The Northern Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has complained about the high rate of pregnancy among graduating nursing students in the region. It said the phenomenon made the pregnant nurses, who were due for posting for a yearÂ’s probation, to request for maternity leave, which is contrary to the regulations of the GHS.

When news broke of its arrival with the crack Israeli rescue team to Ghana, many people looked forward to an extraordinary dog; but as it turned out, Maxi-the Israeli –trained rescue dog that was deployed at the scene of the tragic Melcom building disaster, looked completely ordinary.

The son of the former Vice President of Republic of Ghana (Alhaji Aliu Mahama), Farouk Aliu Mahama has revealed that his father is in stable condition.

The former Deputy Head of the Police Commercial Crimes Unit, DSP Gifty Mawuenyega Tehoda, has filed an application for injunction against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Paul Tawiah Quaye from taking any further action against her.

Mexican Tortilla Skillet: This Mexican-flavored dish, with its tortillas and spicy meat, is similar to enchiladas but much quicker to make.Recipe: Mexican Tortilla Skillet

A member of the Nkoranza South Municipal Education Oversight Committee, Mr Kwame Owusu Sekyere, has appealed to teachers not to allow politics to influence their work, so that the sanctity of education in the country could be assured.        According to him, teachers should rather improve the standards of education, in the quest for national development.        Mr Sekyere gave the exhortation at a meeting between the Committee and headteachers of Basic Schools at Nkoranza, to discuss the ... Read More

A five-member delegation of the Northern Region 2012 Multi-Party Democratic Support Project, a non-governmental organization has met with the chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan to discuss issues connected with next month?s elections. Among the issues discussed were specific decisions and technical operational matters related to the elections including the use of the Biometric Verification Machines (BVMs) and the period each voter would be allotted for processing at ... Read More

The Northern Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has complained about the high rate of pregnancy among graduating nursing students in the region. It said the phenomenon made such expectant mothers (nurses), who were due for posting for a year's probation, to request for a maternity leave, contrary to the regulations of the GHS. It argued that if such nurses did not serve their probation it would be difficult to assess them for a substantive appointment. Dr Jacob ... Read More

A 61- year old farmer is in the grisps of the law for allegedly murdering his colleague at Nsawam Adeiso in the Eastern Region. The suspect, Eric Kofi Oteng was said to have butchered Vanderpuiye Ofeng, 82, to death at his residence at ?Kwabenafo? last Wednesday over a disputed land. Oteng is reported to have threatened the deceased who was expected to testify in court against him on November 8, a day after he was murdered. The Nsawam District Crime Officer, Assistant Superintendant of ... Read More

Assembly Members in the East Mamprusi District have been sensitized at a one day workshop on how to meet the Millennium Development Goals four and five on reducing Maternal and child mortality by 2015. The project which is currently operational in 244 communities is collaboration between Ghana Health Services, Catholic Relief Services, and University for Development Studies and supported by the United States AID (USAID). The District Chief Executive officer of the East MamprusiDistrict, ... Read More

Accra, Nov. 14, GNA – Ex-Black Stars, Stephen Appiah has failed to reach an agreement with Iranian club, Persepolis.   The 31-year old was reported to have inked a deal with the Tehran-based club last week, but GNA Sports understands the move has fallen through.   Information gathered by GNA Sports indicates that Appiah failed to impress the Portuguese trainer of Persepolis, Jose Manuel during the three-days of observation with the most supported club in Iran.   According to Iranian daily, Tehran Times, the performance of Appiah fell short of the expectation of Manuel, of Ahly fame, who was hoping to bank on the services of the player to boost the club’s fortunes.   “Manuel Jose rejected to sign former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah due to health reasons on Monday.   “The 31-year-old Ghanaian midfielder Appiah attended the training with Persepolis but did not impress Jose,” quoted the Tehran Times.   The development won’t go down well with fans of Persepolis, who thronged the airport in pockets to welcome the former Black Stars captain last week, and were hoping he dons their famous red colour.   Meanwhile, Persepolis has invited Australian defender David Carney for a three-day trial ahead of a permanent deal.   Appiah has not tasted action since his short stint with Serbian side Vojvodina which ended in April.   The talented midfielder announced his retirement from international football in 2010 having had stints with Italian clubs, Udinese, Parma, Brescia, Juventus, Bologna and Cesena as well as Turkish giants, Fenerbahce.   GNA...

