We'll leverage local capacity to boost food production - Veep

GHANA and Thailand have agreed to set up a Joint Commission for Cooperation by the third quarter of this year, to foster cooperation in various fields of endeavour, for the mutual benefit of both countries.

Consequently, the two countries have resolved to kick-start the bilateral agreements and frameworks in the short-term, to facilitate the establishment of the proposed commission.

This was disclosed when a Thai delegation conferred with the Vice-President John Mahama at the seat of government. They were accompanied by Mr. Dan Abodakpi, Ghana's Ambassador to Thailand.

The Thai government sees Ghana as a strategic country in the sub-region and hopes to strengthen bilateral and trade relations with it, with a view to using the country as a platform to reach the rest of the ECOWAS countries.

The delegation is interested in investing in Ghana's services sector, the energy sector (purchasing oil from Ghana), and the agricultural sector among others.

Welcoming the delegation, Vice-President Mahama said the country wanted to establish a strong agricultural and industrial based economy and said Ghana stood to benefit immensely from Thai technology and know-how.

He said the Ghana spends about one billion dollars annually to import food, especially those it has a comparative advantage to produce. "If this money goes directly to our local farmers, it will at least change their livelihood," he added.

The Vice-President said with the current situation in the world, there was the need to leverage every single capacity to contribute to food production. In view of that, the Thai know-how and technology in agricultural mechanisation was welcomed, he added.

Vice-President Mahama said it was good that Thailand was looking in the direction of Ghana as it was a good destination for doing business on the African continent. Adding, that the rate of investment returns in Ghana is high besides a stable and peaceful climate.

Dr. Suthad Setboonsarng, head of the Thai delegation said plans to set up a joint commission between the two countries would be tabled before its cabinet hopefully in the second quarter of the year.

He said Thailand would organise an international fair and exhibition, which would be the second largest in the world outside Europe and urged Ghanaian businessmen and women to take advantage of it to showcase their products to the world.

"We have had a good discussion with the private sector in Ghana, and we hope it will be the bedrock of relations between our countries," said Dr. Suthad.

.









Story: Office Of The Vice President
1/3/11

Political crisis in Libya will not affect Ghana's petroleum supply - Vice President

Vice President John Dramani Mahama has stated that the political crisis in Libya and other North African countries would not affect the supply of petroleum products in the country.

"However, as Libya is a member of oil Producing and exporting countries (OPEC), persistent troubles in the area could subsequently have a negative effect on the global supply of the products in other countries including Ghana in the long-run."

Vice President who was speaking to journalists at Kumasi at the end of his five-day official visit to some parts of the Northern, Brong Ahafo and Ashanti regions said apart from Libya that supplied petroleum products to Ghana, government had also established bilateral agreements with Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea to sustain constant supply of the products.

He said government was working around the clock to peacefully evacuate all Ghanaians in Libya and called on all relevant agencies to expedite action to ensure an incident free evacuation.

He said it was unfortunate that such uprisings had permeated in that region and hoped there would be accepted measures that would calm down the nerves of the combatants.

The Vice President gave the assurance that government would do everything possible to ensure a sustainable supply of petroleum products and called on Ghanaians to pray for people of North Africa to finally come out of their political predicament.

.









Story: Office Of The Vice President
27/2/11


Share

Government to channel bulk of GETfund to support basic and second cycle institutions - Vice President

GOVERNMENT is now pursuing a policy of directing the bulk of the GETfund support to basic and second cycle institutions than tertiary institutions, to raise infrastructural development at those levels of education.

Vice-President John Mahama, who disclosed this at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Ejisuman Senior High School here in theAshanti Region , said the move, which followed a stakeholders’ conference on the Getfund, was informed by the fact that the basic level constituted the building blocks of education.

The Vice-President said the government would not discriminate in the provision of infrastructural projects to schools. He, however, urged heads of educational institutions to generate funds internally to complement the government’s efforts.

The anniversary, themed, “Developing less endowed schools: The basis for the total development of education in Ghana,” witnessed the splendid display by the school’s cadet corps and cultural troupe. It also saw the recognition of excellence on the part of some staff and students.

Vice-President Mahama said the government would not hesitate to come to the aid of schools that took the initiative by raising funds internally to address their needs. He commended the Ejisuman School highly for its efforts in that direction.

He said the government was reciprocating the gesture with the provision of 1,000 bags of cement as its contribution to the school’s wall project. Additionally, a 33-seater bus would be presented to the school.

Moreover, the Vice-President pledged that he would be the school’s advocate and ensure it got its fair share of the GETfund to enable it to address its infrastructural needs. “The GETfund formular for this year has been drawn and I will ensure provision is made for a boy’s dorm in this school,” he said.

Mr. Mahama said the government had developed several key interventions to bring about quality education in the country and mentioned efforts to eliminate the school under trees phenomenon, the free school uniformproject, distribution of buses to schools and the School Feeding Programme.

