African Women's Development Fund gives 344,000 dollars to women.
Volta River Authority faces collapse
National best farmer to win house
African Women's Development Fund gives
344,000 dollars to women.
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 November 2001-The African Women's Development Fund (AWDF), which supports and promotes women rights in Africa, said on Friday that it has disbursed grants totalling 344,000 dollars to women organisations on the continent.
The grants were awarded to 38 women's organisations from 19 countries, working at local, national and regional levels. Ten of the organisations were from Ghana.
Mrs Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Executive Director of AWDF, was speaking at a press briefing on AWDF'ss first Africa launch in Accra on December 8, to start a three- year international campaign aimed at raising 10 million US dollars.
"The AWDF thrives on fund raising to support the work of other organisations working to promote women's rights in Africa", she said.
"Resource mobilisation within Africa is a priority for AWDF although, so far, fund mobilisation has been received from international institutional donors, private foundations and individual donors outside Africa."
Mrs Adeleye-Fayemi said grants and multi-year commitments have come from some Foundations and NGOs in America, Canada, United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
"We are, however, encouraging every working woman in Africa to donate at least a dollar each for us to put in the fund to make it available for our less fortunate ones who would need to be educated and empowered on a lot of issues", she said
"We support programmes which develop and promote women's leadership and advocacy across five thematic areas," Mrs Adeleye-Fayemi said adding that these areas are women's human rights, political participation, peace building, health reproductive rights and HIV/AIDS and Economic empowerment.
Ms Joana Foster, Co-founder of the Fund said it was started because a lot of women find it difficult to get access to finance in Africa. Ghana was chosen as the headquarters for the fund because of its political and economic stability.
She urged African women to "put their monies where their heart is" to work towards a world where there is social justice for all, especially the African woman.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 03 November 2001-Preliminary investigations by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police into the alleged armed attack on Warrant Officer Patrick Kuntor's residence has revealed that there was no evidence of exchange of fire at the residence.
"There is no evidence from a thorough forensic examination of the scene, of any lethal weapon having been carried or fired by the attackers. The lethal shots were from W O Kuntor's pistol."
Mr. David Asante-Apeatu, Officer in-charge of CID operations, made these disclosures on Saturday at a Press briefing in Accra to throw light on the state of investigations so far, into the attack, which, has been described in some quarters as an assassination attempt on the former Aide-de-Camp of former President J.J Rawlings.
He said the evidence indicates that the "attackers" were carrying only firecrackers of which pictures of leftovers collected from the scene were shown to the press. He said the sound of firecrackers with the glow, which accompanied it, tallied exactly with what Mr. Kuntor saw and heard.
Mr. Asante-Apeatu, who is a Chief Superintendent of Police, said ballistic examination conducted also revealed the four 9- millimetre empty shells fired from a 9-millimetre Tarsus pistol with registration number AAAH/5454/2001 and barrel number B41979 found at the scene was done by Mr. Kuntor.
"At the scene, four bullet holes were identified; one in the ceiling of the bedroom of WO. Kuntor and three holes in the main gate in the house."
He said, "apart from these marks of bullet holes, no other marks were observed in the house. The walls of the porch of the house, where according to WO Kuntor, he stood and exchanged fire with the alleged robbers for almost 20 minutes was intact. No bullets or pellets were found in the porch or the compound."
He said WO Kuntor also failed to surrender to the investigators the gun he used to fire the shots and rather presented a different one, which was found out during forensic examination.
WO Kuntor rather presented to the police a gun that has the same calibre, a 9-millimetre Browning with registration number AAH5453/2001 in addition to two other guns he possessed.
He later surrendered the actual gun used for the action. On the number of attackers, the operation officer said while the watchman of WO Kuntor and another eyewitness saw four, another eyewitness said he saw about seven people running from the house.
The Watchman Ebenezer Yaw Nkrumah also said he saw one of the robbers dressed in a black hat, a black pair of trousers and a black shirt and that he did not struggle with anyone as alleged by WO Kuntor.
Mr. Asante-Apeatu said nothing was stolen from the house and the only damage was to the ceiling and the main gate of the building.
On WO Kuntor's claim that he shot two of the attackers, the Operations Officer, said there was no evidence of blood spill associated with gunshots at the scene. He said the police are continuing with the investigations.
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Somanya (Eastern Region) 03 November 2001-Until it folded up in May this year, a Somanya based company in the Eastern Region was paying a paltry 400 cedis as monthly Social Security premium contribution per worker.
