Court of
Appeal to decide mode of Abodakpi's trial
Military
intensifies patrols in Tamale
Free
press means more than repealing criminal libel law
VRA boss elected president of power union
Work on Asafo Market inter-change begins in 2003
Set up HIPC Monitoring committees
Court
of Appeal to decide mode of Abodakpi's trial
Accra (Greater Accra)
10 December 2002 - The Court of Appeal would on Thursday 12 December decide
whether Daniel Kwasi Abodakpi, former Minister for Trade and Industry, should
be tried summarily or by indictment.
The Court faxed the
date during its sitting on Monday after hearing both the appellant and the
respondent. The Court comprises Justice Omari Sasu, presiding, Justice Bawa
Akamba and Justice S.K. Appiah.
On 4 November, Kwabla
Senanu, representing Abodakpi asked an Accra Fast Track Court to try his client
by indictment, since he might not have fair trial when tried summarily.
Justice Stephen T.
Farkye, an Appeal Court Judge, who sat on the case as an additional High Court
Judge, dismissed the application and ruled that the court was not empowered to
try the offenders by indictment.
Abodakpi and Victor
Selormey, former Deputy Finance Minister, are being tried on seven counts of
conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by false pretences and wilfully causing
a total loss of 2.73 billion cedis to the State. They have denied all the
charges and are currently on self-recognisance bail in the sum of three billion
cedis each.
At Monday's sitting,
Senanu told the Court that the trial judge at the Fast Track Court erred in law
when he ruled that his client should be tried summarily. Counsel said that
since the trial would involve calling several witnesses, it would take a long
time to complete.
He stated that
offences under which his client has been charged are complicated and there is a
maximum sentence of 25 years imprisonment on the charge of defrauding by false
pretences.
Senanu further argued
that when his client is tried summarily documents and other related material
would not be made available to his client, but under trial of indictment the
appellant could be given documents in advance. "If my client is tried summarily
the respondent could spring surprises on us" he added.
Replying, Anthony
Gyambiby, a Principal State Attorney, said the decision of the Fast Track Court
was right saying the punishment for the offence of causing financial loss and
defrauding by false pretences would run concurrently.
Gyambiby said to
ensure a fair trial, facts have been read in court, appellant has been given
the opportunity to select counsel and has access to documents in respect of the
case adding he can subpoena any of the prosecution witnesses when the need
arose.
He further stated
that the Attorney-General has the right to exercise the power of choice as to
try the appellant summarily. The case for the prosecution is that between May
and December 2000, the accused persons allegedly transferred 4,000 dollars into
the local bank account of Dr Fred Owusu-Boadu, a consultant, through ECOBANK
(Ghana) Limited.
The money, whose
transfers were authorized by Selormey, was to be used as fees for feasibility
studies towards the establishment of the project.
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Military
intensifies patrols in Tamale
Tamale (Northern
Region) 10 December 2002 - The military has stepped up its patrols in Tamale to
prevent a spillover of last Saturday's disturbances at Yendi.
The timely
intervention of the military in Yendi last Saturday prevented what would have
been a bloodbath between the rival Andani and Abudu youths who had started
mobilizing for a showdown.
The military had to
fire several warning shots to disperse the factions as they prepared to attack
each other. One person was injured in the process and four persons, believed to
be the ringleaders, were arrested and transferred to Tamale. Well-armed
soldiers in vehicles, backed by an armoured car, have been patrolling the
streets of Tamale since morning.
The officer
commanding the Sixth Battalion in Tamale, Major S.K. Adorkor, told the GNA in
Tamale that the essence was to tell the people of Tamale that "we are
still around" to maintain the fragile peace in the area since the
assassination of the Dagbon king, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani last March.
He warned that the
military would deal "ruthlessly and mercilessly" with persons who
would attempt to undermine the peace prevailing in the area.
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Free
press means more than repealing criminal libel law
Agona Swedru (Central
Region) 10 December 2002 - A private legal practitioner on Monday said laws
restrictive to press freedom on the status books should be repealed to give
meaning to spirit of chapter of the constitution, which guarantee freedom of
speech.
Yonney Kulendi,
presenting a paper on "ten years constitutional rule, challenge of
Ghanaian media, a legal and political perspective, at a workshop for
journalists said the repeal of criminal libel and seditious laws did not give
full meaning to freedom of speech as envisage in the constitution.