Tema, Nov. 14, GNA – Professor Kofi Awoonor, Chairman of the Council of State, on Wednesday reminded custom officers that as guards at the gate of an institution that generate revenue for national development they should desist from indulging in corrupt practices.   Prof Awoonor said this when some members of the council interacted with customs officers in the long-room at the Tema Harbour during a working visit to the harbour.   He commended the officers for their high sense of dedication, sacrifice, commitment and loyalty to the nation and urged them not to compromise with unpatriotic Ghanaians to sabotage the national economy.       Briefing members of the council, Major General Carl Modey, Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, stressed the need for an oversight committee to regulate activities at the ports so that stakeholders who faulted could be appropriately sanctioned.   Mr Richard Anamoo, Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, reiterated the need to decongest the ports to ensure efficiency in its day-to-day operations.   Members of the council later toured the main port, MPS Terminal, Scanners and the Golden Jubilee Terminal to acquaint themselves with the operations of those facilities.   GNA...

Accra, Nov. 14, GNA – Ghanaian girls still have a less chance of enrolling in school in spite of progress made at improving access to education, a recent global report on Ghana disclosed on Wednesday.   The 10th edition of the Education for All Global Monitoring Report (EFAGMR) said 53 per cent of poor girls living in the Northern Region had never been to school.   It said more needed to be done to overcome inequalities due to poverty and gender adding that progress in education was not reaching the marginalized.   Mr Kwame Akyeampong, a policy analyst with United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), who read the report at a ceremony organized in Accra stressed that Ghana needed to invest more in the educational sector to meet the Millennium Development Goals on education.   “Among those who had completed nine years of school in 2008, 21 per cent were illiterate, about a quarter were only partially literate”, he said.   The EFAGMR aimed at tracking progress, identifying effective policy reforms and best practices in the six-pronged education goals to be achieved by 2015 as agreed upon in Senegal.   In April 2000, more than 1,100 participants from 164 countries met in Dakar, Senegal for the World Education forum and adopted the Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All: Meeting Our Collective Commitments”.   The goals are to: expand early childhood care and education, achieve universal primary education, promote learning and life skills for young people and adults, reduce adult illiteracy by 50 per cent, and to achieve gender parity and equality.   Mr Akyeampong said almost a third of young people had less than a lower secondary education and lacked the foundation skills needed for getting adequately-paid work.   “In rural areas, 48 per cent of young women aged 15-24 have less than a lower secondary education, compared to 39 per cent of young men.   Mr Akyeampong said “both the urban and rural poor suffer from poor foundation skills”, adding that only nine per cent of richest urban had less than a lower secondary education, compared with around half of the rural and urban poor.   He said Ghana was showing strong commitment towards funding education saying 5.6 per cent of Ghana’s national plans were spent on education in 2010, increasing from 4.2 per cent in 1999.   Mr Acheampong said “there are also positive signs of providing support to the disadvantaged young people through Ghana’s national plans”, adding that the Shared Growth and Development Agenda 2010-2013 included objectives to expand training for workers in the informal sector.   He said primary education was being “squeezed” in budgets and “Ghana has increased the share of the education budget earmarked for tertiary education which now makes up 23 per cent of public expenditure on education, the shares for both primary and secondary education, on the other hand, have decreased since 1999.”   With just three years to go until the deadline for the goals to be met, the global report shows that improvements in early childhood care and education for many countries have been too slow.   It also indicates that progress towards universal primary education was stalling with many young people lacking foundation skills.   The EFAGMR shows adult illiteracy remained an elusive goal and gender disparities took a variety of forms.     It also indicates that global inequality in learning outcomes remained stark because as many as 250 million children worldwide could be failing to read or write by the time they reached grade four.   GNA...

Vakpo (V/R), Nov. 14, GNA – Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur on Wednesday pledged that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would continue with its people-centred development projects, and asked Ghanaians to retain the party in power on December 7.   “The hospitals have been built and the schools have been constructed.  The foundation has been laid for an accelerated development of the country for the next 20 to 30 years, and we are asking you to retain the NDC in power so that we can continue to build on what we have done so far.    We have to improve upon the living conditions of Ghanaians and that of our children so that they would have a better live.   “... elections are about the choice of how the country will go forward and we have to invest for the future, rather than ‘chopping’ everything today”, he said.   Vice President Amissah-Arthur was speaking at NDC rally at Vakpo in the Volta Region, after calling on Togbega Gbogbolulu V, Paramount Chief of Vakpo, at the beginning of a two-day tour of the region.   He stressed the determination of the NDC to invest massively in children and the youth for them to have a better future.     The Vice President said this would require the putting into use resources and that “it is not possible to make everything free.”   He said that the NDC would continue to replace schools under trees with classroom blocks and build structures for Senior High Schools, resource teachers for them to give off their best.   The Vice President said this could only take place take place if Ghanaians vote for President John Dramani Mahama, NDC presidential candidate for Election 2012, on December 7.   He said God has made that possible by placing President Mahama on the number one position on the ballot paper.   “The first person on the ballot paper is President Mahama.  He is the choice.  It is about the choice for development”,     Vice President Amissah-Arthur said.   The Vice President introduced Mr George Loh, the NDC parliamentary candidate for North Dayi, for Election 2012.   At the palace of Togbega Gbogbolulu, Vice President Amissah-Arthur praised traditional leaders for their wisdom and maturity and reiterated that the government would continue to partner them to improve the lives of the people.   Togbega Gbogbolulu presented a document that outlined development challenges of the area to the Vice President.   Togbe Sasraku, Chief of Tsrukpe Tota, said the Vice President is a forward looking person.   The chief called on political leaders to be selfless and sacrifice and expressed the hope that the Mahama-Amissah-Arthur government would ensure that the Volta Region got its fair share of national development.   At Anfoega Vice President Amissah-Arthur, who addressed a similar rally at Anfoega in the region, said the NDC would not waste national resources and would invest oil proceeds in development projects to the benefit to the people.   As the Vice President’s entourage moved, the people came out in their numbers and waved enthusiastically.   Mr Henry Ford Kamel, Volta Regional Minister, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Minister for Tourism, Mr Dan Kwasi Abodakpi, Ghana’s High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpor, the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Mr Henry Ametepe and Ms Bertha Amenuvor, Deputy Treasurer of the NDC accompanied the Vice President.   GNA...

