TODAY NEWSPAPER

W

ED EEK ITI EN ON D

•Vol No: 5 /063 • Saturday Edition • March 17, 2012 • Price GH¢1.00 TO FOLLOW DR. NDUOM ON YOUR PHONE, PLEASE TEXT PKN TO 1402

AFAG flays BNI •

Kingsford Alban Sumana Bagbin, Health Minister

FAKE ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS See

Story

On Page

11

Over detention of Konadu boy

•Cause blindness •FDB warns

STORY BY: EVANS OSEI BAFFOUR

T

he Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has cautioned that consumers of fake alcoholic products run the

risk of going blind.

The head of the Food Inspectorate of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB), Mr. Kofi Essel, confirmed this to Today on the backdrop of an exercise Cont’d on page 11

David Opoku Ansah, Deputy Director of Operations of AFAG

TODAY is GH¢1.50 effective Monday, April 2, 2012

CMYK

Saturday, 17th March, 2012

WORLD TODAY

2

Syria Turks urged to return home T

Ethiopian troops are also currently active in Somalia

Eritrea rejects Ethiopia ploy

E

ritrea has said it will not be "entrapped" into retaliating after Ethiopia launched a cross-border border raid on three military bases.

"It is those who do not know the price of war who are hungry to go to war," Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu told the AFP news agency.

Ethiopia said it attacked three military bases where rebel groups were being trained.

The two countries fought a border war from 1998 to 2000.

The United States has called on both countries to "exercise restraint and to avoid any further military action".

The attack had raised fears that the bitter rivals could resume full-scale hostilities but Eritrea moved to quell such speculation.

"We fought enough for 30 years, and we will never be dragged into war through such hostile provocations as this," Mr. Ali told AFP. "The people and government of Eritrea shall not entertain, and will not be entrapped by, such deceitful ploys," a foreign ministry statement said.

It said the attack was mean to divert attention from Ethiopia's "illegal occupation" of Eritrean territory, as well as its internal problems.

Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of refusing to withdraw from the village of Badme, where the border war began, despite The Hague-based Boundary Commission 2002 ruling that it be-

longed to Eritrea.

A number of people were killed and others captured when three camps were attacked up to 18km (11 miles) inside Eritrean territory, an Ethiopian defence official said but further details have not been released.

In recent weeks Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea of backing Ethiopian rebels who staged a January raid in the northern Afar region that killed five Western tourists.

Two German nationals were taken hostage during that attack - there has been no official word of their condition since.

Ethiopian government spokesman Shimeles Kemal said the army units involved had returned to camp after "successfully completing" their mission.

He said Eritrea was harbouring "hitand-run terrorists", and he warned of further possible operations.

"As long as Eritrea remains a launching pad for attacks against Ethiopia, similar measures will continue to be taken," he said.

Mr. Ali denied that Eritrea backed the rebel groups.

Ethiopia is also engaged in military operations in neighbouring Somalia, where it is fighting the Islamist alShabab group.

The UN has imposed sanctions on Eritrea, accusing it of backing alShabab - charges it denies.

Eritrea was annexed by Ethiopia in 1952 but gained independence in 1993 after a 30-year guerrilla war.— BBC

Swiss woman kidnapped in Yemen

A

Swiss woman has been kidnapped by militants in Yemen, reports say.

The AFP news agency quotes a Yemeni official as saying "alQaeda militants are behind the kidnapping".

According to the official, militants are demanding the release of two detained al-Qaeda militants.

The kidnap took place on Wednesday in Hodeida on Yemen's west coast, but the woman, a teacher, is being held in Shabwa province of southern Yemen.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is known to have bases in south and southeastern Yemen. The organisation has

been battling government forces and been targeted in air strikes by unmanned US drones.

Militants believed to be linked to alQaeda have exploited a security vacuum in the region after months of protests demanding the resignation of long-time President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Last year, militants took control of Zinjibar, capital of Abyan province, and several other southern town.

Kidnaps of foreigners are relatively common in Yemen. They tend to be resolved peacefully, with the kidnappers making demands for services from the government in return of the release of their prisoners.—BBC

urkey has urged its citizens to leave Syria, saying developments there have led to "serious security risks."

The foreign ministry said in a statement that some consular services would be halted on 22 March.

Meanwhile PM, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggested a safe zone along the border, where refugee numbers have risen sharply in recent days.

The news comes as Syria marks the first anniversary of the uprising, which has left more than 8,000 people dead.

The UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, is due to address the UN Security Council on his peace efforts.

Anti-government activists have called for mass protests across Syria on Friday to demand "immediate military intervention".

There have been clashes between government forces and army defectors in several areas near Damascus, activists say.

Mr. Assad has always insisted his troops are fighting "armed gangs" who are seeking to destabilise Syria.

Refugee flow The Turkish foreign ministry statement said consular services at its embassy in Damascus would end at the end of office hours next Thursday, but the consulate in the second city of Aleppo would remain open.

"Developments in Syria pose serious security risks for our nationals," the statement said.

"Therefore it is strongly recommended that Turkish nationals currently in Syria leave and return home."

Mr. Erdogan said he would also consider withdrawing Turkey's ambassador once all its citizens had returned.

Two Turkish journalists are currently missing

in Syria, and are reportedly in the hands of the security forces.

Some reports say they have been wounded and tortured.

Meanwhile, Turkey says it has seen a sharp increase in the flow of refugees across its border in the past few days, with about 1,000 arriving daily and 14,700 in total so far.

The Turkish authorities say they can cope with the current numbers, but they are expected to continue rising.

Mr. Erdogan said various ideas were under consideration to deal with the problem.

"On the subject of Syria, a buffer zone, a security zone, are things being studied," he said.

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Hatay, on Turkey's border with Syria, says officials are currently discussing the possibility of sending troops across the border into Syria, although they have not spelled

Search on after NZ boat accident

Skipper Rewai Karetai, shown aboard the Easy Rider, is among those missing fishing boat has capsized off New Zealand's southern coast and rescue operations are still ongoing for the missing passengers, local media report.

The Easy Rider, with three crew and six passengers, sank on Wednesday night in Foveaux Strait after being hit by a rogue wave, officials say.

A

At least two bodies have been reportedly recovered and one man has been rescued.

The passengers were en route to a remote island for a hunting trip.

Officials say that the seas were rough and there was heavy rain at the time of the accident.

Almost 14 hours elapsed before the boat was reported missing.

