The Founder and General Overseer of the Jubilee International Churches and Ministries, Bishop Bob Hawkson, 65, who died last year while delivering a sermon, was given a private burial in Accra last Saturday.
Bishop Hawkson collapsed 25 minutes into the sermon at his church at Pig Farm in Accra on Sunday, December 23, 2012 and was rushed to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital where he died.
Grief and a sombre atmosphere filled the Prison Training School as family members, friends, church members, bishops and reverend ministers from across the country, the United States and the United Kingdom paid their last respects to the deceased.
Also in attendance were renowned men of God, including Bishop Tackie-Yarboi of the Victory Bible Church; Bishop Eric Kwapong of the Eric Kwapong Ministries, Reverend Christy Doe Tetteh, Rev Dr Lawrence Tetteh, Bishop Elisha Salifu Amoako, Archbishop Hackman from the United Kingdom and Bishop Carl Smith from the USA.
One phrase which ran through all the tributes was that the deceased was “generous, kind and a selfless a man who always put the needs of others above his needs”.
“Bishop would always want to see people succeed, so he gave all to whoever needed him any point in time,” his elder brother, Mr Kweku Nkwantasisah, told the Daily Graphic.
Rev Dr Mensah Otabil described him as “a true friend who was generous and made his resources available when the need arises”.
Bishop Hawkson was ordained on April 4,1976 by the Shiloh United Church of Christ and received a diploma at the United Pentecostal Evangelical Bible Comprehensive Course.
He also obtained a diploma from the Ministerial Training College of Shiloh United Ecclesiastical Bible College, London, and became a member of the Ministerial Training College of Advisory Consultants.
His children described him as an inspiration and source of strength that guided their path.
Bishop Hawkson, whose native name was Kofi Owusu Nyarko, was born into a royal family and his mother, the late Nana Nyarko Yaa, was a queenmother, while his late father, Kwabena Nkrumah, was a linguist at Denyaasi in the Ashanti Region.
The family described him as its pivot, while to the church members he was a spiritual father, coach and founder.
“We as a family have lost our most prize earthly possession in the ministry, our spiritual father, founder and leader. He was a father regardless of nationality, gender or standing,” the church said in its tribute.
Delivering the sermon, the General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Rev Dr Mensa Otabil, inspired the bereaved family to have confidence and believe that the deceased was resting in the bosom of God.
Dr Otabil urged the people to give their lives to Christ so that they would be saved after death.
The late Bishop Hawkson was one of the pioneers of the Kumasi High Senior School.
He was the Presiding Bishop and General Overseer of Jubilee International Churches and Ministries which has its headquarters in Accra, with 10 local and three international branches.
He was married to Shirlene Hawkson and they had four children.
He was also a board member of the Regent University College of Science, Education and Technology in Accra, a member of the board of the Regents of Shiloh Ecclesiastical Bible College and the founder/director of Operation Helping Hand-Ghana.
Tuesday 26 March 2013
Ghanaian wins international Arithmetic competition, Daily Graphic
Master Kobena Asamoah Amoah an 11-year old class six pupil of Crown Prince Academy emerged the winner of the 18th Universal Concept of Mental Arithmetic (UCMAS) Abacus and Mental International Competition held in Malaysia in December 2012.
The international competition is an annual event organised by the UCMAS Education Group, which brought together over 3000 children between five and 14 years from all over the world to compete at different levels.
Master Amoah who, together with other Ghanaian children represented Ghana, won the Intermediate A Category.
Mr Girish Gurbani, Director of UCMAS Ghana Limited, who presented Master Amoah at a a press briefing held in Accra, said master Amoah started the race by winning the competition on UCMAS Mental Arithmetic quiz show on GTV where he emerged as the national champion.
He said all the children did 100 to 200 arithmetic sums within 8 minutes to test the speed, confidence, concentration and their photographic memory.
According to Mr. Gurbani the mental Arithmetic is a form of calculation that does not involve the use of Physical gadgets or instruments but is solely done by the human mind using the minds power in performing calculations.
Some of the benefits of the programme are improved photographic memory skills, listening skills, concentration skills, presentation skills, imagination and creativity skills, speed and accuracy and removes Mathematics phobia and all round academic proficiency.
He said for about five years Ghanaian children had worked hard to make a mark on the international level but were always beaten by children from other countries such as India, United State of America, and Canada.
However, he said Kobena Asamoah Amoah made Ghana proud by emerging as the Winner of the Intermediate A Category.
He said the programme was intended to eradicate the fear of maths from all Ghanaian children and boost their confidence level.
Mr Gurbani said UCMAS started its operations in the country in 2007 in all the regions operating in 100 learning centres and are in partnership with over 50 schools running the UCMAS programme as a school curriculum activity.
He urged schools, parents, relatives and guidance to take advantage of UCMAS programme and enrol their children with UCMAS.
The mother of Kobena Asamoah Amoah, Mrs Anastasia Adoma Kenyah, expressed her gratitude to the managers of UCMAS for impacting positively on her son.
UCMAS Ghana Limited is a professional organisation headed by a team of directors and is dedicated to the cause of offering society a novel path by breaking the method of education through the UCMAS.
The international competition is an annual event organised by the UCMAS Education Group, which brought together over 3000 children between five and 14 years from all over the world to compete at different levels.
Master Amoah who, together with other Ghanaian children represented Ghana, won the Intermediate A Category.
Mr Girish Gurbani, Director of UCMAS Ghana Limited, who presented Master Amoah at a a press briefing held in Accra, said master Amoah started the race by winning the competition on UCMAS Mental Arithmetic quiz show on GTV where he emerged as the national champion.
He said all the children did 100 to 200 arithmetic sums within 8 minutes to test the speed, confidence, concentration and their photographic memory.
According to Mr. Gurbani the mental Arithmetic is a form of calculation that does not involve the use of Physical gadgets or instruments but is solely done by the human mind using the minds power in performing calculations.
Some of the benefits of the programme are improved photographic memory skills, listening skills, concentration skills, presentation skills, imagination and creativity skills, speed and accuracy and removes Mathematics phobia and all round academic proficiency.
He said for about five years Ghanaian children had worked hard to make a mark on the international level but were always beaten by children from other countries such as India, United State of America, and Canada.
However, he said Kobena Asamoah Amoah made Ghana proud by emerging as the Winner of the Intermediate A Category.
He said the programme was intended to eradicate the fear of maths from all Ghanaian children and boost their confidence level.
Mr Gurbani said UCMAS started its operations in the country in 2007 in all the regions operating in 100 learning centres and are in partnership with over 50 schools running the UCMAS programme as a school curriculum activity.
He urged schools, parents, relatives and guidance to take advantage of UCMAS programme and enrol their children with UCMAS.
The mother of Kobena Asamoah Amoah, Mrs Anastasia Adoma Kenyah, expressed her gratitude to the managers of UCMAS for impacting positively on her son.
UCMAS Ghana Limited is a professional organisation headed by a team of directors and is dedicated to the cause of offering society a novel path by breaking the method of education through the UCMAS.
THE Ghana Technology University has considered some strategies to be implemented to enhance technology education and also to prepare students for the competitive job market.
Among the top priorities of the university is the promotion of computer-generated education, where classes could be attended regardless of the location.
Other priorities include the promotion of research, expansion of infrastructure, implementation of campus automation systems to cover the university’s process and fundraising campaigns for infrastructural projects.