He urged female students to venture into the mathematics, science and technology-based courses, as the government was offering bursaries to such students.

The Headmaster of the school, Reverend Collins Oppong-Anane, said the school, through its own efforts, put up a modern science laboratory, a girls’ dormitory and some bore holes and appealed for government support in the construction of a library and a home economics centre.

He said the school was established in September, 1970 with a student population of 105, nine teaching and two supporting staff. Its population is now 2,870 with staff strength of 110 and 76 non-teaching staff.

.









Story: Office Of The Vice President
27/2/11

Government to open a new Senior High School at Bamboi - Vice President

Vice President John Dramani Mahama has announced that a new Senior High School would soon be established in Bamboi in the Bole District of the Northern Region to ease pressure on Bole Senior High School.

He said apart from the Bole Senior High and Wenchi Senior High in the Brong Ahafo region which were closer to Bamboi, other students had to move up to the Upper West or Ashanti regions to further their education with the resultant financial burdens on their families.

Vice President Mahama announced this when he inaugurated a 40-Seater Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) centre at the Bole Senior High School in the Northern Region.

He said education was essential for development and government would do everything possible to ensure that all children acquired quality education to harness and develop their talents.

The ICT Centre which was established by Ghana Investment fund for electronic communications (GIFEC) would not only provide the students with basic knowledge in the internet, but would also enable them to communicate easily with friends and family members.

Vice President Mahama appealed to the students not to over concentrate on sending only emails to friends and family members, but to allocate adequate time to studies in other subjects in order to come out with flying colours in their final examinations.

Mr Kofi Attor, Chief Executive Officer of GIFEC said his outfit which was established in 2004 and passed into law in 2008 had so far extended ICT facilities to all the 38 Teacher Training Colleges of the country, 26 Technical Institutes, 36 National Vocational Training Institutes and Leadership Training Institutes.

He said they would soon extend their services to 250 Post Offices, Regional Libraries and Prisons throughout the country.

Mr Attor said they were also engage in selling out affordable phones designed by MTN and Vodafone Mobile Phone Networks for public use.

Mr Mahama Iddrisu, Headmaster Headmaster of Bole Senior High school also appealed to the government to support them with more dormitory, classroom and dinning hall blocks to enable them to adequately accommodate the students.

.









Story: Office Of The Vice President
27/2/11

Government has not abandoned Kumasi projects - Vice President

Vice President John Dramani Mahama at the weekend gave the assurance that government would not abandon any development project inKumasi and the Ashanti region for that matter.

"Work on most of the projects in the Kumasi metropolis have been stalled due to the fact that they were financed by the government of Ghana funds, but for now we are sourcing funds for other areas that will complete all the abandoned projects in the coming months."

Vice President said this when he joined the people of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to clean and desilt choked gutters.

Some weeks ago there were stories suggesting that government had abandoned major development projects in the Kumasi Metropolis which prompted the Vice President's reaction.

He said apart from being central to the entire country, Kumasi was the second largest city with high economic viability and could not be ignored.

"Government cannot forget Kumasi, because it is central and sensitive and in due course all abandoned projects will be completed."

He called on the political leadership of the region to work hard to reclaim the accolade of 'Garden City of West Africa', which had eluded the country over the years due mainly to appalling environmental conditions and lack of committed attitude towards good sanitary practices.

On sanitation, the Vice President called on everybody to contribute meaningfully towards the achievement of environmentally friendly conditions adding 'everybody has a stake in the control of our environment in the country.'

He said government would soon embark on a comprehensive campaign on plastic disposals to rid the cities of plastic filth.

Vice President Mahama said under the campaign, certain grammes of plastics would be ban to pave way for more environmentally friendly plastics that could be recycled for years without negative repercussions on human existence.

"The first hurdle to solving the plastic problem is to change human our attitude towards the disposal of such plastics and other hazardous practices."

.









Story: Office Of The Vice President
26/2/11

Government will improve living conditions of Ghanaians - Veep

The Vice President John Dramani Mahama, has reiterated that the Government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would continue to do all that it could to improve the living conditions of Ghanaians.

He said what the Government needed was the resolve by the people to support its policies and programmes to be able to sustain its development efforts.

The Vice President was addressing a section of residents of Kumasi after he had joined them in a clean-up exercise at the central business district.

The exercise formed part of preparation to keep the Metropolis tidy ahead of the commemoration of the 54th anniversary of Ghana's independence.

The four-hour exercise was organized jointly by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and civil society organizations.

They cleared gutters, evacuated heaped refuse and also disinfected open spaces.

“Government would continue to provide jobs and to create conducive environment for good governance and the rule of law’” vice president had said.

Mr Mahama observed that sanitation-related diseases could be brought down to the barest minimum if the citizenry adopt good sanitary practices at all time.

He said it was time people became alive to their sanitation responsibilities to avoid outbreak of epidemic.

Mr Samuel Sarpong, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), said the Authority would vigorously enforce its bye-laws on sanitation to help to beautify the Metropolis.

Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, the Regional Minister, said the RCC was committed to assisting KMA and the other district assemblies in their bid to develop the region

.













Story: Office Of The Vice President
26/2/11

Ghana will have peaceful general elections come 2012- declares vice president Mahama

The Vice-President John Dramani Mahama has predicted that Ghana will go through the 2012 general elections unscathed, saying that next year’s polls will be peaceful and successful as the previous elections.

“Ghana is a blessed nation, we are being touted as a model of democracy and good governance in Africa, therefore, let’s not call curses on ourselves,” he said.

“We have had five successful elections and we will hold a sixth one come 2012,by the grace of God ” he added.

The Vice-President said this , when he joined the Berekum area branch of the Church of Pentecost congregation for the re-opening of the Goka Pentecost Prayer Camp for 2011 in the Jaman North District of the Brong Ahafo Region.

The Goka Prayer Camp, which was established 40 years ago, closes at the beginning of every January and reopens at the end of February.

Mr. Mahama pointed out that there were a lot that Ghanaians should be proud of, though the country was not the richest or the most endowed with natural resources in Africa, citing the stable and peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the country.

"Ghanaians should therefore count their blessings and name them one by one" he stressed.

Likening the government to the way God responds to His children, he noted that government could not respond to the needs of all the citizenry simultaneously just as God did not always answer the supplications and prayers of His people.

The Vice-President emphasized that the limited resources of the government required that the people exercised patience, as some needs were met by day while others’ expectations would be met by night.

He recalled the mass exodus of Ghanaians into Nigeria and La Cote d’Ivoire in the 1970s and 1980s in search of greener pastures “but gradually we are seeing God’s blessings in this country.”

“We should continue to pray to God to lead us to the path that He has chosen for us,” he added.

In his exhortation, Apostle Dr. Opoku Onyinah, Chairman of the Church of Pentecost urged Ghanaians to exhibit the spirit of oneness and reconciliation so as to forge ahead with one accord towards the socio-economic development of Ghana.

The congregation later prayed for peace and prosperity in Ghana and for normalcy to return to strife-threatened Cote d’Ivoire, which has been plunged into electoral dispute.













Story: Office Of The Vice President
25/2/11

Bole district hospital selected as one of the stations of the national ambulance service - Veep

The Bole district hospital in the Northern region has been selected as one of the stations of the National Ambulance Service, to help lessen cases of maternal and child mortality in the district.

Vice-President John Mahama, who disclosed this, said the ambulance station would also evacuate accident casualties on the highways to the hospital.

He was presenting an ambulance and medical equipment worth GHC 50,000 to the hospital. The items included laboratory sets, suturing sets, ICU electric bed, hydraulic tables, paediatric and fowler beds.

In line with moves to make the hospital a major health care providing centre in the country, Vice-President Mahama said a midwifery and nursing training centre was to be established in the hospital.

He said the feeder roads in the district were to be upgraded to facilitate the transport of pregnant mothers to the hospital. He said the ambulance presented was one in a series to be sent to the hospital.

Touching on the inadequate number of health staff at the hospital, Vice-President Mahama said he would use his good offices to appeal to the Cuban Ambassador for some Cuban doctors to be posted to the district.

”Government would renegotiate with the Cuban government for the posting of the country's medical brigade to Ghana”

”The programme which was truncated a few years ago was placing heavy responsibilities on Ghanaian doctors”, he added.

The Vice-President stressed the need to streamline the way services were being offered under the National Health Insurance scheme to better take care of the health needs of the people.

He commended staff of the hospital for their sacrifices in the face of challenges facing the hospital and gave the assurance that the government would continue to motivate health professionals who accept postings to deprived areas of the country.

The Bole district director of health services Emmanuel Ewuntomah, earlier appealed to the government to review upwards the tariffs under the NHIS to prevent a collapse of the scheme.

He also appealed for assistance to enable the district to check environmental degradation as a result of the activities of galamsey operators.

He said their activities were making it difficult for access roads to be constructed to the hospital.

In another development, Vice-President Mahama commissioned a 40-seater modern ICT centre for the Bole Senior High School, to facilitate research and teaching and learning.

The centre was built under the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), which aims among other things, to provide ICT equipment and connectivity to selected educational, training and vocational institutions.

The occasion also witnessed the presentation of a 33-seater bus to the school.













Story: Office Of The Vice President
24/2/11

Veep urges traditional rulers not to rush to court to settle chieftaincy dispute

The Vice President John Mahama has advised traditional rulers against rushing to the law courts to settle chieftaincy disputes.

He said the ever increasing backlog of cases involving chieftaincy at the courts made it imperative for chiefs to employ the time tested traditional precepts of mediation and conciliation in resolving their differences.

Vice President Mahama was speaking at a grand durbar to climax the annual Damba festival of the chiefs and people of Gonja traditional area.

The durbar, which took place at the forecourt of the Jakpa Palace, also marked the first anniversary of the installation of the overlord of Gonjaland, Yagbonwura Tuntumba Boresa I.