Police say that none of the passengers appeared

to have been wearing life jackets.

"While the situation appears bleak, the fullscale search will continue today," police said.

The lone survivor told police that a wave hit the 40ft (12m) boat around midnight and caused it to capsize almost immediately. He is in hospital for hypothermia treatment.

Officials say that the man managed to stay

Publisher: “TODAY” is proudly published by SMS Limited

Tel (Office): 0302 258511 Postal: P. O. Box 17187, Accra

Location: Capital Mall Building, Avenor, near Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Accra

Registered at GPO as a newspaper

Editor: Ato Keelson Tel: 0244992243

out how this would be done.

This would be a big step and would not be done without clear international support, at least from the US, EU and Arab League, our correspondent says.

The international community remains divided, with Russia and China both blocking UN Security Council resolutions on Syria and aid groups from 27 countries urging them to condemn the government's use of violence.

But the two permanent members have backed Mr. Annan's peace mission, in which he delivered a proposed plan to Mr. Assad last week.

The plan includes demands for an immediate ceasefire by both sides, access for humanitarian aid, and the beginning of political dialogue.

A spokesman said he had received a response from Mr. Assad but had questions about it "and was seeking answers".

afloat in the freezing water for 18 hours before rescuers saved him.

The Royal New Zealand Navy has confirmed that the fishing boat has been found on the sea floor.

The captain of the boat, Rewai Karetai, who was hailed as a hero for saving three people earlier this year, and a seven-year-old boy were among the missing passengers.—BBC

Email: delighttoday@gmail.com Web: www.todaygh.com

WORLD TODAY

R

elatives of 16 Afghan civilians killed by a US soldier on Sunday have demanded answers from President Hamid Karzai.

"We don't care about money we want justice," one villager from Kandahar province told him in Kabul.

Some of the villagers also said there had been more than one gunman, a claim that has repeatedly contradicted the official version since Sunday.

The soldier accused of the killings has been flown out of Afghanistan and is expected to face trial in the US. Meanwhile, a NATO helicopter carrying Turkish troops has crashed into a house on the outskirts of the capital Kabul, killing at least 12 soldiers and two children on the ground.

The death toll is the heaviest single loss of life so far for Turkish troops in Afghanistan, of whom there are currently more than 1,800.

Police told the BBC a technical fault was to blame.

Sunday's shootings have placed new strains on the US in Afghanistan.

The Taliban called off peace talks in the wake of the deadly rampage - in which men, women and children were shot and killed at close range - although they made no mention of the massacre in the statement.

However, the US later stressed it remained committed to Afghan reconciliation despite the move by the Taliban.

Mr. Karzai has also told the US that it must pull back its troops from village areas and allow Afghan security forces to take the lead, in an effort to reduce civilian deaths.

President Karzai listened as surviving family members from the Kandahar massacre gave their versions of the murders during a meeting in a grand hall in the presidential palace.

Some said only one killer had been involved, others that many US soldiers had carried out the attack in the early hours of Sunday. The dead in-

Saturday, 17th March, 2012

3 cluded nine children.

"Why did this happen?" demanded one man who lost nine members of his family. "Do you have answers, Mr. President?"

"No, I do not," responded a tired-looking Mr. Karzai.

The president described US co-operation over the massacre as poor, reports say.

He also told villagers he would take up their claims that more than one soldier had killed the villagers.

The soldier accused of the killings is at a US base in Kuwait and is ex-

Afghan massacre…

Relatives berate President Karzai pected to be taken to the US, possibly on Friday.

Afghans had demanded he face justice in their country.

Earlier some of the first details about him emerged.

Locals in Panjwayi have been left stunned by what happened

US lawyer, John Henry Browne, said the soldier - who has not been named - had received body and brain injuries while serving in Iraq and was unhappy about going for another tour of duty.

Speaking in Seattle, where the accused soldier is based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Mr. Browne denied reports that the accused had problems either with alcohol or his marriage.—BBC

Saturday, 17th March, 2012

4

Ghana at 55 – Cry hard but a little laughter is in order

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah

ARTICLE: VICKY WIREKO

O

n 6th March 2012, in the midst of all the celebrations for Ghana attaining 55 years, I had cause to bemoan my country. I wondered whether at 55 we have grown older without really growing up.

In my area, we were not scheduled to have power off as per the current load shedding exercise. The unexpected happened regardless. Our lights went off around 7pm.

Within a matter of 45 minutes, we had experienced power in-

terruptions four times. A complete recipe for fire outbreak.

The day after, Wednesday 7th, we went on and off three times between the hours of 8pm and 10pm. I was in the middle of doing some work on the computer. My frustrations began to heighten. I was meeting some deadline the following morning.

One would have cause to worry if after 55 years of managing our own affairs we still experience rampant power cuts that do not aide development. Water does not flow in some taps. Potable water is still a far cry for many Ghanaians.

I sometimes lament for my

beloved Ghana because at this matured stage, we are still experimenting and dancing the calypso dance with our senior high school education. We take one step forward today; tomorrow we go back another step. The standards are nothing to be proud of.

Tertiary institutions keep springing up like wild mushrooms in the rainy season.

Yet, there are no correspondent jobs to absorb the graduates that are being churned out. For the first time in our history, we have an association of unemployed graduates in this country.

I do blubber over some of the basic things we are over-

looking. The Finder newspaper recently reported that over 18,000 public schools in the country have no toilet facilities. What makes this unfortunate piece of news alarming is the fact that the Ministry of Education is aware of this grave situation but perhaps, it is not a priority.

Per the Ministry’s own statistics made available to the paper, out of the 36,822 public schools in the country, only 18,281 have toilets. This is against their statistics that for private schools, out of the 18,380 we have in the country, 13,317 (representing 72 percent) have toilet facilities.

Party politicking has eaten

PLATFORM TODAY

deeply into our society today to the extent that we are beginning to view each other with suspicion. The name of the game is “if you are not for me, then you are against me”. Team Ghana is losing its supporters to partisanship and that is a worry.

One gets to the brink of shedding tears for country because despite our boasting about investor confidence and with so many banks and other financial institutions opening shop, we have not gone far with making home mortgage facilities available for people to own their own homes. Our towns and cities are not well planned to the extent that we do not have effective street names.

And why should one not shed tears for Ghana with the alarming revelations coming out on the status of our sanitation and the environment.

Just last month, according to a study conducted by the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate (EHSD) of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, there are still some 20,000 pan latrines which are emptied in open places. All this is happening in twenty first century Ghana.

