THE Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashietey, has entreated traditional leaders in the region to disengage themselves from the indiscriminate sale of land under their control and rather use the land to create jobs for the youth by engaging them in agriculture.
He said by engaging in unrestrained sale of stool and family lands, some traditional leaders in the region were perpetually denying the future generation of land for farming and other development purposes.
Mr Ashietey was speaking at a new year reception which was attended by chiefs, queens, public servants, diplomats and some Ministers of State within the Greater Accra Region.
He said traditional authorities were key actors in the decentralisation process and partners in the development of the country and as such they could use the land under their control and the youth on whose behalf they controlled the land to help achieve food security in the country.
“Land is key to peace and it is significant for all of us to prove to the rest of Ghana and the world that we can accommodate, tolerate and co-exist without conflict,” he stated.
Mr Asheitey said in spite of the challenges that faced the country, the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) was able to make some inroads in its development agenda last year.
He said through the RCC’s collaboration with the security agencies, the region reduced crime considerably, adding that the region was able to organise the first agricultural forum at Dodowa, which brought together stakeholders to deliberate on the modernisation of agriculture.
He added that the RCC was able to constitute a board of governors for health institutions in the Greater Accra Region which would help improve health delivery in the region.
Some personalities present included the Greater Accra representative on the Council of State, Mr Emmanuel Adzei Annan; the Chairman of the Civil Service Council, Dr Robert Dodoo; a former diplomat, Mr K.B. Asante; the Chief Executive of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Mr Larry Adjetey; the Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mr Sylvester Mensah, and the Tema Regional Police Crime Officer, Superintendent Eric Amoako.
Others were the Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Nii Nortey Dua; the Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu; the Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, Mr Fitz Baffour, and chiefs from various traditional areas of the Greater Accra.
Friday, January 22, 2010
I will strengthen foundation of NDC- Triddles, politics, pg 17
The Manager of the Bread and Water Group of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Alfred Kojo Triddles has declared his intention to contest the Deputy Propaganda Secretary position of the party.
"Our experience in the last electioneering has given proof of how effective the youth such as myself can effectively defend our party and issues in truth and honesty," he stated.
Addressing a press conference in Accra to declare his intention, Mr Triddles said the party needed people with a deeper understanding of the Ghanaian situation in order to counter the activities of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), so far as the dissemination of information was concerned.
He said when given the nod, he would effectively employ a strategy to propagate factual and accurate information.
Mr Triddles paid glowing tribute to members of the Forum for Setting the Records Straight of the NDC for the role they played in the party's victory in the last election.
He said the party and Ghanaians needed an out-and-out NDC blood such as him to rekindled that fire of victory.
Mr Triddles added that a vote for him would help strengthen the foundation of the NDC, adding “the propaganda business was a youthful one and I best qualify for the position”.
" I have also been a servant of the NDC and will always be", he declared.
Mr Triddles said his decision to contest for the position was to help shore up the energy of the ruling party.
"Our experience in the last electioneering has given proof of how effective the youth such as myself can effectively defend our party and issues in truth and honesty," he stated.
Addressing a press conference in Accra to declare his intention, Mr Triddles said the party needed people with a deeper understanding of the Ghanaian situation in order to counter the activities of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), so far as the dissemination of information was concerned.
He said when given the nod, he would effectively employ a strategy to propagate factual and accurate information.
Mr Triddles paid glowing tribute to members of the Forum for Setting the Records Straight of the NDC for the role they played in the party's victory in the last election.
He said the party and Ghanaians needed an out-and-out NDC blood such as him to rekindled that fire of victory.
Mr Triddles added that a vote for him would help strengthen the foundation of the NDC, adding “the propaganda business was a youthful one and I best qualify for the position”.
" I have also been a servant of the NDC and will always be", he declared.
Mr Triddles said his decision to contest for the position was to help shore up the energy of the ruling party.
G/Accra Collaborates with Greenwich City
THE Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) is collaborating with the Greenwich City in the United Kingdom (UK) for an extension of the 10-year friendship between Greenwich and the Tema Metropolis to cover other students and teachers in the whole of the greater Accra Region.
The collaboration is also expected to lead to the refurbishment of the Tema Sports Stadium to promote sports.
The exchange programme, which is dubbed "Connecting Schools: The Gateway to Education," and the upgrading of the sports stadium are initiatives to enhance co- operation between the two authorities.
This came to light during a courtesy call on the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashietey, in Accra last Wednesday by a five-member delegation from the Greenwich Council of the UK, which was led by the Cabinet Member for Culture and Olympics, Councillor John Fahy.
