• 02.11.2008

GT achieves more successes after Vodafone deal

Takoradi, Nov. 02, -GNA-Ghana Telecom's (GTs) dwindling fortunes have started to glitter 60 days after it struck a deal with Vodafone in August this year.

Speaking to the media in an interaction at Takoradi on Friday, Major Albert B. Don-Chebe, (Rtd) Head of Corporate Communications and customer care said GT had registered a six percent net percent growth in customer base while revenue from its international in-bound revenues has also increased to 161 percent within the period.

Major Don-Chebe disclosed that to enhance and encourage students to use a newly designed payphone booths, an S-link or school link phone booths will be installed in 500 senior high schools nationwide. He said the s-link relies on a sim card and can be used to send text messages, receive calls and it operates just like a mobile phone and the students will not need to hold mobile phones when on campus. Major Don-Chebe said five deprived communities including one in the Western Region will benefit from a GT comprehensive corporate social responsible this month.

The beneficiary communities will receive modern telecommunication services under the programme. Major Don-Chebe said GT has increased its cell sites by 300 percent and added 10 new voice and nine other roaming destinations. He hinted that GT had the highest landline service installations since August 2007.

Major added that broadband for customers had also tripled and 30 percent additional customers had joined the network. He disclosed that the southern ring of the national optic fibre network has been completed while the companies fault clearance has improved.

Major Don-Chebe said to improve the human resource of GT 721 personnel are undergoing local training while 40 are being trained overseas.

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NDC accuses NPP of ‘poisoning’ its polling agents

The national leadership of the main opposition National Democratic Congress has again accused the governing NPP of intentionally giving unwholesome food and drinks to its polling agents during the voting days in previous national elections.

"This alleged criminal act was employed by the NPP as a trick to outwit the NDC polling agents in order that they could rig the results of the election in many of the constituencies across the country”, Kwabena Adjei, NDC National Chairman, stated these when he addressed the press yesterday at the party headquarters and also used the occasion to launch Polling Station Agents Support Fund of the party.

According to the NDC, after their polling agents had taken the unwholesome food and drink provided by the NPP under the pretext that they were compatriots, some of them were suddenly found dozing off whilst others developed diarrhea, making them lose vigilance in monitoring the voting process.

He claimed the food and the drink offered to their agents by the NPP contained “sleep-induced substance and laxatives” to make the agents dose off.

Dr Adjei also alleged that in-between the unwholesome 'take away' food there were ‘cedi notes" intended to bribe the NDC polling agents. This was made possible because the NDC polling agents were hungry either due to delay or no provision of food for them on time.

Asked whether they reported the matter to the police, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, NDC General Secretary, was of the view that the party was not ready to litigate on the issue but that they were relying on past experiences to review certain measures as far as the voting day was concerned.

He insisted that the allegation had been documented by the party after the NDC had lost the previous elections.

Against this background, the NDC said it would recruit literate, knowledgeable, committed and loyal party members as polling station agents this time round, who could not compromise their duty by making sure that valid votes cast for the party are protected at the December 7 general elections.

The Fund has therefore been set up to solicit contribution from the party members so that the NDC could provide logistical and financial needs of its polling agents in this year’s polls.

The NDC is targeting 100,000 polling station agents and other officials to help the party monitor the voting process on the voting day.

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Chief of Kyekyewere appeals for assistance

Kyekyewere, (Ash), Nov. 2, GNA - A traditional ruler has appealed to philanthropists, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and organisatons to come to the aid of the people of Kyekyewere to help raise their living conditions.

Nana Yaw Boakye Ababio, Chief of Kyekyewere in the Atwima-Kwanwoma District of Ashanti, complained that the community lacked access roads, electricity, potable water, health care facilities and other social amenities.

He made the appeal at a farewell durbar, organised in honour of the Global Village team from Galbally, Northern Ireland, who was in the community to build two houses, under the affiliate Habitat for humanity Project.

Nana Ababio said that an American philanthropist, Mrs Mary Walbridge had pledged to build a clinic for the community and its surrounding villages.

Dr. Kwadwo Appiah Kubi, New Patriotic Party (NPP), parliamentary candidate for the area, commended Mrs. Walbridge for the gesture, and said it was in line with the government's objective of providing accessible and affordable healthcare to majority of Ghanaians. He called on the people to support the philanthropist to enable her achieve her objective.

Mrs Walbridge said the decision to construct the clinic was to help improve the health status of the people, especially children and women.

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Women in politics attend capacity building workshop

Pusug-Namongo (UE), Nov 2, GNA - Female aspiring parliamentary candidates, aspiring assemblywomen and their campaign managers have attended a two day capacity building workshop at Pusug-Namongo, near Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region. It was aimed at enhancing women's leadership skills and active participation in the forthcoming elections so that more qualified women would be elected.

The workshop, on the theme, "Strengthening the Capacity of Women Parliamentary Candidates for Election 2008", was organized by the Women's Manifesto Coalition and Abantu for Development, two organizations working in the area of promoting gender equality. It was facilitated by the Centre for Sustainable Development Initiatives (CENSUDI) and sponsored by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

About 40 participants from the Upper East and Upper West Regions attended.

The Participants were drawn from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), People National Convention (PNC), Convention People's Party (CPP) and the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP). They were taken through topics including "Lobbying and Advocacy Skills", "Communication and Presentation Skills", "Campaign Strategies", "Critical National Issues", "Women in Politics and Decision making", "Democracy, Citizenship and Elections" "Fundraising Strategies", "Women's Manifesto for Ghana" among others.

Mrs Paulina Abayage, Upper East Regional Director of the Department of Women in a Paper on the topic, "The Importance of Women's Participation in Decision Making and Politics" said most of the leadership positions being held in the country were male dominated, and appealed to Government and other stakeholders to reverse the trend by giving women equal opportunity.

Mrs Abayage said women when given the chance could play effective roles in national development even more than their male counterparts. She explained that despite the fact that Ghana had been a signatory to many conventions on gender issues, many of the conventions were not implemented and this was affecting the statuesque of women. She urged political parties to partake in inter-party advisory activities to build their confidence and ensure that the party structure did not discriminate against women.

Mrs Abayage stressed the need for civil societies and political parties to strengthen support and build the capacity of women to run for political office and also support them whilst in office to deliver. She appealed to traditional authorities and religious organization that make it difficult for women to participate in politics to desist from that practice and rather support them.

Mr Mike Fuoh, Upper East Deputy Director of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) who presented a paper on the topic" Democracy, Citizenship and Election" explained that democracy and citizenship went with responsibilities, and urged the electorate to examine and vote for responsible people who could perform creditable. He entreated the electorate to come out massively to exercise their franchise on the voting day, since it was their duty and responsibility to do so and urged them not to do anything to mar the elections. Madam Franciska Issaka, Chief Executive Officer of CENSUDI said the training programme would help equip the female candidates seeking political office and their campaign team members with skills and information.

She said it would also begin to set up a cross party support group to continue advocacy efforts towards improving women's participation in politics and public life. She appealed to various political parties to give equal positions to women to participate in party activities and urged the aspiring female parliamentary candidates to be assertive and courageous in their campaigns.

She appealed to voters and the general public to support female parliamentary aspirants by voting for them.

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• 01.11.2008

School appeals for new block

Odumasi (ER), Nov. 01, GNA - The Odumasi Local Authority (L.A.) Primary School near Akim Oda in the Birim Central Municipality of the Eastern Region, on Friday made an urgent appeal to the assembly to construct a new classroom block to replace the present deteriorating structure.

Nana Kwaku Abam, chief of the town, made the appeal when he visited the school to inspect the deteriorating nature of the block. He described the school structure, as a "death trap" which, he said, did not promote a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning. According to him, the condition of the block worsened every year, adding that anytime it threatened to rain, classes had to be suspended and the pupils sent home.