In line with this, the Campus Companion, a practical and convenient learning management system to promote e-learning, was introduced in the school to enhance online programmes. The campus automation would also be introduced to enable the university to assess and measure its performance from pre-admission to alumni management.
Speaking at a special congregation held in Accra on Tuesday, the President of the University, Dr Osei K. Darkwa, said it was in line with the new trend of higher education to offer a free non-credit online education that they have prioritised the promotion of virtual environment.
72 students who graduated with Master’s degrees went through a year’s programme in MSc Supply and Chain Management, MBA Engineering Management, MBA Oil and Gas, MBA Finance, MBA Logistics and MSc Information Technology for Management.
Dr Darkwa said, “Our goal is to promote anytime-anywhere learning and connect students and lecturers to learning resources.”
He advised the graduates to start life with a positive attitude and a confident outlook despite the challenges, adding that it would give them a sound foundation on which they would build their learning experience.
“We want you to be inspired to move in the direction which you have chosen for yourself, the direction that will make your education more meaningful and relevant to the aspirations and needs of this country and the sub region,” he said.
The Rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Professor Franklyn Manu, also advised the students to use the education and training they have acquired to find solutions to the nation and Africa’s age-old challenges.
“Our nation and sub-region continues to grapple with elemental issues such as the provision of portable water, reliable energy sources, education, preventable disease and hunger, while some nations ponder over where else to go apart from the moon,” he said.
He urged the graduates to have faith in the skills and knowledge that they have acquired and always take the opportunity to make a difference.
Among the top priorities of the university is the promotion of computer-generated education, where classes could be attended regardless of the location.
Other priorities include the promotion of research, expansion of infrastructure, implementation of campus automation systems to cover the university’s process and fundraising campaigns for infrastructural projects.
In line with this, the Campus Companion, a practical and convenient learning management system to promote e-learning, was introduced in the school to enhance online programmes. The campus automation would also be introduced to enable the university to assess and measure its performance from pre-admission to alumni management.
Speaking at a special congregation held in Accra on Tuesday, the President of the University, Dr Osei K. Darkwa, said it was in line with the new trend of higher education to offer a free non-credit online education that they have prioritised the promotion of virtual environment.
72 students who graduated with Master’s degrees went through a year’s programme in MSc Supply and Chain Management, MBA Engineering Management, MBA Oil and Gas, MBA Finance, MBA Logistics and MSc Information Technology for Management.
Dr Darkwa said, “Our goal is to promote anytime-anywhere learning and connect students and lecturers to learning resources.”
He advised the graduates to start life with a positive attitude and a confident outlook despite the challenges, adding that it would give them a sound foundation on which they would build their learning experience.
“We want you to be inspired to move in the direction which you have chosen for yourself, the direction that will make your education more meaningful and relevant to the aspirations and needs of this country and the sub region,” he said.
The Rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Professor Franklyn Manu, also advised the students to use the education and training they have acquired to find solutions to the nation and Africa’s age-old challenges.
“Our nation and sub-region continues to grapple with elemental issues such as the provision of portable water, reliable energy sources, education, preventable disease and hunger, while some nations ponder over where else to go apart from the moon,” he said.
He urged the graduates to have faith in the skills and knowledge that they have acquired and always take the opportunity to make a difference.
Government urged to assist health training institutions, Daily Graphic
The Director of Martin Luther Health Training School in Accra, Dr Owusu Achaw Duah, has appealed to the government to provide health training institutions with the necessary assistance to help train more health personnel in the country.
He said the development of the country depended on healthy people, adding that “the government should help to train more health personnel to take care of the human resources”.
Dr Achaw Duah, who is also a former head of the University of Ghana Medical School, said the government could assist such institutions by offering grants while financial institutions could also offer them loans with lower interest rates for their operations.
He was speaking at the 3rd matriculation ceremony of the school in Accra on Thursday.
Three hundred and twenty students were matriculated to take various courses in Health Assistant Clinical and Laboratory Technicians, each of which take two years, and Healthcare which takes one year.
He said human capital needed to be well developed to create and promote economic growth and help reduce poverty and stressed the need for public-private partnership to promote the attainment of the country’s health goals.
Outlining some of the future plans to enhance the smooth operation of the school, Dr Achaw Duah said the institution would soon introduce courses in midwifery and other allied health courses like physiotherapy, ultrasonography, and general nursing programmes.
He added that a special ICT resource centre to promote health education, as well as long distance and tele-health and tele-medicine practices, would also be introduced.
A Chief Nursing-Midwifery Officer of the Ministry of Health, Mr George Kumi Kyeremeh, who administered the matriculation oath to the students, urged them to study hard to uplift the image of the nursing profession, in conformity with their oath.
The Deputy Director of Nursing Services of Kaneshie Polyclinic, Ms Alexandrina Addo, in her address asked the students to focus on their studies and urged the students to be caring, polite, honest and tolerant, which are the basis of their profession.
The Principal of the school, Mrs Hajia Balchisu Iddrisu, advised the students to always remember their matriculation oath and seriously abide by the rules and regulations of the school.
He said the development of the country depended on healthy people, adding that “the government should help to train more health personnel to take care of the human resources”.
Dr Achaw Duah, who is also a former head of the University of Ghana Medical School, said the government could assist such institutions by offering grants while financial institutions could also offer them loans with lower interest rates for their operations.
He was speaking at the 3rd matriculation ceremony of the school in Accra on Thursday.
Three hundred and twenty students were matriculated to take various courses in Health Assistant Clinical and Laboratory Technicians, each of which take two years, and Healthcare which takes one year.
He said human capital needed to be well developed to create and promote economic growth and help reduce poverty and stressed the need for public-private partnership to promote the attainment of the country’s health goals.
Outlining some of the future plans to enhance the smooth operation of the school, Dr Achaw Duah said the institution would soon introduce courses in midwifery and other allied health courses like physiotherapy, ultrasonography, and general nursing programmes.
He added that a special ICT resource centre to promote health education, as well as long distance and tele-health and tele-medicine practices, would also be introduced.
A Chief Nursing-Midwifery Officer of the Ministry of Health, Mr George Kumi Kyeremeh, who administered the matriculation oath to the students, urged them to study hard to uplift the image of the nursing profession, in conformity with their oath.
The Deputy Director of Nursing Services of Kaneshie Polyclinic, Ms Alexandrina Addo, in her address asked the students to focus on their studies and urged the students to be caring, polite, honest and tolerant, which are the basis of their profession.
The Principal of the school, Mrs Hajia Balchisu Iddrisu, advised the students to always remember their matriculation oath and seriously abide by the rules and regulations of the school.
Develop skills for job market--- students advised, Daily Graphic
The Labone Senior High School has held its 45th Speech and Prize Giving Day with a call on students to develop their skills and talents to prepare themselves for the competitive job market.
Students who had excelled academically received prizes, while two teachers were also awarded with LCD 32 inches television each for their hard work.
Two students who performed exceptionally well in the 2012 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were also awarded with GH¢1000 and a laptop each.
Speaking on the theme: “The winning attitude” the solution to the challenge of the youth unemployment” the Chief Executive Officer of KAMA Group of Companies, Dr Michael Agyekum Addo, urged the students to expose themselves to practical training and vocations apart from their subject studies in school.
He said the job market was very competitive and demanded multi skilled personnels, therefore, they should prepare themselves for it.
Dr Agyekum Addo advised the students to do away with shyness and pride and see the good in every business.
