la Palm Casino and Saigon Gaming centres give to New Horizon(31/7/09)

The New Horizon Special school has received building materials worth GH¢20,000 from the La Palm Casino and Saigon, two leading game centres in the country.
The items included 200m square tiles, eight units of enamel basins, packets of roofing sheets, 35 buckets of emulsion paints and wood for roofing.
Other items included, a photocopier , a quantity of fabrics for tie-dye,200 bags of cement and a table top fridge.
Presenting the items, the General Manager of the Casino, Mr Colin Parker, said the donation was to support the school’s classroom project.
He said it was also in line with the company’s social responsibility to the school and the community in which they operated.
Mr Parker said the proper integration of children into the society would help them enjoy life although they were deprived. Receiving the items, the Executive Director of the school, Mrs Salome Francois, expressed her profound gratitude to the two organisations for their kind gesture.
She said most children in the special schools needed much attention, care and love, and that society had the responsibility to help ensure their well-being.
“These kids have a right to live and be part of the society and with much love and care they can contribute to the development of this country,” she said.
A board member of the school, Ms Sylvia Francois, said the classroom project, which cost about $45,000 was expected to ease congestion in the school.
She said the building would consist of classrooms, physiotherapy centre and autism rooms to help manage the disabilities of the children.
“We are improving on our facilities here to help keep up with the modern technological facilities that are needed in the training and upbringing of the children,” she added.
Ms Francois said the school faced financial difficulties which had made it impossible to hire adequate teachers.
She, therefore, called on individuals and corporate institutions to emulate the example of the La Palm Casino, and come to their aid.
Ms Francois said the regular teachers were not interested in teaching the children with special needs, and appealed to the Ghana Education Service to train more teachers in that field.

Juaboso DCE pledges (30/7/09)

The Juaboso District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Fuachie Solomon, has expressed his commitment to enhancing security in the area.
He said he had received numerous reports of rampant armed robbery cases and other violent crimes in the district.
He said although the criminal activities would hamper the development of the district, measures were being put in place to tackle them.
Mr Solomon expressed this commitment when he addressed the third session of the General Meeting of the Juaboso District Assembly.
He said as a first step to ensuring safety in the area, the assembly had strengthened the security agencies in the area and had also contracted a Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) official to ensure absolute control of the security network in the area.
“I will work assiduously as the chairman of the district security committee to reduce the looming security threats in our area in order to ensure that the security situation improves in the district, “ he said.
Outlining his plans for the area, the DCE said he would work together with the people to bring about development.
Touching on the unemployment situation in the area, he said the agricultural sector would be made attractive for the youth.
“A practical example is the Inland valley rice project which is currently being undertaken in a few communities,” he added.
He also asked the assembly members to work diligently to mobilise their people in the electoral area to undertake regular environmental sanitation in their various communities.
”The nationwide clean-up exercises initiated by the President is one step to ensure good sanitation practices in our various communities, and we will make them regular,” he stated.
The DCE announced that a community based rural development organisation was assisting the district with GH¢240,000 for the construction of schools and area council offices.
Mr Solomon stressed the need for the assembly to generate revenue internally to supplement the district’s share of the common fund.
He urged the revenue and budget department of the assembly to institute measures to step-up revenue mobilisation activities in order to raise adequate funds to supplement the already “over-burdened common fund.”
The Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Samson Ahi, assured the assembly of his commitment to ensuring that all the projects outlined by the DCE were executed.
There were goodwill messages from the chiefs and opinion leaders.

