The
bulk of the drugs, which are expected in the country this year, were purchased
through the Global Fund and will be available at specific treatment centres,
such as the Korle-Bu and the Komfo
Anokye Teaching hospitals and the Atua/Agormanya
Government Hospital.
The
Programme Manager of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), Dr Nii Ackwei Addo,
who disclosed this in an interview in
Dr Addo attributed that to the need to fulfil the Patent
Rights and the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) rules and regulations
, cost-effectiveness in terms of purchasing the drugs outside or
manufacturing them locally and the issue of producing some of the drugs that
had already been licensed patently.
Some
of the drugs that are being imported include Zidovudine,
AZT, Didanosine, ddI, Stavudine, d4T, Lamivudine, 3TC, Indinavir, Neverapine and Efavirenz .
Dr Addo, however, noted that the MOH, with support from its
development partners is trying to emulate
He
added that the MOH is looking at the transfer of technology in the form of
knowledge and expertise from
The
programme manager stated that discussions have been re-opened with the Thai
Government through the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to see to
the technology transfer.
He
said though an order has been placed for 2,000 patients, the Government is
sourcing for funds to order more to cater for more patients in the country.
On
the accessibility of the drugs to patients, Dr Addo
stated that the issue is not only about its accessibility and cost but that the
drugs have uncomfortable side-effects, hence the need to exercise caution in
administering them.
“We
also provide drugs for the prevention and management of opportunistic
infections,” he said. He explained that before the drugs are administered,
there is the need for various laboratory tests to be conducted to determine the
level of HIV/AIDS virus since some people are likely to react to the drugs.
Dr Addo said that patients who cannot afford the drugs shall
be covered by exemptions under the healthcare system as proposed by the NACP’s report.
He
further stated the MOH is retraining medical professionals who will be
administering the drugs. Again on the accessibility of Voluntary Counselling
and Testing (VCT) kits at hospitals and clinics in the country, Dr Addo stated that every government hospital in the country
has test kits for VCT.
He
disclosed that the MOH, and the Ghana Health Service (GHS), in collaboration
with the Ghana Social Marketing Foundation (GSMF) are developing a programme to
create awareness of the availability of VCT services and to educate people on
the advantages of going in for voluntary testing.
Dr Addo added that the MOH will scale up VCT services to all
the 110 districts and that it will also set up sites outside hospitals known as
“Stand alone sites” to cater for people who want to have VCT tests where there
are no hospitals. – Graphic
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The
situation, he said, has generated conflicts among DCEs
and some members of the party. Commey gave the advice
at Techiman at the weekend when he held separate
meetings with the executives, the polling stations chairmen and secretaries of
the party in the Techiman South and North constituencies
to map out strategies to enable the party to win all the 21 parliamentary seats
in the region.
He,
therefore, urged the executives of the party at all levels to strengthen their
communication network to ensure free flow of information on the policies of the
party to avoid the situation where DCEs are
confronted with all manner of party issues even when they are in office.
Commey also advised DCEs to visit communities in
their districts regularly to explain government policies to the people and have
interaction with them in order to appreciate their basic problems and needs.
The
national organiser appealed to the party’s MPs to draw up their plan of action
and programme of visitation and submit them to the constituency, regional and
national executives of the party.
He
announced that the Nasara Club has been co-opted into
the party as a wing and urged all supporters to join the club irrespective of
their religious inclinations since it is not a religious wing, which the
constitution forbids.
The
Techiman South Constituency chairman of the party,
Peter Adom, said the party is leaving no stone
unturned to ensure that the party retains the parliamentary seat and wins about
80 per cent of the presidential votes in the 2004 general elections.
He
appealed to the national executives of the party to supply the constituencies
with logistics to enable them prepare early for the next elections. Adom also advised supporters of the party to work hard at
their wards and warned that any attempt to underrate the NDC and other parties
in the next elections will be disastrous for the party.
