Ayeboafoh
lashes out at critics of the media
Criminal justice agencies must collaborate
BA
Reconstituted Lands Commission inaugurated
Census office targets 90 per cent coverage
Assemblyman calls for legislation on funerals
Wa water is the best – Garbrah
Stop "stomach journalism"
- Communications Lecturer
CP general secretary condemned
Tamale SSNIT Flats residents protest rent increase
Mr Yaw
Boadu Ayeboafoh, Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission, on
Thursday lashed out at people, who criticise the media but are totally ignorant
of the practice of journalism.
He
expressed regret that the same people, however, turn to journalists to help
them air their activities and send information to the public. Mr Ayeboafoh was
speaking at a seminar organised by the Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists
(IFEJ) on the topic: "Operations of the Money and Capital Markets in
Ghana."
"The
irony is that those, who pass the judgement claim to understand journalism, yet
they are totally ignorant of the practice of journalism".
Merchant
Bank, Ghana, Limited and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation are sponsoring the
seminar, which is under the theme: Financing Investments in Ghana The Role of
the Media."
Topics
being discussed include the money and capital market operations, relevance of
corporate finance, hedging activities, mergers and acquisitions, buy-outs and
liquidation and the role of the Securities Regulatory Commission.
Mr
Ayeboafoh said "starvation wages" paid by the management of media
houses are among factors, which hinder their ability to attract the needed
specialists in adequate numbers and areas of national endeavour.
"Thus
the bulk of our journalists are generalists".
He, therefore, welcomed Merchant Bank's drive
at equipping financial journalists to enable them to deal with financial and
economic issues. Mr Ayeboafo described the media as "inevitable" in
the national development effort, saying they do not only inform, but also set
the agenda for public debate. In the case of the financial journalists, it is
not enough reporting facts truthfully. It is necessary also to report the truth
about facts.
He said
financial activities such as the stock exchange; national budgets and economic
and financial trends need to be presented functionally for the people to
understand.
Mr
Ayeboafoh expressed the hope that IFEJ would help the Ghana Journalists
Association (GJA) to introduce a provision in the GJA Code of Ethics to check
insider information for undeserved private gain on the stock exchange.
Mr Chris
Nartey, Managing Director of Merchant Bank, said if financial journalists are
able to interpret economic events of the world, they would help investors and
businessmen know when, where and how exactly they should invest their funds.
"This
is because there is the need for the business community to know more about
strategic alliances across the globe and how buy-outs, mergers, take-overs in
different countries could affect investments and business in our country."
Members of
the Institute should be investigative and do research to make their writing
more analytical and informative.
Mr Nartey
called for action on the debilitating trade liberalisation policy, which seems
to be creating markets for foreign goods and services but is at the same time
killing local industries. "Journalists could evaluate this policy and
champion an alternative policy that will call for selective tax structure in
order to promote local industry."
Mrs Lys
Hayfron-Asare, Vice President of IFEJ, said the policy of the Institute is to
develop its educational programmes to ensure that financial journalists are
equipped to play a meaningful role in the socio-economic development of the
country.
GRi…/
Criminal justice agencies must collaborate
Accra, {Greater
Accra} 07 April 2000.
Brigadier
A. K. Djangmah, Director General of the Ghana Prisons Service, on Thursday
called for collaboration of all stakeholders in the criminal justice agencies
to effectively combat crime and meet the challenges it poses in the 21st
century.
"The
war against crime, its prevention and the treatment of offenders should be
approached from an integrated, multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary standpoint
if we want to effectively handle the new developments in crime due to
technological advancements."
Brigadier
Djangmah was opening a day's workshop on the Prevention of Crime and the
Treatment of the Offenders under the theme "Crime and Justice: Meeting the
Challenges of the 21st Century."
Organised
by the UN Information Centre, the workshop is a prelude to the 10th UN Congress
on the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders to be held in Vienna,
Austria, from April 10 to 17.
The
congress would close with the adoption of the Vienna Declaration designed to
emphasise the responsibility of each state to establish and maintain a fair,
responsible, ethical and efficient criminal justice system.
About 60
participants who attended the workshop were from crime prevention agencies,
including the Ghana Police Service, Prisons Service, Bureau of National
Investigations, Ghana Armed Forces, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service,
Ghana Bar Association, Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice
and the media.
Brigadier
Djangmah said the necessity of co-operation and co-ordination among the
components of the criminal justice system cannot be overlooked as they
currently operate independently of each other although they each share a common
objective of reducing crime.
