President Mahama join Chiefs and People of Ziope to celebrate Agbleza

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August 30, 2015

Torgbui Binah Lawluvi welcoming President Mahama to the festival grounds

Government is to relaunch the Youth in Agriculture programme, under the new Youth Employment Agency (YEA) in order to boost young people’s interest in that sector.

According to President John Mahama, the relaunch has become necessary following the restructuring of the then Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA) into now Ghana Youth Employment Agency (YEA) backed by an Act of Parliament.

This, he said will ensure the equipping young people with the requisite skills, inputs and machinery to engage in large scale cultivation to meet the high market demand for agricultural produce.

Addressing the Chiefs and people of Ziope traditional area in the Agotime-Ziope district of the Volta region, during their annual Agbleza (farming festival) on Saturday, the President urged the youth in the area to take advantage of the programme to improve their livelihood.

Touching on the 200 community Senior high schools promised by the NDC government, President Mahama disclosed that, work is currently progressing on 123 out the 200 across the country.

This, according to him includes the Initial 50 schools, most of which are nearing completion, an additional 23 being executed under the World Bank Schools’ improvement project and the recent awarding of another 50 schools to contractors.

The president has therefore assured the Chiefs and people of Ziope, one of the beneficiary communities in the Volta region that, his government is committed to delivering the 200 SHSs by the December 2016.

The Paramount chief of the area, Torgbui Binnah Lawluvi VI, who is also the Volta region representative on the Council of State, commended the government for the numerous developmental projects ongoing in the area, including the rehabilitation of an irrigation dam to boost agricultural production, which is the main occupation of inhabitants.

He however, appealed to the president to expedite work on the extension of potable water form Sogakope through Adidiome and Adaklu to the area.

The Agbleza (Farming festival) was instituted to celebrate them the unique contribution of the people of Ziope towards the socio-economic development of the country and also raise funds to support developmental projects.

‘We need a generator’-Volta school for the deaf appeals

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Kwadwo Duodu

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August 13, 2015

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Imagine not being able to communicate with other persons, whenever power goes off…? This is the situation, in which students of the Volta school for the deaf in Hohoe found themselves, due to their hearing and speech impairment.

Because of the current power crisis, the students who communicate through sign language, can no longer interact in the evenings during power outages, as they unable to see and interpret their own ‘signings’ [gestures] in darkness.

The situation has therefore left with no option than to retire to early bed, since the school also lack a standby generator to remedy the situation.

Headmistress of the school, Madam Diddy Ntim told Volta Online in an interview that, the erratic power situation is adversely affecting school activities in the evenings and appealed to benevolent individuals and organizations to come to their aid.

“We use our eyes to see what we sign, so when the lights are off, everything goes mute, because we cannot communicate in darkness. So we need a standby generator to use in times of light off.. We’ will be grateful if people will support us.”

The school founded in 1971 and solely funded by the government of Ghana, currently has a population of about 400 students.

Madam Ntim, has therefore asked for public support in terms of food items and sponsorships to complement government’s efforts in educating these children with special needs.

OLA SHS hosts Summer Camp for Girls Senior High Schools

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Kwadwo Duodu

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August 12, 2015

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Cross Section of Participants

About 600 girls from all 38 Girls Senior High Schools in the country have converged at OLA Senior High School in Ho to participate in the 2015 summer camp.

The annual camp, instituted by the Forum of Heads of Girls Senior High School (FOHGSHS) in 2007, is to provide a platform for the students to interact and deliberate on issues of common interest.

Some of the schools include, Wesley Girls SHS, St. Louis SHS, Aburi Girls SHS, Mfantsiman Girls, Bolga Girls SHS, St. Mary’s Girls SHS, E.P Mawuko Girls SHS, Gambaga Girls SHS, Tamale Girls SHS, Islamic Girls SHS, Krobo Girls SHS, Ahantanman Girls SHS, among others.

President of the forum and headmistress of Wesley Girls Senior High School in Cape Coast, Mrs. Betty Dzokoto, said, FOHGSHS through the annual camps, is committed to training high calibre of ladies who will break new grounds by empowering young girls to break the socio-cultural barriers which militates against their holistic growth and development.

