The Greater Accra Tomato Traders Association (GATTA) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has cautioned the contractor working at the Aflao Station at Tudu in Accra against using “macho” men to scare them away from the market.
The General Secretary of the association, Madam Lydia Afoley Anum, told the Daily Graphic that the contractor was using “macho” men to work at the site at mid-night after the peaceful demonstration they undertook against the construction of a building in the area.
“We will use every avenue at our disposal to prevent the construction”, she said.
To back their words, members of the association have for the past one week been sleeping at the market to ensure that no work goes on at the site.
In their quest to have an amicable solution to the problem, the association has petitioned the Greater Accra regional minister, the minister for women and children’s affair and the TUC as the AMA seemed to be siding with the contractor.
Madam Anum said evicting them from the market would render hundreds of their dependants homeless as the tomato business had been their sources of income for a long time.
She proposed that if they would be relocated, then all others should also be relocated and a central market constructed for all fresh vegetable sellers in Accra.
The general secretary also appealed to automobile companies to assist them to acquire vehicles for their trading activities.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
‘Encourage girls to go into ICT’
THE Director-General of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence, Ms Dorothy Gordon, has urged parents to encourage their female children to pursue courses in Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
She said parents usually influenced the courses their children pursued and, therefore, called on them to challenge their daughters to take up ICT courses, which were now dominated by males.
She was speaking at the launch of the sixth Computer Science Students Association (COMPSSA) Week of the University of Ghana.
It was on the theme, “Bridging the digital divide in the nation; The role of the computer scientist”.
Ms Gordon observed that ICT was used to enhance all facets of the economy, including commerce, agriculture and security.
She stated that ICT should be people-centred and development-oriented, while it should be possible for people to create and use the information to enable the country to realise its full potential as far as development was concerned.
She advised the students to study hard and make use of every opportunity that came their way “to enable you to set up your own businesses to help in the development of the nation”.
She called on ICT-based organisations to put a mechanism in place for computer science students to take up attachment programmes in their firms.
The General Manager of Omatek Computers Ghana Limited, Nana Benneh, said Omatek would collaborate with the Computer Science Department at Legon to set up an engineering centre, a replica of its factory, on campus for the practical training of students.
“This will provide opportunity for research and development,” he said.
The President of COMPSSA, Mr Frederick Gyasi-Awuah, noted that access to ICT was crucial to the lives of people, adding that “those without access risk being further marginalised, as society becomes increasingly dependent on electronic ICT systems”.
“It is important that we address the challenges that brought about the digital divide and provide its entire people with the right tools they need to be part of the information society,” he added.
The president noted that the number of computers and books at the Computer Science Department was insufficient for the number of students taking up the course.
“We also need projectors and our own building for the department,” he said.
As part of the week-long celebrations, the association will organise a clean-up exercise and donate some items to the University Hospital.
They will also have an ICT seminar, a debate, a sports festival, among others, to climax the celebrations.
She said parents usually influenced the courses their children pursued and, therefore, called on them to challenge their daughters to take up ICT courses, which were now dominated by males.
She was speaking at the launch of the sixth Computer Science Students Association (COMPSSA) Week of the University of Ghana.
It was on the theme, “Bridging the digital divide in the nation; The role of the computer scientist”.
Ms Gordon observed that ICT was used to enhance all facets of the economy, including commerce, agriculture and security.
She stated that ICT should be people-centred and development-oriented, while it should be possible for people to create and use the information to enable the country to realise its full potential as far as development was concerned.
She advised the students to study hard and make use of every opportunity that came their way “to enable you to set up your own businesses to help in the development of the nation”.
She called on ICT-based organisations to put a mechanism in place for computer science students to take up attachment programmes in their firms.
The General Manager of Omatek Computers Ghana Limited, Nana Benneh, said Omatek would collaborate with the Computer Science Department at Legon to set up an engineering centre, a replica of its factory, on campus for the practical training of students.
“This will provide opportunity for research and development,” he said.
The President of COMPSSA, Mr Frederick Gyasi-Awuah, noted that access to ICT was crucial to the lives of people, adding that “those without access risk being further marginalised, as society becomes increasingly dependent on electronic ICT systems”.
“It is important that we address the challenges that brought about the digital divide and provide its entire people with the right tools they need to be part of the information society,” he added.
The president noted that the number of computers and books at the Computer Science Department was insufficient for the number of students taking up the course.
“We also need projectors and our own building for the department,” he said.
As part of the week-long celebrations, the association will organise a clean-up exercise and donate some items to the University Hospital.
They will also have an ICT seminar, a debate, a sports festival, among others, to climax the celebrations.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sanitation Strategy for Ablekuma Central
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma Central, Mr Theophilus Tetteh Chaie, has drawn up a year long sanitation campaign plan to solve sanitation problems in the constituency.