Govt provides credit for SMEs(31/7/09)

Government has allocated $40 million credit facility to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country to enhance their business.
This is in fulfilment of government’s pledge to support the growth of SMEs and put them in a better position to contribute effectively in the transformation of the country’s economy.
The SME’s Coordinator at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI), Mr Francis Kusi said this at the launching of an SME Toolbox in Accra, on behalf of Ms Hanna Tetteh, the Minister of Trade and Industry.
The SME Toolbox is a book developed by the Oguaa Business Incubator and sponsored by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and MoTI.
Mr Kusi stated that MoTI initiated the programmes to address the financial challenges being faced by SMEs and had embarked on a number of interventions to arrest the situation.
Mr Kusi stated that as part of the interventions, government would soon launch a national industry policy, which would encompass an industrial sector support programme to spell out projects to be undertaken for a sustainable development of the industrial sector, including the SMEs.
“The implementation of the policy will enable SMEs in the country to have a reliable policy direction that can make them competitive,” he stated.
He further said that the trade sector support programme being under taken by the ministry would create an ambience where SMEs would operate effectively to win market shares in the globally competitive economy.
Mr Kusi commended JICA for the initiative, which he said would complement the ministry’s projects.
“The Toolbox would serve as an assistance to entrepreneurs to operate their businesses effectively and help enterprise to grow from the informal sector and from SMEs to large companies,” he said.
He said it would also create new businesses to help reduce the rate of unemployment in the country.
The Toolbox is a compilation of essential information, business development services and plans needed in starting small-scale businesses, and contains information on the day-to-day management of small businesses, legal and ethical environment for pursuing business opportunities in Ghana, briefs on regulatory agencies and SME support institutions among others.
The Japanese Ambassador, Mr Keiichi Katakami, noted that the significant means of approaching and implementing strategies that would lead to the growth of SMEs in Ghana should be paramount on government initiatives .
He said the Japanese government had initiated various projects such as the promotion of industrial development and SME promotion development through JICA to assist small-scale businesses in the country.
“In line with the strategic direction of the government of Ghana, Japan intends to focus its assistance on micro, small, medium enterprises and the manufacturing sectors, especially in the local industries that utilise local resources,” he stated.
The JICA Resident Representative, Mr Kunihiro Yamanchi expressed the hope that the contents of the SME Toolbox would help SMEs grow and thrive in the country.

Two firms institute programme for youth employment (23/7/09)

A BUSINESS Process Outsourcing (BPO) company, Rising Data Solution Ghana (RDS), and Intercom Programming and Manufacturing Company Limited (IPMC) have instituted a programme to provide jobs for the youth.
Under the programme, IPMC will provide training in Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) for a number of Ghanaians, while RDS will employ directly the students on completion of the course.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between IPMC, an ICT training institution and RDS to authenticate the initiative.
By this agreement, IPMC will teach courses specifically designed for the BPO industry. Some of the courses include, accent neutralisation, transcription and customer service technique.
The Director of Finance of RDS, Ms Irene Banias, signed for RDS, while the CEO of IPMC, Mr Amar Deep S Hari, initialled for the IPMC.
The Business Development Manager of RDS, Mr A. J. Whitman, said the BPO industry was one huge sector the country could tap into in order to create jobs for the unemployed youth.
He mentioned, for instance, that the industry was valued at $110 billion in 2002 and was estimated to increase to about $175 billion by 2010.
The CEO of IPMC, Mr Amar Hari, commended RDS for taking the giant step to invest in the country and, particularly in the BPO sector.
Mr Hari said he had for a long time sourced for partners in that particular area of ICT and was happy RDS had come on board.
He also encouraged the management of RDS to venture into the rural areas of the country as there existed a lot of potential that needed to be tapped.
The CEO said in an effort to empower women, IPMC had 40 per cent allocation for women and hoped to increase it in the coming years, calling on RDS to do same.
The Director of IT Enabled Service Secretariat Ghana, Mr Alhassan Umar, assured management of RDS of the government’s support as job creation for the youth was its top priority.
Mr Alhassan said the government had initiated moves to solve the problem of redundancy which the PBO service providers and others were facing in the country.
He mentioned the landing station soon to be completed by GLO 1 as a measure under way to solve the problem in the short term.

