Asantehene snubs Carter's NGO ...For
improper dressing...
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 21 October 2002 - The decision of the Manhyia Palace, on the orders of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, not to receive a delegation of improperly dressed visiting Americans continues to be reviewed. The 27- member delegation from the American branch of International Friendship Force, an NGO established by former US President Jimmy Carter were prevented from seeing the Asantehene because some were allegedly in bathroom slippers and shorts.
While some are defending the Asantehene’s decision as apt, citing what would have pertained in the US or UK, others find it difficult to comprehend. But as the justification and criticisms continue, Dr Christine Amoako Nuamah says as a daughter of Asanteman, she was greatly embarrassed on hearing the news.
Speaking at a ceremony to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the International Friendship Force, Dr. Amoako-Nuamah, a former Minister for Environment, Science and Technology apologized to the delegation.
The apology was a personal initiative and not an order from the Manhyia Palace. As promised by James Carter Jnr, the delegation handed over the presents and financial contributions brought for the Asante king to other interest groups. - JoyOnline
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 October 2002 - Former President Jerry Rawlings is scheduled to travel to London for a fundraising event in support of HIV/ AIDS. The former President is a board member of Bill Clinton’s International AIDS Trust, established to help raise funds, create awareness, seize strategic opportunities, galvanizes leadership, mobilise resources and promote effective interventions in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Other members of the board include Nelson Mandela and former US president Gerald Ford.
The former President is currently attending the annual conference of the World Association of Non-governmental Organizations, which ends in Washington on Sunday. He attended the conference as a special guest and was accompanied by his wife Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, president of the 31st December Women’s Movement.
It is the world's leading meeting for NGOs dedicated to the ideals of service, world peace, strong families, and global well-being. This year’s conference is reported to have presented an unprecedented opportunity for networking, presentation of ideas, and practical resources of assistance to NGOs as they strive to fulfill their missions.
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Asokore (Ashanti Region)
He said the country expected them to
reciprocate the huge expenditure on their education by serving their own
people, but expressed regret that this was not happening since most of them
simply left after completing their courses.
This was contained in a speech read for him
on Friday, at the launch of the annual Health Week of the Medical Students
Association of the School of Medical Sciences (SMS), Kwame Nkrumah University
of Science and Technology (KNUST), at Asokore in the Sekyere East District of
Ashanti.
This year's celebration had as its theme:
"Maternal and Child Mortality, Causes, Effects and Prevention." The
Minister said the high rate of brain drain the country was experiencing was a
barrier to socio-economic development.
Dr Afriyie, however, gave the assurance that
his ministry was leaving no stone unturned to provide medical doctors with the
conducive atmosphere, which will not only make them comfortable but also
encourage them to stay home and work.
He commended the medical students for their
involvement in the health education campaign and urged them to continue with
the same spirit even after graduation and volunteer to work in the rural areas
to help improve public health delivery.
Professor Tsiri Agbenyega, Dean of the SMS,
lauded the students for their choice of theme and said their activities would
help in reducing maternal and child mortality. Mr Isaiah Opoku Boateng, Sekyere
East District Chief Executive, expressed concern about the behaviour of some
pregnant mothers who refused to seek health care, saying, it was an extremely
worrying situation since it contributed towards maternal and child mortality.
He advised pregnant mothers to turn a new leaf and seek medical care since
their refusal could cause them harm.
GRi…/
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Major Quashigah said this when he received a
32-page Project Document on a self-initiative poverty alleviation-farming
project by Ahamansu, a town within the Kadjebi District of the Volta Region.
He noted that in developing the country,
rural areas had to be given prior attention to stem the tide of rural-urban
drift. Throwing more light on the importance of rural areas, the Minister said
the Ministry of Food and Agriculture was embarking on a programme to ensure
food security, facilitate production of raw materials for industries and
prepare agricultural products for export.
"These can only be properly implemented
in the rural areas," he said, adding that the NPP government would now
ensure that development starts from the rural areas. He urged the people of the
town to use monies they received for the project according to priorities
instead of waiting for the bulk of the amount needed since that was not always
possible.
Major Quashigah said there was the need for
the people to work in peace and unity since conflict was a major setback to
progress, and pledged the assistance of his Ministry for the project.
Nana Okrah Ayew II, Gyasehene of Ahamansu who
presented the document, said the project aimed at providing employment to
prevent the youth of the town from travelling to the urban areas in search of
jobs.
He said it would produce well-packaged
homegrown meat at affordable prices, adding that, apart from meat, dairy
products such as milk could also be marketed from the farm. Named the Royal Ram
and Billy Enterprise, the project, which would entail goat and sheep rearing,
is expected to cost about 960 million cedis upon completion.
