Awutu Bawjiase (Central Region) 16 July 2003 - A
group of farmers currently employed to cultivate cassava to feed the President’s
special project on industrial starch under the PSI concept are up in arms
against the management of the project.
Aside
a demonstration last week by the farmers to press home their demand for better
prices for their produce, The Independent gathered from Awutu
Bawjiase where the Ayensu
Starch Company (ASCO) is situated that farmers are threatening to abrogate
their contract with the company.
The
farmers are miffed at the low wages being paid them and likened their
conditions to slavery because “we receive wages” adding that the conditions at
the farm site have reduced them to “mere slaves” working on farms of slave
masters.
The
Independent check on the farm site revealed that the farmers have laid down
their farming implement and have also stopped growing the cassava meant to feed
ASCO. This came to light when the farmers stormed the offices of the TUC to
lodge a complaint with the executives of the General Agricultural workers Union
(GAWU) about the raw deal being meted out to them.
Meanwhile,
the Managing Director of ASCO, Andrew Quayson when
contacted confirmed that the grievances of ASFA have come to his notice and as
a result he met the Zonal executive’s four-times to
seek ways of solving the matter. He explained however that it was the 80 out of
the 180 harvesters who were declared redundant who staged the demonstration. – The
Independent
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Kweku Osei-Bimpong, Public Affairs Manager of
SSNIT who disclosed this in
Osei-Bimpong said those who want to acquire their flats will be
offered flexible terms of payment to enable them to pay without facing serious
financial problems while those who cannot afford, will be made to pay rent. The
rentals will continue for a while and after a period, the flats will be sold
out finally.
He
added that the property rates being charged by the district and metropolitan
assemblies on the Trust’s estates are so astronomical that they run contrary to
what the Trust is charging a tenant per month when one considers the fact that
only one per cent of the occupants are contributors. “The trust can no longer
subsidise for people who do not contribute to the trust,” he said.
Osei-Bimpong said other expenses such as insurance and cost of
maintaining the buildings, among others, have become so huge that it is
uneconomical to the trust to hold on to the buildings. He said it is
unfortunate that even with the very low rates, some tenants have failed to pay
rent to an extent that about 100 tenants in Adenta
and Sakumono had to be arraigned before the courts to
retrieve the monies.
He
said rent outstanding to SSNIT from the two areas alone as at May this year, is
about ˘190m and indicated that this is why the housing system cannot be
sustained.
Osei-Bimpong said to ensure that the occupants maintain a conducive environment so that the value of the facilities
are not eroded, the trust will liaise with the various tenant associations to
form a management committee to oversee the management of the estates.
Meanwhile,
investigations have revealed that most of the flats, particularly those at the Dansoman, have been rented out by the is
original occupants to tenants who are paying economic rates. It was also
revealed that some companies are also renting the rooms to their staff at rates
almost twice as much as that of the trust but do not even maintain them.
A
few of the tenants interviewed welcomed the intention of SSNIT to sell the
flats, on flexible payment terms.
Some
tenants were however, unhappy with the manner in which the heads of their
institutions are rushing to buy the flats and suggested that if possible the
trust should consider the occupants first. – Graphic
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A
memorandum accompanying the bill said since 1970, successive governments have
struggled with the problem of financing the health sector and have tried
several types of health financing strategies. These, the memorandum said,
ranged from complete cost-recovery through partial cost-recovery to fully
subsidised medical care but noted that these efforts have been plagued with
inability to access health care services, inefficient service delivery and
non-sustainability.
It
said past governments have also considered the idea of introducing health insurance
financing mechanism into the country. It said the need to institute a National
Insurance Programme has become even more urgent now, given the increasing
public concern about the inequities inherent in the system of cost- recovery
known as “cash and carry”.
The
memo admitted that though cash and carry has its defects, it cannot be
abolished without instituting a suitable replacement for cost recovery in the
sector. It, therefore, stressed the need to look for and institute a more
humane alternative to the direct out-of -pocket-at- the-point-of service user
payment system.
