Over 7,000 retired employees still on active payroll
Government supports increase in tariffs- Kan-Dapaah
Ghanaian midwife wins international award
US group on evangelical and business tour in Ghana
"We are not responsible for flood victims" - NADMO
GETfund obtains 378 billion cedis from VAT deductions
Institute insurance policy for farmers - GAAS
Brong Ahafo braces up for local government elections
President Kufuor addresses World Food Summit
NPP youth wing condemns Kofi Wayo
Global Water Partners to hold consultative meeting in Accra
Need for International Alliance to fight hunger - Diouf
Heavy rains leave thousands displaced
Rawlings flies to Germany to meet former world leaders
UK old boys association of Opoku Ware marks Golden Anniversary
Accra (Greater Accra) 11 June 2002- The Audit Service special exercise to unearth ghost names from government payroll has uncovered a fresh set of 7,107 persons over the retirement age of 60, who are still on the active payroll. This is apart from the 3,200 ghost names that have so far been identified and deleted, and another 2,700 duplicated/multiple ones which have been recently identified for deletion.
Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs who announced this in Accra on Monday, said this has helped retrieve 1.6 billion cedis in unearned/unauthorised salaries and saved the country 3.8 billion cedis.
Speaking at the opening of a five-day seminar on management skills for 25 middle level staff of the audit service, he said 1.2 billion cedis has also been saved from the duplicated/multiple names, bringing the total savings under the first and second phases of the exercise to 6.4 billion cedis.
The Assembly of English Speaking African Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E), a regional grouping of the International Organisations of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) organised the seminar.
Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey said as government grappled with the task of ensuring the country's economic well being, the challenge of the Audit Service was crucial to empower its staff to fully discharge the constitutional responsibility of being the watchdog of public accounts.
He said a first class audit service was crucial in the pursuance of the government's crusade of zero tolerance of corruption. "An efficient audit service, scrupulously performing its pre-expenditure and post expenditure auditing can save the country the billions of cedis which are annually lost through white collar crimes and careless administration of public funds."
He said the creditable performances of the service in United Nations assignments were not being translated at home, adding, "We wish to see the same diligence in work ethics and professionalism in the output of the Audit Service at home." "The question is how come financial malfeasance escapes the scrutiny of our auditors; is it inefficiency or collusion?" he asked.
Mr Edward Dua-Agyeman, Acting Auditor General said it was the first time a seminar was being organised in the country to benefit several staff members saying, "the past training programmes of the service had been geared towards promotion examinations and interviews to the detriment of individual staff training needs."
He said it was for this reason that the service sought the assistance of AFROSAI to organise the seminar in which preference had been given to those with an aptitude for and interest in training their colleagues.
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Government supports increase in tariffs-
Kan-Dapaah
Accra (Greater Accra) 11 June 2002- Government has affirmed its support for tariff increases on electricity consumption. Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Energy, however, advised the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) to restrict increases to cover only cost which would enable the utility services operate efficiently.
A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the ministry, Ms Florence Boakye quoted Mr Kan-Dapaah as saying that government was aware of consultations by PURC with various stakeholders on the increases in tariffs being demanded by utility service providers, including Electricity Company of Ghana.
The statement said Mr Kan-Dapaah, who was speaking at a forum organised by the staff of the company in Takoradi, expressed government's expectation that any increase granted would lead to clear improvement in quality and service delivery. He said government would further support the process by providing funds for investments to improve the distribution network
He charged the workers and management of the company to provide excellent customer service to win public confidence. The Minister said his Ministry was working on energy conservation programmes to educate the public on the need to use energy efficiently.
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Koforidua (Eastern Region) 11 June2002 - The Management of the Koforidua Regional Hospital at the weekend, presented a plaque and 500,000 cedis to Ms Cecilia Anna Asare, a staff for winning the Marie Gaubran Memorial Award organised by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM).
The triennial award which, goes with a certificate and 4,000 Euros, was instituted by the parents of the late Marie Goubran, a former Secretary General of the ICM to promote midwifery education and practice, in Africa.
Dr. Joseph Taylor, Medical Superintendent, commended Ms Asare for making Ghana and the Hospital proud and expressed the hope that the award would inspire midwives to work harder.
Miss Asare who is the Senior Nursing Officer in-charge of the Maternity Ward qualified as a Nurse in 1966 and became a Midwife in 1974. She has been a Trainer of Midwives in life saving and safe motherhood clinical skills since 1990.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 June 2002- A 20-man team from the United States led by the Reverend Dr. Kingsley Fletcher, a renowned evangelist arrived in the country on Monday, for an evangelical and business exploratory tour.
