Protests nearly mar Osu chief's coronation, May 3, 2010. Pg 3

The installation of a banker, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, as the substantive Chief of Osu yesterday was nearly marred by protests by  supporters of a claimant to the Osu Stool.

The installation followed a ruling by the Kumasi Fast Track High Court that maintained the deletion of the name of Nii Nortey Owuo III from the National Register of Chiefs in his capacity as the reigning Osu Mantse in the Osu Division of the Ga Traditional Area.

Supporters of Nii Owuo stormed the installation ground  to stop the process but the police prevented them from doing so by firing warning shots to disperse them.

The supporters carried placards, some of which read, "Police must not be partial', We don't need a Chief from Owuoman" and We don't want division in Osu".

Nii Dowuona swore the oath of allegiance and offic to the people of Osu and as the Chief of Osu, respectively.

In his acceptance speech, he said he was honoured and humbled by the installation and explained that Osu had gone through turmoil of Chieftaincy  issues for the past 30 years which had negatively affected the development of the community.

"I am happy because at long last a coronation has taken place which marks the need of chieftaincy  issues ", he said.

Nii Dowuona assured the people that his administration would have a listening ear and forge unity among the pople, in spite of the bitter past.

He said the installation opened a new page for the people of Osu and urged them to embrace peace in order to ensure the socio-economic transformation of the community.

He said the development of Osu had delayed, although it was a strategic business enclave in Accra and provided the land for the seat of government.

The new Osu Manste outlined some projects to be undertaken during his reign to ensure the development of Osu, including a community bank, the establishment of an educational fund and a fitting palace for the Osu Chief.

He commended the government for its interventions in the management of the economy and improving the lives of the people.

"We the people of Osu are asking for a fair share of the national cake, since it is an obvious fact that lands belonging to us , which are the only legacy of our survival, are taken over by the government", he stated.

 Nii Dowuona entreated the people of Osu to respect one another's views and opinions.

The Osu Mankralo, Nii Ako Nortei IV, said in the past Osu had the enviable reputation  of having a highly literate indigenous population, adding, however, the same could not be said of Osu today.

Cynthia wins Best Civil Servant Award, May 3, 2010. Pg. 19.

The Director of Administration at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Mrs Cynthia Asare-Bediako, has ben adjudged the best  civil servant for 2010.

Mrs Asare-Bediako who is the President of the Civil Servants Ladies Association, took home a new KIA Cerato LX saloon car with a five-yea warranty from Rana Motors.

She has worked as a civil servant for ore than 20 years.

Fifty-six other civil servants also received awards for their meritorious services.

Out of the 56, 30 were awarded at the regional level, while 26 received national recognition.

They took home various prizes, including furniture form Agorwu Funiture Work, plasma TV sets and home theatres , as well as laptops donated by IPMC.

In an address read on his behalf, the Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr E.T. Mensah, urged the Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOGSAG) to dialogue with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to resolve  any disagreement over the Single Spine Salary Policy (SSSP).

He said the SSSP was a process and not an event and so problems associated with it ould be resolved as the policy was being implemented.

Mr Mensah gave assurance of the government's support to imrprove  the work of all civil servants.

The acting Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Mr James E. Amissah, said the association would not be an impediment to the implementation of the SSSP.

He said the SSSP was dear to the hearts of CLOGSAG and urged the government to be conscious in the implementation of the policy.

Speaking on the theme, "The Civil Servant, the Minister, the Politician and the Public", Mr. K.B. Asante, a retired civil servant and diplomat, said civil servants should know that ministers and political appointees were the representatives of the people and so the ill of the people must prevail.

He explained that not only should civil servants know the manifestos of political parties thoroughly but they should also have thoughtful  plans for achieving the objectives of the ruling party.

The Chairman of the Civil Servants Council, Dr. Robert Dodoo, appreciated the input of the executives of CLOGSAG who initiated the awards and said they deserved recognition for being hardworking, committed activists and loyal to their calling as unionists.

