GRi Newsreel 14 - 11 - 2002

Wa (Upper West) 14 November 2002- Professor John Evans Atta Mills, former Vice President, and a contestant for the position of flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday asked members to stop blaming him for the party's defeat in the last general elections.

He said the NDC lost power as a result of poor planning and fundamental mistakes, which would not be repeated.

Prof. Mills, who was speaking during a media encounter at Wa as part of his three-day visit of the Upper West Region, said politics was a fragile endeavour, which required tact, diplomacy and patience.

He asked party members to stop blaming individuals and groups for the party's woes and refocus on new strategies to enable the NDC to regain power through the ballot box.

Prof. Mills stated: "So many people blame me for our inability to win the elections, but the question I keep asking is, was Mills responsible for the loss of over 40 parliamentary seats to the New Patriotic Party?"

He promised that if elected as a presidential candidate of the party, he would inject professionalism, democracy and includes energetic youth in his campaign team to enable the party win the 2004 polls.

Prof Mills said the NDC would also involve young and energetic professionals in decisions making at the highest level.

He noted that the Upper West, Upper East and Volta Regions had remained loyal to the party despite its defeat in the last polls. The NDC, he said had learnt political lessons and would explore other avenues for retaining power.

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Dr Botchwey calls for high sense of commitment and unity in NDC

Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 14 November 2002- Dr Kwesi Botchwey, one of the contestants for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential slot, on Wednesday has called for unity of purpose among party members and the need to cultivate a high sense of commitment to the party at all times.

He said the attributes of genuine commitment and unity was vital ingredients needed to win the 2004 elections and that these should never be relegated to the background.

Dr Botchwey made the call during an interaction with the Kumasi Zongo chief, Alhaji Ibrahim Dansoho and his elders at the chief's palace in Kumasi as part of his two-day campaign tour of the Ashanti Region.

He presented 200,000 cedis and one bag of sugar to the Zongo chief and his elders. Dr Botchwey and his campaign team, accompanied by the Ashanti region executives of the party also held separate meetings with the Council of Kumasi Zongo Chiefs and Council of Ulamaus.

Dr Botchwey assured the Zongo chief and the community that he would work relentlessly to enhance unity within the party and also explore necessary avenues to bring victory to the party in the presidential and parliamentary elections if elected presidential candidate.

Alhaji Dansoho, on behalf of the community, commended Dr Botchwey for interacting with them and appealed to him to continue to conduct his campaign in a peaceful manner. The chief and elders prayed for divine guidance and a good sense of judgment for Dr Botchwey.

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Support for democratic governance launched

Accra (Greater Accra) 14 November 2002- Mr Kwabena Agyepong, Government Spokesman, on Wednesday urged district assemblies to have constant dialogue between beneficiary communities of development projects, their elected representatives and government to achieve targeted results.

He said there had been several schemes for financing rural development but most of these programmes did not yield the desired effect.

"It is important that government provides the needed direction so that people are made aware of how and where to put their shoulders to the wheel of national development," he added.

Mr. Agyepong was launching a "Programme of Support for Democratic Governance Using the HIPC and Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy Process."

It was organised by the National Advocacy Committee on Good Governance (NACOGG), an umbrella body of all civil society organisations in the country, for assembly members and other partners.

According to the programme, members of NACOGG would monitor the use of money accrued from the HIPC initiative to ensure its judicious utilization at district levels.

Under the HIPC Initiative, money accruing from the debt relief is to be used for programmes in areas such as health, education, water and sanitation.

Mr Agyepong stressed the need to encourage everybody to actively participate in the formulation of development plans at the district level to enable beneficiary communities to have a greater sense of ownership of social development programmes.

"As a citizen, you must not wait until projects have been fully completed before we begin to raise concerns about the quality of work. We must get involved from the inception to the completion stages so that anomalies would be rectified in the course of project execution," he said.

In a speech read for him, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, Minister of Economic Planning and Regional Integration, stressed the need for transparency in the execution of HIPC Fund projects.

He said wealth and job creation are very vital in the socio-economic development of every nation and urged the citizenry to cultivate that habit to improve their lot.

Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, who presided, announced that cabinet had approved an additional seven sub-metropolitan assemblies to the existing six for Accra.

He said likewise, Sekondi/Takoradi, Shama Ahanta and Tamale would also benefit from the sub-metro system.

He urged the public to be conversant with the local government system, especially the Town and Area Council system in order to contribute to the debate on development of their areas.

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Ndoum launches Upper East investment fund

Zebilla (Upper East) 14 November 2002- Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum, Minister for Economic Planning and Regional Co-operation, on Tuesday launched the Upper Region Social Investment Fund (SIF) at Zebilla in the Bawku West District.

The ceremony that was climaxed by the signing of a financial agreement between the SIF secretariat and the beneficiary groups in the district, also witnessed the presentation of a cheque for 3.02 billion cedis by the minister for the execution of poverty reduction projects.

Project areas to be covered under the SIF include agriculture, education, rural credit, health, and infrastructure and enterprise development.

SIF is being implemented in 45 districts and among them are three districts from the Upper East, namely Bongo, Bawku East and Bawku West districts.

He said the government had taken note of the high poverty levels in the area and was taking appropriate measures to address the situation.

Dr Nduom said other districts in the region would also be included in the SIF's future programmes and urged communities to take advantage of the fund to improve their living standards.

Mr Moses Appiah Abaare, Bawku West District Chief Executive, said community contribution to development projects was the surest way to achieve sustainability.

He, therefore, appealed to chiefs, town/area councils and unit committee members to impress upon people in the community the need to contribute their quota to the successful implementation of SIF projects.

The chief of Zebilla, Naba Aboya Ndaago, said he and his elders wouldsupport the SIF and appealed to officials of the programme to educate thelocal communities adequately on its modalities to enable them to derive maximum benefits from its implementation.

Naba Ndaago commended the government for the commitment it has demonstrated and the achievement it has made so far, in its effort to improve the national economy and bring relief to the rural communities.

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Promote culture of reading - Kwapong

Accra (Greater Accra) 14 November 2002- For the effect of the work of African writers to have its fullest and desired impact, it is necessary to promote the culture of reading particularly among the youth, Professor Alex Kwapong, Chairman of the Council of State, has stated.

He said it was fashionable to talk about a global village, but each country was expected to make its own efforts.

A statement issued in Accra on Wednesday by the Pan African Writers' Association (PAWA) said Prof. Kwapong made the statement when he addressed the 10th International African Writers' Day in Accra.

The day was instituted by the African Union in 1992 to acknowledge and salute the special contributions by African writers towards the development of the continent.

Prof. Kwapong told African writers to demonstrate that the pen was mightier than the sword through the type of works they created and their impact on the minds of and psyche of the people.

He appealed to African governments to assist the association to enable it to achieve its aims and objectives effectively. Mr Atukwei Okai, Secretary-General of PAWA, said the association had so much to do to ensure the developmental potential of the continent.

He said PAWA would fulfil the challenges engendered by the birth of the African Union. PAWA honoured 10 individuals and organisations in recognition of their support to the Association.

The PAWA Esteemed Patron of the Arts Awards went to Mr E.K. Kalitsi, former Chief Executive of the Volta River Authority (VRA) and VRA.

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Rural Development Week launched

Ajumako-Amia (Central Region) 14 November 2002- A durbar was held at Ajumako-Amia to mark the launch of the National Rural Development Week in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District on Monday.

As part of the activities of the celebration, Mr. Kenneth Obempong, the District Chief Executive and Nana Kwesi Yamoah VII, Chief of Ajumako-Amia jointly cut the sod to initiate the construction of a three-classroom block for the Amia D/A JSS.

The European Union (EU), in collaboration with the District Assembly and the community is sponsoring the project, estimated at 160 million cedis.

Mr Obempong said it is the aim of the government to ensure that by 2005, every child of school-going age has access to basic education. He asked parents and guardians to support the government's effort by sending their children to school and provide them with their basic needs to learn.

Mr Obempong said the well-being of every district depended on quality of its human resource and called on the well-to-do to help in the education of the less privileged.

He commended the district for showing some progress in this year's BECE examination results and advised the school children not to waste their time attending video shows but to learn hard to justify the investment in their education.

Mr Brandfor Anyan, Assistant Director of Education in-charge of Human Resource Management and Development said it is the aim of the District Education Directorate to make at least 75 per cent children in the district gain access to education by 2005.

To achieve this objective, Mr. Anyan said the Directorate has formed a number of committees involving members of the community to help implement educational policies. He appealed to chiefs and people to attend communal labour regularly to ensure early completion of the project.

Nana Yamoah thanked the government for undertaking the project and assured the District Assembly that the people would offer communal labour to complete the project on schedule.

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Government warns land Encroachers

Accra (Greater Accra) 14 November 2002- The Government on Wednesday said the lands around the Peduase Lodge in the Eastern Region constitute a security zone and warned the public to suspend any development within the area.

A statement signed in Accra by Mr Kwabena Agyepong, Presidential Spokesman, expressed the government's concern about the illegal activities of private developers encroaching in and around the area. It said the Ministry of Lands and Forestry had been asked to ensure compliance with the order.

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Northern Region falls short of 546 health professionals

Accra (Greater Accra) 14 November 2002- Five hundred and forty six more health professionals are needed to boost the delivery of health service in the Northern Region.

The shortage is made up of 57 doctors, 422, nurses, 18 pharmacists and 49 laboratory technologists and technicians.

Mr. Ernest Debrah, Acting Northern Regional Minister announced the shortage in Accra on Wednesday, in an encounter named: "Meet the Press" initiated by the Ministry of Information and Presidential Affairs.

He said to address the acute shortage of skilled health personnel a first batch of 18 Cuban doctors were posted to the region last month and another batch of 11 would arrive in the country before this month ends.

Mr Debrah said in-take into the two nursing training institutions in the region had also been increased considerably so as to turn out more nurses.

There was also training for auxiliaries of 50 health aides, which began in the region last August and a training of medical laboratory assistants was also scheduled to start this month.

Additionally, district assemblies in the region had been directed to sponsor health personnel during training under bond to serve the district on completion of their courses.

Mr. Debrah said reports from two sentinel surveillance sites put the prevalence rate of the HIV/AIDS pandemic rate among women at antenatal clinics at 1.4 in the year 2001 and among blood donors at 1.1, and added that the Regional Health Service was working closely with the Regional HIV/ AIDS Committee to step up education on the disease.

He said at the close of 2001, the region recorded 2,929 cases of guinea worm, representing 62 per cent of Ghana's total, noting that the region was reportedly the most endemic spot globally outside of the Sudan.

However, negative attitudes towards prevention measures, scattered settlements, poor supply of potable water and poverty were constraining efforts to eradicate the disease.

Mr Debrah said government, in collaboration with a number of non- governmental organisations had embarked on a programme to supply potable water to rural communities in the region and expressed the hope that there would be a significant reduction in the guinea worm prevalence rate by the end of the year 2005.

He said since January 2001, government in collaboration with its development partners had completed a number of projects in the health sector, including the rehabilitation of the Yendi Hospital, and the upgrading of the Walawale, Oti River and Saboba Health Centres in district hospitals.

It also started the construction of the Bimbilla Hospital under an OPEC Fund and with the assistance of the Assemblies of God Mission, opened a clinic in 2001 at Blajai in the East Gonja District, and a community initiated clinic at Zinnindow in the Gushegu Karaga District

Others were the start of a construction of two new health centres at Mpaha and Abomase under an OPEC fund and the supply of basic equipment to health centres to enhance services under agreement with Prime II, UNCEF, and UNFPA.

Mr Debrah decried the low enrolment of children of school-going age in the region and said 53 per cent of such children were not in the classroom,

He attributed the problem partly to the scattered nature of settlements in the region and noted that 75 per cent of the communities, which had less than 200 inhabitants made it difficult to bring schools closer to all communities.

Walking long distances would not help the problem, and Mr. Debrah said and urged the Ministry of Education to devise ingenuous ways to address the issue.

He also called on the elite from the region, politicians, members of parliament and other opinion leaders to help government to sensitise the people in the region to regard education as a worthy investment.

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“I will woo Reform Party back into the fold of NDC”

Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 14 November 2002- Dr. Kwesi Botchwey, a presidential aspirant of the National Democratic Congress, has declared that if given the mandate to lead the party in the 2004 general elections, he would woo the National Reform Party and other deserters back into the fold of the party.

He said multi-party democracy was essentially about numbers and for that matter all those who, for various reasons left the party should be encouraged to return.

Dr. Botchwey was addressing a meeting with a cross-section of party supporters in Ashanti Region as part of his two-day campaign tour of the region.

He told them that the task ahead of the NDC in the next general elections was daunting and that it would need a strong leader, who has full grasp of the country's economic situation to wrest political power from the ruling New Patriotic Party. "If we should lose the 2004 general elections the ramifications for our party could be disastrous."

Dr. Botchwey repeated that his decision to contest for the NDC's presidential slot was not motivated by a desire for personal aggrandizement but borne out of a genuine and sincere commitment towards helping to re-invigorate and position the party to recapture political power.

He appealed to the rank and file of the party to remain alert and not to allow them to be deceived or swayed by those bent on deliberate distortion of the NDC's history.

Dr. Botchwey assured them that his leadership would give special attention to the development and welfare of the party's youth and women

Mr. Sam Garbah of Dr. Botchwey's campaign team, said nobody has a better claim to be the flagbearer of the "NDC and the umbrella" than Dr Botchwey. ''He was deeply involved in the formation of the party and the selection of its colours and logo.''

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Norwegians to work on approved fishing nets

Tema (Greater Accra) 14 November 2002- A two-man technical team from Norway is in Tema to work on a programme to come out with approved fishing nets for fishermen to enhance their work.

The men from Nordsjonot AS, a company in Norway invited by Ghana Inshore Fisheries Association (GIFA), have concluded that fishing nets used by fishermen were outmoded and inappropriate.

The GIFA had consistently complained that the nets used by the fishermen are not the standard type, hence their inability to land sufficient catch.

Mr. Frank Leidland, the leader, promised to work hard to produce the new required fishing nets that would meet international standards.

Addressing the fishermen, Mr Ishmael Ashitey, Minister of State Responsible for Fisheries, appealed to fishermen to adopt modern methods of fishing.

''Despite modernisation, fishermen have refused to adopt technological changes to enhance their work.''

The Minister appealed to fishermen to operate within the confines of the law by fishing in areas demarcated for them, refrain from catching the infant fishes so they do not deplete the stock and stop the use of chemicals for fishing.

Mr Ashitey said as much as the government is prepared to come out with new polices to promote fishing and to grant loans to fishermen, they must also reciprocate the gesture by paying back the loans for others to benefit.

Mr James Quoa, an executive member of the GIFA, said one of their members saw on the Internet how a net was operating effectively in Norway and informed the rest of the executives.

The executive members wrote to one of their members who was then in Norway to contact the company and it sent down the two-man technical team.

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Road projects in cocoa growing areas begin next year

Akango (Western Region) 14 November 2002 - The third phase of the Stabilisation of Export Earnings (STABEX) road rehabilitation programme under which 600 kilometres of feeder roads in some cocoa growing areas would be rehabilitated at an estimated cost of 10.6 million Euros (84.4 billion cedis) would start next year.

Under the three-year programme to be funded from European Union (EU) grant, about 50 kilometres of the roads in the Ankasa and Bia National Parks would be rehabilitated.

This follows the successful completion of the second phase of the programme began in 2000 during which 450 kilometres of roads in the Western and Central regions were rehabilitated at the cost eight million Euros.

Dr Stefan Frowein, Head of Delegation of the EU in Ghana, said the EU and the government are expected to sign a joint implementation memorandum soon.

He made this known at the symbolic commissioning of the projects at Akango in the East Nzema District of the Western Region on Tuesday. Akango, a farming community and its environs, are also beneficiaries of the feeder roads rehabilitation programme.

The STABEX programme, started in 1997, was designed to facilitate evacuation of cocoa and other cash crops. Dr Frowein commended COCOBOD, the ministries of Food and Agriculture, Roads and Transport, Finance and the Department of Feeder Roads for their good job in proposing and implementing STABEX roads programmes.

Dr Richard Anane, Minister of Roads and Transport, referred to the four -kilometre Akango-Salima feeder road which is part of the STABEX phase two programme, and said the project was to demonstrate to the people of the area the government's commitment to improve the socio-economic status of the rural communities.

The Minister said the government recognises the contribution of the people of the Western Region to national development.

''The ministry therefore, would pursue a well-developed road programme under which a number of roads would be constructed during the third phase of the STABEX programme.''

Dr Anane expressed the government's gratitude to the EU and DFID of the United Kingdom (UK) for their support, especially in the road sector, which has impacted positively on the socio-economic well being of the people.

Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance in a speech read for him, hoped lessons learnt by the Department of Feeder Roads and other operators in the road sector during the implementation of the second phase of the programme would be applied to enhance the timely implementation of the third phase.

''Emphasis would be given to roads leading to major cocoa producing areas in the Brong Ahafo, Central, Western, and the Ashanti regions during the programme.''

Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Western Regional Minister, said the STABEX road projects had been the "life-line" for many communities in the region.

He appealed EU to assist in the tarring of feeder roads provided under the programme since mere surface dressing does not ensure the long life span of the roads.

Awulae Kaku Akyirisoe, Omanhene of Ajomoro Traditional Area appealed for the extension of the Akango-Salima road to nearby Duale.

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Government provides funds for projects

Gbabshie (Northern Region) 14 November 2002- The government has provided 5.7 billion cedis for the execution of 69 projects in the Northern Region under the Social Investment Fund (SIF).

Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, Minister for Economic Planning and Regional Co-operation, announced this at the launch of the Northern Regional Social Investment Fund at Gbabshie near Tamale on Wednesday.

The fund would be used to improve social services such as school infrastructure, roads, water and health facilities, as well as income generating activities in rural communities in the West Gonja, East Mamprusi, Zabzugu-Tatale, Gushiegu-Karago district and in the Tamale Municipality.

Dr. Nduom said the government took office at a time the country was in a serious economic distress, which had imparted negatively on the living condition of the people.

He said the government was doing everything possible to reduce poverty which had afflicted the people, especially those in the three Northern Regions, thorugh the equitable distribution of the fund.

Dr. Nduom urged district assemblies and the communities to work towards achieving the objectives of the fund to attract professionals and investors to the communities.

He said the government and the development partners hard agreed in their development plans to give preference to the development of the three Northern regions to uplift their social status.

He urged the people to promote peace and stability in the region by burying all their differences and encouraging families and neighbours to live together peacefully.

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United States praises Ghana's stock market

Accra (Greater Accra) 14 November 2002- The President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ghana on Wednesday praised Ghana's major capital market, the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), saying that the overall return of 25 per cent for the last year was very good.

Mrs Victoria Cooper Enchia said, however, that even though interest rates had come down in recent times from between 30 and 35 per cent, it still remained high, making the ability to recover cost difficult.

She said the cedi has begun to slip again despite government's juggling efforts, "but this is not to say that the business community is working in a hopeless situation".

"On the contrary, the business community has overcome some of the economic difficulties and is operating in a sound environment. We do not want to lose the seemingly brilliant opportunities available in Ghana," Mrs Enchia said at a breakfast meeting between the American Chamber of Commerce and visiting US Secretary of Commerce, Mr Donald Evans,

Mr Evans is leading an 11-member business delegation for a two-day visit to Ghana to seek investments in the areas of medical technology, computer software, construction, environmental services, power generation and safety and security.

Mrs. Enchia said the Commerce Secretary's visit is aimed to take grounds for America business, promote and advocate business partnership between Ghanaian and America businessmen. This is to prove that the US remains serious about doing business in Africa, she added.

Mr. Alan Kyeremanteng, Ghana's Ambassador to the US, said the visit is one of a series of high level visits by distinguished US representatives of both the public and private sector to seek areas of investments in Ghana.

He described the visits as a very important anchor, which could promote trade as a critical component of government's efforts to create wealth, reduce poverty and generate investments in the country.

Mr Kyeremanteng observed that Ghana and the whole of Africa had contributed to the wealth of the developed countries and therefore, it was important for Ghana's representatives abroad to ensure that the wealth created outside is brought back.

"Unless we are able to bring some of the wealth created in the developed countries back to Africa, the journey over and across the ocean will be in vain."

Mr Kyeremangteng said the reasons for America's choice of Ghana, as a country of interest and for investment is evident in the political stability, strong economic performance, availability of well-trained and skilled labour and an improved judicial system and good infrastructure.

Mr Evans reiterated the thrust of his message for the visit, which is to emphasise that the US is committed to create the environment for free trade.

He said, however, that it was the job of the business community to translate that commitment into action. Mr Evans said the US would be opening a new commercial office in Accra to help strengthen business ties with Ghana.

The US foreign commercial service of the Department of Commerce now has 54 people working on the ground in Africa to find new business opportunities for American investors.

Commerce Secretary Evans noted that under free trade and democratic values, the government could do a lot by providing the legal and political framework, build public infrastructure.

"In fact, President Bush is seeking a 50 per cent increase in development assistance over the 10 billion dollars we now provide every year," he said.

"This is a remarkable period for Africa. We've seen action on a number of fronts such as the WTO meetings in Doha, the G-8 Summit last summer and the World Summit on Sustainable Development. All these efforts show how serious the world is about connecting Africa to the global economy."

Mr Evans said there are more than three billion people in the world living on less than two dollars a day with the largest number of them in Africa.

He said this is because there are not enough opportunities in the world and noted that it was the responsibility of governments to change the situation through the business community.

Mr Evans presented an award of excellence to Pioneer Food Cannery, a canned food processing company in Ghana. Mrs Enchia received a certificate of recognition.

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Stock Exchange elects chairman

Accra (Greater Accra) 14 November 2002- The Council (Board of Directors) of the Ghana Stock Exchange has elected Mr Jude Kofi Bucknor as the chairman for a term of two years (2002-2004).

A statement issued in Accra on Wednesday said the Council has also elected Mr John Percival Awuku Nyako as deputy chairman for the same period.

Mr Bucknor holds a BSc (Administration) degree from the University of Ghana, Legon and an MBA (Finance) degree from the Columbian University, New York.

Mr Bucknor who was managing Director of CAL Merchant Bank from 1997-2000, is currently the Chief Executive Officer of J.K. Bucknor and Associates, an Accra-based corporate finance advisory firm.

Mr Nyako holds a BSc Engineering degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi. He is a fellow of both the Ghana Institution of Engineers and the Ghana Institute of Management. Mr Nyako is currently the Managing Director of Aluworks Limited.

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Over ¢6bn spent on Dagbon

Accra (Greater Accra) 14 November 2002 - Government had by the end of last October spent more than ¢6bn on the Dagbon crisis which erupted in March this year.

Ernest Akubour Debrah, Acting Northern Regional Minister, said on Wednesday that the expenditure calculated so far was spent on security personnel made up of 29 officers an 395 men of the Ghana Armed Forces and 250 police personnel.

Other expenditures were on transportation, feeding and hotel accommodation for the Wuaku Commission in Sunyani, Tamale and Yendi, and for other visiting teams of assessors and cost of maintaining security for appointed officials in the wake of the crisis.

Debrah was speaking when he took his turn to speak on the development activities in the Northern Region at a media encounter dubbed: "Meet the Press" in Accra. The Ministry of Information and Presidential Affairs initiated the encounter, and the Volta, Brong Ahafo, Central, Western and the Eastern regions have already had their turns.

Debrah expressed worry over conflicts in the region and said there were other costs like the loss of human lives and property, personal, human and time costs. He noted that almost all the conflicts in the region occurred between January and June during the long dry season and said the greatest challenge to the region's development efforts was the instability and insecurity caused by the many conflicts.

"The low literacy rate in the region, coupled with the long period of non-economic activity, make the majority of the people gullible to any misinformation," Debrah said. "These together with ineffective policing may be the major causes of conflicts in the region."

The results of the chieftaincy, religious, ethnic and land conflicts had been loss of life and property, insecurity leading to the curtailment of economic activity, internal displacement of people, Debrah said. He said the conflicts, which are a drain on the nation's resources, also lead to social in-cohesion and drive investors away.

The Acting Northern Regional Minister, who is also the Minister for the Brong Ahafo Region, noted that aside the Yendi conflict in March, the Kpabuso-Mpaha religious conflict in West Gonja, the Bimbago ethnic conflict in East Mamprusi and the Bimbila chieftaincy disputes were also recorded in the same month.

He said the Bimbila crisis had been contained and security personnel had been deployed to ensure law and order. He said the only major crisis yet to be resolved in the region is the Yendi crisis.

Debrah said the Otumfuo Mediation Committee was working to reconcile the two factions in the Yendi crisis. The Acting Regional Minister added that he had been holding durbars with the chiefs and people of the area and stressing on unity for development.

"I have also had discussions with some youth groups and opinion leaders on the way forward in resolving the crises," he said. He added that the Regional Coordinating Council had also recently acquired airspace on Radio Savannah to constantly send peace messages to the public through non-governmental organizations. Debrah expressed the hope that peace would soon return to the area.

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Medical School to honour plastic surgeon

Accra (Greater Accra) 14 November 2002 - A Professorial Chair is to be endowed at the University of Ghana Medical School to be named after Professor Jack C. Mustarde to acknowledge his significant and unique contribution to the development of the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery in Ghana.

This will form part of activities to mark the 10th anniversary of the International Reconstructive Plastic Surgery (Ghana) Project, a statement from the British High Commission in Accra said on Wednesday.

Professor Mustarde is an eminent plastic surgeon in Scotland, now retired, whose personal vision and energy led to the creation of the project. The project has two plastic surgery centres in Accra and Kumasi headed by Dr Fabian Mork and Dr Pius Agbenorku respectively.

Professor Mustarde, 87, developed the idea for the International Reconstructive Plastic Surgery (Ghana) project in 1993. This was after spending three weeks in Ghana as an Adviser to a visiting team of surgeons and physicians who were performing plastic surgery operations in Accra and Kumasi in 1992 under the auspices of Rotary International.

The statement said over the years, nearly 30 specialist surgeons from Europe, principally the UK, have visited Ghana to support the Project's aims and to use their expertise to support their Ghanaian colleagues in treating Ghanaian patients, and others from West Africa, in need of specialist complex operations.

Support for the project has come from numerous sources including the UK, Japan, and many companies and private individuals, as well as the Government of Ghana.

The statement said to mark the anniversary, the British High Commissioner Dr Rod Pullen would hold a reception on November 14 for the surgeons and other Ghanaian and UK experts in the field and benefactors of the project.

It said His Excellency Isaac Osei, Ghana's High Commissioner to the UK, would host a similar reception in London for all those who have contributed to the success of the project in Ghana.

The centre in Accra alone has since its inception 10 years ago treated almost 30,000 patients of whom 2,500 were theatre cases. The project has over the years helped a number of Ghanaian medical practitioners develop expertise in plastic surgery, built and equipped a facility for their work and a 33-bed nurses' hostel at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

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Northern Region faces Police personnel shortage

Accra (Greater Accra) 14 November 2002 - One policeman or woman attends to 2,857 people and covers 111 square kilometres in the Northern Region.

This situation could contribute to the tensions and insecurity in the region, as the police personnel are simply not enough, are overstretched and may be overwhelmed in times of conflict, Ernest Debrah, Acting Northern Regional Minister, said on Wednesday.

Speaking on good governance at a media encounter dubbed: "Meet the Press," initiated by the Ministry of Information and Presidential Affairs in Accra, Debrah said the judiciary also was facing a similar situation and seemed to be present only in Tamale, the regional capital.

"The High Court, the Regional Tribunal and the Circuit Court are the only ones operating in the region, while courts in the districts are practically non-existent mainly because there are no magistrates/judges and other judicial personnel," Debrah said.

He said it was not possible to increase the number of these personnel within the short term, but the government was committed to address the constraints to ensure good governance. He said when the government came to power in January 2001 last year there were only seven police vehicles located in Tamale with none in the districts.

Debrah said government had provided all the 13 districts, with the exception of Bimbila, with at least one vehicle each. Also more lawyers were being recruited and the district assemblies were providing residential accommodation to house the district magistrates.

Debrah stressed the need for a peaceful environment in the region to promote investment and asked people in the region to learn to dialogue and to rely on the country's legal system to resolve issues rather than resorting to violence.

"The way forward is peace and massive investment. I will therefore, want to use this forum to appeal to the elite from the two factions in the Dagbon State to re-examine their positions and roles and see whether they cannot let go their egos and contribute to peace in the wider interest of Dagbon. The people of Dagbon are looking up to them for leadership and direction," Debrah prayed.

He said the region's vast investment opportunities could only be exploited in an environment of peace and called for sustained efforts to create the right investment opportunities for massive movement of resources to the region for accelerated development.

Debrah, who is also the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, said the Northern Region had good agricultural and natural resource characteristics, a good transport system from the south and a fast growing metropolis. He stated that apart from agriculture investment, opportunities existed also in agro-based and manufacturing industries, tourism and mining.

Debrah said total reserves of iron ore found in the Shieni Tatale area were estimated at 1,270 million metric tones with iron content between 30-45 per cent, adding that Bole, Damongo and West Mamprusi districts, had received offers for prospecting gold in their various areas.

Debrah said agriculture employed 75 per cent of the people in the region but was constrained with inadequate financial support, unreliable weather, low literacy rate, poorly developed and absence of infrastructure, high post harvest losses and poor extension services.

He said, to reduce the problem of water supply, government and its development partners, including non-governmental organizations, had constructed a number of dugout wells and dams.

Through the poverty alleviation fund and funds provided for women in agriculture by the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs, a good number of farmers were able to obtain credits to farming, he added.

Debrah expressed concern over the fast approaching desert in the region and said the Regional Co-ordinating Council, in collaboration with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), had put in several interventions to check environmental degradation.

These include the establishment of the Regional and District Environmental Management Committees in all the 13 districts of the region to advise the district assemblies on environmental issues and the existence of environmental task force to handle environmental issues.

Debrah said bushfires continued to destroy the environment and threaten human lives and noted that the enforcement of the Bushfire Law was a problem. He asked chiefs in the region to assist to enforce the law and arrest perpetrators.

GRi…/

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Top nurse urges countries to train an retain nurses

Accra (Greater Accra) 14 November 2002 - Ms Christine Hancock, President of the International Council of Nurses, on Wednesday said every country should produce its own nursing workforce and provide then with good conditions of service to ensure that they did not leave for greener pastures outside.

She said most nurses, including those from Ghana who were recruited by private agencies, were often exploited and cheated and made to work to pay back the cost involved in the recruitment exercise.

Ms Hancock, who is on a four-day visit to Ghana, was speaking during a visit to the Department of Nursing, University of Ghana Legon in Accra. She said some of the recruited nurses were often dumped in nursing homes instead of teaching hospitals, where they could benefit from training and better conditions of service.

The President of the Council, who is visiting Ghana for the first time, is expected to call on President Kufuor, the Health Minister as well as address a nurses' durbar. Ms Hancock explained that the Council had developed an ethical recruitment policy, which is aimed at checking the mass recruitment of nurses.

She said Britain had adopted the policy, but still had problems with private agencies, which sometimes emptied whole wards of hospitals in developing countries. The President said nurses were free to travel anywhere as individuals to work but the mass exodus was a problem.

She touched on the workload of nurses, low remuneration, and other stress related issues, which undermined their work. She said the Council was involved in leadership training and the establishment of mobile libraries.

Ms Mary Opare, acting Head of the Department of Nursing, said the department had introduced a master's degree programme to train nurses for leadership positions to ensure that they contributed to policy formulation. She said with the new direction health care had taken, coupled with advanced technology it was imperative that nurses were well equipped for challenges.

GRi…/

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