Wednesday, November 19, 2008

'Provide infrastructure for Akrokerri college'

Page 11, Nov 20, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Oforikrom in the Ashanti Region, Ms Elizabeth Agyeman has called for the provision of adequate infrastructure for the Akrokerri Teacher Training College to enable the school improve on its female intake.
She said it was unfortunate that the female dormitory of the school has neither been expanded nor seen any major rehabilitation since the 1970s and called for a conscious efforts to encourage females to make the college as their preferred choice.
Ms Agyeman, who has been appointed as the chairman of the college’s Board of Directors told the Daily Graphic that the increase in the number of females at the basic level of education was good for the upliftment of the social status of Ghanaian women.
She stated, however that the government’s aim of uplifting the social status of women cannot be fully achieved if institutions, such as the Akrokerri Teacher Training College, among others continues to admit few female due to lack of accommodation.
Ms Agyeman, who is also an old student of the college, said Ghana’s quest to attain a middle income status would be a mirage if women were not encourage to stay in school till they achieved higher academic laurels.
She also appealed for the rehabilitation of the entire road network of the college to reciprocate the college’s immense contribution to the country’s education.
Ms Agyeman thanked the school for the honour done her and promised to use her time and energy to uplift the status of the school.

Aspirants must set good example

page 15, Nov 20, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Member of Parliament for Akrofrom in the Ashanti Region, Mr Kwabena Appiah-Pinkrah, has challenged presidential and parliamentary candidates vying for the December polls to set good examples for their supporters to follow.
He noted that there was the need for them to focus on things that would bind Ghanaians together rather than using words and innuendoes on political platforms to fan violence.
“As we enter the last lap of our campaigns towards the December polls, let us ensure that we conduct our campaigns with decency, since the outbreak of violence will destroy the gains that have been achieved over the years”, he said.
Mr Appiah-Pinkrah told the Daily Graphic that it was the duty of the leadership of all the political parties to strive to maintain the image that the country had built for itself as far as the conduct of elections was concerned since 1992.
“If we are able to conduct the forthcoming elections in dignity, Ghana’s image will continue to sour and positively affect its economic growth”, he stated.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Parliament adjourns to give time for campaiging

Centre spread, Nov 15, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT on Friday adjourned to give Members of Parliament (MPs) who are contesting their seats during the forthcoming elections ample time to campaign.
The House will, however, reconvene on December 16, 2008 to finish the business of the meeting before adjourning sine die.
The House is expected to be dissolved on January 6, 2009 to pave the way for the inauguration of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic on January 7, 2009.
It is now clear that more than 40 members of the House are not contesting their seats for one reason or another. Prominent among them is the Majority Leader, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, who lost his bid to contest the Tema West seat during the NPP primary.
Others on the Majority side include the MP for Berekum, Mr Nkrabea Effah-Dartey, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, MP for Manhyia, Mr Akwasi Osei-Adjei, the Foreign Minister and MP for Ejisu Juaben and Dr K.K. Apraku, MP for Offinso North.
On the Minority side are Dr Kwame Ampofo, MP for South Dayi, Mr Ken Dzirasah, MP for Central Tongu, Mr Samuel Sallas-Mensah, MP for Upper West Akim and Mr Francis Abotse, among others.
Delivering his closing remarks, Mr Aidooh thanked the MPs for their immense co-operation, which had ensured the smooth running of the meeting.
He stated that though the period of the meeting was very short, a lot was achieved due to the dedication of the MPs, who shuttled between their constituencies and the House to transact business.
Mr Aidooh expressed the hope that all members of the House would retain their seats to maintain the status quo in the House.
The Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, asked the MPs going to campaign to maintain the cordial relationship among them in the House while in their constituencies to portray to their constituents that politicians were not enemies.
He thanked his colleagues for their co-operation during the meeting and expressed the hope that the country would witness yet another historic election.
The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Freddie Blay, on behalf of the Speaker, thanked both the Majority and Minority sides of the House, the staff of the Parliamentary Service and the Parliamentary Press Corps for their contributions to the success of the meeting.
Before the House adjourned, members passed the Education Bill.
The bill seeks to incorporate the lessons learnt from the over 50 years of state control and management of educational reforms and give substance to Article 38 of the Constitution, which enjoins the government of the day to provide educational facilities at all levels and in all regions and to make those facilities available to the citizenry.

