Police confirm death of Times reporter Samuel Nuamah

20 AUGUST 2015

  The police have confirmed the death of a Ghanaian Times reporter in the presidential press corps accident which occurred at Doryumu junction in the Shai Hills area in Greater Accra on Thursday afternoon.

The Times reporter, Samuel Nuamah was said to have died on the spot, the Doryumu-Asutuare District Police Commander, ASP Stephen Addom confirmed this to Graphic Online’s Tema reporter, Benjamin Xornam Glover who has visited the accident scene.

A number of journalists assigned to the presidency who were on the accident vehicle sustained serious life-threatening injuries and have been taken to the hospital for medical care. They were initially taken to the Shai Hills Military Training School clinic and later transferred to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.

The journalists were returning to Accra from Ho where President John Mahama had attended the annual convention of the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church.

Benjamin Xornam Glover reported that the police told him a total of 12 people were on the vehicle, a Ford GMC with registration number GB 506 – 12.

According to the police the left rear tyre of the vehicle burst and in an attempt to control the vehicle, the driver applied the brakes and the vehicle veered off the road.
President John Dramani Mahama and his entourage were not in the convoy.

http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/police-confirm-death-of-times-reporter-samuel-nuamah.html

Drivers unhappy with Tema roads

BENJAMIN GLOVER 

20 JUNE 2016

ome motorists using a bad road in Community five,Tema Pictures: Samuel Tei Adano

So much ink has been splashed on the state of roads in the Tema Metropolis but it appears the problem is far from being addressed.

Save the recent asphaltic overlay project which began from the Community 12 roundabout, through the Hospital Road (the frontage of the Tema General Hospital which terminated at the road in front of the St. Paul Methodist Cathedral) and a section of the Sakumono coastal Road and Valco Roundabout to the Tema Oil Refinery Junction, most of the roads in the metropolis are in a dire state and in need of urgent rehabilitation.

The situation has been worsened by the recent rains which have further deepened the craters on most inner roads in the communities  making driving through the Harbour City and the Industrial areas a herculean task.

In February 2015, when the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, cut the sod for the commencement of work on the 4.5 kilometre asphaltic overlay project from the Community 12 roundabout, through the frontage of the Tema General Hospital to the St. Paul Methodist Cathedral area, one assurance that echoed was the release of funds for an additional 23-kilometre asphaltic overlay in the metropolis.

Specific mention was made of the stretch of road from the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) offices area through to the frontage of Tema Senior High School to the Tema Polyclinic oval. There was also mention of the Community Two roads, Industrial Area roads, among others.

Tema was among four other metropolitan areas selected by the Department of Urban Roads (DUR) to benefit from more than 250 kilometres of asphaltic overlays, as captured by the Daily Graphic in November, 2014.  

The other cities mentioned in that publication were Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast and Sekondi-Takoradi. Work on the selected roads was to begin in January, 2015 and scheduled for completion within six months.

The selected roads in these communities were to be asphalted and critical drainage systems provided. The stretch of roads was also provided with road furniture, among other facilities, to improve their conditions and ensure safety for road users.

Current state

Fast forwarded to June this year, and the works earmarked for the Tema Metropolis are yet to materialise.

The potholes and patches that were supposed to be fixed to ensure smooth surfaces have further developed into deep craters of varying sizes, shapes and depths.

Earlier this year, some captains of industry, in the face of frustration threatened to withhold the payment of levies and fees until the Assembly fixed the decrepit road network particularly in the industrial enclave.

Indeed, the road from the Tema Steel Works Junction through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) junction to the Tema Oil Refinery Junction needs serious attention. Though some efforts had been made on that portion of road in the past including the stabilisation of the base course, a lot more attention is needed on that road to facilitate easy travelling.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema, Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, during a working visit to some factories in the Industrial enclave recently told the media that the assembly acknowledged that some of the road infrastructure in the enclave needed critical attention.

He gave the assurance that the Assembly was committed to collaborating with its stakeholders to fix the roads.

Mr Odamtten disclosed that as part of efforts to address the bad road network in the industrial area, the assembly had initialled what he termed a 50-50 accelerated infrastructure development programme, which was a collaborative plan with its stakeholders including industry to help fix the roads.

