Moves to salvage economy - restriction on foreign exchange transactions.
AGC starts redundancy exercise.
Holidays are affecting productivity - Yamson
Don't expect monetary reward - Obed
Nduom to contest KEEA seat
Post congress blues… Confusion to rock NDC over selection of parliamentary candidates for election 2000.
Fraud at MUSIGA… Sidiku Buari exposed.
Konadu threat still looms
Some MPs to be retired
Moves to salvage economy - restriction on foreign exchange transactions.
The Daily Graphic reports in its lead story that the Finance Minister, Mr Kwame Peprah, yesterday announced what he called "tough measures" to salvage the foreign exchange crunched economy to reduce the pressure on the cedi.
The measures include restriction on foreign exchange transactions at forex bureaux, discouraging non-essential imports, mobilising more foreign exchange, improving revenue performance and cutting government expenditure.
The paper says Mr Peprah, flanked by the Trade and industry Minister, Mr Dan Abodakpi; Communications Minister, Mr John Mahama; Prof. Kofi Awonor, a Presidential Aide and Dr Kwabena Duffour, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, at a press conference in Accra, stated: "there is the light at the end of the tunnel in spite of all the difficulties".
Under measures being put in place, all retained export earnings are to be repatriated into Ghana and kept in foreign accounts with Ghanaian banks, which will be required to pay interest on them. All outstanding divestiture receipts payable in foreign exchange are to be settled within one month.
The law preventing travellers from Ghana from taking foreign exchange more than $3,000 or in excess of the foreign exchange declared by them on entering Ghana is to be enforced just as the one on surrender of foreign exchange earned from rent income is to be rigidly enforced, the report added.
No individual or company will be allowed to buy more than $2,000 at forex bureaux in single transactions or on the same day.
The measures, which were also carried on the front page of the Ghanaian Times, said the government has, as a first step towards achieving its aim of stabilising the cedi, is expecting $200 million in donor inflows, $50 million of which has already been received while the remaining $150 million is expected shortly.
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AGC starts redundancy exercise.
The Daily Graphic reports in a back page story that the Ashanti Goldfields Company Limited (AGC) has began a redundancy programme to cut down on work force at its Obuasi Mines by a third within the period, 2000-2001.
Under the new plan dubbed, "Obuasi Life of Mine Plan" and intended to maximise profit, 3,000 employees will be gradually laid off.
Mr Mark Keatley, Chief Financial Officer of AGC, announcing this during a presentation of the company’s annual operating report in Accra Wednesday, said the programme is being undertaken with the consent of the Mine Workers Union.
He is reported to have said half of the affected workers have been dealt with. "We are mindful of the consequences of such an exercise and therefore we are addressing the issue carefully and prudently".
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Holidays are affecting productivity - Yamson
Mr Ishmael Yamson, Chairman of Unilever Ghana Limited, has decried the granting of too many national holidays, reports the Ghanaian Times in a front-page story.
At the company's 43rd annual general meeting in Accra Wednesday, he said the "holidays are expensive to business and a country whose industries are in distress can least afford to impose additional costs through numerous holidays, especially when they are unplanned. That is why I would say that it is perhaps not advisable for a poor country as Ghana to look for every excuse to declare national holidays".
Mr Yamson is said to have added that "for the country to develop, it would demand high and growing levels of productivity, both capital and labour".
He therefore called on Ghanaians to act with an urgency not yet demonstrated by taking the future of the country firmly into their own hands to change its protracted volatile fortunes and asked the government to cut back on its consumption expenditure and bring the budget under control in order to curtail the rising inflationary pressures.
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Don't expect monetary reward - Obed
The Evening News reports that Dr Obed Asmoah, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, has advised members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to expect monetary reward for their services to the party.
The paper quotes him as saying, "it is not right to run a party by dishing out monies to party members," Dr Asamoah told a special delegate's conference of the Veranda Boys and Girls Club in Accra at the weekend, and advised the members to be disciplined since that is the only way to propel the government to continue with its developmental projects.
"The task before us now is for the members of the party to convince the electorate that the lies being peddled by the opposition are not true", quotes the paper.
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Nduom to contest KEEA seat
The Evening News reports in another story that a leading member of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Dr Kwasi Nduom, has declared his intention to contest the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Parliamentary seat, come the December elections.
According to the report, Dr Nduom disclosed this at a CPP regional rally at Komenda during which he touched on his political future, a move seen as his return to active politics.
"I want to make it clear to the incumbent NDC MP, Dr Ato Quarshie that the KEEA seat is on loan to the NDC. I am taking it back from him to the CPP with full swing", he is quoted as saying.
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Post congress blues… Confusion to rock NDC over selection of parliamentary candidates for election 2000.
Unlike the overwhelming support the Vice-President, Prof. J.E. Atta-Mills appears to be receiving from National Democratic Congress (NDC) members and supporters from virtually all the 200 constituencies, as the rightful personality to lead the party into victory in this year's crucial elections, selection of parliamentary candidates are going to be different.
The Crusading Guide says pieces of information reaching it, speaks of deep divisions among the party's leadership and rank and file.
This state of affairs, according to the paper, appears to be casting a dark shadow on the party as it prepares feverishly for its pre-election National Delegates Congress slated for Ho, the Volta Regional capital, on the 29th April 2000.
