A GH¢50,000 (¢500 million) six classroom block with an office, store and washroom facilities has been opened at the Awudome Tsito Local Authority Primary School in the Ho Municipality at a ceremony during the weekend.

The Netherlands Embassy in Ghana, the Ho Diocese of the Catholic Church and the Ho Municipal Assembly funded the project, which was initiated by the community.

The Embassy contributed GH¢25,000 (¢250 million), the Ho Diocese GH¢3,000 (¢30 million) and the Assembly GH¢1,400 (¢14 million).

The inauguration coincided with the celebration of the annual yam festival of the people of Tsito.

Speaking at the ceremony, Togbe Gobo Dake XII, chief of Tsito, who inaugurated the projects, expressed his gratitude to the embassy, the diocese and the assembly for their immense support to make the project a reality.

He bemoaned the rise in unemployment, school dropouts, drug abuse, armed robbery, indiscipline in the society and population growth, which he said outpaced social services.

Togbe Gobo Dake urged the people to work together and eradicate these vices, which have eaten deep into the moral fibre of the Ghanaian society.

He praised the government for initiating programmes meant to make life bearable for the people, but added that, they were not benefiting from it and appealed to Members of Parliament in the region and Assembly members to assist the people to access such programmes.

Togbe Gobo Dake appealed for pipe borne water, a market and the upgrading of the Awudome Secondary School into a Model school.

Professor Vincent Nartey, lecturer at the Chemistry Department of the University of Ghana, appealed to the people to invest in the education of their children and advised them to establish an education endowment fund in the area to assist brilliant but needy children.

He later donated GH¢100 (¢1m) as seed money towards the establishment of the fund.

Mr. Jonathan Kwame Klu, Ho Municipal Planning Officer, said the assembly has plans to rehabilitate all dilapidated school buildings in the Municipality.

He said plans were also far advanced to establish a market at Tsito and also upgrade all the roads in the community.

Mr. Mensah Aggor, immediate past Director of the Institute of Adult Education, University of Ghana, who chaired the function appealed to the youth especially students to desist from drugs, as it would only jeopardize their future aspirations.

Money Systems International has been operating in several US cities for more than four years. The company is the latest entrant into the competitive money transfer landscape in the U.S. although it is not so new elsewhere in Africa and Europe.

Their U.S. representative, Mr. S.K. McCarthy, based in New Jersey, says the company, being African-owned is better placed to serve the African market because “we know Africa and we served Africa better.”

The Ghanaian-owned company was founded in 2003 with the main objective of operating an open remittance management system to facilitate international regional & domestic money transfers to and within Africa, according to company documents.

The Money Systems Group launched the M SYSTEM™ technology platform in July 2003 and commenced the processing of remittances between selected countries in Europe and Africa under the brand name Money Systems Cash Transfer.

In Europe, where the company has been operating for over six years, McCarthy is confident of the company’s position. “We have been there for over six years and if we could not be stopped there we are here to stay and grow,” he said. The company’s European presence include locations in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Holland, France, Denmark, Belgium, Spain, Austria and Portugal.

The company has since 2004 expanded its coverage into eleven (11) states in the U.S.; and eleven (11) countries in Europe, twenty-four (24) countries in Francophone and Anglophone Africa–Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Africa, The Gambia, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Benin, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Mali, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Congo Brazzaville, Guinea Conakry, Niger and Togo, Uganda and Tanzania.

He says the company is more competitive in terms of rates and charges to the African countries it serves. “The company has much cheaper rates and superior services for its customers,” he added.

He lauded the company’s High-tech office/call center in Ghana. “If you call MoneyGram or Western Union, you would have to go through an automated system. However, if you call Money System’s toll-free number you will talk to a live person, whether in Africa or in the U.S.,” he charged.

“All cash transfers are available instantly at our collection locations and customers don’t have to wait 24 hours or 10 minutes to collect their cash.”