Carpenter held over car theft (25/6/09)

A 27-year-old carpenter, Yaw Adu, who together with an accomplice allegedly snatched a Kia taxicab with registration number GC 41060Z from its driver at Kwashieman, has been arrested by the Odorkor police in Accra.
His accomplice, Kinsley Tawiah, is on the run and being sought by the Odorkor police.
The Odorkor Police District Commander, Superintendent Ebenzer Asare, told the Daily Graphic that on June 17, 2009 at about 9:30 p.m. the driver of the taxicab, Kwame Abaw, was on his normal rounds when the two stopped him for his service.
The two, he said, told the driver to take them to Santa Maria in Accra after he had charged them GH¢2.00.
“Upon reaching Blue Kiosk, an area within Santa Maria, the two suspects attacked the driver with a knife and told him to surrender his car to them, which he complied with and afterwards they sped off with the car,” he said.
Supt Asare said the driver then lodged a complaint at the Odorkor Police Station.
On June 18, 2009, he said a police patrol team intercepted the taxicab at Amanase near Suhum, where Yaw Adu was arrested.
The suspect had since been arraigned before court while efforts are still underway to arrest Kinsley Tawiah, his accomplice.

IRS supports Cardio Centre (27/6/09)

THE Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has donated a cheque for GH¢10,000 to the Ghana Heart Foundation (GHF) to support its activities.
Presenting the cheque, the Deputy Commissioner for Administration at the IRS, Mr Ebow Enyimayew, said the donation was part of the service’s yearly commitment to the GHF.
He said it was also consistent with its social responsibility to support patients in need.
He said the money, which was raised through deductions from the salaries of all staff members and management, was a way of contributing to the country’s health delivery
Mr Enyimayew took the opportunity to advise staff of the foundation to file their tax returns for the country to generate more revenue for development.
Receiving the cheque, the President of the GHF, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, expressed his sincere gratitude to the IRS for the enormous support and pledged that the donation would benefit patients who could not afford treatment at the centre.
The Deputy Director of Nursing Services at the foundation, Mrs Rebecca Essilfie, called on individuals and corporate organisations to support the foundation to establish a $14 million Paediatric Heart Centre to cater for children.
She also appealed to individuals and organisations to help set up a playroom with toys and teaching and learning aids for the children at the centre.

Prestige Academy holds graduation(30/6/09)

Prestige Gateway Academy (PGA), a private tertiary institution, held its second graduation ceremony in Accra at the weekend.
In all 48 students, made up of 30 females and 18 males graduated in accounting and finance, public relations, marketing and intensive English language among others.
The institution, which is made up of mostly Francophone students and some Ghanaians, is in the process of affiliating with some universities in order to attain higher standards.
The Director of PGA, Ms Herty Nancy Sackey, said the school, which started with three students, now has a population of 250 students from Cote d’Ivoire, Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Togo and Ghana among others.
She said the school would soon be expanded, adding that “We are also looking at the possibility of ordering our own textbooks from Britain, come next academic year.”
Ms Sackey said although the institution had chalked up a few successes, there were some challenges which hampered the smooth running of the school.
She noted that because most of the students were from different backgrounds and cultures it was difficult for them to co-exist.
She said the students were not punctual and advised them to be regular in order to achieve their future goals.
The General Secretary of the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM) Mr. Eric Agbenyo advised the graduates to take their studies seriously.
He also called on tutorial colleges to be serious with their infrastructure and employ qualified lecturers to teach, since the National Accreditation Board would close some colleges which were not meeting their standard.

Technical,Vocational skills very important (29/6/09)

