Christian Council fights against filth

Date published: October 27, 2014
By Mohammed Awal  awalm19@gmail.com
The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong has appealed to Ghanaians to support efforts by the Ministry of Local Government & Rural Development to rid the country of filth, which has resulted in the worst Cholera outbreak ever recorded in thirty years.

As at 13th October, this year, according to Dr. Emmanuel Dzotsie, a public health specialist with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), in an interview with The Chronicle said: “Cumulatively a total of twenty-two thousands, eighty-seven cases (22,087) were recorded, including one hundred and twenty-four (124) deaths, giving it a case fatality rate of 0.8% -involving 107 districts across the ten regions.” 

Dr. Opuni-Frimpong told The Chronicle in a telephone interview yesterday that the initiative by the Minister of Local Government & Rural Development, Mr. Julius Debrah is “very much welcomed” and that the CCG identifies fully with it.

He said the country is grappled with sanitation issues which should be seen as a national canker that “affects all of us,” noting that “we us leaders of the Christian Council identify with what the minister is doing because it is good and godly.”

The General Secretary of the CCG urged Christian leaders to mobilize their members to observe the NSD which comes off this Saturday, he said physically the leader must also be in attendance.

 Prosecute sanitation bye-laws flouters

On October 16, 2014, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development launched the National Sanitation Day (NSD).

The day would be observed every first Saturday of every month across the country, and the first of this will be on Saturday November 1, 2014.

The NSD seeks to encourage the public to take greater responsibility at improving their environment and ensure that laws promoting good sanitation are respected.

The Vice-president of Ghana, Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, who launched the NSD, themed: “Environmental Sanitation, a shared responsibility,” called on the metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) to prosecute people who flout sanitation bye-laws.

A move in the right direction

Dr. Opuni-Frimpong said the Minister (Julius Debrah) deserves recognition for moving the country towards the right direction to address sanitation problems.

According to Dr. Opuni-Frimpong, the minister’s action should not go un-noticed, adding that “if we have a leader who says that let’s solve this problem –for us it’s a welcoming news.”

He urged Christians to identify themselves with the laudable idea of ridding the country of filth as initiated by the minister and support him to succeed. Education key to success Dr. Opuni-Frimpong noted that intensive public education would be very important in ensuring that Ghanaians do not flout the sanitation bye-laws.

In view of this, MLGRD signed a memorandum of Understanding with the information service Department (ISD) to embark on an “intensive educational campaign” throughout the country to sensitize the public on the need to ensure a clean environment.

Per the MOU, ISD is expected to deploy its tools, logistics and personnel within all MMDAs in the country, in an effort to complement other initiatives, through massive educational campaigns.

First reported in June 2014 in the Accra Metropolis, the Cholera outbreak in Ghana is rapidly becoming the deadliest disease ever witnessed in about 30 years.
Short URL: http://thechronicle.com.gh/?p=81933

Buah pleads with consumers to conserve energy

Date published: October 28, 2014
By Mohammed Awal
awalm19@gmail.com
As Ghana’s exploitable hydro power capacity is fast declining, the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum (MoEP) has appealed to Ghanaians to develop the habit of energy conservation.

Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah, the sector Minister made this appeal yesterday at the launch of an energy conservation guidelines for Senior High Schools in Ghana titled: “Your Guide to Energy Conservation: Save Energy, Save Money, Save the Environment.”

This is part of the MoEP’s National awareness campaign on energy efficiency and Conservation

Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah

Speaking at the ceremony, he said the exploitable hydro capacity yet to be developed stands at 1,200 Megawatts –thus forcing government to resort to more expensive ways of power generation just to meet the “ever growing demand for electricity –which is growing at more than 10% per annum.”

He, however, assured that the government was working very hard to solve the power rationing conundrum that Ghanaians have been experiencing over the last two years.
Notwithstanding the efforts made by government at resolving the power crisis, Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah believes more could also be done by the public to save the situation through the adherence of the energy efficiency and conservation guidelines which would go a long way to save about 200MW of power that is being wasted annually.

“Whilst energy shortages and the growing demand can be addressed by adding generation capacities to the system, energy efficiency and conservation presents the best means of making energy available to the people for all economic activities,” he noted

“Use the right appliances and more importantly we have to be very judicious in the use of electricity –turn it off when we don’t need it,” he urged.