The one week camp programme, which is themed, ‘the cyber menace’, will engage the young girls in brainstorming the rudiments on the use of the cyber space and its associated dangers to users.

Members of FOHGSHS

Opening the camp on Tuesday, the Minister of Education, Prof. Jane Naana Opku-Agyemang entreated the participants to make maximum use of the opportunity to enrich their knowledge in the use Information and Communication Technology era, which has become the game changer in this 21st century.

She also condemned the recent spate of vandalism involving SHS students and urged them to be disciplined in order to be successful in their chosen endeavors.

The Volta regional minister, Helen Adjoa Ntoso on her part, lauded the organizers of the camp for coming up with such an initiative which will empower and encourage young girls to aspire higher.

She bemoaned the less participation of women in national politics and governance but expressed optimism that, camps of this nature will boost the confidence level of young girls and groomed them for leadership, stressing that “If women are in leadership, this nation will progress steadily.”

In a speech read on behalf of the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, urged young people to eschew the use of ICT and the Internet for negative activities such as ‘sakawa’ and pornography. But rather use them productively in order to improve their lives, as envisage by its promulgators.

The opening ceremony was preceded by a brief but colourful guard of honour parade by the naval cadet corps of the OLA SHS.

Prof. Naana Opoku-Agyemang (M), flanked by headmistresses of OLA SHS (L) & Wesley Girls (R)

GMA Strike: Private hospitals brace up for more patients

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Kwadwo Duodu

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August 4, 2015

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Private health facilities across the Volta region are bracing up to contain the excess number of patients who will troop to the facilities for medical care due to the ongoing strike by doctors in the government hospitals.

The strike declared by the Ghana Medical Association last week, is set to take a deep bite on patients who will turnout at the various government health facilities, as the doctors in region withdrawn out patients services.

This, situation is therefore expected to put pressure on both private and faith-based facilities, as patients throng these facilities for treatment.

Managers of such facilities have, however expressed their readiness to carter for the anticipated high turnouts in the coming days, when Volta Online toured some of the facilities within the Ho municipality.

Elorm Ocloo-Dzaba of Foresight Medical centreand Mawuena Letsa of Miracle Life Hospital, both told Volta Online in separate interviews that their outfits are prepared for any eventualities.

“We are ready for any event, whatever the case… our staff are on standby to attend to both NHIS and non NHIS clients,” they assured.

Photos: Late Biakoye DCE laid to rest

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Kwadwo Duodu

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August 2, 2015

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The mortal remains of the late Chief Executive of the Biakoye district in the Volta region, Nana Louis Akatah has been laid to rest on Saturday.

Nana Akatah, who died on May 24 this year at the Margaret Marquart hospital after a short illness, was buried in his hometown Akposso-Kabo.

Dozens of mourners, including NDC party functionaries and MMDCEs in region attended a requiem mass held on a local basic school park to pay their last respect to the 62 years old educationist cum grass-root politician.

The Volta regional minister, Helen Ntoso in a tribute described the late Nana Akatah as a ‘gentleman’ who was diligent in his duties.

She also noted Nana Akatah, who was the first substantive DCE for Biakoye, with its capital at Nkonya-Ahenkro, didn’t enjoy his position due to the protracted land dispute between the people of Nkonya and Alavanyo, which has led to sporadic attacks.

Mr. Michael Adjaho, DCE for Agortime-Ziope, who also double as Dean of Volta MMDCEs said the death of their colleague was a big blow to them, stating that ‘ in less than a year, we’ve lost two of our hard working colleagues. Early this year we buried our former colleague DCE for Nkwanta South, Peter Kenyenso who was gruesomely murdered in November last year and here we are, today burying another colleague.”

Also present at the funeral was Air commodore Steve Obimpeh (rtd) a presidential staffer as well the catholic Bishops of Ho and Jasikan dioceses respectively, Bishop Francis Lodonu and Gabriel Mantey.

Here are shots from the funeral by Lambert Atsivor

80 Community Health Volunteers Empowered in Volta

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Kwadwo Duodu

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August 1, 2015

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Some of the Volunteers at the Training

About 80 volunteers have been empowered and equipped to revive the Community Health Volunteer (CHV) program by the Ghana Health Service in the Volta Region of Ghana.

