UK gives 2m pounds for Ivorian peacekeeping
Three West African
Speakers call on President Kufuor
Ms Eileen Marshal, Senior
Adviser of GCA, speaking to newsmen said security was a pre-requisite for
development. She said the Forum would focus on strategies to ensure security on
the continent.
It would also create a platform
for the discussion of problems confronting
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo)
Akropong government hospital in
Ashanti Region, alleged to have issued a fake medical report and fabricated an
alleged rape case against Joseph Amankwaa, a photographer in Sunyani, have petitioned
the Inspector General of Police against the conduct of the police prosecutor.
In the petition, signed by
Anthony Yeboah for Hayfron Benjamin and Co and copied to the Ghana News Agency,
the solicitors prayed “the IGP would endeavour to call Assistant Superintendent
of Police (ASP) Alex Yartey Tawiah to order by securing an explanation and an
apology from him”.
“Our client is determined to
have his innocence proven in order to secure his reputation and professional
integrity, which has been (dented) through media reports and discussions, all
at the instance of ASP Tawiah”.
The medical doctor, Dr K Baah
Nyamekye of
When the case was presented at
the Sunyani District Magistrate court last Monday, a bench warrant was issued
for his arrest. But the solicitors in the petition stated that ASP Tawiah had “misinformed
the court that our client was at large and therefore was a fugitive from
justice”.
This misinformation enabled him
to obtain a bench warrant for the arrest of our client, the petition said, adding
“the effect of ASP Tawiah's conduct has been extremely damaging to Dr Nyamekye,
who up to 7 January, was not aware of any proceedings against him before any
court in the country”.
“On 9 January following a
publication in the Ghanaian Times of 7 January based upon information released
to the reporter by ASP Tawiah, we applied for court bail for our client, Dr
Nyamekye, which was duly granted by the District Magistrate.
“It was in the court that it came
to light that ASP Tawiah had misinformed the court that our client was at large
and therefore was a fugitive from justice. This misinformation enabled him to
obtain a bench warrant for the arrest of our client”.
The solicitors stated that as at
the time of writing the petition, no policeman had ever invited Dr Nyamekye to
any police station, arrested him or served any criminal summons, adding that no
charge had been laid against him formally to answer, even though he had at all
times been going about his normal duties as a medical doctor.
“The doctor has never been at
large as ASP Tawiah informed the court since a person does not become at large
just because the police investigator lacks logistics to travel from Sunyani to
Akropong to investigate him”.
The solicitors explained that
Emelia Dankwa, who alleged that she had been raped and sought medical attention
at the hospital, was conveyed there apparently unconscious in the absence of Dr
Nyamekye, so a nurse on duty gave her intravenous infusion whilst they waited
for the arrival of the doctor.
Dr Nyamekye later got to know
that pictures were taken of the patient at the instance of those who brought
her to the hospital, they added. The petition said when Dr Nyamekye arrived at
the hospital he was informed that Emelia had alleged that she had been raped so
he examined her after which he made the necessary report on his findings, “which
cannot be disclosed by reasons of the confidentiality between a doctor and his patient”.
“Indeed one would have expected
that ASP Tawiah and the Ghanaian Times reporter would have given the benefit of
the doubt to our client, in that just as Miss Emelia Dankwa and her assistants
allegedly set about to deceive the police and possibly the court, they might as
well have deceived the medical doctor in the process”.
The solicitors said it was their
considered opinion that “ASP Tawiah did not act competently when he literally sent
our client to the media for flogging after throwing all the relevant principles
of law to the wind and including that fact that the matter is subjudice”.
Meanwhile, Dr Nyamekye is on a
ten million cedis self-recognisance bail granted by the court and will
re-appear on 29 January.
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Dawhenya (Greater Accra) 22 January
2003- President John Kufuor on Tuesday cut the sod at Dawhenya in the Greater
Accra Region for work to begin on the 81.5 km Tema-Sogakope road estimated at
about 225 billion cedis.
