Accra (Greater Accra) 11 April 2002- Vice President Aliu Mahama on Wednesday praised the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for its support to Ghana's development programmes and urged the organisation to do more towards poverty reduction and empowerment of women.
He made the appeal when Mr Ramesh Shrestha, UNICEF Representative to Ghana, called on him at the Castle, Osu, to discuss issues on health and education poverty eradication, among other things.
Alhaji Mahama lauded UNICEF's efforts to organise an investment forum in Ghana, saying, the UN body's activities were in line with the government's policy to eliminate poverty. Mr Shrestha said UNICEF had prioritised five areas for speedy implementation. These were district and community capacity development, health, education, nutrition and the promotion and protection of human rights.
The district and community capacity building programme, he said, were aimed at developing participatory processes for traditional leaders, women, men and youth representatives to initiate self-help activities.
Mr Shrestha said UNICEF's education programme would work towards reducing the disparities in access to education levels by region and gender. UNICEF would also focus on the eradication of polio, guinea worm and measles and strengthen the provision of basic health care. Mrs Beatrice Duncan, Protection Officer and Mr George Laryea, in charge of Capacity Building, both of UNICEF accompanied Mr Shrestha.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 April 2002- The Minority in Parliament has donated five million cedis worth of foodstuff as their contribution towards the upkeep of displaced persons of the Dagbon crises.
A statement issued in Accra and signed by Mr John Mahama for the Minority Secretariat, said the donation was made by a two-member delegation currently visiting Tamale, Yendi, Bumkpurugu and Bawku to lend their assistance to efforts at finding lasting solutions to recent conflicts in those areas. The delegation was made up of Mr Alban Bagbin, the Minority Leader and Mrs Alice Boon, MP for Lambussie.
The statement said the delegation made the announcement of the donation when it visited the widows and household of the assassinated Ya-Na Andani Yakub's II, the Over-Lord of Dagomba Traditional Area and other persons displaced by the tragedy at Tamale.
The delegation also visited the Tamale Hospital where five persons including a Junior Secondary School student from the Ya-Na's palace were being treated for bullet wounds. It said the delegation donated 500,000 cedis to the injured.
The group also held a series of meetings, first with representatives of the Andani family led by the Kumbun Na and then with two groups of the Abudu family in Nanton and Tamale.
At the first meeting, Mr Bagbin expressed the condolences of the Minority to the family on the death of Ya-Na Andani and 28 others. He said the Minority was prepared to play an active role in ensuring that justice was done and repeated the call on the government to set up an independent judicial inquiry to investigate the assassination of the Ya-Na.
The statement said the Kumbun Na said true peace could only be established if justice were seen to have been done and reiterated the call for the setting up a judicial enquiry into the incident.
The Kumbun Na also stated that the family had evidence and witnesses to support the allegations they had made against various persons for their complicity in the Yendi massacre. The statement said during the first meeting with the Abudu group, the Nanton Na expressed appreciation for the visit and said he was shocked by the death of the Ya-Na.
He explained that he had an excellent relationship with the Ya-Na and was very shaken by his death. He also supported the call for a full-scale investigation into his death. The meeting with the second group of the Abudu family took place at the late Alhaji Yahaya Iddi's house.
The statement said the family welcomed the visit of the Minority and said they were encouraged by the participation of the minority in finding a solution to the crisis. The statement said the delegation also visited the family of the Nachin Na (Chief of the youth) who died defending the Ya-Na.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 April 2002- A National Health Insurance Council is to be established to oversee health insurance programmes and provide guidelines and regulations for their smooth operation and effectiveness, Vice President Aliu Mahama said on Wednesday.
Alhaji Mahama was opening the third annual lecture of the Ghana Medical Association in Accra. The two-day lecture, attended by members of the Council of State, ministers, parliamentarians, health workers and a cross-section of the public, is under the theme: " Healthcare Financing in Ghana."
