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NEWS ARCHIVE 2008

PHOTOGRAPHER  in  GHANA  &  U.K.

Ghana Police Service

26th
AFRICA CUP of NATIONS
GHANA 2008

• 30.03.2008

ICT equipment gift to Western Heritage Home


Axim, March 30, GNA - Ghana Together, a US-based charity organisation, on Saturday donated ICT equipment and other teaching and learning materials to the Western Heritage Home, an orphanage at Axim in the Western Region.

The gifts, which were a collection from individual members of the organisation and valued at more than 10.000 New Ghana Cedis, included 12 laptop and four desktop computers, 35 chess sets, children's books and other educational materials.

Mr. and Mrs Richard and Maryanne Ward, Directors of Ghana Together who presented the items at a ceremony at Axim, said the aim of the organisation was to support the needy and vulnerable children in Ghana. Mrs Maryanne Ward said since children were the most valuable assets of every nation they must be given care, protection and encouragement to become useful leaders in the future.

Nana Kaku Bulu II, Nkosuohene of Lower Axim who was instrumental in the establishment of the Home in 2007, received the items on behalf of the community and expressed gratitude to the donors.

Nana Kaku Bulu, a Takoradi-based businessman, said an ICT centre attached to the Home would soon be completed and opened to the public particularly students.

He appealed to individuals, public and private institutions, religious organisations and the district assembly to help to provide the Home with materials and facilities.

Madam Hanna Esi Biney, Manager of the Home, appealed to citizens and institutions to help the Home to procure basic items such as refrigerators, cooking utensil among others to enable it to admit more children.

Source:
GNA

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CEO Awards 2007 held


Accra, March 30, GNA - Minister for Information and National Orientation, Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie, on Sunday called on corporate institutions to partner government to rid the country of corrupt practices that retarded the country's progress.

She said while government was making efforts to strengthen anti-corruption agencies and had passed laws to deal with the menace, the active involvement of leadership of companies would go a long way to support such efforts.

Mrs Sai-Cofie was speaking at the maiden awards night of Ghana's Most Respected Company and CEO Awards 2007 in Accra.

The awards were instituted by PriceWaterHouseCoopers, an accounting firm, in collaboration with Business and Financial Times newspaper to motivate companies and Chief Executives who had performed creditably in areas of good corporate governance practice, leadership style, social responsibility and excellent business culture among others.

Winners of the awards were nominated by their colleagues CEOs.

Mrs Sai-Cofie lauded the initiative and urged the CEOs and companies not to be motivated by profit alone but also ensure that stakeholders get satisfaction.

She said government was willing to support initiatives that would enhance transparency and accountability in management.

Mr Albert Essien, Executive Director, ECOBANK Transnational Incorporated, who was the guest speaker, said good corporate governance went beyond the mere compliance with regulatory and legal requirements.

It involves fairness, transparency, provision of sufficient information and balancing the profit motive and the rights of other stakeholders.

Mr Essien said for effective governance, there was the need for a change in attitude and practice while at the same time problems such as the poor regulatory environment, weak legal system and corruption must be resolved.

Mr Charles Egan, Country Leader, PriceWaterHouseCoopers, said the awards were instituted to promote healthy competition and to address corporate governance issues.

Ten companies were awarded with Databank, a financial services company, emerging as the overall winner of Ghana's Most Respected Company 2007.

Mr Prince Kofi Amoabeng, CEO of Unique Trust Financial Services, was adjudged by peers as Ghana's Most Respected CEO 2007.

Source:
GNA

Effutu Assembly fails to approve MCE


Winneba (C/R), March 30, GNA - The Effutu Municipal Assembly on Friday failed to approve the President's nominee, Mr. Richard Robert Ghunney as the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area. The nominee failed to obtain the two-thirds majority required for his approval.

Out of a total number of 24 assembly members present, Mr Ghunney had 14 votes, representing about 59 percent of the votes, while 10 people representing 41 per cent voted against him. The Effutu Municipal Electoral Officer, Mr. Anthony Oppong, who supervised the election, said Mr. Ghunney needed to obtain 16 votes, representing 68 percent of the total votes. According to Mr. Oppong, another election should be held within 10 days to determine the fate of the nominee.

The Central Regional Minister, Nana Atto Arthur, who addressed the Assembly later, said it was sad that they failed to approve the nominee and hoped that they would give him the nod at their next sitting. The Presiding Member of the Assembly, Mr. Afenyo Markin, gave the assurance that the Assembly Members would be spoken to for them to approve the nominee.

Source:
GNA

New package for teachers proposed


Mozano (C/R), March 30, GNA - The Ministry of Education Science and Sports has outlined plans to improve and expand facilities of senior high schools (SHS) in the country.

Apart from providing infrastructure the ministry would also improve the service conditions of teachers.

Mrs Angelina Baiden-Amissah, Deputy Minister of Education Science and Sports, said this at the Second Annual Speech and Prize Giving Day of the Mozano Senior High School at Mozano in the Gomoa West District.

She said as part of the programme, the ministry had started providing the schools with science laboratories, libraries, hostels, classroom blocks, practical training centers and buses.

"Less endowed schools should therefore not consider themselves as unfortunate educational institutions," Mrs Baiden-Amissah said.

"Since the children of today are expected to be the builders of tomorrow's Ghana, it is essential that the nation gives them better training academically, technically and vocationally to get the requisite knowledge and skills for the advancement of the country's industrial sector". Mrs Baiden-Amissah recalled the vital role the President's

Special Initiative on Distance Education was playing in the country's educational development and advised teachers to take advantage of the programme.

She said that the school would soon be given a bus and provision had been made in this year's budget for the completion of a hostel for the school.

Mrs Baiden-Amissah, said, some of the projects for the school had been awarded on contract, while a new science block would be built next year.

She said the government in partnership with the private sector had initiated a programme to offer apprenticeship training in the areas of technical and vocational skills to enable those who complete Junior and Senior High schools to be self-reliant.

The government would pay the full cost of the first year of the apprenticeship training for the beneficiaries.

Mr. Emmanuel Kwesi Tsibu, Headmaster, said some of the needs of the school include classroom blocks and staff bungalows since teachers commuted from Agona Swedru, a distance of 30 kilometers daily to attend classes.

He commended the chiefs and opinion leaders of Mozano for their assistance and appealed to the feuding factions in the Mozano Disco Christo Church (MDCC) to bury their differences to support the school and the community with prayers for the rapid development of the area.

Ms Joyce Aidoo, Gomoa West District Chief Executive, appealed to parents and school authorities to help sensitize students on the need to cultivate a high sense of discipline as well as the dangers of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Mr Chris Dowuona-Hammond, Cape Coast Municipal Director of Education, called for cooperation and mutual understanding between the staff, parents and students for the realization of the school's objectives. Prizes were given to deserving students, teachers and workers of the school with Ms Alberta Bruce emerging as the promising teacher while Mr Moses Baidoo received the over all best teacher award.

Source:
GNA

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• 29.03.2008

Ghanaians preference for foreign products

is impeding national development

Wa, March 29, GNA - Major Albert Don-Chebe (Rtd), Head of Corporate Communications and Customer Care of the Ghana Telecommunication (GT) Company, has said Ghanaians' preference for products of foreign companies that are competing with the GT was impeding the progress of the company in its efforts at improving performance.

These practices affect national institutions such as the GT from growing and competing favourably with foreign companies that had come with huge capital only to make profits and repatriate them. Maj Don-Chebe said this at a press soiree in Wa on Friday. He said if Ghanaians did not change their preference for foreign products, a time would come when all national institutions would be sold to foreign companies due to financial constraints. "We cannot develop any national institution to the highest level if we don't patronize products produced in the country.'' "Let us think of Ghana first in our choice of products so that our companies can also grow and be viable to buy other foreign companies like what we are experiencing today in the country", he said. Major Don-Chebe said GT had incurred huge losses financially through cable theft and that individuals and government organisations owned the company up to 30 billion old Ghana cedis and urged them to settle the debt.

Major Don-Chebe said this would help the company to buy new equipment to improve its service delivery and take care of salaries of its employees. 29 March 08

Source:
GNA

Regulate Children's usage of internet -JAK



Hemang (Ash), March 29, GNA- President John Agyekum Kufuor has called on school authorities and teachers to be cautious in exposing children to the internet.

He said the internet did not discriminate in information transmitted and asked managers of the facility to do the differentiation.

President Kufuor was speaking at the inauguration of the Hemang Methodist Model School and the launch of the Hemang Kwabre Development Endowment Fund at Hemang near Mamponteng in the Kwabre District on Saturday.

The President said it was gratifying to note that the first phase of a project in the town comprised the provision of nursery, primary schools, and an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as well as staff accommodation was funded through resources provided by Naachia Plant Pool, the Methodist Church, philanthropists and the people of Hemang community.