The volunteers will serve as the first point of call in increasing access to child and maternal health services to the public, particularly in the rural communities.

The CHV program which is being re-activated in the Ketu South Municipality is based on the Community-Based Health Planning Services (CHPS) Zone concept.

Under the CHPS zone concept communities are strategically mapped out and provided with health professionals as a first point of contact on all health issues, including health education. The health professionals also partner community volunteers and other stakeholders to improve access to health care by focusing on prevention and ensuring proper referral protocols.

Dormant Health Volunteers

The Ketu South Disease Control Officer, Dovaid Agbokpe noted that the CHV programme has become dormant for a while due to challenges such as, lack of motivation and support, monitoring and supervision.

He therefore described the re-activation as timely to reverse the declining rate of child and maternal mortality and epidemics which is usually due to ignorance and delays in access to appropriate health. He added that CHPS Zone concept will also be strengthened saying, “If successful, the re-activation is expected to be replicated in other parts of the region in the near future.”

The re-activation is part of the Improving Maternal and Child Health (IMCH) Project being undertaken by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in the Keta Municipal, Ketu-South Municipal and Ketu-North District assemblies.

Madam Kim Heunghee of KOICA presenting a Certificate to a Volunteer

Training of Volunteers

He said the 80 volunteers were recruited from 21 communities under nine CHPS Zones put into two batches of 40 to undertake a week each of intensive residential training at Denu.

The training which comprised both theory and practical among other things bordered on conflict management, antenatal care, concerns regarding child deliveries, immunisation, family planning, nature and symptoms of diseases including malaria, anaemia, cholera and disease surveillance. They were also given logistics, tools and incentives boost their morale and commitment to the work.

Monitoring of Volunteers

Mr. Agbokpe said a monitoring team comprising regional and district teams were being formed to partake in the monthly meetings at the CHPS Zones as a measure to constantly monitor the CHVs. This he said was because; the volunteers will be a strategic link between health workers at the CHPS zones and the community members by giving timely information to both sides.

He commended KOICA for the initiative and support in providing the volunteers with food packages, transport allowances, call credits, raincoats, bags, training wares among others, to sustain their interest.

Madam Kim Heunghee, Project Manager of KOICA, disclosed that under the two year (2014-2016) IMCH Project, the beneficiary districts enjoys supply of equipment, staff retraining and the building of a midwifery school at Keta by the end of 2016 among others.

‘Wakye is our favourite’-Ho Prison Inmates declare

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Kwadwo Duodu

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July 28, 2015

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Wakye in a pack Photo (C) facebook.com/Ndamoah

Inmates of the Ho Central prisons may have their freedom curtailed, but not their insatiable love for Wakye, Yes! wakye; that indigenous delicacy rich in protein.

The inmates who unambiguously declared their unflinching love for the local food, prepared by boiling beans and rice together with other ingredients, shouted “We want Wakye”, when asked by the chief Prison warden about the food they will like to eat as their next meal, at recent durbar held in the prison yard.

Just when the chief Warden, Deputy Director of Prisons, Victor Agbelengor assured them of their wish, the entire prison resounded with a thunderous applause and chants to signify their excitement and gratitude.

One of the inmates, sum up their insatiable love and crave for Waakye, to our reporter at the durbar saying “Wakye is our food and we don’t care eating it every day.. It’s very delicious.”

So whenever you consider donating food items to the Ho prisons, make wakye ingredients number one item on your list or better still serve them wakye with its accompaniments and you will leave a lasting memory in their minds.

The durbar

The durbar was organised for the Volta regional Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) also known as ‘Viva family’ to interact with inmates after they donated some food items and detergents, to the inmates to mark the third anniversary of late President, Prof. John Evans Attah Mills.

Mr. Egypte Kudoto, the Regional Youth Organiser of the NDC who presented the items said the gesture was to immortalise the late President and his annual ritual of donating to the less privileged on his birthday when he was alive.