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Awutu Bawjiase (Central Region) 21 October
2002 - An appeal has been made to foreign embassies and charitable
organisations in the country to extend some financial support to various
children's homes to promote their objectives.
The Rev Richard Ohene Kesse-Asiedu, founder
and leader of International World Power Centre (IPWC), an Accra based religious
movement, made the call at Awutu Bawjiase in the Central Region during an
interaction with management and inmates of the Bawjiase Countryside Children's
Welfare Home, after making material and financial contributions towards the
running of the home.
Reverend Kesse-Asiedu said orphanages played
vital sacrificial roles in the human development of the nation, which required
the support of both local and foreign organisations.
He praised foreign embassies and donor
organisations for giving out grants to support the government to alleviate the
suffering of Ghanaians and suggested that financial assistance to the central
government be channeled to the various well-organised children's homes and
orphanages to help them out of their present financial problems,
He made a special appeal to the embassies and
high commissions of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany,
Canada and oil-rich Arab countries' to come together to set up a special
endowment fund to support children and destitute homes in the country.
He also urged local churches and Islamic
organisations to make regular financial and material contributions to augment
the resources, register all children's homes and support them to expand their
humanitarian duties.
The Assembly member for the
Madam Essandoh appealed to the Awutu-Effutu
-Senya District Assembly to consider the orphanage when allocating funds to
various organisations for human resource development.
She assured the benevolent couple of the
continued support of the chiefs, opinion leaders and the people of Bawjiase to
maintain the home. Capt. Yeboah thanked Rev Kesse-Asiedu for the visit and
expressed the hope that other individuals and organisations would follow the
example. He also expressed his appreciation about a recent visit to the home by
a group of Spanish women currently on a two-week familiarisation tour of the
country.
GRi…/
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He said peace was very important in any human
endeavour and must be the panacea for the development of every nation.
Professor Mills was speaking at an encounter with the media in Kumasi on
Saturday as part of his visit to Ashanti to solicit support from supporters of
the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as the party's presidential candidate in
the 2004 elections.
The party will go to congress on
He conceded that he might not have framed the
statement properly at the time, explaining that consultation was a normal
practice in any human endeavour. As to speculations that the former President
would control him, he said, "Professor Mills was his own man and that
nobody can dictate to him."
He said it was important to review his
relationship with the rank and file of the party and that it was equally
important to change with the times, admitting that the party made mistakes in
the past but stressed that it was determined to make amends.
Professor Mills debunked a publication that
his family was against his standing as the NDC presidential candidate and said
the publication was false. He said he did not see any factionalism in the NDC
but explained that if there was, it was only natural since people were bound to
be inclined towards one person or the other and stressed that the party's
constitution was very clear on the selection of a presidential candidate.
Touching on the economy, Professor Mills said
there were certain factors that nobody had control over and named cocoa and oil
as two economic areas whose prices were not controlled by government.
He said it was not only Ghana but that many
African governments were faced with certain problems that they were not able to
control, pointing out that, "we have got to a situation where we have to
re-think about our relationship with our foreign donors. Now is the time for us
to take a second look at our relationship with them."
On his relationship with President Kufuor, he
said it was very cordial and that they met just after the 2000 elections but
had not had the opportunity to meet since then. Professor Mills said he had
always had a very good relationship with the media and would continue with that
relationship.
Daniel Ohene Agyekum, a Mills supporter, said
besides experience, the Professor had a lot of knowledge in tax management
system and could therefore bring his experience to bear on the economy. He
reiterated that Professor Mills was a man of peace and a perfect gentleman who
could lead the NDC to victory.
GRi…/
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The Conference is to foster dialogue and
consensus building within the sub-region on issues that boarders on conflict
and security as well as mop up strategies for conflict prevention and
resolutions, Dr Kwesi Aning, a Senior Researcher at the African Security
Dialogue and Research (ASDR) told the GNA in an interview in
Dr. Aning said the conference is being held
in the aftermath of the G8 Summit in June 2002, where an African Action Plan
was released in response to the NEPAD process. He explained that the objectives
of the conference are to deepen the responsiveness of the Economic Community of
West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, in particular and other areas of
democratic deficit in its operations.
It would coordinate ECOWAS' efforts in
strengthening capacity for early warning and conflict prevention with respect
to the sub-region and also support efforts to strengthen the interface between
the United Nation Office and ECOWAS.
Dr Aning said topics for the three-day
conference includes overview of the Security Situation in
Others are Sovereignty, Intervention and
Reconciliation: What can outsiders do?
Enhancing ECOWAS Parliament's Oversight Capacities in Security issues,
Human Security, the role for development assistance in regional security, and
the ECOWAS and the Ivorian crisis.
The rest are establishing a human security
network for
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