Then also is the recent study released by the World Water and Sanitation Programme of the World Bank concerning the poor sanitation in this country. According to a myjoyonline news report, the country is losing two hundred and ninety million Ghana Cedis (GH¢290 million) annually due to deplorable sanitation. This amount apparently represents 1.6 percent of our country’s GDP. The same study also revealed that Ghana spends about $80 million to address the problem of open defecation and over $200 million because of premature deaths caused as a result of poor water, sanitation and hygiene related causes every year.

According to some information from the Acting Director of the Environmental Sanitation of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development when he spoke some weeks back to Joy FM, a local radio station, out of a population of 24 million people, about 16 million use unsanitary or shared latrines and 20 percent practice open defecation. Is this not enough to shed a tear for Ghana?

Weep for Ghana because lawlessness has swallowed us up to the neck. Indiscipline has escalated to alarming proportions wherever one turns and it seems like nobody cares. We have looked on for wayside food selling to become fashionable. Men and women, all are selling cooked food from spots they call “check check”. Nobody is checking the health status of these sellers in this era of hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and other serious contaminated diseases.

As for second-hand imports of electrical goods, clothes, shoes and bags that have littered our communities, little said about them the better.

Why do we open our doors so wide for another country’s litter?

At 55, we are not food sufficient despite the huge oppor-

tunities we have. We are said to be spending $300 million annually to import rice when we have fertile lands with great weather all year round to engage in serious commercial farming, not only in rice but other food crops.

We are importing virtually everything, from textiles to chicken parts to fruit juices to match sticks to jute bags for bagging cocoa beans. Yet, we have supervised the collapse of local industries that once were producing many such items in our country. Many more that have been on their feet all this while are gradually collapsing due to grey imports being allowed in to flood our markets or operating under difficult conditions.

However, I guess that for as long as we have the sun 365 days of the year which others do not have, we will wipe away our tears and perhaps smile a bit. We still have some little blessings to rejoice about.

Yes, we would probably cheer about the relative peace and security that Ghana has enjoyed to this day compared to other nations. While some of our neighbours’ houses have been on fire because of civil wars that forced their own away as refugees to other lands, we have escaped that turmoil.

While others are continually battered with drought and famine, we have ducked anything such, touch wood. HIV/ AIDS has wiped away families and communities in some countries. Our prevalence rate is going down and it gives us cause to be proud.

Our national football teams (the Black Stars, the Starlets and the Black Queens) do give us something to cheer about at the world football stage and do wipe away our tears every now and then. Others never got anywhere near where our boys and girls have been able to take us.

As for our freedom of expression, there is over-abundance of it. We speak freely without fear. Others do not have that right. Talk about human rights, it is ours for the taking. In other countries, it is an expensive commodity.

We have cause to raise our chests as Ghanaians because one of our sons has made us and continue to make us proud as a successful world chief diplomat. Busumbru Kofi Annan’s credentials as a proud son of Ghana give us something to smile about every time the name is mentioned.

Many like him give us cause to laugh hard.

We can laugh even harder because our natural resources keep multiplying. We have hope for a brighter future and strongly believe that all the tears would be wiped away, how soon is the question.

For now, we are in transition until we cross over to Canaan where our milk and honey will never dry up. That day, there will surely be no need to shed tears for Ghana, no cup in hand going begging, because that great potential to be an African tiger is waiting to be plucked. - Myjoyonline.com Reality Zone With Vicky Wireko Email: vickywirekoandoh@yahoo.com

ADVERT TODAY

Saturday, 17th March, 2012

5

Saturday, 17th March, 2012

6

NEWS TODAY... NEWS TODAY... NEWS TODAY... NEWS TO

Bongo water problem addressed istrict Chief Executive (DCE) for Bongo, Mr. Clement Akugre, on Wednesday said the perennial water problem in the area has been solved.

He said the Small Town Water System constructed for the area now supplied the entire Bongo Township with pipe-borne water.

Mr. Akugre was addressing a forum in Bongo on the performance of the Assembly since 2009.

The meeting also high-

lighted achievements and explained policies and programmes of Government.

Mr. Akugre said 120 household latrines and five institutional ones have also been constructed between 2009 and 2010, to improve sanitation in the district under the sanitation component of the project.

He said the Government was working tirelessly to meet the water and sanitation needs of the citizenry as part of efforts to achieve the Millennium Development

D

tunities and facilitating access of the rural population, which is predominantly poor, to market their goods and services to enhance their socioeconomic activities.

Dr. Kumah said the Ministry identifies itself with the problems and challenges facing the association and would not relent to help provide the necessary incentives and motivations, in terms of equipment, funding, technical and administrative resources to enable local contractors perform creditably.

National Chairman of ASROC, Mr. Joseph Ebo Hewton, said delay in payment and the number of collateral damages is kicking local contractors out of business and called on the government to address these issues with utmost dispatch.

“Contractors' businesses are folding up, banks see us as a plague to be avoided, and government itself is losing millions of cedis through payment of interest on delayed payment,” he added.

He called on government to take economic decisions that would grow the industry otherwise the abilities to carry out simple projects might be questionable and external contractors would be taking all the money back to their countries soon.

“Road contractors play a significant role in the country's economy therefore, all our efforts should be geared towards getting government to recognise this fact and provide us with the necessary support to enable us play this role effectively,” he added.

Immediate Past National Chairman of ASROC, Mr. Johannes Twumasi-Mensah, alleged that some foreign

D

Goals (MDGs) on water and Sanitation.

Mr. Akugre said the district would also benefit from 85 boreholes, while the construction of 30 mechanized boreholes to be powered by solar were on going.

He said 12 boreholes have been constructed under the Pilot Pragmatic Scheme grant for 12 basic schools in the district.

The DCE said, water systems were been built at Zorkor and Soe communities and their environs under the Sustainable Rural Water and Sanitation Project (SRWSP).

He said under the SRWSP, a component of 20 boreholes would be constructed in the district.

Mr. Akugre said Dua, Lungu, Kuyelingo, Boko, Kodorogo, Apuwongo and Bogrigo, Beo-Tankoo and Gaborogo in the district would be connected to the national electricity grid.

AYARIGA LECTUR

•To exercise r

Gov’t gives GH¢907m to road sector

eputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Dr. Nii Koi Kumah, on Thursday announced that government had earmarked GH¢ 907 million as 2012 budgetary allocation for the road sector.

