| News Home (Main Page) | | African Newspaper | | LATEST WORLD NEWS | | | | | 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 | | | | * 09.02.2010 | MTTU personnel urged not to ask drivers for favours * Source: GNA | Koforidua, Feb 09, GNA - Superintendent of Police James Sarfo-Peprah , the Eastern Regional Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) Commander, has cautioned personnel detailed on traffic duties to desist from asking drivers for favours.
He told them reminded them to take a cue from what happened to the four MTTU men in Accra who extorted moneys from drivers and were reported to the Police Administration. Mr Sarfo-Peprah, who was speaking to personnel of the MTTU before they embarked on traffic decongestion exercise in the New Juaben Municipality, told them that people were watching their behaviour and so should exhibit professionalism. The MTTU has embarked on a decongestion exercise especially around the Commercial Bank where floating vehicles park and pick passengers from. He told the GNA that management of the bank had complained on many occasions about the security implication of the activities of drivers around the area who more often blocked the entrance of the bank thus posing inconvenience for bullion vans and customers. The MTTU Commander appealed to drivers and the public to stop politicizing the decongestion exercise and to co-operate with the police to do what is right, adding that all drivers arrested during the exercise would be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others. | Jake tells NPP: Choose a driver who knows the road * Source: GNA | Wa, Feb. 9, GNA - Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, an aspiring National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party has called on the Party to elect as national chairman, a person who is a tried and tested strategist to bring it back to power in the 2012 elections.
"Let us go with the driver who knows the way because he has travelled there before to lead us back to power in the next elections," he said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Wa on Monday.
Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey was among high profile members of the Party including Nana Akufo-Addo, the 2008 flag bearer, who on Monday attended the 40th day funeral rites of the late Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Montana, father of Alhaji Abubakari Abdul-Rahman, Upper West Regional chairman of the Party.
He said he would be an active chairman who would always move to the regions and constituencies to motivate party members and resolve issues before they escalate into serious problems for the party.
On the perceived factions in the party, he explained that it was normal for any big political family to have such factions, adding that, they would cease to exist once somebody emerges after congress to lead the party into the elections.
"Having a flag bearer defuses all tensions in the party and gives the party a renewed focus," he stated.
He said he had already gone round the country with his message and was hopeful that he would be the next National Chairman of the Party. | World Bank to support rice farming in Ghana? * Source: GNA | Dabala (VR), Feb 9, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama, on Tuesday announced that the government was negotiating with the World Bank to support Ghanaian farmers to increase rice production. He said when the agreement is sealed, the World Bank would support in the transportation of water from the lower Volta to irrigate arable rice farm lands in the Accra plains.
Vice President Mahama made the announcement when he inspected rice farms of Brazil Agro-Investment limited, a solely Brazilian organization, engaged in rice production in Dabala in the Volta Region. The Vice President said prudent agricultural policies adopted a year ago by the NDC Government were yielding dividends as rice production had stepped up by 30 percent within a one-year period and hoped that it would further be increased to about 60 percent within the next two years. He said the government annually spent about $500million dollars on the importation of rice alone.
Vice President Mahama said that with the new measures of providing tractors and irrigation facilities to organized farmers in the country, government could save about $300million dollars in the next three years. He gave the assurance that government would continue to support all private initiatives that were geared towards the development of every Ghanaian in the country.
Mr. Leor Valer, Director of the rice company, said its initial 150-hectare rice farm was encouraging and hoped to increase the production to 480 hectares in the next few months in the Volta Region. He said the company was targeting to cultivate 5000 hectares of rice in the next five years in the country and appealed to government to consider controlling the importation of rice into the country to boost local production. Mr. Valer said the rice farms had created jobs for the people in the area as many of them were now engaged in sewing, fertilisation, fishing, harvesting, milling, packaging among other activities. He said rice had become a major staple food for Ghanaians and called on the government to protect local rice production. | | | ______________________ |
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| LATEST GHANA NEWS Monday, 01 February 2010 WEEK 05 - 2010 |
| * Wednesday, 09 February 2010 | | Gidisu: Road toll rates would not be reduced but... * Source: New Crusading Guide | Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - Mr Joe Gidisu, the Minister of Roads and Highways, on Tuesday said there would not be a reduction in the road and bridge tools, but certain packages were being put in place to massage the discomfort currently being experienced by mostly commercial vehicles which plied such routes. Mr Gidisu, who took his turn at the Ministry of Information instituted Meet-the-Press Series in Accra, to address issues bordering on his Ministry's performance, policies and programme said the Ministry was holding consultations with transport operators, especially commercial vehicle drivers and owners.