14 Suspected Criminals Arrested. Jan 26,10, pg 31

Fourteen suspected criminals were last Saturday arrested by the Nima Divisional Police in an exercise aimed at flushing out criminals from the Accra New Town, GBC and areas around Kanda.
Six out of the 14 had in their possession white substances suspected to be cocaine and an amount of GH¢486.
The six are Baba Yaro, 30; Kazari Bibro, 33; Mohammed Jawara, 24, Malian; Kwasi Boateng, 35; Seidu Adamu, 18, and Mohammed Yakubu, 24.
Briefing the media, the Nima Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Timothy Yoosa Bonga, said the six would appear before court, while the remaining eight with no exhibits found on them would be screened.
He said the operation followed days of intelligence and surveillance laid by the “Intelligence Team” of the division as part of its action plan for 2010.
Chief Supt Bonga said the aim of the team was to reduce the incidence of crime in the area.
He stated that strategies had been devised to deal with peddlers and pushers of narcotic drugs and also armed robbery, adding that the intelligence team would help the public to channel information to the appropriate officers.
Chief Supt Bonga appealed to the public to pass information to the intelligence team at the Nima Division and assured them of their security.

Put Litigation Money to good use. Jan. 25,10, Pg 47

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Amarh Ashietey, has called on chiefs in the region to desist from engaging in chieftaincy disputes in the law courts.
Rather, he said, the huge monies paid to lawyers as legal fees should be used to assist needy but brilliant children in the communities.
Mr Ashietey made the call at a meeting of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs in Dodowa on Thursday.
“While our people continue to wallow in poverty, ignorance and diseases, we spend lot of money on litigation and legal fees," he noted.
He said that intra- tribal violence in the region as a result of chieftancy disputes affected the security and stability of the entire country and urged all parties in such disputes to demonstrate a commitment towards the resolution of disputes.
Mr Ashietey assured the chiefs that the government would not interfere in chieftaincy disputes, but ensure that peace and stability prevailed in all traditional areas.
He said it was not the duty of the government to determine which chief was legitimate or not and advised them not to engage in party politics.
On the issue of the sale of lands, he reminded the chiefs that they were custodians of the lands and were expected to hold them in trust for the subjects.
He advised them to have long term plans for the use of the lands rather than resorting to giving them away for paltry sums of money.
Mr Ashietey assured them of government's support to strengthen the National House of Chiefs and all regional houses of Chiefs in the various traditional areas.
“ We believe as chiefs, you are agents of change and development, as such, we expect nothing but excellent leadership that will partner government ”, he stated.
The President of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, (GARHC) Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III, appealed to kingmakers to make efforts to address the problem of low representation in the house.
He said the GARHC which had 22 chiefs in 1982 now had nine due to disputes, adding that the vacant positions in the house could not be filled without resolving the numerous chieftaincy litigations.
Nene Akuaku noted that the Ga Traditional Council in Accra had been denied representation in the Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies and said the situation needed to be corrected.
He called on the Minister to provide the house with the necessary facilities to enhance effective and efficient administration.

Accra Institute of Technology Introduces New Programmes, Jan. 22,10, pg 11 education.

THE Accra Institute of Technology has introduced eleven post graduate and under-graduate degree programmes in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The programmes include computer science, information technology, business administration, engineering, education and management.
The initiative forms part of a collaboration with the Open University of Malaysia (OUM).
The President of OUM, Prof Anuwar Ali, made this known when he led an eight-member delegation of the AIT and OUM to pay a courtesy call on the Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu in Accra on Thursday.
He said the programmes would help address the current crisis of shortage of lecturers with the requisite post- graduate degrees within public and private universities in the West African sub-region.
Prof. Ali said the OUM was the way to go if Ghana was to improve university enrolment and broaden access to tertiary education through the exploitation of the emerging educational delivery technologies and learning resources.
He stated that the open university would provide opportunities for Ghanaians and other West African countries to have access to university education and also study on-line.
Mr Iddrisu stated that the relationship between Ghana and Malaysia had existed since independence, saying that “this makes the collaboration a laudable one”.
He said the ministry was facilitating the development of broadband connectivity to support the private sector and other individuals to motivate learning on- line.
The minister said it was the agenda of government to develop the capacity of the citizenry in the area of ICT and commended the efforts of the two institutions.
He appealed to the AIT and OUM to make the cost of studies affordable in order to make it accessible to all Ghanaians.
Mr Iddrisu urged civil servants and the public to take advantage of the opportunity to enhance their knowledge in ICT, adding that the world was becoming a global village and that every body needed to have some knowledge in ICT.

