Accra, July 10, GNA - This year’s seminar series of the Food and Agricultural Show (FAGRO) is aimed to advocate measures to address weaknesses in Ghana’s agricultural value chain process.   The fourth edition of Ghana’s only Agric Expo, dubbed: "FAGRO 2012", is an international exhibition and conference designed specifically for agricultural stakeholders, entrepreneurs, students, market women, NGOs, and various agric trade associations.   This year's event, which is on the theme: “Linking farmers to the appropriate market: a value chain process”, is scheduled for August 25 to 27, 2012 at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Accra.   Mr. Sulley Adam, Chairman of FAGRO, said the event would help to establish and maintain a value chain process that has the farmer at heart.     He said it would also provide alternative measures in ensuring that all actors in the agric sector fully benefit from their hard work with a clear cut plan on how they could practicalize the knowledge they acquire and work with it effectively.   He added that this year’s free seminar series along with the main exhibition had been crafted with the needs of the smallholder farmer in mind, adding that issues of women participation in agric, farmers’ access to funds, fertilizer accessibility and efficient use, the role of farming organizations in linking Farmers’ to markets would be thoroughly debated by Farmer Based Groups, policy makers and NGOs.   “A 3-day seminar linked to the theme will run free of charge by experts drawn from various agric professions. The idea is to empower participants with requisite information and skills to improve the performance of their business from financing to marketing,” he emphasized.   Also given lots of attention at this year’s event is the utilization of Information Communication Technology in agri-business.   Mr Adam defined value chain system simply as the stages of agricultural production, which includes the acquisition of land, preparing and cultivation of crops, harvesting, storage, processing and marketing and warned that no policy on agriculture in the country would be successful if it failed to address all the aforementioned stages efficiently.   FAGRO for the next five (5) years will focus on the value chain process; by linking farmers to the appropriate markets, with the hope of creating a commercial platform, where growers come into direct contact with the other actors in the value chain process.     At the end of the day, they get to know who to contact, where to purchase or acquire the “appropriate machinery” and when to engage an “expert” service provider to help improve their farming operations.   FAGRO, an initiative of Infocus PR, has over the years created opportunities for local and international actors in agriculture to find a common platform to form strategic partnerships that have helped them in expanding their businesses.   It has also opened up Ghana’s agricultural potentials to investors who wish to better understand the dynamics and resource potentials of the country and how best to take advantage of them.   In addition, FAGRO has provided the platform for participating companies and institutions to receive valuable feedback from their potential and existing clients so as to help them re-strategize for the future.    GNA...

LOMEX CONSTRUCTION, a construction firm, has had its contract with the Ministry of Roads and Highways terminated as a result of its ineffectiveness, according to the sector Minister Joseph Gidisu.

Accra, July 10, GNA – Sumsung Electronics Company Limited, a global leader in digital media and convergence technologies, has opened "Mobile Flagship Store" to bring the products closer to customers in Accra.   The flagship store is an ultra-modern phone store where you can experience and buy authentic Samsung Mobile devices and tablets.   The store, which is located at Osu, is one of the only three Samsung flagship stores in Africa, which Nigeria and Kenya are the only countries in Africa to have this kind of store.   In an interview with Mr Michael Bosompem, Head of Retail West Africa, said the store was unique from other Samsung stores due to its unique design to serve as a home of only Samsung tablets as well as some few featured phones.   He said the store had a Wi-fi connection where customers can connect their phones with all share features to a smart TV to have view on a large screen.   He said the store would also present Sumsung customers with all kinds of Sumsung accessories at anytime, adding that the store had trained promoters and product specialists to repair any of the devices.   He explained that Ghana is chosen as the third country to have such an ultra-modern shop due to the acceptance of Sumsung products in the country, saying ‘Samsung has sold over 5,000 of its Galaxy S III in Ghana since its launch last month’.   Mr Bosompem projected that about 16,000 to 20,000 Galaxy S III mobile phones would be purchased by Ghanaians by the end of the third quarter of 2012.   As part of the opening of the Store, Sumsung Mobile is offering all its customers an instant five percent discount and free gifts on every device purchased from the outlet from now till the end July.   GNA...

Twelve students of the University of Ghana, accused of sexually assaulting an alleged female thief on campus have been discharged by the Accra Circuit Court for want of prosecution.

