President Bemoans Kintampo Accident

By Edmund Mingle, Sunyani

President John Dramani Mahama on Sunday, visited survivors of last week's Kintampo road accident that claimed 61 lives, with a call on motorists to drive cautiously so as to protect passengers.

The President, who interacted with the victims who are recuperating at the Techiman Holy Family Hospital and the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital at Sunyani, described the accident as "very regrettable."

The deadly crash occurred on the Kintampo-Tamale road on Wednesday night when a Metro Mass Transit bus which allegedly in an attempt to overtake another car in a sharp curve, collided head-on with a truck loaded with tomatoes which was traveling down south.

It is by far one of the country’s highest casualties in a road crash in the recent years. 

President Mahama, expressing concern about the increasing spate of road accidents, reminded motorists and transport organisations of their responsibility to ensure passenger safety.

He said the nation needed to shed off the status as one of the countries with the highest casualty from road accidents, and urged all stakeholders, including the police and the National Road Safety Commission, to be proactive in addressing the menace.

"Good roads does not mean our drivers should overspeed and drive recklessly," he said.

President Mahama, who presented a total of GHc30,000 and assorted food items to the two hospitals for the upkeep of the victims, announced that the government would take care of the medical bills of the victims.

At the Sunyani hospital where he interacted with the     11 victims on admission, President Mahama wished them speedy recovery and expressed condolence to those who lost other relatives in the accident.

He was particularly concerned about the plight of the children who survived the crash, but lost their parents, and appealed to the public to help in tracing their relatives.

In addition, President Mahama, who was accompanied by the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah and Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Victor Bampo, commended the personnel of the two hospitals for their quick response that helped to save those rushed to the facilities.

Dr. Jacob Abebrese,  Medical Director at the Regional Hospital, who took the President around the wards and received the donation, thanked the President for the visit, and  believed it would provide some comfort for the victims to aid their early recovery.

He gave the assurance that the items and money would be judiciously used to support the victims, and pledged the commitment of the hospital to support by offering the quality care.

University of Ghana, Bordeaux University sign pact

By Edmund Mingle

With the aim of improving partnership in the education sector, the University of Ghana and the University of Bordeaux in France have reached a partnership deal in which the two would collaborate in exchanging their academic programmes.
A Memorandum of Understanding signed to that effect, would also facilitate the exchange of staff between the two institutions to promote quality research and learning.
In addition, the agreement which has created the platform for a consolidation of the relationship between the two institutions, would also promote joint research and exchange programmes among students.
The signing ceremony was part of activities for the authorities of the Bordeaux University who were part of a French investment delegation to Ghana to explore opportunities for business and cooperation in the areas of investment, trade, local governance and education.
The visit of the delegation was in response to an invitation by President Mahama during a visit to France last year.
The two universities initiated their cooperation during the President's visit to the Bordeaux University as part of his visit to France, and the return visit helped to conclude the deal in Accra on Friday.
France has reviewed its international policy to intensify its cooperation with Anglophone Africa, but the language barrier remained a major hindrance, and the renewed collaboration among educational institutions is aimed at overcoming that challenge.
 “This cooperation agreement in political studies is a step towards developing joint research and programmes among students,” Mr François Pujolas, the French Ambassador to Ghana, said.
He said making the academic world move with reality was crucial in enhancing development and addressing myriad of social and economic challenges confronting nations including Ghana, expressing hope that the deal would bridge the gap between industries and academics.
He told journalists after the signing ceremony that the pact was also expected to ease the learning of French among Ghanaian students and boost their competencies to take advantage of global job opportunities.
Professor Kwame Offei, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, who signed for his institution, expressed delight that formal relations between the two institutions have finally been concretised after several meetings.
Professor Naa Ayikailey Ademafio of the International Relations office, University of Ghana (UG), made a presentation about academic programmes, colleges and satellite campuses of the university.
She said UG has a student population of about 40,000 with 800 being international students coming from 50 countries and academic staff pegged at 1,200, a number she noted was insufficient.
However, Professor Maria Binet, Vice President of Bordeaux University, said the statistics were in sharp contrast with Bordeaux's.
“The university teaches 23 languages, and this is quite a lot as compared to other universities in the world,” she said.
The Chief Executive Officer of GIPC, Mrs. Mawuena Trebarh expressed delight on the role the centre played in facilitating the formalisation of the pact, saying her outfit would continue to support to sustain the relationship between the institutions.

