* Source: GNA

Accra, June 29, GNA - The issuance of the biometric passport is at moment centralized, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Chris Kpodo, on Wednesday said.

He said though plans were advanced to have the system decentralized the centres established in the regions were only Biometric Passport Application Cetres.

He said apart from the Greater Accra Region all other centres created in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, Sekondi in the Western Region and Tamale in the Northern Region, were not given the mandate to issue passport but take biometric data of prospective applicants and pass them on to Accra for issuance.

"The regions are processing centres not issuing centres" he said. Mr Chris Kpodo, who was speaking on the floor of Parliament during question time, said though the regional centres were established to deal with the congestion in Accra, some found it convenient to travel to Accra, adding that the phenomenon was putting much pressure on the Accra office.

He said these centres were all operational and applicants in these regions no longer need to travel to Accra to obtain passports though some applicants did that out of choice or ignorance about the existence of the centres.

He disclosed that the centre in the Volta Region would become operational by the end of July 2011.

"Our diplomatic missions abroad have been provided with the standard list of equipment required for them to process biometric passports and directed to source for the hard ware in their prospective areas of accreditation," he said.

He noted that the Ghana's missions were not also mandated with the issuance of the passport, but also serve as biometric Passport Application Centres. They are also supposed to furnish the Accra office with biometric data of applicants for Accra to issue the passports.

He stated that the project company - Buck Press would visit the missions for installation and training of the staff to kick start the processing of biometric passports.

"The software can only be installed by Buck Press hence the visit," he explained.

* Source: The New Statesman

The 2012 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will begin his 2012 campaign Friday, July 1, 2011, starting from the party’s stronghold, Ashanti Region.

The flagbearer of the NPP will be accompanied on his community-based campaign by a small team of people, including his Campaign Manager, a Regional Officer and his Press Secretary.

This will be his sixth nationwide tour since 2009, but expected to be by far the most intimate interaction with the general populace since losing the 2008 presidential run-off by the slimmest of margins.

Dubbed the ‘Listening Campaign’, the 153-day campaign tour will see the NPP flagbearer interacting with communities nationwide, listening to their concerns, aspirations and expectations, and offering them hope for a brighter future.

According to the 2012 Campaign Manager for the NPP, Boakye Agyarko, “these visits and meeting with communities is for the candidate to have a first hand intimate appreciation of the situation on the ground before the party comes out next year with its programme for transformation,” (manifesto) in 2012, which the campaign Manager says will “introduce a comprehensive plan to transform the economy and, on the social front, to create a new society of opportunities for all.”

He adds, “There is always the risk to overlook the little things that matter to the ordinary Ghanaian and communities in putting together a party manifesto. This tour will grant the candidate a first-hand opportunity to make sure that our plans, programmes and policies are not just about the big things but the small and important things, as well.”

The tour will also give a greater number of Ghanaians across the country an opportunity to meet the NPP Presidential Candidate.

The format of this ‘Listening Campaign’, according to information available to the New Statesman, shuns big rallies. “There is no room for big rallies,” a source at the party headquarters told the New Statesman.

“We want Ghanaians to feel our candidate and we want our candidate to feel them even more,” the source added.

Beginning in the farming communities of the Ashanti Region, the NPP Presidential Candidate will spend a total of 30 days in the region with the largest number of constituencies in the country.

This will be followed by twenty days each in the Eastern and Greater Accra Regions, as exclusively revealed by the New Statesman last week.

After the Greater Accra Region, Nana Addo will move on to the Central, Western and Brong Ahafo Regions, where he will spend a total of 48 days.

The five-month ‘Listening Campaign’ will end in the Volta Region, where the candidate will stay for seven days, after spending 15 days in the Northern Region and, before that, two weeks in the Upper West and Upper East Regions.

Since suffering defeat in the 2008 general elections, the NPP has been busy rebuilding and reorganizing itself in a bid to recapture power in 2012.

It started with the Constitutional Amendment Conference of the Party in August 2009.

