THE Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is undertaking a house-to-house land title registration in selected parts of the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions to update the land title register.
The aim of the exercise is to enable landowners to register their lands in a simple, fast and cheap manner.
The exercise, which is on pilot basis, is to reverse the policy of the Land Commission, which was demand driven, to a systematic customer-driven initiative.
The acting Director of the Lands Commission, Dr Wordsworth Odame Larbi, said the present records showed that when the commission was operating the demand-driven policy only 50 per cent of landowners came forward to register their land.
He explained that such a situation did not augur well for development and advancement of the country, since the authorities could not rely on the uncompleted register to plan development of some areas.
Dr Odame Larbi said with the present house-to-house approach, it was believed that the exercise would improve the database for development.
He said areas under the pilot project, which would last for six months, would only pay GH¢50 on receipt of the land title certificate instead of the GH¢250 for property owners outside the pilot area.
Dr Odame Larbi explained that after six months, the exercise would be rolled out to other parts of the country.
Presently there are more than 2,000 land litigation in the southern part of the country with their attendant loss of man-hours in productivity.
Dr Odame Larbi, therefore, urged the residents in Cantonments, Osu, Kaneshie and Dansoman residential areas in Accra and South Suntreso residential area in Kumasi to co-operate to make the exercise successful.
He said all information collated during the six-month exercise would remain confidential and residents should not allow themselves to be misinformed about the exercise.
Dr Odame Larbi urged landowners to take advantage of the exercise, which had been brought to their doorsteps, since landowners who failed to take advantage of the opportunity would have to go through the registration process by themselves and pay the full fees.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
INSTIL DECORUM ON AIRWAVES (PAGE 31, MARCH 31, 2010)
Participants in a media development forum in Accra have called for a regulatory framework in broadcasting to instil decorum and a code of ethics on the airwaves to prevent people from using abusive and profane language on air.
Contributing to the debate on whether phone-in programmes were a blessing or a curse, all the participants agreed that phone-ins were an important aspect of freedom of expression and participatory democracy in the country.
They, however, expressed concern that serious challenges existed that ought to be addressed to save the country from sliding into the Rwandan experience that followed the use of radio to inflame passions and cause carnage.
The acting Director of the School of Communication Studies of the University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Audrey Gadzekpo, said there was a vacuum in the broadcasting legislative framework, which must be bridged to set standards and ensure a certain behaviour on the airwaves.
She explained that people, especially serial callers, had taken advantage of the absence of those guidelines to use obscene and abusive language on the airwaves, which are supposed to be a public resource for the general good of the state.
Mr Ayamba Zananiba, a media practitioner, who spoke in support of the statement that phone-ins were a blessing, said in the field of governance, phone-ins had expanded people’s horizon and increased awareness of socio-political issues, as well as rights and responsibilities.
He said, concerning health, many people had been educated on basic hygiene and deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS, influenza and the swine flu through radio phone-ins.
He, however, was of the opinion that the country could reap the full benefits of phone-ins if they were properly managed, especially in governance where people were beginning to participate in the political discourse on how to move the country forward.
Mr Ben Ephson, the Editor of the Daily Dispatch, who spoke against the statement, said if the phone-ins were allowed to continue in their present format, they could create mayhem and spell doom for the country.
He, however, explained that research conducted by his outfit showed that most Ghanaians had come to accept phone-ins as tele-guided and were not paying serious attention to them.
Mr Ephson said more than 9,000 people were sceptical about the genuineness of phone-ins in the research, which polled 10,000 people in various parts of the country.
Mr William Ampem Darko, the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), said phone-ins had contributed in making broadcasting interesting because of its interactive powers.
He, however, expressed the opinion that there ought to be a legal framework to make it mandatory for broadcasting stations to have delay transmission facilities to help presenters in gate-keeping.
Ms Ajoa Yeboah-Afari, the Co-ordinator of the Ghana Media Standards Improvement Project, which organised the forum in conjunction with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said the main objective of the project was to strengthen the capacity of Ghanaian media personnel to be more effective in their work to sustain democracy, instead of derailing it, and also advance freedom of expression.
Contributing to the debate on whether phone-in programmes were a blessing or a curse, all the participants agreed that phone-ins were an important aspect of freedom of expression and participatory democracy in the country.
They, however, expressed concern that serious challenges existed that ought to be addressed to save the country from sliding into the Rwandan experience that followed the use of radio to inflame passions and cause carnage.