The group including the renowned Gospel singer, the Reverend Ron Kenoly and Evangelist Dr Lawrence Tetteh, would be in the country for a week. They were met on arrival by Mr Christian Adu-Atiemoh, Chief Director at the Ministry of Education and Mr John Budu-Smith, acting Director-General, Ghana Education Service.
Rev Fletcher said they were in the country to preach and assist in the development of education, health care, community development and to encourage business partnerships.
He said they would establish youth centres in the country to impart skills and produce manpower needed for development, adding that, the first to be located in the Shai Traditional Area would include a music centre.
Mr Adu-Atiemoh said the group had arrived at a time the government was trying to find solutions to problems in the education sector and promised that the Ministry would assist them in their endeavour. The group would call on President John Agyekum Kufuor and hold a musical concert at the Trade Fair Site in Accra.
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Takoradi (Western Region) 11 June 2002- "The Monitor", a weekly newspaper to promote the development aspirations of the Western and Central regions, has been launched in Takoradi.
The eight-page weekly with a cover price of 1,000 cedis would hit the newsstands on Mondays and would focus on agriculture, politics, education, business, sports, entertainment and health issues.
Launching it, Mr. Muniru Arafat, Cape Coast Municipal Chief Executive, stressed the importance of the media in the shaping the character and opinion of the people, especially the youth, and urged editors of the paper to live up to expectation by highlighting the problems as well as the achievement of the people of the two regions.
The Western Region, he said, produces the bulk of the country's cocoa, timber and minerals yet it is the least developed. ''I appeal, therefore, to the paper to become the mouthpiece of the region in calling for its fair share of the national wealth.''
Nana Kobina Nketsia, Omanhene of Essikadu, said the appearance of "the Monitor" on the newsstand is an answer to the many calls for such a medium to serve as the mouthpiece of the regions. He appealed to the paper to "feed the people with the right information to enable them to make the right decisions".
Awulae Annor Adjaye the 111, Omanhene of Western Nzema Traditional Area, said, ''development, unity among the people, foreign investment and the welfare of the people, should be the priority of the paper''.
He called on the reading public to patronise the paper to make it financially viable in view of the high cost of newspaper production. Mr Kwesi Mould, a seasoned journalist is the editor of the paper with Mr J. Ahinful-Mensah, as associate editor. The first four copies of the newspaper were sold for two million cedis.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 June2002- The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) on Monday stated that the organisation was not directly responsible for flood victims but serves as a back up whenever the need arises.
Brigadier Joseph Odei, NADMO National Co-odinator explained that the metropolitan authorities and the regional co-ordinating council's were solely responsible for such victims.
He was speaking to GNA on the organisation's preparedness towards the raining season and the occasional flooding in some parts of Accra after last night's rainfall, which lasted over six hours.
Brigadier Odei explained that, "NADMO only comes in to assist disaster victims when the situation is beyond the control and management of the responsible institutions, " stressing that the organisation serves as reserve and back-up force to the local authorities.
He said the organisation was monitoring the floods in the metropolis to assess the level of damage to life and property to offer the necessary human and logistical support. On NADMO's preparedness, Brigadier Odei said disaster prone areas had been identified as well as rescue lodging areas to serve as a safe haven for victims and also to reduce the level of fatality during disaster.
Brigadier Odei said the organisation has also started a sensitisation and educational campaign on flood preventive measures as well as the formation of voluntary disaster clubs in the highly sensitive areas.
NADMO, in collaboration with the military was also training special Rescue teams to assist its operations. He said these are all parts of the restructuring exercise of NADMO to give it a new image and additional responsibilities, whiles equipping it to handle disasters promptly, effectively and efficiently.
He, however, expressed concern about hindrances to the effective management and control of disasters such as unauthorised structures adding that the organisation is seeking a legislative instrument to empower it to demolish structures, buildings and other landmarks, which obstruct normal flow of water.
Meanwhile, a tour of some communities in Accra, which include, Alajo, Dzorwulu, Sukura,Agege, Dansoman, Mataheko, Adabraka, Circle, and East Legonshows trails of flooding.Most residents were busily washing, cleaning and drying their household items, including mattresses, carpets, blankets, furniture, and clothes.
Some affected residents appealed to NADMO and other non-governmental agencies to assist them with logistics, while some expressed concern about where they would lodge, as their rooms were still full of water.
