FOOTBALL VS RUGBY IN GHANA

Soccer is known to be the most popular sport in the world and especially in Ghana, but is rugby likely to have its place in this African country as well? Whatever it is, some volunteers from Projects Abroad NGO come every year to teach rugby to the Ghanaian students in order to help the rugby organisation in Ghana to develop this sport within the country.

Rugby and soccer are so different sports that rugby may not suit Ghana. The eternal fight between football and rugby fans, which have neither the same point of view nor the same expectations of entertainment, may answer this question." When you play rugby you can't be lazy ", said Troy Robertson, an Australian volunteer in Ghana and a casual rugby player too, " every player has to be at 100% if they want to see their team win, unlike football where you can see lazy players counting on the best players of the day ". Indeed, even if football is also a team sport the mentality is different. “Cheating in soccer is really annoying, for instance ", Troy Robertson complained,

“Even if rugby is a rougher game, the players are more fair play and seldom sent off ".

However, the fact rugby is precisely a painful game is a point often mentioned by football fans. " I do not like play rugby because it's too physical, I'm too scared to be hurt ", Scott William Patterson confessed, a volunteer from Northern Ireland and a football supporter.” I think rugby players like to prove how manly they are, but me, I don't care how weak people think I am, it's a different mentality ", he added.

Similarly, technical skills required for football are often considered as being more impressing than physical skills in rugby game. “In rugby you just have to be strong, to run fast and do good tackles, to me, football skills are more exciting ", confirmed Scott Patterson.” Only the rules are technical in rugby “he added jokingly. In effect, people complain about rugby rules regarded as too difficult to understand, even for a casual supporter. Similarly, in the mind of most of people soccer is a much easier sport to teach and mostly a much cheaper game to play. Rugby is a richer sport because of the more expensive and sophisticated pitch. " You can't play rugby everywhere with friends as in soccer ", explained Scott Patterson, " That is the reason why football is the most popular sport in the world and especially in Africa, I guess ".

However, even if Ghanaians love soccer and that rugby is far from being the first national game, Mr George, supervisor of the rugby training in the Central Region, is more optimistic. " Rugby started to be developed in 2003 ", he reminded, "We even have our own national team called " Abura Bombas ", which will go to England in October to play a friendly match ". Indeed, rugby has a real organization in Ghana, led by Miss Gifty Annam Myers. She subsidizes equipments as balls and jerseys, and she got the building of a real rugby pitch located in Accra. “Thanks to Mr. Nicholas John, a British senior army soldier who organized the coaching courses in the Central Region, and thanks to the many volunteers who come to help us rugby is becoming more and more popular, at least in Cape Coast ", Mr. Georges asserted. However according to Troy Robertson, who is working with Mr. Georges, the lack of rugby pitches is a problem to expand the practice of this sport in Cape Coast. " Play this rough game on the ground and without real rugby goals is very difficult and is discouraging more than one ", he explained, " It is  too bad because even though most of the student don't really get the rules and do not seem to be interested in this sport, some of them are really good and involved ", he added. Thus, as long as rugby will not be subsidized properly the practice of this sport will not be able to be expanded in the Country.

CAPE COAST TOPPED MILO ACCRA INTERNATIONAL MARATHON

HON. Ebo Barton Oduro ( MP of Cape Coast) 

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast, Mr Ebo Barton Oduro, has called on the youths engaged in sports to let their sportsmanship reflect in their social and political activities.

He explained that sporting activities apart from enhancing people’s life span, could also help in ensuring discipline and order among the youth and asked parents to encourage their children to take part in sporting activities.

Mr Oduro said these when the 12-member Cape Coast team, which participated in the 5th Annual Accra International Marathon (AIM), presented their medals to him in Cape Coast.

They presented the medals to show their appreciation for the MP’s support and commitment to their activities.

The team comprised seven boys, including a deaf and three girls, who competed in marathons of which they topped in the juvenile group.

Mr Oduro commended them for bringing laurels to the Region and urged them not to rest on their oars but to work harder to enable them to win more medals in future.

He urged them to take their education seriously, stressing that without it all their sporting activities would be meaningless since nobody would like to work with illiterate sports persons.

The MP promised to give them the needed support to enable them to participate in future marathons.

Dr Anna Bannerman-Richter, Director of the Accra International Marathon, commended the cape coast team for the splendid performance and encouraged more youth from the Region to participate in next year’s marathon.