The book
The book, titled –“Your Guide to Energy Conservation: Save Energy, Save Money, Save the Environment,” is a reader friendly book produced under the auspices of the MoEP, as part of its efforts to create awareness amongst the youth on issues of energy conservation.

The book, which had been prepared for usage among students of Senior High Schools (SHS) in Ghana was launched at the Labone SHS in Accra yesterday.

It presents tips on the need and methods of energy efficiency and conservation in the home. The book will be distributed to all SHSs throughout the coun

‘Dr. Pink Sheet’ Partners Nana

Date published: October 27, 2014
By Mohammed Awal
awalm19@gmail.com
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has once more put his trust in Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia to aid him in his search for the formula to reach the Jubilee House.

Yesterday, the man who has been given a fresh mandate to lead the Elephant Family into the 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections met the key players in the party and named Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, the former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, as his running mate into the elections.

In 2008 and 2012, and again in 2012, Nana Akufo Addo put his trust in Dr. Bawumia, who was the star witness in the NPP electoral petition before the Supreme Court that took eight months to prosecute.

After convincing party authorities of his running mate’s credentials, Nana Akufo-Addo assured Ghanaians that the NPP was ready to wrest power from the incompetent National Democratic Congress (NDC) with “Mahamudu by my side.”

Eulogizing Dr. Bawumia’s astuteness as an economist and a politician, Nana Addo said his running mate’s credentials as a top notch economist, were omnipresent.

These perceptions, he told the leadership of the party, have been reinforced by his “analytical work and performance in this sector in the past five years which has earned him the sobriquet of Dr. Prophet.

“It has been a joy to see him blossom as a consummate politician and win the affection of Ghanaians… and we all know how the nation took to his performance in the witness box in the Supreme Court during the historic election petition… Dr. Pinksheet is yet another of his name,” said the excited NPP 2016 flagbearer.

Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, who was given a resounding endorsement – 94.3% of the valid votes cast by the NPP Electoral College – made no secret of his desire to re-nominate Bawumia as his running mate. “There is real chemistry between the two of us,” he said.

According to the new leader of the NPP, the economy was always going to be the main battle ground for the 2016 elections. The dire situation that the nation has been plunged into by the incompetent NDC regime makes the presence of Dr. Bawumia on the NPP presidential ticket even more appropriate.

“I am confident that he will make an outstanding Vice President of the Republic and very good manager of the economy, who will help me reverse the decline of the economy, if Almighty God and the Ghanaian people favour us with the opportunity of service, come January 2017,” Nana Addo declared, cheered on by the large partisan crowd.

In his acceptance remark, Dr. Bawumia said the suffering that Ghanaians were going through under the NDC was needless.

The NPP, he stated emphatically, refuse to accept this hopeless situation assuring the long suffering masses that he would help in every capacity he could to ensure that the NDC was booted out of power come 2016 and restore hope.
Thanking Nana Addo and the party hierarchy for the confidence they have reposed in him,

Dr. Bawumia said: “No candidate in our political landscape has demonstrated this consistency and faith in his running mate and I am truly grateful once again for the opportunity to partner him to restore hope to the Ghanaian people and to deliver a competent and honest leadership which can alleviate the undeserved suffering of the Ghanaian people.”

He  called on Ghanaians to support the NPP to win the 2016 elections so they could collectively build a nation  that “we can all be proud of and a nation where every person,  desirous of working will find the skills and employment with a decent wage; a Ghana where we do not only build a future for our youth, but also build our youth for the future; a Ghana where the basics like water, electricity and sanitation are available; a Ghana where our hard-working entrepreneurs can easily access capital; a Ghana where our young people will be well-educated and empowered to better compete in the global economy.”

Nana Addo, his running and the entire leadership of the NPP are expected to attend this afternoon’s prayer at the Abbosey Okai Central Mosque in Accra, to pray with the Chief Imam for God’s blessings.

On Tuesday November 4, 2014, the Party will hold an inter-denominational service at the National Theatre, “to seek God’s blessings on the Party and on our ticket, and to thank Him for the peace and success of the primary,” Nana Akufo-Addo announced.