He appealed to the assembly to take steps to construct a new building to forestall any disaster in the future. Nana Abam also advised parents to avoid engaging their children on diamond winning and other economic activities at the expense of their education.

Former First lady urged Ghanaians to vote for NDC

Asubone Rail (E/R), Nov. 1, GNA - The Former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings has called on Ghanaians to vote for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the forthcoming elections to reduce the high cost of living, poverty and other hardships facing the people which have been brought about by the economic policies of New Patriotic Party's (NPP) government.

She said a vote for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as President in the forth coming elections would worsen the living standard of the people since the property owning democracy system being pursued by the government only benefit few individuals and supporters of the NPP party. Nana Konadu was addressing large number of NDC supporters who defiled a heavy down pour at Asubone Rail, Fodoa, Nkawkaw Zongo and the Nkawkaw Central Market to attend separate rallies organized as part of her three day visit to some communities in the Kwahu area. She said the NDC government came out with effective programmes towards the development of the country with the construction of roads, extension of electricity, potable water and other infrastructure throughout the country, but the NPP deceived Ghanaians with lies during the 2000 electioneering campaign to win the election.

The former First Lady who is also the President of the 31st December Women's Movement said Ghanaians could not move forward with the high rate of corruption and the use of the country as a transit point for cocaine and urged the electorate to vote against NPP in the forth coming general election.

Ms Shieley Aryittey, the first Vice Chairman of the NDC called on the government to come out with the true state of the country's economic situation for the people to know the amount of debt the country was owning its creditors and debt so far paid for the past eight years. She said the redenomination of the country's currency had devalued the currency by ten per cent while the government could not account for the total amount of currencies printed during the redenomination exercise.

Ms Aryittey said an NDC government would create employment, assist farmers with tractors and other farming inputs to increase production and also assist them to market their produce to make the needed profit and therefore urged the electorate to massively vote for the NDC in the next Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

Nana Konadu also addressed rallies at Sempoa, Kotoso, Nteso, Nketepa, New Jerusalem and Adawso and also introduced the Parliamentary candidates for Nkawkaw, Mpraeso and Abetifi constituencies.

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Farmers introduced to new pineapple varieties

Akim Oda (E/R), Nov. 1, GNA - About 450 pineapple farmers from a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) at the weekend ended a three-day seminar on Rapid Multiplication Technique production and marketing of varieties of pineapples.

The varieties include smooth cayenne and sugar loaf, which were meant for the local and foreign markets. The programme was organised by the Abibiman Sankofa Cultural Movement (ASCUM) for its members mostly banana, citrus and pineapple growers, drawn from Akim Oda in the Birim Central Municipality and Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District.

In a closing address, Mr. Freeman Madji, Executive Director of ASCUM, said the aspiration of the small scale farmer in the area is to intensify pineapple production, especially the cultivation of the new varieties now popular among the local communities. Mr. Madji said the Movement was ready to assist farmers with logistics and even loans for expansion of their farms to enable them to move from small-scale to large-scale farming.

The Director urged the participants who were taught how to impact ideas and skills acquired to others for increased pineapple production for the local market as well as for export. He thanked the facilitators from the Municipal Agriculture Office and said, among all the non-traditional crops, pineapple was one of the major crops with a high export value and accounted for about seven per cent of the total national export.

Mr. Madji therefore, appealed to the youth of the area to register with ASCUM in their numbers to start the cultivation of pineapple, instead of going after white colour jobs in the cities.

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Warden Message - Ghana Elections Warning

U.S. Embassy Accra

This warden message is being issued to remind U.S. citizens that Ghana will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on December 7, 2008. In the event that no presidential candidate receives a majority of votes, a runoff election is required within three weeks. U.S. citizens should be aware of the possibility of demonstrations and other civil disturbances surrounding election activities during this campaign period, especially in urban areas. These disturbances will not likely target U.S. citizens, but it is possible for U.S. citizens to become accidentally involved. U.S. citizens are advised to monitor local media, to be aware of local events, and to avoid large crowds and political rallies or demonstrations.

U.S. citizens residing in or planning travel to Ghana should regularly check the Department’s Country Specific Information for Ghana at http://travel.state.gov and the U.S. Embassy Accra website at http://ghana.usembassy.gov for the latest safety and security information. Please also refer to “A Safe Trip Abroad” found at http://travel.state.gov for additional safety and security information. U.S. citizens planning travel to Ghana are advised to register their presence with the U.S. Embassy at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/.

As the Department continues to develop information on any potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through its consular information program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov . In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada, or by calling a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444 from other countries.

This information is provided by the American Citizen Services Unit, U.S. Embassy Accra, Ghana; Telephone: 021-741-000, 021-741-449/443/071; Fax: 021-741-362/426; e-mail: acsaccra@state.gov; website: http://ghana.usembassy.gov.

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Two jailed for burgling three Policemen

Kade, Oct. 29, GNA - Two youngsters who broke into the rooms of three policemen and stole their belongings have been sentenced to three years imprisonment in hard labour by the Asamankese Circuit Court. Enoch Aidoo, 18, who claimed to be a student and Essuman Yaw Foster, 19, driver's mate pleaded guilty to five counts of conspiracy, unlawful entry and stealing.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Joseph Idan, told the court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Siame that the two men on October 16 hatched a plan to steal from the Police rented quarters at Asamankese. He said the convicts put their plans into operations at about 1230 hours the next day by breaking into the rooms of Lance Corporal Atigah, Constable Agyekum and Enoch Amoah who were on operational duties.

They stole from L/C Atigah one DVD player valued at 80 Ghana cedis, one VCD player from the room of Constable Agyemang valued at 500 Ghana cedis and from the room of Constable Amoah, one sound system and one Tuna amplifier valued at 120 Ghana cedis. The prosecution said the three Policemen returned from duty in the morning to find their rooms broken into and their items stolen.

The Police, acting upon a tip-off arrested Aidoo and Foster who, on interrogation admitted in a caution statement that they were the culprits. The prosecutor informed the court that the two had served previous prison terms.

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• 31.10.2008

Ghanas SELL OUT - NDC asks Gov't to suspend agreement on VALCO

Accra, Oct. 31, GNA-The largest Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Friday asked the Government of Ghana to suspend the agreement for the proposed sale and purchase of 70 per cent issued and fully paid up shares of the Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO). The suspension, the NDC said in a release, is to allow for a proper determination of the financial worth of the company by an independent valuer.

Under the present agreement, there is a proposal to consider the sale and purchase of 70 per cent of the issued and fully paid shares of VALCO for US$175.5 million.

Signed by Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Spokesperson on Communications, the release expressed the concern of the Minority about the clarity and effect of certain provisions of the agreement, which the Minority viewed as inimical to the economic interest of the country and sustenance of the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the future of the aluminium industry in Ghana.

The release referred to Memorandum to Parliament on the Agreement, which obliged the VALCO to enter into a binding and irrevocable Power Purchase Agreement/ Electricity Supply Agreement with the VRA, which should also deliver a certain quantum of power based on certain thresholds in term of tonnes of aluminium for a period of four years. The Memorandum, the release said also referred to the terms of agreement for a consortium to make an initial payment of US$25 million within 15 working days from the execution of agreement and upon approval of the agreement by Parliament.

The outstanding amount of US$150.5 million is to be paid within 45 working days after the VALCO smelter has commenced production with two pot lines in normal operation, the execution of the transfer of shares by the Government, shareholders agreement between the shareholders of the company and the delivery of the share certificate signed by VALCO in favour of the consortium.

