GRi
Press Review 25 – 06 – 2003
UN must cater for needs of the less developed
AGL intensifies exploration
PNC to elect flagbearer on 14 November
Exporters advised to improve on labelling
President Kufuor assures aged of govt support
The irresistible rise of Sam Jonah
UN must cater for needs of the less developed
Blackheath (UK) 25
June 2003 - H.E. Isaac Osei, Ghana’s Envoy to the UK
has stressed the need for the United Nations to cater for the needs of
countries left behind by the fast process of globalisation if it was not to
lose its moral authority and legitimacy.
Osei made the observation at a
lecture he delivered on “The future of the UN and
The lecture, which
was attended by Prof Christopher Akumfi Ameyaw, Minister of Ports, Harbours and Railways while in
He said a future UN
that was not collectively tackling the challenges of environmental degradation,
drug trafficking, refugees, human rights and good governance; illiteracy,
ignorance and disease would have failed to live up to its goal of promoting
human development.
Similarly, he said,
“a future UN Security Council that does not reflect within its permanent
membership a category of new and important centres of economic power, as well
emerging regional powers from developing countries of the world”, could not
adequately address the new and old security threats.
Osei pointed out that the UN, in
the new millennium, should endeavour to overcome the threat of creeping
irrelevance and called on “African countries to be part of the solution in a
way that enhances their sovereignty, security status as well as the prosperity
and dignity of their people.”
High Commissioner Osei observed that
The challenge facing
He pointed to the
current UN Medium – Term Plans (2002– 2005), the endorsement of the New
Partnership for
Special Adviser on
African affairs, the struggle against colonialism and apartheid, the
maintenance of peace, peace-keeping missions in
Osei however
admitted that the high visibility of
He, noted,
nonetheless, that
He said African permanent
representatives to the UN should engage all major parties through bilateral and
multilateral channels and ensure the strengthening of the Office of the Special
Adviser for
Osei called on African countries
to explore ways of supporting and strengthening African countries, which
represent group interests in various African bodies and organise to ensure
their success.
On issues at the
General Assembly, Osei advised that African countries
should arrange to be represented where a subject of direct importance was being
discussed and called for delegation of spokespersons to speak on behalf of the
whole region on issues of common interests.
With regard to the
Security Council, Osei called for clearer
articulation and definition of African issues and a mechanism of co-ordination
among Africans countries themselves to ensure that their common interests were
clearly defined. He said a system should
be put in place to ensure effective follow up of Security Council decisions
affecting or relating to
Considering that
Osei said the successful
implementation of NEPAD principles would help eradicate poverty and place
African countries on the path of sustainable growth and development, and called
on the UN to mobilise resources for the benefit of the people.
At the end of the
presentation, High Commissioner answered questions from the floor relating, among
other things, on democratic changes sweeping the continent.
In one of his
responses, the High Commissioner explained that “Africans have now come to
accept that any change in the leadership process should be effected through the
ballot box and not through the barrel of a gun.” – GRi
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AGL intensifies exploration
Damang (Western Region)
The
focus of the exploration is to seek further ore resources and expand its mining
of hydro-thermal ore bodies which are now being mined at Damang.
Initial exploration findings show that there is substantial ore, which has the
potential to extend the production life of the mine.
The
General Manager of AGL, Allan Thompson, said this during a briefing session
with the Western Regional Minister and media personnel at Damang.
According to Thompson, AGL intends to achieve its production target by
re-organising its operation and adopting alternative processing methods.
He
said that the daily mine production averages 20,000 bank-cubic metres of ores
from the pits and 15,000 tonnes from the run of the mine to a crusher.
Thompson
further said AGL has introduced a sustainable and environmentally friendly
agricultural technique known as the conservation tillage practice as part of
its community assistance projects.
He
explained that the technique improves the yield of crops planted by the local
farmers and also reduces the adverse environmental effects of the
slash-and-burn farming practice, which is common in the area.
He
said AGL has earmarked over $250 hectares of land as part of AGL’s rehabilitation programme. He noted that the company
plants legumes, timber species, farm produce and medicinal trees on its
rehabilitated land.
AGL
will review all abandoned cash crop farms in its
immediately communities said Thompson. He explained that where it is feasible
the farms will be rehabilitated to increase potential for employment.
