GRi Newsreel 03 – 07 - 2003

Local governance is a necessity for participatory democracy

UN Mission warns against military adventurism

NDC Chairman appeals to the Media for support

NDC is broke - E.K.T. Donkor

HIV/AIDS prevalence rises

Ghanaian scientists to be more innovative - Minister

Ghanaians told to harvest rainwater

TEWU members in Western region join strike

Women urged to raise self-esteem

Prosecution has failed to prove its case- Counsel

Amnesty still being processed

MP advocates special fund for the Aged

Guinea Worm endemic communities to get safe water

Lay magistrates to be trained

Vehicles for Narcotics Control

Ensure efficiency in transport sector- Osei Assibey

Torrential rains worsen road condition in Western Region

Parents advised to discuss HIV/AIDS with their children

Assembly commits ¢25m into projects at College

Family dissociate itself from destoolment

 

 

Local governance is a necessity for participatory democracy

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - President John Kufuor on Wednesday said an efficient and effective local governance at the grassroots level formed the cornerstone of participatory democracy.

 

"Participatory democracy cannot be practised efficiently and effectively without local governance at the grassroots level." President Kufuor was speaking at a reception held in honour of the delegates attending the 12th Annual United States-Africa Sister Cities Conference at the Castle, Osu.

 

The seven-day conference, the third to be held in Africa is on the theme, "Strengthening Sister Cities in Africa: A Focus on HIV/AIDS Crises, Business, Trade Investment and Democratic Governance."

     

Senegal and Kenya are the other two countries that had hosted the conference, aimed to promote local community initiatives in line with decentralization as well as promote international peaceful co-existence as a prelude to improving international trade and investment.

 

The participating countries at the Conference included Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Luanda, Botswana and South Africa.

 

President Kufuor said the world was rapidly moving into an arena where the individual human being was being seen as the rational for government. He said democracy was fast gaining grounds all over the world and Africa was very much included in this awakening where governments were being made to acknowledge the rights of the individual citizens and assuming the responsibilities to serve people in their localities.

 

President Kufuor said: "You are all local governors serving the people at the grassroots. When the people are well served and empowered to pursue their responsibilities to assert their lives all over the world then the human being could become the justification for the decentralisation of governance."

 

Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said it was ideal to foster such relationships between the people among sister cities and Africa.

 

He said all the relationships had been between nations and officials at the governmental level but the sister cities relationships sought to bring about interaction among the people at the grassroots level.

 

Adjei-Darko suggested that such relationship should also be established between cities and towns within particular countries to study and understand the customs and cultures of the various ethnic groups within a country in order to curtail the rampant conflicts on the African Continent.

 

Miss Shirley Rivens Smith, President of the US-Africa Sister Cities Conference, said the meeting was held in Accra because of the warm Ghanaian hospitality that Ghanaians had always shown to Americans who visited the country. Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Vice President, who was one time the Chairman of the Tamale-Louisville, Kentucky Sister-Cities Relationship, is honorary patron of the conference.

 

A former US President Dwight Eisenhower, introduced the sister city concept in 1956, as a non-profit, non-governmental network and movement of citizens, corporations, NGOs and institutional partners in all countries around the world.

 

There are about 2,400 sister cities relationships formally registered world-wide. In Ghana, nine cities and families are in relationships with sister cities in the United States. These are Accra-Chicago, Tema-San Diego, Kumasi-Charlotte and Newark, Sekondi-Takoradi-Oakland and Boston, Cape Coast- Hanover Park, Tamale-Louisville, Bolgatanga- Glenarden, Ga District-Grand Rapids and Akwapim South District-Lansing. 

 

The Accra Conference is being hosted by the Ghana Sister Cities Foundation and the Metropolitan City of Accra under the auspices of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

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UN Mission warns against military adventurism

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - The Head of UN Security Mission to West Africa said on Wednesday that it would be internationally unacceptable for armed groups to seize power in Liberia in apparent reference to the bloody conflict in that country.

 

Sir Jeremy Greenstock, leader of the team, who addressed a pre-departure press conference in Accra after an eight-day duty tour of the 15-member team to Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire, said the Liberian government and the two rebel groups should respect the ceasefire agreement they signed on 17 June.

 

Sir Jeremy said the warning formed part of the principles the mission would recommend to the UN Security Council for consideration. The Council would next week come out with its official position on the issue.