He said
rapid development in transportation and communication has opened the floodgates
for new types of crime referred to as trans-national crimes such as
hijacking,
terrorism and money laundering. These are aside the increase in traditional
crimes like pick pocketing, larceny, rape, assault and murder.
The
Director-General said this has compounded the problems of the criminal justice
system, making police investigations more complicated as well as mounting of
cases in the courts and overcrowding at the prisons.
"It
is, therefore, incumbent upon society to brace up for these challenges, which
may be daunting but not insurmountable," adding that society should take
advantage of the same technological advancement to meet the challenges posed by
these crimes.
He
expressed regret that the courts are not able to dispose of cases
expeditiously, giving rise to a high number of remand cases in the prisons.
"The James Fort Prison, which is supposed to take 300 remand prisoners, is
now keeping 640."
Brigadier
Djangmah said proposals have been sent to Parliament to review the Sentencing
Policy to cut down on the number of years a case remains in the court. He
proposed for discussion at the workshop the recruitment and training of
criminal justice practitioners, adequate funding for criminal agencies, use of
modern technology in crime prevention and treatment of offenders and respect
for human rights in the administration of criminal justice.
He added
that when these are properly addressed, they would help make a headway.
Mr Justice
S. A. Brobbey, Justice of the Court of Appeal, said the courts are still using
the Criminal Procedure Code Act 30, passed in 1960, adding that it has been a
major constraint and needs to be reviewed.
He said
section 14; sub-section 2, of the code states that compensation for victims
cannot go beyond 25 pounds. The judge said, even though, the judge is aware of
its inadequacy he or she is forced to abide by it because "you must go
according to the law as it exists and not what you want it to be."
Ms Audrey
Gadzekpo, a lecturer at the School of Communication Studies, University of
Ghana, in a paper on the "Media's Role in Crime Prevention and Treatment
of Offenders" called on journalists to abide by the GJA Code of Ethics
when reporting crime. They should also keep in mind the principle that a person
is innocent until proven guilty.
She advised
journalists to be knowledgeable about the criminal justice system to aid in
crime prevention as well as avoid abusing or compromising the rights of
offenders and accused persons.
"By
being accurate, even-handed and careful in reporting crime, journalists can be
fair to offenders and at the same time improve society by enhancing the work of
those whose primary function it is to fight crime."
GRi…/
Heads of Departments asked to inculcate courtesy in
their dealings
Winneba
{Central Region} 07 April 2000.
Heads
of decentralised departments and agencies in the Central Region have been asked
to see themselves as chief public servants and not lords.
They
should, therefore, accord people they approach for their services with utmost
courtesy to win their trust.
Mr
Jacob S. Arthur, Central Regional Minister, said this when he addressed heads
of decentralised departments and agencies in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District to
round off his tour of the 12 administrative areas of the Region at Winneba on
Thursday.
The
Regional Minister, accompanied by his Deputy, Mr H. Q. Jehu-Appiah, and top
officials from the Central Regional Administration, also interacted with
traditional authorities in Winneba, Senya-Beraku and Awutu.
Mr
Arthur warned that any head of department or agency who fails to implement
government policies and programmes would be shown the exit.
"We
need committed, honest, dedicated and hard-working civil and public servants
who will help us develop the Region to improve the lot of the people and not
workers who will sabotage the efforts of government".
Mr
Arthur, who is also a member of Parliamentary Select Committee on Finance,
called on the heads to ensure the prudent use of funds and resources allocated
them.
He
charged them to actively involve themselves in the on-going National Population
and Housing Census to ensure its successful completion.
During
an open forum, some of the heads called for a speedy replenishment of their
fuel coupons to enable them to effectively carry out their official duties.
GRi…
Sunyani,
{Brong Ahafo} 07 April 2000.
A
reconstituted Brong Ahafo Regional Lands Commission was inaugurated in Sunyani
on Thursday with a call on members to initiate programmes that will ensure
sanity and discipline in the land market.
Mr
Richard Dornu-Nartey, Deputy Minister of Lands and Forestry, reminded members
that the Ministry would monitor their performance annually to ensure that the
guidelines, as provided in the National Land Policy, are implemented.
The
Commission consists of representatives of the 13 districts of the region, the
Ghana Institution of Surveyors, Ghana Bar Association and the Brong Ahafo
Regional House of Chiefs.
