VRA Loses GH¢ 90.2 Million in 2012

NEWS

Newsletter Volume 2: July — August — September — 2013

he Chairman of the Volta River Author- ity (VRA), Prof. Akilagpa Sawyerr, recently announced thatT the Authority recorded a Net Income Loss of GH¢90.2 million for the 2012 financial year, compared to a Net Profit of GH¢82.6 million for 2011. Presenting the 2012 VRA an- Minister of Energy & Petroleum, Mr. Kofi-Buah, VRA Chief Executive, Mr. Kweku Andoh Awotwi, and Board Chairman Prof. Akilagpa Sawyerr nual report at the Authority's 4th Annual Stakeholders' meeting, the Board Chairman said the primary lating cost of production. Thus, not only handicapped regular opera- cause of the reversal was the dou- although revenue from sales rose tions, but also stunted VRA's busi- bling of the unit cost of a kilowatt of from GH¢1,111 million in 2011 to ness growth. electricity produced by the VRA, as GH¢1,749 million in 2012, he re- On the positive side, however, the Authority was compelled to turn marked, this was offset by the more Mr. Akilagpa Sawyerr touched on to the use of expensive light crude than 200% increase in the cost of a number of generation expansion oil in place of gas. crude oil required to run the Au- projects which the Authority un- The situation, he said was wors- thority’s plants. The unsurprising dertook as part of efforts to ensure ened by the failure of the PURC to consequence, he said, was the enor- electricity availability and accessibil- grant the VRA any tariff increase mous and persistent liquidity crisis ity. In particular were the following: since 2011, in the face of the esca- experienced by the Authority that The commissioning of a 132MW Contd. on pg.2 → OUR VISION IN THIS ISSUE:

VRA Loses GH¢ 90.2 Million 2013 Workshop on Emergency Setting the Standard In 2012 p1 Preparedness & Environmental for Public Sector Kpong Retrofit Project Begins p7 Management Ends p11 Excellence in Africa Ing. Kirk Koffi Speaks on Kpong VRA Adds Value to Lives p13 Retrofit Project p8 VRA Morgue Commissioned p29 FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE

VRA Loses GH¢ 90.2m ← Contd. from pg.1

(T3) plant at Aboadze; the conclusion of the financing arrangement and commencement of work on the conversion of the 220MW Tako- radi International company (TICO) Thermal Plant into a 330 MW Com- bined Cycle Plant; the commissioning of the first 2MW solar plant at Navrongo, the commencement of feasibility studies on the development of 140MW of hydro dams at Pwalugu and Juale in the North- ern Region; the expansion of the 110MW Single Cycle Tema Thermal capacity additions, which he said for Talensi and member of the Par- Plant (TT1PP) into a 330MW Com- were critical to the Authority’s per- liamentary Select Committee on bined Cycle Plant. formance in the years ahead. Mines and Energy, Mr. Robert Mo- The Chief Executive of the The Minister of Energy and Pe- sore; Togbi Gbordzor III, a tradi- VRA, Mr. Kweku Andoh Awotwi, troleum, Mr. Kofi-Buah, commend- tional ruler and VRA Board Mem- reviewed the Authority’s 2012 per- ed the VRA on its performance ber; Management and Staff of VRA, formance, focusing on plant avail- over the years and on its initiatives and representatives of the Public ability, financials, generation capac- in seeking to increase generation ca- Utilities Regulatory Commission ity additions, and electricity demand pacity. He gave the assurance that (PURC), Ghana Grid Company and supply. government would continue to sup- (GRIDCo), Electricity Company of He said although 2012 was a fi- port the energy sector and to im- Ghana (ECG); Energy Commission nancially challenging year, the Au- prove electricity supply in the coun- and the Ministry of Finance. ■ thority registered improvement in try. thermal operations. He called for a Present at the meeting were the stable gas supply and a regulatory Deputy Minister of Energy and Pe- framework to promote sustainable troleum, Mr. John Jinapor; the MP

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UPDATE on Power Generation - facts & figures: CAREERS: Akosombo-Anum District SDA Church Akosombo Lake Levels A career at VRA is one to be proud of. Donates Blood to VRA Hospital Blood Bank Wednesday, September 25, 2013 Opportunities abound in personal development, rewards and aspirations. What is more, you Twenty-Seven volunteers of the Akosombo- 257.25 feet would be challenged to think outside the box Anum District of the Seventh-Day Adventist (S.D.A) Church have donated Seventeen (17) 78.40 meters while contributing to the growth of an industry pints of blood to the Akosombo VRA Hospi- Ghana's Installed Generation Sources leader. Whatever it is you do at VRA, you would tal Blood Bank. know you are contributing to a cause which not as at August, 2013. According to Pastor Kwasi Asante Krobea, only impacts Ghana, but also the West African the Akosombo-Anum District Pastor of the VRA VRA VRA IPP Bui sub region. All these and an organisation Hydro Thermal Solar Thermal Hydro Church, the donation formed part of the deeply committed to accountability, teamwork, 125th anniversary celebration of the S.D.A 47% 36% 0.1% 12% 5% integrity and trustworthiness. Welcome aboard! Church in Ghana.

2 | [email protected] / www.vra.com FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE 4TH ANNUAL STAKEHOLDERS' MEETING

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

As part of its stakeholder engagement, the Volta River Authority held its 4th Annual Stakeholders’ meeting at Cleaver House, Accra. The meeting was to af- ford the Authority the opportunity to apprise its stakeholders of the Authority’s performance for 2012. Below is the full text of the Board Chairman’s statement:

Good Morning, Ladies & Gentle- odic country-wide load-shedding, million the previous year (an increase men. Welcome to VRA’s 4th An- that continued into 2013, and of 58%), this was offset by an over nual Stakeholders' Meeting. • Tariffs that barely covered op- 200% increase in the cost of the This is our opportunity as an erational and maintenance costs, not crude oil required to run our plants. Authority to share with you, our to speak of investment in generation The unsurprising consequence was key stakeholders, a report on our expansion. the enormous and persistent liquidity performance in 2012, achievements The Authority ended the fiscal shortage experienced by the Author- and challenges, and our perspective year 2011 with a net income loss of ity to this day, which we have barely and insights for the future. Other GH¢90.2 million, compared to a net survived by resort to direct govern- government-owned limited liability profit of GH¢82.6 million in 2011, a ment assistance with the purchase companies would typically hold an swing of over GH¢170 million with- of crude oil requirements, but which Annual General Meeting; as an Au- in twelve months! The primary cause has stunted business growth for the thority, it is appropriate for us to have of this reversal in the profit situation VRA. a stakeholders' meeting. was the doubling of the unit cost of On behalf of the Authority, I am The year 2012 has been a chal- a kilowatt of electricity produced by pleased to report that over the peri- lenging and demanding economic the VRA, as we were compelled to od the Government of Ghana paid period. The robust financial and op- turn to the use of expensive light to the VRA an amount of GH¢361 erational results attained by the Au- crude oil, occasionally diesel, in place million to make up for the acknowl- thority in 2011 were more than offset of gas. Among the practical effects edged shortfalls in tariffs, effectively by the coincidence of factors, includ- were the destabilisation of the elec- a subsidy to domestic consumers in ing the following: tricity system and the load manage- Ghana. • Disruption in supply of gas to ment programme that persisted for Turning to generation and power fuel VRA's thermal plants, as well as almost a year. supply, the Akosombo and Kpong that of Sunon Asogli, resulting from The situation was exacerbated by plants combined performed at 96.8% the accidental rupture to the West the failure of the PURC to grant the above our own and the PURC’s per- African Gas Pipeline off the coast of VRA any tariff increase since 2011, in formance benchmarks; the Takoradi Togo the face of the escalating cost of elec- Thermal Plants registered 75.7% • Insufficiency of the capacity re- tricity production. Thus, though rev- plant availability and 57.6% capac- serve margin available in Ghana’s enue from the sale of electricity rose ity utilisation, while the new Tema electricity system, resulting in peri- to GH¢1,749 million from GH¢1,111 Contd. on pg.4 →

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TH 4 ANNUAL STAKEHOLDERS' MEETING ← Contd. from pg.3

"...our results would continue to be driven in part by factors outside our control, such as the uncer- tainty in gas supply and volatility in crude oil prices. The Authority’s challenge is, therefore, to optimise the internal factors that lie within our control, in particular, plant availability and keeping a tight lid on our administrative overheads." VRA Board Chairman, Prof. Akilagpa Sawyerr

Thermal Plants performed satisfacto- the medium term. We are satisfied tional engineering services company; rily. Additionally, the Takoradi steam that in 2012 we continued to lay the • Expansion of electricity accessi- unit, which had been out of service groundwork for driving productivity bility and availability under the Gha- for a year for repairs, is now back in and increasing efficiency for the fu- na Energy Development and Access service and operating at full capac- ture. Programme (GEDAP). This project, ity. Although, the Takoradi Thermal We focused on a number of gen- which is in two parts, involves the Plant, in particular, did not perform eration expansion projects designed development of the Kumasi Second to the PURC benchmark of 85%, the to ensure electricity availability and Bulk Supply Point and distribution overall 2012 thermal performance accessibility, and expected to add networks, funded by the African De- establishes the substantial secular 500MW in new capacity in the short- velopment Bank (AfDB); and a sub- improvements we have seen over the to-medium term. These include: component of GEDAP, the NEDCo last four years. • Commissioning, in 2012, of a Intensification Project, which seeks Clearly, our results would con- 132MW (T3) (Magellan ) plant at to improve electricity accessibility, tinue to be driven in part by factors Aboadze; funded by the International Devel- outside our control, such as the un- • Conversion of the 220MW Tako- opment Association (IDA) of the certainty in gas supply and volatility radi International Company (TICO) World Bank. This project is expect- in crude oil prices. The Authority’s Thermal Plant into a 330MW Com- ed to improve network operation, challenge is, therefore, to optimise bined Cycle Plant. Financing arrange- supply reliability, power quality and the internal factors that lie within ments have been concluded and con- safety, increase access to prospective our control, in particular, plant avail- struction work started in 2012; customers, and secure additional rev- ability and keeping a tight lid on our • Development of the first 2MW enue. administrative overheads. solar power plant, commissioned in 2013; Takoradi 3 Project Status Portfolio Growth • Commencement of feasibility studies for the development of The Takoradi 3 (T3) Simple Cycle You will be glad to hear that while 140MW of hydro dams at Pwalugu Plant was partially completed in the grievous challenges of 2012 and Juale in the Northern Region; 2012, and the entire combined cycle took their due toll on our energies • Commencement of feasibility project came on stream in early 2013. and time, they did not dim our vi- studies for expanding the 110MW Unfortunately, there was an explo- sion, nor did they slow our efforts Simple Cycle Tema Thermal Plant sion in one of the units in June, which at transforming the Authority into a (TT1PP) into a 330MW Combined led our contractors recommending a stronger, world class organisation in Cycle Plant by PB Power, an interna- complete plant shutdown for preven-

4 | [email protected] / www.vra.com FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE tive and maintenance work. Two of the units are expected to take 3 to 6 months to repair, and two more damaged units, 6 to 9 months. The Takoradi 3 project was commissioned in 2008, in the wake of the 2006-7 energy crisis. The equipment was procured and purchased directly by the government, and only recently handed over to VRA to manage. In retrospect, a more seam- less approach, with VRA playing a more proactive technical role in the specification and acquisition of the equipment, may have avoided some of the current difficulties of dealing with new and unfamiliar technology. A cross-section of Management and Stakeholders Anyhow, we look forward to the independent contractor’s report, which erationalisation of the Northern substantial revaluation of its assets. would form the basis for how we Electricity Distribution Company Business plans have been developed operate these new machines in the (NEDCo), into a standalone subsid- for four other areas: Kpong Farms coming years. iary, on course to becoming a full- Limited (KFL), the Schools, the fledged, autonomous, self-sustaining Health Services, and the Real Estate Strategy Review commercial enterprise. This was in Department. recognition of the need to remove The fragility of our gas supply system the distribution bottlenecks in the Performance Management: has made its resolution the highest sector. In order to attract the neces- The Balanced Scorecard priority for us. We have deepened sary resources to minimise the inef- our exploration of other alterna- ficiencies and distribution losses in As previously reported, a new perfor- tives of gas supply, talking with gas the sector, and to make it a profitable mance management system - the Bal- producers in Nigeria, and in Ghana, endeavour it was, and remains, criti- anced Scorecard (BSC) - was intro- including ENI, the holders of the cal for VRA to work with NEDCo duced in 2011 to provide a framework Sankofa Non-Associated Gas Field. – and this we are doing. for aligning individual performance We have led initiative to explore the We have also continued our ef- with departmental and corporate possibility of securing additional gas forts to refocus our non-core func- goals, and for assessing and reward- supplies through re-gasified Lique- tions to make them self-financing ing performance. Applied in 2012, fied Natural Gas (LNG), imported Strategic Business Units (SBUs), so for the second year in a row, the BSC from around the world. If successful, we could concentrate our efforts on has become a primary lever in our ef- these supplies would complement our core functions. Happily, we have forts to create a performance-driven current sources in Ghana and Nige- witnessed steady improvements in organisation. ria, and go a great way to stabilise the the Authority’s non-power areas. Of Authority’s operations and electricity our operating subsidiaries–Akosom- Corporate Social Responsibility supply generally in the country. bo Hotels Limited (AHL) and Volta Lake Transport Company (VLTC) - The Authority launched a re-formu- Commercialisation of Non-Power the former recorded its second con- lated and re-focused Community Generation Functions tinuous year of profit in eleven years Development Programme (CDP) in while the latter registered a loss, pri- 2012. The programme consists of a Perhaps, the most important mile- marily because of a very large depre- framework for guiding support for stone achieved in 2012 was the op- ciation charge brought about by a Contd. on pg.6

