Obuasi Area Pemem hands over new male ward to Tweapaease Health Centre

tecost had males and females sharing the same ward.

This however caught the attention of the Tweapaease branch of the Church of Pentecost who decided to save the situation through the Obuasi area men's ministry.

The new men's ward which cost GH 166,531.00 consists of 10-bed main ward, 4-bed side ward and VIP ward.

of people.

He revealed that the Church saw it important to intervene to salvage the situation of men and women sharing the same ward, during routine evangelism by the District pastor Francis Wugban at the health facility.

The transformation agenda

In line with the vision of the Church of Pentecost to transform the lives of the people in their communities, the men's ministry (PEMEM) of the church in the Obuasi area has commissioned and handed over a 15-bed capacity male ward to the Tweapaease Health center.

The Tweapaease Health center which is the only health facility serving about ten (10) neighboring communities has not seen any major facelift since it was commissioned in 2015.

The facility until the intervention from the Church of Pen-

Speaking after the handing over ceremony the Obuasi area head of the church, Apostle William Boakye Agyarko underscored the importance of the project saying it is in sync with the teachings of the Holy Bible which enjoin Christians to do good to all manner

Apostle Boakye Agyarko reiterated the commitment of the church through their transformational agenda to change the lives of the people even as they admonish people to accept Christ and live a Christ-like life.

Observing a clean environment

The Obuasi area head talked

Story continued from page 13 about the essence of observing a clean environment as a means to prevent diseases.

" The Church of Pentecost true to its resolve to inculcate unto the people the need to observe a clean environment has set aside the 3rd month of the year (March) to clean the environment. He therefore admonish members to observe a clean and healthy environment".

The Amansie Central District Health Director Ampratwum Oppong Ahmed lauded the church for coming to the aid of the health center. He described the facility as a welcoming relief saying the existence phenomenon of having men and women sharing a single ward became an albatross around the neck of personnel at the facility.

On challenges facing the Directorate in the district, Mr. Ampratwum cited the refusal of health personnel to accept postings to the district as a major threat to healthcare delivery in the district.

" The perception out there is that the district is a deprived one hence personnel who are posted here refuse to come whiles those who accept postings nd it di cult to get accommodation due to the exorbitant rent charges", he said.

He however notes that, the Assembly is doing its best to add up to the existing health infrastructure but appealed to central government and other groups and institutions to also intervene.

Oheneba Kwadwo Ntoso III, Bekwai Dwonsuahene lauded the Church of Pentecost for their pioneering role in assisting in provision of social ame- nities.

He added that the provision of male's ward for the Tweapaease Health center lends credence to the impact the church is making on the lives of the people in the country.

" The Church of Pentecost is noted for providing prison facilities, hospitals, schools, boreholes, Police stations among others. This is a feather in the cap of the Obuasi area and on behalf of the people of Tweapaease, I say congratulations to you for these major feet”.

Downstream policy to consolidate Valco’s reputation

A draft policy framework which is being fashioned out to develop the aluminium downstream sector is expected to bene t the Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO), following plans to modernise and retro t the facility to smelt alumina produced in Ghana.

The downstream policy, according to the CEO of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC), Michael Ansah is hopeful it will pass to become a legal document sometime this year. Key partners such as VALCO, GBCL, Rocksure and MoTI have all had inputs in the maiden policy.

Valco is the second largest smelter in Sub-Saharan Africa and is a major producer of primary aluminium. Today, the company produces approximately 50,000 tonnes of aluminium per annum out of its installed capacity of 200,000 tonnes per annum.

Currently, the company is

100percent owned by GIADEC. As the only existing smelter in the country, Valco is integral to the development of the Integrated Aluminium Industry in Ghana. Under Project 4, GIADEC seeks to partner a strategic investor to upgrade the plant’s equipment and technology to improve e ciency and increase its capacity to 300,000 tonnes per annum.

The VALCO smelter is currently running on two out of its ve potlines and producing about 50,000 tonnes of primary aluminium per year, out of its installed capacity of 200,000 tonnes. The other 3 potlines have been shut down, and beyond repairs due to lack of maintenance and repairs over the years. VALCO has the capacity for direct employment of over 1,200 Ghanaians but currently employs 705 Ghanaians.

Bene ts

When all is said and done, and the VALCO retro t hits the ground running, approximate-

By Eugene Davis

ly 300,000 tonnes of aluminium will be available to the Integrated Aluminium Industry (IAI) annually. This is an increase from the 40,000 –50,000 tonnes produced presently.

The expected bene ts from the retro t following increased in aluminium production includes; it will encourage the consumption of aluminium locally, thereby replacing imports of aluminium products, new markets will be explored for aluminium export in Africa and beyond leveraging support of AfCFTA and other trade agreements.

Further, it will encourage the production and consumption in speci c sector -transport, construction, packing and electrical, as well as create a policy and incentive framework to attract both local and foreign investors into the downstream industry.

Valco started operations in 1967, with ownership then vested in Kaiser Aluminium and Chemical Corporation (Kaiser) and Reynolds Metals Corporation (Reynolds). Kaiser owned 90percent of the shareholdings and the remaining 10percent by Reynolds, but Reynolds sold its shares to Aluminium Company of America (Alcoa) before the company began operations in 1967.Following the establishment of GIADEC in 2018, and the consequent transfer of the Government of Ghana’s 100% holding to GIADEC, immediate steps were taken by GIADEC to establish the VALCO Board. The Board was duly inaugurated in August 2020.

A collaboration between GIADEC and VALCO, as part of VALCO’s recovery plan, secured an approval from government for an injection of funds into the Company’s operations in 2021, leading to the maintenance and repairs of its two (2) and only operating potlines. This completed the stabilization phase of the Company.

GIADEC working closely with VALCO has recorded some modest gains over the period. VALCO for the rst time in twelve (12) years, recorded a positive Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation & Amortization (EBITDA) for the year 2021. The trend is expected to continue in 2022, and in the coming years, if the required investments are made.

The implementation of Project 4 - the modernisation and expansion of the VALCO smelter to improve e ciency and increase capacity, is to ensure that VALCO is positioned to sustainably grow and be pro table, and to contribute towards establishing and realising the linkages of the upstream and downstream components of the Masterplan for Ghana’s IAI. The mordenisation and retro tting of the VALCO smelter will result in a new installed capacity of