She underscored the importance of regular body exercise which could reduce the cases of ailment such as diabetes and hypertension and other heart related diseases.

Dr Bannerman-Richter asked the general public to lead healthy life styles by checking food they eat.

She said the life expectancy of an average Ghanaians was below 60 years  as compared with people in Japan and other European countries, who live up to about 80 years, stressing that it was an embarrassing situation for the nation and that it was time for all to change their life style.

Dr Bannerman-Richter noted that an active and healthy life meant exercising regularly, eating good food and living a responsible life.

The team manager, Alhaji Mahmoud Seidu, thanked Mr Oduro for the moral and financial support he gave the team during the training and participation in the marathon.

He called on other stakeholders particularly parents to also support the team.

FOCUS ON COMPOSITE BUDGETING IN GHANA


By: Micheal Kwame Obeng


Micheal Kwame Obeng



 The passage of L.I. 1961 integrated the activities  of  all  decentralized departments into the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) Legally, all resources that were formally under the management and control of decentralized departments were transferred to the MMDAs. 

In March, 22, 2011 all human resources were symbolically transferred from decentralized departments leaving the transfer of financial resources to complete the cycle.  This is a legal requirement of both the Local Government Act, Act 462 of 1993 and  the L.I. 1961.

Composite budgeting is an activity to give complete meaning to fiscal decentralization which has been on the drawing boards of successive governments since the implementation of the current decentralization and the Local Government systems emanating from PNDC Law 207 of 1988.  Recent Cabinet’s bold decision to implement composite budgeting is a step in  the right direction that needs commendation by all Ghanaians.

All financial plans and programmes of decentralized departments will now be  fused together and composed into the budgets of MMDAs.  The implementation date is 2012.  This is a strategic decision taken by government realizing the enormous benefits to be derived from the transfer of financial resources to MMDAs having already transferred political, administrative and decentralized planning as strategies enshrined in the law.

Before the implementation of composite budgeting, departments of MMDAs had their budgets from the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that they had held allegiance to, and these budgets did not form part of the budgets of MMDAs.  These budgets are now to be integrated into those of MMDAs consistent with good financial management system.

ADVANTAGES:   The advantages are numerous.  Few among them are as follows:

1.     It seeks to introduce uniformity in planning, budgeting, financial reporting and auditing of  all MMDAs.

2.     It guarantees participatory governance at the MMDA level.

3.     It promotes the ownership in the planning and budgeting systems of MMDAs.

4.     It facilitates prudent financial management in the MMDAs.

5.     Preparation of Warrants will now be done at the MMDAs instead of receiving warrants from Accra thereby cutting down cost, time and the delay in processing Warrants.

PILOTING:  Composite Budgeting has been piloted in about 25 MMDAs in Ghana since 2003.   The will power to replicate it to cover all MMDAs has been absent until now.  The Composite  Budget process takes into consideration the preparations, implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation, just  like the  National Budget Implementation process.  This is to ensure that National Budget Classification and harmonized chart of Accounts are used as a pre-requisite  of an adequate preparations for the tax ahead in 2012.  The evolution of an efficient and effective Public Financial Management system influenced the decision to implement Composite Budgeting.

BENEFITS:  Apart from ensuring sound financial discipline in the Public Financial Management  System it will also facilitate the following:

1.     Fiscal decentralization as enshrined in the Ghana shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA), 2010-2013 thereby promoting the Better Ghana Agenda of the present government.

2.     MMDAs will effectively manage critical sectors targeted at the poor in society.

3.     Financial reporting and auditing could be consolidated to ensure proper accountability.

4.     Duplication of programmes by MDAs will be minimized if not completely eliminated.

5.     It will ensure the bottom up approach using the MMDAs as focal points to accelerate development in Ghana.

OBJECTIVES:  There are three main objectives.  These objectives of composite budgets require the following:

1.     Knowledge of the Assemblies financial resources

2.     To integrate the various funding sources as well as sectors.

3.     MMDAs budgets will be integrated into the  National Budgeting System using the MTEF Activity Based Budgeting approach.

The rationale for composite budgeting is to ensure that the complete and total knowledge of the Assemblies financial resources and integrating all funding sources are obtained.  It is in fulfillment of the fiscal decentralization policy of government on the principle of “funds follow functions.”