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 5 FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE

The Minister, Board Chairman, Management and some Stakeholders in a group photograph development of all communities af- The Authority also committed the lished, would seize the challenge to fected by the operations of the Au- cedi equivalent of US$500,000 to provide the necessary leadership and thority, and for improving the ex- the VRA Resettlement Fund, in sup- work effectively with the rest of the isting Community Development port of projects for environmental sector in addressing those and other Initiative (CDI) Framework, which improvement, social welfare, public fundamental, transformative issues. aims at empowering the communi- health, education, electricity, potable Speaking for my colleagues on ties to take action for development. water supply and sanitation. the Authority, I would like to ex- The thematic focus areas are: press to Management and staff our • Water Conclusion pride and gratitude for their efforts • Health in helping the Authority undergo the • Agriculture As I have indicated, and as every- process of re-inventing itself, right It is hoped that this focusing would body knows, 2012 was a difficult through the trying times of the last yield long-term benefits in the com- year – precisely as foreshadowed in twelve months. We are confident this ing years. my report a year ago, even before the would continue and, thereby, ensure The Authority sponsored a num- West African Gas Pipeline was bro- the successful attainment of the Au- ber of priority programmes in rural ken, with all its specific consequenc- thority’s vision of being a world-class electrification, health, education, wa- es. Unfortunately, many of the issues organisation in the medium term. ter resources, capacity building, cul- I highlighted then, in particular the It has been a privilege for us to ture, community development and need for a holistic sector-wide effort serve the people of Ghana through democratic governance, and made to address the challenges of the elec- service on the Volta River Authority, various donations to governmental tricity sector remains unaddressed. and we thank the Government for and non-governmental organisa- After the trauma of last year, the need allowing us that opportunity. ■ tions. A total of GH¢200, 000 was to address these issues has become Akilagpa Sawyerr committed to sponsorships, dona- even more urgent. I fervently hope CHAIRMAN tions and philanthropy, generally. that the new Authority when estab-

6 | [email protected] / www.vra.com FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE Kpong Retrofit Project Begins

Chief Executive of VRA, Mr. Kweku Andoh Awotwi and the Head of Sales, Andritz Hydro, Mr. Michael Haslinger - signing the contract for the Kpong Generating Station retrofit project.

he Volta Riv- prolonged life for the plant. 1991 and 2011. These, he said, had er Authority He thanked officials of An- concentrated on modification of (VRA) has dritz Hydro for accepting to un- the generators. He was hopeful signed an dertake the project and expressed that this major retrofit would lead a g reement confidence that the project would to greater efficiency. with Andritz be completed on time. He was The Head of Sales of Andritz Hydro of Austria for the retro- optimistic that cooperation be- Hydro and the Chief Executive fittingT of the Kpong Generat- tween the two organisations of the VRA signed the contract ing Station (KGS). would be maintained, to ensure a to mark the beginning of the Speaking at the ceremony the successful execution of the proj- project. Chief Executive of VRA, Mr. ect. Present at the ceremony Kweku Andoh Awotwi, said the The Head of Sales of Andritz were the Deputy Chief Execu- work was expected to reduce the Hydro, Mr. Michael Hasling- tive (Finance), Ms. Alexandra downtime of the machines at er, pledged the commitment Totoe, Deputy Chief Executive KGS owing to the unavailabil- of Andritz to high quality of (Services), Mr. Maxwell E.Y. ity of parts. He said the retrofit work. Odoom, and the Project Man- project was designed to replace The Deputy Chief Executive, ager, West Africa Power Pool the old generators and auxiliary Engineering & Operations, Mr. (WAPP), Mr. Francis Kyere. ■ parts with modern machines, to Kirk Koffi, recalled that KGS enhance efficiency and ensure underwent mini retrofits between

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 7 FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE

Ing. Kirk Koffi Speaks on Kpong Retrofit Project

A couple of months ago the VRA signed a contract with Andrtiz Hydro of Austria for the retrofitting of the Kpong Generating Station (KGS). To find out more about the project, the Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) had an up-close chat with the Deputy Chief Executive, Engineering & Operations (E&O), Ing. Kirk Koffi, on the purpose of the project, and what stakeholders could expect during and after the project. Below are excerpts of the interview:

VRA News (VN): Sometime in June 2013 the VRA signed a contract with Andritz Hydro of Austria for the retrofit of the Kpong Generating Station (KGS). What are the main details of the contract?

Ing. Kirk Koffi (Ing. KK): KGS was started somewhere in 1972 and completed in 1981. It has been running ever since. Over its life in service, we have undertaken a number of initiatives. For a hydro plant, the normal life for some equipment is around 25 years. So as it's done the world over, 25 years down the line we see what we can do to bring the Ing. Kirk Koffi, Deputy Chief Executive, Engineering & Operations, VRA station back to its original condition. I recall that at the Akosombo Gen- sometime back with an audit of the able to make an advance payment by erating Station a similar exercise plant. We went through the process September 1, (2013) then the proj- was carried out where after 25 to 30 to select a contractor who could do ect can start. The start of the project years we shut down the whole plant the job. Then we had an international includes mobilisation, which takes and modernised it and that's why competitive bidding and shortlisted nine months, and another eight to Akosombo is what it is today. We four companies. During the evalua- nine months to complete work on were able to increase output and im- tion, Andritz Hydro of Austria was each machine. It takes nine months prove efficiency there. It is a similar selected. The project is being funded to mobilise because these are major thing we are doing at KGS. Looking by the AFD (Agence Francaise de jobs involving a lot of engineering at the benefits we are now getting at Development). Therefore, all the and the fabrication of parts. The first Akosombo, we have thought it right processes went through their hands machine would go down as soon as to start this project now. We started for approval. As we speak, if we are the project has started.

8 | [email protected] / www.vra.com FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE

VN: What are the details of the con- steel and guard beams. This should to wait for parts from the manufac- tract? increase efficiency by a marginal 0.5 turers and it takes forever. But when per cent. you replace parts ahead, you avoid Ing. KK: The idea is to modernise Prior to that, we have already the breakdown of parts altogether. the entire station, particularly the done some work on the cranes which That is why our hydro stations at generator, where we have had a few are to be used for this work. The Akosombo and Kpong are available problems with the rotor and the sta- power crane has been retrofitted and 98% of the time and delivering. The tor. The stator, the stationary part the controls changed. The intake standard is 94% but they are always of the generator, is going to be re- cranes are also being modernised. above that. wound, while the rotor, the rotating The idea is to restore the plant to its It would interest you to know that part, is going to be replaced com- original condition. even at the Akosombo plant that was pletely. Based on our experience retrofitted in 1992, we are already of running the plant over the years, VN: Can you explain why Andritz replacing some parts. The reason is these are what we have observed to Hydro was selected to undertake the that the moment you are unable to be our problems. project? get that high level support from the I used to be the manager of that original equipment manufacturer, plant several years, ago, so I know it Ing. KK: Well, when you do a bid it tells you that it is time to change quite well. The generator is going to and evaluate, you choose the best it. The moment you find more mod- be completely rewound and the gov- evaluated price; you also look for the ern and more efficient equipment or ernor is also going to be changed. contractor's competence among oth- parts on the market that can easily Bear in mind that the station was er factors. Luckily for us, Andritz is be supported, you better go for them. the same company that Some things which were analogue carried out the retrofit have now been digitised. The retro- The moment you find more of the Akosombo plant. fit is also a good way to train people modern and more efficient So there would be some and bring them up, so they are all up equipment or parts on the mar- similarities in after- to the task of maintaining the facil- ket that can easily be supported, sales support, training ity. you would better go for them. and equipment. It would interest you to know that VN: Has KGS undergone any retro- even though Andritz fit in times past? completed in 1981, so it is more than fixed the turbine at Akosombo, the 30 years old. A lot of these things generator, too, was originally manu- Ing. KK: No. what we did was a cannot be supported by the equip- factured by GE Hydro of Montreal. technical audit when I was the Plant ment manufacturers, so we need to Andritz has bought that company, so Manager in 1991. After that we did make them more modern. the whole of Akosombo is Andritz. a mini retrofit. After 10 years of run- Even though the station is run- When we have any problem with the ning we did an audit to see how the ning and we have able men to main- generator or the turbine we go to An- plant was doing. KGS has a peculiar tain it, you get to the stage where dritz. And, of course, they gave us problem with the concrete. There is you cannot guarantee the reliability the best quotes for this project. a movement of the concrete that has of the station and that is exactly why brought about some deformations, we are undertaking this project. VN: Can you tell us why this proj- which have distorted the stationary Besides the generator we would ect is being undertaken in the first part. At present it is very quiet and work on the transformer. We have place? the rate is low. But I have worked in bought two step up transformers. stations in Canada where the noise The 80-gauge would be modernised Ing. KK: The practice is that after is even more pronounced. Because and the controls changed. An assess- 20 to 25 years, you modernise your of this we did a re-wind of all the ment of the turbines show that we plant; you want to make sure that it stators. The edge gap between the cannot improve efficiency so they is always available and generating. rotor and the stator should be about would be maintained but we would The problem is that if today some- have to do some modification to the thing is broken down, you only have Contd. on pg.10

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8mm but in the case of KGS, it has the old pieces away and fix new The cost of Hatch’s work is about become oval because of the easing of ones. That is the way it works. US$4 million, also to be funded by the stator. There are portions where Agence Francaise de Development. the edge gap is as high as 10mm, VN: So there won’t be a shutdown and other portions that are below the of the whole plant? VN: What would be your conclud- minimum edge gap of 4mm. Those, ing words? and the water patterns, were some Ing. KK: No, just one machine at of the problems that called for the a time. There are four machines at Ing. KK: Well, looking at the Au- mini-retrofit. We don’t have surplus KGS; you shut one down, work on thority's recent supply deficit chal- generation, and cannot have the lux- it, commission it and bring it back lenges, I think it is appropriate to ury of not retrofitting on time, so we on line. And so goes all the other ensure that our systems are readily always go ahead of our own sched- machines. It would take some time. available and running while efforts ules. We change things well ahead I’m sure by the time they finish, I are made to increase generation. of schedule. would be on retirement. But that’s As you may be aware, not long the way it goes. ago we installed our first 2MW solar VN: What benefits would the KGS plant at Navrongo. We hope to add retrofit bring to the power generat- VN: So we are looking at between more to it. Furthermore, our wind ing system? how many years? energy project is taking shape. The mandatory one year wind measure- Ing. KK: Improvement in reliability Ing. KK: The project du- and efficiency. What I tell people is ration is about 41 to 42 that many of the people at the station months but this includes Improvement in reliability came when the plant had already mobilisation, anyway. and efficiency. What I tell been built. By getting them in- people is that many of the volved in this retrofit, they would get VN: Would there be load people at the station came to understand the plant better; they management? when the plant had already would understand and get to build been built. By getting them better capacity for running the plant. Ing. KK: No. One machine involved in this retrofit, they As I sit here I can take any decision at KGS is 40MW installed, on KGS, because I worked there for but 35MW in actual gener- would get to understand the many years. The retrofit would also ation. So the station would plant better. help us improve those capacities, manage that. employ new people and engage them after that. VN: Who is financing the project ments are on course and expected to and how much is involved? be completed soon to pave way for VN: What are the detailed deadlines the commencement of the full proj- for the execution of the project? Ing. KK: The project is being fi- ect. nanced by Agence Francaise de As Deputy Chief Executive in Ing. KK: If we are able to make the Development (AFD), the French fi- charge of Engineering & Opera- advance payment on September 1 nancing agency. The estimated cost, tions, I look forward to the day when (2013), then nine months from then is 36 million Euros, US$2 million the Authority would have more than the first machine would come down. and GH¢4 million. Luckily for us, enough generation capacity so that Normally, we give ourselves eight we’ve engaged a consultant, Hatch, the required reserve margin would months for each machine, but it’s who is helping us manage this proj- be observed. This would ensure that likely the first machine would take ect. Hatch used to be called Acres we avoid situations similar to those a bit longer, perhaps 9 or 10 months. and were our engineers on the Ako- that confronted us not so long ago. The other machines may take much sombo retrofit project. They were less time, about 7 months each. You the consultants for the Volta River VN: Thank you for your time. shut down one machine and start Project more then 50 years ago and dismantling everything; you throw we’ve dealt with them ever since. Ing. KK: My pleasure.■

