Nkrumaist parties resolve to fight social injustice
Research staff protest against re-designation of ministry
No more table-banging during bargaining - ILO
Missing American kids found in Ghana
Accra (Greater Accra) 06 December 2001 - An American woman's eight-month long search for her two children, who were taken away by her estranged husband from their home in the State of Georgia, has ended with an emotional reunion of mother and children at Alavanyo-Agorme in the Volta Region.
The kids - four-year-old Ashanti and three-year-old Faith - were declared missing weeks after they had been picked by their father, Tony Renard Johnson, from their mother, for a visit on April 22 this year.
It's been an emotional victory," she told the Ghana News Agency in Accra. "I am happy and nothing matters to me immediately," she said, as tears of joy rolled down her face.
Johnson, 43, and the mother of the children, Valencia Head, 25, had separated and were going through divorce as well as application for permanent custody of the children at the time.
A few days before judgement, Johnson picked them up for a visit, and he and the two young girls disappeared. They were neither seen nor heard of until November 8 when the State Department in Washington notified the local Sheriff Department in the State of Georgia that Johnson died of malaria in Ghana where he had been staying with the kids.
The report of the State Department also indicated that Ashanti and Faith were staying with a benevolent family in a village in the Volta Region after their father's death.
Based on this report, the State of Georgia authorities, in collaboration with the American National Centre for Missing Children sponsored Ms Head and
Consuello Brown, an attorney with the Griffith Judicial Circuit, to Ghana to negotiate and take custody of the children.
The devastated mother and the attorney arrived in Ghana last week where US Embassy officials who had been in contact with the benevolent family at Alavanyo-Agorme briefed them on the negotiation process.
The team subsequently made a trip to the village and successfully reunited Ms Head with her children at the weekend. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Ms Head expressed joy at seeing her children after "almost eight months of desperate but clueless search."
"I now have my girls with whom I'll fly back home soon. That's the greatest thing that's happened to me," she said. Ms Head recounted her anxious moments during the search and said at a point life was "tasteless" to her.
The Americans, especially Ms Head and her advocate, were full of praise for the caretaker of the children whom they referred to only as Auntie Emma, saying although she lived in a village, she did her best for the children.
"She was a real mother and kind too," Ms Head said, adding that auntie Emma did not only provide the kids with their needs but she also enrolled them in the local school at Agorme.
Besides, she made the negotiations easy and the transition very smooth. In appreciation of her gesture, Ms Head presented auntie Emma with some money and gifts.
The American delegation was amazed when they realised that the two girls had picked up the Ewe language of the Alavanyo area and could speak it fluently without any effect on their mother accent.
One issue that remains unclear to Ms Head and the US Embassy, however, is what influenced Johnson's decision to settle in Ghana with the children, since he had never been to Africa.
"Probably it is because Ghana is one of the countries that one can easily enter without having to go through any stringent immigration requirements," a source at the US Embassy said.
Ms Head expressed regret over the death of the children's father saying, despite the divorce, she wished he had not died. "Despite our differences, I feel sorry that he died, Right now, my children will live the rest of their life without a father."
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Bawku (Upper East Region) 06 December 2001 - The official death toll in the Bawku conflict has risen to 28 following the death of two of the 38 persons, who were admitted to the Regional Hospital at Bolgatanga with gunshot wounds, the Acting Upper East Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Nsiire Agana.
According to a Ghana News Agency story, arrangements had been completed to airlift those in critical condition to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
The Regional Co-ordinating Council had given each of the wounded 200,000 cedis as pocket money. Meanwhile the 48 suspects, who were remanded in custody, when they appeared before the Regional Tribunal on Tuesday, were being transferred to prisons in the Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and Eastern Regions.
The Kussasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups clashed during the weekend following the burning of a kiosk belonging to one of the factions and what was perceived as a retaliatory move of the other.
The Regional Security Council (REGSEC) told newsmen on Tuesday that the Police and Military reinforcement had taken firm control of Bawku and surrounding areas and the people were able to move about freely.
Health workers, who deserted the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital, had returned to post. A dusk to dawn curfew is still in place and brisk commercial activities characteristic of Bawku is yet to pick up.
Mr Mahami Salifu, Regional Minister, Brigadier George Aryiku, Officer Commanding the Northern Command of the Ghana Army, Mr Paul Quaye, Regional Police Commander and officials of the Bawku District Assembly toured the area to assess the extent of destruction.
Areas affected included the Kumasi Number Two Station popularly called Justice Station, where shops, a cargo truck carrying oranges, a bus, a taxicab, two pickup vehicles, foodstuffs and petroleum products were burnt.
