GRi Press Review 28 - 08
- 2003
Govt to establish ¢100bn Housing Project
Dr Nduom sues Network Herald newspaper
EGLE Party loses stalwart
"One Dial" to sink $400m in telecom industry
Govt to establish ¢100bn Housing Project
Accra (Greater Accra) 28 August 2003 - The government is to establish a ¢100bn long-term housing project to help provide affordable houses for Ghanaians. The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing, B.D.K. Adu, announced this at the opening ceremony of the International Building Exhibition 2003 fair at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The three-day fair, on the theme: "Let's Build It Right - From Foundation to finishing" brought together 60 exhibitors, including companies like the State Housing Company, African Concrete Products, Global Lighting Centre, Krispol Real Estates Limited and Pee Wood Limited. It was organised by the Royal Protocol Management Services.
Building materials such as bricks, designing blocks, roofing and wall tiles, electric lamps and fittings, aluminium products, wood products, variety of paints and carpets were being exhibited at the fair.
Adu, who is the MP for the Akuapem North Constituency, observed that no nation had been able to meet the housing needs of its citizens. He, therefore, urged companies in the building industry to make housing affordable for the people. He also called on mortgage and insurance companies to help solve the housing problem in the country.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, in a speech read on his behalf by a Deputy Minister, Dr Charles Brempong-Yeboah, said the government was committed to developing the housing industry because, it had enormous employment opportunities for both unskilled and skilled labour.
He expressed concern that in recent times, shoddy works, which resulted in the collapse of some structures, had affected the building and construction industry. He expressed the hope that the fair would serve as a platform to educate and inform the exhibitors to adhere and ensure adherence to the building code, regulations and procedures.
The Event Director of the Royal Protocol Management Services, Mrs Marilyn E. Houadjeto, said the main focus of the fair was to bring to the fore issues confronting the building industry and how best to address them through seminars to be held alongside the fair. - Graphic
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Dr Nduom sues Network Herald newspaper
Accra (Greater Accra) 28 August 2003 - Energy Minister Paa Kwesi Nduom has summoned the Network Herald newspaper to an Accra High Court, claiming punitive and exemplary damages for libel over the 6-7 August edition of the paper that carried the banner "purchase of Y2K software - Kwesi Nduom's Company in $446m Loss to TOR".
He is also seeking an injunction to restrain the newspaper, its editor and the author of the story or their agents from publishing "the words or any of them or any similar words or any words to the like effect."
In that publication, the Network Herald reported its investigations into a yet to be released audit which uncovered financial loss amounting to $446,166.56 by Minister for Energy, Kwesi Nduom's Deloitte & Touche Management Consultancy that also implicates the former Chief Executive of the Tema Oil Refinery.
The report also pointed out that the report had recommended to the government to proceed with criminal action against Parker, Deloitte & Touche and members of the TOR Implication Committee for causing financial loss to TOR and the state. - Joy FM
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 August 2003 - The General Secretary of the EGLE Party, Sam Pee Yalley says he has resigned his position and retired from politics to study law.
Speaking to journalists in Accra on the progress made by the party in its restructuring towards the 2004 general election, he said the decision was personal.
However political analysts have seen the unexpected resignation as a way of avoiding confrontation with the chairman of the council of elders, Danny Ofori Atta because they have different visions for the party.
Yalley was in support of the party renegotiating its way back into alliance with the NDC whiles Ofori Atta favours the party merging with the PNC. Ofori Atta told The Chronicle in an interview that the merger talks with the PNC is on course and hoped to issue a statement on it very soon.
Yalley said EGLE would support any policy introduced by government that would give an affordable and efficient health delivery service to Ghanaians but does not support the way the government is rushing the National Health Insurance Bill through parliament. " We are urging the government not to put the cart before the horse", he said.
He also advised the government to consider concerns raised by interested parties like the Trades Union Congress in order to have a very good health insurance scheme.
Commenting on the Dagbon crisis Yalley said it is about time "political white and black washing" stopped for the real issues to be discussed without emotions. He advised the press to be circumspect when reporting on the crisis and blamed the flaring up of passions on sections of the media who were reckless.