He said this was to ensure appropriate toll regimes for vehicles which crossed the tool booths about four times a day.
The Minister said the road sector was faced with numerous challenges that had constrained the achievement of its targets especially with routine and periodic maintenance and rehabilitation of existing roads and bridges.. He mentioned major factors including the over-commitment of the roadinfrastructure budget leading to delayed payments to road contractors forworks done, a situation which had prevented the road agencies from awarding new routine and periodic maintenance projects such as pothole patching, spot improvement, re-gravelling, resealing, ditch cleaning and grass cutting.
Mr Gidisu also said the Road Fund Management Board had not been able= to secure regular and smaller increment in levies, tolls and fees to corresp= ond with the rising cost of road maintenance and it was indebted to contractors to the tune of about GH¢120 million apart from the GH¢160 million arrears recently released by government for projects executed under the consolidated fund.
He explained that the objective of the recent increases in the roads= and bridge tolls was to mobilise adequate resources to undertake the routine and periodic maintenances as well as rehabilitation of roads to ensure safety, save time, money and also protect lives. The Minister said it was estimated that incomes from the Road and Bridge tolls would increase from GH¢2.9 million to GH¢19.5 million.
Mr Gidisu said the National Road Fund currently provided an average of about GH¢110 million which was woefully inadequate to meet the maintenance needs of the sector.
He attributed this to the low level of bridges and road toll rates a= nd the non-increment in the fuel levy since 2005.
However, the Minister indicated that the periodic and routine maintenance as well as the rehabilitation of roads and bridges were important in the protection of the huge investments made in the sector. The revenue sources of the Fund are fuel levy on petrol, diesel and refined fuel oil, bridge and road tolls, vehicle and licence inspection fees as well as international transit fees collected from foreign vehicles entering the country. "While the fuel levy contributed 94 per cent of the revenue, the road and bridge tools contributed only 1.8 per cent," he said. Mr Gidisu explained that a number of consultations were made earlierwith stakeholders through regional forums organised by the Road Fund Management Board out of which proposals were submitted to Cabinet for consideration and its subsequently approval. He said the Ministry had, however, learnt from its mistakes of inadequate mass education as far as the increases were concerned and appealed to the public and vehicles owners to compromise with the situation in order to mobilise more resources to ensure quality road infrastructure and eliminate losses. | | > BACK to TOP < | Jimmy Carter confers with President Mills * Source: GNA | President John Evans Atta Mills at the week-end said that any fight against corruption should start at the leadership level, indicating that the menace often led to unpleasant results. He said it must be demonstrated that corruption should not be encouraged and the passage of anti-corruption legislation was to strengthen the ability to monitor and check the vice in society.
In an interaction with former US President Jimmy Carter who called on him at the Osu Castle in Accra, President Mills indicated that Government intended to pass the Right to Information Law "with very little delay" to put the vice under check.
The former US President is leading a delegation to attend a three-day African Regional Conference on the Right and Access to Information, which opens on Sunday in Accra.
President Mills said the right and access to information and transparency was the basis for vibrant democracy and accountability in the management of public funds.
He said that checking corruption must transcend the public sector to include the private sector.
The President observed that the foundation for the Right to Information Law was laid by the past Kufuor Administration, and the present Government would continue from where the former administration left off.
President Mills stressed that there was the need for widespread education for people to understand the law as well as their rights and obligations.
The President said Ghanaians were justified in their high expectations in his administration adding that Government would under no circumstance abuse the confidence reposed in his administration.
