GRi Newsreel 14-04-99

Akin Oda (Eastern Region), 14th April 

Some final year junior secondary school (jss) students in the Akim Manso Circuit in the Birim South district presented blank answer booklets during last year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). They also failed to write their names on the answer booklets.

Mr J.S. Akakpo, Assistant Director of Education in charge of Manpower and Training, said "the scenario was real and not a mirage".

"We have, therefore, intensified teaching and learning, management, supervision and community involvement in schools," Mr Akakpo said at the closing session of a three-day workshop on quality improvement in primary schools held at Akim Oda last Friday.

More than 35 School Management Committees (SMC) and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) executives attended the workshop.

It was financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), under the Community School Alliances (CSA) project.

Mr Akwasi Addae Boahene, Director for Field Activities of CSA, said the training workshop was geared owards equipping the SMC and PTA executives with the skills to be able to mobilise their members, communities, and stakeholders to strengthen the delivery of education.

Accra (Greater Accra), 14th April 

The youth of Osu, angered by the undue delay in enstooling a new chief, on Tuesday stormed the residence of the acting Osiahene, Nii E.Q. Nortey, singing war songs and demanding a substantive chief for the town.

They had called on Nii Nortey, who was having a meeting with the Kinkawe Gyaaase, both kingmakers of Osu, to press home their point.

The youth, led by Mr Paul Stainer, expressed their anxiety over the state of affairs in the township, which, they said, had stalled development leading to many of them being unemployed.

They protested against the indiscriminate sale of Osu lands, saying the lack of a substantive chief had led to this unhealthy development.

The youth also expressed disappointment that although Osu is the seat of government, the absence of a chief had not made it possible for the President to meet with them formally.

This state of affairs, they said, cannot continue any longer and demanded the immediate enstoolment of a substantive chief for the town.

Nii Nortey assured the youth that he and the Gyaasehene had started the necessary customary rites to install a substantive chief and, therefore, urged them to exercise restraint.

Accra (Greater Accra), 14th April 

Mr Sam Quaicoe, General Manager of the Ghana News Agency, on Tuesday stressed the need for traditional authorities and the media to find acceptable ways of reporting on sensitive issues affecting the chieftaincy institution.

Citing recent episodes of conflict between the media and chiefs, Mr Quaicoe said dialogue is the only way by which the media can produce reports acceptable to chiefs and the general public.

Mr Quaicoe was delivering the 11th in the series of the annual Sam Arthur Memorial lectures organised by the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ).

The lecture, which is under the theme "Strengthening professional ethics in journalism", forms part of activities marking the graduation week of the institute.

"Modernism should not uproot our cherished traditional institutions and beliefs. But, by the same token, outmoded and unworkable traditions should not be perpetuated because we came to meet them.

"The old order should, indeed, give way to the new but it should be in a dignified and acceptable manner," he said.

Mr Quaicoe said efforts by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and donor institutions to increase awareness about responsible journalism are not yet over.

The Complaints Settlement Committee of the National Media Commission and the Ethics Committee of the GJA to ensure that their adjudications are prompt and their findings respected.

He justified the need for upholding professional ethics in journalism , saying men become curious about their own actions and reflect on them when they are not sure what moral principle governs a particular decision or the very meaning of that principle.

"I believe that all a code can do is to call attention to the many minefields that exist. How we steer our way clear is left largely to our individual consciences and what the larger public considers to be right."

Mr Quaicoe noted that even though journalists sometimes have to adopt unorthodox means of getting information "in the public interest", they must distinguish between public interest and public curiosity or vendetta.

Mr Isaac Andoh, Editor of the Catholic Standard, who presided, advised the students against acts that will make their political inclinations obvious.

They should also avoid breaking the rules until those who made these rules bend or modify them.

Kumasi (Ashanti), 14th April 

Otumfuo Osei Tutu the second, the Asantehene-elect will be enstooled as the 16th occupant of the Golden Stool and the 19th Asantehene on Monday, April 26.

A statement issued in Kumasi and signed by Mr Isaac Dadzie-Mensah, Registrar of the Ashanti Region House of Chiefs, said the new Asantehene will swear the oath of office, and thereafter all the paramount chiefs in Asanteman would also swear the oath of allegiance to him.

A 24-member enstoolment planning committee under the chairmanship of Nana Otuo Serebour the second, Juabenhene, has been appointed to ensure the smooth and successful enstoolment, the statement added.

Rituals for the enstoolment are performed in the early afternoon at Pampaso, a historical ward near the Kumasi Prisons.