10 | [email protected] / www.vra.com FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE

2013 Workshop on Emergency Preparedness & Environmental Management Ends

RA's annual implementation of the procedure. EPP Coordinator); Ulysses Ocran workshop on Another feature of this year’s Hammond (EMP Coordinator), Emergency Pre- workshop was the introduction of Bennet Dobgey (Supervisor, Dredg- paredness and the “table-top” exercise. This in- ing Unit). Environmental volved a simulation of an emer- Rhoda Arthur and Samuel de- Management, gency, situation and the use of Graft-Johnson of the Corporate has ended at K eta. a notification procedure to alert Communications Unit addressed the V It was organised for six districts stakeholders and people likly to be concerns of the participants during and two municipalities identified as affected in an emergency; potentially impacted communities in with the aid of appropri- the event of a spill or dam failure at ate forms provided in the The workshop aims at install- the Akosombo or Kpong Dams. EPP document. The ob- ing a mechanism for warning Beneficiaries of the workshop jective was to reinforce and possible evacuation of people are the Shai Osudoku and Ada East stakeholder participation Districts (Greater Accra Region); to enhance their under- living within reach of a potential Lower Manya Municipality and Asu- standing and apprecia- flood wave, caused by a spillage ogyaman District, (Eastern Region); tion of their roles in an or dam failure. South Tongu, Central Tongu, and emergency. North Tongu Districts and the Keta The simulation exer- Municipality (Volta Region). cise engendered considerable inter- the workshop. Other participants The workshop series, which est among the participants. were traditional rulers, opinion lead- started in 2011, is in fulfillment of The Coordinator of the EMP, ers, members of the District As- the legal requirement for dam op- Mr. Ulysses Ocran Hammond, sembly; DISEC members, and the erators, to ensure that stakeholders briefed stakeholders on the objec- media. ■ in identified communities are able to tives of the EMP and outlined vari- respond appropriately during dam ous measures taken by the VRA to emergencies. mitigate the effects of a dam fail- The workshop aims at installing ure. These measures include aquatic a mechanism for warning and possi- weed management, dredging, schis- ble evacuation of people living with- tosomiasis control and a number of Editor's Note: in reach of a potential flood wave, afforestation programmes. Among caused by a spillage or dam failure. other issues highlighted included The Environmental Manage- scholarships for communities within ment Plan (EMP), approved by the the operational areas of the VRA, as Environmental Protection Agency, well as projects identified by various also aims at adopting international communities. He said VRA, was best practices for dam operators. discussing with Safewater Network Mr. Timothy Akyea-Obeng, This year, Environmental Pre- to undertake the projects. He took Secretary, VRA/PSWU paredness Plan (EPP) presentations the opportunity to inform stake- were facilitated by Planning Officers holders of the membership of the In our last edition, Mr. Timothy from the district assemblies, with EMP Steering Committee tasked to Akyea-Obeng, was inadvertently assistance from the EPP Coordina- oversee the implementation of the referred to as the Chairman of the VRA/PSWU. Mr. Akyea-Obeng tor, Mr. Kwame Darkwah. The idea EMP. is in fact the Secretary of the VRA/ was to encourage district officers The EMP & EPP team com- PSWU. We are sorry for any incon- familiarise with the EPP tools and prised Kwame O.M. Darkwah (EPP venience this may have caused. enhance their understanding and Coordinator), Afua Adwubi (Assist.

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 11 FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE

VRA, Safe Water Network to Provide Safe Drinking Water

he Chief Execu- hope that the partnership would ex- communities along the Volta Lake. tive of the Volta tend further to benefit neighbouring The partnership with Safe Water River Authority, communities. Network was therefore, timely, she Mr. Kweku Awot- Present at the ceremony were noted. wi, has expressed the Deputy Chief Executive, (Ser- Mr. Awotwi and Mr. Agban, the commitment vices), Mr. Maxwell Odoom, the Ag. signed for the Authority while Mr. of the Authority to improve the Deputy Chief Executive, Finance, Nimako and Mr. Mark Owusu; Head qualityT of life of communities along Mr. Richmond Evans Appiah, Ms. of Administration and Finance, ini- the Volta Lake with the provision of Abla Fiadjoe, Director, General Ser- tialed for Safe Water Network re- potable water. vices, Ag. Director, Legal Services spectively. Speaking at a ceremony where Department, Mr. Agban, Mr. Cole- Under the MoU, VRA would an MoU was signed with Safe Wa- man, Mgr. Gen. Maintenance, and provide capacity building support to ter Network (SWN), Mr. Awotwi representatives of Safe Water Net- SWN, select communities in need as expressed enthusiasm about the work. well as the appropriate water treat- partnership and said the VRA was Giving a background to the partment solutions. VRA would also pleased to develop a framework of nership, Ms. Fiadjoe said as part of provide 50% match funding from partnerships to solve the water prob- the Authority’s Corporate Social 2013 to 2015, while SWN provides, lem faced by communities along the Responsibility, the VRA had devel- logistics to monetary, and human re- Volta Lake. oped a Community Development sources.■ The Country Director for SWN, Programme that aims at identifying Mr. Charles Nimako, expressed the ways of controlling bilharzia among

12 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS► VRA Adds Value to Lives

In a speech read on his behalf by The scheme, initially a one-off pro- the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, gramme terminating after its first Mr. Francis Ganyaglo, the Deputy cycle, has now been revised. The Minister of Education (Tertiary), Chief Executive noted that “to set Mr. Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, out our development dialogue in commended the VRA for instituting context, in April 2012, we launched the scholarships. He said educa- the Community Development Ini- tion plays a pivotal role in Ghana's tiative framework document to es- development and the Authority's tablish and maintain mutually bene- initiative was crucial in driving de- ficial relationship with communities velopment in the beneficiary com- affected by our operations. The munities. process led to improved dialogue, Director, Human Resources, Mr. Isaac Aidoo, delivering the Welcome Address Mr. Okudjeto Ablakwa, praised cooperation and understanding, and the VRA for initiating a develop- increased visibility of the VRA in he Volta River ment dialogue with leaders of the the communities." Authority (VRA) various communities that would To deepen the relationship he has as part of its ensure the holistic development of said, VRA launched the re-formulat- corporate social those communities along six the- ed and re-focused Community De- responsibility, and matic areas comprising social, in- velopment Programme, consisting inT line with its Community De- frastructure, health services, educa- of a framework for guiding support velopment Programme (CDP), tion, environmental sustainability, for the development of all areas af- awarded scholarships to 60 bril- culture and training. fected by the VRA’s operations. One liant but needy students in its op- The Chief Executive of VRA, significant outcome of our develop- erational areas. who was represented by the Direc- ment dialogue is the development The sponsorship programme tor, Human Resources, Mr. Isaac of human resources in our commu- aims at giving the brilliant students Aidoo, recounted the beginnings nities through education, he said. an opportunity to maximise their of the scholarship scheme and re- The Chief Executive said the potential and be able to contribute called that on its 50th Anniversary Authority had this year, partnered to national development in the fu- the Authority, decided to introduce with Safe Water Network (SWN), a ture. the scholarship scheme, designated non-governmental organisation, to Forty-six (46) of the awards were "VRA Golden Jubilee Scholarship provide safe and affordable water to presented to students in the South- Scheme" and tenable at the senior several communities along the banks ern sector at a programme at Akuse. high school, to 50 brilliant but of the Volta River. The project, to While other fourteen (14) would be needy students selected from com- be co-funded by the VRA and Safe presented to those in northern sec- munities impacted by the operations Water Network, would form the tor at a later date. of the VRA. Contd. on pg.14

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 13 VRA NEWS►

VRA Adds Value to Lives ← Contd. from pg.13

Mr. Francis Ganyaglo (sixth from left) and Mr. Isaac Aidoo (fifth from left) flanked by other dignitaries, staff of the VRA, and award recipients

An award receipient receiving her certifcate from Mr. Francis Ganyaglo delivering the Keynote Address the Director, HR foundation for a cluster of water systems that VRA and Safe Water Network seek to develop over the next three years for 100 communities in the Volta Basin. He noted that the VRA’s funding of this project would cover training and support required to develop the capabilities necessary for the villages to become self-sufficient in managing the water stations. The Authority, he said, was looking forward to deepening and expanding its commitment by awarding scholar- A cross-section of the award recipients ships to students, tenable at tertiary institutions. He congratulated the award winners and urged them ended up. He thanked the VRA for keeping to their to study diligently and make their parents, communities tagline of “Adding Value to Lives” and urged his col- and the VRA proud. league beneficiaries to work harder to ensure that the A beneficiary of the scheme, Teye Nukpo Teye objective for the implementation of the scheme was noted that but for the Authority’s timely intervention sustained. ■ he and many others would have lost out on furthering their education and wondered where they would have

14 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS► VRA Begins Schistosomiasis Reduction Programme

he Volta River snail vectors that cause the disease incentives to motivate them to work Authority has do- in the human host. harder after careful evaluation and nated hand-held She explained that the parasites analysis of their inputs. tools to five Low- complete their life cycle inside the Mrs. Rhoda Arthur, Informa- er Volta com- snails, which release the parasites tion/Publicity Officer of the Corpo- munities in the into the water at certain periods of rate Communications Unit, assured Eastern and Volta Regions as part the day. These parasites enter the community members that the VRA Tof efforts to reduce the prevalence of schistosomiasis in the Lower Volta Basin. The beneficiary communities include: Adome (Small London), in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region, Mafi Atitekpo and Mafi Devime, both in the Central Tongu District, Alikekope and Dze- torkoe in the South Tongu District, all in the Volta Region. The donation is part of the Com- munity Shoreline Weed Clearing Initiative instituted by the Public Health Unit of the Environment and Sustainable Development Depart- human body through the skin, caus- was committed to building a sus- ment to reduce the incidence of the ing the schistosomiasis infection tainable partnership with them. She disease in the communities. that makes those infected pass out urged them to continue clearing the Research Officer at the Bilharzia bloody urine and faeces. She ad- weeds in order that their water ways Control Unit, Ms. Elizabeth Kisson, vised the residents to report to the would be clear of all weeds, so that noted that the donation of the tools nearest Health Centre any excessive they would be safe against re-infes- wheelbarrows, cutlasses, rakes and body itching, which is the immedi- tation after treatment. water boots, were in fulfillment of ate symptom of the disease. The Assemblymen, Community the Authority’s assurances to com- Ms. Kisson said Community- Heads and Opinion Leaders who re- munities vulnerable to water borne Based Organisations had been ceived the implements on behalf of diseases. This, she said, would en- formed that would undertake period- their communities, expressed appre- able them to clear their water contact ic clearing of aquatic weeds in their ciation to the VRA for the support.■ points and destroy aquatic plants that fresh water sources. This, she said, serve as a habitat for the bilharzia would go with reward packages and

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 15 VRA NEWS► DODI Island Comes Alive

undreds of settle- Okai’s poem, “The Bond of 1962: tilapia farm and scenic views of the ments and thou- Somersaulting Into Light” which is Kwawu Mountains. The beloved sands of people reproduced on the next page. Dodi Princess, which can seat up to who live along 400 people, is currently under recon- the Volta Lake Cruising on the Volta Lake struction and is expected to be back Hand its tributaries depend largely on in service by the December festive this magnificent body of water that Travelling on the Volta Lake can be period, when a lot of people do take flows from the north to the south of an exciting adventure and an awe- the trip to Dodi Island. A brand new the country. inspiring endeavour for first-timers. second cruise boat, which can seat Mainly fishermen, fishmongers The lake serves as the cheapest and 176, is also expected to be procured and farmers, men and women alike main means of transporting dry car- by December. revere this body of water that sus- go, especially fertilizer, from Ako- Besides the two-hour cruise tained their ancestors and continues sombo to Yeji and Buipe in the north to Dodi Island, the Maritime Club to sustain the present generation. and of yam and grains down south. House offers water sport lovers a The country also relies heavily It also serves as a tranquil hot- host of activities. There are kayaks on the river for the generation of spot for leisure activities. Akosom- and speed boats for water sports en- hydro-electric power for domestic bo Hotels Limited manages and or- thusiasts. Those with aquaphobia, and industrial use. ganises a two-hour cruise from the will enjoy the view of the lake and Until recently the largest man- Maritime Club House at Akosombo the surrounding mountainous land- made Lake in the world, the Volta to Dodi Island on-board the Dodi scape, as well as the fresh breeze as Lake attracts hundreds of thou- Princess. Recently I was privileged they sip on fresh fruit juice or enjoy sands of visitors every week. Being to be part of a selection of media on some hot-grilled tilapia fresh-caught among the first to generate hydro- a cruise on-board the Ohemaa LXI. from the lake. electric power and its momentous As one sails on the lake, one can On arrival at Dodi, one is wel- importance to the country is aptly see the Akosombo dam, the Presi- comed by the inhabitants of the is- captured in Professor Atukwei dential chalets, Dwarf Island, the land with lively cultural music and