It brought together ministers of state, parliamentarians and representatives of political parties. The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who was the special guest, was represented by the Akyempimhene, Oheneba Adusei Poku.

Vice President Mahama stressed the need for traditional authorities to have confidence in traditional conflict and dispute resolution mechanisms, saying, “The courts are not the best place to test our traditions and customs that span decades and centuries.”

Noting a re-ignition of a long standing boundary dispute between the Gonjas and the Mamprusis, he informed the chiefs and people that a committee of the Stool Lands Commission had been tasked to find an amicable settlement once and for all.

Focusing on the government’s development programmes, he announced that a donors conference to enable the government and its development partners to make a definite financial commitment to the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, would be held in May this year.

To enable the country to derive the maximum tourism potentials of the Mole National Park, the Vice-President said talks were underway with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, owners of the park, to upgrade it.

The sod would soon be cut for the commencement of work on the much anticipated ‘development corridor’ Sawla/Fufulso road with a 100 milllion dollar facility secured from the African Development Bank, Mr Mahama said, adding, funds had also been secured for the Tamale/Salaga/Mankago road.

“The Damango Water Treatment Project will begin this year in addition to three mechanized bore holes in Bole,” he said, drawing wild applause from the gathering. “A new nurses, teacher training college at Bole and two teacher training colleges project at Gonja will soon begin,” he added.

Vice-President Mahama also informed the chiefs and people that the Ministry of Health had already acquired sites for the construction of new district hospitals in Bole, Buipe and Salaga. Government, through the GETfund, would also continue to build school blocks and rehabilitate existing ones in the Gonja area.

According to him, the Damba festival was celebrated by the people not only in connection with the birth of Prophet Mohammed but manifested the peace and unity of the people. It was also a time for the sub chiefs in Gonjaland to pay homage to their overlord the Yagbonwura.

Vice-President Mahama commended the Yagbonwura Boresa for his foresight and leadership which had ensured peace and stability in the Gonja traditional area. He prayed that festivals such as the Damba would continue to unite the people to facilitate development of the area.

In his address, Tuntumba Boresa said democracy and party politics was good for the country but party politics should not be stretched to nauseating levels when we equate politics with enmity.

“Let us limit the struggle of politics to campaign times when parties of various persuasions do their best to market their manifestoes and achievements,” he said.

The Gonja King stated that he had taken a cue from the Asantehene by establishing the Yagbon Tuntumba Foundation to cater for youth education in general and for the girl child in particular. He urged all to support it.













Story: Office Of The Vice President
23/2/11

Government poised to promote teaching and learning in all schools - Veep

Vice President John Mahama has announced that government had awarded contracts for the rehabilitation of 110 science resources centres country -wide.

He said they have also instructed the ministry of education to allocate adequate funds to build 1,500 new classroom blocks to eliminate schools under trees.

Vice President Mahama announced this when he officially inaugurated and handed over 85 new buses to selected senior High schools and 50 pick-ups for heads of institutions throughout the country.

the buses which were acquired through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) to facilitate the movement of staff and students of beneficiary schools in their various locations.

According to the vice president "the quality of education depends on quality infrastructure" and gave the assurance that government would also equip all the science Resource Centres with necessary and adequate knowledge .

He appealed to the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the buses to prolong their lifespan.

The minister of education Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu said her outfit with the assistance of the Africa Development Bank has retained over 4,000 teachers in four core subjects namely English language, mathematics, science and social studies.

She said the training was meant to meet the changing trends in the education delivery, adding, "it was also meant to make the teaching and learning of the subjects more interesting and meaningful to our students."

The sector minister said she was very much aware of the challenges facing education delivery in the country.

"It is however gratifying to note that under the 2011 budget, education has received a big boost and therefore more resources will be used to improve upon education delivery at all levels" she noted.













Story: Irene Ata-Donto
22/2/11

Vice President John Mahama has announced that government had awarded contracts for the rehabilitation of 110 science resources centres country -wide.

He said they have also instructed the ministry of education to allocate adequate funds to build 1,500 new classroom blocks to eliminate schools under trees.

Vice President Mahama announced this when he officially inaugurated and handed over 85 new buses to selected senior High schools and 50 pick-ups for heads of institutions throughout the country.

the buses which were acquired through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) to facilitate the movement of staff and students of beneficiary schools in their various locations.

According to the vice president "the quality of education depends on quality infrastructure" and gave the assurance that government would also equip all the science Resource Centres with necessary and adequate knowledge .

He appealed to the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the buses to prolong their lifespan.

The minister of education Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu said her outfit with the assistance of the Africa Development Bank has retained over 4,000 teachers in four core subjects namely English language, mathematics, science and social studies.

She said the training was meant to meet the changing trends in the education delivery, adding, "it was also meant to make the teaching and learning of the subjects more interesting and meaningful to our students."

The sector minister said she was very much aware of the challenges facing education delivery in the country.