Already
AGL and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture have started the identification
and mapping out of such farms. He said employment at AGL is focused on local
communities, with 60 per cent of the company’s employees coming from the catchment communities. – Graphic
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PNC to elect flagbearer on 14 November
Delegates
attending the congress will also choose a new national executive to ensure that
the party prepares adequately towards the next general elections.
In
an interview in
He
said other issues that will be discussed at the congress will include pertinent
national issues that affect the daily lives of the broad masses of the people.
Dr Mahama mentioned some of them as the HIPC initiative and
its impact on the economic development and the well-being of the people, the
disbursement of the GETFund and unemployment, which
he claimed threatens the social cohesion of the country.
According
to the PNC leader, the Kufuor administration has
failed to make public the various decision points of the HIPC Initiative, its conditionalities and the impact of such conditionalities
on the conditions and standards of life of the vast majority of the people.
“The
PNC is concerned about the weak and fragile nature of the Ghanaian economy,
which needs strengthening to support the political superstructure to implement
sound policies that will raise the quality of life of the people and ensure
them a better future,” Dr Mahama said.
The
PNC leader said the party has already drawn an elaborate time-table for the
holding of constituency and regional congresses which are expected to be
completed before the end of October.
Dr Mahama called on the supporters of the party not to be
distracted by unsavoury comments by its opponents but rather continue to work
hard to win more members to ensure its victory in the 2004 elections. – Graphic
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Exporters advised to improve on labelling
Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 June 2003- Ghanaian exporters to the United States market
have been urged to improve labelling and packaging of their products to meet
the specifications under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Mrs
Joyce Stuber, a consultant on labelling and
packaging, and a senior lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology, (KNUST) in
Speaking
at a three-day seminar on labelling and packaging design for exporters in the
country under the auspices of the Ghana Export Promotion Council (GEPC), she
said Ghanaians need to spend more money in getting the right labelling and
packaging to meet acceptable international standards if they are to make a
significant breakthrough in the US market.
She
said with the competition posed by the Asian countries on the international
market, there is the need for Ghanaians to double up to ensure that they have a
fair share of the market.
She
said the efforts made by the government to be part of AGOA needs to be complemented
by exporters by ensuring that their products meet the required standards.
Mrs
Stuber said there is no doubt about the quality of
She
said since the manufacturer or producer will not be in every shop to convince a
customer to patronise the product, it is up to them to do proper labelling for
the packaging to do the talking.
The
consultant said some producers and manufacturers are making it big on the
international scene and it is up to the larger majority, who are not yet
conforming to standards to endeavour to do the right things. She said AGOA is
an opportunity for them to turn their companies around for the better and it
will only take strict adherence to regulations to make it.
Hajia Alima Mahama,
Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and President’s Special Initiatives, in her
opening address, said the programme has come at an opportune time when the
government has increased its support to industry with the objective of
enhancing the competitiveness of Ghanaian products.
“It
is the belief of government that our industries, having experienced depressive
situations in the past will require well-defined strategies to overcome the
myriad of problems and to position them to withstand the challenges of greater
competition in the international trade,” she said.
Hajia Mahama also mentioned a comprehensive
imports-substitution industrialisation programme, targeted at producing locally,
70 per cent of all non-petroleum government imports as well as 50 per cent of
all processed foods/agricultural products imported by individuals and
companies.
She
said to achieve this, a technology-improved programme aimed at retooling local
industries and thereby improving and enhancing competitiveness will be
implemented while all the 110 district assemblies under the Rural Enterprise
Development Programme will be assisted to develop three commercially viable
flagship projects, which will generate a total of 330 business enterprises in
rural communities over a three-year period. – Graphic
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President Kufuor assures aged of govt support
He
said the aged have contributed to make
The
luncheon, which was preceded by a medical review of the aged, is part of
activities marking this year’s 43rd Republic Day celebrations. President Kufuor said he decided to spend time with the aged to send
a clear signal to them that they have not been forgotten by his government.
He
told them that they are blessed because not everybody lives to attain 60 years
and above. “You have gone beyond the Biblical barrier of
President
Kufuor said most of the senior citizens have lost
their energy: yhey have found that some of their
friends and neighbours have died and their younger relations do not seem to
have time for them.
