Baafuor
Akoto influenced Ghana's judicial direction
NRC
meets military personnel in Takoradi
Kwesi
Pratt sues Vanguard Editor
Insurance
capital to be increased
German
military donates to 37 Military Hospital
Government
to ensure peace in Kitare
Ashanti
Region records more disasters this year
Do not
privatise water- Council of Labour
NPP
government has mismanaged the economy-Asaga
NPP MP
blames compatriots for truancy
Fourteen
Judges of the Superior Courts sworn into office
Work
together to resolve your problems - Aliu
Operators
should operate within laid down procedures - Kufuor
Baafuor
Akoto influenced Ghana's judicial direction
Accra (Greater Accra)
13 November 2002 - Nana Akufo Addo, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice,
on Tuesday eulogised Baafour Osei Akoto, saying his wide influence touched the
judicial process of the country.
He said the leader of
the pre-independence National Liberation Movement (NLM), by virtue of his
famous "Re:Akoto" had sought to give the Supreme Court the power of
review which was essential for democratic development.
Baafour Akoto had
appealed against his detention in 1961 but lost it. Nana Akufo-Addo was
contributing to a statement made by Samson Kwaku Boafo, Ashanti Regional
Minister.
The Attorney-General
said that error made by the Supreme Court at that time brought the nation the
misfortune of keeping the Preventive Detention Act (PDA), which took away
fundamental freedoms of the Ghanaian.
"If the Court had
upheld the plea of the man, it would have helped immensely, no wonder modern
jurists are thinking along those lines," he observed adding that the
powers exercised by the Supreme Court to review actions of the executive and
the legislature could not be under estimated.
J. H. Mensah, Senior
Minister, said Baafuor Akoto loved politics, "even though, he was without
formal education, he encouraged people to pursue that career because he
believed that the affairs of the nation needed to be managed by dedicated
people."
He said, he told his
personal tales of horror with humour, adding, "He was never bitter. In one
of his tales, he said he heard Dr J.B. Danquah cry in his death row, it was the
night of his death, such a thing should not have happened to a man of his
stature."
Mensah said:
"Those of us who have been to the prisons several times pray that our
colleagues here (parliament) will not run the risk of such experiences in their
political career."
D.Y Mensah, NDC-
Attebubu North, said Baafour Akoto equally represented violence and militancy
in the pre-independence political history of Ghana. He said the period that he
led the NLM was not a happy one, adding, "it was part of the nation's
sordid political history."
"Let's take
lessons from that turbulent period and learn to put the national interest
before everything," he said.
Baafuor Akoto lived
from 22 February 1904 to 3 September 2002. He championed the cause of the
pre-independence federalists through the NLM, which often clashed with the
unitary-minded Dr Kwame Nkrumah and the Convention People's Party (CPP). He was
the stepfather of President John Agyekum Kufuor.
GRi…/
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NRC
meets military personnel in Takoradi
Takoradi (Western
Region) 13 November 2002 - Lt-Gen Emmanuel Erskine, a member of the National
Reconciliation Commission (NRC), has said that one issue that the Commission
would have to investigate and come up with an answer is why some senior
military officers were killed during the June four uprising.
He was speaking at a
forum organised by the Commission for officers and men of the Two Garrison in
Takoradi. Lt.-Gen Erskine said the issue is a sensitive matter which, if
resolved, could further the national reconciliation process.
''The issue has come
up every now and then and the commission is going to use its mandate to
investigate the matter.'' "The job has got to be done and it is only the
NRC that can do that, otherwise its work will not be completed," he said.
Lt. Gen. Erskine
called on military personnel to co-operate with the commission by providing it
with information. He said the work of the Commission is important in the
process of healing and uniting the country which has been torn apart by
suffering and injury to human dignity during especially, the unconstitutional
periods of the country's history.
Lt-Gen Erskine said when one listens to the radio,
for instance, one detects so much bitterness and that the country has been
polarised because important issues have become politicised.
He said reconciliation
is a continuous process of which the making of complaints to the commission is
only the beginning. He said the work is to redress or correct wrongs committed
mainly during the period of military rule so as to unite the Ghanaians society.
Professor Henrietta
Mensa-Bonsu, a member of the Commission, said a wrong impression has been
created that the Commission is to investigate only wrongs committed by the
military against civilians.
