Victims testifying
before NRC lauded
Kyebi (Eastern Region)
The Deputy Minister of Interior,
Kwadwo Asiedu-Affram, who declared this at a People's
Assembly at Kyebi in the East Akim
District on Friday, stated that since the treaty provided for temporary residence
of ECOWAS nationals in member countries, the security services were rather
being strengthened to deal with those who abused their stay in the country.
He was reacting to a suggestion
by a participant asking the government to reactivate the Order passed by the
Asiedu-Affram said the government was
preparing to provide citizens with identification cards to make it easy to
identify aliens who abused the law and urged the public to co-operate with the
security agencies to expose and deal with criminals.
Some participants called on the
government to make regular maintenance of roads and infrastructure a priority
to save the huge cost in rehabilitation, the need for additional doctors and
nurses at the local government hospital and the monitoring of the cocoa
spraying gangs to ensure efficiency and full coverage of all farms.
A nurse expressed concern about
the rather low pension benefits paid to civil servants after long dedicated
services to the nation while a pensioner called for an end to the frustration
and bribery that they faced during the processing of their benefits at the
SSNIT and Accountant General's Department.
Other complaints raised included
lack of teachers in some schools, the high transport fares and the destruction
of food crops by timber concessionaires without payment of compensation.
Answering a query on the lack of
telephone facility in the area, the Deputy Minister of Communication and Technology,
John Achuliwor, blamed it on the "exploitative
management agreement" entered into between the former government and
Telecom Malyasia under which the nation lost both in funds
and satisfactory service over the five-year term.
He explained that the NPP
government refused to renew the agreement because while the minority foreign
partner gained millions of dollars, the country earned nothing to the extent
that Ghana Telecom owes virtually all creditors locally and abroad.
According Achiluwor,
the situation would be addressed under the agreement between
The East Akim
District Chief Executive, Emmanuel Asihene, announced
that since he assumed duties about two years ago, the Assembly had been collecting
an average of 20 million cedis a month from local revenue sources instead of
about 5 million cedis previously.
The Adontenhene
of Akyem Abuakwa
traditional area, Osabarima Kena Ampaw, who chaired
the function, called on the government to embark on intensive public education
on the new fuel prices to explain the need for it.
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Denu (Volta Region)
Daniel Anderson Agbolosu, a tutor, said the Ketu
District would be hard hit by the fallout from any future political crises in
Agbolosu asked African leaders to adopt
mechanisms to compel their colleagues whose styles of governance are undemocratic
to accede to the new democratic dictates prevailing in the world.
A student participant suggested
that the number of guarantors for the SSNIT Students Loan should be reduced from
three to one to make processing less cumbersome. Other issues contributors
touched on included oil exploration activities in the country, the neglect of Zonal, Town and Urban Council workers by assemblies and
alleged rift between the Linus Koffie,
Ketu District Chief Executive and Lt-Col Charles Agbenaza (Rtd), Ketu South Constituency Member of Parliament.
Major Courage Quashigah (RTD), Minister of Food and Agriculture, in
answers to some of the questions said the Togolese issue was a tricky one and blamed
the woes of most African countries on "mismanagement of power by our leaders".
He said the SSNIT Loans Scheme
for students was full of flaws making recovery difficult but promised that the
suggestion for the reduction of the number of guarantors would be studied.
Major Quashigah
praised the former government for relinquishing power gentlemanly that allowed
the NPP government to continue with the job they were doing with fresh zeal.
Yaw Barimah,
Minister of Works and Housing, said exploration for oil had reached an advanced
stage and hoped that the search would result in a find. Kofi Dzamesi, Deputy Volta Regional Minister, blamed some
contractors in the region for taking on too many contracts and found it
difficult to execute them on schedule.
He warned that such contractors
could lose part or all their contracts. Modestus Ahiable, MP for Ketu North,
commended Major Quashigah for recognising the good works
of the previous government. He hoped the NPP government would deliver on their
promises ''or they be dammed.''
