President Kufuor attends State reception
Muslims congratulate government
Gbagbo leaves
Accra for Abidjan
EU approves 2.4bn cedis for construction of school
President Kufuor commends schools
Policy of attracting youth into agriculture is working - Apraku
"Restore beautiful Cote d'Ivoire to prosperity" -
Kufuor
Britain confident in Ghana's democracy – Envoy
World leaders congratulate Ghana on
anniversary
The challenge is to lift Ghana out of underdevelopment
–JAK
Fight for Africa's economic independence –
CPP
Independence Day Parades held throughout the
country
Supreme Court Judge scolds governance
institutions
Money Does Not Like Noise!-JAK
Taskforce set up to look at chloroquine
treatment
Chicago Child Smuggler faces Fraud Charges
President Kufuor attends State reception
Vice President Aliu Mahama, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr
Peter Ala Adjetey and First Lady Theresa Kufuor were also at the cocktail
party, attended by members of the Executive, Legislature, Diplomatic Corps and
a cross section of Ghanaians.
They were entertained with music from the Police Band and
cultural dances from the African Show-time Dance Ensemble. Earlier in the day,
a parade was mounted by the security services and school children at the
The address highlighted the need for unity and peace to
propel the government agenda to move
Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo
attended the parade and jointly took the salute with President Kufuor. Similar
parades were held in the regional and district capitals.
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Muslims congratulate government
He thanked God for His guidance and for the country to achieve her 46th independence anniversary. A statement signed on Thursday by Alhaji Awaiso Bio, the Public Relations Officer of the Chief Imam's Office said though Ghana has come a long way in the affairs of governance, not withstanding the current economic difficulties with God, the future was hopeful.
It called on all Ghanaians irrespective of religious beliefs to continue to
pray for peace, progress, and prosperity for the nation.
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Gbagbo leaves
Accra (Greater Accra) 7 March 2003 - The Ivorian leader
President Laurent Gbagbo left
Accra Thursday afternoon for Abidjan after participating in activities marking
Ghana's 46th Independence anniversary.
President Gbagbo who was the guest of honour at the
celebration took the opportunity to hold talks with the ECOWAS Chairman,
President John Kufuor on the implementation of the Maccoussis
Accord brokered by
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EU approves 2.4bn cedis for construction of
school
Bonwire (Ashanti Region)
The local community and the district assembly would share the counterpart
funding of 240m cedis representing 10 percent of the project's cost. Nana Nyarko Frimpomaa, Queenmother of
the town, announced this when she received a cash donation of 20m cedis from a
group of citizens of the town resident in
The donation was in response to an appeal she made to the
group during her recent visit to some European countries. Nana Frimpomaa expressed gratitude to the group and told the people
to encourage their relatives who are also living outside
This, she said, could come in the form of computers and
other learning materials for schools in the area. The Queenmother used the
occasion to remind parents of the need to give attention to the education of
their children, saying, they should not just ensure that they enrol in school
but see to it that they stay in school.
Richard Kuffuor Agyeman, who
represented the group, gave the assurance that they would mobilise additional
financial resources to complement the development efforts of the people. He
hoped the donation would motivate others in
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President Kufuor commends schools
Accra (Greater Accra) 7 March 2003 - President John Kufuor on Thursday
commended school children for displaying a high level of performance in the
March past at the Independence Square making the celebrations a success.
In his key note address for
"The training you are receiving from your schools should equip you to be open minded to reject the fears that come from ignorance and strengthen you to accept the challenges of modern life."
The President said nothing good came cheap, and hard work had its rewards and
called on the children to work in unison saying "unity and team work
brings success.'' The children from the basic schools, who the President said
impressed him with their brilliant performances, were selected from the Ashiedu Keteke, Ablekuma South, Ayawaso and
There were also two private institutions including the
Also in attendance was the cadet corps of the Wesley Grammar
School, representing the Army, Christian Methodist School representing the
Navy, Odorgonno Secondary School for the Air Force
and St Aquinas Secondary School for the Police.
Ashiedu Keteke won the first position in the march past with 35 points, Ayawaso Sub-metro came second with 32 points whilst Ablekuma Sub-Metro came third with 31 points.
Accra Girls Vocational Training Institute, with 34 points took the first
position for the second cycle schools, whilst
For the Cadet Corps, St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary came first
with 34 points,
All Schools that won the first positions received a plaque with
Prof Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of
Education, who presented the prizes, asked the pupils, students and teachers to
make a personal assessment of their actions to determine how effective or
otherwise they had contributed to national development.