Even with the 1,200 cedis it was contributing for its three workers, there were times the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) had to drag it to court to retrieve the money.
The Somanya Manager of SSNIT, Mr Collins Bruce-Baiden, made the revelation at a worker's durbar at Somanya on Thursday when he spoke on: "The Social Security Pension Scheme, benefits and related problems."
The salaries of the workers itself worked up to 8,000 cedis per month, which meant that at pension, the retired workers would have received 15, 000 cedis per month.
He, however, did not give the name of the company, but said there were many of similar organisations that pay paltry wages to their workers.
Mr Bruce-Baiden explained that in the case of the said company, attempts were made by SSNIT to let the firm owners reverse their decision but they insisted that they could only pay the workers that much because it was feeding and accommodating the three workers.
The SSNIT Manager appealed to companies faced with similar situations to rather convert the additional benefits their workers enjoy into real wages so that at retirement, they could have meaningful pension.
He said it was for this reason that SSNIT was advocating that Parliament should enact a law that would compel companies and organisations not to pay their workers less than the national minimum wage.
He said there were many workers who still go through lots of hardships after pension because of the maltreatment they received from their employers.
Mr Bruce-Baden said the SSNIT Pension offers comparative advantages and flexibility over the CAP 30 enjoyed by some categories of public workers.
He denied allegations that SSNIT housing schemes benefit only the affluent in society, saying the majority of the occupants of SSNIT flats were workers.
The Yilo Krobo District Director of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Nene Agbosu Korley III, said the forum was organised to help prepare workers on how to organise their retirement life.
This he explained was to offset the fear usually experienced by retired workers, who instead of enjoying their pension, rather want to be re-engaged on contract.
The Eastern Regional Director of the NCCE, Mr Charles Nkrumah appealed to workers to back their demand for improved wages with increased productivity.
The Memeber of Parliament for Yilo Krobo, Mr Daniel Terkpetey called for more public support for the activities of NCCE.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 03 November 2001-The Volta River Authority (VRA) on Friday launched its 40th anniversary celebrations in Accra warning that the authority faces imminent collapse if debts owed it are not settled promptly and realistic tariffs are not introduced.
The VRA said it could not continue making losses, adding: "until the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC) ends its transitional plan the government should come in and subsidise VRA operations."
Dr Jones Offori-Atta, Chairman of the Board of Directors, who was speaking at the launch of the anniversary, said VRA needed to expand its operations and employ latest technological applications.
"However, all these depend on our ability to recover costs which at this moment is only at 45 per cent." Established on 26 April 1961 VRA's main function was to supply hydropower for industrial, commercial and domestic use.
Initially, this involved development of the hydroelectric potentials of the Volta River and the construction and maintenance of a nationwide grid transmission system.
Dr Ofori-Atta expressed regret that VRA has lost its position as the leading power producer and distributor in West Africa besides a depleting capacity to meet its operational costs and a mounting gap between economic and current tariffs.
Cote d'Ivoire is the largest producer of power in the sub-region and Nigeria is third. Dr Ofori-Atta said VRA has the potential of making it back into what Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first President, envisioned - the production and supply of reliable, cheap and uninterrupted power.
He urged stakeholders to help make power production a sustainable feature to make Ghana's development plan a certainty. Dr Ofori-Atta urged government agencies and departments to pay their bills adding: "the days of free power could no longer be entertained considering the present economic circumstances facing the country."
He charged the VRA leadership to establish a department of Alternative Energy Sources that would explore the future development of wind and solar energy sources.
Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, Chief Executive of VRA, said the lake level is not as good as expected but with thermal complementation the situation is under control. "It is in this light that we need to operate at real cost, meet our bills and expand facilities including thermal power.
"If this is not met we could face a situation worse than we did during the 1997 and 1998 energy crisis. Beyond a certain level we will be incapable."
Activities lined up for the celebrations between now and December include TV documentaries, features, talk shows, lectures, photo exhibitions, Christian and Moslem services and a grand durbar at the Akosombo Stadium.
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Asantehene to establish Public Affairs
Management Secretariat
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 03 November 2001-Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11, the Asantehene says he will soon establish a Public Affairs Management Secretariat where issues concerning the palace and media practitioners would be handled.
He said plans are also far advanced for arrangement for the palace to meet the press every three months to share ideas on how best journalists in the region would go about their work to help in the socio-economic and political development of the region.