He,
therefore, commended HelpAge
President
Kufuor asked the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating
Council to organise some ¢10m for HelpAge
Mrs
Alberta Ollenu, immediate past president of the HelpAge Ghana, appealed to the government to help expand
the facilities at the HelpAge centre. The oldest
senior citizen who attended the luncheon was Opanyin
Show, who celebrated his 100th year birthday on
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The irresistible rise of Sam Jonah
The
chief executive officer of Ashanti Goldfields - a man who has gone from
labourers to nobleman in one smooth movement
In
a country where success is no longer a high-risk factor (apologies to the late
P A V Ansah), the recent announcement that Sam Esson Jonah, chief executive of Ashanti Goldfields Company
(AGC), is to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II prompted many to congratulate
the boy from Assin Kushea
in Ghana's Central Region.
The
announcement, which was made via a press release from the British High
Commission in
Atta and Sir Edward Asafu-Adjaye.
The
basis of Sam Jonah's ennoblement, like many others before him, is that he has
made a significant contribution in his area of work in his home country and internationally.
Ashanti,
of which Sam Jonah is CEO, contributes significantly to the Ghanaian and
British economies; now, the success story of the company under 'Mine Boy' Jonah
is about to receive recognition from the British royal establishment.
Thanks
to conscious efforts by Sam Jonah and his determination to push his Africanisation policy through,
In
celebrating the announcement, GRi looks at Jonah's
life and asks: Who is he? What have been his life's struggles? And what place
does he hold in the world of mining?
The Beginning
The
story of Sam Jonah cannot be told without peeping into his origins. Born on
Completing
secondary school in 1969, the very year Lonrho (now Lonmin) acquired AGC, Jonah joined
In
an interview in 1998, Jonah told the host of BBC's Hard Talk, Tim Sebastian,
that he chose mining "as a line of least resistance" while his Adisadel School mates were opting for medicine, law and
other prestigious professions.
The
son of a building contractor - Thomas Jonah, who is said to have seen military
service and Madam Beatrice Jonah who hails from Assin
- Kushea in the central region. In fact Nana Agyensem Prah, a member of the
Council of state and current chief of Kushea is
Jonah’s senior brother.
Sam
Jonah started life after graduation at AGC’s flagship
Obuasi gold mine, Obuasi. Here,
he began to shine, like true gold in a rock, becoming a shift boss and later
mine captain.
His
steady rise continued as he was made underground manager, senior engineer,
general manager and deputy managing director.
By
the age of 36, it was clear that Sam Jonah's meteoric rise from the bowels of
the earth was unstoppable. The boy from Assin Kushea was poised to take his rightful place in history
when, in 1985, AGC appointed him managing director and, by inference, a member
of the board of Lonrho, one of
It
is significant that the late 'Tiny' Rowland, the astute businessman who
purchased
Significantly,
he became chief executive of
Rawlings
was later to take an acidic stance against Jonah for reasons many have found
difficult to understand. Rawlings, obviously unaware of the sometimes byzantine nature of the world of business, never understood
why
Challenges ahead and the Jonah effect
The
difficulties confronting Sam Jonah as the first African chief executive of
Jonah's
'Africanisation policy' is also unprecedented. Just a
little over five years ago,
He
has also been able to lead the company out of precarious exposure on its hedge
book. According to its third-quarter report for 2002,
At
the time
The reason?
In
a speech at the London School of Business in 2001, Jonah spoke of the political
sensitivities of working as a CEO in Africa: "Two years ago, when we
started our Geita project in Tanzania, the company
wanted to upgrade the small turbo-prop plane we used to move our bullion and
executives, to a jet plane that could service the mine more efficiently. In
addition to our technical and financial due diligence, we had to do a
'political' due diligence and find out whether Ashanti - or in effect, its
chief executive - would be using a jet that was coincidentally similar to the
one being bought by the president [Rawlings], which would offend his
sensibilities.