President Mills said: "We want to make sure we maintain and improve upon what we have," and that Government was setting up a body to effectively manage the proceeds from Ghana's oil find.
On the success of the conduct of last year's General Election, President Mills attributed the success to divine intervention, explaining that Ghanaians prayed a lot for successful polls.
President Mills said "I think that God heard our prayers," but the presence of international monitoring bodies like the Carter Foundation also contributed to the success of the polls.
He thanked the Carter Foundation for supporting Ghana to go through free, fair and transparent polls last year.
"The very mention of the Carter Foundation send shivers down the spine of those who intend to cheat," President Mills said.
Former President Carter praised Ghana on her democratic credentials and pointed out that access to information was an essential for good democratic governance.
He said the Foundation was ready to assist with its expertise for the conduct of successful polls.
Participants to the conference would be drawn from governments, regional and international institutions, civil society, media and the private sector from at least 15 focus countries on the continent.
In-depth discussions will be held on the four main objectives of the conference - identify and explore challenges and potential solutions specific to Africa, bring together stakeholders to enhance a regional community of practice, encourage multi-stakeholder national clusters to advance the right of access to information; Create and disseminate regional findings and a plan of action | | > BACK to TOP < | Teacher Sacked For Being Pregnant * Source: The Heritage | A professionally trained and married teacher of the Light Academy International at the Adentan suburb of Accra has been booted out of school for getting herself pregnant.
According to furious Benedicta Kumadoh, her dismissal from school four months into her pregnancy nearly drove her to commit suicide since her husband at the time was in serious financial crisis and she was virtually the breadwinner. “I am considering dragging the authorities of the school to the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice to seek redress”, she threatened in an interview with the Heritage newspaper.
Checks revealed that she was employed in September 2007 as a primary school teacher when she was till upgrading her knowledge at the Valley View University College. She had since had cordial relations with her superiors and colleague staff members effectively combining her role as a teacher and student until she got pregnant June last year.
Ms Kumadoh claimed that as soon as she got pregnant the authorities of the school began antagonizing and having serious confrontations with her over her ability to work effectively as a teacher. Though she pleaded that a suitable time-table be prepared for her as her four months pregnancy was not having any effect on her teaching but authorities of the school rejected the plea.
After all the back-and-forth, she was finally sacked in September last year at time she had served the school for two years without any dismissal letter or salary for work done prior to her dismissal. Asked why she did not resign to take care of her pregnancy and resume work after giving birth, she contended that per the standard practice in the Ghana Education Service, she deserved a leave at a critical stage in her pregnancy and not a verbal sack.
Though attempts to reach the headship of the school failed, some staff reached condemned how their colleague was treated and cited similar incidents in the past. Others preferred to remain silent over the development.
Teacher Kumador has meanwhile charged the sector ministry to call the authorities of the school to order and pay her what is due her to prevent a recurrence of her ordeal in other private and public educational institutions in the country. | | > BACK to TOP < | Is NPP Broke? * Source: Myjoyonline | GH¢30,000 For Stadium Too Much For NPP
The opposition New Patriotic Party is disappointed over a GH¢30,000 price tag quoted by the National Sports Council for the party’s use of the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
The party has chosen to hold its National Delegates Conference in the Ashanti Region, and hopes to converge at the 50,000 capacity stadium but the regional chairman of the party, Frederick Fredua Anto told Love FM’s Elton John Brobbey that the price they have to pay for the use of the facility is too exorbitant.
“The price, the levy is too high for us,” Mr Anto lamented to Luv News in an interview on Monday.
Over 120,000 delegates are expected to elect new party officers to steer the affairs of the party for the next four years.
Fliers, banners and posters of some of the aspirants for national positions are finding their way to the venue for the conference.
Five party bigwigs, Felix Owusu Agyapong, Sammy Crabbe, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, Charles Wereko-Brobby and Stephen Ntim are vying for the national chairmanship position.
Eight others are also vying for vice chairmanship position, with another five seeking election for the general secretary position.
The theme for the conference is “Reflect, Rebuild, Recapture in Unity.”