The Minority said it viewed the building of consensus on "this major economic decision as imperative and the way forward for national cohesion and peaceful development of the country. "The indecent haste with which the government wants to push away this very important transaction at the last days of this Parliament and the Administration is mind-bugling," the release added. Meanwhile, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, Majority Leader has announced that the date for Parliament to rise has been rescheduled from Friday November 7, 2008 to Tuesday November 11, 2008.

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Fraud in rural banks getting worse

Sunyani, Oct 31, GNA - Fraud in the rural banking system have been made worse through the use of computers and the need to strengthen internal audit controls is now a requirement under incoming ARB Apex bye-laws.

Mr. Yaw Wiredu-Peprah, a director of ARB Apex Bank Limited, stated in Sunyani at the launch of the rural banking week celebration and the 10th biannual general meeting of the Brong-Ahafo Region chapter of the Association of Rural Banks.

He said some of the banks had weak boards of directors and the trend needed to change to make way for strong, motivated, dedicated and well educated boards.

The director, speaking on "Rural banking in Ghana and Brong-Ahafo Region," noted that poor conditions of service and poor calibre of staff must also change in view of the current trends including competition from commercial banks and ICT. Mr. Wiredu-Peprah spoke about the small capital base of rural banks and stressed the need for them to conform to Bank of Ghana requirement of GHC 150,000 or no payment of dividends should be made. He said the removal of Bank of Ghana approval for credits above GHC 2000 had given more flexibility in lending but cautioned that there was a risk and the banks needed to be careful with regard to the granting of huge credits.

"There is also the need for banks to consider managers, acquisitions to raise capital base so can be in a position to transact bigger businesses", the director said. On rural banks in Brong-Ahafo Region, Mr. Wiredu-Peprah said most of them "are not pulling their weight leading to slips in most of the indicators."

He said fraud had been on the ascendancy and cited the Tano and Tano-Afigya rural banks that did not paint a good picture of the operations of rural banks in the region.

On the successes of the rural banking system, Mr. Wiredu-Peprah said the banks now totalled 123 in the country and constituted the largest banking network in Ghana with more than 560 banking offices. The director said the system had offered employment opportunities to a sizeable number of the citizenry and exposed rural communities to banking as well as the provision of credit facilities to farmers, traders, small-scale industries, salaried workers, amongst others.

The banks have also adhered to corporate social responsibility in catchments areas in the provision of schools, street lights, sponsorship of brilliant but needy students in various institutions, Mr. Wiredu-Peprah added.

Mr. Kofi Bonsu Boakye Boateng, vice president of the Brong-Ahafo Region chapter of the Association of Rural Banks, expressed regret that responses from member banks to enquiries made indicated that all seemed not too well with the up-date status and authenticity of most of them. As a result, he said, most banks have not been able to issue share certificates to shareholders in direct contravention of the Companies Code 1963 (Act 179) Section 53 (1) and (2).

Mr. Boateng noted with concern that some of the banks that had approved bonus shares for shareholders over the years had not allocated these shares to the qualified shareholders He commended the Asutifi Rural Bank at Acherensua for adopting "a very simple procedure to allocate all bonus shares so far approved by its annual general meeting."

He appealed to board of directors and management teams of other banks to take a cue and update their share register, allocate bonus shares and issue appropriate share certificates to qualified shareholders.

Dr. Yaw Peprah-Agyemang, chairman of Capital Rural Bank Limited at Abesim, near Sunyani, noted with regret the lack of modern banking structures and technology of rural banks and called for their re-naming and re-branding as regional banks.

He suggested the review of the relationship between the rural banks and ARB Apex Bank as well as mergers, acquisitions and partnerships amongst the banks to make them more vibrant against the commercial banks.

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Rawlings Never Insulted Fantis - Atta Mills

Cape Coast -- The Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof John Evans Atta Mills, on Monday made it clear that former President Jerry John Rawlings never insulted Fante chiefs as being speculated by a section of the Ghanaian media to create acrimony between him and the chiefs in Central Region.

He said, the media misinterpreted his statement when he (Rawlings) blamed NDC activists for going to sleep to allow other party agents to rig the elections.

Addressing the Central Regional House of Chiefs in Cape Coast, as part of his interactive visit with chiefs in his home region, Prof Mills explained that contrary to the report that Mr. Rawlings stated that Fante Chiefs were bribed to vote for NPP in the last two elections, the ex-President rather blamed polling station agents who did not work efficiently in the region, resulting in the defeat of the party in the 2000 and 2004 general elections.

Prof Mills added that the NDC believed in the chieftaincy institution and did not believe that traditional rulers would stoop so low as to allow themselves to be bribed to vote for a political party.

He advised the chiefs to reprimand erring political parties and advise them on their utterances so as not to inflame passions in the impending polls. Prof Mills urged Ghanaians to take a cue from what has happened in other African countries which has been characterized by violence and play their respective roles well, so as to have peaceful elections.

He said the NDC has put in place policies to strengthen the agricultural and industrial sectors of the country, as well as policies to empower chiefs to enable them give off their best in terms of development in their localities.

He advised the people of the Central Region to wake up to the realization that the area was lagging behind in development and vote massively for the NDC in the December 7 elections. He also asked for special prayers from the chiefs to help him in his presidential ambition.

The Central Regional Chairman of the NDC, Mr. Valis Akyianu, who accompanied Prof Mills said the NDC would renovate the dilapidated Central Regional House of Chiefs building when it comes to power. He urged the people in the area to vote massively for NDC to develop the area.

The President of the House, Nana Kwamena Ansah, schooled the NDC entourage on the position of chiefs in the impending elections and urged them to refrain from inflammatory utterances in order to have peaceful elections.

He advised Ghanaians to go out in their numbers on the day of elections to exercise their franchise. Prof Mills presented copies of the NDC manifesto to the chiefs, GH¢ 3,000 and two cartons of schnapps.

The Fante Confederacy has meanwhile condemned the alleged statement made by former President Jerry John Rawlings, to the effect that President John Agyekum Kufuor and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) bribed Fantes with money to vote for them in the 2004 general elections.

In a press release signed by the President of the Fante Confederacy, Daasebre Kwebu Ewusie, on Thursday, described the utterances of the former President as unfortunate and embarrassing, noting that the Central Region was made up of several ethnic tribes.

According to the press release, such utterances from a Statesman like the former President, would bring division among the people and also create the impression that the people in the region are not intelligent and cannot think for themselves.

It noted that Fantes were very intelligent people and has always been at the forefront of fighting for the destiny and development of the nation. It further added that the people in the area were not desperate to sell their conscience for a mess of pottage, indicating that such insulting statements do not promote harmony among Ghanaians.

They have, therefore, urged the former President and the NDC to renounce the statement and acknowledge the intelligence and dignity of Fantes for peace to prevail, before and after the elections.

The release also advised all political parties to desist from tribal politics in order not to jeopardize the peace prevailing in the country.

Meanwhile, information reaching the office of The Chronicle indicated that the chiefs were instigated by the Central Regional Minister, Nana Ato Arthur to issue the press statement against the alleged statement made by former President Rawlings.

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Nana Frema on hunger strike

Reports say Nana Frema Busia, daughter of late Prime Minister Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia has embarked on a hunger strike.

She says the strike will remain until President Kufuor openly responds to publicly to the allegations she has leveled against him, former National Security Minister Francis Poku and Chief of Staff Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani.

Family members are said to be appealing to her to call off her hunger strike which she started on Wednesday shortly after leaving the studios of Asempa FM where she repeated the allegation.

Earlier this morning she was reported to have had some medical crisis which she was attended to.

Meanwhile, family of the late first Prime Minister of Ghana Dr. Abrefa Busia has stated that, although they distance themselves from the pronouncements Nana Frema Busia, she is still a member of the family.