Councillor Fahy was happy to note that the initiative was as a result of the 10-year friendship between Greenwich and the Tema Metropolis.
He said the exchange programme would allow the twin cities to share experiences and learn from each other. The stadium is also expected to become a multi-purpose centre for sports and education.
Councillor Fahy stated that plans were underway to establish an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre, a library, basketball and volley ball courts.
Nii Ashietey said the RCC would provide the necessary support to facilitate the objectives of the project.
Sports is a science which requires one to be literate to read it, he stated.
He said sports remained a vital tool for poverty alleviation, and there was a need to invest in infrastructural development to sustain the interest of the youth.
The Deputy Minister of Sports, Nii Nortey Dua, welcomed the idea and assured the delegation of government’s support.
The collaboration is also expected to lead to the refurbishment of the Tema Sports Stadium to promote sports.
The exchange programme, which is dubbed "Connecting Schools: The Gateway to Education," and the upgrading of the sports stadium are initiatives to enhance co- operation between the two authorities.
This came to light during a courtesy call on the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashietey, in Accra last Wednesday by a five-member delegation from the Greenwich Council of the UK, which was led by the Cabinet Member for Culture and Olympics, Councillor John Fahy.
Councillor Fahy was happy to note that the initiative was as a result of the 10-year friendship between Greenwich and the Tema Metropolis.
He said the exchange programme would allow the twin cities to share experiences and learn from each other. The stadium is also expected to become a multi-purpose centre for sports and education.
Councillor Fahy stated that plans were underway to establish an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre, a library, basketball and volley ball courts.
Nii Ashietey said the RCC would provide the necessary support to facilitate the objectives of the project.
Sports is a science which requires one to be literate to read it, he stated.
He said sports remained a vital tool for poverty alleviation, and there was a need to invest in infrastructural development to sustain the interest of the youth.
The Deputy Minister of Sports, Nii Nortey Dua, welcomed the idea and assured the delegation of government’s support.
Poison mum's kids buried, Jan. 16,2010, front page
THE grief-stricken father of the children who were allegedly killed by their mother through poisoning broke into tears when the bodies of four of the five children were taken from the Police Hospital morgue for burial at Akwamu Pesse in the Eastern Region.
Relatives and sympathisers who stood by the father, Mr Christian Asante, were also thrown into a state of mourning.
Mr Asante, however, did not claim the body of Esi, the last-born of Georgina Pipson, because he claimed she was not his biological child.
The four whose bodies were claimed for burial were Kwaku Osae Asante, 11, Yaw Ofori Asante, 9, Angel Asante, 6, and Kofi Asante, 4.
Mr Asante, who managed to speak to the Daily Graphic, said he could not bury Georgina and her last-born, Esi, because his tradition did not allow him to do so without agreement from both families.
He explained that there had been no co-operation between his family and that of Georgina’s after their break-up about three years ago and even after the death of the children.
Mr Asante stated that he would have wished to bury Georgina and her five children together but he could not do so because of the lack of co-operation between the two families.
He, however, noted that there had once been a visit by a representative of Georgina’s family to present a bottle of Schnapps to his family on the account of the death of his children.
Present at the morgue were relatives, friends and sympathisers of the deceased family.
Residents of Gomoa Nyanyano in the Central Region woke up on Monday, January 4, 2010 to the tragic story of five children suspected to have been killed through poisoning by their mother, after which she also attempted suicide.
Georgina was found lying in an abandoned vehicle at a fitting shop near the Accra College of Education at Madina in Accra around 9 a.m. the next day, following a tip-off by a civilian to the Madina Police.
She was sent to the Police Hospital for medical attention, where she also passed away the next day.
Relatives and sympathisers who stood by the father, Mr Christian Asante, were also thrown into a state of mourning.
Mr Asante, however, did not claim the body of Esi, the last-born of Georgina Pipson, because he claimed she was not his biological child.
The four whose bodies were claimed for burial were Kwaku Osae Asante, 11, Yaw Ofori Asante, 9, Angel Asante, 6, and Kofi Asante, 4.
Mr Asante, who managed to speak to the Daily Graphic, said he could not bury Georgina and her last-born, Esi, because his tradition did not allow him to do so without agreement from both families.
He explained that there had been no co-operation between his family and that of Georgina’s after their break-up about three years ago and even after the death of the children.
Mr Asante stated that he would have wished to bury Georgina and her five children together but he could not do so because of the lack of co-operation between the two families.
He, however, noted that there had once been a visit by a representative of Georgina’s family to present a bottle of Schnapps to his family on the account of the death of his children.