GNA observed debris and sand on some roads in the metropolis, especially at intersections and junctions of major and small roads. Other major roads had also developed manholes whiles shoulders of some roads had been washed away.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 11 June2002- The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) has so far obtained a total of 378 billion cedis being deductions of two-and-half percent of Value Added Tax (VAT) payments and out of this an amount of 250 billion cedis has been disbursed on educational institutions.
Nana F.M. Banahene, GETfund Administrator, made this known on Monday at the commissioning of a 52-room medical students hostel at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).
The occasion also marked the sod-cutting for another 90-room hostel to house 180 clinical students of the School of Medical Sciences (SMS) of the Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.
Nana Banahene said five billion cedis has been spent on KNUST alone--for the construction of the just commissioned students hostel on which 1.3 billion cedis was spent while the rest went into the refurbishing of the Great Hall, rehabilitation of a sewerage plant and the construction of a water tank.
He said bringing tertiary education up to appreciable standards in terms of infrastructure development has been the priority of the Fund "since they are the places where the manpower training needed for national development is acquired."
He called on Ghanaians to pay their taxes and make sure to collect receipts because that is the only means of ensuring that they are contributing to the GETfund. The School of Medical Sciences, established in October 1975 with the first batch of 21 students, now admits more than 100 students per year over the last four years.
Professor J.S.K. Ayim, Vice Chancellor of KNUST, who chaired the ceremony, said the occasion marked a dramatic turn in the development planning of KNUST after 17 years of snail pace development and that the construction of the hostel has come as a result of the 'esprit de corps' of the former dean and the university.
He said it is being envisaged in future that a hostel complex to house 240 to 400 students with other facilities like computer rooms, lecture halls, among others, would be constructed in order to train more doctors.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 June 2002- Early childhood head injuries and convulsions account for about 60 to 70 per cent of mental disorders reported in children, according to studies.
Dr Joseph Asare, Head of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, said the studies showed that frequent convulsion and severe head injuries could have adverse effect on the brain with disastrous consequences, if early treatment was not sought.
Speaking at the inauguration of a nine-member management committee of the Dzorwulu Special School for the mentally handicapped, he said parents must ensure that fevers in infant and children were treated with urgency to avoid frequent convulsions.
"The brain tissue is stressed during convulsions and the frequency of this action may result in mental disability. Parents must therefore ensure that the child is immediately sponged with cold water, to cool down the temperature before seeking immediate medical attention," he advised.
He said most of the mental disabilities reported in children could have been treated or prevented if early report was made. Dr Asare said prenatal care was also very important to ensure early detection of any disability before birth.
According to him most expecting mothers did not seek prenatal care and therefore such disabilities were not detected early enough to effect treatment. "Some teenage mothers have small birth canals so the baby may go through a lot of stress before it is born and it may also contribute to brain damage," he said.
He therefore advised parents to stick to both prenatal and postnatal health care to avoid complications in their children's health. Mrs Rose Ankrah, Metropolitan Director of Education, who inaugurated the board, urged the committee and the school authorities to work together to ensure that useful policies were developed for the children who needed special care and education.
Mr Yaw Appiah, Headmaster, said the school needed financial assistance to be able to provide quality education and care for its 80 students. "They have a right to quality education and health care as every other person in our society, so help us give them the best in life."
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Nyankpala (Northern Region) 11 June 2002- The Vice President of Ghana Association of Agricultural Students (GAAS), Mr Richard Yeboah has appealed to the government to institute an insurance scheme for farmers to help minimise the risk in agriculture.
He said the high incidence of floods, bushfires and the vagaries of the weather discouraged many people from going into farming adding that if such an insurance scheme was introduced, many more people would be encourage to go into agriculture.
Mr Yeboah was speaking at the 23rd Annual National Congress of GAAS at the University for Development Studies of Nyankpala on Saturday. The GAAS Vice President said the youth are refusing to go into farming because of the uncertainties and the risks involved, saying, the only way to persuade them to accept farming is to guarantee their ventures.
He called on the government to subsidise the price of agricultural inputs, reduce interest rates on agricultural loans as a way of encouraging more people, especially the youth to enter into agriculture.
Dr Abdul Majeed Haroon, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, who addressed the students, said agriculture was the mainstay of Ghana's economy because most industries depended on it for their growth. He called for private sector participation to minimise post-harvest losses to promote food security.
The Deputy Minister appealed to agricultural institutions to provide their students with entrepreneural skill training to enable them to start their own businesses. Mr Slyvester Adongo, Northern Regional director of Food and Agriculture, asked agricultural students to start their own projects while in school to provide practical results for farmers to emulate.