The acting Director of the School of Communication Studies of the University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Audrey Gadzekpo, said there was a vacuum in the broadcasting legislative framework, which must be bridged to set standards and ensure a certain behaviour on the airwaves.
She explained that people, especially serial callers, had taken advantage of the absence of those guidelines to use obscene and abusive language on the airwaves, which are supposed to be a public resource for the general good of the state.
Mr Ayamba Zananiba, a media practitioner, who spoke in support of the statement that phone-ins were a blessing, said in the field of governance, phone-ins had expanded people’s horizon and increased awareness of socio-political issues, as well as rights and responsibilities.
He said, concerning health, many people had been educated on basic hygiene and deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS, influenza and the swine flu through radio phone-ins.
He, however, was of the opinion that the country could reap the full benefits of phone-ins if they were properly managed, especially in governance where people were beginning to participate in the political discourse on how to move the country forward.
Mr Ben Ephson, the Editor of the Daily Dispatch, who spoke against the statement, said if the phone-ins were allowed to continue in their present format, they could create mayhem and spell doom for the country.
He, however, explained that research conducted by his outfit showed that most Ghanaians had come to accept phone-ins as tele-guided and were not paying serious attention to them.
Mr Ephson said more than 9,000 people were sceptical about the genuineness of phone-ins in the research, which polled 10,000 people in various parts of the country.
Mr William Ampem Darko, the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), said phone-ins had contributed in making broadcasting interesting because of its interactive powers.
He, however, expressed the opinion that there ought to be a legal framework to make it mandatory for broadcasting stations to have delay transmission facilities to help presenters in gate-keeping.
Ms Ajoa Yeboah-Afari, the Co-ordinator of the Ghana Media Standards Improvement Project, which organised the forum in conjunction with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said the main objective of the project was to strengthen the capacity of Ghanaian media personnel to be more effective in their work to sustain democracy, instead of derailing it, and also advance freedom of expression.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
WATER SUPPLY TO INCREASE BY 2015 (BACK PAGE, MARCH 20, 2010)
THE Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing has drawn up a strategic investment plan for water projects to ensure that the country achieves the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of increasing access to water supply.
This means that by 2015 the coverage of water supply to predominantly poor areas of the population, which is currently 58 per cent in urban areas, would be increased to 80 per cent.
The implementation of the plan is expected to cost the Ghanaian taxpayer $850 million.
The Director of the Project Management Unit of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Mr Daniel Bampoh, who announced the plan at a multi-sectoral stakeholders dialogue in Accra, said under the plan, 26 water supply systems throughout the country had been selected for rehabilitation.
He said apart from the strategic plan, the ministry had adopted a short-term plan to construct a desalination plant at Teshie to purify sea water and supply it to Nungua, Sakumono, Tema, Teshie and surrounding areas.
Mr Bampoh said the plant, when operational, could supply about four million gallons of water daily for industrial activities in Tema, as well as for domestic consumption.
He expressed concern over the fact that quarry activities around the Barekese Water Treatment Plant in Kumasi and Weija in Accra could threaten water supply to the two major cities and called for urgent action to stop quarry operations which sometimes shook the Barekese Dam.
The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Alban Bagbin, who delivered the keynote address, said the ministry, in collaboration with the development partners and civil society organisations, was implementing a sector- wide approach (SWAP) to provide integrated water and sanitation services in the country.
He said he was leading a campaign to change mind sets to appreciate that water was not only a strategic resource that gave life but also served as a catalyst for development and, therefore, had to be at the centre of all development plans.
He said even though the country was well endowed with water resources, there was the need to guide against complacency, since a water crisis had started looming, a situation which called for prompt action.
This means that by 2015 the coverage of water supply to predominantly poor areas of the population, which is currently 58 per cent in urban areas, would be increased to 80 per cent.
The implementation of the plan is expected to cost the Ghanaian taxpayer $850 million.
The Director of the Project Management Unit of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Mr Daniel Bampoh, who announced the plan at a multi-sectoral stakeholders dialogue in Accra, said under the plan, 26 water supply systems throughout the country had been selected for rehabilitation.
He said apart from the strategic plan, the ministry had adopted a short-term plan to construct a desalination plant at Teshie to purify sea water and supply it to Nungua, Sakumono, Tema, Teshie and surrounding areas.
Mr Bampoh said the plant, when operational, could supply about four million gallons of water daily for industrial activities in Tema, as well as for domestic consumption.
