RE-FURBLISHED BECHEM MARKET BUILDING INAUGURATED

A short but impressive ceremony for the inauguration of the Bechem Central Market has been held at Bechem, the Tano South District Capital of the Brong Ahafo Region.

The Bechem Central Market was closed down for three (3) months to enable rehabilitation works to be carried out.

In a short speech, the Nifahene of Bechem Traditional Area, Nana Awua Boadi who stood in for the Omanhene of the Bechem Traditional Area, Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, thanked the MP and DCE of the area for making it possible for the Bechem Market to get a new face lift and reiterated  as Oliver Twist puts it ‘’We ask for more’’ and impressed upon the MP to use part of her Common Fund to tarre to four (4) exit points of the market to prevent mud getting into the market after rains.

Nana advised the supervisors of the market to avoid nepotism during revenue mobilization and urged the Assembly to use some of the proceeds of the market to put up more structures to enable more traders get access to the use of the entire building.

Nana advised the traders also to honour their tax obligations to the Assembly so that the Assembly can mobilize more funds to undertake other project.

In an address, the Member of Parliament for the Tano South Constituency, Hon. Dr. Hanna Louiza Bisiw disclosed that, a total amount of GH¢ 1.98 million out of her Common Fund was used for the rehabilitation works on the market. She said, the work on the market will enable more traders to acquire market stalls and space at the market to transact their businesses at ease and mentioned that as government alone cannot shoulder all the needs of the people, it will be imperative on the people to also contribute their quota to enable the government raise more revenue to undertake more projects in the country and the district as a whole.

Hon. Bisiw informed the people that, Ghana will be going to the poll in November, 2016 to elect a president and parliamentarians to run the affairs of the country and called on all and sundry to avoid the politics of insults during the political campaign period and rather preach peace before, during and after the elections.

HUCAM CELEBRATES WORLD IMMUNIZATION WEEK AT BECHEM

As part of activities to mark World Immunization Week in the Tano South District of the Brong Ahafo Region, a Bechem based non-governmental organization (Human Care and Maintenance Foundation) in collaboration with the Brong Ahafo Chapter of  Coalition of NGO’s in Health has held a Child Welfare Clinic (CWC) at the Bechem Government Hospital to mark the celebration.

Pictures of dignitaries and nursing mothers at the clinic

In a welcome address at the clinic, the Chief Executive Director of HUCAM, Miss Evelyn Bema Darkwa said, though HUCAM has its headquarters at Bechem, it operates in all parts of the Brong Ahafo Region. She said, the main aim of HUCAM is  to promote convenient health services and environmentally rigorous practices in our catchment areas, thereby refining the quality of life of the target beneficiaries especially women and children .

Miss Bema said, HUCAM in its operations have undertaking a number of activities including deworming and provision of food supplement and drugs to over two hundred and fifty (250) school children in the Tano South District, the distribution of two hundred and sixteen (216) treated mosquitoe’s bed nets, the operation of a poultry farm and supporting of pregnant women with prenatal vitamin k2 and vitamin capsules free of charge.

                           

                          Miss Evelyn Bema, the Chief Executive Director of HUCAM delivering her welcome address

Miss Bema said, the World Immunization Week has for its theme ‘’ Close the Immunization Gap’’ and raises awareness about the great success and challenges of vaccinating children worldwide and therefore called on vaccinators to reach more children missed out by the routine delivery system especially those living in hard to reach areas, communities or areas where less than eighty percent (80% ) of them are receiving vaccines and also called on government to create a fund to enable them sustain the immunization in our country when time comes where it becomes the full responsibility of government to purchase the immunization drugs without the support from GAVI or any donor.

She said whilst government bodies and civil societies are making every effort to see the provision of good health for all through Immunization, it behoves on all and sundry to play their part to make it a success  and on behalf of HUCAM and  GCNH welcomed all to the function.

Speaking at the function, Mr. Emmanuel Fugah, who stood in for the Brong Ahafo Regional Chairman of the Coalition of NGOs in Health said, as the world is celebrating the immunization week, there is the need for nursing mothers to visit the Health Facilities to immunize their babies. He said,NGOs in Health are using the week to educate the public on the importance of immunization and also urged parents to send their children to hospital regularly so as to make the children receive Health Care Delivery.

                  

Mr. Emmanuel Fugah, in a speech at the function

Mr. Fugah said, many people in the Tano South District have benefitted from the activities of HUCAM and hinted that HUCAM has extended its activities to other part of the Brong Ahfo Region with Kintampo being the latest.

In a presentation on the Distrrict status of immunization, Mr. Michael Tawiah of the Tano South District Health Directorate said, Ghana started immunization exercise in 1978 and said, HUCAM on its part since its establishment, has been able to carry out Adolescent Reproductive Health Campaign exercise in the Tano South District and stressed that parents should visit the Health Facilities for their babies to receive Vitamin Vaccines to build their immune system.