The items worth GHC3,800.00 included five bags of rice, five bags of gari, two gallons of cooking oil, two gallons of palm- oil, two cartons of soap and two bags of sugar.

UHAS lecturer who committed Suicide buried

By

Kwadwo Duodu

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July 26, 2015

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The Late Winfred Korku Ametefe (c)facebook

The mortal remains of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) lecturer, who committed suicide has been buried in Ho on Saturday.

Winfred Korku Ametefe’s, body was found hanging in his official residence at Ho VORADEP Village last Tuesday by the Police, after some residents in area complained of a bad stench emanating from the deceased’s apartment. He is believed to have committed the act three days before the body was found.

The burial which took place at the Ho public cemetery Saturday morning was preceded by a brief solemn burial service at the Elorm E.P Church at Ho-Bankoe.

In attendance, were members of the UHAS community, as well as relatives and friends of the 41 years old lecturer, most of whom, are yet to come to terms with his sudden demise.

One of his close allies narrated that, “Winfred, is an extrovert, who is very cordial with everyone. There was no day that you’ll see him moody; so I’m very shock to hear such a tragedy could befall him.”

A family source disclosed to Volta Online, that, the deceased, was living the United Kingdom with his wife and Son, where he served in the British Army for almost a decade before returning home to join UHAS as a lecturer at its School of Public Health in Hohoe.

Due to the sudden turn of events, however his wife and son, were unable to come down to home for the burial, the source noted.

#Ho_Radio_Review: The Bustling Airwaves Of Ho – Part 2

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Kwadwo Duodu

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July 25, 2015

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By: Jonathan AtsuTachie

Brunch time or mid morning programming has always been exciting even in the days of the Volta Star Radio and VP FM duopoly in Ho, which lasted for more than a decade after the advent of private radio in Ghana. The current 10am to 12pm style for mid morning shows, which basically revolves around good music for listeners as they go about their daily work routines, Live Presenter Mentions (to enrich the wallet of the stations), tit bits on various topics such as love, fashion, entertainment, food and more which has gained grounds on Ghana’s radio landscape was pioneered by VP FM in the radio market of Ho.

As such, they were holding down listeners with this style until the duopoly ended when Hope FM entered the radio market in Ho from their hill-top studios, followed later by US FM, Kekeli FM, Tosh FM, and lately, Kuul FM. This write up takes a look at the mid-morning shows on the various stations operating in Ho and how they are faring in the opinion of the writer.

Afrikiko Mix on Kekeli 102.9 FM

The show which airs immediately after the Super Morning Show (what a name to give to a show which runs mostly in Ewe?) on Kekeli FM is gradually becoming the goose that lays the golden eggs for the station. The host Dr. J (or something like that) has played a major role in making the show the favourite of most listeners in Ho and its environs. Anyone who doubts the popularity of this show in Ho, should just take a walk from the Ho Police Depot, through the Central Market area to Ho Polytechnic junction, and he/she will be surprised by the number of shop owners (informal sector workers) who listen to the show.

The host is simply a gem when it comes to blending English with Ewe (and other local languages) on a show that demands of you a good sense of humour and a gift for selecting good music. His background as a comedian, (oh yes, a comedian) also helps in keeping his faithful listeners glued to the show and with popular punch lines like ‘dze wontoe gbe’, the popularity of the show is set to soar to unimaginable heights. Judged by the number of adverts and Live Presenter Mentions which run on the show currently, the Afrikiko Mix fever also seems to be catching on well with businesses and media buyers. This ultimately translates into a fatter bank account for the Post Office square-based broadcasters and a bigger pay cheque for the bubbly host, l hope.

The only problem l have with the show is its duration. A show which is supposed to run for two hours has been running effectively for only an hour because a Pastor, yes a man of God (Rev. Kakra Baiden) has to deliver a sermon mid way through the programme. This, l consider to be an ‘unnecessary’ disruption to an otherwise perfect show. Perhaps, the top brass at the station should consider extending the duration of the show to cover the slot after the mid day news from Joy FM which is currently reserved for playing cool or sentimental music.