He indicated that the project was one of the increasing self-sponsored programmes to complement government's efforts at providing good education for the people, no matter their geographical location.

President Kufuor expressed hope that traditional rulers and other stakeholders would assist the school in the commencement of the second phase of the project which was estimated to cost three Million Ghana cedis.

He commended the Methodist Church for its contribution towards the development of the country's educational and socio-economic development, The President praised Dr. Appiah Poku, the Chief Executive of Naachiaa Group of Companies and founder of the school, the leadership of the Church and congregations who contributed to the realization of the project.

President Kufuor said "it is only when our children have access to relevant quality education that the momentum of development will truly keep pace with national aspirations and progress. Quality education also impacts positively on the health, welfare and general well-being of all",

He called on the teachers and other staff of the school to be extra patient and always remembers that children were not only precious assets but were equally tender and required a lot of attention, affection, patience and direction.

President Kufuor responding to some concerns expressed by the Right Reverend Ben Nuh Abubekr, the Methodist Bishop of Kumasi, gave the assurance that Religious and moral Education would be part of the syllabus of the teacher training programmes, The President also said efforts would also be made to extend the School Feeding Programme to all basic schools nationwide. Rev Beatrice Opare, head teacher of the School, called on government to provide the educational institution with a bus to facilitate academic work.

She also appealed for the building of science laboratory equipment, furnishing of the school's ICT centre and assistance for the recruitment of international volunteers to teach in the school. The President donated 5,000 Ghana Cedis towards the Endowment Fund, which was meant for the maintenance and provision of equipment for the school.

Source:
GNA

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Ghana Telecom Board Chairman warns staff on malpractices

Accra, March 29, GNA- Workers of Ghana Telecom, who would engage in malpractices such as stealing of company property, would be summarily dismissed and handed over to the police for prosecution, Board Chairman Nana Antwi Boasiako has warned.

Speaking at an award ceremony for 115 staffs, who retired from the organisation last year, the Board Chairman said any such workers would also lose all benefits due them after several years of sweat and toil for the company.

Citing the loss of cables worth thousands of dollars from the company's headquarters, Nana Boasiako asked those who were involved in the greedy and uncomplimentary behaviours to desist from such practices. He called on the staff and the retired officers to be vigilant to enable them assist in apprehending the saboteurs, who had been stealing the fibre and copper cables of the company, promising a handsome reward for information leading to the arrest of culprits. Nana Bosiako said the company would continue to tap the rich experiences of the retirees.

He said the Board and Management were working around the clock to enable the company undergo structural and organizational changes. Nana Bosiako said consequently, the Board has facilitated the procurement of a bond facility of 200 million Dollars from Iroko Securities of the United Kingdom to refinance the debts of the company to improve the mobile and fixed networks. He said the support units of company had become proactive and were seeking avenues to generate revenue to support the company's operations. Mr Dickson Oduro-Nyaning, Chief Executive Officer, urged staff to take the issue of security seriously, saying the situation where unauthorized people loitered in the premises of telecom facilities posed a great threat to security.

"I implore all staff to ensure that access to restricted areas is denied unauthorized people. Staff must also be vigilant in order to identify and flush out infiltrators," he said. Mr Oduro-Nyaning said management was putting measures in place to install security cameras at sensitive places to beef up security at the company.

He called for the total commitment of staff to the goals of the company to enable it to continue to provide the variety of telecom products and services to enable the company stay ahead in the telecommunication business.

Mr Oduro-Nyaning pledged management's support in retraining and development of staff to enable them to acquire the requisite skills to handle new equipment and apply new technologies. The retirees received gifts ranging from double door fridges, table-top fridges and television sets.

Source:
GNA

Ghana to host Global Business Conference


Accra, March 29, GNA- Ghana is to host the Lighting Africa 2008 Global Business Conference, from May 6th to 7th to develop appropriate and viable business models for delivering modern, clean and safe non-fuel based off-grid lighting solutions.

The conference would be attended by global players from the lighting industry, international and domestic financial institutions, private developers, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and international and bilateral development agencies.

Lighting Africa is been supported by multiple donors, the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank's Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) and Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), Good Energies Inc., the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership, the European Commission, the Governments of Norway, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. A working document of the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank made available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, explained that the Lighting Africa 2008 conference would give participants the unique opportunity to connect with global entrepreneurs from around the world.

It would also offer participants the opportunity to gain key insight and exchange knowledge, view the latest technological innovations and meet the people whose lives would be transformed by their efforts. The Conference would also adopt modalities to shield African consumers from poor-performing lighting products and avoid market spoilage for the industry.

According to IFC, through the Lighting Africa, a wide range of activities to enhance consumer awareness and boost confidence in new lighting products and services would be initiated.

These activities range from the testing of solar lanterns in the market against existing quality standards, to the development of specifications for LED-based lanterns and to the development of a proposed "fair trade" quality seal, in collaboration with the industry. Fuel-based lighting produces carbon dioxide, a major contributor to GHG emissions.

The IFC explained that a kerosene lantern used for four hours per day is estimated to release more than 100 kg of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over the course of a year. Lighting Africa has the objective of reducing GHG emissions and, at the same time, enhancing the financial viability of modern off-grid lighting projects for instance by offsetting the relatively high first costs, which substitute fuel-based lighting.

Lighting Africa is helping in the development of both project and program-based methodologies for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and voluntary carbon markets. 29 March 08

Source:
GNA

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• 28.03.2008

Fire destroys Bolgatanga Central Market


Bolgatanga, March 28, GNA - Fire swept through the grain section of Bolgatanga Central Market on Thursday night destroying shops and more than 1,000 maxi bags of cereals, legumes and vegetables. They included the main staples in Upper East Region, millet, maize, soya beans, groundnuts, rice, sorghum, beans, dawadawa and dry vegetables.

Madam Salamatu Abubakari, a spokesperson for the market women told Ghana News Agency at the scene that they had lost all cereals stored for sale.

"Some of us stock the cereals during the lean season and most people depend on us for their needs to feed their families. Our capital is gone and most of us would have to struggle again to get on our feet," she added.

Madam Abubakari said they were shocked about the incident because the area had no electricity and they did not cook at that side of the market.

An eyewitness account said the fire started at about 2300 hours but could not be put off immediately as the Bolgatanga Fire Service did not have enough water and had to call on their colleagues at Navrongo for assistance.

It said people in the neighbourhood assisted by carrying water to the scene and it continued until 0900 hours on Friday to put out the smouldering embers.

Mr Johnson Abu, Upper East Regional Fire Officer explained that security man at Ghana Water Company in Bolgatanga refused to allow Fire Service Personnel to fetch water during the night and had to rely on Navrongo Fire Service.

He said cause of the fire was not known but would be investigated. Mr Philibert Kuupol, Bolgatanga Municipal Coordinating Director who visited the scene sympathised with the victims and advised them to inform the assembly when they were ready to put up new stores to be offered technical guidance to allow enough space for free movement. Presently, millet and sorghum sell at 45 Ghana cedis per maxi bag, maize at 40 Ghana cedis and beans at 90 Ghana cedis.

Source:
GNA

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EDITORIAL: World Water Day Amid Water Shortage


Experts have estimated that two-thirds of the world's population will live in water-stressed countries by 2025. The stark prediction is corroborated by world leaders who agree that pressure on water was one of the factors that could help countries "tip into instability, state failure or conflict".

Research has shown that already well over one billion people suffer from water shortages and 30 countries get more than a third of their water from outside their borders. With climate change, those figures are likely to grow, increasing the possibility of disputes.

The Coalition of Charities thus appealed for a global effort to bring running water to the developing world and supply sanitation to a further 2.6 billion people. It said international action was needed to prevent competition for water destabilising communities and escalating into conflicts.

No doubt, tackling water and sanitation crisis is essential if the 'Millennium Development Goal Call to Action' is to be a success, otherwise progress on health, education and environmental sustainability will be undermined. Each year 443 million school days are lost globally to diarrhoea and 1.8 million children die unnecessarily from these diseases. For this reason, any developing country, especiallly Ghana which wants to attain middle income status cannot afford to leave water and sanitation to forces of demand and supply.

Investing in sanitation and water brings the greatest public health gains of any single development intervention and delivers huge economic returns. That is why we urge our government to make the provision of water and sanitation the sovereign right of Ghanaians.

It has been predicted that Ghana will become largely urbanised by 2015. The signs of urbanisation are clearly written on the wall.A growing and increasingly urbanised global population will increase demand for food and water, at the same time as climate change and other trends put greater pressure on their supply. As we celebrate world water day, it is only hoped that policy makers are making the right choices to ensure that majority of Ghanaians get water at the point of need and not on their ability to pay. And the onus is on any government worth its salt to provide the most basic neccessity like water to its citizens.