As Nana Addo pointed out in his recent speech at the party’s international conference in Germany, “This is what led to the historic expansion of the delegates list that saw the participation of some 107,000 people in the choice of our presidential candidate for the 2012 election.”

He added, “Likewise, on the average, four times as many people as before participated in the just concluded choice of our parliamentary candidates in an exercise that has won the admiration of the nation, and even beyond, including visiting members of the CDU, Germany’s ruling party, who observed the elections.”

In terms of the campaign, the NPP flagbearer put it this way, “The grassroots have been responsible for the choice of our candidates, presidential and parliamentary, and the grassroots will be responsible for our victory in 2012.”

He explained: “The process of reflection, undertaken in humility and sincerity, but also with courage, led to the decision to expand dramatically the electoral colleges of the Party for the selection of party executives and parliamentary and presidential candidates.”

He said the decision to include the grassroots “has given a strong sense of ownership to the grassroots of the Party, facilitating and galvanising political mobilisation.”

The process of rebuilding has seen the NPP, since October 2009, restructuring its organisation from the selection of its executives at the basic units of the polling station level, through the selection of the newly created level of electoral area coordinators, the constituency executives, the regional executives through to the national executives. According to Nana Addo, “It is a process that saw the election of the most ethnically and regionally balanced national executive of any political party in Ghana, to make the point that we are, indeed, the national party of Ghana. We now stand on the threshold of the third and most critical aspect of the theme- RECAPTURE.”

The ‘Listening Campaign’ is seen as the first major step, prior to election year, 2012, in the efforts of the main opposition party to recapture power.

Nana Akufo-Addo lost the 2008 election to President JEA Mills in a photo finish of 0.46% of the popular vote in a run-off. The period of time spent in each constituency on the 2012 campaign has been calculated to reflect where the campaign team seeks to focus more of its energy and resources, according to inner sources.

Former President Kufuor has for the first time defended and sought to explain and clarify his party flagbearer’s ‘all-die-be-die’ slogan which snowballed into a huge political controversy and generated intense media discussion a few months back.

Mr. Kufuor told Hot FM, an Accra based radio station on Wednesday June 29 that the slogan used by Nana Akufo-Addo in Koforidua, was gravely distorted and misconstrued as a call to violence.

Speaking in his native Akan dialect, the Former President said the phrase was nowhere near an incitement to violence as has been explained by political opponents probably to score cheap political points.

The Former President explained that the slogan was meant to merely demonstrate how, in Nana Akufo-Addo’s view, perceived weaklings could, on the spur of the moment, block up all consequences and muster courage to face and confront their assailants squarely out of frustrations of being persistently bullied.

“‘All die be die’ is an instantaneously courageous revolt against bullies by perceived weaklings who may have gotten to their wits end as a result of having suffered perennial bullying at the hands of bullies. I think that should be a normal human practice. We can’t allow any one person to hold us eternally hostage when that person doesn’t even have our welfare at heart. They must be made to know their limit. It is important that Ghanaians clearly understand what the slogan ‘all die be die’ means” Mr. Kufuor said.

In the early days of the ‘all-die-be-die’ controversy, Mr Kufuor deferred media comments on the matter to Nana Addo when he was mobbed by Journalists for his views, after he had come out of a meeting with President Mills that discussed issues to deal with heightened tension in the country at the time.

Some political pundits said former President Kufuor’s posture at that instant indicated that he disagreed with the use of that slogan by Nana Akufo Addo. Others argued to the contrary.

A senior business leader has warned of dire consequences if Ghana’s politicians are not reined in from the dangerous path they are leading the country on.

According to Captain Budu Koomson (Rtd), Chief Operating Officer of UT Holdings, Ghana’s political system needs a radical overhaul to save it from impending doom.

Speaking on the Management Development Series segment of the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday June 28, Capt Koomson expressed concern about what he calls a worrying trend in Ghana’s politics which extends to the attitude of governments towards locally established businesses.

He said Ghana’s politicians have lost focus and are only interested in engaging in politics of insults, vindictiveness, hatred, greed and violence, and cautioned that a continued adherence to ‘politics as usual’ would spell doom for the nation.