“By that, the assembly is calling on people who have immediate needs to team up with us with some cost-sharing arrangement for us to get the benefit of fixing those challenges.

The road network is one of such projects and we will put a team together to talk to the industries in order to execute the concept,” he explained

Shared responsibility

While acknowledging the fact that development of the metropolis was the responsibility of the assembly, he maintained that residents and business operators had a role to play by ensuring that they paid their rates promptly to cushion its finances to take up more projects.

Another challenge the MCE touched on was the emergence of squatter settlement and slums not only in the residential areas but also in the industrial enclave. The assembly takes a strong view of the situation and would soon deploy its security sub-committee on slum control to the industrial parts of the city to deal with the issue.

The assembly, he said, would also deal with security needs such as the provision of street lights in the industrial enclave and provide a police post to curb the incidence of crime.

Win-win

The Chief Executive Officer of Reroy Cables, one of the companies visited by the mayor, Mrs Kate Quartey-Papafio, welcomed the concept of collaboration with the assembly to rehabilitate the roads and other infrastructure but stressed that it must be a win-win situation.

“If they (Assembly) say we need to collaborate, we will, but at the end of the day, we will take it out of our taxes. Because we pay the taxes, salaries, etc. If the roads are not being fixed and we are being called to contribute a little to the kitty, which will require that we borrow from the banks  to contribute, then the only way out is that once we contribute, we are not going to pay taxes for some time to enable us pay back our loans”, she told journalists.

Nana Kwame Oteng-Gyasi, the Marketing and Business Development Manager of Tropical Cables and Conductors Limited, another factory the Mayor visited in an interview also bemoaned the state of the roads stressing that it was impacting negatively on the movements of products and raw materials to their premises.

To him, roads leading to the vital parts of the city such as the industrial enclave to facilitate the movement of goods and services to enhance production and generate more wealth deserve a better road infrastructure.  He called on the assembly and other agencies to pay attention to the roads.

Some of the drivers reiterated the need for the assembly to rehabilitate the roads in the metropolis in order to make travelling more convenient. Mr Joshua Fosu, a taxi driver, plying Tema Community One to Sakumono said driving on the deplorable roads, especially between Communities two and three was nightmarish and frustrating and urged the assembly to take action. 

It is the hope of many road users that the assembly will actualise its plans to tackle the challenge of poor network in the metropolis to help boost economic activities in the area.

Writer’s email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh

http://www.graphic.com.gh/features/features/drivers-unhappy-with-tema-roads.html

MERIFEST 2016 launches in Tema

BENJAMIN XORNAM-GLOVER 

13 OCTOBER 2016

MCE for Tema, Mr. Isaac Ashai Odamtten with some of the hiplife artistes billed to perform during Merifest 2016

The third edition of the Tema Greenwich Meridian Cultural Festival (MERIFEST) has been launched with a call on all to promote Ghana's unique culture and values.

MERIFEST seeks to promote tourism and cultural activities of various tribal groups residing within the Tema metropolis. 

It is a melting pot for the exhibition of tradition and culture of people from the various parts of the country residents in the metropolis.

This year’s week-long celebration which starts on Monday, October 24, and ends on Saturday, October 29, 2016 is under the theme, “Peace, unity and development in cosmopolitan Tema”.

The festival, initiated three years ago, by the Tema Metropolitan Assembly in collaboration with the Tema Traditional Council is aimed at fostering peace and unity among the various ethnic groups residing in Tema.

 Activities scheduled for the event are a pilgrimage to be led by the Tema Traditional Council to the ancestral home of the people of Tema located at the defunct Meridian Hotel.

There, the traditional priest would pour libation in front of a 400 year old tree, affectionately referred to as “Teeshi”, which, according to the people, is the umbilical cord of the people of Tema.

The rest are a colloquium for Senior High School students, street carnival and concert slated for Friday, October 28, featuring artistes such as Five 5, Masaame, Stay J, R2Bees, Sarkodie, Donzy, Ephraim and the legendary A. B. Crentsil.

The festival will be climaxed with a grand durbar of all the traditional groupings in the metropolis on Saturday, October 29, 2016.