"We
were made to understand in no uncertain terms that it would not be a smart move
for
This
is one of the many challenges that Jonah and his team have passed through in
the quest to make
Under
his management,
It
is worth noting that, of all the world's major gold-mining companies,
That
is the tale of Sam Jonah, the man who dug his way up from the belly of the
earth to surprise that he will be the first Ghanaian knighted in the 21st
century. His story is a challenge to the youth of
This
piece is adapted from the original publication by Egbert
Faibile Jnr
The tradition of knighthood
The
origins of knighthood are obscure, but they are said to date back to ancient
Knighthood
became an established military guild in many European countries, and it had
certain characteristics: a would-be knight would undertake strict military
training from boyhood, including some time as an assistant (an esquire,
probably derived from the Latin scutifer;
shield-bearer) to a knight with whom he rode to war.
He
would also have to prove himself worthy according to rules of chivalrous
behaviour, such as 'faithfulness to his Saviour and his Sovereign', generosity,
self-denial, bravery and skill at arms.
In
addition, he would be expected to have the financial ability to support the
honour of knighthood, so that he could provide himself with arms, armour,
horses and the required number of armed followers to render military service to
his sovereign for a minimum period each year.
In
former times, no person could be born a knight (the use of the term 'knight' in
England may have come from the Anglo-Saxon word 'cnyht'
or 'cnite', meaning 'military follower'); even
monarchs and their heirs had to be made knights. Alfred knighted his grandson Athelstan; William I was knighted when he became king (although
he had previously been knighted in Normandy); Edward III, Henry VII and Edward
VI were all knighted, after coming to the throne, by one of their subjects.
The
conferment of knighthood involved strict religious rites (encouraged by the
bishops, who saw the necessity of protecting the Church, and of emphasising
Christian ideals in order to temper the knights' ferocity), which included
fasting, a vigil, bathing, confession and absolution before the ceremony took
place. The first and simplest method of knighting was that used on
battlefields: the candidate knelt before the royal commander of the army and
was 'stricken with the sword upon his back and shoulder' with some words such
as 'Advances, Chevalier, au nom de Dieu'. (The action
of touching the sword on the recipient's shoulder is known as dubbing.)
The
second method involved greater ceremony, which could include the offering by
the knight of his sword on the altar. Although the monarch's 'lieutenants in
the wars' and a few others of high birth 'possessed of special royal authority'
could knight others, over the years successive sovereigns began drastically to
limit the power to confer knighthood - particularly Henry VIII. Eventually, it
became the custom for monarchs to confer all knighthoods personally, unless
this was quite impracticable.
However,
knighthoods were not necessarily sought after, as there were men who wanted to
avoid an honour, which compelled them (at great expense and personal
inconvenience) to reinforce the sovereign's armies. The alternative to
knighthood was the payment of a fine instead of military service, and kings
such as Edward II, James I and Charles I found such fines a useful source of
income for the crown (this practice of fining was abolished in Charles II's reign). James I even instituted a new honour of
baronetcy (a title which could be passed on to descendants) in 1611, so that he
could raise money and valuable reinforcements for his army.
In
extreme cases, when a knight was found guilty of treachery or treason, he could
lose his honour by formal degradation - a public ceremony in which his
accoutrements were taken off him. In 1468, Sir Ralph Grey was taken to
Other
more recent examples of degradation from honours are when Sir Roger Casement
had his knighthood cancelled during the First World War for treason (he was
subsequently executed), and in 1979 when Sir Anthony Blunt (a former Surveyor
of the Queen's pictures) also had his knighthood withdrawn. Currently, a person
may be stripped of his knighthood should he be convicted of a criminal offence
by a court of justice.
Today,
the Queen (and occasionally members of the royal family on her behalf) confers
knighthood in
By
tradition, clergy receiving a knighthood are not dubbed, as the use of a sword
is thought inappropriate for their calling. Over the centuries, knighthood has
evolved: it is no longer awarded solely for military merit, it cannot be bought
and it carries no military obligations to the sovereign. However, knighthood
remains as a form of recognition for significant contributions to national
life. Recipients today range from actors to
scientists, and from school head teachers to industrialists.
Foreign
citizens occasionally receive honorary knighthoods; they are not dubbed, and
they do not use the style 'Sir'. Such knighthoods are conferred by the Queen,
on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on those who have made an
important contribution to relations between their country and
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