While recognising that there is no perfect health financing system, the
'memo nonetheless stressed that a social insurance programme that can cover all
residents is less regressive and more equitable in nature than the cash and
carry system. The bill provides a system by which there is to be established in
every geographical area under a district assembly, a district mutual health
insurance scheme. Residents of the geographical area are required to seek
membership of the scheme in the relevant district in order to obtain the basic
healthcare benefits provided under the bill.
The
eight- part bill establishes a regulatory body that will license health
insurance schemes, generally supervise licensed schemes and seek the assurance
of the provision of at least a minimum level of quality healthcare.
Generally,
the bill deals with the establishment of a National Health Insurance Council,
types, registration and licensing of health insurance schemes; establishment
and operations of district mutual health insurance schemes and the
establishment of private health insurance schemes comprising private mutual and
private commercial schemes.
The
bill also makes general provisions applicable to the operations of all health
insurance schemes, the establishment of the National Health Insurance Fund as
well as the imposition of a national health insurance levy. It also caters for
administration and miscellaneous matters for the effective implementation of
the provisions of the bill.
In
a statement made on the floor of the House, the NDC Member for Upper Manya Krobo, Stephen Quao noted that the institution of the National Farmers’
Day is not enough to address the woes of farmers. He said most of the country’s
farmers are still glued to the primitive methods of cultivation as modern
agricultural technology is totally beyond their reach.
He
said the worst among the problems of farmers is the fact that intermediaries
dictate the prices of their farm produce. “With this sad development, the
ordinary farmer is left in an impoverished state with no capital to expand his
production base”. He said the conditions of the Ghanaian farmers keep
deteriorating while those of the intermediaries keep on improving and said the
system of trade in the agriculture sector is not fair and totally against moral
justice.
The
NPP Member for Okaikoi North, J. Darko-Mensah,
reacting to the statement said it is incorrect to lump all farmers together and
claim that they are poor and unhappy. He said cocoa farmers enjoy good prices
for their produce and are generally happy and therefore there is no basis to
generally characterise all farmers as deprived.
Johnson
Asiedu Nketia, NDC, Wenchi West and Ranking Member for Agriculture, said
farmers, particularly those in the food crop sector, are the poorest of the
poor in the Ghanaian society. He said their problems go beyond the pricing of
agricultural produce. He called for the encouragement of the nucleus and outgrower production modules and urged farmers to learn to
obey the contractual obligations involved.
A.
B. Boadi-Mensah, NPP, Obuasi,
expressed regret that the country fails to preserve its excess produce during
bumper harvests, which leads to scarcity in the lean season. He called for a
second look at the invasion of the food crop market by intermediaries.
The
Minister of the Interior, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman
was in the House to answer a question from Mrs Cecilia Gyan Amoah
the Member for Asutifi South. She wanted to know from
the Minister why Ghanaians returning home from abroad are made to fill
immigration forms whereas it is not the case in other countries.
The
minister said the Immigration Act, which helps the country to know the number
of people who enter the country, governs the entry into
According
to Owusu-Agyeman, since January, this year, the
Immigration Service has discontinued the endorsement of Ghanaian passports with
stamps on arrival at the entry point. He said Ghanaians only need to fill
disembarkation forms. – Graphic
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Eddie
Akita, the Minister of State in charge of Fisheries, announced this when he
addressed the extra-ordinary general meeting of the Ghana Canoe Fishermen
Council in
The
minister called on boat owners to register and license their boats under the
new fishing law to enable them to benefit from their various associations. He
said in view of the numerous problems besetting the fishing industry, the
government has put together a sub-set capacity building project to ensure order
in the industry. He called for a collaborative effort between the council and
the ministry in solving the problems plaguing the industry.
Nii
Abeo Kyerekuandah,
Executive Secretary of the council, called on the ministry to pay greater
attention to artisanal fishery so as to ensure its
growth and sustainability. He also called for stringent and practical measures
to control the premix fuel scheme to ensure that guidelines pertaining to the
opening and operation of the outlets are rigidly enforced. Nii
Kyerekuandah appealed to the government to place an
embargo on the activities on people who join the industry just to make money
without caring about the development of the industry.