The project forms part of the
KFW is providing about 200
billion cedis while the govenrment provides 25bn cedis to the project expected
to be completed within 30 months. The project commences from about three kilometres
from the Tema end of the Accra-Tema motorway and ends at the bridge over the
The road to be rehabilitated to
an asphaltic concrete dual carriageway would be provided with road furniture,
traffic lights and crash barriers. President Kufuor said the socio-economic and
political significance of the road cannot be in doubt.
He said it was a road that led
to Prampram,
“The economic potentials are
enormous and the areas need to be opened up,” he added. He said for years, the
state of the road had not only been a disgrace to
President Kufuor expressed
gratitude to the German government for its assistance and enthusiastic support
for the development of the road sector. “This surely demonstrates a commitment
and confidence in
He called on the contractors
DAEWOO of South Korea and the consultant GAUFF INGENIEURS to deliver high
quality work on the project and on time. Dr Richard Winfred Anane, Minister of
Roads and Transport said the project would signify the realisation of the
policies and programmes of the government towards the provision of the
necessary infrastructure to facilitate the socio-economic development of the
country. He pledged the Ministry's support to implement the government's road
and transport policies.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 22 January
2003 - Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11, the Asantehene, has tasked the Asanteman Council
to work out standardized funeral performance in Ashanti.
Giving the directive at the
first meeting of the Asanteman Council in
He said families spent huge sums
of money on funerals to the neglect of the education of their children and said
this state of affairs should not be allowed to continue. The Asantehene
therefore, warned that anybody who would flout the law when it came into
operation would be severely dealt with.
Another area of concern to him,
Otumfuo Osei Tutu said, was the judicious use of time and that the Asanteman
Council would from now sit within specified periods of time.
''The council does not need to
spend a whole day deliberating on many issues without achieving any
results. It will be prudent to tackle
one or two issues within a specified period and achieve results.''
He expressed disappointment at
the refusal of some chiefs on the various committees to attend meetings had resulted
in their not performing to expectation. ''I have therefore tasked the Mamponghene,
Daasebre Osei Bonsu, to reconstitute the committees.''
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Tamale (Northern Region) 22 January
2003- Many residents of the Tamale municipality have resorted to walking to
their workplaces due to the high taxi fares drivers are now charging as a
result of the recent hike in fuel prices.
The worst hit includes government
workers and school children, a good number of who are now walking to and from
their workplaces and schools respectively. A survey conducted by the GNA in the
municipality showed that taxi fares have gone up by 100 per cent, which workers
and parents interviewed said they could ill afford, after the Christmas and New
Year expenses.
For instance, taxi fare from the
Tamale Teaching Hospital to the taxi rank that used to be 700 cedis, is now
1,500. At the Tamale-Yendi station, Mr Sumani Yakubu, chairman of the local
branch of the GPRTU told the GNA that the fare was previously 5,000 cedis but
this had been increased to 10,000 cedis.
He explained that when the
drivers refused to accept to charge 8,000 cedis as proposed by the GPRTU,
passengers on their own volition agreed to pay an extra 2,000 cedis to enable
them to get vehicles to their destinations.
Meanwhile the union executive of
the taxi branch of the GPRTU have appealed to the government to adjust
transport fares from the proposed 30 per cent to 70 or 80 per cent.
They complained that it was
unfair for the government to adjust fares by only 30 per cent while fuel prices
have risen by 95 per cent. They noted that insurance premium is now 665,000; a
second-hand tyre sells between 80,000 cedis and 100,000 cedis while engine oil
has gone up to 80,000 cedis a gallon.
Some market women interviewed
said they were waiting for the stock of their old foodstuffs to get finished
before they would increase prices when they bought new commodities.
However, a kilo of beef, which
sold at 5,000 cedis is now 6,000 cedis. The butchers told the GNA that they now
pay 20,000 cedis to transport a cow from the cattle ranch to the slaughterhouse
instead of the 10,000 they used to pay.