Source:
Public Agenda

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Togbe Afede XIV fetes hundreds of children

• 27.03.2008

Minister visits Mamfe accident victims

Mampong, March 27, GNA - Mr Kwadwo Affram-Asiedu, the Eastern Regional Minster on Wednesday paid a visit to the victims of the last Tuesday's fatal accident on the Mamfe road killing at least 14 people. The Minister visited them at Koforidua Regional Hospital, the St Joseph Catholic Hospital and the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, all in the region to sympathise with them.

The accident occurred when a 33-Seater Benz-bus full of passengers returning from Kordiabe after performing Dipo rites to Suhum, had a brake failure and plunged into the Mamfe valley.

The Medical Director of the Regional Hospital, Dr Obeng Apori who took the Regional Minister round the wards, briefed him on the efforts of the public in the rescue of the victims and the professional manner in which the Mampong Hospital in particular, handled the incident. He said ambulances were dispatched from five districts in the region to help in transporting the victims of the accident to the various hospitals.

Dr Ampori called for the establishment of emergency centres in all the regional and district hospitals to enable effectively and promptly handle accident cases without referral to other hospitals. At the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, Mrs Divine Nartey, the administrator of the hospital, who briefed the minister said, 27 victims were brought to there alive, out of which 12 were referred to other hospitals including Korle-Bu and 37 Military Hospitals in Accra. She said so far, 15 deaths had been recorded including a 10 months old baby girl, whilst all the others were responding to treatment. The Regional Minster commended the public and the health professionals for the concern shown towards the victims and most especially, the swift response to the accident.

Mr Affram-Aseidu said the event brought to the fore, the wisdom in the institution of the national ambulance service and appealed to road users to adhere to the road signs for safety.

When the Regional Minister and his entourage were returning from the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital to Koforidua, the team met a burning Opel saloon car with registration number GT 1111 F. The Regional Minister and his entourage stopped and mobilize the fire extinguishers in their vehicles to help put off the fire.

Source:
GNA

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Chieftaincy is anachronistic institution - Blay



Accra, March 27, GNA - Mr. Freddie Blay, Deputy Speaker of Parliament on Thursday stated that the chieftaincy institution is anachronistic which must be dumped into the abyss of national museum for the country to move forward.
He said, the institution had created more confusion, civil strive, war and litigation that had retarded national progress - "talk of Bawku, Yendi, even in Accra, and in my own home town.chieftaincy conflicts abound everywhere."

Speaking at the annual symposium of the Philosophy Students Association (PHISA) of the University of Ghana, on the theme; "Is Representative Democracy a Fair Form of Governance for a Developing Nation like Ghana," Mr. Blay described most cultural practices as artefacts for the museums.

He noted however, that culture is dynamic therefore traditional institutions need to refine our cultural practices to conform to modern day development.

Mr. Blay also debunked the notion that democratic governance was alien to African and Ghanaian traditional governance system. He emphasis: "We were not having any system of governance, we had fragmented localised system, the Akan traditional system, Ewe traditional system, Ga traditional system etc. which differs from each other. Even the way we install a chief also defers from one tribe to the other."
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament noted that, with the ambiguity in the chieftaincy institution, it was difficult for the House to pass the Chieftaincy Bill before rising as there were numerous problems that needed to be addressed.
On democratic governance, Mr. Blay noted that, it was the best form of ruling a nation, stressing that our hybrid system of governance have all the structures for the separation of powers, checks and balances, independence of the judiciary, and a vibrant media.


Source:
GNA

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Corruption hinders Ghana’s fight against drugs



United States(US) State Department says corruption and lack of resources are seriously impeding Ghana's efforts to deal with the drug menace.
It observed that the 2006 narcotics scandal involving allegations of official complicity in narcotics trafficking complicated "Ghana's efforts to combat the drug trade but served to focus public attention on the growing problem".

"Ghana made limited progress in 2007 in addressing its legislative and enforcement deficiencies brought into the public eye by the 2006 narcotics scandals, and a long road lies ahead," it stated.

These were contained in the 2008 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) issued by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the State Department.
It noted that the government created a special commission after the scandal, which identified several policy recommendations to lessen the chances of similar scandals in the future "but, to date, the government has acted on only a handful of the recommendations".

The report said "Ghana made limited efforts to combat the increasing drug flow in 2007, and arrests and seizures were down from 2006, although they were higher than 2005".

It said Ghana's interest in attracting investment provided a good cover for foreign drug barons to enter the country under the guise of doing legitimate business.
The report, however, noted that in 2007, South American traffickers reduced their need to visit Ghana in person by increasing reliance on local partners, thus insulating themselves from possible arrest by law enforcement officials.

"Law enforcement officials have repeatedly raised concerns that narcotics rings are growing in size, strength, organisation and capacity for violence," it noted.

It expressed regret that since 1999, the Attorney-General's Office had not acted on proposals by the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) to amend the 1990 narcotics law to fund NACOB's operations, using a portion of seized properties.

The report said the primary problem remained Ghana's long, relatively unpatrolled coastline.

"Law enforcement officials report that traffickers are increasingly exploiting Ghana's relatively unguarded and porous maritime border, offloading large shipments at sea onto small fishing vessels which carry the drugs to shore undetected," it said.
It, therefore, called for the enhancement of sea interdiction and the surveillance capabilities of Ghana's security agencies to deal with the problem of narcotic drugs in the country.

"These initiatives will require significant re-allocation of resources and a sustained political commitment, and it remains to be seen whether Ghanaian officials have the political will to see them through," it noted.

The report said the narcotics were often repackaged in Ghana for reshipment, hidden in shipping containers or air cargo, while large shipments were also often broken up into small amounts to be hidden on individuals travelling by passenger aircraft.
It said officials at UK airports found that the total tonnage of trafficked narcotics seized from passengers on flights originating in Ghana eclipsed those from Nigeria in 2006.

It said it was in partial response to that trend that the British Government launched a programme deploying experienced U.K. customs officers and state-of-the-art ion scan detection equipment at the Kotoka International Airport.

"From the programme's inception in November 2006 to September 2007, it has seized nearly 350kg of cocaine; 2,200kg of cannabis and one kilogramme of heroin," it said. According to the report, there was no hard evidence that drugs transiting Ghana contributed to any extent to the supply of drugs to the U.S. market.
It, however, said there were indications that direct shipments to the United States, particularly of heroin, were on the rise, fuelled by an increase in shipments of heroin to Ghana from Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2006.

"In October 2007, two Afghan nationals were arrested by the Ghana Police, expelled by the government and flown to the U.S. for conspiring to distribute heroin in the U.S," it said.
The report said in the past, direct flights from Accra played an important role in the transshipment of heroin to the U.S. by West African trafficking organisations but since the Federal Aviation Administration banned Ghana's only direct flights to the United States for safety reasons in July 2004, it did not seem that the trafficking of drugs between the two countries had reduced.

It said the NACOB reported that in response to increased vigilance against West African drug mules arriving at foreign airports, a new trend appeared to be the use of Caucasians as carriers to arouse less suspicion by customs and immigration officials at European and U.S. airports.

Source:
Daily Graphic

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Wa Fruit Juice Factory inaugurated


Wa, March 27, GNA - An indigenous factory for fruit processing to utilize fruits in the Upper West Region was inaugurated at Wa on Thursday. The factory was built with proceeds from the sister city relationship between Wa and Ieper in Belgium.

The Wa Municipal Assembly spent 140,000 Ghana Cedis to put up the building while the Ieper city provided 45,000 euros for the machinery, equipment and technical training.

Madam Winifred Asibi Bawa Dy-Yakah, Deputy Upper West Regional Minister who inaugurated it, said the facility was in line with government's commitment to promote locally based manufacturing facilities to generate employment and wealth.

She said government had since 2003 granted tax exemptions to agro processing industries that would operate in the North as a measure of promoting industrialization in that part of the country. Madam Dy-Yakah regretted that in-spite of that intervention, the response, especially from the private sector had not been encouraging. She expressed the hope that the establishment of the factory would motivate others to open more factories in the region. She commended the Wa-Ieper city relationship, which began in 2002 for generating resources to provide essential equipment and materials for health, education and sanitation and to cater for the welfare of children in the Wa Municipality.

The Deputy Regional Minister urged the Wa Municipal Assembly to build the capacities of local people to mann the factory and come out with a viable working plan to ensure the sustainable running of the factory throughout the year.

"The effective involvement of stakeholders in the decision making process of the factory as well as making good use of all human and material resources available in the region must be our concern", she

Mr Luc Dehaene, Mayor of Ieper city, said the facility would sustain agricultural production, raise incomes of farmers, address the high unemployment rate and bring about economic development of the region.

He urged the Wa Assembly, which was currently running the factory to ensure that its products met international standards to compete favourably with drinks like Coca-Cola.

