| News Home (Main Page) | | African Newspaper | | LATEST WORLD NEWS | | | Ghanaian Media: | | Public Agenda | | GNA-Ghana News Agen. | The Statesman | | ..more Media Links | | | | Ghana Weather -Live | | Africa Cup -Angola 2010 | | Africa Cup -Ghana 2008 | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2009 | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2008 | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2007 | | PHOTO REPORTS | | VIDEO REPORTS | | ARTS in GHANA | | Food & Drinks in Ghana | | Ghana Hotels | | Links / Websites | | Ghana Districts | | Ghana Tourism | | Ghana Classifieds | Names in Ghana | | | | * 14.01.2010 | Government to establish National Resources Conservation Centre * Source: GNA | Sekondi, Jan. 14, GNA - Government is to establish a National Resources Conservation Department in the various district assemblies to develop, improve and manage human settlements and the environment. The assemblies would play a strategic role in environmental protection and biodiversity conservation to protect water bodies, prevent erosion and sustain environmental quality.
Ms Betty Bosumtwi-Sam, Deputy Western Regional Minister, announced this when she, together with the Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy, Mr Bernard Botte, commissioned a GH¢200,000 "Sustainable Livelihood and Environmental Resource Centre" for Friends of the Nation (FON), a non-governmental organisation on Thursday. The centre would provide training for the youth in entrepreneurial development, biodiversity conservation, livestock rearing, horticulture, environmental and natural resources management. Ms Bosumtwi-Sam advocated the use of the centre as a research centre for studies on the environment and natural resources by students in higher institutions of learning.
"It is also my belief that the centre's aim at reducing youth unemployment, enhancing eco-tourism and promoting sustainable management of environmental resources will lead to the socio-economic growth of the metropolis," she added.
Ms Bosumtwi-Sam called for proper maintenance of the centre adding, "the culture of maintenance should strictly be adhered to, to ensure that the centre benefits both the living and the unborn". Mr Botte noted that the French Government was committed to supporting civil society-driven projects aimed at reducing poverty adding, "We target the most vulnerable groups especially women and the youth". He noted that the centre would not only serve as a training centre but a symbol of the FON as a major stakeholder in environmental, good governance and human rights issues. "With the great environmental challenges Ghana is facing like many other countries, ensuring awareness of the youth on environmental issues is key element in the strategy to fight environment degradation," Mr Botte said. Mr Donkris Mevuta, Executive Director, FON, said the NGO was poised to serve as a catalyst for increased action on sustainable natural resource management and healthy environment. He mentioned the improved services for clean and safe environment at Ngyeresia in Sekondi and research into the fishing industry under the sustainable fisheries management project as some of the intervention the NGO had undertaken. | Nyaho-Tamakloe mmells a Rat * Source: Daily Graphic | Political firebrand Dr Nyaho-Nyaho-Tamakloe has stirred the hornet’s nest again; this time within his own party. In probably his most angry public reaction since losing his bid to become the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the former Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro said from his position as a founder member, he could see the influence and love of money emerging to subvert the ideals of the party.
“Prior to the congress people were given television sets, mobile phone, cloth, rice, oil to come and vote for a particular person; and during the election party officials looked helpless as a candidate shared cash to buy the votes of delegates.”
He described the act as shameful and that when he raised the issue with some party leaders, “their reaction seemed to suggest that this corrupt practice is the new rule by which we must all play the game.”
In the election he referred to, Nyaho came a distant third to Mr Ishmael Ashitey who secured an overwhelming victory with Mr George Isaac Amoo coming second. As far as he was concerned, however, the results of that election were determined by money, the ability to pay and the principle of the highest bidder, claiming, “I can foresee this ugly practice re-emerging at the national congress to mess up our attempt at electing a credible flagbearer for the 2012 election.”