The report says the NDC is currently confronted with the dilemma of whether to retain all the serving Members of Parliament (MPs) of the party or to select new ones to contest the elections.
The MPs who are seeking a third term in Parliament are also perceived by many members and 'potential aspirants' as a greedy lot who do not want to see the party grow leaders for the future, the report added.
"Parliament is a breeding ground for the building of 'leadership materials', and all of us must be given the opportunity to go there and gain the necessary experience for the sake of the party's future; it should not become an exclusive club for some Parliamentary gurus", a strong NDC Cadre who sees himself as a potential aspirant, is said to have told the Crusading Guide.
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Fraud at MUSIGA… Sidiku Buari exposed.
The Crusading Guide in another front-page story reports that the Ghana Old Musicians Association (GOMAWA), a week ago declared at a press conference held in Accra that Alhaji Sidiku Buari, presented false statement of accounts at the February 1999 MUSIGA Delegates Congress, when he was 1st Vice President and acting treasurer of MUSIGA.
The report says Reverend Felix Ansong, Secretary of the Association, leading the GOMAWA at the confab said Alhaji Buari's, Statement of Accounts was supposed to have covered the period, 1st January, 1993 to 1st January, 1999.
Strangely, the statement reflected monies received by MUSIGA from the Copyright Society of Ghana (COSGA) only between 1993 and 1996, "giving the impression that MUSIGA did not receive any money from COSGA between the period 1997 and 1st January 1999", the report quotes Reverend Ansong as saying.
"For the period between 1993 and 1996, Sidiku Buari, who is the current president of MUSIGA claimed the association received only 29,380,732.6 cedis from COSGA, while COSGA audited accounts for 1996 and 1997 showed that it paid
70,909,403 to MUSIGA," the report said.
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Konadu threat still looms
The Independent in a back page story says although Nana Kunadu Agyemang Rawlings has declared her support for Vice President Atta-Mills' bid for the NDC's presidential nomination, such is the pressure from within the Progressive Alliance that the First Lady is likely to be nominated as a Mills challenger.
According to the report the Independent has established that some elements within the EGLE, one of the junior members of the Progressive Alliance, are not respecting what is perceived as EGLE's official position to support a de-facto nominee, Prof. Atta Mills at Saturday's special Delegates Congress of the NDC at Ho.
The report recalls the EGLE Party's resolution, which stated its unflinching support for the president's nominee, Prof. Atta Mills, at the party's National Delegate's Congress in Koforidua and says despite this a faction within the NDC says the Koforidua declaration does not bind them because they were not part of what they described as a "conspiracy of the highest magnitude".
They have therefore decided to carry out their inalienable right of choosing whom they deem fit to steer the affairs of the NDC and the country as a whole, the report said.
According to the story, many analysts would not dismiss the looming threat because "the woman has been consistently inconsistent on the issue and it is only Saturday that can solve the Kunadu Presidential Puzzle."
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The Guide reports
that with just two days to the National Democratic Congress that will
rubber-stamp the declaration of Prof. Atta Mills' candidacy as its presidential
candidate, sources close to the party say the struggle for power is far from
over, and has reached its zenith.
According to the story the power game has moved from the Northern agitation to a Konadu preferred candidate to sort it out with Obed Asamoah who for now stands tall among all interested aspirants of the NDC Veep position.
The Guide says it can confirm that Obed is the favourite of NDC supporters in the twin-city of Sekondi-Takoradi but recalls a recent statement by Party spokesman Mr. Vincent Asiseh that the vice presidential slot is important because whoever emerges could most likely be groomed as flagbearer after the term of a serving president.
“In this regard some within the party are very much against the seemingly Obed Asamoah fait acompli of Atta Mills/Obed candidature”, quotes the Guide.
Obed, according to the paper, is alleged to be over 65 years old and would be well over 70 after an Atta-Mills presidency.
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Some MPs to be retired
The Guide says in another story that unconfirmed reports has it that at least ten Members of Parliament in the NDC will most likely not send their names in September when nominations are expected to be filed to the Electoral Commission for the December elections.
The paper lists names including Dr Alex Ababio (South Dayi), Cdr. S.G. Obimpeh (North Dayi), Hon. Kojo Yankah (Agona East), Moses Bukari Mabenga (Saboba) and David Kwasi Amankwa (Asunafo) as some sitting MPs likely to miss out on the Party’s ticket.
Others mentioned are Dr David Ato Quarshie (Komenda-Edina/Eguafo-Abirem), Squadron Leader Clend Sowu (Anlo), Hon. Eddie Adzaho (Avenor), Mrs. Margaret Clarke Kwesie (Ga South) and Madam Vida Amadi Yeboah (Akuapem South).
A number of reasons including competition among party members, furtherance of education and a fall out from the Party’s good books, were assigned by the paper as causes for the MPs needing replacement on the NDC ticket.
The Guide states further that while MPs in the Volta Region are relatively safe, the 31st DWM has indicated its intention to contest for 9 seats in the region, 20 in the Northern and Upper sectors, 7 in Greater Accra and the rest spread over the country in its bid for 40 per cent of the seats.
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