The company made its maiden debut in Atlanta, Georgia in August 2007, sponsoring this year’s Odwira Festival, the annual Okuapemman Odwira/Ohum Festival, which is hosted by the Okuapemman Association of USA & Canada. The annual event celebrates the rich Okuapen culture as well as to raise funds for various causes in the Akuapen sub-region. The organization’s goal this year was “to build an elementary school in Anum/Boso and to support the ongoing cafeteria project at the Presbyterian University at Akropong, Ghana, according to organizers, according to a press release from the organization.

A day after the celebrations, the Money Systems group organized a ‘Family Gathering’ for all agents and customers in the area to a dinner. The company’s Customer Relations Manager for Georgia, Emmanuel Gyapong urged the mostly Ghanaian crowd to patronize the company’s services and support its growth. “We Ghanaians have to understand and cultivate the habit of spending with each other,” he said. “If Money Systems makes the money, it remains in Africa. If Money Systems works, it works for all of us as Africans.”

He also assured the Ghanaian community of the company’s continued support for its activities. “This company is going places and it is going to do bigger and better things for the community. We are here to grow the business together, and with that money, we are able to sponsor programs just like Western Union and MoneyGram, and others,” he said.

“We have to learn to support our own businesses. So let us push and build this company to succeed. The days of MoneyGram and Western Union are over,” he urged. “Money System is here to stay, and so far whatever we have said we will do, we do accomplish it.”

Gyapong also used the opportunity to address customer concerns arising from some technical issues that had bedeviled the young company. “For those of us who have been using the system, there had been some system problems, but those are a thing of the past,” he stated. “We have put a new system in place to solve all your problems, and this has made it simpler and easier to use the system.

In Atlanta, some of the company’s locations include the African Mini Market in Mableton; Jechri Tropical Market in Riverdale; APEX Tropical Market, and Afro Mart in College Park.

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the Ghana CAN 2008 Africa Cup of Nations will climax the Odwira Festival of the Chiefs and People of the Aburi Traditional Area on Saturday with its Road Show to enable the masses have a close and visual view of the trophy of the Nations Cup.

The Road Show, one of many outdoor events designed by the LOC to publicise the 26th edition of the continent’s showpiece soccer event is to generate excitements for the competition across the length and breath of the country.

A statement signed by Magnus Rex Danquah, Chief Operating Officer of the LOC copied to the GNA Sports said Dr Kofi Amoah, the Board Chairman of the LOC will lead the team which will include Professor Kwesi Yankah, Chairman of the Accra Venue Organising Committee (A-VOC) and former national football stars including Abedi Pele Ayew and Anthony Baffoe.

According to Rex Danquah, Dr Amoah will pay homage to Nana Otuabuo Gyan Kwesi, Chief of Aburi and will brief the chiefs and people of the area on the LOC’s preparations towards hosting a successful tournament. The LOC, he said will also solicit for the support of the people of Aburi and Ghanaians in general as they approach the final leg of preparations.

Aburi is the latest town to have a feel of the display of the original Nations Cup trophy after Kumasi, Sekondi Takoradi, Cape Coast and Accra.

The Official Draw for the tournament came off last Friday at the Accra International Conference Centre and the opening ceremony has been fixed for January 20, 2008.

Although the Ghanaians have been at the this particular travel exhibition right from inception, and their participation has not been marked by the choice of a Ghanaian word as name of the fair, government of the West African country has lent its support through participation of its Tourism Minister.

Entering its third edition this year, the West African Travel Fair, better known as Akwaaba will be visited by Ghana’s most popular hotel which holds a lot of attraction for Nigerians, La Palm Royal Beach Hotel. It is a sure favourite hotel for Nigerians visiting Ghana.

The participation of the hotel at the fair which holds in Lagos between October 27 and November 2 will evoke fond memories in many Nigerians and offer the hotel an opportunity to meet and renew commitment to its teeming customers and clients.

According to the Chief Marketing Officer for the Golden beach Hotels owners of the hotel “Akwaaba Travel Market offers us an opportunity to meet with our most charming clients in Nigeria. We are grateful for the patronage they have given to our hotels. We are happy to be associated with Nigeria because we play host to almost every Nigerian personality who visits Ghana. We invite all our clients and all those who wish to visit Ghana anytime soon to meet us at the Akwaaba Expo at Eko Hotel on October 27th and 28th.”

