National policy on ageing presented to Ministry
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From Patrick Firempong, Singapore
Singapore (Singapore) 28 February 2002- President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday, paid a working visit to PSA Corporation Limited in Singapore, the world's largest transhipment hub, on the second day of his three-day official visit to the island.
Mr M. M. Subramaniam, Vice President of the Corporation for Africa and East Asia, met President Kufuor on arrival and briefed the Ghanaian delegation about their operations before they toured of the main harbour.
PSA Corporation Limited formed in October 1997, operates four container terminals at Brani, Pasir Panjang, Tanjong Pagar and Keppel Terminals with a total of 37 berths being operated as one integrated facility. It also operates two multi-purpose terminals at Pasir Panjang.
PSA is most advanced and equipped with 15-metre deep berths with quay cranes able to reach across 18 rows of containers to accommodate the world's largest container vessels. The terminal also boasts of a state-of-the-art bridge crane system that allows each operator to handle up to six cranes as opposed to one previously.
The Corporation handles 25 per cent of the world's total container transhipment throughput and 7.4 per cent of the global container throughput. In 2000, PSA managed 19.77 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEU's) of containers at all its ports around the world including 17.04 million TEU's in Singapore.
It was voted the "Best Container Terminal" at Lloyd's List Maritime Asia Awards for three consecutive years, 1999, 2000 and 2001 and was the first Singaporean multi-national corporation to be conferred the prestigious Singapore Quality Award for business excellence.
President Kufuor also visited the Ulu Pandan Community Club one of the many centres which provides an avenue for the citizens to socialise and interact among themselves within every community and operated under the People's Association of Singapore.
Members of the Association are professionals in their various fields of endeavour but work as volunteers for the management of the Clubs, which have their own Management Committees.
Mr Ong Keng Yong, Chief Executive Director of the Association, briefing President Kufuor, said it had 180 community Clubs for the 4.3 million people of Singapore and a staff of 2,300 employed by the Association with about 90 per cent of their finances from the government and the remaining 10 per cent from the people.
He said the clubs were the key agencies to reach the people to educate the people on government's policies and decisions, explaining them to the people and feedback received are sent to the government.
The Clubs also provide affordable recreational, educational, cultural and social facilities for all categories of people, who participate in their activities and programmes.
Mr Yong said their operations were non-political but secular where every citizen could participate, all executive positions to the management level were appointed by the people themselves within the communities except the youth committees where they were elected through elections because of the peculiar nature of the youth worldwide.
President Kufuor commended the government for its initiative to have the entire nation networked or bonded together, adding; "the concept of the establishment of the Clubs are the product of deep thinking".
He said the concept had brought to the fore, the best ideological divisions of the world, although non-partisan it had some political inclination, which was unique and had assisted the people of Singapore to develop their country.
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Singapore (Singapore) 28 February 2002- President John Agyekum Kufuor would round-up his three-day official visit to Singapore on Thursday with a visit to Sentosa, located off the southern tip of Singapore and the city's most well-known resort island. It boasts of an 18-hole golf course and a slew of theme attractions.
The cable car ride to the island provides a panoramic view of the world's busiest port operated by the PSA Corporation Limited and is highly recommended. Sentosa is opened for tourists and the people only four times within a year.
On Thursday night, President Kufuor and his entourage would leave Singapore en-route to Coolum, Australia to attend the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled for March 2-5.
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Bimbilla (Northern Region) 28 February 2002- Great Consolidated Peoples' Party's (GCPP) candidate, Mr Abdulai Yusif was the first to file his papers for the Bimbilla bye-election, when the filing of nominations opened at 09.00 hours on Wednesday.
Speaking to Ghana News Agency at Bimbilla, Mr Mensah Worlanyoh Tegah, Nanumba District Electoral Officer, said although the other contesting parties, New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples' National Convention (PNC) had collected the nominations form, they were yet to file. Mr Tegah explained that the two-day electoral process commenced from 09.00 hours to 12.00 hours and from 14.00 hours to 17.00 hours on each day.
A source close to Bimbilla NPP executives told the Ghana News Agency that Mr Dominic Ntiwul, the man at the centre of a political controversy between the NPP and PNC, was among the three people that would be contesting for the ticket of the party at a constituency congress on Thursday to elect its parliamentary candidate.
The PNC said it was looking for a new candidate. The PNC on Monday filed a writ at Temale High Court seeking a declaration to stop Mr Ntiwul from contesting the bye-election on the ticket of any other political party other than the PNC.