Mr. Abdul Aziz Mohammed, Wa Municipal Chief Executive, expressed the hope that the factory would help mobilize revenue for the assembly to undertake more development projects

He said the facility would also help to reduce poverty among the people as it would create job opportunities for youth in the region. Mr. Mohammed said Ieper had spent about 3,150 Euros in providing hospital materials and equipment as well as a refuse compact truck to improve healthcare delivery and sanitation in the Municipality. He said Belgiun had also supported the Birth and Deaths Department with basic logistics such as bicycles and computers to enhance their registration exercise.

Source:
GNA

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$12 million to be spent on stranded Ghanaians in Barbados


Accra, March 27, GNA- Government has committed over 12 million dollars to charter a plane to fly home about 50 stranded Ghanaians who travelled to Barbados last month in search of greener pastures.

Dr Charles Brempong-Yeboah, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Co-operation and NEPAD, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday, said ironically the Ghanaians had paid between 4,000 Ghana cedis and 10,000 Ghana cedis each to travelling agents to get to Barbados for a two-week stay.

"The Ghanaians who got to that country with the hope of crossing over to the US, Canada and other developed countries for greener pastures have been captured on Barbados Television networks begging for alms."

Originally 146 people, including 46 Nigerians were stranded in Barbados but some managed to cross over to Trinidad and Tobago. Dr. Brempong-Yeboah described the situation as very embarrassing to Ghana, explaining that, those Ghanaians could have stayed at home with the huge amounts of money they paid to the agents to do profitable business at home.

He stressed: "Any small businesses they had started in Ghana would have grown by now."

Dr Brempong-Yeboah observed that the US, Europe, Asia and other huge economies in the world have been hit by economic recession hence the need for such economic adventurists to know that it is fruitless for them to embark on such ventures.

Dr Brempong-Yeboah said the afterm ath of the terrorist attack on the US and the collapse of the USSR had changed the political and economic dynamics of the world and so there were no longer greener pastures anywhere.

Focussing on Ghana-Cuba relations, he said the two Third World countries would reactivate the Permanent Joint Commission for Co-operation, during a two-day meeting in Accra on April 7 to April 9, 2008.

The 14th meeting of the Commission would span cocoa processing, biological control of malaria and pest, sports, education and agriculture and other mutually beneficial issues.

Dr Brempong-Yeboah said the meeting which would iron out the necessary details and protocols was made possible through the official tour of Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama to Cuba this month.

Source:
GNA

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No Payment Made On Presidential Jet!



Says Controller And Accountant General

The Controller and the Accountant-General, Mr. Christian Tetteh-Sottie has categorically stated that Government has not made any payment so far in connection with the proposal to acquire two Presidential Jets – Airbus 319 ER and its support aircraft, the Falcon 900 – as is being alleged by some leaders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and media practitioners.

“I have not received any orders in any form to order payment in respect of the purchase of any aircraft”, Mr. Tetteh-Sottie told this paper in an interview, adding that “as the Controller and Accountant-General we have not ordered the Bank of Ghana to make any payment to any Aircraft manufacturer”.

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government of President J.A. Kufuor recently put before Parliament, for approval the proposal to buy the said aircraft as part of the programme to refurbish the Ghana Air Force fleet.

The existing fleet which is made up of seven planes that were acquired in the mid-seventies would be grounded on technical grounds by 2010.

However, the proposal to acquire the aircraft was met with strong opposition by the NDC.

Leading members of the NDC vehemently accused the Government of signing a sales contract with aircraft manufacturer, Dassault Aviation, SA and paying 5 percent of the cost of the aircraft as dictated by the agreement, when Parliamentary approval had not been sought and given.

Despite the explanation by Dr. Akoto Osei, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, and Mr. Kan Dapaah, Minister for Defence, that no money had been paid so far, because the sales contract had not been placed before the House for Parliamentary approval, the NDC stuck to their guns insisting that money had been paid in violation of the Constitution.

Alluding to part of the payment schedule of the sales contract which says “Buyer shall pay for the Aircraft in accordance with the following schedule: (a) 5% (five percent) of the price due upon signature of this Sales Contract, ie: US$1,857,500 (one million, eight hundred and fifty-seven thousand, five hundred US dollars)”, the NDC caucus in Parliament and some members of it (NDC) outside Parliament have maintained that because Dr. Akoto Osei, had signed the sales contract the money had been paid.

However, they have strangely not taken note of another section of the sales contract headed “COMING INTO FORCE” (Paragraph 22) under which it is stated, “once signed by the parties, this Contract shall come into force upon receipt by Seller of a notice from Buyer indicating that this Contract has been approved by the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana”.

It continued that “If such notice is not received by Seller on or prior to March 10, 2008, it shall be deemed null and void”.

It ends by saying that “If Seller has not received the down payment due upon Contract signature as per Exhibit 2 within 15 (fifteen) days of receipt of the above mentioned notice, the present Contract shall be automatically terminated forthwith without any notice to the Buyer”.

“Evidence of proof of payment by government cannot lie in the section of the sales contract being quoted by the NDC. The proof of payment can only be authenticated via documentation from the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department and the Bank of Ghana. This is common knowledge. This is elementary”, quipped a financial analyst who preferred not to be identified.

Source:
crusading guide

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NPP On Fire


There was a high-speed car chase in Kumasi yesterday involving about ten cars when executives of the Nhyiaso Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) allegedly played hide and seek with an aspiring parliamentary candidate over the picking of nomination forms to contest for the party’s constituency primary.

According to reports, this followed alleged attempts by the constituency executives to prevent any person apart from Dr. Richard Anane, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) from contesting for the seat.

The hitherto calm in the constituency suffered a jolt when Kwame Owusu, a Chartered Accountant and hotelier was said to have been denied access to the party forms by some executives.

Mr. Owusu, who claimed to have ample proof that the incumbent MP and some party executives led by the Constituency Chairman, George Kofi Adjei have mapped out a strategy to prevent him from contesting the seat, had already petitioned the national and regional executives of the party to intervene.

Narrating his frustrations to Daily Guide, Mr. Owusu who is the Chief Executive of Town and Country Plaza Hotels, with nine branches across the country said he made attempts to pick the forms to contest for the seat last Thursday. According to him, he visited the party’s office around 3:00 pm on the said day only to be told that the Constituency Chairman, popularly known as ‘Joe Card’ was mourning his late father-in-law and that the office was not in operation.

He continued that he and his aides trooped to the funeral grounds to mourn with their chairman where he made him aware of his intentions to buy the forms. Mr. Owusu noted that since the following day was Easter Friday which was a holiday, Joe Card told him to come for the forms the next Tuesday, adding that due to some circumstances beyond his control he could not make it on the Tuesday as planned. However, he said he stormed the party office on Wednesday morning to pick the forms only to be told that the Constituency Chairman had traveled to Accra, a development he found palpable. To confirm his doubt, Mr. Owusu called Joe Card on phone and asked for the forms, but the Chairman who claimed to be in Accra directed him to the Constituency Secretary, one Dominic Agyeman Pambour who he said was holding them.

Mr. Owusu said he called Pambour on phone, but he also replied that he was at Ofankor heading to Accra so he should come for the forms at a later date. Minutes after talking to Pambour on phone, Mr. Owusu said someone alerted him that the Constituency Secretary was in town and was rather playing hide and seek with him to prevent him from laying his hands on the party’s forms. At this juncture, he said he phoned the Regional Chairman of the party, Yaw Amankwa and briefed him on the whole incident, adding that Mr. Amankwa then called Pambour on phone, and again, he said was on his way to Accra. The Chartered Accountant, who now sensed some sort of foul play, rushed to Pambour’s house only for his wife to confirm that indeed her husband was in Kumasi, shopping in town, and not in Accra as claimed.

Upon getting this information, Mr. Owusu dispatched about 10 cars to track Pambour. Luckily, they sighted him driving a Nissan Patrol pickup vehicle around the Golden Tulip City Hotel area and gave him a hot chase until they cornered him in front of his house. Continuing, Mr. Owusu said after trapping Pambour, he asked for the forms but Pambour who seemed adamant, grabbed the car keys and fled from the scene, abandoning his car and mobile phone. To buttress his claim that some constituency executives led by the Chairman were on a diabolical mission to prevent him from buying the forms, Mr. Owusu said he towed the abandoned car to the party’s regional office at Bantama as evidence.

Mr. Owusu, who claims to have ample proof that the Constituency Chairman and Secretary were being manipulated against his vying for the seat, had thus petitioned the national and regional executives of the party to relieve the constituency officials of their posts for being openly biased towards Dr. Anane.

“Dr. Anane has met them at a meeting aimed at implementing a scheme to prevent me from getting the forms,” he alleged.

The Chartered Accountant, who looked unperturbed by the untoward actions of Joe Card and Pambour, vowed to wrestle the seat from Dr. Anane who he described as a failed MP. As MP, Mr. Owusu promised to be accommodative, and stressed that he would visit his constituents every three months in order to know their problems so as to address them adequately. In a related development, all attempts by Daily Guide to get Joe Card’s side of the story proved futile as he refused to pick his phone. The paper had also not been able to get in touch with Pambour since he fled.

