GRi Press
Review 13 – 03 – 2003
Calm returns to Apostolic Church
Koforidua
(Eastern Region)
The
legislation will also make the issue of gender equality more meaningful and
realistic. Anim Danquah, Eastern Regional Co-ordinator of the National Service
Secretariat (NSS), made the suggestion a two day orientation workshop at
Koforidua for service personnel in the region.
He enjoined
the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs to lead the effort for the
enactment of such legislation. Danquah suggested that married women should also
be encouraged to include names of their husbands in their will.
The Danish
Development Agency (DANIDA) supported workshop is a project country wide
designed to train service personnel as district co-ordinators to implement
programmes which could be beneficial to women and children. The service
personnel are to be used as district focal persons for the Ministry of Women
and Children’s Affairs.
Participants
were taken through “overview of MOWAC and role of district co-ordinators”,
discussions on women and children’s issues” and “challenges facing the district
co-ordinator”. Opening it, the Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis
Osafo-Mensah, said the government would not play politics with Women and
Children’s Ministry since every nation’s future depended on the investment made
in its children.
He said
although women constitute half of the world’s population, their huge human
resources had been left untapped, thereby rendering developing countries poor.
The Regional Minister said that the government was determined to address issues
confronting children such as street children, child trafficking, AIDS, Orphans,
and educating the girl-child, and appealed to the Service Personnel to stay and
work with the Ministry when their service period ended. – The Ghanaian Times
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Calm returns to Apostolic Church
Accra
(Greater Accra) 13 March 2003 – Calm has been restored at the premises of the
Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) after Tuesday’s action by the youth of the church
who held four members of the National Executive Council (NEC) hostage.
Their
action was in protest against the purported interdiction of the acting
chairman, the Rev Dr Augustine Annor-Yeboah, by the NEC. The present calm could
be attributed to the presence of the police who had been deployed to the CAC
headquarters to prevent any clashes and possible loss of lives and property.
When the
“Times” arrived at the premises yesterday morning, there was a heavy police
presence with a water canon parked in the area. Speaking to the “Times”
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Samuel Obeng-Kyereh, Commander of the
Osu Police Station, said that so far only workers at the church were allowed
entry.
He said
both factions to the dispute were co-operating. ASP Obeng-Kyereh said that the
executives were not allowed entry since their supporters who might follow them
might clash with the supporters of Rev Dr Annor-Yeboah. Asked when the police
would leave the premises, he said: “As long as the situation remains
unresolved, we could be here.”
It recalled
that on Tuesday, angry youth of the CAC held four members of the NEC hostage in
protest against the purported interdiction of Rev Dr Annor-Yeboah. For about
four hours, the acting General Secretary, Rev Michael Nimoh, the field
Director, Rev Stephen Larbie, Rev Addai Kusi and the Rev Evans Kuku could not
get out of their offices to their vehicles parked at the church premises.
It took the
timely intervention of the Police before the executives could drive out of the church
premises amidst hooting by the enraged youth. The youth wore red arm bands and
chanted “No Annor, No CAC”, and described the action of the NEC as
unconstitutional. – The Ghanaian Times
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Accra (Greater Accra) 13 March 2003 - The case in which a resident of Accra has challenged the constitutionality of one of the charges being used in the trial of some former public officials will now come up for hearing today.
The case, which was slated for today, had to be postponed at the instance of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, who was reported to have travelled outside the country and was expected to return late yesterday.
The Attorney General is the defendant in the case. The Supreme Court was expected to give its ruling on whether or not to grant leave for the plaintiff in the case to withdraw the suit.
The plaintiff in the case, Charles Bo Amissah, sought the interpretation of the Constitution on the charge of causing financial loss to the state.
However, when the case was first called on 5 March, counsel for the plaintiff, Nana Adjei Ampofo, told the court that his client was discontinuing the action for what he said was "for very personal reasons".
Nonetheless, the Attorney General, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, objected to the pleadings and urged the court to go ahead and determine the case.