Tamale, July 10, GNA – The Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI) will soon complete its training in the energy sector aim at equipping beneficiaries with skills for the oil and gas job market.   A release issued in Tamale and signed by Mr Philip Assibit Akpeena, Managing Consultant of MDPI said, the phase one of the training, which ended successfully, saw all the 7,020 beneficiaries schooled in the foundation modules, overview of the oil and gas industry and health safety and environment.   He said the beneficiaries also received training in entrepreneurship and career development and natural gas, which was aimed at repositioning in the oil and gas industry.   “After our initial scan of the job market, it became apparent that the support services sector has a high potential of creating many more jobs than the direct job market, and this is buttressed on our study of the UK oil and gas industry where about 500,000 jobs were created as in 2010 alone of which 450,000 are absorbed in the indirect job market”.   He said MDPI/Goodwill developed the entrepreneurship and career development module to train all the participants to develop strategic entrepreneurial skills to equip them to set up their own business enterprises.   Mr Akpeena said, “Our interaction with the newly formed Ghana Gas Company Limited (GGCL) also suggests that lots of jobs are going to be created along the value chain of natural gas, especially when we start utilizing the Jubilee gas and the Bonyere Gas processing plants, which are to be built”.   He explained that the natural gas model was developed to equip all the participants with the necessary skills to have a very good understanding of natural gas.   Mr Akpeena observed that the feedback that the MDPI received from the participants was overwhelming and that majority of the trainees had already developed interest in setting up their own enterprises to sell products and services in the industry.   He said the second phase organised participants into various specialised disciplines within the oil and gas industry that covered both the technical and non technical aspects of the industry.   According to him, each discipline took 20 credit hours of training to complete where local and international consultants to MDPI were tasked to develop modules that conform to international standards, while reflecting the legal framework, value chain and policy leads of the industry in Ghana.   He said the third phase of the training was designed to introduce the participants to practical hands on field based projects where they shall underpin theory with practice.    This, according to the statement, would be achieved through case studies, internships, attachments and field based projects with oil companies structured in two parts.     The structures included practical case study on the oil and gas value chain and regulatory environment and respective topics pertaining to participant’s areas of specialization.   The projects would be supervised by MDPI’s local and international consultants and the studies and works on the projects would be based on practical cases on players and regulators of the industry.   Mr Akpeena said beneficiaries would be awarded internationally accredited certificates that could earn industry related jobs in Ghana and abroad, especially in Liberia, Sierra Leone, South Africa and the Middle East.   GNA...

A man who wanted short-cut to wealth has allegely been swindled by three Nigerian pastors who fleeced of him GH¢12,000.

From Linda Asante Agyei: A GNA Special Correspondent, Kampala, Uganda   Accra, July 10, GNA - Journalists have been asked to see themselves as the mirror of society relating issues to both government and the general public, especially when the world is advancing in technological development.   “With the emergence of biotechnology, which has received a lot of negative perceptions and fears, you need to equip yourselves with the facts and help allay the fears of our people”.   Dr James .A. Ogwang, Director of the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) of the Uganda National Agricultural Research Organisation, said on Tuesday when a group of science journalists from Africa and Europe paid a courtesy call on him as part of a media study tour to Uganda’s biotechnology laboratory facilities.   The media tour was sponsored by the Uganda’s NARO, Africa Harvest, a Biotech Foundation International and the European Association for Bioindustries (EuropaBio).   The tour was aimed at offering the journalists, including those from Europe, an insight into the challenges and opportunities that Africa is facing in terms of food security. It was also to enable these journalists see how African researchers, farmers and the collaboration between public private partnerships to address the challenges, including biotechnology.   Dr Ogwang noted that Africa is faced with challenges of food security despite the widespread of cultivation, and mentioned climate change, emergence of pest diseases and drought among others as key examples.   “We therefore need to move from our traditional way of farming to the use of biotechnology and genetically engineering to address food security and improve our crop varieties”, he added.   The NaCRRI Director expressed the concern that many African politicians were not aware of the dangers our current traditional agricultural practices could pose in the near future and “We as research scientists and journalists have to help them understand and appreciate the need to embrace this whole idea of biotechnology”.   Uganda, which has the best biotechnology laboratory facilities, is undertaking Confined Field Trials for seven of its main food crops. These are different varieties of bananas, cassava, cotton, maize and sweet potatoes.      “All what has been done is on Confined Field Trials whilst our biosafety bill is currently being discussed in parliament and we will go straight into commercialization”.   Uganda’s testing of biotech cassava is to fight the cassava brown streak virus, which causes deadly streaks in the roots, whilst biotech corn would be resistant to drought, cotton to bollworm and banana to wilting.     Journalists earlier toured NaCRRI biotechnology laboratories, Bio sciences laboratories, the greenhouses and sweet potato experiments sites, the virus resistant cassava confined field trials as well as the farms of some Ugandan farmers.   GNA...