He said the world was evolving to an entrepreneurial era due to the evolution of the internet, therefore, students should develop their skill and talents so they could venture into entrepreneurship when they graduated from the university.
Citing the Chief Executive Officer of Zoomlion Company Limited, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong and the Chief Executive Officer of rlg Communications, Mr Roland Agambire as examples, he urged the students to see them as mentors and work hard.
Dr Agyekum indicated that attitude was also very important in the journey of success, hence he urged them to adapt a winning attitude by having positive mindset.
“You should change your mindset and keep an open mind guided by the principles of winning. You must agree to start small and grow as you begin to change your attitude,” he advised.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Joyce Agyekum, stated that the school’s performance in the 2012 WASSCE saw an improvement over the year 2011, adding that “there is more room for improvement with adequate level of discipline.
She made a passionate appeal to parents and guardians to help discipline the students by supervising their studies at home and also taking time off their busy schedules to visit their children in school.
“Parents and guardians must take up the duty of ensuring that they do more than just paying school fees by supervising the studies of their children after school” she said.
She expressed gratitude to the GETFund and the Ministry of Education for assisting the school with a 12-unit classroom block and a one storey girl’s dormitory.
Mrs Agyekum urged the GETFund and the Ministry of Education to build more dormitories to accommodate the over 1400 students who commute from distant locations for school, adding that the dining hall also needs expansion.
The load shedding, she said, was having a serious effect on the students academics, especially when WASSCE was around the corner.She,therefore, appealed to the government, friends of the school and donors to support the school get a power plant.
Students who had excelled academically received prizes, while two teachers were also awarded with LCD 32 inches television each for their hard work.
Two students who performed exceptionally well in the 2012 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were also awarded with GH¢1000 and a laptop each.
Speaking on the theme: “The winning attitude” the solution to the challenge of the youth unemployment” the Chief Executive Officer of KAMA Group of Companies, Dr Michael Agyekum Addo, urged the students to expose themselves to practical training and vocations apart from their subject studies in school.
He said the job market was very competitive and demanded multi skilled personnels, therefore, they should prepare themselves for it.
Dr Agyekum Addo advised the students to do away with shyness and pride and see the good in every business.
He said the world was evolving to an entrepreneurial era due to the evolution of the internet, therefore, students should develop their skill and talents so they could venture into entrepreneurship when they graduated from the university.
Citing the Chief Executive Officer of Zoomlion Company Limited, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong and the Chief Executive Officer of rlg Communications, Mr Roland Agambire as examples, he urged the students to see them as mentors and work hard.
Dr Agyekum indicated that attitude was also very important in the journey of success, hence he urged them to adapt a winning attitude by having positive mindset.
“You should change your mindset and keep an open mind guided by the principles of winning. You must agree to start small and grow as you begin to change your attitude,” he advised.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Joyce Agyekum, stated that the school’s performance in the 2012 WASSCE saw an improvement over the year 2011, adding that “there is more room for improvement with adequate level of discipline.
She made a passionate appeal to parents and guardians to help discipline the students by supervising their studies at home and also taking time off their busy schedules to visit their children in school.
“Parents and guardians must take up the duty of ensuring that they do more than just paying school fees by supervising the studies of their children after school” she said.
She expressed gratitude to the GETFund and the Ministry of Education for assisting the school with a 12-unit classroom block and a one storey girl’s dormitory.
Mrs Agyekum urged the GETFund and the Ministry of Education to build more dormitories to accommodate the over 1400 students who commute from distant locations for school, adding that the dining hall also needs expansion.
The load shedding, she said, was having a serious effect on the students academics, especially when WASSCE was around the corner.She,therefore, appealed to the government, friends of the school and donors to support the school get a power plant.
Achimota School old students undertake projects, Daily Graphic
The 1963 year group of the Old Students’ Association of Achimota Senior High School (AKORAS) has inaugurated projects worth GH¢250,000 for their alma mater.
The project included the renovation and refurbishment of the old science laboratory into an ultra-modern audio visual hall, rehabilitation and construction of new public places of convenience for staff and students, installation of a number of water reservoirs to serve the science laboratory.
Other projects were landscaping and paved driveways, walkways and parking areas to make the science complex of the school look appealing, a generator set, gas cages and rain water harvesting systems.
At the dedication and inauguration ceremony in Accra on Thursday, the President of the 1963 year group, Madam Joyce Aryee, said the projects were chosen by the year group to provide the school with an Advanced Science Complex to enhance the school’s training in science and technology.
The inauguration of the projects was in line with the group’s 50th anniversary which would be climaxed with the 86th Founders Day durbar on Saturday, March 2, 2013.
The golden jubilee of the group is being observed on the theme “Repositioning Science at Achimota School for Ghana’s Competitiveness in the 21st” century.
“We chose to develop a vision for an Advanced Science Complex to support the teaching and learning of science in order to make the school contemporary and globally competitive in science at the school” she said.
She added that the theme was chosen to reflect the changing role of science in modern society and to contribute to the strengthening of the teaching and learning of science in order to make the school live up to that expectation.
On behalf of the school, the Headmistress, Mrs Beatrice Adom, expressed her gratitude to the group for the projects and said the would serve a very useful purpose.
The project included the renovation and refurbishment of the old science laboratory into an ultra-modern audio visual hall, rehabilitation and construction of new public places of convenience for staff and students, installation of a number of water reservoirs to serve the science laboratory.
Other projects were landscaping and paved driveways, walkways and parking areas to make the science complex of the school look appealing, a generator set, gas cages and rain water harvesting systems.
At the dedication and inauguration ceremony in Accra on Thursday, the President of the 1963 year group, Madam Joyce Aryee, said the projects were chosen by the year group to provide the school with an Advanced Science Complex to enhance the school’s training in science and technology.
The inauguration of the projects was in line with the group’s 50th anniversary which would be climaxed with the 86th Founders Day durbar on Saturday, March 2, 2013.
The golden jubilee of the group is being observed on the theme “Repositioning Science at Achimota School for Ghana’s Competitiveness in the 21st” century.
“We chose to develop a vision for an Advanced Science Complex to support the teaching and learning of science in order to make the school contemporary and globally competitive in science at the school” she said.
She added that the theme was chosen to reflect the changing role of science in modern society and to contribute to the strengthening of the teaching and learning of science in order to make the school live up to that expectation.
On behalf of the school, the Headmistress, Mrs Beatrice Adom, expressed her gratitude to the group for the projects and said the would serve a very useful purpose.
Korle-Bu to spend $560m on new emergency medicine unit Daily Graphic March 5, 2013
THE management of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is to secure $560 million to convert its Central Outpatient Department into an emergency medicine unit, Prof Afua Hesse, the acting Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, has announced.
The authorities are currently holding discussions with the country’s development partners to support the project.
Addressing the annual performance review meeting of the hospital in Accra yesterday, Prof Hesse said the conversion of the central OPD into an emergency medicine unit formed part of processes to develop sub-specialities at the hospital and provide excellent services for clients.
She said the hospital was undergoing massive retooling, with the support of the government, to enhance medical delivery at the hospital.
Under the project, 16 of the 24 theatres in the hospital will be renovated and fixed with new and modern equipment to provide smooth services for patients.
Prof Hesse indicated that the project, named, the National Equipment Replacement Project, had already started with the installation of a new MRI and a 640-slide CT scan, in addition to other radiographical equipment.
She said work on the £3.5 million Moorfield Eye Centre, which would become the centre for quality eye care and training, was also expected to be completed and inaugurated by August this year.
