No politics on census platform, official

Ensure repayment of loans - Alomenu

Konrad Adenauer to spend 800 million cedis in Ghana

Government declares its stands on AGC

Ballana village burnt down, woman collapses

Bushfire destroys cocoa farms

World Vision to start food security programme

30,000 enumeration centres created for census

There is fire on the mountain, run run run!

PURC signs agreement with Maryland PSC

Sunyani (Brong Ahafo ) 11 Feb 2000

Officials of the forthcoming National Population and Housing Census have been cautioned not to discuss politics and religion when they mount platforms to educate people on the exercise.

The head of publicity and dissemination unit of the National Population Census secretariat, Mr. Kofi Agyeman-Duah, gave the caution when he spoke at a forum to educate the people on the exercise at Sunyani on Thursday.

It was attended by District Chief Executives, presiding members, district co-ordinating directors who are also district census officers, heads of departments and a cross-section of people from all the 13 districts on the regions.

Mr Agyeman-Duah said "even regional ministers who are chairmen of their respective regional census committees should not identify themselves with any political parties when speaking on the issue."

He made it clear that the exercise is solely meant to collect data on the country's population and other relevant information.

Mr Agyeman-Dua cautioned landlords not to attempt to answer questions during the exercise for their tenants saying that would be a breach of confidentiality.

The Brong Ahafo regional Minister, Mr Donald Adabre noted that the census is a very important national exercise and called for intensive education to ensure that everybody is counted.

He therefore called on district census committees to involve chiefs, unit committees, town and area councils and the National Commission for Civic Education among other institutions in the exercise.

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Mr. H. S. Alomenu, National Coordinator of the Youth in Agriculture, has called on regional and district committees of the programme to ensure that loans given under the scheme are repaid by the end of this month.

Speaking at a meeting in Sekondi to review the programme in the Western Region, Mr. Alomenu said this would enable others to benefit from the loans to be given in March.

About 220 million cedis have been disbursed to farming groups in the region with a recovery rate of about 60 percent.

He urged the youth to take advantage of the programme to reduce unemployment.

Mr. Eric Arkhurst, Chairman of the Regional Committee, called for an increase in the loans to enable farmers to expand their farms.

Mr. Arkhurst, who is the Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, gave the assurance that beneficiaries would be made to pay back.

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The Konrad Adenuauer Foundation (KAF), a German NGO, has set aside 800 million cedis for development projects in Ghana this year.

Development NGOs, human rights groups and business interests will benefit from the amount, Mr Martin J. Wilde, Country Director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation told newsmen in Accra on Thursday.

Those to benefit include Christian Mothers' Association of Ghana which would receive about 250 million cedis, the Association of Small-Scale Industries, 200 million cedis and the Federation of Associations of Small Sector Economic Operators (FASSEO) 100 million cedis.

Last year KAF spent about 750 million on development projects in Ghana.

Mr Wilde said the Justice and Peace Commission of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference would receive about 70 million cedis for training of observers for the December elections.

He said KAF would help facilitate political dialogue among Parliamentarians. It would also help the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, National Commission on Civic Education, House of Chiefs, the Private Enterprise Foundation and the Law Faculty of the University of Ghana.

Mr Wilde said building the capacity of civil society organisations as a tool for political participation as well as socio-economic development would be their priority.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 Feb 2000

The Government will soon invite all stakeholders in Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC) for broad consultations aimed at seeking a resolution to all outstanding issues in the current financial crisis facing the company.

Dr. John Abu, Minister of Mines and Energy, told a press conference in Accra on Thursday that the government, after careful review of the objectives of four shareholders who took AGC Management and Board to court for gross mismanagement of the company "it is the view of (the) government that the objectives of the two parties are now similar and that any differences can and need to be bridged."

He said the government has sought to play a constructive role throughout this period of uncertainty facing AGC, which began last October, by intervening when the company's hedge book showed imminent bankruptcy and Lonmin also attempted to merge with AGC on unfavourable terms.

After a review of the AGC situation with advisors, the government had proposed a number of solutions among which were to reduce the number of Executive Directors and strengthen the Board with independent and internationally recognised persons.

Dr Abu said another succinct proposal was that given AGC's capital leverage it needed, equity-type financing or funds, which could be generated from the sale of selected assets, but which the company's management took months to formally respond to.

"Government believed then, as it still does, that if these actions had been pursued promptly and professionally by AGC management, the company would be in a stable position today."

Dr Abu said the delay in taking these steps has directly resulted in AGC's current predicament -- the lawsuit in an Accra High Court by Addax and Oryx Group which they lost, the pending action suit by Milberg and Weiss in New York, and the difficult negotiations with the banking syndicate.

