Ghana TV News, 04.08.2010 | | | | News from 04.08.2010 Upper East abounds in mineral resources - Woyongo * Source: GNA | Bolgatanga, Aug. 4, GNA - The Upper East Region abounds in mineral resources that should be tapped for development, Mr Mark Woyongo, Regional Minister has said.
The Regional Minister told the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Billy Williams, when he visited the Region to inspect and commission some projects the High Commission was funding.
The Regional Minister mentioned gold and bauxite as some of the resources in areas such as Nabdam in the Talensi-Nabdam and Sandema in the Builsa Districts.
He said the Region was also endowed with a lot of tourist sites, including the Paga Crocodile Pond, Pekoro Slave Camp in Kassena, Tengzugu Shrine in the Talensi-Nabdam and the Sirigu Women Pottery Association.
Another area the Regional Minister talked about was the craft industry, with a large population in the region engaged in basket and leather weaving, and needed support to improve and expand their work.
Mr Woyongo told the Australian High Commissioner about the defunct
Meat Factory at Zaurungu and said the Region was prepared to partner any investor to go into meat production.
He said majority of their farmers reared cattle, goats and sheep that could be used to feed the Meat Factory and that additional cattle could be imported from neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
Mr Woyongo noted that the Region would need a lot of dams to do irrigation farming since the rainfall pattern was very erratic, stressing that, more dams would give people jobs and give them an opportunity to earn income, thereby preventing them from migrating to the southern sector for jobs.
He commended the Australian High Commission for sponsoring a number of projects in the fields of education, health, water, solar panels and the empowerment of women with micro credits.
Mr Woyongo said if the Region was empowered with the necessary capacity and technical know how to exploit its rich potentials it could help reduce the endemic nature of poverty in the area.
He said partners who would like to venture into mineral exploitation in the region would be given tax exemptions to undertake their activities.
The Australian High Commissioner explained that he was in the Region to inspect some projects the Commission was funding and to see how they could improve upon it or add more projects.
He assured the Regional Minister that the Australian Government would continue to collaborate and support Ghana. | Netherlands organization to build 100,000 affordable houses in Ghana * Source: GNA | Ho, Aug. 4, GNA - Environment and You, an organization from the Netherlands is to construct 100,000 affordable houses in the country.
The project based on 93open houses concept" would enable lower income earners including those in the informal sector to own houses.
Mr Sampson J. Nibi, Advisor of Open Source House initiators of the project, announced this on Wednesday when he led a three member delegation from the Netherlands to pay a courtesy call on the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode in Ho.
He said a two to four bedroom house, which would cost between GH¢11,000 to 25,000 Ghana cedis would be paid for in 30 years.
Mr Nibi said two prototype houses would be built in Cape Coast in November this year.
He said the project, which would run from this year to 2020 would involve local contractors, whose skills would be upgraded in time.
Mr Nibi said the houses, which would be detachable, would be built with local materials to promote the usage of natural resources and energy conservation.
"Bamboos, timber and other local materials will be used that can help regulate temperatures to conserve energy," he said.
He said a consortium of banks and the Netherlands government were funding the project.
Mr Amenowode commended the delegation for the initiative and was hopeful that the project would help reduce the housing deficit in the country.
He urged architects to educate the populace to appreciate the usefulness of local materials for housing and the health benefits. | Minority walk - out, Majority endorses the STX loan * Source: GNA | Accra, August 4, GNA - The highly contested STX housing deal was on Tuesday adopted despite a walk out staged by the Minority.
The Minority said that the issues raised which they thought would have been addressed at the Joint committee of Finance and Works and Housing after the Speaker suspended proceedings twice to allow the committee to work on the report were ignored.
The loan, Sub-divided into Off-taker Agreement, the Joint Venture Agreement and the Suppliers Credit of US$ 1.525, 443, 468.00 for the construction of 30,000 units were laid separately the same day with separate motions moved for their adoption.
Minority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said what the leadership had agreed on had been twisted amounting to a betrayal of trust and a breach of the faith.
He said it was unfortunate that the members of the committee should have been allowed to report instead of being asked to go out and work on the report for an hour before returning for the loan to be laid and moved.
Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said a committee should not be stampeded by the Majority leader or the Speaker.
He said the lenders and suppliers would live to regret adding, "on this note, we will not participate in the debate."
This was the walk-out call which the members of the Minority heeded as they walked out amidst shouting while the members of the Majority gleefully rushed to occupy some of the deserted seats.
