UCEW to become Fully-Fledged University

The University College of Education, Winneba (UCEW) is going to become a fully-fledged university and its name would be changed to University of Winneba.

Mr Isaac Edumadze, Central Regional Minister, announced this at this year's annual "Aboakyer" festival of the chiefs and people of the Effutu Traditional Area at Winneba on Saturday.

He was replying to a request made by the Omanhene of the Effutu Traditional Area, Neenyi Ghartey VII in his welcome address.

He said the government had put in place a programme for the next 30 months to rehabilitate distressed schools and build teachers' living quarters in a bid to improve the quality of education in the country.

Mr Edumadze said he was aware that there are a number of distressed basic schools in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District and commended the Effutu Traditional Council for initiating an education development foundation to assist in their rehabilitation.

He charged chieftaincy factions in the area to use the next three months after the Aboakyer celebration to resolve whatever differences they have.

He warned that the Regional Co-ordinating Council would not entertain any petition on the Effutu chieftaincy problem next year when the festival period was getting near if they failed to resolve the problem now.

Mr Edumadze stressed the need for Effutus to unite and make ample use of resources in the area to improve the living conditions of the people and stop making chieftaincy disputes an annual ritual and disruptive phenomenon.

He asked chiefs and people of the area to accept the challenge to embrace and cultivate cassava on a large scale to support President J.A. Kufuor's industrial starch factory at Bawjiase.

The Regional Minister charged the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Assembly to source funds from outside for early completion of the new Kasoa market on Kasoa-Bawjiase road to ease traffic congestion on the main Accra- Cape Coast road.

Nana Ghartey appealed to the government to rehabilitate the Pomadze Poultry Enterprise Limited and the vast acreage of land belonging to the Animal Husbandry Division of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, near Winneba Junction.

Earlier in the day members of Twafo Asafo Number One Asafo Company had made the first and the only catch of the festival to win the competition.

The deer, which was single-handedly caught by a 45year-old Supi Kow Eshun of Twafo Asafo Group, was brought to the durbar grounds at about 8.20am for Neenyi Ghartey to step on it to signify that the festival was successful.