Others
are from the Department of Town and Country Planning, Ghana National
Association of Farmers and Fishermen, and the Regional Lands Officer. The
Chairman of the Commission is Mr Charles Boampong, an educationist.
Mr
Dornu-Nartey said the Ministry was aware of delays in the granting of
concurrence by the Regional Lands Commission with its concomitant collection of
inappropriate charges and fees.
"This
poses a threat to the efficient administration of land service delivery,"
he said, and charged the Commission to assist in the elimination of this
problem and other misdemeanours such as the collection of unapproved fees at
the Regional Lands Commission Secretariat.
Mr
Dornu-Nartey warned that the ministry would hold the Commission responsible for
any lapses arising out of the issuance of concurrence. "It is our
expectation that the Commission will establish clear guidelines on the methods
for granting concurrence and the conditions under which it will be refused.
"We
shall also expect the Regional Lands Commission to put a mechanism in place to
facilitate the speedy issuance of concurrence for land disposal."
Mr
Dornu-Nartey noted that most lands in the Brong Ahafo Region had been vested and
were, therefore, being managed by the Lands Commission, unlike in some other
regions.
He
said it was, therefore, necessary that the Regional Lands Commission and the
Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands collaborate with traditional
authorities and private owners in the management of the vested and other lands
to ensure transparency in land allocations and stool land revenues
distribution.
He
charged the Commission to urgently address and find solutions to the rampant
encroachment on public lands, haphazard developments and unapproved development
schemes, all of which pose serious challenges to the orderly development of the
Region.
Alhaji
Kwadwo Maama Adam, Deputy Regional Minister, urged the Commission to address
the persistent encroachment on public lands and multiple land sales.
He
noted that this practice, as well as the use of unapproved development schemes,
had the combined effect of generating unnecessary conflicts among the people
and the emergence of haphazard development of settlements.
Mr
Adam urged the Commission to work closely with other relevant institutions like
the Environmental Protection Agency and the Town and Country Planning
Department to manage the disposal and use of land "to ensure our happiness
and that of posterity".
Mr
Boampong gave the assurance that the Commission would brace itself to its
responsibilities and work without fear or favour.
GRi…/
Census office targets 90 per cent coverage
Accra,
{Greater Accra} 07 April 2000.
At least 90
per cent of the public is expected to be enumerated when the National
Population and Housing Census (NPHC) ends officially on Sunday, April nine.
Contingency
measures have been put in place to mop up the remaining 10 per cent. This was
announced by the acting Government Statistician, Dr Kweku Twum-Baah, after a
meeting of the National Planning Committee, which evaluated the exercise that,
started on March 26.
He said
that between 75 to 80 per cent coverage had been achieved in the Census
exercise as at the close of Wednesday, and the figure is expected to increase
to 90 per cent by Sunday. Dr Twum-Baah was answering questions from journalists
on measures taken to ensure 100 per cent coverage at the end of the exercise.
He said
enumerators, who are able to cover their areas would be reassigned to assist
others in a mopping up exercise to cover the 10 per cent that would be left. Dr
Twum-Baah said the mopping up exercise forms part of contingency measures put
in place to address anticipated problems.
The census
secretariat has identified strategies for the mopping up exercise. Forms have
been sent to the district and zonal officers to identify difficult areas, which
have recorded border and community disputes.
This would
enable the officers to identify areas, which need to be covered during the
mopping up exercise.
They are
also to compile a list of enumerators, who fully complete their work for
re-assignment to those areas that would not be covered.
"Where
we have serious problems, we expect our trained officers and district chief
executives to come in and assist enumerators to solve the problems. "With
these and other contingency measures, we anticipate that we would have total
coverage by the end of the whole exercise."
Dr
Twum-Baah assured the public that everything possible is being done to get
everybody enumerated and advised that they should give any suggestion that
would be of benefit to the exercise to the information unit.
GRi…/
Tema,{Greater
Accra}07 April 2000.
Mr Dan
Abodakpi, Minister for Trade and Industry has called on all stakeholders in the
Gateway Project to strive to make it successful since that would mean more
trade would be routed through Ghana.
He said the
other ports in the West African sub-region are trying to modernise and it is
only when Ghana faces the competition squarely by improving efficiency to
reduce cost that other countries in the sub-region would use her ports.
Mr Abodakpi
was addressing Customs officers and freight forwarders during a visit to the
Tema Port on Thursday with other officials of the Ministry and the Gateway
Secretariat to assess the impact of new customs procedures introduced on April
one.