The Electoral Commission has denied media reports that it has rejected the colours submitted by the National Democratic Party for registration as a political party.

Accra, July 10, GNA - The Tema Metropolitan Assembly has elected a 37-year old Mr. Romeo Elikplim Akahoho as its new presiding member.   Mr. Akahoho polled 37 out a total of 46 votes to occupy the seat. He had five more votes than the required minimum of 32 votes to qualify for the position.   The position of Presiding Member for the Tema Metropolitan Assembly became vacant when the former presiding member, Mr. Jonathan Otu Okunor, had to leave his position to become an Assembly member in the newly created Kpone District.   Mr. Akahoho's only contender, Captain Ben Edmund Duah (retired), lost with the remaining nine votes.   A third contestant, Mr. Baba Abdulai, in his introductory speech before the commencement of voting, dropped from the contest, saying "We need a Presiding Member who is capable. I am stepping down because that person is right here. That person is Romeo Akahoho. I urge my supporters to vote for him."   In his acceptance speech, Mr. Akahoho, who had lost to Mr. Okunor two years ago, when he first contested against him for the position, noted "It has never happened before in this Assembly for a contestant to win within the first round of voting so easily. It is a sign of unity and we will keep it going."   He said there was the need to create more revenue to develop the Tema Metropolis.   "The main thing is to identify areas of revenue generation that we have not tapped."   He also promised to work hard towards improving the lot of members of the Assembly.   The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr. Robert Ofosuware, congratulated the Assembly members for conducting themselves well without any partisan behavior.   "We have done it without going through any rigorous processes. What is left ahead now is what is most important. We would ensure that areas that lack development are promptly tackled," he said.   GNA...

Togbe Afede XIV, President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs has called on all peace loving people to join forces to restore peace and development to Hohoe in the Volta Region.

Accra, July 10, GNA - Government is to pay another 1.3 million dollars judgment debt to a Spanish company, INSOFOTON SA, for a breach of contract, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Information has said.   Speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Accra, the Deputy Minister said the Company was contracted in September 2005 to provide solar PV powered water pumping and irrigation systems in remote rural areas in Ghana under the second Ghana-Spanish Financial Protocol.   Mr Ablakwa said however that INSOFOTON SA’s contract was abrogated and subsequently INCATEMA INDENMA, another Spanish firm, was awarded the contract to provide the pumping and irrigation systems.   INSOFOTON SA in a letter from its lawyers protested over the breach of agreement by the ministries of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and Energy.   In the said letter, the company indicated its intention to commence legal action against the two ministries. Subsequently, it notified the Attorney General office’s to claim specific and general damages for breach of contracts.        The then Attorney General, Mr Joe Ghartey in response to INSOFOTON SA‘s letter, indicated that the NPP Government was in breach of contract with INSOFOTON SA and that the Company was entitled to special and general damages and interest on the said amount at the prevailing bank rate from the time of breach till the day of judgment.   According to Mr Ablakwa, Mr Ghartey’s letter therefore advised the then government that any law suit arising out of the matter would be detrimental to government and consequently, a substantial financial burden could be imposed on government.   In the said letter, Mr Ghartey recommended that to avoid a lawsuit by INSOFOTON, government was to try and reach an amicable settlement with them.   Government, however, ignored the said advice and ISOFOTON sued government.   Therefore, on October 10th 2008, INSOFOTON proceeded to Court and the State entered appearance. Both parties agreed to accept the payment of 1.3 million dollars out of which MoFA agreed to pay 850,000 dollars, while the Ministry of Energy agreed to settle 450,000 dollars.            The Court, therefore, entered into a consent judgment. Based on that Mr Ablakwa said government had so far paid one third of the judgment debts and it was finding ways to defray the rest.   “In the spirit of transparency and accountability, government has decided to come out with all judgment debts to put the ongoing national discourse into its proper prospective”, Mr Ablakwa indicated.    GNA...

The Progressive People's Party is against the decision by the three major political parties to sue the Electoral Commission on the Wulensi and Kwabre West by-election.