''This is not the case
as the commission will look into and give equal attention to wrongs done by
both civilians and the military.'' Prof_Mensa-Bonsu said many former military
personnel have also made complaints to the Commission.
She said the function
of the Commission and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice
(CHRAJ) do not overlap. Prof. Mensa-Bonsu said the CHRAJ does not have the
power to investigate what happened in the past.
Prof. Mensa-Bonsu said
committees have been established within the commission to investigate
institutions. These, she said, are committees on security services, labour and
student movements, the press, religious bodies and traditional rulers and
professional and civil society groups.
Prof. Mensa-Bonsu said
complaints would be investigated and victims identified. She said the
Commission would recommend the setting up of a fund to assist in the
rehabilitation of victims.
Prof. Mensa-Bonsu said
the commission has similar powers of the Police to investigate complaints, and
could compel people to submit documents and give evidence before the
Commission.
She said the
Commission also has the power to search with or without a warrant, protect the
identity of witnesses and put anybody who appears before it on oath. Prof.
Mensa-Bonsu said it is the responsibility of the Commission to provide legal
counsel to those who could not afford it.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
13 November 2002 - An Accra Fast Track Court trying Tsatsu Tsikata, former
Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), for
allegedly causing financial loss to the state on Tuesday took a two-week break.
This was after Osafo
Sampong, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), had informed the court that the
next prosecution witness had travelled outside the country and would only
available in two weeks.
There was no objection
from defence counsel and the trial judge, Mrs Henrietta Abban, consequently
adjourned proceedings to Wednesday 27 November. The prosecution has so far
called three witnesses since the trial began last month.
The first witness to
be called was Jim Wilson, Managing Director of Valley Farms Limited, with
Daniel Opoku Mensah, former Corporate Planning Manager of GNPC and Mrs Victoria
Naa Adei Sackey, Senior Administrative Officer of GNPC in charge of Records, as
second and third witnesses respectively.
Tsikata is charged
with four counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the State, and
intentionally misapplying public property. He has pleaded not guilty to all the
charges and is on a self-recognisance bail in the sum of 700m cedis.
Tsikata is alleged to
have caused the loss of more than 2.3bn cedis to the State in a transaction in
which he committed GNPC to guarantee a loan facility, granted to Valley Farms
Limited by Caisse Francaise de Developpement, a French Development Aid Agency.
Due to financial
constraints, Valley Farms defaulted in paying back the loan. As a result, the
accused person allegedly circumvented laid down corporate regulations, when
without the knowledge of the corporation's Board, he used the funds to pay the
French company.
This action of his,
according to the prosecution, caused financial loss to the State. Tsikata is
being defended by Professor Emmanuel Victor Oware Dankwa and Major R. S. Agbenoto
(retired).
GRi…/
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Kwesi
Pratt sues Vanguard Editor
Accra (Greater Accra)
13 November 2002 - The Editor of the Weekly Insight, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has filed
a suit at the High Court in Accra against the Editor and publisher of the
Vanguard newspaper for publishing "certain materials which were seriously
and maliciously libellous" to him.
In the writ against
Edson Osbert Lartey, Editor of the Vanguard and Danlart Publications,
publishers of the paper, Pratt said "only a punitive and or exemplary
damage and an injunction order will stop the defendants from repeating their
campaign of vilification" against him.
Pratt said an article
in the 10th to 16th July edition of the paper with the headline "Kwasi
Pratt leaves for Zurich" was "designed to cause damage to his
character as a leading and executive member of the Convention People's Party
(CPP).
In the article,
according to the statement of claim, the defendants purported to report that
while in Zurich, Pratt would meet some leading members of the National
Democratic Congress (NDC).
"The true import
of this publication was to focus direct suspicion of the plaintiff switching
camp and or flirting with the NDC in a bid to joining that political party and
to provoke members of the plaintiff's party (CPP) and their numerous supporters
to either dismiss him or withdraw their recognition of the plaintiff as a
leading and executive member of that political party.
"Plaintiff
categorically denies that he ever met or intended to meet any leading member of
the NDC during his trip to Zurich." The writ said the defendants published
the story "with the utmost malice" knowing that it was not true and knowing
the serious damage and or injury it would cause.
