NEW OFFICE FOR DVLA

By Christabel Akoto-Manu                                     

The Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) last year recorded 12,981 fatal traffic accidents which resulted in 2,125 deaths and 16,133 injuries.

From January to March this year, the authority has already recorded 567 deaths through road accidents and the country has lost an amount of 288 million U S dollars.

The Chairman of the DVLA board, Mr. David Adom disclosed this at the commissioning of the authority’s new Head Office in Accra, on Friday.

He said road safety is the responsibility of a multiplicity of government institution and agencies including the DVLA as  well as the various road users.

Mr. Adom admitted that the institution had challenges which needed to be addressed for improved service delivery and reverse the negative public perception.

The current board, he noted, will completely re-organize and reform the authority for positive work to achieve the objective for which it was established.

“To take the reforms further ,the authority is putting in place a strategic plan, spanning from this year to  2015 to replace the existing plan “he mentioned  .

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Collins Dauda said that transportation is the heartbeat of any economy as business, industry and commerce depend on it for growth, expansion and development.

He said road transport provides access to health, education and socio-economic opportunities and it is for this reason that transport is said to be the sine qua non for the socio-economic and political development of a nation.

Transport, as a source of death and injury, is substantial within the road transport, according to him.

As an agency, he noted, the authority’s output to a large extent could contribute both to positive and negative aspects of road transport.

He said the authority should not underestimate its role and contribution to casualty reduction in order to ensure that the national vision to reducing the fatality rate to single digit is attainable.

He also called   on the authority to study the United Nation’s (UN) document critically and introduce measures recommended to all countries by the UN on Driver Licensing and Vehicle safety including the maintenance of standards and occupant protection 

The Chief Executive Officer of the DVLA, Mr. Justice Yaw Amagashie said one of the challenges that face many public agencies is the security of their immovable properties to prevent encroachment of properties of government by private developers.

He said the staff of any organization is the resource which would provide the skills, knowledge and expertise in the realization of its vision, mission statement and mandate.

Mr. Amagashie said that the authority has introduced electronic receipting at offices where on-site banks do not operate, thereby reducing waiting time to served.

The authority, he said, had also embarked on renovation and rehabilitation of offices on its premises to provide congenial environment and atmosphere.

He said the authority through the board is to introduce Computer Adaptive Testing to replace the manual theory test.

URGENT

THE assemblyman for the Fielmua Electoral Area in the Sissala West District, Mr. Felix Neetega has sounded the alarm bell.

He told our correspondent at Gwollu on Tuesday, that tension is building up gradually between the people of Nimoro and Fielmua communities over a land dispute.

According to Mr. Neetege, the two factions were stockpiling arms and ammunition in readiness for a battle to settle the dispute which started a few months ago.

His fear is that though the dispute is between the two communiies, it can escalate into ethnic conflict between Sissalas and their neighbours, Dagaabas.

However, the District Police Commander, ASP James Aggrey, says the situation is under firm control and that there is no cause for alarm.

We hope that the District Commander will keep to his assurance and ensure that the situation does not degenerate into an unnecessary violence.

Already, the commander has indicated that logistical problems, including lack of vehicles, are hindering effective police patrol in the area.  This means that the police are encountering difficulties in maintenance of law and order in the area.

We hope that the Inspector-General of Police will quickly respond to this major shortcoming of the district police and ensure effective monitoring of the situation before it escalates.

What makes matters worse is the allegation that for the past two weeks, youth from Nimoro have been moving from farm to farm uprooting newly-planted crops of the Fielmua people. Indeed, this gives cause for worry.

It is also unfortunate that the Fielmua people were also reported as arming themselves to attack the Nimoros.

We believe that this is not the time for apportioning blame, and we call on the traditional authorities of the area to quickly intervene to settle the matter amicably to allow peace and tranquility to prevail in the area.

These land and chieftaincy disputes in most parts of the country are, indeed, causing a serious harm to the development of the economy.

While the government is doing its best to provide the needed infrastructure and other social amenities to promote economic growth, these unnecessary conflicts are dissipating the resources and disrupting progress.

FUND RAISING FOR BREAST CANCER

The Indian Women Association in Ghana last Friday held a breast cancer brunch fund rising at the Labadi Beach Hotel. the fund rising was theme" Help Today, Hope Tomorrow"

The president of the association Mrs. Anita Bhojwani said, the program was held to support breast cancer patient and provide awareness of the disease to the general public.

She said, breast cancer if detected early have 98% survival rate. She also cautioned that, cancer is not age bound and that it can affect any individual so people should be alert on the slide change in the body.

Mrs. Bhojwani added that, the family and friends of the cancer patient should most importantly show them love and care. The family should also support them and lend them a helping hand.

Mrs. Lavina Amarnani an eight years survival patient of breast cancer and a member of the association said that individual especially women should have a regular check up on their body and should report any change in their body particularly their breast to their doctor.

She advice that patient of breast cancer should have faith and be positive, for positivity can get them to anywhere.

She also appeal to the NGO's, government bodies and the general public to support cancer patient.

ABOAKYIR FESTIVAL

The people of the Effutu Traditional Area have not had an enjoyable Aboakyer festival in recent years.

The festival is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of May. It is a celebration by the Effutus in appreciation of the customary guidance they received from their forefathers and a thanksgiving to Penkye Otu, their deity.

This year the people of Winneba, known as the Efutus, in the Ewutu/Efutu/Senya District, experienced a new phase of the festival.  A 16-year conflict between the two Tuafo groups (Asafo companies) was resolved and the celebration of the Aboakyer was delinked from chieftaincy. This enabled the two Asafo Youth groups (Dentsifo and Tuafo) to compete in the antelope hunt without conflict.