This ceremony is called "Nkowasotena" (sitting on a chair) and is quickly followed by firing of muskets at the Manhyia Palace.

On the day of the enstoolment, the Asantehene-elect, pays a customary visit to the Queen of Pampaso. He sends gifts to the Queen.

The gifts include a ram, a flask of rum, a full piece of calico, a bag of salt, a Kente cloth and a silk cummerbund.

The linguist, who occupies the Kankam and Nantwi stool, takes the gifts to Pampaso.

All the items, except the cummerbund, are taken to the Wadie-Adwumakesehene, custodian of the "Busumuru", the most sacred state sword.

As soon as the linguist returns from Pampaso, all items of the Asantehene's regalia except the Golden Stool and the black stool are taken in procession to Pampaso.

There they are arranged and guarded by the Gyaasehene, Ankobeahene and Mawerehene, while the paramount chiefs and the chiefs of Kumasi gather.

Before the Asantehene-elect goes to Pampaso, he is borne on the shoulders of the Asantehene's palanquin carriers to the Asantehemaa, to take leave of her and ask for her blessings. The Asantehemaa does not take part in the Pampaso ceremony.

Upon receiving the Asantehemaa's blessing, he proceeds to Pampaso borne in a palanquin and by only two strong persons instead of the normal four persons.

He would be wearing a white Adinkra (cloth with traditional motifs), a plain pair of sandals and will be shielded from the sun by a small umbrella called "Akropon-kyiniwa".

On arrival at Pampaso, the Asantehene-elect does not greet nor talk to anyone but goes straight to the chief of Pampaso, who would be waiting for him in the Pampafie (Pampa house).

Before he enters the Pampafie, he leans three times against a spear in front of the house with his back.

The Asantehene-elect then enters the stool room to remove a piece of mutton on a stool, which had been placed there since morning, and then pours libation with palm wine.

The Pampasohemaa is called but on arrival, she refuses to enter the stool room.

She gives in after much persuasion at a price, that is a thanksgiving fee (Aseda).

In the room, the Pampasohemaa would have the Asantehene-elect tied to her back with the help of the silk cummerbund, which had been presented to her.

The Akyeamehene on behalf of the Asante-Mamponghene, who is the acting Asantehene, in the presence of the Saamanhene begs for the release of her ward (whom she had tied on her back) to become Asantehene.

The Pampasohemaa refuses at first, but eventually she consents to release him and lets him down from her back. She then quickly changes into the calico to signify victory and happiness.

The Asantehene-elect is taken to another room, where a secret password is given to him.

The Akyeamehene (chief of the Asantehene's linguists) and the Nseneehene inform the Mamponghene and the chiefs assembled that the Asantehene-elect has been handed-over.

Meanwhile, one state sword after the other is sent to the Wadie-Adwumakasehene summoning him to Pampaso.

He pretends unwillingness to honour the call until the arrival of the "Busumuru" sword.

He gives excuses as 'l am not well,' 'I am about to take my bath,' 'l have just had a meal,' or 'l am having my siesta.' Eventually, he consents to turn up and collects his thanksgiving fee.

Leading the procession of all the state swords headed by the Busumuru sword and clad in the kente cloth presented to him, the Wadie-Adwumakasehene arrives at Pampaso.

Without greeting anyone he enters the Pampafie, there he removes the sheath of the Busumuru sword and passes it on to the Asantehene-elect.

Some of the important stool regalia are handed over to the Asantehene-elect on the day of his enstoolment.

They include Boman, state umbrella, which was originally made by King Osei Bonsu (1799-1824). So named because the King is eulogised as "He who brings his enemies (other states) to their knees".

Next is the "Dwete Kuduo" (silver treasure casket) in which are kept the Asantehene's odd requirements such as gold dust, which he 'would require to make purchases' or 'give away as gifts on proceeding from the palace.'

Whenever, he sits in state it is placed to his right hand. lt is believed to be one of the earliest booties, which Opemsoo Osei Tutu snatched from his defeated enemies.

It is believed on some mornings it weigh heavier than others.

When that happens, it is regarded as an augury for a wind fall in the course of the day.

The Wadie-Adwumakasehene places on the head of the Asantehene-elect the "Denkyemkye" (hat made of crocodile skin), which was made by King Osei Tutu when he was recalled from Akwamu to succeed his uncle, Obiri Yeboah as Asantehene.