16 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS► The Bond of 1962: Somersaulting Into Light

And it is awesome! and coerce her to stingingly to querulously quake Upon the creation of our somersault into light! And furiously scatter asunder beloved land, All that which was perilously The common man commands: Of you I dream, O Volta River; fake Let there be light! and of your sacred sources And could cause your banks to And there was light! which made the soothsayers Horrendously break quiver And it is awesome. on remembering that he did not Nothing could dissipate your And the Eisenhower-Kennedy look much deeper Spirit mandated to create the turbines, into the tortured intestines of a foundations Like the agitated adrenaline destiny Of a land destined to be great. of destiny, bound to give birth to the reaper combine to massage the innocent of a harvest Of you I sing, water into light! manufactured by One Ultimate Of you, O legendary Volta Lake. and Indisputable Giver At the confluence of concerns And it is awesome. of all that is benevolent above At the confluence of concerns of souls thirsting at Canaan in and beneath the face of the Galilee, He, the young Nazarene, of souls thirsting at Canaan Earth. in Galilee, questioningly heeding a beloved He, the young Nazarene, Of you I dream mother’s appeal-command, Questioningly heeding a beloved O serene and brooding Volta turned innocent water into mother’s appeal-command, River! instant ancient wine’s sparkling Turned innocent water into glee; instant ancient wine’s sparkling Of you I sing, Along the boulevard of blind- glee Of you O multi-tentacled ing darkness’s degrading blight, Volta Lake, we command water and coerce Along the boulevard of blinding you who caused the her to stingingly somersault into darkness’s degrading blight, Timbuktooyan contours of light! we command water Songhaian horizon

traditional dance; it’s truly a lovely tered were friendly- you should, on the Volta Lake, is seeking a new experience. A section of the rocky however, be mindful of their in- majority shareholder in its subsid- island is inhabited by some 300 peo- nate protective nature when they iary, Volta Hotels. It is also seeking ple. The other half, where people feel threatened. For air ostrich can an investor for its Dodi Island Park usually visit, belongs to the VRA. dislodge the human eye with just a project. The island hitherto had nothing peck of its hard-formed beak. More The Dodi Island Park Project noteworthy to attract hundreds of friendly animals are expected to be will have restaurants, accommoda- visitors who may want to sleep over added within the coming months. tion and ancillary facilities that are or spend some money when they expected to attract hundreds of visi- visit. That is changing now. The Volta River, Dodi and tors every week. The VRA is creating a park on its investment potential Indeed, the enormous poten- the unadorned Island. There is now tial of the lake for leisure activities an ostrich park, bush buck park and The VRA, which owns the Ako- makes it an attractive investment two large bird cages with assorted, sombo (Volta) Hotels, the cruise proposition. VRA is the biggest as- colourful local and foreign birds. boats and the Maritime Club House set owner in the country besides

The three large ostriches I encoun- and is responsible for all activities Contd. on pg.18

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 17 VRA NEWS►

DODI Island Comes Alive ← Contd. from pg.17 the Government of Ghana. It owns the lake-front lands along the Volta Lake at Akosombo and other lake- front lands up-stream, together with numerous islands. So prospective investors wouldn’t face the challenge of acquiring lake-front lands for commercial leisure development. Additionally, the potential for water related activities is limitless. There can be practically daily cruise trips, rowing competitions, fishing expeditions, speed boat rides and Different species of parrots and assorted birds at the aviary at the game park other water sports that can rake in a fortune. The Authority has indicated partner for our hotel and real estate utive Officer of VRA, says. clearly that it welcomes investors projects. Our thinking is that these The Volta Hotels, Dodi Island willing to partner it to explore the will be majority partners who will and the Volta Lake present a unique enormous potential of the lake for have an interest and also run the investment opportunity for prag- leisure. business. VRA will step back, take matic investors in the hospitality and “We must find strategic inves- a minority share, earn our dividends service industries. ■ tors to partner us. We hope in the and focus on our core business” Mr. next few months we’ll find a good Kweku Andoh Awotwi, Chief Exec-

Ostriches enjoying their new environment at the game park

18 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS►

CORPORATE ACCOUNTING SCANDALS

e continue our series on corporate governance focusing on high profileW accounting scandals that rocked the business community between 2000 and 2002. Accounting scandals, or corporate accounting scandals, are political and business scandals associated with the disclosure of misdeeds by trusted executives of large public corporations and private compa- In public companies, this type of rial opportunism plays a large role in nies. Such misdeeds typically involve "creative accounting" can amount to these scandals. For example, Man- complex methods for misusing or fraud and investigations are typically agers who would be compensated misdirecting funds, overstating rev- launched by government oversight more for short term results would enues, understating expenses, over- agencies, such as the Economic and report inaccurate information, stating the value of corporate assets Organised Crime Office (EOCO) as short-term benefits outweigh or underreporting the existence of and the Public Accounts Committee long-term ones such as pensions. liabilities, sometimes with the co- (PAC) of Parliament. Scandals are operation of officials in other affili- often only the 'tip of the iceberg'. Notable Outcomes and ates. Does the auditor come to your They represent the visible cata- Audit Failures mind? strophic failures, more often having The executive of corporate enti- antecedents traced to bad corporate A variety of complex factors cre- ties can also accelerate accounting of governance. It is worth noting that ated the conditions and the culture expected expenses, delay accounting in some instances abuse can be com- in which a series of large corporate of expected revenue, engage in off pletely legal or quasi-legal. frauds occurred between 2000 and balance sheet transactions to make 2002. The spectacular, highly publi- the company's profitability appear Role Played By Employees cised frauds at Enron, WorldCom, temporarily poorer or richer, or sim- and Tyco, exposed significant prob- ply to promote and report severely Top executives do not cause all ac- lems with conflicts of interest and conservative (ie. doubtful) estimates counting scandals. Sometimes man- incentive compensation practices. of future earnings. More so, top ex- agers and employees are pressured The analysis of their complex and ecutives sometimes do everything to, or willingly, alter financial state- contentious root causes contributed they can to window dress their comments for the personal benefit of to the passage of SOX in 2002 by pany's earning forecast. individuals in the company. Manage- Contd. on pg.20 →

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 19 VRA NEWS►

CORPORATE ACCOUNTING SCANDALS ← Contd. from pg.19

President George W. Bush (Jnr). method, Enron could basically write cised for having a brief meeting only The Enron scandal was touted off any loss without hurting the few times a year that covered lots of as one of the biggest audit failures company's bottom line. material. By January 17, 2002, En- of all time. The scandal involved Fraud: What was the scheme? ron decided to discontinue its busi- utilising loopholes found within the The mark-to-market practice led to ness with Arthur Andersen, their GAAP (General Accepted Account- schemes that were designed to hide auditor, claiming they had failed in ing Principles). the losses and make the company accounting advice and related docu- CEO Jeffrey Skilling had a way appear to be more profitable than it ments. Arthur Andersen was judged of hiding the financial losses of the really was. In order to cope with the guilty of obstruction of justice for trading business and other opera- mounting losses, Andrew Fastow, getting rid of many emails and doc- tions of the company; it was called a rising star who was promoted to uments that were related to auditing mark-to-market accounting. This CFO in 1998, came up with a Ma- Enron. From this incident, little less is used in the trading of securities, chiavellian plan to make the com- than 100,000 employees lost their when you determine what the actual pany appear to be in great shape, jobs. The image of Arthur Anders- value of the security is at the mo- even though many of its subsidiar- en had been damaged beyond repair, and the company were never able to come back to its full operating capacity. In July 2002, WorldCom filed for bankruptcy protection, in what was considered the largest corporate in- solvency ever at the time. On a lighter note, the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics went to the CEOs of those companies involved in the corporate accounting scandals of that year for "adapting the mathematical concept of imagi- nary numbers for use in the business world". ment: a method that can work well ies were losing money. That scheme In 2005, after a scandal on insur- for securities, but can be disastrous was achieved through the use of ance and mutual funds the year be- for other businesses. Special Purpose Entities (SPE). An fore, American International Group In Enron's case, the company SPE could be used to hide any as- (AIG) was investigated for account- would build an asset, such as a pow- sets that were losing money or busi- ing fraud. The company lost over er plant, and immediately claim the ness ventures that had gone under; US$45 billion worth of market capi- projected profit on its books, even this would keep the failed assets off talisation because of the scandal. though it had not made anything the company's books. In return, the Investigations also discovered US$1 yet. If the revenue from the power company would issue to the inves- billion of errors in accounting trans- plant was less than the projected tors of the SPE, shares of Enron's actions. The New York Attorney amount, instead of taking the loss, common stock, to compensate them General's investigation led to a $1.6 the company would then transfer for the losses. This game could not billion fine for AIG and criminal these assets to an off-the-books cor- go on forever, however, and by April charges for some of its executives. poration, where the loss would go 2001, many analysts started to ques- CEO Maurice R. "Hank" Greenberg unreported. This type of account- tion the transparency of Enron's was forced to step down. ■ ing created the philosophy that the earnings. company did not need profits, and For auditing a big company such that, by using the mark-to-market as Enron, the auditors were criti-

20 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS►

Risk Awareness Process: Establish the Context

↔ Establish Context ↔

↔ Identify Risk ↔

↔ Analyse Risk ↔

Evaluate Risk ↔ ↔ Monitor and Review Assess Risk Communicate and Consult

↔ Treat Risk ↔

Figure 1 : The Risk Management Process

This article is the third in the risk management awareness series. The article discusses the first stage in the Risk Management process: Establish the Context (Figure 1). The main steps of the Risk Management process, as outlined within the ISO Standard 31000:2009: i.e., Risk Management – Principles and Guidelines are: Establish the Context, Identify Risks, Analyse Risks, Evaluate Risks and Treat Risks.

The second article dealt with Communication and Consultation, that run through each stage of the Risk Management process.

What is Establishing the Context? tion to achieve its intended outcomes.

Establishing the context is concerned with under- How to Establish the Context of an Organisation standing the background of an organisation and its risks, working that the risk management activi- This process requires the following key steps: ties being undertaken, and developing a struc- ture for the risk management tasks to follow. 1. Understand the organisation’s external context Why do it? 2. Understand the organisation’s internal context 3. Develop the organisation’s risk management The objective of this step is to provide a compre- context. hensive appreciation of all the factors that may have an influence on the ability of an organisa- Refer to fig. 2 next page. Contd. on pg.22 →

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 21 VRA NEWS► Figure 2: Establish the Risk Management Context

Internal Context External Context • Capabilities (e.g. capital, people, competencies, processes, systems and technologies) • Cultural, Political, Legal, Regulatory, • Information flow and decision-making Financial, Economic, Competitive environ ment, processes. whether international, national or regional. • Internal stakeholders. • Objectives and strategies that are in place to • Key drivers and trends having impact achieve them. on the objectives of the organisation. • Perceptions, values and culture. • Policies and processes. • Perceptions and values of external stakeholders. It is particularly important to take • Standards and reference models adopted by into account the perceptions and values of the organisation. external stakeholders and establish policies • Structures (e.g. governance, roles and, for communicating with these parties. accountabilities).

