’s education”.
The Chief Executive Officer of Gelma International School, at Kasoa, who chaired the function, cautioned parents to be careful of what they impart to children, noting that children keep what they acquire for a long time.
The students entertained guests with cultural exhibition, poetry recitals, and music and dance, whiles outstanding students were also awarded prizes.
This year’s international literacy Week celebration, has been launched in Accra under the theme, “Functional literacy-A key to job creation and poverty reduction”. The Day fell on September, 8
At the launch, Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo, the Minister of Education said, “The Day, which is observed globally, is an occasion worth celebrating because it enables us to ponder over how far we have come in offering alternative opportunities to the non-literate youth and adult to access basic literacy as our Constitution enjoins us to do.”
The Day is also used as a platform for highlighting the achievements and challenges as well as the way forward in ensuring reduction in the illiteracy, he added.
Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo emphasised on the need to create substantial human and financial resources to implement the National Functional Literacy Programme (NFLP) in the country.
“This is because of the positive impact it is creating in the socio-economic and political development of the country,” he added.
He explained that the targets of the NFLP are located in difficult-to-reach rural areas where all kinds of challenges prevent enrolment of children in formal schools.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo said “The nation stands to benefit from the gainful employment and increase resourcefulness of this critical mass of our population. Promoting the NFLP will assure us the accelerated development and peaceful democratic society we so much aspire”.
The Acting Director of the Non-Formal Education Division of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Charles Darlington Afare said, “Out of 23 million population of the country, almost half is unable to access basic written information that will enable them improve their life, the life of their families and that of their communities at large.”
He appealed to non-governmental organisations and donor communities to collaborate with the government to make the country’s Millennium Development Goal as well as the Education for All Goals a reality.
Mr. Darlington also urged public and private sectors to support the national literacy drive by creating an enabling environment for new-literates of the programme to function and play meaningful roles in the national development process.
At the launch, Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo, the Minister of Education said, “The Day, which is observed globally, is an occasion worth celebrating because it enables us to ponder over how far we have come in offering alternative opportunities to the non-literate youth and adult to access basic literacy as our Constitution enjoins us to do.”
The Day is also used as a platform for highlighting the achievements and challenges as well as the way forward in ensuring reduction in the illiteracy, he added.
Mr. Alex Tettey-Enyo emphasised on the need to create substantial human and financial resources to implement the National Functional Literacy Programme (NFLP) in the country.
“This is because of the positive impact it is creating in the socio-economic and political development of the country,” he added.
He explained that the targets of the NFLP are located in difficult-to-reach rural areas where all kinds of challenges prevent enrolment of children in formal schools.
Mr. Tettey-Enyo said “The nation stands to benefit from the gainful employment and increase resourcefulness of this critical mass of our population. Promoting the NFLP will assure us the accelerated development and peaceful democratic society we so much aspire”.
The Acting Director of the Non-Formal Education Division of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Charles Darlington Afare said, “Out of 23 million population of the country, almost half is unable to access basic written information that will enable them improve their life, the life of their families and that of their communities at large.”
He appealed to non-governmental organisations and donor communities to collaborate with the government to make the country’s Millennium Development Goal as well as the Education for All Goals a reality.
Mr. Darlington also urged public and private sectors to support the national literacy drive by creating an enabling environment for new-literates of the programme to function and play meaningful roles in the national development process.
Three youths have been selected to represent the country in this year’s International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) Competition in Ontario, Canada.
The IOI competition is an international Information Communication Technology programme aimed at equipping students with firm computer programming skills at an early stage that enables them to develop excellent computational thinking capacity and problem solving skills.
The three Elias Awudu, Jonathan Mishiame and, Cecil Arthur all former students of Prempeh College, Apam Senior High School, Pope John’s Senior High School respectively will compete against 320 other contenders from 82 countries around the world.
The contest, to be held from 14th August through 21st August 2010 would involve two-days of competition and a one day practical session that would enable the contestants to familiarize themselves with the computer programming environment.
At a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, Ms. Dorothy Gordon, the Director General of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Center of Excellence in ICT, (AITI-KACE) disclosed that Ghana has been participating in the World Programming Contest since 2008.
She said, Contestants from Ghana were selected through a nation-wide online under-20 competition and the three were further mentored over two months in advanced data structures and algorithms at the AITI-KACE to sharpen their skills for the competition as well as prepare into becoming ICT professionals capable of developing and maintaining innovative technology that will drive the economy.