Present at the morgue were relatives, friends and sympathisers of the deceased family.
Residents of Gomoa Nyanyano in the Central Region woke up on Monday, January 4, 2010 to the tragic story of five children suspected to have been killed through poisoning by their mother, after which she also attempted suicide.
Georgina was found lying in an abandoned vehicle at a fitting shop near the Accra College of Education at Madina in Accra around 9 a.m. the next day, following a tip-off by a civilian to the Madina Police.
She was sent to the Police Hospital for medical attention, where she also passed away the next day.
15 Gospel Ministers Honoured, Jan.18,2010, 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.
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.
Quake Hoax:Nation Keeps Vigil (Front page) Jan.19,2010
RUMOURS of an earthquake hitting Ghana late Sunday night reverberated across the country, prompting millions of people to pour onto the streets and other open spaces for safety.
While no one seems to know the source of the rumour, friends, families and neighbours made phone calls, sent text messages and knocked on doors to send warnings to people to wake up and leave their rooms.
A text message purported to have powered the rumour mill read, "Today's night 12:30 to 3:30 am, COSMIC RAYS entering Earth from Mars. Switch off your mobiles today's night. NASA BBC news, plz pass to all your friends."
The rumour predicted that an earthquake was about to hit the country and advised people to stay out of their rooms to avoid being killed by collapsing buildings.
The streets of Accra were jammed with residents seeking protection from the anticipated earthquake, while frantic phone calls were made to and received from relatives, friends and loved one all over the country warning people to stay away from their rooms.
Albert K. Salia reports that the rumours also stretched the police to their limits as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, ordered his men out to monitor the situation to prevent criminals from taking advantage of the confusion to strike.
“You do not have to leave things to chance,” he told the Daily Graphic.
From Sowutuom, Lucy Adoma Yeboah reports that the love for fellow human beings manifested when some volunteers took it upon themselves to move from house to house to alert occupants to come out of their rooms to avert danger.
In the early hours of yesterday, almost all residents around Adu Gyamfi School at Sowutuom trooped from their homes to gather at any available space for protection.
That was after some young men who allegedly had the information from relations on their mobile phones decided to alert others in the community.
Among them were men, women, children and the elderly, some of whom had to be helped to come out of their rooms to stay out till day broke when some radio station denied the rumour.
Seth J. Bokpe reports that the Head of the Seismic Monitoring Unit of the Geological Survey Department, Mr Sylvanus Ahulu, discredited the rumour, describing it as a “hoax”.
Mr Ahulu said "earthquakes were unpredictable natural occurrences which cannot be prevented but its impact can be reduced to some extent”.
"If someone had said he had felt it, it was an indication that something might have happened, which then provided the basis for people to leave their buildings so that the after shock or subsequent ones would not affect them," he said.
At Accra New Town, scores of residents went out of their homes around 3 a.m. in response to the scare.
Some residents thronged the streets carrying their mattresses, while others remained in open compounds.
A resident, Gloria Amoani, told the Daily Graphic that she received a phone call from her aunt in Koforidua telling her “to inform my mother that there has been an announcement on radio that an earthquake would hit the country".
An angry Musah Ibrahim said whoever started the rumour "must be prosecuted for deceiving the nation".
Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah reports from New Gbawe, near Accra, that residents spent a greater part of Sunday night in the open, particularly on the streets, for fear of their lives, as a result of reports of an expected earthquake.
When this reporter woke up about 4 a.m., some residents had gathered in groups discussing the issue.
It was pathetic to see a nursing mother with her one-month-old baby sitting by the roadside at the Blue Cross Junction in the cold night.
While this reporter was chatting with the nursing mother, a taxi emerged and suddenly stopped. A passenger dashed out of it and headed towards a storey building nearby.
The passenger began banging the door to the house, apparently to wake up its residents.
The passenger later told the Daily Graphic that he had hired the taxi from Dansoman just to come and wake up his relatives staying in the storey building because all the calls he had made earlier had not gone through.
It was only after an Accra FM station started allaying the fears of residents that the information was not true that they had the courage to go back to their rooms to continue with their sleep.
Henrietta Brocke reports that a Deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, debunked the rumour, saying, "It is not true; it’s total fabrication."
He said the rumour was just to create panic in the nation, adding that God's blessings were on Ghana and that the country's geographical location was safe, compared to that of other countries.
Mr Ablakwa assured Ghanaians that the government was putting in measures to purchase a new machine for the early detection of any uncertainty that might occur.