AGC's management has belatedly moved to execute portions of the government's recommended course of action by announcing its intention to change and strengthen its board and reduce the number of executive directors.

Dr Abu said the announcement by AGC of an ongoing process of tender and negotiations for the sale of an interest in Geita mining development in Tanzania, as a necessary step to address the company's serious financial problem, is in conformity with the position of the government.

But he said, Ashanti is currently engaged in very delicate negotiations with members of its banking syndicate, adding that it is the view of the government that it is essential that these financial negotiations are brought to a swift conclusion in order to ensure the financial stability of the company.

In this regard the "government now proposes to invite the various stakeholders, which include the Addrax Group of shareholders, Lonmin Plc and AGC management to meet in Accra soon.

The meeting will seek to resolve all outstanding issues so as possible to enable the company to conclude its negotiations with the banking syndicate."

The government believes that Ashanti has a bright future as an independent African gold mining company and will take all necessary measures to ensure the rights of shareholders, the safety and satisfactory returns on investments made in Ghana, he added.

Following a suit filed by four shareholders led by Addax Group, an Accra High Court Wednesday ordered that an Emergency General Meeting of all stakeholders of AGC be convened in Accra within 21 days to decide the removal and election of a new board for the company.

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Mampong-Ashanti (Ashanti Region) 11 Feb. 2000

Ballana, a farming community in the Sekyere West section of the Afram Plains, was on Wednesday razed to the ground by fire.

This is the second of such incident in the district within the week.

Madam Bawa Kim Baba, who could not bear the sight of her burnt property, collapsed but was later resuscitated and consoled by neighbours.

A delegate from the village of Ballana, Mr Simon Mamganbe, who disclosed this to the GNA on Wednesday, said they returned from their farms at about 4 p.m. only to realise that the whole village had been burnt down.

Mr Mamganbe said a corn mill, large quantities of harvested maize, yam, groundnut and cash running into several millions of cedis were destroyed by the fire.

The cause of the fire is not yet known but it was believed to have come from a nearby forest.

The District Co-ordinating Director, Mr David Bakari, consoled the victims and advised the inhabitants to desist from setting fire to the bush.

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Aduhema (Eastern Region) 11 Feb. 2000

More than 100 hectares of cocoa and foodstuff farms, teak plantations and forest reserves have been destroyed by bushfire at Aduhema in the Kwahu South District.

Twenty farmers who were seriously affected by the fire have appealed to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), District Assembly and NGOs for assistance.

Conducting the GNA round some of the burnt farms, the Chief of the town, Nana Yaw Adarkwa, said he suspected that hunters and cattle owners in the Hweehwee area might have set the bushfire, which spread to Aduhema.

Nana Adarkwa said the affected farmers are finding it difficult to feed their families and, therefore, appealed to NADMO and NGOs for the supply of food and relief items as well as seedlings to replant their farms.

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Tamale (Northern Region) 11 Feb 2000

World Vision is to start a five-year programme on food security and economic growth in Ghana and three other West African countries this year to address pertinent problems facing small-holder farmers.

The other beneficiary countries are Mali, Senegal and Burkina Faso.

The programme, which will start on a pilot basis in selected districts, was conceived and developed by World Vision in collaboration with Win Rock International Institute for Agricultural Development.

It seeks to demonstrate how farming groups and private commercial enterprises can work together and stimulate effective agricultural practices through improved and innovative services.

Mr Ben Hoskins, Senior Programme Officer of World Vision in charge of West Africa, who disclosed this to the GNA in Tamale on Tuesday, said in Ghana the Gushegu-Karaga District has been selected for the programme.

The United States Agency for International Development is to provide 350,000 dollars a year to support about 5,000 small-holder farmers and women income-generating groups in irrigation technology, storage, animal husbandry and supply of improved seeds.

Meanwhile, a five-day workshop for multi-sector agricultural scientists who will be implementing the programme in Ghana is under way in Tamale.

The 30 participants, drawn from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Savannah Agricultural Research Institute, Animal Research Institute and the University for Development Studies, are discussing strategies for ensuring the success of the programme.

They will visit communities in the Gushegu-Karaga District to assess their needs.

Mr Hoskins said a national co-ordinator and an oversight committee have been appointed to see to the take-off of the programme.

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Tamale (Northern Region) 11 Feb 2000

A total of 30,000 enumeration areas have been created nation-wide to ensure effective coverage of next month's population and housing census.

