June 25, 2023 – Page 2 – L' Observateur Burundi

June 25, 2023

Akufo-Addo, Mahama campaign in Assin North

The political activities in the run-up to the much-anticipated Assin North by-election have reached a crescendo as stalwarts of political parties take over the constituency.

The election slated for Tuesday, June 27, has seen the venue with fleet of unending convoys of party functionaries amid disturbing sirens of V8 and party cars loaded with sound systems.

Reminiscing a competition of political wealth, might, and tactics, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and the Liberal Party of Ghana (LGP) are leaving no stone unturned to convincingly win the Assin North seat.

The two major political parties swiftly launched their campaigns and selected candidates to vie for the vacant seat.

For the NDC, it is the deposed MP, James Gyakye Quayson, and for the governing NPP, it is Charles Opoku.

The by-election presents an opportunity for both seasoned politicians and emerging figures to showcase their capabilities and win the support of constituents. The constituency has been busy with projects and the frequent visitation of people who hitherto had not dreamt of stepping foot in there.

Though Assin-Fosu in the Fosu Central Constituency is about three kilometers away from Assin-Bereku, the capital of the Assin North District, it has become the biggest pot hosting most of the bigwigs.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and Madam Akosua Frema Opare, the Chief of Staff were on tour of Assin North on Sunday.

The President attended a church service at the Church of Pentecost in Akonfodi and also paid a courtesy call on Ehunabobrim Pra Agyensaim VI, the Omanhene of Owirenkyiman Traditional Area.

He was also expected to commission a 70-meter steel bridge over river Pra at Kushea on the -Kushea-Hwidiem road.

Later, President Akufo-Addo will pay a courtesy call on Nana Oduro Asri, Basayiadom I, Chief of Assin Bereku, and later hold a rally at Assin-Bereku Methodist School park.

President Akufo-Addo’s visit comes barely 74 hours after Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia commissioned the Assin Assin- Assin Fosu 31.2 km national trunk road (N8) project in the constituency.

The Vice President was accompanied by Mr. Kwesi Amoako Atta, the Transport Minister, Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo, Senior Adviser to the President, Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, the Majority Leader in Parliament among others on Friday, commmmkm from Assin-Fosu-Assin-Praso.

In a stormy rain, Dr. Bawumia commissioned an astrograph at Assin-Bereku and later paid a courtesy call to Ehunabobrim Pra Agyensaim VI, the Omanhene of Owirenkyiman Traditional Area at his palace recognized as the biggest in Ghana.

For the NDC, the party’s flag bearer, John Dramani Mahama, on Saturday, gave much currency to the party’s campaigns after his triumphant entry to Assin-Fosu.

Visiting the area for the second time in 14 days, the former President had a radio rally in Assin-Fosu on Sunday under the tagline ‘fano fem.’

He was accompanied by Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Chairman, Mr. Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, General Secretary, and Dr. Ato Forson, Minority Leader.

Others are Mr James Gyakye Quayson, the NDC Parliamentary Candidate, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, National Communications Officer and the campaign manager for Mr. Quayson, and Prof Richard Kofi Asiedu, the Regional Chairman.

The area largely dominated by farmers, the party had strategically assigned some Members of Parliament (MP) to specific communities based on ethnic and language persuasions to better understand the predictions of the people.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, the former Minority Leader and MP for Tamale Central, had visited some communities of northern Ghana extraction in the area.

Mr Sam George, the MP for Ningo-Prampram had also intensified campaigns in communities, including Ningo, Senchiam, and Bongro among others.

Dr. Kwabena Duffour, former finance Minister, had been in the constituency for days campaigning in Dansame and other communities in the hinterlands.

He had also visited family and victims of people who died during former President Mahama’s visit.

Largely, the constituency remained calm as various party supporters clad in party colours joined the campaigns.

Besides taking over the 95 hotels and guest houses in the Assin South, Assin Central, Assin North and Adansi South Constituencies, food prices had risen marginally.

With a vacant seat to be filled, the by-election is seen as a crucial moment that could potentially shape the future of the constituency and also tilt the balance of power in Ghana’s Parliament.

The by-election follows the orders of the Supreme Court to parliament to expunge James Gyaakye Quayson’s name from the records of parliament, creating an opportunity for a new representative to step into the role.