The two-day workshop
being attended by about 60 journalists from both print and electronic media is
being organised by the GJA with the sponsorship from UNDP. Kulendi said not
withstanding with the criminal code repeal of criminal and seditious laws there
is still considerable task of legislative reform.
He mentioned sections
184, 278, on indecency 280 obscenities 281, 282, 283 and 284 of the criminal
code 1960 Act 29 as inimical to freedom of speech. He said state secret act,
state service law, civil interim regulation, armed forces and police service
acts and prison decree as representing part of the "untenable legal
traditions we have held on for too long. These laws are restrictive as far as
access to official information is concern.
"This tradition
of secrecy practically reserves a relation between the people, sovereign and
government as agent and servant."
Kulendi said:
"Equally and inconformity with constitutional guarantee of the right to
information, as enshrine in Article 21 of the constitution there is the need to
reform and amend the numerous state secrecy laws hidden in several status.
Jake
Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs in a keynote
address said it was being recognised that media "be protectors of the
people's freedom more than Judicial and Executive."
He said there is
opportunity for the media to be more relevant to governance, perhaps than
anybody. He said journalists must be courageous and objective and must be
properly informed in taking decisions.
Obetsebi-Lamptey said
the media should have a power to guard against itself being replaced by
anything in democratic society. He said he feared the media was in danger of
losing its power if it over sensationalised issues with simplistic approach.
Dr Audrey Gadzekpo, a
Lecturer of the School of Communication Studies said the private media ought to
ensure that they did not lose their credibility because they stood the danger
of losing their readership, which would throw them out of business.
She predicted that it
was "clear that unless there is improvement in both content and business
performance, many of private media would have difficulty surviving into the next
decade and would remain on the breadline for a long time to come."
Dr Gadzekpo suggested
a merger of some newspapers and media houses "as a way of surviving and
building more viable business. Particularly private newspapers must improve conditions
of service for journalists in order to attract more competent and experienced
professionals and state media must also beef up salaries to avoid their
veterans for being poached by better resourced radio and television
stations."
She called on media
houses to invest in human capital and provide better training opportunities to
journalists.
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A
man allegedly found with human head
Tema (Greater Accra)
10 December 2002 - The Tema Police on Monday arrested a man carrying a human
head, believed to be that of a girl, in a polythene bag.
Superintendent
Beatrice Zakpaah Van Sansri, Community Two Police District Commander, told
newsmen that one Michael Mensah, a self-employed electrician, reported at the
police station that they had held up a man who was carrying a polythene bag
containing something unusual with bad odour emanating from it.
She said two
policemen were dispatched to the scene and when the man opened the bag it
contained a human head. The man initially gave his name as Mahama Dagarti but
later changed it to Dornonunu Kpazie Mahama and he is in custody. Meanwhile, a
large crowd has converged at the police station demanding to lynch the suspect.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
10 December 2002- The Chief Executive of the Volta River Authority, Dr Charles
Wereko-Brobby has been elected President of Union Producers, Transporters and
Distributors of Electrical Power in Africa (UPDEA). A statement from VRA on
Monday said his election would be with effect from the 15th Congress, which
will be held in Accra in 2005.
It said until he
assumes office, Dr Wereko-Brobby will serve as the First Vice President and
Chairman of the Scientific Committee of UPDEA. UPDEA held its Extraordinary General
Assembly Meeting in Tripoli, Libya, from 23-24 November.
The Union whose
purpose is to promote the integration and development of the African Power
sector comprises 30 members from some 26 countries throughout Africa. The theme
for the 15th Congress to be held in Ghana in 2005 will be: Access to
Electricity For All People of Africa Through a Pooling of Energy Resources.
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Agona Swedru (Central
Region) 10 December 2002- Mrs Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, President of the Ghana
Journalists Association (GJA) on Monday urged the Ghanaian media to be more
sensitive to public opinion and take seriously criticisms for improvement to
make them more relevant to good governance.
She told senior
journalists attending a workshop on the state of the media in Ghana, that,
"We must decide between doing our own house-cleaning and having an
external body to keep us in check. The
GJA believes that self-regulation is the most dignified way to keep
practitioners alive to their responsibilities."
