American
Businessman held for forgery
17 billion cedis for University Campus at Wa
Accra (Greater Accra) 09 October 2002- Mr James Chip
Carter, son of United States (US) Former President Jimmy Carter has said that
his country's ruling class were creating animosity among peoples of the world.
"President Bush is bringing back the ugly
politics where other people see America as the enemy. I believe my country can
do the world a lot of good." Mr Carter who is leading a 27-member
delegation of "Friendship Force" to Ghana, Togo and Benin, told
Journalists "there has to be a regime change in America come 2004. I love
my country, I'm a patriot, and things got to change."
Friendship Force is a Non-Governmental Organisation
(NGO) founded by ex-President Carter in 1977, to promote friendship among
nationalities of the world through travels and cultural exchanges.
Mr Carter who is the second child of the ex-President
said regime changes could be best done by the people's involvement and not by
external interventions. He said the United Nations (UN) was best placed to
handle the Iraqi question and not the United States.
President Bush is pushing for the overthrow of Iraqi
President Sadam Hussein, for allegedly possessing weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Carter said the group would seek to establish links in the Arab world with
the view to eradicating the prejudice most American hold against it.
The group would pay a courtesy call on President J A
Kufuor; visit a number of places including the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, and the
Asantehene. They would spend 12 days in Ghana.
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Gwollu (Upper West) 09 October 2002- President John
Agyekum Kufuor has been made an Honorary Citizen of Gwollu in the Sissala
District of the Upper West Region.
He was presented with a bow, quiver and arrows that
were made about 300 years ago and used to protect "the Great Wall of
Gwollu." The Gwollu Kuoro Buktie Limman made the presentation when
President Kufuor visited the town to commission an electrification project as
part of his three-day official visit to the region.
He said the gift was in appreciation for President
Kufuor's love for democracy, good governance and zero tolerance for corruption
in line with the ideals of former President Dr Hilla Limman, a citizen of the
town.
Accepting the honour, President Kufuor said the late
Dr Limman was a friend when Dr Limman worked in the Foreign Service while he
was a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Second Republic.
President Kufuor later visited the tomb of Dr Limman
and signed a visitors' book. Among President Kufuor's entourage was Mr Kwadwo
Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Miss Elizabeth
Ohene, Minister of State at the Presidency, Mr Moses Dani Baah MP for Sissala
and Deputy Minister of Health.
The rest were Mr Haroon Majeed, Deputy Minister of
Food and Agriculture (MOFA) Alhaji Moctar Bamba, Deputy Minister of Information
and Presidential Affairs and Mr Clement Ledi, Deputy Minister of Mines.
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Wa (Upper West) 09 October 2002- President J.A. Kufuor
has announced that the Government is considering the possibility of creating a municipality
and an additional district within the Wa district in the Upper West Region. He
said the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development had been tasked to
study the feasibility of the issue since the district has a population of over
200,000 people.
President Kufuor was addressing a durbar of chiefs and
people of the Wala Traditional Area at Wa on the second day of his three-day
official visit to the region. He said the issues to be considered were whether
the population could support the municipality and the district to be viable.
President Kufuor appealed to the chiefs to be tolerant
as they sought for justice in their legitimate claims. He said government wants
fair play to support legitimacy and truth but would not support any acts of violence
or unruly conduct.
"We must have peace, law and order to develop the
country, otherwise all our efforts will come to nought," he added.
President Kufuor said tenders had been opened for the construction of two
irrigation dams in the Wa District.
These are to be sited at Bilbo and Singbokpong for an
all year round agricultural activity and increase food production in the
district. Naa S.D. Gore II, Paramount Chief of the Dorimon Traditional Area and
the Acting President of the Wala Traditional Council appealed to the President
to replicate one of his special initiatives in the Upper West Region by placing
emphasis on the production and promotion of cashew, beans, sheanuts, rice,
maize and groundnut production.
He also appealed to the government to consider
constructing irrigation dams to enable the people to engage in dry season
farming and stop the rural-urban drift and movement from the Northern sector to
the Southern sector during the dry season.
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Wa (Upper West) 09 October 2002- President John
Agyekum Kufuor would end his three-day official visit to the Upper West Region
with a durbar of chiefs and people in the Lawra District on Wednesday.
During the period, President Kufuor visited the four
other districts in the region. These were, Sissala, Jirapa-Lambussie, Nadowli
and the Wa districts. After the tour, President Kufuor would pay a two-day
official visit to the Upper East Region on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
After the durbar at Lawra, President Kufuor would
travel to Paga, Sandema and Bolgatanga. He would visit Bawku and tour the
Vocational and Technical Institutes and address a durbar of the chiefs and
people.
