Ghana TV News, 09.08.2010 | | | | Registrar General's Department and Infotech sign agreement * Source: GNA | Accra, Aug. 9, GNA - The management of Registrar General's Department (RGD) and management of Infotech Global Pte Limited have signed a Business Requirements Specifications (BRS) agreement to pave way for the next stage of GeReg system development.
Mrs Jemima Oware, Chief State Attorney and Mr Suresh Agarwal,
Managing Director of Infotech, signed the agreement.
Under the deal Infotech, the technology partner, would develop the GEReg system that would support the new business processes at RGD as part of its administrative reform to streamline operations.
GeReg stands for "Government e-Registration" system which is a proprietary product of Infotech that embodies leading practices in the aforesaid business arenas.
The scope of the project includes Company and Business Registration, Marriage Registration and Estate and Death Gratuity Administration.
The project had already started in April with the partners Infotech and RGD engaged in the past three months in defining the baseline information needed for the system, which were validated and finalised at a workshop between August 1 and 6.
"The signing of the BRS between RGD and Infotech represents a
significant milestone in this project as the BRS provides the baseline to proceed to the next stage of GeReg development," Mr Agarwal, told journalists at the sidelines of the signing ceremony.
He said when completed the project would place Ghana among the best countries with ease of doing business and cut down on time of going through the registration process as potential investors would be able to access information and do all business registration on line.
Besides, Mr Agarwal said, the transparency of the system would inspire investors' confidence and rake in substantial revenue to the State.
He was hopeful that the system could be on stream by April 2011 for government testing of the system.
"Automation would permit clients to do business with ease by the press of the button and this would enable us to effectively service our customers. Once, the system would also be linked to the various revenue agencies it would make it easier to check companies who default in their tax obligations," said Patrick de Souza, Infrastructure Manager GCNet.
The key benefits to RGD include ease of doing business with more efficient business registration processes, improved confidence in Ghanaian businesses as company information would be made readily available through the system and increased revenue with more supported revenue generation services.
Other benefits are strategic management decision making supported by statistical and comparative data and enhanced interactions with investors and or interested parties such as financial institutions.
Being built at the cost of 59 million dollars, the five-year GeGOV Project is an initiative of government with the support of the World Bank as part of the wider eGhana project.
The project is a Public Private Partnership to design, finance, build and operate and transfer an e-Gove application for the Revenue Generating Agencies, and the Registrar General's Department.
The contract for the project was signed between GCnet and Government in December 2009. | Vote NPP in the next general elections - Harona Esseku * Source: GNA | Awutu Bereku, (C/R), Aug. 9, Mr Harona Esseku, a Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, has appealed to Ghanaians to vote for the party in the 2012 general elections, irrespective of their political affiliations.
The NPP, he said, is development-oriented and always seeking the well-being of the masses.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency on the "Prospects of NPP", in an interview, Mr Esseku said, "Everyone bears witness to the good record of our party, which initiated the National Health Insurance Scheme, School Feeding Programme, construction of roads and a host of others."
This should motivate all to vote for the party, he added.
Mr Esseku said the NPP is eager to come to power to continue its good works so that the nation would progress from all fronts of national advancement.
He said: "The way the electorate are yearning for "our come back" indicates that the party would score between 70 and 80 percent of the total votes in the next general elections with the support of the majority of floating voters.
The NPP went to congress on August 7 and elected Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as its flagbearer for the 2012 polls. | Castle Jubilates As Nana Addo Wins * Source: Crystal Clear Lens | Credible information obtained from the corridors of power at the Castle, Osu indicate that President John Evans Atta Mills is happy that his one-time competitor in the 2008 Presidential Elections, Nana Addo, whom he defeated in the last elections has been given the nod once again to lead the largest opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) into the 2012 elections.
According to the source, the Presidency monitored the NPP elections with very keen interest as results started trickling in from the 228 Constituencies in which the elections took place around 3.30pm on Saturday at which time polling had already ended and counting had began across the country.
With the emphatic victory that Nana Akufo Addo was able to chalk last Saturday as against the 2007 Congress at the University of Ghana, Legon, which he failed to obtain the 50 percent – 1 vote, the stage has now been set for the two presidential candidates in the last election to battle it out again in the 2012 Presidential elections. The kind of euphoria that entangled supporters of Nana Akufo Addo when the trend showed clearly that he has won the contest, was no similar to that of the Castle as the general perception among sympathizers of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is that the NPP flagbearer can never defeat President Mills in any contest.
