Court to decide Omanhene's fate
Ghana chairs Education Committee at UN Chidren's forum
Ghana will make an impact for Africa
Police Administration investigate two police officers
Takoradi Poly student involved in armed robbery
Profile of Commonwealth Secretary-General
Indiscipline and lawlessness are Ghana's main problems - Acquah
Finance Minister tours fire site
Committee to investigate causes of fire
Ghana’s Ambassador to Ireland presents credentials
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 09 May 2002 - The fate of Professor Agyewodin Adu Gyamfi Ampem II, Omanhene of Achirensua, being tried for murder will be decided on Monday 13 May 2002 when the Sunyani High Court Two would sum up the addresses of the prosecution and defence counsel for the consideration of the jury.
The court, presided over by Mr. Justice Paul Baffoe Bonnie, on Friday adjourned proceedings till Monday after Mr Otu Essel Kwadwo Fordjour, a Sunyani-based lawyer and counsel for the Omanhene and Mr Betuuriseeh Cab-Bayuo, Chief State Attorney in Sunyani and the prosecutor had given their addresses.
Agyewodin Adu Gyamfi is being tried for allegedly killing one Nii Atoquaye Quansah, who was among a group of youth who, on 17 April last year allegedly attacked his residence in Achirensua in Brong Ahafo Region.
In his address, Mr. Otu Essel stated that the case was rather a chieftaincy one perpetrated by an opponent of the Omanhene and not a political issue. He said his client, by firing the gun, acted in self-defence as he (accused) was under an imminent attack by the youth, who were instigated by one Kwasi Sarpong, an ex-Benkumhene of Achirensua and a bitter opponent of the Omanhene.
Mr Otu Essel said Sarpong had threatened to destool and kill the accused on the day of the incident. Defence counsel noted that the prosecutor listed 16 witnesses but called only nine without giving any explanation as to why he did not call the rest.
Mr Otu Essel said, "prosecution decided not to call the rest because he realised that they would not tell the court what would be palatable to him (the prosecutor)." Defence counsel further noted that in the interest of fairness, prosecution had to call witnesses who would not have even been favourable to him.
He argued that the prosecutor by his decision not to call all witnesses meant "that he was rather up to conviction which is not in the interest of justice." The case of prosecution should not necessarily be for conviction but for justice, truth and fairness, he added.
Mr Otu Essel said the prosecution's argument that the Omanhene could have fled to avoid the incident would have rather proved suicidal for him, since, as evidenced by defence witnesses one and two, it was getting dark at the time whilst the youth had surrounded the house, singing and chanting war songs. Counsel stressed that, what his client said should be accepted as the "gospel truth" because the evidence available showed that he was not guilty as he only acted in self-defence.
Nana was not prejudiced against the deceased since he did not even know him, whilst the deceased was also not the chieftaincy contractor wanting to destool him, counsel said, adding, "Nana did not intentionally kill him." Mr Otu Essel maintained that the Omanhene was not well-versed in firing a gun and since gun-firing could go either way, especially in the hands of an amateur shooter, the allegation that Nana Adu Gyamfi's gun-shot killed the deceased was only an unintentional act of self-defence.
Defence Counsel said though the deceased died through harm due to gun-shot wounds, there was no evidence from the prosecution that the deceased was killed by the Omanhene. The evidence available was that it was possible that the pellets that killed the deceased were capable of coming from the accused's gun, he said.
Mr Otu Essel said, however, that that was not the standard of the law, which required such an accusation to have been exclusively stated that the pellets that killed the deceased came from the Omanhene's gun.
Defence Counsel drew the attention of the jury to the fact that some of the prosecution witnesses were inconsistent in their evidence, saying, whereas some said they beat gong-gong on their way to the Omanhene's residence, others said they did not.
Mr Otu Essel noted that although it came out during investigation that one Yaw Sarfo, a member of the group (youth) was holding a gun when they attacked the Omanhene, he was not arrested for the gun to be retrieved for testing.
