Government declares its stands on AGC
Ballana village burnt down, woman collapses
World Vision to start food security programme
30,000 enumeration centres created for census
Government declares its stands on AGC
Accra (Greater Accra) 11 Feb 2000
The Government will soon invite all stakeholders in Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC) for broad consultations aimed at seeking a resolution to all outstanding issues in the current financial crisis facing the company.
Dr. John Abu, Minister of Mines and Energy, told a press conference in Accra on Thursday that the government, after careful review of the objectives of four shareholders who took AGC Management and Board to court for gross mismanagement of the company "it is the view of (the) government that the objectives of the two parties are now similar and that any differences can and need to be bridged."
He said the government has sought to play a constructive role throughout this period of uncertainty facing AGC, which began last October, by intervening when the company's hedge book showed imminent bankruptcy and Lonmin also attempted to merge with AGC on unfavourable terms.
After a review of the AGC situation with advisors, the government had proposed a number of solutions among which were to reduce the number of Executive Directors and strengthen the Board with independent and internationally recognised persons.
Dr Abu said another succinct proposal was that given AGC's capital leverage it needed, equity-type financing or funds, which could be generated from the sale of selected assets, but which the company's management took months to formally respond to.
"Government believed then, as it still does, that if these actions had been pursued promptly and professionally by AGC management, the company would be in a stable position today."
Dr Abu said the delay in taking these steps has directly resulted in AGC's current predicament -- the lawsuit in an Accra High Court by Addax and Oryx Group which they lost, the pending action suit by Milberg and Weiss in New York, and the difficult negotiations with the banking syndicate.
AGC's management has belatedly moved to execute portions of the government's recommended course of action by announcing its intention to change and strengthen its board and reduce the number of executive directors.
Dr Abu said the announcement by AGC of an ongoing process of tender and negotiations for the sale of an interest in Geita mining development in Tanzania, as a necessary step to address the company's serious financial problem, is in conformity with the position of the government.
But he said, Ashanti is currently engaged in very delicate negotiations with members of its banking syndicate, adding that it is the view of the government that it is essential that these financial negotiations are brought to a swift conclusion in order to ensure the financial stability of the company.
In this regard the "government now proposes to invite the various stakeholders, which include the Addrax Group of shareholders, Lonmin Plc and AGC management to meet in Accra soon.
The meeting will seek to resolve all outstanding issues so as possible to enable the company to conclude its negotiations with the banking syndicate."
The government believes that Ashanti has a bright future as an independent African gold mining company and will take all necessary measures to ensure the rights of shareholders, the safety and satisfactory returns on investments made in Ghana, he added.
Following a suit filed by four shareholders led by Addax Group, an Accra High Court Wednesday ordered that an Emergency General Meeting of all stakeholders of AGC be convened in Accra within 21 days to decide the removal and election of a new board for the company.
GRi../
Ballana village burnt down, woman collapses
Mampong-Ashanti (Ashanti Region) 11 Feb. 2000
Ballana, a farming community in the Sekyere West section of the Afram Plains, was on Wednesday razed to the ground by fire.
This is the second of such incident in the district within the week.
Madam Bawa Kim Baba, who could not bear the sight of her burnt property, collapsed but was later resuscitated and consoled by neighbours.
A delegate from the village of Ballana, Mr Simon Mamganbe, who disclosed this to the GNA on Wednesday, said they returned from their farms at about 4 p.m. only to realise that the whole village had been burnt down.
Mr Mamganbe said a corn mill, large quantities of harvested maize, yam, groundnut and cash running into several millions of cedis were destroyed by the fire.
The cause of the fire is not yet known but it was believed to have come from a nearby forest.
The District Co-ordinating Director, Mr David Bakari, consoled the victims and advised the inhabitants to desist from setting fire to the bush.
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Bushfire destroys cocoa farms
Aduhema (Eastern Region) 11 Feb. 2000
More than 100 hectares of cocoa and foodstuff farms, teak plantations and forest reserves have been destroyed by bushfire at Aduhema in the Kwahu South District.
Twenty farmers who were seriously affected by the fire have appealed to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), District Assembly and NGOs for assistance.
Conducting the GNA round some of the burnt farms, the Chief of the town, Nana Yaw Adarkwa, said he suspected that hunters and cattle owners in the Hweehwee area might have set the bushfire, which spread to Aduhema.
Nana Adarkwa said the affected farmers are finding it difficult to feed their families and, therefore, appealed to NADMO and NGOs for the supply of food and relief items as well as seedlings to replant their farms.
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World Vision to start food security programme
Tamale (Northern Region) 11 Feb 2000
World Vision is to start a five-year programme on food security and economic growth in Ghana and three other West African countries this year to address pertinent problems facing small-holder farmers.
The other beneficiary countries are Mali, Senegal and Burkina Faso.
The programme, which will start on a pilot basis in selected districts, was conceived and developed by World Vision in collaboration with Win Rock International Institute for Agricultural Development.
It seeks to demonstrate how farming groups and private commercial enterprises can work together and stimulate effective agricultural practices through improved and innovative services.
Mr Ben Hoskins, Senior Programme Officer of World Vision in charge of West Africa, who disclosed this to the GNA in Tamale on Tuesday, said in Ghana the Gushegu-Karaga District has been selected for the programme.
The United States Agency for International Development is to provide 350,000 dollars a year to support about 5,000 small-holder farmers and women income-generating groups in irrigation technology, storage, animal husbandry and supply of improved seeds.
Meanwhile, a five-day workshop for multi-sector agricultural scientists who will be implementing the programme in Ghana is under way in Tamale.
The 30 participants, drawn from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Savannah Agricultural Research Institute, Animal Research Institute and the University for Development Studies, are discussing strategies for ensuring the success of the programme.
They will visit communities in the Gushegu-Karaga District to assess their needs.
Mr Hoskins said a national co-ordinator and an oversight committee have been appointed to see to the take-off of the programme.
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30,000 enumeration centres created for census
Tamale (Northern Region) 11 Feb 2000
A total of 30,000 enumeration areas have been created nation-wide to ensure effective coverage of next month's population and housing census.
The enumerators and their supervisors are expected to be mainly teachers whose working relations with people in their areas will enhance the free flow of information for the exercise.
Nana P.K. Achinah, National Census Field Organiser who made this known in Tamale on Thursday, said the Northern Region has almost 3,000 enumeration areas with 500 supervisors.
He was briefing regional and district census committees on the census.
This year's census will involve the counting of both the population and housing, thus giving the present exercise a wider coverage than previous ones undertaken under the local government authority system.
He said it is mandatory for the Ghana Statistical Service to publish the results of the 110 districts and 10 regions of the country for all to know the size, sex, population and economic groupings of the people for effective planning.
Nana Achinah cautioned against politicisation of the census since such parochial leanings will alienate the people.
Alhaji Seidu Iddi, Northern Regional Minister, called on heads of departments to give the census committees the needed logistic support.
He said a census result that is not accepted and reliable cannot be entertained and, therefore, advised the committee members to fashion out creative messages that would ensure the participation of all in the exercise.
Mr Francis Kojo Yankey, a member of the National Publicity Unit of the Census Secretariat, said conducting a census is not like casting a vote at an election, which requires people to rush and queue.
There is, therefore, no need to rush or queue to be counted.
He stressed that the census is not intended to victimise anybody by virtue of their nationality, tax obligation or income level but for planning purposes.
The report will be confidential using tables and aggregates instead of names at the analysis stage.
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