Under the
new system, the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) valuation system is now being
used in assessing customs duties, while the Pre-shipment Inspection Scheme
(PIS) has been replaced with the Destination Inspection Scheme (DIS).
The
Minister also inspected the container depot and the western gate of the
harbour, where Gateway Services Limited (GSL), one of the new destination
inspection companies would be installing mobile and fixed X-ray scanners for
the inspection of goods.
Mr Abodakpi
noted it was important for all to speed up clearing procedures and reduce cost
on import transactions under the DIS.
Mr.
Abodakpi said with the new system, it should be possible to clear a container
in a day if there are no false declarations since X-ray scanners would be able
to zero in on mis-declarations and eliminate physical inspection of goods.
He called
on freight forwarders to introduce a great deal of professionalism into their
work by training their workers to help achieve efficiency.
Mr Abodakpi
also called on them to harmonise their various associations into one, stressing
that as from June, the Ministry would work with only one association. He said
the government has granted a three-month transitional period after, which there
would be no need to inspect goods overseas before shipment to Ghana.
Mr Kofi
Brako, President of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) said a
special committee has been formed to draw up modalities for uniting the
associations.
They have
also appointed solicitors to draft a new constitution, which will embrace the
wishes of all the three associations. The associations are Customs Brokers
Association of Ghana (CUBAG), Freight Forwarders Association of Ghana (FFAG)
and GIFF. Mr Brako said currently it was CUBAG, which is posing a problem and
said he hoped it would soften its stand to make the unification successful.
GRi…/
Assemblyman calls for legislation on funerals
Sunyani,
{Brong Ahafo} 07 April 2000.
Mr. Paul
Yaw Norah, assemblyman for Bepoaso near Seikwa in the Brong Ahafo Region on Tuesday
urged the National Commission on Culture to collaborate with traditional
councils and district assemblies to pass a by-law to discourage expensive
funerals.
He said the
time and money spent on funerals, retard development and called for measures to
ensure that resources are used to promote production.
"Though
a lot of noise is being made about the negative impact of expensive funerals,
the time has come for concrete steps to be taken including the passage of
legislation to effectively check the practice nation-wide".
Mr. Norah
told GNA in an interview in Sunyani that it is hypocritical for some families
to abandon their sick members but get quick to organise expensive funerals when
they such relations die.
"It is
a tragic irony that people are prepared to spend huge sums of money on funeral
clothes, ornaments and coffins when they cannot even cater for the basic needs
of their children in school".
Mr. Norah
noted that the huge funeral levies imposed on people especially sons-in-laws
often lead to divorce and broken homes and said that everything should be done
to discourage the practice.
"Spending
huge sums of money on funerals are vain and counter-productive as it will not
bring back to life the dead or send them to heaven".
GRi…/
Wa water
is the best – Garbrah
Wa {Upper
West} 07 April 2000.
Mr.
Ebenezer Garbrah, Upper West Regional Director of the Ghana Water Company
Limited, has described water produced by the company in Wa as the best in the
country.
"We
may lack many things as a young region but our water is pure mineral water
pumped from underground. Visitors to
the town should not waste their money carrying water with them".
Mr. Garbrah
said this at a news conference to throw light on the company in the region as
part of its activities marking this year's Water Day celebration in Wa. He said
due to the inability of the company to continue relying on underground water
for the fast growing town, a three million-gallon capacity surface water plant
is to be constructed on the Black Volta, 19 kilometres from Wa.
Mr.
Abdallah Salifu, Regional Commercial Manager of the company, said GWCL has
embarked on a programme to recover about 138 million cedis owed it by customers
in the town.
The company
would initially mount a campaign and devise methods to enable debtors to meet
their outstanding commitments by instalment.
Mr. Salifu
mentioned illegal connections, tampering of metres and diversion of
distribution lines, as some of the major hindrances to the efficient operations
of the company. Two of such culprits have been arrested and are awaiting
prosecution.
GRi…/
Stop
"stomach journalism"
- Communications Lecturer
Accra,
{Greater Accra} 07 April 2000.
A lecturer
at the School of Communication Studies of University of Ghana, Dr Kwasi Ansu
Kyeremeh, on Tuesday called for an end to "stomach journalism."
He said
some journalists bend the rules and ethics governing their profession and write
or publish stories under certain influences to achieve undesirable results and
to please others.