Source: Ghana News Agency

June 25, 2023

GFA?commissions?first phase of?Winkogo?Technical Centre??

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has commissioned the first phase of the Winkogo Technical Centre in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region as part of efforts to improve sports infrastructure in the region.

The first phase consists of FIFA standard artificial football Astroturf, floodlights connected to the national grid, two technical benches, two movable goalposts, a standby generator to power lights, an inner perimeter and a fence wall around the entire parcel of land.

Sod was also cut for construction of the second phase of the project to begin which would comprise a modern office space for the Upper East Regional Football Association, changing rooms for teams and officials, and spectator stands among others, capable of hosting all matches from grassroots football to the Premier League level.

The construction, with funding from FIFA Forward 1.0 Programme would be a relief to the football industry in the region as football teams would for the first time have standard fields for all domestic competitions.

Hitherto, the Upper East Region which had one division one team, 24-second division clubs, 21 third division clubs, seven women division one clubs and 84 juvenile clubs did not have a single standard pitch and teams which qualified for division one and the Premier League had to always travel to Tamale to play their home matches.

Speaking at the commissioning at Winkogo, Mr Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku, the President of GFA, explained that the GFA had only one Technical Centre at Prampram in the Greater Accra Region and the same was being replicated at Winkogo in the Upper East Region.

He said deprived regions particularly the Upper East Region had the potential to produce good football talents to contribute to the development of the football fraternity in the country but lacked the needed footballing infrastructure.

He said ‘It is very true that there is a shortage of footballing infrastructure in this part of the country’, adding that there must be a strategic investment to improve the sports infrastructure deficit and support the growth of football in the region.

Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister, commended FIFA through the GFA and noted that the significance of the project to the growth of the sports industry and the health of the people could not be overemphasized and urged the youth to take advantage of the facility to unearth their potentials.

‘Sporting activities apart from its health benefits also fosters unity among communities and countries and ultimately business ventures both locally and internationally,’ he said.

He mentioned players like the Ayew family, Osman Bukari Sulley Muntari, Mohammed Kudus, Majeed Waris, and Baba Rahman as players who hailed from the region and Northern Ghana and had achieved a lot and made big investments in the sports and urged the youth to take advantage of the facility.

Alhaji Sani Mohammed Adams, the Head of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministering of Youth and Sports, noted that investment in sports was the surest way to achieving a Ghana Beyond Aid and reiterated the commitment of the government to continue to invest in sports infrastructure across the country.

Tong Raan, Kugbilisong Nanlebeteng, the Paramount Chief of the Talensi Traditional Area, noted that the Winkogo Technical Centre could be a major turning point for sports development in the region and expressed readiness to release more lands for similar projects to improve the well-being of the region.

Source: Ghana News Agency

June 25, 2023

Bibiani Gold Stars supports BSHTS ahead of inter-schools and colleges competition

The Management of Bibiani Gold Stars Sporting Club has donated a set of jerseys, hose, and an amount of Two thousand Ghana cedis (Ghc2,000) to Bibiani Senior High Technical School (BSHTS) soccer team.

The gesture, according to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the club, Mr John Kwasi Adu was to motivate the school team to excel in their upcoming inter -School and Colleges Competition to be held at Sefwi Wiawso on Sunday, June 25, 2023.

Presenting the items, he said the support formed part of the team’s corporate social responsibility to the school.

The CEO urged the school football team to put in much effort and come home with laurels stressing that ‘there is the possibility of scouting for players so watch out.’

Receiving the items, the Headmaster of the school, Mr George Baidooh, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the management of the Ghana premier league club and promised to use the items judiciously for the intended purpose.

The CEO was accompanied by Messrs. Agyemang Domfeh, Operations Manager, Jonathan Appiah, Supporters Chairman, Joseph Debitora, Equipment Officer, Fiifi Gyan, Supporters Leadership Chairman and Dominic Kofi Tandoh.

Source: Ghana News Agency

June 25, 2023

Wholesale admission into second cycle school must be reviewed – Retired GES Director

The wholesale admission of students into the second cycle schools is a major contributory factor to the recent abysmal academic performance and the growing indiscipline in the schools.

‘We are not performing very well not only because we are not working so hard, but sometimes national policies are a contributory factor. There are certain policies that are not helping education at all and need a second look, especially the wholesale admission into senior high schools’.