He called on them to ponder on the theme for the
celebration: "Peace and Unity - Vital Prerequisites for National
Development" and relate it to the numerous wars and conflicts both
internally and externally. "It is indeed a pity that children and other
innocent and unfortunate groups should go through very harrowing experiences
when some group of
adults decide to fight each other.
He said the country needed peace and unity to achieve whatever targets she set adding "you have to be united to be able to improve and get to your current standard. "As we make merry let us all take cognisance of the fact that our independent status places a huge responsibility on us" adding that the nation must be able to develop and be competitive in the global village.
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Policy of attracting youth into agriculture
is working - Apraku
Wawase (Eastern Region)
Konadu Apraku said on Wednesday that there were indications
that the policy of attracting the youth into the agricultural sector was
working.
Dr Apraku said this in a speech read for him by Yaw Nyarko-Mensah, Director of Human Resource and Private
Sector Co-ordinator of the Ministry, at the inauguration of the Young Farmers
Club at Wawase, near Nkawkaw.
The Minister said: "There are tremendous potentials for the youth in
agriculture to earn decent incomes from their activities." He noted that
perceptions were that the farming population was aging and there was the need
to attract the youth into it.
Dr Apraku said the Ghana Export
Promotion Council was ready to help the young farmers to produce for export
adding that they could export to the
Dr Apraku said the ministry as
well as the Ministry of Food and Agriculture would intensify collaboration in
promoting the development of storage infrastructure and introduction of simple
processing technologies to minimise post-harvest losses.
He said the incentives under the 2003 budget were to be
brought to the attention of farmers, particularly the imposition of the 25 per
cent duty on poultry products to pave the way for the development of a vibrant
local poultry industry.
The Minister urged young farmers to form strong groups or
associations to enhance their chances of accessing credit schemes. Joe Mantey, National Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council,
said self-employment in agriculture was a safety net, adding that the formation
of the Club was to encourage the youth to venture into farming.
Ohene Kontoh, Secretary General of the Agricultural Producers Council, appealed to the government to assist the Young Farmers Club with the needed funds to enable them to achieve their aim.
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"Restore beautiful
Accra (Greater Accra)
He said: "As the leaders of
President Kufuor was addressing a parade of the military,
police and other security agencies, school children and civil society
organisations at the
With President Kufuor on the dais was Laurent Gbagbo, Ivorian President, who has arrived in
President Kufuor told the Ivorians
that
He said; "the need for peace, unity and stability go
beyond the confines of geographical boundaries; the entire Sub-Region must be
peaceful to make the individual countries attractive investment
destinations".
President Kufuor admitted that a human society dispute was
bound to occur at one time or the other but the important thing was for the
people "to seek resolution through, established and constituted processes
of the land".
He said it was crucial that the law enforcement agencies
were seen to be just and fair all the time to be able to retain the confidence
of the citizens. President Kufuor invited the leaders to emphasise those things
"that unite rather than exploit those that divide." "There are
common values that transcend our tribes, languages and religions". He,
therefore, urged that efforts should be made "to use these to add spice to
the tenor of our lives and make us aware of our common humanity".
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Britain confident in Ghana's democracy –
Envoy
Accra (Greater Accra) 7 March 2003The British High Commissioner in Ghana on Wednesday reaffirmed his country's confidence in Ghana for its strong commitment to democracy and being the most peaceful in Africa.
Dr Rod Pullen told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra at the close of a civilian-police training course that Britain and other countries the world over had confidence in Ghana due to the peaceful transition that took place in 2001.
He said it was in view of the confidence that the British government devoted resources to train Police Officers prior to their deployment for international peacekeeping missions.
Dr Pullen commended political parties and their leaders for the peaceful transition, particularly the National Democratic Congress (NDC), under former President Jerry John Rawlings, for accepting to relinquish power honourably.
"That is the true charisma of a leader, and I hope that
this transition would be sustained." He also commended
Kwadwo Asiedu, Deputy Minister of
the Interior, presented certificates to the participants. Six countries -
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World leaders congratulate
President Thabo Mbeki of
President George Bush of the United States expressed the hope that the shared commitment to democracy, free market prosperity, peace and stability would strengthen the close relations between the US and Ghana.