The writ is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the EC from putting the name of Mr Nitwul forward or holding him out as a candidate for the Bimbilla bye-election.
The writ is fixed for hearing at the court on Thursday, February 28. Meanwhile, all the contesting parties have mounted loud speakers on their vehicles and are campaigning in the town, which appeared calm and peaceful.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 February 2002- The Minority in Parliament on Wednesday condemned the confrontation between the Police and the polytechnic students during a demonstration on Tuesday, which led to several of them being injured.
A statement signed by Mr Kosi Kedem, ranking member on education, said: "We are dismayed by the high handedness of the Police to the students which resulted in several of them being arrested and injured.
"It said the Minority last week urged the government to take appropriate action on the demands of the students to forestall such an unfortunate incident." The Minority said it also called on the leadership of the students to withdraw their ultimatum to the government and call off the strike, adding; "unfortunately, this timely appeal went unheeded".
Police arrested nearly 40 students when they demonstrated through to the streets to the Castle, Osu to draw attention to their demands to change their grading system. The polytechnic students have been on strike since January.
The statement said it was ironical that just two days to the celebration of the 28th February Crossroads Shooting Incident that led to the death of Sergeant Adjetey and his colleagues, a similar incident of Police brutality should occur at the same spot. (This time around an Adjetey is in the Castle and not at the Crossroads).
The Minority appealed to the government and the polytechnic students to exercise maximum restraint in the interest of the nation. The statement said the minority expressed sympathy to the injured students and wished them speedy recovery.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 February 2002- Ghana could gain a big chunk of the 2.2 billion euros being offered to the African Caribbean Pacific countries by the European Investment Bank (EIB) if the private sector was well enhanced and developed to make economic growth real and a major part of government focus.
The amount, which is to be spread over the next five years, would be channelled through two commercial banks - ECOBANK and SSB Bank - and three leasing companies.
Mr Michel Marciano, Senior Loan Officer for West Africa and the Sahel of the EIB was speaking to the Ghana News Agency after a meeting with Mr Kwamena Bartels, Minister for Private Sector Development, in his office in Accra.
He said he had held similar meetings at the Ministries of Finance, Energy and Trade and Industry to find how best to support the private sector. Mr Marciano said during discussions with Mr Bartels he got the impression that government was keen on making the private sector strong.
"I hope all things work out well without any hitch. However, if we find anything such as a (controlled) economy, the funds will find their way to another country with a more open and liberal environment for the private sector," Mr Marciano said.
Mr Bartels said he welcomed the moves of the EIB since one of the major problems facing the private sector was access to cheap long term funding. "Government is in total agreement with providing funds through commercial banks and other intermediaries such as the leasing companies compared to previous times when the funds were given directly to needy companies."
He said government realises that the stability of the cedi was not enough, adding; "the real growth and stability must be felt in the pockets of the ordinary people and this is what the private sector is being empowered to do". Mr Bartels said it was in this direction that a number of areas had been identified to kick-start growth and increase employment to reduce poverty.
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Ankasa (Western Region) 28 February 2002- The European Ambassador and Head of the European Delegation in Ghana, Mr Stefan Frowein has reminded companies, organisations and contractors working on European Union (EU) sponsored projects to respect laid down procedures to achieve good results and to meet deadlines.
He said only projects cleared by experts after evaluation on their completion would receive further grants and other forms of assistance for the next phase, in line with the Cotonou Accord.
The Cotonou Accord spells out the agreement on mobilisation, preparation, design and financing of projects between the 15 member countries of the EU and the 77 members of the Union of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
Mr Frowein gave the caution when he led a team from the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission (FC) to inspect the first phase of Ankasa Rain Forest Reserve, near the border town of Elubo in the Western Region.
Located in the high forest zone in the Southwest corner of the country, the 509 kilometre-squared reserve; comprising the Ankasa Resource Centre and the Nini Suhein National Park, was started in March 1997 under the Protected Areas Development Programme (PADP) in the Western Region.
A 36-month Wildlife Division Project is aimed at developing management plans to enhance biodiversity conservation in the Nini Suhein National Park, Ankasa Resource Reserve and the Bia National Park at a cost of 4.6 million Euros and financed by the EU.
The project, which was being implemented by the Wildlife Division under a contract agreement with ULG Germany, was extended for another 18 months ending September 2001 to avoid a long pause between the current phase and the anticipated second phase.