He said about 39 contracts covering 403 kilometres of feeder roads had been awarded in the 10 regions and are at various stages of completion.

Dr. Kumah announced this at the swearing-in of National Executive Council of Association of Road Contractors, Ghana (ASROC) in Accra.

He said the Ministry and Road Agencies would expect contractors to reciprocate by putting in more efforts towards the judicious utilisation of funds allocated to the sector.

Dr. Kumah observed that while some contractors are hardworking and committed to their work, there are few of them who need to improve on their performance and increase their out-put to remain in business.

“Ghana has reached a state in her socio-economic aspirations where the over-all quality of her roads infrastructure, needs to be handled by competent contractors,” he added.

The Deputy Minister said the Labour-Based Technology (LBT) for road construction had been identified as cost effective and appropriate method of improving rural transportation, while addressing issues of economic development and poverty reduction.

He said as a result, the Ministry had revamped the LBT to improve upon the livelihood of rural Ghanaians by creating employment oppor-

BUY MADE IN GHANA GOODS

construction firms came into the country under the guise of doing genuine business but ended up in deplorable activities such as illegal gold mining with dire consequences for the environment and the national economy.

He therefore called on the government to institute a better regulatory framework for those foreign firms in order that they operate within the country's laws.

Mr. Twumasi-Mensah expressed appreciation to the members for the opportunity to serve the association and urged them to accord the new executives similar cooperation to move its agenda further.

ASROC was formed in 1993 as an umbrella grouping for Ghanaian road contractors to promote and prosecute government’s development agenda in the road infrastructure sub-sector of the Ghanaian economy.

Mahama Ayariga, Deputy Education Minister

‘NDC smuggling in criminal libel law’

A

Deputy Communication Director of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Samuel Awuku says the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) wants to return the country to the dark days of criminal libel.

He contends that the action and inaction of the Mills-led administration has exposed its intolerance of free speech and a desire to re-introduce the Criminal Libel Law to intimidate political opponents who expose the government’s corrupt deeds.

Sammy Awuku’s assertion comes on the back of the detention of the Operations Director of Friends of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings (FONKAR) Ernest Owusu Bempah for defaming first Lady, Ernestina Naadu Mills.

Owusu Bempah on Oman FM, a private radio station in Accra Thursday, alleged that first lady, Naadu Mills was given $5 million in the gargantuan judgment debt paid to embattled businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome.

After interrogation by police to substantiate the claims, the FONKAR boy has been charged with publishing false information with the intent to cause fear and panic.

Close associates of Owusu Bempah who accompanied him to the Police Headquarters are still uncertain of his whereabouts after the police interrogation.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Thursday, Sammy Awuku said the detention of Owusu Bempah is unlawful and an infringement on his fundamental human rights.

He indicated that the issue was a purely civil matter in which the First Lady should have resorted to the law courts instead of the communist inferior tactics being adopted by the security agencies.

Sammy Awuku said the charge of causing fear and panic is misplaced because the police had no evidence to that effect and so Owusu Bempah can sue them for violating his fundamental human rights to freedom of speech, ex-

pression, and opinion.

The NPP Deputy Communication Director could not fathom why this trivial issue is such a big deal for the NDC when leading members of their party have made very serious but baseless allegations against their political opponents.

He cited Victor Smith, Fifi Kwetey, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Kwabena Adjei and others who made wild allegations against ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor without evidence and have been rewarded by President Mills for their baseless claims.

Sammy Awuku recounted the historical experiences that hindered freedom of expression in the country where people were harassed, attacked, detained, imprisoned or even killed and feared the NDC may send Ghana back to those sorrowful days.

“Freedom of expression is one of the values we must all share and internalize....without freedom of expression there is nothing like democracy,” he bemoaned.

ODAY... NEWS TODAY... NEWS TODAY... NEWS TODAY...

A BEGS RERS D

ers were still teaching and that all normal academic work was ongoing.

In an interview on Joy FM’s mid-day news Friday, Mahama Ayariga said the ministry was working hard with the Finance Ministry as well as the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to ensure that correct computations were done to avoid discrepancies.

He apologised to the lecturers for the delays, but said the administrative and technical processes had to be exhausted to ensure due diligence was done.

Mahama Ayariga commended the lecturers for exercising restraint and showing consideration since the beginning of the negotiations and said the current action could be the result of the teachers running out of patience, however he urged them to bear with the ministry as it works to address their demands.

STORY: KORYEKPOR AWLESU FREEMAN

T

Nana Akufo-Addo

‘Embrace free SHS policy STORY: KORYEKPOR AWLESU FREEMAN

T

he New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region, Hon. Kwaku Agyenim Boateng, has asked Ghanaians to embrace the free Senior High School (SHS) policy proposed by presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, rather than casting doubts over its feasibility.

He said as an astute politician and somebody who has a wealth of exposure and experience, he believes Akufo-Addo has thought through the policy carefully and has identified the needed resources to implement it, stating that Ghanaians must have the confidence that the policy is implementable.

Hon. Boateng, popularly known as ‘AGOOGO,’ said this when he commissioned a two unit kindergarten block for the people of Mpatapo, a farming community within his constituency Continuing, he told the people in the area that presently parent’s biggest hurdle is how to fund their ward’s education at the senior high school level due to the extreme case of overall hardships in the country making life very harsh and unbearable for the ordinary Ghanaian stressing that the only way the burden on the neck of parents will be relieved is to vote for Akufo-Addo for him to implement the policy.

He noted Akufo-Addo has come under attacks by Policy Think Tank, Imani Ghana and the ruling NDC government for proposing what they call, “a lousy and unachievable policy,” but the Berekum MP however believes that if that is not achievable, then Ghanaians must rather give him

7

Nana Addo confers with fisher folk

restraint eputy Education Minister, Mahama Ayariga, is pleading with striking university lecturers to give the ministry a little more time to finalise processes for the payment of salary arrears due them.

The lecturers declared a nationwide strike Thursday, saying government had refused to pay them their 10-month arrears despite assurances to do so.

There was little activity on the campuses of the University of Ghana and the University for Development Studies Friday morning.

However, from Kumasi, Luv FM’s Kwabena Ampratwum reported that the effects of the strike were not being felt on the campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) when he visited. He said lectur-

Saturday, 17th March, 2012

the benefit of doubt in watching out to see if its implementation is feasible by voting for him, he added.