THE Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah, has urged Ghanaians to discard the notion that technical and vocational education is for students who do not perform well at the basic school level.
“Technical and vocational skills education play very important role in our everyday lives, without which life would be very difficult, as daily activities revolve around them,” he added.
Mr Bannerman-Mensah made the remarks when he commissioned an IT hardware centre at the closing ceremony of the Computer System Support Programme (CSSP) at the Accra Technical Training Centre (ATTC) in Accra.
The CSSP was a two-week training programme organised by the Technical and Vocational Education Division (TVED) of the GES for 10 technical skills teachers from selected technical institutions to acquire computer hardware and maintenance skills.
Mr Bannerman-Mensah, therefore, advised that students who had interest in technical and vocational skills education should be encouraged to take up the course as it would empower them economically and also contribute to national development.
He said the training centre would ensure availability of regular training materials to students undergoing the training.
Mr Bannerman-Mensah noted that similar centres would be set up in other regions which would provide maintenance and repair services to all schools with computers.
He also expressed his profound gratitude to UNESCO for sponsoring the programme.
For his part, the Principal of the ATTC, Mr Ameyaw-Baafi, also expressed his sincere gratitude to the TVED for instituting the programme, and assured Ghanaians that ATTC would maintain the tools and equipment at the centre.
“We will train and produce quality technicians for the socio-economic development of the country,” he added.
Mr Ameyaw-Baafi appealed to the government to allocate more funds to the TVED to sustain the programme.

Beauty and Spa industry needs educated people(29/6/09)

The Chief Executive Officer of Allure Africa, Mrs Dzigbodi Dosoo, has urged Ghanaians to disabuse their minds of the notion that the beauty and health spa profession is the last resort for school dropouts.
She observed that most of the people in the industry were where they were because they had educated themselves to the highest level.
Mrs Dosoo said this in an interview with the Daily Graphic at the closing ceremony of Iyaba 09 in Accra last Thursday.
The Iyaba 09, a beauty and spa exhibition, was held for the players in the industry to learn and acquire new skills.
Mrs Dosoo said they were also contributing their quota to national development through taxes and the creation of employment for the youth.
On the exhibition, Mrs Dosoo said it had a huge turnout with participants acquiring lots of new skills.
She advised the beauty and spa associations to be united as “it is togetherness that would make the industry grow economically”.
For her part, the Sales and Marketing Manager of Allure Africa, Mrs Nana Efua Rockson, noted that although the exhibition had a huge turnout, there were a few hitches, which were later rectified.
She expressed the hope that Iyaba 2010, which is slated for February next year, would attract more participants than this year’s.
Some participants and exhibitors the Daily Graphic spoke to, expressed their gratitude to Allure Africa for the initiative and asked that it should be held every year for those in the industry to learn more.

Stanchart holds final draw

STANDARD Chartered Bank at the weekend held the final draw of its "Believe and Win" promotion meant to reward loyal customers of the bank.
The grand promotion, which was also meant to instil the habit of savings among customers, saw Mr Isaac Ibrahim, a customer of the Opebia branch of the bank, emerge as the first prize winner.
For his prize, Mr Ibrahim, whose ticket was the last to be picked up, is to receive a VW Toureg, valued at $55,000.
Mr Daniel Cobbina Dehson, who emerged as the second prize winner, was also presented with an Accra-Dubai-Accra ticket.
The third prize winner was Mr Samuel Mensah who took away a plasma T.V.
The other winners from 4th to 10th were given consolation prizes, which included lap tops, mobile phones and home theatres.
The promotion was launched in November last year and the first draw was held in February during which a customer was rewarded with a VW Surano.
The Product Manager for Current and Savings Account, Mr Prince Tony Ebin, said the raffle was held to reward loyal customers of the bank and to thank their valued customers who had been with them for all these years.
He said customers who took part in the raffle were those who had deposited GH¢500 in their accounts by March 31, 2009.
He said they were issued with coupons which qualified them to take part the final draw.
He said Stanchart would continue to serve their customers better, adding, "We will continue to give out cars, houses and many more to enhance the good relationship we have with our customers."