Thus adorned with the Denkyemkye, the Asantehene-elect comes out of the stool room and standing before the 'Piese' spear and surrounded by the players of the Asantehene's Aprede drums, whose music was the favourite of Opemsoo Osei Tutu, he takes the oath of office and dances to the tune of the drums.

Holding in his right and left hands the Busumuru sword and the "Apemasanata" (a shield) respectively, he rejoins the assembled chiefs and people and dances to "Fontomfrom" music.

The Wadie-Adwumakasehene changes from his kente cloth into the calico that had been given to him earlier, the Asantehene-elect also returns to the room and changes into his military garment, the "Batakarikese".

The Akyeamehene is sent to inform the Mamponghene that the Pampaso ceremony is over and the people should meet the Asantehene-elect at Pramakeseso or Bampanase.

The messengers bearing the "Bosompra" State, sword goes to the Asantehemaa with the same message.

Meanwhile his palanquin for the procession would be ready to take him away.

The Asantehene-elect in his palanquin arrives at Bampenase to show that he would be capable of commanding the Asante forces on the battlefield.

The Kokofuhene, Nsutahene, Gyaasehene, Ankobeahene and the Mawerehene would have by then taken the Golden Stool to Bampenase.

On alighting from his palanquin, the Asantehene-elect walks to the Asantehemaa, the Oyoko Amanhene led by the Juabenhene, Kronti and Akwamu chiefs, the right wing chiefs headed by the Mamponghene, the Adonten chiefs, the Kyidom and Gyaase chiefs and the Akyeame (linguists).

When he gets to each of these groups, the Asantehene-elect fires his musketry and the group fires back, he then exchanges greetings by shaking of hands with the respective group heads.

After the firing ceremony, the Asantehene-elect retires to the palace and all the chiefs follow suit to get ready for the enstoolment ceremony, which takes place at midnight. At midnight all the chiefs except the Mamponghene, arrive at Bampenase in simple attire. They come with small groups of people, with their small umbrellas. Admission is restricted to select few.

The Asantehene-elect, however, is richly dressed in white adinkra, which he later lowers to the waist and goes to the ceremony wearing the "Mpaboakese" (the big sandals, regarded as the head of the Asantehene's sandals) originally worn by Opemsoo Osei Tutu . He also wears the denkyemkye, the "Awoso", an iron neck

wear, the "Afodoo," a gold necklace of bells, the Ntoa, military kit, and carries with him the Busumuru and Mponponsuo state swords. He completes his dressing in the presence of the Juabenhene at Bampenase.

The chief stool carrier and his colleagues bring the Golden Stool to Pramakeseso. It is placed on Banwoma (a broad piece of hide of an elephant's ear) at the centre of the area.

Guarding the stool with their "santuo", guns, would be the Juabenehene and the Nsutahene. The Asantehemaa, the Kokofuhemaa and the female members of the royal family stand at some distance to watch the procession.

The chief stool carrier gives a signal to the Gyaasehene to inform the Asantehene-elect of the ceremony to "outdoor" the Golden Stool.

The Asantehene-elect sends the Mponponsuohene, another state sword keeper, to inform the Mamponghene that he and all the participants are ready for the enstoolment ceremony.

The Mamponghene accompanied by his chief linguist immediately leaves his position and takes his place with the right wing Amanhene as the Adontenhene of Asante.

Then follows the climax of the Asantehene-elect being placed on the Golden Stool and proclaimed as Asantehene.

For this the Mamponghene supported by the right wing Amanhene, hold the right arm of the Asantehene-elect. The Essumegyahene supported by the left wing Amanhene hold the left arm.

The Kyidomhene with the support of the Kyidom chiefs, the Kronti and Akwamu chiefs and the Gyaase, Ankobea and Manwere chiefs hold his waist, right foot and left feet in that order and place him three times on the Golden Stool.

The Ahemaa of Asante and Kokofu and the women around shout praises and sing songs in thanksgiving.

The enstooled Asantehene rides in a palanquin to the "Mmeda" room at the palace to rest while jubilation and merrymaking continue.

In the morning of the following day, the Jamasihene, custodian of the Asantehene's treasure casket (kuduo), accompanied by custodians of other kuduo in Asanteman, come to annoint the Asantehene for, which they are paid a fee.

With the anointing ceremony over, the Asantehemaa, the Amanhene, custodian of the casket and other chiefs come to pay homage and bless the Asantehene.

A thanksgiving present in money together with two flasks of rum and four sheep are sent to the Mamponghene and similar presents are made to the other Amanhene and chiefs.