Corroborating his claim, he recalled that when the then NPP government initiated the NHIS for implementation, similar criticism were passed and some political opponents totally rubbished it calling it a hoax agenda, but “what do we see,” he asked rhetorically.

He told the teeming crowd that had gathered to witness the commissioning that Ghana at this stage of its development needs bold and decisive leadership capable of taking bold decisions to transform the economy from its current agrarian status to a buoyant and industrialized one.

Today, prices of goods and commodities are skyrocketing, yet inflation is said to be running under single digit. “The large majority of the people are feeling the pangs of the harsh realities of the economy and hence the need for something drastic and appropriate to be done,” the Berekum Member of Parliament said. He said he believes such bold policy interventions are the ones that can lessen the burden on the people.

He said he feels so sad when people throng to his house on daily basis to demand school fees from him and sometimes when he is unable to meet the growing demands of the people he bows his head in shame. “If such a policy has been envisioned by a presidential candidate, it is only appropriate that Ghanaians embrace and pray that it comes to pass,” he noted.

Hon. Kwaku Agyenim Boateng also asked the people of Berekum to actively participate in the up-coming biometric registration exercise, maintaining that it is the only way they can express themselves by voting for a better person.

He urged the people to play a vigilante role in ensuring that minors and people

who do not qualify under the law to be registered, are prevented, as this could have the potential to steal the peoples mandate from them.

For his part, the Rector of Sunyani Polytechnic, Professor Gyan Fordjour who also hails from Mpatapo, advised the pupils to take their education seriously, asking them to aim at achieving a higher educational status. He also asked them to take good care of the commissioned building.

he presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa AkufoAddo, has assured fisher folk in the country that an NPP government under his leadership “will resurrect immediately, the Ministry of Fisheries that the ruling National Democratic (NDC) government unfortunately collapsed.”

He said he could not fathom how such a vital ministry could be scrapped, bearing in mind the many problems that the fishing industry continues to face.

“I am not talking about having a deputy minister in charge of fisheries under another ministry. I am talking about having a full ministry with a minister and perhaps a deputy, fully engaged in making sure that all the problems that you have put before me today, are solved quickly and sustainably,” Nana AkufoAddo said.

The NPP leader disclosed this on the first day of his ‘hope tour’ when he met with the fishing community in the Central Region.

Interacting with fisher folk in Nyanyano, Gomoa Fetteh, Senya and Eku-Mpoano on the tour, Nana Akufo-Addo observed that “what Ghana needs today is the right leadership. A leadership that can take the right decisions and make the necessary investment into key sectors of the economy in order to improve the living standards of our country’s people.”

He continued “I am convinced, without any doubt in my mind, that providing free education up to senior high school level for all our children, is one such investment that we must make as a country and if God willing, I become president, the NPP will make senior high school education free for all.”

Inspired by the huge applause that this comment attracted from the crowd, Nana Akufo-Addo took a swipe at the NDC, saying “the people doubting us today, are the same people who doubted us when we were proposing the National Health Insurance Scheme.

“Their MP’s even walked out of parliament when the legislation was going to be passed, but we still did it and the Ghanaian people are the beneficiaries. Today, they are saying free senior high school education is not possible. But I am convinced that we must do it and we will do it.”

Fishermen, boat owners and fish mongers have been revealing some of the problems confronting the fishing industry to the NPP flag-bearer.

They cite the unreasonable increase in the price of outboard motors and other fishing equipment, irregular supply of pre-mix fuel resulting in a constant shortage, pair trawling, light fishing amongst others as some of their concerns which they say “is killing the industry.”

Chairman of Nyanyano Canoe Owners and Fishermen Association, Frankie Otoo, said “outboard motor used to cost GH¢2,480 by the time the NPP was leaving office in 2008. Today, outboard motors cost GH¢7,200 and even that we can’t get it to buy.”

Chief Fisherman, Nana Kwasi Awotwe, said “aside the outboard motors, the prices of all other fishing equipment and inputs have risen to killer levels and it is collapsing the industry and affecting our livelihoods.

“We can’t pay our children’s school fees, we can’t afford healthcare nor put food on the table for our families and that is because our business is dying.”

They assured the NPP leader of their support in the upcoming election “so that you can bring back our ministry and also provide our children with free education.”

Presidential Transition Bill passed

T

he Parliament of Ghana has passed the Presidential Transition Bill into law. The new law is highly expected to curtail conflicts related to handing over power from one political party to another.

The Majority Leader, Hon. Cletus Avoka, on March 6, told Citi News the bill will become law before the close of the month.

“If that law comes into place, it would reduce the incidence of conflict to the barest minimum as far as transitions are concerned,” he said earlier. “I’m confident that between now and the end of March, before we rise for the biometric registration exercise or for the Easter Holidays we should be able to pass that bill into law.”

“We’ve gone very far, there are very few clauses that are left which we are trying to sort out with the technical people. Both majority and minority sides have agreed to a very large extent,” Hon. Avoka added.

Joyce Bamford-Addo, Speaker of Parliament

Saturday, 17th March, 2012

CULTURE & TOURISM TODAY

8

The proverbial Ghanaian indeed ARTICLE: KONADU KWADWO JOSEPH JNR.

“

President Obama when Ghanaians heard that you were coming they all prayed for you and GOD has heard our prayers and now you have arrived”( paraphrase) … that was our president Prof. John Evans Atta Mills bidding the United States President Barack Hussein Obama farewell after his much anticipated and highlighted visit to our country ( which surprisingly was less than 24hrs).

It is so clear that our leaders behaved as if they were inferior to the Americans, when the latter came to OUR country it was as if we were rather in the United States and President Atta-Mills was just visiting, to such an extent that some ministers and government officials were quick to draw out their camera phone just to take a picture of Obama.

Even to the extent that our Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) would salute a foreign president upon his arrival in our own country whilst the president of Ghana himself stood around him unacknowledged.

It really enforced my belief and resolve that the so-called Ghanaian hospitality is a sham and there is no scintilla or truth in that proposition but rather we usually offer help and support to foreigner because of inferiority complex.

