Veep calls for discipline in NDC

Vice President John Mahama has called on members of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to join hands with the executives of the party to work assiduously to maintain the discipline in the party.

The Vice president bemoaned the recent turbulence in the NDC and called on the youth in the party to forge a united front so as to overcome the challenges bedeviling the ruling party and expressed the hope that TEIN would be the voice of reason in the party like it used to be in the past, as it gets set for the 2012 elections.

Mr. Mahama was addressing members of the TEIN at the national conference of the group at the University of Cape Coast in the Central region.

“There was no way the opposition NPP could stand a united NDC and underlined the importance of unity among the rank and file of the party to ensure victory in 2012.”

Vice-President Mahama said the successes of the PNDC/NDC under the Rawlings administration were due to the unity and discipline that was prevailing at that time and called on the party faithful to accord President John Evans Atta Mills the needed support to enable him to roll out good policies and programmes for the country.

"We must find a way of ensuring that the party survives and exists despite our differences and disagreements. We have come a long way from PNDC to NDC I and NDC II, what made us successful was that we listened to one commander."

“If we do not maintain that tradition and we listen to two commanders, we are an army that is bound to fail. The President should be the one to issue the commands for us to follow, there should not be any other commands to undermine his authority," he stressed.

The Vice-President said he did not believe that the problems bedeviling the party had to do with communication but rather the attacks on the party by its own members.

He said the activities of some party activists in recent times might be genuine but some were also incited and stressed the need for the youth to be given an orientation on the party's principles and values to understand what the party stood for in respect to discipline.

He said the Mills administration had made strides by achieving single digit inflation in less than two years and attained 80 per cent coverage in the school uniform programme, as well as rural electrification and agriculture.

Mr. Ludwig Hlodze, National Youth Organiser of the NDC said the youth wing was not excluded in the difficult challenges the party was experiencing and said the conference would look at how best the youth could contribute to the better Ghana agenda.

He, however, stated that even as the party searched for more members it would not compromise in applying discipline, saying, the party would not allow its hard work to be destroyed by a disgruntled few.

The three-day conference themed, "Better Ghana agenda: Rejuvenating our structures with discipline and voluntarism for victory in 2012," is being attended by party stalwarts including Dr. Kwabena Adjei, National Chairman of the NDC, E.T. Mensah, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr. P.V. Obeng, Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission, Dr. Valery Sawyer, a Deputy Chief of Staff, as well as regional youth organisers of the party.





Story: Office of the Vice President
26/11/10

Government presents relief items to flood victims

Vice President John Dramani Mahama has led the World Food Programme, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and other partners to distribute food to flood victims in the Northern Region.

The package, which included bags of maize, rice and oil and distributed to victims in Jagna in the Mamprusi West and Tikali in Gonja Central Districts of the Northern Region, symbolized the week long distribution to victims in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta and the Brong Ahafo Regions.

Speaking at both locations, Vice President Mahama said the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority Board would be inaugurated before the end of the year, after which they would identify all flood prone areas to report to government for action.

He said the donation was part of the contributions from development partners totaling $5 million, while government had also contributed GH¢ 5 million towards the upkeep of the victims.

Vice President Mahama said a flood implementation committee would soon identify and counsel all those, who were moved upland, during the construction of the Akosombo Dam to return to those areas, as some of them had reportedly returned to the low lands.

Mr Ismail Omer, Country Director of the World Food Programme, promised that his outfit would collaborate with SADA to implement the "Food for Work" activities to mitigate the effects of climate change and recurrent flooding in the country.

"The Food for Work project will provide food rations in exchange for work done with the aim of slowing soil erosion and land degradation in the flood affected areas." He said the programme would initially provide food for 25,000 in urgent need of assistance valued at $300,000.

Mr Omer said as a long-term measure, WFP would partner government to rehabilitate all victims who have lost their property and farmlands.

.

.

Story: Office of the Vice President
25/11/10

Vice President to visit flood affected areas in the North

Vice President John Mahama would tomorrow visit all the flood affected areas in the three regions of the North.

Apart from assessing the extent of damage in the area, the Vice President would also find out how various relief items donated by the government and its development partners had been administered in the areas.

Vice President Mahama announced these when Gong Jian Zhong, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana through the Ghana Red Cross Society presented a cheque for $50,000.00 to support the victims in the three Northern Regions and parts of the Volta and Brong Ahafo regions at the Castle, Osu.

The donation was in response to the appeal the Vice President a couple of weeks ago made on behalf of the flood victims in those affected areas.

He said the interim assessment of the disasters had displaced between 170,000 and 200,000 people with a substantial destruction of crops and farmlands in those areas.