Explaining the rationale behind the theme, Mr. Anto said the conference will enable party stakeholders to reflect on the party’s defeat in the 2008 General elections as well as offer the platform to rebuild the party with the sole aim of recapturing power from the ruling NDC in the 2012 general elections.
Mr Anto intimated that the conference will be a one-day event to reduce the cost of accommodation for the delegates.
The national delegates conference has been postponed on a couple of occasions due to protracted litigation in the Ashanti regional elections. | > BACK to TOP < | 85 Bodies Missing From Morgue * Source: Ghanaian Times | Five casual workers and some officials of the Koforidua Regional Hospital are being questioned by the New Juaben police in connection with the loss of 85 bodies from the hospital’s mortuary.
Times investigation revealed that the loss was detected last week following an internal audit check at the request of the hospital. A source close to the hospital administration said the disappearance of the bodies had caused a loss GH¢13,300 in revenue to the hospital.
It is believed that the bodies did not just disappear, they were taken out by relatives who may have paid mortuary attendants to look the other way while the bodies were removed from the freezers onto vehicles and driven home.
The GH¢13,300, therefore, represents the total amount that should have gone to the hospital if the bodies had been officially paid for. | | > BACK to TOP < | Ghana Tourists Board to organise Chocolate Dinner for couples * Source: GNA | Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - The Ghana Tourists Board (GTB) will collaborate with Adom FM, a radio station in Tema, to organize a special chocolate dinner for selected couples in Accra on February 14 which is St Valentine's Day.
The day is celebrated in Ghana as National Chocolate Day to make popular the eating of chocolate.
GTB will also organize a beach jam at Kokrobite from 0600 hours 1800 hours on the day to climax the celebration of the day.
Mr Ben Ohene-Ayeh, Public Relations Manager at the Ghana Tourists Board, told the GNA that the Board, with support from the Ministry of Tourism, was reviving the celebration of National Chocolate Day to promote the consumption of locally made chocolate and encourage the use of chocolate as the main gift for lovers on St. Valentines Day.
"We want to make the National Chocolate Day event part of the tourism calendar in Ghana," he said.
He said to inculcate the habit of eating chocolate in children the GTB will this year involve school children in the celebration of National Chocolate Day.
"This year we have selected two deprived schools in Anyaa and Adentan in Accra to visit places like the Cocoa Processing Factory at Tema, The Tetteh Quarhsie's cocoa farm at Mampong-Akwapim and the Bunso Cocoa Resea= rch Institute at Tafo all in the Eastern Region," he said.
Mr Ohene-Ayeh said selected night clubs and drinking bars throughout the country would also organize musical jams where cocoa-based products would be given to patrons as prizes.
Commenting on the need to promote the consumption of chocolate, he said chocolate contained anti-bacterial agents that fight tooth decay as well as helps in lowering cholesterol, preventing blood clot and reduces stress.
Mr Ohene-Ayeh appealed to the public to patronize the events to ensure that chocolate becomes part of a healthy Ghanaian diet. | | > BACK to TOP < | Poverty levels in Ghana reducing - Living Standard Survey reveals * Source: GNA | Sunyani (B/A), Feb 9, GNA - National Poverty Headcount has reduced from 39.5 percent in 1998/1999 to 28.5 percent in 2005/2006, a report by the Ghana Living Standard Survey has revealed.
According to the report, extreme poverty fell from 27 percent to about 18 percent in the same period.
Hajia Hawawu Boya Gariba, Deputy Minister of Women and Children 's Affairs made this known at the opening ceremony of a national training workshop on Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) for Regional Coordinating Councils and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in Sunyani on Monday.
Participants attending the three-day workshop, sponsored by the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA), are from Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.
It is being organized by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. The GRB is a process or tool that attempts to assess the impact of the national budget on different groups of women, men, boys and girls, by recognizing the ways in which gender relationship affect society and the economy.
Hajia Gariba explained that there were geographical variations in poverty levels, variations in economic groupings was highest among food crops farmers.