On the Children’s Block at the hospital, she said a GH¢12 million children’s emergency complex had been awarded on contract.
She said management was putting up a temporary paediatric emergency unit to house patients while construction work on the new one was carried out.
“Upon completion, it will assist in addressing the perennial congestion at the Children’s Emergency Unit and also accelerate sub-speciality growth and development in child-health care,” Prof Hesse noted.
The authorities are currently holding discussions with the country’s development partners to support the project.
Addressing the annual performance review meeting of the hospital in Accra yesterday, Prof Hesse said the conversion of the central OPD into an emergency medicine unit formed part of processes to develop sub-specialities at the hospital and provide excellent services for clients.
She said the hospital was undergoing massive retooling, with the support of the government, to enhance medical delivery at the hospital.
Under the project, 16 of the 24 theatres in the hospital will be renovated and fixed with new and modern equipment to provide smooth services for patients.
Prof Hesse indicated that the project, named, the National Equipment Replacement Project, had already started with the installation of a new MRI and a 640-slide CT scan, in addition to other radiographical equipment.
She said work on the £3.5 million Moorfield Eye Centre, which would become the centre for quality eye care and training, was also expected to be completed and inaugurated by August this year.
On the Children’s Block at the hospital, she said a GH¢12 million children’s emergency complex had been awarded on contract.
She said management was putting up a temporary paediatric emergency unit to house patients while construction work on the new one was carried out.
“Upon completion, it will assist in addressing the perennial congestion at the Children’s Emergency Unit and also accelerate sub-speciality growth and development in child-health care,” Prof Hesse noted.
Health professionals graduate from College of Health Sciences Daily Graphic March 25, 2013
A total of 1,064 health professionals passed out from the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana on Saturday, with a call on them to place the lives and well-being of their patients ahead of their personal interests.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, who made the call, also urged the graduates to render quality and selfless service to the nation.
The new professionals included 176 medical doctors and 20 dental surgeons who swore the Physician’s (Hippocratic) Oath.
Others were nurses, medical laboratory scientists, paediatric nurses, physiotherapists, radiographers, dieticians, pharmacists, epidemiologists, among others, who received various certificates, including Master’s and PhDs.
Dr Tinuade Olukemi Okoro, who emerged the overall best student in the medical school, also received 16 other awards.
Some graduates also received prizes for their outstanding performance in their areas of specialisation.
Prof Aryeetey commended the staff and collaborators of the college for their efforts in producing health service professionals and urged them to work harder to help the nation achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
He said currently the college was in the process of facilitating the 600-bed University of Ghana Teaching Hospital to be funded by the governments of Ghana and Israel.
He said the university was working to become a research university to create a more research-rich environment to boost teaching to enhance the human resource development mandate of the university.
The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Sharon Bar-Li, urged the graduates to give their best in the service of the country and humanity and also maintain a high level of professionalism.
Madam Bar- Li, who was the guest speaker, encouraged the graduates to accept posting to the rural and other deprived areas in the country where their services would be needed.
“Accept posting to areas where your services are needed and where you can make the best impact by not only attending to the sick and vulnerable but also helping to educate the rural folk, especially on practices that help prevent some diseases,” she said.
She commended the country for holding a peaceful 2012 general election and also making steady progress in national endeavours.
On the $178 million University of Ghana Teaching Hospital, Madam Bar-Li said the project, when completed, would be assisted by the Sheba Medical Centre, the largest health facility in Israel, to ensure that it measured up to global standards in medicine and health service.
For his part, a provost of the university, Professor Aaron L. Lawson, called on the government to make provision for funds for the completion of the School of Allied Health Sciences and Dental Projects to increase access to the school.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, who made the call, also urged the graduates to render quality and selfless service to the nation.
The new professionals included 176 medical doctors and 20 dental surgeons who swore the Physician’s (Hippocratic) Oath.
Others were nurses, medical laboratory scientists, paediatric nurses, physiotherapists, radiographers, dieticians, pharmacists, epidemiologists, among others, who received various certificates, including Master’s and PhDs.
Dr Tinuade Olukemi Okoro, who emerged the overall best student in the medical school, also received 16 other awards.
Some graduates also received prizes for their outstanding performance in their areas of specialisation.
Prof Aryeetey commended the staff and collaborators of the college for their efforts in producing health service professionals and urged them to work harder to help the nation achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
He said currently the college was in the process of facilitating the 600-bed University of Ghana Teaching Hospital to be funded by the governments of Ghana and Israel.
He said the university was working to become a research university to create a more research-rich environment to boost teaching to enhance the human resource development mandate of the university.
The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Sharon Bar-Li, urged the graduates to give their best in the service of the country and humanity and also maintain a high level of professionalism.
Madam Bar- Li, who was the guest speaker, encouraged the graduates to accept posting to the rural and other deprived areas in the country where their services would be needed.
“Accept posting to areas where your services are needed and where you can make the best impact by not only attending to the sick and vulnerable but also helping to educate the rural folk, especially on practices that help prevent some diseases,” she said.
She commended the country for holding a peaceful 2012 general election and also making steady progress in national endeavours.
On the $178 million University of Ghana Teaching Hospital, Madam Bar-Li said the project, when completed, would be assisted by the Sheba Medical Centre, the largest health facility in Israel, to ensure that it measured up to global standards in medicine and health service.
For his part, a provost of the university, Professor Aaron L. Lawson, called on the government to make provision for funds for the completion of the School of Allied Health Sciences and Dental Projects to increase access to the school.
Bawumia provides vehicle to police, Daily Graphic Pg 1 March 23, 2013
The running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2012 elections, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has made available his vehicle which was involved in an accident to the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service in Accra.
The Deputy Commanding Officer of the MTTU, Chief Superintendent Samuel Tetteh, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that the vehicle had been parked at Wagner Vehicle Management Limited, a private car park at La in Accra.
Last Thursday, the Police Administration gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the NPP to provide the said vehicle or face the law.
A letter from the MTTU addressed to the General Secretary of the NPP, Mr Kwadwo Owusu–Afriyie, and copied to the National Chairman, gave the party 24 hours to produce the mangled vehicle, otherwise the unit would be compelled to use the law court to secure the vehicle.
Mr Tetteh explained that it was Mr Eddie Appiah, Dr Bawumia’s Campaign Manager, who called him around 9:15 a.m. and led the police to a private garage where the vehicle had been parked.
Mr Tetteh said after the police had inspected the vehicle, Mr Appiah led them to Dr Bawumia’s house to have his written statement, but when they arrived he was in a meeting.
Consequently, he said, the police left three forms for Dr Bawumia, his aide, Mr Kwabena Boadu, and his driver, who were involved in the accident, to write their statements.
He said the MTTU had written to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in Accra to test the vehicle, adding that the MTTU was still waiting for the statements from Dr Bawumia, his aide and his driver.
Last Sunday, Dr Bawumia, in the company of his aide and his driver, were involved in an accident when they were travelling to the Ashanti Region from Bole-Bamboi.
The accident occurred when two tyres of Dr Bawumia’s vehicle got burst 15 minutes into the journey.
Dr Bawumia was flown to Accra where he was attended to at a private hospital.
In his previous comments about the incident, Mr Owusu-Afriyie had accused the National Democratic Congress and President John Dramani Mahama of allegedly attempting to murder Dr Bawumia.