            By:

MICHAEL K. OBENG

METROPOLITAN FINANCE OFFICER

CAPE COAST METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY AND

STUDENT OF EXECUTIVE MASTERS IN BUSINESS

ADMINISTRATION (EMBA)

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA BUSINESS SCHOOL (UGBS)

TULLOW-SABRE TRUST LOWER PRIMARY SCHOOL PROJECT INAUGURED AT AYENSUDO

Thanks to the three British organizations Tullow Ghana Limited, Sabre Trust and Arup Engineering, a three-classroom block has been constructed for an Islamic School Kindergarten for the people of Ayensudo in the Central Region.

David Lawrie, the Regional Business Manager of Tullow Oil, expressed his pride to see this ambitious and economic project come into an end for the inauguration of the school.

For many years, the children of Ayensudo were packed in a shift classroom system that often exposed them to the vagaries of the weather and exposed their life to danger because of the unstable structure. Therefore the collaborating organizations, and among them Tullow Ghana Limited, an organization which supports and provides education solutions in Ghana, have decided to provide a more habitable environment for the children in order that they learn properly.

Sabre Trust, a British Non-Governmental Organization in partnership with ARUP (UK), implemented the project, which was responsible for the engineering and designing. They tried together to find the cheapest and more efficient way to build a durable school, by using local materials as bamboo and soil provided by the community. Indeed, all the bricks in the building have been made using earth from the village and mixed with sand, portland cement and pozzolana. Likewise, bamboo from Dwabor has been used to construct the windows, doors and internal ceiling finish of the classrooms, and between the roof covering and the internal ceiling finish with split bamboo painted white there are sacks made from nylon mesh which have been filled with the fibre from coconut shells. " The coconut fibre acts as an acoustic damper to reduce the noise of the rain impact on the roof and also provides thermal insulation from the metal roof which reduces the radiation from the hot roof into the classroom and keeps it cooler ", explained Joseph Stables,  Director of Arup Engineering.

 A hardwood, Dahoma, has been also used to construct the roof structure and the window frames. "Dahoma is locally sourced and is very dense which makes it difficult for termites to eat it, " Joseph Stables explained, " For this reason, it will have require less maintenance ". One other economic measure has been finding to avoid building classrooms from concrete, which is not very good for the environment because of the energy required to produce the cement inside concrete. “We have replaced one third of the Portland cement with Pozzolana, which is produced in Ghana from clay and palm kernels ", Joseph Stables said. In a conclusion, each classroom has a rainwater tank attached to the gutters to collect rainwater that can be used for hand washing, cooking, cleaning and even drinking. Indeed the tanks are designed so that when it rains, the first rush of water that arrives with the dirt from the roof is drained away in order that the rest of the water entering the tanks is clean. “Each tank can hold 2,000litres of water and are constructed out of durable locally available heavy-duty plastic ", David Lawrie (Tullow Oil) added. Moreover, a series of French drains have been designed to collect and control storm water runoff. “The divert runoff from the slopes behind the site running into buildings, and return it to the groundwater ", Joseph Stables explained, “Furthermore the overflow from rainwater harvesting tanks are connected into them ".

Inside of the school built with local material

As a result, this economic, but sophisticated project cost only $100,000 and has a capacity to seat 180 pupils in KG1, KG2, Nursery, a store room, office and an attached toilet.

Tullow organization expressed their relief to hand over the project without being burdened to look back and worry about the issue of the maintenance “because the local involvement from the onset has ensured the availability of knowledge to take care of that ", David Lawrie said, " Additionally, the overwhelming support and endorsement received from the Ministry of Education offers further confidence in the sustainability of the school over the long term ", he said. In addition, as the technology deployed in this Project is highly replicable in district and regions across the country, Tullow hopes that will answer government's quest to provide suitable infrastructure for schools, which the country need.

MFANTSIPIM TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY FROM BIOGAS



The facility that will generate Bio gas

By: Kwamina Bamfo-Agyei

The 1961; 71; 81;91 groups of Mfantsipim Old boys are constructing a Bio- gas worth one hundred and thirty –five  thousand Ghana cedis to the school.

According to the President of the group Charles Lokko, it will assist to generate electricity for the school, the school currently is using the prepaid metres of which some of the bills are passed on to the parents.

The Contractor of the project Nana Ahinkrah disclosed that the project had reached 98% and very soon, it will generate electricity to the Belmer Acquah house so as to reduce electricity bill.      