"It is however gratifying to note that under the 2011 budget, education has received a big boost and therefore more resources will be used to improve upon education delivery at all levels" she noted.













Story: Irene Ata-Donto
22/2/11

Focus more on manufacturing sector - Veep urges investors

Vice-President John Mahama has asked prospective investors in the country to focus their attention more on the manufacturing sector to help expand the economy and to create jobs for the teaming youth.

Conferring with a 24-member delegation from the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at the seat of government, he said "We are impressed about the ingenuity of the Indian manufacturing sector and are willing to partner with you to the mutual benefit of our peoples."

Vice-President Mahama, who recounted the good relations between Ghana and India in several fields of endeavour over the years, stressed that the spark that would create a real partnership between the two countries was investment by the Indian private sector in the productive and manufacturing sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

Vice-President Mahama informed the delegation that a recent report by the World Bank indicated that Ghana suffers infrastructural deficit to the tune of 1.6 billion dollars annually. There was therefore the need to bring the country up to scratch to merit its tag of a middle income country.

"There are so many investment opportunities in Ghana," Mr. Mahama said and mentioned the oil and gas industry, power generation, agriculture, roads and railways and health infrastructure.

The Vice-President emphasised that this was the time for interested investors to put a strong foothold in Ghana, citing the World Bank's prediction that the country was projected to grow at 13.5 per cent this year, the highest growth rate in the world.

This coupled with a stable and peaceful atmosphere, high rate of investment returns, he said, made Ghana the first point of call in terms of foreign direct investment opportunities in the sub-region. Ghana, he assured, would continue to be a model of democracy on the continent.

The FICCI delegation, who was in the country for a two-day visit to explore areas of investment, was led to the Presidency by Ruchi Ghanashyam, the Indian High Commissioner in Accra.

Madam Ghanashyam, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, said the FICCI, a non-profit organisation, was the voice of India's business and industry with a membership of about 400.

The chamber works closely with the government on policy issues, enhancing efficiency, competitiveness and expanding business opportunities for industry through a range of specialised services and global linkages, Ghanashyam said.

She described their two-day stay in Ghana as "very fruitful", saying, the group held meetings with several stakeholders. The envoy expressed the hope that the delegation's visit would yield good results.













Story: Irene Ata-Donto
22/2/11

Ghana to receive 36 million pound sterling from the UK to facilitate MDGs - Veep

Vice President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the United Kingdom would support Ghana with 36 million pound sterling, through the Department for International Development (DFID) to facilitate the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The money would be co-ordinated through the multi-donor budget (MDBS) support to assist the health, education, water supply and other crucial services.

The Vice President announced this during an encounter with Mr Henry Bellingham, the UK Minister for Africa and Member of Parliamentfor Northwest Norfolk at the Institute of Economic Affairs in Accra.

The visiting Minister is in the country to interact with the country's political and economic think tanks to find solutions to democratic and governance challenges.

Mr. Mahama commended the UK for its tremendous support to Ghana and expressed government’s preparedness to team up with British firms for joint ventures to increase trade and investments.

"I want to express appreciation to the UK government for her support and assistance to Ghana through the DFID and other agencies which contributed to the reduction of poverty through improved health delivery, access to education, rural development, capacity building, trade and private sector development."

He said since 2003, Britain had contributed 25 million Euros representing 20 per cent of the MDBS to Ghana.

The Vice President said UK under the Global Fund had supported Ghana's HIV and AIDS, Malaria and tuberculosis programmes towards the achievement of the MDGs.

"With the assistance of the Global fund, Ghana has succeeded in scaling up interventions for the treatment and prevention of malaria, including the distribution of 2.7 million Euro insecticide-treated bed nets, which has contributed to the decline in child mortality between 2000 and 2008."

He appealed to civil society organisations to hold government accountable by denouncing issues that tend to undermine peace, unity, growth and development of the country.

Mr Bellingham who presented a paper on: "Shared prosperity, shared security and shared values, a solid foundation for the future," commended government for exhibiting democracy, good governance and the rule of law over the years.

"The democratic progress made by Ghana over the last 20 years is a lesson for us all. There may be 79 different languages in Ghana, but you speak with one voice for democracy," he added.

The Minister said the UK would learn from Ghana's ability to unite different ethnic groups, migration populations, traditional and modern leadership while promoting rapid development of modern technologies like mobile phones.

"Ghana's ability to build coalitions with society-chiefs, churches, politicians, businessmen and women-is indicative of the single-minded purpose shared by the nation."

He said the collaboration between the UK and Ghana in 'Operation Westbridge', a law enforcement programme had since 2006 succeeded in seizing close to 600 kilogram's of cocaine, 250 kilogram's of heroin and close to 2000 kilogram's of cannabis.

The exercise has been extended to Nigeria he concluded.

According to the foreign minister , Alhaji Mohammad Mumuni Ghana would use her experience in democracy, rule of law and good governance to educate her neighbours on the need for peace, unity and tolerance for development.

