Child mortality rate has decreased -World Vision

Child mortality rate has decreased -World Vision

By Mohammed Awal

World Vision-Ghana says there has been some significant improvement in child and maternal health in Ghana over the last two decades. 

This development, according to the NGO, has contributed immensely in the decrease in child mortality rate from 121 deaths per 1,000 births in 1990 to 78 in 2011. Also, infant and neonatal mortality rates have declined by similar margin.

This was made known at a press conference addressed in Accra yesterday on the theme: ‘saving the lives of mothers and children through improved access to quality health services.’

However, there were large regional disparities in the under-five mortality rate, Hubert Charles, National Director of World Vision-Ghana pointed out.

“Although there has been some improvement, mothers and children are still dying from preventable causes,” he added.

In 2008, he mentioned, the rate for the entire nation was 80 deaths per 1,000. But the Central, Northern, and Upper West regions experienced much higher rates with 108, 137 and 142 deaths per every 1,000 births. 

Another, major cause of child mortality, Mr. Charles identified is the presence of stunting. Almost one third of children under five years are stunted and one in eight newborns are born with low birth weight, he added.

“An estimated 40% of deaths among children under five years old are either directly or indirectly due to under-nutrition” Mr. Charles mentioned.

Slow progress

According to him Ghana has made relatively “slow progress in improving child and maternal health. Between 1990 and 2011the under-five mortality rate decreased by 36%, which was insufficient to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 of 66% in 2015”,  he revealed.

The Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) therefore called on the government to improve the quality and accessibility of health services, with a particular focus on poor and marginalized communities by putting equitable access to health services on the agenda of District Health Management Teams.

The government must also address the human resource gaps in rural health facilities, including improving incentive packages to attract personnel and also reform the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) financing to ensure that all, especially the poorest can afford insurance.  It further called for the increase in the capacity of communities to take first critical actions in promoting and protecting the health of children, women and the most vulnerable by expanding education of families in health related issues.

Also, by empowering families and communities to demand quality and effective health delivery, again support effective community monitoring systems to identify signs of faltering growth in children under five.

ECG introduces ‘one day connection’ service

ECG introduces ‘one day connection’ service

By Mohammed Awal

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has inaugurated a service connection plan dubbed -‘one-day-service connection delivery’, aimed at improving customer service delivery in the area.

The Managing Director of the ECG, Rev. Ing Hutton Mensah, speaking at the inauguration in Accra on Friday said the introduction of the ‘one-day-service connection delivery’ was a demonstration of their preparedness as a company to “totally confront and surmount the most daunting challenges which are characteristics of electricity delivery business.”

According to him, the “Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) announced a benchmark of five working days, within which new connections should be completed.”

The ECG, Mr. Hutton Mensah mentioned, managed to exceed the PURC’s benchmark of five days, announcing that “ECG now connects electricity supply to customers’ premises within one working day of their payment of the relevant service connection fees.”

Apprehensions and frustrations

“Given the complex engineering network and the intricate technical operations needed to connect one single customer on the national grid, the ‘one-day-service-connection innovation’  is a big achievement and it is a source of  pride to for the entire ECG,” added the MD.

The innovation would eliminate customer apprehensions and frustrations in getting connected to the national grid, Mr. Hutton Mensah noted, adding that it would also put a stop to acts of illegal connections.

The District Manager of the ECG, Achimota sub-office, Mr. Seth Dekpor said the customer is the focus of the ECG therefore whatever innovations the company introduces is “geared towards the Customer” satisfaction.

“Performance is not only going to be in our books or the four corners of this building. Performance will be carried out to the customer”, he promised, adding “We want the customer to understand and feel what we call performance.”

Decrease in system losses

Over the past two years the ECG has been able to reduce its system losses from 27% to 22%.  The target this year is to reduce these losses even further down to the Public Utilities Regulation Commission (PURC) benchmark of 21%.

The reduction in these system losses, according to Mr. Seth Dekpor goes a long way to save the ECG some revenues, believed to be in the region of GH¢30million. No company, he said, can survive without effective revenue collecting mechanism.

The acting Regional Manager of the ECG - Accra West division, Ing Delali Oklu congratulated the management for the brilliant initiative.

“In fact completing a new service for a prospective customer within one day is not rocket science. But it takes leadership and innovation to shorten the long established procedures to exceed customers’ expectations.”

Anti Merbank demo hits Accra

Anti Merbank demo hits Accra

By Mohammed Awal

A group of anti-Merchant Bank Ghana (MBG) sale protesters took to the streets of Accra yesterday to register their displeasure in Bank of Ghana (BoG) and the Social Security &National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) decision to sell Merchant bank to Fortiz Equity Fund.

The group, Public Action Against Corruption and Abuse (PAACA) called for an immediate abrogation of the sale of MBG to Fortiz, contending that it was shrouded in secrecy and deceit.

Speaking to The Chronicle during the protest match, Ernest Owusu Bempah, a member of the group, described the sale as fraudulent. “The sale was a total fraud,” he said, adding “We believe there is a shady deal behind the sale of the bank. It is a cooked up deal.”