Drawing lessons from the Caribbeans and some countries in Latin America, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe warned that if the party, civil society organisations and Ghanaians in general did not rise up to oppose that trend, a greater danger loomed, where the country would inch close to a point of electing a president on the basis of his/her ability to pay bribes regardless of the source of money. “We should not give the wrong impression to any group of adventurers that we in civil society cannot sustain a system of governance based on free speech, a vibrant and free press and by picking our political leaders on the basis of free conscience and the ballot box.”
In that regard, Nyaho commended members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who had raised similar concerns in their party after their youth congress in Sunyani. The most vocal among them has been Ras Mubarak who stood for the post of national youth organiser but lost. That election was won by Mr Ludwig Hlordze. | | > BACK to TOP < | | ______________________ |
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| LATEST GHANA NEWS Thursday, 14 January 2010 WEEK 02 - 2010 |
| * Thursday, 14 January 2010 | Pastor beats woman in front of the police * Source: GNA | Kade, Jan. 14, GNA - A Pastor who quarrelled with a woman and assaulted her in front of the Kade Police District Headquarters was on Thursday arraigned before the Kade District Magistrate's Court. Herbert Adom Danquah, the Pastor, is charged with unlawfully assaulting Esther Frimpomaa.
In the dock with the Pastor was Linda Oforiwa, a seamstress and daughter of Frimpomaa, who was said to have gone to defend the mother and was charged with an act tending to disturb the peace. Whereas the pastor pleaded guilty with explanation to the two counts, Oforiwa also pleaded guilty with explanation to the charged she faced.
However, the Magistrate, Mr Abdul Majid Iliasu, entered a plea of not guilty for them, granted bail of GH¢ 800 with one surety to the Pastor, while the seamstress had a GH¢ 600 bail with a surety. Prosecuting, Police Inspector Francis Asare-Cobbina said Oforiwa was a seamstress at Boadua while Danquah was a Pastor of the Baptist Church in Kumasi.
He said Oforiwa's mother, Frimpomaa, had instituted a civil suit against the Pastor over a plot of land, which was pending before the Magistrate's court at Kade.
Inspector Asare-Cobbina said on December 16, last year, Frimpomaa and the Pastor accompanied by their followers appeared before the court over the issue and after the close of proceedings, the two parties exchanged insults.
On reaching the roadside just in front of the District Police Headquarters the Pastor hit Frimpomaa on the face with a fist which sent her sprawling on the ground.
He said Oforiwa, seeing that her mother had been knocked down, rushed to lift her up and in the process, a confrontation ensured between her and the pastor and they fought. Inspector Asare-Cobbina said their action drew the attention of the police and other members of the public adding that the Police had no option but to arrest them.
Counsel for the Pastor, Mr Agyapong Baah, said the facts adduced by the prosecution were "chocked with inaccuracies" and that the trial would make that evident.
Mr A. Y. Nyarko-Adu, who said he was a friend of the Court, asked the court to discharge Oforiwa for she only went in to save the mother, which was legally right. | | > BACK to TOP < | Government to develop Nkrumah's works into audio-visuals * Source: GNA | | Accra, Jan 14, GNA - Vice President John Mahama on Thursday said the next phase of the First President Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah's centenary celebration would include the development of his works into audio-visuals and documentaries. | For more informations about the celebrations and Kwame Nkruma, visit: www .KwameNkrumah.info (a Ghana-Net.com website) | "We are thinking of converting all his speeches, writings and other intellectual works into DVD versions in order to make it available to researchers, archivists; the general public and posterity." The Vice President said this when he received a cheque for $10,000 from Acess Bank in support of the Kwame Nkrumah centenary celebrations. He said the comprehensive programme for the centenary celebration was a big project that could go beyond the budgetary confines of the government and, therefore, commended the Bank for making such an amount available for the project.
Vice President Mahama appealed to corporate bodies and philanthropists to support the second phase of the celebration that would not only immortalize the Osagyefo The President as a great Ghanaian leader, but also as an African freedom fighter who had championed Pan-Africanism. Prof Akilakpa Sawyerr, Chairman of the Kwame Nkrumah Centenary Celebration Committee, said a week would be used in the celebration of this year's Independence Day.