Contractor in green explaining how it will work

The Headmaster of Mfantsipim  Kwame Mieza Edjah expressed his gratitude to the group for their effort in reducing cost of electricity to the school and appealed to all Old Boys to avail their support to the school in diverse ways.

The presentation forms part of the activities marking the 135th speech and prize-giving day of the school which comes off in November, this year with sponsorship from the 1961, ’71, ’81 and ’91 year groups.

135 YEARS OF MFANTSIPIM EDUCATION- LIVING THE DREAM OF R.A. LOCKHART

By: STEPHEN DUASUA YANKEY

Classroom education in Ghana traces its roots as far back as the advent of Europeans to the coast of Ghana, then the Gold Coast. Modern history intimates that various reasons may have compelled these Europeans to turn their attention toward the then virgin coast.

Besides to spread the wind of Christianity which was by then blowing all over Europe, these explorers also sought to acquire raw materials to support the industrial revolution and procure cheap labour in the form of able-bodied Black males and females. Under their sleeves, these European traders and explorers had something to give back to the land they ‘raped’ and it could not have been any better than the Western form of education, mentioned at the outset of this paper. They therefore wielded the proverbial ‘two-edged sword,’ with one side wrecking havoc while the other imparted something positive.

The introduction of Western education to the then oral-cultured people of the Gold Coast began as a pilot project in the Cape Coast Castle, with the castle school. However, a few brave men including John Mensah Sarbah took it upon themselves to take this education unto a much larger platform- to educate the entire Fanti nation. This dream at first seemed even unachievable. With determination, this dream was realized on a day when the sea was as usual hitting the rocks along the coastline and when the sun was as usual at a high altitude. As the cool coastal wind blew the small coastal town of Cape Coast on that 3 April, 1876, all knew that the dream of educating the masses had been realized. That day saw the founding of the Wesleyan High School, now Mfantsipim School, the pride of the Gold Coast, now Ghana.

The Wesleyan High School, founded on the ideals of John Wesley, in turn fathered a number of high schools notable among them Fijai Secondary School, Ghana National College and Prempeh College. Historical accounts foretell that one of the main principles of the school as proposed by Sarbah was “to train up God-fearing, respectable and intelligent lads.” This became the guiding principle for young Mfantsipim and still is even in its super-centenarian age. Mfantsipim was thus in a class of its own when it became fully operational.

135 years on, it still is in a class of its own and continues to live up to the dream of Rev. R.A. Lockhart, headmaster from 1925 through 1936. In recognition of his exceptional duty towards Mfantsipim, he is co-named after Mfantsipim School’s most beautiful dormitory, Lockhart-Schweitzer House. Lockhart is credited with moving the school to its present site on the Kwabotwe Hills, over looking Antem, Aboom Wells, Siwdu, Kotokuraba and Bakaano. It was during his tenure of office as headmaster that he made a powerful statement that has seen its fulfilment many times over. He prophesied: “Very soon, the nation shall be amazed at the number of people who owe allegiance to this school.”

Many generations after Rev. R.A. Lockhart made that projection, his words have proved true- every letter of the word. In almost every generation since then, old boys of Mfantsipim School have been steering the affairs of the nation, inspiring awe among onlookers as to how so many men all owe allegiance to the Kwabotwe Hills. In all facets of the pre-independent Ghanaian society, Mfantsipim old boys were at one point or another leading their generation. National figures like Kobina Sekyi who wrote the highly acclaimed play, The Blinkards, J.E. Casely Hayford who championed the course of independence, being a founding member of the Aborigine’s Right Protection Society and the National Congress of British West Africa all hailed from Mfantsipim. In the field of academia, numerous lecturers of the then newly founded University of Ghana turned out to be products of Mfantsipim. Mention can be made of the De Graft-Johnsons, Kofi Abrefa Busia who later became a Prime Minister of Ghana. In the arena of politics and in the struggle for independence, William Ofori Atta, a close ally of Kwame Nkrumah and a member of the Big Six, was an old boy of Mfantsipim School together with another freedom fighter, Komla Ageli Gbedemah.