Alhaji Mahama said the ministerial task team on health insurance, which is finalising proposals for a policy framework and a draft bill for consideration of the Cabinet and Parliament, had proposed the establishment of a Mutual Health Organisation and a Social Insurance Scheme to provide for a variety of stakeholders within the context of a district-wide scheme.
He, however, appealed to professionals in the health and insurance sectors as well members of the public to offer innovative and radical suggestions for the formulation of a comprehensive and carefully regulated and sustainable insurance scheme that would meet the needs of the average Ghanaian.
Alhaji Mahama underscored the need for replacing the 'Cash and Carry System' with a more equitable one, saying only 20 per cent of persons accessing health care at any point in time could afford it, under the Cash and Carry.
" A comprehensive scheme that will create access to quality health care for all citizens, irrespective of their socio-economic status should be the foundation on which we build our health sector," he said.
In an efficient health delivery system, the Vice President said, insurance covered basic medical insurance for physicians fee, laboratory and radiology services and prescription drugs, while in the case of hospitalisation the system catered for all or part of the cost of hospitalisation for a number of days and expenses such as nursing services, medications, X-rays and surgical dressings.
Alhaji Mahama said before the end of the term of the government, such an insurance scheme would be in place in fulfilment of the government's agenda to provide a more humane health care system.
He gave the assurance that the government would strengthen the exemption policy to reduce the devastating effects of the young, aged and handicapped who require medical attention as it phased out the Cash and Carry system.
The Vice President called for the practice of good personal hygiene and environmental protection to prevent diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and upper respiratory tract infection, which account for 70 per cent of diseases.
He said maintaining discipline in the management of our lifestyles could avoid contracting HIV/AIDS, hypertension and other diseases. Mr Moses Dani Baah, Deputy Minister of Health, said with the implementation of an insurance scheme, the government would bear 80 per cent of the health budget.
"The infrastructure for health, equipment and the salaries of personnel, which account for the percentage would be provided by the government. The fund from the insurance scheme would be the contribution, which is now being paid to the Cash and Carry system," he said.
Mr Dani Baah called for more action rather than words to ensure the speedy replacement of the Cash and Carry system, which he said denied many sick people their right to live.
The President of GMA, Dr J. Plange-Rhule, said the association welcomed the insurance scheme as a better option to the present system. He, however, called for a system that would address the problems of chronic non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, renal failure and others.
"Another challenge that has to be dealt with is how the scheme is going to cope in the event of natural and man-made disasters. How are we going to deal with victims of road accidents?"
Dr Plange-Rhule said the problems of inadequate and highly skilled health personnel and the imbalance in their distribution had to be dealt with. It was for these reasons, he said, that the lecture was devoted to discussions on the health insurance scheme to get proposals for the establishment of an efficient and effective system.
The history and assessment of the Cash and Carry System; Overview of Financing Mechanisms for the health sector; Work Ethics and Health Insurance and Government Budgetary Allocation are topic for the lecture.
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Bolgatanga (Upper East) 11 April 2002- Three documents on the Ghana National Drug Policy were on Wednesday launched in Bolgatanga with a call on all health personnel to adhere strictly to the books when prescribing medicine.
The books, "Ghana Drug Policy, Essential Drug List and Standard Treatment Guideline" seeks to promote rational drug use and contains a list of the most suitable and affordable drugs for various illnesses.
The drug policy under the theme: "Promoting rational use of drugs in Ghana, is aimed at making essential drugs available and accessible to the population, ensuring the safety, efficacy and quality of drugs and also to ensure rational use of drugs by prescribers, dispensers and consumers.
Dr Erasmus Agongo, Upper East Regional Director of Health Services said the material contained in the books provided the essential and current knowledge necessary for prescribers to provide adequate care for patients and also serve as an effective way of controlling cost of treatment.