On
his part, the Techiman North Chairman of the party,
Nana Kwabena Dwomoh, called
on the leadership of the party to act quickly to solve problems at the
constituency levels since the problems have the potential of undermining the
party’s resolve to win 140 parliamentary seats.
He
said the party has opened nominations for members in Techiman
North who want to contest the seat, which is currently occupied the National
Democratic Congress (NDC). Nana Dwomoh said the
constituency will begin training party agents very soon to make them
combat-ready for the elections. – Graphic
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A
statement signed the Chief of Staff, Kwadwo O. Mpiani,
said the government has considered the recommendations made by the Ministry of
Energy to the President on the findings of the committee set up by the ministry
to investigate recent unrest and allegations made by the workers against the
Chief Executive, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby and the
board.
The
specific allegations and charges made against Dr Wereko-Brobby
were that he had increased his salary by 300 per cent, impropriety in the
purchase of vehicles for VRA, improper setting of working hours and
mismanagement of the staff provident fund.
The
statement said the committee did not find the allegations proven and, therefore
exonerated him but, however, said that his management style was a major source
of conflict and misunderstanding within the workforce.
“The
government has, therefore, decided to meet representatives of the workers,
management and the CEO to address this concern so as to find an amicable and
speedy way of returning the operations of VRA to its normal calm and productive
conditions”, the statement said.
It
said the government also realised that the Act which established the VRA in
1961 has become outdated and cited for example, the term of office of the CEO, the
relationship between the CEO and board of directors, disciplinary authority of
VRA, the system of procurement and the relations of the authority with the
Ministry of Energy which must be reviewed to make it relevant to the demands of
accountable and efficient management of the authority.
“The
government has therefore, decided to establish a committee to review the legal
and technical structures and operations of the VRA. This exercise will be part
of the ongoing reforms of the power sector to strengthen institutions that
generate, distribute and regulate power in the country.
“The
government expresses its deepest appreciation to the members of the ministerial
committee, staff and management of the Volta River Authority for the atmosphere
and spirit of co-operation which was shown by everybody during deliberations of
the committee”, the statement said. – Graphic
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“Graphic suffers no political interference”
He
said with the creation of the National Media Commission (NMC) and certain
provisions in the 1992 Constitution that guarantee non-interference, the
company functions with a lot of autonomy.
Apenteng stated this in
He
said the group’s autonomy has enabled it to function effectively and
efficiently. He said the board of directors are appointed by the NMC and it in
turn appoints the managing director and the editors of all the newspapers,
adding that the government deals with the company only through the NMC.
The
Beninois delegation, which was led by Noel Allagbada, was made up of Noel Sohoijenous,
Soton Moutero and Sylvester
Fohoungo.
Apenteng said the GCGL is a profit-making entity, that
pays all its taxes, without exemptions, as well as yearly dividends to the
government. He said the Daily Graphic, one of the GCGL publications, is the
most widely distributed, authoritative and credible
newspaper in the country.
Explaining
the strategies for distributing its newspapers nationwide, the managing
director said although the exercise is very expensive, it is deemed as a
national responsibility.
According
to him, apart from the three northern regions and Brong
Ahafo Region, the group distributes directly to the
other regional capitals and some district capitals directly. He said those
places that do not have direct routes, transport is used, and this culminates
in delays, adding that for the past two years, the company has been exploring
other ways of saving the situation.
Allagbada said they are in the country to learn at first-hand the strategies for
newspaper distribution so that it can inform the design of plans to distribute
papers in
He
said it is not always the case that African countries must go to the developed
ones to find solutions to their problems. In a related development, the Benionis team had similar interactions with the Private
Newspapers Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) in
They
discussed how the two organisations can work and exchange ideas on their
various operations. The PRINPAG team was made up of Mrs Gina Ama Blay, Managing Editor of the
Daily Guide, the president-elect of PRINPAG; Nii Laryea Sowah, Executive Secretary
of PRINPAG, and Oscar Bruce, publisher of Health Courier and
vice-president-elect of PRINPAG. – Graphic
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The
Commissioner of the IRS, Mrs Janet Opoku-Akyeampong,
who said this, mentioned the refusal of drivers to register with drivers’
unions, thereby evading taxes, and corruption on the part of tax collectors as
some of the factors that led to the loss of revenue to the state.