The statement of claim
said the defendants in their October 23-28 edition published another article
under the headline "Pratt and the $125,000 cash ...ET's name pops up...Dr
Paa Kwesi Nduom was the target," although lawyers had written to the
defendants drawing their attention to the untruth in the first news item and
the harm it had caused and was causing to the plaintiff.
The writ said although
the defendants had every opportunity to crosscheck the fact, they went ahead
knowing that they were unverified and untrue. "The plaintiff made personal
contacts and caused his solicitors to write to the defendants to retract the
article but the defendants have failed and or refused to retract same."
The writ said Pratt
had suffered serious damages to his reputation by being portrayed as a
political flirt and opportunist. He had also suffered serious damage to his
professional integrity by being depicted as a journalist who is unethical and
abuses his professional career for personal gains.
"Plaintiff's
reputation has been seriously tarnished in the eyes of his peers and the
general public at large as a politician without integrity.” "Plaintiff has
been exposed to the risk of being dismissed and his recognition withdrawn as an
executive and leading member of his political party, the CPP."
GRi…/
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Insurance
capital to be increased
Accra (Greater Accra) 13
November 2002 – The Minister of Finance, Yaw Osafo-Maafo has said that the
government is reviewing the Insurance law to conform to current economic
realities.
He said under the
proposed Insurance law before cabinet, the insurance capital is to be
increased, but gave no figures. At present, the capitalization is 20m cedis for
life and 40m cedis for non-life insurance.
Osafo-Maafo was
speaking at the 40th anniversary and the opening of a new corporate building of
the State Insurance Company (SIC) in Accra. The building is named Nyemitei
House after one of four founders of the company, the late H.P. Nyemitei.
Osafo-Maafo said the
new law when approved, would require that the insurance companies effect a
number of changes in their structures and businesses since government cannot
allow the existing capital base to remain.
He said government
would, however, grant a grace period for the existing total number of 14
insurance companies to adjust to the raise the capital. He said this and other
measures were to ensure that the insurance companies live up to expectation.
Sources told the GNA
that the law on insurance is being reviewed to conform to the current insurance
capital of an equivalent of one million dollars for both life and non-life
insurance.
Osafo-Maafo said the
companies needed to refocus their attention and concentrate on building the
right image to "change the opinion of the people who suffer too much and
too long to claim benefits".
"People pay for
the services you provide and therefore when it comes to the claims, they should
not be made to suffer." The Finance Minister also noted that the value of
insurance premium in Ghana loses its value after a number of years and pledged
that government would ensure that the companies operated in the right
environment of economic stability, low inflation and that the cedi remained
stable.
"Your business is
closely related to the macro-economic environment and therefore government is
working seriously to give that right environment." Osafo-Maafo observed
that the SIC had been involved in services which were better rendered by the
banks.
He said the SIC gives
financial assistance to companies without the adequate guarantee and challenged
them to ensure efficient use of the assets for increased profits. In this vein,
the Minister said the 1.2bn cedis dividend paid by SIC to the government for
the year 2001 was inadequate in view of the size of its assets which could have
been utilised efficiently by taking collaterals in order to protect them.
Osafo-Maafo
congratulated SIC for the role it has played in the insurance business so far
and noted its contribution to the establishment of companies like the National
Investment Bank and the Social Insurance and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
The Minister said the
new law would place a lot of responsibility on the regulatory body (Insurance
Commission) to ensure that the insurance companies worked within the right
regulatory framework.
He said government
regarded the Insurance Commission as an important economic partner saying,
"we will provide whatever you need to make your work easy". On
education, Osafo-Maafo said government is working together with the Ministry of
Justice to educate the populace on the insurance policies, especially, the
right of passengers involved in accidents where third party insurance policies
apply.
Professor Isaac
Mensah, Board Chairman of SIC, reiterated the commitment of the company to
refocus its operations and mission to pioneer new and innovative programmes to
ensure growth in the company.
He said at 40, the SIC
had reached maturity and was therefore required to take its rightful position
as a leader in the insurance business. “We admit that we have made many
mistakes which were very costly to our growth but every mistake we made is a
useful lesson to us."
Prof. Mensah said SIC
now has a solid capital base and this would enable the company to continue to
implement new strategies to move it forward. Peter Osie Duah, Managing
Director, said SIC is now working in a different environment, which is
customer-focused.