He alleged that the NDC and the President, with the support of the National Security, wanted Dr Bawumia dead, so that the NPP petition against the results of the 2012 presidential election pending in court would not see the light of day.
Meanwhile, the Office of Dr Bawumia has noted the various discussions and comments arising out of the near fatal accident which occurred on the Bole-Bamboi road involving Dr Bawumia and other members of his team on Sunday, March 17, 2013.
A statement issued by the office in Accra yesterday said it had been cooperating and continued to cooperate with the necessary authorities, especially the Ghana Police Service.
It said within an hour of the accident, the Vice-Chairman of the NPP in the Bole-Bamboi Constituency, Mr Zakaria Suleman, officially reported the accident to the Bole Police, who subsequently visited the scene of the accident and inspected the vehicle.
The Bole Police were informed of the decision to tow the accident vehicle to Accra.
The statement said at the request of the Northern Regional Police Command, the Office of Dr Bawumia had submitted various documents, including the driver’s driving licence, the road worthiness papers and documents on the vehicle’s insurance cover, to the Northern Regional Police Command in Tamale.
In line with a request made by the Northern Regional Police Command, arrangements were made for an officer of the MTTU headquarters, one DSP Tetteh, to inspect the vehicle on Friday morning.
‘’We are available to assist in any investigation aimed at unraveling the cause of the accident,’’ the statement said.
It said Dr Bawumia and his team were grateful to all Ghanaians for their show of concern and prayers of support since Sunday.
The Deputy Commanding Officer of the MTTU, Chief Superintendent Samuel Tetteh, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that the vehicle had been parked at Wagner Vehicle Management Limited, a private car park at La in Accra.
Last Thursday, the Police Administration gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the NPP to provide the said vehicle or face the law.
A letter from the MTTU addressed to the General Secretary of the NPP, Mr Kwadwo Owusu–Afriyie, and copied to the National Chairman, gave the party 24 hours to produce the mangled vehicle, otherwise the unit would be compelled to use the law court to secure the vehicle.
Mr Tetteh explained that it was Mr Eddie Appiah, Dr Bawumia’s Campaign Manager, who called him around 9:15 a.m. and led the police to a private garage where the vehicle had been parked.
Mr Tetteh said after the police had inspected the vehicle, Mr Appiah led them to Dr Bawumia’s house to have his written statement, but when they arrived he was in a meeting.
Consequently, he said, the police left three forms for Dr Bawumia, his aide, Mr Kwabena Boadu, and his driver, who were involved in the accident, to write their statements.
He said the MTTU had written to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in Accra to test the vehicle, adding that the MTTU was still waiting for the statements from Dr Bawumia, his aide and his driver.
Last Sunday, Dr Bawumia, in the company of his aide and his driver, were involved in an accident when they were travelling to the Ashanti Region from Bole-Bamboi.
The accident occurred when two tyres of Dr Bawumia’s vehicle got burst 15 minutes into the journey.
Dr Bawumia was flown to Accra where he was attended to at a private hospital.
In his previous comments about the incident, Mr Owusu-Afriyie had accused the National Democratic Congress and President John Dramani Mahama of allegedly attempting to murder Dr Bawumia.
He alleged that the NDC and the President, with the support of the National Security, wanted Dr Bawumia dead, so that the NPP petition against the results of the 2012 presidential election pending in court would not see the light of day.
Meanwhile, the Office of Dr Bawumia has noted the various discussions and comments arising out of the near fatal accident which occurred on the Bole-Bamboi road involving Dr Bawumia and other members of his team on Sunday, March 17, 2013.
A statement issued by the office in Accra yesterday said it had been cooperating and continued to cooperate with the necessary authorities, especially the Ghana Police Service.
It said within an hour of the accident, the Vice-Chairman of the NPP in the Bole-Bamboi Constituency, Mr Zakaria Suleman, officially reported the accident to the Bole Police, who subsequently visited the scene of the accident and inspected the vehicle.
The Bole Police were informed of the decision to tow the accident vehicle to Accra.
The statement said at the request of the Northern Regional Police Command, the Office of Dr Bawumia had submitted various documents, including the driver’s driving licence, the road worthiness papers and documents on the vehicle’s insurance cover, to the Northern Regional Police Command in Tamale.
In line with a request made by the Northern Regional Police Command, arrangements were made for an officer of the MTTU headquarters, one DSP Tetteh, to inspect the vehicle on Friday morning.
‘’We are available to assist in any investigation aimed at unraveling the cause of the accident,’’ the statement said.
It said Dr Bawumia and his team were grateful to all Ghanaians for their show of concern and prayers of support since Sunday.
Friday 22 March 2013
WAEC honours students for excellence Daily Graphic March 15, 2013
Three students have received the 2012 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) Distinction Awards at the national and International levels.
The students, Yvette Yeboah-Kordiah, who schooled at the Wesley Girls Senior High School, Master Ayambire Josbert Abaasah of the Notre Dame Seminary SHS and Master Tsevi Bright Seyram of the Keta Senior High School took the first, second and third positions respectively.
Ms Yeboah-Kordiah, who is reading Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, received $550, a certificate and plaque for her alma mata, while Master Abaasah, who is also studying Medicine at the University of Ghana and Master Seyram at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, studying electrical engineering, received $250 and $200 respectively and plaque for their alma mater.
Also, six other students who attained distinctions at their various subjects of speciality received certificates, $250 and a plaque each for their alma mata.
The six were Ms Ewurama Smith-Quayson from the Wesley Girls SHS, Ms Belinda Ofori from Wesley Girls, Master Godfred Owusu from Koforidua Technical School, Master Adams Abdulai Aziz from Navrongo Senior High School, Ms Sandra Frempong from Holy Child Senior High School and Michael Larbi Siaw of the Presbyterian Boys Senior High School, Legon.
The 2012 WASSCE Distinction Awards ceremony on sponsored by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Endowment Fund.
The Head of the National West African Examinations Council (WAEC,) Very Rev. Sam Nii Nmai Ollennu said 530 students out of 174,385 candidates obtain grade ‘A1’s.
He described the results as “huge improvement” and “unprecedented” as compared to the 2011 where 84 candidates satisfied the eligibility criterion.
“An analysis of the May/ June 2012 WASSCE indicates that candidates performed much better than 2011” he said.
Very Rev. Ollennu added that it was the first time in the history of the awards that candidates who offered Agriculture, Visual Arts, Technical and Home Economics programmes satisfied the eligibility criterion.
However, he said the chief examiners identified some hitches that resulted in the poor performance of some candidates.
They included the lack of answering skills and understanding of questions, inadequate preparation, illegible handwriting and poor application of technical terms, and inability to link theory with practicals.
During the 2012 exam, 3,217 candidates got their results cancelled, 90 candidates results got lost,while 132 entries of candidates were cancelled because they were not bona fide candidates of the schools which registered them for the examination.
To curb exam malpractices, Very Rev. Ollennu said the council had resolved to intensify its sensitisation programmes and sustain other interventions.
On his part, the Director General of the Ministry of Education, Mr Enoch H. Cobbinah, urged candidates and heads of schools to start preparations towards the 2013 WASSCE examination.
He also urged heads of schools, invigilators and supervisors to be vigilant to avoid exams malpractices and ensure smooth examinations this year, adding that there is the need to protect the integrity of WASSCE.
He pledged government’s support to the council to ensure smooth examination and also to work hand in hand with stakeholders to ensure an improvement in the results.
The awardees expressed gratitude to teachers and parents for contributing to their success and encouraged candidates for the 2013 to work hard to achieve a success story.