Being able to solve the environmental sanitation problem in his constituency would be a fulfilment of a promise made to the people living within the Ablekuma central constituency during the run-up to the December polls.
Mr Tetteh Chaie told the Daily Graphic in an interview that the campaign was part of a comprehensive strategy by the President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills to deal with the appalling filth in communities, especially in the big cities such as Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi Takoradi and Tamale.
As part of the programme, Mr Tetteh Chaie explained that clean-up exercises would be organised in the various electoral areas.
“Educational programmes on sanitation would be organised for the people on how to handle refuse properly,” he said.
Mr Chaie said he was currently in dialogue with Zoomlion Ghana Limited to provide more refuse containers at vantage points to help curb the indiscriminate dumping and littering of refuse in the constituency.
Commenting on the deplorable state of the roads and poor drainage system in the constituency, the MP said he was in contact with the department of urban roads to rehabilitate the roads.
Aside that, he said measures were also being put in place to improve on the drainage systems in the constituency adding that improving security in the constituency was also one of his priority.
"I have met with the district police commanders in the constituency to discuss the various security problems to ensure that the crime rate in the communities are reduced to the barest minimum," he assured.
"I hope that by end of my term of office, the constituency would see more development than it is now," he promised.
Being able to solve the environmental sanitation problem in his constituency would be a fulfilment of a promise made to the people living within the Ablekuma central constituency during the run-up to the December polls.
Mr Tetteh Chaie told the Daily Graphic in an interview that the campaign was part of a comprehensive strategy by the President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills to deal with the appalling filth in communities, especially in the big cities such as Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi Takoradi and Tamale.
As part of the programme, Mr Tetteh Chaie explained that clean-up exercises would be organised in the various electoral areas.
“Educational programmes on sanitation would be organised for the people on how to handle refuse properly,” he said.
Mr Chaie said he was currently in dialogue with Zoomlion Ghana Limited to provide more refuse containers at vantage points to help curb the indiscriminate dumping and littering of refuse in the constituency.
Commenting on the deplorable state of the roads and poor drainage system in the constituency, the MP said he was in contact with the department of urban roads to rehabilitate the roads.
Aside that, he said measures were also being put in place to improve on the drainage systems in the constituency adding that improving security in the constituency was also one of his priority.
"I have met with the district police commanders in the constituency to discuss the various security problems to ensure that the crime rate in the communities are reduced to the barest minimum," he assured.
"I hope that by end of my term of office, the constituency would see more development than it is now," he promised.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Layoff exercise not politically motivated -Coleman
The Accra Zonal Supervisor of the Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr Robert Coleman has explained that ongoing exercise to layoff some of the personnel of the company across the country, particularly in Accra, was not politically motivated.
He told the Daily Graphic in an interview on Tuesday that "Management took the decision to layoff some of its workers due to laziness, indiscipline and habitual absenteeism, while some of them treated the job with contempt,".
He said the exercise which began in February, was as a result of recommendations made by the human resource department of the organisation to management and indicated that the vim and vigour with which some of the workers started the work had died out and so most of them were not performing.
He stated that 251 workers in Accra have been laidoff and the exercise would continue in the other regions.
He said "it is an in-house cleaning that we are doing to serve as a lesson to other lazy workers”, and added that "we need people who are more dedicated and committed to their job”.
Mr Coleman said Zoomlion would take disciplinary actions against workers who do not perform at their various work places and stressed that "we hope to deepen our services under this government".
He told the Daily Graphic in an interview on Tuesday that "Management took the decision to layoff some of its workers due to laziness, indiscipline and habitual absenteeism, while some of them treated the job with contempt,".
He said the exercise which began in February, was as a result of recommendations made by the human resource department of the organisation to management and indicated that the vim and vigour with which some of the workers started the work had died out and so most of them were not performing.
He stated that 251 workers in Accra have been laidoff and the exercise would continue in the other regions.
He said "it is an in-house cleaning that we are doing to serve as a lesson to other lazy workers”, and added that "we need people who are more dedicated and committed to their job”.
Mr Coleman said Zoomlion would take disciplinary actions against workers who do not perform at their various work places and stressed that "we hope to deepen our services under this government".
Accra tomato traders protest against building project
The Greater Accra Tomato Traders Association (GATTA) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) yesterday held a peaceful demonstration against the siting of a building at the Tudu-Aflao Station in Accra.
According to them, the building, which is being constructed by one Mr Kwame Danquah, poses a threat to their trading activities.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the General Secretary of the association, Madam Lydia Afoley Anum, said the land on which the building was being built was given to them 23 years ago by the then Mayor of Accra, Mr E.T. Mensah, and they had being selling there since then.