It is, therefore, possible that the gun that killed the deceased was not that of the Achirensuahene, counsel said and insisted that the BB shells that were found at the scene of the incident were fired with the view to killing the accused.
Mr Cab-Bayuo, replying said the accused's claim that he was attacked by the youth was not true but rather he was only apprehensive of an attack. He explained that "apprehensive of an attack" did not constitute an attack but was out of fear. The prosecutor noted that the accused was not "pushed to the wall" that necessitated his firing to kill the deceased.
There was never an attack on him and if even there was an imminent attack on him, he needed not to have fired to the point of killing, the prosecutor added. Mr Cab-Bayuo argued that the Omanhene intentionally fired to kill the deceased but not in self-defence, saying, "the general principle in law is that a man of sound mind and age is presumed to intend the natural and probable consequences of his act unless the contrary is proved."
The prosecutor reminded the jury to disabuse their minds that the case was a trial of political nature. He urged the jury not to consider the social status or standing of the accused vis-a-vis that of the deceased.
The accused's social status is not a justification that he could not have killed the deceased, he added. Mr Cab-Bayuo therefore, reminded the jury of the need to be objective in their deliberations and at least come out with a verdict of manslaughter against the accused.
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Breman (Brong Ahafo) 09 May 2002 - A new farming technology known as the plantain pairing and split corn technique has been introduced to the people of Breman, a farming community in the Nkoranza District.
Under the project, plantain suckers are split and nursed to produce more seedlings. Mr. William Biah, a student researcher at the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Cape Coast who launched the technology, urged farmers in the area to adopt the technology to reduce the high expenses on plantain suckers.
The methods eliminate pests and diseases that affect the growth of the suckers. The student researcher said it takes the seedlings between three and four months to be ready for re-planting and the whole crop takes between nine months and a year to mature, depending on the variety, he said. Mr. Kwame Ampofo-Twumasi, District Chief Executive, commended extension officers for carrying out the exercise in the area with diligence.
The DCE urged them to extend the education to schools to enable the students to acquire skills in the new technology. Nana Fosu Gyeabour, Chief of the area, expressed appreciation for the project and pledged to offer land for the youth to grow plantain on a large scale.
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New York (USA) 09 May 2002 -- Miss Bernice Akuamoah, one of Ghana's three child delegates to the UN Special Session on Children on Sunday chaired the forum's education committee which prepared a report on children's educational matters to be presented at the UN General Assembly.
The committee comprising child delegates from Africa, Asia and the Middle East held its meeting behind closed doors to avoid any form of intimidation to enable the children to freely express their opinions on issues affecting them.
Miss Akuamoah who delivered the committee's position on education at the Plenary Session of the Children's Forum, which is being attended by over 350 children from 130 countries, said the committee stressed the need for all children to have a fair chance to education.
The GNA reported her as saying after the closing ceremony of the Children's Forum that her committee noted that basic education is supposed to be free and compulsory in accordance with the UN Charter on the Rights of the Child but unfortunately it is not so in many countries.
The committee also suggested that teachers should be well-trained and paid to deliver quality education while national budgets used for army weapons should be invested in education. This suggestion followed the observation by the children that society does not see the importance of education and does not therefore commit enough resources towards its improvement.
Miss Akuamoah, a student of the Tema Secondary School, said her committee also called for the establishment of Youth Advisory Board in every educational ministry in every country while governments should also revise the educational system in every country.
They also called on the private sector to support education and UNICEF to continue its mediation role between children and their governments. She said these suggestions followed observation by the children that lack of quality teachers and the low level of interaction between students and under paid teachers were contributing to low levels in education.
They were also concerned about the uneven quality of education in private and public schools, the long distances between schools and communities which results in low motivation and child labour that is virtually replacing education in many poor countries.
Miss Akuamoah is also on the Inter-generational committee, which will meet some heads of states from Africa on Thursday and put before them the case of the African child. The two other children from Ghana are Master Samuel Kissi of the St Thomas Aquinas Secondary School and Master Joel Agorinya of the Bolgatanga Preparatory and JSS.
