Agona Nsaba (C/R), Nov. 14, GNA – The Agona East Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Sam Sekyi has cautioned people who have intentions to cause mayhem during the upcoming elections to change their minds as Ghana does not need any spilling of blood.   “The blood shed by our forefathers in pre-independence era is enough and we need not shed more blood,” the NCCE District Director stressed, and cautioned the political parties against engaging “machomen” to cause mayhem before, during and after the upcoming polls.   Mr Sekyi gave the caution at a debate organised at Agona Nsaba by the NCCE for parliamentary aspirants of the political parties contesting the December 7 elections in the Agona East Constituency, to outline their vision and programmes they had for the area.   Three parliamentary candidates took part in the debate. They were Mr John Agyabeng, the incumbent Member of Parliament and the 2012 candidate for the New Patriotic Party, Miss Esther Aboagye of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) and Mr Bashiru Issah, an independent candidate.   Mr Sekyi appealed to Ghanaians to help make the elections incident-free by observing the rules governing the elections. He also urged the political parties to desist from cheating as that often led to disturbances.   Mr David Aning Addo-Yobo, Headmaster of Agona Nsaba Presbyterian Senior High School, who was the moderator advised Ghanaians to take a lesson from the civil wars in some of the neighbouring countries which occurred because of elections and help to prevent that in Ghana.   Mr Agyabeng appealed to the electorate to vote for NPP to enable it to introduce the free SHS education policy.   Miss Aboagye urged the people to vote for PPP for jobs, saying Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, their presidential candidate was well versed in job creation and could help solve the unemployment problems facing the nation.   Mr Issah said as an independent candidate he did not owe any allegiance to any political party whose members could distract his attention from serving the people. GNA  ...

Accra, Nov. 14, GNA - A major Public Financial Management reform is currently underway in the country to eliminate corruption and enhance efficiency in the public sector financial management.  The project dubbed the Ghana Integrated Financial Information System (GIFMIS) is being jointly funded with a 60 million dollars grant from the World Bank, The European Union, DANIDA and UK Aid. GIFMIS involves the transition from manual processing of some major public sector financial transactions   to a centralised electronic platform that will be used nationwide by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to process these transactions. The financial tools being integrated into a single platform include Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, General Ledger, Purchasing and Cash Management. As part of the implementation of the project, which began in 2011, a series of nationwide regional workshops are being held for potential end-users and other decision makers in the management of public finance at the regions. They include Regional Coordinating Directors, Regional Heads of Departments, Regional Accountants, auditors. Alhaji Amin Sahnoon,  a functional  GIFMIS  programme Specialist, who addressed the workshop in Kumasi for   80 participants in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday  intimated that the GIFMIS platform had been introduced  to most head offices of   Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs)  in Accra and that  some of the modules were  being used for government transactions. He said the platform was embed with check and balances to enhance transparency and monitoring, which will help  to eliminate  the possibility of corrupt activities  in    public finance transactions. Alhaji Shanoon stated that all regional offices  will be expected to start using the platform by the close of November 2012, with the expectation that by the close of June 2014, all public sector institutions that were engaged in business transaction with the Controller and Accountant General (CAGD) will be working with the system. He indicated that when the GIFMIS systems were fully automated, no MDA and MMDA will be able to transact financial business with CAGD without using the platform.   “Beside enhancing transparency and curbing corruption, when fully operational, the GIFMIS tools   will also enhance Public Financial Management through reliable financial reporting for informed planning and decision making”, the Programme Specialist observed. A similar programme has also been held in Sunyani for 60 participants in the Brong Ahafo Region.     GNA ...

Kumasi, Nov. 14, GNA - Dr. Ted Wilson, President of the General Conference (GC) of the Seventh-day Adventists Church (SDA) on Monday urged members of the Church to promote the virtues of peace, forgiveness, good neighbourliness  and generosity in their communities and the nation at large. Preaching a sermon at the Baba Yara sports stadium in Kumasi, Dr Wilson who is on his maiden visit to Ghana, also  prayed for God to take absolute control over the upcoming general election and make it a success. He  advised members of the SDA church to desist from  electoral malpractices that will hamper the peace, prosperity and  development  of the country. He said the church was built on the foundation of truth and peace, hence its members should follow suit. During the sermon which had the theme, "Revival through His word", Dr Wilson also drew the congregation’s attention to the signs of Christ's coming saying the signs were increasing in frequency and intensive everyday. He cited destructive natural disasters, great confusion in world politics, and drastic increase in spiritualism as of the some signs that attest to Christ’s coming. "The deterioration of the world economies, disintegration of society and family values, disbelief in absolute authority of God's holy word and the Ten Commandments, rampant crime and moral decay, wars and rumors of war, all point unmistakably to the  Lord's return to take us on the final journey home to Heaven", he emphasised. He added that the signs should alert all Christians to repent for there was no time to waist on this sinful world. Dr. Wilson assured the congregation about tremendous blessing from God and said, even amidst the uncertainty of the world, Christians could rest with absolute confidence in the unchanging word of God throughout the course of human history and against relentless satanic attack. He urged members of the church to emulate the humanity of Christ by being submissive and responsible in their dealings to lift the banner of Christ high. He also sent a message of condolence to the bereaved families of the victims who lost their lives in the Melcom Shopping Complex building at Achimota in Accra. As part of his itinerary, Dr Wilson formally inaugurated and dedicated the Multicultural Training Centre edifice at Gyinyase in Kumasi. The GC President earlier paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene,  Otumfuor  Osei Tutu II. The Ghana Union Conference (GUC) of Seventh-day Adventists church (SDA)  in collaboration with the South Central Ghana Conference (SCGC) has warmly embraced its Earlier in the day, several hundreds of SDA church members from far and near had thronged the airport to welcome the 62-year-old  Dr. Wilson who was accompanied by his wife. A native of Takoma Park, Maryland, (USA), Dr Wilson is the 20th President of the GC of the SDA Church.     GNA ...