Prez Mahama Inaugurates Gwiraman Community SHS.

President John Dramani Mahama last Monday inaugurated the Gwiraman Community Senior High School at Bamianko in the Nzema East District in the Western Region, saying the government’s quest to improve access to education was on course.

The Gwiraman Community SHS is the second community SHS to be inaugurated by the President in less than two months.

The first was the one named after the late President Mills which was inaugurated at Ekumfi Otuam in the Central Region last September.

The community day SHS is the flagship educational project of the Mahama administration.

President Mahama had promised that the government would construct 200 of the schools in selected under-served communities by the end of his first term.

The E-shaped four-storey edifice has facilities including 24 classrooms, eight staff offices, four science laboratories, a library, an ICT laboratory and an assembly hall.

Five more

Inaugurating the project, President Mahama said five more of the community SHSs were ready for inauguration.

The community day SHS, he said, represented the single most comprehensive educational policy ever undertaken in the country.

He stated that the schools were job creation avenues, saying, for instance, that the Gwiraman project alone created 165 jobs during is construction.

He added that 40 teaching and non-teaching staff would be posted to the school.

President Mahama advised parents to take interest in the education of their children and urged the community to take the project as theirs to ensure that the objective for which it was constructed was realised.

Education Minister

The Minister of Education, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman, said efforts to advance education in the country were on course.

The Omanhene of Gwira, Awulae Angama Tu-agnan II, described the President as a leader who kept his promises.

        

      Source: Graphiconline.com

   

Amenfi West MP dead.

The Member of Parliament for Amenfi West in the Western Region, Mr John Gyetuah has died at age 56. According to his wife Veronica, he was pronounced dead on Tuesday morning.

Confirming the death in an interview with Accra based radio station Adom FM, Mrs Veronica Gyetuah said the MP was initially found unconscious in his room Tuesday morning and rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The late John Gyetuah who served as a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry and later Minister of State at the Presidency during President Mills’ tenure in office was in parliament on the ticket of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Amenfi Central.

He started his Parliamentary work in 2005 and served on the committees of Privileges, Health, Gender and Children.

Prior to parliament and as an Educationist, he worked with the Ghana Education Service where he rose to the rank of Senior Superintendent. He had a Bachelors in Sociology from the University of Cape Coast, and an EMGL from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.

He was born on October 1, 1959 and hailed from Asankran Breman in the Western region. He left behind seven children.

   Source: Graphiconline.com

MTN Hitmaker 4 Finals Set For Today September 30

The stage is now set for the final show down of MTN Hitmaker season 4 and the four finalists are also ready to sing, rap, and break out as they out do each other to grab the ultimate title as well as the juicy GH¢100,000 recording prize package come Wednesday, September 30, at the National Theatre . The final four- Yaw, Abena, Kidi and CJ, since the competition started have set themselves apart from the pack. Abena, for instance, stole the hearts of the judges with her first performance and week in and week out, she delivered nothing short of their expectations. When she performed Nicole Mullins’ My Redeemer Lives, she stamped her name all over the finals because she showed a vocal ability that was unmatched. She was hardly ever in the bottom three, as she was break out winner twice and was almost always a break out nominee. Her amazing vocal range coupled with her sweet personality makes her an instant favourite but is this enough to get her to win the most original talent show in GH? Kidi also dazzled from the beginning, when he performed Richie’s When I Get You at the first live performance and caused many especially the ladies to fall in love with him and his amazing voice. He grew in confidence and perfected the act of performing on stage with passion. Kidi won the break out prize thrice in a row. Will his good looks, voice dexterity, stage confidence and passion be enough to win him the GH¢100,000 prize package? Yaw is the exact definition of the phrase “big things come in small packages”. He is simply amazing to watch. No contestant has been consistent with their performances as Yaw has been. He started the competition slowly but picked up as the competition progressed. Many people noticed him after he narrowly survived eviction and came on stage to perform Cwesi Oteng’s God Dey Bless Me. He was phenomenal that night. But for many, his best performance was when he performed his own song, Borla Car. He showcased a stagecraft that was bigger than his size. CJ is the self-proclaimed CEO of the ‘Fat Boy Era’. Only one word describes CJ-c­onfident. Whether it is performing his own song or doing his rendition of someone’s song, CJ has proved to many that he has a unique talent. His first performance put him in the spot light, he brought his own style to VVIP’s Skolom and when he performed his own song Food Bombers, he definitely justified his inclusion. The competition is not about only the final four alone, their beatmakers are also in contention for a GH¢10,000 prize package and the bragging rights for being the beatmaker for the winner of MTN Hitmaker 4. That is not all, the 6 pm show which promises to be thrilling will also feature Tinny, Joey B, Pappy Kojo, among others. MTN Hitmaker 4 is produced by Charterhouse, supported by Oak Plaza Hotel and Huawei and is an MTN initiative. Source: peacefmonline.com