A deep throat source at the Castle hinted the Crystal Clear Lens newspaper that after all the signs on the wall pointed to Nana Addo’s second coming to have a trial at the number one and of course the top job in the country, President Mills was in his usual self and kept his cool and was quite happy that his former competitor would be coming face-to-face with him once again come the 2012 Presidential elections.
Some members of the NDC who were rejoicing over the Akufo Addo victory believes strongly that if then candidate Mills, whose party was in opposition and had little resources was able to defeat the NPP and Akufo-Addo, then they see no reason why the sitting President cannot repeat the dose. Nana Akufo Addo has been in politics for quite a good number of years but Is not someone who is feared to be capable of returning the elephant which had been in political obscurity for some time to power since the former Member of Parliament (MP) carries a lot of baggage with him and would be rejected once more by the good people of Ghana who are beginning to appreciate the good work that President Mills’ government is doing.
It is believed by many that in spite of the earlier criticisms that was leveled against President Mills that his government was too slow and not delivering, many are such critics who are beginning to revise their notes as there is macroeconomic stability, inflation keeps going down month after month and have been able to achieve a single digit inflation, a feat which the NPP couldn’t achieve in their eight years in power.
The Single Spine Salary Structure which the NPP couldn’t implement when it was in power had been implemented by His Excellency within 18 months in office and public workers, especially the Police, who used to complain bitterly under the NPP are now praising President Mills. Upon his assumption in office, the President has demonstrated beyond all reasonable doubt that he is a listening leader who always has the concerns of the people at heart. Mention can be made in utility tariffs by the PURC. Upon complains by the general public, Public, Prof. Mills asked the PURC to take a second look at the increment. The President expressed his concern in the STX Housing deal which became a subject of controversy at the floor of Parliament. As a result of inadequate clarity of the deal, President Mills asked the deal to be withdrawn until further checks before it was sent back for approval.
Furtherance, many people within the ruling party believes strongly that Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, a.k.a Alan Cash even though, cannot win the elections against President Mills but would have performed better than Nana Akufo Addo, who is expected to be given a political technical knockout by President Mills.
Nana Akufo Addo’s emphatic victory within the NPP flagbearership race is seen by the Presidency as a sign of good things to come and that President Mills and the NDC know the NPP Presidential candidate very well that they will map up a very good strategy to shut him up in his political career forever. | Volta Region must be saved from turning into slums -Amenowode * Source: GNA | Ho, Aug. 9, GNA - Mr Joseph Amenowode, Volta Regional Minister, on Monday, called for urgent interventions to save the region from degenerating into slums.
"Our regional and district capitals are fast becoming slums devoid of any effective urban planning."
Mr Amenowode was speaking at a Validation Workshop, in Ho, on the Draft National Urban Policy (NUP).
He challenged the region's Planning Officers to act promptly to save the situation.
Mr Amenowode noted that it was becoming difficult for emergency services to gain access to areas where their services were urgently needed due to the haphazard development of settlements.
He called for a campaign to draw the attention of developers to the consequences of unplanned settlements.
Mr Amenowode, however, expressed hope that an effective National Urban Policy would help address the issues and looked forward to participants making meaningful input into the NUP.
Dr. Bernard Glover, a Member of the Council of State, who chaired the workshop, said about 51 per cent of cities in the country harbour 5,000 or more people and said a National Urban Policy was long over due.
"Man needs to plan his habitat properly and this we have to do with a conscious and a planned policy," he said.
Professor Paul Yankson of the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research, (ISSER) who gave a presentation on the NUP, said about 51 per cent of the country's population was urbanized.
He said the overall objective of the Policy was to ensure sustainable development of urban centres. | | |
_____________________________________________________ ----- | _________________________________ | - Registrar General's Department and Infotech sign agreement - Vote NPP in the next general elections - Harona Esseku - Castle Jubilates As Nana Addo Wins - Volta Region must be saved from turning into slums -Amenowode - Massive Rip-Offs At Foreign Embassies | Your Opinions | Have Your Say!
| Archived News for 2010 | News Page was last modified on Tuesday, 17 August 2010 19:12:35 | 
| Massive Rip-Offs At Foreign Embassies * Source: Daily Guide | The burning desire by Ghanaians to travel abroad has turned foreign embassies in Ghana into ‘cruel slave kingdoms’. Foreign embassies in Ghana were honest and trustworthy partners in times past. Instead, these embassies have now become substantive hubs for the continual exploitation of the poor.