The children are expected to select two delegates to present their positions on various issues raised at the forum to the UN General Assembly which officially opens on Wednesday May 08. Ghana's delegation to the conference is being led by Alhaji Aliu Mahama the Vice-President Nelson Mandela, former South African President and his wife Gracia Machel were the special guest of honour. They were accompanied by Mrs Nane Annan, wife of the UN Secretary General. - From Kofi Tay.
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New York (USA) 09 May 2002 -- One of Ghana's three Child delegates to the UN Special Session on Children, Master Samuel Kissi says Ghana will put an emphasis on issues that will not only help improve the lot of the Ghanaian but make an impact for Africa in general.
Master Kissi, a 17-year-old student of the St Thomas Aquinas secondary school told the GNA that many Ghanaian children lack access to basic health and nutrition while there are many on the streets catering for themselves due to poverty.
The two day children's forum which preceded the main 27th UN General Assembly is being attended by more than 350 children from about 130 countries. The forum would debate substantive issues on child rights and developments and draft a joint statement to be presented to the General Assembly.
Master Kissi said one big problem of children of today especially in Africa is the threat of HIV/ AIDS, poverty and discrimination stressing that for the world to be changed for children, "children must be empowered to be able to influence decisions which affect them".
He said the Ghanaian child delegation has promised that it will make all children aware of the promises that government has made and with the help of the media, government would be forced to act quickly. Master Kissi noted that this UN Special Session is not only a forum for governments to renew their commitment to children but to work towards it and hoped that the Ghana government will stick to all its promises.
He said the child delegates would go to all the 10 regions of the country and hold forums for children to join in the fight that would make governments take positive steps towards their development. The other Ghanaian children are Miss Bernice Akuamoah, a student of the Tema Secondary School and Master Joel Agorinya of the Bolgatanga Preparatory and JSS.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 09 May 2002 --The Ashanti Regional Police Administration is investigating circumstances that led to misunderstanding between Police Inspector I.K. Ameyaw and Sergeant S.K. Attakora last April at Mampong.
A release from the police administration in Kumasi on Wednesday stated categorically that any of the two officers found guilty after the investigations, will be made to face the full rigours of the law. It said the Divisional Commander has taken the matter up and is dealing with it departmentally.
According to the police, Inspector Ameyaw did not assault Sergeant Attakora as being alleged and reported in a section of the media, but that it was a misunderstanding between them, which resulted in exchange of words. The release also said the incident took place at the police barracks and not in the midst of civilians.
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Sekondi (Western Region) 09 May 2002 - A 22 year old student of the Takoradi Polytechnic, Samuel Akom-Mensah was on Wednesday sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment with hard labour by a Sekondi Circuit Court for attempting to escape from Police custody. He pleaded guilty.
Police Superintendent Khadija Musah, prosecuting, told the court that Akom-Mensah, who lived with his parents at Anaji was being investigated in connection with his alleged involvement in an armed robbery case. According to the Prosecution, on 6 May the complainant, Police Chief Inspector Kakra Adjei and two other police personnel handcuffed the accused and took him to his house to search him for the items allegedly stolen during the robbery.
Supt. Musah said that on reaching his house, Akom-Mensah's father welcomed them and directed them to the room where the accused stayed and all the stolen items were found together with a locally manufactured pistol.
She said while the accused was being returned to the Police Station, Akom-Mensah with the handcuffs still on his hands, took to his heels but the three police personnel managed to re-arrest him. Akom-Mensah would reappear before the Sekondi Community Tribunal on May 9 to be tried for armed robbery.
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Koforidua (Eastern Region) 09 May 2002 - Mr Anthony Gyampoh, Eastern Region Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has asked Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, to stop politicising the audit report on the former District, Municipal and Metropolitan Chief Executives and challenged him to publish the report.
He said it was only the Minister and his deputies who knew the contents of the reports and they had been making public statements on them to disparage the former Chief Executives. Mr Gyampoh, a former District Chiefs Executive for Akwapim North, was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Koforidua.