Ministers for the environment science and technology, Ms sherry Aryitey and employment and social welfare, Mr. E.T Mensah also made meaningful contributions.













Story: Irene Ata-Donto
18/2/11

World Bank predicts Ghana’s GDP to grow at 13.5 per cent in 2011

Vice President John Mahama has reiterated that Ghana still remains the best place in Africa to do business. He said Ghana was both safe and secured and democratically matured to visit, stay in and do good business. He said whiles Government was predicting a GDP growth rate of about 12 per cent the World Bankhas predicted a 13.5 per cent growth, which will account for the biggest to be registered in the world this year and this paves the way for investors to be optimistic.

Mr. Mahama said this when a five man investment team (The Sibo Sanlin New Materials Co Ltd.) from Chinese called on him at the Castle.

The Vice President said Ghana has become investor friendly so much so that investors who do not take advantage of the current prevailing conducive investment environment will live to struggle and queue for space.

Mr. Mahama explained that there was still space in the services sector particularly in the tourism area requiring more hotels to accommodate tourist and beat down high hotel charges.

He also said there was the need for an additional oil refinery to augment the Tema Oil Refinery because of the pressure the oil discovery could exert on the existing one. He urged the investors not to relent but enter into partnership to build another refinery.

Chairman of the delegation, Mr. Li Bo Lin stressed his companies willingness to invest hotels, oil refinery, mining and real estate because of the investment climate prevailing in Ghana.

Hon Afotey Agbo, Minister of State at the Presidency and Mr. Addey Coker, NDC Greater Accra Chairman accompanied the team.















Story: George Azirigo
16/2/11

Bukom Banku presents his WBO (Africa) Light Heavy Weight title to Gov’t

Government has reiterated its commitment to support boxing to take back the glory days of keeping Ghanaians awake, sometimes, deep into the night to watch boxing matches. He said boxing was fast losing its favour due to the poor showing that culminate from adequate support for the sport.

Mr. Mahama said this when the current WBO (Africa) light heavyweight championship, Bramah Kamoko (Bukum Banku) paid a courtesy call on him at the Castleto present to Government his newly acquired WBO title.

Mr. Mahama said Ghana has comparative advantage in boxing and everything possible should be made to reengineer and reawake the interest in the sports. He pledged the Government’s support for the sport and urged Kamoko to win more laurel for the country.

Mr. Bramah Kamoko popularly known in boxing parlance as “Bukum Banku” praised the government for showing keen interest in boxing saying he will not let the country down but will win all his bouts to lift Ghana’s flag anytime, and anywhere when he is called to boxing duty.

It can be recalled that in January 31, 2011 Ghana’s Bukom Banku (Braima Kamoko) ‘walked the talk’ when he stopped his Uruguayan opponent, Jorge Rodriguez Olivera in 45 seconds into round four, with a TKO in their WBO (Africa) light heavyweight championship.

The Vice President, John Mahama was present in that bout to give the boxer support.













Story: George Azirigo
16/2/11

Eliminating "schools under trees"...1500 more classroom blocks to be built

GOVERNMENT is to make funds available for the construction of an additional 1,500 classroom blocks in selected areas of the country this year, to deal with the ‘school under trees’ phenomenon, Vice-President John Mahama has announced.

He said last year, the government constructed 1,000 school buildings in its quest to eliminate the 4,400 ‘school under trees’ dotted in various parts of the country, which had deprived many a child of quality teaching and a learning atmosphere.

Vice-President Mahama was speaking at the 84th Speech and Prize-giving Day of the Krobo Girls’ Presbyterian Senior High School at Odumasi Krobo in the Eastern Region on Saturday. It was on the theme, “Socio-economic development of Ghana-The role of Girl education.”

He said the government was steadily fulfilling its promises made in the educational sector, saying, it had achieved 80 per cent coverage in the distribution of free school uniforms to pupils.

He said it was the expectation of the government that by the end of next month, 100 per cent coverage would have been attained, after which the programme would re-start.

Vice-President Mahama said the promise to offer bursaries to girls offering science and technology courses had already been met, adding that the School Feeding Programme was being diversified to target more deprived schools.

Focusing on the theme, he said adding value to women, whom he described as ‘raw materials’ was the sure catalyst to the development of any nation. “No nation can move forward without emphasis on education and emancipation of women,” he stressed.

“Let us open up the horizon space of our girl children so that they can break out of the stereotypes that society has created for them,” Mr. Mahama stated, pointing out that women were not born to be home keepers.

“By educating women, you are more likely to reduce the number of maternal and child mortality, an educated woman is more likely to put her children to school than an uneducated one; an educated woman is more likely to have more nourished children than an uneducated woman,” he emphasized.

Commending Krobo Girls’ school for the immense contribution in human resource to national development, the Vice-President assured the school authorities that the GET Fund would address the school’s infrastructural challenges.