Further extension was made for the first phase of the project to end by February 2002.
The rain forest is the only fully protected wet evergreen forest with a unique, undisturbed flora and it safeguards water supply and climatic conditions for agriculture in the area.
The forest and the park harbour many interesting mammals like the endangered West African chimpanzee, duikers, bongo and the forest elephant. The forest has also been classified as the most botanical-diverse rain forest with a unique, virtually undisturbed fauna.
The rain forest has four tourist camps, boardwalks, two sleeping shelters, kitchens, pit latrines, running water and gas lamps. It is also an exploration base for educational purposes, which runs four days conservation education course for school children of the communities around the reserve.
After touring the forest, the bamboo cathedral and seeing the interesting trees and some new ornamental plants unique to the Ankasa Forest, Mr Frowein held a meeting with Nana Paniaka IV, Senior Divisional Chief and elders of Nuba in the West Nzema Traditional Council, officials and staff at a meeting at Apatakese, which could be called a classroom of the exploration base.
Mr Frowein told the gathering that the environment was dear to the EU, and implored everyone to look at the environment "as a gift which has been borrowed from our children" and take good care of it to be paid back as a grand legacy for future generations.
He said after the end of the first phase of the project on February 28, 2002, there would be an evaluation and the EU would decide on what next to do with the project.
The EU Ambassador stressed that the continuation of the project would be based on the findings of the experts subject to the observance of laid down procedures, quick completion of projects with a conviction that the monies had been well used, and added " there is a will to do these in Ghana."
In response to an appeal by Nana Paniaka IV to extend the development of hospitals, roads, schools and other social infrastructure to the West Nzema area, Mr Frowein said the EU had been involved in more than 600 micro projects, some of which were boreholes and sanitation projects in 56 out of the 110 districts in the country to improve living condition in the communities. He, however, indicated that the locating of such projects would be based on a demonstration of good capacity to better manage such development investments.
The delegation later visited the site where six blocks of building to be used as staff residence; offices and workshop were being developed. The contractors for the project estimated at a cost of 1.5 billion cedis were Additish and Ben Philla construction companies. The projects were expected to be completed by the end of February, but have been delayed.
Ms Josephine Kpesese, one of the site engineers, attributed the delay to intermittent rainfall and a recent chieftaincy dispute that made some of the workers to abandon the site for some time.
Mr Frowein expressed satisfaction about the quality of work but complained about the delay and said that would expand the initial projected cost. He said; "we are sitting in trouble" and added that when there are such unexpected delays it puts pressure on EU's finances. Madam Gytha Nuno, the Forestry Commissioner, said the Commission would appeal to the Ministry of Finance to support the project for its successful completion.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 February 2002- Workers of Sabat Motors on Wednesday asked the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) to issue a directive for the immediate re-opening of the company and re-instatement of all employees.
The workers, under the umbrella of Sabat Workers Action Committee (SWAC), also demanded that all arrears, wages and entitlements up-to-date be paid to employees, who were laid off nearly five years ago.
The workers, in a seven-point resolution presented to MOTI after they had marched to the ministry, called for an interim management team, made up of Sabat workers and MOTI to take over the running of the company.
"Concurrent with the re-opening of the company a probe should be instituted into the affairs of the company." The resolution said the office of the President, which has the supervisory control of the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC), should immediately abrogate the sale of ATS to Sabat Motors.
It said the assets and status of the company be reverted to its original state, including the pre-divestiture first buyer option exercised by workers as the minority shareholders. The grievances of the workers stem from alleged malpractices in the divesture of the R.T. Briscoe segment of ATS to Sabat Motors Limited.
Mr Frank Dean Adjabeng, leader of the 250 workers, said: "The workers have gone through shame and knocked on several doors, including that of the Speaker of Parliament and the President, but nothing was done in response."
"Today, four years after the NPP's 'interest' and 'involvement' in the Sabat case, two years into the Kufuor Administration and six months after the public deadline given by Dr Konadu Apraku, Minister of Trade and Industry and Nana Akufo-Addo, Attorney-General, no one can claim that the NPP administration 'needs more time'.
"So we are saddened and sickened by continuing evidence of a pattern of patronizing appeals for 'more time', false promises, bureaucratic indifference and elitist negligence."
Mr Adjabeng said: "It appears that what the NDC established by acts of commission, the NPP is continuing by acts of omission. The NPP is the government of the day, it must share the blame for perpetuating the dehumanisation of workers."