House approves funds for first quarter of 2009

Backpage, Nov 15, 2998
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT yesterday approved a total of GH ¢2,218,506,931.00 to be drawn from the Consolidated Fund as expenditure for the first quarter of 2009 in advance of the 2009 budget.
The amount is made up of statutory payments of GH ¢635,896,749.00 and discretionary payments of GH¢1,582,610,183.00.
The statutory payments include external debt servicing of GH¢113,697,484 as principal and GH¢36,018,141 as interest payments and the total domestic interest of GH¢101,284,659, which include allocations for the District Assemblies Common Fund, transfers to household, pensions, gratuities, National Health Fund, social security, Ghana Education Trust Fund, Road Fund and Petroleum-related Fund.
The expenditure in advance of the 2009 appropriation was laid before the House on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 and referred to the Parliamentary Committee on Finance for consideration.
Article 180 of the 1992 Constitution states that where it appears to the President that the Appropriation Act in respect of any financial year will not come into operation by the beginning of the financial year, he may, with the approval of Parliament by a resolution, authorise the withdrawal of moneys from the Consolidated Fund for the purposes of meeting expenditure necessary to carry on the services of the government in respect of the first three months of the year.
The Finance Committee noted during its deliberation on the matter that the amount represented about 25 per cent of the total budgetary figure for the 2009 financial year.
The measure is expected to give the incoming administration the opportunity to make input into the budget of the 2009 financial year.
The Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, moved the motion for the approval of the fund.
Contributing to the ensuing debate, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Mr P.C Appiah-Ofori, urged his colleagues to give approval to the amount to keep the wheels of governance moving for the first quarter of 2009.
Meanwhile, the House has also approved a $30-million loan agreement between the government and the EXIM Bank of China and Societe General, Beijing, for the development of the National E-Government Infrastructure Project.
It also adopted the report of the Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs on the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling and Joining of the International Whaling Commission of the United Nations.

Commit more resources to health

Page 14, Nov 14, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE African Regional Representative of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Larry Umunna, has advised West African countries to commit more resources to health-related issues to ensure proper health of their people.
GAIN, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), is committed to fighting against malnutrition to make people and economies healthier and more productive.
The organisation mobilises public-private partnerships and provides the financial and technical support to get healthier food supplements to people at risk of malnutrition.
Speaking at a press conference preceding a high-level meeting of the organisation in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Umunna noted that though malnutrition was preventable, it was the underlying cause of the 3.5 million child deaths worldwide.
According to a Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) 2004 report, 37.2 million people were undernourished in West Africa, while under-five and maternal mortality rates were among the highest in the world.
He said it was for that reason that GAIN had committed $9 million in West Africa for food fortification projects as a strategy aimed at reducing macronutrient deficiencies and alleviating hunger.
He said in Ghana, GAIN was supporting the National Food Fortification Programme with $1.8 million for a three-year public-private initiative to reduce anaemia, folic acid and vitamin A deficiencies through consumption of fortified wheat flour and vegetable oil.
It is the goal of the NGO to improve the nutritional situation of the vulnerable and those at risk, explaining that 65 per cent of children from two to five years and 40 per cent of women of reproductive age suffer from vitamin A deficiencies.
Mr Umunna said GAIN was also in a process of financing projects in Ghana on complementary foods for children between ??? and 24 months, with UNICEF in the area of salt iodisation.
He, however regretted that despite the impact of malnutrition on mortality, morbidity and national economies, a disturbing low proportion of the international resources for health-related development assistance were allocated to nutrition activities.
Mr Umunna noted that adequate food was a human right issue, while good nutrition was essential to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), adding that without progress towards the tackling of malnutrition in West Africa, it would be difficult to achieve these goals.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Parliament approves loan for health sector