I have come to realize that Ghanaians are very timid and feels so inferior to foreigners especially those from America and Europe. It may probably stem from colonialism and neo-colonialism but through my experiences and observation, I have realized that Ghanaians feel so inferior and timid around foreigners that they are usually at the beck and call of these expatriates, a situation which is confused for hospitality. This I believe is so because Ghanaians in general can really treat their fellow Ghanaians in such a disgusting manner but will go ahead and treat a foreigner so graciously. When a Ghanaian sees an "oburoni" most of us are so willing to help such a person out not because we are so generally kind to fellow human beings but because we feel that such a person is above our status – wise and therefore we are obliged to help him out. Let’s even take a look at our governmental, medical and educational institutions, usually when we have white people visiting, the people there are usually so willing to help them out and to stop virtually what they are doing just to attend to them because they are coming from across the ocean.

This is a situation I find so disturbing in that we are so easily inclined to treat our fellow Ghanaians with contempt and disrespect. Go to our educational institutions and you will realize that it is very rare to find teachers and professors interacting with their students outside classes ours, as if their status will be diminished if such a thing happened but, however, let a bunch of foreign students who may even be peers of their own students arrive and then these “great men” will leave all their important work and follow these students around as if they were their fellow professors.

Not forgetting we virtually closed the La General Hospital because Obama was in town. Also leaving motorist

countrymen as if they are inferior and treat foreigners as superior people.

I honestly think that one of the main problems which affect our country is hypocrisy and also deceit. I am usually so surprised where the citizenry find the impetus to always lambast politicians and people in authority especially on radio for corruption and other vices. The Good Book (Bible) advises us to remove the log from our eyes before we attempt to remove the speck from our brother's eyes. A lot of Ghanaians especially those in commercial enterprises are always ready to dupe their brothers without batting an eyelid. I usually find it so hard to buy from people who do not display their prices, because such a

day for a 5 cedis , the seller asked us to buy it for 5 cedis. This is a daily occurrence all around Ghana where sellers and retailers are sometimes so quick to cheat and defraud buyers. Yet these same people are always so eager to condemn politicians and people in authority for the woes of Ghana. How many of Ghanaians in the informal sector of the economy dutifully file their tax returns? How many Ghanaians are willing to follow the laws that our lawmakers have made to regulate the country?

How many Ghanaians can tell me that they are always fair and just in their dealings? Yet we are always quick to condemn politicians, police personnel, judges, ministers etc for

However, when we see our neigbour’s son in a similar dress –code and living a similar lifestyle we are so quick to whisper to each other how bad his parent has brought him up, forgetting that the previous day we saw an hiplife artiste on T.V dressed in a worse fashion and portraying a worse lifestyle but we found no problem whatsoever with it.

Have you ever heard any well– meaning Ghanaian complain about our football stars and music stars (the males) who spot huge earrings and other dress-code so foreign and obscene to our culture? I think rarely does this happen but we always complain about the kids in our neighbourhood who dress likewise.

I am not saying that when our youth dress in a bad fashion we should not complain or that such bad dressing is right. However, I find every problem with hypocrites who do find such characteristics on stars as a virtue but regard it as a vice when we see it on someone else. I do not know about you but in my own dictionary that is hypocrisy at its peak.

Hopefully, another time I venture into my field (law) and write on how we majority of Ghanaians break the law (even those laws that they are aware of) with impunity but are so quick to call for the head of those who are caught.

However, I will not end this piece without stating my utmost displeasure and contempt for those who are so quick to throw refuse and waste anywhere and then turn around to condemn the government for doing nothing about waste management. One incident which etched deep in my mind is one occasion where I sat in a taxi cab with a middleaged lady and two school children.

The lady who was eating rice from a plastic bag comfortable threw the rubber into the middle of the street without any remorse, when one of the students told her that how does she expect the streets to be clean when she continues to drop refuse in the streets she was quick to retort that children of today do not respect, funny isn’t it. But she expects Ghana to be as clean as Paris.

Ghana is for all of us, and it is our duty and obligation to make it better for the next generation and for posterity. I think we all ought to change the bad habits we indulge in and also we must all come out to condemn the hypocrisy, deceit and pretence that is so prevalent in Ghana; rather than play ostrich and put our heads in the sand, thinking by not seeing them our problems will fade away.—Myjoyonline.com

Another typical characteristic of Ghanaians is that we are so quick to find fault with our neighbours children, acquaintances on a subject, which we may probably turn a blind eye on if we find it on a rich person or star.

Confused? I will come clearer. Have you not realized how we are able to sing along tunes on the television set with the artiste dressed like a rap star with the males in all kinds of earrings and ridiculous clothes with seminaked girls dancing sensuously around them but find no problem or mistake about it. unable to commute from one part of Accra to another because Ghanaians are not as important as a foreign president just passing through, we are just thankful that no person lost his/ her life because of this.

Please do not get me wrong I am not against Ghanaians being kind and hospitable to visitors or foreigners however it is better if we treat them with such kindness not because we fell inferior to them but because we are generally kind to other people.

Again , it is better we treat our fellow citizens with love and respect and rather extend these gestures to foreigners rather than treat our own

person will usually inflate the price of an item over three times and expect you to bargain to get it reduced, they are always on the look out to make extraordinary profit from you the unsuspecting customer.

I had such a strange encounter in the Kumasi central market the other day when I had gone to town with my friend to purchase a similar type of belt he had purchased just the previous day, when we got there the seller told us that the price was 15 cedis whiles my friend had bought it the previous day for 5 cedis , after he had brought it to his notice that he bought a similar one from him just a previous

corruption. Remove the log from your eyes first …

Another typical characteristic of Ghanaians is that we are so quick to find fault with our neighbours children, acquaintances on a subject, which we may probably turn a blind eye on if we find it on a rich person or star. Confused? I will come clearer.

Have you not realized how we are able to sing along tunes on the television set with the artiste dressed like a rap star with the males in all kinds of earrings and ridiculous clothes with semi- naked girls dancing sensuously around them but find no problem or mistake about it.

Konadu Kwadwo Joseph Jnr. Faculty of Law (KNU.S.T) CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND ADVANCED LEGAL RESEARCH (CHRALER) Jkkonadu5@yahoo.co.uk / jkkonadu5@gmail.com

Saturday, 17th March, 2012

BUSINESS TODAY

9

80% spare parts fake AngloGold ratings

peak with Moody's

N

ational Parts Manager for Toyota Ghana Limited (TGL), Mr. Wilfred Atoubi, has condemned the use of counterfeit spare parts that endangers the safety of drivers and passengers in the country.

He said a national survey conducted by TGL, revealed that 80 per cent of spare parts bought in the country were fake.

Mr. Atoubi was speaking at the launch of 2012 anti-counterfeit educational campaign in Accra, on the theme: ‘One Little Mistake, Big Trouble.’