President Vladimir Putin of
The Chinese President, Jiang Zemin noted that under the leadership of President Kufuor,
the government and people of
Other messages had been received from Queen Beatrix of the
The rest were Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and Qaboos Bin Said, Sultans of Brunei and
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The challenge is to lift
He said this was not an impossible dream, but a realistic and achievable aspiration. "All the ingredients for success are here, a well-endowed land, a population that is determined to succeed and a government that is ready to provide the needed leadership to inspire and lead from the front".
President Kufuor said this when delivering the 46th
Independence Anniversary Address at a parade of security forces and school
children at the
On parade were 30 contingents of the Ghana Armed Forces, Police, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, Prisons Service, Immigration Service and the Ghana National Fire Service and first and second cycle school children.
There were 51 officers and 1,000 men and women of the security services and 1,000 school children and students from Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) in the Greater Accra Region.
The anniversary celebration was under the theme: "Peace and Unity - A Prerequisite for National Development". The Ivorian President Laurent Gbabgo, who was the Special Guest of Honour, took the salute together with his host, President Kufuor.
Vice President Aliu Mahama, Ministers of State, Members of
the Council of State, Diplomatic Corps and chiefs were present. Also at the
President Kufuor said to move the nation forward, it must be at peace and the people must be united because all the things Ghanaians craved for - good education, health, jobs, roads, modern communications and a safe and secured environment - required peace.
On
"Indeed the sacrifices that we need to make are much easier to bear when they are shared among a united people." President Kufuor said to attract and retain investors in the country it was crucial to create and maintain a reputation as a stable and unified country.
He said the need for peace, unity and stability was beyond the confines of geographical boundaries, adding the entire Sub-Region must be peaceful to make the individual countries attractive investment destinations.
President Kufuor commended the school children and students for their smart turnout and said it was teamwork that made the parade successful. "The future is yours, the habits you form today would influence your behaviour tomorrow. The training you are receiving from your schools equips you to be open minded, to reject the fears that come from ignorance and strengthen you to accept the challenges of modern life. Truly you give me hope that this nation has a bright future".
To the security agencies, President Kufuor said: "The parade was impressive and an opportunity to display what is best in you and openly show your commitment and loyalty to the state. I urge you to continue to be professional in your approach in all your undertakings".
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Fight for
"The founding fathers had gone through struggle, torture, detention, imprisonment and other molestation fought for the political independence and liberation of the continent, which we are proud every year to celebrate," Johnny Hanson a leading member of the CPP stated at a ceremony organised by the party to mark the independence anniversary.
Hanson urged African Leaders to uphold the dignity, boldness and courage of our forefathers and fight for economic emancipation of the continent and stop the over-dependence on developing partners.
He asked "what makes the International Monetary Fund,
World Bank, and other Multilateral organisations Africa's developing partners?
''These were organisations which exploited the continent and continue to misuse
and cheat
Other speakers called for a ''state-lead economic policy, as a private-lead economy would fail''. The speakers noted that bad policies had crippled the private sector and cannot be depended upon.
In a welcoming addressing, Dr Adulf Lutterot, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the party, paid tribute to the memory of the legends that fought for independence. He also identified bad governance, bureaucratic tendencies, insensitivity of governments, over dependence on foreign donors, poor remunerations of workers and mismanagement as the bane of under development after 46 years of attaining independence.
As part of the celebration an exhibition of Books and works
of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and other Pan-Africanists was
mounted at the Mausoleum. The books included The Philosophy and Opinion of
Marcus Garvey -
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Independence Day Parades held throughout
the country
Accra (Greater Accra) 7 March 2003 - Seven officers, 165 men of the Security Services and 40 contingents of schools and voluntary organisations were on parade at the Ho Sports Stadium on Thursday to mark the 46th Independence Anniversary being celebrated under the theme: "Peace and Unity-Prerequisite for National Development".
The parade, held in a sweltering mid-morning, was under the command of Major Nicholas Kporku of the 66th Artillery Regiment based in Ho. Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Regional Minister, reading the President's address to the large crowd of people, exhorted Ghanaians to work hard in unity towards the attainment of the dreams of the founders of the nation.
President Kufuor said though ambitious, the country's
aspirations to attain the middle level income status could be achieved with
determination, hard work, and commitment to peaceful co-existence.
In the Junior Secondary School (JSS) Division, Ho Housing JSS was first, followed by SSNIT Flats JSS with the Ho Bankoe Central JSS taking the third position. Ho Housing Primary topped their division followed by Kabore Primary with Sonrise rpt Sonrise Primary being third.