Other workers interviewed
appealed to the government to implement a cost of living allowance (COLA) to
cushion the effects of the hike in fuel prices on the living conditions of
workers
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Accra (Greater Accra) 22 January
2003 - Mohammed Araqi, Chairman of the Culture and Islamic Relations of Iran,
on Tuesday commended Ghanaians for their religious tolerance and the high level
of co-operation among the various religious bodies, saying it was worthy of
emulation.
He said this when he led a
delegation to pay a courtesy call on Vice President Aliu Mahama at the Castle,
Osu. Araqi is in
The Rev Kwabeng Amening of the Gospel
Ministries was one of the key speakers at the opening ceremony, and his sermon
was well appreciated by the participants.
On bilateral relations between
He proposed to
The Cultural and Islamic Boss
said the centre, would not only be for the mutual benefit of the two countries,
but would also promote global peace. Araqi said his country, which had
prioritised the promotion of bilateral cordial ties since the Islamic
Revolution considered
Vice President Mahama welcomed
the second the invitation to
The Vice President thanked
On the building of the cultural
centre, he tasked the National Commission on Culture (NCC) to work with the
Iranian Embassy to implement it. Professor George Hagan, Chairman of NCC,
commended
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Abokobi (Greater Accra)
They said very often, stories of
refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were not told in full, because
refugees were relocated in remotest areas of host countries or because their
stories lack intrigue.
The participants from
It is being organized by the
World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), an international
ecumenical organization which gives priority to Christian values in serving the
world's communication and development needs.
Describing the irony of the situation,
Tim Acquah Hayford, one of the resource persons said reporting on refugees
located far away across the globe elicits compassion and sympathy from the
public, but when those refugees were located in the same public's backyard,
their innocence becomes a threat to the stability of the of the country.
He said in recognizing the
plight of refugees and IDPs with compassion and sympathy, the journalist was
helping to promote public awareness and understanding, thereby encouraging
assistance and fair treatment to those in need.
Touching on
He said among the refugee's
rights, the right to information and communication of information was usually
unimpeded provided refugees observed the limitations that were attached to the
freedoms.
Edwin Barnes, Chief Director of
the Ministry of Interior, traced
He said in receiving and hosting
refugees,
Barnes urged the media to
exercise professional discretion in putting across their reports saying, “the
civil war in Rwanda and Burundi fell on the doorsteps of the media as they more
than hyped the situation... thus creating the condition for carnage.”
Thomas Albrecht, The United
Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative for Ghana said one
of the key factors influencing the quality and quantity of protection and assistance
delivered to refugees was public perception of refugees, hence the need for
journalists to create greater awareness.
He said the media's role and
public perception were also very much needed in the process of local
integration of refugees and IDPs in their countries of asylum or regions of
displacement.
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They, however, expressed their
appreciation at the readiness and commitment of the protagonists to end the
armed conflict through negotiations and dialogue for a peaceful and lasting
solution to the crisis.
This was contained in a 29-point
communiqué adopted at the end of their meeting in
The leaders of
The communiqué deplored the
persistent proliferation of light weapons in the sub-region and appealed to
ECOWAS Member States to comply with the obligations contained in the Moratorium
on their import, export and the manufacture adopted in
They noted with regret the use
of ex-servicemen and child soldiers in on-going conflicts, which posed a
serious danger and constant threat to peace and security in the sub-region and
urged the International Community to support appropriate policies aimed at their
re-integration into civil life.
They also called on the
International Community to support the signing of a global peace and
reconciliation agreement, a reconstruction programme for
The leaders expressed their
appreciation to President Jacques Chirac and the French Government for their
commitment and determination to help in finding a solution to the crisis and
the restoration of security, peace and political stability in
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Atibie-Kwahu (Eastern Region) 22
January 2003- Ghanaian citizens abroad are prepared to contribute to the
payment of the nation's huge debt including the debt owed by the Tema Oil
Refinery (TOR).