Koforidua, Nov.14, GNA - The Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (GCNH), on Wednesday began a two-day stakeholders meeting on HIV/AIDS in Koforidua.      The coalition has been working in collaboration with the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) since 2009 as Principal Recipient (PR) in implementing activities aimed at reducing the spread of the AIDS pandemic as well as eliminating stigmatization suffered by the AIDS victims.      Mr Michael Boadi, Advocacy Officer, said although currently the Central Region has the highest prevalence rate of HIV and AIDS in Ghana, the 3.6 percent rate in the Eastern Region was still high and required concerted efforts to bring it down.      “The region connects many other administrative and commercial centres of the country and even serves as a transit region for travelers enroute to neighbouring countries”.      Mr Boadi indicated that due to the high incidence of poverty coupled with high cost of living young people  fell prey to the enticements and engaged in sex with strangers ultimately exposing themselves to HIV and AIDS.      “These reasons still place the Eastern Region as one of the high risk areas of HIV and AIDS infection”.     He said concerted efforts such as intensive Prevention/Behaviour Change Communication activities geared towards promoting safer sex, delayed sex among the youth, regular and proper use of condoms, and willingness of more people to test and know their HIV status would be needed to address the menace.     Mr James Mensah Boamah, Eastern Regional Chairman of the GCNH, said having performed satisfactorily in both technical and financial management of the project in the Multi-Sectorial HIV/AIDS Programme, the Ghana Aids Commission had given the coalition yet one more opportunity to contribute to all the efforts being made across the country to ensure zero transmission from mother to child and reduced new infection by 50 percent.   He, therefore, solicited views from the participants on how to make the implementation better in order to achieve the project objectives.      Mr Boamah announced that the budget for the project is GHc 400,000 for two years which would be disbursed in four tranches based on their performance and reporting.      He mentioned some of the activities as capacity building training workshops - GHc 70,280.00, house to house - GHc 46,080.00, church/mosque outreach GHc 46,080.00, market Outreach- GHC 15,360.00, school education campaign - GHc 30,720.00 and condom promotion - GHc 30,720.00 among others.   GNA...

Goaso, Nov. 14, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday embarked on a four-day campaign tour of the Brong Ahafo Region with a call on members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to advertise the party's performance for the electorate to recognize its achievements.   “The opposition have deliberately refused to recognize the performance of the NDC by constantly saying we have not done anything and it is for us members to let the electorate to know and recognize our feat in the last four years,” President Mahama said when he addressed a rally at Goaso to kick-start his campaign tour of the Region   Before entering the Brong Ahafo Region, President Mahama had addressed rallies at Mankranso , Fawoman and Tepa in the Ahafo Ano South and North Constituencies respectively in the Ashanti Region and later addressed similar ones in Hwiddiem, Kenyasi, Atronie and Kukuom all in the Brong Ahafo Region.   President Mahama said it was sad that in spite of the provision of free school uniform, elimination of schools under trees and free exercise books, opponents of the NDC were still rendering them invalid in their performance and asked for objective evaluation of programmes.   “No matter how well a fowl dances, it will never impress the hawk, and we expect the hawk this time to know that the fowl also deserves some recognition,” the President added.   He appealed to NDC members to come out in their numbers to vote massively for the NDC on December 7, to avoid a second round that could deprive them of the usual Christmas merry-making.   President Mahama on his second-day campaign tour of the Region on Wednesday is scheduled to visit Yeji, Atebubu, Amantin and other rural communities in the area where he will address rallies. GNA  ...