NDC Abuses Incumbency

The Western Regional Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mohammed Abdul Ganiyu, has accused the regional branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of abuse of incumbency. According to the regional NPP organiser, the usage of the Western Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) in Sekondi as the venue for the vetting of aspirants in the NDC’s upcoming primaries is not right and should not be encouraged. He could not fathom why the Western Regional NDC abandoned their regional office in Sekondi and used a state property for their party activities. “The move by the NDC is tantamount to abuse of incumbency, which the party is noted for, but I don’t think we should encourage it,” Ganiyu indicated in an interview. In all, 74 aspirants contesting the 26 seats in the region were expected to appear before the vetting committee. However, one withdrew and three others who were on national assignments were absent, bringing the number to 70. Only three of the 74 who submitted their forms are women. Sixty-Four Cleared At the end of the vetting process, 64 of the aspirants were cleared to contest the primaries. Two of them, one each from the Bibiani and Bodi constituencies, were disqualified. Decisions on two aspirants, one each from the Juaboso and Ellembelle constituencies, were deferred pending further consultations with the party headquarters while that of the Evalue Gwira constituency, which involved two aspirants, was also put on hold for the same reason. Those cleared included the Western Regional Minister, Paul Evans Aidoo and Member of Parliament (MP) for Sefwi-Wiawso, who is facing three other aspirants namely, Dr Amoako, Thomas Armah and Adansi Bondah. Former Metropolitan Chief Executive for Sekondi-Takoradi, Captain (Rtd) Anthony Cudjoe, is also being contested by four others in the Sekondi constituency, including Betty Busumtwi-Sam, former Deputy Regional Minister, Emmanuel Assifuah, Armah Nyamekye and Charlotte Odum. Alfred Ekow Gyan, the Deputy Regional Minister, is being challenged by Janet Ansah, a businesswoman in the Takoradi constituency. In Ahanta West, George Kwame Aboagye, the incumbent MP, is being challenged by Sam Pee Yalley, who is currently serving as Ghana’s Ambassador in India, while Kwabena Mintah Akando, MP for Juaboso, is facing stiff competition from John Mbe. The Minister of Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, is being contested by Mieza Mea Alleah in the Ellembelle constituency, while Oppong Fosu, former Minster for Local Government and Rural Development, is being contested by Alexander Baidoo in Amenfi East. The Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing and MP for Sefwi-Bodi, Sampson Ahi, is facing opposition from Owusu Ansah. Seven persons picked nomination forms in the Jomoro constituency. They are Samuel Armah Ndeblay, Ellamoh Yankey Thomas, James Affum, Alexander Yao Hedidor, Leo Kofi Armah Amelemah, Francis Aketsia Kwadu and Henry Awuku Alimah. Other parliamentary aspirants include Joe Mensah, Abby Harts and Patrick Harley in Essikadu-Ketan constituency. In Amenfi Central, three people—Kwakye Ackah, Emmanuel Intiakoh and Alfred Amuah—are contesting. In Mpohor, one party activist, Awortwi and Eric Kwaku Kyeremeh are slugging it out while Amenfi West has five aspirants, namely Erick Afful, Gordon Sarfo Adu, John Gyetuah, Peter Addo and George Dadxie Junior. In Aowin, there are six contestants, namely Patrick Cobbinah, Kwame Ntow Mathias, Dr Joseph Nyensu, Nana Meisu Adu, Frank Kwakukyi Ackah and Oscar Ofori Larbi, the District Chief Executive for the area. Seth Kwame Dzokoto, a renowned radio presenter, is contesting in Tarkwa constituency with Thomas Otchere as the sole contender while Stephen Ackah and Emmanuel Assiako are contesting in Suaman constituency. In Bia West, the incumbent MP, Michael Boampong, is being challenged by four others including Kobina Tweneboah Koduah, the immediate past District Chief Executive for the area, Mustapha Abudu, Augustine Tawiah and Alexandere Senwu. Two persons are slugging it out at Effia while three persons, namely Robert Wisdom Cudjoe, Kwesi Blay and Seidu Essilfie, are contesting in Prestea Huni/Valley.

