Security
Agencies confirm two deaths at Tamale
Need for
effective solution to conflicts
Ghana
will pursue policy of good neighbourliness
Minister
signs instrument on curfew in traditional area
Kufuor
calls for early warning systems in West Africa
We have
sent the right signals to the people
Voters
ready for Amenfi West bye-election
Dusk-to-dawn
curfew imposed on Dagbon
Police
arrest 88 in Tamale violence
Volta
Region CPP to hold congress
NPP/NDC
youth clash claims one life
HIV/AIDS
infection is on the increase
Minister
signs instrument on curfew
Quarantining
of SARS victims is in line with WHO
Ministry
of Health says it is alert to SARS
Scientists
urged to devise storage food crops
Use
forum to shape public perceptions
Food and
Drugs Board warns consumers
High
Court sets aside Okyeman Council 's decision
More
people now patronising WAJU
Security
Agencies confirm two deaths at Tamale
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- Security agencies on Wednesday confirmed that two persons had so
far lost their lives following clashes between youths of the New Patriotic
Party (NPP) and National Democratic
Congress (NDC) in Tamale.
Reliable security
sources told the Ghana News Agency that military personnel accidentally shot
dead a civilian in the wee hours of the day. The source said a curfew has been
imposed in the Dagbon area to forestall the escalation of the conflict, which
erupted on Tuesday.
The Minister of the
Interior, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, told reporters earlier in Accra that the
curfew would run from 1800 to 0600 hours. He said he has signed a proclamation
for the curfew to be imposed.
A Junior Secondary
School graduate was shot dead and his body burnt in renewed clashes between New
Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) youths in Tamale on
Wednesday.
A brother of the
deceased told the Police in the presence of the GNA that the victim, Master
Gazali Fuseini, 18, was reading when he heard shouts that he was under attack
and in an attempt to run away, he was shot by unknown assailants who later set
his body ablaze.
Several houses and an
NPP campaign van were also burnt. The cause of the violence was not immediately
known but it was believed to be linked to Tuesday's clash between the youth of
the two parties.
Business activities
in the Tamale Municipality had virtually come to a halt as a result of the
confusion with several commuters stranded at the lorry station. A joint
Police/Military team had earlier arrested one Osman Mohammed believed to be
among the combatants. During a search on him, they found a talisman, an axe and
a knife.
Meanwhile, Parliament
on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution for the re-imposition of the
state of emergency in the Dagbon Traditional Area. The House delayed the
commencement of its Public Business for over two hours to pass the resolution
and after the debate on it the House again adjourned sitting for another hour
following disagreements between the Majority and Minority sides as to the
essence of the state of emergency. The vote was 155-0.
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Need
for effective solution to conflicts
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003 -Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on
Wednesday called for effective solutions to the perennial conflicts in the West
African sub-region.
He said that was the
only way to ensure the effective and efficient socio-economic development of
ECOWAS member states. "The Community's market can only develop in
conditions of peace and stability," he said at the second inaugural
meeting of the 15-member reconstituted ECOWAS Council of Elders in Accra.
The inaugural
ceremony was performed by ECOWAS Chairman, President John Agyekum Kufuor. The
Council comprises representatives from each member state elected during the
26th Summit of Heads of State and Government held in January in Dakar.
The Council would be
in office for a year and is based on the Protocol on Mechanism for Conflict
Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security. It would assist
the ECOWAS Secretariat in the mediation and resolution of conflicts and
monitoring of elections in the sub-region.
Nana Akufo Addo said
he was optimistic that ECOWAS, using the mechanisms at its disposal could live
up to the task of resolving conflicts that threaten to tear the people apart.
He said it was important that ECOWAS demonstrated to the world and member
states that they were capable of resolving their own problems and conflicts.
The Minister said the
Council composed of eminent personalities from various member states, had an
important role to play. He explained that as mediators, conciliators and
facilitators, their individual and collective interventions would add
substantial value to the efforts of other organs of ECOWAS to grapple with the
numerous problems, which continue to slow down and hamper the pace of
integration and economic development.