Speaking on Asempa FM´s Ekosii Sen programme, Nana Afia Frema Busia, an auntie to Nana Frema Busia said the family was concerned that president Kufuor´s name was dragged into the mud by their daughter.

In another development, Dr. Ken Atteffuah who was a member of the NRC and now the Executive Director of the National Identification Authority, wondered why some people are branding her as `insane´.

He told Asempa FM that, he knew Nana Frema Busia well as a friend and did not believe she is suffering from any mental disorder.

According to him, Nana Frema reported a case (which he was not ready to disclose) to him which she wanted him to assist her pursue. However his efforts to get the matter addressed yielded little results.

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Ghanaians locked up Libyan 'camps'

Over two hundred Ghanaians are currently languishing in jail in Libya in conditions that can be compared to those of the Nazi concentration camps in Hitler's time.

The crime of the Ghanaians is that they entered that country through unapproved means and some of them have been in jail for eight months.

The Enquirer's sources at Gat 'Concentration' camp in Libya said most of the 'prisoners' are ill but the Libyan authorities do not care about their health situation.

Currently, there is an outbreak of tuberculosis and Cholera and there are fears that some of them may die, as there are no medical facilities at the 'camp.'

One of the 'prisoners,' (name withheld) who managed to send a mobile phone into the prison, in a conversation with The Enquirer, said that some of his colleagues have started vanishing into thin air.

"We have noticed that some of our colleagues cannot be found in the 'camp' and we can not question anybody," he said.

He told the paper that some of them have spent close to one year and have not been questioned by the Libyan police or taken to court.

"The food that we eat here cannot be described, as there are no words for the food and most of us are sick but we don't get any medical attention," he said.

He told The Enquirer that the Libyan authorities constantly subject them to torture, making a number of them to get physically weak.

"If care is not taken most of us will not get out of this place alive and those who will come out will not be fit for the rest of life," he added.

Sobbing intermittently during the phone conversation, the 'prisoner' said that majority of them have not been able to get in touch with their families back home because all their luggage containing contact telephone numbers has been seized.

"I think we are lucky to have you on the phone today because somebody out there through you will hear of our plight," he said.

He said that the so called African Union concept is a hoax because the Libyans are treating other Africans like something else.

"It is time for the whole of Africa to get things straight. The AU is just on paper and that some countries think they arc above others," he said.

Meanwhile, The Enquirer sources at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs have confirmed that the ministry has received reports of Ghanaians languishing in jail in some African countries.

The sources said that the government has always been swift in attending to such problems.

The sources were, however, quick to add that the government always encounter problems, as some countries are not ready to cooperate with Ghana because of the human right abuses involved in such incarceration.

The sources advised Ghanaians to use approved means to travel to other countries to seek greener pastures.

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200 screened for HIV/AIDS at Shama

Shama (W/R), Oct. 31, GNA - About 200 people on Thursday accessed free Voluntary Counselling and Testing to know their HIV status at Shama. The screening programme was organized by the Western Regional Ghana Health Service (GHS) as part of its collaboration with the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) to provide health information and service to the returning migrant.

In an interaction with the inhabitants of the area, Dr Linda Vanotoo, Regional Director of Health, urged returning migrants to avail themselves of the free voluntary counselling and testing. She said the IOM was assisting migrants to know their HIV status because of the health hazards they were exposed in their host countries. Mr. Joseph Amoah, Shama District Chief Executive, said the Western Region has the second highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the country.

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• 30.10.2008

Enforce retail law on foreigners - John Mahama

Accra, Oct. 30, GNA - Mr John Dramani Mahama, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice-Presidential Candidate on Thursday said the law preventing foreigners from getting into the retail trade should be enforced.

He said that was the surest way of protecting Ghanaian traders from the infiltration of foreigners of the retail trade. Mr. Mahama, who was interacting with the executives of Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) in Accra agreed with the Association that there was the need for a further review of the Ghana Investment Code. The interaction which was at the instance of the NDC was to meet the traders to brainstorm with them how best they could promote their businesses when NDC comes to power.

He said there was a huge capital flight from the country since foreign investors have to repatriate their profit to their countries of origin and this has created trade deficit for Ghana once the country was importing more than exporting.

It is in this case that there was the need for the country to produce and consume its local products within the framework of government's supporting the productive base of the country. Mr Mahama said there was the need also for Ghanaian business to continue to grow even after the death of the proprietor. This would lead to the expansion of the business and be able to give employment to many others.

He said the NDC government would ensure that Ghanaians patronise their own products and should be possible that a Ghanaian shoe manufacturing company should be able to produce for the military, police and customs personnel.

This should also go for textiles industries to produce school uniforms for all schools that would ensure employment avenues for "our tailors and seamstresses."

The Vice-President Candidate said there was the need to discuss and take appropriate action on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) for preferential tariff regimes for Ghana's young industries. Mr Mahama encouraged the traders to examine critically their areas of operations that are inimical to them so that they could find solution to them.

He said production was never complete until the product was found on the table of the consumer and therein lied the importance of the distributor.

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NDC Press Statement In Response To NPP’s Accusations

 ...That NDC Is Planning To Plunge Ghana Into Chaos to Prepare Way For Power Sharing

Last Friday, the New Patriotic Party addressed a press conference at which the party sought among others to mislead the nation that the NDC is planning to plunge the country into a state of violence and chaos with a view to forcing a power sharing arrangement.

According to NPP's fantastic daydreaming claims, the NDC is desperately pushing for this power sharing arrangement because the party knows it has no chance of winning the upcoming elections.

Before touching on the baseless claims about power sharing, let us tackle NPP’s claims that the NDC plans to visit violence on the nation.

NDC’s Enviable Record Of Bequeathing A Stable And Peaceful Nation To The Incoming NPP In 2001

The NDC in the year 2000 provided the whole of Africa an example of a model transition of power. The NDC presided over one of the most seamless and smoothest transfer of power from one party to another on the African continent- a phenomenon clearly unknown to countries like Nigeria and Togo that have been the main sources of inspiration to the NPP in the sub region. The democratic dividend that continues to accrue from that beautiful transition has largely contributed to the global image of Ghana as a stable, democratic nation worthy of attracting investments from the four corners of the globe.

So how dare the NPP accuse us of violence and plotting to plunge Ghana into chaos?

The NDC did not show this love for peace and national cohesion only when it was in power. Four years after losing power to the NPP, we once again demonstrated incredible maturity and love for our nation's peace and cohesion when the party led by its candidate, Prof Mills, exhibited incredible maturity when it restrained itself and decided not to react when the NPP in 2004 illegally took the law in its own hands by declaring itself the winner of the 2004 elections.

Is it not ironic that the NPP, which nearly plunged our nation in chaos through that reckless and illegal act, is rather pointing fingers at the NDC, a party that considered the supreme interest of our nation and wisely held back from unleashing its millions of supporters onto the streets of Ghana?

We have not even mentioned the clear instances of massive rigging in favor of the NPP as happened in the Pru and believed to have occurred in many other constituencies as well.

So how dare the NPP accuse us of violence?

NDC’s Track Record Of Cooperating With The EC And Other Parties The NDC has presided over three elections in the history of our country. And the records are there to show that the party in the interest of Ghana acceded to virtually every electoral demand of the opposition especially after the 1992 elections. The following represents a number of key reforms urged by the opposition and acceded to by the NDC.

• Complete Revision of 1992 register

• Introduction of transparent ballot boxes • Establishment of an inter party advisory committee where the parties sat together and discussed issues as equals and very frequently

• annual opening of electoral register to take of newly eligible voters

• Introduction of photo voter ID cards- colour photos

• Voting in the open

• Agreeing that both parliamentary and presidential be held on the same day

• Making sure that parties had copies of register in time

• Ensuring that results were publicly displayed at the national and constituency level

Let us compare the above to what has pertained under the NPP over the last eight years.

