| News Home (Main Page) | | African Newspaper | | LATEST WORLD NEWS | | | Ghanaian Media: | | Public Agenda | | GNA-Ghana News Agen. | The Statesman | | | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2009 | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2008 | | NEWS ARCHIVE 2007 | | PHOTO REPORTS | | VIDEO REPORTS | | ARTS in GHANA | | Food & Drinks in Ghana | | Africa Cup 2008 | | Ghana Hotels | | Links / Websites | | Ghana Districts | | Ghana Tourism | | Ghana Classifieds | Names in Ghana | | | | * 21.01.2010 | President calls for street naming exercise this year * Source: GNA | Accra, Jan. 21, GNA - The Presidency has tasked the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) to ensure that the Street Naming and House Numbering exercise takes off smoothly this year. The exercise, which is under the Urban Management Land Information System (UMLIS), is expected to help revenue collecting agencies to efficiently collect land rents and other fees.
Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, Deputy Minister of MLGRD, made the disclosure on Thursday at a stakeholders' seminar on the project in Accra.
He noted that absence of effective revenue collection system reduced the capacity of the assemblies to develop and provide services to the citizens.
"In view of this the objective of the UMLIS project is to produce an electronic land information database on properties and infrastructure for the improvement of revenue mobilisation and increase in economic development activities for the benefit of the citizenry," Mr Afriyie-Ankrah.
Another important objective of the project, which is being financed by the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA) and the Government of Ghana, is to strengthen the capacity building of local authorities involved in the project.
"I want to assure you that with the full scale implementation of UMLIS, the over dependence or mere dependence of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies on central government for financial support for their programmes and activities would be a thing of the past," he said.
He said increased revenue mobilisation would help local authorities to be "self-supporting" and make it easier for them to improve waste management, utility services and other operations within the localities. "It is also possible that through higher revenue generation, the living conditions of the people in various communities would improve and lead to reduction in corruption."
Mr Afriyie-Ankrah at a meet the press series organised by the ministry told the Ghana News Agency on July 23, 2009 that government had embarked on the UMLIS pilot project to demarcate and number streets in the metropolis for easy identification.
He said an individual could easily locate places across the country with just a click on the phone by the help of the global positioning satellite under the UMLIS. He commended development partners such as Swedesurvey, land sector agencies, GeoTech Systems, SIDA and other stakeholders for their support and contributions to the project.
In a speech read on his behalf, Dr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the seminar was to find ways of seeking more funding for the project. | | | | ______________________ |
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| LATEST GHANA NEWS Thursday, 21 January 2010 WEEK 03 - 2010 |
| * Thursday, 21 January 2010 | Veep calls for mainstreaming of ICT in school curricular * Source: New Crusading Guide | Accra, Jan. 21, GNA - Mr. John Dramani Mahama, the Vice President, on Thursday called on the developers of school curricular to consider mainstreaming Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into school curricular at all levels.
This, he said, would enhance the technological knowledge of children who had no access to computers and technology in their homes. Mr. Mahama said this when he received a delegation from the Free and Open Source Software Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA) who came to invite him to chair their Fourth African Conference in Accra from May 17-21.
FOSSFA would, among other things, train about 1,000 people in pre-conference programmes, hold conferences and plenary sessions and have adequate awards and technology exhibitions.
The Vice President also appealed to ICT experts to draw up comprehensive programmes that would educate the youth against cyber fraud which had gained notoriety in the country for some time now. He appealed to the experts to find a way of making ICT accessible to the youth considering the high cost of computers and other accessories that prevented underprivileged people from acquiring them. "ICT is a critical sector that can galvanize development in the country and therefore should be given special attention to triumph." Mr. Mahama attributed the high rate of piracy in the country to the high cost of ICT facilities and appealed to FOSSFA to device means of discouraging the canker in the country.
Madam Nnenna Nwakanma, Chairperson of FOSSFA, said the Foundation was primarily formed as an African initiative to support Africans to achieve the technological aspirations in the continent. She said their activities would not only focus on technology, but would also engage in education, health, business, media innovation and Geographic Information Systems and Open Education Resources. Madam Nwakanma said FOSSFA would reward African technologists and encourage them to use information and technology to develop their own people in the continent.
Madam Dorothy Gordon, Director-General of the Advanced Information Technology Institute of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence, said they would do everything possible to make ICT accessible to Africans in the coming years. | | > BACK to TOP < | Technical problems disrupt internet service * Source: GNA | Accra, Jan. 21, GNA - A technical fault on Thursday has caused a disruption in internet service provided by Vodafone throughout the country.
A statement from the company said the disruption was due to failure of a planned power reconfiguration activity on the SAT3 submarine cable station in South Africa.
Vodafone apologised for the disruption and said engineers from Vodafone Ghana and South Africa were working hand in hand to restore service as soon as possible. | | > BACK to TOP < | Attorney General Demands Missing Files Investigation * Source: VOA | The attorney general is calling for an investigation into the alleged theft of confidential documents from her office as well as the offices of state prosecutors.
Betty Mould-Iddrisu said her office is taking steps to plug possible loopholes in the justice ministry.
“We were conducting investigations with the view to initiating prosecution against firms and certain individuals in Ghana. And unfortunately, the draft charge sheet and some other documentation have found their way into the Ghanaian media, and have now in fact been put on the websites of certain Ghanaian media organizations,” she said.
According to the attorney general’s office, the missing documents include an unfinished charge sheet with various charges it was contemplating bringing against the EO Group, a Ghanaian oil exploration company.
The EO Group is a partner of the oil exploration firm Kosmos, which together with Tullow Oil Company are developing the Jubilee oil Fields in Ghana. Attorney General Mould-Iddrisu said there is need to ascertain how the files were stolen.
“I have no idea the documents in question went missing from actually the prosecutors’ offices, not my personal office. However, other documentation, which have found their way into the media were extremely confidential documents which were in my office also and they have gone missing,” Mould-Iddrisu said. Details of the missing files were reportedly posted on the websites of some Ghanaian media organizations.
Ghana’s media reported that the stolen documents have a charge sheet indicating 25 charges leveled against the EO Group and its directors.
The charges include causing financial loss of several billions of dollars to Ghana’s National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), money laundering and conspiracy to forge official documents.
Mould-Iddrisu said there is need to beef up the security at the justice minister.
“I think it is important to know what is happening and take steps to plug any loopholes or leaks that I may have in my own office and in the offices of the prosecutors. Certainly, we are going to tighten up our security and I’m already taking steps to put in place even more enhanced security in my own personal working area and also within that of the prosecutors,” Mould-Iddrisu said. | | > BACK to TOP < | Sex Scandal Rocks Methodist Church * Source: Daily Guide | A SEX scandal has rocked the Methodist Church as the Administrative Bishop flees to the US to take cover, according to a leader of the church’s wing.
According to Jacob Osei Yeboah, leader of the Resurrection Methodist Church at Adenta, Accra, who has written to the US Ambassador seeking the Bishop’s repatriation, the Rt. Rev. Kow Bosomefi Egyir raped an errand girl and fled to the North American country.
Mr. Osei Yeboah wants the Administrative Bishop to come and face justice in the country.
He recalled in the letter to the American envoy that when a journalist sought to verify the story, he took her to the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, at the Methodist Headquarters who confirmed the scandal.
The confirmation, he stated, was made in the presence of Rt. Rev. Asamoah Otchere. The Presiding Bishop, he said, indicated that the victim is being counseled to overcome what he described as the “destruction of her conscience, soul and spirit”.
The Bishop, he went on, could however not say if the church’s constitution supersedes that of Ghana’s in dealing with the criminality of the rape scandal.
Buttressing his case further, Mr. Osei Yeboah quoted President Barack Obama’s speech during his visit to Ghana which bordered on the need to hold leaders accountable for their deeds.
“My heart and many others are deeply saddened and exceedingly disturbed.
This rape episode is saddening because of comments from the laity and the youth A SEX scandal has in particular, for when those societies consider as low class go about raping women, the police and the rule of law take them to account for their action and ultimately imprisoned.
When can the triumph of justice be witnessed when those who are supposed to protect the law are themselves breakers of the law, and the law is only applied to the poor, weak and vulnerable in the society, he asked.
This rape case by the second in command of the Methodist Church in Ghana, he noted, is a clear case for the religious bodies, civil society in Ghana and the law enforcement agencies.
He encouraged the US authorities, through the envoy, to get the top churchman repatriated to Ghana. | | > BACK to TOP < | NIB board aware of rice importation - Witness * Source: GNA | Accra, Jan. 21, GNA - An official of the National Investment Bank (NIB) told an Accra Fast Track High Court that the Board of Directors of the bank were informed of the importation of 15,000 metric tons of rice from India.
Mrs. Cecilia Don-Chebe Agbevey, Chief Manager of NIB, Airport Branch told the court on Thursday that the board was notified of the Letters of Credit, initiated by the bank to facilitate the importation of the 300,000 bags of rice.
Mrs. Agbevey was testifying in the case in which Akwasi Osei-Adjei, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD, and Daniel Charles Gyimah, former Managing Director of NIB are before the court in connection with the importation of the rice. They are facing eight counts of conspiracy, contravention of the provisions of the Public Procurement Act (Act 663), use of public office for profit, stealing and wilfully causing financial loss to the state to the tune of 1,408,590 dollars.
They have pleaded not guilty to the various charges and the court presided over Mr. Justice Bright Mensah has admitted them to bail in the sum GH¢200,000 with two sureties each.
The sureties to consist of immovable property and their title deeds are to be deposited at the Court's Registry.