Cape Coast, Nov. 14, GNA - Public sector workers and Civil Servants occupying the Cape Coast Ministries Block have expressed fear over the weak nature of the building they occupy and have appealed to President  John Mahama to immediately intervene for it to be rehabilitated.   The concerns and fears follow the Melcom disaster that claimed 14 lives at Achimota in Accra recently.   The six-storey block which has deep cracks with some of the iron rods hanging out dangerously was built during Colonel Benarsko’s  tenure as Regional Commissioner in the 1970s, and had since not seen any renovation. And due to its position close to the sea, the sea weather has also had its toll on the building.   It has developed serious cracks and leaks badly when it rains. The workers live in constant fear and have made several appeals to the Regional Coordinating Council which has the oversight responsibility but all to no avail.   Not even publications from both the electronic and print media including the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the Graphic, Chronicle, Daily Guide, TV3 and Metro Television could persuade successive Governments over the years to release funds for the needed renovation.   More than 200 workers of various Ministries, Departments and Agencies including the Ghana Education Service, Controller and Accountant General’s Department, the Audit Service, Information Services Department and the Ghana News Agency are located in the block.   Others are the Ghana Cocoa Board, Department of Community Development, the Business Advisory Centre and the Ghana Immigration Service.   Expressing their fears to the GNA on Wednesday, the workers described the structure as a “death trap” that was dangerous not only to workers but also the hundreds of clients who trooped in daily to transact business in the various departments within the block.   Some workers of the Controller and Accountant General's Department described the building as a time bomb waiting to ‘explode’ at any moment.   The worker said they were living in great fear as disaster could occur at any time and, therefore, appealed to all departmental heads to bring pressure to bear on the Government to rectify the situation within the shortest possible time. GNA  ...

Cape Coast, Nov. 14, GNA –The Melcom Shopping Centre in Cape Coast, has poor ventilation as a result of lack of windows and the fact the facility has only one entrance serving as both entry and exit point.   The well-patronised trading centre, which is the only shopping mall in the city, occupies large space with variety of goods sold there.   The Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Tuesday observed that the shopping centre’s only entrance serves as exist for shoppers and for carting goods.   Shoppers and workers at the mall move about under humid condition to the extent that fans placed at vantage points in the shop have not solved the problem.   Some shoppers at the Mall complained to GNA that conditions at the Mall could cause the spread of airborne diseases as the only air-condition was at the branch Manager’s office.   They appealed to the management of Melcom, to provide air conditioner to ease the humid condition in the shop.   When GNA contacted the manager on the issue, he declined to comment. GNA  ...

Akim Swedru (E/R), Nov. 14, GNA –  A member of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in-charge of programmes, Mr Samuel Akuamoah has urged Ghanaians not to let child labour to tarnish the country’s enviable record as a pace-setter in democracy in sub- Saharan Africa.   He said for the nation to progress, Ghanaians needed to refrain from all activities that constituted child labour.   Mr Akuamoah made the call at a Birim South Round Table meeting of stakeholders in cocoa production at Akim Swedru. The meeting was organised by the NCCE and sponsored by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) under the Cocoa Community Project (CCP).   Four cocoa growing districts in the country, namely Birim South, Twifu Hemang Lower Denkyira, Suhum and Wassa Amenfi West, participated in the programme which aimed at sensitising the communities on the dangers posed by using children below the age of 18 years in cocoa production.   The NCCE member said threats from the nation’s trading partners to boycott buying Ghana’s cocoa and fish because of engaging children in farming and fishing activities were sufficient to prompt Ghanaians about how serious the international community regarded child labour.   “Our trading partners are not selfish to see the future of the Ghanaian children destroyed by their parents who engage them in hazardous activities at the expense of their education,” Mr Akuamoah said.   He urged Ghanaians to help to make the upcoming general election incident-free and asked them not to regard holding free, fair and transparent election as the responsibility of the Electoral Commission (EC) alone, adding that it was everybody’s responsibility.   Mr Akuamoah recounted how children and women suffered in civil wars and prayed that the nation would never experience that calamity.   Mr Eric Bottey, Eastern Regional Director of the NCCE commended the EC for putting in place good policies to ensure free, fair and transparent elections and appealed to the electorate to abide by the policies to ensure a violent-free election.   Mr Justice Archer, Technical Director of Child Aid and Youth Development Network, a non-governmental organisation called for improvement of conditions in schools to make them conducive for children to stay and learn.   Mr Andrews Owusu Gyamfi, Quality Control Officer, commended the country's trading partners on the decision to boycott Ghana’s cocoa if farmers did not stop engaging children in farming.   Mrs Rebecca Agyei-Ofori, a staff of NCCE said a child must not be made to work for more than two hours during school days and three hours during weekends and holidays.   Mr Stephen Agyei-Yeboah, Birim South District Director of NCCE called on Ghanaians to ponder over whether the children they were producing would be fit to become responsible future leaders if they did not put a stop to child labour . GNA  ...

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  ...