IPAC's meetings have been sporadic at best. The views of the parties are not treated seriously as seen in the brazen manner the NPP brushed aside all the views of other parties and pushed ROPAB down the throat of Ghanaians. The ROPAB was another demonstration of NPP's belief in the Rule of Might- the same predisposition that led the party to illegally declare itself winners of the 2004 elections.

The problems that beset the recent registration exercise are well documented and point to the fact that if the EC had heeded the wise counsel of the NDC our people would have been spared all the trauma they had to endure.

The advice of the NDC was ignored as usual and the results were there for all to see. Today the same EC that refused to heed our advice is calling on the NDC and other parties to help it clean the register.

The fact that as a country we have retrogressed from the previous colour photo ID cards to the current black and white captures the NDC’s superior commitment to ensuring that the EC was well resourced to perform its task properly.

The NPP also claims that our complaints about the work of the EC amounts to preparing the grounds to reject the results when the party loses. What the NDC has done is to raise concerns for the right things to be done and every step of the way, our position has been vindicated. The NDC unlike the NPP has never questioned the composition of EC because it has not been consulted before appointments were made. It will be recalled that then candidate Kufuor in the year 2000 went to the extent of questioning the composition of the EC on grounds that the government did not consult the NPP at the time.

How Dare A Super Violent Group Like NPP Accuse NDC Of Violence?

NPP’s attempt to label the NDC as a violent party is a typical case of the black pot calling the kettle black. The most violent political grouping in the history of our country was and continues to be the NPP family.

Which political party in the current electioneering campaign has been engulfed in violence right from the presidential primaries through the parliamentary primaries and beyond? The obvious answer is NPP.

The congress that saw the “questionable election” of Nana Akufo Addo opened the floodgates of violence- it was almost an omen that the candidate taking over the fortunes of the NPP was not a man of peace but was an embodiment of violence and chaos. His henchmen at that congress in collusion with Lord Commey, deliberately created a false alarm that caused a pandemonium and brought about physical scuffles. The same Akufo Addo group blatantly fabricated the lie that Paul Afoko, an assistant to Alan Kyeremanteng, was busy sharing dollars. In the ensuing confusion, Paul Afoko would have been lynched by the supporters of Akufo Addo but for the swift intervention of the police.

From that violent presidential congress, NPP’s violence spread to the party’s parliamentary primaries. The mayhem and bloodletting that characterized the primaries at places like Suhum, Bekwai, Ofinso South etc have been well documented.

Subsequently, the NPP started exporting its violence without- members of the NDC became the next recipients of NPP’s violence. It does not come as a surprise the scale of the violence and the barbarity the NPP has been visiting on the NDC- when a party can visit so much violence on its own members, what kind of mayhem can it not mete to its opponents- when friends of the NPP are not even safe, why should anyone wonder about the brutal treatment they are visiting on their opponents?

Ladies and gentlemen, when you hear the NPP claim that the NDC plans to plunge Ghana into a state of chaos, you should find out whose conduct throughout this season has been characterized by violence. While NDC’s presidential and parliamentary congresses were absolutely peaceful, NPP’s congresses were a theatre of war and bloody confrontation. If Ghana is to be plunged into a state of chaos, it is not difficult to guess which of the two parties is most likely to do that. One just needs to look back on NPP’s chaotic presidential and parliamentary primaries and the answer will be obvious. One should just compare the track record of Prof Mills and that of Nana Addo and there will be no doubt that it is NPP that poses a great danger to Ghana’s peace. The NPP in Gushiegu recently launched an attack that saw several properties of NDC supporters burned down. Later in the night, the lights of Gushiegu town went off and residents heard the arrival of vehicles into the town and for fear of their lives no one came out. They woke up the following morning only to discover to their utter disbelief that 11 stores had been broken into, looted and burnt. All together, forty-two houses and eleven stores at the Gushiegu market were burnt down- all these properties belonged to NDC supporters.

The Gushiegu Constituency Chairman of our party in particular suffered terribly. He had all his three houses completely burnt. The following items belonging to him were also burnt- four long Transport Buses, two long Cargo Trucks, one Tractor and one brand new

Nissan Patrol. The NPP bloody mob did not allow occupants to save any property from the houses. They made sure they took away three large metal boxes containing large sums of monies from the chairman’s daily transport business before setting all the houses ablaze. Such was the scale of the barbarity that the NPP mob made sure that no property belonging to the chairman, his wives, his numerous children or any member of his household could be saved as they threatened to shoot anyone who dares to retrieve any belonging.

Need we remind you of how the NPP supporters killed a scrap dealer who was in the chairman’s house and set his body ablaze? Need we tell you how the NPP attackers proceeded from the chairman’s residence to the house of an 80 year old sub-chief, clubbed him to death, broke his arms and fired at his dead body several times? How they still carried his limp and bloodied corpse and dumped it on a large heap of freshly harvested corn in the house. Let us not go into the detail of how Ayuba was also murdered by the same NPP mob.

The gory and shocking account above should give you an idea of the extent of brutality the NPP is visiting on the NDC- a continuation of the same violence that engulfed its internal party affairs.

Look Which People Are Calling NDC Violent

Ladies and gentlemen, does the NPP examine itself before pointing fingers at others. We in the NDC do not have as Chairman of our campaign, a man like Jake who has never once been heard condemning the terrorist activities of his father- his father who had no qualms distributing bombs that were planted in the hands of little children and caused them to be blown into pieces- and this his father did after taking young Jake out of Ghana and kept him securely in the UK. How Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, a man who clearly condones the Osama Bin Laden terrorist crimes of his father, can even dare call the NDC violent is difficult to understand.

This is the same man who illegally addressed the press conference at which the NPP declared itself winners in December 2004- an act that would have plunged Ghana into chaos but for the nationalism and peaceful nature of the Prof Mills led NDC.

This is the same man who nearly plunged the whole of Dagbon into crisis by ignoring all traditional norms and recklessly announced the murder of the Ya Na. How dare this man talk about violence?

We in the NDC do not have a National Organizer who is a leader of a criminal gang of armed bandits who spread violence and snatch ballot boxes at gun point.

We do not have as General Secretary a man at whom fingers were being pointed following the murder of a party delegate at Akropong Akwapim. And we do not have as candidate a man who claims he abhors violence yet had no problem when his henchmen framed up an innocent Paul Afoko and nearly had him lynched.

So How Dare The NPP Accuse The NDC Of Violence?

It is against this background also that we need to view the so called peace overtures of the NPP. NPP’s track record of broken promises, perfidy, proclaiming peace while unleashing violence makes their call dubious and lacking genuineness. The NDC’s position is that every effort should be deployed to ensure that the EC does it work well to bring about free, fair and transparent polls and that the security forces discharge their duties with professionalism and impartiality. When NPP starts telling the truth and stops breaking its promises, the NDC will start taking its overtures seriously. A party that is busily lying about free education, free heathcare, free bus ride and deliberately shielding its supporters who are breaking the law etc cannot be trusted.

Power sharing and So Called Trip To Kenya

Ladies and gentlemen, the most preposterous claim of the NPP is the talk that the NDC is doing all this with a view to pushing for a power sharing deal. Power sharing? Power sharing with who?

What the people of Ghana need is the end of the rule of the NPP- a rule which has been characterized by Corruption, Cocaine, rise in Crime and Insecurity, massive Deception and Broken Promises, astronomical rise in cost of living, and the general Moving Forward of the personal fortunes of NPP officials and their cronies while the suffering of our people has also been moving forward.