As part of the bail conditions, the two would report to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) once a week. Mrs. Agbevey former NIB Board Secretary and ninth Prosecution Witness was being cross-examined by Godfred Yeboah Odame, Counsel for Mr. Osei-Adjei.
She said NIB was established by an Act of Parliament and had been transacting business for the State as well as other companies to import food items and had its own warehouses. "The NIB board was informed of the importation of food commodities based on the request from the government to reduce food prices and help local farmers to boost production," she added. However, witness could not state the quantities and the amount involved in the importation.
Mrs. Agbevey led by Mr. Anthony Gyambiby, Chief State Attorney said as the NIB board secretary, her main task was to arrange for meetings, agenda for the meeting and taking of minutes. At this juncture Colonel Alex Johnson (Rtd), Counsel for Gyimah objected to the prosecution's line of questioning, saying it was not relevant to the case but on the pertinent portions of the minutes of the NIB board meeting.
Mr. Gyambiby however rejected the claim. The facts are that somewhere in February 2008, Mr. Joe Baidoo-Ansah, former Minister of Trade and Industry, initiated importation of the rice from India.
In a letter dated February 13, 2008 he requested government through the Ghana High Commission in India, to purchase 100,000 metric tons of (25 per cent to 35 per cent broken rice). The rice was expected to arrive in Ghana by May 2008 to help curb the severe increase of price of staples in Ghana and the designated consignee was Ghana National Procurement Agency. Mr. Baidoo-Ansah in another letter dated on April 10, 2008 addressed to the Minister of External Affairs of India, referred to an earlier meeting held between former President John Agyekum Kufuor and the Minister of Commerce of India.
In the said letter Mr. Baidoo-Ansah drew attention to "severe food situation looming in Ghana" and sought to procure from the Government of India 300,000 metric tons of low grade white 25 per cent broken rice for shipment to Ghana by June 2008.
However, in April 2008, Osei-Adjei took over the efforts of Mr. Baidoo-Ansah and nominated NIB as the sole consignee. Gyimah represented the bank and negotiated the terms of the contract with State Trading Corporation of India through the Ghana High Commission in India.
Osei-Adjei instructed Ghana's High Commissioner in India to sign the contract on behalf of Ghana Government.
The contract was executed and 15,000 metric tons of rice was to be shipped by Amira Foods Limited of India, a private shipping company and on February 18, 2009, the consignment arrived at the Tema Harbour. Initially, exportation of the rice to Ghana was supposed to be a grant but later turned into commercial transaction noting that Gyimah approached Citibank to issue Letters of Credit to cover the value of the consignment.
On arrival of the rice, efforts by the NIB to obtain import tax exemption from Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to clear the rice were denied due to the commercial nature of the contract and non-involvement of the ministry in the transaction. The rice on arrival was kept in Customs Excise and Preventive Service bonded warehouse.
However, after taking stock of the consignment, it was noticed that 2,997 bags were missing and the rest was in varying states of unwholesomeness.
The prosecution said management of NIB was making efforts to sell the remaining rice through tender.
It said investigations conducted by the BNI revealed that provisions of the Public Procurement Act were not followed and the missing 2,997 bags had been diverted for sale elsewhere for huge private profit. | > BACK to TOP < |
_____________________________________________________ ----- | Archived News for 2010 | | | Thursday, 21 January 2010 | - Veep calls for mainstreaming of ICT in school curricular - Technical problems disrupt internet service - Attorney General Demands Missing Files Investigation - Sex Scandal Rocks Methodist Church - NIB board aware of rice importation - Witness - FDB orders withdrawal of antibiotic - President calls for street naming exercise this year | Ghana Donate $3m to Haiti | Go to 22.01.2010 Go to 20.01.2010 Go to 19.01.2010 | Go to 15.01.2010 Go to 14.01.2010 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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| | | | * 21.01.2010 | FDB orders withdrawal of antibiotic * Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana | Accra, Jan. 21. GNA - The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) on Thursday ordered the immediate withdrawal of an antibiotic, Ciprofloxacin (500mg) tablets, from the markets by January 29.
FDB said in a statement that the medicine was sub-standard, unwholesome and posed a danger to the health and safety of the people since it failed to comply with the existing regulatory measures. The medicine manufactured by GR Industries Limited based in Accra, did not have a batch number on the primary and secondary packages, no manufacturing dates and no legible date of expiry on the primary packages and the secondary package. It also failed all laboratory analysis.
The statement signed by Dr Stephen Opuni, Chief Executive of FDB, said the product, which was in a pink carton, and had its writings in white, was sampled and analysed through the FDB's post-market surveillance activities. The release noted that the production of the drug contravened section 18 of the FDB's law (PNDCL305B) and its subsequent amendment Act 523 1996.
"The FDB shall not hesitate to seek the Minister's approval for the closure of any facility that would be found to be flouting the law." FDB said it was compiling a list of unregistered products found on the market to be published for the information of the general public | | | | | | |
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