He said the week-long celebrations would begin on February 28 to mark the Osu Cross-Road Shooting Incident. There would be public lectures, quiz programmes throughout the country with a national one on March 6 2010.
Prof Sawyerr said monuments and documentaries on Former President Nkrumah would also be developed to give the youth an insight into the activities of the Osagyefo.
Mr Sebastian Asem, Head of Corporate Banking of Acess Bank, said the donation formed part of the social responsibility of the Bank. | | > BACK to TOP < | Power Crisis Looms * Source: Daily Graphic | Ghana faces an imminent energy crisis this year if the government does not make funds available to meet the subsidized cost of energy production by the Volta River Authority (VRA), an official of the company has said.
The official, who pleaded anonymity, told the Times yesterday that VRA was in dire financial straits as a result of selling power to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) at a subsidized rate for the public to enjoy low tariffs.
The source said currently, VRA was producing hydro power at four pesewas per kilowatt hour while the power plants produce at 28 pesewas.
In spite of the cost, VRA was compelled to sell power to the ECG at six pesewas with the difference piling up as debt for the company. According to the source, the government in the past provided money to cover for the difference, lamenting that “this year’s budget to the energy sector made no mention of such money.”
The official said the situation had petitioned the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) to take a second look at the tariff but both government and PURC officials always dragged their feet at the mention of tariffs for fear of public outcry. The source said VRA would have to continue to depend on crude oil, which was a major drain on its financial resources.
He said power supply was affected whenever the VRA was found wanting in raising funds for the supply of crude oil which was usually done ahead of the needed time. Explaining why some communities would be deprived of power for a number of days this week, the official said the late arrival of 200,000 barrels of crude at the Tema terminal led to a shortfall of 30 megawatts from the usual 110 megawatts the Tema thermal plant has been producing.
“In order not to over load the system, we decided to reduce electricity by 30 megawatts throughout the country by taking out power supply in pockets of communities from 6pp.m to 9p.m until the situation is restored to normalcy,” he added.
The source said the ship has now berthed with the oil cargo and would take two days to be discharged and treated before being fed into the machines for production of power. The source said the 200,000 barrels of crude would last for about a month and the country risked experiencing frequent power cuts given the rate of VRA’s operational loss.
Reacting to VRA’s concerns Mr Akwasi Sarpong, head of Public Relations at the Ministry of Energy told the Times that the Ministry had liaised with the Ministry of Finance to salvage the situation. “As at today, through the efforts of the Minister of Energy, the Ministry of Finance has directed that some funds should be released to VRA, to meet the subsidized cost of its energy production,” he said but could not readily say how much would be released.
Mr. Sarpong recalled that in 2007 PURC reviewed the electricity tariffs and the government decided to absorb the deference. This was however not paid to the VRA. | | > BACK to TOP < | Red Alert! Fake fuel Hits Town * Source: The Independent | Reports reaching The Independent from some fuel stations countrywide say there is the influx of what can be termed as sub-standard and contaminated fuel on the market, which is being sold to unsuspecting motorists.
Credible information available to The Independent say, the fuel hit the Ghanaian market in December last year and it is still in the system causing problems for fuel attendants country-wide.
Investigations have established that, the suspected contaminated and sub-standard fuel has affected sales of fuel stations that have difficulties in pumping out fuel for sale to motorists.
According to some fuel station managers, and pump attendants reporters of The Independent spoke to countrywide, the situation affected the pumping out of the fuel as the fuel pumps had difficulties in pumping them out.
They told The Independent that, they detected this problem in December last year but attributed it initially to technical problems but later when the problem became widespread, there head offices were notified and subsequently found out that, the problem had to do with the sub-standard fuel that had hit the Ghanaian market.
Corroborating the findings of investigations, spokesperson of Ghana Oil Company (GOIL), Star Oil Company (SOC), Total and Oando, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the story when contacted to ascertain the veracity of the information available to The Independent.
