Armed robber "Hope" dies in police
custody
Ghanaians abroad to set up alternative
telecom network
Danish Ambassador in Ghana bids farewell
Armed robber "Hope" dies in
police custody
Superintendent Bright Oduro,
Regional Crime Officer, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in
He said Hope sustained various degrees of injury in his
attempt to escape arrest last Thursday and might have died from those injuries.
Oduro said Hope swam across the
He said guard dogs attacked Hope who struggled with watchmen in the warehouse before his arrest by the police.
The Greater Accra Regional Command recently posted 10m cedis reward to anyone who would assist in his capture. Oduro told the GNA that Hope was known among his fellow robbers as "Kingpin" or "Striker" because he killed his victims upon the least resistance during robberies.
"He was noted for his intolerance and was ready to shoot. He was connected to some of the major robberies in the Metropolis", he said. Upon initial interrogation he admitted masterminding some of the robberies in the Metropolis.
"Hope is noted to be merciless. He shoots on the slightest resistance put up by any of his victims." Oduro said Hope led the robbery attack in which one Quartey was killed, when he refused to surrender his Mercedes Benz car at Liquart at North Kaneshie in December last year.
Other accomplices in that incident were Apetoe
and Cash who are still at large. Oduro said Hope also
planned and executed the shooting to death of Mufu,
an ex-convict, at Flamingo, near
He said Hope was again involved in the Tantra
Hill robbery on January 18 this year in which he shot the victim in the thigh
and took away his BMW car and sold it to one Osei Wayo
in
Ibrahim Jibiri, alias "Chop Better", now in Police grips, Aryeetey and one Isaac were the accomplices of Hope in that robbery.
Another robbery masterminded by Hope was on 16 January this year, when with other robbers - Owuraku, Apetoe and Aryeetey - they trailed a woman who had returned from Germany from the airport to her Kwashieman residence and robbed her of 7,000 Euros and personal belongings.
He said several robberies had been traced to Hope, whose 'modus operandi' was to either maim or kill his victims.
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Ghanaians abroad to set up alternative
telecom network
The new network would be competing with the Ghana Telecom
and
In a brief on the alternative telecommunications network,
Bing Aidoo, Chief Executive of One Dial
Communications,
"This would be a simple, affordable and efficient
communication service to each region in
He said the team is poised to redefine how business is
carried out and establish a system in
Bing was keen to bring the deal to
Bing said the transaction would represent the largest
wireless backbone with substantial gateways to allow speed and uninterrupted
wireless communication network within and outside
He said the Multi-nation Communication Network would enable
One Dial Communication,
"Areas that would benefit immensely are the internet, financial service arrangements to deliver goods and services, including dedicated and secured networks, ATM's including other point of delivery, applications for government and the consumer market," adding that, " our network would operate effectively on 400 and 1,900 band with our specific equipment designed by Huawei and other Chinese and Canadian equipment manufacturers.
Bing told the GNA that their alternative would not hurt the
"A fixed fee for the telephone line, which goes to the ISP would be negotiated between the ISP and the national communication carrier, he added.
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Danish Ambassador in
"We want the best for this country, Ghanaians deserve better than the country's socio-economic development had been," he said when the out-going Danish Ambassador, Ole Blicher-Olsen paid a farewell call on him at the Castle, Osu.
Blicher-Olsen is leaving
President Kufuor said
Blicher-Olsen said he was privileged to witness the smooth transition after the 2000 elections and work with two different governments. He commended the government for its policies and programmes for poverty reduction.
The out-going Ambassador said the Danish government provided $45m a year to support the government in the fields of health, transport, water and the business sectors. It has also initiated a development programme in the private sector.
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Sekondi (Western Region) 18 March 2003-
Vice President Aliu Mahama on Monday cut the sod for rehabilitation work to
begin on the Inchaban-Sekondi Road and said the
government would ensure that roads in the twin-city were upgraded to levels
that would boost trade and support economic activities in the fishing harbour
and its environs.
The construction project, being
funded by Agence Francaise Developpement at 17 million euros, would also cover the
At a colourful durbar at Sekondi, attended by government officials, chiefs, Members
of Parliament and a cross-section of residents of Sekondi,
Vice President Mahama said the project was an indication of the government's
commitment to improve the quality of life of Ghanaians through the provision of
sound economic and social infrastructure.
"It is also an affirmation
of our commitment to bring about the realisation of the Golden Age of Business
by facilitating and promoting business ventures in our towns and cities",
he said.