Mrs Affenyi-Dadzie,
who was welcoming participants at the two-day workshop being organised by the
GJA with sponsorship of UNDP and ICAB, Governance Consult as a facilitator,
said the media was being called names.
She said: "Some
have accused us of being extortionist, and of being uncivil and arrogant. Yet
others have coined phrases such as "media terrorism" and "media
dictatorship". She said the GJA was also concerned about the invasion of
the profession by impostors who go to assignments "displaying their
voracious appetite and power of extortion, much to the embarrassment of
function organisers.
Mrs Affenyi-Dadzie
asked organisers of function and members of the GJA to flush out such impostors
who blackmailed and extorted money from unsuspecting people. The GJA would now
like to see the much talked about freedom of Information Act, she said.
The President decried
the remuneration and low social security for journalists and called for
improved working conditions for them, adding, "There can be no press
freedom if journalists exist in conditions of corruption, poverty or
fear."
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Accra (Greater Accra)
10 December 2002- The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Monday named a
six-member fact-finding committee to investigate the circumstances leading to
the death of two stowaways found in the undercarriage bag of the Ghana Airways
flight which landed in London on Saturday, 30 November 2002.
A statement signed by
its Acting Director-General Captain J. A. Boakye said the committee would be
chaired by Captain Kofi Ampomah, Aviation Safety Inspector, and Flight
Operations.
The members are Mr J.
K. Kyere, Aviation Safety Inspector, Air Worthiness and Mrs Joyce
Bannerman-Wood, Senior Legal Officer of the GCAA. The rest are a representative
of the National Security Council, representative of the Ghana Airways, member
and Mr Kofi Yeboah, Estate Manager, GCAA, member secretary.
The statement said
the committee's terms of reference are to find out how the boys managed to get
on board the aircraft and from where.
It is to establish if
there was any collusion between the stowaways or their accomplices and any
officials of the Ghana Airways. The committee was to ascertain if there was any
collusion between the stowaways and their accomplices and any officials of
GCAA.
It is also to review
security procedures of airlines and the Authority with a view to identifying
any lapses that may have contributed to the incident.
The committee would
investigate any other issues that in its view may be substantially relevant to
the matter and recommend measures to forestall recurrence of such incidents.
The statement said
the Committee, which is expected to submit its report by the close of business
on Thursday, 12 December 2002 may invite any other witness or co-opt any
individual who in their view may be of assistance to their investigations.
Two young boys died
on arrival in London after stowing away on a Ghana Airways Flight from Accra to
London
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Kumasi (Ashanti
Region) 10 December 2002- Work on the construction of the Asafo market
inter-change in Kumasi will begin in the first quarter of 2003. The project,
which would be financed by the International Development Agency (IDA) of the
World Bank, is to improve the current movement of traffic in the Adum-Asafo
area.
Dr Richard Anane,
Minister of Roads and Transport, who announced this, however, did not disclose
the amount involved in the project, but said a bid would soon be invited for
the award of the contract.
Dr Anane announced
this at a public forum on the feasibility studies of the Oforikrom-Asokwa
by-pass and the engineering design of the Asafo market interchange in Kumasi on
Monday.
The forum was to
solicit the views and concerns of all stakeholders and residents on the designs
of the roads and make the necessary inputs.
Work on the
3.1-kilometre Oforikrom-Asokwa by-pass, which begins from the Anloga Junction
to the Asokwa police station and construction of a three-lane Asafo Cement to
Ramseyer Vocational School junction on the Lake road, is being funded by the
Agence Francaise de Development (AFD). It is expected to begin before the end
of 2003.
Dr Anane also
announced that designs and construction works to convert the Ahwiaa-Suame
roundabout and Abuakwa-Sofoline-Bekwai roundabout roads into dual carriageways
to ease traffic congestion, would take off in 2003.
The construction of
access roads to Moshie-Zongo, Old Tafo, Atonsu, Dompoase and S-Line,
Ayigya-Zongo, Aketego and Adoato would also start in 2003. Dr Anane said the
surveying of the outer ring road for Kumasi to connect all the arterial roads,
which would link Kumasi to the rest of the country, would be completed by
February 2003.