Three other Kumasi stations, Numbers One, Number Three and Number Four, the Ghana Co-operative Transport Association office, Miami Old Station and several houses were burnt. Addressing the soldiers, Brig. Aryiku warned them against aligning themselves with any of the factions and asked theme to remain neutral and conduct themselves professionally during the operations.
Brig. Aryiku urged them to disarm all persons with illegal arms and cautioned them to respect the rights of the people because their mission was not to bully but to bring peace and sustain it.
The Regional Minister commended the security personnel for their timely intervention and pledged the Regional Co-ordinating Council's preparedness to provide logistics to enable them to accomplish their mission.
Earlier, Mr Salifu held separate meetings with opinion leaders of both factions and urged them to bury their differences and forge ahead to build the district that "had been left to the mercy of conflicts and wars."
Both parties agreed to respect the peace and pledged to co-operate with security personnel to maintain order. They also expressed their dissatisfaction about media reports that linked the conflict to Osama bin Laden and asked the authors to retract it and apologise to them.
Students of Bawku Secondary School and Bawku Technical Institute had deserted their compounds following what they said the Kussasis had dubbed: "Chasing out our enemies from our land" campaign.
Mr Ernest Owusu-Poku, Inspector General of Police, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency confirmed the closure of some schools in the township following the clashes. "There is no lawlessness now since most of the inhabitants are staying indoors and everything is under control."
Bawku had been likened to Jerusalem where two different groups of people lay claim to the town - Palestinians and the Israelis.
The Mamprusi until the early 1980 were the rulers of Bawku but following persistent clashes it was resolved that the Kusasis, who were the owners of the land should be recognised and the Kussasi Chief Abugrago Azoka II became the Bawku Naba (Chief of Bawku).
Notwithstanding the arrangement, Bakwu remained a flash spot with the two ethnic groups clashing over the least of provocations.
Just before the 1996 elections a young man allegedly beat up his girl friend, who happened to belong to the other ethnic group. This episode, which should have normally passed as lovers' quarrel, degenerated into a serious clash during which some kiosks and houses were burnt.
When the 1996 election results were declared there was another clash between the two groups. Again after the 2000 elections there was a clash in which several people were killed and property destroyed.
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Bolgatanga (Upper East) 06 December 2001 - The Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) has created an emergency information and relief desk to co-ordinate and update information about the ethnic conflict at Bawku and possible donations to displaced persons.
The Regional Minister Mr Mahami Salifu, who announced this at a press briefing at Bolgatanga on Wednesday, said the creation of the desk was to ensure the dissemination of accurate information about the conflict for both the public and the press.
He said the RCC was cautious about releasing sensitive information on the Bawku events in order not to worsen the already tense situation, adding: "When there is nothing to present from credible sources I cannot do it".
Mr Salifu cautioned the press against sensationalism, and said press reports that indicated that the conflict was sparked by an argument over the Saudi born dissident, Osama bin Laden was wholly false.
He said the report in the December 3 issue of the "Evening News", had incurred the displeasure of both factions in the conflict and had been partly responsible for the escalation of the fighting.
The General Officer Commanding the Northern Command of the Ghana Army, Brigadier George Aryiku reiterated the readiness of the security forces to maintain law and order in Bawku and its environs.
He gave the assurance that the forces would discharge their duties with professionalism. Brigadier Aryiku said all utility services in the township would be protected and medical care and humanitarian support services would be extended top all who would need them.
He therefore appealed to the people to co-operate with the security personnel to restore sanity to the area.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 06 December 2001 - The three Nkrumaist parties on Wednesday affirmed their commitment to "activist politics" that would mobilise Ghanaians to fight for social rights and against inequality and exploitation.
They said they were also committed to building a united organisational structure, which would be based on the mobilisation of the people to defend their interest.
The Convention People's Party (CPP), National Reform Party (NRP) and People's National Convention (PNC) said this in a resolution at the end of a forum in Accra on "Building an activist platform".
The participants said the parties were committed to correcting "the elitist political tendencies" within their own parties through self-criticism and open debates with the view to ensuring a new, viable and long-term organisation.
They said they were committed to halt declining funds to education and "the reduction of education to the status of commercial commodity".
They also said they would halt "the World Bank inspired scheme to hand over the control of the water production facilities to multi-national corporations" and fight to expand public control over all utilities.
The resolution was signed by the general secretaries of the various parties - Nii Noi Dowuona, of the CPP, Mr Kyeretewie Opoku of the NRP and Mr Gabriel Pwamang, of the PNC.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 06 December 2001 - The Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey on Wednesday said the Ghana Palaver, an Accra private newspaper, in its Tuesday edition sought to disparage President John Agyekum Kufuor and expose him to ridicule by portraying him as a criminal.