He expressed concern over the fact that quarry activities around the Barekese Water Treatment Plant in Kumasi and Weija in Accra could threaten water supply to the two major cities and called for urgent action to stop quarry operations which sometimes shook the Barekese Dam.
The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Alban Bagbin, who delivered the keynote address, said the ministry, in collaboration with the development partners and civil society organisations, was implementing a sector- wide approach (SWAP) to provide integrated water and sanitation services in the country.
He said he was leading a campaign to change mind sets to appreciate that water was not only a strategic resource that gave life but also served as a catalyst for development and, therefore, had to be at the centre of all development plans.
He said even though the country was well endowed with water resources, there was the need to guide against complacency, since a water crisis had started looming, a situation which called for prompt action.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
GOVT SECURES GRANT FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES (BACK PAGE, MARCH 17, 2010)
The Government of Ghana has secured a grant of $7.5 million for an emergency preparedness plan for Accra and its surrounding areas to mitigate the effects of perennial floods in the city.
Part of the grant would be used to purchase equipment for clearing choked drainage systems and water tanks for the supply of fresh water to flood victims in emergency relief situations.
This was announced by Mr Kofi Portuphy, National Co-ordinator for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), when he opened a workshop on emergency preparedness for 60 participants drawn from disaster management organisations in Accra yesterday.
The organisations included; the Ghana National Fire service, the Ghana Maritime Authority, the Ghana Navy, National Ambulance Service and the Ghana Police Service.
Mr Portuphy appealed to residents in Accra to put a stop to the practice of discharging refuse into the drainage system especially when it was raining.
He said the Ministry of the Interior was working closely with other ministries to review the building code to empower NADMO to take action against estate developers who build on water courses.
Mr Jan V. Meertens, the Executive Director of International Centre for Emergency Techniques (ICET), said his organisation had entered into partnership with NADMO to share information on the best disaster emergency practices.
He said that could enable NADMO to build its human resource capacity to undertake complicated disaster prevention operations relying on local resources.
Mr Meertens said the workshop was, therefore, part of a series of training programmes designed to raise the emergency preparedness of NADMO and other disaster management organisations.
Meanwhile, with the rainy season a few weeks away, Seth J. Bokpe reports that NADMO has begun clearing major drains in the cities of silt to ensure general sanitation to minimise the possible consequences of the rains on life and property.
Additionally, the organisation has set up a Rapid Response Team for rescue operations during flooding.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, Mr Portuphy, said already 75 per cent of storm drains in Accra had been cleared of silt.
He said NADMO was working with the Hydrological Services Department to clear all storm drains in urban areas in the country of silt.
He said NADMO had embarked on public education throughout the country.
He identified the surrounding areas of the Odaw River, Alajo, North Kaneshie, Fadama, Sakaman, Awoshie, Gbawe, Dzorwulu, Nima, Maamobi, Roman Ridge, parts of East Legon, and Airport West as some of the flood-prone areas in Accra.
He appealed to the general public and corporate establishments to lend support to NADMO’s pre-flooding campaign programme to ensure that it achieved its objective.
The perennial torrential rains that hit the Accra metropolis create heavy floods causing great havoc to life and property.
Last year’s rain just like others in the past killed several people in the Accra metropolis with Kaneshie and its environs being the worst hit.
Part of the grant would be used to purchase equipment for clearing choked drainage systems and water tanks for the supply of fresh water to flood victims in emergency relief situations.
This was announced by Mr Kofi Portuphy, National Co-ordinator for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), when he opened a workshop on emergency preparedness for 60 participants drawn from disaster management organisations in Accra yesterday.
The organisations included; the Ghana National Fire service, the Ghana Maritime Authority, the Ghana Navy, National Ambulance Service and the Ghana Police Service.
Mr Portuphy appealed to residents in Accra to put a stop to the practice of discharging refuse into the drainage system especially when it was raining.
He said the Ministry of the Interior was working closely with other ministries to review the building code to empower NADMO to take action against estate developers who build on water courses.
Mr Jan V. Meertens, the Executive Director of International Centre for Emergency Techniques (ICET), said his organisation had entered into partnership with NADMO to share information on the best disaster emergency practices.
He said that could enable NADMO to build its human resource capacity to undertake complicated disaster prevention operations relying on local resources.
Mr Meertens said the workshop was, therefore, part of a series of training programmes designed to raise the emergency preparedness of NADMO and other disaster management organisations.