These projects, he
said, show the government's determination to improve the road network in the
Kumasi metropolis, he said, adding that, the government would continue to allow
residents who were the end-users of the roads to make contributions towards
their construction.
Maxwell Kofi Jumah,
Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the combination of growth in human
population, employment, vehicle ownership and vehicular movement were expected
to lead to severe constraint on the transport network in the metropolis.
He said the KMA
welcomes the proposed projects; since they would improve traffic flow make the
city more efficient and environmentally friendly. Jumah, however, appealed to
the Ministry of Roads and Transport and the Department of Urban Roads to pay
critical attention to the other congested traffic corridors in the city,
notably, the Sunyani, Mampong and Antoa road.
Sampson Kwaku Boafo,
Ashanti Regional Minister, who chaired the function, warned the consultants
against shoddy works. He also appealed to the affected persons, especially the
carpenters at Anloga to co-operate with the contractors to ensure speedy
completion of the projects.
Some of the residents
stressed the need for the consultants to ensure that the designs of the road
did not lead to further congestion on the roads but they should take into
considerations future increases in traffic volume. They also called for proper
drainage designs to prevent flooding on the roads.
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Violence
at Bamiankor - Omanhene calls for probe
Takoradi (Western
Region) 10 December 2002-GNA -Awulae Angama Tuagyan, 11, Omanhene of the Gwira
Traditional Area in the Western Region has appealed to the Regional Security
Council (REGSEC) to institute an enquiry into the violent attacks on innocent
people by supporters of a faction in chieftaincy dispute at Bamiankor on 30
November during which one person died.
Fifteen others,
including children, women and some elders of the town sustained various degrees
of injuries and are on admission at hospitals at Eikwe, Dompim, Axim, Discove
and Effia-Nkwanta.
Briefing the Ghana
News Agency on the incident, during which guns, cudgels, stones, cutlasses and
other dangerous weapons were used, Awulae Tuagyan denied media reports that the
clashes were the result of his refusal to obey police orders to call off the
grand durbar to climax the week-long annual yam festival of the chiefs and
people of the area.
The Omanhene
explained that the District Security Committee (DISEC) met a week earlier and
approved the holding of the durbar on 30 November.
According to him the
District Police Commander came to him at about 2.00 p.m. on 30 November when
the durbar was about to commence and ordered the cancellation of the durbar.
Awulae Tuagyan said
he complied with the order and all invited guests, including district chief
executive, members of parliament, assembly members and foreign dignitaries were
seen off.
It was when he was
being carried in a palanquin from the durbar grounds to his house, a distance
of about 50 metres by jubilant and enthusiastic youth of the town that
supporters of the queenmother attacked him and his elders and supporters.
Awulae Tuagyan said
tension is high as the youth and elderly considered to be his supporters have
been driven out from the town and their properties vandalised by the
queenmother and her supporters. He called on the Regional Minister to act
immediately to ensure law and order in the town.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
10 December 2002- The Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE), a
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), on Monday appealed to the government to
assist in the provision of shelter for victims of domestic violence and other
forms of abuse who need rehabilitation.
The WISE also
appealed to the Department of Social Welfare to mobilize resources to help in
effectively dealing with the numerous forms of abuse and violence against women
in the country.
Ms Gifty Agbeti,
Counselor/Advocate at WISE who is at the Women and Juveniles Unit of Police
(WAJU), made the appeal during an interview with the Ghana News Agency at a
day's training workshop on violence against women for 20 selected women with
disabilities in Accra.
She said sometimes,
perpetrators of abuse and violence against women and children are in positions
of trust in relation to the victims. These include fathers, husbands and
guardians.
Ms Agbeti said this
sometimes made it necessary to find either temporary or permanent shelter for
the victims. She added that sending the victims back home in such situations
meant exposing them to even more harm, since they could be further harmed by their
abusers for daring to report them.
Ms Agbeti said there
was the need for children to be made to know their rights, since many of them
who fall victim to sexual and other forms of abuse do so because they do not
know their rights.
They thus consent to actions,
which they could have resisted through reporting to appropriate authorities.
Mrs Gertrude Fefoame,
Chairperson of the Committee on Women and Children's Affairs of the Ghana
Federation of the Disabled, said the workshop was to enlighten physically
challenged women on violence against women.