After independence had been won, the need arose for capable men to take up the mantle of leadership, proving to the inventors of classroom education that the black man could run his own affairs. Mfantsipim Old Boys again rose up to the challenge, with Alex Quaison-Sackey becoming the first African president of the United Nations General Assembly as well the then UN staffer who rose through the ranks to become the UN Secretary General and now Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Kofi Annan. At this point it is worthy of note that the nation of Ghana was then far advanced in the area of politics and Mfantsipim old boys helped create that system. The 1980s saw the rise of new crop of politicians who sought to challenge the status quo: one of such men was Prof. Adu Boahen, the renowned historian who as an opposition leader sought to challenge the then ruling government but failed the win the 1992 general elections. While one Mfantsipim old boy failed to make it in a presidential attempt, another, Kow Nkensen Arkaah redeemed the image of Mfantsipim by becoming the Vice President to the then Flt. Lt. Rawlings in his first term of office as constitutionally elected president. What a relief that was and what fulfilment R.A. Lockhart’s words had seen!

To this end, it is safe to say that the first and second generations after Lockhart’s prophecy really proved his words true. The entire nation was held spell bound by the number of men who owed allegiance to Mfantsipim School. 135 years after these pronouncements, the list of such men who are still aiding in the development of Ghana and the world who trace their roots to Mfantsipim is by no means exhaustive. In the field of politics, countless men in the current and immediate past Ghanaian governments all fall within this bracket. Mention can be made of John Henry Martey-Newman, Chief of Staff, Office of the President, Hon. Barton Oduro, Deputy Attorney General and MP for Cape Coast, Hon. Joe Ghartey, Former Attorney General and MP for Essikado, Hon. Papa Owusu Ankomah, MP for Sekondi, the CEO of VRA, Kweku Awortwi, Joseph Ayittey of the National Labour Commission and Kwabena Agyepong, former Minister of Information: all these distinguished men of our day cannot write their histories without alluding to the role of Mfantsipim in shaping their lives. The list is also endless in the field of commerce. The man whose signature appears on all new banknotes since 2009,  the current governor of the Bank of Ghana, Kwesi Amissah Arthur, the current and first Ghanaian CEO of STANCHART, Kweku Bedu-Addo, CEO of Combert Impressions and internationally acclaimed public speaker, Albert Ocran all trace their roots to Mfantsipim. Some old boys have also been household names in academia. Our days have seen the likes of legal luminary and senior lecturer at the Ghana Law School, Ace Ankomah, former Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Prof. Adarkwa and former Dean of the University of Cape Coast School of Business, Prof. P.E. Bondzie-Simpson.

The words of Lockhart have also proved through in the field on showbiz as numerous Mfantsipim old boys have become households because of their exceptional works. Lovers of gospel music will be amazed to learn that Nii Okai, and hiplife sensation and current MUSIGA President, Bice Osei Kuffour were trained at Mfantsipim. The Ghanaian movie industry has also seen the acts of Majid Michel, Van Vicker and George Quaye (Aboagye of Taxi Driver TV series fame) who trace their roots to the school started some 135 years ago. Footballers Derek Boateng, Black Stars central defender, and Razak Pimpong, former Black Stars striker, in addition to national sprinter, Aziz Zakari have all had a taste of the Mfantsipim experience which continues to manifest in their various endeavours.

Truly, as Rev. R.A. Lockhart rightly postulated, the nation has been amazed at the number of people who owe allegiance to Mfantsipim. Like he also added, Mfantsipim has inculcated in these men “the spirit of service, courage, standing up for one’s convictions, loyalty, integrity and dedicated patriotism.” As Mfantsipim School celebrates its 135^th anniversary Speech and Prize-giving day, I salute the vision and foresight of Rev. R.A. Lockhart, the Dwin Hwe Kan spirit.

May My generation and those to come also live up to his dream.

Dwin Hwe Kan, Anuanom.

STEPHEN DUASUA YANKEY

MOBA 2008.

duasuak@gmail.com  

SEVENTEEN DISTRICTS TO BENEFIT FROM SOLAR HAND PUMP BOREHOLES

Mr. Philip Amanor

Five hundred boreholes with solar hand pumps are being constructed in seventeen districts in the Central Region by community water and sanitation agency.

The Regional Director of Community Water and Sanitation Agency revealed this

Philip Amanor.

Mr. Philip Amanor, said that Central region has a rural water coverage of 56.77% and was optimistic that the 76% anticipated to be achieved in 2015 will be accomplished due to the supports from government and donor agencies in providing portable water to the residents of the region.

He said from 1991 to 2010 one thousand six hundred and eighty-four new boreholes have been constructed and one thousand and eighty household latrines have been provided.