According to him the
company had realised that the customer was their key to success, hence the
establishment of the new corporate building and the renovation of old
structures to give the best of services to customers.
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Wa (Upper West) 13
November 2002 - Professor John Atta Mills, one of the contestants
for the presidential
slot of the National Democratic Congress, has said should he get the nod to
lead the party again he would leave the nomination of parliamentary candidates
to the electorate of various constituencies to decide.
He admitted that as much
as the nomination of the candidates caused them to loose over 40 seats in the
2000 general elections, the use of primaries to elect candidates was not the
best method either.
"I agree that we
lost so many seats in 2000 because we did not allow the electorate to make
their own choice of candidates, but the use of primaries also enabled
''inefficient candidates'' to use money to influence their electorate during
the 1996 general elections.
Prof. Mills made these
remarks at Wa during an encounter with the media in the Upper West Region as
part of his three-day tour of the region.
"Being a vice
president for four years and having toured the width and breadth of the
country, I have studied peculiar problems of various areas and have strategies
to meet the challenges squarely if I am given the chance once more,'' Prof.
Mills said.
Professor Mills said
competition was good for enhancement of democracy and wondered why it was only
he and Dr. Kwesi Botchwey who are contesting the primaries. ''I expected more
than one person to contest me for the post because I know the NDC is now
growing in stature and democracy and I also know that such competitions enable
the people to choose competent leaders.''
He said people see him
to be too soft because he spoke the truth and believed in justice and equality
and challenged his critics to show him who was more competent after former
President Jerry Rawlings to lead the NDC than him.
''I will keep on
praising former President Rawlings for he did his part and I cannot forget him.
I will not fight Rawlings. If you think
that I want to win power to fight Rawlings then better forget it,'' he added.
Prof. Mills called on
the media to remain steadfast, resolute and objective in their reportage for
the public to see who actually deserved the presidential slot.
"Having been in
the political wilderness for about two years now we have studied the political
landscape and hope that the mistakes of the past would not be repeated,'' he
stated.
Dr. Benjamin Kumbour,
Member of Parliament for Lawra/Nandom, said so many people have now regretted
voting for the NPP in the 2000 general elections and come 2004, the NDC would
reclaim the political throne of the nation.
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Kute (Volta Region) 13
November 2002 - Peter Akotey, Chairman of the Buem Constituency of the New
Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on supporters of the Party to step up their
campaign to ensure victory in the 2004 elections.
Addressing a rally
organised at Kute, in the Jasikan District, Akotey called on the supporters to
eschew indiscipline, which could divide their ranks. Akotey advised them to be
conversant with the policies of the government to enable them educate the
people to rally behind the government for development of the country.
He said the
development programmes being initiated by the government since it took over
governance showed how development- oriented the Party is. Akotey urged the
supporters to conduct house to house campaigns and at market places to educate
the people on the need to join the Party.
He, however, warned
them to be wary of those who would want to join the Party only to sow seeds of
discord since the "NPP is a disciplined Party it has no room for
insubordination.”
Akotey also advised
those who live along the borders of the district to volunteer information for
the arrest of cocoa and petroleum products smugglers.
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German
military donates to 37 Military Hospital
Accra (Greater Accra)
13 November 2002 - The German Military Organisation (GMO) has presented medical
supplies worth 300,000 Euro to the 37 Military Hospital to assist them in their
field operations.
The items included
autoclaves, elbow and arm clutches, surgical instruments and resuscitation
equipment. Dr. Harold Loeschner, the German Ambassador, said the items were to
strengthen the existing relationship between the two sides.
He pledged Germany's
support to assist Ghana's military in areas where their assistance would be
needed.
Hon. Eddie Akita,
Deputy Minister of Defence, commended GMO for the items and appealed to them to
help Ghana's military develop its human resources with specialised skills and
also upgrade the Rapid Emergency Response Unit.
"We will also
want you to help us turn this military hospital into a hospital of excellence
to meet international standard," the deputy Minister said. Akita handed
over the items to Brigadier Dan Twum, the Armed Forces Director of Medical
services.