Risk Management Context Risk Management Policy • Definition of responsibilities. • Depth and breadth of risk management activities to be carried out, including specific inclusions and exclusions. • Extent of the project, process, function or activity in terms of time or location. Risk Management Framework • Project, process, function or activity and its goals and objectives. • Relationships between a particular project or activity and other projects or activities of the organisation. • Definition of risk assessment methodologies Risk Assessment Criteria • How performance is evaluated in the management of risks. • What decisions have to be made. • Scoping or framing studies needed, their extent; objectives and resources required for such studies. Risk Tolerance

i) Understand External Context ing that stakeholders and their any risk management activity, objectives are considered when at any level. Understanding the According to the Standard, the developing risk management internal context is important, external context defines the criteria, and that externally gen- because: external environment in which erated threats and opportuni- ► risk management takes the organisation operates. It ties are captured during the place in the context of the also defines the relationship be- “risk identification” step. goals and objectives of the tween the organisation and its organisation. external environment. ii) Understand Internal Context ► the major risk for most organisations is that they Understanding the external Understanding the organisation fail to achieve their context is important in ensur- is required before commencing strategic, business or

22 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS►

Organisations are prepared to ‘tolerate’ some risks under certain circumstances in return for specified benefits. Tolerance levels may vary by context and are influenced by the: ► ability and willingness of the Board and Executive to take and manage risks. ► size and type of organisation. ► maturity and sophistication of risk man agement processes and control project objectives, or are perceived by enviroments. stakeholders to have failed. ► financial strength of the organisation ► organisational objectives, policies, and and processes help define the its ability to withstand shocks organisation’s risk management policy, ► sector in which the organisation specific objectives and criteria of a project. operates. iii) Develop Risk Management Context Risk Management Context application: Risk criteria

After understanding the internal and external Having established its risk tolerance, the organ- context, the next step is to develop the risk man- isation can now develop its risk criteria. The risk agement context for your organisation. The Risk criteria take into consideration the risk manage- Management Standard recommends taking into ment context. It is the basis on which risks are ana- consideration the following when developing lysed and evaluated. your risk management context: objectives and strategies for risk management; scope, i.e. parts Risk criteria express the organisation’s values, of the organisation where you apply the risk man- objectives and resources. Some criteria may be agement processes; parameters for risk manage- imposed by, or derived from, legal and regulatory ment activities; resources required; and records to requirements and other requirements to which be established. the organisation subscribes. Risk criteria should be consistent with the organ- The outcome of this process is to ensure that the isation's risk management policy, be defined at risk management approach adopted is appropri- the beginning of any risk management process ate and proportionate to the situation of the or- and be continually reviewed. ganisation and to the risks affecting the achieve- ment of its objectives. Conclusion

Risk Management Context application: Risk tolerance The importance of setting the correct context in which to start identifying business risks cannot be Once the risk management context is understood understated. The better and more thorough this is and established, a key output of the process is risk done the better and more thorough the resulting tolerance. Risk tolerance is defined as an organisa- risk analysis would be, as setting the wrong con- tion’s readiness to bear the risk, after treatments in text is in itself a risk. ■ order to achieve its objectives.

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 23 VRA NEWS►

Heart Patient Gets Support

plight more than 10 years ago, she began seeking support for her from a number of institutions. The patient, a subsistence farmer at Bolgatanga, now lives with her sister in Accra. Mrs. Kunbour was happy to have raised a total of GH¢18,500 so far, and expressed appreciation to the VRA, and other institutions for their support. Last May VRA made a simi- he Volta Riv- volves the cost of surgery, an- lar donation towards the open er Authority, aesthesia and intensive care. The heart surgery of Michael Fynn, has given fi- Ghana Heart Foundation is to a fifteen month-old child from nancial sup- bear half the cost. A Senior As- Abuesi in the Shama District port to Ms. sistant Registrar of the Ghana of the Western Region. These Grace Adua, Institute of Management and gestures are part of the Author- a 46 year old heart patient. Public Administration (GIM- ity's quest to ensure that lives are TAccording to a medical re- PA), Mrs. Victoria Kunbour, saved.■ port cited by the VRA dated said when she heard Ms. Adua's March 13, 2013 and signed by Dr. M. Tamatey of the National Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle- Bu, Ms. Adua had two heart de- fects, which the doctors call Mi- tral Valve Incompetence (MVI) and Aortic Valve Incompetence (AVI), both of which have had grievous effects on her health. To correct them, Ms. Adua needed to undergo open- heart surgery estimated to cost Mrs. Victoria Kunbour receiving a cheque from Staff of the Corporate GH¢36,000. The amount in- Communications Unit on behalf of the patient

24 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS►

VRA PSWU Holds Quadrennial Congress

he VRA Chief Executive, M r . K w e k u Andoh Awot- wi, has stated that “all over the world the numbers of public sectorT workers are dwindling, owing to globalisation. The only way workers could overcome that, he said, was for them to constantly upgrade themselves, in order to become relevant.

Mr. Awotwi gave the advice Executives and some invited guests singing the labour anthem when he addressed the Quadren- nial Delegates Conference of the Mr. Awotwi urged the workers skills of staff was a management VRA Public Service Workers Union to work towards achieving excel- priority. Because the Authority re- (PSWU) at Akuse. The two-day lence, inspite of the recent challeng- quired from the emerging energy es of the VRA. market dedicated, well trained, dis- The Chief Executive ciplined and motivated staff, whose “We must all exhibit our said the Union today was efforts were vital to achieving the core values of Trust, Team no more a tool of confu- corporate objectives and ensuring work, Accountability, sion, but a vibrant tool for that VRA survived in a competitive Integrity and Commitment partnership and progress. market. in all that we do” He, therefore, challenged He said, the Authority was de- the staff to develop their signing various strategies to ensure conference was under the theme: skills and be able to overcome the that it provided competitive condi- “Achieving Public Power Sector Ex- challenges of globalisation. He said tions of service. cellence: The Role of the Union”. strengthening the capabilities and Contd. on pg.26 → [email protected] / www.vra.com | 25 VRA NEWS►

VRA PSWU Holds Quadrennial Congress ← Contd. from pg.25

CE in a group photograph with delegates

The Chairperson of the VRA Division of PSWU, Mrs. Esther A. Asafo, said the Union chose the theme: "Achieving Public Power Sector Excellence: The role of the Union" to place emphasis on commitment and service quality. She urged her colleagues to perform their duties with dili- gence to support the Authority achieve its corporate vision. The Deputy Secretary-General of the TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah, commended workers of the VRA on their hard work. “You are A Section of the delegates part of a very important organisation and I wonder where Ghana would have been lenges from within and outside the Union, in the past today if the VRA were not in existence,” he said. He few years because we are united”, he said. He urged the advised all public sector workers to pursue excellence staff not to allow any circumstances to take them out of to forestall any attempts at selling public sector assets. the Union but resolve to be part of the larger family of The General Secretary of the Public Service Work- workers. ers' Union (PSWU), Mr. Richard Ampaabeng, advised He urged Ghanaians to accept to pay economic tar- workers to be united and be able to overcome challeng- iffs, to enable the VRA to become viable. ■ es. “We have been able to survive the attacks and chal-

26 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS► Accra VRA Ladies Induct New Officers

New Executives taking the Oath of Office

Old and New Executives of the VRA Ladies Association

The Accra Branch of ing and expressed hope the Volta River Author- that the New Executives Mrs. Esther Agboh left, president & Mrs. Gloria Tagoe right, Vice ity Ladies Association, would keep up the good President taking the Oath of Office has held an induction work. ceremony for newly Mrs. Esther Agboh elected executives. expressed gratitude for The executives were being elected president sworn into office by Mr. and promised to contrib- Kwame Amankwah- ute to the work and ob- Twum of the Legal De- jectives of the VRA. She partment. suggested that the ladies In a speech, Mrs. Stella get to know fellow mem- Dey, the Outgoing presi- bers' residences, to bridge The newly sworn-in Executives dent, gave a brief back- the communication gap. ground of the association Present at the cer- and mentioned some of emony were Mrs. Ama Names and Positions of Newly Elected VRA Ladies Executives the challenges she faced Ocansey Arthur (the out- NAME POSITION as president. She ex- going Financial Control- Mrs. Esther Agboh President pressed hope that the In- ler), Mr. Winfred Amanu coming President would (National Chairman of Mrs. Gloria Tagoe Vice-President continue building from the Senior Staff Associa- Mrs. Monica M. Kudu Financial Secretary where she left off. tion), Mrs Cynthia Ann Mrs. Antoinette Armah Secretary The National Presi- Aglah, who facilitated the Mrs. Veronica Parku Vice-Secretary dent of the VRA Ladies' programme, and Mrs. Mrs. Mabel Aboagyewaa Gasu Organising Secretary Association, Mrs. Tandy Rachel Debrah (the out- Assistant Organising Mrs. Hussein Fahematu Chothia, said the Accra going Treasurer). ■ Secretary branch was noted for being the most hardwork- Mrs. Emelia Obani-Addipah Treasurer

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 27 VRA NEWS►

Gayheart Quarshie Fetes Kids

Mr. Gayheart Tekpor Quarshie, former supervisor of the Akuse Club House, has hosted a party for children of the Christ Is the Answer International School at Akuse to mark the commencement of his retirement. Mr. Tekpor retired on July 7, 2013. He first joined the Publicity Unit of the VRA at Akosombo and was later reassigned to re-activate and manage the Dobson Club House and the Akosombo swimming pool, after the two Mr. Gayheart Quarshie facilities had almost collapsed. His ability to revive the fortunes of the facilities necessitated his transfer to Akuse as supervisor, with the responsibility of reviving the Akuse Club House, which was also near collapse.

Mr. Tekpor effectively applied his managerial skills to successfully revive the Club House.

In an interview, he said: “I started with a number of colleagues, some of whom did not live to the retirement age.” He expressed gratitude to God for seeing him through 40 years of pleasant and challenging times at the Pupils enjoy thier meal Authority and explained that the party for the children was his way of expressing his gratitude to God and the community in which he had lived throughout his working life.

He thanked Management, supervisors and colleagues, both past and present, for supporting him during his service and prayed for success for the Authority and the staff. He encouraged the school children to study hard and aim to become good public servants in the future. The school children were feted with a sumptuous meal. ■ Mr. Quarshie, with the pupils

28 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS►

Refurbished VRA Morgue Commissioned

Director, Health Services, Dr. Mrs Acquaah Arhin, and her team

ork on the led to the closure of the mortuary Handing over the project, the Man- refurbished for about six weeks to allow for the aging Director of Marko Refrig- ultra-modern refurbishment. eration and Air Conditioning, Mr. central refrig- Dr. Acquaah-Arhin said, "the Kwabena Amaning-Darko, said his eration sys- refurbishment was crucial to the company was able to meet all dead- temW for the Akosombo Hospital hospital, since it would mark an lines without sacrificing quality. He Mortuary has been completed. end to challenges encountered at added that the new cold rooms come The six-week project replaced the morgue, and increase work effi- with multi-cabinet mortuary freezers, the old cold room freezers which ciency". She said, the morgue would each containing thirty six corpses, could not function properly. The job soon undergo a massive expansion condensing units, evaporating units, was undertaken by Marko Refriger- to increase its current capacity of 36 copper wiring, and switches. ating & Air Conditioning Limited . cold rooms to 150 body cold rooms. The newly installed anti-corro- Speaking at the ceremony, The Senior Administrative Of- sive condensing units have a total the Director of Health Services, ficer of the Health Services De- working capacity of 500 horsepower Dr. Mrs. Rebecca Acquaah-Arhin, partment, Mr. Ralph Punamane, and can operate between -5o and +5o, noted that the old freezers posed a expressed satisfaction with the com- ensuring that bodies in the freezers grave danger to the hospital, includ- pletion of the project and expressed were not over-frozen. ■ ing staff of the mortuary, as bodies the belief that it would help save cost deposited at the morgue deteriorated and minimise the work load at the at a fast rate. The situation, she said, morgue”.