President Kufuor would also visit the Tono Irrigation
Project and address another durbar of chiefs and people of Navrongo. He would
end the visit to the Upper East Region with a tour of the Meat Factory and the
Tomato Factory at Pwalugu and Upper Quarry. The visit would be climaxed with a
durbar of the chiefs and people of Bolgatanga on Friday and return to Accra on
Saturday.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 09 October 2002- The Central Committee
(CC) of the Convention People's Party (CPP) has stated its commitment to build
an independent party capable of contesting and wining the 2004 general
elections based on its strengthen and track records.
"In this regard, the rank and file is called upon
to remain focused and support the national, regional and local accredited
executives of the party in their effort to build a formidable party," Dr
Nii Noi Dowuona, CPP General Secretary stated in a press statement to the GNA
in Accra.
He urged all supporters to ward off any negative
propaganda mechanism both from within and outside to detract the forward move
of the party and their alliance partner the National Reform Party (NRP).
Dr. Dowuona noted, "henceforth acts of
indiscipline and unauthorized statements, which seek to undermine the
credibility, unity and direction towards victory 2004 would not be
tolerated."
Meanwhile the Central Committee has outlined a
comprehensive programme of activities aimed at rejuvenating the organisational
structures and increase its membership based, especially in the rural areas
pending the ratification of the unity pact with the NRP.
It would re-launch its political mouthpiece newspaper
of the 1950s and 1960s, "The Convention" next month as well as
organise its wards and branches within each of the 200 constituencies, initiate
party education and address social-economic-political concerns of the people.
It has also set June 2003 for its National Delegates Congress pending due
consultation with its alliance partner, the NRP.
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Nadowli (Upper West) 09 October 2002- President John
Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday urged the chiefs and people in the Upper West Region
to renew their relationship with the government and the New Patriotic Party
(NPP).
He said, "the NPP which had its roots in the
Busia-Danquah tradition is the political heritage of the people in the region
with forebearers such as S.D. Dombo and Jato Kaleo of blessed memory."
President Kufuor was addressing separate durbars of
chiefs and the people in the Nadowli and Jirapa-Lambussie districts on the
second day of his three-day official visit to the Upper West Region. He also
commissioned a 134-million cedi street light project at Jirapa.
President Kufuor told the Chiefs and the people that
the NPP was a valuable asset to them and therefore, they should appreciate
efforts by the government to improve on their living standards.
"Let us work to rebuild our country, let us begin
afresh and prove that it's the best government the region has had in the
country." President Kufuor appealed to the people not to be swayed by the
propaganda being waged against the government, adding, "the government
would serve all parts of the country. Your region has not been neglected."
He said government would continue to be fair and
humane as possible in the disbursement of revenue from the HIPC Funds to
alleviate the plight of the people, especially those in the rural areas.
President Kufuor directed the Ministry of Education
(MoE) to ensure that a Science Resource Centre was established at Kaleo
Secondary School, which had been selected as one of the secondary schools to be
upgraded under the government's policy.
Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of
Education, said 57 out of the 84 basic schools in the Nadowli District had been
selected for rehabilitation and reconstruction this year.
In addition, four schools would be supported under the
Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND). The Minister of Education said a new
hostel would be built for the Saint Francis Girls Secondary School at Jirapa,
while the Jirapa Secondary School is upgraded.
Naa Banamini Sando 11, Paramount Chief of the Kaleo
traditional area, appealed to the government to establish a special fund for
comprehensive pre-education development at schools in the region.
He said development should include childhood
development centres and recreational facilities that would encourage and
sustain children in school and prepare them adequately for basic education.
Naa Sando, who is also the vice president of the
National House of Chiefs appealed to the government to establish a science
resource centre to cater for Science students in the entire Nadowli District
and assist to connect the Issa Leadership Training School in the Nadowli
District to the national grid.
Earlier, at Jirapa, Naa Dinah, Regent of Jirapa
traditional area said the district had high level of illiteracy, poverty and
ignorance and called on the government to assist the few schools in the area to
groom the children to grow and become self-reliant and responsible people. He
called on the government to also assist the district to solve its numerous land
and chieftaincy disputes, which, he said, were retarding development.
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Jirapa (Upper West) 09 October 2002- The Ministry of
Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) will celebrate a Rural
Development Week programme from Monday, 4 November to Saturday 9 November.
The week, which will focus attention on rural
development, will take the form of meetings and discussions in all villages and
towns throughout the country on their priority needs.
Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government
and Rural Development who accompanied President Kufuor to the Upper West
Region, said this when addressing separate durbars of chiefs and people of the
Jirapa-Lambussie and Nadowli Districts on Tuesday.
He said five per cent of the common fund had been
released for the strengthening and operations of Town, Area Councils and Unit
Committees. Mr Baah-Wiredu announced that the common fund for the fourth
quarter was released to the assemblies last Friday.
On the disbursement of the fund for this year, Mr
Baah-Wiredu said a new Administrator had just been appointed and after his
vetting by Parliament and assumption of office, the funds would be released.
Addressing the durbar at Nadowli, Mr Baah-Wiredu
warned that the contractor who supplied rotten poles for the district's
electrification project about four years ago would be asked to replace them.
Mrs Winifred Bawa Dy-Yakah, Jirapa/Lambussie District
Chief Executive said the District was spending over two billion cedis on the
drilling of 64 boreholes for communities to enjoy potable water.
She said the district assembly in collaboration with
Action Aid, a non-governmental organisation, had recruited 50 voluntary
teachers to assist deprived schools in the district and called on opinion
leaders of various districts to assist the teachers to put up their best in
schools.
Mrs Dy-Yakah said 10 million cedis had been received
from the Ministry of Women Affairs to enable them undertake income-generating
activities and called on women groups to form co-operatives to benefit from
such facilities.
Mrs Pauline Ningkpeng, Nadowli District Chief
Executive said the district had the potential in cashew production and called
for more assistance to produce more to feed both domestic and foreign
industries.
She appealed for soft loans for women groups and
farmers to construct storage facilities to solve their perennial post-harvest
problems in the district.
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Fumesua (Ashanti Region) 09 October 2002- Through a
30-year self-initiated research, the Building and Road Research Institute
(BRRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has
developed a plant for the production of cement, dubbed "pozzolana
cement".
Mr. Kwaku Amoa-Mensah, Director of the BRRI, said the
design, fabrication and assemblage of the pilot plant was done by the BRRI with
no outside intervention. Mr Amoa-Mensah announced this when he officially
launched the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the BRRI at Fumesua,
near Kumasi.
The celebrations, which would start from October 8
this year to the end of the year, include activities like a research week,
technology transfer week, out-dooring of the Pozzolana cement plant and the
commissioning of the Pozzolana House at Ejisu.
The celebrations are being held under the theme:
"Fifty years of shelter and road research in Ghana." Mr Amoa-Mensah
said the "end-product of the pilot plant, which is known as the
"Pozzolana Cement", is produced from local clays and could be used to
replace about 30 percent of the 80 million dollars spent annually on cement in
non-structural masonry elements in the country.
The BRRI Director was deeply troubled that in spite of
the quality and numerous research findings evolved by the BRRI, many
organisations, including government institutions are reluctant to patronise its
work.
Mr Amoa-Mensah cited the situation whereby, the BRRI
submitted proposals to the Ministry of Education (MOE) to consider using the
technology of the BRRI and its designs, for the construction of the 7,000 Basic
schools project the ministry intends undertaking, but "regrettably the
Ministry had failed to even respond to their proposal."
Should the Ministry of Education agree to adopt the
BRRI technology in the execution of the 7,000 basic schools project, it would
save the nation about 280 billion cedis, he added.
Mr Kwabena Solomon-Ayeh, Head of Design, Structure and
Planning of the BRRI, said that the country had a Building code in place but
explained that the problem associated with it was the indifference of
Metropolitan, Municipal and District Authorities to implement it.
BRRI, one of the 13 Research Institutes of the CSIR,
was first established in 1952 to provide research and development products and
services to the building and road sectors.
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Cape Coast (Greater Accra) 09 October 2002- The
National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) has not been set up to make promises
of huge payments, in terms of restitution, or to raise false hopes among
victims of human rights abuses, but to ensure the creation of the requisite
atmosphere to facilitate national reconciliation.
The Central/Western zonal manager of the NRC, Mr.
Jacob Acquaah-Harrison, emphasised this at Cape Coast when he briefed media
personnel in the region about the objectives for setting up the Commission, and
to solicit media support in intensifying public education about its work.
Mr. Acquaah -Harrison, said it is impossible for the
Commission, to for instance, recommend a 100 per cent restitution for victims,
and explained that what the NRC has been basically tasked to do, is to
recommend the appropriate redress for victims, and to assist them to
"accept the hurt and be able to live with it without being bitter or
wanting to seek revenge".