Page 55, Nov 13, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT yesterday approved a $339 million loan agreement between the government and the Euroget De-invest S.A. of Egypt for the construction and equipping of two regional and six district hospitals.
The regional hospitals are to be sited in Wa in the Upper West Region and Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, while the district hospitals will be in the Tepa, Wenchi, Salaga, Twifo Praso, Adenta/Madina and Konongo/Odumase districts.
The construction of the hospitals is to provide access to quality health care for the people of the proposed sites, supply and install equipment for quality health upon completion and provide training for medical staff and technicians to assist operate the facilities efficiently.
The Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, moved for the approval of the facility, while the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Nii Daku Adu Mante, seconded it.
Presenting the report of the committee on the loan, Nii Mante said the country recognised the need to improve health status indicators, including maternal, public health and reproductive health services.
He noted that non-communicable diseases and road accidents were becoming major causes of morbidity in the country.
Nii Mante said despite those challenges, the health sector had made progress in meeting people’s expectations and promoting effective clinical service delivery, explaining that with the operation of the National Health Insurance Scheme, people now had easy access to health care.
The major components of the projects will include administration buildings, adjunct clinical services, out-patient departments, theatres, standard wards, maternity/pediatrics, kitchens, mortuaries, mother hostels, among others.
The House also approved a $120 million loan agreement between the government and the Bank of Hapoalim of Israel for the implementation of the Kwahu, Konongo and Kumawu water supply projects and a $49 million loan from the Project Development International/Exim Bank of the United States of America for the procurement of additional fire tenders for the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).
Meanwhile, Dr Akoto Osei yesterday laid before Parliament the expenditure in advance of appropriation for January to March 2009 and estimates of revenue and expenditure of government for the 2009 fiscal year.
The First Deputy Speaker, Mr Freddie Blay, referred the two papers to the Finance Committee of Parliament for consideration and report to the House for approval or otherwise.

SECURITY FOR ASPIRANTS, four bodyguards assigned to each candidate

Frontpage (lead story), Nov 12, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

EACH of the eight presidential candidates in the December election has been assigned four bodyguards, the Interior Minister, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, told Parliament yesterday.
In addition, all parliamentary candidates have been advised to contact their respective regional, divisional or district commanders of police who have been directed to arrange general security for the candidates.
The parliamentary candidates are to contact the commanders to give them details of their (candidates’) residences and movements.
Giving details of security arrangements for the election, the Interior Minister indicated that on election day, the National Election Security Task Force would co-ordinate the administrative and operational aspects of general security throughout the 230 constituencies and 22,000 polling stations nation-wide.
He further announced that he had asked the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to ensure that no security agent without a name tag was allowed to man a polling station.
That, he explained, was to avoid infiltration.
He said the Regional and District Election Security Task forces would complement the efforts of the National Security Task Force to ensure the safe escort of all voting materials to and from the polling stations.
They would also protect electoral officers, ballot boxes and voters, he explained
Dr Addo-Kufuor stated that civic and voter educational programmes were being undertaken by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the Ministry of Information and National Orientation and other governance bodies such as the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) to ensure an incident-free election.
The Interior Minister had appeared before the House to answer an urgent question posed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashaiman, Mr Alfred Kwame Agbesi.
Mr Agbesi wanted to know what plans the ministry had made on security for presidential and parliamentary candidates, as well as the general public, before, during and after the December 7 elections.
Asked whether the security agencies would be armed, the minister stated that it would depend on the situation at the various polling stations.
On whether members of the Community Protection Unit of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) would take part in the provision of security at the polling stations during the elections, Dr Addo-Kufuor asked Mr Agbesi to file another question for him to answer later.