Source: Daily Guide

Mallam Issah Vindicates Akufo-Addo On Anti-Corruption Campaign

I remember pretty vividly the indictment, prosecution and conviction of Mallam Ali Yusif Issah, then-Minister of Sports under the tenure of President John Agyekum-Kufuor. I remember it vividly because it came like an earthquake in a government that was scarcely a year old, which most Ghanaians traumatized by the 20-year dictatorship of Chairman Jerry John Rawlings envisaged as a welcome respite to the rank corruption, robbery and abject hypocrisy that characterized both the Rawlings-led so-called Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC). But I had not noticed – being far away from state side – that Mallam Issah was actually an opportunistic crossover candidate from the Limann-founded People’s National Convention (PNC) – (See “’I Don’t Like Nana Akufo-Addo, He Will Never Be President – Mallam Issah Vows” Modernghana.com 9/24/15). In the main, Mr. Issah was duly convicted for either embezzling or misappropriating some $46,000 belonging to the hardworking members of Ghana’s national soccer team, the Black Stars. He would be dispatched to the Nsawam Medium-Security Prison to cool his heels for several months, until he was pardoned by President Kufuor on grounds of ill-health. What is interesting here is that Mallam Issah is not saying that he did not steal the money entrusted into his custody, as Sports Minister, which he is accused of having misappropriated or squirreled into his private account; he is only angry that it was then-Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who personally undertook the vigorous prosecution of Mallam Issah, rather than delegating such statutory obligation to one of his minions or state attorneys on staff. Now, I don’t know the exact nature of the relationship that existed back then between the two former colleagues – Mallam Issah claims that Akufo-Addo has a personal reciprocal dislike for him – but it clearly appears to me that coming as the very first major corruption scandal in the Kufuor government, Akufo-Addo’s hand was forced by the imperative need to project a positive anti-corruption image of the Kufuor administration. And so it may not have necessarily been that Akufo-Addo decided to handle the prosecution of Mallam Issah out of any personal animus, or antipathy, that he may have had for the PNC crossover cabinet appointee. Of course, I also strongly believe that Divine Providence, or God, is charitable enough to have mercy on unpatriotic thieves like Mallam Issah. The preceding notwithstanding, it amounts to grossly claiming too much, almost to the damnable extent of blasphemy, for Mr. Issah to presume that him being duly prosecuted by Nana Akufo-Addo for stealing from the Ghanaian taxpayer, religiously either empowers or entitles him to self-righteously imprecate the political fortunes of the man who made him rudely, albeit aptly, aware of the fact that being a cabinet appointee did not entitle Mallam Issah to unconscionably embezzling funds meant for the diligent and talented Ghanaian soccer stars who were slaving themselves in Egypt to hoist the country’s flag above all else on the African continent. Indeed, if he had any sense of accountability and shame, Mallam Issah would be remorseful and profusely apologetic, instead of puerilely behaving as if he had an inalienable right to steal from the Ghanaian taxpayer, as well as the yeomanly patriots of the Ghana Black Stars.

Source: Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D./ Garden City, New York/ E-mail: okoampaahoofe@optimum.net