She noted that even though, there had been slow but steady improvements in Ghana with regard to women's and girl's education and health levels, progress was off-track on targets for economic empowerment of women. "Women consistently lag behind men in formal labour force participation, access to credit, entrepreneurship rates, income levels and inheritance and ownership rights," Hajia Gariba said.
She said improvement in access to quality education, skill training and health, were necessary but not sufficient for economic empowerment of women.
The Deputy Minister said the potential for widening choices and inco= mes that quality education, skills training and good health provide, would not be realized if norms, rules and regulations that restricted or prohibited women's ability to realize these potentials continued to exist. A lower portion of women, 8.6 percent are estimated to be in paid employment compared to men 26.9 percent in 2005/2006, Hajia Gariba stated .. She added that no progress had been made in reducing the proportion of women who were unpaid workers, indicating that the proportion increased f= rom 24.5 percent in 1998/1999 to 28.5 percent in 2005/2006.
Hajia Gariba emphasized that addressing gender imbalances does lead to growth, and government at all levels had a role to play in promoting gender equity and equality.
She stated that already government had put in place gender sensitive= polices and legislation adopted by the GRB, including the need to ensure equal access to essential services; addressing barriers for doing business, and challenges in relation to financing and credit, and also in monitoring the impacts of policies and programmes on the different genders.
Hajia Gariba explained that gender equality and women's empowerment were key dimensions to ensuring sustainable development. She said as part of efforts for promoting gender equality and women's economic empowerment, the government in 2007 gave approval for piloting GRB in Ghana.
Hajia Gariba said following cabinet approval for this initiative, a technical committee made up of experts from Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, National Development Planning Commission, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, and personnel of the piloting Municipal and District Assemblies, were put together to fashion out operation of gender budgeting in Ghana.
She said gender mainstreaming and budgeting had now been recognized as a global development strategy, and therefore very relevant if the countrywanted to achieve accelerated economic growth and development. Mrs. Joana Opare, a Gender Consultant who presided, noted that gende r issues had been a core of development interventions, and advised the participants to take the workshop serious and understand gender issues properly. The participants would be taken through gender planning and mainstreaming, introduction to gender analysis, planning and budgeting cycle, tools for gender budgeting and gender needs. | > BACK to TOP < |
_____________________________________________________ ----- | | Wednesday, 09 February 2010 | - Gidisu: Road toll rates would not be reduced but... - Jimmy Carter confers with President Mills - Teacher Sacked For Being Pregnant - Is NPP Broke? - 85 Bodies Missing From Morgue - Ghana Tourists Board to organise Chocolate Dinner for couples - Poverty levels in Ghana reducing - Living Standard Survey reveals - Two Ministers appear before Parliament - Tema Police gun down two robbers - MTTU personnel urged not to ask drivers for favours - Jake tells NPP: Choose a driver who knows the road - CHRAJ Probes 7 Mills Men - World Bank to support rice farming in Ghana? - Countdown To Oil Production: 16 Wells Ready | | Archived News for 2010 | G0 to 13.02.2010 Go to 12.02.2010 Go to 11.02.2010 Go to 10.02.2010 Go to 08.02.2010 | _________________________________ | Your REPORT Your STORIES * Your PHOTOS PUBLISH NOW! | 
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| | | | * 09.02.2010 | Two Ministers appear before Parliament * Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana | Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - The Ministers of Health and Education appeared in Parliament on Tuesday to answer questions from members. First to be called was the Minister for Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, who answered five questions tabled also by four members.
Dr Kunbuor said the provision of a hospital at Nkwanta North Constituency remained a priority of the Ministry in view of the government's plan to construct a major highway through the district to the northern part of the country.
He said a hospital at Nkwanta North would, therefore, serve the health needs of the residents as well as motorists. Dr Kunbuor said currently there were a number of health centres in the district, adding, as a first step in organising public health services in the district, the Ministry planned to provide Nkwanta with a district health directorate in the short term.
He said construction of the Nkwanta North District Hospital would commence as soon as funds were available. Mr John Baloroo Doughr, member for Lambussie, asked the Minister when a district hospital will be provided for the people of new Lambussie-Karni District.