Emulate the work of early missionaries-Moderator

The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Right Reverend Yaw Frimpong-Manso, has urged the clergy to emulate the work of the early missionaries who contributed immensely towards the development of the country.
Through the efforts of the missionaries, he said, schools and hospitals, as well as agricultural projects were instituted.
Reverend Frimpong-Manso was speaking at Abokobi near Accra yesterday, at the opening of a five-day seminar being organised by the Association on Churches and Missions in South Western Germany.
“The pioneer missionaries were moved by passion for Christ to bring hope to the hopeless through church life and social services,” he said.
Therefore, he noted that there was a need for religious bodies to use their office to improve on the lives of their congregation and the nation.
Rev. Frimpong-Manso said the early missionaries committed themselves to effective evangelism and in the process brought the gospel to the people.
He however, noted that these remarkable achievements by the missionaries could not effectively continue as Christians of today had relented in their efforts to evangelise.
“It is now our turn to evangelise to our communities and nation and even to the uttermost parts of the world,” he added.
He expressed the hope that the participants would provide suggestions to enhance the image of the church in Ghana and that of the International body of churches in Germany.
The Director for International and Social Relations, Reverend Dr Samuel Ayete-Nyampong said the seminar sought to bring churches together and share ideas on promoting missions.
He noted that the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) had benefited in various ways from the association in the areas of healthcare, vocational skills training, scholarships among others things.
“We have also embarked on various projects such as capacity and peace building which are helping the youth in PCG immensely,” he said.
In all, 36 participants from 28 churches representing 10 countries are attending the seminar.
The Association of Churches and Missions in South Western Germany is a network of 23 churches and five mission organisations located in different countries.

(Strengthen electoral system—Alhaji Mumuni)-Alhaji Mumuni)(16/6/09)

THE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, has underlined the need for the Electoral Commission (EC) to strengthen the country’s electoral system for other African countries to emulate.
He said although Ghana's electoral system was on course, there was more room for improvement to help deepen our democracy.
The foreign minister said this in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of a two-week training programme on election management in Accra yesterday.
Twenty participants who are staff of electoral commissions from 15 African countries are participating in the programme to deliberate on how to ensure free and fair elections in Africa. The programme is being organised by the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA).
Alhaji Mumuni stated that it was time for Ghanaians to join the crusade that aimed at institutionalising the tenets of democracy and good governance.
"These are prerequisite for the security and stability that the continent needs for a sustainable development," he said.
Alhaji Mumuni stated that election management had become one of the biggest challenges facing Africa in its quest to establish a democratic government.
He said the programme was timely as most of the participants would share their experiences and come up with suggestions and draw lessons that could be implemented to improve election management in Africa.
The Director of LECIA, Professor Kofi Kumado, said the programme sought to sensitise participants to the Electoral Commission’s (EC’s) obligations about the basic laws of elections.
He said training would also equip the trainees with the competencies and expertise to manage elections on the continent.
“Stakes are high in elections lately; we need to have people who are prepared to prevent chaos and crisis in elections,” Prof. Kumado said.
He stated that an election management body was the authority in a nation charged with administering the electoral process.

NGO raises funds to build schools(11/6/09)

THE Benedict Sanitation and Development Trust Fund, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has held an inaugural and fund-raising ceremony in Accra to raise funds for the construction of school blocks for communities in parts of the country.
The NGO hopes to raise GH¢50 million to build up to 6,000 basic school classrooms within the next six years.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NGO, Mr Charles Owusu, who spoke to the Daily Graphic after the ceremony, said the NGO would also renovate 35 senior high schools in the Eastern, Ashanti, Central and some parts of the Northern regions.
The projects are expected to commence before the end of the year.
He stated that the project was to complement government’s efforts at alleviating poverty in deprived communities through sustainable basic sanitation systems.
Under the initiative, he said, some lavatories would be sited at some departments of the Ridge Hospital and in individual households to help forestall the imminent outbreak of contagious diseases, adding “We also plan to provide 150 public places of convenience and washrooms.”
“It is important to know that access to proper sanitation facilities is not just vital for life; it is a human right and the basis of development,” he added.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minster for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, lauded the initiative by the NGO.
He stated that despite the huge investment made by the government to improve the country’s sanitation, little impact had been made, as most cities and towns had drains which were choked with heaps of garbage.
“It is refreshing that there is increasing commitment from the government, development partners and stakeholders towards reversing the continuous deterioration of the sanitation situation in the country,” he added.
He called on other organisations to emulate the example by the NGO and support his ministry to make rapid progress to scale-up environmental sanitation infrastructure and services.
He also pledged the government’s support to ensure that the programme was sustained.