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Nandom (Upper West)
The move is to encourage more
parents particularly in the rural areas to send their children to school and to
support parents to take good care of the school needs of their children.
Mrs Theresa Tagoe,
Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, announced this at a political rally
organised by NPP at Nandom on Sunday to run-off
Peoples Assemblies organised throughout the region.
She said that the government was
working out modalities to come out with loan facilities for women in particular,
no matter their political affiliations, and called on them to organise
themselves to obtain the facilities.
She said the organisation of
peoples Assemblies for people to ask questions was an ample demonstration that
the NPP government was transparent and called on the people to rally round the
party in the 2004 elections.
"We want all of you here to
support us to sweep all the eight parliamentary seats in the Upper West Region
come 2004 general elections." Sahanun Mogtari, Upper West Region Minister,
said the government would tar the Nandom town roads
and further tar the road between Nandom and Hamile to open the area up for more and brisk commercial activities
to go on.
He said pipe-borne water system
would be provided at Nandom to rid the place of
water-borne diseases and called on them to rally round the government to
provide them with their needs.
Mogtari called on the people to
resist all kinds of monetary gifts as other politicians could use that as a
bait to attract them to their parties. "You need to wake up from your
political slumber and work hard to return us into power come 2004 for us to
meet your aims and aspirations."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 January
2003- African scientists and stakeholders in atomic energy are attending a
five-day workshop on raising the standard of security on nuclear and
radioactive facilities, with the aim of preventing the use of nuclear materials
by terrorists.
The meeting, which opened in
It is being organized by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in collaboration with the Radiation
Protection Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC).
The workshop follows the need to
beef up security in the face of recent terrorists attacks on a number of
countries including those in
"Because radiation knows no
frontiers, every country needs to appreciate the importance of safety and
security of nuclear materials. Countries must demonstrate not only to their own
populations, but to their neighbours and the world that strong and effective
systems are in place," Prof. Bekoe added.
He called for a strong security
regime in every country in order not to weaken the chain in the global nuclear
security network. He explained that
According to Prof. Bekoe, there was technical capability to assess radiation
leakage and contamination in the country. However, he said, technical capability
for a national response to radiological emergencies was now being developed
with assistance from IAEA.
Dr Nokdad
Maksoudi of the IAEA spoke on the need for countries,
especially those in
Prof. Edmund Osae,
acting Director-General of the GAEC, said due to the urgency and seriousness of
the threat of terrorists to global peace and security, the
He said as a follow-up, an
international conference on security of radioactive sources will be held in
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 January
2003- A Document Examiner at the Police Forensic Laboratory on Monday told an
Accra Fast Track Court hearing the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL)
divestiture case that when the case was referred to him by the investigator, he
was tasked to compare question documents and handwritings of three persons.
Supt. Alhaji Bukari
Yakubu, fifth prosecution witness in the case, who
was being led in evidence by Osafo Sampong, Director
of Public Prosecutions (DPP) told the court that the three persons were Dr
Albert Owusu-Barnafo, third prosecution witness, Madam
Georgina Okaitey, member of the 31st December Women's
Movement who is yet to testify, and Hanny Sherry Ayittey,
treasurer of the movement, and one of the four accused persons.
The three other accused are
Emmanuel Amuzu Agbodo,
former Executive Secretary of the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC),
Ralph Casely-Hayford, businessman and Sati Dorcas Ocran, housewife.
The four are being tried for
their alleged involvement in bribery and corrupt practices during the
privatisation of GREL. They have pleaded not guilty to the various charges, and
have been admitted to bail in their own recognisance by the court.
Continuing his evidence, Supt. Yakubu told the court that the question document, which was
referred to him, was a draft. Witness stated that after obtaining the
handwritings of the three persons involved from their statements to the police,
he examined those statements with optical instruments to find out which of them
was really the author of the document.
Supt Yakubu who had earlier tendered in evidence a
comparison chart on the assignment given to him, told the court that on completing
the assignment, he presented a written report to the authorities on
Two other prosecution witnesses,
James Mayne Amissah, former
Secretary to former President Rawlings, and Kofi Opoku-Manu,
former Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance also testified in court today.