Nana Akufo Addo said
it was for political leaders, especially the elders, to ensure that the people
get the free, peaceful, democratic future they yearn for. Dr Kofi Konadu
Apraku, Minister of Regional Integration and NEPAD, said the challenge before
the Council was the restoration of peace within the sub-region.
He said peace was
necessary and indispensable for the concrete realisation of the aims and
objectives of ECOWAS and NEPAD. Dr Apraku said these required greater vigilance
and sustained efforts in the search for solutions that would usher in a climate
of peace, confidence, security and stability.
He said ECOWAS member
states were committed to building a zone of peace, stability, collective
security and democracy governed by the rule of law. Dr Apraku said this would
entail strengthening the economic and political dimension of integration and also
actions and measures to consolidate the economic gains of the Community. He
called on the Council to strive assiduously to concretise the peoples'
aspirations to live in peace, security, cohesion and harmony within an
economically prosperous Community.
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Ghana
will pursue policy of good neighbourliness
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday said his government
would pursue a policy on good neighbourliness to all member states in the West
African sub-region. "The reward Ghana and I wish for the sub-region is
peace and stability," he added.
President Kufuor made
the call when he received a special message from Ivorian President Laurent
Gbagbo, delivered by Mamadou Bamba, Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign
Affairs, at the Castle, Osu.
He said the efforts
made by Ghana to ensure that peace prevailed in Cote d'Ivoire was in the
interest of the two sister countries because with peace in Cote d'Ivoire there
would be joy in Ghana. President Kufuor appealed to the new government to build
upon the heritage in the country and not resort to conflicts, otherwise they
would be condemned by history.
He urged President
Gbagbo to stay on course and not disappoint Ivorians, and Ghana would continue
to be an ally. Bamba commended President Kufuor for his efforts to maintain
peace in Cote d'Ivoire and pledged that all the efforts would not be in vain.
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Minister
signs instrument on curfew in traditional area
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- The Minister of the Interior, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, on
Wednesday signed an Executive Instrument imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the
Dagbon Traditional Area.
The Curfew (Dagbon
Traditional Area) Instrument 2003 said the curfew, which shall be for a period
of seven days from Wednesday shall run between 1800 hours and 0600 hours.
It said Persons
within the area shall not be out of doors between the hours specified except
under written permission of the Minister or a person authorised on that behalf
by the Minister. The Instrument said members of the security services - the
armed forces, police, prisons, immigration, security and intelligence, CEPS -
and any other person duly authorised in writing by the Minister to undertake a
specific task shall be exempted. The Instrument said those exempt may arrest without
warrant any person who breaches the curfew.
"The Regional
Minister for the Northern Region may suspend the operation of the curfew
imposed by this Instrument in the whole or any part of the specified area and
may terminate the suspension of the curfew and restore the curfew as and when
he thinks fit."
The Minister had told
reporters earlier that the curfew was being imposed with immediate effect
following the clashes in Tamale, which could spread to other areas in the area.
A Junior Secondary School graduate was shot dead and his body burnt in renewed
clashes between New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress
(NDC) youths in Tamale on Wednesday.
Several houses and an
NPP campaign van were also burnt. The cause of the violence was not immediately
known but it was believed to be linked to Tuesday's clash between the youth of
the two parties.
Business activities
in the Tamale Municipality had virtually come to a halt as a result of the
confusion with several commuters stranded at the lorry station. A joint
Police/Military team had earlier arrested one Osman Mohammed believed to be
among the combatants. During a search on him, they found a talisman, an axe and
a knife. Meanwhile, Parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved a Resolution for
the re-imposition of the State of Emergency in the Dagbon Traditional Area.
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Kufuor
calls for early warning systems in West Africa
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- ECOWAS Chairman President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday
stressed the need for mechanisms for early warning systems and institutions
that have the credibility to be honest brokers when trouble looms or erupts in
any area within the West Africa sub-region.
He said experience
had shown that timely and concerted effort could achieve results and could be
built upon. "Through the joint efforts of ECOWAS and the international
community, Sierra Leone today enjoys relative peace and is engaged in
re-building itself from the ravages of war," he said in an address to the
second inaugural meeting of the ECOWAS Council of Elders.