Vice President Mahama noted that
the rehabilitation and reconstruction of these 12 kilometre strategic roads
would improve traffic movements, cut down the cost of doing business and give a facelift to the depressed areas along the routes.
He described
"The West where the best
becomes from deserves the best and the provision of these facilities is a
strong manifestation of our Government's commitment to meet its part of the
social contract with the good people of the Western Region", he said.
Vice President Mahama expressed
the government's appreciation to the French Government for its support and
expressed the hope that more of such assistance would be provided for the
development of the infrastructure sector.
He tasked the contractors, Sonitra to ensure that the projects were executed within the
contract period of 18 months, adding; "we expect nothing less than quality
work which will give us value for money".
He further appealed to Sonitra, the consultants, Messrs Bergman Ingero/ABP Consult to ensure that the works were executed
to design specifications. Giving technical details about the project, Dr
Richard Anane, Minister of Roads and Transport, said the Adiembra
road project would involve the reconstruction of a 4.6 kilometre of existing
bitumen-surfaced road and the replacement of the existing road over the
Dr Anane said the Inchaban section would also involve the reconstruction of
six kilometre poor road and the construction of a new access and surfaced
parking area to the fish market.
The Africana (Harbour) Road,
which would be reconstructed, has a total length of 1.4 kilometres and runs
from the Centre of Takoradi to the
"The roads will be
constructed to single carriageway of two lanes, each lane of 3.65 metres width
and with asphalted concrete surfacing and will have a two metre width
pedestrian walkway and also have provision for street illumination/lighting to
ensure safety and security of motorists and pedestrians," he said.
Dr Anane gave the assurance that
the Ministry would ensure that adequate environmental, safety and traffic
management measures were put in place to minimise the hardships the public
would endure during the construction phase of the project.
He announced that
He said the start of the project
had proved sceptics wrong and ended allegations by certain people that the
government had diverted funds for the project. The Majority Leader in
Parliament advised artisans, who would be employed by the contractors, to work
hard and desist from absenteeism, stealing of construction materials and any
acts that would tarnish the image of the
He said 2,000 new telephone
lines had been added to the 1,000 at the Sekondi
exchange to facilitate easy communication between Sekondi
and the outside world. Joseph B. Aidoo, Western
Regional Minister, said the Inchaban-Sekondi road was
one of the most important road networks the government was tackling and
appealed to the President to prioritise the construction and rehabilitation of
roads.
He explained that the heavy
rainfall pattern of the region contributed to the fast deterioration of the
roads, saying if the potentials of the region were to be maximised, then its
road networks must always be in good shape.
Nana Kobina
Nketiah V, Omanhene of Essikadu Traditional Area, who chaired the function, said
the young people below the age of 30 years, never saw that the road was once
asphalted. He noted that when work was completed, the road, which had remained
impassable for several years, would revive economic activities in Sekondi.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 18 March
2003- The Volta Region Tertiary Students Confederacy (VOTESCON) of the New
Patriotic Party on Monday commended the NPP government for its accelerated
socio-economic development programmes currently being pursued throughout the
country particularly, in the Volta region.
"For the first time in over
20 years of total neglect, underdevelopment, and mediocrity, the people of the
Volta region, contrary to expectations, are not only receiving their fair share
of development projects but are also now being treated with utmost respect and
dignity by the government of NPP.
"The multi-billion projects
such as the Sogakope modern hospital, Accra-Sogakope road, roads in Ho township
and market complex, the continuation of the Keta Sea
Defence project, the Dzodze town roads, the upgrading
of the facilities at the Ho Polytechnic Campus coupled with the numerous
infrastructural development amply demonstrate the NPP government's love and
concern for the people".
A communiqué signed by Raymond Avinu, President of Volta TESCON in
According to the communiqué the
impact assessment exercise dubbed, "Towards the Invasion and Occupation of
the World Bank in 2004" was undertaken by a combined team of members from
the various tertiary institutions, including, the University of Ghana, Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University College of
Winneba and the University of Cape Coast.
It said the exercise, which was
carried out during the last holidays, afforded members the opportunity to
assess the indicators on the ground and also made it possible to authenticate
the truism or otherwise of the NDC's previous claims
of NPP's alleged secret agenda of segregation,
discrimination, ejection and total neglect of the people of Volta region should
the NPP be voted into power."
The communiqué said members
witnessed on the ground that unfortunately, the NDC in its desire to cling to
power concocted and waged "dangerous politics of deceit, divisionism and
tribal sentimentalism across the country of which the
It, therefore, called on the
good people of the region to wake up and treat with contempt any call for their
votes for the NDC come 2004 elections. It also appealed to authorities
concerned to open special "windows for the large numbers of NDC supporters
who have expressed desire to cross carpet into the camp of NPP".