Mrs
Opoku-Akyeampong disclosed this at a meeting with
regional commanders of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) in
She
announced that the new sticker system introduced by the IRS as a new mode of
income tax for commercial transport operators to replace the weekly payment was
put into effect from yesterday. She, however, said a grace period of one month
has been given to the transport operators after which the police can arrest any
defaulter for prosecution.
She
stated that the IRS, recognising the unique role the police can play in the
enforcement of tax collection, has “turned to the Ghana Police Service at this
crucial time with the introduction of sticker system for the commercial
transport sector.”
Mrs
Opoku-Akyeampong noted that since the arrest and
prosecution of defaulting transport owners and drivers are activities, which
are best executed by the police, any lapses on the part of the police will
result in a huge loss of revenue to the state.
She
said a monitoring team has been put in place to assist the police to ensure
strict compliance with the new system, while monitoring kiosks will be sited in
selected lorry parks in order to bring efficiency into the collection, and
reduce revenue loss through tax evasion, avoidance and corruption.
Mrs
Opoku-Akyeampong appealed to the police to ensure
that the state derives maximum revenue from the transport sector by enforcing
the law as best they can.
The
Commander of the Accra Central MTTU, Chief Superintendent Victor Tandoh, called on the IRS to strengthen its educational
campaign to help avoid misinformation and misrepresentation on the new tax
system.
He
pledged the support of the police in ensuring the success of the programme. A
representative of the Ghana Road Transport Co-ordinating Council, Matthew Hayford, called on unionised organisations to inspect
vehicle documents at the various stations to avoid the inconvenience caused on
the road by the delay in the inspection of such documents by the police. – Graphic
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - The Ghana Telecommunications Company (GhanaTelecom) Limited will install 1,000 indoor payphones
in all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs),
police stations and military instalments throughout the country by the end of
the year to help drastically reduce the huge payment of telephone bills by the
government.
The
payphones, which have been specially designed, will allow people to make calls
only with the use of a prepaid card within their offices. Another feature is
that, unlike the outdoor payphones, they can receive calls as the normal office
phones.
A
greater percentage of the phones will be distributed within
Divine
D.K. Kpetigo, Senior General Manager/Payphone
Services, who disclosed this is in interview, said this is intended to ensure
that there is efficient use of telephones within the institutions to reduce the
government's huge expenditure on telephones bills as well as help the company
to recover cost.
He
said customers of the company are indebted to the tune about ¢500bn, with a
substantial amount owed by the MDAs and other government
institutions, hence the new payphones.
Kpetigo said the move is part of about ¢60bn the company is spending this year
to augment its payphones in the country by an additional 7,000 lines. He said
when completed, the total number of payphones in the country will be increased
to about 12,000.
He
said 5,000 of outdoor payphones will be added to the existing ones currently
fixed at vantage points in a greater part of the country. Kpetigo
said the company is also installing 1,000 GSM phones in all the villages in the
country which do not have access to telephones.
He
said although they are digital the charges will be as normal as the fixed
phones to encourage more people in the rural areas who have been marginalised
for long to benefit from the use of telephones.
Kpetigo said the company is poised to help the government to succeed with its
programme and indicated that all efforts will be made to ensure that telephones
reach a greater majority of people in the country.
Touching
on the benefits of the GSM payphones in the rural areas, he said the schools in
those areas can be hooked onto the Internet. Kpetigo
said it also falls in line with the government’s declaration of the Golden Age
of Business and the enhancement of health delivery. – Graphic
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Tamale
(Northern Region)
They
cited, for example, a report on the front-page of The Heritage newspaper of 21
May, this year, which alleged that: "The president's headache is who to
choose as his vice president, with factions already emerging within the party
(NPP) for and against the incumbent, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, who is allegedly
seen as a stumbling block to a solution to the Yendi
crisis."