All the Minority members accept Paul Collins Appiah-Ofori left the chamber.
He drew attention of the House to some parts of the document that was not signed adding that an agreement entered into meant that all parties ought to have signed it.
He argued that all the agreements should have been compiled together before it was adopted.
According to Mr. Appiah Ofori, the agreement was a good one but the financial arrangement and documentation should be well scrutinised for posterity sake and in the interest of the nation.
When his plea was not taken to correct the mistakes, he also left.
Mr. Cletus Avoka, Majority Leader, said action speaks louder than words adding, the Minority often said they support a descent transaction and if so why did they not sit down to adopt it.
He explained that he met the Minority Leader together with some Minority members in his (Majority leader's) office where they discussed the possibility of shifting the issue to Monday.
According to him, walk-outs did not begin today and would not end tomorrow adding, failure to adopt the report would mean that Parliament was disappointing Ghanaians.
The First Deputy Speaker, Doe Edward Adjaho, called for the laying of the papers after which they were moved and adopted.
Mr. Alban Bagbin, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, said it was unfortunate that the Minority walked out.
He said the loan agreement was not rushed through at all because it was laid on May 2010 and re-laid on 28 July 2010.
The Minister said the whole process was transparent as the transactions were open adding," you see it".
He said all pieces of information about the loan were given to the Minority, some of whom even came for proposals adding, "whatever you in this world do, you do it for yourself.''
According the joint committee report, the unit cost of 1 bed apartment is US $12,926.32, two bed apartment, US$ 14,721.91, three bed apartment is US $ 29,443.81, 3 bedroom bungalow US $ 32, 120.52 and 4 bed bungalow apartment $40,150.66.
The project will also build infrastructure such as Biogas plant, External Lighting, External Markets, Schools, Clinics and Roads.
The House went on recess and may reconvene on October 19, 2010. | News from 05.08.2010 Be mindful of Party and Country- Kufuor to NPP delegates * Source: GNA | Accra, 05 Aug.10,GNA- Former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday called on delegates of the New Patriotic Party to be "mindful of the good of the Party and our nation when voting" when electing the Party's flag bearer on Saturday.
"My prayer is that the elections will be conducted in a free and fair manner, to result in the candidate not only being popular, but also morally authoritative. These attributes will facilitate in rallying the Party into a united and winning force in the national elections, two years hence."
According a statement signed by Mr. Frank Agyekum, the Former President's Spokesperson, and copied to the GNA, President Kufuor said: "I congratulate all the aspirants for the worthy campaign they have conducted so far and hope that who ever emerges the winner, the rest will render their unstinting support to him." | NDC executives urged to put personal interest aside * Source:GNA | Nkroful (W/R), August 05, GNA-The Western Regional Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Colonel (Rtd.) Kaku Korsah, has urged party executives to put personal interest aside and unite at the zonal level for the party's landslide victory in 2012 general elections.
He said the seeming bickering, rancour and acrimony in the NDC do not augur well for the political fortunes of the party.
Col.(Rtd.) Korsah was addressing NDC party executives at Nkroful in the Ellembelle constituency as part of a mid-year review meeting.
He appealed to them to identify problems which have made some electoral areas "hard-go places" and liaise with the Regional arm of the party for assistance to develop strategies and find solutions to the problems.
Col. (Rtd.) Korsah advised the executives against complacency because the party was in power but redouble their efforts to retain the seat in 2012.
The Deputy Minister for Energy and MP for Ellembelle, Mr. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said: "since he assumed the reigns of power, he has vowed to do his best for the constituency and was happy that people were full of praises for the transformation he and the government have brought to the constituency".
"I will do all it takes to make the NDC party reign for ages", Mr Buah emphasized.
He called on party executives "to communicate the successes chalked by government to the people to expose critics throwing dust in the eyes of Ghanaians".
The District Chief Executive for the area, Mr. Daniel K. Eshun, expressed gratitude to the executives for their cooperation and urged them to work harder to ensure massive turn-out in the 2012 elections. | | |
_____________________________________________________ ----- | News from 04.08.2010 - Upper East abounds in mineral resources - Woyongo - Netherlands organization to build 100,000 affordable houses in Ghana - Minority walk - out, Majority endorses the STX loan | _________________________________ | News from 05.08.2010 - Be mindful of Party and Country- Kufuor to NPP delegates - NDC executives urged to put personal interest aside | Your Opinions | Have Your Say!
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