The told the Independent in separate interviews that, “yes the problem surfaced last December and it still persists at some filling stations,” adding that, they suspect that, the crude that was received by TOR was what created the problem as it was of poor quality. Confirming the problem to the Independent, a GOIL representative in the Volta Region told The Independent that, the situation led to artificial shortages and led to the formation of queues of vehicles in Ho, Kpando, Hohoe and other parts of the Volta Region, as the fuel pumps in those towns as a result of the problem could not pump out fuel for sale to vehicles.
A spokesperson of Star Oil Company also confirmed the story in an interview with The Independent yesterday and also said the situation has been rectified with the topping up of quality fuel supplied them from TOR.
Fuel Attendants told The Independent that, the problem has crippled sales and operations of the station and has left them at their wits end.
When Dr Kwame Ampofo, Chief Executive Officer of Tema Oil Refinery contacted, he confirmed the story saying, “the matter came up at the monthly meeting of stakeholders in the oil industry last Tuesday.”
He said, a committee has been put in place to investigate the matter to find out the source of the distribution of that low standard fuel, giving the assurance that, his outfit will soon put in place Quality Assurance measures where it would be unacceptable for such sub-standard products to hit the Ghanaian market. | | > BACK to TOP < | Kufuor’s Boys Confess at Kosmos-E.O. Probe * Source: The Enquirer | As they choke on evidence and sing like canaries
The sweetheart deals in the oil sector, which spotted powerful oil barons, whose footprints leads to the office of former President John Agyekum kufuor, is about to turn sour. The ‘Kufour boys’ who are about to face about 25 charges, bordering on criminality and blatant falsification of public records in a mad rush to control Ghana’s black gold, are now choking on evidence. Sources familiar with the workings of the joint investigation between the US government and Ghana has told The Enquirer that despite misleading PR gimmicks in sections of the media, “the culprits in the case are singing like canaries” in the intercontinental probe, which has untied the bolts and knots of the Es and the Os of Ghana’s oil sector. Already, The Enquirer has learnt that the combined investigative powers of both the US Department of Justice and Ghana’s Attorney General’s Department in the ongoing probe of Kosmos Energy and EO Group, has led to several key targets in the center of the investigation confessing to their criminal conduct. The Enquirer has learnt also that, several top government level officers in the previous government, including one of President Kufuor’s Chief of Staff and key sector Ministers, as well as the dismissed Country Manager of Kosmos Energy, have taken turns in answering probing questions from investigators. US sources say, the joint investigations, which at one point involved collaborative efforts between the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of Ghana has led to the interception of several documents, including huge electronic files. One particular computer, which US federal agents say was used by George Owusu, the country Representative of Kosmos Energy has not yet been traced. George Owusu was fired by Kosmos Energy soon after he gave a signed statement to investigators, which Kosmos felt was too implicating. Back in Ghana, the Kosmos-EO probe, which is steered by the Attorney-General Betty Mould-Iddrisu, has uncovered very juicy evidence, and insiders are talking about a very explosive docket. Duke Amanianpong, a California-based lawyer, working for the Ghanaian investigation has said that from where he stands and from the point of law, Ghana’s Attorney-General had accumulated “enough evidence of criminal culpability to bring charges against the EO group and its directors”. THE SMOKING GUN The entire investigation into the Kosmos-EO Group deal, began with a 2.5-million-dollar investigation in 2006, with a paper trail in the USA, after an investigation report filed at the US Department of Justice raised red flags. Besides the nitty-gritty of the law, side bars in the investigation reveal many of the culprits in the deal to be political allies of John Kufuor, the immediate past president, which suggests strongly his office might have been exploited in the deal as at one point the Castle was allegedly drawn in the award of the petroleum license to Kosmos and EO in a record time. The charges against the culprits would include “causing financial loss to the state, money laundering, and making false declarations to public agencies”, Financial Times, quoting a source at the attorney-general’s office has said. Ghanaian officials suspect that EO used its access to top officials in the former government