In
a welcoming address, the President of the National Fisheries Association of
Ghana, Flt. Lt. M.G. Tackie, called on council
members not to allow politics in the industry, adding that “unless we eliminate
politics from the industry, we will remain underdeveloped.” – Graphic
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Breman Essiam (Central Region)
To
cement the unity and oneness reached, the leaders of the gates shook hands with
one another in front of the members of the gates, chiefs and elders as well as
other citizens of the town who had gathered at the paramount chief’s palace.
The three gates are Bompiro Asona,
Nyamebekyere Asona and Abosamdo Asona, and their
respective leaders are Opanyin Kojo
Nyamekye, Opanyin Kwesi Nana Otabir and Obaapanyin Esi Twiwah.
Prayers
were said, a sheep was slaughtered and libation poured to seal the peace and
tranquillity now reborn in the town. The atmosphere was captivating as the
event unfolded interspersed with gospel music being churned out by a sound
system together with traditional drumming and dancing as various messages of
solidarity with the leaders flowed in.
The
event that took place on Tuesday 1 July 2003, was the culmination of the
efforts of the chief mediator in the dispute, Nana Edukuma-Nyarkoh
I, the Sanaahen of Breman Essiam Traditional Area.According
to Nana Edukuma-Nyarkoh, he started his mediation
mission from July 2, last year and that he pleaded the with feuding gates
neither to raise accusations nor open any defence.
He
provided the sheep, which was slaughtered and some drinks alongside other
donations by individuals and the Bremam Essiam Development Association, all in appreciation of the
positive attitude shown by the leadership and membership of the three gates.
In
a solidarity message read on his behalf by his Special Assistant, Ishaq Asirifie, the Central
Regional Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Isaac Edumadze, commended the leaders and their people and urged
them that “ you should do all in your power to
maintain the peace and unity you enjoy now and pool your energies to seek
development.”
The
other speakers, including chiefs, Sarpong-Dam, the
District Co-ordinating Dierctor of the Ajumako-Enyam-Essiam District Assembly, who stood in for
the District Chief Executive, Mr Kenneth Obempong,
and the Chairman of the Breman Essiam
Development Association, King Obuobi, all emphasised
the need for the people to put the past behind them and seek progress for
themselves and the town. – Graphic
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In
all, 80 cadet officers are participating in the course. Nana Nsiah urged the cadets to take their course very seriously
so that they will be able to exercise the required supervision over their
subordinates when they are commissioned. He expressed the profound gratitude of
the Police Administration to the government for the importance it places on the
training of police officers.
Nana
Nsiah explained that ever since he assumed command as
the IGP, he has had the occasion to open several programmes on retraining of
officers and inspectors of the service.
Mrs
Gifty Anin-Botwe,
Commandant of the
In
a related development, the
He
said the present administration would ensure that personnel admitted into the
service are effective and efficient.
Nana
Nsiah made the call when he opened the 36th Cadet
Officers Course at the
He
expressed the profound gratitude of the Police Administration to the government
for the importance it places on the training of police officers. Nana Nsiah explained that ever since he assumed command as the
IGP, he has had the occasion to open several programmes on retraining of
officers and inspectors of the service.
Mrs
Gifty Anin-Botwe,
Commandant of the
In
a related development, the
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Under
the pretext of paying for advertising services that had been rendered for the
DIC by Goldcity Communication Group Limited (GCGL),
an advertising and a publishing company, an amount of ˘2,592bn (US$288,000)
paid to the latter (GCGL), was later on paid back directly to the secretary,
Emmanuel Amuzu Agbodo.
The
amount was paid to Agbodo through GCGL’s
dollar account at the Barclays Bank with a cheque number 081534 dated
But
for a request made by the bank that it be availed with certain documents to
enable it to process the transfer, Agbodo would have
succeeded in depositing the said money in the name of his nephew who, at the
time of the transaction, was out of the country.
A
letter dated 13 December 2000 and signed by the bank’s official stated,
“documents left: photocopy of passport, telephone numbers, letter of
introduction, banker’s reference or details and passport pictures, Ms. Hanseen-Quartey following on these.”
In
view of the difficulties he faced in opening the accounts, Agbodo
- in a letter dated
It
stated, “I shall be grateful if you could close the above account and issue a
draft in the name of Goldcity Communications Group
Limited. Please find attached the funds transfer form duly completed.”
