News
IFMA-Ghana executives hold bilateral talks with Works and Housing Minister
Some members of the association with Mr. Francis Asenso-Boakye (middle)
Some executives and members of the Ghana Chapter of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA-Ghana) recently paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Works and Housing Mr. Francis Asenso-Boakye in Accra.
The visit, among other things, was to discuss how facility managers could help maintain public facilities that were deteriorating due to poor maintenance culture and also push for the need to pass legislation that would ensure every orginisation had a certified facility manager.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Sampson Opare-Agyemang, President of the association, raised concerns about the country’s public facilities and the chapter’s role in developing the capacity of facility managers in Ghana.
“Over the past years we have visited some technical universities and educated them on the need to start a course in Facility Management,” he noted.
According to him, one of the challenges facility managers faced was the absence of a maintenance manual to aid effective management of the buildings.
He, therefore, stressed the need for contractors to provide maintenance manuals to guide the operations of facility managers while Parliament initiates a bill to ensure effective regulation of activities within the built environment.
Responding to the plea of the team, Mr Asenso-Boakye also expressed delight and the ministry’s commitment to support the members of the association and other initiatives within the sector.
He further encouraged the team to continue public education on the essential role facility management played in ensuring the safety and sustainability of public and private infrastructure.
Founded in 1980, IFMA is the world’s largest and most widely recognised association for facility management professionals, supporting over 20,000 members in more than 100 countries.
The association, among other objectives, aims to “lead the future of the built environment to make the world a better place.” The Ghana Chapter, since its inception, continues to organise training programmes for new and existing members, and leading advocacy on the need to ensure public and private structures remain in good shape.
By Spectator Reporter
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa
