Results of census is vital- Addo-Kufuor
Ho {Volta Region} 05 April 2000.
This month's national delegates congress of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ho is expected to liven up the social and commercial sectors of the township and bring monetary windfalls to an otherwise low-keyed business community.
Already the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church, Ghana, has secured its share of the windfall as the NDC has taken up refurbishment of the 2,000 capacity "Dela" chapel at the Church's Headquarters which will be the venue of the congress.
Facilities at Mawuli, Ola and Mawuko Secondary Schools are also being put in shape to host the delegates.
The Right Reverend Japhet Yao Ledo, Moderator of the EP Church, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Ho on Tuesday that the church would have spent more than 200 million cedis over a five-year period to carry out the refurbishment.
The refurbishment involved the fixing of electrical appliances in the cathedral, internal and external decorations, parking spaces and the rehabilitation of access road to the chapel.
Rt. Rev. Ledo said the NDC's gesture is considered by the church as an act of providence because the church authorities have been seeking assistance to provide the facilities without success.
The Roman Catholic Church in Sunyani similarly benefited when the NDC held its last congress there. Rt Rev Ledo explained that the gesture from the NDC does not make the church pro NDC as it still maintains its non-partisan posture.
He said the church is ready to make its facilities available to other political parties, which decide to hold their congresses in Ho this year and in future. Rt Rev Ledo said such co-operation between church and secular institutions are necessary for promoting development and deepening the church and state relations.
He said now that the burden for refurbishing the chapel has been taken off the church, it would direct its resources towards improving educational institutions where facilities are in disrepair.
Rt. Rev Ledo commended the government for its decision to hand over the management and supervision of educational institutions back to the churches.
Rt Rev Ledo said, "this will greatly enhance moral discipline and academic excellence in the schools.
He said when churches have the power to transfer and discipline teachers, then the pursuit of academic and moral excellence will become part and parcel of the lives of teachers, pupils and students.
He said the churches and their schools' Parent Teacher Associations and other stakeholders would provide extra incentives to motivate the teachers to give of their best.
Rt Rev Ledo however, urged government to continue to provide funds for projects in the schools so as to create opportunities for quality education and give access to many more pupils and students.
He explained that if the responsibility for infrastructure development is shifted to the churches, they might fix their fees and other charges thereby denying access to children of the poor.
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Obuasi {Ashanti Region} 05 April
2000.
The Obuasi and Fomena
Constituencies of the NDC have declared their support for Professor John Evans
Atta Mills as the party's presidential candidate for this year's election.
The two constituencies also
pledged their "unfailing support" for the leadership of the NDC and
gave the assurance that they would work tirelessly towards the development of the
party.
These were contained in separate
resolutions adopted by the two constituencies at the end of their delegates'
conferences held at Obuasi and Fomena. The Ashanti Regional Treasurer of the
NDC, Alhaji Baba Gariba, who addressed both conferences, said if the opposition
parties were taking inspiration from the Senegal presidential election, then
the NDC had got 32 years more to rule since it had been in power for only eight
years.
Alhaji Gariba said the "NDC
stands for unity, stability and development" and urged the party members
to defend these achievements whenever the opposition confronts them.
He said the prompt and resolute
manner President John Jerry Rawlings and the National Security Council reacted
to the recent upsurge in armed robbery was an indication that the NDC treasured
peace and stability.
Alhaji Gariba asked all followers
of the party to have faith in its leadership and ensure that they and their
qualified relatives register for this year's general election.
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Kumasi, {Ashanti Region} 05 April 2000.
Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia, has called on Ghanaians irrespective of their political affiliation to take active interest and participate in the on-going population and housing census.
He explained that the data from the census would be a vital tool for any government who takes over the reigns of power in drawing its policies and programmes for national development.
Dr Addo-Kufuor was addressing a fund-raising rally organised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Kumasi on Monday to raise funds for its political campaign.
The MP announced that the NPP manifesto is ready and would be launched soon to enable their supporters study and educate the electorate on their Vision 2015 programme. He said an NPP government to be formed after the elections will initiate programmes to add value to the nation's "life blood", cocoa, timber and gold.
Dr Addo-Kufuor said cocoa beans could be processed as being done in Cote d'Ivoire, Indonesia and other countries, timber could be processed and exported in furniture while gold could be processed into gold jewellery, gold watches, chains, laces and rings as being done in China.
He advised supporters of the party to intensify their campaign in their communities, villages, workplaces and homes to explain the party's good message to the people.
Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, MP for Offinso North, appealed to supporters of the party to be tactful in dealing with members of other political parties.
He noted that the NDC government has failed to address the economic needs of the country and any government headed by the Vice President would not change the trend.
He therefore urged Ghanaians to vote massively for the NPP to put the country's socio-economic development on a sound footing.
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Koforidua, {Eastern Region} 05
April 2000.
The women's wing of the Ghana
Society for the Physically Disabled on Saturday said it is boycotting the
Population and Housing Census.