The Asantehene told the Executive of the Ashanti Region branch of the Ghana Journalists Association and Editors of both the print and the electronic media who paid a courtesy call on him at the Manhyia palace on Friday that there were lots of programmes concerning Health, Education, unemployment and other social interventions, which need to be solved and it behoves on journalists in the region to inform and educate the public on them.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu told the media practitioners that there are a lot they could do to support the development of the region and the nation at large and stressed the need for them to cross-check their facts and figures before going to press.
"Cross-check your information before you write, if it is a scoop as you call it, try to portray it the same way you heard or saw it because if you portray the person or subject you are writing about in bad light you will be haunted by your own bad action," he said.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 03 November 2001-The Democratic People's Party (DPP) has broken away from the National Democratic Congress-led Progressive Alliance, Mr Thomas N. Ward-Brew, founder, leader and chairman of the party announced on Friday.
"We are breaking away with good intent and reasons, not with any rancour, bitterness or ill-feeling against our comrades in the Alliance but to serve as a resurrection ground for the heavily battered NDC," he said.
Mr Brew said at press conference in Accra that "the DPP is born anew", declaring, "the days of slavery, political bondage and manipulation we suffered in the Alliance are over."
The DPP has been torn into two with Mr Dan Markin leading the other group. The Progressive Alliance comprises the NDC, the EGLE Party and DPP.
Mr Ward-Brew blamed members of the Alliance and the National Reform Party (NRP) especially for the electoral defeat of last year and called on the members to unite and work under the DPP for victory in 2004.
The DPP leader also urged the NDC to apologise to its supporters, members and well-wishers for last year's defeat and breaking the front of the Progressive Alliance through acts of omission and commission.
Mr Ward-Brew also advised the government to avoid the mistakes of the past by checking the creeping acts of arrogance, intimidation and vices.
"The NPP won the last elections not on account of its strength and political readiness but on the weaknesses of the NDC and general economic crises."
"Even though the country supported and tolerated the NDC for eight years, it is unlikely that such solidarity would be extended to the NPP beyond four years," he said.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 03 November 2001-A Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr Ghyesika Agambilla on Friday said the government was considering a proposal for legislation to streamline accounting in various government institutions to ensure transparency.
Opening a seminar on Public Sector Accounting, Dr Agambilla said the absence of such a law now was a cause of great worry to the government because it accounted for failure in stewardship in most public institutions.
An effective public sector accounting system, he said, was important to enable the government to know the true financial position of its ministries, department and agencies.
It would also enable the government to identify and control corrupt stewardship in the institutions. "Without good accounting system, monitoring becomes difficult," he said. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Ghana and the Institute of Chartered Accountant Ghana organised the seminar to identify and address some weaknesses in the public accounting system and adopt measures to stem corrupt practices.
Dr Agambilla said the government was adopting, as a first step, appropriate mechanisms to ensure discipline in the management of financial resources.
The measures included Auditor General's regular audit of MDAs and stablishment of strong internal audit units in the various departments.
He asked the participants to examine critically the weaknesses in the current system of accounting and offer suggestions for the government to implement them.
The Deputy Controller and Accountant General, Mr Eugene Ofosuhene said the government's moves to revamp the public financial management system were to improve the efficiency, accountability and transparency in the management of national resources.
He said among major policy decisions was the adoption of full accrual basis of accounting in preparing public accounts. The rationale, Mr Ofosuhene explained, was for the government to know the level of resources and expenditure of its agencies in implementing programmes.
He expressed the hope that the change from cash accounting to a more pragmatic accrual accounting system would change the climate of financial reporting and decision making at both departmental and governmental levels.
"New arrangements would create stronger incentives to maintain data integrity and systems discipline," he said.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 03 November 2001 - This year's National Best Farmer would win a three-bedroom house donated by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
A statement issued in Accra on Friday quoted the Minister, Major Courage Quashigah (rtd) as saying the cost of the house would be borne by the Agricultural Development Bank.
This is the first time a house is being donated as a prize for the National Best Farmer award. Top prizes in the previous years have been tractors and pick-up vehicles.
The Minister praised the positive role ADB is playing to complement the efforts of government towards achieving food security.
He appealed to companies and organisations to support the hard working farmers by donating generously towards the celebration.
The National Farmers Day has been instituted to honour farmers and fishermen for their contribution towards the economic and social development of the country.
This year's celebration has been timed to climax activities of the First International Food and Agricultural Trade Fair on the December 7.
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