They have appealed to the
Ministry of Finance to open a special account to enable them pay their
contributions into it for the settlement of the debts. Rev Daniel Boakye, a
Ghanaian resident in
Nana Ohene Ntow, a deputy
Government Spokesman on Finance, said an office would be established at the Ministry
of Economic Planning and Regional Integration for such an account to be opened
for Ghanaians abroad to channel their contributions.
On price fluctuation of goods
and services in the country, he said it was due to the instability of the cedi
and advised the people to produce more for export and also patronise locally produced
goods to avoid spending huge sums of foreign exchange to import goods.
On what the government was doing
about the destruction of crops by Fulani herdsmen and their cattle, the Deputy Minister
of Interior, Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, said a survey would be carried out to know
the location of the cattle.
They would be flushed out of the
country after the issuing of citizenship identification cards. He advised the
unemployed youth to register at the various vocational and technical training
centres to undergo skill training in order to be gainfully employed.
The Eastern Region Minister, Dr
Francis Osafo Mensah, said the government's programme for the provision of
adequate infrastructure, modernised agriculture, improvement in social services
and good governance was on course.
'”Contracts have been awarded
for the construction of the Accra-Kumasi, Accra-Aflao and Accra-Yamoransa and
the Tettey Quarshie interchange.” He said a number of urban and feeder roads had
also been awarded for construction in the region while 60 new basic school
blocks would be constructed under the GETFund.
The Omanhene of the Kwahu
Traditional Area, Daasebre Akuamoah Boateng 11, appealed for the rehabilitation
of feeder roads in the district and provision of social infrastructure.
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He said his unlawful detention
was because of a false accusation of financing a coup plot against the NRC led
by the late General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. Hammah said in 1973, he returned
to
He said the book sold like hot
cake and as a result he raised money, some of which he decided to invest in the
cattle rearing business. He said that was then the most lucrative business and
was mainly in the hands of soldiers.
Hammah said he was fortunate to get
in touch with a Colonel who connected him to a General who offered to get him
the cattle. He said he paid 56,000 cedis, which at the time could buy 12
two-bedroom flats.
“In the course of time a meeting
was arranged between me and the General who was a military officer at the
He said the soldiers took him in
a military vehicle to the guard room at the military barracks where he was
subjected to various forms of torture, including slaps, kicks in the stomach
for several hours before being told the reason for his arrest.
Apparently, the money he gave to
the General for the cattle to be bought for him had been suspected as money given
to stage a coup against the Acheampong government. He said he denied any
knowledge of a coup, but his denial was not taken.
Hammah said he was taken to the
Special Branch in the military barracks and was subjected to “mechanical
torture” by faceless soldiers who hid in the dark and issued death threats and
inflicted physical brutalities on him.
“I was kept in that guard room
on the bare floor for two weeks, without being able to walk. Later they asked
me whether Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia gave me money to sponsor a coup on his behalf
and I answered in the negative.
“I explained to them that I was
a writer and the money I had was proceeds from the sales of my best selling
publication, “Farewell Africa" and another publication, “Universal
Encyclopaedia.”
Hammah said he was subjected to
hours of interrogation, between 0800 hours and 2000 hours everyday until one
day one Buckman, then Chief of Security in the Acheampong regime, believed his
story when he (Hammah) showed him (Buckman) documents to back his claim.
“It was around that time that I
had even forgotten my name and Buckman asked me to recite the English alphabets
three times, after which I remembered my name,” he said. "At that time, I
had been in custody and tortured for six months."
He said for two months he slept
on the bare floor without mattress and he developed health problems. Hammah
said he was arraigned before a military tribunal on charges of attempted coup.
Hammah said anytime he was taken
to the tribunal, the soldiers would dress him up to hide all evidence of torture
and they also forced him to write and sign statements to the effect that they
treated him nicely.
“I was charged with the offence
and sentenced to death by firing squad on my 37th birthday. I was then taken to
the condemned cells at the Nsawam Prisons where I stayed for at least four
months without seeing anybody.