He said in October 2000, Mr Baah-Wiredu and his deputies started talking about the number of DCEs who had been exonerated and those against whom adverse findings had been made 'but as at the time that he was talking none of the DCEs had officially been informed about the findings against them''.
Mr Gyampo said the audit report had also not been sent to Parliament for discussion. "I see the whole exercise as an attempt by the Government to victimise the former DCEs and MCEs in contravention of its declared policy to ensure the rule of law.
"If that is not the case then why should it happen that the condition of service requirement that we should be paid three months' salary in lieu of notice of discontinuation of our service had not been honoured? This is not an ex-gratia allowance", Mr Gyampoh said.
He said he would not be surprised to hear that fresh evidence had been found against those former DCEs and MCEs that were exonerated by the said audit report. Mr Gyampoh said: "Information available to us indicates that the government wants to release the result of the so called audit report in the election year and blow it out of proportions for political gains."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 09 May 2002 - Mr Donald C. McKinnon, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, a fifth generation New Zealander, was born in England when his father, the late Major General W. S. McKinnon was posted there prior to the outbreak of World War II.
His mother, Anna (nee Plimmer) was from a pioneering Wellington family. They had five children of which Don is the eldest. After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School Class of '56, in Washington, he worked on cattle and horse ranches in Wyoming, Montana and Maryland before returning to New Zealand to work as a shepherd on sheep and beef cattle farms.
He was conscripted into the New Zealand Army and passed the Officers Selection Board before being posted to an Artillery Unit in 1958. Don McKinnon continued working on sheep, cattle, dairy and cropping farms before enrolling at Lincoln Agricultural College (now Lincoln University) studying farm management and rural valuation.
Whilst at Lincoln, he was elected Vice President of the Students' Association and played rugby for Lincoln. Following Lincoln he continued in an active involvement in farming on sheep stations in the North Island, becoming a Farm Manager on a sheep and cattle fattening unit in 1964 at Long Bay North of Auckland.
He also married in that year and had one daughter, Margaret and three sons, Peter, Stuart and Cameron, the couple separated in 1992. Don McKinnon moved from active farming into Farm Management Consultancy, Real Estate and property development in 1973. After qualifying in real estate, he also began his own real estate business concentrating on commercial and industrial property on the North Shore of Auckland.
During this period, he became active in the Junior Chamber of Commerce movement, elected to various positions and winning a number of debating and speaking competitions. He also worked part-time in New Zealand's Maximum Security Prison for some nine years, teaching prison inmate communication skills and also for a time was the President of the Auckland Debating Association.
In 1969 McKinnon first stood for the New Zealand Parliament on the ticket of the National Party in the Birkenhead Electorate and again in 1972, succeeding on both occasions in pegging back the margins in an opposition held seat.
He continued his involvement with the National Party holding various offices and being selected for and ultimately winning the parliamentary seat of Albany on Auckland's North Shore in 1978, which he held with various boundary changes until he resigned as an MP in 2000.
In 1980 he was elected a Party Whip finally serving a record of seven years in that role, six of which were as Chief Whip. During that time he was also involved in parliamentary committees on public expenditures concerned with investigating work.
Whilst his party was in opposition between 1984 and 1990, he was elected deputy leader in 1987 and on coming into government in 1990, became Deputy Prime Minister (1990 to 1996) and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (1990-1999).
He has been Leader of the House of Representatives (1992-1996) and has also served as Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, Minister of Veterans' Affairs, Associate Minister of Defence, Minister in Charge of War Pensions and Minister of Pacific Island Affairs.
McKinnon also chaired various Cabinent Committees and became a member of the Privy Council in 1992. As Foreign Minister, Mr McKinnon developed close Commonwealth Links, at both governmental and non-governmental levels. From its inception in 1995 until 1999, he served as Deputy Chairperson of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG).
He chaired the Commonwealth Small States Meeting at the Auckland Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 1995 and was appointed to the five-member Commonwealth Ministerial Mission on Small States in 1998.