Allegations of money laundering

According Owusu Bempah, the tactics employed by the government was that of deceit aimed at throwing dust into the eyes of Ghanaians. He alleged that top government officials deliberately stifled Merchant Bank, getting it reeling on its knees, so that they could cheaply dispose of it, among themselves.

“The only way the government can consolidate itself is to steal money through MBG sale. This is absolutely beyond the bounds of human reasoning,” mentioned Owusu Bempah.

 “Even though our parliament has disappointed us, our courts would not allow us the opportunity to punch loopholes in the transactions, we would not stand aloof to watch MBG sold at a peanut, after it was deliberately collapsed due to unpaid debts,” said Convenor for the PAACA, Atik Mohammed.

“We think that the transaction is very fraudulent, lacks transparency and value for money for the SNNIT contributors. We, therefore, are demonstrating to register our position in no unreserved term, in respect of the transaction that has gone on between Fortiz Equity Fund and SNNIT,” noted Atik Mohammed.

According to Atik Mohammed, it doesn’t matter what document SSNIT and Fortiz Equity signed, but “that transaction ought to be terminated immediately.”

On December 13, 2013, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) called for suspension of the sale of MBG by BoG and SNNIT calling for the conduction of further due diligence.

“After a careful study of the transaction and taking into account concerns expressed by workers who are contributors to SSNIT, it will be prudent that the SSNIT Board and the BoG suspend the transaction to allow further investigations into the matter,” TUC’s Secretary-General Kofi Asamoah told the press.

TUC boss toothless

The protesters, numbering not more than 200, displayed placards with inscriptions such as: ‘TUC boss toothless’, ‘Give us Merchant Bank’, ‘Create loot and share’, ‘SNNIT account for our deductions’, ‘JDM heed the cries of pensioners’, ‘Tony Lithur can go to hell’ and ‘NDC Must Go’, among others.

“The government must reverse the sale of Merchant bank,” Joseph Otoo, a demonstrator told The Chronicle. “We are not opposed to the sale,” he admitted to The Chronicle, but “it was disposed off so cheap and that is my concern,” he revealed.

“The sale was simply ghastly” said a 50 year old demonstrator, Suleman Mamma. “Why should I sit unconcerned to watch this illegality being perpetrated,” he queried in an interview with The Chronicle.

Other demonstrators who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Chronicle that they are extremely suffering under this government and are rooting for the return of the savior, NPP.

Islamic schools flourish in Volta Region

Islamic schools flourish in Volta Region

By Mohammed Awal in Ho

The Volta Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, has called on Muslim parents in the Volta Region and Ghana at large to ensure that their children are well educated. This, he said, would decrease the rate of illiteracy in the Muslim communities, thereby ensuring growth and development.

Speaking at the first ever Islamic Education Unit (IEU) 3-day conference in Ho, themed “The Future of Islamic Education in Volta Region: The Role of Stakeholders,” Nii  Laryea Afotey Agbo said the government “is increasingly making education almost free and so there is no excuse for our Muslim brothers and sisters to use the cost of education as an excuse to keep children out of class.”

The Minister also called for support of relevant institutions which promote education in society, noting that the challenges faced by the IEU in its operation should be of concern to all “since their inability to function properly would mean more Muslims children will be out of the classroom.”

The repercussion of such state of affairs, he acknowledged, would result into the production of illiterates in the community.

According to the Minister, it was in this vein that he supports the call by IEU to be assisted so that they could acquire the necessary equipment and infrastructure to attract and maintain Muslim children in school.

The General Manager, IEU, Alhaj Baba Yahya Khalid, said the future of Islamic education in the Volta Region would be bright if all stakeholders in education play their respective roles diligently and effectively.

In education, he noted that “most systematic transformation efforts involve stakeholders that are critical in achieving the desired changes,” adding that the vision of the unit (IEU) was to ensure accessibility to “quality and holistic education through efficient and effective management so as to ensure excellence.”

By providing holistic education, Alhaj Baba Yahya Khalid, mentioned that IEU would seek to prepare pupils for meaningful participation in the socio-economic development of Ghana.

Challenges facing Islamic Education in Volta Region

The Regional Manager, IEU, Vriue Iddrisu Abass Amedor said since the establishment of the IEU in the Volta Region in 1999, it has suffered logistics constraints rendering the unit dormant.

However, he noted in 2002 with the support of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and the Regional Directorate of Education the Unit actively took off.

The Unit, according to Mr. Amedor, started with 20 basic schools. But it has now shot up to 40 basic schools and one Senior High School (SHS) at Ahamansu in the Kadjebi district, with enrollment increasing from 5000 to 7000, representing 40% increment.

Combating spiritual degeneration of Muslims

Also, a lecturer at the Islamic University College and a clinical Psychologist, Hajia Taahir Swallah Nasiba tasked stakeholders and Muslim parents to restructure the educational priorities along Islamic lines, so as to combat the moral and spiritual degeneration of Muslims throughout the world.

“Today we need an educational system which can produce Muslim philosopher, scientist, economist, jurist and statesman.” “In brief Muslim experts in all fields of knowledge are needed to reconstruct the social order in accordance with the tenets of Islam.”

These, she said, would not be achieved without parents investing in the children’s education.