The Ministry of Information in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) has organized a four day capacity building workshop (from 3rd Nov. – 6th Nov. 09) for twenty District Information Officers and Journalists of the Information Services Department at Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
Participants were drawn from Districts which have functioning Community Information Centers (CIC).
The workshop was aimed at equipping participants with the skills of writing news reports, feature articles; news editing and publishing news on human centered developmental issues in their respective districts which would then be posted on the district’s blog to enhance effective access of information through the internet from within and outside the district.
Participants were urged to make use of the little resources available to them to market the various tourist attractions in their districts to the outside world via the internet.
As part of the workshop participants were also taking through practicals on News reporting. This they did by visiting some selected UNDP sponsored projects and reporting on such projects accordingly.
By Doris N. Sodjah (ISD, Somanya)
IMPACT OF UNDP AND MANYA KROBO RURAL BANK SUPPORT PROJECT
Upper Manya Krobo Rural Bank has been ranked 23rd in the 2008 Ghana Club 100 chart from the initial position of 43rd in 2006.
It was also adjudged the best among other financial institutions in the Eastern Region. This was revealed by Mr. Eric Kwame Tetteh, the Project Manager of the bank.
The bank which currently has a clientele base of about 7,500 achieved this success through its partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Project (MSME) which was initiated in 2006/2007.
Apart from financial support, staff and management of the bank have also undergone UNDP sponsored capacity building programmes within and outside Ghana.
The project which seeks to building human capacity, supporting economic growth, improving and enhancing sustainable livelihoods has been lauded by its beneficiaries.
According to Mr. Emmanuel Padi, a beneficiary of the loan facility, his company, Zidaco Ventures has recorded tremendous growth since he started benefiting from the project.
From a humble beginning of one deep freezer, Zidaco ventures can now boast of two additional stores and a twenty–footer Cargo Van with six employees.
Another beneficiary, Madam Gloria Osei Yeboah a provision store operator, has expanded her business and acquired a three and half pieces of land through the loan facility with flexible terms of payment.
To the beneficiaries, UNDP intervention to the bank was indeed a lifeline in their lifetime.
ISD, Somanya: Gp 1, UNDP sponsored workshop, 5th Nov. 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
YILO KROBO HOLDS BEST TEACHER AWARDS DAY
In all eight winners were selected from both teaching and non teaching staff from various Junior and Senior High Schools in the district.
Delivering his keynote address, the guest speaker who is also the immediate past Director of Education in the District, Mr. David C.O. Sotti, stated that even though teaching is an interesting and noble profession, the challenges and difficulties associated with it are enormous. These challenges and difficulties according to him make the teaching profession unattractive to the youth.
Mr. Sotti further explained that for any professional to give out his best, he needs the basic necessity in life which is accommodation. Teachers nationwide lack this basic necessity which makes it difficult for them to deliver. He therefore pleaded with landlords who are hostile and intentionally increase rent to teachers in their communities to desist from it.
Mr. Sotti advised newly trained teachers not to see the profession as a stepping stone but rather remain committed to their duties.
He also touched on poor remuneration and retirement packages for teachers and appealed to government to give teachers their fair share of the national cake to enable them deliver their best.
The Yilo Krobo District Chief Executive (DCE) Hon. Andrews Soda in his speech disclosed that schools with poor infrastructural facilities will be given a facelift in the first quarter of 2010.
The DCE assured teachers in the District that the Assembly is doing its best to solve their accommodation problems. He however challenged them to reciprocate the assembly’s effort by bringing out their best to improve upon the level of education in the district.
The District Director of Education Mr. Raphael Frimpong Agyei commended the DCE for his initiative of organizing this year’s District awards ahead of the regional awards.
Mr. Raphael Frimpong Agyei however said the District Assembly alone cannot shoulder the responsibility of organizing the award scheme and appealed to corporate institutions to sponsor the scheme.
The award winners took home prizes ranging from table top refrigerators, color TV’s and mattresses.
By Doris N. Sodjah (ISD)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
PRESIDENT JOHN E.A. MILLS' VISIT TO KROBOLAND
The President John Evans Atta Mills had assured traditional rulers of their inclusion in the execution of developmental projects.
He reiterated that his government will deliver on its promise to provide jobs, investing in people and build a better Ghana for all and added that the assistance of the traditional rulers will be paramount to achieve this goal.
President Mills gave this assurance at a durbar held in his honour by the chiefs and people of kroboland at Somanya on the 15th of October 2009.
He however explained that as part of the agenda to build a better Ghana his administration will very soon introduce new policies to improve the living standard of Ghanaians.
The president also use the occasion to express his gratitude to the kroboland which comprises upper and lower Manya and Yilo krobo districts for the confidence reposed in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government by making the three constituencies in the Kroboland the party’s safe seats for all these years.
The president stated that his government had reciprocated their kind gesture by appointing sons of kroboland to high offices in his administration; he was quick to add that all the appointees in administration from kroboland are performing well.
President Mills also promised the people of kroboland of good drinking water and electricity supply to enhance development.
Delivering his speech, the Eastern Regional Minister Hon. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo hinted that plans were underway to establish mango processing center in the Yilo krobo district. He added that due to this impending project, all major roads in Somanya Township and its environs will be given a facelift befitting a district capital.
In his acceptance address the chairman for the occasion who is also the Konor of Manya krobo Nene Sakitey II said Kroboland provides all the natural resources like water and electricity that are used to develop the big cities, but ironically they are sidelined when it comes to development.
He therefore appealed to government to bring the people of kroboland good infrastructural facilities to improve their living standards.
By: Doris N. Sodjah (ISD, Somanya)
YILO KROBO DISTRICT ASSEMBLY HOLDS ITS EIGHTH ORDINARY MEETING
Distirct Chief Executive for Yilo Krobo Hon. Andrews Sodah
The Yilo Krobo district assembly has held the eight ordinary meeting of the fourth session of the Assembly on the 6th and 7th of October 2009.
Delivering his key note address the District Chief Executive (DCE) Hon. Andrews Sodah suggested to the assembly to pass a resolution to enable management acquire all the land around the Boti falls in the Yilo Krobo District of the Eastern Region compulsorily to attract investors for better development.
The DCE said this had become the last resort because all efforts by the assembly to resolve the misunderstanding between the land owners and the assembly had proved futile.
According to him (DCE), in spite of the successful organization of this year’s 1st July celebrations through the collaboration of the assembly and landowners, over six thousand Ghana cedi being revenue generated is yet to be retrieved from the landowners.
On education, the DCE Hon. Andrews Sodah also expressed his concern about the fallen standard of education in the Yilo Krobo District.
He explained that although the district recorded 41.3% at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for 2008/2009 academic year as against 39.9% for 2007/2008 academic year it was still not the best. To this effect the District Director of education has constituted a committee to investigate the fallen standard of education in the district, said by the DCE.
The DCE therefore encouraged the assembly members to assist the committee in its work and participate fully in the process to bring out a lasting solution to the problem.
The DCE also charged the Assembly members to make sure that decision taken at Assembly meetings were carried to citizens of their communities as their communities are also stakeholders of the assembly.
The DCE again challenged the assembly members to make use of the few opportunities available at the assembly to upgrade themselves academically as they are role models in their various communities. He also touched on the state of insecurity in the district and urged members to report people with questionable characters to the police for investigation to be conducted, adding that some of the armed robbers had relocated from the big cities to the district levels.
The DCE then pledged the assembly’s support to the police urging them to do their best to combat crime in the district.
By: Doris N. Sodjah (ISD, Somanya)
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