President Kufuor
said: "La Cote d'Ivoire is being pacified through the timely intervention
of ECOWAS and the international community. There is a government of national
unity in place and even though it is early days yet, there appears
determination on all sides to work together to restore peace and
prosperity."
The 15-member
reconstituted ECOWAS Council of Elders, has representatives from each member
state and were elected during the 26th Summit of Heads of State and Government
held in Dakar this year. The establishment of the Council that would be in
office for a year was based on the Protocol on Mechanism for Conflict
Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security, to assist the
ECOWAS Secretariat in the mediation and resolution of conflicts and monitoring
of elections in the sub-region.
President Kufuor said
it was no secret that the sub-region was bedevilled with political instability,
conflicts and economic stagnation. To make any reasonable progress on the
economic front and improve upon the quality of life of the people the
sub-region must be cured of this debilitating malaise.
President Kufuor said
in the current circumstances of the sub-region, ECOWAS required such a group to
be counted upon to give informed and wise counsel to the Secretariat and the
governments as well as the malcontents without the pressures of sectional
political considerations.
"It is to be
hoped that this new Council, both individually and collectively, will live up
to this expectation." General Sheik Omar Diarra, Deputy Executive
Secretary of ECOWAS, said peace and security had become more than ever before,
a challenge that the sub-region must face.
He called on member
states to team up to ensure that the protocol that led to the establishment of
the Council and the additional Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance work
effectively.
General Diarra
commended members of the first Council for their commitment and preparedness to
work for peace and security in the sub-region. He said during their tenure of
office they participated in different assignments of consolidation of peace,
especially through monitoring of elections in the Gambia, Sierra Leone,
Zimbabwe and Togo.
Antonio Mascarenhas
Monterio, former Head of State of Cape Verde and a member of the first and
second Councils, said the members were ready and prepared to ensure that peace
prevailed in the sub-region. He said the sub-region had been hard hit by armed
conflicts and cited the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone that
had repercussions in neighbouring countries.
Monterio said peace
and stability were essential elements for any country to develop and
democratize and pledged the support of the members of the Council to
participate in all initiatives taken by ECOWAS to ensure peace and stability.
"We would live up to expectation in the confidence reposed in us by our
Heads of State for our appointment to the Council," he added.
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We
have sent the right signals to the people
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- Felix Owusu Agyepong, Majority Leader, on Wednesday hailed the
Minority for a change of heart saying, "by voting for the resolution, we
have sent the right signals to the people". "We have put national
issues before personal ones and have ensured that peace in Dagbon means peace
in Ghana."
The leader was making
his submission late Wednesday after the two sides finally agreed to vote for a
resolution for the extension of the State of Emergency in Dagbon. He said the
security agencies had made it clear that law and order needed to be enforced in
Dagbon.
He said: "Our
people (security agencies) who are on the ground have a bitter story to tell,
they would not advice that we lift the state of emergency now." The said
"disappointments and non-compromise" that halved the house during an
earlier vote for the extension of a similar resolution was due to lack of
effective flow of information.
He said,"
government wants to encourage the total development of the whole nation and
would not allow any part of the country to be thrown into state of lawlessness
and confusion." Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader, called for investigations
into the recent clashes in Tamale.
He said the incident
was independent of the Yendi crises adding, "these are serious exchanges
and serious breach of peace, it is a criminal issue." He said partisanship
was gaining roots in the Yendi crises and called for "seriousness" in
handling the issue.
The Minority Leader
said his group had good intentions for the people of Dagbon and Ghana and would
co-operate if need be on all issues. "As much as we want to support the
resolution, we would want to say that there should be no curfew. The State of
Emergency should not be a permanent feature." He said the State of
Emergency is not synonymous with law and order saying that the Tamale incident
took place in a State of Emergency. "We should go beyond the State of
Emergency and look at real hard issues that would bring about peace and
Dagbon."
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Voters
ready for Amenfi West bye-election
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- Voters at Amenfi West constituency in the Western Region go to
the polls on Thursday in a bye-election following the resignation of the NDC
parliamentarian, Abraham Kofi Asante.
The voters would
choose between three candidates - Gerald Danquah, an agro-forester for the NDC,
Ms Agnes Sonful, a teacher for the NPP and Ebo Archer, a teacher, for the DPP.