He said it is in this regard that the Commission has
been equipped with various experts such as trauma management personnel. He
disclosed that his outfit has to date, received 235 reports, 198 of which have
been researched into and forwarded to the NRC's headquarters, bordering on
killings, public floggings, abductions and destruction of businesses, mostly
from the Western Region.
He said so far, only four reports have been received
from the Central Region, and that to ensure that all areas under the zone,
particularly in the Central Region are covered, his outfit would, from next
month, begin scheduled visits to the various Districts of the region, to make
it easy for everyone with a complaint to have access to the Commission.
On logistic support for its operations, Mr. Acquaah
-Harrison said the Commission has been given the necessary facilities to
facilitate its work, and only faces transportation problems, which, he said,
were being attended to.
He appealed to the media, to help create the desired
awareness of the Commission's work, and the objectives for setting it up, and
to impress on all Ghanaians to give it the necessary support, in order to
forestall the nation being thrown into a state of carnage as is happening in
some countries.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 09 October 2002- John Michael
Hofgren, an American businessman, who presented a forged Standard Chartered
Bank Security Certificate to be drawn on ECOBANK, has been put before an Accra
Community Tribunal.
Hofgren, 60, charged with possessing forged documents
and uttering forged documents, pleaded not guilty to both charges and was
admitted to a 10 million-cedi bail with a surety to be justified.
He would re-appear on Tuesday, 22 October. Prosecuting
Police Inspector Peter Benneh told the three-member tribunal chaired by Mr
Kwadwo Owusu that the accused is an investor from Florida in the United States,
while the complainant, Mr James Mbir, is the Manager of ECOBANK, Head Office.
Inspector Benneh said on September 4 at about 1230
hours the accused person went to the bank and presented the certificate the
High Street Branch of the Standard Chartered Bank purportedly issued to Mr
Mbir.
The Prosecutor said it covered an amount of 500,000
pounds and five million dollars. He said Hofgren told the Manager that he
wanted to open an account with the bank in order to transfer the monies into
it, adding that after inspecting the document, Mr Mbir detected that it was not
genuine.
He said the complainant made a report to the Police,
who arrested the investor. Inspector Benneh said upon interrogation, Hofgren
told the Police that he arrived in Ghana from Benin on 21 July by road and
lodged at the Sunspot Hotel at the Airport Residential Area in Accra.
The Prosecutor said the accused person entered the
country under the pretext of being an investor, saying there was no indication
whatsoever that he was a potential investor.
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108 million cedis for Poverty Alleviation
Programme
Tumu (Upper West) 09 October 2002- The Government has
released about 108 million cedis to groups and individuals in the Sissala
District for Poverty Alleviation Programmes. Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister
for Local Government and Rural Development who announced this, said five
percent of the HIPC Funds would be used to support the establishment of Local
Government Structures at the grass-root level.
Mr Baah-Wiredu a member of President John Agyekum's
entourage on a three-day official visit to the Upper West Region was addressing
a durbar of chiefs and people of Tumu in the District.
Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of
Education, said Kanton Secondary School in the District had been selected as
one of the Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) to be upgraded in the country.
He said by the end of 2003, there would be much
improvement in the provision of basic infrastructure for schools throughout the
country, adding "teaching and learning would be done under serene
atmosphere but not under sheds and trees."
Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi said under the Ghana Education
Trust Fund (GETF) four schools in each District throughout the country would be
provided with funds to improve on their infrastructure.
He announced that government's subsidy on school fees
for Senior Secondary School Students and the rebate on students in tertiary
institutions that began last year would continue this year.
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Ho (Volta Region) 09 October 2002- Mrs Angela Farhat
of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Mrs Angela Farhat said
that the success of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) depended on
realistic projections.
She was leading discussions on the topic,
"Quality Education for All: Panacea for Poverty Alleviation", at this
year's Conference of District Directors of Education (CODDE) at Ho under the
theme, "Relevant Education for Sustainable National Development."
Mrs Farhat, who is in-charge of HIPC funds at the
(NDPC) told the Directors that "we have been rather too optimistic in our
projections." She said the public service face cash flow problems because
of the problem of the economy. "The economy is not growing."
During discussions, the participants said realising
the education sector's goals would remain elusive if the sector continued to be
starved of adequate funds. They said the sector could not wait until a better
day to receive the right amount of flow to enable it to optimise its
contribution to the manpower development.
In their view cash incentives to teachers was a
necessity that should not be postponed because of its negative effect on morale
and commitment. They suggested that there must be clear guidelines in the
disbursement and decision on the utilisation of the HIPC fund by the District
Assemblies on school projects.
The Directors underscored the need for the Assemblies
to consult and confer with them to avoid bias and uninformed decisions in the
choice of beneficiary communities.