He called for the reopening of investigations into the serial killing of women and also urged the ex-President to name anybody who was involved now. Touching on the state funding of political parties, he said it is discriminatory for state funding be done on the basis of the strength of a party and the number of seats it has in parliament. EGLE is of the view that funding of parties should aim at sustaining parties especially the smaller ones. - Chronicle
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"One Dial" to sink $400m in telecom industry
Accra (Greater Accra) 28 August 2003 - ONE DIAL Communications Limited, a network service provider, intends to invest over $400m in the telecommunication industry after being granted a license to operate in the country by the National Communications Authority (NCA), the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bing Aidoo, has said in Accra.
He told The Chronicle in an interview in Tema last Friday, "a further $1bn investment would be brought in if the initial investment yields positive result."
Aidoo said the company would create Information Technology (IT) villages at specific locations comparable to that of the Silicon Valley in California to attract companies from within and without the country to cite ICT and other related industries.
The company has identified two areas where their investment would go. The IT Triangular Metropolitan Area or city which covers the area between Cape Coast, Mankessim and Denkyira, would form the "Silicon Valley" for the southern portion of the country whiles that for the northern half would be located around the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to be linked with the university as it exists in California between their university and the Silicon Valley.
He said companies with relocation technology would also relocate in the areas where they would be cited. The CEO stated that there is a similar proposal for Takoradi and its environs. Although the project has not started, it has already attracted many companies from the USA, Canada, Europe and China of which DAWU Gold Resources is one, he said. DAWU Gold Resources Limited in partnership with China Gold is already registered in the country to invest.
According to the Director of DAWU, Ada R. Zhao, they are here to invest in gold and mass transportation, among others. Another company, Mac Zee S.A. International, which produces organic products, intends to set up at Bawku in the Upper East region to treat waste into manure. It will clean mines too.
He said delay and uncertainty in the enforcement of the LI on opening up of the industry to private investment, which was passed by parliament in March is hampering the smooth implementation of the project, adding that the depreciation of the cedi and inflation are eroding their initial capital. "The NCA has received our application and we hope it would process it as soon as possible for us to start work".
The CEO noted that these delays are making their financial backers hesitant about investing in the country and advised the NCA to implement the spirit of the National Communications Regulations, 2003, L.I. 1719 which abolished the exclusivity that Ghana Telecom and Westel had, and to regulate interconnectivity among regulators.
Aidoo said that Nigerians fought for this investment to go to Nigeria but did not materialize because most technicians involved are Ghanaians but cautioned that with these delays, the company might be forced to move to Nigeria.
Dr. Kwabena Riverson, a Sprint top telecommunication engineer in the US and George Baiden, One Dial telecommunication engineer are some of the numerous Ghanaians in the west who are involved with the project. "They are coming down to help the country grow".
He said for the NCA to perform these tasks effectively with the coming of about 40 new entrants into the industry, structures of the authority should be strengthened and capacities upgraded. "NCA should be ready", he added. He stressed that as soon as the license is given to them by NCA, "technicians would just come in to plug the network". "That is the only thing we've been waiting for two years," he added.
George Baiden said the network they are proposing would be very dynamic and efficient because the most flexible available technologies would be used to transmit data. "A combination of wireless, fiber optics, laser fiber, satellite transmission and others would be used and it would be mainly be based on the terrain we found ourselves", Baiden said. The telecommunication engineer said they are targeting a 99.9% quality in terms of service provision.
The principal of Marquis Financial Services and the financial adviser of One Dial, Auggie Palas said it is their aim to target the West African market, with its 250 million population. "In the spirit of NEPAD and the common market of the sub region, One Dial would expand gradually into the West African market".
He stated that the investment would benefit government in monitoring the activities of district assemblies and other related agencies as well as helping individuals to access telecommunication everywhere in the country.
The country director of the company, Ms Love Bello said their being in Ghana would create lots of opportunities in terms of employment, development of skills by Ghanaians and taxes to the nation and so the nation cannot afford to let this opportunity pass by.
She said their investment in the telecommunication industry is to facilitate communication between individuals, companies and countries to foster improved communication and commerce. - Chronicle
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