The Chinese Embassy is the latest to join the gang while the German Embassy has been adjudged the most tolerant and good-human-relations-practising embassy.
Led in chief by the British and American Embassies who charge exorbitant visa fees, these outfits treat visitors with so much disdain that some have earned the tag ‘no-go’ areas.
A recent example is the refusal of visas by the American embassy to some Ghanaian diplomats and journalists on a mission for the country abroad, notable among them the Agric and Energy Ministers, Ato Ahwoi and Dr. Oteng Adjei respectively.
During the launch of United Airlines at the Kotoka International Airport recently, Donald Teitelbaum, US Ambassador to Ghana, noted in a speech that his outfit granted 24,000 visas to Ghanaians in 2009. He also said 20,000 visas were granted Ghanaians in 2008.
This paper has made countless efforts to reach Benjamin East, Public Relations Officer at the US Embassy over a month ago to know a few more things in relation to this announcement but all to no avail.
Nevertheless, going by Mr Teitelbaum’s assertion, 100 Ghanaians are purportedly granted visas to the US on each of the five working days of the week though it is very difficult to even get appointment date for interview.
As to how many were rejected visas and yet had their visa application fees forfeited, because the embassy would not refund them, is not known. An amount of GH¢160 is charged by the UK Embassy in Ghana as visa application fee for a six-month multiple visa but most often, the embassy has granted visas covering less durations of stay without a refund.
Those who want to stay in UK for more than six months have to pay more than the aforementioned figure. The US Embassy on the other hand charges $150 for nonimmigrant visa. An interview with Kofi Kapito, CEO of the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), on the subject last Wednesday, buttressed this exploitative situation prevailing at the foreign embassies.
“It has come to the knowledge of the CPA of various complaints that have been made to our office with regard to the unpalatable, inhuman and disrespectful treatment that are meted out to those that visit the foreign embassies in processing of visa applications.”
Indicating that visits by CPA’s research staff to most of the embassies clearly confirmed such reports, he said he had called the attention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs via a letter dated April 4, 2010, to the situation.
“However not even an acknowledgement letter from the Minister and his concern for the issues raised, merited a reply,” he emphasized.
Most of the embassies, this paper can reveal, do not even have a proper waiting space for people that visit their premises.
Thus, most visitors stand in the scorching sun for hours before they are invited inside the embassies to carry out their businesses.
When these reporters visited the UK Visa Application Centre at Labone in Accra, a 65-year-old woman was spotted in a queue from 6.00am to almost 12 noon before she could get the opportunity to just have her visa application form submitted.After submitting a visa application for one week, the passport collection can also take an applicant about two good hours.
Again, at the US Embassy, visa applicants are made to stand almost 500 meters away from the embassy premises because they would not be allowed to stand or wait anywhere around the embassy.Furthermore, all visa fees have been increased dramatically. The visa fee, once known as visa application fee, has now been renamed visa processing fee.
With the huge amount charged, one wonders what amount of ink and paper is used for this activity that warrants such a fee.With the visa application fee, there was a specific amount that applicants paid and once their visa was approved, they were made to pay a visa processing fee.Now applicants are supposed to pay upfront, a visa processing fee that includes both the application and processing fees.
In the event of a visa refusal, applicants’ money is not refunded. Applications vary between six months, 1 to 2 years, 3, 4 and 5 years depending on what legitimate business applicants are desirous to undertake.
There are unconfirmed reports that when people are refused visa, the embassies ask them to reapply and this is generating more revenue for the embassies.The embassies send these monies to their respective countries who in turn give them back to Ghana in the form of aid.
Mr Kapito said the government must immediately correct this anomaly and robbery at the diplomatic level, stressing that “we think our fellow Ghanaians are getting a raw deal from these embassies and we want the right thing to be done.” More amon. | All about the Ghana Election 2008 |
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