He advised all health personnel who prescribe medicine to consider also the cost of the drugs and not to recommend expensive new drugs because they were in vogue. Dr Agongo said many people tended to treat themselves with various medicines at the onset of illness thereby taking inadequate doses or even the wrong medication before they sought medical help.
He said such inappropriate doses or prolonged or too frequent use of the drugs could lead to the development of drug resistant organisms, which could also pose as a new threat to mankind.
"For any benefit to be derived from medicine, it must be used for the right purpose, in the right dose, at the right intervals and for the right duration, anything short of this can lead to disastrous consequences to the health of the individual either by not being cured of the illness or even lead to death," he cautioned.
Mr George Anaba, Regional Co-ordinating Director, who launched the books noted with concern the high ratio of doctors to patients in the rural areas and said this had given quack doctors the chance to roam around the villages administering drugs and injections to their clients.
"The biggest problem confronting our nation today is not the lack of awareness on the part of our people about the dangers of some of the harmful effects of quack prescriptions, purchase and consumption of drugs, but rather the lack of effective and efficient machinery to ensure the enforcement of existing legislation to regulate our activities and programmes," he said.
He said despite the Ghana Food and Drugs Law 1992 (PNDC 1305 b) and the Pharmacy Act 1994 (Act 489), unqualified herbal practitioners and quack doctors were increasing by the day.
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Keta (Volta Region) 11 April 2002- Mr Emmanuel M. Mensah, Director of the Marine Fisheries Management Division of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) on Tuesday said the absence of a national management and regulatory policy on the fishery sub-sector was responsible for its dismal performance over the years.
He said this had led to over-capitalisation of marine fishing and couple with non-enforcement of its byelaws had resulted in the over-exploitation of fishery resources. Mr Mensah was addressing a day's seminar on Marine Fisheries Management Plan for stakeholders and administrators of the sub-sector at Keta in the Volta Region.
The seminar, formed part of the Fisheries Sub-sector Capacity-Building Project (FSCBP), which is being funded with a 10 million-dollar World Bank and Ghana government support. The FSCBP is aimed at strengthening and establishing a long-term sustainable exploitation of the fisheries resources and maximise the sectors contribution to the economy.
The seminar was to formulate a sound fisheries policy and management plans, their implementation through monitoring control, surveillance and enforcement as well as promote community-based management of fisheries resources.
Regional and District Directors of MOFA, District Chief Executives (DCEs) and District Co-ordinating Directors and fishermen from the Dangme East and Dangme West Districts of the Greater Accra region and Keta and Ketu of the Volta Region attended the seminar to make input into the national strategy.
Mr Mensah said over-exploitation of the fish stock had resulted in the destruction of the marine eco-system and bio-diversity and the extinction of some fish species.
He called for a precautionary approach to promote measures that would ensure efficient ways of exploiting the fishery resource to meet the nutritional needs of the people and for export. Mr Mensah said trawling in the in-shore exclusive zone below the 30-metre depth, the use of the seine net and shrimp fishing close to estuaries and lagoons were prohibited.
He suggested an aggressive strategy to introduce an alternative employment opportunities combined with education and resources to alleviate the social consequences of the change.
Mr Mensah urged fishermen to rationalise all regulations and byelaws to make their enforcement practicable. Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Region Minister, in an address read for him said government was determined to improve and revamp the fishery industry as part of its overall economic development strategy.
The Minister expressed regret that fishermen from Ghana working in neighbouring countries conformed to laws and regulations governing the industry in those countries but flouted them with impunity back home.
He appealed to fishermen to desist from the unacceptable practices that might amount to "destroying the bird that lays the golden egg''. Mr Owusu-Yeboa said fishery was renewable natural resource but if not properly managed could be destroyed beyond revitalisation as had happened to some species.
He said stringent measures were also being taken to forestall diversion of premix fuel adding, "benefits accruing from the sale of the commodity would be channelled to develop fishing communities''. Mr Paul Bannerman, a senior fisheries officer, called for the adoption of sound conservation and management strategies to rejuvenate the industry.