 

"The Mission expects the Security Council to condemn any breaches of the ceasefire agreement," he said. Sir Jeremy called for an urgent progress towards a comprehensive political settlement to the crisis that had dragged on for over 12 years and the establishment of a transitional government that would create an enabling condition for a free and fair election.

 

He said the mission would also recommend to the Council to respect any decision the ECOWAS mediation team led by former Nigerian Head Of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar would take to end the Liberia crisis. These, he inferred, might include a political decision on the indictment of President Charles Taylor by the UN War Crimes Tribunal in Sierra Leone and an exit of embattled Liberian leader.

 

He said as a mission they were not in West Africa to mediate or intervene in the negotiation process embarked upon by ECOWAS. Sir Jeremy said the principle also includes the need for humanitarian aid for the distressed people in Liberia and the creation of the grounds for the respect of women and children.

 

The Mission also frowned on the recruitment of child soldiers and mercenaries. The Mission pledged its support to ECOWAS monitoring of arms movement. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Foreign Minister also stated that Ghana is against the use of force of arms to take over the administration of Liberia.

 

ECOWAS Executive Secretary, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, made another appeal to the US to join an International Stabilisation Force to Liberia that would also include troops from the sub-region, South Africa and Morocco.

 

He said US could contribute logistics and personnel needs of such a force. Dr Chambas said the stalemate in the peace talks in Ghana has reversed the 30-day period stipulated in the ceasefire agreement to iron out a political reconciliation, including an interim administration, adding that the period must be extended.

 

US Ambassador Richard Williamson, who was part of the mission said the issue of US participation in such a force "is under consideration, we will not rule it in or out."

 

The Mission, which flew back to the US from Accra, could not visit Liberia due to the security situation in the country. Meanwhile the ECOWAS-led Joint Verification Team (JVT) left Accra on Wednesday for Liberia, via Sierra Leone. The Team would be in Liberia on Thursday to begin mapping out the locations of the belligerent groups.

 

The 15-member JVT includes representatives of all the three warring - the government, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), the UN, African Union, ECOWAS, and the International Contact Group on Liberia.

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NDC Chairman appeals to the Media for support

 

Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 3 July 2003 - Alhaji Collins Dauda, Brong Ahafo Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday, appealed to the media to assist the party to come back to power.

 

He asked the media to contact the executives for any information that could promote the party's work and promised that party executives would make themselves available at all times.

 

The Regional Chairman was interacting with media practitioners at a meeting in Sunyani organized by the regional executives to outline measures taken by the party to collaborate with the media.

 

He urged media practitioners to be fair in their reportage and must be guided by the ethics of the profession, stressing that the country's young democracy could not grow without the assistance of the media.

 

"The media provide information on government policies and their implementation to enable the public to make rightful decisions", he said. Alhaji Dauda reiterated that the party was not asking the media "to report in its favour but to cross-check information before presenting it to the public".

 

Anane Adjei, Regional Head of Information Bureau of the party, advised the media to portray a positive image of the region and desist from reporting only the "negative aspects".

 

Leonard Amengor, Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) on behalf of members thanked the executives for the meeting but said the regularity of such interaction would show the commitment of the party "to work with the media".

 

He appealed to the executives to present factual information to the media for the sake of democracy and entreated media practitioners not to make politics with the profession and rather be objective to maintain its credibility.

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NDC is broke - E.K.T. Donkor

 

Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 3 July 2003 - Colonel E.K.T Donkor (rtd), Minister of Defence in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, on Tuesday said the party "is financially handicapped and members must therefore not expect to be given monies for organizational activities like it used to do".

 

The party is broke and members should not expect that money would come from somewhere, he stated. Col. Donkor, a member of the NDC's Council of Elders, was addressing an extraordinary meeting of the Party on: "The State of the Party - Unity and Funding", in Sunyani.

 

The meeting, under the theme: "Planning Together for Victory in 2004", was attended by regional and constituency executives, former and current Parliamentarians, former District Chief Executives as well as cadres and other functionaries of the party.

 

The former Defence Minister urged members to pay their dues promptly and to take membership registration exercise seriously, "for manna will not fall from heaven".

 

Col. Donkor outlined some factors that caused the defeat of the party in the last general election, citing among other things the imposition of parliamentary candidates on members during primaries and the party's poor relations with the media.

 

Col. Donkor said disunity within the rank and file of the party was another problem, but added that all those problems had been solved, "including even the Rawlings-Obed feud". He advised members to relate well with the media for positive results and also focus on the party's determination to win in 2004.