Delivering
a lecture as part of activities to mark the 39th graduation of the Ghana
Institute of Journalism (GIJ) in Accra, Dr Kyeremah said the unique position of
journalists and the crucial role they play in society go with credibility,
innovation and a high sense of professionalism and creativity.
Journalists
must stop being messengers of public and influential officials. They must also
stop their top-down approach to reporting adding that "journalism of
inferiority amounts to self censorship."
He also
noted that arrogant governments, dictatorship, controls and censorship, court
judgments and litigation have rendered some journalists ineffective.
Dr Kyeremeh
called for the institution of measures to protect journalists from negative
influences, saying the nature of the profession demands a high level of
discipline, knowledge and courage and suggested that editors of media houses
and reporters be trained in modern journalism techniques to meet the challenges
of the 21st century.
Dr Kyeremeh
said with the advent of the computer age and the information super highway
journalists and editors must be computer literate.
He
cautioned against blind copying of materials from the INTERNET by journalists and
called for analysis of such material.
Mr. K. B.
Asante, a retired Diplomat and Chairman of the GIJ Board suggested the
introduction of local languages in Ghanaian journalism.
GRi…/
CP general secretary condemned
Suhum,
{Eastern Region} 07 April 2000.
The
Suhum constituency branch of the Convention Party (CP) has condemned the call
by the party's general secretary, Dr Nii Noi Dowuonah, that the scheduled
national congress of the party should not come on, because he and some members
were not happy on the out of court settlement of a court action against the
party.
In
a statement issued at Suhum on Wednesday, the branch appealed to the national
leadership of the party to do all in their “power to ensure that the national
congress takes place as announced without fail".
Mr.
Samuel Kwakye, Chairman, Mr. Ernest Natey, Education secretary, Mr. P.K.
Amponsah, organiser and Mr. Yaw Lartey, youth organiser signed the release.
It
expressed surprise that "a whole general secretary, who professes to love
the CP should make such a negative statement," and called on Dr Dowuonah
to render an apology to the party or be sanctioned.
The
release warned "those who think that they can have our support for
clandestine activities against CP to try their hands elsewhere as we stand
solidly behind the leadership of the party in their efforts to make CP credible
and vibrant."
In
another development, the Abuakwa constituency branch of the CP expressed its
happiness that May 18 has been slated for the party's national congress.
In
a statement signed by its chairman, Mr. I.D. Awuah, the branch assured the
leadership of their unflinching support and appealed to them to ensure that the
congress takes place as planned.
GRi…/
Tamale SSNIT Flats residents protest rent increase
Tamale,
{Northern Region} 07 April 2000.
The
Tamale-Fuo SSNIT Flats Residents Association on Monday called on the management
of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust to rescind its decision to
increase rent on the flats from 32,000 cedis to 60,000 cedis.
In a
protest resolution signed by the chairman, Mr. Ahmed Iddrisu Adam, the
association said the over 87 per cent increase is not favourable to the
residents, most of whom are civil and public servants.
The
residents said they are incapable of meeting such "a phenomenal
increase" because as workers they have not had a corresponding salary
increase to match the current economic situation to be able to accept the
demands of the SSNIT management.
"To
effect such an increase at this time when workers are grappling with increases
in electricity, water, and sanitation tariffs will be unbearable", the
resolution said.
GRi…/
Call Jantuah, Tweneboah and others to order --CP
Kumasi,
{Ashanti Region} 07 April 2000.
The
Bantama constituency executive committee of the Convention Party (CP) in Kumasi
on Wednesday called on the leadership of the party to call Mr. F. A. Jantuah,
Mr. Kwadwo Tweneboah and Mr. Yakubu Mohammed to order.
A
statement signed by Mr. Emmanuel Nabila, constituency secretary said this would
ensure fair play and unity in the party. It said the executive is happy with
the announcement made by Mr. Mike Eghan, a vice-chairman of CP concerning
development in the Central Region branch of the party, adding that it was
especially happy with the portion, which states that "we wish to emphasise
that only properly constituted regional delegates congress can remove a
regional chairman from office".
The
statement said an unconstitutional situation has developed in Ashanti since
January this year following a meeting by some regional steering committee
members comprising Mr. Jantuah, Mr. Tweneboah and Mr. Yakubu.
After
their meeting, they asked Mr. Enoch Ampong to issue a statement that Mr. G. K.
Appiah, regional chairman, had been removed from office.
The
statement said despite the clear unconstitutionality of the move, no
condemnation has come from the acting national chairman, an indication that he
endorsed their move.
GRi…/