Launching MERIFEST 2016, the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema, Mr. Isaac Ashai Odamtten, said, “I believe MERIFEST has come to stay. It has that hemming factor which can bring the inhabitants of Tema together. As demonstrated in previous celebrations, we have seen how we can use culture and tradition to preach peace and co-existence in our Metropolis.”

He appealed to all to see the event not only as a cultural activity but also as a consensus building to enable residents make Tema that beacon of peace, the place where all will find homely and go about  their daily activities in peace and tranquility.

The Paramount Chief of Tema, Nii Adjei Kraku II, called on all residents, especially the youth to take keen interest in the festival since it offers them the opportunity to learn the various about cultures of inhabitants of Tema.

Before the launch, the Tema Wulomo, Nii Ashiboi Kofi, poured libation while the Anuonyam Traditional Music and Dance Group entertained the gathering with traditional Ghanaian dances. The Tema Senior High School Choir also delivered melodious choral music.

http://www.graphic.com.gh/entertainment/events/merifest-2016-launches-in-tema.html

Articulated trucks take over shoulders of roads in Tema

BENJAMIN XORNAM GLOVER 

20 OCTOBER 2015

Some of the articulated trucks parked on the shoulders of the road in Community 1

The haphazard manner in which articulated trucks have been parked along some major streets in the Tema Metropolis has become a source of concern for road users.

Every available space on the precincts of the port of Tema has been turned into a parking lot for articulated trucks which have come to fish for cargo to transport.

Along the Meridian Road, right from the Community Three traffic lights, the Rotary Avenue and the Tema Polyclinic Area, articulated trucks have taken over the shoulders of the road, posing a threat to other road users.

In addition, the drivers and their mates have turned sections of the shoulders of the streets  into their abode, creating sanitation challenges as they bath and defaecate in open spaces due to the absence of sanitary facilities.

That aside, road engineers maintain that the constant smearing of gas oil on the surface of the roads due to maintenence works carried out by mechanics on these trucks, affect the durability of the road.

Increased traffic

The Tema Port, which was recently adjudged the best-performing port in West and Central Africa, is currently handling one million Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEUs) of containerised cargo and it is envisioned that in the next 10 to 15 years, that traffic is expected to increase to about 2.2 million TEUs. With this comes the need to develop  a parking space for the large number of haulage trucks seeking to do business at the port.

The Marketing and Public Relations Manager of the port, Paul Asare Ansah, in an interview, said the failure of the metropolitan assembly to match up to the pace of development at the port and the lack of parking spaces for the large number of trucks had forced the truck drivers to park indiscriminately along the major roads in the city.

Mitigation

When contacted, the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Tema, Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, said the issue had come to the attention of the assembly and efforts were underway to address it.

While admitting that it was the responsibility of the city authority to plan development, he noted that such planning could not be done in isolation.

"If the port authority would also plan their activities with the city authority in mind, we would have a coordinated plan. We cannot have the port planning separately without involving the assembly and when a problem is created, then we say it is the responsibility of the assembly.

"We knew we had a port infrastructure and ports thrive on haulage and transportation, so why were these interfaces not created?" he questioned

Collaboration

That notwithstanding , Mr Odamtten said, the assembly had identified three likely places to be developed into a parking terminal for the trucks. He said one of the places was located along the Ningo-Prampram area, adding that the assembly was talking with the Haulage Drivers Association to ensure that the menace was reduced.

He disclosed that the assembly was also coming out with a task force to ensure that at least the trucks did not endanger the lives of other road users.

http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/articulated-trucks-take-over-shoulders-of-roads-in-tema.html

Ghana @ 59 - A look at Tema township

BENJAMIN GLOVER 

04 MARCH 2016

Tema is a coastal city situated 25 kilometres east of Accra, Ghana’s capital. The Greenwich Meridian passes through this city.

Until 1952, when the Government of Ghana decided to develop a deep seaport there, Tema was a small fishing village. Tema became an Autonomous Council in 1974 and was elevated to the status of a Metropolitan Assembly in December, 1990.

The Tema Port 

The Tema Metropolitan Area shares boundaries with the Ashaiman , Adentan and Ledzokuku Krowor Municipalities to the west; the Kpone Katamanso District to the east, the Dangme West District to the North and the Gulf of Guinea to the South.