 

Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, Member of Parliament for Wenchi West, who spoke on a number of issues affecting the national economy called on the Government to equip and strengthen State institutions like the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Auditor General's Department, to enable them to function to expectation.

 

He alleged that the Government had "intentionally weakened and incapacitated these institutions to disenable them to deal with corruption in the country".

 

Asiedu-Nketiah said prior to the introduction of the new ¢10,000 and ¢20,000 notes, he challenged the Government to publish the first and last serial numbers of the notes to avert the printing of counterfeits into circulation. Asiedu-Nketiah said the Government did not pay heed to his challenge and he had been vindicated as fake currency notes of those two denominations had been printed and put into circulation.

 

He called on the Government to take measures to arrest the situation since that could worsen the inflationary trend in the country. J.H. Owusu Acheampong, former MP for Berekum, I.K Adjei-Mensah, MP for Techiman North, Peter Yaw Mensah, MP for Atebubu North, Francis Hayford Amoako, MP for Nkoranza and Alhaji Collins Dauda, former MP for Asutifi South and Regional Chairman of the party addressed the meeting.

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HIV/AIDS prevalence rises

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) on Wednesday called for the promotion of behavioural change among Ghanaians for the control of the spread of HIV/AIDS.

 

Addressing the media in Accra, Dr Nii Akwei Addo, Manager of the NACP said though awareness about HIV/AIDS has remained very high for the past three years, the corresponding behavioural change that would help reduce or check the spread has not been forthcoming.

 

This has brought about increased figures in the number of cases over the years, he said, adding that there is need to move from awareness creation to convincing people in their homes and communities about the need to change their lifestyles.

 

Dr. Addo was presenting the results of a sentinel survey on HIV prevalence carried out between October 2002 to January 2003 with a general objective of collecting information for planning, monitoring and care activities.

 

The survey, which was funded by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Department for International Development DFID was the 11th in the country, since 1990 and carried in 25 selected locations in the 10 regions of Ghana where 11,300 pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinics for the fist time were tested.

 

Dr Addo said the results indicated that there is a steady rise in the prevalence rate of HIV in the past two years, adding,  "there has been an almost 50 per cent increase in HIV prevalence "in a matter of two years from 2000 to 2002.

 

In 10 of the selected sites, percentage of HIV prevalence rates in 2002 were 50 per cent higher than the 2000 rates, while there was more than a 100 per cent increase in five sites between 2000 and 2002.

 

Koforidua recorded the highest rates with 8.5 per cent, followed by Agomanya with 7.0 per cent. Tema followed with 6.6 per cent, Eikwe in the Western Region recorded 6.0, Obuasi, 6.0 while Navrongo followed with 5.1.

 

"These figures and others recorded during the survey make the HIV/AIDS situation very alarming. " The Eastern and Western Regions recorded the highest in prevalence rates, though Ashanti, Greater Accra, Western and Upper East have rates that are higher than five per cent which are also alarming," Dr Addo said.

 

The survey, he said, also brought to the fore, the presence of syphilis in the population from zero per cent in several sites to 3.2 in Agomanya, among the 35 to 39 year age group. This needs to be corrected as well because the disease though curable, could be very dangerous as it causes abortions, deaths, pre-mature births and abnormalities in babies.

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Ghanaian scientists to be more innovative - Minister

 

Wabiri (Ashanti Region) 3 July 2003 - Prof Kassim Kasanga, Minister of Science and Environment, has urged Ghanaian scientists to be more innovative so as to reduce the level of poverty in the country.

 

He said Scientists should work harder to solve not only problems but link the productive points of the economy in a manner that would lead to wealth creation and poverty reduction.

 

Prof Kasanga said this in an address read on his behalf at a durbar to mark the Scientific Renaissance Day at Wabiri in the Ejisu-Juaben District. The theme was "Science and Technology for Wealth Creation".

 

The Minister drew attention to the need to employ environmentally safe technologies in land use, natural resource exploitation and water management. Edward Horga Kojo Akahoh, Director-General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) noted that science and technology "holds the key to development and rise in the material prosperity of the citizens and give the country's economy strength".

 

He, therefore, called on the government to channel more resources into scientific research. Yaw Ahenkora Afrifa, the District Chief Executive (DCE), advised the people in the area who are predominantly farmers to change from the old farming practices and adopt new technologies.

 

He said it was through this that they could maximise production and boost production.