Second Methodist Bishop of Somanya outdoored

Page 21, Nov 12, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE second bishop of the Somanya Diocese of the Methodist Church of Ghana, Right Reverend Albert Ofoe Wright has been outdoored at a colourful ceremony at Somanya.
Rev Wright was the first Administrative Secretary of the Methodist Church and a former minister in-charge of Missionary of the United Methodist Church in Germany.
The Lay President of the church, Mrs Araba Ata Sam, who officiated the ceremony, described Rev Wright as a minister who discharged his duties with absolute professionalism, thereby exhibiting a lot of maturity, forthrightness and decorum.
Rev Wright stated that he would convince the people and communities within the Somanya Diocese by sharing the love of God and material resources with them.
Present at the ceremony were the Presiding Bishop-elect of the church, Rt Rev Prof Emmanuel Asante and the immediate past Presiding Bishop, Most Rev Dr Samuel Asante Antwi.

Abesim scholarship scheme assists 15 students

Page 21, Nov 12, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
A TOTAL of GH¢15,000 has been spent by the Kyidom Educational Endowment Fund of Abesim in the Brong Ahafo Region as scholarships for 15 brilliant, needy students from the town over the last three years.
The chief of Abesim, Nana Kumi Acheaw, who is also the Kyidomhene of Dormaa Traditional Area, made this known at a durbar to award scholarships to 11 students from the town who had gained admission to second-cycle and tertiary institutions.
At the ceremony, four individuals from the town, who had contributed immensely to the fund, were also honoured with citations for their commitment to the education of the youth of the town.
They are Mr Joseph Konadu, Mr George Yaw Damoah, Mr Yaw Broni, all contractors and Nana Kwame Aning (aka Tyco), a fuel dealer.
Addressing the durbar, Nana Acheaw explained that besides the contributions of some philanthropists, both residents and non-residents of the town contributed GH¢2 per man and GH¢1 per woman towards the fund.
Nana Acheaw commended the four individuals and urged those who had the resources to contribute to the scheme and not to sit on the fence.
He noted that education was the foundation for the development of every society.
Nana Acheaw gave the assurance that the chiefs and people of the town were determined to push brilliant, needy students to the apex of their academic ladder.
“The only legacy that we can bequeath the present generation is to create a sound environment to enable the youth to achieve high academic qualifications. That is the way forward for the development of the society,” he stressed.
Nana Acheaw, therefore, called on citizens of the town to ensure that they paid their contributions to enable the scheme to increase the number of scholarships it offered to students each year.
He implored the beneficiaries not to rest on their laurels but work hard to justify the confidence the chiefs and people of the town had reposed in them so that they could also assist the needy in future.
Touching on the forthcoming general election, Nana Acheaw called on political leaders to be mindful of their utterances in order not to raise violence before, during and after the election.
Parents of the scholarship beneficiaries thanked the chiefs and people of the town for coming to their aid and promised that their wards would live up to expectation.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Ghana, Gambia to dialogue on death of Ghanaians

Page 14, Nov 10, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE government is pursuing dialogue with the authorities of The Gambia to ensure that the families of some Ghanaians who were killed in that country receive adequate compensation for the murder of their relatives.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD, Mr Akwasi Osei-Adjei, who made this known yesterday, said it would be “an extremist action” by the government to sever diplomatic relations with The Gambia in the quest to pursue justice for the killing of the Ghanaians and other West African nationals in that country.
The minister stated the position of the government when he appeared before Parliament to answer a question posed to him by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bole/Bamboi, Mr John Dramani Mahama.
The MP, whose question was asked on his behalf by the MP for Ningo-Prampram, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, wanted to know about the findings of Ghana’s investigative team into the killing of Ghanaians and other West African nationals in The Gambia.
The minister stated that an agreement had been reached to set up a three-member fact-finding panel, comprising the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, as chairperson, and a representative each of the governments of Ghana and The Gambia.
Mr Osei-Adjei explained that Ghana had chosen a former Secretary of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Co-operation of Mauritius, Ambassador Vijay Makhan to represent it on the panel.
He said currently, Ambassador Makhan was awaiting his appointment by the United Nations, which was expected to be completed by November 9, 2008 before travelling to Ghana to hold discussions with the government and then proceed to Abuja to join other members of the panel to commence work.
The work is expected to last one and a half months.
Mr Osei-Adjei stated that the recourse to independent investigations under the aegis of the ECOWAS and the UN provided a diplomatic way forward that brought The Gambia on board the process to unravel the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate death of the Ghanaians.
“The government eagerly awaits the findings of the independent panel and wishes to reassure the families of the victims that it remains committed to ensuring that the matter is brought to a just and satisfactory conclusion,” he said.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Parliament pays tribute to Baah Wiredu