Junior Achievement trains 30 teachers in entrepreneurship

THIRTY teachers from selected basic schools have benefited from a training programme organised by Junior Acheivement (JA) Ghana, to assist with the delivery of JA entrepreneurial and work readiness programmes.
The teachers were drawn from the Sempe Cluster of Schools, Martyrs of Uganda, Calvary International, St Anthony School and St Kizito Basic School among others.They were taken through the various sectional themes and programme standards adherence.
The Executive Director of JA, Mr Jeff Agbai said JA sought to strengthen its relations with teachers, adding that JA is a volunteer-driven organisation and its work is facilitated through the direct service provided members of the community who volunteer in the classroom to teach the kids JA programmes.”
Mr Agbai said as the demand for JA programmes continued to grow nation-wide, the capacity to meet these demands relied heavily on the JA’s ability to recruit and train new volunteers.
For his part, the Communications and Programmes Officer of JA, Mr Kwabena Gameli Kugblenu urged the teachers to work hard and accommodate the concerns of students in other to enhance the programme’s success.
He expressed the hope that the programme would complement school curriculum, adding “It is not only to assist students to be awake to global issues but to provide them with the needed skills, knowledge and experience to take their academic work seriously.”
Mr Kugblenu said JA programmes also introduced the concept of globalisation of business as it related to production materials and the need for students to be entrepreneurial in their thinking to meet the requirements of high demand careers world-wide.
The Assistant Programmes Officer, Mr Marfo Mickson Somuah observed that any problem that affected the development of every nation was a national problem, thus the collective goal of JA was to include teachers to help find solutions to some of these problems.
He said the essence of the exercise made it paramount for the involvement of all, in order to ensure accelerated socio-economic development as a nation.
"The education of the youth should be given topmost priority," he added.

PSWU supports 4-year SHS

THE Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has expressed support for the four-year duration of Senior High School (SHS) programme.
The union was of the view that three years duration of the SHS was too short a period for the former seven-year programme which comprised five years of ‘O’ level and two yearsof ‘A’ level.
According to the PSWU, “We are saying this because of the poor results of the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSSCE) in recent times.
The General Secretary of the PSWU, Mr Abraham Okine expressed the position of the PSWU at its founders day ceremony as part of its 50th anniversary celebration in Accra.
The celebration was on the theme, “PSWU, 50 years in service of workers-The way forward.”
He said the union had followed with keen interest the debate on the duration of the SHS and expressed regret that the consultative forum could not arrive at a consensus.
He called on the government to provide the necessary infrastructure for the four -year programme to continue since that would give enough time for the students to study and pass their examinations well.
The General Secretary acknowledged the efforts of the founding members of the union for the initiative to form the union. “We would like to register our satisfaction and gratitude to our pioneering patriots both living and dead for their good judgement and selflessness in coming to form this great union,” he added.
He said their perseverance and sacrifices marked the historic turning point of creating the union, which the present rank and file would never forget.
Mr Okine assured Ghanaians that the PSWU would continue to champion the course of workers and would not compromise its principles in the effort towards the realisation of its goals.
The PSWU which started with 16 members in 1959 now has over 56 union members in different organisations in the country.
Recounting the events which led to the formation of the union 50 years ago, the first General Secretary of the union, Mr Frederick Asante said the union was formed to ensure the well being of workers at that time and underscored the need for the union to continue to be the mouthpiece of workers in decision making and a representative of workers in the corridors of powers.
“The purpose of the union is to create a condition that would make you an architect of your future,” he said.
In a fraternal message, the Director General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Mr William Ampem-Darko congratulated the union and called on the executives to train their members to enable them meet the fast growing global requirements of technology in the job market.
There were other messages from the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Ghana Meteorological Agency, Ghana Tourist Board and Ms Samia Nkrumah, Member of Parliament for Jomoro.