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 29 VRA NEWS► My First Experience with Thermal Generation

he heat that greet- eration by hydro and by ther- team of managers, supervisors ed me was more mal means. Even before I could and sectional heads dicussed than enough to be taken through some formal the way forward for problems have me turn back orientation, I could tell the as were brought to the fore. without achiev- “Dada-ba” of the two systems One thing I noticed, as a new Ting the purpose for which I of power generation, just by team player was the spirit in had gone there with my digi- comparing the noise made by which all the team members tal camera. But with two lady the machines at the two loca- accepted issues as they came Technician Engineers right tions, Akuse and Aboadze. up for discussion, without any inside the room, at- acrimony. tending to some The issues were maintenance work, seen as purely tech- I gathered cour- nical and operation- age and stood my al challenges that ground. After all, is it needed solutions; no not said that “What attacks were levelled women can do, men against individuals also can, and even do responsible for par- it better”? Did I hear ticular operational ar- you say it is the oth- eas that came up for er way round? Well, discussion. just permit it to stand I got impressed by as it has been ren- this show of camara- dered, for very good derie among the staff reasons. and hoped such ef- I had been trans- fective collaborations ferred from the Train- would be replicated ing & Development across the organisa- Division of the Hu- tion. man Resource Department, My personal opinion that On this note, I congratulate Akuse, to the Corporate Com- thermal power generation re- our gallant men and women munications Unit, Aboadze. quires much closer attention, who work harmoniously be- I was in my fourth week or as done to a “Dada-ba,” was hind the scenes in various ca- so and needed to take some soon confirmed. I was privi- pacities and locations, to pow- photographs within the plant. leged to have attended oper- er economies and raise the My morale for work at my ating briefings each morning, living standards of the people new location was very high. when daily challenges, ob- of Ghana and West Africa. ■ There was much for me to servations, repairs and main- learn, know about power gen- tenance were discussed. The

30 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS►

Maintenance of Akosombo Roads Commences

heAkosombo He said the security sub-commit- Town Manage- tee had introduced long and short ment has com- term measures to help address and menced work improve security and safety of resi- on the resealing dents and visitors. of potholes and “In the short to medium term, the repair of damaged portions of we have formed a taskforce to pa- linkT roads in the Akosombo Town- trol the town, especially on Sundays ship. and week days; we provide fuel to The rehabilitation work is ex- this taskforce to perform its patrol Mr. E.K Ofori, pected to be extended to include the Acting Town Manager, Akosombo duties. We have constituted the renovation of the main lorry station. Akosombo Volunteer Corps (AVC) Mr. Edward Kwame Ofori, Ag. wa, a Company in Tema to start the to beef up security”, Mr. Ofori said. Town Manager, made this known to resealing work. The Ag. Town Manager also VRA News in an exclusive interview He admitted to the late start of said although a football team has at Akosombo. the project which, he said, was due been given permission to use Ako- The interview focused on a wide to a delay in the procurement pro- sombo as its base, the spate of accu- range of issues, bordering on secu- cess and a shortage of bitumen at sations of theft against footballers rity, sanitation, infrastructure and the suppliers end. was worrying, hence the need to the future development of the com- Meanwhile, the rehabilitation beef up security. He said as part of munity. One of the aims of the in- work has started and residents have the security measures, the security terwiew was to give the Town Man- witnessed portions of the roads be- sub-committee met with the foot- agement the opportunity to react to ing resealed by staff of the Town ball administrators, who had agreed public allegations that Akosombo Management, with support from that the profiles of their footballers, was no longer a model township. workers of the Engineering Depart- together with their photographs, Mr. Ofori refuted the allegations ment who are executing the project. finger prints and other security de- and said that his administration was Touching on security, Mr. Ofori tails be taken by the District Police committed to the entire develop- noted that the Akosombo Manage- Crime Office. ment of Akosombo community. ment Committee (AMC) performs He said the Senior Staff Associ- Addressing the issue on bad local authority functions, includ- ation was discussing with the Town roads in the community, he said the ing well managed security systems Management on the engagement of Town Management, with support in the community on behalf of the the services of a private security firm from management had procured VRA, through its sub-committee on as a long term measure to improve

120 barrels of bitumen from Gbe- security. Contd. on pg.34 →

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 31 VRA NEWS► THE VALUE OF HARD WORK

he Akans have a proverb which says “ A d w u m a d e n n k u m Nipa,” which translates as, ‘’Hard work breaks Tno bones’’. There is also the adage, "There is dignity in labour." These expressions have impacted on the lives of people at different times. However, between October 2012 and August 2013, these words as- sumed a new meaning in my life. In October 2012, I was posted to the Volta River Authority for Na- tional Service, and assigned to the Corporate Communications Unit. My first day at work was intrigu- ing. Interacting with several pleasant people gave me the impression I have now created a world of my that life in VRA was going to be own in which I outline my tasks, one great pleasant experience. Lit- keep to schedules and deadlines tle did I know that all those people and ensure I am effective and ef- were looking for the outstanding ficient in the office. I have felt great qualities of hard work and excel- and on top in the world ever since lence. my supervisor started commend- One incident that brought out ing me on my new sense of pur- those qualities in me were how my pose and direction. I have come to supervisor "told me off" for not be- appreciate that hard work inures to ing able to deliver as expected, on a sense of ownership, confidence, an assignment, “You don’t want and of belonging. This conscious to learn; see the premium you effort has, indeed, enhanced my have placed on yourself,” were perception of perfection. her words I felt so bad that I cried My experience with the Cor- for close to 30 mins. From then, porate Communications Unit be- I thought life, as I had presumed, tween October 2012 and August was not what it seemed. I still re- visor. He has advised me to always 2013 was most challenging, and member that day as though it was strive to achieve perfection. “One very educative. I can confidently yesterday. may feel the pain of hard work say that I now have a great asset, My bitter experience with the only when the fruits of one's labour which is the ability to strive hard supervisor compelled me to quick- are not recognised or appreciated.” for excellence. ■ ly improve upon my performance He noted that discipline, determi- by applying the principle of excel- nation and dedication promote ex- lence taught me by another super- cellence.

32 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS► BLESSED INTERNSHIP

"Internships have become the new entry level," says Lou Ga- glini, Associate Director for Em- ployer Relations and Recruiting at Boston College Career Centre. "Employers like to know you can hit the ground running." And that is exactly what my 8-week internship at the Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) of VRA has given me preparation for a career in Corporate Com- munications. I have always wanted to be in the field of communications, so although my first degree is in Phys- ics, I studied communications at the graduate level and this afforded stant training? How many public many others, who, I am sure, are me the opportunity to do a manda- sector organisations and even pri- going to be life-long friends. tory 8-week internship (part of my vate organisations, in Ghana have Most often, I felt like an em- conditions for graduating) in one of an e-library that subscribes to all ployee of the company, not just an the best public institutions in Gha- the major academic journals in the intern. I was treated with respect na - VRA. world (please don’t mention the and given real responsibilities, I consider VRA to be one of the Universities)? How many public and staff at the CCU frequently best public institutions in Ghana, sector organisations run an almost reached out to me with advice and because just as their corporate vi- paperless system? And, finally, friendship. sion says, “Setting the Standard how many public sector organisa- The 8-week internship at the in Public Sector Excellence in tions in Ghana have a computer- VRA has been a great learning Africa”, the Authority is all about ised employee monitoring system experience and, indeed one of con- public sector excellence. How such as the Balance Score Card stant learning. Many of the theo- many public sector organisations (BSC)? While the internship was ries I learnt at school have now in Ghana continually sponsor their unpaid, the experience was price- come to life - they have been made staff for training and I mean con- less. I met many great people and practical. ■

I have deiced to take Exercising more seriously. Today, I moved to the left Tomorrow, I go right HUMOUR BREAK Source: instanthumour.com

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 33 VRA NEWS►

Maintenance of Akosombo Roads Commences ← Contd. from pg.31 security in Akosombo. Moreover, nities near Akosombo and the water established in the early 1960s to pro- he said, staff are being given tips to front areas of the Volta Lake, until vide residential accommodation for make them security conscious. plans to privatise the department are local and expatriate staff who con- Mr. Ofori said the Town Man- completed. structed the Akosombo hydroelec- agement had gone far in its bid to On sanitation, Mr. Ofori said the tric dam. invite estate developers to help re- Akosombo Management Commit- The population of Akosombo duce the housing deficit in the town. tee (AMC) has been collecting re- at the time was about 600. Now it " We really need the support of real fuse in the township once a week, to stands at about 19,600. estate developers and investors to ensure proper maintenance of sani- In 1963, the AMC was consti- tackle the accommodation deficit in tation and to forestall the outbreak tuted to perform local council func- the town.” of diseases. tions; with the advent of the District Mr. Ofori said the Authority was He asked the general public to Assembly concept in 1989, an Ex- in the process of getting the Real maintain a high level of cleanliness ecutive Instrument EI 42, was pro- Estate Department to operate as a and ensure proper sanitation man- mulgated to champion the VRA’s non-core entity. "There is, therefore agement in their homes, so that they local authority role in managing the the need to finalise that commer- could restore its description as the Akosombo Township. cialisation process before private de- cleanest Community at both region- This gave the AMC whose mem- velopers could come in." Mr Ofori al and national levels. bership is constituted every four explained. Akosombo was adjudged on years, the mandate to perform 87 He suggested that in the mean- two occasions as the Cleanest Town non-political functions, as stipulated time developers who want to partner in the Eastern Region in 1997 and in EI 42. ■ the VRA in its development agenda 1998 by the Ghana Tourist Board. could channel their resources into The Akosombo township, covering development of adjoining commu- a land area of about 15.1km2, was

New Foreign Service Officers Visit Aboadze

delegation of new For- eign Service Officers on A Saturday, July 27, 2013 paid a day’s working visit to the Aboadze Thermal Power Plant. Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Mr. Marcel Domayele said the purpose of their visit was to familiarise themselves with the operations of the plant and to see

The delegates in a group photograph with the Plant Manager, Ing. Alfred D. Sackeyfio. Contd. on pg.38→

34 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS►

Youth Entrepreneurship Forum For Akosombo Youth

outh Entrepre- neurship Forum (YEF), a non- profit organisation, has held a five-dayY forum for the youth in the Akosombo Township, on creating and sustaining self employment. The YEF- an initiative by Mr. Willis Ampiaw a tutor at the Akosombo International School, aims at addressing graduate un- employment and to position the Participants of Youth Entrepreneurship Forum next generation of Ghanaian youth who want to venture into and suc- had worsened the fortunes of the and How to Discover Your Busi- ceed in the private sector. country as population continues to ness Potentials and Identifying Opening the forum a former increase and as many youth look to Business Opportunities. Director, VRA Health Services, Dr. the public sector for employment.” The speakers for the occasion John Nkrumah-Mills, told partici- The initiative, he said, was to included; Mr. Anthony Blay, Di- pants and the youth in general to use the forum to enlighten the rector, Volta River Estates Lim- make use of the numerous oppor- participants on the need for entre- ited; (VREL), Mr. Ebenezer Kojo tunities readily available to them preneurship and to expose them Abakah, Teacher, Akosombo today. He noted that the youth to long-term self-employment op- International School; Mr. Clement have serveral opportunities to turn portunities, while providing hands- Akyeampong, a Procurement Ana- their career objectives around to on demonstrations and skills for lyst, Volta River Authority (VRA); improve their living standard. prospective entrepreneurs. and Ing. Mrs. Sophia Abena Tijani, Mr. Willis Ampiaw remarked Speakers at the function dem- Senior Electrical Engineer, VRA. that the idea of youth entrepre- onstrated expertise in their own Others were: Mr. Henry Osborn neurship was borne out of his con- fields. Among the topics treated Quarshie, a Computer Forensic viction that entrepreneurial skills were: The Challenges of Unem- Expert and Lecturer, Regent Uni- should be the core of the coun- ployment and the Opportunities versity College; Dr. Charles Sedem try’s educational system, so as to for Young Graduates; Entrepre- Este, Suhum District Director, give real meaning to the assertion neurship: Foundational Knowl- Procurement Management and that the private sector should be edge and Skills; What One Needs Internationally-funded Projects, the Ghanaian economy's engine of to Know to Start a Business in Ministry of Food and Agriculture; growth. He said, “the sale of pub- Ghana Today; Financing Your and the Very Rev. Amos Justice Po- lic corporations to private entities Business: The Options Available; Contd. on pg.38→

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 35 VRA NEWS► Welcome to AKUSE

Refurbished Colonial Bungalow "The once say your last prayer" dreaded Akuse Prison

hen it comes to way from the Akuse junction just swear, it was huge, with long, dot- tourism, Akuse look at the mountains on your right ted and hairy legs! This type has obviously and see whether you can identify largely disappeared because of the plays second the faces. decrease in rice farming in the area. fiddle to Ako- But if you are lucky you would see Wsombo. The reason may not be far Alexandre Dumas and capture one for a souvenir. fetched - the historical nature of the Did you know that the grandson Akosombo Dam which, contains of Alexandre Dumas, who wrote, Good old days the largest man-made lake in the ‘’The Three Musketeers,’’ once For those who do not know, world, and which can be seen even lived at Akuse? Did you know Akuse used to be the commercial from outer space, has made it more that he was in the textile trade and hub of the district and beyond more attractive to visit Akosombo. that the cloth, ‘dumas,’ was named than 100 years ago. The Senchi But, the truth is that Akuse has after him? Ferry Crossing and the Amedeka more interesting historical sites Landing Sites made Akuse famous than Akosombo, even if they cur- Colonial Bungalow as stop-over town for entry into the rently remain undeveloped and un- Did you know that Dr. Kofi Volta Region. However, with the recognised. Right from the Akuse Abrefa Busia, former Prime Min- construction of the Adomi Bridge Junction on the Tema – Akosombo ister of Ghana, was a District in 1956, Akuse lost its vintage rel- road through to Asutuare, there are Commissioner at Akuse during the evance to Kpong, and Senchi lost delightful places that can compete colonial period and that his bunga- its glorious position to Atimpoku. with any other known tourist sites low still stands solidly? But relics of the good old days still in the country. exist and can be seen at Akuse. You Prison Mosquitoes only have to visit Akuse to be his- Krobo Mountains The Akuse Prison became no- torically born again. Did you know that the Krobo torious and most feared because of Mountains, which serve as a place the giant mosquitoes from there. Kpong Dam of pilgrimage for the Krobo people If you were sent to Akuse Prison, The Kpong Dam at Akuse has during their festivals, have a male then you might as well say your an artificial dyke (unlike the Ako- face and a female face? Do you last prayer. I once saw one of this know what they look like? On your special breed of mosquitoes and, I Contd. on pg.38 →

36 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS► I am Checking My Fingers!