What business does the NDC have, wanting to share power with this group that has so terribly disappointed our people? What business does Prof Mills, a man trusted by the people of Ghana, have wanting to share power with Nana Akufo Addo whose campaign has been characterized by more of the same deception, empty promises and the outright insult of the intelligence of our people?

What Ghanaians want is Change- and Change they shall have come December 7! Besides, in virtually all instances where there has been power sharing, it has always been occasioned by the refusal of an incumbent party to accept defeat after it has lost elections- not when an opposition party has been defeated at the polls.

We in the NDC know that it is rather the NPP that is so desperate to cling on to power at all cost that they are determined to spare no effort including unleashing a state of terror on the country with a view of creating conditions that will call for a power sharing deal when the inevitable defeat at the polls occurs on December 7.

If the NDC were minded to cling to power at all cost, the party in the year 2000 could have resorted to the same tricks used in places like Togo and Nigeria-tricks incidentally approved by the NPP- to remain in power. We never did any such thing- not because we could not but in the interest of national peace and cohesion we placed Ghana first. That is what the NDC did in the past and what we stand for.

It is ironic that the NPP is talking about power sharing- perhaps the party is recalling how they in the aftermath of the 1992 elections pushed for a position that essentially amounted to power sharing.

Ladies and gentlemen, after the crushing defeat at the presidential elections in 1992, the NPP led by then Chairman B.J. Da Rocha met the NDC and essentially pushed for what amounted to a power sharing arrangement. The meeting held at the international conference centre was mediated by the Christian Council, whose Secretary at the time outlined the demands of the NPP which included the following: A demand for 50% of all parliamentary seats and for 40% of executive positions. It is perhaps on account of this that the NPP is so obsessed with power sharing, because long before Kenya and Zimbabwe dreamt about power sharing, NPP was already pushing for it. Perhaps that is why President Kufuor boasts that it was him who successfully brokered the Kenyan power sharing deal.

Against the background that the NPP has a history of pushing for power sharing way back in 1992 and claims by President Kufuor that he was the architect of the Kenyan deal, one wonders why the NDC has to travel all the way to Kenya when both B.J. Da Rocha and President Kufuor are still here with us.

NPP’s claims that the NDC has dispatched its director of International relations to Kenya to go understudy the Kenyan power sharing deal is therefore ridiculous at best.

Mr Kofi Attoh was in Kenya recently where he was a resource person at an international seminar organized by the Fredreich Erbert Foundation (FES). Or is the NPP insinuating that the Fredreich Ebert Foundation is in collusion with the NDC to plunge Ghana into a state of chaos and thereafter push for power sharing.

How a whole political party can be leveling these ludicrous allegations is difficult to understand. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey’s logic is that once any official of the NDC visits a country where there is power sharing deal, then the NDC as a party must be planning for power sharing. By that convoluted logic of Jake, the fact that President Kufuor has gone to the Hague means that he is possibly there to try to cover up trails of the reported Kuwaiti Oil scandal. That is the logic of Jake Obetsebi Lamptey. No wonder he got the number of votes he obtained at the NPP Congress?

NPP’s call on the security forces to clamp down on NDC supporters only goes to confirm widespread suspicions that the NPP government plans to unleash the security forces on innocent people when the real culprits are to be found in the ranks of the NPP. This is exactly the kind of approach that has brought about the culture of impunity among NPP thugs and hoodlums all over the country.

The NDC urges members of the security agencies to remember that their foremost duty is to defend the state and the people of Ghana. They have no obligation to obey the instructions of a desperate government willing and ready to employ every trick to cling on to power. Any member of the security forces who allows himself to be misused in such acts should remember that sooner rather than later, the people of Ghana will ensure that justice catches up with him. As to claims that former president Rawlings had insulted our Fanti brethren, the least said about it the better. Clearly NPP is in panic because the central and western regions have this time round decided to join the “Yese sem” bandwagon. Jake and the NPP should focus their energy on apologizing to the hardworking people of Ghana who have been insulted as “lazy” by President Kufuor.

The NDC will continue to focus on the critical issues that matter to our people because we believe that Ghana cannot afford to have four more years of the same corrupt, greedy, selfish government that breaks promises at will and that has no qualms deceiving the people continually.

Thank you very much for coming ladies and gentlemen of the media.

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Ghana wants Dutch to return chief's head

A Dutch university has been keeping the decapitated head of an African tribal chief since the 19th century, and a Ghanaian diplomat says Ghana wants it returned for burial.

The Leiden University Medical Center said Wednesday it would consider relinquishing the relic, if it received a formal request from Ghana.

Arthur Japin, a prominent Dutch writer, said in a television interview Tuesday that he discovered the existence of the head of Badu Bonsu II while he was researching a historical novel. Japin said he saw the head himself several years ago, and it had troubled him ever since.

"He's got a little ring-beard, his eyes are closed as if he's sleeping," he said on the program Pauw & Witteman. "And my first thought was, this is not fitting. I felt deep inside the need to bring him home."

Japin seized the opportunity of a state visit by Ghana's President John Kufuor last week to draw attention to the matter to Ghana's Embassy.

Eric Odoi-Anim, a minister at the embassy, said the head must be returned to the Ashanti region where Bonsu ruled.

"Without burial of the head, the deceased will be hunted in the afterlife. He's incomplete," Odoi-Anim said on the same program. "It's also a stigma on his clan, on his kinsmen, and him being a (high-ranking) chief. This is even more serious."

The Leiden medical center, where the head is stored in a glass container in formaldehyde, declined to answer questions and refused to release photographs or film "out of respect" for Bonsu's remains.

"We have a well-considered policy about our anatomic-historical collection," it said in a statement.

The Dutch established trading and slave posts in Ghana in the late 1500s, and remained involved in the country — then known as the Gold Coast — until late in the 19th century.

According to Japin, the head was taken by Maj. Gen. Jan Verveer in retaliation for Bonsu's killing of two Dutch emissaries, whose heads were then hung from his throne as trophies.

It was not clear exactly when the Bonso was killed. Verveer was recruiting soldiers and slaves in Ashanti to serve in the East Indies in the late 1830s.

The head was brought to Leiden around that time at the request of a researcher who studied skull shapes.

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• 29.10.2008

Two jailed for burgling three Policemen

Kade, Oct. 29, GNA - Two youngsters who broke into the rooms of three policemen and stole their belongings have been sentenced to three years imprisonment in hard labour by the Asamankese Circuit Court. Enoch Aidoo, 18, who claimed to be a student and Essuman Yaw Foster, 19, driver's mate pleaded guilty to five counts of conspiracy, unlawful entry and stealing.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Joseph Idan, told the court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Siame that the two men on October 16 hatched a plan to steal from the Police rented quarters at Asamankese. He said the convicts put their plans into operations at about 1230 hours the next day by breaking into the rooms of Lance Corporal Atigah, Constable Agyekum and Enoch Amoah who were on operational duties.

They stole from L/C Atigah one DVD player valued at 80 Ghana cedis, one VCD player from the room of Constable Agyemang valued at 500 Ghana cedis and from the room of Constable Amoah, one sound system and one Tuna amplifier valued at 120 Ghana cedis. The prosecution said the three Policemen returned from duty in the morning to find their rooms broken into and their items stolen.

The Police, acting upon a tip-off arrested Aidoo and Foster who, on interrogation admitted in a caution statement that they were the culprits. The prosecutor informed the court that the two had served previous prison terms.

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Kufuor Has Lost Control Over Corruption - Busia

Nana Frema Busia, an independent candidate for Manhyia Constituency in the Ashanti Region, has accused President Kufuor of selective prosecution of past NDC Ministers, with regard to allegations of corruption.