MOTI had written to SWAC to call off its intended demonstration since the report of the committee set up to advise government on their grievances was ready and would be submitted to the two ministers. The workers, numbering about 100, had earlier converged at the premises of Sabat Motors, near the Cocoa Board, where Mr Adjabeng read a communiqué to them.
They then went on a peaceful demonstration through Central Accra to the Ministries under Police guard. Some of them wore red bands and carried placards which read: "We want positive Change"," We have suffered far too long" and "Our families are suffering".
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 February 2002- A national draft policy on ageing which seeks to address concerns of the aged has been presented to the Ministry of Manpower Development and Employment to be forwarded to the Cabinet.
The draft policy, prepared by the Centre for Social Policy Studies of the University of Ghana, Legon, would guide government and district assemblies in addressing issues like health, family and social life of the aged in the society.
Mr Ebenezer Adjetey-Sorsey, Acting Director of HelpAge, Ghana, (HAG), made this known at a press briefing in Accra to announce HAG's intention to organise a fund-raising concert. He said the concert to be held on March 8 at La Palm Royal Beech Hotel, has 100 million cedis as its target to support their activities.
Mr Adjetey-Sorsey said HAG, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), derives its funding from individuals and organisations and "because funds from theses sources are not enough, we are organising this concert to raise more money to supplement what we have to assist the elderly." He noted that ageing was something that would happen to everyone in his or her lifetime and all efforts must be made to plan properly for a better life.
HAG would also organise an ophthalmic programme for the aged in March in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Accra Golden Lions Club and the Christian Relief Organisation's Eye Centre from Nsawam to screen and provide drugs and spectacles where necessary. Mr Adjetey-Sorsey appealed to individuals and NGOs to assist the elderly to make them live happy life.
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Ghana lost 120 soldiers in peacekeeping
operations.
Tema (Greater Accra) 28 February 2002- About 14,000 Ghanaians who lived in Liberia during the Liberia civil war lost their lives. It was, therefore, urgent that Ghana had to spend a lot of resources for the Ghana Armed Forces to join ECOMOG and move to Liberia to help stop the Liberian civil in the early 1990s.
Lieutenant Colonel Dan Mishio, of the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College told the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, after delivery a paper on: "The contribution of the Ghana Armed Forces to peace in the sub-region" at a Peace Day Dinner.
The Rotary Club of Tema organised the dinner, which the Meridian Rotary also attended. Lt. Col Mishio explained that Ghana Army always had to procure all their equipment before they undertook UN peacekeeping missions, to be reimbursed later, this normally caused a lot of strain on the economy.
He said the role of Ghana Armed Forces in Liberia and Sierra Leone was well known, adding that Ghanaian troops had to go to Liberia without any financial support to save lives and in this case, there was no reimbursement from the UN, because it was an ECOMOG affair. Lt. Col. Mishio told Ghana News Agency that the country had lost 120 soldiers in more than 30 peacekeeping operations in four decades, since independence.
He said Ghana's first mission undertaken in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1960 cost the country the lives of 48 officers and men and this ended in September 1963. "We did not relent in our support for peace and went to Sinai in Egypt in January 1974, with eleven contingents that served till July 1979."
Col. Mishio said their focus shifted to South Lebanon in August 1979, which was once seen as the hottest conflict area, where Lieutenant General Emmanuel Erskine was appointed the first UNIFIL Commander. Ghana Armed Forces also participated in the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) from 1992 to 1993 with only two contingents.
Col. Mishio noted that one of the most dangerous Missions Ghana participated in was the UN Armistice Mission to Rwanda. He said the troops conducted themselves so well and even in the face of the gravest danger, when other nationals were evacuating their troops, Ghanaians risked their lives and courageously stayed on in the supreme interest of peace.
"We stayed there to save lives of women, children and the elderly and demonstrated that we were indeed providing service above self". He said the Ghana Armed Forces would continue to play its role in the search of peace in the world. He said countries like USA, Germany and United Kingdom are helping with the establishing of the Peacekeeping School, which would be beneficial to Ghana and other countries in the training of peacekeepers.
Rotary Club of Tema presented selected books and a cash prize of 500,000 cedis to Miss Mary Stella Akosua Adabrah, the best teacher in basic education, Miss Ahmed Isaka, best community health nurse at Ashale Botwe and Mr Isaac Kingsley Ansah, an employee of the Ghana Commercial Bank, Tema the best worker award. The Club also presented a certificate to the Ghana Port and Harbours Authority. Mr Nestor Galley, Director of Tema Port collected it on its behalf.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 February 2002 - The former Director of the Legal Sector, Private and Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance, George Sipa Agyare Yankey on Wednesday told the Fast Track Court in Accra that his involvement in the Quality Grain project was in line with his job and for its progress.