A six-member executive was elected to run the affairs of GAAS at the congress. It has Mr Samuel Amissah as the National President and Mr Daniel Adu ankrah as the Secretary.
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 11 June 2002- A total of 1,649 candidates have filed their nominations to contest 582 electoral seats in the 15 district assemblies of the
Brong Ahafo Region. They include 1,549 men and 100 women
Statistics from the Regional Office of the Electoral Commission (EC) in Sunyani showed that 157 candidates are contesting in Asutifi, 148 in Wenchi, Atebubu 139, Kintampo 132, Sunyani 139 and Techiman 125. Others are Asutifi, 123, Jaman 122, Nkoranza 119, Dormaa 115 and Berekum 91.
Tano district has the highest number of 164 contestants, whilst Sene has the least number with 85 candidates According to the statistics Wenchi District with 54 electoral areas is the highest whilst Sene has 30 electoral areas as the least.
Seven Districts have 48 electoral areas each. They are Asunafo, Tano, Sunyani, Dormaa, Jaman, Kintampo and Atebubu. Asutifi, Techiman and Nkoranza Districts have 42 electoral areas each whilst Berekum has 36.
Tano district has the highest number of 19 women contestants whilst Atebubu and Asutifi districts have three each as the least. Asunafo, Jaman, and Sunyani have 15, 11 and 10 female candidates respectively with Dormaa and Techiman having seven each.
The statistics indicate that Nkoranza and Berekum Districts have six female candidates each whereas Wenchi and Kintampo have four each. Whereas 544 out of the 582 electoral areas in the region are being contested for, only 869 out of 1,956 unit areas are in contention.
Most of the candidates for the assembly and unit committee elections are either teachers or farmers. Mr Amadu Sulley, Regional Director of EC, said teachers formed the majority contestants for the assembly elections. He said farmers dominate the nominations for the unit committee elections while the rest are carpenters, masons and other occupations.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 June 2002 - The Adjabeng Community Tribunal on Monday refused to grant bail to Ram Beckley, a medical practitioner and occultist being tried for assaulting and kidnapping a class three pupil.
The tribunal, chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Ankomah, ruled that regarding the complexity of the case and the unusual nature of the exhibits, a month would not be enough to complete investigations. The tribunal's rejection of bail followed an application by leading defence counsel, Mr Akwasi Bosompim.
Mrs Ankomah said forwarding of documents and dockets to the Attorney General's office for advice would take more than a month, adding that the tribunal appreciated defence counsel's concern about his client's fundamental human rights and pointed out that protecting the fundamental human rights of the accused included ensuring his security.
Mr Bosumpim told the press he would soon file an appeal at the Regional Tribunal against the ruling. "I am convinced that my client is innocent and the whole charge is a complete frame up." Mr Bosompim reminded the tribunal at its sitting on 3 June that the accused had been remanded for more than a month while the prosecution had been giving different reasons just to keep him in custody.
Counsel said under the criminal code, charges levelled against his client were not mandatory for which bail must be refused. Beckley was first arraigned on 15 April and has since been on remand. The Prosecution said on 12 April, Beckley, who was driving along the Gbawe-Mallam Road in Accra, saw a young girl selling vegetables.
The accused was said to have lured the girl to join his car to his house under the pretext of buying some of the vegetables. In Beckley's house, he tied the girl to a tree overnight without water and food, until her stepfather was informed and he raised the alarm.
Beckley was arrested on Saturday 13 April after Police received a complaint from a parent that her daughter was abducted by the accused on Friday evening. An angry mob set ablaze his residence and property running into millions of cedis at New Gbawe in Accra.
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From: Patrick A. Frempong, Rome
Rome (Italy) 11 June 2002 - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Monday, called on developed countries to provide aid that would empower developing countries to be self-sufficient in their development efforts. He appealed to developed countries to consider using part of the grants given to developing countries in the form of relevant agricultural implements and other inputs.
They could as well lay infrastructures such as irrigation canals and storage facilities to boost agricultural production to make them self-sufficient in food production, President Kufuor told this year's World Food Summit which opened in Rome, Italy on Monday.
The theme for the three-day summit is "World Food Summit - Five Years Later". Leaders from 185 countries and the European Community at the 1996 World Food Summit held in Rome, expressed their unified commitment to ending hunger in the world.
They set a goal to cut by half the number of hungry children, women and men by 2015. At the time, the number of hungry people in the world was believed to be
841 million.
World leaders are being invited back to this year's summit, being held five years later, not to reconsider the goal but to re-affirm their commitments and consider concrete and specific measures to ensure achievement of the goal.