Ms Agatha Brenya, national third
vice chairman, told a meeting with the Eastern Regional branch at Koforidua
that if the census was to enhance development planning, then there was no need
for them to participate "because already our peculiar needs are not
catered for in the development of the country".
She said despite the policy that
all public buildings should have ramps and other facilities to give easy access
to physically disabled "the policy had been ignored and nobody is
interested in seeing to its enforcement."
As a result majority of physically
disable persons are being denied access to most public facilities including
hospitals, churches, public offices and places of convenience.
Ms Brenya said "whenever any
physically-disabled person wishes to enjoy any public facility, then that
fellow would have to bear with the embarrassment of being carried from the
wheel chair by others".
Ms Brenya called for the establishment
of Disabled Council to take care of the peculiar needs of the disabled.
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Accra {Greater Accra} 05 April
2000.
At a ceremony to launch the United
Nations Secretary-General's action plan for the 21st century on Monday,
panelists lauded the report for its "progressive objectives and detail"
and called for its implementation to ensure that Africa benefits from
globalisation.
The penal included heads of UN
agencies, members of the diplomatic corps, ministers of state and
representatives of non-governmental organisations.
They stressed the relevance of the
report to the African situation and called for priority to be given to
education, food security, HIV/AIDS, good leadership and governance, elimination
of corruption and the active involvement of civil societies in its
implementation.
This followed the joint
presentation of the Millennium Action Plan by Ms Margaret Novicki, Director of
the United Nations Information Centre, Mr. Joseph A. Laryea, Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Lieutenant-General Arnold Quainoo, Member of the Council
State.
The comprehensive report, which
will be presented for consideration at a Millennium Summit of Heads of State
and governments from 6September 6-8, covers all the thematic areas embodied by
the work of the UN and proposes new initiatives for ensuring that globalisation
benefits all.
The report, among other things,
urges world leaders to commit themselves to end poverty, improve education,
increase security, reduce HIV/AIDS and protect the environment.
It sets targets for the
achievement of these goals and recommends for new initiatives to improve the
access of people in developing countries to health and information facilities
and recommends approach to solving youth unemployment.
Dr M. M. Phologane, South African
High Commissioner in Ghana, stressed that Africa's problems would be difficult
to solve if her leaders do not offer the requisite direction and commitment to
resolve issues.
"Issues of poverty, slums in
cities, fear, want and proliferation of small arms all pertain to Africa. But
how many of our African leaders will go to the summit as true leaders to
promote our agenda. We talk about debt relief when the Swiss Bank is pregnant
with the account of some of our leaders.
"We have dictators as our
leaders, and I don't mean those in uniform alone. We must be brave to point the
finger to where the problems are and re-arrange our priorities to set
developmental goals."
Dr Phologane's opinion received
the nod of many of the discussants with some saying that the corrupter must
also be dealt with just as the corrupt, adding that institutions that provide
safe havens for illegal funds must be discouraged.
Mr. Laryea, who chaired the
function, said with lack of accountability and transparency in certain
governments it will be unfair to grant a blanket debt relief condition to all
heavily indebted countries, adding that each country's case should be looked at
on its merits.
He, however, criticised the unfair
trade barriers, tariffs and quota systems that make Africa uncompetitive on the
world market.
"Take for instance the
production of rice. When you have been asked to remove subsidies, the European
Union members meet and pass a common policy that will send rivers of milk and
mountains of rice to our markets at very low prices. These negate our efforts
at achieving food security."
Mr. Bamidele F. Dada, UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation's representative for Africa, said agriculture, which
forms the backbone of the economies of many African countries, should be put at
the centre of eliminating poverty.
He said when there is food
security; the incomes of rural people would improve with their standard of
living.
But Mr. Moses Mukasa,
representative of the United Nations Population Fund, said AIDS is the second
greatest threat to the security of Africans and its prevention among,
especially people between age 15 and 24, should be highest on the agenda.
"Last year, 5.6 million
people died of AIDS around the globe, half of them under 25 years. In terms of
proportion, Africa is very high up there. Every school day, a teacher in Ivory
Coast dies of AIDS and in Tanzania 27,000 teachers are estimated to die next
year."
Lt.-Gen. Quainoo stressed that the
best way to solve these problems is to educate people to change their attitudes
to become productive and useful citizens.
"The success of our work in
the 21st Century depends so much on education for change in our thinking and
attitudes, the kind of education that would provide leaders who contribute to
equity, justice, civil society and ethical conduct in a
democracy...."
Some representatives of NGOs
highlighted the role of civil societies in the implementation of the action
plan and complained about the problems they go through to participate actively
in national and international programmes.
They suggested to the UN to host
some of its conferences in Africa so that they can afford the travel cost to
participate.
Ms Novicki commended the high
turnout at the ceremony as well as the laudable contributions.
She said the discussions should be
considered as the beginning of the debate of the Action Plan for such concerns
to be addressed at the summit in September.
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