Source:
Daily Guide

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• 26.03.2008

Nduom criticises devt gap between north and south


Obuasi, March 26, GNA - Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, the Convention People's Party (CPP) Presidential candidate has said it was time something concrete was done to bridge the development gap between the north and the south.

"If we do not deliberately do something about it, that situation will not go away" he stressed.

The CPP flag-bearer, who was critical about the vast difference in development between the north and the south said; "you see this difference in education, health, hotels, roads and other areas". Dr. Nduom, who was interacting with the press at Obuasi as part of his campaign tour of the country said as a nation; "we must be cautious of what we do in the North and the South".

"School buildings in the north are of inferior quality, even with District Assembly offices, what are in the south are different from what are in the North".

Dr. Nduom said his government would offer an opportunity to all Ghanaians to have hope in their own country. "I want to give Ghanaians an advantage in their own country for them to have hope". The CPP presidential candidate further pleaded to bring government to the door-step of the people by allowing them to vote for their Assembly members and District Chief Executives.

He reiterated the need for the other political parties to conduct their campaigns in a manner that would not endanger the peaceful political atmosphere in the country.

"Let us base our campaign messages on ideas, policies and solutions instead of attacking personalities". Dr. Nduom further indicated the party's confidence in the December general elections, and that they were poised to win since the party had an undisputed political track record in the country.

Source:
GNA

Let's work out timetable for smooth repatriation of refugees



Accra, March 26, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday affirmed the Government's resolve to ensure that repatriation of Liberian refugees was carried out in a way that would not harm the relations between the two West African nations.

He said they were ready to dialogue and work out a convenient timetable with the United Nations High Commission (UNHCR) and other stakeholders so that the exercise could be carried through without bitterness and embarrassment to either of the two countries.

President Kufuor was receiving a high-powered Liberian delegation led by Foreign Minister, Mrs Olubanke King-Akerele, and which included Mr Philip A.Z. Banks, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Ambulai Johnson, Internal Affairs Minister and Mr Gabriel Williams, Deputy Information Minister, at the Castle, Osu.

They were in the country to convey to President Kufuor the Liberian Government's regret for the recent unruly conduct of some of its nationals in Ghana and to work out a plan on how to get them back home.

President Kufuor said the country within its means has treated the Liberians fairly for better part of 20 years and that their situation was no worse than that of their hosts.

He therefore warned that the Government would not allow any miscreants to mar the good relations Ghana and Liberia had shared over the decades.

Additionally, they would not want any bad example to undermine the peace and security of the society.

That would be totally unacceptable, he added.

President Kufuor observed that the political situation that caused the refugee camp to be set up for the Liberians no longer existed. The refugee situation was gone and for that matter nobody could now claim to be a refugee, a fact, he said, had been communicated to the UNHCR.

Mrs King-Akerele said her Government regretted all acts by its nationals that breached the country's public order law. "We do not condone any such acts. We cannot sanction any act that contravenes your public order law."

She said Liberia did not want to see its relations with Ghana torn apart by the unfortunate situation and gave the assurance that that would not lead to reprisals against Ghanaians in her country. The Foreign Minister conveyed their appreciation for the comfort Ghana provided to the Liberians at the height of the country's political crisis as well as the critical role played in the peace agreement leading to the conduct of democratic elections.

They were also grateful for the continued support Ghana was providing towards the reconstruction of her country.

Source:
GNA

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Mills Responds to Nduom

Response To Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum’s Uninformed Swipe-Taking At Professor Atta Mills

The Office of NDC Leader, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, is not too surprised at the attempt by CPP flagbearer, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, per a publication in today’s edition of The Chronicle Newspaper, to use the NDC and its Leader as convenient punching bags.

For a person who spent 6+ years going against the collective will of the CPP, and serving in the Kufuor led NPP government that has worsened the living conditions of Ghanaians, we are not surprised that in wanting to make himself relevant in the political equation, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom chooses to expose his gross ignorance of the development path of the Central Region, and taking an uninformed swipe at Professor John Evans Atta Mills.

As it is very clear that Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum is unaware of it, the Office of the NDC Leader wishes to bring it to his attention that when Professor Atta Mills took the oath of office as Vice President, he swore to be Vice President of Ghana, and not Vice President of the Central Region.

As such, as Head of the Economic Management Team, Vice President Atta Mills focused on an equitable distribution of the nation’s resources and was not interested in a tunnel-vision style of leadership pivoted around a concept of nepotism that could have created unnecessary tension and in an extreme case, led to civil strife.

However, the Office of the NDC Leader takes this opportunity to educate Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum on the extent to which, inter alia, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, as Vice President, made sure that the Central Region had its fair share of the national cake.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, during the period that Professor Atta Mills served as Vice President, Cape Coast, like some other regional capitals, got a Regional Hospital.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, during the period that Professor Atta Mills served as Vice President, and out of the Atta Mills sponsored GETFUND, the Cape Coast University got two new halls of residence.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the Atta Mills sponsored GETFUND gave the Cape Coast Polytechnic, two new halls of residence, a new administration block, constructed roads within the polytechnic, and was in the process of putting up a four story lecture hall before the NPP took over the reins of government.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the Brimsu Water Expansion project was undertaken during the period that Professor Atta Mills served as Vice President of Ghana.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the Ekumfi electrification project was undertaken during the period that Professor Atta Mills served as Vice President of Ghana.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the whole of the KEEA (where Ndoum is the current MP) Traditional Area’s electrification project was undertaken during the period that Professor Atta Mills served as Vice President of Ghana.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the Breman Essikuma electrification project was undertaken during the period that Professor Atta Mills served as Vice President of Ghana.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the Elmina market project was undertaken during the time of Dr. Ato Quarshie, NDC MP, and during the time that Professor Atta Mills served as Vice President of Ghana.

It is fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the Elmina Beach Hotel, a four star hotel, was built during the time that Professor Atta Mills served as Vice President of Ghana.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that during the time of Professor Atta Mills as Vice President, a modern bridge was constructed over the River Prah at Twifo Praso.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the Mankesim market was constructed under the watch of Professor Atta Mills as Vice President of Ghana.

It is fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, under the watch of Professor Atta Mills as Vice President, Construction Pioneers (CP), asphalted major roads in Cape Coat, including, Aggrey Junction to Petro Roundabout; Pedu Junction to Bakano Roundabout; 3rd Ridge Junction to Nkamfua; and the Anafo/Idan/Amanful/Brofoyedu road, which after colonial times, had never seen any rehabilitation.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the Winneba water system was overhauled during the period of the NDC and that today, it is one of the best in the country.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the major roads in the Winneba township were tarred during the period of the NDC, and are still in good shape.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the Winneba Telephone Exchange system was set up by the NDC.

It is a fact, which cannot be disputed by the ignorance of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, that, the Winneba University was established during the time of the NDC.

For a fact, Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum knows very little about the history of his home region, Central Region, and knows very little about the history of his KEEA constituency, hence the mockery he is making of his ignorance.

We are not surprised that Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, having been part of the NPP government that has turned the clock of progress backwards and worsened the living standards of the ordinary Ghanaian to the extent that eradicated diseases like the guinea worm disease and yaws are rearing their ugly heads, would be clinging on to straws as part of his unnoticeable achievements.

What happened to Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum’s promise, as Energy Minister, to add 300 megawatts of power to the country’s energy stock?

We find it amusing that the restoration of the Osagyefo Barge at Effaso, without it adding a single kilowatt of power to the country’s energy stock, is something that Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum will be touting as one of his achievements.

Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, for reasons best known to him, conveniently forgets that the Osagyefo Barge was the result of the thinking of the NDC and its operatives.

It is not surprising that with the likes of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum having been put in charge of the Energy Ministry, Ghana went through a torrid energy crisis lasting more than a year.

Indeed, we are still not out of the crisis as Ghanaians continue to live with countless power outages even when we are being told that the crisis is over.

If it is Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom’s desire to be given the mandate to be a Leader of only a section of this country, his narrow mindset has been exposed and it will not be surprising, after the declaration of results in December, to notice that not too many Ghanaians would have looked in his direction.

The Office of Professor John Evans Atta Mills hopes that with what we have put out, Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum will endeavour to school himself on issues regarding the stewardship of Professor Atta Mills as Vice President of Ghana before making public his thoughts, so as not make a mockery of himself via his gross ignorance of such matters.

Source:
Koku Anyidoho(In-charge, Communications)

50 People Killed in Motor Accidents in U/R



Bolgtanga, March 26, GNA - A total number of 56 people were killed in motor accidents in the Upper East Region last year while 116 others were injured, Mr. Kwaku Bempah, Upper East Regional Commander of the MTTU, has told the GNA in an interview.