A
number of such people who spoke to The Chronicle, however, pleaded anonymity.
A
veteran politician described the newspaper's report as "divisive, tribalistic, wicked and calculated to marginalize" the
vice president who has the potential of becoming the next president of
He
said, if the NPP claims to be a tradition, which has
always believed in democracy, then the party should not countenance those who
want to practise discrimination and prejudice against a sitting vice president
merely on the grounds of his ethnic origin and circumstances of birth.
According
to the veteran politician, those who peddle ethnicity and divisiveness go
contrary to NPP's mission to create in
He
pointed out that the 1992 Constitution states in Chapter 55 (4) that:
"Every political party shall have a national character, and membership
shall not be based on ethnic, religious, regional or other sectional
divisions."
This,
he said, should serve as a timely reminder to the national executive of the NPP
to be wary of those who are campaigning to remove Alhaji
Mahama as the running mate of President Kufuor for a second term.
Another
opinion leader said the use of the Dagbon chieftaincy
crisis to disqualify the vice president on the flimsy excuse that the NPP may
suffer heavy defeat during the 2004 general election due to the unresolved
tension in the area is heartless, insensitive and does not show empathy for the
people of the Dagbon state.
A
staunch NPP supporter expressed surprise that a government which is delivering
so effectively on its campaign promises would not face the 2004 election with
the winning team but would rather drop no other person that the vice president,
who is a key member of the winning team.
"Once
the number two man in the NPP government is dropped in 2004, it would be
interpreted to mean he did not perform satisfactorily and by implication the
NPP government as a whole had failed, which could be capitalized upon by the
opposition parties," he argued.
He
said political pluralism demands the highest level of tolerance of varied
interests so that democracy can flourish.
A
retired senior civil servant observed history had shown that no political party
remains in power permanently; "that is why every party should recognize
the need to be fair, reasonable, respectful and tolerant in the political
game."
He
observed that during the absence of President Kufuor,
on his numerous official trips abroad, Vice President Mahama
has performing effectively as acting president and wondered why some people
would contemplate replacing him in 2004. Two top executives of the party have
also expressed their views on the matter.
Dan
Botwe, general secretary of the NPP, is reported to
have stated that the choice of a running mate is not the preserve of the
president. "The choice is made in consultation with the top notches of the
party," he explained.
The
national organiser of the NPP, Lord Commey, said in
the Heritage story thus: "If I have my way, I would wish that Alhaji Aliu Mahama
is retained. He is such a nice man, fatherly, respectful, attentive listener,
and very helpful." – Chronicle
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Public
places of convenience have not been spared as their wastes have been washed
ashore by rains into residences and other places, thereby introducing diseases.
When
Chronicle contacted the Ben Laryea, director of the
Waste Management Department of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), he stated
that the total generated per day is 1,500 to 1,800 tons, with an average
collection of 1,200 tons per day and average collection of 8,400 tons per week.
He
revealed that there are 15 garbage companies currently operating in
According
to him, the companies charge an approved levy within the first and the third
class areas as ¢72,000, ¢42,000, ¢12,000 per container per month at Airport,
Cantonment, Labone, Ridge, North Kaneshie,
Osu Ringway, Mataheko, etc.
He
added that ¢93,000, ¢212,000, ¢584,000, ¢722,000, ¢1,926,000 per container per
month are charged, depending on the size of the container.
He
disclosed to this paper that the fourth class areas, such as Nima, Maamobi, Korle Gonno,
When
Chronicle asked where this waste is dumped, he said the final disposal dump
site is at Oblogo, Gbawe,
13 kilometers from the city center,
where 80 per cent of the waste is disposed and the composting plant is at Teshie Nungua Estates in
Laryea attributed the problems in waste management to “rapid urbanization and
congestion, inadequate equipment, vehicle and containers, insufficient funding,
low enforcement of existing waste byelaws, ineffective public awareness and
education, and non-application of waste generators, pay principles and passive
political commitment.”