According to her, the President, who declared zero tolerance for corruption has lost control of the plot and has selectively prosecuted some NDC officials to please the Iinternational community.

"Having won elections on a false zero tolerance for corruption mantra, President Kufuor has failed to prosecute significant past corrupt NDC officials. I know it, because I was the legal counsel for the team who did the forensic and diagnostic audits on the NDC mega corruption nightmares including various SSNIT ventures, Ghana Airways and La Palm divestiture."

Addressing a press conference in Accra yesterday, Nana Frema Busia said the granting of pardon to jailed NDC officials by President Kufuor was mind boggling, while on the same scale, he has refused to grant pardon to Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata, the former Chief Executive of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

She said the Presidential pardons were done by President Kufuor to seek future reciprocity, alleging that under the reign of JAK, corruption has been entrenched, institutionalized and has flourished.

Frema Busia, who minced no words on Ministers and ex-Ministers under the NPP regime, said she could not understand why President Kufuor would set up a committee to investigate the missing cocaine.

"How could the President set up a commission to look for lost cocaine of the MV Benjamin case, when 'Produce the evidence President' did not have the evidence and the cocaine was already long gone? This charade was like putting someone on trial for murder, when you don't have a corpse."

According to her, people serving sentences under the MV Benjamin trial are suffering injustice, saying that the real culprits have been rewarded with national awards of Order of the Volta, with vain gold chains around their necks.

The aspiring Independent Candidate for Manhyia, condemned how politicians go round with machomen in the country on their campaign trails.

Nana Frema Busia intoned that there was a total break down of law and order, upsurge in violence, violent socio political upheavals in the country.

With a number of accusations running through her prepared text against the former Minister of National Security, Mr. Francis Poku, Nana Frema Busia, a former Legal Counsel to National Security as well as a Technical Advisor and National Coordinator of the non-existent functional wing of small arms commission, criticised the setting up of the national reconciliation.

"President Kufuor, who set up a reconciliation commission without truth is giving back confiscated assets with political hypocrisy, even while my salary for six years has not been paid by President Kufuor as part of my torture package."

The Parliamentary hopeful, who stated that her life was in danger, said Ghana's freedom was in chains and held bondage to presidential corruption and effusive greed.

According to her, the justice system was a mirage as social injustices created entrenched conflicts in Yendi, Bawku, Gushiegu, Anloga and many parts of the country.

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A heart tumour patient appeals for help

Akim Oda (E/R), Oct. 29, GNA - Miss Selina Boamah Dadzie, 19, a form three student of Akim Swedru Secondary School near Akim Oda, who needs to under a heart tumour surgery at the Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, has appealed to the public for assistance. The surgery is estimated at 12,000 Euros.

According to Dr. Frank Edwin, consultant at the centre said Selina was referred to the cardio unit at Korle-Bu on March 11, 2008 following an episode of heart failure.

He said clinical examinations showed the tumour in the left upper chamber of the heart that would a surgery to remove it. Dr Edwin said the Ghana Heart Foundation shall assist by paying 50 per cent of the amount.

The parents of Selina, Mr Christian Boamah, a mason and Madam Cecilia Otiwaa, a fishmonger, as well as Mr Abraham Osei Donkor, the school headmaster of the victim, have all appealed to the general public to come to the aid of theor daughter.

All donations should be made to the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the Editorial Manager of New Times Corporation, Accra.

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Elephants disturb health exercise in Assin South

Assin Kyekyewere (C/R), Oct. 29, GNA - Elephants nearly disrupted the just ended National Integrated Maternal and Child Health Programme in some part of Assin South District.

Health workers and volunteers who conducted the exercise at Aworoso and other communities close to the Kakum National Park were threatened by the elephants during their rounds.

Mr. Mends Kofi Quaning, District Director of Health Service told the Ghana News Agency at Assin Kyekyewere that the workers and the volunteers however mustered courage to see the exercise through. He said the District chalked a success in the exercise which involved application of Vitamin A supplement for babies of six-59 months and postpartum mothers, vaccination against polio, de-worming of children and distribution of treated bednets to babies and pregnant women.

Mr. Quaning said 2740 babies of six to 11 months representing 117 per cent were provided with Vitamin A supplement, 1738 babies of 12-59 months, representing 101 per cent of the district target received Vitamin A Supplement 11,260 children representing 89.2 per cent were de-wormed.

Mr. Quaning said 564 postpartum mothers were administered with Vitamin A Supplement representing 26 per cent of the projected figure. The District Health Director said apart from the encounter with the elephants, bad roads were another challenge the workers and volunteers had to grapple with.

He commended the District Assembly, the Information Department, District Agriculture Directorate, Electoral Commission, World Vision Ghana and the Business Advisory Centre for their support in the form of provision of vehicles and de-wormer.

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Ama Busia distances from Frema Busia's accusations

A member of the Busia family, Madam Ama Busia, has disassociated herself from a press conference held by Nana Frema Busia, daughter of the late Prime Minister, Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia in Accra on Monday at which she accused President Kufuor and several members of his government of a myriad of crimes.

Madam Ama Busia, Council of State member, planned a press conference of her own Tuesday at her residence at Abelenkpe in Accra to rebuff claims by Frema that she has been a political prisoner for the past six years, among several rather serious allegations against the government, executive and other bodies and for which she called for the impeachment of President Kufuor and others in government.

Madam Busia however told Asempa FM that she had been prevailed upon to abandon the press conference by people close to her, and in place of that she would be issuing a statement to make her position on Frema's allegations, some of which went against her person, clear to the public.

Madam Busia, who is sister to the late Prime Minister said her niece is entitled to her opinion but she thinks she is a mental case. She explained that a normal person would not hold such a press conference as she did and attack almost every personality of the family and people in high positions such as President Kufuor, the Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani and former National Security Minister, Francis Poku, among others.

Madam Ama Busia said Nana Frema was hopping from one radio station to another and this creates suspicion that there is something wrong somewhere.

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• 28.10.2008

21students die at University...

 Twenty-one students are reported to have died on the campus of the University of Education, Winneba, within seven months between August 2006 and March 2007.

For this reason the Minister of Education, Science and Sports has been summoned to appear before Parliament in the course of the week to answer a question in relation to the cause of their deaths.

The question, which stands in the name of George Kofi Arthur (NDC-Amenfi Central), was contained in the questions section of the Order Paper of the House on Monday.

In other business; a support agreement between the government, Cascade Development Company Limited and the Gold Coast Resorts International Limited to redevelop the Accra race course to include a five star hotel, shopping mall, office and residential buildings, was laid before Parliament.

Also to be laid in the House is a 12 million dollar loan agreement between the government and the Saudi Fund for Development for the phase two of the rehabilitation and expansion of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital.

The Speaker, Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes, referred the agreement to the committee on Finance and the Joint Committee on Finance, Trade and Tourism respectively, for consideration and report.

Meanwhile, the Lands Commission Bill was taken through the consideration stage, where amendments were made by members to certain provisions.

The Bill, which was presented to the House and read the first time on August 14, seeks to consolidate into a single piece of legislation, subject to the constitution, the existing laws on major public institutions which manage and administer land and have interest in land.

This is to improve service delivery and also to create a one-stop-shop for land management and provision of services that relate to land.

A report by the Committee on Lands and Forestry signed by its chairman, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, noted that "the fragmentation of these agencies over the years has made land administration and the provision of land services very difficult and expensive."

The difficulties, the report said, include scattered and restricted access to records, obsolete operating procedures, conflicting and unclear mandates, duplication of efforts and responsibilities and, to some extent, waste of resources.

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Hanna Tetteh robbed at gunpoint

The Communication Director of Prof. Atta Mills campaign team, Ms Hanna Tetteh, has been attacked and robbed at gunpoint.