Asante resigned suddenly a few weeks ago citing personal reasons although media
reports say he surrendered his seat because of heckling by some members of NDC
for supporting the unsuccessful bid of Dr Kwesi Botchwey to be flagbearer of
the party for the 2004 election.
The vote comes against
the background of reports of tension between the two main parties - the NDC and
NPP. The NPP has won five consecutive bye-elections since coming to power in
2001.
In the 2000
parliamentary elections, Asante was returned after polling 10,848 votes against
9,493 votes by Samuel Alterto Tekyi of the NPP. Osofo Kwasi Quarm of the CPP
polled 937 votes. In the first round of the presidential elections, Prof. John
Atta Mills had 11,122 votes compared with 8,910 for President John Agyekum
Kufuor. In the second round, President Kufuor polled 9,784 votes compared with
9,024 by Prof. Mills.
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Dusk-to-dawn
curfew imposed on Dagbon
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed in the Dagbon Traditional
Area with immediate effect following the clashes in Tamale, which could spread
to other areas in the area. The Minister of the Interior, Hackman
Owusu-Agyemang, told reporters in Accra that the curfew would run from 1800 to
0600 hours. He said he has signed a proclamation for the curfew to be imposed.
A Junior Secondary
School graduate was shot dead and his body burnt in renewed clashes between New
Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) youths in Tamale
on Wednesday.
A brother of the
deceased told the Police in presence of the GNA that the victim, Master Gazali
Fuseini, 18, was reading when he heard shouts that he was under attack and in
an attempt to run away, he was shot by unknown assailants who later set his
body ablaze.
Several houses and an
NPP campaign van were also burnt. The cause of the violence was not immediately
known but it was believed to be linked to Tuesday's clash between the youth of
the two parties. Business activities in the Tamale Municipality had virtually
come to a halt as a result of the confusion with several commuters stranded at
the lorry station.
A joint
Police/Military team had earlier arrested one Osman Mohammed believed to be
among the combatants. During a search on him, they found a talisman, an axe and
a knife. Meanwhile, Parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved a Resolution
for the re-imposition of the State of Emergency in the Dagbon Traditional Area.
The House delayed the
commencement of its Public Business for over two hours to pass the resolution
and after the debate on it the House again adjourned sitting for another hour
following disagreements between the Majority and Minority sides as to the
essence of the State of Emergency. The vote was 155-0.
President John
Agyekum Kufuor, acting on the advice of the Council of State and the National
Security Agencies, last Thursday declared a fresh State of Emergency in the
Dagbon Traditional Area and appealed to Parliament to review its decision not
to renew it.
Parliament last week
rejected a resolution by the government asking for an extension of the state of
emergency as the NDC voted against the resolution and the government failed to
marshal the simple majority in the 200-member chamber to approve it.
A statement signed by
Kwabena Agyepong, Press Secretary to the President, last Thursday said the
declaration was in cognisance of the reasons Parliament assigned for not
renewing the State of Emergency. It said in spite of several positive
developments in the area, particularly, the declaration by the two factions in
favour of peaceful resolution of the Dagbon crisis, there were still very
delicate issues to be addressed.
These included the
burial of the Ya Na, restoration of the Gbewaa Palace and the process, which
would lead to the enskinment of a new Ya Na. "Given the sensitive nature
of the on-going negotiations and the advanced stage it has reached on some of
the delicate matters, President Kufuor deems it necessary that the prevailing
optimum security framework should be maintained to afford the negotiations a
fair chance of success."
The statement said
President Kufuor had notified Parliament of the Proclamation to enable the
House to act in accordance with Article 31 of the 1992 Constitution. The
President appealed to political parties, citizens of the area and Ghanaians to
adopt a nationalistic outlook to matters relating to the Dagbon Traditional
Area.
The statement gave
the assurance that the government would "continue to work with all
interested parties on the basis of good faith to find a lasting solution to the
crisis in the shortest possible time". It said the security agencies were
closely monitoring the situation, which would be reviewed when appropriate.