French investors explore Ghana

By Edmund Mingle
A large French delegation will today, arrive in Ghana to explore investment and partnership opportunities that are expected to strengthen the trade, investment and institutional linkages between the two countries.

The five-day visit, which is in response to an invitation by President John Mahama, during his visit to France in October last year, is expected to pave the way for increased French investment and cooperation in Ghana.

The President's trip to France sparked interest and excitement amongst the delegates who are extremely keen to visit Ghana and experience its attractions first hand.

Mrs. Johanna Odonkor Svanikier

 Ghana's economy is one of the most successful in the West African sub-region and its human development indicators one of the highest according to analysis published in the country guide of the French Council of Investors in Africa (CIAN).

Being coordinated by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), the activities for the visit has been designed in a way to offer the delegates a full insight into investment, trade and co
operation opportunities in Ghana.

The delegation is made up of three segments, comprising business investors, academics and local government leaders from the Bordeaux Municipal Council.

 It is led by Mr. Pierre Goguet, Chairman of the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce.  Bordeaux is a strategic and significant business hub in France famous for its wine and its regeneration into a smart and sustainable city.

The delegation also includes Mr. Pierre de Gaétan Njikam-Mouliom Deputy Mayor of Bordeaux and Mr. Bernard Lauret Mayor of the renowned wine-producing neighbouring town of St Émilion.

Apart from its business focus, the delegation also consists of members of academia who are expected to explore collaborative opportunities in the educational sector, and firm up exchange agreements between Ghanaian and French universities.

It is expected that a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between the University of Ghana and Sciences Po Bordeaux University during the visit.

The areas of focus for the delegation include agro-business, hospitality and tourism, ICT, education, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy, packaging for export, waste management and infrastructure.

Mrs Mawuena Trebarh, CEO, GIPC

The prime objectives of the visit are to present Ghana as an attractive destination for investors due to its stable democracy, respect for rule of law and enabling business environment demonstrated by its well-established governance institutions and admirable infrastructure.

The trip is also a 'return visit' to follow up on partnerships formed amongst delegates and institutions during the President's trip to France and to achieve concrete outcomes and agreements between the private sector, academic and municipal delegates and institutions.

According to Mrs. Johanna Odonkor Svanikier, Ghana’s Ambassador to France, although French businesses have considerable interests and links with local businesses in Francophone Africa, barriers of language and culture are especially challenging for small and medium-sized companies both in France and Ghana.

“This visit is tailored to overcome these challenges by providing opportunities for extensive networking and one on one meetings with counterpart businesses as well as government and academic institutions,” she said.

On arrival, the visit which is being coordinated with the assistance of the Embassy of Ghana in Paris, will take-off with an interactive opening forum at the Kempinski Hotel with a high-level expert panel on trade and investment  accompanied by an exhibition of Ghanaian goods and services.

This will be followed by visits to critical installations and relevant institutions such as Tema Harbour, the Free Zones Area, Touton/ Niche Cocoa factories, VRA power plants, Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, and various universities and research centres including

Also, the delegation would hold discussions with President Mahama after which there would be interactive sessions with Ministers of the key sectors of the economy.

Bilateral trade between Ghana and France is currently around US$1.7billion.

It is hoped with the expected increase in investments from French businesses in addition to other foreign investments in Ghana, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) would significantly improve to support the economy.