Professor Akosua Anyidoho, Director of the New York University in Ghana, who is an old student of the school, took issues to the phenomenon of male teachers who sexually harass and abuse students in schools.

She called on the Ministry of Education to enforce stricter punitive measures such as outright dismissal from the teaching profession of teachers who were found culpable.

Ms. Cecilia Obenewaa Appiah, Headmistress of the School mentioned lack of a reservoir, a fence wall for the school, inadequate dormitories and library facilities and inadequate classroom blocks as some of the problems facing the school.

She catalogued strides made by the school in the fields of sports, inter-school debates and high academic standards, a feat she attributed to discipline in the school.











Story: Irene Ata-Donto
12/2/11

Veep calls on Police to step up detective policing

Vice-President John Mahama says government is extremely concerned about the high rate of unsolved murders perpetrated by criminals in the country over the years.

He has, therefore, asked the police administration to improve on the detective training of police personnel to reverse the trend.

Speaking at this year’s West African Security Services Social Activity (WASSA) of the police service in Accra, the Vice-President noted that the on-going works on a forensic laboratory and a DNA testing facility for the police would boost crime detection.

“The changing trends in crime calls for a corresponding change in police tactics and strategies,” he said, stressing that government had taken concrete steps this year to empower the police to match up to the sophistication of criminals.

As a first step, he said every district police station would be provided with cross-county vehicles and saloon cars for street patrols and other services; logistics and equipment; communication gadgets, and flak jackets to reduce police casualties.

Vice-President Mahama said plans were far advanced to beef up the number of police personnel from the current ratio of one police officerto 950 citizens to meet the United Nations ratio of one officer to 450 citizens.

He noted that out of the 30,000 housing units for security personnel being put up by STX Engineering and Construction Ghana Limited, the police alone had been allocated 20,000 to solve their acute accommodation needs.

The government had also allocated GH¢6.4 million from the budget to complete 38 abandoned housing projects across the country for police personnel, Mr. Mahama added, saying, the measures were in fulfillment of the road map outlined in the National Policing Plan.

The Vice-President urged the police administration to map out strategies to deal with the rampant road accidents recorded in the country, asking them to ensure that the Highway Code and road safety regulations were applied.

He commended the police for a good work done last year, which he said, had brought peace and stability and had also improved their relations with the civilian population. He also lauded the joint police/military patrols idea as it had also helped in combating crime.

Mr. Mahama noted that the objectives of the two institutions were the same and advised against the occasional tensions that flare up between personnel of the police and the military, which often led to an embarrassment of their respective high commands.

Minister for the Interior Dr. Benjamin Kumbuor, also commended the police for its efforts in dealing with crime in the country and advised them against complacency.

He asked police personnel to reciprocate the government’s gesture of resourcing them adequately by exhibiting total commitment to their work and not to do anything to tarnish the image of the service.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ofosu-Mensah Gyeabour, who is the Director-General in charge of Welfare, said last year witnessed several challenges, landmark successes, some notable failures and the loss of several officers in the course of performing their duties.

He said several measures had been instituted to increase police presence on the roads to mitigate the carnage, to better combat crime, and asked for public support.

Some police personnel who distinguished themselves in the course of last year were honoured with the ‘IGP Performance Award’ for their commitment and dedication to duty.

The annual WASSA is an important event in the police service which offers a unique platform for officers and men of the service to come together in an informal atmosphere for fraternizing, stock-taking and strategizing for the ensuing year.











Story: Irene Ata-Donto
11/2/11

Veep pledges commitment, neutrality and impartiality for development in the North and Ghana

The Vice President, John Dramani Mahama has re-affirmed his commitment to be neutral and impartial to the development of the North in particular and Ghana as a whole. He said he has no interest whatsoever in who becomes a chief in Gonjaland and therefore will not meddle in any of the chieftaincy bickering and going on in that part of the country.

Mr. Mahama gave the re-affirmation at a symposium in Accra, organised by Gonja citizens on how to harness the Resources of Gonjaland for accelerated development.

The Vice President in an emotional plea urged the three regions of the north to stay united and focus their attention to pulling their resources together to fight the poverty that has engulfed the area.

He urged the leadership and particularly the very educated ones to desist from inciting the uneducated and the youth into causing mayhem in the region saying "peace was a necessary tool for luring investors and investment into the area for development".

"The three deprived Northern Regions were endowed with both natural and human resources and the Government is leaving no stone unturned to harness that potential to develop the North so that it can catch up with the rest of the country". Mr. Mahama has stressed.

He mentioned particularly the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) which the Government has put in place to leverage the North out of poverty. He urged Gonjas to identify areas they can best play in bringing SADA into reality.

The Vice President took the opportunity to announce that most of the roads in the North will be awarded on contract to facilitate communication and improve free flow of movement and goods.

speaker after speaker touched on the history, culture and traditions of the Gonja people.