The stool father and head of the Royal House of the Effutu Traditional Area, Neenyi  Bondze II, reiterated that for the past 13 years the Aboakyir festival had been a security risk and therefore this year’s success story of the festival was unprecedented.

He expressed excitement that the theme for year’s event anchored on “Reconciliation for peace and Development” translated into the calm and peace the event experienced.

He said that this year’s celebration was something out of the norm, for the people to prevail over the chiefs to step aside for the celebration to go on was plus for the state” adding that though the protracted chieftaincy disputes in the area had been settled there were still several under currents that require solution “Aboakyir is the passion of the people of Efutu so if we find that just a section is participating in Aboakyer are celebrating then there is something wrong” he emphasized.  He expressed gratitude to the Winneba Peace Initiative (WPI), the MP for the area, Hon Mike Hamah, and other social groups for making the festivities a success and described it as a peaceful beginning that has to be continued.

The Tufohene of the area, Nana Otuboa siripi II who is also the supreme commander of the two Asafo companies said besides the festival reminding them of their spiritual responsibilities and duties it is also time for family reunions for citizens who had left the town for years to come home to fraternalism.

He said the occasion has strengthened the reconciliation process in the area and was happy that the Asafo companies, prior to the celebration, had settled their differences and worked together to achieve a common goal of fostering tourism and development.

A random chat with the people of Winneba reflected a very jubilant mood as they recounted with excitement the sequence of events and wished for a mood as peaceful celebration in subsequent years without police presence.

Others recounted with joy how commercial activities flourished during the festival with an increase in their daily sales.  They recalled that the influx of visitors and tourists during the occasion enhanced the social and economic activities of the area.

Some were also excited at how the two Asafo companies exhibited great prowess and bravery by hunting for the antelope used for the rituals to commemorate the festival.

It is the expectation of the people of Winneba that next year the festival will experience much involvement and participation from both the elders and the youth of the area and pave way for a more peaceful celebration in the coming years.

BOSO GUA INSTALLS ANKOBEAHENE AND ANKOBEAHEMAA

The Omanhene of Boso Gua Traditional area Nana Osei Nyarko III has elevated and sworn-in the Ankobeahene and Ankobeahemaa of Boso Gua in the Asougyaman District in the Eastern Region.

Nana Obiri Yeboah I, the Ankobeahene and Nana Afua Obiribea Afunya I, the Ankobeahemaa swore the oath of allegiance to Nana Osei Nyarko III and the people of Boso Gua during a colourful installation ceremony at Boso Gua.

The installation which was attended by some ministers of state and various traditional leaders within the Eastern Region saw a rich display of rich cultural displays.

In a speech, the two newly installed traditional leaders pledged to assist with the developmental projects which the council of elders of the traditional area have projected to undertake.  These included an educational fund for Boso Gua, recreational centre, information communication technology centre improved family practices and improved Banking and Savings cultures.

The two also commended governments for its intervention polices to help improve life and the economy.

They reiterated their commitment to have a listening ear to all in spite of their past differences.

“Today opens a new page for Boso Gua citizens and we all must embrace peace in order to foster Boso economic transformation to the people of Boso Gua,” they added.

SUSTAINABILITY CONFAB

THE Director of the sub-Saharan Africa region of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants  (ACCA), Mr Jamil Ampomah, has called on companies particularly those in the extractive  and  manufacturing sectors to develop and publish strategies setting out their sustainability roadmaps.

That, he said should include a full disclosure of the cost of the impact their activities have on the environment in which they operate and their social responsibility to the communities they operate in.

Mr  Ampomah made the call in Accra on Tuesday at a day’s  sustainability  conference held  under the theme: “Accounting  for sustainability” and organized by ACCA Ghana with support from the Ghana sustainability Initiative  (GSI) a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO).

The conference which brought together middle  to top level executives of corporate Ghana including  academic, was meant to explore into detail the concept of sustainability and the benefits of sustainability reporting in Ghana.

Mr Amponsah said part of the sustainability  strategy should include a commitment to report how well or badly an organization is performing across the social economic and environmental dimensions as well as sustainability –related risks and opportunities.

“We believe that with the profit and loss rep[ort, there is a strong business care to be made for producing sustainability report which  looks at the  impact your activities has on the environment and communities in which you  operate” he said.

Sustainability and corporate social responsibility, the ACCA’s sub-Saharan Africa Director  noted, have now become an integral  parts of business values and strategy, rather than as an isolated function within a company.

Earlier, the  Okyehene, Osagyefor Amotia Ofori Panin, in his keynote address, regretted that Africa which was endowed with most of the world’s wealth still lags behind development and continue to wallow in poverty, diseases, civil wars and bad governance.

He said sustainability was no longer a part of our culture as our uncontrolled activities continues to impact negatively on the environment such as pollution of water bodies as a result of mining and deforestation.

Globalization, he said brought with it opportunities but  Africa, where 40  per cent of deaths are environmentally-related, we have refused o widen the circle of opportunities but widened the circle of poverty.

The Okyehene said of Ghana was to move forward with its development agenda, the was the need for governance to be more decentralized to put power in the hands of the mass of our population in the rural areas.

“A country can prosper on what it has but what it can do with what it has, “he said.

Other speakers at the conference included Mr Joseph Winful, Senior Partner,  KPMG Ghana, Professor Robert Hinson, Head of Marketing and Customer Management Department, University of Ghana Business School and Kweku Bedu-Addo, Chief Executive Officer  (CEO) Standard Chartered Bank Ghana Limited.

Nana Owusu-Afari, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Afariwa  Group of Companies, chaired the function.