She said they were initially assured by the contractor, Mr Danquah, that the project would not be a hindrance to their activities, but now, it had rather taken over the area where their goods were off-loaded and most part of the area where some of them sold their vegetables.
During the protest, the traders sang and shouted “we won’t leave, we won’t leave” as a way of expressing their displeasure about the project.
Madam Afoley Anum said they had slept at the market for three days to ensure that the contractor did not continue with the project.
“We are not going to allow him to take over the area, if he does, where do we go, we have nowhere to go, if we take to the streets too we would be evicted,” she remarked.
According to her, they had contacted the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) about the issue, but had since not received any positive response from the Assembly.
She called on the government to intervene, since the project posed a threat to their trading activities.
In an interview, another member of GATTA, Priscilla Adei Kotei, said she had been selling tomatoes at the station for a very long time and emphasised that that was what she did to enable her to look after her children.
“If they evict us how do I take care of them, where do I go,” she asked angrily and appealed to the government to come to their aid because that was what they did for a living.
Auntie Mary, another tomato seller at the Aflao station, complained that they had been left with just a small space to offload vegetables.
“We bring these vegetables particularly tomatoes from Burkina Faso and if we do not offload them, it means most of the vegetables would get spoilt and we would incur losses,” she stated.
According to them, the building, which is being constructed by one Mr Kwame Danquah, poses a threat to their trading activities.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the General Secretary of the association, Madam Lydia Afoley Anum, said the land on which the building was being built was given to them 23 years ago by the then Mayor of Accra, Mr E.T. Mensah, and they had being selling there since then.
She said they were initially assured by the contractor, Mr Danquah, that the project would not be a hindrance to their activities, but now, it had rather taken over the area where their goods were off-loaded and most part of the area where some of them sold their vegetables.
During the protest, the traders sang and shouted “we won’t leave, we won’t leave” as a way of expressing their displeasure about the project.
Madam Afoley Anum said they had slept at the market for three days to ensure that the contractor did not continue with the project.
“We are not going to allow him to take over the area, if he does, where do we go, we have nowhere to go, if we take to the streets too we would be evicted,” she remarked.
According to her, they had contacted the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) about the issue, but had since not received any positive response from the Assembly.
She called on the government to intervene, since the project posed a threat to their trading activities.
In an interview, another member of GATTA, Priscilla Adei Kotei, said she had been selling tomatoes at the station for a very long time and emphasised that that was what she did to enable her to look after her children.
“If they evict us how do I take care of them, where do I go,” she asked angrily and appealed to the government to come to their aid because that was what they did for a living.
Auntie Mary, another tomato seller at the Aflao station, complained that they had been left with just a small space to offload vegetables.
“We bring these vegetables particularly tomatoes from Burkina Faso and if we do not offload them, it means most of the vegetables would get spoilt and we would incur losses,” she stated.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
“Improve facilities for special schools"
A Child physiotherapist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Miss Sandra Carsamer, has called for an improvement in rehabilitation and educational facilities for children in special schools.
She made particular reference to children in special schools suffering from a movement and posture defect known as cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is a disorders of movement, learning, hearing, seeing, and thinking that occur due to problems with brain development.
It is caused by injuries or abnormalities of the brain. Most of the problems occur as the baby grows in the womb, but they can happen at any time during the first two years of life, while the baby's brain is still developing.
Ms Carsamer explained that such disabled children were mostly faced with the challenge of how they would be able to transport themselves to hospitals, afford specialised equipment and how such equipment could be adopted to their needs.
She said with the improvement in facilities, the assistance needed by these children to stand, sit and move would be readily available to extend the help given by physiotherapists.
Miss Carsamer made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic after an exhibition at the New Horizon Special School in Accra.
The exhibition was organised by a Scottish charity known as Cerebral Palsy Africa (CPA) to showcase chairs and standers that are specially tailored to meet the needs of children living with the cerebral palsy disease.
The technology known as the Appropriate Paper-based Technology (APT) were made from recycled cardboard and flour paste.
According to the physiotherapist, children with cerebral palsy need a lot of care, love and support from parents and society at large.
She added that “these kids can be very useful to the society when they are given a lot of support and care by their family and the community”.
Miss Carsamer further noted that the disorder occurred when a child developed convulsion or an oxygen deficiency in the brain and when the pregnant mother suffered from untreated malaria or adopted wrong medication during pregnancy, among others.
She, therefore, advised pregnant women to attend regular antenatal check-ups to ensure safe delivery.
The representative of CPA, Ms Margriet Langeveld, said the technology had been tried and tested in many African countries, where they were considered to be an effective tool to facilitate movement among cerebral palsy patients.