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Ghanaians told to harvest rainwater

 

Tamale (Northern Region) 3 July 2003 - Kwardjo Kwarfo Apeayeh, the Acting Officer in charge of the Water Research Institute (WRI) has appealed to Ghanaians to harvest rainwater to enhance their backyard gardening.

 

He said last year, the Northern Region had storage reservoirs with a total surface area of 1,200 hectares for domestic use in the rural communities while the Upper East Region had 222 storage reservoirs with a total surface area of 145 hectares.

 

Apeayeh said this at the ceremony marking "African Renaissance Day", which was sponsored by the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the University for Development Studies (UDS) and Management of Water Resources in Northern Ghana.

 

The ceremony was under the theme: "Science and technology for wealth creation - the role of livestock research and development."

 

Walter Kpokpi, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences of UDS, who presented a paper on: "Science and Technology for Wealth Creation", urged the youth to develop their talents to help the government in its industrialization efforts.

 

Kpokpi called for judicious use of environmental resources to ensure sustainable development, saying that the country had a lot of natural resources, which could be harnessed to improve the living conditions of the people instead of relying on the World Bank and International Monitory Fund (IMF) "for our development".

 

Dr (Mrs) Joy Bruce of the Animal Research Institute, who spoke on: "Wealth Creation in Northern Ghana", said the area had a lot of livestock but sadly the people had been selling the animals and using the money for weddings and funerals.

 

She noted that the policy of importing chicken was a contributory factor to the killing of the livestock industry in the country. She stressed the need for regular vaccination of animals to protect them from diseases such as rabies and anthrax.

 

Charles Bintim, Deputy Northern Regional Minister, said the government was committed to restructuring the entire educational system, particularly the research institutions to turn them around to become "centres of excellence and originators of indigenous technology".

 

He said it was in this direction that the government had set a target to make Ghana a middle-income country by the year 2015. Besides, he said, the President's Special Initiatives were not only aimed at creating employment for the youth but to promote export to earn the country the much-needed foreign exchange for development.

 

Bintim said the government was determined to make the country a pacesetter in the West Africa Sub-Region in the area of poverty reduction and also create wealth through the application of science and technology.

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TEWU members in Western region join strike

 

Takoradi (Western Region) 3 July 2003 - Members of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the Western Region on Wednesday withdrew their services in support of a strike action relating to disparities and distortions in their salary structure called by the National Secretariat of TEWU.

 

The grievances of the workers also included non-promotion of administrative personnel, management's refusal to implement collective bargaining agreement proposals and the non-payment of allowances for watchmen.

 

In an interview with the GNA in Takoradi, Maxwell Oduro, Industrial Relations Officer of the Western Region TEWU said the strike was precipitated by the uncooperative attitude of the management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) towards workers' demands. 

 

He said though some selected workers were paid their salary differences in August last year, a large number of them had still not received their money that should be based on the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS) introduced in 1999.

 

Oduro said whereas workers in the teaching field were promoted regularly, their counterparts in administrative positions were ignored, "thus some have to mark time for more than 10 years."

 

He expressed regret that in spite of persistent reminders sent to the GES to implement the outcome of the GUSS and the management/union Standing Joint Negotiating Committee (SJNC) recommendations, no concrete response has been received.

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Women urged to raise self-esteem

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - Mrs. Esther Offei-Aboagye, a director at the Ghana Institute of Local Government Studies, on Wednesday tasked Ghanaian women to assert themselves to meet the challenges of the present competitive environment.

 

This, she said, they could do by setting high targets in life as well as demanding accountability from people in the positions of trust. "Empowerment is to gain the capacity to act, be it socially, politically, culturally and economically. But some women can just not act, no matter where they find themselves," she said.

 

Mrs. Offei-Aboagye was speaking on the topic, "Women Empowerment in the New Millennium: Realities and Expectations," at the on-going 12th Annual US-Africa Sister Cities Conference which ends officially on Thursday.

 

The seven-day conference being attended by about 300 participants from the US and other African countries, is on the theme, "Strengthening Sister Cities in Africa - A focus on HIV/AIDS Crises, Business, Trade Investment and Democratic Governance."

 

Mrs Offei-Aboagye said there was the need for women to rise above being content with every situation in life. "Assemblies make the greater part of their revenues from market tolls, yet women do not have much say with what is done with the money because of their low representation in the district assemblies."

 

Mrs Offei-Aboagye called on local government institutions and the Sister Cities Foundations to create an empowering environment for change among women in local communities.