                            

Mr. Micheal Tawiah in a presentation at the clinic

Explaining the importance of weighing, he said it helps mothers to acquire family planning knowledge and malaria prevention and hinted that since 2013 the Tano South District has not recorded any malaria related death and urged all present to advice their household to make good use of the treated Mosquito bed nets supplied to them by sleeping in the nets and appealed to all to eschew from socio-cultural practices which prevents them from visiting the Health Facilities.

Touching on the role of our traditional leadership in support of immunization, Nana Adwoa-Po Dwamena Serwaa, the Queen mother of Bechem said, over the years, the traditional Council in collaboration with many NGOs have embarked on various campaign drives to educate the public on the causes and effects of teenage pregnancy, breast and prostate cancer and many more and stressed that women should visit health facilities regularly especially when they become pregnant. She said, since government is committed to ensuring that we all get access to health care delivery, it has ensured that all communities are provided with health facilities especially CHIPS Compounds and urged all and sundry to patronise the facilities.

Nana finally called for the need by the Bechem Traditional Council to register all NGOs operating in the Tano South District so that they could partner with them to promote health education in the District.

Dr. Emmanuel Adjei-Darko who chaired the function in his closing remark said there was the need for us to develop our talent since industry is growing. He said mothers should breastfeed their babies rather than feeding them with canned foods since breastfeeding would help them to build their immune system and also let them become more talented.

Dr. Adjei – Darko Emmanuel delivering his closing remark

Dr. Adjei-Darko advised mothers not to feed their children in contaminated bottles and entreated those who involve in such practices to avoid it and called on mothers to always visit the hospitals for medication rather than going to the chemical stores to buy drugs on their own.

DERMA COMMUNITY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL INAUGURATED

As part of its bid to bring Senior High School Education to all communities, the NDC government of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama has fulfilled a campaign promise of providing the Derma Community in the Tano South District of the Brong Ahafo Region with a modern E-Classroom Block for their Community Senior High School.

At a colourful ceremony organized by the chiefs and people of the Tano South District at Derma to mark the inauguration of the school block, Nana Owusu Asante II, the Dermahene in his welcome address thanked the Member of Parliament for the constituency, Hon. Dr. Hannah Louisa Bisiw and the District Chief Executive, Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba for using their good offices to get the project completed. He said, the permanent block put up for the school would enable teaching and learning become comfortable and called on parents to send their children to the school since its classroom accommodation problem has now been solved with the provision of the E-Classroom block.

Nana Owusu Asante II said, since Agriculture is the back bone of the country’s economy and the people of Derma and its environs are mostly farmers who produce the bulk of the country’s tomatoes, he will appeal to the government to take a look at the construction of the Derma – Asuoso trunk road so as to enable farmers to get access of  transporting their  farm produce to the urban and marketing centres.

In a speech, the Minister of Education Hon. Professor Naana Jane Opoku – Agyeman expressed her profound gratitude to all and sundry who had travel far and wide to witness the occasion and said it is the policy direction of the government to expand and build more Community Day Senior High Schools so that more children of Senior High Schools going age will get  get access to it, and called on the youth to take their education seriously and refrain from immoral practices. Hon. Jane Opoku Agyeman called on parents to invest more in their children’s education rather than investing their resources in other social events like funerals. She said, the government is playing its part to ensure that, the youth also benefit from government’s policies and programmes and called on the parents to send their children to school.  

The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Hon Eric Opoku in an introductory speech to introduce the special Guest of Honour His Excellency John Dramani Mahama and his entourage said, the NDC government has undertaking many projects in the Tano South District and Brong Ahafo as a whole and called all and sundry to protect such projects and give them the needed maintenance for the future generation to also come and see it and benefit from it.

In his inaugural address, the President H.E John Dramani Mahama said, he was very excited to be part of the inaugural ceremony and to account his stewardship to the people on the numerous projects his administration has embarked during his tenure of office. He said, two (2) districts in the Brong Ahafo Region have so far benefited from the E-School Block Classroom projects and hinted that, he has directed the Ministry of education to do all it can to admit students to start in the new block which is part of the first phase of projects been inaugurated.

He said, the Ministry of education would continue to supply text books, teachers guide and other teaching and learning materials to enhance teaching work in the public schools and said, government has put in place measures where various text books and other teaching and learning materials will be printed by Ghanaian companies.

 He said, community involvement in education is very significant and urged opinion and community leaders to actively get themselves involve in the education of the children. He said, his administration would continue to undertake more projects and would do more to relief the people of Ghana from poverty.

He said, his government will put measures in place to tarre the Bechem –Techimantia –Derma  road to enable easy transportation of goods and services and farm produce to the urban centres to enhance businesses in the locality.

President Mahama reminded the people of the impending limited voters’ registration exercise and said those who have attained the age of eighteen (18) and of sound mind and are Ghanaians but could not register at first to take advantage of the exercise and register so that they can vote in future elections. He reminded the people that the Electoral Commission after the limited registration exercise would also mount an exhibition of the voters register at all the polling stations and urged eligible voters to check their names during the exhibition exercise.