What was meant to be a cool off dinner night yesterday, turned sour for the former Member of Parliament for Awutu/Senya when she was attacked by unknown assailants.

Unidentified men with a gun, attacked her at Palace Restaurant at East Legon in Accra around 8p.m on Monday. Ms Tetteh lost her money and other valuables including jewels in the life-threatening incident.

She narrated her ordeal to Joy News expressing disgust about the state of security in the country.

“It says something about the state of security in which we live. I will never have thought until yesterday that going out in the evening to sit at a restaurant was a risky event.”

She recounted; “This was a large hand gun that was pointing into my face and it wasn’t a comfortable sensation..., when he corked the gun I knew that this was not a joking matter; and I gave him everything he asked for.”

Ms Tetteh was “shocked” that a robbery could take place in such a busy place at that time of the day.

“It wasn’t as if this was some quiet location that it wouldn’t be easy to identify and the person could come and go just like that,” she said with a sad voice.

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Ghana's election campaign could be tarnished by money from West African drug trafficking, an official has said.

Kwesi Aning, head of research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, said the "very fabric" of Ghanaian society was under threat.

His comments came as the UN warned in a report that West Africa risks becoming an epicentre for drug trafficking from South America to Europe.

Officials from West Africa are meeting in Cape Verde to discuss the problem.

Every year, at least 50 tonnes of cocaine from Andean countries are transported through West Africa towards Europe, where they are worth $2bn (£1.3bn), according to the UN.

The problem is getting worse, the UN says, with seizures of drugs representing the "tip of the iceberg".

Sniffer dogs

The UN says that along with Guinea-Bissau, Ghana is a major hub through which cocaine enters the region.

Mr Aning said he was alarmed at the amount of money being splashed around in Ghana ahead of presidential elections on 7 December.

"Some of these guys were my mates in school and they were not too successful, and they've been in politics for less than 10 years," he told the BBC.

"You don't make that kind of money in 10 years."

He said he was talking about people "running for parliament, who are ministers, wanting to run for president".

"It's not only about politics or politicians, it's about the police service, it's about customs, it's about immigration, it's about the judiciary, it's about our traditional institutions," he said.

"What I'm saying is that the very fabric of Ghanaian society is under threat."

Ghana's politicians say they are determined to fight drug trafficking, but many question whether the political will exists in a society where corruption is a major problem, BBC West Africa correspondent Will Ross reports.

Mr Aning said political rhetoric needed to be followed by action, suggesting there should be more sniffer dogs and better exchanges of intelligence.

Ghana's interior ministry has so far declined to grant an interview on drug trafficking.

The head of the UN office on drugs and crime, Antonio Maria Costa, said the conference in Cape Verde was important in calling attention to "the work that's needed to protect these countries so as to protect Europe".

He said economic weakness of West African states allows traffickers to prosper, and that corruption was also a problem.

"Some of the political leaders, or members of families of political leaders, some of the high officials, including law enforcement are involved, or in any event turn a benign eye."

Another UN official, Antonio Mazzitelli, said that despite these weaknesses, some states had begun to respond.

Singling out Guinea-Bissau, he said that "drug traffickers are starting to consider a lot of other options on the West African coast".

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Ghana to ban tobacco smoking in public

Accra, Oct. 28, GNA - The Ministry of Health is to ban tobacco smoking at public places in November.

Mr Abraham Dwumah-Odoom, Deputy Minister of Health, announced this in Accra in a speech read on his behalf at stakeholder sensitisation seminar on the ban of smoking in public places on Tuesday. He said the initiative would help reduce the health risks that tobacco smoking exposed non-smokers to and its resultant impact on the economy.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has attributed five million deaths each year to tobacco related illness, whilst the figure is expected to reach over eight million by 2030 with 80 per cent of these deaths occurring in developing countries.

Mr Dwumah-Odoom said: "The extremely negative impact of tobacco on health now and in the future is the primary reason for going explicit and strongly supporting tobacco control on a world wide basis." He acknowledged that although there were likely to be challenges in the implementation of the ban, the Ministry hoped to strengthen and formalise its links with relevant institutions and organisations to facilitate the implementation of the ban.

"We believe the power of in-country coordinating networks of employers, unionised groups, directors and managers of public places cannot be underestimated in helping to build a collaborated strategy in protecting the citizenry from the hazards of smoking and second-hand smoke," Mr Dwumah-Odoom added.

Mr Oscar Bruce, Vice President for the Coalition of NGOs in Tobacco Control, said passive smoking was a major public health threat and the only way to protect the public was through comprehensive smoke free air laws.

He said the International Labour Organisation estimates also showed that 200,000 workers died as a result of exposure to passive smoking in the workplace.

Passive smokers are at a greater risk of getting lung cancer, coronary heart diseases and even cardiac death. In children, whilst 700 million people are exposed to tobacco smoking, a Ghana Health Service survey conducted in 2005 also revealed that one-third of Junior High School pupils were exposed to the smoke.

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• 27.10.2008

NDC not interested in power sharing

Accra, Oct. 27, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Monday refuted allegations that it was embarking on acts that would lead to power sharing, should it lose the December polls.

At a press conference in Accra to react to allegations by some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) last week that suggested that the NDC was interested in power sharing, Mr Fiifi Kwetey, Propaganda Secretary of the NDC, said apart from not being interested in power sharing, the party was also not interested in sharing power with a class of people whose regime had been "characterised by corruption and deceit" among others.

Mr. Kwetey said allegations that NDC sent its Director of International Affairs, Mr Kofi Attoh, to Kenya to learn about power sharing were not true. Rather Mr Attoh was there as a resource person at an international seminar organised by Friedrich Erbert Foundation. "We in the NDC know that it is rather the NPP that is desperate to cling on to power at all costs that they are determined to spare no efforts with a view of creating conditions that will call for power sharing deal when they lose the elections," Mr Kwetey noted. He said the NDC provided the whole of Africa an example of model transition of power in 2000, when it presided over one of the most seamless and smoothest transfers of power, which brought the NPP to power.

Mr Kwetey said the party did not only show love for peace and national cohesion when it was in power, but also exhibited same by restraining itself and decided not to react when in 2004, the NPP illegally declared itself winner of the elections.

He said the party's position on this year's election was that every effort should be deployed to ensure that the Electoral Commission did its work well to bring about credible elections. Mr Kwetey urged the security agencies to discharge their duties with professionalism and impartiality, adding that, their foremost duty is to defend and protect the state and its people.

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Ghanaians asked to return NPP to power to continue development

Agona Swedru (C/R, Oct 27, GNA - The Deputy Central Regional Minister, Mr. Samuel Kweku Obodai, has repeated the call on Ghanaians to vote the NPP back to power to continue developmental programmes of President John Agyekum Kufuor.

"If Ghanaians make a mistake and adhere to the dirty propaganda by the Notional Democratic Congress (NDC) and vote them into power, then they should know that their future is at stake." Mr. Obodai, who is the Member of Parliament for Agona West and is seeking a re-election, said this when addressing an NPP rally at Agona Swedru.

He advised the people of the area to reject the fabrications by the NDC that NPP has put in place strategies to rig the elections. He asked the electorate to compare the eight years in office by the NDC and that of NPP and decide which regime benefited them and that it is only the government under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that can continue with the good work of the government.

Mr. Obodai highlighted some of the projects he undertook with his common fund and mentioned some of them as construction of school buildings, provision of 186 electricity meters for the people of Oteypo.

Others are construction of security wall around the Agona Swedru Government Hospital, provision of a six-bedroom building for police personnel at Agona Nyarkrom. He urged the members of the party to arm themselves with the achievement of the government and educate the people to return the party to power.

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