He said as a civil servant, he duly took instructions from the then Vice President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, who had responsibility for the project. Yankey, who was continuing with his defence at the Fast Track Court, explained that the Government of Ghana was not a party or a shareholder of the Quality Grain Company.
Kwame Peprah, former Minister of Finance and Ibrahim Adam, former Minister of Food and Agriculture are in the dock with Yankey. The other two are Ato Dadzie, former Chief of Staff and Samuel Dapaah, former Chief Director at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
They have been accused of conspiracy and wilfully causing financial loss to the State. The five are alleged to have played different roles in the scandal that resulted in the loss to the State of more than 20 million dollars.
They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges and the court presided over by Mr Justice Kwame Afreh, an Appeal Court Judge, sitting as an additional High Court Judge, had granted each of them a self-recognisance bail.
Yankey said he did not sign any agreement in respect of the loans and that he did not collude with any bank to transfer money into anybody's account. Answering questions during cross-examination by Mr Osafo Sampong, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Yankey, a lawyer, said that he had been with the bar for 23 years.
He said in the Civil Service, he did not belong to an executive or secretarial class, but to the technical class. He said though there were classes in the Civil Service, he did not know of a legal class in the Service. Yankey said he knew that the Attorney General was the principal government's legal adviser, but not the sole adviser to the government.
According to him, he did not give advice side by side with the Attorney General, but it was the government that sought for his expertise. He disagreed that by so doing, he was disturbing the functions of the Attorney- General.
Yankey said when the government wanted to set-up the legal department of the Ministry of Finance, he was invited to assist and that he did not apply for any position.
In an answer to a question, he noted that the Cabinet decided to set-up the legal department, because very often, legal matters referred to the Attorney-General's Department delayed.
When asked of the position that he held in the Quality Grain Company, he said he was a Nominal Director in the Company. He explained further that a Nominal Director did not have shares in a company, but has a role to play in the business.
Yankey said the first Quality Grain Company that was registered had two directors and included Mrs Juliet Cotton. At this point, the DPP enquired from him the date that the second company was registered. He said it was registered in February, 1996.
When Mr Sampong asked how the company was administered, Yankey said it was a joint venture between the Quality Grain Company of the United States of America and the Government of Ghana, with the Vice President as a Director, who actually administered the company.
According to him, the company was administered from the Castle. Reacting to a suggestion by Mr Sampong that Yankey did not comply with the standing rule of the company, Yankey replied that there was no standing rule in the joint venture. Yankey explained that among the roles that he played was to ensure that the interest of the government was registered.
Earlier, a representative of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Wilfred Sam Awortwi, Legal Director of the Police Service, explained to the court that the IGP sent a letter which was dated February 11, to all Police Commanders to assist the defence team in the case, to visit the project site at Aveyime.
Mr Awortwi said a radio message was sent accordingly, to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Volta Region and the Superintendent of Police, Sogakope to offer the necessary assistance. The court, at the last sitting, invited the IGP or his representative to appear at the court on the basis of certain allegations made by the defence team.
He expressed surprised that one member of the defence team, Mr Kwaku Baah went to meet the Volta Regional Police Commander and arranged to visit the site on February 28, and therefore, did not see why the allegation was made. Mr Baah said he wanted the DPP to close his cross-examination before the visit. Hearing continues on Monday, March 4.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 28 February 2002 - Centre for Moral Education (CMED), a Kumasi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) has appealed to the Ghana National Union Of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS), to call off their strike and go back to the negotiation table.
Mr Opoku-Agyemang Prempeh, Executive President CMED, who was speaking to the GNA in Kumasi told the leadership of the students' union to follow laid down procedure in solving the problem no matter how legitimate their demands were.
He said: "Dialogue and consensus building are the surest guarantee to finding a lasting solution to any problem and not boycotts of lectures or demonstrations.'' He expressed the hope that though the problem of the polytechnic students seemed chronic, the government would take pragmatic steps to resolve the impasse once and for all.
Mr Prempeh noted that disruption of the academic calendar could impede the country's educational development and called on stakeholders to co-operate with government in resolving the matter.
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