Loans meant for women not utilized

Koforidua, Mar 17, GNA - A GHC 10,000 fund meant for loans for women in small scale businesses in the Fanteakwa District since 2003 has not been utilized and is still lodged in a bank. Again, five expensive gari graters purchased by the government to facilitate women in gari processing in the same district have also been lying idle since 2004. The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said this on Tuesday when the Begorohene, Osabarima Awuah Kotoko, and his elders called on him at his office to congratulate him on his assumption of office as the Regional Minister.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo spoke about the many mistakes that were done in the district including violence and acrimonious acts that characterized the 2008 general election in the full glare of people. He said Fanteakwa was one of the areas where people acted with impunity in the name of politics. The Regional Minister said he would call for investigations into assault cases that occurred in the area during last year's general election so that the perpetrators could be brought to book to serve as deterrent. "The fact that the elections ended in peace and we have a President does not mean that everything went on well, people committed violent crimes with impunity against their fellow humans and this must not be overlooked," he said. He recounted how he, a two-term Member of Parliament for Fanteakwa and a former District Chief Executive who had a stake in the election was nearly lynched by an irate youth on Election Day when he was going round the polling stations. Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said he was prepared to work with anyone irrespective of his party background for the well being of the people of the region in line with the government's vision. Osabarima Awuah Kotoko told the minister that he and his council trusted in his sense of duty and feeling for others and should therefore put all those incidents b ehind him and work for the betterment of the people.

Earlier, Regional Executives of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) led by the regional chairman, Mr Samuel Djabah Mensah, also called on the minister to welcome him. Mr Ofosu-Ampofo told the delegation that education standard in the region was not the best despite the good education facilities. He assured them that government recognized the pivotal role of teachers in uplifting educational standards and in that direction would improve upon their conditions of service. 17 March 09