Amissah tendered a letter in evidence
on the Reconstituted Board of DIC addressed to Agbodo
while Opoku-Manu also tendered in evidence a letter
addressed to Ayittey in her capacity as Managing Director of GIHOC Distilleries,
informing her of her inclusion on the DIC Board.
Justice J C Amonoo-Monney, Appeal Court Judge with an additional responsibility
on the case as a High Court Judge, over-ruled an objection raised by Johnny Quarshie-Idun, counsel for Ayittey, in connection with the
tendering of the document by Opoku-Manu. The case has
been adjourned to Thursday, 23 January.
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Victims
testifying before NRC lauded
Primate S.K. Adofo,
Chief Patron of the General Council for Pentecostal Churches, described the gesture
as a prudent decision that should be emulated by those yet to testify at the
commission.
Primate Adofo
made the commendation when he inaugurated the Ashanti Region branch of the
General Council for
The General Council for
Pentecostal Churches is the umbrella body of independent indigenous African
churches in the country. Primate Adofo, Head of the
“Compensation packages could
follow only when victims of atrocities and perpetrators of such atrocities
genuinely smoke the peace pipe after presentation of their cases before the
Commission.”
Rev James Yaw Ahinkora, National Vice-Chairman of the Council, said the
Council was not out to undermine progress of the churches but instead monitor
their activities to ensure that they conformed to the teachings of Christ.
Rev Ahenkora
said the absence of such a Council in the past paved the way for most
independent churches to operate in a manner that cast a slur on the image of
the Christian faith.
Nana Osei Afriyie,
Assemblyman for South Suntreso Electoral Area, urged
the Council to evolve programmes that would enable them to enlighten member
churches of the council on national issues.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 January
2003- President John Kufuor, on Monday urged Africans to expend their energies
on fighting poverty, hunger and diseases, which are the critical problems of
the continent instead of fighting one another because of faith and doctrinal
differences.
Stressing the need for religious
tolerance and the respect for one another on beliefs, he said, dialogue and other
peaceful alternatives should rather be used to resolve such differences.
The President said this in a
speech, read for him by Senior Minister J.H. Mensah, to open the First
Conference of Muslim Minorities, in
Those who attended the ceremony
included Vice President Aliu Mahama, his wife Ramatu,
Information Minister Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, members of the Council of State, the Diplomatic
Corps, traditional leaders and Christians.
“Islam, World Peace and
Development,” is the theme of the three-day conference, organised jointly by
the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Islamic Centre for
Education and Development Ghana.
President Kufuor said: “As in
many parts of
“More worrying is the periodic
outbreaks of intra religious feuds among Muslim communities. It is absolutely
imperative to find peaceful approaches to resolve disputes, be they doctrinal
or otherwise.”
President Kufuor said though
He said: “No country can pretend
that it is immune to what happens in another part of the world. We, in
“Very few people in
He underscored the importance of
education as the key to development and eliminating poverty, but expressed
regret that Muslims in
"Throughout the ages, Islam
has produced famous scholars and scientists and has led in the development of
our civilisation. Today it is crucial that the Muslim community keeps pace with
the new challenges of modern world," he said.
President Kufuor, consequently,
advised Muslims to send their children, particularly daughters to school and keep
them there to enable them to acquire scientific and technical education that
would make them competitive.
He urged the organisers of the Conference
to make the education of the female Muslims a core issue on their agenda. He
expressed
In an interview with the GNA,
Sheikh M.M. Gedel, a coordinator of the conference,
said the event had become very crucial, particularly in the aftermath of the
September 11 suicide attacks on the World Trade Centre, to dispel the
perception that Islam promotes violence.
Sheikh Gedel
said Muslims, who are minorities, particularly needed to be educated to be law
abiding, progressive and peaceful. He explained that Muslims are classified
minorities when they form 50 per cent or less of their countries' population.
He said the conference was
successful because it had brought both orthodox and unorthodox Muslims
together, adding that religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence would be
widely promoted.
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