He said the event was necessitated by the increasing influx of counterfeit products such as the clutch, bulb and wiper blades of vehicle on the Ghanaians markets.

Mr. Atoubi explained that low-quality or counterfeit clutches could lead to poor performance and the risk of unforeseen accidents.

He said that fake bulb resulted in blurred vision and caused accidents and easily allowed for oxygen which caused filament to burn.

Mr. Atoubi urged vehicle owners to use genuine parts because it has excellent atmospheric seals, prevents oxygen from entering them, has excellent insulation from thermal shock and could withstand vibrations and provide best lighting at night and prevent accidents.

He said most drivers underestimated the function of the wiper blades which he added caused accidents leading to deaths.

Mr. Atoubi said quality driving decisions were based on a clear unobstructed view of the road as good visibility was essential during rainy weather when vision may be obscured by water.

Managing Director of TGL, Mr. Takahiko Takabayashi, said the company has organized workshops, mounted billboards, played radio jingles and distributed flyers to educate customers on safety measures to avoid accidents.

R

ating agency, Moody's, has upgraded the issuer rating of AngloGold Ashanti Limited to Baa2 from Baa3. It has also upgraded the senior unsecured debt obligations of the company's guaranteed subsidiary to Baa2.

This is in recognition of significant improvements in the company's balance sheet position and operational performance. Moody's cited operating improvements, including at AngloGold Ashanti's Geita mine in Tanzania, where the Project ONE helped the mine

Mr. Takahiko Takabayashi, MD Toyota Ghana Ltd

FWSC appoints Earl Ankrah as PRO

T

hana has been ranked first in Africa as the country with the highest Internet speed, according to the latest global internet speed report released March 5, 2012.

Ghana was followed by Kenya, Angola and Rwanda.

The report, Ookla Net Index, saw Ghana placing 73rd globally with an average broadband speed of 5.36 millions of bits per second (Mbps).

Lithuania was first in the world with 31.67 Mbps followed by South Korea 30.59 Mbps and Latvia in third position with 27.42 Mbps.

The index listed Ghana Telecom (6.13 Mbps), Zipnet/Broadband Home Ltd (2.02 Mbps) and Scancom Limited (1.51 Mbps) as

G

Earl Ankrah, FWSC PRO

and Development.

Earl Ankrah was the multiple awardwinning creator and co-Anchor of Ghana’s firstever TV Breakfast Show and he worked briefly at GBC’s Corporate Affairs Division as a Senior Public Relations Advisor.

He has until recently been in and out of the country on private ventures.

Mr. Ankrah in a statement issued in Accra on Thursday, said he would not only be

a $700m bond due on 2020.

AngloGold Ashanti, the world's third-largest gold producer, is implementing its Project ONE business improvement initiative across its portfolio of 20 operations in 10 countries, on four continents, with the aim of enhancing productivity, efficiency and shareholder returns.

The planned production increase of some 27% within three years is expected to be realized from projects in construction or scheduled for final approval in the coming months and is expected to be funded from internal sources.

Ghana has fastest Internet speed in Africa – Report reveals

an ambassador of FWSC to the public, but would also be a representative of the public and stakeholders to Management at FWSC. He also pledged that his team would make the facilitation of stakeholders expectations of the Commission a prime objective.

The Commission would formally introduce Mr. Ankrah to the Media, Labour Front and Stakeholders at a corporate event shortly.

the major Internet service providers (ISPs) in the country.

Ookla is a broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications. The company’s software and methodologies set the broadband industry standards for accuracy, popularity, ease of use and the subsequent development of statistical data.

Ookla solutions have been adopted by nearly every Internet Service Provider in the world, and have been translated into over 30 languages for use by thousands of small businesses, federal and state governments, universities and major organizations such as AT&T, BBC, Cisco, Comcast, FCC, Reuters, Time Warner, Verizon, Vodafone and Vonage.

Accra to benefit from IBM grant

I

he Fair Wages a n d Salaries Commission (FWSC) has appointed Mr. Earl Ankrah, f o r m e r l y of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) as the Head of Public Affairs.

Mr. Ankrah brings to the job a combination of backgrounds in Broadcast Journalism, Public Relations and Human Resource Planning

achieve higher production in 2011 at a total cash cost of $536/oz, compared to a low at $728/oz in 2008.

Moody's also pointed to improvement at the Obuasi mine in Ghana, where cash generation after all capital expenditure contributed $39m in 2011, from a cash drain of $94m in 2008. The upgrade from Moody's has the potential to further improve AngloGold Ashanti's cost of capital.

The company, the first corporate in South Africa to issue 30-year, investmentgrade debt, has outstanding a $300m bond due in 2040 and

BM, a multinational technology company, announced on Thursday the selection of Accra as one of 32 cities worldwide to receive IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Grants during 2012.

A statement from the company said the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Grant would help Accra identify, prioritise and benchmark the key economic, societal and environmental challenges facing the city.

“The selection of Accra will help the city to improve its revenue collection capacity, allowing it to effectively position itself as a growing regional urban hub in Africa.

It is our hope that Accra’s investor potential will be significantly boosted by this grant,” said Country General Manager, IBM Ghana, Joe Mensah.

Launched in 2011, the Smarter Cities Challenge is a three-year, 100-city million programme, IBM's singlelargest philanthropic initiative, funds in-person engagements staffed by teams of top IBM experts, who study and then make detailed recommendations addressing locally important urban issues.

The Smarter Cities Challenge Grant comprises of the use of IBM technology alongside a deployment of highlevel team of executives who would be assigned to work on capacity building with urban authorities during their stay in Accra.

Specifically, the Grant would enable Accra streamline its revenue collection channels, leveraging IBM’s expertise in developing smarter systems for emerging cities.

The proposed outreach would include the deployment of a team of Smarter Challenge experts who are expected to be in Accra later this year. In addition, it covers complementary use of existing technologies for the duration of the engagement.

At the end of their tour, the team would officially present their findings and recommendations to senior public officials, including actionable recommendations.

Over the last 10 years, Accra has worked to invest in systems that would allow it to enjoy sustainable growth.

The city was recently declared a Millennium City by the Earth Institute of Columbia University, New York.

The Millennium Cities initiative is a project aimed at helping selected cities in subSaharan Africa to design effective and viable strategies towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The need to use new approaches to address civic challenges has never been greater. In 2008, according to the United Nations, more than half the world's population began living in cities for the first time.