“Look at our politicians. In fact if we do not introduce changes and new ideas in the way we are doing our politics and governance in Ghana, God forbid, we may very well lose Ghana. We have to innovate or die. Change the way we think, the way we do things or Ghana will die. It may sound catastrophic but its possible" he noted.

“I mean with our politics of lies, politics of hatred, politics of greed, politics of insults, politics of threats. Sometime ago I heard about Azorka Boys, in what context? Then came Bamba Boys, with what meaning? Then we heard the almighty ‘All die be Die’. Now the latest kid on the block is Heroes or martyrs Fund. What are we doing to ourselves? Are we tempting destiny? If we don’t change this mindset we are going to kill the country one of these days" he warned.

“We have politics of abuse of power, politics of adulation- we worship people until they think they are gods and suddenly when we strip away the adulation people now have withdrawal symptoms… Politics of vindictiveness, ‘we should jail our opponents by all means, whether fair or foul’, and if you don’t do it you lose your own constituents.

“Let us look at this vindictiveness. When the whole world is innovating, and improving and growing and doing things, we are hell bent on killing our own innovation, on killing our own efforts. We have the story of Dr Safo Adu and his International Commercial Company: vindictiveness killed it, for whatever reason. Appiah Menka with his Apino soap. These are companies that are indigenous, thinking and trying to do something, we kill it ourselves. B.A. Mensah and International Tobacco. J. K. Siaw and Tata Brewery.

“This vindictiveness, if we do not stop, Ghana is not going anywhere. It’s a cycle, and it has to be broken" he noted.

Accra June 29, GNA - Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, said 926 people were displaced and no life was lost in the June 5, 2011 rains, which caused the Akora and Ayensu rivers to overflow their banks.

Answering questions on the floor of Parliament in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, said 93A total of 926 people were displaced; 350 at Nampong and 576 at Ofoase but no life was lost." He commended the Police, the Ghana Fire Service and the National Disaster Management Organisation officials for evacuating victims of the flood.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said the entire community of Ofoase was virtually washed away leaving only a school, clinic and a few houses, which were on upper grounds.

At Nampong, 54 houses were washed away and 40 acres of farmlands at Nampong and 60 acres at Ofoase were destroyed.

The Minister said four tents and other relief items were provided for the Ofoase victims and three tents and other relief items were provided for the Nampong victims.

"As a long term measure, the assembly is currently negotiating with the chiefs to provide land on higher grounds to permanently resettle inhabitants of the affected communities," he said.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said the main bridge on a river in Agona Swedru and its environs that was destroyed as a result of floods was being repaired by the government.

He said Zoomlion Company was asked to collect debris caused by floods and a bridge over the Akora River at the business centre of the Agona Swedru, destroyed by floods, was being rehabilitated.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said new culverts or bridges would be constructed to direct the flow of water from Akora River at Nkubem, and drains and retaining walls would be built to direct flow of water from the Ankora River at Nkubem.

Accra, June 29, GNA - Movement for the Defence of Democracy (MDD), a National Democratic Congress (NDC) pressure group on Wednesday called on the party delegates to vote for President John Evans Atta Mills during the upcoming July Congress in Sunyani.

"We strongly believe that Election 2012 is a forgone conclusion with candidate Mills=85, but it will be suicidal and amount to a truncation of the peace, stability and development we are enjoying, and the party will also be doomed forever, if somebody else picks up the slot."

These were contained in a statement signed by Ebenezer Kondo, a Leading Member of the group and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra.

The group formerly known as Campaign for Change (CFC) in Election 2008, pointed out that President Mills within his two-and-a-half years in office had performed well, invested in people, ran an open and transparent administration, brought about infrastructural development and economic stability.

"Apart from these successes achieved in this relatively short period in power, President Mills has also brought to bear a high level of integrity, honesty, morality, humility and tolerance in our body politic and this no doubt has endeared him to a lot of voters, especially floating voters," the statement said.

