EMPRETEC Ghana, consultants in business and entrepreneurship, has organised a two-day workshop for 22 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on the identification of markets on behalf of the Private Enterprise Foundation.
The workshop was sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Japanese Government and implemented by the Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF).
The workshop was as a result of gaps identified by the PEF in its annual monitoring and evaluation of the corporate governance aspect of its project.
Briefing the press, the Assistant Projects Manager of the PEF, Mr Agyare Boateng, said there were eight components of the project among which was the market identification.
He said as part of the project, the PEF had planned to train 100 SMEs all over the country.
Mr Boateng said apart from the programme, Empretec Ghana had been offered the responsibility to identify the needs of the SMEs and train them to improve upon their skills to manage and expand their businesses.
He expressed the hope that the participants would take the workshop seriously to enable them to acquire skills in their respective areas and expand their enterprises.
The Ashanti Regional Manager of Empretec, Mr Kofi Kyere Boateng, described marketing as a basic requirement of businessmen and an area of study to improve businesses.
Some of the topics discussed were effective market and strategies, managing market competition and price strategies.
The team leader of the leasing programme, Mr Jonathan Mensah, for his part, said there had been a general increase in leasing activities in Ghana over the past year.
“This growth has been driven primarily by the increase in the number of lessors especially banks”.
He added that significantly, leasing was spreading to many regions in the country and lease operators were financing more equipment.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
MAN JAILED 18 YEARS FOR DEFILING GIRL, 6 (MIRROR, PAGE 27)
From Collins Agyekum-Gyasi, Kumasi
A KUMASI circuit court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Amo Yartey has convicted a 26-year-old man, Kwasi Kankam, to 18 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a six-year-old girl.
The court was told that Kankam lived in the same vicinity with the victim and her parents at Kaase, a suburb of Kumasi.
On June 1, 2009, Kankam lured the girl to a nearby bush and forcibly had sex with her.
Chief Inspector Comfort Kyei Baafuor who prosecuted, said at about 7pm that day while the victim was playing under a mango tree, Kankam lured her into a nearby bush about 200 metres away and forcibly had sex with her.
She said during the act the victim cried out loudly due to the unbearable pain and the mother of the child who recognised her voice, quickly rushed to the scene where she also shouted for help.
The prosecutor said concerned neighbours combed the bush and later arrested the suspect.
According to the prosecutor, Kankam, who claimed in his caution statement that he had a long-standing friendship with the victim’s parents, denied defiling the girl and explained further that he was attending nature’s call in the bush when the victim saw him and followed him, begging for money.
A medical report form duly endorsed by a medical officer confirmed that the girl had been defiled.
A KUMASI circuit court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Amo Yartey has convicted a 26-year-old man, Kwasi Kankam, to 18 years imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a six-year-old girl.
The court was told that Kankam lived in the same vicinity with the victim and her parents at Kaase, a suburb of Kumasi.
On June 1, 2009, Kankam lured the girl to a nearby bush and forcibly had sex with her.
Chief Inspector Comfort Kyei Baafuor who prosecuted, said at about 7pm that day while the victim was playing under a mango tree, Kankam lured her into a nearby bush about 200 metres away and forcibly had sex with her.
She said during the act the victim cried out loudly due to the unbearable pain and the mother of the child who recognised her voice, quickly rushed to the scene where she also shouted for help.
The prosecutor said concerned neighbours combed the bush and later arrested the suspect.
According to the prosecutor, Kankam, who claimed in his caution statement that he had a long-standing friendship with the victim’s parents, denied defiling the girl and explained further that he was attending nature’s call in the bush when the victim saw him and followed him, begging for money.
A medical report form duly endorsed by a medical officer confirmed that the girl had been defiled.
INDIAN HEMP DEALER JAILED 10 YEARS (MIRROR, PAGE 37)
From Collins Agyekum-Gyasi, Kumasi.
AN ACCUSED PERSON from whom a polythene bag containing cannabis weighing 2.20 grammes was retrieved during a search conducted by a team from the Narcotic Drugs, last Monday told a Kumasi Circuit Court Two that he ‘is a user but not a dealer’.
The court presided over by Mr Justice Emmanuel Amo Yartey did not hesitate but to sentence George Gyapong to 10 years imprisonment with retrospective effect date from the day he was arrested and charged with possessing cannabis.
Prosecutor, Chief Inspector A K Fandoh, presenting the facts of the case told the court that on July 26, 2008, personnel from the Drugs Law Enforcement Unit in Kumasi went to Wadie-Adwmankase near Mamponteng, Ashanti Region, on an operation at about 1.30 pm and arrested the accused upon a tip off that he was dealing in narcotic drugs.
