President Kufuor ends tour of Ashanti

Kumasi, Aug 26, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor has ended his visit to the Ashanti Region on Tuesday with tours to Ejura-Sekyedumase, Sekyere East and Sekyere West Districts.

President Kufuor toured the entire 18 Districts, Metropolitan and Municipal areas of the Region to inspect and inaugurate projects and addressed durbars of the chiefs and people.

During the tour enthusiastic crowds lined the roads and streets to catch a glimpse of the President as he rode in an open car. Security men had hectic time controlling the crowd that cheered, sang and shouted the New Patriotic Party (NPP) slogan and made the "Asieho" sign.

President Kufuor explained government's policies, programmes, the National Health Insurance Scheme and the rationale behind the cocoa mass spraying exercise.

Kufuor inaugurates Physiotherapy Unit for KATH

Kumasi, Aug. 26, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor has inaugurated the 564,000 Euros ultra-modern Physiotherapy Unit for the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.

The Netherlands government financed the unit with 396,000 Euros for the equipment and 168,000 Euros for the building.

President Kufuor, who was on a tour of the hospital as part of his official visit to the Kumasi Metropolis to inspect projects, also visited some of the wards and the on-going children's block site.

Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Chief Administrator of the Hospital, who conducted President Kufuor round, said the unit was one of 16 others built in some hospitals and was completed in July last year. He said the Netherlands government would train 17 physiotherapists to man the units at a cost of 2.8 billion cedis.

Thirteen of them have already been trained and the remaining four would be trained this year.

President Kufuor advised technicians at the unit to take good care of the equipment to prolong their lifespan.

He inaugurated streetlights for Anloga, Oforikrom and Aboabo Numbers One and Aboabo Number Two.

The project formed part of a 10 billion-cedi Urban Four Programme under which roads in parts of the Metropolis are being rehabilitated and potable water and places of convenience provided.

Addressing a durbar of the chiefs and the people President Kufuor appealed to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) not to concentrate their attention on revenue collection but should endeavour to improve sanitation in the city.

A third project inaugurated by President Kufuor was a block of seven classrooms for the Asem Mixed Experimental Primary and Junior Secondary School.

The project estimated at 228 million cedis was funded under the Social Investment Fund (SIF) and the Ghana Poverty Reduction Programme (GPRP).

President Kufuor also addressed a number of durbars including those of the Muslim Community at the Central Mosque at Asawasi; Transport Operators at Mbrom; Artisans at the Suame Magazine and crowned the day with a mammoth durbar at the Jackson's Park at Fanti New Town.