He said the conduct of the paper was not only offensive to the sensibilities of Ghanaian culture based on respect for authority, but violated basic principles of morality, discipline and decorum.
This was contained in a statement in reaction to the newspaper's story headlined "WANTED", referring to the President's numerous foreign trips within his nine month in office.
Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey said "while the benefits to the country of the foreign trips of the President so far justify the personal inconveniences he has endured and the various costs to the nation, it must be noted that as the Head of State, President J. A. Kufuor has so far conducted himself in a manner befitting his status as the father of the nation and embodiment of its dignity."
He said any attempt to drag that reputation through contemptible journalism into disrepute and undeserved indignity should be condemned as a bad example for the noble profession of journalism and an incorrigible desire to perpetuate the indiscipline ways of the past, which the nation was eager to put behind it.
"We consider it most unfortunate, attempts by papers like the Ghana Palaver to abuse the expanded scope and refreshing air of press freedom being promoted by the government," he said.
On Tuesday, The Ghana Palaver carried on its front page, an article that sought to portray that the President was missing and that any information on his whereabouts should be reported to Ghanaians.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 06 December 2001 - Boards of Directors for the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) and the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) were announced on Wednesday.
According to an official statement Professor Kofi Kumado, Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, chairs NAFTI's 10-member board while Mrs Frances Ademola, GJA Ethic Committee, chairs GIJ's seven-member board.
Other board members for NAFTI were Professor Martin Owusu, Director, School of Performing Arts, Legon, Professor Mark Duodo, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Egbert Adjeso, Film Producers and Exhibitors and Mr Paul Effah, National Council for Tertiary Education.
The rest were Mr T. T Adusu, NAFTI Alumni, Nana Akomeah, MP for Okaikoi South Constituency, Mrs Margaret Ivy Amoakohene, School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Mr Martin Loh, Director, NAFTI and Mr James Afrani, Acting Chief Director, Ministry of Information.
Those on the GIJ board were Mr James Ampadu, Acting Director, Information Services Department, Mrs Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, GJA President, Professor K. Ansu-Kyeremeh, Director, School of Communications, Ms Takyiwa Manu, University of Ghana, Mr David Newton, Director, GIJ and Mr Osei Bimpong, Institute of Public Relations.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 06 December 2001 - The Research Staff Association (RSA) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on Wednesday called on the government to reappraise its decision to transfer the technology sub-sector to the Communications Ministry, saying it is inappropriate and would not serve the interest of the country.
"We as practitioners of the sciences and generators of the wide range of relevant technologies find the apparent singling out of information technology and therefore removing the technology sub-sector from the science ministry very strange," they said.
A statement signed by Dr. A.D. Agyei, National President of the RSA, said government should return the technology sub-sector to the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology where it originally belonged.
This would enhance coordination of all scientific research and technology application and help in the development of an effective national research system. The statement said the government's interest in bridging the digital divide and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) was surely in the country's interest but the approach taken was wrong.
It said the two words, Science and Technology, found together everywhere had not been by chance because the basis of the generation of all technologies together with information and communications technology was the science behind them.
"We cannot pretend that most of our woes would be solved by making available ICT gadgets everywhere and making everybody computer literate."
It said for Ghana to take advantage of the information super highway and the development of the Internet in all the rural and urban communities, training programmes on ICT, which should be directed to developing the needed manpower, must be put in place.
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Four thousand hectares of degraded forests
to be replanted
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 06 December 2001 - About 4,000 hectares of degraded forest reserves in Ashanti Region are to be replanted under the Taungya system next year.
Mr Alex Amoako Boadu, Ashanti Regional Manager of the Forest Services Division (FSD) of the Forestry Commission, who announced this, said six million tree seedlings were being raised for the purpose with the sites already demarcated.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, he said, more than 6,000 farmers had registered to participate in the Taungya and described the "Enthusiasm as Overwhelming".
The Taungya is a system of agro-forestry under which portions of degraded reserves are given out to farmers to plant food crops to act as shades for the tree seedlings.
The focus of the system, he said, was to regain the lost forest, alleviate rural poverty and increase food production and expressed optimism about achieving those objectives.
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Kyebi, (Eastern Return) 06 December 2001 - The Chief of Potroase in the East Akim District, Nana Ansah Sasraku had debunked claims that there was a "witch pot", which spiritually drew human blood manifesting in the frequent fatal motor accidents on the town's portion of the Accra-Kumasi road.
Some people were making the superstitious claims to tarnish the image of the town and its people, he told the GNA in an interview at Kyebi on the frequent accidents in the town, especially during the Christmas festivities.
Nana Sasraku attributed the accidents to the bad nature of the road, which had "remained in a deplorable condition for decades".