Cape Coast, July 10, GNA - Mr Stephen Anokye, the Central Regional Manager of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), has called on political parties to create safe environment for road users since most of their campaign trips begin and end with road transport.   He said road transport played a pivotal role in the socio-economic and developmental agenda of the country’s political system.   Mr Anokye said it was unfortunate that vehicular driving to political programmes in the country were characterized by poor driving standards, poor vehicle maintenance, overloading, over speeding, drunk driving as well as fatigue driving.   He said this at a day’s workshop held by the Commission for the various political parties in the Central Region in Cape Coast on Tuesday.   The workshop, which was attended by about 50 participants, was aimed at promoting a peaceful and crash-free election year, under the theme: “Road safety, my responsibility, your responsibility and our collective responsibility towards a peaceful and crash-free election”.   He pleaded with all political parties and their supporters, as well as Ghanaians at large to rededicate themselves to responsible road safety management since it was a collective responsibility and that it could affect anyone one way or another.   According to him, statistics available to the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) suggest that previous election years had seen disturbing development in relation to road safety.   He observed that increased political activities had partly been identified as contributing to the rise in road-crash related deaths and injuries. He added that as at the end of May 2012, a total of 5,918 crashes had been recorded nationwide, with 928 persons losing their lives and 5,670 being injured.   For the Central Region, he said, a total of 621 crashes had been recorded as at June 2012 with 113 fatalities and 780 injuries.   He said 90 percent of these road crashes were as a result of human error and advised that if much attention was not given to road safety this year, the number of fatalities would increase drastically.   Mr. Thomas Tawiah Aquinas Quansah, Deputy Central Regional Minister called on political party leaders to advise their members to conform to road safety rules and regulations, particularly in this election year.   He also advised them to plan their time and travels well and also avoids the use of unnecessary motorcades which also contribute to road crashes.     Mr Quansah further advised political parties not to fight among themselves since insults and lies would not win them votes but rather live in peace and harmony and also accept the results of the December polls in good faith.   GNA...

Students of the new university are expected to take various degree programmes in administration, theological studies and computer science.

Apremdo (W/R), July 10, GNA — Confusion broke-out on Tuesday between artisans occupying a parcel of land at Apremdo near Takoradi and the Police over a demolition exercise ordered by the court.   It started when bulldozers stormed the area near the Galaxy Oil Filling Station at Apremdo, where the artisans and traders had erected temporal structures for their businesses.   According to the Chairman of Apremdo Garages Association, Mr. Peter Quazi, a court bailiff in the company of the Police was at the area at about 0530hours on Tuesday morning to carry out the demolition exercise.   This, he said, did not go down well with the artisans, who prevented the users of the bulldozers from carrying out the exercise.   Mr. Quazi said that the Police tried to prevail upon the artisans to allow the exercise to continue but that resulted in the scuffle.   The situation, however, calmed later when the Police softened their stance and stopped the demolition exercise.   Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Sekondi-Takoradi, Captain (Retired) Anthony Cudjoe, said his outfit was not informed about the demolition exercise and therefore faulted the Police for the confusion.   He said since the demolition exercise would economically affect the artisans, it should have been properly communicated to them earlier for them to vacate voluntarily.   Captain Cudjoe said although the Assembly intended evacuating artisans in the Metropolis to Kokompe Large Industrial Enclave, the project had not been completed.   He said funds had been secured by the Assembly for the project while a consultant had been engaged to look into the design of the project.   The Ghana News Agency (GNA) gathered that the parcel of land belonged to a stool at Apremdo and the owners went to court for an order to evict the squatters.   GNA...

Gyan went on a self-imposed exile following what he described as hate campaign by Ghanaians who blamed him for Ghana's exit from the Africa Cup of Nations after wasting a decisive penalty kick in a semi-final match against eventual winners Zambia.

The Ghana Football Association has less than two weeks to look for a substantive coach for the national Under-20 male team, Black Satellites, following the resignation of head coach Orlando Wellington.

A number of schoolchildren are complaining that Saturday classes prevent them from washing their clothes, helping their parents at home and above all, having the much-needed rest after five days of busy classroom work and extra classes.

Street children are the unfortunate children who have been abandoned by their parents or go through difficult circumstances in life.

Ghana Saturday welcomed home its medal winning young talented swimmers who took part in the 41st International Swimfest in Ansberg, Germany in May.