Before independence, the government identified a small fishing village called Torman as the site for an ultra modern seaport for the new Ghana. Torman residents also grew the calabash plant (gourd), known as Tor in the local language; hence, the name of the village Tor-man (gourd-land), which was corrupted to Tema.

The government in 1952 acquired 166 square kilometres of land north of the harbour. The acquisition was entrusted to the Tema Development Corporation.

Tema is a planned city built as Ghana achieved independence in 1957 and was an icon for modernisation on the continent.

The construction of Tema as an industrial city was linked to the construction of the harbour at Tema. Doxiadis Associates designed the master plan of Tema for an eventual population of 250,000, and Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew designed the master plan for Tema Newtown, the relocated fishing village that originally occupied the site of today's Tema port.

Sanitation

Tema is the only planned city in Ghana and the second in the West African sub-region aside Abuja in Nigeria, (which was built after Tema) but it is beset with over population that has led to insanitary conditions.

The Tema central sewerage system, which was constructed more than 50 years ago, is now a major challenge to the assembly, with frequent sewer burst and the flow of effluence from houses.

The current Chief Executive of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, in an interview reiterated the Assembly’s resolve to pursue a master plan to restore the old and damaged sewer systems in the metropolis.

The Assembly, according to him, is pursuing a master plan, which when implemented, will bring to a halt the continuous flow of effluence into the streets.

As part of its resolve, the assembly is undertaking the replacement of old sewer lines in a number of communities.

The Assembly, in the meantime, does regular repairs on the sewer system, but has a long-term plan to revamp the entire system.

Mr Odamtten said as a short-term measure, the assembly had provided logistics for personnel of the Waste Management Department to enhance the maintenance regime.

For the medium term, the Assembly is rehabilitating the sewer trunk lines and pump stations, while in the long term, he said, plans were afoot to incorporate a decentralised community treatment centre to tackle the challenges.

Roads

The road network in the Port City is not in the best shape currently. The Communities Two, Five and the industrial area roads are examples. Some of these roads have developed gaping potholes, making them extremely impassable, especially after rains.

Though the Metropolitan Assembly and the Urban Roads Department have made efforts to resolve the problem, a lot more needs to be done.

In February, last year, for instance, the Tema Metropolitan Assembly commenced work on the second phase of asphaltic overlay to improve its roads infrastructure in the metropolis.

The project included the Community 12 roundabout through to the frontage of the Tema General Hospital to connect Road 51 near the St Paul Methodist Cathedral.

These efforts, though commendable, do not appear to be responsive to the rate of deterioration of the roads in the metropolis.

The haphazard manner in which articulated trucks are parked along some major streets in the metropolis have also become a source of concern for road users.

The trucks are mostly parked on the shoulders of the roads near the Tema Port enclave and adjoining communities in the metropolis. Aside the danger posed to other road users and the damage caused to the road, most of these illegal parking places also serve as hot spots for anti-social activities by the truck drivers and their mates.

In a bid to curb the growing risks associated with the reckless parking of vehicles, especially heavy duty trucks, the Metropolitan

Assembly is working in partnership with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) to develop a permanent terminal for haulage trucks.

The MCE said his outfit was negotiating with the TDC on a land close to the Tema Labour Office and at Community Three to be developed into a terminal for the trucks. Already, the GPPA has developed a transit park for haulage trucks and is in use.

Health

Established in 1954 as the only health centre to take care of workers at the port city, the Tema General Hospital has diligently served its purpose and was among the best hospitals in the country in its hey days, after the two main teaching hospitals.

It caters for patients from the city and serves as the referral centre for other health posts in the South-Eastern part of Greater

Accra, providing emergency services for accident victims from industries and the Tema motorway. It is the health sanctuary for residents of Ada, Dodowa, Ashaiman, Teshie-Nungua and beyond.

At the time of construction, the facility was big enough to cater for the population, but over time there has been a need to construct a modern hospital on the vast land on which the current facility is located.

As observed by the Paramount Chief of Tema, Nii Adjei Krakue II, it is about time the government made use of the large tract of land set aside to construct a proper hospital for the metropolis to cater for the health needs of the residents and those in adjourning cities.