Vice President Mahama said the destruction of crops and farmlands could have rippling effects in other sectors of development with the likelihood of creating food shortage, and commended the Chinese government for promptly responding to their plight.

Mr. Gong promised that his government would continue to support Ghana in all aspects of development and called for further collaborations in many other developmental areas.

Professor Kwabena Bosompem, President of Ghana Red Cross Society commended the Chinese Red Cross for the assistance adding that part of the resources would be used to advance the development of strategic partnership of their society.





Story: Irene Ata-Donto
24/11/10

Veep lauds mobile operators for their innovations

The Vice President John Mahama noted that the frequent introduction of different services and facilities in the mobile telephony industry was a demonstration of a healthy competition for the betterment of Ghanaians.

"Considering where we started from and where we are now, I can proudly say that a lot of innovations have been churned out putting us at par with other people throughout the country."

Vice President Mahama said this during the launch of re-branded Zain Ghana Limited to Airtel Ghana Limited.

The Company, now Airtel Ghana, is a subsidiary of the Indian telecommunication giant, Bharti Airtel, which is operating in 19 African Countries.

Vice President Mahama paid tribute to late Mr Edward Salia, a former Minister of Communications, for initiating the deregulation of communication in the country and added "It is unfortunate he did not live to enjoy what he started for the country."

The Vice President, also a former Minister of Communications, commended the mobile phone operators for their downward review of call tariffs, adding that such reductions would further encourage more Ghanaians to patronize their products and services.

He appealed to them to continue to come out with quality products and services that would attract more people.

"There is serious and healthy competition and Ghanaians are waiting to take the best and it is now incumbent on you to satisfy them with quality services."

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Communications, said Ghana had put in appropriate legal and regulatory measures that would favour investment in telecommunication.

He said his ministry had requested the National Communications Authority to decentralize to regions and districts in order to reach out to more people in the country.

Mr. Iddrisu appealed to Airtel Ghana to come out with innovations that would promote competition among their compatriots in the telecommunication business.

Mr Philip Sowah, the Managing Director of Airtel Ghana, promised to satisfy the needs of Ghanaians with affordable and available services

.

.

Story: Office of the Vice President
22/11/10

Vice President advocates for total discipline in boarding houses

The Vice-President, John Mahama has called on school authorities to map out strategies to bring discipline in schools, saying, the earlier discipline was injected the better it would be for the image of the country’s educational system.

He said the rising spate of indiscipline in schools has left in its wake vices such as occultism, homosexuality and smoking being perpetrated by some students with impunity,

Vice-President Mahama was speaking at the 50th Anniversary speech and prize-giving day of the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO), in Tamale last Saturday.

The anniversary, themed, “Secondary education in Northern Ghana: The role of GHAHASCO @50,” brought together old students including Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Judges, media practitioners and a host of other dignitaries.

Known then as the Ghana College, the school was established in January 1960 by Dr Kwame Nkrumah as one of the Government Trust Schools, to address the educational disparities between the Northern Territories and the Colonies in the South.

Since its inception 50 years ago, many a Northerner have passed through the gates of the school, which started with 70 boys and now has a mixed student population of over 2,300, one-third of which are females.

Vice-President Mahama, an old student of the school, delivered a speech reminiscence of his alma mater, and assured the school authorities of his commitment to use his good offices to mobilize logistics to address the school’s infrastructural challenges.

He tasked the school’s P.T.A. and other corporate bodies to put their shoulders to the wheel to help uplift GHANASCO to a high pedestal the school use to enjoy some years back.

Earlier the Vice President had laid the foundation for the construction of the Girls’ dormitory, which is a near death-trap. The project is to be re-constructed with funds from the GETfund, while strenuous efforts were being made to build a fence wall, drainage system and the installation of lighting system in the school.

He announced packages which had been donated by philanthropists to the school including books for the school’s library, computers, drugs for the dispensary, and a scholarship package sponsored by the Indian government for the overall best female student.

Vice-President Mahama said the government was tailoring appropriate policies to achieve quality education, adding, such policies would focus on resourcing educational institutions to provide the right type of graduates to fit into the country’s development aspirations.

He said the move was also to ensure that products from the schools did not only fit into white collar jobs but graduates who would become self-employed and to also create jobs in the system.

The Vice-President stated that knowledge-based economies were better placed to compete in the global economy and appealed to students to take the study of ICT serious.

On the intake of new entrants into Senior High Schools, which encountered problems owing to inadequate accommodation, he said the government was on top of the issue, stressing that construction of dormitory blocks was being accelerated.