Mr Kunbuor said the district was a new one without district hospital, adding, however, the district had a health centre with competent and qualified staff. He said the Ministry's immediate plans therefore were to upgrade the health centre into a polyclinic while funds were sourced for the provision of a district hospital in the long term. Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister for Education, also answered five questions | Tema Police gun down two robbers * Source: GNA | Tema, Feb 9, GNA - Two suspected armed robbers were on Monday evening gunned down by the Tema Police Patrol Team in a shoot-out at Community 18 junction.
A member of the syndicate, 21-year-old Atsu Fugah, was also arrested during the incident, while a fourth person escaped.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Augustine Gyening, Tema Regional Police Commander briefing the press on Tuesday, said Fugah identified one of the deceased robbers as Kudjo.
ACP Gyening said Fugah who claimed to sell standing brooms told police that he resides at the Tema Community Nine cemetery.
The Regional Commander said at about 2340 hours, the Command received information that some armed robbers were attacking houses located between Community 18 junction and Okpoigorno.
He indicated that when the patrol team got to the area, the four who were hiding in a plantain plantation near Community 18 junction fired at them. ACP Gyening stated that the Police personnel also responded, leading to the death of the two, while Fugah scaled into a near-by house, with the other person escaping.
He said Fugah beat up a resident in the house he entered, but was arrested by some members of the patrol team who also jumped into the house and were able to arrest him because the main gate to the house was locked.
The Regional Police Commander disclosed that items retrieved from the robbers included two mobile phones, kitchen knife, string of beads, locally manufactured gun, machete and a rechargeable lamp. He indicated that Fugah would be interrogated in order to arrest other members of the syndicate, who have been terrorizing residents at Sakumono , Community 18, and its environs in recent times. He advised residents in the Metropolis to contact the Regional Police Command on telephone numbers 022-202936 and 022-202937, for assistance by patrol men when under any form of attack. ACP Gyening, however, cautioned the public against leaving windows and doors opened when asleep, due to the warm weather conditions, as robbers capitalized on that to attack and rob them. He urged the public to volunteer information on activities of suspected criminals to the Police, to help curb crime in the region and the country as a whole. | CHRAJ Probes 7 Mills Men * Source: Daily Guide | The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has now announced that it is putting its acts together to begin full-scale investigations into the historic Mabey and Johnson (M&J) bribery saga.
A press release dated 8th February 2010, issued in Accra yesterday and signed by CHRAJ Commissioner, Francis Emile Short, said formal hearing into the allegations made against the officials would commence as soon as the anti-corruption body receives documents it requested from the British Serious Fraud Office (SFO-UK).
National Democratic Congress (NDC) kingpins were caught neck-deep in the bribery scandal that led to the resignation of ministers and senior officials of the Mills government. They included former Health Minister, Dr George Sipa-Yankey; former Finance Minister, Kwame Peprah; Alhaji Baba Kamara, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria; Amadu Seidu, former Minister of State at the Office of the President; Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique, former Works and Housing Minister; Dr Ato Quarshie, former Roads and Highways Minister in the Jerry Rawlings regime; and Brig-Gen. (rtd) Lord Attivor.
According to the release, even though the Commission had considered initiating investigations into the allegations, its eventual decision was largely provoked by a petition from the Coalition for Democratic Forces (CDF) and a request by President Atta Mills.
“Even if the Commission had decided to commence the investigation on its own initiative, two other significant events occurred between 7th and 15th October, 2009. First, by a letter dated 12th October, 2009, the Coalition for Democratic Forces appealed to the commission to investigate the circumstances in which M&J won its contracts. “Second, by a letter dated 13th October, the Secretary to the President communicated to the Commission to undertake a thorough investigation into the matter.”
CHRAJ said upon studying the transcript proceedings during the sentence hearing and the SFO’s opening note on the M&J case, the commission observed they were not exhaustive enough, and hence the need for deeper investigations, but it was not until in November that the affected people responded.
“For one reason or the other, there were initial delays by the former public officials in furnishing the Commission with their comments. It was not until 30th November, 2009 that the commission received comments from all seven persons in the case.”