Vice Admiral Emmanus Owusu-Ansah (rtd), Chairman of the Fisheries Commission, said the sub-sector would soon be a corporate entity and would not entertain "anybody procuring a boat or canoe, outboard motor, net and other inputs and begin to trade''.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 April 2002- The Christian Council of Ghana on Wednesday lauded government's call for further negotiations to resolve difference on the ban on drumming and noisemaking.
The Reverend Dr Robert Aboagye-Mensah, General Secretary of the Council, told Ghana News Agency that both parties needed to respect the agreed declaration of 2000, which was re-affirmed by the Greater Accra Regional Permanent Conflict Resolution and Management Committee on 18 May 2001.
Mr Ferdinand Ayim, Special Assistant to the Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs had earlier at a press briefing in Accra stated government's intention to enforce laws on abatement of noise throughout the year. He said government had started negotiations with the religious bodies and the Ga Traditional Council for a compromise to avoid confrontation that might degenerate into a crisis.
Dr Aboagye-Mensah, welcoming the government's position, recalled a declaration by the Forum of Religious Bodies and the Ga Traditional Council that "all religious bodies confined crusades, conventions and usual forms of worship to their premises and avoid excessive noise during the period of the ban in the interest of peace and harmony."
The declaration also stated that "drumming and noise making beyond the levels prescribed under the Accra Metropolitan Authority Bye-Law on Abatement of Nuisance (1995) shall be monitored by a joint committee comprising representatives of all religious bodies, the Ga Traditional Council, AMA and the Greater Accra Permanent Conflict Resolution and management Committee."
Dr Aboagye-Mensah said the declaration also said all reports of infractions and infringements of the prescribed noise levels during the period should be referred to a Standing Committee, which shall have powers of adjudication and compliance.
He urged the parties to respect the declaration while government negotiated with the bodies concerned for amicable settlement. Dr Aboagye-Mensah also reiterated the call by the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference and the Christian Council that the directive should not be aimed at Christians alone.
He said Christians would continue to subscribe entirely to the content and declaration adopted in 2000 to ensure peace and harmony between the Traditional Council the Religious organisations in "the interest of our constitutional and human rights as Ghanaians, and as legal persons in a country regulated by an approved Constitution."
The General Secretary advised religious bodies to exercise restraint and reduce the level on noise as "some of us make extreme noise." Mr Prince Hodo, an Environmentalist, told the GNA that the noise level at residential areas is 55 decibels between 0600 and 2200 hours but this comes down to 48 decibels between 2200 and 0600 hours.
In areas with some commercial or light industry the levels are 60 decibels and 55 decibels in the day and night, respectively. At places of entertainment or public assembly and places of worship located in this zone the levels are 65 in the day and 60 decibels in the night.
Mr Hodo said noise is described as an acoustic phenomenon that produces an unpleasant or irritating auditory sensation, which has the effect to increase heart rate and blood pressure, shorter attention span and loss of memory.
He said other immediate effects of noise include anxiety, reduce field of vision, gastro-intestinal problems, while the long term effects are physical and mental fatigue, insomnia, bulimia, chronic hypertension, depressive or aggressive behaviour. Mr Hodo advised people to reduce the sources of noise, its transmission and receptions in their own interest.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 11 April 2002- Ghanaian agric-businesses have been told to go into strategic alliances to exploit areas of comparative advantage on the global market.
The Reverend Kwabena Darko, Executive Chairman of Darko Farms Company Limited, a local poultry giant, said if these businesses came together to form clusters of related companies and were well organised in their approach, they could lead the country to survive the challenges of globalisation.
He was delivering a paper on; "The way forward: Sector problems and solution in agriculture" at the on-going Ashanti Economic Forum in Kumasi on Wednesday. The three-day forum that had brought together an array of high profile successful business executives, financial and economic consultants, bankers, chiefs and politicians, is being organised jointly by the Manhyia Palace and Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council (ARCC).