Giving reasons why the application for discontinuance should not be entertained, Nana Akufo-Addo said, among other things, that since the original jurisdiction of the court had already been invoked and pleadings have already been closed, the case should be determined on its merit.
He said the public interest will best be served, if the case is determined once and for all. The five-member court is presided over by Mrs Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo.
Other members of the panel are Mrs Justice Georgina Wood, Justice S. A. Brobbey, Justice Sam Baddoo and Dr Justice Seth Twum.
Five former public officials, including two ministers of state in the NDC administration, have been implicated in the Quality Grains Company scandal and are being tried by the Fast Track High Court in Accra.
The court, presided over by Justice Kwame Afreh, a Supreme Court judge, sitting as an additional High Court judge, has granted them self-recognisance bail.
They are alleged to have played various roles in the Quality Grains Company scandal that led to the loss of more than $20m to the state.
Another former public official, Tsatsu Tsikata, who used to be the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, is also facing trial at the Fast Track High Court for causing financial loss of more than ¢2.3bn to the state.
He is said to have caused the loss in a transaction in which he is alleged to have committed the corporation to guarantee a loan facility for Valley Farms Limited, a private limited liability company from Caisse Francaise de Development (CFD), a French development aid agency.
He has also pleaded not guilty to the charges and the court,
presided over by Mrs Justice Henrietta Abban, an Appeal Court judge, sitting as
an additional High Court judge, has granted him a ¢700m self-recognisance bail.
– Graphic
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Accra (Greater Accra) 13 March 2003 - The Ministry of Roads and Transport has warned that it will deal drastically with any personnel of the Ghana Railway Company (GRC) who will be found to have given out portions of the company’s land to squatters to operate businesses unrelated to the core business of the company.
Dr Richard Anane, the sector minister, who issued the warning in Accra on Tuesday, said the ministry has since last year taken a comprehensive inventory of all the properties of the company and will act according to the inventory report.
In an interview, he said the invasion of the GRC yard by market women and the sitting of structures on the company’s lands were made possible by certain personnel of the company and they will have to answer for their actions.
He said this year, the GRC will celebrate its centenary and the premises need to be put in a better shape to suit the occasion.
Dr Anane said the company has a lot of potential because “last year when I asked that they begin the Accra/Nsawam/Accra shuttle, more than ¢1.2bn was realised, but one cannot tell what the money has been used for”.
The minister said the ministry expected that some of the proceeds will be used to keep the yard in a proper shape, but this has not been done.
Although he declined to say whether or not the management will be overhauled to make it more responsive to its responsibilities, he said a consultant has been engaged to advice on how the rail system should be given out on concession.
He said a report on this issue will be ready by November, this year, but in the meantime, routine maintenance works on the rail will be carried out to ensure the smooth running of the coaches. Meanwhile, workers of the Ghana Railway Company in Accra have called on their management to, as a matter of urgency, evict traders from the yard, reports Timothy Gobah.
They contended that the continued use of the premises by traders poses a great danger to life and property. The workers have, over the past two weeks, been hoisting red flags to protest against the invasion of the premises by the traders.
A source at the company said the pressure put on management by workers has forced management to start work on the portions of the fence which served as an entrance to the yard. "We believe order and discipline will be restored when the work on some parts of the fence which allow indiscriminate entry to the yard is completed," he said.
The source said the hoisting of the flag will continue until all the traders are completely evicted from the yard to give way for smooth and uninterrupted work. Michael Amoafo, who claimed he is an electrician by profession, said he had to abandon the profession and took to trading in second hand clothing.
He said their eviction from the present site will have a devastating effect not only on him but also his family. He alleged that the Railway authorities take daily levy of ¢100 from each of about 8,000 traders occupying the yard.
Samuel Boateng, a trader, said they were warned somewhere last month to vacate the premises for some repair works to be carried out. He said since most of the trains are not in good condition they pleaded with the management to allow them some time until government gets them a new venue.
He said their immediate eviction would affect them since they have to use their capital to maintain for their upkeep. Boateng, however, appealed to the government to intervene and allow them to stay at the place until a new place is given to them. – The Daily Graphic
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