The students, Yvette Yeboah-Kordiah, who schooled at the Wesley Girls Senior High School, Master Ayambire Josbert Abaasah of the Notre Dame Seminary SHS and Master Tsevi Bright Seyram of the Keta Senior High School took the first, second and third positions respectively.
Ms Yeboah-Kordiah, who is reading Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, received $550, a certificate and plaque for her alma mata, while Master Abaasah, who is also studying Medicine at the University of Ghana and Master Seyram at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, studying electrical engineering, received $250 and $200 respectively and plaque for their alma mater.
Also, six other students who attained distinctions at their various subjects of speciality received certificates, $250 and a plaque each for their alma mata.
The six were Ms Ewurama Smith-Quayson from the Wesley Girls SHS, Ms Belinda Ofori from Wesley Girls, Master Godfred Owusu from Koforidua Technical School, Master Adams Abdulai Aziz from Navrongo Senior High School, Ms Sandra Frempong from Holy Child Senior High School and Michael Larbi Siaw of the Presbyterian Boys Senior High School, Legon.
The 2012 WASSCE Distinction Awards ceremony on sponsored by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Endowment Fund.
The Head of the National West African Examinations Council (WAEC,) Very Rev. Sam Nii Nmai Ollennu said 530 students out of 174,385 candidates obtain grade ‘A1’s.
He described the results as “huge improvement” and “unprecedented” as compared to the 2011 where 84 candidates satisfied the eligibility criterion.
“An analysis of the May/ June 2012 WASSCE indicates that candidates performed much better than 2011” he said.
Very Rev. Ollennu added that it was the first time in the history of the awards that candidates who offered Agriculture, Visual Arts, Technical and Home Economics programmes satisfied the eligibility criterion.
However, he said the chief examiners identified some hitches that resulted in the poor performance of some candidates.
They included the lack of answering skills and understanding of questions, inadequate preparation, illegible handwriting and poor application of technical terms, and inability to link theory with practicals.
During the 2012 exam, 3,217 candidates got their results cancelled, 90 candidates results got lost,while 132 entries of candidates were cancelled because they were not bona fide candidates of the schools which registered them for the examination.
To curb exam malpractices, Very Rev. Ollennu said the council had resolved to intensify its sensitisation programmes and sustain other interventions.
On his part, the Director General of the Ministry of Education, Mr Enoch H. Cobbinah, urged candidates and heads of schools to start preparations towards the 2013 WASSCE examination.
He also urged heads of schools, invigilators and supervisors to be vigilant to avoid exams malpractices and ensure smooth examinations this year, adding that there is the need to protect the integrity of WASSCE.
He pledged government’s support to the council to ensure smooth examination and also to work hand in hand with stakeholders to ensure an improvement in the results.
The awardees expressed gratitude to teachers and parents for contributing to their success and encouraged candidates for the 2013 to work hard to achieve a success story.
SUTESCO makes strides at 50 years Daily Graphic, March 19, 2013
Over the past 50 years, the Suhum Senior High Technical School (SUTESCO) has turned out about 15,000 educated people who are occupying positions in various sectors of the economy and contributing their quota to national development.
Established in 1963 as a boy’s school by the first President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, with 71 students, grouped in three classes; A, B and C and10 teachers, the school, located in the Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District in the Eastern Region, was the first secondary technical school.
In 1968, the first batch of 22 students wrote the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level Examination. Out of the number six qualified for the sixth form and were enroled in other schools since the school did not initially have a sixth form. It also lacked teaching staff and equipment.
Currently, the school has a student population of about 1,850, with 86 teachers and 75 non-teaching staff. SUTESCO is now a mixed school and has a female student population of 300.
Speaking at the launch of the school’s 50th anniversary, the Headmaster, Mr Kwabena Kwakye Yeboah, said over the years, the academic performance of the school had improved tremendously, adding that the 2012 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results of students was the best in recent times.
Mr Yeboah called on stakeholders working on the main Nsawam–Apedwa Road, to expedite action on the project, since the dusty road had affected the school’s environment and the excessive dust was affecting the health of the students, teachers and the entire school community.
He also said the access road to the school was in a deplorable state and needed rehabilitation, adding that the science laboratory which was started by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), needed to be completed for the students to use for chemistry practicals.
Mr Yeboah also said the staff bungalows need rehabilitation.
Launching the golden jubilee anniversary on the theme: “Enhancing Quality Human Capital Though Secondary/Technical Education”, the President of the Presbyterian University College, Professor Kofi Sraku-Lartey, called on stakeholders to promote senior high/technical education, since it offered a high-quality career development option for the youth in the 21st century.
He further suggested that the technical education system should start from the kindergarten level, adding that “The country’s future depends, to a large extent, on the nation’s ability to continually replace, regenerate and replenishes its skilled workforce”.
Established in 1963 as a boy’s school by the first President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, with 71 students, grouped in three classes; A, B and C and10 teachers, the school, located in the Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District in the Eastern Region, was the first secondary technical school.
In 1968, the first batch of 22 students wrote the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level Examination. Out of the number six qualified for the sixth form and were enroled in other schools since the school did not initially have a sixth form. It also lacked teaching staff and equipment.
Currently, the school has a student population of about 1,850, with 86 teachers and 75 non-teaching staff. SUTESCO is now a mixed school and has a female student population of 300.
Speaking at the launch of the school’s 50th anniversary, the Headmaster, Mr Kwabena Kwakye Yeboah, said over the years, the academic performance of the school had improved tremendously, adding that the 2012 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results of students was the best in recent times.
Mr Yeboah called on stakeholders working on the main Nsawam–Apedwa Road, to expedite action on the project, since the dusty road had affected the school’s environment and the excessive dust was affecting the health of the students, teachers and the entire school community.
He also said the access road to the school was in a deplorable state and needed rehabilitation, adding that the science laboratory which was started by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), needed to be completed for the students to use for chemistry practicals.
Mr Yeboah also said the staff bungalows need rehabilitation.
Launching the golden jubilee anniversary on the theme: “Enhancing Quality Human Capital Though Secondary/Technical Education”, the President of the Presbyterian University College, Professor Kofi Sraku-Lartey, called on stakeholders to promote senior high/technical education, since it offered a high-quality career development option for the youth in the 21st century.
He further suggested that the technical education system should start from the kindergarten level, adding that “The country’s future depends, to a large extent, on the nation’s ability to continually replace, regenerate and replenishes its skilled workforce”.
Arrest Okada riders- Attivor, Daily Graphic Monday March 18, 2013
The Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, has urged the police to enforce the law banning the use of motorbikes for commercial purposes.
She said the police must arrest both the motor riders and the pillions as part of measures to check the increasing rate at which motorbikes were being used for commercial purposes (otherwise known as Okada), resulting in the death of and injury to people.
Mrs Attivor was speaking at the end-of-year get-together, also known as WASSA, of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service on Friday.
WASSA is an annual event organised to review and evaluate past events to enable the unit to improve on its performance.
As part of the event, hardworking and long-serving officers were rewarded with certificates, hampers and household items.
Mrs Attivor advised the police to apprehend drivers who drove and used cellular phones at the same time.
In 2012, Parliament passed the Road Traffic Regulation, 20I2 (Legislative Instrument 2180), which bans the use of cellular phones and other hand-held communication devices while driving.
Commercial motorbike operations and the use of television or video monitors on dashboards of moving vehicles are also banned by the L.I. 2180.