to gain a hold on the country’s most promising offshore oil block and win more favourable terms both for itself and Kosmos. EO’s directors, according to a Financial Times report are silent over suggestions of their criminal behavior, except to say that they had played an important role in opening Ghana’s oil industry, and had done so lawfully and without using “improper influence.” Kosmos said allegations of wrongdoing against it were “untrue and unsubstantiated.” Kosmos, who is also being probed by the US Department of Justice, say Ghana wants to secure a share of the profits by forcing them to sell their stake in the oil concession at a knock-down price to GNPC, the state oil group, which could then sell it to the highest bidder. “Some factions in the country are clearly seeking to spread rumours and untruths in an attempt to undermine the company so that its assets can be [pushed] below fair market value,” Kosmos said. An industry expert dismissed what he described as the ‘noise of Kosmos,’ wondering why they have not taken their case to arbitration if they believed there was any arm-twisting or wrongdoing on the part of GNPC or the country for that matter. GNPC has rejected claims of fronting for China in the bid to buy out Kosmos, who illegally gave access to GNPC data, acquired at great cost and corporate effort, to several foreign oil prospectors in contravention of the petroleum agreement. EO GROUP Investigators also say that Kosmos’ connection to the probe, from the stand point of the law, is that of complicity in what they say is the criminal behavior of their partners, the EO Group. EO was set up by a Houston-based businessman, George Owusu, who was Kosmos’s representative in Accra and Kwame Bawuah Edusei, a doctor and supporter of Ex-President Kufuor, who later appointed him as ambassador to Washington. The group has a 3.5 per cent stake in the offshore oil block, where Kosmos first found commercial quantities of oil in 2007. EO, whose stake could be worth about $200m, initiated the deal which brought Kosmos into Ghana three years earlier. In return, Kosmos met EO’s share of exploration and development costs by paying for the share of EO Group as a handshake for all the “work done” Who is behind EO? EO was created by two US-based Ghanaians. Kwame Bawuah Edusei, the E in the company. He is a medical doctor, a stalwart of the former ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), and according to his political allies a friend of ex-president Kufuor. He was appointed ambassador first to Geneva and then Washington, where he served until January last year. George Owusu, the O in the group, was a Houston-based businessman who worked for oil companies including as a commodities manager for Royal Dutch Shell. Until recently, he was also the representative for Kosmos in Ghana. The two men played a central role in bringing the Texan company to Ghana in 2004, after initial stuttering exploration activities under the Kufuor administration, after inheriting vibrant exploratory activities in 2001. The two moved the company from Ghana to the Cayman Islands, where it is registered as KG (after Kwame and George) shortly before the 2008 elections ended in opposition victory a year ago. | | > BACK to TOP < | Mills’ men fight Tsikata * Source: The New Crusading Guide | Mr Porsper Tao Tsikata, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the yet to be established security company called Mazze Security Group of companies is on a warpath with the President, Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills and some party stalwarts at the office of the President for seizing his license to operate a security company in the country.
Sources say some staffers at the office of the President are strongly against Mr Tsikata’s establishment of a private security company in the country simply because of the sophisticated state of the art security equipments he has imported into the country.
Some officials at the office of the President have condemned Tsikata’s yet unborn security company, claiming that it would pose a threat to national security since his equipments are much more sophisticated than that of national security.
Mr Tsikata who has been mentioned as one of the key financiers of Prof. Mills’ 2008 general elections campaign is being harassed and unnecessarily vilified by some National Security elements as pressure is being brought to bear on him to revoke his decision of operating a security company.
A source close to Mr Tsikata told the New Crusading Guide that some security officials stormed the house and the offices of Mr Tsikata around IPS road to ransack some of his equipment and also harassed his kids and house help.
According to sources, the man who was said to be in charge of President Mills’ security in the run up to the Tain elections in the Brong Ahafo Region is now facing stiff opposition from his own party.