"Let us go about our normal duties; nothing will happen in Ghana," he added.
Emmanuel Bonney reports from Kasoa that residents in and around the town poured out onto open spaces after hearing the rumour.
The residents, comprising the elderly and children, said they had received calls from friends and relatives about the impending danger and so they had to take precautionary measures by coming out into the open.
The incident took place between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. While some were seen bare-chested, especially the men, the women were mostly seen in cloth.
Jacob, a resident of the Kasoa High Tension area, said he had to rush outside with his wife and three children.
Rose Hayford Darko reports from Tema that while some residents attributed the rumour to a radio station, others could not give the sources of their information.
Some people became relaxed when some radio stations announced that what was going round was only a rumour and had no substance.
Some residents appealed to the government to help equip the Geological Survey and the Meteorological departments to help them in the performance of their duties.
Majority of residents of the Western Region passed the night on the streets, in parks and open spaces as a result of the rumour, reports Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu from Takoradi.
From Shama through the Twin-City of Sekondi/Takoradi, Axim, Nkroful and other communities along the coast, residents could not sleep as they converged on open places and parks to discuss the Haitian situation, while others prayed to God from 2 a.m. until an announcement from the Regional Co-ordination Council that the rumour was untrue.
In the metropolis, residents were moving from one end to the other in the darkness as the street lights were off, thereby compounding the fears of the people.
A drive through the metropolis about 2:30 a.m. revealed women with their babies firmly tied to their backs standing on the streets in readiness for the unexpected.
The situation became so serious that the Western Regional Police Commander, Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, had to deploy men from the Rapid Deployment Force of the Ghana Police Service to patrol the streets to ensure that thieves did not capitalise on the fear of the people to rob them of their belongings.
Thousands of people in Kumasi woke up from their sleep in the early hours of Monday and poured onto football fields and other safe areas as the rumour went round the city, Kwame Asare Boadu reports.
Reports from other parts of the Ashanti Region speak of similar situations as panicked residents, some half-naked, fled from their homes for safety.
At Asuoyeboa, Tanoso, Bantama, Krofrom, Asafo and other suburbs, frightened residents took over school parks in the early morning darkness.
The Christians among them resorted to prayers, calling on God to save them from the imminent catastrophe.
Coming in the wake of the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, some residents wailed, not knowing what was to befall them in the next minute.
Reports reaching the Daily Graphic from Breman Kokoso, a town in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District of the Central Region, spoke of people, including children and the elderly, massing up on the main Kokoso-Oda road when they heard of the rumour.
Around 2 a.m. when the people of the town received phone calls from elsewhere about the imminent earthquake, the rsponse was quite spontaneous with almost every resident coming out in their numbers into open spaces.
While no one seems to know the source of the rumour, friends, families and neighbours made phone calls, sent text messages and knocked on doors to send warnings to people to wake up and leave their rooms.
A text message purported to have powered the rumour mill read, "Today's night 12:30 to 3:30 am, COSMIC RAYS entering Earth from Mars. Switch off your mobiles today's night. NASA BBC news, plz pass to all your friends."
The rumour predicted that an earthquake was about to hit the country and advised people to stay out of their rooms to avoid being killed by collapsing buildings.
The streets of Accra were jammed with residents seeking protection from the anticipated earthquake, while frantic phone calls were made to and received from relatives, friends and loved one all over the country warning people to stay away from their rooms.
Albert K. Salia reports that the rumours also stretched the police to their limits as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, ordered his men out to monitor the situation to prevent criminals from taking advantage of the confusion to strike.
“You do not have to leave things to chance,” he told the Daily Graphic.
From Sowutuom, Lucy Adoma Yeboah reports that the love for fellow human beings manifested when some volunteers took it upon themselves to move from house to house to alert occupants to come out of their rooms to avert danger.
In the early hours of yesterday, almost all residents around Adu Gyamfi School at Sowutuom trooped from their homes to gather at any available space for protection.
That was after some young men who allegedly had the information from relations on their mobile phones decided to alert others in the community.
Among them were men, women, children and the elderly, some of whom had to be helped to come out of their rooms to stay out till day broke when some radio station denied the rumour.
Seth J. Bokpe reports that the Head of the Seismic Monitoring Unit of the Geological Survey Department, Mr Sylvanus Ahulu, discredited the rumour, describing it as a “hoax”.
Mr Ahulu said "earthquakes were unpredictable natural occurrences which cannot be prevented but its impact can be reduced to some extent”.
"If someone had said he had felt it, it was an indication that something might have happened, which then provided the basis for people to leave their buildings so that the after shock or subsequent ones would not affect them," he said.