In any case, cool or sentimental songs do not always have to be foreign love and country songs. We have our own Kojo Antwis, Beccas, Afias, etc who also have songs suitable for lunch time radio. Who is going to play their songs if we do not play them? Great show with a great host!!!!!

The Kuul Express on Kuul 103.5 FM

The strong showing by the relatively new station in this segment of the radio market in Ho has been driven largely by the dexterity with which two individuals (the regular hosts) DJ Caleb and Mr Avorgah, – depending on who is available at the time that you are listening to the show– have handled the show so far. Even though l am of the firm belief that Mr. Avorgah does better as a morning show host, he has not done badly at all on this show too, especially if you are the type who enjoys his afro centric choice of music.

DJ Caleb (or Caleb Delanyo Avexo, when he is doing sports), on the other hand, serves his age mates (the youth) better because he plays their kind of music and invariably speaks their kind of language. This shows clearly in the type of people who contribute to the show anytime he (Caleb) is on air through media such as what’s up messages, SMS texts, facebook messages, etc with all manner of shout outs (mostly from boys to girls).

Either way, one of them has to step down for the other to be the regular host of the show if the managers are bent on building a continuous bond with the listeners of the show. But the big question is who will step down for the other to take full control of the show? That decision lies firmly in the bosom of the programme guys at the station and not that of a single ranting listener like me.

Rhythms’ Cafe on VP 98.1 FM

As l mentioned at the beginning of this write up, the mid- morning show on VP FM pioneered the current 10am to 12pm style or format being used by most stations in Ho. The show on this network has been known by various names including, Work With Pleasure, in the past and has always been a popular choice for the urban youth within its catchment area. This was largely made possible by the youthfulness of the people (mostly student volunteers from Ho Polytechnic) who have hosted the show over the years. Interestingly, because the various hosts have other commitments i.e. lectures, the show has been hosted by almost all the presenters who have passed through the doors of the only campus-based radio station in the Volta Region.

The show’s popularity has made it one of the few programmes on the network which are currently helping VP FM to remain a credible competitor in the cosmopolitan radio market in Ho. But in the face of stiff competition from stations like Tosh FM, Kuul FM, and Hope FM which also target the same market, the show definitely needs a regular host to let the listeners bond with the person over a period of time.

One young man who has impressed me lately on the show is Bruce Dylan (hope l got the name right). His choice of music is great for an urban students’ radio show and his ‘swagish’ way of speaking the Queen’s language is exactly what will get the urban youth hooked to his show. But recently, he seems to have abandoned the oldest station in the Volta Region, to do his thing on Tosh FM’s mid morning show. His stint with Tosh FM was short lived because the last time l listened to Rhythms’ Cafe on VP FM (that is if my ears were not deceiving me) he seems to have made a quick U-turn back to his former employers (VP FM).

Whatever be the case, the game of musical chairs on this show has to stop. The show needs a regular host, be it Dylan or any other good hand. The student volunteers could be deployed to do other stuffs i.e. reading announcements and tit bits on various topics on the show. Still reminiscing the good old days presenters like Hitman Freezer, Patrick Selasie Kudiabor, Richard Adjei and many others used to serenade us with good music on this show. Those days were really great!!!!!!!

The Brunch Time Show on Tosh 103.9 FM

As l mentioned in part one of this series, the folks at Tosh FM seem to understand the market in which they are operating in – that is the large informal sector in Ho and its environs. They have, therefore, been doing everything within their means to grab a fair share of that market.

Their mid morning show, for me, has taken over what used to be the territory (or was a playground?) of Hope FM when DJ Census was hosting the mid-morning show on Hope FM. Their game plan is simple: Provide the listeners, mostly cab drivers and traders, with a good dose of danceable tunes, a few tit bits on issues such as health, entertainment, etc and do shout outs to as many loyal listeners as possible. This strategy by the Dagbe-House broadcasters seems to be catching on well with their target audience and this is gradually making the station a force to reckon with in this segment of the market.

When Queen Mabel joined them from US FM – much to my surprise because her style was at variance with what the guys were rolling out at the station – l thought the game plan was about to change but it never did. This lady, in my opinion, is Volta Region’s response to Doreen Andoh. Honestly, l hope one radio manager will take her and groom her to reach greater heights in the industry.