The Transport Minister said ruthless enforcement of the law would deter the patronage of Okada.
In his address, the Commander of the MTTU, ACP Angwubytoge Awuni, said the unit was prepared to arrest Okada riders, adding that the Okada was one of the emerging traffic indiscipline on the road.
He said there was a reduction in the number of people killed through road accidents in 2012, compared with 2011.
In 2012, 2,249 deaths were recorded through road crashes, compared with 2,330 in 2011.
ACP Awuni cautioned MTTU personnel to abide by the rules and regulations of the unit because punitive measures would be meted out to any officer found to be on the wrong side of the law.
“The Police Headquarters is going hi-tech to arrest indisciplined officers whose conduct is at variance with good practice,” he said.
He urged the personnel to go all out in their enforcement activities as the command had earmarked 2013 as an eventful year.
“We can be firm, vigorous and robust during enforcement without fear or favour within the margins of the law,” he said.
Outlining some of the challenges facing the unit, ACP Awuni said it had inadequate human resource and limited enforcing tools.
ACP Awuni called on the Police Headquarters to organise the MTTU command structure to enhance better policy direction and uniformity.
“The major administrative constraint is the disorganised command structure. In one moment the Police Headquarters declares the unit operationally autonomous; in another, it is said to be decentralised,” he said.
She said the police must arrest both the motor riders and the pillions as part of measures to check the increasing rate at which motorbikes were being used for commercial purposes (otherwise known as Okada), resulting in the death of and injury to people.
Mrs Attivor was speaking at the end-of-year get-together, also known as WASSA, of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service on Friday.
WASSA is an annual event organised to review and evaluate past events to enable the unit to improve on its performance.
As part of the event, hardworking and long-serving officers were rewarded with certificates, hampers and household items.
Mrs Attivor advised the police to apprehend drivers who drove and used cellular phones at the same time.
In 2012, Parliament passed the Road Traffic Regulation, 20I2 (Legislative Instrument 2180), which bans the use of cellular phones and other hand-held communication devices while driving.
Commercial motorbike operations and the use of television or video monitors on dashboards of moving vehicles are also banned by the L.I. 2180.
The Transport Minister said ruthless enforcement of the law would deter the patronage of Okada.
In his address, the Commander of the MTTU, ACP Angwubytoge Awuni, said the unit was prepared to arrest Okada riders, adding that the Okada was one of the emerging traffic indiscipline on the road.
He said there was a reduction in the number of people killed through road accidents in 2012, compared with 2011.
In 2012, 2,249 deaths were recorded through road crashes, compared with 2,330 in 2011.
ACP Awuni cautioned MTTU personnel to abide by the rules and regulations of the unit because punitive measures would be meted out to any officer found to be on the wrong side of the law.
“The Police Headquarters is going hi-tech to arrest indisciplined officers whose conduct is at variance with good practice,” he said.
He urged the personnel to go all out in their enforcement activities as the command had earmarked 2013 as an eventful year.
“We can be firm, vigorous and robust during enforcement without fear or favour within the margins of the law,” he said.
Outlining some of the challenges facing the unit, ACP Awuni said it had inadequate human resource and limited enforcing tools.
ACP Awuni called on the Police Headquarters to organise the MTTU command structure to enhance better policy direction and uniformity.
“The major administrative constraint is the disorganised command structure. In one moment the Police Headquarters declares the unit operationally autonomous; in another, it is said to be decentralised,” he said.
Spousal killings: The underlying factors, Daily Graphic Pg 11,Friday March 22, 2013
ADWOA runs down the street clutching her torn clothes with her swollen face covered in blood. Following her in-tow with tears streaming down her face is Serwa, her three-year old daughter.
Not far away, Adwoa's husband, Kofi, is running after her with a pestle that looks like it has just been pulled out of a busy mortar.
Minutes after catching up with her, Kofi hits Adwoa on the back with the pestle, which sends her tumbling down into an open drain. He stands akimbo, screaming and calling her names.
"Get up, get up and let me teach you a lesson. Let me teach you how a woman must talk to her husband."
There is no response from Adwoa. Just then, spectators begin to gather and some restrain Kofi while he rains insults on his wife. Not even the wailings of his daughter can stop him.
With the speed of a cat, two young men entered and pulled Adwoa out of the gutter but she laid motionless on the ground surrounded by the multitude.
Then one person screamed, "She is not breathing. Is she dead?"
A number of cases of spousal killings have been reported in both the print and electronic media since the beginning of the year and the question is: What would make a relationship which was once full of love and life, suddenly turn sour and end on a bitter and acrimonious note?
Report by HRAC
Spousal killing is the intentional killing of one’s partner either by the husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend or any other intimate relations.
Last year, the Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC) published a 42-page report titled “Deadly Relationships and Toxic Bonds, Spousal Killings and Rival Killings in Ghana”.
The research was based on media report by some selected media houses including Myjoyonline, Modernghana.com, Peace FM online, Ghanaian Times, Daily Graphic, Ghana News Agency and the Daily Guide.
According to the report, 53 cases of wife killings, husband killings and rival murders were reported in a period of two years. Forty-two were cases of wife killings, five cases of husband killings and six cases of rival murders were reported from January 2010 to July 2012.
The report also revealed that most of the cases were accompanied by motives of domestic violence or abuse, infidelity or belief of infidelity, separation or ending of a relationship (or refusal to re-establish a relationship) or on-going arguments between the two.
The report recorded an alarming number of cases during the period of two years. Therefore, it is very clear that further research would disclose an increase in the number of cases nationwide.
This year’s report
This year, in the first two-and-a half months, the Daily Graphic carried stories such as “Man beheads girlfriend”, “Man sets lover ablaze, killed by fire”, “Man attacks former girlfriend”, “Man stabs another to death over woman”, among others.
Content analysis of the Daily Graphic by this reporter, from January to March 10, showed that about nine cases have been reported in the paper during the period with three female deaths and one male death.
This meant that the number of females becoming victims of male abuse were more than that of the males, despite the fact that it happens to both sexes.
There was a report on an attempted murder where the suspect inflicted the lover with machete wounds. There was one rivalry killing where a man killed the other man for been with his former girlfriend.
There were also three reported cases of family relations killing their step-daughters, niece and uncles for one reason or the other. There were also cases where the suspects committed suicide after engaging in the act of killing or attempted murder.
Most of the cases were accompanied by the motives of domestic violence. For instance, in the case of the woman who was beheaded, neighbours said, “The suspect was fond of subjecting his girlfriend to severe beatings on daily basis.”
According to statistics by the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), 15,495 cases of domestic violence were recorded in 2011.
In an interview with a renowned marriage counsellor, Mr Ogochukwu Nweke, he said, “Most men use violence and the beating of their spouse as a way of settling disputes and that becomes a part of them.”
Consequently, he said this habit gets out of hand and the day of reckoning comes when they beat them to death out of rage and provocation.
He said some men deliberately plan and kill their spouses for reasons such as their inability to forgive and taking their properties.
An example is one of the reported cases in the Daily Graphic which stated that a dispute between a 58-year-old business man and his concubine over the ownership of a building they had both acquired had resulted in the death of the man.
He added that the causes of this violence are mostly infidelity and misunderstandings of domestic issues which may happen between the two in the relationship.
“Instead of using ways such as dialogue to treat some of these issues, some men prefer violence, which to them is the best way of showing that they are the men,” he said.