Housing

As Ghana marks another Independence Day, there is the need to redevelop the metropolis into a modern model city in the country to regain its lost glory.

The move appears to have been given a great boost. For some time now, the TDC, with the responsibility of managing the spatial development of the Tema Township, has been seeking to demolish the Kaiser and Segeco flats in Community 4.

Some block of flats were declared uninhabitable more than 20 years ago due to serious structural failures, while the other flats are getting weaker. The TDC is thus poised to prosecute its redevelopment agenda and has earmarked the flats to be pulled down.

That project, when implemented, will see the Community 4 area converted into a modern residential area with a shopping mall, recreational centre and other facilities that make a modern residential enclave complete.

Already, the TDC has constructed four blocks of eight-storey flats under its in-filling project at Tema Community 1 site three.

The TDC in-filling project is in tune with objectives of the Housing Policy to promote housing schemes that maximise land utilisation and accelerate home improvement, which includes the upgrading and transformation of the existing housing stock.

Writer’s email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh 

http://www.graphic.com.gh/features/features/ghana-59-a-look-at-tema-township.html

Graphic rewards Tema newspaper vendors and agents

BENJAMIN GLOVER & DELLA RUSSEL OCLOO 

16 NOVEMBER 2016

The award winners with some management and staff members of the GCGL

The Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) rewarded its newspaper vendors and agents at a ceremony in Tema on Sunday.

The event was in line with the company's objective to deepen its relationship with the vendors and the agents who are an integral part of its operations. 

Seven vendors and sub-vendors were rewarded for excellence, loyalty and dedication to the company’s newspaper vending policy.

The winners took home items ranging from rice cookers, microwave ovens, table-top refrigerators and flat screen television sets. 

Ms Mercy Abbey of Sakumono was adjudged the overall best vendor for 2015, having made the most sales in the year under review.

She took home a 32-inch LED television set.

Mr Samuel Nkansah, who also doubles as the spokesperson for the vendors and agents in Tema, came second and received a table-top refrigerator as his prize.

The third position went to Ms Lilian Yevugah of Ashaiman, who took home a 24-inch LED television set. 

Mr Stephen Piddah and Mr Joseph Koranteng won the best sub-vendors awards, while veteran vendor, Ms Mary Kyei, won the Managing Director's special award for loyalty and adherence to the GCGL vending policy. 

Speaking at the event, the Director of Human Resource and Administration at the GCGL, Ms Peggy Addo, indicated that the awards scheme had been instituted to appreciate the vendors and agents of the company’s products.

She commended the vendors and agents for their loyalty over the years and urged them to work even harder in the coming years.

Scholarships

Ms Addo asked the vendors to take advantage of the scholarship schemes that existed for their children.

The vendors and agents

The scheme, which she said had been in existence over a decade, had provided financial support for many vendors’ children across the country to access education at the second-cycle level.

While most of the vendors in the Tema Zone had complained that they had never benefited from the package, thereby killing their interest in the scheme, Ms Addo indicated that there had been times when in a whole year no vendor applied.

“We do not look at zones or regions when we are awarding the package. Once your child has secured the needed grade of aggregate eight to 24 and passes our interview assessment, the child is awarded the scholarship”, she told the vendors.

She, therefore, encouraged the vendors who  had children in junior high schools to endeavour to apply to reduce their financial burden.

Ms Addo also outlined the progress being made by the company to digitise the various newspapers, in line with technological advances which were impacting on newspaper sales globally.

She told the vendors that the GCGL was working to build an online presence, which she believed could be a major revenue source for the company.

The Spokesperson of the vendors in Tema, Mr Samuel Nkansah, said that the late arrival of the newspapers at the newsstands was impacting negatively on their sales.

“Often when the quota for the Tema Region is increased, our expectation is that the papers will arrive early, so that we can meet industrial workers before they begin work. However, those are the days the paper could delay till about 9 a.m. In some cases, we end up receiving our consignment at midday”, he said.

He appealed to the management of the company to endeavour to address the challenges involving the transportation of the newspapers to the zone which covers Tema, Ada to Battor and Sogakope.