Bruce Dylan also came along from VP FM with his own swag to handle this show but just when we were beginning to enjoy his flow, he abandoned us mid way through the journey and surprisingly resurfaced at the studios of his former employers (VP FM). The show is currently holding its own against its competitors in the market, and with the likes of Pastor Kojo Quarshie around to direct affairs, l expect the show to grow even bigger. Just let the music flow, folks!!!!!!!!

Brunch Time on Hope 93.1 FM

The mid-morning show on Hope FM, which started with DJ Census (or is it Mr Agbenyegah?), was a good competitor in this segment of the market in Ho. The programme enjoyed a large following among radio lovers in Ho and beyond partly due to the large number of people DJ Census personally knew in Ho and did shout outs for. Cab drivers were heavily involved in making the show big at the time and the host reciprocated the loyalty of his listeners by playing good danceable music to their delight.

However, the ‘steam’ the show was known for, seems to have died down after the exit of DJ Census from the show. This situation threatens the viability of the show as the competition in that segment of the market is even getting keener. Maybe, DJ Census’ style was too ‘loud’ for the liking of Mr. Tukpeyi and his hence men at Hope FM because the station’s stock in trade now, is to keep things ‘cool’ on their network. To this end, the programme now runs with a lot of cool and mid tempo songs dominating the playlist. In fact, it is not unusual for the show to run for one full hour without a single voice interrupting the music (guess they don’t have LPMs to do too). Whilst this may be a plus for music lovers, am not too sure it fetches the purse at the station much in terms of revenue because even the number of adverts being played on the show has reduced drastically over the period.

That certainly spells doom for the hill-top broadcasters and the earlier they work on this, the better it will be for all of us. I love my music, and as such, love Hope FM but if the current style on the show is not fetching money, then the show needs a revamping to bring it back to its former status.

Mid Morning Programming on Volta Star Radio

By now you would have noticed that Volta Star Radio is probably the ‘station with a difference’ (apologies to the Hope FM guys) when it comes to programming. Perhaps, that is the GBC way of doing things. As such, mid morning programming on the station is complex. Maybe, they just don’t want to follow the crowd because any one who cares to tune in to the station on weekdays after their morning show is likely to listen to a variety of programmes i.e. talk shows, musicals, paid-for interviews with herbalists, etc. Whether this strategy is working for them or not is not my business but one thing am certain of is that their ‘compatriot’ at Koforidua (Sunrise FM) is making it big by adopting the same line of programming as the private stations in that area.

Still, ede ewe, de eblu. Hurray!!!!!!!!!! Happy 80th anniversary by the way.

PS: Part III of this series looks at one of my favourite segments of the radio market, the late afternoon or drive time shows. It is certainly the entertainment ‘powerhouse’ of radio.
Click here for the Part one of this article

NB: The writer is a Senior High School teacher and an avid listener of radio within the Ho municipality. You can connect with him on Facebook.

Writer’s email: kofimarketing@gmail.com

Mobile contact: 020 7398103

Police Constable shot dead in Aflao

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Kwadwo Duodu

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July 24, 2015

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Constable Kove

A Police operation to arrest suspected criminals at Aflao in the Ketu South Municipality has led to the killing of one the police men, Friday dawn.

Constable Wonder Kove, of the Form Police Unit (FPU) was reportedly shot by an unknown assailant, when he led his colleagues on a raid at Zorokpome, a suspected criminal den around the Aflao border.

Kove, believed to be in his late 20s was part of a police team deployed from the Police Headquarters in Accra to the area to clampdown on the increasing criminal activities there.

It is, however, unclear where the bullet came from as a police source claimed there was no exchange of fire during the operation.

Wonder’s junior brother, Promise Kove, told Volta Online, his senior brother’s sudden death is unbearable to him and his family, stating that, ‘he is the one taking care of us all… as I speak with you, and I’m even in his room in Accra.’

‘I have been staying with him, ever since he joined the Police Service about two years ago… he only left for the Aflao operation on Sunday and just this morning, one of his colleagues called to tell me that he is dead’ distraught Promise narrated.