Page 15, Nov 6, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

PARLIAMENT on Tuesday stood still as Members of Parliament (MP) paid glowing tribute to the late MP for the Asante Akim North and Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu.
Mr Baah-Wiredu, who died in South Africa on September 24, 2008, is expected to be accorded a state funeral in Accra and buried in his home town, Agogo, in the Ashanti Region on Saturday, November 8.
When various MPs from both sides of the House contributed to a statement by the Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidoo, they did so with heavy hearts.
Though those who contributed to the statement tried to hide their emotions, some ended up giving themselves out by shedding some tears midway through their contributions.
Some of those who were overwhelmed by the death of their colleague even refused to contribute to the tribute to depict their deep sorrow.
In a statement, Mr Aidooh said that the country stood in horrified stillness, while the government was shaken to its foundations when the death of Mr Baah-Wiredu was announced.
He noted that the crusade to strengthen the role of Parliament in international loan agreements came about due to the efforts of Mr Baah-Wiredu.
“In the business of actual law making, which is not one of the very interesting duties of MPs, Kwadwo distinguished himself. The several amendments proposed to several laws that the Parliament enacted bear testimony to this,” he said.
He noted that in both opposition and in government, Mr Baah-Wiredu’s credo had been politics without bitterness thus, explaining why his death brought the nation to a halt.
“For us in Parliament, it would be a near impossible task not to remember Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu. We plead with the Creator to grant him a peaceful rest from all the sleepless nights he encountered here on earth, all as part of his contribution to make life better for others.”
The Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Prof. George Gyan-Baffour, in his contribution, described the late minister as meticulous in his management of the national purse.
He said he always ensured that there was a balance between expenditure and revenue, as he was always conscious of the need to reduce fiscal excesses by consistently making explicit his desire for a linkage between fiscal action and economic outcome.
“He was not a Finance Minister who sat on his desk and only managed fiscal policy, he said, explaining that he was always on work sites to see to it that monies released were used for the purposes intended.
Professor Gyan-Baffour said the late Baah-Wiredu handled the economy so well that, in spite of the turbulence in the world economies in the last two years, Ghana’s economic fundamentals were stronger now than ever before.
All MPs who contributed to the tribute extolled the positive kind of politics pursued by the late Baah-Wiredu and called for lessons to be learnt from his type of politics and selfless devotion.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