The Tema Business Manager of the GCGL, Mrs Eugenia MacCready, in her welcome address, challenged the vendors to be motivated by the feat achieved by the award winners. 

She expressed the hope that the scheme would motivate them to work extra hard in the coming years.

http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/graphic-rewards-tema-newspaper-vendors-and-agents.html

Sam George wins Ningo-Prampram Constituency

Mr Samuel Nartey George has won the Ningo-Prampram parliamentary for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), reports Benjamin Xornam Glover.

The 31-year-old agricultural engineer shrugged off a challenge from four other contenders to retain the seat for the NDC. It is the first time Mr Sam George will be serving in parliament.

Certified results declared by the Returning Officer of the Ningo-Prampram Constituency, Mr Benjamin Quantson, on Thursday morning saw Sam George poll 23, 860 votes to defeat his closest contender, Mr Sylvester Tetteh of the NPP, who polled 13, 588 votes .

Mr Sam Nartey George- MP Elect for Ningo-Prampram 

The other three candidates, namely Messrs Cashmire Nii Okai Mensa of the PPP secured 110 votes; Richard Nartey of the All People’s Congress (APC) secured 103 votes with Frederick Marmah Martey, CPP, securing 212 votes polls.

Mr George, prior to this contest cuased a political tsunami when he ended the long running parliamentary career of Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, who had been in Parliament since 1997.

The acrimonious primaries and the attendant ripples have been cited by many political pundits that it was going to impact negatively on his (Mr George's) chances in the polls. The elections in the constituency were generally peaceful.

In a victory address, Mr George thanked his campaign team, family and constituents for supporting him and opportunity to serve them.

http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/sam-george-wins-ningo-prampram.html

NDC, NPP candidates express satisfaction with ongoing polls at Ningo-Prampram

Mr Sylvester Tetteh, the NPP parliamentary candidate for Ningo-Prampram on a monitoring visit to the Dzidas Cinema Hall 2B polling station at Old Ningo.

Benjamin Xornam Glover reports from Prampram that two out of the five aspirants contesting the Ningo-Prampram constituency have indicated that they are satisfied with elections process so far in the area.

Mr Samuel Nartey George of the NDC, Sylvester Tetteh of the NPP in separate interviews with Graphiconline on Wednesday afternoon said the exercise has generally been peaceful.

Speaking to Graphic Online at the Dzidas Cinema Hall 2B polling station at Old Ningo, the NPP parliamentary candidate said he and his team are happy with the process and so far no incident has been reported to him by his agents.

The NDC's Samuel Nartey George who was spotted at the St Joseph Anglican Primary A polling station at Prampram, expressed his satisfaction with the process.

Polls generally opened at exactly 7am across most of the polling stations in the Ningo-Prampram constituency.

However, some few polling stations opened thirty minutes late due to late arrivals of materials and officials of the EC.

According to the District Director of the EC, Mr Charles Botchwey elections are taking place in 93 polling stations with an estimated 60,009 voters expected to cast their ballot.

The other candidates contesting the Ningo-Prampram constituency seat are Messrs Cashmire Nii Okai Mensa of the Progressive People's Party, Richard Nartey, 32 and Frederick Marmah Martey, 56.

http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/politics/ndc-npp-candidates-express-satisfaction-with-ongoing-polls-at-ningo-prampram.html 

LOCAL ELECTRICAL POLES MANUFACTURERS ASK FOR INCREASED GOVT ASSISTANCE

Some of the street light poles produced by the company ready to be exported to  Benin

Mr John Kwame Borbordzi explaining the production processes at the company's premises 

By: Benjamin Xornam Glover, ASHAIMAN
THE Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Borbordzi Argon Aluminum Welding and Fabrication Company, Mr. John Kwame Borbordzi has urged government to increase support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), to ensure the country’s economic growth.

Borbordzi Argon Aluminum Welding Company located in Ashaiman are manufacturers of street light poles and metal products in Ghana.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Tema, Mr. Borbordzi, lamented that many of the poles that are used by contractors in the country are imported

CHEAP IMPORTS

According to him, a careful examination of these street lighting poles would reveal that these poles are not galvanized but are rather coated. As a result they do not do not last long.