Melcom Opens New Shopping Centre, Jan. 20,10, pg 25, spread

THE Melcom Group of Companies yesterday added a new store to its existing chain of stores in the country.
Dubbed the Melcom Plus, the facility, which is located at the North Industrial Area in Accra, provides a one-stop shop for clients, as renowned trade names such as Zain, La Senza, Sony Centre, Vidya, Choco’ Pain, Silver Spoon Chilcare, Nallem Clothing, First Choice Beauty Salon, Foto Store, Jinlet Pharmacy, Swatch, Gracefield, Nike, Samsung, Paris 2 and Levis are all housed in the facility.
The Trade and Industry Minister, Ms Hannah Tetteh, who inaugurated the new facility, said the construction of modern stores, malls and markets should be carried out in ways that catered for basic safety facilities and other infrastructure that put the needs of clients first.
She said the presence of such multi-purpose stores was most convenient and a welcome experience for busy customers as they afforded customers the opportunity to buy a variety of products at a go.
She said the provision of cold stores, fire prevention facilities, hygienic stalls, well laid out drainage, places of convenience, clinics, banks, post offices, play grounds, running water and day care centres at such stores went a long way to provide convenience not only for clients but also the staff.
“The mega stores will offer ample opportunities for aspiring shopkeepers, fashion designers, craftsmen and women and many more to display their wares,” she said.
Ms Tetteh stressed the need for the development of a competitive service culture, professionalism and efficiency to sustain business enterprises.
She, therefore, advised workers of the establishment to have a level of etiquette and courtesy in dealing with customers, adding that that was lacking in the service industry as a whole.
She said the expansion of supermarkets across the country was a result of the expansion of the economy and the increased sophistication among Ghanaian consumers.
Ms Tetteh said the ministry would facilitate the development of modern market infrastructure throughout the country to suit the needs of the population in rural-urban areas.
The Chairman of the Melcom Group of Companies, Mr Bhagwan Khubchandani, said the inauguration of Melcom Plus signified the trust and confidence Melcom’s trading partners had in the company.
“We at Melcom strive to give value for money, bring shopping to customers’ doorstep and offer the largest variety of goods under one roof,” he said.

15 Gospel Ministers Honoured, Jan. 18,10, pg 47

Fifteen ministers of the Gospel were at a ceremony in Accra on Saturday conferred with honorary doctorate degrees by the Central Christian University of South Carolina in the United States of America (USA) for their dedicated Christian service.
Thirty-two others received bachelor’s degrees, associates, diplomas and certificates in Biblical Studies after completing relevant courses at the Living Praise Bible Institute (LPBI) in Accra.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Founder of Faith Evangelical Mission of Ghana, Chief Bishop Isaac Rex Noi, after receiving an honorary Doctor of Christian Humanitarian Services, said it took one with a humble spirit to do the work of God with all diligence.
He said in the house of God, one must be dedicated and be ready to serve and not to be served, adding that by so doing, more souls would be won to the church.
“Evangelism is the responsibility of every Christian and so Christians need to rise and preach the Gospel to the lost sheep,” he stated.
Chief Bishop Noi appealed to all pastors to lead simple lives to attract the blessings of God and at the appointed time they would be acknowledged.
The Founder of the LPBI, Dr Charles N. O. Mills, said the Bible institute was to provide affordable Bible education for many who were unable to receive Bible lessons because of the high cost involved.
He said the school extended its borders beyond Ghana to Tanzania in the eastern part of Africa and to the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.
Dr Mills noted that there were 200 outstanding leaders serving nationally and internationally in the Ministry of God to win souls for Christ.
In his sermon, an official from the Central Christian University, Rev Mike Dollard, advised the men of God never to forget that God’s grace was sufficient for them.
“There will be trials and temptations so long as you are human, but resist them. And don’t forget God, no matter the circumstance,” he added.
Rev Dollard appealed to the graduates to reach out to the needy and love others as they loved themselves.