 

Dr Akosua K. Darkwah, a lecturer at the Sociology Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, said women could only become politically empowered if they first obtained economic freedom.

 

She said women from the developed world made more money than their counterparts in the developing world, but globally men made more money than women. She said economic empowerment did not always produce commensurate amounts of political power the world over.

 

"Yet women in Ghana and Africa have to battle traditional practices that do not empower them in any way as they fight for both economic and political empowerment." Dr Susan Herlin, a retired Professor of the University of Kentucky and a founding member of the Tamale-Louisiana Sister-City Foundation, urged Ghanaians to ensure that they had a sustainable base in their quest to establish sister cities.

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Prosecution has failed to prove its case- Counsel

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - A defence counsel in the 9 May Stadium Disaster case on Wednesday prayed an Accra High Court to acquit and discharge his clients because prosecution had woefully failed to prove its case.

 

Owusu Fordjuor, counsel for Faakyi Kumi, Frank Awuah, Benjamin B. Bakomora, all Assistant Superintendents of Police noted that prosecution had not been able to establish the guilt of accused persons and urged the court to rule out the case.

 

The other officers on trial are John Asare Naami and Francis Aryee, both Assistant Superintendents of Police and Koranteng Mintah Chief Superintendent of Police.

 

The accused persons had earlier denied the charges and are on a ¢20m bail each with two sureties. In his submission of no case for his clients, Owusu Fordjour stated that prosecution was alleging that all the accused persons on 9 May 2001 caused the deaths of 126 fans through unlawful harm.

 

In this regard, prosecution was expected to prove that accused were responsible for the deaths, that indeed the victims died on the said date, that accused caused the deaths through unlawful harm and whether there were elements of negligence on the part of the accused.

 

These, he said, the prosecution had failed to bring out. He recalled that the prosecution witnesses in their evidence stated that the accused fired stoppers and tear gas but there was no evidence of act or harm caused by them.

 

He noted that accused persons were not charged with conspiracy but were co-accused persons, adding that the prosecution failed to show the court that the deaths of the fans were caused by accused persons and that it was a collective act.

 

He stated that the accused went to the stadium as spectators. Counsel said victims who were mentioned were not properly identified in the evidence and that " they just provided the list, pictures and films on the event, adding that all these evidences were dumped with no explanation whatsoever."

 

He stated that no evidence had also showed that the tear-gas killed the fans, adding that the doctors produced by prosecution attributed the cause of deaths to traumatic anaestasia, which occurred as a result of stampede. He told the court that there might be other contributing factors that might have caused deaths among the 126 fans.

 

This, he said, included the closure of the gates and putting lights off at the stadium. Counsel recalled that earlier, the investigator in the case had told the court that he did not conduct any investigations into the matter since he was only instructed by his superiors to charge the accused persons based on the report of the commission and government's paper.

 

This, he told the court, should not be considered as part of the legal process and deal with the evidence made available to it.

Hearing continues on 10 July.

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Amnesty still being processed

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - The Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) on Wednesday said prisoners who have benefited from the amnesty granted by the President in connection with the celebration of Ghana's Republic Day would be released when the documentation process is through.

 

The Prisons Service is awaiting confirmation before the release of the over 2,000 prisoners, including Mallam Isa Yusif, Former Minister of Youth and Sports.

 

Ms Patience Sai, Personal Assistant to the Director General of the Service said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency. She urged the public to be patient about the process because "once the amnesty is out they would certainly be released".

 

President John Kufuor on Monday granted an amnesty to a number of prisoners across the country in connection with the celebration of Ghana's 43rd Republic Day anniversary, which fell on Tuesday 1 July.

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MP advocates special fund for the Aged

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - The Member of Parliament for Okere, B.D.K Adu on Wednesday advocated for a special public fund for the upkeep of the aged in Ghana.

 

He suggested that each Member of Parliament should contribute at least ¢20,000 monthly to the fund that "will put a smile on the sad faces of the aged." Adu, who was contributing to a statement made by Yaw Barima, NPP-Koforidua, said, "fifty to 60 years ago, it was wonderful to be old, the whole society took care of you and you could count on their support".

 

He said by paying ¢20,000 to the fund, the 200 MPs would have contributed ¢48m every year. Mrs Eugenia Kusi, NPP-Tarkwa, said the condition of the Aged should be a lesson to young Ghanaians.

 

She asked young workers to save towards the future to avoid frustrations in old age. The Member called for the establishment of more Centres for the Aged to compensate for the changing social setting that has alienated them.