The source hinted that Mr Tsikata who is now hospitalised has all his cell phones, e-mails tapped and bank accounts frozen by the NDC bigwigs who are bent on monitoring his business plans.
The New Crusading Guide can report that the fates of some 200 young men who were recently recruited by Mazze Security and were undergoing training at East Legon in Accra are in a balance as signals points to high indications that the company may never see the light of day.
Meanwhile, the New Crusading Guide can confirm that some National Democratic Congress (NDC) top shots who are contesting for various position in the party have called on him for monetary supports for their campaign. | > BACK to TOP < |
_____________________________________________________ ----- | Archived News for 2010 | | | Thursday, 14 January 2010 | - Pastor beats woman in front of the police - Government to develop Nkrumah's works into audio-visuals - Power Crisis Looms - Red Alert! Fake fuel Hits Town - Kufuor’s Boys Confess at Kosmos-E.O. Probe - Mills’ men fight Tsikata - Quashigah’s Mortal Remains Brought Home - Government to establish National Resources Conservation Centre - Sachs meets Mills over - Nyaho-Tamakloe mmells a Rat development of Accra metropolis - Mills has divided attention – Akomea | | | Go to 15.01.2010 Go to 13.01.2010 Go to 12.01.2010 Go to 11.01.2010 Go to 10.01.2010 Go to 09.01.2010 Go to 08.01.2010 Go to 07.01.2010 Go to 06.01.2010 Go to 05.01.2010 Go to 04.01.2010 | | Your REPORT Your STORIES * Your PHOTOS PUBLISH NOW! | 
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| | | | * 14.01.2010 | Quashigah’s Mortal Remains Brought Home * Source: The Ghanaian Times | A large number of mourners including relatives, friends and sympathizers converged at the Kotoka International Airport yesterday to welcome the mortal remains of Major (rtd) Courage Quashigah who died on January 5, in Israel where he had gone for medical treatment.
Also present were New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwarts including former Vice President Aliu Mahama, Kwadwo Mpiani, former Chief of Staff, Alan Kyeremanteng, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, flagbearer of the Party in the last election and a host of former Ministers of the NPP administration. Major Quashigah served as Health Minister in that administration. As the Lufthansa plane touched down at 5:10pm and taxied on the tarmac, some sympathizers in the crowd burst into tears.
Family members of the former Minister were then led to the plane to welcome Mrs Gertrude Esi Quashigah, the wife, who accompanied the body from Israel.
From there, she greeted the government delegation which was led by Mr Victor Gbeho, a Special Advisor to the President and Dr Benjamin Kumbuor, Minister of Health and other dignitaries.
A contingent of six soldiers from the Fifth Battalion, led by Second Lt. Isaac Acheampong, escorted the body draped in national colours to the forecourt of the VIP Lounge.
After prayers, the body was put into a military vehicle and led by a motorcade, to a private funeral home. | Sachs meets Mills over development of Accra metropolis * Source: GNA | Accra, Jan. 14, GNA - World renowned economist, Dr Jeffrey Sachs on Thursday conferred with President John Evans Atta Mills on the proposed development of Accra into a Millennium City.
Dr Sachs said the new decade of 2010 was great for Ghana with many opportunities. He pledged the support of Earth Institute of Columbia University in the USA to Ghana to realize those great potentials. Leading a delegation of intellectuals in economics, health and social development to the Castle, Osu, Dr Sachs said, "we want to bring all these talents to support you for the development of Accra and beyond".
The delegation would later visit Kumasi and the Bonsaso Millennium Village Project as part of exchange and interconnectivity programme between the two nations.
Dr Sachs, who is also a Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General commended Ghana's democracy and poverty reduction programmes and said Accra had the potential of becoming a world city when water supply, connectivity, roads, education and health systems were improved. He said 10 per cent growth rate in the country was achievable, and the time had come to work through the challenges, therefore called for the development of social infrastructure to address challenges that would emanate from the exploitation of Ghana's oil find. Dr Sachs invited President Mills to participate in the Global Summit to Accelerate Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) this year and expressed confidence that most countries could achieve the MDGs within the remaining five years.