It is under the theme: "Maximising Ashanti's contribution to the economic development of Ghana." The Rev Darko was critical of the situation where agricultural policies and projects were designed to meet the needs of only the small-scale operators.
This, he noted, had been primarily due to the fact that agriculture was not seen as a business in Ghana and said; "this must give way. We should change our attitude and think big about agriculture". He said for the sector to achieve sustainable development, it was important that it provided for food security and ensured surplus for industry.
Rev Darko mentioned marketing and access to capital as major problems facing operators in the agricultural sector and called on the banks to assist them go into long-term investment. ''By this, the nation could be well positioned to compete more favourably with all others on the global market''.
Mr Kwame Sarpong, Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), in a paper, identified problems with the internal marketing of cocoa, bad roads, smuggling and the lack of place of pride as some of the constraints facing the cocoa sector.
He announced that the management of the COCOBOD was in discussion with the government to revert to its original role of building reserves to cushion the Ghanaian farmer in times of fallen world market price for the crop.
The Chief Executive said through research development at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana at Tafo, the country's production level, about 400,000 tonnes a year, could be multiplied many folds.
Mr Sarpong said Ghana could within the next four to five years overtake Cote d'Ivoire that presently produces about 1.2 million tonnes of cocoa annually. He spoke of vigorous efforts to commercialise by-products of cocoa and asked businessmen in Ashanti to ready themselves to take advantage of those products.
Mr E.E.K. Acquah-Moses, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Timber Millers Organisation, in another paper, drew attention to the need to tackle the situation where revenue from timber go into the pockets of chiefs and traditional councils to the disadvantage of the communities.
He said he was unhappy with what he saw as the use of cosmetic and ad-hoc measures by the Forestry Commission to address problems relating to sustainable management of the country's forest resources. Mr Paul Victor Obeng, a former presidential advisor on governmental affairs, chaired the session.
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Hohoe (Volta Region) 11 April 2002- The Hohoe District Council of Labour has called on the government to come out with a realistic living wage for workers before the May Day celebrations.
In a resolution adopted at a meeting and signed by Mr George Tokpo and Mr Anthony Gbide, Chairman and Secretary, respectively, at Hohoe last Tuesday, the Council expressed concern over government's delay in coming out with a new minimum wage to ease the suffering of the Ghanaian worker.
The Council also called on the government to take immediate steps to restore the End-of-Service-Benefit (ESB) as the SSNIT Pension Scheme had failed to cater for the needs of retired workers. The Hohoe District Council of Labour also appealed to the government to construct rental flats for workers to alleviate the current accommodation problem facing them.
Mr Maxwell Akoto-Mireku, Volta Region Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), announced that the Congress has decided to open offices in all the 110 districts in the country for District Councils of Labour in line with the government's decentralisation programme.
Mr Akoto-Mireku said the Union had drawn up a new strategy to educate would be pensioners before they retired. He asked members of the Council to involve opinion leaders in their meetings to enable them to deliberate and discuss government policies.
Mr Akoto-Mireku announced that this year's May Day celebration would take place at Ho under the theme: "Decent work and labour standards - necessary condition for national development".
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 April 2002- The Kingmakers of the Osu Dzase Stool on Wednesday threatened to disrupt the outdooring of Nii Nortey Owuo III as Osu Mantse because his nomination, election and installation did not meet traditional requirements.
The kingmakers and the head of the Owuo We royal clan of Osu said David Nortey Ashong, who was installed under the stool name Nii Nortey Owuo III in April 1999, "is not known in the Royal House and does not hail from the Owuo Clan".
At a news conference held in Accra, the Kingmakers, Mr. J. Odartey Lamptey, Head of Nii Ordatey Sro We, Nii Adu Attey, Head of Nii Teinor We and Mr C. B. Hammond, head of Adupkonor We of the Osu Traditional area, therefore, called on the government and security agencies to stop the outdooring scheduled for next Saturday for peace to prevail within the Osu Traditional area.