They would be required to review the advances made since 1996, to identify appropriate measures for success in the future and to mobilise the political will and resources required to accelerate their co-ordinated effort.
President Kufuor said, when farmers in developing countries were assisted to modernise their farming methods and when their produce did not have to compete unfairly with produce from the developed countries who still protect their markets and whose farmers tend to be heavily subsidised, then there would be a sustainable solution to the problem of hunger.
He said it seemed the 1996 Action Plan had not seen much progress because it lacked the specifics of how the stakeholders were expected to work together and mobilise resources within a time frame. "We must therefore use this review summit to strengthen and empower the FAO to be able to specify and target programmes at these areas of concentration of hunger," he added.
President Kufuor said the organisation must be enabled to mobilise the resources and oversee the distribution to cut out inefficiency and corruption. "Bad governance, high population growth rates and conflicts, which contribute to hunger, cannot be left as the exclusive concerns of the afflicted areas."
President Kufuor said these remedial measures to fight hunger must be seen as short term, the medium to longterm solutions would be to help the poor countries improve upon their agricultural practices and increase their food production.
"There exist in the world, enough research on climate, soil, technical tools and seed varieties to transform agriculture throughout the world. "The results of the many research projects that have been conducted should be shared for the betterment of humanity," he added.
President Kufuor said Ghana has fertile lands, waterways and a willing workforce but farmers are the poorest segment of society, because like in many developing countries their farming methods had remained antiquated.
He called on the developed countries to lend their support to the New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) because African nations have resolved through the initiative to uphold good governance, rule of law and sound economic management of their nations.
"Hunger, wherever it exists, demeans all humanity. We have it within our will to eradicate hunger. Let us therefore make sure that this time, our resolutions are backed by specifics on time, resources and political will. I have no doubt we shall succeed," he added.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 June 2002 - The Greater Accra Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Monday condemned Mr Kofi Wayo, a businessman and a member of the party for his "numerous and unnecessary attacks on the party".
"We wish to express our utmost dismay at the high level hypocrisy and corruption being exhibited by Kofi Wayo who claims to be a leading member of the party but condemns the party's policies," the youth wing said in a statement in Accra signed by Mr Albert Afaglo, the Regional Youth Organiser.
The statement mentioned specifically Mr Wayo's attempt to buy the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) saying, "The Tema Oil Refinery has not yet been offered for divestiture nor has it been advertised in any media for divestiture".
The statement accused Mr Wayo of trying to dupe Ghanaians by using his influence to purchase the TOR with some foreigners of a defunct company. "Ironically, Mr Wayo who claims to be the most patriotic Ghanaian offered 35 million dollars for an important and valuable asset like TOR which cost the Tax payer 250 million for rehabilitation works alone".
The statement described Mr Wayo's action as ridiculous and unprecedented "as he wants to use foul means to purchase the TOR to make himself richer than every Ghanaian in the country", saying that such acts in the past led to the collapse of the economy.
"It is deplorable that a leading member of a ruling party would lead a company, which has not filed its returns in its country of operation for the past five years to purchase a valuable national asset such as TOR.
"We doubt both the company's credibility and viability as well as Mr Wayo's so-called 10 per cent shares in the company". The statement advised Mr Wayo to channel his energies and resources to other areas of the economy instead of the energy sector where his credibility was doubtful. The statement said Mr Wayo's claim of nationalism was only a ploy calculated to achieve his selfish aim of acquiring TOR behind closed doors.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 June 2002 - A two-day Global Water Partnership (GWP) consultative meeting opens in Accra from Monday, 17 June. A statement in Accra by GWP said over 400 delegates from the partnership, a global network of water experts, would be attending the meeting, which is the seventh and a follow-up to the recent Accra water conference.
The meeting will discuss how effective water management can contribute to sustainable development in the framework of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).
The West African Water Partnership (WAWP) in liaison with the Water Resources Commission and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) will host the meeting, which will discuss among other topics, the importance of water and water related issues in the scheme of NEPAD.
The proliferation of trans-boundary water resources and the challenges they pose in Africa will also be among the core issues to be deliberated on as well as the various actions being taken globally to seek solution and implement programmes to tackle water resources development and management problems with a particular focus on Africa.
The statement said the meeting was of particular significance for the on-going preparations towards the world summit on sustainable development scheduled for Johannesburg in September and the world water forum to be held in Kyoto, Japan in March 2003.
It is thus expected to lay the framework that will culminate in further enhancement of co-ordination mechanisms to harness and share the full potential of the water resources to stimulate and sustain growth for economic development.