*Source: By: MARTIN MENSAH ABEIKU 

It is with utmost desire that we, the Coalition of Worried NDC Members (COWOM), a pressure group in the NDC, express our dissatisfaction with manner in which Prof. Atta Mills and his G.A.M.E are managing the affairs of our dear party-NDC. In the past few months, Prof. Atta Mills and his G.A.M.E have demonstrated that they are more concerned about the activities of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), rather than our party - the ultimate National Democratic Congress. There are many publications in the Media that justify these claims.

The fact is, we are reliably informed that H.E J.E.A. Mills is using state resources and that of the party, to sponsor some personalities who are contesting for National Positions in the upcoming delegates’ congress of the CPP. These actions have become necessary for Prof. Mills and his team to take because their fear is that Prof. Mills is faced with the likelihood of losing his flagbearership slot for NDC, come 9th July. These and many other things are what they are doing to keep their presence in the CPP, so that should in case Prof. Mills loses at Congress, he would immediately contest on the ticket of the CPP, through the planned machinations of his puppets in the CPP.

It would also be recalled that just some few days past, a statement issued by a Pro-CPP Group calling itself the Sankofa Convention People’s Movement urged delegates of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to vote for President John Evans Atta Mills as the flag bearer in the July 9 primaries in Sunyani. The statement even went further to say that “all Nkrumaist and members of the CPP must throw their weight behind Samia Nkrumah, who has expressed her desire to contest for chairperson of the CPP”. As it is now, we cannot appreciate the chemistry or correlation between these two parties.
We want to state that we are not concerned about what President Mills does with the CPP; we also don’t have problem with the above stated revelations. But our main concern has to do with the fact that President Mills must come out clearly and tell us whether he wants to contest on the ticket of CPP or the NDC. We are tempted to believe that some people want to sacrifice the core principles, surrounding the establishment of our dear party (NDC) for that of another, just to satisfy their whims and caprices. We are of the opinion that the best candidate to represent the NDC in the 2012 elections is the former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings. She has constantly shown that she is a visionary leader, honest and a mother who is much concerned about the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian and that, she is not prepared to align our party with another party which does not share in our common goal as social democrats.

The unpleasant truth is that the President has failed Ghanaians and cannot be given a second term.

Signed on behalf of COWOM,
By: MARTIN MENSAH ABEIKU (Spokesperson)
Tel: 026-0571064

Accra, 29 June, GNA - The Executive Secretary of the Coalition of NGOs in water and sanitation (CONIWAS), Mr Benjamin Arthur has stated that in spite of Government's pledge to commit zero point five per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to sanitation, this year's budget made provision for only zero point one per cent.

Mr Arthur said despite government's undertaking in Washington DC in 2010 to commit 200 million dollars every year towards water and sanitation activities beginning this year, this year's budget did not reflect that commitment.

He said analysing the progress so far, there was the indication that Ghana had met only 45 per cent of the commitments, meaning the country would not be able to meet its Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target.

Mr Arthur said this at a sensitisation workshop on 93The Right to Water and Sanitation" organized for journalists in Accra.

The CONIWAS's Executive Secretary stated that the reason for the workshop was to remind each other about the issues of human rights when it came to water and sanitation.

He said though Ghana's leaders met and set targets to work towards the MDGs for the people to have access to water by 2015. "However, when we look at this target in relation to where we are in this country as at now, we have four more years to the MDG target, yet the figures that we have are nothing that we should be proud of."

According to Mr Arthur, Ghana had been able to achieve 59 per cent coverage for water, while for sanitation Ghana was last but one at the bottom in West Africa and Africa,

He said Ghana still had a national coverage of 13 per cent for sanitation and that even if the figure was put at 20 per cent, it will mean that out of a population of 24 million, only 4.8 million had access to adequate or improved sanitation.

"We have a situation where our governments have penned their signatures to international conventions and treaties committing themselves to the principle that water and sanitation are human rights issues, and therefore they will make it possible for most, if not all of us, to have access to these facilities.

"It means that whichever way possible, our government should try and make these facilities accessible, especially to the poor and the marginalized," the Executive Secretary said.