Mr Edward Kweku Azure, the immediate past retired Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), said this in Bolgatanga at a send-off party organised for him by the Regional Director of the GES.

Mr Azure, a teacher by profession, was in charge of the Upper East Regional Directorate of the GES as the Regional Director from August 2020 until his retirement in November 2022.

He explained that some of the students who performed poorly in the Basic Education Certificate Examination and yet gained admission into the second cycle schools, seemed compelled to further their formal education and the situation was not helping.

‘Some students go on to senior high school because they are forced to. They know that if they get eight in all the subjects, they are qualified to go to the senior school and they go there to cause all sorts of problems in the schools.

‘This is why we have a lot of problems in our second-cycle schools,’ he said.

Notwithstanding, the Retired Educationist, noted that the negative attitudes of major stakeholders including education administrators, teachers, parents, traditional authorities, community members and students, also contributed to the poor performances in the schools.

He cited instances where some final year students who had been registered for examination would often go and work in illegal mining sites, neglecting their studies and hoping that when they would be allowed to cheat in their examination, saying it was a bad attitude that needed serious redress.

He urged teachers to take their refresher training seriously to help enhance their skills with modern teaching techniques.

Mr Bright Lawoe, the current Upper East Regional Director of the GES, commended Mr Azure for his contribution towards improving the educational standards in the region during his time.

He described him as someone who operated participatory leadership and was always committed to his work.

Mr Lawoe said the directorate was currently undertaking some reforms as part of measures towards addressing challenges that confronted education in the region.

He said his outfit in collaboration with the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council would soon organise an education fair to bring major stakeholders in education together to deliberate on how to address the falling standard of education in the region.

Mr Simon Amokase, the North-East Regional Director of the GES, who represented all regional directors of education across the country, urged all stakeholders to play a crucial role in improving educational standards nationwide.

Mr Paul Apanga, a retired educationist, encouraged teacher unions to take a keen interest in the ongoing conversation about the mass failure of teachers who took part in the teacher licensure examination.

He said some of those who took part in the examination were not teachers yet, as many of them had not completed the colleges of education and the distinction needed to be made clear in order not to mislead the public.

Source: Ghana News Agency

June 25, 2023

NW mayors want funds to rebuild communities

Since the extension of the “Safety Net Emergency Cash Transfer Component” to the English speaking regions of Cameroon, millions of FCFA and thousands of internally displaced persons alongside less privileged have been empowered in many communities. In the North West region, just 11 of the existing 34 councils have benefited from the joint Cameroon-World bank project. “It is our wish that government could extend this initiative across the region… Many lives have been impacted and several communities have been developed thanks to this Safety Net project” Denis Awoh Ndang, president of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon for the North West who doubles as Mayor of Funding council pleaded.

Years after the dispatch of funds to IDPs and less privileged persons in the crisis hit region, mayors from various councils assembled in an extraordinary meeting in Bamenda on June 24, 2023 at the head office of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon, to evaluate achievements recorded through the project and brainstorm on how to extend it to councils yet to benefit.

Council officials who have received money from the cash transfer programme are asking for more “We received money from the Safety Net project in 2017 in my council area, I can tell you that we have been able to construct some community roads and the livelihood of the vulnerable persons has improved significantly ” Felix Njia Njofendeh, Elak council in Oku sub division.

They have tabled an appeal to administrative authorities urging them not to stop the cash transfer, trainings on income generating activities and public works programmes that come with the Safety Net project but also implement the Human Intensive Labour Approach in the next phase of the Safety Net project.

The Safety Net Emergency Cash Transfer Component was launched in Cameroon in 2012, to alleviate poverty in communities across the country. In 2015, an additional financing of 35 billion FCFA was granted Cameroon by the World bank with 50% as loan and the other half as grant to cater.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

June 25, 2023

South West: Flames consume multipurpose building

A building hosting several shops has been consumed by wild flames on Saturday night in Limbe, South West region.

Flames burst out in Marshall Home, a popular building in the Cassava farm neighborhood. The Plaza hosts a credit union, provision shops, and other services.

Residents said they saw chunks of smoke in the air, accompanied by sharp lighting, then overwhelming flames in the plaza.

The cause is still unknown.

Early Sunday, business owners, trooped to the area to pick up their broken pieces of life-for, nothing was left, just ashes and dark walls.

Source: Cameroon News Agency