House approves loan agreement for power projects

Backpage, Nov 5, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
Parliament yesterday gave approval for a US$500 million loan agreement between the government and the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development to finance the development and construction of the Juale and the Pwalugu hydro-electric power projects.
Feasibility studies on the two hydroelectric projects, which were carried out by Coyne ET of France, under a grant from the French Government in 1993, found out that the schemes were technically and economically attractive to add power generation. They also have the potential to export power to neighbouring countries, when necessary.
The schemes are designed for multi-purpose uses, including power generation, irrigation, fisheries and water transportation, and the credit facility will fund the entire spectrum of activities, from the development of the projects to the construction, inauguration and commercial operation of the two hydro-power schemes.
The construction of the Pwalugu Hydroelectric Scheme on the White Volta in the Upper East Region is expected to add 50 megawatts to Ghana’s energy production, while that of Juale in the Northern Region on the Oti River is expected to generate 90 megawatts.
The government is providing $55 million out of the $555 million cost of the two projects.
According to the report of the Finance Committee of Parliament, which dealt with the loan, government intended to develop modern townships and basic development infrastructure as part of the projects, which would form the building blocks of planned metropolises for the project areas.
The Minister of Energy, Mr Felix Owusu-Adjapong, moved for the approval of the loan and he was seconded by the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Nii Adu Mante Daku.
Members of Parliament from both sides of the House who contributed to the ensuing debate commended the government for taking a bold step to construct the two dams to add to the country’s energy generation.
In another development, the House also approved three other loans for a number of projects.
They included a €33,173,877 loan agreement between the government and Hospital Engineering GMBH of the Federal Republic of Germany for the supply and installation of medical and technical equipment at the 37 Military Hospital and the US$8.195 million loan from the Bank of China for the establishment of ICT-Enabled Distance Education Project at the University of Ghana, Legon.
The other loan agreement was a US$30 million credit facility from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) for phase four of the self-help electrification programme (SHEP 4) in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions.
Commenting on the loan for the installation and supply of equipment at the 37 Military Hospital, the Deputy Minister of Defence and MP for Akropong, Mr William Ofori Boafo, noted that the hospital also served a large number of civilians, in addition to referral cases from other countries in the West African sub-region.
For his part, the MP for Berekum, Captain Nkrabea Effah-Dartey, called for due diligence to ensure that the equipment that would be supplied to the hospital would not be obsolete but modern.

Parliament gives approval for loans to improve airports

Page 19, Nov 1, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT has given approval for a $122 million loan agreement between the government and the GK Airports Company Limited for the rehabilitation of the Kumasi, Takoradi and Sunyani airports.
Ghana has 12 airports with seven paved runways of which the Kotoka International Airport is the largest and only airport of international status.
The rehabilitation of the three airports is part of the government’s approach to provide the country with a strong base for increased air traffic.
Under the project, the runway of the Kumasi Airport would be extended from 2,320 metres to 3,000 metres to accommodate bigger aircraft.
A new terminal building would also be constructed with the installation of new passenger bridges, VIP lounge, control tower and a new rescue and firefighting equipment.
The runways of the Sunyani and the Takoradi airports would also be extended while new VIP lounges would be provided and the control towers and fire stations refurbished.
The Finance Committee of Parliament that dealt with the agreement appreciated the immense benefits the country would derive from the implementation of the project and, therefore, recommended the loan to the House for approval.
In another development, the Northern Development Fund Bill, which was placed before the House on October 16, 2008, passed through its second reading stage.
The Bill is to establish a fund to provide additional resources to support accelerated development within the three northern regions.
The Bill received a bi-partisan support with all the Members of Parliament who contributed to the ensuing debate acknowledging the imbalance in development between the north and the south of the country.
They contended that it would be difficult for the government to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, if nothing was done to enable the northern part of the country to catch up with the south in terms of development.
The MPs stressed that the fund should be used for the purpose for which it was created to bridge the huge development gap between the North and the South.
In the 2008 Budget Statement, the government said it was setting aside GH¢250 million as seed money for the Northern Development Fund.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

MP donates to the disabled

Page 22, Nov 1, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano South in the Brong Ahafo Region, Mr Andrew Adjei-Yeboah, has presented 20 wheelchairs to members of the Ghana Disabled Association in the area.
The chairs were donated to the MP, who is also a Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, by the Tema Rotary Club.
Presenting the items, Mr Adjei-Yeboah urged the beneficiaries not to consider themselves as outcasts but strive to develop their innate potential to enable them to cater for themselves and their families.
He pledged to assist them to acquire employable skills, and therefore implored them to seize the opportunity to be self-employed.
The chairman of the Tano South branch of the Disabled Society of Ghana, Mr J.K. Nkrumah, who received the items thanked the MP and the Tema Rotary Club for the gesture.