He said the lack of investment in the sector was also a major contributory factor to most people not having access to good water and adequate sanitation facilities.

"People's rights in terms of water and sanitation are being trampled upon if you look at most of the international conventions," Mr Arthur stressed.

The CONIWAS Executive Secretary said a critical look at sanitation in the country and its growth rate, indicated that it would take another 40 years for Ghana to be able to attain the MDG target of 54 per cent coverage.

He said the workshop, which was supported by WaterAid in Ghana and the Centre on Human Rights and Eviction (COHRE) was held to look at sanitation and water provision in the context of human rights and how to demand accountability from government.

"It is for other people to also follow up for duty bearers to also do their part," Mr Arthur said.

The workshop considered some of the conventions and treaties that underline human rights issues in relation to water and sanitation. The Secretary of CONIWAS and convener of the day's training, Mr. Ben Lartey, said the workshop was geared towards partnering the media to demand from government, the private sector and service providers.

Mr Patrick Apoya, Facilitator of the workshop who is also the Chief Executive of Sky Fox Limited, said the outcome of the workshop would be packaged for a National Stakeholders Workshop and also aid in the preparation of a National Action Plan.

He said although traditionally the rights to water and sanitation were accepted, they were still not imbedded in Ghana's constitution, adding that the ultimate was to have that done.

According to Mr Apoya, a former Executive Secretary of CONIWAS, many African governments were resisting putting the rights to water and sanitation in their laws and constitutions. 93Countries in Africa including Kenya, South Africa and Botswana have those rights embedded in their laws."

The facilitator said most countries had declined to enshrine the rights in their laws, because they were afraid that people would hold them accountable.

Accra, June 29, GNA - Dr Edward Omane-Boamah, Deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, on Wednesday said it was necessary for the country to take advantage of its enormous sunshine to generate solar energy.

This, he said, would reduce the pressure on electricity consumption and prevent over-dependence on government for energy because solar was a self-sufficient avenue for generating energy.

Dr Omane-Boamah made the call at the inauguration of PTL Solar Ghana, a company that deals in solar energy systems for lightening and power appliances.

He said it was expedient for companies and other institutions to collaborate with government to produce and conserve solar energy for their daily use.

"We will recommend this strongly to key areas in hospitals such as theatres, intensive care units and other institutions," he said. Dr Omane-Boamah commended the management for their bold initiative, and said government would continue to support such useful inventions on energy from companies such as PTL to help the country achieve an optimum growth in energy generation and conservation.

Mr William Asante, Managing Director of PTL Solar Ghana, said the company had been able to create a model for the provision of solar energy, especially to people living in rural communities in the country.

This, he said, would help offer an opportunity to the people to shift from using kerosene for lighting to the use of solar energy which would provide better light in addition to helping them save money.

Mr Asante advised the government to consider solar energy as an avenue which had more potentials of making the nation achieve a considerable percentage in energy conservation by reducing the demand on wood fuel and pressure on tropical vegetation.

He announced that the company would assist government to build a renewable energy market through the increase in demand and supply of renewable products.

"The solar technology is right for Ghana when it comes to energy generation, we have the sun to our advantage and it is free and inexhaustible," he added.

* Source: Citifmonline

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor says he still has sleepless nights over the murder of the overlord of Dagbon, Ya Na Yakubu Andani II, almost a decade after the tragic event. The Ya Na lost his life in 2002 when Mr. Kufuor was President.

His government was blamed for not doing much to prevent the death as well as apprehend those who masterminded the incident. Mr. Kufuor, who described the late King as a personal friend, regretted the incident and bemoaned how politicians took advantage of the situation.

He chronicled efforts his administration made to apprehend the perpetrators of the crime and advised politicians to desist from raking the wounds of the people of Dagbon by politicizing the subject of the Ya Na’s death.

The former President Kufuor told listeners of Citi FM’s partner station Diamond FM in Tamale, “I have had sleepless nights right from the time the sad thing happened because Ya Na was a personal friend.

"This thing was capitalized on and exploited so massively politically. I am praying that the people of Dagbon would come to know the truth because the truth would make all of us free and happy.