 

Yaw Barimah said over the years the absence of formalised institutionalised care and support, the needs of older persons had been the concern of only family members. "Unfortunately, the family support had been seriously eroded due to migration, both rural to urban and international and also as a result of economic constraints. Already, some older persons in the country are showing signs of neglect and isolation."

 

Joseph Ackah, NDC-Jomoro, who would turn 69 in August, said:"I am speaking as an old man, when you are young you don't know about the old but you too would grow." He called on government to re-introduce CAP 30 and also strengthen the Pension Scheme.

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Guinea Worm endemic communities to get safe water

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - Cabinet has approved $1.5m for the emergency provision of safe water to guinea worm endemic communities in Northern, Brong Ahafo and Volta Regions.

 

Subsequently, the Ministry of Works and Housing has received the amount from the HIPC funds to provide 70 boreholes in the 57 most endemic communities in the Northern Region and 40 in the Brong Ahafo and the Volta regions.

 

The Minister of Health, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie said this in Parliament on Wednesday in an answer to a question by Alhaji Amadu Ali, NDC Attebubu South, on behalf of Yaw Effah-Baafi, NDC Kintampo, as to the steps his ministry was taking to wipe out or drastically reduce the level of guinea worm infestation in the northern part of the Kintampo District.

 

He said the Brong Ahafo would receive 14 boreholes out of which 5 communities in the Kintampo district - Mansra, Kadelso, Portor 1, Kurawura and Abodwesekrom would benefit. Dr Afriyie said, following a field trip a year ago by the National Co-ordinators of UNICEF, WHO and Global 2000, it was observed that several endemic villages were not patronising the boreholes due to the high level of salinity in the water.

 

The UNICEF therefore, provided ¢68m and 290 bags of cement to construct hand-dug wells in the endemic communities in Kintampo. “Several new initiatives have been put in place over the past year that should drastically reduce guinea worm in the Kintampo District”.

 

These include the appointment of full time guinea worm technical assistants to highly endemic areas and provision of equipment such as filters and medical kits to health volunteers.

 

The Ghana Red Cross Society has also engaged its mother club volunteers at the village level to improve surveillance and health education. Dr Afriyie said a centre to contain guinea worm patients has been operating in Mansra since December 2002.

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Lay magistrates to be trained

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - Justice George Kingsley Acquah, Chief Justice-designate has said the training of graduates and diploma holders, as lay magistrates to fill the lower courts would facilitate the dispensation of justice to the ordinary people.

 

He said when confirmed he would ensure that more judges were appointed to bring justice to the doorsteps of the ordinary man adding that people with the requisite qualification would be given two years of training to man the district courts and handle juvenile and motor cases.

 

Justice Acquah said this on Wednesday when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament to be considered for appointment as the Chief Justice.

 

The nominee said the Parliamentary Judiciary Committee's report on perceived corruption in the Judiciary was in the right direction since the Judiciary itself was concerned about the situation and realized some lapses in discipline and dispensation of justice by its members.

 

Justice Acquah said he assisted the Committee in its deliberations and that its work was to ensure the integrity of the Judiciary and the report not only covered the members of the Judiciary but the public as well.

 

He attended Adisadel College where he obtained both his West African Examinations Councils' Ordinary Level and Advanced Level Certificates and proceeded to the University of Ghana from 1964 to 1967 and obtained B.A. in Philosophy and from 1968 to 1970 obtained LL.B Hons. (Law).

 

Justice Acquah entered the Ghana Law School from 1970 to 1972 for his Professional Certificate in Law and was called to the Bar in 1972. He was in Private Legal practice from 1972 to 1989; became a High Court Judge from 1989 to 1994, Appeal Court Judge from 1994 to 1995, Supreme Court Judge from 1995 to date and served on more than 20 Committees.

 

The Chief Justice-designate said when confirmed he would share out the work among senior members of the Judiciary and would not over burden himself or any member with too much responsibilities.

 

On the issue of truth in judicial matters, Justice Acquah said truth depended on actual situations where the whole purpose was to cross-examine to arrive at the truth and it was important to and relevant at showing the actual events of a case.

 

Justice Acquah said the controversy concerning his age was legitimate but added that the issue has been properly settled by the Judicial Council following the various submissions he made on his actual birth date.

