Aliu urges PR practitioners to serve as linguists
Kwamang (Ashanti
Region) 25 March 2003- Barima Abayie Ntori Nimpah II, Paramount Chief of the
Kwamang Traditional area, has appealed to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II
to settle the protracted land dispute between Kwamang and Kumawu.
He again called on all
peace loving Ghanaians to assist to find solution to the dispute between him
and the Kumawuhene. Addressing a press conference at Kwamang on Sunday in
reaction to comments allegedly made by the Kumawuhene to the effect that
Kwamang traditional area was a "landless state", Barima Ntori Nimpah
said that "only the truth and the whole truth can bring peaceful
co-existence between them.
He gave a historical
background on the disputed land and warned that his people were not prepared to
cede any land to anybody, adding that peace-loving people of Kwamang would jealously
guard and protect their lands.
GRi.../
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Accra (Greater Accra)
25 March 2003- John Prempeh, Controller and Accountant General (C&AG) on
Monday told an Accra Fast Track Court that monies were transferred from the
Bank of Ghana to various banks after the Trade and Investment Programme (TIP)
had ended.
However, Prempeh
stated that he had no document to confirm that monies disbursed at the end of
TIP represented interest accrued from the programme. The C&AG was answering
questions during cross-examination in a case in which Daniel Kwasi Abodakpi,
ex-Minister of Trade and Industry and Victor Selormey, for Deputy Minister of
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 who was being cross-examined by Charles Hayibor, Defence counsel
stated that he did not know when the interest account of TIP was closed.
Counsel: TIP fund
ended in 1997?
Witness: I can't confirm that, unless I crosscheck
with my files. The prosecution witness explained that the TIP fund was part of
the Consolidated Fund, which comprised of the commitment and non-commitment accounts.
Prempeh, however said
monies under the two accounts were supervised by the office of the
Auditor-General. Counsel: Tell the court the procedures governing the interest
account.
Witness: I don't
know.
Counsel: Tell the
court on the procedures governing the utilisation of the interest account of
TIP fund.
Witness: I don't know
because I am not involved in the disbursement of the committed accounts. Hayibor
ended his cross-examination but stated that he did not know whether Mr Johnny
Quarshie-Idun and Barima Manu counsel for Selormey had questions for the
witness since they were absent.
A few minutes later,
the court was informed about Manu's illness. The court presided over by Justice
Stephen Farkye, an Appeal court judge, sitting with additional responsibility
as the High Court Judge adjourned the matter to 31 March at the instance of
defence.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
25 March 2003- Detective Police Inspector Isaac Prah has been elected first
Vice President of the African Working Party on Information Technology crime.
A statement by A.S.P.
David S. Eklu, Director of Ghana Police Public Relations Directorate said
Inspector Prah's elevation came at a meeting of the International Police
Organization (Interpol) and African Working Party on Information Technology
Crime held in South Africa, last February.
The aims of the
Working Party involves co-operation, sharing of knowledge and practical
experiences to discuss information technology crime, find solutions and propose
recommendations in assisting Interpol member countries to detect and combat
crime.
The statement said
the Working Party, which included African countries who were members of the
Interpol, would seek to work to promote standardization of methods and procedures,
special projects, training programmes and co-operation with other international
organization.
A good practice
guideline for relevant investigations, which would be made available to the
Interpol countries, would also be considered by the Working Party, the
statement said.
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Cape Coast (Central
Region) 25 March 2003- The Commonwealth Fund is to assist the Ghana Education
Campaign Coalition (GNECC) with 200,000 pounds within the next three years to
enhance education.
Charles Abbey,
chairman of the coalition of NGOs said the fund would be used for advocacy
programmes and human resource development needs of the Ghana Education Campaign
Coalition (GNECC).
Abbey was speaking at
a two-day capacity building workshop on sensitisation and policy gaps in
education for regional and district GNECC and Education For All (EFA)
committees.
The workshop,
organised by the GNECC and attended by committee members drawn from all the
districts in the region, is aimed at structuring and equipping them to take up
advocacy roles at the grassroots level.
Abbey said there was
the need for all stakeholders in education to access resources to help raise
education standard. Dr James Opare, Dean of the Faculty of Education,
University of Cape Coast (UCC), said the FCUBE programme had helped to increase
access to education especially those in the rural areas.
He, however,
regretted that the programme has not been able to achieve the full
participation of girls and attributed this to the attitude of parents towards
the education of the girl-child.
He said due to the
economic situation in the country most parents preferred using their money for
survival needs to the disadvantage of girls. Dr Opare said unless the poverty
level was improved and attitude of parents towards the education of girls is changed
the FCUBE programme would not achieve its aims and objectives.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
25 March 2003-Kwamena Bartels, Minister of Private Sector Development on Monday
said the participation of the private sector in the implementation of policies
for the provision of public services was the only means through which
government could achieve its aim of improving the lives of the people.
He said after 46
years of independence, Ghana had not been able to provide the required
amenities that included road network, potable water and reliable electricity
supply to make the lives of the people meaningful.
Speaking at a day's
workshop on Public Private Partnership (PPP) Bartels said the concept of PPP
was one option worth considering to improving the efficiency in the operation
and delivery of public services.
Participants at the
workshop, organized by the Ministry of Private Sector Development and sponsored
by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) were to come up with ideas
and structures to promote public private participation in the delivery of
public services in the country.
Bartels said the
private sector had operated in a hostile environment and under very unstable
conditions adding that government was of the view that ensuring the rule of law,
respect for human rights and creating and maintaining a stable macro-economic
condition would make the private sector flourish.