Meanwhile, with the rainy season a few weeks away, Seth J. Bokpe reports that NADMO has begun clearing major drains in the cities of silt to ensure general sanitation to minimise the possible consequences of the rains on life and property.
Additionally, the organisation has set up a Rapid Response Team for rescue operations during flooding.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, Mr Portuphy, said already 75 per cent of storm drains in Accra had been cleared of silt.
He said NADMO was working with the Hydrological Services Department to clear all storm drains in urban areas in the country of silt.
He said NADMO had embarked on public education throughout the country.
He identified the surrounding areas of the Odaw River, Alajo, North Kaneshie, Fadama, Sakaman, Awoshie, Gbawe, Dzorwulu, Nima, Maamobi, Roman Ridge, parts of East Legon, and Airport West as some of the flood-prone areas in Accra.
He appealed to the general public and corporate establishments to lend support to NADMO’s pre-flooding campaign programme to ensure that it achieved its objective.
The perennial torrential rains that hit the Accra metropolis create heavy floods causing great havoc to life and property.
Last year’s rain just like others in the past killed several people in the Accra metropolis with Kaneshie and its environs being the worst hit.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
DISEASE KILLS 61 HORSES (PAGE 32, MARCH 15, 2010)
An outbreak of African Horse Sickness in parts of Accra, which threatens to wipe out the country’s horse population, has been detected by the Veterinary Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoFA).
The disease, which was detected in January, this year, had so far killed 61 horses.
To check the spread of the disease to other parts of the country, MoFA has declared Accra Polo Club, Burma Camp and the Race Turf Club as the infected areas to enable the Veterinary Services to carry out quarantine measures.
Additionally, the ministry is taking census of horses and donkeys in the country alongside a mass vaccination exercise to enable the Veterinary Services Division to take stock of the toll of the disease on horses and take measures to avoid reoccurrence of the terrible disease.
Dr Andy Alhassan, Research Officer in charge of Disease Diagnosis of the Veterinary Services Division of MoFA, told the Daily Graphic that sometime back in January, the Accra Polo Club reported to the Veterinary Services of the appearance of a strange disease that was killing their horses.
Dr Alhassan said a series of post-mortem were carried out on the dead horses and the samples sent to the World Reference Laboratory in the United Kingdom for analysis which confirmed the suspicion by veterinary doctors that the horses died of African Horse Sickness.
He said the report from the World Reference Laboratory confirmed that it was African Horse Sickness and the strain was Type 11.
He said as a result, MoFA had placed orders to procure polyvalent vaccines from South Africa to vaccinate all horses and donkeys against all the nine strains.
He, therefore, urged the general public not to move animals from the affected areas but to take preventive measure, such as the spraying of their surroundings, against the blood sucking insects known as cullicodes, suspected to be the causative agents of the disease.
He said even though the disease, which was deadly in horses, was not so deadly in donkeys, the danger was that the donkey could be a carrier that could transmit the disease to the horses with a devastating effect.
Dr Alhassan appealed to people importing animals into the country to first come for import permit to enable the Veterinary Services to monitor such imported animals for two weeks before releasing them.
The disease, which was detected in January, this year, had so far killed 61 horses.
To check the spread of the disease to other parts of the country, MoFA has declared Accra Polo Club, Burma Camp and the Race Turf Club as the infected areas to enable the Veterinary Services to carry out quarantine measures.
Additionally, the ministry is taking census of horses and donkeys in the country alongside a mass vaccination exercise to enable the Veterinary Services Division to take stock of the toll of the disease on horses and take measures to avoid reoccurrence of the terrible disease.
Dr Andy Alhassan, Research Officer in charge of Disease Diagnosis of the Veterinary Services Division of MoFA, told the Daily Graphic that sometime back in January, the Accra Polo Club reported to the Veterinary Services of the appearance of a strange disease that was killing their horses.
Dr Alhassan said a series of post-mortem were carried out on the dead horses and the samples sent to the World Reference Laboratory in the United Kingdom for analysis which confirmed the suspicion by veterinary doctors that the horses died of African Horse Sickness.
He said the report from the World Reference Laboratory confirmed that it was African Horse Sickness and the strain was Type 11.
He said as a result, MoFA had placed orders to procure polyvalent vaccines from South Africa to vaccinate all horses and donkeys against all the nine strains.