 

He said there was the need for a ceiling on the number of Supreme Court Judges and the government could consider the financial implications involved in appointing more judges. Justice Acquah sad his vision for the Judiciary was to raise its image and integrity and since he had an insight into the magnitude of the problem, he would ensure that when appointed he worked with all the leaders to redeem the image, maintain its independence and ensure true interpretation of the law.

 

He said he would pursue vigorous reforms and ensure that donor funded projects such as the automation of the judicial system was sustained to bring justice to all in the society. Justice Acquah said there was the need to set up a Criminal Justice Council trial of cases by indictment should be looked at since the process was cumbersome and delayed justice.

 

On accountability of judicial decisions, he said he would ensure that an annual report was made on the workload and conduct of each court or judge so that there could be an informed data on the performance of members of the judiciary.

 

Justice Acquah said the provisions about the Judiciary were too detailed and very difficult to implement and could stifle its duties. He said he did not subscribe to amendments to the Constitution at this stage, adding that since the previous regime worked with it for about two terms there was the need for the present administration to also study and work with it before considering of any amendments.

    

Justice Acquah said the Fast Track Court was established under due process of the law and that it was an automation of the courts to render the speedy process at the courts and make it transparent and so far almost all the regional courts have been automated.

 

He said there was the need for an independent body to manage the security agencies instead of the government to bring about their independence and effective performance of their duties.

 

The Chief Justice-designate said he was coming to the Seat to ensure the reformation and modernization of the Judiciary through humility and respect for other opinions and to ensure that the backlog of cases pending at the Court of Appeal were cleared.

 

Justice Acquah said women empowerment had been heightened and since he was a strong advocate of women's affairs he would ensure that equal opportunities were given to all to ensure justice in the country.

GRi…/

 

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Vehicles for Narcotics Control

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - The British Government on Wednesday donated a Land Rover vehicle valued at 30,000 pounds to the Narcotics Control Board in Accra. The vehicle, the first of five to be presented to the Board was to help in the campaign against narcotics and drug peddling, especially in the rural areas and the country's entry points.

 

Making the presentation, Dr. Rod Pullen, the British High Commissioner to Ghana said it showed the excellent cooperation between his government and that of Ghana in the fight against narcotic drugs.

 

He said Britain would continue to support Ghana in her effort to combat narcotics and drug trafficking since they pose danger and health risk to the people. Receiving the key to the car, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, the Minister of the Interior thanked the British government for the gesture and said the presentation is another manifestation of that government's support to Ghana. 

 

He said the fight against narcotics and drug trafficking was becoming a major problem to the country since the government would require a lot of resources for effective control.

 

He said just as the western nations were committing a lot of resources to Latin America and elsewhere in the fight against drug trafficking, the same should be done to Africa.

GRi…/

 

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Ensure efficiency in transport sector- Osei Assibey

 

Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 3 July 2003 - K. Osei Assibey, Ashanti Regional First Vice-Chairman of the NPP, has called for efficiency in the transport sector to accelerate economic growth. He noted that any lapse in the transport sector could seriously affect economic gains achieved.

 

Addressing members of the Association of Liberal Transport Operators (ALLTOPS) in Kumasi, Assibey asked transport organisations in the country to operate effectively to enhance the growth of the economy.

 

He challenged transport operators to diversify their operations by going into other sectors like agriculture, road and the building construction to guarantee the security of their members after retirement.

 

Osei Assibey who is also the General Manager of FREKO Company Limited, in charge of Kejetia Lorry Terminal, suggested to transport organisations to establish their own driving schools to train their members for them to perform efficiently.

 

He commended members of ALLTOPS for their high standard of discipline and called on other transport organisations to emulate their example to help reduce the spate of accidents on the roads.

 

Nana Kwaku Owusu Bempah, National Chairman of ALLTOPS, asked members to accept the new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Tax System so as to generate more revenue for the government.

 

The drivers called on the Ministry of Roads and Highways to ensure that the rules and regulations governing driving and other traffic related regulations were taught in schools especially at the basic level to raise awareness. They also called for proper education on the new IRS Income Tax System for them to properly understand it.

GRi…/

 

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Torrential rains worsen road condition in Western Region

 

Enchi (Western Region) 3 July 2003 - Many days of torrential rainfall has worsened the already bad nature of roads in the Aowin Suaman district of the Western Region, rendering many towns inaccessible.

 

As a result farmers cannot transport their produce to marketing centres, while passenger vehicles plying the route between Dadieso and Kumasi have now to make long detours through Asankragwa and Dunkwa-on-Offin.