The eight MDGs - which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV and AIDS and providing universal primary education by 2015 was a blueprint agreed by world leaders and leading development institutions.
President Mills accepted the invitation to participate in the Summit and said the only justification for leaders to be in power was to use available resources to improve the living standards of the people. He reiterated Government's confidence and determination to realise its core development agenda of investing in people, creating jobs, developing the national infrastructure and running an open, honest and transparent government.
President Mills thanked authorities of Earth Institute for the project, and gave the assurance that measures had been instituted for efficient use of Ghana's oil revenue.
Nii Armah Ashietey, Greater Accra Regional Minister said "It is time we get people out of poverty" and called for the inclusion of nearby municipalities and districts in the project.
Dr Alfred Vanderpuije, the Accra Mayor excited about the project said, "We'll be with you. We hope we'll have a greet relationship". A Ghana Statistical Service report indicates that the population of Accra during the national population census in March 2000 was 1,658,937. The metropolis is faced with challenges such as high population, water, health, sanitation, flooding, but has the potential to become world class metropolis with its tourism, business and centre for business in the West African sub region.
The delegation on a five-day visit to Ghana would launch the Accra Millennium City Project on Friday, January 15, 2009, a follow-up to an initial discussion with the Accra Mayor, Dr Vanderpuije in the USA last year.
Under the project, infrastructure in some communities such as Chemu Naa, Chorkor, Ga Mashie, Nima and Maamobi would be improved. | | > BACK to TOP < | Mills has divided attention – Akomea * Source: The Chronicle | A former Information Minister and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikoi South, Nana Akomea, has told this paper that the struggle for control of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has affected the performance of the Atta Mills government.
According to him, President Mills now has divided attention, which is making it impossible for him to focus on the development of the country. In an interview with The Chronicle in Accra Wednesday, Mr. Akomea said whilst trying to fix the multiple challenges facing the economy, President Mills also has to deal with difficulty of containing Mr Rawlings, who is trying to block his re-election as the presidential candidate of the party.
“Because it affects the future of the President himself, he cannot sit down unconcerned, so he will be distracted right up to when the NDC elects its presidential candidate,” he noted, adding: “it is normal that when you have this kind of threat from, not less a person, than the founder of your party, it will naturally affect your performance.”
He however cautioned that if the NDC did not find ways to end this kind of strife, it could affect its delivery in subsequent years. The situation, he said, had become so bad that even before the end of his first year in office President Mills was compelled to come out to say that he would stand for re-election, since doubts had been expressed about his ability to seek re-election.
“Jerry Rawlings himself has said some time ago, that Mills should take his government and he will take the party. Subsequently, you have people like Spio Garbrah, who is perceived to be in Rawlings camp, and Mrs. Rawlings herself, all declaring their intentions to contest for executive positions in the NDC.
“This shows the intensity and extent of division and infighting in the ruling party,” he emphasized. He therefore stressed the need for the ruling paty to manage its affairs properly, since it was having a direct bearing on the country’s development.
Whilst admitting that what was currently going on in the NDC was internal democracy like that of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), between the Nana Addo and Alan Kyerematen factions, the Okaikoi South MP said, “the danger is that the division in the NDC is so deep, and the personalities involved are quite big ones.”
He further said one cannot equate what is going on in NDC to that of NPP, because the latter was not in government, but in opposition. “When we were in government, Kufuor didn’t have this kind of terrible factionalism in the party.”
Nana Akomea said the stake are higher, for the simple reason that the Founder and the President are at each other’s throats, saying authoritatively, “this is the first time that you have a sitting President being actively challenged for re-election in his own party.
He asked, “why should the Rawlings faction be trying to take over the party, and why would the Mills faction also be trying to resist them, it’s all because of the presidential primary. Obviously, Mr. Rawlings’ faction wants to take over the party, so they can use the party machinery to block Mills from seeking re-election.” | | |
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