He lamented that that local aluminum electricity pole manufactured right here in Ghana are not being patronized.

While urging government to increase support for SMEs, also echoed the need for local consulting firms who advise municipal and district assemblies (MMDAS) and other governmental agencies to begin to trust the indigenous companies and recommend them in the award of contacts.


KEEP THE PROMISE

Mr. Borbordzi said successive governments have preached the need to support the local manufacturers but, they seem to be facing unfavorable competition from foreign imports.
He bemoaned the fact that the contractor working in the main Ashaiman Highway dual carriage road spent millions dollars to import street lighting poles when they could have used the quality ones produced here in the country.

Mr Borbordzi pointed out that  what was imported for the project were mine steel poles which are not favorable to the weather conditions here in Ghana.

He called on government to support local manufacturers to expand and create job avenues for the teeming unemployed youth especially those within the Ashaiman community.


RECOGNITION
Borbordzi Argon Aluminum Welding Company recently bagged an award from the Institute for Government Research Leadership Technology, Abuja, Nigeria.
The award was in recognition of the company’s innovation and excellence in aluminium, telecom mast, electric poles and gate construction.

Mr. Borbordzi who exports his products to countries such as Togo, Benin and Nigeria, said he was delighted that their effort has been recognised among competitors from several African countries.

He said the award has challenged his company to continue producing quality products that can compete favorably in any part of the world and they will not relent in that direction.

Mr Borbordzi said small and medium-scale enterprises in the country were contributing significantly to the revenue generated by the assembly and it is only when they are supported that they will enhance their outputs and grow.

The company has 20 permanent workers and also employs a number of casual workers. According to the Chief Executive Officer, the company could do more if it received the required support.
END
Writer’s email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh

@glovben

Journos trained on the use of new digital tools to enhance local governance in the Ashaiman Municipality

Participants and facilitators in a group photograph at the end of the workshop

By Benjamin Xornam Glover, TEMA

The drive towards improving the local governance processes, alleviating poverty, promoting gender equality and strengthening institutional and technical capacity in the Ashaiman Municipality has received a major boost following the official launch of a new project “Enhancing grassroots civic participation in governance using digital tools”.

The project, funded by the Canadian Fund for local Initiative, seeks to empower citizens through digital tools to effectively participate in the local government decision making processes and promote better public service delivery especially in health, education and sanitation.

The projects seeks to promote the use existing digital tools by citizens to engage with their assembly in the comfort of their homes or work places to access information or request for one.

Through this civic engagement, it is expected that local governance processes would have improved while duty bearers and public officials would be more responsive to citizens’ needs

.

ROLE OF MEDIA

Recognizing the role of the media as an effective watchdog in holding duty bearers account in public service delivery, Penplusbytes with funding from the Canadian Fund for local Initiative has organised a 2-day media workshop to train selected journalists from the Ashaiman/Tema area on the project.

The aim of the workshop was to equip the selected journalists with the necessary skills and knowledge to develop compelling citizen engagement stories in their communities.

 A total of 14 media practitioners within the Tema and Ashaiman corresponding for various media outlets took part in the workshop.

NEW DIGITAL TOOLS

The participants were schooled on how to use technology and the opportunities it provides to empower citizens in their quest to demand transparency and accountability from their local assemblies.

In his welcoming speech, the Programmes Director of Penplusbytes, Mr. Jeremiah Sam underscored his organization’s commitment in equipping journalists with skills in using new digital technologies in order to enhance traditional journalism.

He emphasized the role of new digital tools stressing that it offered creative opportunities and urged the participants to put the knowledge gained into

practice.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The Programme Manager, New Media Innovations at Penplusbytes,

Precious Ankomah charged the participants utilise the knowledge gained to tell stories that will compel duty bearers to change the manner in which they feel, think, and act towards the greater good of their community.

A facilitator at the workshop and programme manager for Governance and Technology at Penplusbytes, Mr. Cosmos Akorli said civic engagement aims at making a difference in our communities.

He added that it focuses on developing knowledge, skills, and promoting motivation to make that difference.

Therefore, constant information about citizens' satisfaction with service provision serves as a basis for improvement.

At the end of the session, participants were presented a certificate of participation.

Writer’s email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh

@Glovben