With the Asantehene's permission they all depart to their various towns after the Asantehene has announced the date for the great funeral (ayikese,) in honour of the departed Asantehene.

Intermittent purification rites follow the enstoolment ceremony.

Boti Falls (Eastern Region), 14th April 

The best thing a winning political party could do is to create an enabling environment for the people to improve upon their economic conditions and not to distribute money to the electorate.

Mr J. W. Agyekum, Eastern Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, said this at a seminar for NDC activists and constituency executives of the Yilo Krobo branch of the party at Boti Falls on Tuesday.

He urged the party's activists to take advantage of the various economic programmes initiated by the government to improve upon their living standards.

Mr Kwesi Dankyi, Eastern Regional second vice-chairman, advised people in the rural communities who benefit from the poverty alleviation programmes of district assemblies to invest their loans in plant and machinery.

Mr Dan Tekpertey, Member of Parliament for Yilo Krobo, said Members of Parliament are not implementors of development projects but are rather the facilitators.

He said at the moment, development projects in the constituencies are routed through the district assemblies and regretted that the electorate do not appreciate the role of MPs who are wrongly accused of not providing their communities with development projects.

In a resolution adopted later, the members asked the government to urgently find solution to the poor drainage system at Somanya Zongo which contributes in large measure to the collapse of buildings in the area.

The resolution appealed to the government to pay urgent attention to the rehabilitation of the Somanya-Adjiko-Asite road, Brukum-Tsretsom, Brukum-Maumi, Akorley-Agbodzi and Perpetifi-Samlesi feeder roads,which are all within the Yilo Krobo constituency.

It congratulated the government for the tact with which it resolved the nurses and junior doctors strike action and appealed to the government to implement the decisions reached in the memoranda of understanding with them.

Sunyani (Brong Ahafo), 14th April 

President Jerry John Rawlings arrived in Sunyani today for a three-day tour of the Brong-Ahafo region.

He was met on arrival at the airport by the Regional Minister, Mr Donald Adabre, his deputy, Alhaji Kwadwo Maama Adam, heads of various Government departments and corporations, chiefs and some leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to a programme released by the regional co-ordinating council, the President would inspect work on the 246-bed regional hospital expected to be completed by September next year, and some on-going road projects in Sunyani.

He will also inspect work on some important road projects in the region including the Atebubu-Yeji and the Kyeremasu-Gambia-Norbekow roads, which would link Brong-Ahafo and the Western Regions.

The President will address separate durbars of the chiefs and people of Kenyasi and Jato-Songo, near Atebubu, commission an electricity project at Kenyase and meet the standing committee of the regional house of chiefs in Sunyani.

He will meet with leading members of the NDC at the 'residency' before returning to Accra on Friday, April 16.

Adidome (Volta River), 14 April 

Forty communities in the North Tongu district of the Volta region are to benefit from a 127,000-dollar water project initiated by the Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT), an NGO based in India.

The project, which uses slow sand filter water treatment plants, is situated at Dekpoe Tedeafenui and Zongo Adiekpe.Mr Jose Eduardo Lopez, Director of the organisation, said they are collaborating with the Volta Region Rural and Sanitation Programme, a Danish project under the district assembly, to construct water distribution systems.

He said the Dekpoe Tedeafenui project will serve 10 communities with a population of over 4,000 while the second project at Zongo Adiekpe will serve 30 communities.

Mr Lopez said they received 27,000 dollars from Africa 2000 Network of UNDP to construct an irrigation dam at Dekpoe Zongo.

He said the people are supporting the organisation with communal labour while the beneficiary communities are levied various sums of monies to pay the caretaker's allowance.

The director said his organization first came into contact with the communities in the late 80s they supplied the people with relief items following a flooding of the area.

"We were actually moved by the plight of these communities at the time. We realised that the only good drinking water in the area was contaminated with guinea worm.

"More than 75 per cent of the people were infected with guinea worm and we had to educate them on the need to have a good drinking water."

Lopez said after the completion of the first project, the rate of guinea worm infection dropped to 10 per cent and expressed the hope that the second project would be completed by the end of the year.

Accra (Greater Accra), 14th April

Negotiations between the Central Management Board (CMB) of the new salaries and wages policy and some social partners are expected to be completed by the end of the week.

Mr Augustus K. Yankey, Chairman of the CMB said in Accra on Wednesday that only two major hurdles are yet to be cleared by the negotiating teams.

The Judicial Service Staff, Ghana National Registered Nurses Association (GNRNA), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Civil Servants' Association of Ghana (CSAG) and seven unionised organisations were expected to discuss in detail the import of the final document with the CMB and government representatives.