The enumerators and their supervisors are expected to be mainly teachers whose working relations with people in their areas will enhance the free flow of information for the exercise.

Nana P.K. Achinah, National Census Field Organiser who made this known in Tamale on Thursday, said the Northern Region has almost 3,000 enumeration areas with 500 supervisors.

He was briefing regional and district census committees on the census.

This year's census will involve the counting of both the population and housing, thus giving the present exercise a wider coverage than previous ones undertaken under the local government authority system.

He said it is mandatory for the Ghana Statistical Service to publish the results of the 110 districts and 10 regions of the country for all to know the size, sex, population and economic groupings of the people for effective planning.

Nana Achinah cautioned against politicisation of the census since such parochial leanings will alienate the people.

Alhaji Seidu Iddi, Northern Regional Minister, called on heads of departments to give the census committees the needed logistic support.

He said a census result that is not accepted and reliable cannot be entertained and, therefore, advised the committee members to fashion out creative messages that would ensure the participation of all in the exercise.

Mr Francis Kojo Yankey, a member of the National Publicity Unit of the Census Secretariat, said conducting a census is not like casting a vote at an election, which requires people to rush and queue.

There is, therefore, no need to rush or queue to be counted.

He stressed that the census is not intended to victimise anybody by virtue of their nationality, tax obligation or income level but for planning purposes.

The report will be confidential using tables and aggregates instead of names at the analysis stage.

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Tetekasum (Eastern Region) 11 Feb. 2000

A blazing fire swept through the farm of the 1999 Second National Best Farmer, Mr Okyere Djin, at Tetekasum, near Suhum, on Sunday night destroying life birds and farm implements worth over 100 million cedis.

The fire which started at about 11pm from the main farmhouse, destroyed 3000 three-weeks-old birds, spraying machines, fertilisers, 400 crates of eggs, bee hives, milled maize, composite mixtures among others.

Briefing the Eastern Regional minister, Miss Patience Adow on the farm on Tuesday, he said it took fire personnel from Suhum about two hours to put off the fire.

He said the cause of the fire is still unknown.

Mr Djin who is also the 1996 Eastern Region Best Farmer said he did not suspect any foul play.

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Meanwhile, in Nkoranza fire has razed down a three-classroom block of the Akropong local kindergarten in the Nkoranza district last week.

Items destroyed included furniture, cooking utensils, bowls and cups, all valued at about two million cedis.

More than 120 pupils have been displaced and are now studying under trees.

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Also in another development, the Upper West regional fire service says it has been swamped of late with false fire alarms and use of abusive language by callers, and the general abuse of their emergency telephone lines.

Mr Ernest Attoku Aklamah, regional fire officer told newsmen at Wa on Wednesday that the office received an average of ten false calls each day, with the callers insulting and embarrassing some of the personnel, especially the women, within the service.

Messages such as, my house is burning, you are too ugly, the whole of my area is on fire and other profane and unprintable words are used daily, he said.

Mr Aklamah said if such false alarms continued, the service might one day ignore important calls to disasters.

He appealed to such callers to desist from such acts, warning that the service would prosecute such callers when caught.

The regional fire officer said Ghana Telecom Company has threatened to disconnect those emergency lines if such calls continued, and therefore called on the general public to expose such unpatriotic citizens.

"Giving false alarms and the use of abusive language on the personnel of the service can create confusion in the region."

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The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has signed a regulatory partnership agreement with the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Maryland, USA, under which the American Commission will transfer its experience in market-based energy production, transmission, distribution and regulation to the Ghanaian body.

The agreement signed in Washington will also enable both parties to share ideas and exchange programmes that will provide a mechanism for the US energy industry to transfer other experience to the PURC.

A statement issued in Accra on Thursday said Mr Stephen N. Adu, Commissioner and Executive Secretary of PURC and Mr Claude Ligon, Commissioner of PSC signed the agreement.

Mr R. B. W. Hesse, Commissioner, PURC and Dr Samuel Schweitzer, Officer of Energy, Environment and Technology, US Agency for International Development and Mr Sam Afrifa-Kyei, Minister in charge of Consular and Welfare of the Ghana Embassy witnessed it.

The statement said the partnership is part of an elaborate programme established by the US Energy Association for long-term co-operative relations between the US and foreign regulatory agencies in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Energy, Environment and Technology is funding it.

The statement quoted Mr Adu as saying at the ceremony that Ghana is the first African country to undertake a vigorous restructuring programme to ensure fair pricing and provision of good services in the energy sector.

He said the PURC is in the process of instituting measures to protect the interest of consumers through capacity building and learning from the PSC.

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