He
said despite the problems, the AMA ensures the collection of waste from sources
of generation, transportation for treatment and final disposal at a reasonable
and affordable cost.
He
added that the authority is going to monitor and supervise the private sector,
organize public awareness and education and ensure that the waste byelaws are
enforced in the country. He however advised the public to desist from throwing
wastes around but rather put them in an appropriate place to keep the city
clean. – Chronicle
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Tema (Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 – The vision of the New Patriotic Party
(NPP) to extend the famous Fast Track Courts (FTC) to other regional capitals
throughout the country to help expedite the dispensing of justice in the
country is soon to bear fruit, as plans are far advanced for the Tema High Court to commence work as the second FTC after
the Accra-based FTHC, in October this year.
When
it happens, residents in Tema, especially patrons who
have formed the habit of visiting our courts regularly to witness proceedings, would
have the opportunity to observe the magic with which FTCs
operate.
This
was disclosed by the Senior High Court Registrar, M. P. Gyandoo,
who is acting as the registrar of the Tema High court
in the absence of S. B. Issaka, Chief Registrar of
the court, in an interview with the paper over last weekend.
According
to Gyandoo, two computers, keyboards and printers
have already been installed at the court, one for
court ‘A’ and the other for court ‘B.’
He
said the judges who are to man the twin high courts have already been given the
necessary training to enable them to work without problems. “Besides, all the
other staff who would work at the courts have
undertaken a two-week training course at
Gyandoo explained that the court will be embarking on a two month legal
vacation effective July 1 and resume on October 1, after which the Tema FTC will start serious business.
He
could not tell the paper the exact date on which the court will commence business, however, he was convinced that it will start in
October. He noted that it was as a result of these FTCs
that the old high court premises were renovated and refurbished to give it a
facelift befitting its new status.
The
acting chief registrar was happy that at long last the FTC was going to start
work in the Tema municipality. – Chronicle
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Tema (Greater Accra)
The
new candidate, once found, will be nominated and presented before President
John Kufuor, for approval, we learnt.
A
highly placed source at the corridors of the government who disclosed this to
the paper said the party’s decision is as a result of reports it has received
to the fact that the MCE’s performance in his two
years of office has not been satisfactory.
Another
reason why the party has decided to remove him from office, according to our
source, hinges on a very important information the MCE
is holding back from the executives of the party, regarding the award of
contracts in the famous fumigation project, which attracted a lot of media
attention.
Our
sources disclosed that the party has detected that the MCE has no direct
connection in the award of the fumigation contract in which he was alleged to
have executed without the approval of the assembly and that there is a high
profiled NPP personality who was in the thick of affairs, of which the MCE is
privy to but whose identity he has refused to disclosed.
A
source at the Tema Development Corporation (TDC)
hinted the paper that the NPP search team anchored at their premises to pick a
candidate there (name withheld) but the man was said to have declined the offer
with the simple reason that he was not interested.
However,
Evans Ashong Narh when
contacted told the paper that he was not aware of the involvement of any party
guru in the award of the fumigation project and as far as he is concerned the
assembly did everything all by themselves.
He
noted that all the unit members in the assembly, including the presiding
member, were present and approved when the deserving
bidder won the tender.
Regarding
the allegation of non-performance on his part, the MCE smiled and said he knew
people in the municipality who can attest to the fact that he has done a lot
since his assumption in office two years ago.
He
however admitted that there is one person (name withheld) who has been placing
impediments in his way over the period, any time he initiates a plan but “I
think in spite of that I have done greatly.”
When
asked about the kind of relationship between him and the national executive
members of the party, he said there exists a very
cordial one, adding that each time they meet they exchange pleasantries, but he
does not know whether any of them harbours bad feelings against him. – Chronicle
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He
noted that in a HIPC situation where the country’s debt is supposed to reduce,
it is rather going higher and strangulating Ghanaians. Dr. Alhassan
made the observation when he interacted with his party executives and the press
in the Eastern region at Koforidua.
According
to him, the CPP advised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government against
adopting HIPC because of the stringent conditions attached to it but it did not
listen, only to confess a few days ago that the conditions were stricter.