He said many drivers were not aware that the sharp curve in the town had a corrugated surface and that they needed to slow down, hence the accidents.
Nana Sasraku cautioned that it was better to solve the problem physically rather than to explain the phenomenon away with superstitious belief.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 06 December 2001 - The International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Wednesday said it was assisting Ghana to pass a new labour law that would be consistent with ILO standards to ensure harmonious and peaceful industrial environment in the country.
The organisation had helped to draft the Labour Bill which, was yet to be submitted to Parliament and had sent out field officers to prepare a technical co-operation programme report to assist the government and social partners to formulate policies based on the new labour law and the ILO Fundamental Principles.
Mr Cornelius Dzakpasu, Director ILO-Area Office based in Nigeria leading an eight-man team told the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Freddie Blay when it called on him to solicit assistance of Parliament to enrich and to expedite action on the draft Labour Bill if it reached the legislature.
Mr Dzakpasu said Ghana was about four to six years behind time in updating its labour laws and in ratifying conventions that relate to ILO standards and declarations.
He said about 60 to 70 per cent of cases with the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (HRAJ) were labour related issues spinning on wrongful dismissals and the abuse of workers rights.
"Despite genuine efforts by the Ghanaian government to respect human rights and promote fundamental principles and rights at work, as well as striving to achieve harmonious industrial relations, many problems, however, persist in the Ghanaian labour market", he said.
Mr Dzakpasu said the existing dispute resolution mechanism did not facilitate early settlement of industrial conflicts and some Ghanaian employers were averse to unionisation and collective bargaining. "And worst of all the Labour Administration structures are weak and lack the capacity to enforce labour standards"
Mr Dzakpasu asked that the Bill should be passed early next year so that the government's declaration of Golden Age of Business and its policy on private sector development would be enhanced. Mr Blay said Parliament was expecting the Bill and would use it constitutional mandate to pass it with minimal delay.
He said the country's inclination towards private sector development would make Parliament, when considering the bill, to ensure that employers did not exploit labour as much as workers would also not terrorise employers.
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Goaso (Brong Ahafo) 06 December 2001 - A plan by irate youth from Mim to attack the Goaso Police Station on Tuesday failed when the vehicle on which they were travelling got involved in an accident resulting in 10 of them sustaining serious injuries.
Their action was in reaction to the death of a 35-year-old driver, Benjamin Amoako, alias K. Soldier, who was arrested by a combined team of police and forestry officials for conveying illegal chain-sawn timber.
The youth claimed that the team manhandled Amoako when he was arrested till he became unconscious before he was sent to hospital where he died later. The police denied the allegation saying Amoako fainted on seeing the police and died when he was sent to the hospital.
Hospital authorities could not immediately tell the cause of death but said he was foaming from the mouth when he was brought to the hospital.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 06 December 2001 - The Police on the instructions of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) have sealed off the Kejetia Terminal, which is under rehabilitation, following Tuesday's disturbances to enable the contractor to complete the work without interruption.
There was a serious confrontation between workers of the construction company working on the project and stone-throwing traders, who accused them of beating an ice-cream seller to unconsciousness.
The mob succeeded in destroying all the louvre blades of the offices at the terminal and smashed the windscreens of the contractor's vehicles.
The Police, who were called in initially led by Mr George Asiamah, Regional Police Commander could contain the mob up to a point and they had to call in re-enforcement including the military.
When the GNA spoke to Mr Asiamah, he said this was what the KMA should have done when the project started since trading activities disturbed the work rate. Mr Asiamah said investigation was being conducted to ascertain the truth about the whole incident.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 05 December 2001 - Workers have been reminded that the days when they banged on tables to gain concessions during negotiations for better pay were over.
Mr John Fallah, International Labour Organisation (ILO) specialist on workers activities based in Ethiopia, told the opening of a two-day seminar in Accra that workers could no longer win concessions by using force or threats.
This, he said, was because the process of globalisation was weakening the institutions of labour. "Trade Unions are becoming weaker by the day (because) their membership is declining through a spate of massive retrenchments and enterprise rationalisation measures," Mr Fallah said.
About 20 participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Kenya and Mauritius are attending the two-day seminar on "Dispute resolution" organised by the ILO in collaboration with the Trades Union Congress (Ghana).
Mr Fallah said what workers needed now was a critical mass of trade union leaders who were able to push the trade union agenda in a more calculated and enlightened manner. "To be able to share the benefits of the win-win game, workers need leaders with vision, competence and integrity."
Mr Fallah urged workers not to be scared of change although changes that had erupted in most workplaces had resulted in conflicts. "Conflicts can be healthy if they are properly managed," he said.
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