McKinnon's work with other Commonwealth leaders has been broad ranging. His key interests, however, have been in enhancing economic opportunities for Commonwealth member states, especially through debt relief and technical assistance transfers. Others are promoting Commonwealth youth and education programmes, actively supporting the Commonwealth's 'Good Governance' initiatives and promoting greater effectiveness and efficiency in Commonwealth institutions.
During his term as New Zealand Foreign Minister, McKinnon initiated a number of actions, he campaigned for and saw New Zealand elected to a two-year term on the UN Security Council, and he promoted the deployment of New Zealand peacekeepers into the Gulf Area, Somalia, Angola, Haiti, Cambodia, Bosnia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
He developed the Asia 2000 programme, which eventually evolved into the Asia 2000 Foundation. At the November 1999 Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) in Durban, South Africa, he was elected Commonwealth Secretary-General. He assumed office on 01 April 2000.
He married to Clare de Lore, a journalist, author and public relations consultant in 1995 and they have a son, James born in 1998. McKinnon was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce from Lincoln University in 1999 and received the New Zealand 1990 Commemorative Medal and holds two honorary Matai (chiefly) titles from Samoa. He is a communicant member of the Presbyterian Church.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 09 May 2002 - Mr Justice George Acquah, a Supreme Court Judge, on Wednesday observed that indiscipline and lawlessness were the main problems facing the country.
"Our society is becoming increasingly undisciplined and this is seen in the way things are done on the roads, at lorry stations, markets, commercial houses, schools, work places and in various institutions," he said in a speech read for him by Justice William Ataguba, a Supreme Court Judge at a seminar organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) for the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) at Burma Camp in Accra, to mark this year's National Constitution Week celebrations.
Speaking on the topic: "Promoting Discipline and the Rule of Law in the Ghanaian Society, Justice Acquah said the most disturbing acts of indiscipline and lawlessness were those going on in schools and collages with students vandalising school property on flimsy complaints.
He said equally serious were rampant instances of the public meting out instant justice to persons suspected of committing crime. "Many people are adopting self-help to seek redress. Husbands kill their wives alleging all sorts of reasons. Irate mobs have attacked police stations, palaces, churches, mosques, schools and offices as a way of seeking redress for grievances".
Mr Justice Acquah said the recent vandalisation of a house belonging to Dr. Ram Beckley, a medical practitioner and occultist, was one of such "barbaric" acts, which could not be justified in any way. He said in 1994 when Dr Beckley was accused of murder, residents of Fadama, an Accra suburb, ransacked his premises and set his house ablaze, thereby tampering with evidence and disabled the police from obtaining enough evidence to incriminate him.
He said such acts of indiscipline and lawlessness had never been part of the country's culture but that the rising spate of indiscipline and lawlessness was getting out of hand, giving the rise to the "unfortunate impression" that the society was now bereft of discipline and the rule of law.
"But the Rule of Law is one of the cornerstones of our constitutional democracy. The rule makes our constitution the supreme law of the land, which all institutions, bodies and individuals are subject to. He said it was clear from the provisions in the constitution that Ghanaians were expected among other things, to be law abiding and co-operate with the police and other law enforcement agencies to maintain law and order.
"We are not to take the law into our own hands, neither are we permitted to prevent or thwart the police in the maintenance of law and order." Citing Dr. Ram Beckley's case again, the Supreme Court Judge said newspaper accounts showed that the mob that vandalised his house did not allow the police to do its work.
He said the mob saw the police as standing in the way of justice and pelted them with stones forcing them to retreat, adding that such conduct was clearly at variance with constitutional duty.
Justice Acquah said instant justice, a phenomenon currently sweeping the country, could not be clearly justified or condoned in a society like that of Ghana where the law provided adequate means of seeking redress. He however admitted that a number of reasons including sheer indiscipline, lawlessness, some sense of insecurity, and the lack of confidence in the due process of the law accounted for the phenomenon.
Justice Acquah agreed that the people's lack of confidence in the courts handling of criminals was also part of the problem, citing Dr Beckley's case for the third time.