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Government
to ensure peace in Kitare
Kitare (Northern
Region) 13 November 2002 - Haruna Bismark, the East Gonja District Chief
Executive (DCE) has given the assurance that the government would initiate
concrete measures to ensure peace in the area following the recent conflict
between the Konkombas and Nawuris at Kitare "B" Zongo.
He was speaking to the
chiefs and people at Kitare during a tour of the area to keep abreast with
developments there. Bismark commended the chief of Kitare, Naa Denkeri Kasaluwe
II, and the Konkomba chief in the town, Nlikpel Tegri for their roles in ending
the crisis.
He said: "But for
your immediate intervention and full co-operation with the security agencies,
the situation would have been very disastrous."
He also commended the
security agencies at Kpandai for handling the violence efficiently and said
efforts were being made to ensure that displaced persons returned to their
homes to enable them perform their normal duties without hindrance.
The DCE appealed to
the people to ensure peace and stability while lasting solutions were sought to
the conflict.
Hon. Bismark called on
both the Northern and the Volta Regional Security Committees to collaborate
efforts at resolving the matter since the conflict affected the development of
the two regions.
Naa Kasaluwe told the
DCE that the clashes had left five Nawuris dead with about 150 people currently
living with relatives and friends at Kitare.
He said properties
including livestock and foodstuffs were also lost in the violence and appealed
to individuals, organisations and government to assist the victims.
Naa Kasaluwe said most
of the people in Kitare were finding it difficult to undertake their
agricultural activities since their farms were located at Kitare "B"
Zongo.
GRi…/
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Ashanti
Region records more disasters this year
Kumasi (Ashanti
Region) 13 November 2002 - The Ashanti Region recorded 153 cases of domestic
fire outbreaks from January to September this year, destroying property
amounting to about 1.6bn cedis.
The cases affected
some 613 people and claimed two lives, according to the Regional Office of the
National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO). Apart from the ravaging
effects of domestic fires, bush fires destroyed property worth 368.8m cedis,
burning 251 houses and displacing 846 persons in the region.
Kofi Osei Amponsah,
Ashanti Regional Co-ordinator of the NADMO, announced this at the opening of a
two-day workshop on disaster management in Kumasi. The workshop, which is under
the theme "Building district capacities in Ghana", attracted District
Chief Executives, Presiding Members and District NADMO Co-ordinators.
Amponsah said property
worth 3.064bn cedis was lost through rainstorm, which destroyed 542 houses and
displacing 5,340 people in the process. He said the Afram Plains portion of the
region also recorded serious floods, which killed two children and displaced
750 persons.
Amponsah said the
situation in the region called for concerted efforts by all stakeholders to
ensure that the people lived in a friendly environment. He said his outfit had
intensified its educational campaign programme to sensitise the people to plant
trees and observe environmental hygiene.
Brigadier Joseph Odei
(RTD), National Co-ordinator of NADMO, said the organisation's focus now was on
preventive aspects of disasters as a means of reducing the effects its
occurrence on society.
He appealed to
Regional Disaster Management Committees to intensify their activities to ensure
rapid reduction in disaster occurrence in the country. Sampson Kwaku Boafo,
Ashanti Regional Minister, in a speech read for him, urged agencies involved in
disaster management not to wait for disasters to occur before sending relief
items to the affected persons.
They should rather
formulate plans, organise, co-ordinate and mobilize all resources available to
prevent the occurrence of disasters. Boafo urged the participants to take the
workshop seriously to increase their knowledge on disaster management.
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Do
not privatise water- Council of Labour
Wa (Upper West) 13
November 2002 - The Upper West Region Council of Labour has resolved to
demonstrate against the government by the end of January next year if it does
not rescind its decision to privatise water in the country.
They said the decision
of the government to privatise water was not only going to inflict economic
hardships on the entire nation but would also worsen the plight of rural
dwellers who were still battling it out to get access to potable and regular
supply of water in their communities.
The Regional Council
of Labour adopted this resolution at Wa at the end of their three-day meeting
with Kwasi Adu Amankwa, Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress at Wa.
Apart from that the
workers have also called on the government to institute stringent measures that
would eradicate corruption, laziness, poor remuneration of workers, and
indiscriminate dismissal of workers and illegitimate display of power by heads
of government institutions.
Amankwa attributed the
country's stagnant Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the lack of enduring vision,
misguided policies, weak implementation of polices, political instability and
coup d' etats.
He said poor work
ethics, over-reliance on foreign goods, indiscipline and excessive dependency
were some of the problems that contributed to the country's low pace of
development and called on policy makers to subject new policies to the public
for debates and create adequate awareness before implementation.
"There have been
a lot of hew and cry over the privatisation of water because a lot of people in
this country have not been well-informed about how it will work." He
called on the government to come out with posters and banners, create radio and
television education programmes to arouse the feelings and knowledge of the
public before going ahead to implement it.
Amankwa called for
both vertical and horizontal approach of accountability where the junior staff
of organizations would be accountable to the seniors while seniors also become
accountable to the juniors to ensure mutual trust.
Robert Atong Asekabta,
Regional Secretary of TUC, said the Regional Secretariat had acquired land to
build an office complex and called on national secretariat to assist them.
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NPP
government has mismanaged the economy-Asaga
Accra (Greater Accra)
13 November 2002 - The Minority Spokesman on Finance, Moses Asaga has said that
the New Patriotic Party government has mismanaged the economy, making Ghanaians
poorer than ever.
"Our financial
situation is very serious. I mean it is worse than ever. The economy is now
fragile. The other blow is the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suspended
its programme with government."
Asaga, who survived a
road accident recently, was reacting to the mid- year review of the 2002 budget
presented by Yaw Osafo Maafo. He told the parliamentary press corps that,
"government has failed to meet all the targets it set for itself, World
Bank (WB) and the IMF."
He said Ghanaians are
reeling under the pressures of high electricity and water tariffs, high school
fees, a broken down yet expensive health care, which is not friendly to
pensioners, the aged and the disadvantaged and massive unemployment.
"I want to repeat
that going HIPC was a mistake. This government has refused to consult
experienced people, people who have managed the economy before." Asaga
said the over-performance of the tax administration is ironically a death trap
for the private sector because it was over taxed.
The member said
government over borrowed from the domestic market. "Government over-borrowed
1.7 trillion cedis from the domestic market. The NPP once criticised the NDC
government for over-borrowing 900bn cedis even though we told them that 600bn
cedis was used for oil imports."
He said: "The
crowding-out effect would tell on the private sector. They would have nothing
to borrow. Government's action contradicted its belief-golden age of
business."
Asaga said the events
surrounding the IFC loan have jeopardized relationship between government and
the WB and IMF. "The IFC loan is turning out to be scam. Everything about
it is not transparent."
He said the Minority
"was unhappy about the way government was managing the economy,'' adding,
"even that this stage, the economy is sixty-seventy per cent donor driven."
Members are expected
to start contributing to the statement on the Mid-year review on Wednesday. The
Minority has criticised the Finance Minister for opting to make a statement
rather that coming through a motion. Statements are not binding whereas motions
are concluded by a vote for adoption or otherwise.
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NPP
MP blames compatriots for truancy
Accra (Greater Accra)
13 November 2002 - The NPP member for Asikuma/Odoben/Brakwa, Paul Appiah-Ofori
on Tuesday prayed the Speaker, Peter Ala Adjetey to lay the blame of lateness
and low attendance in Parliament on the Majority.
Appiah-Ofori said:
"Mr Speaker, let us lay the blame where it belongs to. We are in
government and we must set good example.
Look at our side (Majority) this morning."
Ala Adjetey in his
reply said: "This is an aspect of the Vice President's call to fight
indiscipline. So let us try as much as possible to assist him." Kosi
Kedem, NDC Hohoe South, had drawn the attention of the Speaker of the
"wrong impression" created by the "Votes and Proceedings"
that most of the members were present last Friday.
He said the 125
members recorded by the Votes and Proceedings does not reflect the true picture
of members who were present in the Chamber last Friday and asked that a
mechanism should be found to give the true number of members who actually sit
through proceedings.
Some members from the
Majority, who in an attempt to ward off the criticism, put the blame on
vehicular traffic, seminars/workshops and invitations to functions and called
for the adjustment of the sitting time from morning to afternoon.
Kedem came back again
to vehemently protest against the change of the sitting time saying: "What
is at stake here now is attitudinal. You would change the time but people would
still not come." The Speaker therefore, called on the Whips of both sides
to be up and doing; since their main functions are to whip their people to be
present in the House.