According to statistics from the GIPC’s 2015 Quarterly Investment Report, FDI inflow in 2015 increased steadily with the third quarter recording a 52 projects representing an increase of 37 per cent and 73 per cent over the projects recorded in the first and second quarters of 2015 respectively, which increased the total number of projects registered in 2015 to 120 projects with a total estimated cost of 2.29 billion dollars and a total FDI component of 2 billion dollars, showing an increase of 18 per cent over the recorded amount in the corresponding period of 2014.

“This steady increase is expected to be maintained for the rest of the year and beyond as various initiatives continue to be embarked upon by the Centre to sustain the positive results gained so far,” the report projected. 

Computerised School Selection To Be Reviewed

From Edmund Mingle, Akatsi

President Mahama exchanging pleasantries
with the students on his arrival.

The computerised schools selection and placement system is to be reviewed as part of efforts to enhance secondary education, President John Dramani Mahama has announced. 

He said the move would aim at addressing the shortfalls of the system after its 10 years in operation.

The President said this at the weekend at the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Akatsi Senior High Technical School (AKAST) in the Volta Region.

He also urged young people to take keen interest in technical and vocational training, indicating that the sector held the key to the national industrialisation agenda.

The President bemoaned the perception among Ghanaians that technical, and vocational education and training (TVET) was for the academically poor, saying the perception was wrong because the sector held vast employment opportunities for the youth.

According to him, due to the global technological advancement, TVET remained key in building a nation’s technical human resource to address the technological needs for national development, blaming the high graduate unemployment on the over-concentration on the non-technical and vocational subjects.

He said due to the poor perception about TVET, majority of students opted for the reading subjects in tertiary institutions and ended up without employment after graduation,irrespective of the fact that there was an increase in the demand for TVET graduates for the fast-growing technical industry in the country.

“This mindset must change because Ghana is changing,” he said, expressing regret that due to the inadequate number of technical experts, some of the industrial, engineering and technical jobs in the country were currently being handled by foreigners.

To provide the framework for the effective growth of the TVET sector, and to make it more attractive to the youth, President Mahama said the government had prioritised TVET in senior high schools as it offered vast skills development and jop opportunity for the youth.

“Government has been pursuing strong technical, vocational and educational training at the senior high school level. The purpose has been to equip students with the technical and professional skills needed for the world of work.

“There has been the need, however, to renew and intensify our focus on TVET at the secondary and tertiary levels of education to equip products of our educational skills with practical and technical skills,” President Mahama said.

In that regard, he urged parents to consider technical and vocation education as viable choices for their children, saying those training programmes were critical to national development.

President Mahama congratulated the school for the progress over the last 25 years, and particularly lauded the theme for the celebration, “25 years in the life of AKAST: Successes, challenges and the way forward” saying it also placed in focus the interventions of the government to continuously develop the education sector, especially TVET.

He cited that his administration’s transformational agenda, including the establishment of Community Day Senior High Schools  is aimed to improve access to secondary education across the country.

Responding to requests by the headmaster of the school, Mr. G.A S Ladzekpo, for support staff accommodation, classroom blocks, technical and vocational workshops and dormitories, President Mahama directed the Minister of Education to liaise with the Ghana Education Fund (GETFund) to find ways of assisting the school in that regard.

Mr. Edward Doe Adjaho, Speaker of Parliament, who also graced the occasion, congratulated the school on its achievement as one of the best technical schools in the country, and urged the teachers and students to reciprocate government’s investment in the school by ensuring quality.

Mr. Ladzekpo, in his report, indicated that the school had acquired a 10-acre land to undertake large scale agriculture production to help generate some income,to enable the school to be food-sufficient, as well as offer a  practical learning platform for agriculture students.

He called for urgent attention to the school’s accommodation problems, saying out of the 127 teaching and non-teaching staff, only two had accommodation on campus, making student management difficult.