Established in 1996, GWP is a network of water experts, institutions and individuals united towards the promotion of integrated water resource management and help countries translate into concrete actions the principles of integrated water resources management endorsed by the Dublin and Rio conferences in 1992.
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From: Patrick A. Firempong, Rome
Rome (Italy) 11 June 2002 - Mr Jacques Diouf, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Monday said the mobilisation of an International Alliance Against Hunger will help revive the essential political will needed for the destiny of the world's hungry to regain centre stage in the concerns and priorities of governments, parliaments, local authorities and civil society.
Mr Diouf was addressing the opening session of this year's World Food Summit, which began in Rome. The three-day summit is under the theme; "World Food Summit - Five Years Later"
Leaders from 185 countries and the European Community at the 1996 World Food Summit held in Rome expressed their unified commitment to ending hunger in the world. They set a goal to cut by half the number of hungry children, women and men by 2015. At the time, the number of hungry people in the world was believed to be 841 million.
This year's Summit being held five years later, the world leaders are being invited back not to reconsider the goal but to re-affirm their commitments and consider concrete and specific measures to ensure achievement of the goal.
They would be required to review the advances made since 1996, to identify appropriate measures for success in the future and resources required to accelerate their co-ordinated effort.
Mr Diouf said during the 1996 World Food Summit, a solemn commitment was made to reduce to 400 million by 2015, the number of men and women who have to temper their hunger with restless sleep.
Regrettably, he said the political will and financial resources had not matched the mark of human solidarity. The Director General of FAO, said there had been many schools of economic thought, but none had advocated the development of a sector by depriving it of investment.
He said from 1990 to 2000, concessional assistance from the developed countries and loans from the international institutions fell by 50 per cent for agriculture, the livelihood of 70 per cent of the world's poor as resource of employment and income.
Mr Diouf said as a result, the number of undernourished had only fallen by six million per year instead of the 22 million needed to attain the objective set in 1996, therefore the target set would be met 45 years behind schedule. Mr Diouf said within the terms period, the global market for agricultural commodities had continued to defy any notion of fairness.
Pope John Paul II, in a message read by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State for General Affairs at the Vatican, said the Catholic Church was ever concerned for the promotion of human rights and the integral development of people.
He said the Church would therefore continue to support all who work to ensure that every member of the human family received adequate daily food. Pope Paul said his intimate vocation was to be close to the world's poor and hoped that everyone would become practically involved in speedily resolving the problem of hunger, one of the gravest facing the human family.
Italian President Carlc Azeglio Ciampi, welcoming the delegates said food security necessitates a higher production, reliable crops, functional provisioning, collection and distribution services.
He said a "prosperous-agriculture" involved a non-disruptive use of arable lands, forests and mountainous areas, the preservation of soils, a careful management of water resources, the preservation of livestock and fisheries.
President Ciampi therefore, called on governments to commit themselves to the global issues related to the safeguard of the environment. He said the cancellation of the foreign debts of poorest countries was a fundamental instrument for the fight against poverty in the world.
President Ciampi said the developed countries and the international financial institutions should reward those poor countries who act to faster democracy and good governance.
He reiterated the appeal made by Italy at the Monterrey meeting in Mexico for the full cancellation of outstanding bilateral debts including foreign, financial and trade debts for the poorest countries. President Ciampi said Italy also suggested a more substantial debt relief than the one agreed at the international level, and the possibility of extra-ordinary reliefs in the event of natural disasters on serious humanitarian crisis.
President Ciampi said the Italian government had already contributed 50 million Euros to the new Special Trust Fund for Food Security and Food Safety. He said hunger and mal-nourishment could only be eradicated through a well-balanced growth in agriculture and by improving living conditions in rural areas.
"But there is only one framework for development, debt relief, access to the northern markets and more substantial financial flows towards the south are top priority actions. For them to be effective we need unity of intents and actions. "The goal is ambitious, the task is not easy, but it is a rightful battle we can win together", he added
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Accra (Greater Accra) – 11 June 2002 - Parts of Accra under water A ten-hour downpour in Accra, yesterday, has caused heavy flooding in several areas in the city. As usual the flooding occurred in areas such as Assylum Down, Avenor, North Kaneshie, Achimota and Laterbiokorshie. Works and Housing Minister, Yaw Barimah toured the flooded areas to assess the extent of damage.
After the tour, he told JOY FM that residents and squatters in the major cities of the country are largely responsible for perennial floods. He has also accused some corrupt officials of the Town and Country Planning Department for issuing building permits to people to put up structures in areas with poor drainage.