She said this
enlightenment was not only for the benefit of the women but to enable them deal
with such cases effectively within their homes and communities.
The workshop was
organized by the Ghana Federation of the Disabled with sponsorship by the
African Women's Development Fund (AWDF).
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Accra (Greater Accra)
10 December 2002-Jude Arthur, former Senior Manager of the Investment Holdings
Limited (IHL), a subsidiary of Merchant Bank, on Monday told an Accra Fast
Track Court that the bank did not advise anybody on equity in Valley Farms.
Answering questions
under cross-examination by counsel for Tsatsu Tsikata, former Chief Executive
of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) who is being tried by the
court, Mr Arthur disagreed with a suggestion by counsel that GNPC's decision to
invest in Valley Farms was on advice from the bank.
Tsikata is charged
with four counts of willfully, causing financial loss of more than 2.3 billion
cedis to the state and intentionally misapplying public property. He told the
court under cross-examination by Major (retired) R. S. Agbenoto, Tsikata's
counsel, that when GNPC decided to invest in the equities of Valley Farms, the
bank was only instructed to transfer 20 million cedis into the accounts of the
company.
Arthur agreed with
counsel that as GNPC's nominee or trustee in Valley Farms IHL dealt with GNPC
as a body and not with Tsikata as an individual. Witness told the court that as
Financial Adviser of Valley Farms, Merchant Bank was tasked with the
responsibility to verify the figures in the report of the feasibility studies
conducted by experts on Valley Farms.
Witness agreed with a
suggestion by counsel that the Valley Farm Project had good prospects. Arthur
said when Valley Farms defaulted in the interest rate of the loan, GNPC, being
the guarantor, had no option than to take a decision and pay it.
Tsikata is alleged to
have caused financial loss in a transaction in which he committed GNPC to
guarantee a loan to Valley Farms from Caisse Francaise de Developpement (CFD),
a French Development Aid Agency.
Tsikata also
allegedly invested the corporation's 20 million cedis in Valley Farms, thus
misapplying public property.
He has pleaded not
guilty and Mrs Justice Henrietta Abban, the trial judge, has admitted him to
bail in his own recognisance in the sum of 700 million cedis. The case has been
adjourned to Friday, 13 December.
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Wa (Upper West) 10
December 2002- This year's International Children's Day of Broadcasting was
launched at Wa on Sunday with a call on adults to recognize the rights of the
child and also to consult the child on issues affecting his or her future.
The day was organised
by Women in Broadcasting and sponsored by UNICEF and the weeklong anniversary
is under the theme "The Rights of the Child." The day was initiated
10 years ago by UNICEF to raise awareness about children's rights of
participation in the media as a way of expressing views on matters concerning
them.
Launching the day, Mr
Sahnun Mogtari, Upper West Region Minister, said the government was doing its
best to ensure that an enabling environment was created for the growth and
development of the Ghanaian child.
''The government is
giving priority attention to the education of the child since that forms the
basis of their development,'' he said.
He gave the assurance
that the government was seeking the protection of the child against all forms
of abuse such as child labour, defilement, rape, molestation and other vices
that inhibit the growth and development of the child.
Mogtari advised
parents who prefer to introduce children to economic activities to rethink, for
they are only going to create problems for those children in future. Mrs
Gertrude Opare Addo, an executive of Women in Broadcasting said since 1996, WIB
had been organising workshops for children in broadcasting skills.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
10 December 2002- The mass measles campaign to vaccinate children from nine
months to under 15 years began throughout the country on Monday with parents
showing keen interest in the campaign.
A team from the World
Health Organisation, Red Cross, UNICEF and the Expanded Programme on
Immunisation (EPI) of the Ministry of Health joined the Minister of Health, Dr
Kwaku Afriyie to visit some selected schools and health institutions in the
Accra Metropolis.
These were the
Mamprobi Polyclinic, Salvation Army Cluster of Schools and Chorkor. About 100
children had been vaccinated at each centre by 1100 hours. The Minister
commended parents for showing interest in the health of their children.
He said measles could
kill and parents should take advantage of the campaign and have their children
vaccinated even if they have been vaccinated before.
At the Mamprobi
Polyclinic, parents had to join long queues to have their children vaccinated.