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Fourteen
Judges of the Superior Courts sworn into office
Accra (Greater Accra)
13 November 2002 - President John Agyekum Kufuor has sworn 14 Justices of the
Superior Courts of Judicature into office at the Castle, Osu. He administered
the Judicial Oath and Oath of Allegiance to the judges made up of a woman and
13 men.
The four judges to the
Supreme Court, who were recently approved by Parliament, were Mrs Justice
Georgina Theodora Wood, Justice Stephen Allan Brobbey, Justice Samuel Glenn
Baddoo and Dr. Justice Seth Twum. The only judge to the Appeal Court was
Justice Gilbert Mensah Quaye.
The nine Judges to the
High Court were Justice Godwin Gabor, Justice Gibson Kwabla Adzagli, Justice
Emmanuel Henry Ampadu and Justice Tom Bentil. The rest were Justice Emmanuel
Kwami Ayebi, Justice Robin Benantea Batu, Justice Lawrence Ladzagla Mensah,
Justice Francis Kwabena Opoku and Justice Kwadwo Owusu.
President Kufuor said
it was significant to have such a number of Judges to the Superior Courts to
complement the courts and enable them to dispense justice with the speed the
people were demanding. He said they were all learned people appointed to the
Superior Courts and reminded them to exhibit that level of high learning and be
people who have great conscience because the fate of people would be in their
hands.
President Kufuor said
conscience was critical to their new positions of trust. They should therefore,
be humane and have heart for humanity since the entire society would depend on
them to administer justice without fear or favour.
He said they should
not be found wanting in truth because it was the worst crime a person of their
standing could commit, adding that with so much corruption in the society,
their responsibility should be to live a life that would convince the society,
which was establishing democracy that with the trust reposed in the courts they
could differentiate truth from falsehood.
Mrs Justice Wood on
behalf of her colleagues gave the assurance that they would work hard to
justify the trust reposed in them. She said they would continue to serve the
country faithfully, with diligence and would not let the nation down.
Among those present at
the ceremony was Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,
Attorney-General and
Minister of Justice, his deputy, Miss Gloria Akufo, the Chief Justice, Justice
Edward Kwame Wiredu and some Supreme Court Judges and Ministers of State.
GRi…/
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Work
together to resolve your problems - Aliu
Awutu-Bawjiase
(Central Region) 13 November 2002 - Vice President Aliu Mahama has urged
non-traditional exporters of agricultural produce to network and seek solutions
to their common problems through dialogue with relevant public institutions.
Vice President Mahama,
who gave the advice after touring some pineapple plantations in the Central
Region, reiterated the government's commitment to facilitate the progress of agro-businesses,
saying the sector would be pushed to enhance the growth of the economy.
The tour, which was in
line with the Rural Development Week, launched by President Kufuor on Monday,
also took the Vice President to the Ayensu Starch Company (ASCO) at Bawjiase,
where he commended the Company for the progress of work so far and urged the
farmers and workers to lend their full support to make it successful.
Vice President Mahama
said his visit was to enable him to have a first hand knowledge of problems
faced by rural dwellers and workers so that the government would facilitate
their resolution.
Local Government and
Rural Development Minister Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Hajia Alima Mahama, his deputy,
Central regional Minister Isaac Edumadze and other officials, accompanied him.
At the pineapple farms
at GeorgeFields Farms and Prudent Exports, the proprietors complained about
similar problems such as difficulty in accessing credit schemes for expansion,
high seas freights, and poor access roads to their farms and the delay by the
VAT Secretariat in refunding their taxes.
George Donkor,
Managing Director of the 950-acre GeorgeFields Farms, told the Vice President
that, while Ghanaian pineapple exporters pay $187 sea freight per pallet, their
counterparts in Cote d'Ivoire and Cameroon pay $120, thus giving their
competitors an edge on the market.
He said because it was
very expensive to buy tractors and other heavy-duty farm equipment, the
government should see to the establishment of a plant pool at strategic
locations from which farmers could hire the equipment for their use.
For his part, Edward
Twum of Prudent Exports, appealed to the government to allow commercial farmers
to guarantee loans from the Export Development and Investment Fund for their
out-grower farmers to enable them to expand their farms.