Abusive relationship
Most women, despite the pain and beatings that they go through in abusive relationships, still prefer to stay in the relationship or marriage.
According to Mr Nweke, some women would stay in a relationship for fear of losing their partners due to the intimacy between the two.
Also the fear of losing their financial dependency is another factor.
“Especially where children are involved and the woman doesn’t have any business to sustain herself and the children, she would be forced to stay in such a relationship due to financial problems.”
Some women, he said, would stay in an abusive relationship because of shame.
He explained that some women felt ashamed to complain to their family and friends that their spouses was abusing them, so she would prefer to keep the pain within.
“Sometimes, these women sustain internal injuries and they keep it to themselves ,which even kills them slowly,” he added.
Recommendation
He advised women to be financially independent so that they would be able to fend for themselves and support their partners financially. “The woman should not necessarily have everything, but a business that she could rely on for a living,” he said.
He also recommended the need for separation when there were serious disputes in a relationship or marriage, adding that it helped to calm down nerves.
“There is the need to study your partner to know how he or she reacts to provocative issues and managed pain; in this case you would know how to deal with him or her,” he advised.
Counselling, he said, was also another way to deal with misunderstandings occurring in relationships instead of resorting to violence that can lead to death.
Counselling could be by an expert or an elderly person in the family.
“Sometimes, there is just the need to also share with trusted friends and family when these abuses take place to find solutions to the causes before they get out of hand,” he said.
A case study titled “Violence against women: The Ghanaian case” by the Department of Geography and Resources Development Ghana led by Prof. Elizabeth Ardayofio Schandorf in 2005, also confirmed that men generally beat their wives.
“The men generally explained that wife beating is a way of correcting their wives, but they also accepted that it is a wrong practice,” the study stated.
The report also revealed that 25 per cent of the males reported that they beat their partners whiles 72 per cent of all respondents responded that wife beating was common in their communities.
Not far away, Adwoa's husband, Kofi, is running after her with a pestle that looks like it has just been pulled out of a busy mortar.
Minutes after catching up with her, Kofi hits Adwoa on the back with the pestle, which sends her tumbling down into an open drain. He stands akimbo, screaming and calling her names.
"Get up, get up and let me teach you a lesson. Let me teach you how a woman must talk to her husband."
There is no response from Adwoa. Just then, spectators begin to gather and some restrain Kofi while he rains insults on his wife. Not even the wailings of his daughter can stop him.
With the speed of a cat, two young men entered and pulled Adwoa out of the gutter but she laid motionless on the ground surrounded by the multitude.
Then one person screamed, "She is not breathing. Is she dead?"
A number of cases of spousal killings have been reported in both the print and electronic media since the beginning of the year and the question is: What would make a relationship which was once full of love and life, suddenly turn sour and end on a bitter and acrimonious note?
Report by HRAC
Spousal killing is the intentional killing of one’s partner either by the husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend or any other intimate relations.
Last year, the Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC) published a 42-page report titled “Deadly Relationships and Toxic Bonds, Spousal Killings and Rival Killings in Ghana”.
The research was based on media report by some selected media houses including Myjoyonline, Modernghana.com, Peace FM online, Ghanaian Times, Daily Graphic, Ghana News Agency and the Daily Guide.
According to the report, 53 cases of wife killings, husband killings and rival murders were reported in a period of two years. Forty-two were cases of wife killings, five cases of husband killings and six cases of rival murders were reported from January 2010 to July 2012.
The report also revealed that most of the cases were accompanied by motives of domestic violence or abuse, infidelity or belief of infidelity, separation or ending of a relationship (or refusal to re-establish a relationship) or on-going arguments between the two.
The report recorded an alarming number of cases during the period of two years. Therefore, it is very clear that further research would disclose an increase in the number of cases nationwide.
This year’s report
This year, in the first two-and-a half months, the Daily Graphic carried stories such as “Man beheads girlfriend”, “Man sets lover ablaze, killed by fire”, “Man attacks former girlfriend”, “Man stabs another to death over woman”, among others.
Content analysis of the Daily Graphic by this reporter, from January to March 10, showed that about nine cases have been reported in the paper during the period with three female deaths and one male death.
This meant that the number of females becoming victims of male abuse were more than that of the males, despite the fact that it happens to both sexes.
There was a report on an attempted murder where the suspect inflicted the lover with machete wounds. There was one rivalry killing where a man killed the other man for been with his former girlfriend.
There were also three reported cases of family relations killing their step-daughters, niece and uncles for one reason or the other. There were also cases where the suspects committed suicide after engaging in the act of killing or attempted murder.
Most of the cases were accompanied by the motives of domestic violence. For instance, in the case of the woman who was beheaded, neighbours said, “The suspect was fond of subjecting his girlfriend to severe beatings on daily basis.”
According to statistics by the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), 15,495 cases of domestic violence were recorded in 2011.
In an interview with a renowned marriage counsellor, Mr Ogochukwu Nweke, he said, “Most men use violence and the beating of their spouse as a way of settling disputes and that becomes a part of them.”
Consequently, he said this habit gets out of hand and the day of reckoning comes when they beat them to death out of rage and provocation.
He said some men deliberately plan and kill their spouses for reasons such as their inability to forgive and taking their properties.
An example is one of the reported cases in the Daily Graphic which stated that a dispute between a 58-year-old business man and his concubine over the ownership of a building they had both acquired had resulted in the death of the man.
He added that the causes of this violence are mostly infidelity and misunderstandings of domestic issues which may happen between the two in the relationship.
“Instead of using ways such as dialogue to treat some of these issues, some men prefer violence, which to them is the best way of showing that they are the men,” he said.
Abusive relationship
Most women, despite the pain and beatings that they go through in abusive relationships, still prefer to stay in the relationship or marriage.
According to Mr Nweke, some women would stay in a relationship for fear of losing their partners due to the intimacy between the two.
Also the fear of losing their financial dependency is another factor.
“Especially where children are involved and the woman doesn’t have any business to sustain herself and the children, she would be forced to stay in such a relationship due to financial problems.”
Some women, he said, would stay in an abusive relationship because of shame.
He explained that some women felt ashamed to complain to their family and friends that their spouses was abusing them, so she would prefer to keep the pain within.
“Sometimes, these women sustain internal injuries and they keep it to themselves ,which even kills them slowly,” he added.
Recommendation
He advised women to be financially independent so that they would be able to fend for themselves and support their partners financially. “The woman should not necessarily have everything, but a business that she could rely on for a living,” he said.
He also recommended the need for separation when there were serious disputes in a relationship or marriage, adding that it helped to calm down nerves.
“There is the need to study your partner to know how he or she reacts to provocative issues and managed pain; in this case you would know how to deal with him or her,” he advised.
Counselling, he said, was also another way to deal with misunderstandings occurring in relationships instead of resorting to violence that can lead to death.
Counselling could be by an expert or an elderly person in the family.
“Sometimes, there is just the need to also share with trusted friends and family when these abuses take place to find solutions to the causes before they get out of hand,” he said.
A case study titled “Violence against women: The Ghanaian case” by the Department of Geography and Resources Development Ghana led by Prof. Elizabeth Ardayofio Schandorf in 2005, also confirmed that men generally beat their wives.
“The men generally explained that wife beating is a way of correcting their wives, but they also accepted that it is a wrong practice,” the study stated.
The report also revealed that 25 per cent of the males reported that they beat their partners whiles 72 per cent of all respondents responded that wife beating was common in their communities.
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