"It is a very sad thing that a great people should be subjected to so much vile propaganda for political gain. Who has been the beneficiary of the misfortune? Is it NPP or NDC?

"People forget what happened the time preceding what occurred, I have personal misgivings and suspicions about what happened but I trust that with Gods’ help one day the truth would come out”.

Mohammed Ibn Abdella, who conducted the interview, asked the former President what he thought about how long it has taken to prosecute even one person in relation to the Ya Na’s murder but Mr. Kufuor maintained “government, using the rule of law took all the necessary steps. For one, we set up the Wuaku Commission, the composition of the commission I believe was carefully done and then we also begged the prominent chiefs to set up a body to see to the traditional aspects because the problem had many facets-social, legal, traditional, a whole lot of facets.

"Government quickly put together these institutions, tried for us to get to the centre of the problem to find solutions but all the efforts of government was pushed aside and made to seem irrelevant”.

Asked who pushed them aside as he (Mr. Kufuor) said, he only answered “you are in Tamale, you should know, the propaganda that went on and yet they liked every effort that government was trying to put in……

“The eminent chiefs were trying to get some solutions so we could put things back together in order to take off positively; I want a genuine and lasting solution for Dagbon.

“The way forward” according to former President Kufuor “is for all Ghanaians and especially the people of Dagbon” to ignore the propaganda “and seek the truth, not what people would come and shout and yell on.

"Dagbon has been overtaken by sad events once, the Dagbon-Konkomba war, how did it begin? How many people got killed? How many villages were destroyed?

“We must get away from those things especially Dagbon people, we should resist anybody trying to exploit the situation for their political gains. If you know the truth, come out boldly and tell us… “I know eventually the truth would come out”.

Former President Kufuor acknowledged that some international bodies have aided in finding a solution to the Dagbon crisis.

He said, “I know of some international bodies like the UNDP who were involved in trying to help put back some peaceful coexistence between the families, they were working quietly but they were helping”.

*Source: GNA

Kumasi, June 29, GNA - The National House of Chiefs (NHC) has urged all well meaning sons and daughters of the Ga Traditional Area to work together to end the confusion that had arisen as a result of installing a rival chief.

Wulugu Naba Pugansoa Naa Professor John S. Nabila, President of the House, said recent developments in the Ga Traditional Area had not been helpful to the image of chiefs.

"We appeal to the various contestants, kingmakers, chieftaincy houses or gates, wulomei, queen-mothers, Ga senior citizens and all sons and daughters of Ga Mashie, including the youth, to help put a stop to the chaos affecting the institution of chieftaincy in the Ga Traditional Area."

Naa Professor John S. Nabila was speaking at the Second General Meeting of the NHC in Kumasi on Wednesday.

The NHC, however, condemned the installation of a rival Ga Mantse, saying it did not create a good image of the chieftaincy institution.

Naa Professor Nabila said a report to the NHC from the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs indicated that the case brought before the House, challenging the legitimacy of King Tackie Tawiah III was almost completed.

He said the installation of a new Ga Mantse whilst the case was still pending before a Judicial Committee of the Regional House at Dodowa should therefore be a source of worry to everybody.

Naa Professor Nabila pointed out that as community leaders, chiefs must work hand in hand with the law enforcement agencies but not to create conditions that could ignite trouble and break down law and order.

He said he was happy that what was happening I Ga Mashie had not affected other areas such as La, Tema, osu, Nungua, James Town, Teshie and Ngleshie Alata and encouraged chiefs of those areas to join in efforts at bringing about peace.

Naa Professor Nabila appealed to the government to provide the NHC with the needed funding to complete the compilation and subsequent codification of customary laws and lines of succession applicable to each stool or skin as mandated by the 1992 Constitution.

This, according to him, was the only way to end disputes over stools and s= kins.

Naa Professor Nabila called on the Regional Houses of Chiefs to establish mediation committees and work hard to reduce chieftaincy conflicts.

He used the occasion to underline the need for politicians to desist from the use of intemperate language in the media ahead of next year's general election.