He, therefore, urged the general public not to move animals from the affected areas but to take preventive measure, such as the spraying of their surroundings, against the blood sucking insects known as cullicodes, suspected to be the causative agents of the disease.
He said even though the disease, which was deadly in horses, was not so deadly in donkeys, the danger was that the donkey could be a carrier that could transmit the disease to the horses with a devastating effect.
Dr Alhassan appealed to people importing animals into the country to first come for import permit to enable the Veterinary Services to monitor such imported animals for two weeks before releasing them.
YOUTH TRAINED TO RECYCLE PLASTIC, METAL WASTE (PAGE 29, MARCH 15, 2010)
TWO hundred young entrepreneurs have undergone a training programme to enable them to recycle plastic waste into handbags as a means to generate income.
The venture, popularly refer to as Trashes for Treasure, is being provided for women, especially young girls, under the auspices of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) project.
The project, which is aimed at women empowerment, recycles trash such as plastic and metal waste to manufacture bags, door mats and metal waste to mould sculptures.
Sixty of the trainees were drawn from Abokobi and its surrounding areas in the Ga East Municipal Assembly to empower the young girls and discourage them from immigrating to the urban centres in search of non-existent jobs.
The remaining 120 women were drawn from the campus of the Institute of Professional Studies, who were required to use innovative ways of creating employment for themselves when they graduate from the institute instead of waiting for employment from the government.
Mr Francis Antwi, the Co-ordinator of the IPS branch of SIFE, in an interview, said the branch undertook the training in collaboration with Rural Women Support Network based in Abokobi and Village Network, also a local NGO.
He said Students in Free Enterprises was the initiative of an American who lived and worked in Ghana and experienced the harrowing experiences women had to undergo to secure training and macro credit to start their own income-generating ventures.
He said the SIFE, therefore, attached great importance to the granting of macro-credit facilities to rural and urban poor for the starting of their businesses.
He said currently, a Fulani herdswoman had been selected from Abokobi to be used as a model in the establishment of a diary plant for the manufacture of ice cream and yoghurt products.
Mr Antwi said the project to turn the fresh cow milk into yoghurt, when successful by patronage, could be replicated across the country to help eradicate poverty and break its cycle in the rural areas.
The co-ordinator expressed the hope that when the rural areas provided the enabling environment for the youth to earn a livelihood, it would discourage them from migrating to the urban centres in search of jobs.
Mr Antwi appealed to the youth, especially those dwelling in the rural areas, to learn a trade or acquire a profession instead of migrating to the urban centres to look for non-existent jobs, which often landed them in bad company with its attendant antisocial activities such as indulging in pornography and prostitution.
The venture, popularly refer to as Trashes for Treasure, is being provided for women, especially young girls, under the auspices of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) project.
The project, which is aimed at women empowerment, recycles trash such as plastic and metal waste to manufacture bags, door mats and metal waste to mould sculptures.
Sixty of the trainees were drawn from Abokobi and its surrounding areas in the Ga East Municipal Assembly to empower the young girls and discourage them from immigrating to the urban centres in search of non-existent jobs.
The remaining 120 women were drawn from the campus of the Institute of Professional Studies, who were required to use innovative ways of creating employment for themselves when they graduate from the institute instead of waiting for employment from the government.
Mr Francis Antwi, the Co-ordinator of the IPS branch of SIFE, in an interview, said the branch undertook the training in collaboration with Rural Women Support Network based in Abokobi and Village Network, also a local NGO.
He said Students in Free Enterprises was the initiative of an American who lived and worked in Ghana and experienced the harrowing experiences women had to undergo to secure training and macro credit to start their own income-generating ventures.
He said the SIFE, therefore, attached great importance to the granting of macro-credit facilities to rural and urban poor for the starting of their businesses.
He said currently, a Fulani herdswoman had been selected from Abokobi to be used as a model in the establishment of a diary plant for the manufacture of ice cream and yoghurt products.
Mr Antwi said the project to turn the fresh cow milk into yoghurt, when successful by patronage, could be replicated across the country to help eradicate poverty and break its cycle in the rural areas.
The co-ordinator expressed the hope that when the rural areas provided the enabling environment for the youth to earn a livelihood, it would discourage them from migrating to the urban centres in search of jobs.
Mr Antwi appealed to the youth, especially those dwelling in the rural areas, to learn a trade or acquire a profession instead of migrating to the urban centres to look for non-existent jobs, which often landed them in bad company with its attendant antisocial activities such as indulging in pornography and prostitution.
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