Mr Yankey said so far the atmosphere during the negotiations has been cordial and frank and commended all the groups for exhibiting a high sense of maturity and tolerance.

He described the decision of the Greater Accra branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers to embark on a sit down strike over the delay in the implementation of the new policy as an expression of their frustrations and fears.

Mr Yankey gave the assurance that the CMB and government will soon come out with the tentative date for the actual implementation of the new salary scheme.

Accra (Greater Accra), 14th April 

An international meeting of Food and Agriculture experts, working out effective strategies to reduce hunger and poverty in Africa, opened in Accra on Wednesday with a call on governments and the private sector to commit more resources to research and development.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who is the Chairman of the International Advisory Committee of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), made the call in a speech read for him by his Minister of Agriculture, Dr Kibirige Sebunya. Others who addressed the meeting included Vice President John Atta Mills who is also a member of the Advisory Board.

IFPRI is made up of 58 countries and institutions worldwide that spend a substantial part of their resources on agencies collaborating with Africa.The Advisory Board was launched in 1993 charged with a Vision 2020 initiative to develop and promote a shared vision and consensus for action for meeting food needs while reducing poverty and protecting the environment.

President Museveni said although the population of sub-saharan Africa continues to increase at alarming rates, science and technology are not taking place where they are critically needed to solve the basic problems of hunger and poverty.

"In our world knowledge is patented; intellectual property is a sacred cow," he said, adding that vital research output critical to the alleviation of hunger and poverty is being done in the private domain with profit as the greatest motivating factor.

President Museveni said catching up with the developed world is a ridiculous dream that developing countries should stop losing their sleep over. "We are in a man-eat-man world in which the smart and the strong win. We shall therefore have to depend on our own human and material resources, not to catch up, but to develop in a sustainable manner."

He listed challenges faced by developing countries, particularly unfavourable prices offered their commodities, and said unless they embrace self-reliance in the evolving globalisation their economies will not improve.

"Escalating tariffs and ingenious non-tariff walls are erected against what we try to sell even in the most vital economic sector where we are supposed to have a comparative advantage in the production of certain raw materials and foods."

President Museveni said the password into the next century should therefore be self-reliance with an emphasis on training of confident and self-reliant personnel whose objective is to establish paths instead of following paved roads they did not construct.

"We use fuel because we either do not have access to other sources of energy or because the other sources are too expensive for the majority of the population. We are destroying our own forests because we are poor."

IFPRI aims at generating information and encouraging debate to influence action by national governments, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, international development institutions and other elements of civil society.

In brief remarks, Prof. Mills equated the objectives of 2020 Vision to Ghana's Vision 2020 which sets out guidelines and strategies towards becoming a middle income country and said they have a lot in common.

Accra (Greater Accra), 14thApril

 Commander P.M.G. Griffiths (Rtd), Deputy Minister of Communications, on Wednesday said even though Ghana is not rated a high information technology user, it will not leave anything to chance in addressing the computer crisis expected to hit the world in the year 2000.

Addressing a day's forum for Heads of State-Owned Enterprises on the looming crisis posed by computer systems error at the beginning of year 2000, theMinister emphasised the need for SOEs to be compliant with year 2000 computer- aided information systems.

"Between now and December 1999, we expect all SOEs to be compliant with the millennium information systems," Cdr. Griffiths told the Chief Executivesand their technical teams at the opening of the forum.

The Millennium Bug problem, otherwise known as Y2K, is a computer-related crisis which will affect both software and hardware databases at the beginning of year 2000.

Computer experts said the problem is anticipated because most computer systems have been designed to represent the 21st century data with two digits instead of four.

Therefore, non-compliant computers will interpret the year 2000 as '00', which will result in errors in date representation and calculation.

"That is why all of us are at risk. We, therefore, need to put in place contingency plans which will ensure the compliance for the description ofthe database," Cdr Griffiths said.

The Forum, which was jointly organised by the "Y2K Project" office of the Ministry of Communications and the State Enterprises Commission, was aimed at assisting the public sector to overcome the Y2K problem.

Mr Sam B. Atakorah, Y2K Project Coordinator, said the strategy of the project is to focus on creating awareness of the problem nation-wide, form a network of Y2K teams in all state establishments and assist "mission-critical SOEs" to solve the problem, among others.

He said the project has targeted September 30, 1999 as a deadline for all SOEs and government agencies to be compliant.