Dr. Foster Abu Sakara on his part outlined the strategies for overcoming development challenges in Gonja land whiles Mrs. Anatu Kande Mahama, Mr. Jamani Dramani and Otiko Afisah Djaba, Alhaji M.N.D. Jawula also took turns to educate the people on leveraging intellectual property rights for the development, land use and its contribution to development as well as the role of women in development in the area.

The symposium was also organized to commemorate the first anniversary of the Yagbonwura, Tuntumba Boresa I and also to usher in this year’s yagbon Damba festival









Story: George Azirigo
11/2/11

Veep cuts sod for BRT project...calls for national debate on importation on second-hand vehicle spare parts

AGAINST the backdrop of the high spate of road accidents in the country, Vice-President John Mahama has called for a national debate to determine whether to continue importing second-hand spare parts and tyres for vehicles.

At a sod-cutting ceremony to kick-start the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Accra, the Vice-President said the wide-spread carnage on the roads were unacceptable, and stressed the importance of intensifying the campaign on road safety to reverse the trend.

The call by Vice-President Mahama for a debate comes barely two weeks after he made a passionate appeal to the judiciary and the law enforcement agencies to deal sternly with reckless drivers to serve as a deterrent.

The BRT project, which will cost a total of $90 million, involves expansion of the bridge on the Odaw River, construction of a flyover bridge across the railway line, creation of a dedicated route for buses from Kasoa in the Central Region to the central business district of Accra.

It will also comprise the development of a bus terminal and a bus depot at Kasoa and other minor stations along the entire route, construction of new pedestrian bridges to help pedestrians cross the road to and at the Kaneshie market, among other things.

The BRT system seeks to reduce travel time along the corridor for commuters, through the provision of exclusive right of way for designated buses. It comes against the backdrop of poor quality terminals and bus stops, old vehicles which are badly maintained, limited government regulation, with a market controlled by unions, long waiting and travel time, which has characterised the public transport system.

Vice-President Mahama observed that the increasing traffic congestion in Accra and other major cities was becoming a nightmare to motorists and road users, and said the BRT would revolutionarise the transport system in urban centres throughout the country.

With the increase in the growth rate of the vehicular population coupled with the congestion on the country's principal arterial roads, he said there was the need to plan the cities properly to avert a "shut down" in the next five to 10 years.

"The BRT system is therefore a key intervention to the problem on our roads," he said, stressing that with the BRT, commuters would benefit from less travel time with reduced stress since the buses would be more comfortable.

Under BRT, Vice-President Mahama said transport operators would receive support to build their expertise in transport operations. There would also be regulated services and enhanced personal safety and reduction in air pollution from vehicles.

Mr. Joe Gidisu, Minister of Roads and Highways said the BRT forms part of the Urban Transport project whose objective were to improve mobility in selected metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies through a combination of traffic management measures.

He said there were a number of routes that had already been considered for BRT, namely the Accra-Tema Beach road, Tetteh Quarshie-Highway-Mallam route, Adenta-Legon-Tetteh Quarshie-37 routes, Nsawam road, Ring Road from Korle-Bu through to La General Hospital junction.

Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development said the BRT started with six MMDAs but had beeen increased to 10 since the re-demarcation of assemblies in 2008.

It was being implemented in 11 metropolitan and municipal assemblies, eight in the Greater Accra Region, two in the Ashanti Region and one in the Central region, the minister said.

Mr. Ishak Diwan, World Bank Country Director noted that effective transport management was key to sustained socio-economic development. He said the project was being co-financed by the bank, the government of Ghana with support from Agence Francaise de Deloppement and the Global Environmental Facility .







Story: Irene Ata-Donto
02/2/11

Veep advises military command against recruitment on partisan and ethnic basis

Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Friday advised the military high command against enlisting the youth into their ranks based on their political and ethnic affiliations.

He said the vacancies for recruitment are meant for strong and able Ghanaian youth and the recruitment along those lines would further polarize Ghanaians who had already been divided along those lines over the years.

Vice President Mahama gave this advised when he addressed officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces during their annual West African Soldiers Social Activity (WASSA) celebration in Accra.

The ceremony attracted both retired and serving officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces, some retired Police officers and members of the Ghana Armed Forces Civilian workers.

Vice President Mahama commended the military command for establishing a barracks at Bawku, which he said had helped in reducing the political and ethnic tension that had bedeviled the area for so many years and urged them to step up their operations to quell all other ethnic skirmishes in the country.

He said government was on the verge of completing negotiations for the arrival of six additional aircraft to augment the fleet of Planes for the Ghana Air force adding 'government will also refurbish four old aircraft to facilitate their operations.'

The Vice President also announced that government would provide facilities to enhance the work of the Airborne Force to intensify their parachuting prowess and maintain their position as one of the best in the west African sub-region.

Vice President Mahama promised that government would create a congenial atmosphere for the military to carry out their peace and defensive mandate in the country.

The command also presented certificates and household items to long serving staff and those who had distinguished themselves in various departments.







Story: Irene Ata-Donto
28/1/11