Technical skills teachers learn computer hardware skills(8/6/09)

A two-week computer support systems programme to equip teachers in some selected technical institutions with computer hardware skills opened in Accra yesterday.
The training programme which will be replicated in other technical training institutes is being funded by UNESCO at the cost of $50,000.
The funding will also cover the purchasing and installation of computer hardware equipment at the Accra Technical Training Centre (ATTC).
The training programme is being organised by the Technical and Vocational Education Division (TVED) of the Ghana Education Service (GES) at Intercom Programming and Manufacturing Company (IPMC).
Participants at the training programme are technical skills teachers drawn from the Accra, Ada, Kumasi, Takoradi, and Dapokpa technical institutes in Ghana.
The Project Coordinator, Mr Philip Kwesi Incoom, said the computer support systems programme was aimed at assisting the technical skills teachers to repair and service computers.
He explained that the programme was also intended to create employment for the youth in order to reduce poverty in Ghana.
Mr Incoom stated that the programme would be piloted at Accra Technical Training Centre (ATTC).
“ICT programmes in schools do not make provision for hardware computer training, thus this move by the TVED is laudable,” he said.
He said after completion of the programme, computer hardware equipment would be installed at ATTC to train senior high school (SHS) students who would be admitted to undertake the CSSP for two years.
The Director for TVED, Mr Asamoah Duodu, said the programme would enable participants to maintain computers which were hitherto thrown away when they became faulty.
“It is expected that trainees would acquire employable skills and competencies that would help reduce unemployment,“ he said.
He added that the trainees would undertake courses such as installation of personal computer components, operating system fundamentals, demonstrating PC technician professional best practices, identifying and applying network technologies.
The Head of Training at IPMC, Mrs Vimala Choudary, advised the trainees to make use of all the facilities at their disposal to enable them acquire the needed skills.

IRS donates to Ghana National Trust Fund(1/6/09)

THE Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has donated GH¢2000 to the Ghana National Trust Fund (GNTF) to aid its activities.
Presenting the cheque at a ceremony in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Commissioner for Administration of the IRS, Mr Kobina Enyimayew said the donation was part of the service’s yearly commitment to the GNTF which was also in line with its social responsibility to support the less- privileged in society.
He said the money, which was accrued through deductions from the salaries of all staff members and management, was a way of contributing to sustain of the fund.
Receiving the cheque, the Executive Secretary of the GNTF, Ms Joyce Frimpong expressed gratitude to the IRS and pledged that the donation would be used judiciously.
She said the GNTF was established by Dr Kwame Nkrumah to cater for the handicapped and the less privileged in the society through donations from public institutions, corporate bodies and individuals.
She however, said the fund no longer benefited from these donations from individuals due to the proliferation of non governmental agencies (NGOs).
Ms Frimpong noted that the fund provided persons living with disabilities subventions, educational and medical grants.
She therefore called on organisations and individuals to emulate the move by the IRS and come to its aid.

Ga Manye fetes the aged(5/6/09)

The Ga Manye, Naa Dedei Omaadru III, has cautioned the youth, particularly girls, against greed and love for quick money since these attributes had the tendency to lead them astray.
Rather, she said, they should take their education seriously to achieve greater heights in future.
Naa Omaadru gave the advice at a party she organised in her residence at Dansoman in Accra last Saturday to commemorate her 45th anniversary as a queen and her 75th birthday.
She donated items worth GH¢2,000 and an undisclosed amount of money to each of the 60 elderly men and women who attended the party.
Naa Omaadru expressed her determination to support brilliant but needy youth to further their education and acquire employable skills .
Already, she said, the Naa Omaadru Foundation, which she established, had provided support to some underprivileged people in society to earn a living.
The foundation, she said, had drawn up educational, health and women empowerment programmes for the aged and the youth in society to help improve their lives.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Ga Manye said the occasion was to interact with the aged in society to help improve their livelihoods with the little support she could offer.
She, therefore, called on individuals and benevolent organisations to support her foundation as it lacked adequate financial support.