The
GCGL executed most of the consultancy services for DIC in the year 2000 and
operated several accounts in dollars, pound sterling and in cedis.
The dollar and the pound accounts were operated at the Barclays Bank, Osu branch, while the cedi account
was operated at the Standard Chartered bank. Meanwhile the SFO, in exercising
its powers through a high court, had since 2001, frozen all assets and bank
accounts of the GCGL.
The
company filed an application at a high court for the “review, and or variation
of the order approving the freezing of the assets and accounts of GCGL and
others.” The SFO has since responded to the application pending the ruling of
the court next Wednesday.
The
application prayed the court for an order to authorize the release of US$10,000
in the applicant’s foreign currency account to operate and achieve the purposes
of the business for which such monies were brought into the country, adding
that at the time the SFO froze the accounts and assets of the GCGL, it was
aware that the GCGL had just acquired a newspaper with funds brought in by the
GCGL group based in London and the UK.
“The
SFO has also always been aware of the fact that this newspaper, being the only
surviving authentic business newspaper in the country, has not achieved
mass-circulation status and needs the injection of considerable capital to
sustain and properly establish it.”
In
addition, the application stated that the attitude of the SFO is “equally
unreasonable in that it appears ill-equipped to realise that since by
documentary proof, this paper was acquired by non-Ghanaians with funds brought
in from outside, this inordinate delay and refusal to allow access to the very
funds intended for investment in the business of this paper constitutes a
serious disincentive to foreign investments in this country.”
Meanwhile,
the SFO in its counter-application says the applicant has rather been making
use of unspent balance of DIC, which had been paid by GCGL, putting the cash
left in the dollar account at far less than US$10,000.
According
to the SFO, no further withdrawals should be permitted in all frozen accounts
of the GCGL, since there is the likelihood that GCGL would be called upon to
refund part of the money withdrawn from the frozen accounts.
The
SFO contended that: “Further investigations revealed that the intended services
were never rendered and that there was no evidence of the mode of transfer of
the money for the media houses for the said services,” stressing that the GCGL
has drawn monies over and above that amount by constantly taking from the
frozen dollar account. – Chronicle
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Akuapem (Eastern Region)
According
to Ayesu, the DCE since his assumption of office has
turned the Akuapem South District into a “White
Elephant”, adding that his call was warranted also by the poor performance and
inefficiency of the DCE.
This
remark did not go down well with a section of the people at the forum including
chiefs. There was total uproar in the room as others said the caller had made
his personal views while others contended that it was wrong for him to use the
forum to settle his personal scores.
It
took a few minutes before the Good Morning Sunrise 106.7 FM moderator, under
whose jurisdiction the programme was held in order to interact with the DCE and
assemblymen, could bring the situation under control.
The
moderator after ceasing fire cautioned all the members to desist from making derogatory
remarks and politics. According to him, even though everybody has the right to
freedom of speech, his programme should not be used as a yardstick to achieve
anything apart from interaction.
“The
DEC is voted into office. No single person can call for his dismissal and that
if the DCE is non-performing and there is a need for his dismissal, as the
caller wants us to believe, there would be a vote of no confidence. It was
rather unfortunate that the questioner made such a statement,” he added.
Ayesu, the recent loser of the district assembly election for Duayeden electoral area at Nsawam,
took his stand when The Chronicle contacted him on his call. “I want the
government to listen to my call because our area, in terms of sanitation, is
beyond description. Our market has not been rehabilitated. It is beyond repairs
and is choked.
The
whole atmosphere of Akuapem South when one talks in
terms of development comparing it other districts, is
a failure and that is why I say the district is a white elephant.
“The
face lift of the area is bad. No car parks, poor drainage system, among others.
I am an NPP activist and I am not the only person who observes the poor
performance of the DCE. He is performing below expectation, the government
should assess the performance of the DCE,” he argued.
Nyarku-Adu, the DCE told The Chronicle that because everybody has the right to
freedom of expression, Ayesu had failed to observe
the developmental projects ongoing, describing the statement as baseless and
unfortunate. “It is his mindset”, he added.
“I
have been performing. His allegation of non-performance is hollow.” According
to him, even though there are problems in the area, he is trying all means to
improve upon the sanitation.