Mahama Commissions 4th Community SHS, and Promises Better Days Ahead

From Edmund Mingle, Kwaobaah Nyanoa

President John Dramani Mahama yesterday, inaugurated the fourth community day Senior High School (SHS) at Kwaobaah Nyanoa, in the Eastern region, with a call on Ghanaians to support the government’s infrastructure development drive.

According to him, the increased investment in infrastructure was part of efforts at building a solid foundation for economic development for the benefit of the citizenry.

Reacting to concerns about the general economic hardship in the country, President Mahama asked Ghanaians to bear with the government, as it pumped more resources into infrastructural development, promising that the benefits would start accruing from next year.

“I can understand when people say things are tight, but we need to make sacrifices for the things that are important and crucial

“It is true that there is some economic hardship, but we are using the money that we are raising for building social and economic infrastructure and the things that will benefit this country.

“When you have social and economic infrastructure, then you can think of putting money in your pocket, because what is the use of the money in our pocket when we don’t have roads and hospitals to go to.

“So we have spent these last four years investment and putting our social and economic infrastructure in good shape, and when I win the second term, then we will start putting money in your pocket,” he said.

Regarding the school, he reiterated his commitment to deliver all the Community Day schools towards improving and expanding access to a progressively free education, adding that more of the schools would be commissioned soon.

The Kwaobaah Nyanoa Community Day SHS in the Upper West Akyem district of the Eastern region, forms part of the first batch of 50 out of the 200 Community Day SHSs promised by the government.
,
The school, which has first of 12 of the Community Day Schools earmarked for the Eastern region, becomes the first SHS for Kwaobaah Nyanoa and its surrounding communities. When the 11 other school projects are completed, the number of public secondary schools in the region would be increased from 95 to 108.

The Community Day SHS project is in fulfillment of a major manifesto promise by the government to improve and expand access to a progressively free education.

The commissioning generated intense excitement among the chiefs and people of the area, and President Mahama thanked the chiefs for their cooperation and support that ensured the successful completion of the project.

He urged the District Assembly to ensure that measures were taken to effectively maintenance of the facility, and also ensure that all children were enrolled in school.


Apart from the prime objectives of the school project, President Mahama was happy that the project had created jobs for many locals, saying it was indicative of the government’s commitment to support the growth of local industry.

He also cited his directive for the printing of school textbooks to be awarded to local publishers and printers as part of efforts to support the local printing industry to become more competitive.

Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Minister of Education, for her part, indicated that a number of interventions were underway to improve secondary education across the country.

As part of those measures, she announced that a shareholders’ meeting was being planned to discuss ways of reviewing the Computerised Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) to effectively address the deficiencies creating challenges for prospective students and parents.

She advised pupils and students in the Kwaobaah Nyanoa area to take advantage of the school to build a foundation for their education, and urged parents to complement the government’s efforts by ensuring their children were retained in school.

Nana Baffour Kweku Ackom II, chief of Kwaobaah Nyanoa, expressed gratitude to the government for the provision of the school and the redevelopment of some roads in the area, saying the school project would help to build the future of the children in the area.

Kasoa Interchange Project Begins as Mahama cuts sod

President Mahama climbing to operate
the excavator to break the ground

From Edmund Mingle, Kasoa

President John Dramani Mahama yesterday cut sod for the construction of the Kasoa Interchange project, describing it as a "transformational project" that will transform the area and positively impact the lives of the people.

Amidst excitement among the dhiefs and people of the area, the official ground breaking ceremony paves the way for the full execution of the project that involves the construction of three flyovers, link roads, bridges, bus terminals and social amenities like school blocks, water facilities and a new polyclinic to address the needs of the people in the communities.

The project, which is aimed at solving the intense traffic problem on the Accra-Winneba road, is expected to open up Kasoa, a sprawling township on the boundary between Greater Accra and the Central regions, for economic development.