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Police
arrest 88 in Tamale violence
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- The Police in Tamale have so far arrested 88 persons suspected
to be involved in the communal violence which started in Tamale on Tuesday. The
Police told the GNA on Wednesday that they were taking statements from the
suspects. He said a combined police/military team was working around the clock
to bring the situation in the municipality under control.
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Volta
Region CPP to hold congress
Ho (Volta Region) 24
April 2003- The Volta Region branch of the Convention People's Party (CPP) will
hold its delegates conference in Ho on Saturday, 17 May this year. The
conference, which would be attended by 200 delegates from constituencies and
tertiary institutions in the region, would elect new Executives for a four-year
term.
A statement by Nii
Adjetey Sowah, Acting Regional Secretary, said 13 positions including Regional
Chairman, First Regional Vice-Chairman, Second Regional Vice-Chairman, Regional
Secretary and Assistant Regional Secretary would be contested for during the
conference.
The other positions
are Regional Organiser, Assistant Regional Organiser, Regional Women's
Organiser, Assistant Regional Women's Organiser, Regional Treasurer, Regional
Youth Organiser, Assistant Regional Youth Organiser and Regional Education
Secretary. Nominations for the polls would be opened on Monday May 5, the
statement said.
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NPP/NDC
youth clash claims one life
Tamale (Northern
Region) 24 April 2003- A Junior Secondary School graduate was shot dead and his
body burnt in renewed clashes between New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National
Democratic Congress (NDC) youths in Tamale on Wednesday.
A brother of the
deceased told the Police in presence of the GNA that the victim, Master Gazali
Fuseini, 18, was reading when he heard shouts that he was under attack and in
an attempt to run away, he was shot by unknown assailants who later set his
body ablaze.
Several houses and an
NPP campaign van were also burnt. The cause of the violence was not immediately
known but it was believed to be linked to Tuesday's clash between the youth of
the two parties.
Business activities
in the Tamale Municipality had virtually come to a halt as a result of the
confusion with several commuters stranded at the lorry station. A joint
Police/Military team had earlier arrested one Osman Mohammed believed to be
among the combatants and during a search on him, they found a talisman, an axe
and a knife.
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HIV/AIDS
infection is on the increase
Afrancho (Ashanti
Region) 24 April 2003- Kwabre District recorded 178 HIV/AIDS cases last year as
against 106 in 2001, Madam Leticia Ayeh-Diabene, the District's Director of
Health Services, has said.
Announcing this at
the launch of Bronkrong/Afrancho AIDS Club at Afrancho in Ashanti, she said
young ladies formed the majority of the cases. Madam Ayeh-Diabene called on
Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), traditional rulers, assembly members and
unit committees to organise symposia and move from house-to-house to educate
people on the prevention of the disease and offer support to those living with
the disease.
Alhaji Ahmed Akwasi
Yeboah, Kwabre District Chief Executive (DCE), expressed concern about the low
attendance at the launch and hoped the message would be carried to those who
could not make it. He said apart from sexual intercourse, the HIV virus could
be acquired through the use of un-sterilised instruments and called on all to
remain vigilant against the re-use of such instruments.
Nana Asante Frimpong,
Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwabre, said efforts by the government to provide
basic amenities would come to nought if people do not live to enjoy the
amenities as a result of AIDS.
Isaac Kwame Alima,
Kwabre District Planning Officer and a focal person on the CBO's, advised
people infected with HIV/AIDS to have balanced diet and reduce their workload.
He said through the Ghana AIDS Commission, the district assembly had received
funds to sustain people with AIDS and orphans and called on those who have the
disease to report to the Commission. Joseph Boachie Danquah, chairman of the
five-member committee of the club, said members would move to schools, churches
and homes to educate people on the disease.
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Minister
signs instrument on curfew
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- The Minister of the Interior, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, on
Wednesday signed an Executive Instrument imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the
Dagbon Traditional Area.
The Curfew (Dagbon
Traditional Area) Instrument 2003 said the curfew, which shall be for a period
of seven days from Wednesday shall run between 1800 hours and 0600 hours.
It said Persons
within the area shall not be out of doors between the hours specified except
under written permission of the Minister or a person authorised on that behalf
by the Minister. The Instrument said members of the security services - the
armed forces, police, prisons, immigration, security and intelligence, CEPS -
and any other person duly authorised in writing by the Minister to undertake a
specific task shall be exempted.