They also suggested that government should make it a
policy of providing clusters of teachers' quarters when citing schools especially
in deprived communities. The participants recommended that toilets should be
provided at all basic schools under the HIPC fund programme for education.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 09 October 2002- The Ghana Real
Estate Developers Association (GREDA) has urged the governments to formulate
housing policies that would lead to the realisation of the United Nations
Centre for Human Settlements declaration of providing shelter for millions of
the world's slum dwellers.
Marking the World Habitat Day, GREDA said it was
seriously considering the United Nation Sustainable Urbanisation Programme,
which Ghana was also compelled to comply with in joining the world to improve
lives of 100 million slum dwellers by 2020.
Mr Bradford Daniel Adu, President of the Association,
speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview said, "GREDA is poised
to move forward with a determination to fulfil the desire of our community
dwellers."
The day being celebrated under the theme: "City
to City Co-operation" is in recognition of the importance of human
settlements by reminding all and sundry the need for shelter, which must be
affordable too.
Mr Adu said GREDA had accepted the challenge President
John Agyekum Kufuor had thrown to the housing industry in his second press
conference recently. He said the President raised the issue of affordable
houses for all, particularly workers and "GREDA has noted with particular
care the statement made by the President and is working out appropriate
response."
Mr Adu said for the realisation of those goals there
must be supporting actions and activities of nations to include formulations of
wholesome, all-encompassing policies and strategies to create and strengthen a
self-reliant management capacity at all levels to be able to deliver.
He said because the expectations of the populace were
high, the means to achieve the objective must be broad-based. GREDA, he said,
sought to create awareness to housing needs and options and opportunities
available through its various house-type designs and schemes for the benefit of
the public.
He said a membership of more than 480 most of the
Association's activities have been centred in the metropolis of Accra due to
serious housing shortage in the area coupled with effective demand.
GREDA was moving to establish its branches in Ashanti
and the Volta Regions by next month, he said. "This will be our City to
City Co-operation to cover all the other regions." He said this would
promote and facilitate the development of locally produced building materials,
which would result in affordability.
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Enyan Apaa (Central Region) 09 October 2002- The
Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District Director o the National Commission for Civic
Education (NCCE) Miss Georgina Yeboah has advised Ghanaians not to blame
politicians alone for the nation's slow pace of development.
"We should all take part of the blame for failing
to discharge our duties as expected," she stressed. Miss Yeboah gave the
advice at a forum at Enyan Apaa organised by the Commission as part of its
educational rally in support of Vice President Aliu Mahama's campaign against
indiscipline in the society.
She had led a team of officers of the commission to
tour a number of communities including Nkodwo, Eyiakrom, Kwesigyan, Badukrom,
Opepease, Obuame, Ofabir and Enyan Apaa to educate the people on the effects of
indiscipline on our social, political and economic life.
Miss Yeboah told the rallies that although Ghana
achieved independence over 45 years ago, her economic and social achievements
had not been impressive due to indiscipline. "Our productivity is not
encouraging because of laziness, and apathy has engulfed the society when
people refuse to participate in communal labour to execute projects to enhance
their standard of living," she lamented.
She said the nation now relied on donor countries and
agencies to survive, adding that, "by the mismanagement of our waste we
attract disease to ourselves and neighbours, which the nation uses its scarce
resources to treat."
"The country now experiences erratic rainfall
because we have depleted our forests," she noted, saying "unless we
change our attitude towards the management of our environment we shall remain
in poverty no matter what interventions the government may put in place."
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17 billion cedis for University Campus at Wa
Wa (Upper West) 09 October 2002- About 17 billion cedis
has have been voted from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) the
University for Development Studies (UDS) to rehabilitate its campuses including
the Wa Campus.
In addition, four billion cedis have also been voted
to improve facilities at the Wa Polytechnic. These were announced by Professor
Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of Education when addressing a durbar of
chiefs and people of the Wala Traditional Area on the second day of President
Kufuor's three-day official visit to the Upper West Region at Wa.
Prof Ameyaw-Akumfi appealed to the people to support
educational programmes in the region to improve on the standard of education in
the region. Dr Richard Winfred Anane, Minister of Roads and Transportations
said the rehabilitation of the Wenchi to Bamboi and Bole road had been awarded
on contract to P and W Ghanem Company Limited.
He said other road networks in the region to be
tackled were the link between the Upper West and East Regions through Tumu and
the Wa to Hamile road through Lawra were on course. Dr Anane said government
had stopped the re-gravelling of roads and would now concentrate on the
tarring, surfacing or resealing of roads.
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