He said 153 accidents were reported to the police involving 190 vehicles and that 134 cases were reported to the police last year with 22 cases sent to court out of which 12 people were convicted on motor traffic offences.

Mr Alex Ayeta, the Municipal Chief Executive, commended the MTTU for helping to enforce traffic regulations and expressed concern about the constant breakdown of the new traffic lights in the Bolgatanga Municipality.

He said the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly had acquired land to build a parking lot and called for funding to enable the assembly to complete it.

Source:
GNA

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Halt Deportation of Liberians - UNHCR



The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today urged Ghana to cease with any further forcible removals after the West African nation deported 16 Liberians - 13 of whom had registered as refugees with the agency - last weekend.

"We regret the deportation of this group of refugees and hope that our ongoing negotiations with the Ghanaian authorities will help resolve the situation of the refugees still in detention," said UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis.

The Liberians were deported following a sit-in demonstration which started on 19 February at the Buduburam refugee settlement 35 kilometres west of the Ghanaian capital, Accra. They were demanding resettlement in third countries or, if they were to be returned to Liberia, a tenfold increase in their return grant to $1,000.

"Despite our extensive efforts to promote and convince the demonstrators to express themselves within the confines of Ghanaian law, the group engaged in increasingly threatening and disruptive action," Ms. Pagonis noted.

Over 600 demonstrators were arrested on 17 March, and on the evening of 21 March, UNHCR negotiated the release of 90 of the most vulnerable people, including separated children and pregnant women.

However, the following day, UNHCR learned that an additional 70 Liberians from the Buduburam settlement had been arrested. The agency's request for access to that group was still pending when it found out that 16 of them - including the 10 male and three female refugees - had been deported to Liberia early in the morning on 23 March. The five-week demonstration ended yesterday.

"We are continuing to try and persuade the refugee community to use existing channels to address their issues as well as reminding them of their obligation to obey the laws and regulations of their country of asylum," the UNHCR spokesperson said.

Most of the nearly 27,000 Liberians officially registered as refugees in Ghana live in Buduburam camp.

Last June, UNHCR ended a two-and-a-half year programme that helped 105,000 Liberians who had fled violence during the country's brutal 15-year civil war to repatriate from several West African countries.

Source:
UN News Service (New York)

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CPP Challenges Nana Akufo-Addo ...


...on Economic Statistics
After a careful study of the statement by the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, at the launch of his presidential campaign on 13th March, 2008, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) wishes to make two important observations for the benefit of the general public.

What the 2008 elections are about

While we recognise the many sacrifices and contributions that Hon. Akufo-Addo has made towards Ghana’s democratic development, we deem it unfortunate that he would seek to reduce the 2008 elections into a contest between the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Ghana is bigger than any party and we do submit that the elections would be as much about the NPP’s record as it would about the records of other parties that have governed this country before. And that certainly includes the CPP, whose exceptional record of successful nation building and national development in the face of internal and external threats remains the touchstone for measuring the performance of governments in Ghana and beyond.

We call upon Ghanaians, therefore, to disregard any notion that the 2008 elections would be between only the NDC and NPP; it will not. Indeed, popular sentiment around the country indicates that the electorate, having seen the 8-year record of each of the two parties, are ready to welcome back the CPP to complete its unfinished business of building a just and prosperous society, a society free of all manner of deprivations, social strife and injustices, and political animosity.

The NPP’s economic record

In his statement, the NPP flagbearer made a number of claims about the Ghanaian economy and his party’s management of it that were inaccurate, to say the least. We deem it our moral duty to set the record straight as part of our contribution to a healthy and useful debate in this election season.

Nana Akufo-Addo: NPP has “nearly quadruple[ed]” the size of the Ghanaian economy “from a GDP of US$3.9 billion to about US$15 billion today.”

CPP’s Response: According to the NPP’s first budget statement in 2001, Ghana’s nominal GDP in 2000 (that is the total size or value of the Ghanaian economy unadjusted for inflation) was ¢27.15 trillion. With an annual average exchange rate of ¢5,456 to the US dollar in 2000, that would translate into about US$4.9 billion – a whopping US$1.0 billion higher than Mr. Akufo-Addo’s figure.

We must point out that while it has become convenient for government officials to convert cedi figures into dollars at will, such conversions can and do often lead to the wrong conclusions and claims. The US$4.9 billion cited above, though higher than Nana Akufo-Addo’s claim, actually represented a decline from US$7.8 billion in 1999. This happened because the cedi lost half of its value against the US dollar in 2000. However, when measured in cedis, instead of dollars, Ghana’s nominal GDP actually increased from ¢20.58 trillion in 1999 to ¢27.15 trillion in 2000 (or, GH¢2,058 million to GH¢2,715.2 million), a nominal growth rate of 31.9%. Over the same period, as reported in the 2001 budget statement, real GDP grew by a positive 3.7% - a clear reason why we should be careful in translating cedi statistics into dollars for political convenience.

Nana Akufo-Addo: In the last seven years of the National Democratic Congress, US$320 million was invested in manufacturing. In the first 6 years of NPP rule, US$2.3 billion has gone into manufacturing.

CPP’s Response: This is perhaps the most disputable claim in the NPP flagbearer’s statement. Given the near-collapse of the manufacturing sector under the NPP, the question that arises from this claim is: Which government agency invested this money, and in what industries? The public deserves to know.

Available government data shows that despite the NPP’s incessant proclamations of a “Golden Age of Business,” the manufacturing sector – more than any other – has suffered severely over the past 7-8 years.

According to the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (2003-2005), p.38, the manufacturing sector in 2000 accounted for 9.02% of GDP; by 2004, this had declined to 8.75%. The government’s 2008 budget statement, p. 36, states that manufacturing’s share of GDP in 2007 was 8.1% of GDP. The same budget statement tells us that in 2007, the manufacturing sector in fact posted a negative growth rate of 2.3%. This was the first such negative growth since 1983!

This is not all. Data from the Bank of Ghana’s Quarterly Economic Bulletin shows that in 2000, the manufacturing sector accounted from 28.1% of business credit; by September 2007, this had declined to 14.5%. The manufacturing sector under the NPP is clearly in a melt-down mode. (We attach for the benefit of journalists, some of the industrial/manufacturing accomplishments of the CPP, some of which survive till this day, despite attempts by successive governments to destroy them).

Nana Akufo-Addo: In 1993, Ghana’s daily minimum wage was equivalent to 96 US cents. By 2000, the last year of the NDC regime, the real value of the minimum wage of the Ghanaian had reduced to 60 US cents. Today, the minimum daily wage, at 2.24 Ghana cedis, is equivalent to US$2.34.

CPP’s Response: First, we believe that since the minimum wage is not paid in dollars, it is needless and misleading to insist on quoting it in dollars in order to score political points. However, since the NPP’s claim was made mostly in US dollars, we shall address it in dollars, too, and then turn to the issue in Ghana cedis as well.

With a daily minimum wage of ¢790.0 and an annual average exchange rate of ¢648.90 to the dollar, the US dollar equivalent of the daily minimum wage in 1993 was US$1.22, not 96 US cents, as claimed by Hon. Akufo-Addo. By 2000, as the cedi rapidly lost value, the dollar-denominated minimum fell to the nominal equivalent of about 77 US cents (that is, a minimum daily wage of ¢4,200 and an average annual exchange rate of ¢5,455.5 against the US dollar).

Measured in Ghana cedis, however, and adjusted for inflation using 2008 prices, the minimum wage would be GH¢1.67 in 1993 and GH¢1.47 in 2000, reflecting a decline of 12.0%, not the 37.5% implied in Hon. Akufo-Addo’s claim.

The CPP’s record on the daily minimum wage, as one would expect, is far better than that of the NDC or the NPP, as shown in the table below. Corrected for inflation, the minimum wage of 65 pesewas in 1966 would be worth ¢30,429.9 today (or GH¢3.04).

Simply put, the minimum wage in the last year of the CPP government can today buy 35.7% more goods and services than would the NPP’s minimum wage of GH¢2.24 and more than double what the minimum wage in 2000 could buy. This is yet another indication of the superior economic management record of the CPP.

Indeed, while both the P/NDC and NPP have struggled unsuccessfully for nearly 30 years to raise Ghana to the ranks of middle-income countries with a per capita income of US$1,000, the CPP did so in less than a decade. The per capita income of US$240.0 in 1966 is worth US1,536.00 in today’s prices, making Ghana a middle-income country under the CPP. The CPP’s economic management record can therefore not be wished away by anyone through falsehoods and cynical omissions.