At Accra New Town, scores of residents went out of their homes around 3 a.m. in response to the scare.
Some residents thronged the streets carrying their mattresses, while others remained in open compounds.
A resident, Gloria Amoani, told the Daily Graphic that she received a phone call from her aunt in Koforidua telling her “to inform my mother that there has been an announcement on radio that an earthquake would hit the country".
An angry Musah Ibrahim said whoever started the rumour "must be prosecuted for deceiving the nation".
Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah reports from New Gbawe, near Accra, that residents spent a greater part of Sunday night in the open, particularly on the streets, for fear of their lives, as a result of reports of an expected earthquake.
When this reporter woke up about 4 a.m., some residents had gathered in groups discussing the issue.
It was pathetic to see a nursing mother with her one-month-old baby sitting by the roadside at the Blue Cross Junction in the cold night.
While this reporter was chatting with the nursing mother, a taxi emerged and suddenly stopped. A passenger dashed out of it and headed towards a storey building nearby.
The passenger began banging the door to the house, apparently to wake up its residents.
The passenger later told the Daily Graphic that he had hired the taxi from Dansoman just to come and wake up his relatives staying in the storey building because all the calls he had made earlier had not gone through.
It was only after an Accra FM station started allaying the fears of residents that the information was not true that they had the courage to go back to their rooms to continue with their sleep.
Henrietta Brocke reports that a Deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, debunked the rumour, saying, "It is not true; it’s total fabrication."
He said the rumour was just to create panic in the nation, adding that God's blessings were on Ghana and that the country's geographical location was safe, compared to that of other countries.
Mr Ablakwa assured Ghanaians that the government was putting in measures to purchase a new machine for the early detection of any uncertainty that might occur.
"Let us go about our normal duties; nothing will happen in Ghana," he added.
Emmanuel Bonney reports from Kasoa that residents in and around the town poured out onto open spaces after hearing the rumour.
The residents, comprising the elderly and children, said they had received calls from friends and relatives about the impending danger and so they had to take precautionary measures by coming out into the open.
The incident took place between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. While some were seen bare-chested, especially the men, the women were mostly seen in cloth.
Jacob, a resident of the Kasoa High Tension area, said he had to rush outside with his wife and three children.
Rose Hayford Darko reports from Tema that while some residents attributed the rumour to a radio station, others could not give the sources of their information.
Some people became relaxed when some radio stations announced that what was going round was only a rumour and had no substance.
Some residents appealed to the government to help equip the Geological Survey and the Meteorological departments to help them in the performance of their duties.
Majority of residents of the Western Region passed the night on the streets, in parks and open spaces as a result of the rumour, reports Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu from Takoradi.
From Shama through the Twin-City of Sekondi/Takoradi, Axim, Nkroful and other communities along the coast, residents could not sleep as they converged on open places and parks to discuss the Haitian situation, while others prayed to God from 2 a.m. until an announcement from the Regional Co-ordination Council that the rumour was untrue.
In the metropolis, residents were moving from one end to the other in the darkness as the street lights were off, thereby compounding the fears of the people.
A drive through the metropolis about 2:30 a.m. revealed women with their babies firmly tied to their backs standing on the streets in readiness for the unexpected.
The situation became so serious that the Western Regional Police Commander, Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, had to deploy men from the Rapid Deployment Force of the Ghana Police Service to patrol the streets to ensure that thieves did not capitalise on the fear of the people to rob them of their belongings.
Thousands of people in Kumasi woke up from their sleep in the early hours of Monday and poured onto football fields and other safe areas as the rumour went round the city, Kwame Asare Boadu reports.
Reports from other parts of the Ashanti Region speak of similar situations as panicked residents, some half-naked, fled from their homes for safety.
At Asuoyeboa, Tanoso, Bantama, Krofrom, Asafo and other suburbs, frightened residents took over school parks in the early morning darkness.
The Christians among them resorted to prayers, calling on God to save them from the imminent catastrophe.
Coming in the wake of the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, some residents wailed, not knowing what was to befall them in the next minute.
Reports reaching the Daily Graphic from Breman Kokoso, a town in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District of the Central Region, spoke of people, including children and the elderly, massing up on the main Kokoso-Oda road when they heard of the rumour.
Around 2 a.m. when the people of the town received phone calls from elsewhere about the imminent earthquake, the rsponse was quite spontaneous with almost every resident coming out in their numbers into open spaces.
Melcom opens new shopping centre, Jan. 20,2010, spread, pg 25
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.
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.
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