He said PPP that
involved public and private sector working in partnership to provide social
amenities, was first introduced by the United Kingdom in the 1980's that had
brought significant improvement in the delivery of services adding that Ghana
should take a cue from that.
Bartels said the
concept of PPPs was being implemented worldwide and as there was no rigid
framework which made it to suit all circumstances it was essential that Ghana
developed her own set of guidelines to assist in the implementation of the
concept.
He said government
would also ensure that services to be provided might be of high standard to
meet the concept of "value for money" and at the same time be
affordable. "The private sector partner, on his part, would be investing
time, technical and managerial expertise and money into a project and he must
have some assurance that the risks that he is taking would be mitigated."
E.A. Kwakye, Director
of Policy Planning of the Ministry of Roads and Transport who presented a paper
on the topic said there was the need to adopt a national policy on concession
and a legal and regulatory framework for procurement to make the project
transparent.
He said the road
sector could benefit from the PPP as it had 15 percent budgetary support for
construction, 60 percent support from development partners with a shortfall of
25 percent as well as 45 percent shortfall in maintenance. Kwakye said other
sectors to benefit from the PPP include highways, ports, canals, government
buildings, health, waste management and tourism.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
25 March 2003- A 31-year-old Nigerian Banker, Mang Orji Ude, who was in transit
to London, died last Saturday when suspected cocaine, which he is believed to
have swallowed, burst in his stomach.
A security source at
the Kotoka International Airport said on Monday that Ude started behaving
abnormally in the transit lounge where he was waiting for his flight. He was
rushed to the Aviation Clinic for first aid. On arrival, he started shouting
for help and vomiting whitish substance.
Ude whose condition
started deteriorating was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital where he died later
on Saturday evening. According to airport sources, before he died Mr Ude
confessed to have swallowed substance believed to be cocaine and pleaded that a
message be sent to his wife in London for having disappointed her and that he
was sorry.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
25 March 2003- The Supreme Court has dismissed an application for review of a
case in which it unanimously revoked 1989 Will in respect of the late Ackah
Blay Meizah estates.
The court presided
over by Mrs Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo dismissed the case on the grounds that
the applicant, Dr John Robert Kells has not satisfied Rules 54 of
Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) 16 for him to successfully obtain a review
of the matter.
The court did not
award any cost to the respondent, Dr Ebenezer Ako-Adjei. The six other Justices
of the court, Mr Justice A.K.B Ampiah, Justice F.Y. Kpegah, Justice G.K Acquah,
Justice W.A. Atuguba, Mrs Justice G.T. Wood and Mr Justice Dr Seth Twum gave
the unanimous decision on
18 March this year.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
25 March 2003- Vice President Aliu Mahama on Monday tasked African Public
Relations (PR) practitioners to serve as effective linguists between their
governments and their people toward the achievement of good governance and
development under NEPAD.
Opening the 2003
Africa Public Relations Conference in Accra, the Vice President stressed the
effectiveness of linguists in promoting understanding and goodwill between
chief and their subjects in traditional societies, saying PR practitioners must
replicate that role in modern societies.
About 150
practitioners from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and other countries are
attending the Conference, under the theme: "Investment, Economic
Development and Public Relations." It is being organised by the Federation
of African Public Relations Associations (FAPRA), founded in Nairobi, Kenya in
1975, to set standards for PR practice.
Vice President Mahama
said: "When the increasing and improved communication channels should be
facilitating communication in our Global Village, this is the time there is so
much communication in that indicates that we are not communicating.
"Let us learn
from our traditional communication culture. Our traditional societies placed
considerable store on effective communication through linguists." Describing
the theme of the Conference as relevant to the challenges faced by the
continent today, Vice President Mahama said the way forward for addressing the
acute problems of poverty and disease was accepting democratic institutions and
good governance as the bedrock of development.
It was in recognition
of this, he said, that African leaders adopted NEPAD to create the right political
conditions for development. "The Africa Union and NEPAD represent a fresh
determination among African leaders to ensure better governance, " Vice
President Mahama said, and added that the Peer Review Mechanism adopted under
the African Union would help the leaders to assess each other's records and
performance on all aspects of governance.
He said African
leaders were also determined to resolve issues of peace and security, adding
that the progress being made in Sierra Leone, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of
Congo and Cote d'Ivoire indicated that Africans were capable of resolving their
own problems.
Vice President
Mahama, therefore, asked PR professionals to use modern information technology
to facilitate Africa's cause on the continent and favourably place her on the
international scale.
Jake
Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, said PR
practitioners had the knowledge and skills to brand their countries with images
that reflect positive values.
"It is high time
we changed the negative image of our continent in the global media by putting
across the positive things such as good governance that is taking roots in our
countries," he said.
J.E. Allotey-Pappoe,
Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of FAPRA, said the Conference would
discuss topics such as the 'Regional Integration;' 'Issues of Peace and
Stability;' 'NEPAD a Shared Vision' and the Africa Union's Peer Review
Mechanism.'
FAPRA, he said, would
develop strategies for playing effective roles in the achievement of the
attainment of goals set on those issues. The three-day conference would also consider
the restructuring of the Federation to make it more relevant to respond to
today's challenges.
Kwaku Osei-Bimpong,
President of Institute of Public Relations, Ghana, said the issue of building
the image of Africa was crucial for attracting investments and that it would be
high on the Conference's agenda. Ghana is hosting the Conference, which is the
16th of the Federation, for the third time.
GRi.../
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