The CPP is a force to reckon with in this election.
Ghana’s daily minimum wage since 1966 (Measured in 2008 prices in Ghana cedis) 1966 (CPP) 2000 (NDC) 2008 (NPP) GH¢3.04 GH¢1.47 GH¢2.24
Source: Computed by Research & Manifesto Committee of CPP, using data from Government of Ghana, Bank of Ghana, World Bank, and Ghana Statistical Service

Time and space will not permit us to document other instances of outright misrepresentations in Nana Akufo-Addo’s speech and various claims by the government. Suffice it to say that while the CPP will remain focused in crafting and selling an alternative message of hope and prosperity to Ghanaians, it will also be vigilant about claims made by the NPP or any other party in this critical season in our political lives. We shall run a campaign of ideas, facts, and truth – as has always been our tradition.

Forward Ever! Backward Never!

Source:
CPP

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Code of conduct for soldiers


Accra, March 26, GNA - The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) would next week introduce a pocket size version of the Forces code of ethics for all soldiers, Lieutenant General Joseph B. Danquah, Chief of Defence Staff has said.

"Most of the soldiers tend forget some of our ethics of our profession after they have passed out, so this booklet will serve as a guide to them in times of difficulty," the military chief reiterated. Lt. Gen. Danquah said this on Tuesday when inaugurating a therapeutic fountain built by the Forces Pay Office (FPO) Unit. Lieutenant Colonel Ababio Serebour, Commanding Officer of the Unit, said the FPO's duties had been very stressful hence the construction of the fountain to help them unwind.

He said the Unit was also putting up accommodation facilities from its own resources for the personnel. This includes a nine-bedroom apartment situated at the Amnesty Centre in Burma Camp, Accra which will house at least 18 soldiers. Lt-Col Serebour called on the GAF to expedite work on computerization of the FPO to enable it meet current global transformation in information technology.

Source:
GNA

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Two fake UN officials arrested



Two men who posed as UN officials and succeeded in duping some foreigners of thousands of dollars have been arrested by the Commercial Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

The two were arrested in an Accra restaurant where they had gone to meet one of their victims, who had flown down from the United States of America.

They are Benjamin Zuma, alias Duke Nino, and Godwin Mete, both suspected to be Nigerians.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the CID, Inspector Joseph B. Darkwa, on February 4, 2008, the security advisor of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ghana reported to the police that the organisation had received a number of mails from foreigners abroad enquiring as to whether the UNDP had issued an Anti-Drug Certificate enabling holders to establish businesses in Ghana freely.

He said the mails also indicated that the UNDP was charging various amounts of money running into thousands of dollars.

Inspector Darkwa said the suspects designed fake certificates and sent copies to the foreigners as samples and directed them to pay the required amount of money into an account at a bank in Accra.

According to him, the foreigners also wanted to know whether there was a United Nations office at the Christiansborg Castle at Osu where the two suspects were supposed to be working.

He said the UNDP refuted the claim and, suspecting that the two were fraudsters who were out to dupe the foreigners, directed them to forward all correspondence between them to the police to enable them to carry out their investigations.

The Public Relations Officer said in some of the mails the two claimed to be officials of the UN Army in Accra or Public Relations Officer of the UNDP and in one of the mails which was received on March 17, 2008, suspect Zuma posed as Prof. Duke Nino and had even placed his MTN mobile numbers on it.

Inspector Darkwa said during investigations it turned out that the suspect had lured another victim into the country under the pretext of supplying her with gold and they had scheduled a meeting with her at a restaurant in East Legon.

He said a team of police personnel from the CID headquarters led by ASP Ebenezer Nketia, were quickly dispatched to the spot and the two suspects were arrested while having lunch with the victim.

Upon interrogation they admitted the offence but refused to show the police where they live.

Source:
Daily Graphic

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• 25.03.2008

14 die in an accident at Mamfe


Mamfe Akuapem, March 25, GNA - Fourteen people mostly traders died on the spot when a 33-seater Mercedes Benz bus on which they were travelling crashed into a Ford pick-up being driven by a medical practitioner at Tsotsoo village near Mamfe Akuapem on Tuesday morning. Twenty two others whose conditions were serious were rushed to Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital in Koforidua for medical attention.

The deceased yet to be identified were eight women and six men travelling from Kordiabe in the Dangbe West District to Suhum. The corpses have been deposited at Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital at Mampong Akuapem for autopsy.

Akropong Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police Addae Acheampong told GNA that both vehicles were travelling in the same direction.

He said when John Nartey, driver of the bus was descending the Mamfe hills, the clutch failed and the bus hit the back of the Ford that was ahead.

ACP Acheampong said the vehicles veered off the road into ditch during which the bus somersaulted ripping off its roof. He said the medical practitioner the only person on board the Ford and Mr Nartey, were among the injured. ACP Acheampong said the police were investigating the accident.

Source:
GNA

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Liberian refugee files habeas corpus for her release


Accra, March. 25, GNA- A Liberian refugee at the Gomoa Buduburam camp has filed a habeas corpus writ at the Accra Fast Track High Court against her arrest and detention, together with more than 630 others at the Kordiabe Training Centre on March 17, which she said, was illegal. The writ filed by Ms Chicider Lawrence, is seeking an order for a writ of habeas corpus against the Minister of the Interior and Inspector General of Police to produce her body.

The writ was filed on her behalf by Mr Tuinese Edward Amuzu of Legal Resources Centre and Nana Oye Lithur Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. The writ is asking the Minister and the IGP to justify the arrest and continued detention of Ms Lawrence, and reasons why the court should not order her release.

It is also asking the two officials to be restrained, from taking "any further action inconsistent with her refugee status". The case would be heard on April 2. In his application in support of the motion, Mr Patrick Ahossouhe said the arrest and subsequent detention of her wife, Ms Chucider, and the 630 others beyond 48 hours without recourse to the courts was unlawful.

It said on March 22, some men from the Buduburam camp were also arrested, detained and subsequently deported on the same day. He said he believed that there were preparations to deport Ms Lawrence and others at Kordiabe and asked the court to order the Minister and IGP to produce the bodies of the persons in detention and justify their continued detention. The government removed the refugees from Buduburam after they defied government orders to end their unlawful demonstrations that it said had caused disruption in life at the camp. Government has also said Kordiabe would be a new refugee camp. The UNHCR has asked government to end the deportations of the refugees while warning the Liberians to be of good behaviour. A Liberian delegation is expected to hold talks with government on the problem.

Source:
GNA

Military inspects blasted object at Ashaiman


Ashaiman, March 25, GNA - Military Personnel from the First Battalion of Infantry, Mitchell Camp on Tuesday inspected the Ashaiman scrap yard to investigate circumstances leading to a bomb blast at the place on Friday.

The blast killed Abu Adamu, a 17 year old Fulani and badly injured Sanusi Ibrahim and Yakubu Moshi who are scrap dealers at the yard when they tried dismantling an explosive device for its copper wire. Superintendent of Police Frank Awu, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Tuesday that the military personnel studied the yard which is opposite the Ashaiman main lorry station and took the remains of the exploded metal for examination.

He stated that investigations by the police revealed that the three victims were using a hammer to open the device to disentangle the copper inside leading to its explosion.

Superintendent Awu said Ibrahim and Moshie are both on admission at the 37 Military Hospital, adding that, one of Ibrahim's legs had been amputated while the body of the deceased has been deposited at the Police Hospital mortuary for autopsy.

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashaiman, Mr Alfred Agbesi advised the scrap dealers to go about their duties in a professional manner to avoid accidents.

He said as much as the scrap dealers cannot be stopped from engaging in their business as that is their main source of livelihood they should know which metals to handle. Friday's incident is the second in less than two months as another scrap dealer, 21 year old Nene Teye got seriously injured in the arm when an object he was examining exploded at Bundase Military Training area.

Source:
GNA

What drives Ghanaian men to fake weddings ?

Daily Record UK -- GHANA is regarded as one of Africa's most stable countries and has seen one of the fastest rates of poverty reduction in Africa in recent years.
But many people living there dream of better lifestyles in Europe and America.

The average wage is less than £300 a year, meaning a move to the UK could dramatically improve a Ghanaian's financial situation.
Men looking for British wives would often fund the scam by using crime money and dealing with crooks already established in the UK.
Others end up in the UK to study medicine and other subjects and their entire families will club together to raise the cash for a bogus bride.

After gaining UK citizenship, the groom would be expected to send back a large chunk of his earnings to the family.

Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorest countries in West Africa.

But it is also plagued by AIDS - in 2006, 3.2 per cent of the population were HIV-positive.

Sanitation and drainage are both generally very poor and many illnesses flourish due to poor screening programmes.

The result is an increasing exodus of young people to universities in Europe.

Source:
Daily Record UK

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Government disbursed C24m on school feeding programme

Accra, March 25, GNA - About 24 million Ghana cedis had been disbursed on the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) as at the beginning of this month, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment announced on Tuesday.

Out of this amount, about 21.82 million Ghana cedis was from the government while about 2.17 million Ghana cedis was from the Netherlands government.