The
CPP chairman said the attempt by the government to sell the Ghana Commercial
Bank (GCB) has come about as a result of the strangulating HIPC conditions.
He
said that the CPP would oppose any company that would attempt to buy the
companies that are being put out for sale. “Our party will not sit down and
allow the country to sink. We will debate issues and not attack personalities,”
he further warned.
The
chairman described the commercialization of the state universities as “nonsense”,
saying admission into the institutions of higher learning should be based on
merit but not on financial considerations or ability to pay.
Dr.
Alhassan promised that, if his party takes over the
leadership of the country after next year’s elections, people would see
evidence of the change they are envisaging. The steering committee of the party
was charged to be steadfast, as a new youth programme has been planned to
rejuvenate the party.
The
party said it welcomes the idea of the state funding of political parties in
general elections, because that would develop democracy in the country.
Meanwhile,
the CPP is feverishly preparing to elect its flagbearer
in the next six months according to the party’s constitution, which states that
this must be done one clear year before election. At the moment all the 10
regions are in the process of holding their constituency congresses to elect
their executives.
So
far in the Eastern region, out of the 26 constituencies, 14 have elected their
executives-with the remaining 12 yet to hold theirs soon, according to the
regional chairman, Nana Owusu Sekyere.
–
Chronicle
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At
least over half a billion cedis is locked up in the
hands of rent defaulters occupying the SSNIT flats throughout the country. This
amount is different from the over half a trillion cedis,
owed in loans, obtained by students of tertiary institutions over the last 14
years.
Information
gathered by Chronicle indicates that as at
Some
of the occupants owe between 15 and 36 months rental arrears, the Chronicle
learnt at a meeting between tenants and SSNIT to announce adjustments in rents.
Their
counterparts at the Tema flats follow on the list of
defaulters with 264 occupants owing the Trust a total of ¢131, 265,560. Sakumono flats are next in line with tenants indebted to
the tune of ¢63, 389,300.
Occupants
of the Koforidua flats/houses also come up
prominently on the list of defaulters with at least 158 of them recording a
total debt of ¢35,832,350. The lowest amount of rental arrears was recorded at
the Ashongman SSNIT estate, where only three
occupants owe SSNIT a total of ¢2,600,000.
Other
defaulters were recorded as follows with their total debts;
The
rest are: Bolgatanga, 42 occupants with outstanding
rent totaling ¢17,943,000, Wa, 64 occupants with debt totaling
¢10,100,000, Tamale (Fuo) 45 occupants owe
¢7,857,000. Dansoman flats in
Chronicle
learnt that default in payment of these rental arrears is hindering the
maintenance department of the Trust in carrying out major renovation works on
these flats.
The
head of SSNIT properties management department, Kofi Ampong, told the Chronicle that a taskforce made up of
SSNIT staff is undertaking a door-to-door collection of the rent arrears.
He
said that notices of the Trust’s intention to repossess flat/house are pasted
on doors of defaulters to prompt them to settle their indebtedness. He said a
last resort taken by the Trust is to submit the names of defaulters to the
SSNIT Legal Department for prosecution.
SSNIT
built these flats/houses in a bid to provide quality housing to workers at a
non-commercial rate.
This
makes the SSNIT flats/houses the cheapest on the market. For instance a two-bed
roomed private apartment is rented for between ¢500,000 and ¢6,000,000 a month
while SSNIT charges far below this amount for a similar flat. The Trust has a total
of 7,168 flats/houses out of which it has sold 4,158. – Chronicle
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Tema (Greater Accra)
TDC
acting managing director, Mansah Banson
disclosed this on Adom 106.3 FM at Tema, last week. According to her, the corporation would
like to avert a nasty situation where two persons are going to clash over the
piece of land.
When
asked about an earlier threat by Agbetto to take
legal action against the TDC if it went ahead to re-allocate a different plot
of land to his client, the acting managing director said that the lawyer could
go ahead with his legal intention.
