Ashanti Today

 A rainstorm that accompanied a heavy downpour yesterday has caused substantial damage to some public second cycle and basic schools in the Ashanti region and disrupted teaching and learning in the process.  In certain cases, an emergency response by the Power Distribution Services, PDS, was what was required to safeguard the lives of both teachers and pupils.  The situation has caused disruption to teaching and learning as well as the domestic life of students.  At the Asanteman Senior High School at Bantama, the badly affected block was one of the Girls’ Dormitories which has its roof ripped off leaving the rooms not only flooded, but uninhabitable, at least for now.  As at about 8.30 am, the occupant students had brought their personal effects and books outside for drying with the hope that, they would be able to salvage some of the items after sunshine.  They also had to resort to other sources of water after supply to go about their chores as the main water s

The Manhyia Palace has justified the celebration of the 20 th anniversary of the enthronement of the current Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, as the 16 th occupant of the Golden Stool.  Addressing the media at the 2 nd in the series of such events during the commemoration, the Chief Linguist or Akyeamehene of the Asantehene, Nana Nsuoase Poku Agyemang explained that Otumfuo Osei Tutu has achieved a lot not only for Asanteman but Ghana as a whole, since his ascension to the throne in 1999.  Nana Nsuoase Poku Agyemang mentioned for instance, the significant contribution of Otumfuo Osei Tutu in the restoration of lasting peace to the Dagbon traditional area in the Northern region, the construction of the new Kejetia Market complex, formal education, healthcare, water and sanitation as well as the amicable out of court settlement of the numerous chieftaincy and land disputes that undermined the chieftaincy institution before his assumption of traditional leadership.  In addi

The Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo has urged the youth to make the best of their years learning as much as they can, about as many things as they can.  This way, they will not be ignorant about anything. She gave the advice at the Lady Chief Justice’s Special Mentoring Programme in Kumasi for some selected schools in the Ashanti region.   The Chief Justice’s Mentoring Programme was instituted by Mrs. Justice Theodora Wood in 2007 to expose school pupils to the functions of the Judiciary and instil in them virtues of patriotism and selflessness to country.  The Mentorship programme under the theme, "I Pledge Myself to the Service of Ghana” is to remind and build up the character of the current youthful generation on values of voluntarism, integrity and honesty, love for country as they matured into responsible adults. It was initially held in the Greater Accra region but has now spread to some other regions including Ashanti with the aim to impact more stu

The World Health Organization, WHO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners, is to pilot the malaria vaccine in 76 selected districts in the country this year as part of a global strategy towards the malaria elimination agenda.  Ghana is one of three African countries that have volunteered to pilot the vaccine named     RTS, S/AS01.  The Deputy Director of Programmes at the National Malaria Control Programme, James Frimpong who made this known in Kumasi assured that enough mechanisms have been put in place already by the project partners to protect the health and lives of all the people who will be participating in the exercise and therefore appealed for maximum cooperation.  He was addressing participants of a media capacity training workshop in Kumasi.  Selected journalists from the nine regions constituting the northern sector of the country participated in the two-day capacity training course in Malaria to enhance their role in promoting the Ma

The National Service Secretariat has set up an Enforcement Department to undertake a nationwide verification exercise to fish out any eligible Ghanaian who forfeited his or her mandatory National Service but has managed to secure employment.  The exercise is meant also to identify all organizations that have violated the National Service law, Act 426 of 1980 by offering employment to citizens who evaded the National Service. Any one, whether employee or employer found out through the enforcement exercise to have breached the Act shall then be subjected to the full rigours of the law to serve as scape goat to ensure strict compliance henceforth.  The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Service Scheme, Alex Opoku Mensah, made this known in an interview with Ashanti Today  in Kumasi.  The National Service law, Act 426 of 1980 makes it mandatory for every Ghanaian citizen of 18 years of age who has completed a Course of study at any accredited tertiary educational insti

Ashanti regional Secretariat of the National Service Scheme, NSS, has projected to export maize to Ghana’s neigbouring countries this year, aside from producing enough to help the School Feeding and Free Senior High School programmes with subsidized produce. T o this end, the NSS is increasing its maize production from the 450 acres last year to 850 this year under the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative.  The Ashanti Regional Director of the NSS, Alex Opoku Mensah, who made this known to Ashanti Today  in Kumasi, disclosed also that, one of the strategies towards realization of the projection will be the adoption of drones in the application of agro-chemicals and fertilizer to reduce direct human intervention.  Mr. Opoku Mensah noted that last year, the NSS harvested about 11 thousand mini bags of maize which were supplied at highly subsidized prices to the School Feeding and Free Senior High School secretariats in the region.  The NSS’ Regional Director said also