Taking his turn at the meet-the-press series in Accra, Mr. Kwadwo Adjei- Darko explained that a total of 987 schools with over 477,714 pupils across the country were currently benefiting from the programme. He said the programme had been planned to cover 1,556 schools by the end of the year, which would be gradually scaled up to cover 2,889 schools with 1.4 million pupils by the end of 2010.

"Despite the problems, the GSFP has contributed significantly in increasing school enrolment, attendance and retention, and has contributed to improving the nutritional status of children in the beneficiary schools," Mr Adjei-Darko indicated.

Enumerating some achievements of the Ministry, Mr Adjei-Darko said under the rationalization of district assemblies for efficiency programme, 32 new district assemblies had been created over the past five months of which 31 had been established and another 31 elevated to municipal and metropolitan status. This, he said, was aimed at improving managerial efficiency and sharing of equitable resources.

He said a district development funding facility, dubbed: the District Development Fund (DDF) aimed at improving institutional performance and increase discretionary funding to Metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDA) had been introduced and endorsed by cabinet in principle.

He said a draft operational manual for implementation had also been prepared while the Ministry was assessing the district assemblies for their readiness to implement the facility.

Under environmental sanitation, Mr Adjei-Darko said the Ministry had revised the national environmental sanitation policy, which was now ready for cabinet's consideration while efforts were being made to collect data for the sanitation strategy and action plan as well as development of a strategic environmental investment plan. To improve upon the coverage of sanitation services, 1,800 sanitation guards were recruited, trained and deployed at MMDAs to assist environmental health officers in education and enforcement of sanitation laws and regulations.

On the next phase of Odaw Drainage project, Mr Darko indicated that the Ministry had continued the implementation of the Phase III, comprising the reconstruction of 2.75 kilometres drainage from Alajo Bridge to Apenkwa overhead.

A Fortis Bank loan of 5.199 million euro and Dutch government Grant of 3.198 million euro have been approved by Parliament to continue the second phase.

The Minister noted that all the initial 138 district assemblies had been supported to deliver substantial infrastructure projects to support agriculture, social and human development like feeder roads, dams, wind pumps, markets, slaughter houses, basic schools, health compounds and boreholes.

Source:
GNA

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Cocoa farmers happy about new price


Kasapin (B/A), March 25, GNA - Cocoa farmers in some communities in Asunafo North District of Brong-Ahafo have expressed gratitude to the government for the recent increment in the price of cocoa. The communities are Kasapin, Asuadai, Nyamebekyere, Ayomso, Asumura and Akrodie. The farmers noted that the new price of GHC75 per bag of cocoa would boost their morale to increase their yield. A survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency showed that the farmers were also happy about the on-going mass spraying exercise as well as the distribution of insecticides for the exercise. "The insecticides have helped us to improve our yield," they said and appealed to the government to increase the supply of the insecticides.

Source:
GNA

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• 24.03.2008

  Need for peaceful co-existence in Volta Region - Dzamesi


Likpe Mate(V/R), March 24, GNA-Mr Kofi Dzamesi Volta Regional Minister has stressed the need for peaceful co-existence, tolerance and good neighbourliness among ethnic groups in the Volta Region. He noted that no nation could develop without a congenial environment for progress and socio-economic development. "This underscores the need for all and sundry to uphold the principles of peaceful co-existence, tolerance and good neighbourliness".

Mr Dzamesi made the call when addressing a durbar of chiefs and people of Likpe Traditional Area at the weekend to climax their Lekoryi (Peace) Festival at Likpe Mate. The festival was in remembrance of their ancestors formerly known as Bakpeles who united after several wars and hostilities and settled at their present location in the Hohoe District. The last celebration of the festival under the theme: Peace, Unity and Development was about 20 years ago.

Mr Dzamesi said efforts by the Government to enhance quality of life could only succeed and achieve the desired results when there was peace and tranquillity in the home, communities and institutions. He commended the chiefs and people of the area for organizing the festival, because many communities in the country could not organize festivals because of strife and conflicts due to chieftaincy and land disputes that denied the people peace and tranquillity needed for effective socio-economic development. Mr Dzamesi said government had initiated and implemented many policies and programmes to improve the living standards of the people, these include infrastructural development in education, health and the transport sector.

Others are; School Feeding Programme, Capitation Grant, National Youth Employment Programme, Micro-Credit Programme and National Health Insurance Scheme.

On the December elections, Mr Dzamesi urged the people to exhibit maturity and tolerance during the campaigns, adding: "Let us focus on issues not on personalities, political opponents are not enemies, politics is about development, avoid provocative language and condemn violence in all forms".

He advised the youth to eschew anti-social activities and use their efforts towards the country's development. Togbe Afede XIV, Agbobomefia of Asogli Traditional Area, urged the people to continue to live in peace and contribute towards development of the area.

Nana Soglo Alloh IV, Paramount Chief of Likpe Traditional Area recounted how their ancestors had to abandon several settlements from Atebubu, Nchumuru and Krachi to their present location. He said the festival was celebrated to remember how they moved in batches during wars and hostilities and finally settled peacefully as a united people.

Four citizens including Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, Leader of Democratic Freedom Party, Most Reverend Nubuasah, Bishop of Francistown, Botswana, late Major General Edward Utuka (Rtd) and late Opanin John Kosi Ekudi were honoured for their contribution towards development of the traditional area.

Source:
GNA

  Applaud Rawlings for democracy -Alhaji


NEW. Watch live television from Ghana, the latest Ghanaian movies and OBE TV.
Former President Rawlings should be applauded for helping to shape the country’s democratic dispensation, a leading NDC member has said.

Alhaji A.Y.M.B Ibrahima, a former Tamale Municipal Chief Executive said the democratic dispensation being enjoyed in the country is largely as a result of the positive legacy of former President Jerry Rawlings.

Addressing NDC youth in Tamale, he claimed Rawlings’ decision to hand over power 8years ago has laid the foundation stone for a peaceful democratic dispensation.

Alhaji Ibrahima was presenting a paper on the topic ‘The legacy of J.J. Rawlings’ at the regional launch of a movement called ‘Youth for leadership’ in Tamale.

Joy News’ Mahama Shaibu said the group, mainly NDC members sought to honour, uphold and project the legacy of former President Rawlings.

Alhaji Ibrahima noted that but for the intervention of Mr. Rawlings in Ghanaian politics, the country would still have been wallowing in political and economic difficulties.

He described the former president as a great man with the ability to pursue and achieve great things.

He cited the Interstate Succession Law as one of the great legacies of the Rawlings regime.

The Patron of the movement, Alhaji Seidu Iddi urged members of the movement to correct the distortion of history about Mr. Rawlings and the NDC.

Source:
jfm

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Christians in Bawku pray for peace


Bawku, March 24, GNA - Christians in Bawku on Easter Sunday turned out in their numbers for church services and prayed for peace in the municipality that had been racked by sporadic violence. At the Catholic Church where many of the congregation had to sit outside the building to participate in the service because it was full, Reverend Father Camilo Sarko, the parish priest, preached on the theme, "The Resurrection of Christ and the need for Reconciliation and Peace." He said Easter was a period of penance, reconciliation and peace and a good opportunity for the people of Bawku to forgive one another, reconcile and live in peace.

Rev Fr. Sarko called on Christians all over the country to join those in Bawku to pray for peace, saying that God would grant the Municipality the grace of peace if many hearts cried out to Him. Other churches in the Municipality, including, the Assemblies of God, Apostolic and the Fountain Gate held their annual conventions and all centred their prayers on peace and reconciliation. The Bawku area was calm and people are going about their normal chores once again since the one-day outbreak of violence two weeks ago.

Source:
GNA

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NGO opens centre to offer counselling for students

Tema, March 24, GNA - Synergy Concepts Competence (SCC), a non governmental organisation (NGO), has opened a centre in Tema to offer counselling for tertiary students who are seeking jobs. The centre, which would also assist students to gain employment, is equipped with computers and accessories as well as periodicals, would also serve as a research base for students. Ms Phylicia Mortey, Chief Executive (CEO) of SCC, told the GNA in Tema on Sunday that she intended to create a more efficient, effective and globally competitive Ghanaian workforce to help the country to develop its human and economic resources.

The Synergy Concepts seeks to address the lack of practical skills that its target group needs to successfully prepare and retain the jobs. Ms Mortey, a US based International Development Specialist, called on students to develop their skills to make them marketable. She said while Ghanaian graduates are academically prepared for the workforce, most of them lack the practical skills and conducts that are globally acceptable to most modern-day local and international employers.

For students to develop their potentials from the onset, Ms Mortey said, she planned embarking on an educational drive in the Senior High schools starting from Tema to be extended to other areas. The SCC has already held the first in a series of seminars on job seeking, interview techniques, and workplace ethics as well as expectations during the job search for tertiary students at the centre located at Tema Community Five. Ms Mortey said about 15 students call at the centre daily to seek counselling or conduct research.

Source:
GNA

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