He called on old students of the school to give back to their alma mater, as a way of supporting new infrastructural projects in the school and donated GHC 1,000 towards that cause.

Mary Asobayire Dan-Braimah, Headmistress of the School said the school had produced over 13,000 students since its inception and added that among its products were high level individuals and leading members of the Ghanaian society.

She said the school continues to perform creditably in its academic endeavour and mentioned its exploits in inter-collegiate sporting events as well as quiz competitions and school debates.
She then expressed appreciation to the government for its support to the school and hoped that projects earmarked to improve the school’s infrastructure would be carried out with dispatch

.

.





Story: George Azirigo
19/11/10

Vice President John Dramani Mahama has said every effort must be made by society not only to reduce but totally eradicate maternal and infant mortalit

Vice-President John Mahama urged the playing body, managers and fans of Real Tamale United (RTU) to do all within their power to begin winning so their position on the premier league can improve.

He said RTU is the proud of the North and everything reasonable must be made to recapture the glory days of RTU.

Mr. Mahama said this in as an emergency meeting with Management, the playing body and fans of the team at Tamale on Saturday.

The Vice President called on the management to put in place appropriate measures that would enable the club to take its rightful place in the GLO Premiership.

“RTU is too precious a team to be relegated, and indeed it cannot be relegated and that is why I will like to call on all stakeholders to do everything possible to get the team out of the bottom of the league table in the current season.”

He said RTU had, over the years, been touted as the “Pride of the North” because of its sterling performance in the premier league and urged them not to allow the accolade to slip by saying, “the current fortunes of the club is a source of worry and you need to resolve all problems and take remedial action against all odds.”

“RTU transcends ethnicity and political parties in the North and we all need to put our hands on deck to ensure that you survive from the current state. I understand my elder brother Alhaji Aliu Mahama, former Vice President has already spoken to you and I am happy to also add my voice, which is a demonstration that our interest in the clubs goes beyond political consideration.”

Vice-President called on all stakeholders to support the club in cash and in kind to help the team to reclaim its former glory. He donated GHC 2,000 to support the club.

Adam Mohammed Amin Abio, Public Relations Officer of the club mentioned lack of management, technical and Board leadership as some of the most pressing issues affecting the club and stressed the need to intervene at the Board level to save it from relegation.

He also called for the formulation of club policy that would have all necessary support to attract supporters and donors into the team.
Mohammed Razak Beker, captain of the team on behalf of the playing body, pledged to step up the team’s performance to justify the interventions from both the sitting and former Vice Presidents of the land.

.

.





Story: George Azirigo
19/11/10

Vice President calls for total eradication of maternal and infant mortalities

Vice President John Dramani Mahama has said every effort must be made by society not only to reduce but totally eradicate maternal and infant mortality.

He said women who are meeting their God given obligation and children who are born unto the earth to equally start their journey on earth must not be allowed to die or suffer unjustifiably.

Mr. Mahama said this when he addressed Nurses and midwifery at the thirteenth matriculation ceremony of 150 newly recruit students of the Nursing and Midwifery Training College at Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Mr. Mahama said despite the United Nations’ acknowledgement that Ghana was on course to achieving the MDGs there was still a lot the country must do to address the infant and maternal mortalities and water and sanitation.

He said the country must not wait to be told by any organization to address some of these important health issues since they form the bases of any country’s strong economy, adding, “The best statistic for infant and maternal mortality is zero”.

The Vice President admitted the infrastructural challenges facing the health sector saying government was working assiduously to meet the challenge. He also said the government would construct more roads that would make the conveying of our mothers and children to and from health facilities less cumbersome.

The Vice President admonished the matriculates to combined compassion, kindness and politeness in administering the health needs of patients. He said compassion, kindness and politeness forms about half of the healing process in patients.

The Minister for health Dr. Benjamin Kunbour said government has been able to put in place measures that will reduce the rate at which health professional leave the country and assured that strategies will be put in place to ensure that those who work in deprived areas are well compensated.

According to the Minister, his ministry is repackaging the principles of health care delivery to ensure that all barriers to care are removed.

Giving his welcome address, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Hon. Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo,saids the NDC government, since taking over the reigns of government, has demonstrated, beyond every shred of doubt, that it is committed to seeing an improved system in the country and is leaving no stone unturned to achieved this objectives.

He said plans are far advanced for the establishment of a Midwifery Training School at Goaso to boost the health up
Praising the development of the health sector in the region, he said is the establishment of a physiotherapy assistance and Orthotics Training School at Duayaw Nkwanta.

.





Story: George Azirigo
19/11/10