The Instrument said
those exempt may arrest without warrant any person who breaches the curfew.
"The Regional Minister for the Northern Region may suspend the operation
of the curfew imposed by this Instrument in the whole or any part of the
specified area and may terminate the suspension of the curfew and restore the
curfew as and when he thinks fit."
The Minister had told
reporters earlier that the curfew was being imposed with immediate effect
following the clashes in Tamale, which could spread to other areas in the area.
A Junior Secondary School graduate was shot dead and his body burnt in renewed
clashes between New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress
(NDC) youths in Tamale on Wednesday.
Several houses and an
NPP campaign van were also burnt. The cause of the violence was not immediately
known but it was believed to be linked to Tuesday's clash between the youth of
the two parties. Business activities in the Tamale Municipality had virtually
come to a halt as a result of the confusion with several commuters stranded at
the lorry station.
A joint
Police/Military team had earlier arrested one Osman Mohammed believed to be
among the combatants. During a search on him, they found a talisman, an axe and
a knife. Meanwhile, Parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved a Resolution
for the re-imposition of the State of Emergency in the Dagbon Traditional Area.
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Quarantining
of SARS victims is in line with WHO
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003 - Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Wednesday said the
detention of two Ghanaians suspected to be suffering from Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Cairo was in line with World Health Organisation
(WHO) regulations.
Captain Joe Boakye,
Director General of GCAA told the GNA that under WHO's guidelines, people
infected with the virus should not be allowed to travel hence the quarantining
of the two SARS infected Ghanaians, who were heading home, from Japan by the
Egyptian Authorities.
A section of the
Ghanaian media had reported earlier that two Ghanaians carrying SARA virus were
arriving in Accra Wednesday morning aboard an Egyptian Air flight. Based on
this information, an Emergency Response Team was deployed at the airport to
take precautionary measures.
However, when the
Egypt Air flight MSA-178 on which the two, Nana Twaana Amoako, 37 and Lykiaama
Asabea, 27, were supposed to be travelling touched down at 0815 hours they were
not on board. The plane carried 38 passengers and crew.
A State Official told
the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the two Ghanaians were quarantined in Cairo. Capt
Boakye commended the Egyptian authorities on their co-operation with their
Ghanaian counterparts for adhering to the guidelines on the management of such
health problems.
Among the officials
at the Airport were the Minister of Health, Dr Kweku Afriyie, Top Management of
the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Immigration Officials, Customs, Excise and
Preventive Service; Port Health as well as doctors from the 37 Military
Hospital, who were all in protective masks.
It took about 20
minutes before the gangway was moved to the entrance of the plane and two
health officials in full protective gear entered the plane to identify the two
persons so as to quarantine them.
They, however,
returned to say that the two men were not on board. The passengers were then
allowed to disembark. A source told the GNA that the information on the
supposed arrival of the two SARS infected persons was contained in a dispatch
the Ghana Mission in Cairo sent to Accra. The Egyptian Authorities had passed
on the information to the Mission.
Speaking to the GNA,
Dr Afriyie said although the two suspected SARS carriers were not on board the
plane, the exercise at the airport showed that Ghana was well prepared to
handle such an emergency.
Meanwhile GNA had
observed that many passengers arriving at KIA from the Far East where the virus
is most virulent, come through Southern Africa, where their airlines have easy
flight connections to Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore.
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Ministry
of Health says it is alert to SARS
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- The Ministry of Health on Wednesday said it is closely
monitoring the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and has put in place
the necessary structures for any eventuality.
In a statement issued
in Accra following an earlier report in a section of the media that two
Ghanaians suspected to be SARS patients were on board an Egypt Air flight that
arrived at the Kotoka International Airport on Wednesday, the Ministry asked
the public to remain calm. It said latest information said the two Ghanaians
might not even have contracted SARS.
Giving details about
the alarm, the Ministry said it received un- collaborated information from
Ghana's Mission in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday that two Ghanaians who had been
deported from Japan and were in transit in Cairo were suspected to have
contracted SARS.