Some people are easily forgotten as soon as they retire or leave the service of the Authority. But this man would be forever remembered for his quotable quotes,

which have been dutifully compiled by Source: mimiandeunice.com some close friends and associates. 1. While most staff would only show a to use his own DISCRETION when faced casual interest in the FIGURES on their with major challenges. ‘I use my own DIS- pay slips – after all, it is the lodgement at TINCTION,’ he announced. the bank that matters- he was found scru- 6. He was busy putting finishing touch- tinising his pay slip one day. ‘I am check- es to his building project, in anticipation ing my FINGERS, he explained. of a peaceful retirement. His magnificent 2. He had made it abundantly clear that building had special features such as TER- he was not a NATIVE of the town. So why RAZZO. ‘I have a TERRANO house,’ he re- were people still asking him whether he vealed. was?. ‘I am not a NEGATIVE of this town’, 7. His retirement plan did not involve he insisted. going to school or college; he would stay 3. He had been working very hard and within the COVERAGE area, so that he was liked by everybody. Then why would could easily get in contact with his friends. the people SQUEEZE their faces when he But if you made a call to him and he did not asked for some items. ‘When they saw me respond then it would not be intentional. they EXCUSED their faces,’ he lamented. ‘I would be out of the COLLEGE area,’ he 4. He did not want to be disturbed espe- explained. cially when he was EXPECTING an impor- 8. It is very ANNOYING when people say tant call. Yet some people bothered him things about you that you have not done. with petty talk. ‘Please, I am RESPECT- What do you say, brother? ‘Yes, it is very, ING a call,’ he warned. very ‘ANNOINTING’, he agreed. 5. He had come to appreciate pieces of advice from his friends and colleagues,

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS►

Michael O. Sackey - Editor Paulina Kuranchie - Intern, Corporate Communications Unit

Samuel de Graft-Johnson - Corporate Communications Unit, Accra Samuel M. Cann - Corporate Communications Unit, Aboadze

Cynthia Aglah - Corporate Communications Unit, Accra Domnic Andoh - Guest Writer (B&FT)

Kwesi Eyeson Lorietta Appiah - Intern

Michael Danso Mavis Yayra Gana - National Service Person, Corporate

Kwame Hagan Ntsiful Communications Unit

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 37 VRA NEWS►

Entrepreneurship Forum Welcome to AKUSE ← Contd. from pg.36 For Akosombo Youth ← Contd. from pg.35

bee; a Superintendent Minister of the Methodist sombo Dam which has a natural dyke) which Church. gives an unhindered view of the head pond all All the 73 participants, including the seven the way to Atimpoku. Along its borders are dot- facilitators were presented with certificates of ted some of the most romantic holiday resorts, participation endorsed by the Chief Executive including the Sajuna Recreational Centre and of VRA. The programme was also supported by the wooded VRA Executive chalets on the east- the VRA.■ ern bank of the dam. They represent the modern face of the town.

socialentrepreneurshipandgrants.com VRA Club House, Akuse The VRA Club House Complex at Akuse, which has a tennis court, a badminton court, a swimming pool, a football field, a conference room facility, inner and outside bars and a first class motel, added to the serene and botanical environment, puts one in the perfect mood for relaxation away from the city.■

New Foreign Service Officers Visit Aboadze ← Contd. from pg.34

how best they could sell to tions for containing the na- considered nuclear energy foreign investors, Ghana’s tion’s power supply needs. as an option, since nuclear need for more independent Mr. Sackeyfio told the power was a safe option for power producers. group it was important to Ghana. Briefing the delegation, have a more effective means Accompanying the del- the Plant Manager of the of collaboration among the egation were personnel Aboadze Thermal Plant, agencies within the power from the Western Regional Ing. Alfred D. Sackeyfio, sector, and to educate users Coordinating Council, led explained to them the pro- of electricity and the pub- by the Planning Officer, cesses involved in thermal lic at large on energy con- Mr. Samuel Amihere. The power generation, chal- servation to ensure smooth group was grateful for the lenges confronting the operations. warm reception. ■ Authority, as well as the The delegation won- VRA's long term projec- dered why Ghana has not

38 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS►

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CANCER PART TWO

Spotting the signs of Cancer: different than normal. Stools may appear bloody or dark and are as In its early stages, cancer may have thin as pencils such as in cases of no symptoms, but eventually a ma- colon and rectal cancer.. lignant tumour would grow large Try to observe if you had under- enough to be detected. gone changes in bladder function. As it continues to grow, it may Cancer can cause urinary prob- press on nerves and produce pain, lems that may include pain during penetrate blood vessels and cause urination, blood in the urine, and bleeding, or interfere with the changes in the urine flow. function of a body organ or system. Keep an eye for non-healing Notice the stability of your sores around your body. Bleed- weight. Persistent weight loss may ing of the skin is common among Observe if you have frequent occur along with any type of can- skin cancers, which may appear indigestion or if you find it difficult cer. Unintentional loss of weight like non-healing sores. Sores that to swallow. Both of these symp- can reach up to a drop of ten pounds do not heal around the testicles or toms may be due to other causes, or more and may start at the onset vagina may possibly be a sign of but they can also be a sign of an of the disease cancer. existing cancer. Observe how often you feel Palpate the surfaces of your Check with your doctor if you tired. Extreme exhaustion or con- body for some existing lumps or experience persistent cough and stant feeling of fatigue is a typical swollen lymph nodes. Lumps are hoarseness. Constant coughing sign of cancer. It may start during often harmless but for those that do that lasts for more than a month the early stage of the disease. not go away and cause severe pain along with blood expectorations Monitor how frequently you as you touch them, may be related may be a sign of lung cancer. feel pain. Pain can be an early in- to cancer. Cancer Prevention dication of cancer such as in cases Keep an eye on unusual dis- of bone or testicular cancer. Pain charge of blood in your system. Making some simple changes to can also be a constant companion Abnormal bleeding may occur dur- your lifestyle can significantly re- of cancer, especially on more pro- ing the early or later stage of can- duce your risk of developing can- gressed or advanced cases. cer. Coughing of blood or blood in cer. A headache that is far more se- the phlegm may indicate cancer of Healthy lifestyle vere than the usual, lasts for days, the lungs. An unusual vaginal dis- Exercise and proper breathing and fails to improve with medica- charge may be a sign of cancer in Balanced diet tion, can be a sign of cancer. Con- the uterus or cervix. Complete rest and sleep stant pain in the back and pelvic Breast cancer can show signs Water (8 to 10 glasses daily) area are common among patients of an abnormal discharge of blood Eating on an empty stomach with ovarian cancer. from the nipple. A bloody or dark Avoid being overweight or Take note of some changes in stool may be indicative of colon underweight, and limit weight your stools and bowel habits. The or rectal cancer; and blood in the gain during adulthood to less consistency, calibre, and appear- urine (hematuria) may be a sign of than 11 pounds ance of your stool may come out bladder or kidney cancer.

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 39 VRA NEWS► Preventing Cancer through Diet

TYPE DECREASED RISK INCREASED RISK Lung Vegetables, fruits Smoking, some occupations Breast Vegetables, fruits Obesity, alcohol Colon/Rectum Vegetables, physical activity Meat, acohol, smoking Prostate Vegetables Meat or meat fat; dairy fat Bladder Vegetables, fruits Smoking, coffee Cervix Vegetables, fruits Smoking Liver Vegetables Alcohol, contaminated food Vegetables, fruits, food Stomach Salt, salted food refrigeration Oesophagus Vegetables, fruits Deficient diet, smoking, alcohol Mouth/Throat Vegetables, physical activity Salted fish, alcohol, smoking

Preventing Cancer through Lifestyle

TYPE DECREASED RISK INCREASED RISK Consume at least 5 servings of Tobacco use, Lung fruits and vegetables some occupations

Engage in physical activity for at Obesity and weight gain, alcohol Breast least 4 hours per week, consume consumption, hormone replace- lots of fruits and vegetables ment therapy

Engage in regular, moderate physi- High intake of red meat, smoking, Colon/Rectum cal activity, consume lots of fruit alcohol consumption, salted food and vegetables

Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and High intake of red meat and high- Prostate vegetables daily fat dairy products

Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and Salted foods, helicobacter pylori Stomach vegetables daily, refrigerate food bacteria

Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and Tobacco use, obesity, alcohol Mouth/Throat vegetables daily consumption, salted foods

40 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS► Additional tips from some Cancer researchers:

If you don’t get much exercise at work, take a 1 hour brisk walk or similar exercise daily, and exercise vigorously for at least 1 hour a week Eat 8 or more servings of cereals and grains (such as rice, corn, breads and pasta); legumes ( such as peas); roots (such as beets, radishes and carrots); tubers (such as po- tatoes); plantains (including bananas) Limit consumption of refined sugar. Limit alcoholic drinks to less than two a day for men and 1 a day for women. Limit intake of red meat to less than 3 ounces a day, if at all. Limit consumption of salted foods and the use of cooking

and table salt. Use herbs and (NFCR). www.nfcr.org FOR CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION Source: NATIONAL spices to season foods.

Cancer treatment cur more frequently in developing Studies from developed coun- Each specific type of cancer has its countries. Lung seem to have high tries show that cancer is exceed- own set of treatment methods. incidence in both developed and ing cardiovascular diseases and However, many cases of can- developing countries. has become a major cause of death, cer are treated using chemotherapy The differences in the preva- compared to underdeveloped coun- (powerful cancer-killing medica- lence of cancer in different regions tries where infectious diseases is tion) and radiotherapy (the con- of the world can be explained the major cause of death. ■ trolled use of high-energy X-ray). through heredity, medical practic- Surgery is also sometimes carried es, lifestyle changes and environ- out to remove cancerous tissue. mental exposures, like different di- Variations in Rates: Rates have ets, tobacco and pesticides. Studies large variations among populations Occurrence of Cancer in Differ- suggest that the incidence of colon ent Groups (Epidemiology) cancer is seen more in people who 444.6 Per 100,000 African Americans are obese. The prevalence of cancer in dif- Studies suggest that men are 402.1 Per 100,000 Whites ferent regions of the world varies, more prone to develop colorec- depending on the type of cancer tal cancer than women. Obesity 272.4 Per 100,000 Hispanics occurring in that particular region. increases the prevalence of breast Epidemiological studies suggest cancer in postmenopausal women 279.3 Per 100,000 Asian Pacific Islanders that breast cancer and prostate can- by 30 to 50%. Other kinds of cancer are common in the developed cer related to obesity include endo- countries of the world, whereas metrial, pancreatic, kidney, liver 152.8 Per 100,000 Native Americans. cervical, and stomach cancers oc- cancer, gall bladder, etc.

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 41 VRA NEWS► EAT RIGHT; KEEP FIT; LIVE HEALTHY!