In
an answer to what he has done for now, the DCE said, the district built biogas
toilet at Amoakrom. The biogas toilet is a type,
which is built with a doom and digester, he said, adding that vehicles would
soon be acquired to improve upon the revenue mobilization for the district.
He
noted that the bone of contention was a tractor which is not functioning, and
the assembly unanimously stated that it should be sold which he declined,
saying it could be sold under the instruction of the Chief of Staff without
that he cannot concord to the decision.
Seth
Wiafe Dankwa, a member of
parliament for the area who made his maiden appearance at the assembly call for cross-border checking to ensure that more revenue
is generated. He also urged the DCE and assembly members to work hard to
elevate the sanitation in the area. – Chronicle
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This
is due to the fact that SHC management has, to date, done nothing about the
company’s eastern zone third quarter (last year) internal audit report, which
accused an official of embezzling monies in respect of fuel coupons to the
detriment of the company.
Part
of the report stated, “Audit noted that on the
“This
situation has given rise to malfeasance and the abuse of the petrol coupons. We
recommend that A. Preko should be taken out of the schedule
to pave way for the completion of our investigation,” continued the audit
report.
But
management flatly denied knowledge of this audit report in response to a
questionnaire sent to the company by The Chronicle to find out what had been
done about that audit report.
A
response to The Chronicle stated: “Management is not aware of an auditor’s
report indicating that Preko diverted fuel coupons.
Available records do not indicate that such a report has been filed or
presented. Rumours about diversion of fuel coupons were checked at the accounts
section but could not be substantiated or confirmed.”
Meanwhile
the paper can report that a committee set up by the board of directors to
investigate allegations of managerial malfeasance, following a Chronicle report
on 14 March, this year established that there exists such a report.
Surprisingly,
a recommendation made in part of the same audit report (which management denied
knowledge of), to the effect that “B. B. Tagoe,
technician engineer, be made to refund an unreconciled
difference of ˘500,000,” was implemented.
“Meanwhile
the site technician engineer, B. B. Tagoe, should be
made to refund the unreconciled difference of
˘500,000 to the zone,” stated the report. The paper’s information was that Tagoe has since been made to refund the money to the
company.
The
Chronicle knows for a fact that the company’s financial position is so bad to
the effect that a section of the workers, two months ago, demonstrated against
the delay in salaries.
That
is not all, for SHC workers in Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions are
yet to receive their salaries for July, The Chronicle can report. June salaries
were paid only last week.
But
in spite of all these, the managing director and the administrative director,
Anthony Sarpong Mensah and
Henry Y. Aidoo respectively, take car maintenance
allowances every month while the company, in addition, services the official
cars they use, a fact they confirmed in their response to our questions.
In
full, the SHC response sent to The Chronicle on this issue read: “To begin
with, the deputy-managing director does not take any maintenance allowance. But
as it pertains in most SOEs, universities and other
organizations, the managing director and director of administration as well as
several managers who use official cars take car maintenance allowance to
maintain their private cars, which were purchased with loans from the company
or are registered with the company. This practice therefore is not peculiar
with SHC.”
The
paper learnt that this issue once led to a misunderstanding between management
and a chief auditor of the company in the person of Takyi
who questioned the correctness of collecting car maintenance allowance while
using company vehicles.
Again,
the ownership of a grader SHC has been hiring for years alongside the one owned
by the company is being kept in secret and is yet to be established, leading to
suspicions of foul dealings in that transaction. State Housing Company
currently pays about ˘1.2m every day for the services of the grader.
While
management says the grader, with registration number GT 2569 J (which, SHC has
been using alongside the one it owns), belongs to one Kwame
Kuma, the proprietor of Kwakuma
Motors, pieces of information in possession of this paper, contradict what the
company claims - as far as the ownership of the grader was concerned.
Particulars
on the grader available before the paper revealed, “yellow grader, imported
from UK and manufactured in 1979” belonged to a company called “Brobess Limited” with its address: H/No K.O. 56/57, Apagyafiemu, Antoa Road, New
Town, Kumasi. The grader was bought through auction
from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).
Again,
a cash voucher dated
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