He pointed out some ongoing projects that is going to be completed within a short possible time with this he said Central region is currently implementing of three major Donor Funded Projects in addition to government of Ghana projects.

Some of the Donor Funded Project include European Union and government of Ghana small town water and sanitation project from 2010, 2011, and to 2015, IDA sustainable rural water and sanitation projects (IDA-SRWSP) from 2009 to 2011, the local service delivery, and governance programme (LSDGP) from 2010 to 2011.

The small town water supply project at Assin Fosu, he said it is a jointly project by the government of Ghana and European Union and the government of Ghana component being Ghc3, 198.873. Mr. Philip Amanor said after completing this project it is going to serve 30,000 people in Assin Fosu and environment; he also said the expected date for completing is December, 2011.

He stated that  the IDA-sustainable rural water and sanitation projects was launched early this year to benefit 13 metropolitan or municipal, he also said it is a decentralization policy and it is districts based and it must be implemented within five (5) years period , and the cost of it is US$ 75million for 6 regions.

He said Upper Denkyira West, Upper Denkyira East ,Awutu Senya, Assin North ,Asikuma Odoben Brakwa, Efutu, Mfantseman ,Agona  East, Gomoa East are the areas being the beneficial of the sustainable rural water and sanitation projects.

Under the local service delivery and governance programme ,he said there has being construction of 87 water closets latrines in 7 districts and 76 is  completed and has been handed over.

Under the government of Ghana rural water supply project,he said ,government has constructed sixty five (65) boreholes fitted with solar powered hand pumps in 8 districts to serve 19,500 people ,and the beneficiary districts include:Upper Denkyira West ,Upper Denkyira East ,THLD,K.E.EA,Mfantseman,Agona East ,Agona West ,and Awutu Senya.

He said, government has putting in place training of system operators on community water and sanitation to monitor the effective way community water and sanitation at every district.

He also said low ground water potential in some areas and saline water problem in some areas especially along the coaster zones has become a major challenge in the community water and sanitation agencies in providing portable water.

SUPPORT GHANA WITH PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE

Mayor of Cape Coast, Anthony Egyir Aikins

The Metropolitan Chief Executive of Cape Coast Anthony Egyir Aikins has appealed to the international organisations to support Ghana with the pneumococcal vaccine to assist in preventing pneumonia in children.

He made this at the launched of world Pneumonia day in Cape Coast on the theme “I AM THE FACE OF PNEUMONIA”   

The Deputy Minister of Women and Children Boya Hawawu Gariba appealed to traditional leaders to call on their subjects to keep their environment clean and change their attitude toward the disease.
Pneumonia is a lung infection that can be caused by different types of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Symptoms of pneumonia include cough with sputum production, fever, and sharp chest pain on inspiration. Pneumonia can be treated.

Prior to the discovery of antibiotics, one-third of all people who developed pneumonia subsequently died from the infection.

Some of the participants

Over a half a million of these people are admitted to  hospitals for treatment. Although most of these people recover, approximately 5% of those admitted die from pneumonia.

Children and babies who develop pneumonia often do not have any specific signs of a chest infection but develop a fever, appear quite ill, and can become lethargic.

The launched was organised by Afro Global Alliance.

NONE OF THE ZOOMKIDS AFFECTED WITH CHOLERA



Some of the Zoomkids



None of the over forty thousand (40,000) zoom kids was affected with cholera during the recent outbreaks. This was due to the intensification of hygiene promotion activities put up by Zoomlion.

The National Environmental Sanitation Coordinator, Zoomlion Ghana Limited Robert Kwaku Adjei disclosed this at the lunch of the zoom kid’s programme in Cape Coast.

The programme, which was introduced by the zoomlion Ghana, limited in basic schools across the country to raise the awareness of environmental sanitation and hygiene in schools and communities, is also based on the belief that children are far more receptive to new ideas because they can be influenced to cultivate the habits of good sanitary practices and behaviour.

Mr. Kwaku Adjei stressed those children as future role models can be a powerful advocate and agents of change and will grow to become parents. He said, focusing attention on school children has several advantages, such has bringing about knowledge transfer as what they learn now as zoom kids is likely to be passed on to their peers, their households, their community members, and to their own children and grand children in the future.