There would be a friendly football match between the Police and Teachers later in the day as part of the activities to mark the day. The 66 Artillery Regiment would on Friday March 7 hold an open day to allow the public to have an insight into the operations of the regiment and also take a cruise in a helicopter around Ho.
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Supreme Court Judge scolds governance institutions
The lectures under the theme, "The sustainability of
good governance in
The lectures focused on the importance and attributes of workers of the governance institutions and provided them with information on their various roles in upholding the tenets and defence the Constitution.
With the exception of the Electoral Commission (EC) staff who came in their numbers other institutions like the National Media Commission (NMC), National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Judicial Service and the Parliamentary Service either were absent or sent insignificant representatives.
Justice Acquah who chaired the function urged staff of governance institutions to study the constitutional instruments establishing them to enable them to understand their functions, obligations and responsibilities. The Interim Chairman of Workers of Governance Institutions (WGI), Anthony Epkedzor, in his welcoming address, called on state institutions to develop networking modalities to build confidence, trust and deepen their co-operation to promote good governance in the country.
"The sustenance and development of democratic principles, rule of law and good governance in the country depends largely on the performance of governance institutions whose roles are vital ingredients for accelerated growth," he said.
Epkedzor, who is also an Electoral Officer at the Electoral Commission (EC), stressed the need for governance institutions to 'develop and maintain a highly professional and competent workforce and exhibit the right sense of personal integrity and fairness'.
The WGI he said was a networking platform for workers/members of then NMC, NCCE, the EC, the Parliamentary Service, the CHRAJ and the Judicial Service.
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Money Does Not Like Noise!-JAK
The guest of honour was the
President Kufuor's brief Independence Day message dwelt mainly on the need for peace, unity, security and stability. He acknowledged the problems facing his Ivorian counterpart but called on all the sides in the conflict to work towards lasting peace in Cote d'Ivoire so that the country would go back to its once place of pre-eminence in the sub-region.
Turning to the home front he made reference to a Ghanaian
saying that "Money does not like noise". By this the president
explained that progress would only come about in an atmosphere of peace, unity
and stability. When there is peace and quiet, he said, the Ghanaian would make
money and keep it at home and foreigners would find
He congratulated the school children and security agencies and asked the school children especially to use the parade as a guide to the way they do things, for like a march past, if one person is out of step, the march would end in confusion.
Just before
Thursday’s review was the president's second since he came
to power. The first was in 2001, just two months after being sworn in as
president. The 2002 parade was reviewed by the Vice President, Alhaji Aliu
Mahama, when the President was attending the CHOGM in
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Taskforce set up to look at chloroquine
treatment
Prof. David Ofori-Adjei, Director of Nouguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research (NMIMR), said there was an ongoing debate on the usefulness of chloroquine and issues such as cost analysis of a new drug had to be tackled in replacing chloroquine as a public health intervention for malaria control.
He was speaking at a three-day training workshop on health
reporting for media practitioners on Wednesday in
Emerging resistant malaria parasites and the abuse of chloroquine has brought to the fore arguments as to whether the drug should remain the main drug for the treatment of malaria in line with the current national policy on malaria control.
On herbal drugs for the treatment of malaria, Prof Ofori-Adjei said a dosage finding study was being carried out by the Centre for Research into Plant Medicine at Akwapim Mampong in the Eastern Region to find a standard dosage for some herbal drugs being used for malaria treatment.
He said as part of efforts by the GNDP to improve upon drug therapy, drug and therapeutic committees were being established in health facilities to promote good prescribing habits among health professionals.
He said patients' counselling centres have been established at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to enable health professionals to spend more time with patients when giving out information on drug therapy especially for chronic diseases.
He urged the government to see research as an important area and devote more money to it for the improvement of health of the people.
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Chicago Child Smuggler faces Fraud Charges
Esi Antobam
was also hit with four new allegations of smuggling or harbouring illegal
aliens, including three children found in her
Antobam's case exploded last month
after Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael need discovered that the woman has
been collecting state funds to care for three children she adopted, although
the children had been sent to
At first, officials from the Illinois Department of Children
and Family Services distanced themselves from the case, but they later took
custody of the children and brought them back to
The new, 14-count indictment against Antobam accuses her of mail fraud, misuse of a passport, identification document fraud, lying to federal immigration officials and smuggling or attempted smuggling.
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