She advised families to seek early care and support when a child was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, stating that “the disease is non-progressive, but not curable”.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Salome Francois, entreated the government and other philanthropist to support the school financially to enable them to hire qualified teachers and provide the needed resources for teaching and learning.
She made particular reference to children in special schools suffering from a movement and posture defect known as cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is a disorders of movement, learning, hearing, seeing, and thinking that occur due to problems with brain development.
It is caused by injuries or abnormalities of the brain. Most of the problems occur as the baby grows in the womb, but they can happen at any time during the first two years of life, while the baby's brain is still developing.
Ms Carsamer explained that such disabled children were mostly faced with the challenge of how they would be able to transport themselves to hospitals, afford specialised equipment and how such equipment could be adopted to their needs.
She said with the improvement in facilities, the assistance needed by these children to stand, sit and move would be readily available to extend the help given by physiotherapists.
Miss Carsamer made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic after an exhibition at the New Horizon Special School in Accra.
The exhibition was organised by a Scottish charity known as Cerebral Palsy Africa (CPA) to showcase chairs and standers that are specially tailored to meet the needs of children living with the cerebral palsy disease.
The technology known as the Appropriate Paper-based Technology (APT) were made from recycled cardboard and flour paste.
According to the physiotherapist, children with cerebral palsy need a lot of care, love and support from parents and society at large.
She added that “these kids can be very useful to the society when they are given a lot of support and care by their family and the community”.
Miss Carsamer further noted that the disorder occurred when a child developed convulsion or an oxygen deficiency in the brain and when the pregnant mother suffered from untreated malaria or adopted wrong medication during pregnancy, among others.
She, therefore, advised pregnant women to attend regular antenatal check-ups to ensure safe delivery.
The representative of CPA, Ms Margriet Langeveld, said the technology had been tried and tested in many African countries, where they were considered to be an effective tool to facilitate movement among cerebral palsy patients.
She advised families to seek early care and support when a child was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, stating that “the disease is non-progressive, but not curable”.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Salome Francois, entreated the government and other philanthropist to support the school financially to enable them to hire qualified teachers and provide the needed resources for teaching and learning.
Two organisations support Quabbatul Khadrah School
UT Financial Services (UTFSL) in collaboration with United Way Ghana (UWG) a non-governmental organisation, has earmarked GH¢6,800 to upgrade the Quabbatul Khadrah Islamic School at Nima in Accra.
The project, dubbed the Zongo Education Support Project, will cover the donation of teaching and learning materials to the school, the construction of a urinal, painting the school block, cementing the floors of six classrooms, as well as fixing broken doors and windows of the school.
The Corporate Affairs and Public Relations Officer of UT, Mrs Sophia Lissah, said since Nima was one of the most deprived areas in the Accra Metropolis where some schools in the community lacked basic infrastructural facilities, the benefactors took advantage of this year’s Valentine season to share love and reach out to the deprived in society.
“The project would also serve as UT’s contribution to the upbringing of the children as they are the future leaders of the country,” Mrs Lissah said.
She added that “with a solid education and the right support, the schoolchildren will be encouraged to work hard to realise their potential”.
The Communications Officer of UWG, Ms Kristy Osei Bempong, said the project was aimed at promoting education in deprived communities in the country.
According to her, the UWG had for the past three years supported the school with furniture, provided school uniforms for 60 students and also decided to paint the school annually.
The Headmistress of the school, Ms Shetu Ziblim, expressed gratitude to the two bodies for their support. She said the school, with a population of 280 pupils, lacked furniture and the classrooms were in bad shape.
She, therefore, called on the government and other organisations to come to the aid of the school.
The project, dubbed the Zongo Education Support Project, will cover the donation of teaching and learning materials to the school, the construction of a urinal, painting the school block, cementing the floors of six classrooms, as well as fixing broken doors and windows of the school.
The Corporate Affairs and Public Relations Officer of UT, Mrs Sophia Lissah, said since Nima was one of the most deprived areas in the Accra Metropolis where some schools in the community lacked basic infrastructural facilities, the benefactors took advantage of this year’s Valentine season to share love and reach out to the deprived in society.
“The project would also serve as UT’s contribution to the upbringing of the children as they are the future leaders of the country,” Mrs Lissah said.
She added that “with a solid education and the right support, the schoolchildren will be encouraged to work hard to realise their potential”.
The Communications Officer of UWG, Ms Kristy Osei Bempong, said the project was aimed at promoting education in deprived communities in the country.
According to her, the UWG had for the past three years supported the school with furniture, provided school uniforms for 60 students and also decided to paint the school annually.
The Headmistress of the school, Ms Shetu Ziblim, expressed gratitude to the two bodies for their support. She said the school, with a population of 280 pupils, lacked furniture and the classrooms were in bad shape.
She, therefore, called on the government and other organisations to come to the aid of the school.
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