It would be recalled that in January 2007, one Jonathan Danos, a former employee of M&J in Jamaica, claimed it was common practice for the company to bribe government officials in order to secure contracts, disclosing that Ghana and other countries were guilty of the offence.
The case was taken to the SFO and in the course of hearing, the seven Ghanaian officials were named as bribe recipients during M&J operations in the 1990s. During the trial of the case in a UK court, there were confessions by officials of the construction firm to the effect that various sums of money were paid to some public officials in some African countries including Ghana, to influence the award of contracts for the company’s benefit.
The officials told the court that they doled out various sums of money’s to persons who either were in government, or had the connections to influence decision makers to help the company win contracts in the country.
President Mills, who had at the time of the revelation just returned from a hectic 10-day trip to the US, Venezuela and Britain, was slapped in the face with the stinking development, and he reportedly gave those in his government the hard option of resigning or getting booted out.
Before then the Attorney-General, Betty Mould Iddrisu, was also dispatched to London for details of the case. On her return, the ministers in Mills Administration were dropped, but CHRAJ had already been petitioned to look into the matter.
Spokesperson for CDF, Yaw Asamoah, later described the AG’s trip as a waste of the taxpayer’s money. “There is conflict of interest. Before the Attorney General even travels to the UK, they had come out to say that, all the allegations are not true. No Ghanaian would believe what comes out of it should it go out that these people are declared innocent. It is therefore a waste of nation’s resources,” he said.
M&J won contracts worth close to £27million in Ghana at the time but it is not clear what percentage of the amount went into bribes, including alleged payments to support the NDC campaign in 2000 in which Mills was the party’s candidate. | Countdown To Oil Production: 16 Wells Ready * Source: The Ghanaian Times | Construction works have been completed on 16 out of the 17 wells expected for the first phase commercial oil production scheduled to commence in the country by the last quarter of the year, Nana Boakye Asafu-Adjaye, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), has said.
Briefing journalists yesterday in Accra on recent developments in the industry, Nana Asafu-Adjaye said work was progressing steadily on the last well. He gave the assurance that everything was on track for the commercial production of oil in the last quarter of the year at the Jubilee Fields made up of Cape Three Points and Tano Basin.
He explained that a floating, production, storage and offloading vessel was expected in the country from Singapore in May for production to commence.
Meanwhile, subsea equipment required for the production of oil from the Jubilee field have begun arriving in the country. This is a strong indication that the operator of the Jubilee Field, Tullow Ghana Limited, is ready to produce the first oil from the Jubilee Field by the last quarter of this year.
The latest most important equipment vital for oil production known as ‘Christmas Tree’ being manufactured by Spitzer Industries Incorporated is expected to arrive in the country soon.
The ‘Christmas Tree’ will be used in brining oil from the belly of the sea. A statement issued by Tullow Ghana Limited in Accra yesterday after a team of Tullow Ghana officials visited some of the companies in Houston, Texas in the United States contracted by the Jubilee Partners to manufacture equipment needed for production of oil in the Jubilee project.
The companies include MODEC, FMC Technologies, and Spitzer Industries Incorporated. The team also visited the Theodore Spool base in Mobile, Alabama, where the Deep Blue Vessel, framed for spooling oil production pipelines, was being manufactured. Mr Gayheart Mensah, Communications Manager, Tullow Ghana Limited, who was part of the team, said the oil discovery in the Jubilee Field off the coast of Ghana had come with huge expectations among most Ghanaians.
“There are expectations among Ghanaians that the oil find should transform Ghana’s economy and spin off jobs immediately. These are huge expectations that need to be managed,” he said. He expressed confidence that with the level for technology deployed by Tullow Ghana Limited, the operator of the Jubilee Field and the quality of personnel working on the project, the target date of producing first oil by fourth quarter this year would be met.
Tullow has 49.95 per cent, operates the Deepwater Tano licence and is partnered by Kosmos Energy with 18 per cent, Anadarko Petroleum (18 per cent, Sabre Oil and Gas 4.05) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation GNPC 10 per cent carried interest. |
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