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Navrongo (Upper East)
Addressing the people, the Upper
East Region Minister, Mahami Salifu, said the Achuliwor had numerous projects that needed to be continued
and called on the people to vote massively for Joseph Kofi Adda,
the NPP candidate, to continue from what he left undone.
He said the constituents needed
development and would want to maintain the NPP in that position. ''The development drive exhibited by the NPP
in the two years of its rule clearly demonstrates its maturity in governance.''
Adda said the people of Navrongo always loved freedom and were noted for their
resistance to dictatorship and tyranny. ''The people believe the NPP is a
government based on democratic ideals and principles and would continue to support
it.''
Adda called on the people never to
listen to vague promises, slander and deceit and added that what the Achuliwor did for the people must be continued. Other
speakers included party functionaries who called on the people to throw their
weight behind the NPP candidate to benefit from the development agenda of the
government.
Before the burial of Achuliwor all the political parties contesting the
by-election were campaigning on a low profile. However, immediately after the
burial the candidates were seen openly campaigning with only eight days to go
for the election.
The other candidates contesting
the polls are Gabriel Scot Pwamang, a lawyer, for the
People's National Convention, Clement Bugase, an
Agricultural Engineer, for the National Democratic Congress and Mrs Grace Bogonia, a teacher, for the Democratic People's Party.
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"Using Japanese aid, the
government is bringing in smaller and movable mills which are capable of
de-stoning the locally produced rice," Emmanuel Aggrey-Fynn
of the Statistics Department of MOFA told the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
He said the Ministry was also
ensuring that the right seed, known as "sativa
seed", is planted to improve the quality. Aggrey-Fynn
said the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) in collaboration with the Ministry
was supporting private rice brokers to buy paddy rice, mill and market it.
The Ministry has been urging the
public to patronise locally produced rice, which is nutritious, to cut down on
huge import bill of rice. The government last month increased the import duty
on rice from 20 percent to 25 percent to enhance the competitiveness of the
local industry.
Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo
noted in his budget statement that
However, he said, the country
had the natural resources for the production of rice and the government
intended to increase domestic production of rice in order to reduce reliance on
imports and thereby conserve foreign exchange.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC)
last week lauded this policy but said in order not to create a shortfall in the
availability of the products, the government should give real support to
encourage all-year round production.
Aggrey-Fynn
urged Ghana Prisons Service, hospitals and other government institutions to
patronize locally produced rice to guarantee market for producers. He noted
that imported rice was preferred because it was free of foreign materials given
the high milling technology employed in those countries. Some local rice
brokers therefore, bagged local rice in foreign bags to ensure quicker
patronage.
Madam Margaret Twumasi a rice seller at Makola
market told the GNA that locally produced rice was expensive and was not the
choice of customers. Another rice seller, Madam Joyce Amponsah,
however, said there was high demand for locally produced rice but it is in
short supply now.
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Ashaiman (Greater Accra)
Speaking at the fifth
anniversary of the establishment of the Global Herbal Clinic he said people
should have confidence in herbs. ''The time has come when going back to our
roots is not just a mere recovery of history but a systematic approach of
studying the way our ancestors lived and effectively healed their sick.''
He said Ghanaians had the
opportunity to make good use of natural resources including the forests. ''The
forests should not only protect the environment and provide food but should
also serve as a source of medicine.''
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Presidential Affairs, has said
that the government will not be detracted from implementing its programmes by
unnecessary criticisms.
He said the government was
committed to the socio-economic development of the country but pointed out that
it needed time to put the country on a sound economic footing.
Inaugurating a 1.5 billion-cedis
central mosque at Suame in
He gave the assurance that the
government would deliver on its campaign promises but asked Ghanaians to be
patient and see what the government can do to move the country forward.
Kyei Osei Mensah Bonsu,
Member of Parliament for Old Tafo/Suame, called for
religious tolerance to ensure peace and unity, attributing religious
misunderstanding and conflicts to wrong teachings and interpretation of
religious doctrines.
He asked Muslims to send their
children to school to acquire knowledge to be able to contribute their quota to
national development. Alhaji Musah Botinga Al-Hassan, a Deputy
Director of Administration at the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC),
urged Muslims to ensure peace and unity wherever they gathered.