“All my properties in
He said he was later moved to
join the other prisoners, where he used the same plates, spoons and cups with
tuberculosis and leprosy patients. Hammah said he had to live with smoke from
He said on various occasions and
for various reasons he was moved from one cell to the other and he had to
survive mosquito-infested cells and other cells where he had to stand naked
throughout the night.
He said in 1982 when the Armed
Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) led by Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings,
overthrew the military regime, they passed a decree of free and absolute
unconditional pardon for all political prisoners.
“Then I expected my money to be
returned to me at the value prevailing at that time, but that was not done,” he
said. Hammah said during the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime,
he suffered a similar fate when he was accused of attempted coup with eight
military men.
“My brotherly-in-law had
completed his naval training in the
He said he was arrested again
and kept in police custody for at least two weeks before being released, adding
that after his release he received several calls from an unidentified soldier
who threatened to kill him.
Hammah said during that period
he was appointed Director of Education of the Trades Union Congress. He
established the Ghana Labour Institute and founded and led the Ghana Democratic
Party.
He said after his release, the
PNDC government sent a circular to all airports and foreign missions around the
world that he was a dangerous fugitive and should not be allowed into any
country.
“Up till today those false
records of my past still remain in the security computers of this country some
foreign missions and it is ruining me and making it difficult for me to travel.”
“Recently I was invited by President Olusegun Obasanjo of
Hammah appealed to the NRC to
impress upon the present government to ensure that the false records about him
were removed from the security computers and for a circular to be sent to the
foreign missions and airports to allow him to travel.
He said he has also sent a petition
to President John Kufuor asking for his money, which was declared forfeited to
the state, at the current value. “My money has been in the state coffers since
1973 and I need it now more than ever,” he said.
Asked why he did not ask for the
money to be returned to him during the NDC era, since both the AFRC and the NDC
had the same person at the helm of affairs, he responded: “I was busy doing
business then, now I am HIPC so I need my money.”
Rev. Father Palmer-Buckle, a member
of the Commission urged Hammah to make use of the Commission's counselling
service as a way of dealing with the psychological scars of his painful
experience. He assured him that the Commission would further investigate his statements
and make appropriate recommendations for redress.
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President Festus Mogae of
The two-day conference which is
expected to be opened by President Kufuor is under the theme: "NEPAD and
Security." About 150 participants made up of Ministers, Parliamentarians,
former heads of state, the private sector, civil society and eminent
personalities around the globe are expected to attend. The forum would create a
platform for the discussion of problems confronting
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A
statement from the Ghana Armed Forces on Tuesday said the two countries have
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the money in
The
statement said the Minister of Defence, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor and the Acting
British High Commissioner Robin Gwynn signed the MOU on Monday. Dr Addo-Kufuor
thanked the
The
Minister, who is also the acting Interior Minister, also requested assistance
to enhance the training of police officers, especially at the
He said
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Three West
African Speakers call on President Kufuor
He said with tolerance and
accommodation of divergent views, the Sub-Region would stand intact and conflicts
would cease. President Kufuor said this when a Speaker and two Deputy Speakers
from the National Assemblies of Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and Mali paid a
courtesy call on him at the Castle, Osu.
They were Marc Christian Kabore,
Speaker of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso, Ms Djibo Nee Die Aya Martine,
First Deputy Speaker of
The delegation participated in
the opening of the Third Session of the Third Parliament of the
He said countries within the
Sub-Region were working towards the realization of a common destiny and the
various Parliaments and National Assemblies form an integral part to realize
these objectives.
President Kufuor said the
Parliaments and the Assemblies which served as the fora of the people to
articulate their views on national issues, the Speakers and their Deputies
having the privilege to head those institutions should have a high sense of
responsibility in the evolution of the people in the Sub-Region. Peter Ala
Adjetey, Speaker of Parliament who led the delegation introduced them to
President Kufuor.
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