Madam
Banson said that it is not new that the TDC is
replacing disputed land for a customer and cited an instance of dispute over an
industrial plot she just settled last Saturday.
The
TDC task force personnel, together with a policeman, went and seized working tools
at the site at Community 15 on the Spintex road where
Madam Pokuaa and her workers were busily preparing
the land for development.
As
if that was not enough, policemen from the Tema
Buffalo Unit went and arrested Madam Pokuaa at her home,
also on the Spintex road, in the presence of her
Dutch husband.
When
she was brought to the police station, some police officers from Tema and the Police Headquarters confronted her, asking if
she went round claiming to be a girlfriend of a certain minister, which she
denied.
She
was also asked to submit a statement, but she refused on the grounds that the
Greater Accra regional police command was investigating a similar allegation
against her.
The
police claim that a certain Nana Yaw was the complainant in the case. Afua Pokuaa in spite of the fact
that she refused to give a statement to the police was granted police inquiry
bail and asked to report today.
Nana
Yaw, speaking to a reporter, openly declared that the land in dispute is the
frontage of their house and that they would never allow “somebody from
somewhere to occupy it as they also want it” and that the TDC was aware of
that.
Nana
Yaw claimed that he spent more than ¢600,000 at the Coco beach sometime ago on
refreshment for Afua Pokuaa,
her brother, Dutch husband and a TMA government appointee, one Esther, together
with Nana Fitz who allegedly claimed to be a brother
of the TDC board chairman, Nana Prah Agyensaim.
Nana
Fitz was reportedly called to the TDC by the son of
the claimant to the land, Afua Konadu,
in the person of Nana Yaw.
Both
Nana Yaw and Nana Fitz, speaking to the media, said
that the latter asked to intervene in the case and was permitted by the TDC
acting managing director, hence their going to the Coco beach, at the instance
of Afua Pokuaa, when given
the option of a suitable place for the discussion. This was done twice.
Nana
Fitz reportedly acting on behalf of the TDC, went to show the supposed new plot at Sakumono to the group, but Pokuaa’s
brother, who was present, rejected it and insisted on taking the one they had
already legally acquired.
At
this juncture, Nana Yaw reportedly said that they were prepared to pay for any
expenses Afua Pokuaa might
have incurred in preparing the land at Community 15, Spintex
road, including buying the building blocks, sand and stone chippings deposited
on the land.
When
all this failed, investigations showed that police from Tema
went to invite her to the regional headquarters, but upon listening to the
story, the regional commander, ACP Agnes Sika Nartey, asked that the case be handled by the TDC.
The
Greater Accra regional police a few days ago went to invite Madam Afua Pokuaa to
The
TDC boss admitted submitting such a report to the police from
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 3 July 2003 - Paul Victor Obeng, former
adviser to the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), has stated that he
never bribed anybody including the former editor-in-chief of the Chronicle
Group of Newspapers, Kofi Coomson,
when he appeared before the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative
Justice (CHRAJ), charged for unjust enrichment on the basis of a series of
reports made by Coomson in The Ghanaian Chronicle.
Answering
questions from newsmen at Tema on the occasion of
World Press Freedom Day on 13 May, this year, Obeng
said that serious allegations were made against him that he owned businesses in
the
However,
he said, those making the allegations never showed up when they were called
upon to substantiate them, compelling the commission to take the decision that
was taken.
“Kofi Coomson happened to be one
of those people who made the allegations but I did not bribe him,” the eloquent
PV Obeng said dispelling allegations that he may have
influenced him.
PV,
who went low profile after leaving the PNDC, caused quite a stir recently when
he was appointed to the board of the Private Enterprises Foundation. Eyebrows
were raised in certain quarters for what was perceived as drawing too close to
the NPP government.
Obeng is now engaged in salt business in partnership with the Nigerian
multi-billionaire, Aliko Dankote,
who is also entering the cement re-bagging operation in Tema
and Takoradi. The PNDC heavyweight was one of five
persons dragged before the CHRAJ by Coomson in 1996
on charges of corrupt enrichment and abuse of office.