Mr Fandoh said, the personnel conducted a search in the room of Gyapong only to discover a black polythene containing five wrappers and a quantity of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
Chief Inspector Fandoh said when Gyapong was interrogated he allegedly told the investigator ‘he is a user but not a dealer’. The exhibit was then sent to the Forensic Laboratory, Accra, for analytical examination, and the result proved positive cannabis weighing 2.20grammes.
He said the docket on the case was sent to the Attorney General’s office from where they were advised to charge Gyapong with the offence.
AN ACCUSED PERSON from whom a polythene bag containing cannabis weighing 2.20 grammes was retrieved during a search conducted by a team from the Narcotic Drugs, last Monday told a Kumasi Circuit Court Two that he ‘is a user but not a dealer’.
The court presided over by Mr Justice Emmanuel Amo Yartey did not hesitate but to sentence George Gyapong to 10 years imprisonment with retrospective effect date from the day he was arrested and charged with possessing cannabis.
Prosecutor, Chief Inspector A K Fandoh, presenting the facts of the case told the court that on July 26, 2008, personnel from the Drugs Law Enforcement Unit in Kumasi went to Wadie-Adwmankase near Mamponteng, Ashanti Region, on an operation at about 1.30 pm and arrested the accused upon a tip off that he was dealing in narcotic drugs.
Mr Fandoh said, the personnel conducted a search in the room of Gyapong only to discover a black polythene containing five wrappers and a quantity of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
Chief Inspector Fandoh said when Gyapong was interrogated he allegedly told the investigator ‘he is a user but not a dealer’. The exhibit was then sent to the Forensic Laboratory, Accra, for analytical examination, and the result proved positive cannabis weighing 2.20grammes.
He said the docket on the case was sent to the Attorney General’s office from where they were advised to charge Gyapong with the offence.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
MAINTAIN HIGH SENSE OF PROFESSIONALISM (PAGE 3)
THE President of the Institute of Public Relations (IPR), Ghana, Mrs Vicky Wireko-Andoh, has challenged public relations practitioners to maintain the highest sense of professionalism at their places of work.
That, she noted, would prevent them from being used by their management as ‘errand boys’.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regional Chapter of the IPR in Kumasi, Mrs Wireko-Andoh expressed concern over the negative way some management treated their PR officers and said that must be stopped.
She stressed the need for practitioners to help build a profession that had integrity, trust and respect at all times.
She said the executive committee of the IPR would do its best to grow a healthy and enviable profession, nurture it and watch it mature to reach out to all members.
“Our gathering here fulfils our passion as the executive committee to enlarge the fold and in the process ensure that we bring every professional communications practitioner into the family of IPR,” she said, adding that the inauguration of the chapter was a dream come true.
The IPR President observed that public relations had not been given its proper strategic place in the organisational structure to advise and direct management because a lot of management did not understand the proper role of PR and its contribution to the success equation of their establishments.
Mrs Wireko-Andoh called on practitioners in corporate organisations and departments to always apply professionalism in whatever they did and gave the assurance that the IPR would continue to give direction to them and students of PR and communications.
The Vice-President of the IPR, Major Albert Don-Chebe (retd), said members would have the opportunity to be professionals because their jobs needed all minds and brains.
That, she noted, would prevent them from being used by their management as ‘errand boys’.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regional Chapter of the IPR in Kumasi, Mrs Wireko-Andoh expressed concern over the negative way some management treated their PR officers and said that must be stopped.
She stressed the need for practitioners to help build a profession that had integrity, trust and respect at all times.
She said the executive committee of the IPR would do its best to grow a healthy and enviable profession, nurture it and watch it mature to reach out to all members.
“Our gathering here fulfils our passion as the executive committee to enlarge the fold and in the process ensure that we bring every professional communications practitioner into the family of IPR,” she said, adding that the inauguration of the chapter was a dream come true.
The IPR President observed that public relations had not been given its proper strategic place in the organisational structure to advise and direct management because a lot of management did not understand the proper role of PR and its contribution to the success equation of their establishments.
Mrs Wireko-Andoh called on practitioners in corporate organisations and departments to always apply professionalism in whatever they did and gave the assurance that the IPR would continue to give direction to them and students of PR and communications.