"Dr Beckley was in 1994 arrested, charged and tried for alleged murder after bloodstains, human skulls and pelvic bones were found at his hospital complex. The court discharged him for want of evidence. Now for the general public the majority of whom could not comprehend the nuances of these judicial decisions, the court's decision was a betrayal. Hence when he was this year alleged to have kidnapped two girls, the mob rushed to his house, vandalised the place and burnt it down."
He said a lot was required to remedy the situation if the noble ideals of the rule of law, as embedded in the 1992 constitution, were to be realised. Justice Acquah stressed the need for the intensification of public education on the provisions of the constitution, basic civic rights and the duties of the citizens and the importance of each individual playing its part in upholding the rule of law.
"The rule of law cannot be realised if the people are ignorant of the contents of the constitution, and institutions established by the constitution do not operate in accordance with the powers entrusted to them." He said indiscipline and lawlessness at many public places could be checked if the presence of the police was felt at all these places, adding that there was the need for government to consider increasing considerably, the strength of the police force.
Justice Acquah also noted that the public's waiving confidence in the administration of justice was a serious matter, particularly in cases such as the delay in the trial of criminals, the granting of bail to armed robbers and the inadequate punishment imposed on convicts to deter others from embarking on similar criminal activities, were unacceptable to the public.
He said the Chief Justice was fully conscious of the public's dissatisfaction with the administration of justice and had therefore put in place measures to remedy the situation. The Supreme Court Judge noted that politicians' guarded lifestyles, activities, conduct and utterances could also go a long way in preserving the country's fledging democracy and promote the rule of law in the society.
He said it was important that political parties recognised their crucial importance in the governance, adding that it was not healthy for political parties to make wild and unfounded allegations against opponents. "Allegations like, the government has failed the people, unfounded allegations of attempted coup d'état, and those geared to incite people should be avoided."
Politicians, he said must endeavour to refrain from inflammatory language likely to destabilise the country. "When all institutions including the government play their proper role in upholding the virtues for which the people chose constitutional democracy, the individual would enjoy reasonable peace and security and the society would be better-off."
Mr Napoleon Agboada, Director of Public Education of the NCCE, noted that there was no perfect democracy anywhere although the concept had existed for about 200 years. He said there was the need for the country's cultural values to be looked at to know what kind of democracy Ghana wanted to practice. "We have an identity, so we need not be cultural "Mulattos" without an identity and pick on other people's way of doing things."
Mr Agboada said the positive aspects of the country's cultural values should be highlighted, since most aspects of western cultural values that Africa tended to copy were negative. The National Constitution Week was instituted last year to cultivate the spirit of constitutionalism and to make the 1992 Constitution not only a living document but also part and parcel of the daily lives of Ghanaians.
It was also meant to develop a culture of democracy, the courage to resist violations of human rights and the tenacity to resist dictatorship of all forms. The Week is being celebrated under the theme: " The Constitution, Cultural Values and Good Governance."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 09 May 2002 - Mr Yaw Osafo-Marfo, Minster of Finance on Wednesday appealed to government departments in the Western and Eastern Regions to re-submit inputs on new employees to the Accountant-General's Department following the destruction of those they submitted earlier in a fire outbreak last Friday.
He said the fire outbreak at the Controller and Accountant General's Department would not affect payment of salaries for workers in May apart from that of the new employees from the two regions.
"According to the Controller and Accountant- General, in spite of the damage caused, government payroll will not be affected as the computer room accommodating the server was not affected," he said, adding, "only inputs received from the Western and Eastern Regions awaiting processing for May would be affected."
Mr Osafo-Marfo said this when he and other government officials including Mr Fredinard Ayim and Nana Ohene Ntow, both special Assistants to the Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs and Mr John Prempeh, Accountant General, toured the affected rooms.
The fire affected four rooms that accommodated Eastern and Western Regions salaries sections of the payroll processing division, destroying documents, furniture, fittings and equipment including 15 computers. There was also an extensive damage to parts of the building making it uninhabitable.