He asked them to contribute
towards the National Health Insurance Scheme so that they and their children
could benefit from it. Alhaji Abdul Moumin Haroon, Deputy Ashanti Regional Imam, said it took a lot of
time to construct the mosque and expressed the hope that those who would
worship in it will receive Allah's blessings.
He admonished Muslims to live in
peace and harmony with their neighbours and advised them to adopt good
attitudes that ensured peace and unity. Sheik Ishaaq Nuamah, an Islamic scholar, noted that the completion of
the mosque was an indication that Muslims could do a lot more for themselves if
they were united and therefore, asked them to live in peace and unity.
Ibrahim Nyamekye,
Assemblyman for Old Suame, announced that the community
intended to establish a nursery and primary school and appealed to landowners
to release land for the project.
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The meeting was held behind
closed doors. Mr Kuenyehia said it was also to pay a courtesy call on the
President. President Kufuor said the Commission was a very important agency in
the Constitution to regulate the conduct of the media in
"We are both in our various
ways, trying to serve the nation," he added. President Kufuor said," although, the visit was long over-due, he was happy to meet
them".
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Accra (Greater Accra) 18 March
2003- Two thousand two hundred and twenty-six cases of armed robbery, accidents
and piracy took place within the West and Central African marine coastline
between 1984 and 2002.
Rear Admiral John K. Gbenah, Chief of Naval Staff, said the figure showed a
significant increase, especially when compared to the period before 1984-2002
where about 2,018 cases were recorded.
Rear Admiral Gbenah
said this at the Third Regional Meeting in
He said last year, the Maritime
Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) identified the West and Central
African coastline as the worst in increasing trend of violence compared to
Eastern and Southern Africa that resulted in the loss of life and property at
sea.
More than 400 people lost their
life off the coast of
"Since most trade takes
place across the seas, if accidents and especially piracy are not halted, the
economies of most countries here would be jeopardized." The meeting would
discuss measures aimed at curbing piracy, armed robbery and other forms of
unlawful acts against ships in the Sub-Region.
It would also to provide an
appropriate forum for stakeholders and member governments to formulate a
framework for effective implementation of recommendations of the last meeting
held in
Captain Henry Hesse, Deputy Director of the International Maritime
Organisation (IMO), said these consultative meetings would take into account
the recent activities of the IMO in developing and adopting a new mandatory
regulatory regime for the enhancement of maritime security, namely the SOLAS
Chapter X-12 and the international Ship and Port Facility Security Code which
comes into effect on July 1, 2004.
Alex Sofo,
Deputy Minister Roads and Transport, said following the 11 September incident in
the US and subsequent adoption of the International Ships and Ports Security
Code of the IMO, "the need for regional resolve to combat piracy and other
unlawful acts against ships has become more relevant than ever before".
He said
The
He said government had enacted
the Ghana Maritime Authority Law and would soon set up the authority by June to
co-ordinate effectively with the Ghana Navy and GPHA. Sofo
said even though
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John Prempeh, the Controller and
Accountant-General, said this on Monday at an
Prempeh who was led in evidence
by Anthony Gyambiby, a Principal State Attorney said
the CAG was informed about the alleged payment as a result of a letter it
received from Baffour Awuah
and Associates, an audit firm, asking it to confirm four payments made to Dr
Owusu-Boadu.
Daniel Kwasi
Abodakpi, ex-Minister for Trade and Industry and
Victor Selormey, former Deputy Minister for Finance
are being tried on seven counts of conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by
false pretences and wilfully causing a total loss of 2.73 billion cedis to the
State.
They have denied all the charges
and are on self-recognisance bail in the sum of three billion cedis each.
Prempeh said on
He said the department wrote
back to Baffour Awuah that
there were no records to that effect. Asked whether he knew anything about TIP,
Mr Prempeh said the programme was established in 1993 by the United States
Information Department (USAID), with the
He said TIP fund was lodged at
the Bank of Ghana (BOG) with banks such as ECOBANK and Metropolitan and Allied Bank
as distributing channels. Prempeh said TIP funds were also part of the
Consolidated Fund belonging to the Ghana Government.
The CAG said that the Ministry
of Finance (MOF) played a vital role in the disbursement of TIP. He said his
department received several instructions from MOF on the disbursement of the
fund.
Prempeh said on
During cross-examination by
Charles Hayibor, defence counsel, Prempeh agreed that
some of the letters were written through the Auditor-General and not the CAG. Hayibor prayed the court presided over by Stephen Farkye, an Appeal Court Judge who is sitting as an
additional High Court Judge, to grant an adjournment to enable him to continue
with the cross-examination. The judge obliged and adjourned to 24 March.
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