 

Many drivers have stop using some of the routes, making it difficult for people to travel. The GNA reporter who travelled on some of the roads noticed that travellers on some of the trunk roads have to alight from the vehicle and waddle through pools of water before they rejoin the vehicles.

 

Due to the unsafe nature of the roads, the local Ghana Private Road Transport Union has asked travellers to stop plying some particular roads to avoid accidents.

 

Residents of the districts have therefore, appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency repair some of the important roads, especially those leading to marketing centres as a short-term measure to improve the situation.

GRi…/

 

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Parents advised to discuss HIV/AIDS with their children

 

Koforidua (Eastern Region) 3 July 2003 - The Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Gustuv Narh Dometey, has asked parents to discuss HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases to with their children to prevent the spread of those diseases.

    

He said: "It is imperative to create a very conducive atmosphere at home where parents and children will freely share their views and sentiments on sex issues."

 

The Deputy Minister was speaking at the opening of a four-day training of trainers workshop on HIV/AIDS organised by Families Together Ghana (FTG), a non- governmental organisation for selected assembly members from the Eastern Region.

 

It was under the theme: "enhancing inter-family communication with special emphasis on discussing HIV/AIDS at home" and aimed at providing information and communication skills for parents on the disease.

 

Dometey urged the participants to assist in building the capacity of parents and children towards the removal of cultural barriers on the discussion on sex issues by parents and children.

 

He said, this would: " help children build self-confidence and the ability to withstand peer pressures and negative influences."

Dometey appealed to Ghanaians to stop stigmatising and discriminating against people living with HIV/AIDS since that hindered voluntary counselling and testing for the disease.

 

The National Chairman of FTG, Ernest Appenteng, advised the youth to avoid pre-marital sex and married couples to remain faithful to their partners. As part of the programme, a five-member Committee with Mrs Beatrice Boateng, Presiding Member of New Juaben Municipal Assembly as Chairman, was inaugurated to see to the attainment of the objectives of the organisation in the region.

GRi…/

 

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Assembly commits ¢25m into projects at College

 

Kwaso (Ashanti Region) 3 July 2003 - The Ejisu-Juaben District Assembly is committing ¢25m to support of development projects at the Kwaso Rural Development College. The projects include the construction of a library and provision of potable water.

 

Yaw Ahenkora Afrifa, Ejisu-Juaben District Chief Executive (DCE), announced this at the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Rural Development College at Kwaso.

 

The DCE said the Assembly was aware of the problems confronting the College and said that frantic efforts were being made to develop the college. Afrifa advised people in the satellite communities of the College to avail themselves of the opportunities it offered by enrolling in it to acquire skills that could make them channels and agents of change in their localities.

 

He urged graduates of the College to let the skills and knowledge they acquired from the College to impact positively on rural communities by opting to stay and work in such remote areas.

 

Nana Aboagye Adjei II, Omanhene of the Ejisu Traditional Area, expressed regret that, even though, the College had a unique mission of focusing on enhancing community development initiatives through education and guidance, it suffered from the lack of requisite facilities.

 

He said provision of such teaching and learning facilities should, however, not be seen as the sole duty of only the government, but the responsibility of all stakeholders. To this end, Nana Aboagye Adjei appealed to non-government organisations, corporate bodies and philanthropic groups to assist the College financially and materially, to develop its infrastructure and other facilities.

 

M.A. Seidu, Member of Parliament for Wa Central, stressed the need for graduates of the College, who were most often concerned with community development, to forge unity with traditional rulers, opinion leaders and the people in the area, to enable them to achieve their mission of enhancing progress.

GRi…/

 

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Family dissociate itself from destoolment

 

Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 3 July 2003 - Members of the Nana Yurowaa's Royal Gate to the Tafo Agona Royal Family have dissociate themselves from the purported destoolment of Opanin Kwaku Buor as the Abusuapanin of the Royal Family.

 

In a statemet issued in Kumasi on Monday, on behalf of the Family by Opanin Kwadwo Pippim, in reaction to the alleged destoolment of the Abusuapanin by some of the Royal Gates, Nana Yurowaa's Gate, said they still considered Opanin Kwaku Buor as the true Abusuapanin of the Royal Agona Family of Tafo.

 

It said the Abusuapanin was the one who knew members of his family and those who qualified and deserved to be buried in the royal mausoleum. The statement, therefore, appealed to the public to treat the said destoolment with the contempt it deserved.

GRi…/

 

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