The Vice-President of the IPR, Major Albert Don-Chebe (retd), said members would have the opportunity to be professionals because their jobs needed all minds and brains.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
FOMENA NURSES SCHOOL HOUSING PROJECT NEEDS REACTIVATION (PAGE 11)
THE Principal of the Community Health Nurses’ Training School at Fomena in the Ashanti Region, Mrs Lynda Rockson-Mante, has called on the government to complete the school’s abandoned accommodation project to help ease the acute accommodation problem it is facing.
She said the structure that housed 50 students in 2005, now housed 603 students, adding that a greater part of the school’s infrastructure which had been abandoned could be reactivated to cater for the rapid growth of the school population.
Mrs Rockson-Mante, who made the call at the school’s maiden matriculation, noted that 64 per cent of the first-year students were non-resident.
She said the vision of the school was to make it a premier, as well as one of academic excellence in a healthy environment in the training of community health nurses to give quality-driven health care.
However, she said, there were many problems such as encroachment on school land, lack of water and overcrowding, among other things.
Mrs Rockson-Mante stressed the need for all stakeholders to support and re-affirm their support and commitment to the development of the school as the government alone could not be burdened with all those problems.
Rev. Veronica Darko, Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Nurses and Midwives Council, advised the students to always let whatever they learnt to reflect in their dealing with the patient or client.
She said their role in the healthcare delivery chain was preventive by nature and as such they should be proactive in their approach to issues by going out to the community and finding out how to prevent communicable diseases.
Rev Darko urged the matriculants to act professionally by bringing on board good interpersonal relationship and relate to patients as humans and not objects.
“A Community Health Nurse who is well respected by the public is the one who is decent, knowledgeable, skilful and in whose hands clients feel comfortable, secure and relaxed. The clients of such a person recover with little or no effort,” she said.
Mr Kofi Opoku Manu, the Ashanti Regional Minister, re-echoed the government’s preparedness to honour its promise to the people and entreated all and sundry to rally behind it to ensure quality manpower development in the health sector.
“The government will certainly create the enabling environment that will usher the vision of the school into reality. And you can be assured that the development of this very institution is at the heart of the government and the Ashanti Regional Administration. Positive steps would be taken to ensure that resources are provided to steer the school to match with its motto ‘Excellence, our Hallmark,” he assured.
Nana Sarfo Agyeman III, chief of Ahensan-Adansi and chairperson for the occasion, recounted the history of the project over 30 years ago.
She said the traditional council would always assist the school.
Nana Agyeman suggested that the accommodation problem facing the school be tackled first before thinking of constructing a fence.
She said the structure that housed 50 students in 2005, now housed 603 students, adding that a greater part of the school’s infrastructure which had been abandoned could be reactivated to cater for the rapid growth of the school population.
Mrs Rockson-Mante, who made the call at the school’s maiden matriculation, noted that 64 per cent of the first-year students were non-resident.
She said the vision of the school was to make it a premier, as well as one of academic excellence in a healthy environment in the training of community health nurses to give quality-driven health care.
However, she said, there were many problems such as encroachment on school land, lack of water and overcrowding, among other things.
Mrs Rockson-Mante stressed the need for all stakeholders to support and re-affirm their support and commitment to the development of the school as the government alone could not be burdened with all those problems.
Rev. Veronica Darko, Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Nurses and Midwives Council, advised the students to always let whatever they learnt to reflect in their dealing with the patient or client.
She said their role in the healthcare delivery chain was preventive by nature and as such they should be proactive in their approach to issues by going out to the community and finding out how to prevent communicable diseases.
Rev Darko urged the matriculants to act professionally by bringing on board good interpersonal relationship and relate to patients as humans and not objects.
“A Community Health Nurse who is well respected by the public is the one who is decent, knowledgeable, skilful and in whose hands clients feel comfortable, secure and relaxed. The clients of such a person recover with little or no effort,” she said.
Mr Kofi Opoku Manu, the Ashanti Regional Minister, re-echoed the government’s preparedness to honour its promise to the people and entreated all and sundry to rally behind it to ensure quality manpower development in the health sector.
“The government will certainly create the enabling environment that will usher the vision of the school into reality. And you can be assured that the development of this very institution is at the heart of the government and the Ashanti Regional Administration. Positive steps would be taken to ensure that resources are provided to steer the school to match with its motto ‘Excellence, our Hallmark,” he assured.
Nana Sarfo Agyeman III, chief of Ahensan-Adansi and chairperson for the occasion, recounted the history of the project over 30 years ago.
She said the traditional council would always assist the school.
Nana Agyeman suggested that the accommodation problem facing the school be tackled first before thinking of constructing a fence.
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