Ms: Gordon said the brain power of the youth who are the future leaders of the country should be developed to enable them create the technology that our society requires and thanked the sponsors, Finatrade Foundation and Star Assurance for their support.
The IOI competition is an international Information Communication Technology programme aimed at equipping students with firm computer programming skills at an early stage that enables them to develop excellent computational thinking capacity and problem solving skills.
The three Elias Awudu, Jonathan Mishiame and, Cecil Arthur all former students of Prempeh College, Apam Senior High School, Pope John’s Senior High School respectively will compete against 320 other contenders from 82 countries around the world.
The contest, to be held from 14th August through 21st August 2010 would involve two-days of competition and a one day practical session that would enable the contestants to familiarize themselves with the computer programming environment.
At a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, Ms. Dorothy Gordon, the Director General of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Center of Excellence in ICT, (AITI-KACE) disclosed that Ghana has been participating in the World Programming Contest since 2008.
She said, Contestants from Ghana were selected through a nation-wide online under-20 competition and the three were further mentored over two months in advanced data structures and algorithms at the AITI-KACE to sharpen their skills for the competition as well as prepare into becoming ICT professionals capable of developing and maintaining innovative technology that will drive the economy.
Ms: Gordon said the brain power of the youth who are the future leaders of the country should be developed to enable them create the technology that our society requires and thanked the sponsors, Finatrade Foundation and Star Assurance for their support.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The people of Kasoa have expressed concern about continuous power outages in the area.
The outages, which according to them occur mostly in the night, have increased the incidence of armed robberies in the town.
“Armed robbers have taken advantage of this and they threaten some of us who go out at night and even gone as far as various homes to rob them of valuables” a lady resident stressed.
The people said that the situation is really causing fear and panic among them since they don’t even feel secured in their homes.
In an interview with some residents and owners of few emerging companies in the town, it was revealed that for some time now the people in the town have been facing a lot of problem with electricity supply.
A resident told the Times that “power goes off as often as six times in a day and the situation is causing a lot of problem to everyone,”, since they are not able to work continuously.
Some people who talked to the ‘Times’ also said that the frequent power outage had damaged their electrical appliances, because they are not given any notice by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) before power is switched off.
“I can’t use most of my electrical appliances because of fear of power outages”, another woman stated.
Residents’ however appealed to the Government and the Electricity Company to find a solution to the situation to enhance productivity.
The outages, which according to them occur mostly in the night, have increased the incidence of armed robberies in the town.
“Armed robbers have taken advantage of this and they threaten some of us who go out at night and even gone as far as various homes to rob them of valuables” a lady resident stressed.
The people said that the situation is really causing fear and panic among them since they don’t even feel secured in their homes.
In an interview with some residents and owners of few emerging companies in the town, it was revealed that for some time now the people in the town have been facing a lot of problem with electricity supply.
A resident told the Times that “power goes off as often as six times in a day and the situation is causing a lot of problem to everyone,”, since they are not able to work continuously.
Some people who talked to the ‘Times’ also said that the frequent power outage had damaged their electrical appliances, because they are not given any notice by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) before power is switched off.
“I can’t use most of my electrical appliances because of fear of power outages”, another woman stated.
Residents’ however appealed to the Government and the Electricity Company to find a solution to the situation to enhance productivity.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
FUNCTIONS OF THE MEDIA
The media play an important role in very society.The various role of the media can be categorized into social, economic and political.
The social function of the media are to disseminate information to the public, entertain the public my means of music,movies,sport and the rest.The media of create awareness,agent of socialization,platform for which various ideas are gathered.The media also play a social function by setting social agenda,influence the opinion in society,mobilize people toward a course and they also act as a glue to the society.
The political role the media play in society are,the media serve as a watchdog,gatekeeper,agitate for change,analyze national issues and also investigate problems or issues.They also serve as a mediator.
Economically,the media serve as an employment creation to the public or society in which they are located and educate the public on issues like sanitation, voting.
The social function of the media are to disseminate information to the public, entertain the public my means of music,movies,sport and the rest.The media of create awareness,agent of socialization,platform for which various ideas are gathered.The media also play a social function by setting social agenda,influence the opinion in society,mobilize people toward a course and they also act as a glue to the society.
The political role the media play in society are,the media serve as a watchdog,gatekeeper,agitate for change,analyze national issues and also investigate problems or issues.They also serve as a mediator.
Economically,the media serve as an employment creation to the public or society in which they are located and educate the public on issues like sanitation, voting.
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