"The information
could subsequently not be confirmed by the Egyptian Authorities." The
statement said the Inter-Agency Committee on SARS held an emergency meeting on
Tuesday night to determine appropriate the measures to be taken. Measures were,
therefore, put in place to deal with any eventuality according to World Health
Organization guidelines.
"At the same
time, the Ministry in collaboration with the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority
requested their counterparts in Egypt not to allow on board the two suspected
patients and have them quarantined in Egypt."
The statement said as
part of the preparation, a team of medical personnel was despatched to the
airport early on Wednesday before the arrival of the plane, in the event that
the Cairo authorities did not accede to the request of the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry said it
subsequently received a message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying
that the Cairo authorities had acceded to their request and the two Ghanaians
were not on board the flight.
"Further
information provided by the Egyptian authorities indicated that the two Ghanaians
might not even have contracted SARS." The Airport was on high alert on
Wednesday morning when reports filtered through that two Ghanaians suspected to
be suffering from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) were arriving
there.
Among the officials
at the Airport were the Minister of Health, Dr Kweku Afriyie, top Management of
the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Immigration officials, Customs, Excise and
Preventive Service, Port Health as well as doctors from the 37 Military
Hospital, who were all in protective masks.
It took about 20
minutes before the gangway was moved to the entrance of the plane and two
health officials in full protective gear entered the plane to identify the two
persons so as to quarantine them. They, however, emerged to say that the two
suspects were not on the plane.
GRi…/
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Scientists
urged to devise storage food crops
Domeabra (Ashanti
Region) 24 April 2003- An appeal has been made to research scientists not to
focus only on storage facilities for maize only but also design proper storage
facilities for other food crops.
Nana Kwaku Siaw,
Managing Director of Kumah Farms Complex, observed that even though food crops
like yam and plantain as well as perishable vegetables like tomatoes and garden
eggs were as important as maize, very little attention has been given to their
proper storage and preservation.
Nana Siaw made the
appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at his farms at
Domeabra on Wednesday on measures that could be adopted to enhance productivity
in the agricultural sector and food security.
He said unless more
effective devices and mechanisms were developed for the storage of the various
food crops, the nation's vision for attainment of self-sufficiency and security
in food might become an illusion. "The lack of storage facilities for food
crops coupled with the absence of any guaranteed prices for farm produce have
been the main reasons why most youth neglect farming," he said.
He stressed that if
the farming sector continues to be dominated by the aged, "productivity
will certainly suffer since they do not have the requisite energy to till the
land any more ".
Nana Siaw expressed
dissatisfaction about the tendency for most farmers in the rural communities to
work in isolation saying, such a practice only paves way for middlemen to cheat
them.
He, therefore,
suggested to farmers at the grassroots level to form co-operative groups and
smaller associations to enable them to have a common stance on prices of their
produce and on issues affecting their welfare.
GRi…/
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Use
forum to shape public perceptions
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- A five-day development forum for non-governmental organisations
(NGOs), dubbed "Development Expo 2003" was on Wednesday opened in
Accra with a call on the organisations to positively change the wrong
perception the public has about them.
"Let us use this
forum to interact with the public and provide them with first hand information
about our operations and activities in order to positively shape their opinions
or perceptions about us.
"As NGOs and
development organisations, we need to win public support and commitment to our
activities which are geared towards the welfare of the public", the First
Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor said when she opened the Expo.
The forum on the
theme: "Celebrating 50 years of NGO Development Achievements in
Ghana" is being organised for over 45 NGOs by ActionAid Ghana, and Centre
for Human Development, with the support of DANIDA.
It would afford
participants the opportunity to share their ideas, exchange knowledge and make
inputs to feed into national programmes. The First Lady, who is also a founder
and Executive Director of "Mother and Child Foundation", an NGO,
expressed her happiness about the forum, describing it as a unique initiative
that had offered the various NGOs the opportunity to learn about what others
were doing in the development arena as development partners.
She urged
participating NGOs not to see themselves as competitors but as partners with a
common goal to help with the development of the people of Ghana. Mrs Kufuor
said since development was the ultimate goal of every individual, group or
nation, it was right if NGOs come together to help the government to provide
services to the people.