According to Mr James Quaye, a parent, "my wife has gone to the market so
I decided to bring my two sons for the injection".
About 7.9 million
children between nine months and under 15 years are expected to be vaccinated
against measles to effectively reduce the spread of the disease. Central
Region, which had its campaign last year, has been exempted from the national
programme.
In all, about 25,000
health workers and volunteers would be at vantage points to participate in the
exercise. The World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, Red Cross, United
Nations Foundation, Centre for Disease Control (USA), the Japanese Government
and the Government of Ghana are supporting the exercise.
Measles is still a
leading cause of illness among the vaccine preventable diseases in the country
and a major outbreak occurs every five years. Measles could be transmitted from
one person to another when another person inhales droplets of moisture
discharged from a patient's mouth through sneezing or coughing.
According to Dr Mercy
Ahun, EPI Programme Manager of the Ministry of Health, said the disease could
cause complications like ear and eye infections, sores in the mouth, pneumonia
and even death if not treated
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Accra (Greater Accra)
10 December 2002- The People's National Convention (PNC) on Monday appealed to
the people of the Dagbon Traditional Area to make forgiveness a cornerstone in
their quest for a peaceful resolution to their problem.
Dr Edward Mahama,
leader of the party told Ghana News Agency (GNA), in Accra that it was
necessary for the people of Dagbon to use the occasion of the Eid-ul-Fitr to
call on Allah for total calm in the area.
He said the whole
nation was aware of the difficulties that the crisis had caused them
economically, socially and politically adding that they should not allow those
difficulties worsen the situation.
He commended the
leadership of Dagbon for maintaining the curfew, adding "the PNC wants to
use this opportunity to urge the government come out with its white paper on
the Wuaku Commission without further delay".
Dr Mahama said the PNC
believes that government would point in the direction in which the nation has
to handle the unfortunate situation for total peace in Dagbon.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
10 December 2002- Vice President Aliu Mahama left Accra on Monday for
Marrakech-Morocco at the head of a delegation to the Fourth Global Forum on
Reinventing Government from 11-13 December.
The forum, which is
an initiative of the US government, is on the theme "Citizens, Businesses
and Government: Dialogue and Partnerships for the Promotion of Democracy and
Development".
A statement signed by
Mr Andrews Awuni of the Office of the Vice President, said 100 heads of state
or their representatives, heads of development agencies, businesses, NGOs and
international financial institutions were expected to attend.
They would examine
some of the challenges facing the world, including the uneven demographic
trends, unequal development and the spread of poverty, particularly in
developing countries, the statement said. Members of Ghana's delegation include
the Deputy Foreign Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Iddris, officials from the Office
of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
10 December 2002- Social Enterprise Development Foundation, a
Non-Governmental
Organisation (NGO), on Monday advocated the setting up of District HIPC
Monitoring Committees to develop and operate a participatory monitoring and
evaluation of all HIPC funded projects.
The committee, which
is to be made up of members of the district assemblies, project beneficiaries
and focal Non-Governmental Organisations, would ensure that projects being
undertaken were fully implemented and executed.
Samuel Zam, National
Programme Director, told a press briefing on Monday that his organization was
launching a national project and lobby week dubbed Ghana HIPC Watch, an
initiative of civil society organizations in Northern Ghana, to educate other
civil society organizations on their participation in the implementation
process of projects.
This would be done
through lobbying of Parliament and key ministries on the Ghana Poverty
Reduction Strategy from the point of view of Northern Ghanaian Civil Society
Organisations as well as the launch of Ghana HIPC Update.
There would be a
newspaper to serve as a platform for the organizations to share their
experiences in the monitoring and evaluation of HIPC funded projects and
programmes.
Zam said the
findings, insights and experiences of the various district monitoring committees
would be collectively shared and disseminated to district assemblies, the Ghana
Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) secretariat, international development
partners as well as the general public.
He said the partners
involved in the project were convinced that through such an implementation
approach policy makers as well as implementers of projects would be provided
with information and data that would enable them to take corrective actions and
improve the impact on the target beneficiaries.
For the process to be
effective, Zam called for a partnership-based approach involving civil society
organizations in development programmes in the districts. "This
partnership will ensure that district level monitoring feeds into and is
supplementary to the efforts of the national monitoring secretariat of the
GPRS," he said.
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