The
others were Dr. Adjei-Maafo, then Secretary for Cocoa
Affairs and board member of West Africa Mills, (brother of Finance Minister Osafo Maafo), K. K. Sarpong, boss of Cocoa Marketing Company, C. B. Ntim and Ibrahim Adam, the
convicted former Minister of Food and Agriculture.
A
report in The Independent making similar allegations against Commander Osei Wusu, the then Minister of Interior also caused his summons
before CHRAJ. However, the then editor of the Independent, now High
Commissioner to Sierra Leone Kabral Blay Amihere declined to take the
witness box to substantiate the allegations and deferred that to CHRAJ.
Coomson however accepted the invitation and jumped to wage a series of direct
and open testimony against the powerful men until, he was himself hauled to
prison following on a charge of seditious libel for reporting that a foreign
newspaper, African Observer and Tribune de Geneve had
alleged that the Rawlings government was engaged in drug and arms trafficking.
Both
the publisher and editor of Free Press, the late Tommy Thompson and Eben Quarcoo were also tried
under section 185 of the criminal code 1960. Commenting on Obeng’s
remarks Coomson said when he was finally given bail,
he was summoned by CHRAJ to go and substantiate his allegations.
He
said he became puzzled by the decision of the lawyers representing him to pull
out one after the other just when he was preparing for the case. He recalls
that the only person who spoke to him to be ‘cool’ with P. V. was the late Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, who told him in the presence of Sebastian Freiku, the regional editor of the Chronicle, that PV is
not a politician, and that he should go softly on him.
Coomson also said the Asantehene gave him ¢500,000
“to compensate for obeying his summons to come to
His
lawyers Joe Ghartey now at the President’s office and
Peter Zwennes of Zwennes
and Co. both explained that they had commitments and could not be available.
The
last lawyer who pulled out at the eleventh hour, less than two days before he
was to face P. V. broke his resolve. He was Yoni Kulendi,
a rising star in the legal profession who used to be in the chambers of Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co.
Coomson said he later found out that it was Nana Akufo-Addo
who asked him not to go ahead, ostensibly because P. V. Obeng
had sought the advice of Captain Kojo Tsikata, a close friend of Nana Addo
who also then leaned on Yonni to pull out.
“At
that point I thought, that’s it!, after all it was up to CHRAJ to investigate
the allegations and come out with its findings, but even then I prepared a
substantial address chastising P. V. Obeng and
calling on him to come clean”.
He
recalled that it was Captain Effah Dartey, the current Deputy Minister of Local Government who
represented him on that day after a late night appeal to him. P. V. had a large
army of lawyers including Larry Adjetey, Nana Akuoko Sarpong, Norbert Kujawu, Opoku Kyeretwie,
and Stanley Amarteifio.
“None
of my lawyers reported to me that P. V. Obeng has
approached them, and I know that he knows better than that to make any such
overtures to me”.
He
noted that Emile Short’s office recently claimed after persistent enquiries
that most of the files on that case had been lost after computer crash. He said
it would be interesting to re-open the files on some of the CHRAJ case
following the then Government’s release of a white paper that cleared all the
men. – Chronicle
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Dubbed
“Focus on
Dr Ayesha S. Hakeem, Executive
Director, African Connections (AC), organisers of the programme, made these
known in
She
said the delegation included officials and representatives of the Ministry of
Trade, Industry and Presidential Special Initiatives, MPs, Ghana Free Zone
Board, Cocoa Marketing Board and CEDECOM. Also over 30 large, medium and
small-scale business will be participating.
Dr Hakeem expressed hope that the delegation would achieve its
objectives as the members had done their homework well. Among topics to be
treated at the workshop are “Doing business in Ghana: Overview of the Ghana’s
Business Opportunities under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and
Financing options available for doing business in Ghana.
A
member of the delegation, Ishmael Adjei Aboagye of Tsuji Services, expressed the hope that their
objectives would be achieved as they had already established good contacts. – Ghanaian
Times
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