Wilbert Tengey,
Director of the African Centre for Human Development, said the last event was
held five years ago but would now be held every two years to emphasise the
advocacy role of NGOs.
He, however,
expressed regret that the NGOs core role, as advocacy agents had now been
relegated to the background and rather operating as consultancies and other
things. He, therefore, urged them to perform their duties as expected,
stressing, "we are not competitors to ourselves or the government but are
partners with a common vision of developing the lot of our people".
Mrs Frema Osei Opare,
of the ActionAid, who chaired the opening ceremony, said the forum would help
the NGOs to assess the work they were doing and do away with any duplication of
efforts.
GRi…/
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Food
and Drugs Board warns consumers
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- The Food and Drugs Board on Wednesday warned the public not to
patronise a consignment of frozen packaged chicken product, "Chapeco
Frozen Chicken Filler (Frango Congelado) being distributed by Guarantee Invest
Company Limited because the expiry date on it is fake.
A statement issued by
the Board said the chicken produced by Chapeco Companhia Industrial De
Alimentos of Brazil with an original expiry date of 24 March 2003 has been
extended to 23 August 2003.
The Board said its
investigations revealed that the products had already been distributed to some
retail outlets and restaurants in Accra and Tema. "The FDB is making every
effort to retrieve the poultry products from where they were distributed,"
the statement said.
Meanwhile, the FDB is
also alerting the public to desist from buying frozen poultry products,
particularly turkey from Portugal because such products were contaminated with
the chemical Nitrofurans.
The Nitrofurans group
was formerly administered by mouth as anantibacterial agent but has been
withdrawn owing to its toxic effects. The FDB said the information on the
contamination was contained in a European Union Bulletin.
The Board said
information it had received indicated that such poultry products had found
their way to Lome and allegedly being sold in some shops at Ho, the Volta
Regional Capital.
The FDB, therefore,
appealed to the public to report the presence of such poultry products from
Portugal on the market shelves to its Head Office or the Kumasi Regional
Office. Meanwhile, the FDB has dispatched a team to Ho to ascertain the
availability of the said product in the town.
GRi…/
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High
Court sets aside Okyeman Council 's decision
Accra (Greater Accra)
24 April 2003- A Koforidua High Court has set aside the purported Okyeman
Council's revocation of recognition of Nkwantananhene, Barima Adanse Akyem
Omane for various actions by him to bring Okyeman and the Okyenhene to
disrepute.
The Court presided
over by Justice S. Marful-Sau granted leave for Barima Omane to apply for an
order of Certiorari to quash the decision of the Council and ordered that the
leave granted should operate as a stay of execution.
The Okyeman Council
at an extraordinary session between 11 April and 13 April at Kyebi among other
things revoked its recognition of Barima Omane as Nkwantananhene and barred his
line of the Royal Family from ascending the Wiemtuo Stool of Nkwantanan. Barima
Omane in an affidavit denied all the charges levelled against him and said that
he "had a solid record of sacrifice to enhance the image of Okyeman and
the occupant of the Ofori Panin Stool".
GRi…/
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More
people now patronising WAJU
Cape Coast (Central
Region) 24 April 2003- Thirty-one men in the Central Region took their wives to
the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) in the Central Region for non-performance of
their duties as mothers, while non-maintenance of children by fathers topped
the list cases reported last year.
The Central Regional
Officer of the Women and Juvenile Unit, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)
Beatrice Amoako, who was speaking to the GNA on Tuesday, said more people in
the Region were patronising the Unit to seek redress due to public awareness of
its existence and importance.
She said from January
to April last year, the Unit recorded only 30 cases as compared with this
year's figure of 546 for the first four months. It has settled 101 out of a
total of 810 cases reported last year and that 50 of the cases were sent to the
courts.
DSP Amoako said
defilement; rape; assault and threat were the most commonly reported cases
after non-maintenance of children. She debunked the assertion that the Unit was
compounding the problems of married women because most wives that dragged their
husbands there were later divorced.
She explained that in
most cases, it was divorced or separated couples that sought redress at WAJU on
issues pertaining to non-maintenance, child custody and parental duty and
responsibility. "It is also not true that the Unit is gender and sex
bias," she said.
GRi…/
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