Robert Kwaku Adjei



According to Mr Robert Kwaku Adjei, schools have to play an important role in  health and hygiene habits. That's why Zoomkids Clubs offer opportunities to talk about sanitary and hygienic practices and their link with disease prevention, "in order that future generations will be better prepared to take care of their families and communities’ health by living in a cleaner environment", as he said. In effect, Mr Kawku Adjei stressed his belief that children are far more receptive to new ideas. "Personal hygiene practices are usually acquired during childhood and that is much easier to change the habits of children than those of adults", he said, "our motto is therefore "catching them young".

As Mr Kwaku Adjei has understood it, if environment awareness is taken for granted in western countries, this is precisely because children have been taught about health and sanitary prevention since their infancy. They have seen their parents threw waste away in street dustbins instead of throw it away on the ground, and they have been told to wash their hands several times in the day, usually before meals, in order to avoid diseases. Thanks to all these habits granted during childhood, since they are adults, cleanliness has become a need, even a necessity whether at home or in every outside area. Conversely, Ghanaian people use to live among waste close to their house and in the streets, and therefore do not seem to be disturbed by visual pollution and stink.

Some zoom kids

However, so that Ghana changes its behaviour about environment and health prevention, the country needs to improve life conditions and to plan a real environmental policy. In spite of Zoomkids Club efforts, poor life conditions, contaminated tap water and the fact that public dustbins are barely existed still persist the lack of sanitary prevention in Ghana and as result fast diseases transmission.

First, the government should improve the refuse collection within Ghana, and encouraged financially awareness campaigns and club like Zoomkids, which take part to sensitize Ghanaians to environmental education and habits.

ANKAFUL MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON TO ACCOMMODATE 2000 INMATES



ANKAFUL MAXIMUM SECURITY  PRISON



The Ag. Director-General of Ghana Prisons Service, Kofi Bansah, has noted that the Ankaful Maximum Prison will go a long way to decongest inmates in other prisons of the country.

He said the service has been grappling with the challenges of overcrowding and handling of high rank prisoners and many other security challenges. The commissioning of this facility, therefore, marks a new life in history of the prison service as putting the service in a better position to deliver on its mandate more efficiently.

He said, the state-of-the-art maximum-security facility also meets international maximum-security specifications and standards. The facility having an authorized capacity of two thousand prisoners has a modern health centre, a multipurpose court, a football park, inmates’ dormitories, and an administrative block. The rest being a kitchen, a corn mill house, admission and discharge block visitors’ lounge, a gate lodge, a standby generator and a bio gas plant among others. Provisions also being made for officers’ accommodation.

Again, in preparation of the grounds in readiness to receive the first inmates after the days’ commissioning, a substantive officer has been made in charge and some supportive staff has been transferred and conveyed to the facility some months ago.

However, he humbly requested on the work on the second phase, which is intended to house the training workshops expedient to enhance the training of the inmates.

In addition, some of the prisons are in dilapidated state such that they are not suitable to be kept with the kind of sophisticated or complex offenders in the prison today. There is therefore the need for some face lifting of these structures.

Moreover, the current state of officers’ accommodation in most of the prison services is an eyesore.

The President of Ghana H.E John Evans Atta Mills expressed gratitude to  the immediate past Government for supporting initiative of President Rawlings in establishing the prison in 1998. The President in 1998 cut the sod for the construction of the prison and was grateful for commissioning the first phase of the project this year.

It has taken over thirteen years for this project’s first phase to be constructed and the second phase is about to take off.

President Mills noted that government would abide by the Supreme Court ruling indicating that prisoners should be allowed to vote in 2012.  

According to the President, the move is in conformity with a ruling given by the Supreme Court, which stipulated that inmates have the right to vote.

“The Supreme Court in a recent ruling stated that inmates have the right to vote during elections and I want to assure them that our government would abide by the Supreme Court ruling and therefore enable the Electoral Commission to put in place the necessary machinery and structures to enable inmates to exercise their God given rights," President Mills said.

He said: “It is also my hope and prayer that this edifice would never be full, it would be half full, one-quarter full or one-eighth full, which would be an indication that we are finding a way of getting people to avoid entering the prisons.”

In a related development, in an interview with Joy news the Chairman of the Electoral Commission Dr. Kwadjo Afari Gyan has confirmed that prisoners would vote in 2012 however, discussions are still underway to come in agreement to see if they can vote both Parliamentary and Presidential elections or only the presidential.