Their protest is against the backdrop of a statement issued by the Council of Elders of Osu that the dispute surrounding the installation of the chief had been resolved to pave way for the outdooring.
According to the statement, issued on the 4 April and signed by Nii Okwei Nortey, Osu Stool Secretary, "the Ga Traditional Council in a ruling on Thursday, 28th March, 2002 resolved the Chieftaincy dispute that had held up the outdooring of Nii Nortey Owuo III."
The Kingmakers, however, said the dispute had not been resolved because the case was still pending before the judicial committee of Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs
"If the installation of Nii Nortey Owuo to be held on Saturday 13 April, is not stopped the peace and tranquillity that had existed within the Osu traditional area would be threatened," the Kingmakers said.
They alleged that prior to the installation of Nii Nortey Owuo, the elders of the four quarters of Osu sought counsel from the Ga Traditional Council that advised them to settle their differences so that together they could present a common candidate for the stool.
The Kpeshie Divisional Commander of the Ghana Police Service also directed that for peace to prevail all activities involving Chieftaincy be suspended until further notice. The Kingmakers said in April 1999 Mr E. Q. Nortey disregarded the counselling of the Traditional Council and the directive of the Police and installed Nii Nortey Owuo III.
They said that the head of the Owuo family, who was not satisfied with the turn of events, filed a writ against Mr E. Q. Nortey and Nii Nortey Owuo III at the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs.
They, therefore, called on groups and individual, who had the intention of "unlawfully installing an unknown person as Osu Mantse to desist from doing so to enable peace and orderliness, which is the hallmark of Osu, to prevail.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 April 2002- The Ghana National Association of Teachers GNAT) has called on teachers in the north to serve as instruments of peace by not aligning themselves with any faction or utter inflammatory statements on the Yendi conflict.
A statement signed by Mrs Irene Duncan-Adanusa, General Secretary of GNAT, called on the two factions in the dispute to co-operate with the Government Mediation Team and the security agencies to discharge the onerous obligation of achieving a long-term peaceful settlement.
"We advice the government to stick to its pledge of bringing to justice anybody whom incriminating evidence is brought against by an appropriate inquiry in order to establish its credibility in this embarrassing and disturbing matter'', it said.
"That is the only way a lasting solution would be guaranteed." The statement again urged the government to continue to monitor other conflict prone areas in the country where land and chieftaincy disputes were currently rearing their heads, so that more proactive measures could be taken to nip in the bud any possible nasty incidents.
It, however, commended government for acting swiftly in dispatching a fact-finding mission to the north and also the mobilisation of the security agencies to maintain peace and tranquillity in the area. "Even more commendable is the unanimity of purpose with which Parliament supported the Executive Arm of Government by endorsing the state of emergency...."
GNAT expressed regret at the Yendi tragedy of 26 March 2002 and also mourned the death of Ya-Naa Yakubu Andani and others. It noted that the late Ya Na was a trained teacher and identified himself sufficiently with the GNAT and the cause it stood for.
"As a professional association of teachers, we do not underestimate the harm a protracted conflict would have on our members, pupils and other agencies who are delivering social services in the area''.
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Cape Coast (Central Region) 11April 2002-The Higher National Diploma (HND) students of Cape Coast Polytechnic resumed lectures on Monday after joining their counterparts nation-wide on a two-month boycott of lectures in protest against a new grading system.
A visit to the school by the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday showed most of the students at lectures. Dr John Borsah, the Principal, said in an interview that ''most of the students have come back to school and academic work is going on smoothly''.
He said school authorities have re-arranged the academic calendar to enable the students to make up the lost period. For example, the students would be given one month to study for their first semester examinations instead of the usual three weeks. They will break off on 25 May 2002 instead of the original scheduled time of mid-April. Dr Borsah appealed to the students to take their studies seriously and advised them not to revisit the strike action.
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