On the evening of Friday 3 May, fire broke out in one of the offices of the payroll unit of the Controller and Accountant-General's Department and spread to the other rooms, causing damage to lots of payroll data and information. The Ghana National Fire Service with the co-operation of the Ghana Armed Forces Fire Service brought the fire under control within two hours, thus saving further damage to life and state property.
Mr Osafo-Marfo said to minimise delays in data processing as a result of the damaged terminals, 10 personal computers would be procured while the staff would be required to work on shift basis, adding that staff the affected offices would be relocated in temporary accommodation immediately.
He called on workers of both the public and private sectors to learn lessons form the fire outbreak by learning the elementary tactics of fire fighting. "Even though fire-extinguishers were readily available it was obvious that the people around did not know anything about fire fighting. It must be part of the culture of workers at such sensitive places."
Mr Osafo-Marfo said the ministry would collaborate with the Ministry of the Interior and other relevant agencies to issue instructions that would impact on safety measures within institutions under the ministry.
The instructions would relate to basic knowledge of electrical installations and their handling, periodic inspection of all electrical installations, installation of smoke detectors and their corresponding alarm systems and the turning off of all electric equipment and gadgets at the close of each day's work.
Other instructions would relate to the installation of good quality fireproof cabinets to keep sensitive documents, the knowledge of load distribution and use of fire-fighting equipment and the drills associated with it.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 09 May 2002 - A committee of inquiry was established on Wednesday to investigate the cause of the firebreak at the Controller and Accountant-General's Department on 3 May.
The committee made up of representatives from the Ghana Armed Force (GAF), Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Electricity Company of Ghana and the Audit Service is to submit a report to the Ministry of Finance within three weeks. Its terms of reference are to find the cause of the fire, the extent of damage to state property and investigate any other matter related to the incident.
Mr Yaw Osafo Marfo, Minister of Finance, who appointed the committee, urged government institutions that keep financial and other sensitive data to keep back-up data at off-site installations preferably in the banks and well secured premises.
"The Auditor-General as part of his work will check whether this directive on off-site back-up installations has been complied with" he said, adding that "defaulting institutions would be sanctioned". The Finance Minister expressed appreciation to the GNFS and the GAF Fire Service for extinguishing the fire.
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H.E. Mr Isaac Osei, Ambassador to Ireland, with residence in London, has presented his Letters of Credence to the Irish President, Mrs Mary McAleese at the Presidential Palace, Aras an Uachtarain.
Mr Isaac Osei, resplendent in ‘edwinebi si ebi so’ kente, was accompanied by his wife Mrs Marian Osei and Mr Martin Quansah, Minister, Political and Economic Affairs. He was driven to and from Aras an Uachtarain by an escort of honour consisting of a 27-man motorcycle detachment drawn from the Second Cavalry Squadron of the Cathal Brugha Barracks – Dublin. He later inspected a guard of honour mounted by a detachment of the Irish Air Defence Forces Training Centre.
Those present at the ceremony included Mr. Dermont McCarthy, Secretary-General to the President; Mr John Neary - Assistant Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs; Mr Brian Nason - Chief of Protocol; and his Deputy, Mr Joseph Brennan.
Presenting his credentials, Ambassador Osei extended the felicitations of the President, H.E. Mr. J.A. Kufuor to the government and people of Ireland and stressed the need for the two countries to strengthen not only political ties but commercial and economic linkages.
Ambassador Osei noted the tremendous transformation which had taken place in Ireland over the last two decades and added that the people of Ghana would derive considerable inspiration and lessons from them.
Responding to a toast proposed by Mr Joseph Brennan, Deputy Chief of Protocol, at a reception attended by Irish businessmen with links in Ghana, members of the diplomatic corps, invited dignitaries and a number of Ghanaians, Mr Osei hoped the ensuing years would see the intensification of co-operation in all fields for the mutual benefit of peoples of the two countries.
While in Dublin, Ambassador Osei held fruitful discussions on a wide range of issues with senior officials of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Business and Employers Confederation, the Industrial Development Agency, the Economic and Political divisions of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Counsellor Maurice Aheen, Deputy Mayor of Dublin.
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