But Mr. Barimah told JOY FM efforts are being made to prevent floods. He said government will desilt gutters and ensure that all buildings in water ways are demolished. This same promises were given by the then Works and Housing Minister, Kwamena Bartels, after last year’s floods.
When JOY FM spoke to some residents in the flood prone areas in Accra they said they are fed up with the promises of ensuring that floods do not recur. They said government should immediately take steps to ensure that the flooding situation is not worsened otherwise they warned that more lives and property will be lost. - JoyOnline
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 June 2002 - The Meteorological
Service Department has warned residents of Accra to expect more rains this
month because the country’s rainy season is not yet over. The Service described
Monday’s floods, which hit Accra as “an accumulated effect.” The Duty Forecaster
at the Meteorological Service, David Perry explained that the torrential rain
followed five days of continuous rains last week, hence the floods. With the
exception of last Friday and Saturday, it rained throughout the week.
Mr Perry said the five days of rains naturally caused saturation of the ground
and this, coupled with the poor drainage system mainly due to blocking of water
courses and drains, triggered off the floods. Accra recorded 123.3 millimetres
of rainfall during the 10-hour period, describing it as the highest in Accra so
far. This was more than the 91.4 millimetres recorded last year.
Kade in the Eastern Region recorded the highest rainfall of 168.2 millimetres,
while Cape Coast and Kumasi recorded 87.9 millimetres and 85.4 millimetres
respectively. Last year, flood waters claimed 13 lives and destroyed
properties. Residents who were trapped by floodwaters, climbed to safety on
trees and rooftops where they waited and prayed for rescue mission and the
early recession of the flood waters.
In 1995, the Meteorological Services Department described the rains that hit
the city of Accra as the highest since 1936. The July 4 rainfall, recorded 258
millimetres, with the intensity of 64 millimetres in 12 minutes, lasting for
nine hours. Before the 1995 floods, the highest rainfall recorded in Accra was
192.8 millimetres, which was in 1959. - JoyOnline
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Cologne (Germany) - 11 June 2002 - Former leaders from all over the world got together in Berlin to debate global problems - and to enjoy each other's company. DW-WORLD accompanied them on a boat trip down Berlin's river Spree.
Sitting on a tour boat on Berlin's river Spree, former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda waves to passers by with a white handkerchief. "Since my imprisonment in 1960, I have always carried a white handkerchief with me as a symbol of peace," he explains.
"The Interaction Council is a way to peace," Kuanda adds. Together with 30 other former world leaders, the Zambian president has travelled to Berlin for this year's InterAction Council, an annual meeting of former presidents from all over the globe.
Founded in 1983 by former prime Minister Takeo Fukada, the InterAction Council was established "to mobilize the experience, energy and international contacts of a group of statesmen who have held the highest office in their own countries".
For the ministers, it offers a chance to relive past glories while debating issues pressing their successors. Following the meeting, the ex-heads of state draw up practical solutions that are handed on to world leaders for consideration.
"Mind your head!"
After 3 days of intense discussion and debate, the Council's members shout in unison as the tour boat nears yet another of Berlin's low bridges. Up on deck, drinking wine and Berliner Weisse, are former leaders from all over the world, including Prime Ministers James Bolger from New Zealand, Poland's Hanna Suchochka, Australian Malcolm Fraser and the former head of state of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings.
"To put it bluntly, we have made it plain that wealth and power can be for the common good" Council Chairman and former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser says, speaking over a glass of champagne. Fraser has not missed one of the 20 meetings which have taken place in countries such as Finnland, Germany, and Japan, and is a dedicated member of the so-called "Old Boys" summit.
As the boat slowly chugs down the Spree, passing through what was once East Berlin, the tour guide points out both old and new in Berlin and speaks of change in the German capital since the fall of the wall.
"Much has changed in the Council's 20 -year existence", Fraser says, including the personell. Besides politicians from the western world, members from former communist states, including Russian leader Yevgeniy Primakov, now belong to the club and are as fully integrated as their western counterparts.
Just a few seats away from the Australian leader sits Chinese Dr. Song Jian, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. "Being able to cut across party beliefs after the collapse of communism is an important function of the Council", Malcolm Fraser says.
"However, what is more important, is that the problems we have debated from the start have become far more serious". Seeking cooperation and action in areas including peace and security, revitalization of the world economy, population, environment and universal ethics, the Council members jointly develop recommendations and practical solutions for the political, economic and social problems confronting humanity.
These recommendations are then passed on to current governments. Past papers have covered topics from deforestation and world economy, to lessons of German unification to Korea. Both these and the Council's "Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities", which was conceived in 1997, have since met with much acclaim among current world governors.