Dr. Daniel Mensah, consulting dieti- sustains life and maintains a healthy cian at the VRA Clinic, Accra, has body. said that 90% of chronic non-com- A nutritious diet, he said, must be ficial spices which are high in mono- municable diseases are as a result of calorie controlled, balanced, adequate, sodium glutamate and which, like salt, lifestyle choices made earlier in life. have variety, eaten in moderation and can cause hypertension when eaten in He, therefore, advises young peo- in the proper pattern. Touching on excess.” ple to make healthy food and lifestyle each of these, Dr. Mensah said that Alcohol, the consulting dietician choices now in order to remain healthy a balanced diet should have 50-60% said decreases the absorption of cal- in the future. carbohydrates, 10-15% proteins (20% cium from the intestines and causes He said this at a presentation for staff for children) and 25-30% fats and oils. deficiencies in Vitamin D and mag- of the Corporate Communications Calorie control implies eating accord- nesium - both of which are important Unit and Legal Services Department. ing to the energy one expends, while to bone health. Excessive intake of Dr. Mensah enumerated the ben- eating in moderation involves taking alcohol, he said, can also cause hyper- efits of exercise, and said a 30-min- in small quantities of salt, sugar, fats tension, increase the risk of cancers ute workout keeps the body burning and oils and alcohol. (mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, co- fat for 24 hours. He advised staff to The dietician advised that meals lon, and breast) and liver diseases. exercise at least one hundred and fifty should be eaten at consistent times Giving healthy diet tit bits, Dr. hours a week in order to stay healthy and at uniform frequencies. He rec- Mensah advised the following: and live longer. ommended that breakfast should be • Buy lean meat instead of fatty cuts. He said people eat primarily for eaten between 6 and 8am, lunch 12 • Eat whole meal cereals nutrition and energy. He defined food and 2pm and supper before 6:30pm. • Eat plenty vegetables of all colours as anything that nourishes the body, He identified skipping breakfast or • Eat fish more often than eatm eating it late, eating less than three • Use 1 to 2 dessertspoonfulls of regular meals daily, eating supper late evaporated milk or one dessert at night and eating meals at irregular spoonfull cream milk powder. times as poor eating patterns that must • Do not add salt to be done away with. Starvation or fre- prepared foods; it would help quent skipping of meals, he warned, remove the salt shaker from could lead to high blood cholesterol, the table! weight gain, and nutrient deficiencies, • Use natural seasonings and spices among others. He also advised that rather than artificial ones people should avoid late night eating (e.g., garlic, ginger, onions, and eat to at least three hours before herbs) to season foods instead bedtime. of salt. Dr. Mensah also warned that ex- • Replace canned, frozen and other cessive intake of salt can cause hyper- processed foods with fresh fruits tension and advised that salt should be and vegetables. ■ taken sparingly. He added; “Natural spices, should be used in lieu of arti-

42 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS► | RETIRED STAFF |

NAME DESIGNATION DATE OF RETIREMENT

Mr. Doku, Stephen Kwakye Director, Special Engineering Projects, Accra July 13, 2013

Mr. Otoo, Isaac Nee Manager, Corporate Administration, August 21, 2013 Commey-Tettey General Services, Accra

Manager, Management Accounting, Planning and Mr. Ayisi, Kwame Obuobi July 11, 2013 Business Development Department, Accra

Manager, Corporate Planning, Planning and Business Mrs. Addo, Martina Ayikai, September 15, 2013 Development, Accra

Senior Steward, Real Estate and Security Mr. Dokyi, George Ampaw Kwadwo July 01, 2013 Department, Accra

Mr. Asante-Boateng, Fire Supervisor, Projects and Systems Monitoring July 05, 2013 Alexander Department, Tema.

Senior Community Health Nurse, Health Services Ms. Ashie, Sarah July 06, 2013 Department, Akosombo

Senior Night Watchman, Real Estate and Security Mr. Yiriferee, Anthony Anderson Abawe July 11, 2013 Department, Accra

Mr. Kaba, James Accounting Assistant Grade 1, NEDCo, Bolgatanga July 21, 2013

Senior Maintenance Mechanic, Grade 1, Mr. Abuu, Dramani August 02, 2013 NEDCo, Sunyani

Assistant Grade 1, Real Estate and Security Mr. Tekpor, Gayheart Quarshie August 07, 2013 Department, Akuse

Mr. Yeboah, Joseph Accounting Assistant Grade 1, NEDCo, Techiman August 08, 2013

Senior Word Processing Operator Grade 1, Real Mr. Ahiavey, Francis Sodji August 20, 2013 Estate and Security Department

Principal Driver, Hydro Generation Department, Mr. Tamatey, John Narh August 23, 2013 Akosombo

Supervising Technical Officer, Engineering Services Mr. Anim, Samuel Danso, August 26, 2013 Department, Akuse.

Head Washerman, Health Services Department, Mr. Dzidodo, Samuel Yaw August 27, 2013 Akosombo Senior Auto Mechanic Grade 1, General Services Mr. Dagadu, Daniel September 03, 2013 Department, Akuse Principal Nursing Officer Grade II, Health Ms. Ntiamoah, Ofosua Evelyn September 7, 2013 Services Department, Akosombo Senior Superintendent II, Ms. Bampo, Alice September 7, 2013 VRA Schools, Akuse

Mr. Tsigbe, Kwame David Principal Driver, General Services Department, Accra September 09, 2013 Mr. Onwona-Mensah, Nana Senior Administrative Assistant, NEDCo, Techiman September 20, 2013 Evans Robert Mr. Agbeveade, Vincent Kwasi Accounting Assistant Grade 1, NEDCo, Bolgatanga September 21, 2013 Principal Driver, Health Services Department, Ako- Mr. Osei Basoah, Dickson Nana September 23, 2013 sombo Senior Tradesman, Real Estate and Security Mr. Ansah, Benjamin September 29, 2013 Department, Accra

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 43 VRA NEWS► AIS & CEB Schools Mark 20 Years of Collaboration

Students and staff of A.I.S and CEB schools in a group picture

he VRA's Ako- languages. He said French-speaking School Departments and seven sombo Inter- in Ghana has long been a national teachers from Togo and Benin. Its national School problem and should be firmly incul- aim is to foster bilateral relations (A.I.S) and its cated in our society, as the country between the participating countries counterpart shares borders with three French- and, even more important, to pro- schools from speaking countries.” mote the speaking and writing of Communaute d'Electrique du Benin Mr. Seshie noted that job place- French and English among pupils (CEB)T and Togo have marked this ments in international organisations, and students in the schools of the year’s annual exchange programme such as the United Nations (UN), two power utility organisations. with a call on participating students require qualification in these two The month-long programme to take full advantage of the pro- languages. He, therefore, urged the included sporting activities, cultural gramme. students to take their lessons seri- exchanges, an excursion to the Ada In a welcome address, the Gen- ously and desist from discriminating Estuary, a four day socialisation with eral Manager of VRA Schools, Mr. against one another and to make the the Akuse Summer School and two Arnold Seshie, noted that the pro- most of the academic exchange pro- weeks stay in Togo and Benin by gramme was to encourage the stu- gramme. students of AIS and a reward pack- dents to upgrade their French and This year’s event, the 20th in the age for hard working students. ■ English-speaking capabilities, to series, brought together 83 students enhance communication in both from the Basic and Senior High

44 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS►

Comments on VRA News and Services of the Corporate Communications Unit

The publication has We should be pushing become bigger and more Whilst I agree that the cir- towards making it really informative, which is very culation of VRA News has online and reduce our pa- good. I think the Corporate been good. I believe that per footprints Communications Unit the circulation of the soft should work hard at getting copy is good enough, un- the public to know the work less some identifiable group and significance of VRA, Articles can be sent to our have need for hard copies as the feature on the Public outlook account once in a because they don't have Perception of VRA showed while and we should not access to the Outlook. THE ignorance on the part of wait until it's published. COST-SAVING AGENDA many people. Thanks

I think VRA News should The circulation of VRA only be sent via Outlook to News through the Out- How are you treating staff, in order to save the look is great. Staff should, the artisans who do not cost of printing. therefore, be informed understand the content of about that, so that there information being circu- would be fewer printouts or lated. I recommend that you hard copies. The circula- organise a forum to explain I suggest that what Town tion/printout also comes what is in the VRA News. Management is doing out very late. For example, should be published in VRA volume 2, ie; April - June News 2013, came out in August.

VRA News reports mostly Generally the publication The information flow activities in and around is good and provides infor- via electronic is great. Accra, Akosombo and mation, especially about Akuse. Content would be More work, must some VRA activities that enriched with more of however, be done to get the go on behind the scenes. Western and Ashanti news. Secondly, the quality is quarterly VRA News out good and I commend the within two weeks of the end Corporate Communica- of the preceding quarter. tions Unit for that. I would, Overall, progress is encour- however, request that A few hard copies could be you open it up so that more provided for staff who for aging. Keep up with the people can contribute to the various reasons, are not good progress as we aspire able to utilise the Internet. publication. to be excellent in all areas.

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 45 VRA NEWS► SHAWN KUWORNU GOES HOME

Mr. Kuwornu is also fondly remembered by the school for assisting in undertaking a major land- scaping on the main campus during the school's 40th anniversary in 2002. He was instrumental in the Eco-School programme, when he and his students undertook several tree planting exer- The mortal remains of the late Headmaster cises to green the environment. of the Basic Department of Akosombo Inter- A pre-burial service was held on Thursday national School (A.I.S), Mr. Shawn Kofi Ku- July 18, 2013 at the Mount Sinai Evangelical wornu, have been interred at his hometown, Presbyterian Church, Akosombo, where he fel- Dodome-Aveha, in the Ho West District of the lowshipped. The Very Rev. Justice Amos Po- Volta Region. bee, Ag. School Chaplain, preached at both his Mr. Kuwornu joined the Volta River Author- residence and at the school on the first day of ity (VRA) Basic School in October 16, 2000 as the funeral. On Friday, teachers and students a Graduate Master, teaching Agricultural Sci- from Akuse Schools, and the Basic and Senior ence and Biology at Akosombo and Akuse In- Departments of A.I.S. paid their last respect to ternational Schools. He rose through the ranks their colleague and Headmaster. to occupy various positions, including Senior The late Kuwornu was buried at Dodome- Graduate Master and Principal Graduate Mas- Aveha on Saturday, July 20, 2013. ter. In attendance were Deputy Chief Executive Mr. Kuwornu’s ambition to soar high in his (E&O), Ing. Kirk Koffi, Director, Risk Manage- profession culminated in his appointment as ment, Ing. Joseph Sutherland, General Man- Headmaster of the Akosombo Basic School on ager, AIS, Mr. Arnold Seshie, Rev. S.L.O. Okine, June 1, 2011, a position he held until his death Director, Human Resource Department, Mr. on May 24, 2013. Isaac Aidoo, former Director, VRA Schools, Mrs. He held various positions, such as; Chair- Grace Mannieson Anancy, former Headmaster, man of the Entrance Examination Committee; AIS, Mr. E.K Tawiah, the Ag. Akosombo Town Patron, Science and Wildlife Clubs; Member, Manager, Mr. E.K Ofori, the clergy, and a host of Timetable Planning Committee; Coordinator for VRA staff. the British Council Climate Change and School Mr. Kuwornu left behind a wife and five Community Project; Chairman, Akosombo Inter- children. national School Welfare Association (AKISWA), among others.

46 | [email protected] / www.vra.com VRA NEWS► Memorial Service in Pictures...

The Headmaster of AIS Snr. High and Acting Headmaster of AIS Basic School, reading a tribute to the late Mr Kuwornu

Delegates from the National Senior Staff Association

AIS School Choir singing a dirge to the late tutor

The remains of the late Mr Kuwornu being driven to the cemetry

[email protected] / www.vra.com | 47 OUR VALUES Our Mission: The Volta River Authority exists ☼ Commitment to Power Economies & Raise ☼ Intergrity ☼ Trust the living standards of the ☼ Teamwork peoples of Ghana & West Africa ☼ Accountability

Do You Know These? Water Quality Tips Around the House Part 1

IN THE BATHROOM zzInstall low-flow showerheads. single largest water users. Toilets use over 40% more water than needed! DID YOU KNOW? The Sink: A five-minute shower with a standard IN THE KITCHEN zzRepair leaky taps and always turn off your showerhead uses 100L of water. A taps tightly so they don't drip. five-minute shower with a low-flow The Sink: z showerhead uses 35L of water. zEven a small drip can waste tons of water. zzRepair leaky taps and always turn off your taps zzUse an aerator and a water-flow reducer Toilet: tightly so they don't drip. Even a small drip can attachment. waste tons of water. zzRepair any toilet tank, bowl or base leaks. You z zTurn off the water while brushing your teeth can check the tank for leaks by adding food zzUse an aerator and a water-flow reducer or washing your hands. colouring and observing whether it spreads to attachment. z DID YOU KNOW? the bowl without flushing. zDon’t run the water continuously while A tap leaking one drop of water per zzNever flush garbage of any kind down the thawing food, hand washing dishes or while second wastes more than 25L of water a toilet. washing fruits and veggies; use a partially filled sink instead, with a day! That’s 9,000L a year! zzInstall a low-flush toilet (that uses 6 litres or less per flush), or place a toilet insert or zzquick rinse afterward. Shower/Tub: weighted plastic bottle filled with water in the DID YOU KNOW? z water tank. zRepair leaky taps and always turn off your taps Only 10% of our home water supply tightly so they don't drip. DID YOU KNOW? is used in the kitchen and as drinking zzHave showers instead of baths and keep them About 65% of indoor home water use oc- water, but a whopping 65% is used in the short (5 minutes). curs in our bathrooms, and toilets are the bathroom. To be Continued.

IN THE NEXT ISSUE: Please send your concerns, questions, congratulatory messages, Delivering World Class Power Supply issues, worries, suggestions, etc., to [email protected] Effective Writing For further information/enquiries, contact PR Unit, Corporate Office. Tel: +233 302 664941-9 Ext. 252, 413, 309 & 453 PLC 724252/413/309/453. Also visit www.vra.com