La palm is one the four hotels that make up the Golden Beach Hotels. The Elmina Beach Resort near the famous slave castle is also a popular destination for most visitors to Ghana, The Busua Beach resort is very popular amongst honey mooners, as its pristine beaches evokes romantic feelings.

The Golden Beach Hotels is one of the leading hospitality groups in West Africa and is indigenous to Ghana.

The best Casino in West Africa La Palm Casino will also be in Lagos with the four hotels to meet with one of their most important client populations-Nigerians.

Akwaaba Travel Market is the only travel exhibition in West Africa and is organised by ATQ magazine.

Akwaaba was recently adopted by the Federal Government of Nigeria as the official expo for Nigeria.

About 10 countries will be showcasing their tourism products at Akwaaba. Lagos state and Delta leads over 15 states that have registered to participate in the 2007 Akwaaba Travel Market.

Domestic Airlines along with their foreign counterparts are all lined up for the only version of WTM available in Nigeria. NTDC, Eko Hotels and Suites, Qatar Airways, British Airways, Protea Hotels and Golden Beach Hotels Ghana are the sponsors of the event.

Via This Day

The Chief, Assemblymen and people of the Nyariga Community have decided to institute an annual cultural festival, “Nyariga Tinmaliko”.

According to the Assemblyman for Nyariga, Mr John Nyaaba, it was decided to institute the festival after considering the social, cultural and economic development challenges facing the area and the need to raise funds to implement programmes to mitigate their effects on the lives of the people.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra, Mr Nyaaba said this year’s festival, which would be held on Saturday, November 10th at Nyariga would be attended by the Regional Minister for Upper East Region, Alhaji Alhassan Samari.

He said the festival, which would be on the theme “Development in Freedom” was aimed at raising funds for an electrification, education, water and sanitation programme.

The Assemblyman expressed the hope that all citizens of the area especially those resident outside would attend to contribute their quota to the development of the area.

Vice President Aliu Mahama has tasked the Akuapem South District Assembly to take urgent measures to have the Aburi Botanical Gardens rehabilitated.

In that direction, he has asked the assembly to liaise with ministries of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment and the Tourism and Diaspora for assistance to resurrect the gardens.
The Vice President said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram-Asiedu, at the Odwira durbar of chiefs and people of Aburi on Saturday.

He said the Aburi Botanical Gardens was a very important national asset as far as tourism and preservation of nature were concerned and government would do everything possible to sustain it.

He mentioned the rehabilitation of the Peduase Lodge, the construction of the Pantang/Mamfe road, the Aburi Girls Secondary School that he described as an institution of excellence as the reasons that made Aburi a unique destination for all.

He said the upgrading of the Adonten Secondary School into a model school was on course and the Craft Village had also been given to another contractor to ensure that it finished on time to benefit the people.

Vice President Mahama expressed dissatisfaction at the level of patronage of the NHIS in the district and appealed to the people to register so that the objective of government would be achieved.

The Chief of Aburi, Otoobour Djan Kwasi II, said as part of his efforts to improve on the ecological system of Aburi, a forestation programme to plant trees from the Pantang Junction to Aburi and its environs was underway.

He appealed to citizens of Aburi and other multi-national companies to assist in realizing such a noble idea of beautifying Aburi to become the best tourism site.

Otoobuor Gjan Kwasi, who is the patron of the Ghana Supporters Union, appealed to government to provide the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of Ghana 2008 logistics so that come 2008, Ghana would become the proud winner of the cup.

The Chairman of the LOC, Dr Kofi Amoah who led some members of the committee including Abedi Pele and Tony Baffuor to the durbar, said government was playing its part towards the historic tournament and called for the support of every individual.

He said it was estimated that over 4.5 billion people would watch the tournament either in Ghana or across the world and stressed the need for all communities to be kept clean.

The Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) has entreated proprietors of tourist facilities in the country to ensure that majority of their employees are trained to run their businesses. Mr Ekow Sampson, Chief Architect and Acting Ashanti Regional Manager of the GTB, said the practice where industry operators hired relatives without any basic knowledge about the profession was not only harming the development of the sector but also tarnishing the nation’s image.