Children with low intelligent quotient -Due to Vitamin A and iron deficiency(6/6/09)

A Deputy Chief Nutritional Officer of Ministry of Health, Mrs Kate Quarshie, has stated that studies conducted on vitamin A and iron deficiency among children, show that seven out of every 10 children in Ghana suffer from vitamin A and iron deficiency.
She said as a result, a number of children of school-going age have low intelligent quotient (IQ).
The IQ measures the degree of the capacity of a person to think and understand issues. Vitamin A and iron are nutrients which are useful in enhancing the IQ of people, particularly children.
Speaking at a workshop organised by the Consumers Association of Ghana (CAG) in Accra on Tuesday, Mrs Quarshie, therefore, underlined the need for Ghanaians to use fortified wheat flour and vegetable oil for cooking, since these contain essential nutrients for healthy growth.
She noted that the fortified wheat flour and vegetable oil contained selected nutrients such as iron, vitamins A and B, and folic acid, which help to reduce the deficiency in food nutrients.
She said children who suffered stunted growth lacked the vitamins and minerals needed for growth and development, adding that “It is, therefore, beneficial to use the fortified wheat flour and vegetable oil, because the increase in vitamin A intake makes the children less likely to suffer from infections such as diahorrea and measles”.
Mrs Quarshie explained that food fortified with these nutrients does not change in taste, colour, flavour and cooking qualities, and advised Ghanaians to eat fruits, vegetables and a variety of other foods daily to stay healthy, adding “Remember to always use oil in moderation”.
A food scientist at the Food Research Institute, Mr Charles Torto, also advised Ghanaians, particularly food vendors against the improper handling of food which results in food-borne illnesses.
He said there was a need for food vendors to keep food at safe temperatures before their consumption.
The Head of the CAG, Mr Ferdinard Tay, called for a law to protect the rights of consumers in the country.
The workshop was attended by participants from various women groups such as the women fellowships of churches, Fire Service Ladies Association (FISLA), traders and the women’s wing of the Physically Challenged Association.

Junior Achievement organises “You can B” contest for schools

JUNIOR Achievement (JA), an organisation dedicated to educating students on workforce readiness and entrepreneurship, has organised a competition dubbed, "You can B- from Inspiration to Entrepreneurship" for selected senior high school (SHS) students from five regions in the country.
The students were drawn from more than 20 SHSs in the Greater Accra, Eastern, Central, Volta and Western regions of Ghana.
The competition, which was sponsored by Barclays Bank Ghana Limited, will inspire entrepreneurial thinking and instil the spirit of innovation in the students.
The £1.5 million project is expected to run for 12-16 weeks and would benefit over 8,000 students in Ghana and other parts of Africa.
The Executive Director of JA, Mr Jeff Agbai, said the competition would help prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it.
"It would improve the interpersonal as well as the problem-solving skills of the students to enable them learn to work under very tight deadlines," he said.
He said the students would be able to foster understanding of the world and a spirit of entrepreneurship through the principle of learning by doing.
Mr Agbai said the event would enable the students to put those lessons they had learnt into action and contribute their quota to the development of communities in which they lived.
The Managing Director of Barclays Bank, Mr Benjamin Dabrah, said developing the youth was important to the sustainabilty of any business today.
They will learn how to interact appropriately with colleagues, learn how to formulate and achieve their career goals and appreciate the importance of presenting themselves in a professional manner,” he noted.
Barclays Bank employees did an on-site career monitoring to ensure that the students really understood the task they were undertaking.
At the end of the competition, students from the SOS Herman Gmeiner College at Tema, emerged winners. They received an Excellence Award.
Students from Pope John SHS came second, and for their prize, they took awy the Chairman's Award.
Students from Aburi Girls SHS, who placed third, were given the Junior Achievement Award.
Other participating schools were Mfantsiman Girls SHS, Adisadel College SHS, St Peters SHS, Mawuli SHS, Bishop Herman SHS, Osu Saleem SHS, St Augustine’s College, Keta SHS, Wesley Grammar SHS and Mfantsipim School.