Accra (Greater Accra), 14th April 

Mr Franklin Asamoah Mensah, a United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) officer, said on Monday that Ghanaian and Nigerian drug trafficking networks continue to dominate the drug scene.

He said statistics from those arrested from the sub-region, Europe and North America also indicate that drug couriers of a variety of West African nationalities are being used to diversify and subsequently dodge traditional courier profiles.

Mr Mensah was speaking at the opening of a five-day workshop on the assessment of the drug situation in Ghana organised by the Dakar-based UNDCP regional office for West and Central Africa and being attended by participants from Ghana and Nigeria.

It aims at mapping out modalities to check drug trafficking and training personnel who will in turn train others to go into the field to undertake an assessment of drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

Mr Mensah said there is limited reliable data on drug cultivation, production, manufacture, trafficking and abuse, and this is a major constraint when trying to assess the drug situation in most African countries.

He said cannabis is the most prevalent in West Africa, and its main producers are still assumed to be Ghana and Nigeria, followed by Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire.

Tamale (Northern Region), 14th April

A Ministry of Health (MOH) survey has identified Northern and Upper West regions as trachoma-endemic areas. Trachoma is a major cause of blindness.

A survey carried out at Daboya in the West Gonja district of the Northern region in 1996 revealed that 23.6 per cent of the people have "active trachoma", which makes the disease a public health problem.

Dr Sylvester Anemana, Northern Regional Director of Health Services who announced this at the opening of a four-day trachoma assessment training workshop in Tamale on Monday, said further surveys are needed in the Northern,

Upper East and Upper West regions to determine trachoma prevalence and control.

The four-day workshop organised by the MOH for 25 eye nurses from the Northern and Upper West regions will discuss "community identification and mobilisation for trachoma", "examine the eye for trachoma" and "trachoma grading and reliability test".

Dr Anemana said under the medium-term health strategy, trachoma and other endemic diseases would be drastically controlled.

Trachoma alone afflicts about 150 million people, he said, and expressed the hope that through the active participation of community health volunteers, the disease can be controlled in Ghana

Accra (Greater Accra), 14th April The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) on Monday razed down a storey building near the airport earmarked for a hotel which, it said, had been built on a waterway.

The exercise was undertaken by the Assembly's task force with the supervision of the military.

The hotel sites in six units is between the airport round about and Granada hotel.

The by-pass from the airport to the main road from Opeibea House to Teteh Quarshie Circle was sealed off as the demolition went on.

Speaking to newsmen at the site Mr Samuel Addokwei Addo, Chief executive of the assembly, said the exercise had become necessary because the owner had flouted building regulations.

He said the owner, who has been identified as Alhaji Yussif, had been warned several times over the last two years to stop the project but he refused to heed the warnings and a court order.

Mr Addokwei Addo said the exercise would continue so as to get developers to respect regulations on building in the metropolis.

Attempts to locate the owner of the hotel by newsmen to get his version of the story failed.

Besides the main buildings, new air-conditioners, furniture, electrical fittings and cookers as well as a swimming pool were also destroyed.

Accra (Greater Accra), 14th April 

A Japanese diplomat on Monday called on President Jerry John Rawlings at the Castle, Osu, to seek Ghana's support for his bid to become Director-General of United Nations Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Mr Koichiro Matsuura, Ambassador in France, said his candidature has the full backing of the government of Japan. Mr Matsuura, who was a diplomat in Ghana between 1961 and 1963, spoke about his country and said from a humble beginning "Japan now has the capacity and the will to help other countries." "My country will continue to play this role and give support to developing countries," he said.

President Rawlings said several candidates have emerged for the post which is now being occupied by Mr Federico Mayor of Spain.

He told Mr Matsuura: "among the various candidates we find you one of the most capable. Your chances are as good as those of the others.

"Therefore, when taking a decision as to which of the candidates to support, we shall take a lot of things into consideration. Japan has played a great role in our development." President Rawlings said in seeking to create a just world, the role of UNESCO is vital in view of the need to step up its education programmes. "The role of UNESCO cannot be ruled out."

On Yugoslavia, President Rawlings welcomed United States Seretary of State Maldeine Albright's call on Russia to play a role in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict there.

"Mrs Albright's invitation to Russia is in the right direction," President Rawlings said, adding that NATO's bombing is creating a lot of discomfort and could escalate and spill into Albania.

President Rawlings said Yugoslavia has already been made aware that it cannot carry out the murderous campaign it did in Bosnia a few years back.

"Therefore, Mrs Albright's call is welcome."