He was speaking at the Second Graduation Ceremony of the McKeown Hospitality Institute at Oduom, near the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi on Friday. A total of 180 students graduated and received Diploma certificates after a two-year course in Travel and Tourism, Marketing, Hotel Management, Food and Beverages.

He said the number of international tourists who visited Ghana in 2005 stood at 428,533 while the figure increased to 497,129 in 2006, adding that research in 2006 indicated that tourists spent 32 percent of their monies on accommodation and 17 percent on entertainment and recreation.

Tourists also spend 15 per cent of their monies on tourist’s expenditure, 10 percent on shipping and nine percent on transportation. Mr Sampson admonished managers of tourist facilities to adhere to GTB regulations in the forthcoming African Cup of Nations (CAN) tournament to be hosted by Ghana to ensure that the nation retained its image.

Mr Osei Assibey-Antwi, Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, said government was committed to developing the tourism industry to enable it contribute substantially to the Gross Domestic Product. Consequently, it has resolved to collaborate with the GTB to rid the nation of sub-standard tourist facilities, he added.

Ghana Telecom (GT) Company Limited and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), on Wednesday presented cheques for GHC 1,000 (10 million cedis) and GHC 500 (five million cedis) respectively towards the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the Gbidukorza (festival) of the chiefs and people of Gbi at Hohoe.

The GT further donated 10 crates of minerals and a carton of Schnapps. Mr Paul Evans Amuzu, Volta Regional Manager of GT said the donation was the Company’s corporate responsibility towards the celebration of the festival.

Mr Richard Setsoafia, Hohoe branch Manager of SSNIT said the donation was a token from the Trust towards the celebration. Togbe Adzofuwusu IV, Chief of Gbi-Atabu, who received the items on behalf of the planning committee, thanked the two companies for their benevolence and expressed the hope that it would augment its budget.

Present at the brief ceremony were, Mamaga Dewotornyo I, Paramount Queen of Gbi Traditional area, Mr G V K Gedzeve, Chairman of the Planning Committee and Mr Seth Seglah, Hohoe District Manager of GT.

Mr Kofi Dzamesi, Volta Regional Minister on Thursday called on operators in the hospitality industry not to allow their facilities to be used for illegal activities during forthcoming African Cup soccer tournament to be hosted by Ghana.

Mr Dzamesi who was addressing the third National Executive Council meeting of the Ghana Hoteliers Association (GHA) in Ho on Thursday, cautioned that many people would want to take advantage of the tournament to indulge in illegal activities and asked them to remain alert throughout the period.

He urged them to study their clients and report any suspicious characters to security agencies.

“Don’t compromise the issue of guest and security, collaborate with security agencies to track down and flash out social misfits for a peaceful celebration”, the Minister said. Mr Dzamesi advised hoteliers to feature local dishes prominently on their menu and make them appealing to their guests. Mr Prince Ahiadzro, Volta Regional Chairman of GHA, underscored the importance of eco-tourism and called on the government to pay appreciable attention to the sector for accelerated development.

Mr. Martin Mireku, Acting Director of the Ghana Tourist Board, urged the operators to step up service delivery to a higher standard during the tournament so as to promote the country. Nana Agyei Twini, National President of the Ghana Hoteliers Association called on the government to provide the Association with adequate security during the tournament.

The Ghana Tourism Ministry is embarking on an exercise to train its staff in proper records keeping following revelations by the Auditor General of improper accountability of resources allocated to the ministry.

The lack of accountability systems at the ministry came to light when the Public Accounts Committee began its hearings last Tuesday on the 2004/2005 Auditor General’s report.

The committee was unhappy about several instances of improper award of consultancy services and uncompetitive procurement methods at the ministry amounting to millions of cedis.

Officials of the Ministry told the committee that it did not have its own internal audit system and shared the resource with another ministry.

The Ministry has come under heavy criticism from the committee as well as the media.

But sector Minister Stephen Asamoah Boateng says the exercise has been useful. He said staff of the Ministry are undergoing training to avert such occurrences in the future.