After four hours on the boat, a three-course meal and sufficient beverage, the atmosphere is one of cordiality and liveliness. Shortly before reaching Potsdam, Kenneth Kuanda (photo) gets up from his seat, and picks up a song, which he says, is against AIDS. The group claps. Only Honorary Chairman Helmut Schmidt, the 80-year-old former German Chancellor, looks tired.
What at a first glance may look like an old boys' reunion is in fact much more: Speaking earlier at the conference, Schmidt is remarkably sharp in his criticism of the US, describing their Middle East politics as "not consistent" and showing obvious contempt for Bush's "Axis of Evil", which he says, does not exist.
"Not all governments may listen to a bunch of old leaders," Malcolm Fraser says. But as former governors must not fear party politics, and have no power to lose, there is a certain nonchalance in the air which makes out of a gathering of elder statesmen a somewhat unique, and ostentatiously self-confident organisation.
Arriving in Potsdam, the group is helped off the boat and guided to Schloss Cecelienhof, where the then-Soviet Premier Stalin, British Prime Ministers Churchill and Atlee and US President Truman, met for the Potsdam Conference almost half a century ago.
At this year's meeting, the US is missing. Both Kissinger and Clinton cancelled at the last minute. An underlying criticism of the US prevails despite the joviality of the evening; especially when talk turns to the Middle East conflict. "The US alone will not be able to solve it. But together with the EU, there is a greater chance of success," Fraser says.
The group also sees a more active role for Germany in the EU. "Germany has its difficulties in the Middle East due to its past," Fraser said. "But as an EU member, it can play a far more active role."
The Middle East conflict is indeed an issue which the Council has turned to, and will be focusing on in more depth in the near future. Looking for a common ethical standard for all major religions, "we would achieve a great deal if we could achieve a declaration over the next 12 months", the former Australian Prime Minister says.
On the bus on the way back to Berlin, talk has reduced to a
tired murmur. Kenneth Kaunda sits in
the back and watches the landscape pass by. After five hours on the boat, and
walking through Potsdam, he still holds on tightly to his white handkerchief. -
DW-World, Germany
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London (United Kingdom) 11 June 2002 - The UK branch of the Old Boys Association of Opoku Ware Secondary School, Kumasi, has celebrated its golden anniversary with a high profile fund-raising dinner dance.
Proceeds from the event which was interspersed with cultural dancing would be used to establish a computer laboratory for the school. Other fundraising activities are being organised to supplement proceeds from the dinner-dance.
The dinner-dance was attended by Mr Isaac Osei, Ghana’s High Commissioner in the UK, Nii Ayite Boafo, a Presidential Aide; Okatakyie Joe Douglas Appiah, an ex-executive member of the association; Mr Kwabena Afriyie Asamoah, Chairman of the Association; chiefs; past students of the Association and a cross-section of Ghanaians and opinion leaders in London.
In his address, Mr Isaac Osei who was the guest of honour, called on past students to give their unqualified support to the development of facilities at the school. He suggested to wealthy old students to think about bequeathing part of their estates to the school when writing their wills in appreciation of the love and continued interest in laying a solid foundation for future generations of students.
On national issues, Mr Osei asked all privileged Ghanaians to join in the crusade of educating their compatriots on the importance of deciding political leadership through the ballot box and not through the barrel of the gun.
He said as privileged people it was equally important for them to emphasise in their interaction that no nation could be built in a year “nor could the wrongs of the immediate past be righted within a year”.
The High Commissioner stated that it was only through careful and patient analysis of Ghana’s situation and sound policies that “we can build the foundation upon which the building blocks of progress and development could be created”.
In this connection, Mr Osei said the government has taken bold and decisive steps to build a strong macro-economic framework through the policies which had reduced inflation, interest rate and halted the free fall of the cedi.
He said all Ghanaians are anxious to see the realisation of President Kufuor’s vision of a united and prosperous Ghana where public service would be seen as an avenue for service to the people and not for amassing wealth.
High Commissioner Osei urged Ghanaians outside the country who are not yet ready to return home to invest in houses, the stock market and remit home regularly and stressed that the Mission would assist those interested in returning to make an informed decision on the issue.
Speaking at the function, Mr Asamoah noted that the cost of education had become a burden and called on past students to think about what they could do for the school.
He said since the Government is genuinely not in a position to foot the entire educational bill, it was incumbent on all past students to make financial and material contributions towards the development and improvement of facilities at the school.
GRi…/
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