Both proprietors said
their capitals had been locked up in VAT refunds, which delayed for more than
three months, instead of one month. Twum said he had 150m cedis to be refunded.
Vice President Mahama
urged them to organize business forums and invite the appropriate Ministers of
State, representatives of financial institutions and agencies to find solutions
to their problems.
He commended them for
using scientific approaches to organize their farms and assured them that
infrastructure such as feeder roads, electricity, telephones and water would be
extended to their farms in line with the government's vision to develop Ghana
as the leading agro-based economy in the Sub-region.
At the Ayensu Starch
Company, the first agro-business to be established under the President's
Special Initiatives, Vice President Mahama interacted with the management,
workers and farmers and encouraged them to work assiduously to make the
business one of the best on the international scene.
Vice President Mahama
told them that as the owners of the Company, they had a stake in the future of
the Company, adding that their quality of life was sure to improve with the
gains to be made.
"This initiative
is part of the government's effort to generate employment, alleviate poverty
and enhance rural development so we would give you all the necessary support to
make it," he said. Andrew Quayson, Managing Director of the Company, who
briefed the Vice President on the company's activities, assured the Vice
President that the factory would be completed by April for the first industrial
starch to be produced for export.
The Company, owned by 2,500
farmers from five districts and managed by a Board of Directors was named after
River Ayensu, which passes through the districts to the sea. The districts are
West Akim, Agona, Gomoa, Awutu-Efutu-Senya and Ga Districts.
Quayson said high
standards would be set by the $6.6m Company for the other nine to be formed to
emulate. The Company, he said, expects to process 8,000 tonnes industrial
starch, which would fetch $1.6m, and increase to 17,000 tonnes in 2004, with
$2.4m earnings.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said
the industrial starch, which is used in the pharmaceutical, textiles, food and
products, had ready market in India, adding that he had discussed the prospects
with the Indian Chamber of Commerce. He, therefore, urged the company to send
samples of their produce to explore the market there.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
12 November 2002 - The US Secretary of Commerce, Donald Evans has arrived in
Accra for a two-day business development mission. Evans who was accompanied by
representative of 12 US businesses is on a two nation African tour that would
also take him to South Africa.
The businesses, mostly
small companies would explore and expand export opportunities in African
Information Technology, transport, environmental technology, and security and
safety equipment sector. In 2001, US merchandise export to Ghana reached 200m
dollars making Ghana one of America’s largest markets in the sub Saharan region
while bilateral relationship between US and Ghana is one of the most diverse.
Small businesses in
the US represent 97 per cent of all US exports. The Trade Promotion Authority
of the US and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) will allow these
small businesses and African businesses to tap the power of market to foster
economic growth, create jobs and improve upon the life of citizens of both
countries.
South Africa is
Africa's leading beneficiary of the AGOA and is the US largest export market in
Africa. US export to South Africa totalled $2.9bn last year, accounting for
approximately 40 per cent of total US export to the region.
Some of the companies
are CMS Energy Corporation, Forest Oil Corporation, Oak Wood Corporation, Water
Health International and Borland Software Corporation. Garry Pergl, US Charge
d'Affairs, met them on arrival.
GRi…/
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Operators
should operate within laid down procedures - Kufuor
Accra (Greater Accra)
13 November 2002 - President John Agyekum Kufuor has said that cellular phone operators
were expected to respect and operate within the laws of the country to help
improve the economy and society.
He said their tariffs
should be reviewed and also lowered to enable majority of the people take
advantage of modern trends in communication. President Kufuor said this when
Mare Beuls, President and Chief Executive Officer of Millicom Internationals
Cellular S.A. led a four-man delegation to pay a courtesy call on him at the
Castle, Osu.
He said the National
Communications Authority (NCA) was regulating its operations to create a level
playing field for all the companies and urged the local management of Millicom
to take advantage of the opportunity to improve on their operations.
President Kufuor said
government appreciated the modern trends in communications because they were
strategic for national development and would welcome them to give
communications its appropriate status to help society to develop.
Beuls apologised to
the government for the problems the company had in its operations and said with
the confidence the company had in the country it had invested about 30 million
dollars in the business.
He said the company
would increase its investments in the country over the years, adding that it
had been active in using existing infrastructure to increase access to the
rural areas to enable more people have access to communication.
GRi…/
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