Being executed by the Brazilian construction firm, Queiroz Galvao Construction with a loan from the Brazilian government, the project woud be substantially completed by October this year.

According to President Mahama, the components of the project have been carefully developed to promote the welfare of the people in Kasoa and surrounding communities, adding that it was indicative of his government's commitment to promote sustainable development.

"This project has been designed to benefit commuters who pass through this area by easing the traffic, and solving the development challenges of the communities," he stressed.

He thanked the Brazilian government for supporting the project which wasmin line with government's vision of enhancing the infrastructure base of the country.

He cited many other road infrastructure projects in other parts of the country which he explained were all geared towards opening up communities for development as part of the government's transformational agenda.

Touching on the cost of the interchange project, the President took a swipe at the main opposition leader, Nana Akuffo Addo, who recently accused the government of bloating the cost of the project.

He said the opposition leader was wrong because he failed to take into consideration the numerous components and factors of the project for his cost evaluation.

"This is not just any project, and you need to know all the components before you can cost it.

"When we have a new breed of political quantity surveyors costing projects any how, then we have a problem," he said.

Responding to concerns of the chiefs over the payment of compensation to land and shop owners who property have been affected by the project, President Mahama said he has directed the Minister of Roads and Highways to set up a committee to collaborate with chiefs and Municpial Assembly to work out the modalities for compensation payment.

Madam Irene Vida Gala, Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana, for her part, was confident that the contractor would deliver a quality project as evidenced in its performance on the Nkrumah Circle interchange project which is nearing completion.

She commended government over the objectives of the project, indicating that the Brazilian government was commitment in partnering Ghana towards advancing development for the citizenry.

Nai Abokuade Agyemang Whettey Otabil III, Paramount Chief of Awutu Traditional Area, welcoming the President to the area, lauded the project, which he described as "one of the great projects of our time."

He commended the government for the foresight, and gave assurance of their support and cooperation to ensure the successful completion of the project.

The chief also expressed concern about the boundary impasse between Awutu Senya East in the Central region and Ga South in Greater Accra, saying there was a need for a clearly defined boundary so that the issue "does not become a stumbling block to development."

Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, Minister of Roads and Highways, giving an insight into the traffic situation which the project seeks to address, said the main Kosoa road has a daily traffic volume of 23,000 vehicles, with peak hour traffic exceeding 6,000 vehicles per hour.

"The travel speed along the road is less than 5km/hour during peak periods. Sometimes the situation is chaotic with its attendant safety challenges," he said.

Times holds SDF-sponsored CTP training

By Edmund Mingle

The training, which is focused on upgrading their skills to effectively operate modern computer-to plate (CTP) systems, is the third phase of the corporation’s ICT training programme for the staff, sponsored by Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) under its Skills Development Fund (SDF).

The training, which is focused on upgrading their skills to effectively operate modern computer-to plate (CTP) systems, is the third phase of the corporation’s ICT training programme for the staff, sponsored by Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) under its Skills Development Fund (SDF).

It is also aimed at enhancing the capacity of the staff for effective and efficient operations by the corporation.

Among other objectives, the training project was to create the platform for the deployment of advanced technology and skills for enhanced production activities.

It forms part of the corporation’s efforts toward diversifying its operations to become a preferred brand in the multimedia industry.

In addition, the diversification move is to ensure that the corporation served its clients more effectively and efficiently while it executes its mandate of publishing and disseminating information on national issues to the public to aid national development.

About 80 journalists and production staff of the corporation have so far benefitted from the ICT training that is to equip their working skills on modern technology in their respective fields, to enable them to work more efficiently.

The beneficiary departments include Adverts, Editorial, Page Designing, IT and Online sections.

The SDF sponsorship involved the provision of a grant to support the cCorporation for the introduction of new technologies and innovations into its business practices.

It is in line with the SDF’s policy of aiding institutions to secure skill and technology to improve their capacity for enhanced productivity and to ultimately support national development.