These population centres

Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, AMA Boss are more economically powerful, politically influential, and technologically advanced than at any time in history.

But they also struggle with budgetary and operational challenges.

IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge is an outgrowth of IBM's Corporate Service Corps grants programme, in which IBM deploys teams of top employees to areas in the developing world to work on projects that intersect business, technology and society.

Since the launch of Corporate Service Corps in 2008, nearly 1,400 IBM employees based in 50 countries have been dispatched on more than 140 team assignments in 24 countries.

The Smarter Cities Challenge is sponsored by IBM's Corporate Citizenship programme and IBM’s International Foundation.

IBM has been a leader in corporate social responsibility and citizenship for 100 years.

Saturday, 17th March, 2012

10

ADVERT TODAY

COVER TODAY

FAKE ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS Cont’d from page 1

Saturday, 17th March, 2012

11

VBS football tourney enters exciting finish H

aving won the hearts of many soccer fans in the country, the VBS Corporate Football Challenge comes to an exciting finish as the eight (8) remaining corporate teams vie for the main cup and the winning title this weekend.

The tournament which has spanned 4 weeks has seen numerous companies eliminated and others excelling and thereby qualifying for the next stage.

After a month of playing, this weekend will however be the deciding factor on which company has the best soccer team in the whole of the Greater Accra Region.

Highly tipped to win teams like Standard Chartered Bank, Tullow and

carried out by the board to seize and destroy fake alcoholic beverages at Teshie, a suburb of Accra, last Tuesday.

The syndicate was detected during the board’s regular rounds aimed at checking on individuals and companies when they chanced upon an individual, Kwabena Ebow, engaged in the sale of unwholesome and fake products.

Mr. Essel explained that the culprit, Kwabena Ebow, told the FDB’s inspectorate team that he combines unwholesome ingredients, such as colours, and mixes these with ethanol, sugar, and other flavours to make his products.

He said Kwabena Ebow was arrested and has been handed over to the police, who will soon process him for court.

According to him, when unsuspecting consumers take in these uncertified products they could go blind from the likelihood of ethanol overdose used in these alcoholic beverages made by quack producers.

Items impounded from Kwabena Ebow’s bedroom, which also serves as a production factory, include Mandigo, Agya Appiah and Castle Bridge.

Mr. Essel gave the assurance that the FDB is committed to ensuring the safety of consumers always, and they will carry out that mandate by also fighting unscrupulous people who perpetrate STORY: KORYEKPOR AWLESU FREEMAN illegal acts by fabricating fake products for public consumption. ressure group, Alliance for Accountable Governance The FDB official advised in(AFAG), has condemned what it describes as the dividuals who take alcohol on ‘arrest and unlawful detention’ of the Director of regular bases to be cautious when Operations of Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman purchasing the product for conRawlings (FONKAR,) Mr. Owusu Bempah, by operatives sumption.

He also encouraged the general of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).

In a statement issued yesterday and signed by the leadership public to report to the FDB any individual engaged in peddling of AFAG, the group expressed that it is “deeply concerned about fake products for public or pri- the arrest and unlawful detention of Ernest Owusu Bempah a vate consumption, and the board Ghanaian journalist for allegedly mentioning the first lady as a beneficiary of 5 million dollars from Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woywould take immediate action.

AFAG flays BNI

P

ICPS seem to have the upperhand over underdogs like Fidelity Bank, TOR, Stanbic Bank, L’Oreal West Africa and MET Insurance Starting at 8.00am prompt at the University of Ghana’s Sarbah Field, this Saturday, the Quarter Finals’ first match will be played between Tullow and MET Insurance.

This will be followed at 9.30am with TOR against Fidelity Bank and concluded with a match between Stanbic Bank and Standard Chartered Bank.

The winning teams will then qualify for the Semi-Finals which will be held at the same venue later on in the afternoon.

Rejuvenated and geared for the trophy, the last two (2) corporate teams

ome, the NDC financier, at the centre of the ‘Woyomegate scandal.’

According to AFAG, not only does the arrest and detention constitute an assault on the right to free expression guaranteed under the 1992 constitution, but also raises serious questions on the tolerance level of the Millsled government.

“It is also important to place on record that, in all of these, AFAG smells a grand design hatched by the Mills’ led government to intimidate and ultimately cow Ghanaians especially the press into submission ahead of the 2012 General Elections, the statement stressed.

AFAG also decried the conduct of the BNI in the arrest of Mr. Owusu Bempah.

“AFAG is equally appalled by the unpro-

battle it out on Sunday the 18th of March in the finals for the coveted title of VBS Football Challenge Champions for 2012 The VBS Corporate Football Challenge is a health and wellness project initiated by Vodafone’s Business Solution to encourage an active lifestyle amongst corporate institutions as they are often the victims of minimal movement due to the nature of their jobs.

The football challenge, which requires adequate training, therefore compels its participants to be physically active.

The competition is also an apt networking opportunity for individuals outside their work environment.

fessional conduct of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) in dealing with the matter at hand,” the statement added.

“Like all lovers of freedom, we are scandalised by the reasons which informed the BNI to whisk Owusu Bempah from the BNI office to an unknown destination without the knowledge of his team of lawyers.

The arrest, AFAG contended, defies due process and must be condemned in no uncertain terms.

“AFAG is of the view that, Ghanaians do not enjoy their freedoms at the pleasure of any individual including the President or members of his family. To this end, we will continuously push for the enjoyment of the right of ‘freedom and justice’ by all Ghanaians,” the group affirmed.

Saturday, 17th March, 2012

PLATFORM TODAY

PPP ADVERT TODAY

CALL THESE NUMBERS TO REGISTER TO BECOME A PPP MEMBER BRONG AHAFO

0272756199, 0269503064, 0202362798

0262901116, 0200384919

CENTRAL

0543424142 / 0276368029

0243268919

EASTERN

0208306965

020-8336504

GREATER ACCRA

0277576245

0244628273

NORTHERN

0244512600

UPPER EAST UPPER WEST VOLTA

0243712089 0209373581 0243108292

WESTERN

0208167226

ASHANTI

0244097732

0246573716 0205467724 0243928748 0209051691

YOU CAN ALSO REGISTER TO BECOME A MEMBER @ www.pppghana.org

TO FOLLOW DR. NDUOM ON YOUR PHONE, PLEASE TEXT PKN TO 1402

Awake!

CMYK