Minority demands accountability on projects
Reduce interest on agricultural credits - Farmers
Rawlings commissions theatre at Nadowli
Company awards scholarships to eight students
GTB embarks on tourism awareness creation
Minority demands accountability on projects
Tamale (Northern Region) 26 Aug. '99
Mr J. H. Mensah, Minority Leader in Parliament has called on Ghanaians to be critical about public expenditure on development projects in order to get the right value for their taxes.
He said the inflation of contract sums and other irregularities that go with the award and execution of public contracts are costing the country a lot and Ghanaians have the right to demand accountability and the correct use of their monies.
Mr Mensah was speaking at a public forum organised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Tamale on Tuesday to offer the party's MPs the opportunity to interact with the electorate on national issues.
He said that it was in the spirit of public accountability that the NPP challenged a request by the government to raise 94 million dollars to fund the Keta Sea Defence project, which was estimated to cost 43 million dollars three years ago.
He said the party has protested to government over the huge difference of about 50 million dollars and also queried the three-and-half billion cedis illegal payment made to the contractor for the preliminary works in 1996.
The NPP also questioned the rationale behind an agreement signed with a Canadian firm to pay 92 billion cedis a year for waste disposal in Accra for a period of five years, when government cannot provide 13 billion cedis needed to support the universities.
Mr Mensah said it is the responsibility of the opposition to point out these flaws, and insist that the proper things are done, and would not be intimidated to abandon this role.
Mr Mensah said the electorate should be interested to know how the MPs are using their political mandate to address problems in areas like education, poverty alleviation and an improvement in their living conditions.
He advised the electorate not to hesitate to point out wrong doings in their constituencies to their MPs.
Mr Alex Acheampong, MP for Bekwai and Spokesman for Cocoa Affairs, said the NPP is opposed to divesting the Cocoa Marketing Board, since it would give the private sector an undue advantage to exploit farmers in the purchasing and marketing of cash crops such as cocoa and shea nuts.
Mr Boadi-Mensah, MP for Obuasi and Deputy Spokesman for Labour and Employment said an NPP government would promote small-scale mining in the three northern regions to create employment for the youth.
Mr Samuel Nkrumah-Gyimah, MP for Odotobiri, expressed concern about the delay in the execution of the Jatozongo - Yeji road in the Brong Ahafo region, even though, Parliament has approved funds for the project.
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Reduce interest on agricultural credits - Farmers
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 Aug '99
Alhaji Ustazu Musa Faisal, Director of the National Rahama Farmers Association, on Wednesday appealed to the banks to reduce the interest rates on agricultural credits.
In a statement issued in Accra, Alhaji Faisal said the cheaper loans would encourage the youth to go into agriculture and increase food production.
Interest on agricultural credit range between 35 per cent and 38 per cent.
Speaking at the inauguration of branches of the association in Tongo, Bolgatanga and Zebilla in the Upper East region, Alhaji Faisal urged government to reintroduce subsidies on agricultural inputs.
He commended the government for pursuing policies that would help achieve balanced development in the country.
"These developments would encourage resourceful Ghanaians to embark upon income generating activities in all parts of the country".
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Rawlings commissions theatre at Nadowli
Nadowli (Upper West) 26 Aug. '99
A 128-million-cedi operating theatre at the Nadowli Urban Health Centre has been commissioned by President Jerry John Rawlings.
The President who is on a three-day visit to inspect development projects in the Upper West Region said the government was in the process of providing all district hospitals in the region with a theatre each.
He said those for Wa, Tumu and Nandom were in place while the one at Lawra would be completed soon.
Hitherto, minor operations that could be handled at Nadowli were either transferred to Jirapa or Wa.
"By providing operating theatres at the various health centres, quality health care has been enhanced in the region."
The President added that it is the intention of government to continue to provide facilities for health institutions in the Upper West Region.
On roads in the region, he said eight kilometres of town roads are to be tarred at Wa, Jirapa and Lawra.
Work in Jirapa has started with the construction of drains and contract has been awarded for the tarring of the Wa-Nadowli-Jirapa section of the Wa-Hamile road.
The next phase would cover the Jirapa-Nandom-Hamile portion.
The President said the Jirapa-Babile road has been awarded on contract and work would start soon.
Mr David Osei-Wusu, Upper West Regional Minister, said it was regrettable that although a lot of doctors come from the region, the majority of them were not prepared to work there.
He, therefore, suggested a scheme under which such doctors could come to the region, work for a few weeks and go back to their stations in the cities.
Dr Francis Banka, Upper West Regional Director of Health Services, said the region has seen improvement in the provision of primary health care services in the last six years.
He said about 76 per cent of the population lives within eight kilometres of health facilities while primary health care has been brought to the doorsteps of about 95 per cent of the population.
Dr Banka said the region is poorly provided for as far as doctors and technical staff were concerned adding that the region has only one doctor in each of the four hospitals.
"The Upper West Region is unattractive for Ghanaian doctors, who can make extra income honestly in the south by working during their free time."
Dr Banka said missionary doctors are no longer coming to the region and called for a special action to attract and retain young doctors and other technical staff there.
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Company awards scholarships to eight students
Kwae (Eastern Region) 26 Aug '99
The Ghana Oil Palm Development Company (GOPDC) at Kwae, near Kade in the Eastern region, has awarded scholarships worth 10 million cedis to eight students, in its Junior Secondary School to pursue senior secondary school education this academic year.
Four of the beneficiaries are wards of farmers and the other four are wards of the staff and pioneers of the scheme.
Mr. Jacobus J. Mansholt, Managing Director of the Company presented the awards, a 1.2 million cedi cheque to each of the beneficiaries at Kwae on Wednesday.
He explained that the scheme was in line with the company's policy to encourage the wards of employees and out-grower farmers to attain high levels in education.
The Managing Director observed that students with sound scientific and agricultural background would be a great asset to the company and the country, as the scholarship scheme is aimed at ensuring that the future managers of the company obtain solid training in scientific and business areas.
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GTB embarks on tourism awareness creation
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 Aug. '99
The Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) has embarked on a 15-year awareness creation scheme on the need to keep tour attraction sites appealing for tourists.
Mr E. E. Komla, Deputy Director of Ghana Tourist Board, said this has become necessary because of concerns raised by tour operators on some embarrassing scenes when they guide tourists around.
Speaking at a meeting to brief participants on the Second International Tourism Fair scheduled to take place from September 24 to October three, he said GTB is also encouraging community-based tourism so as to develop attraction sites.
The fair is under the theme: "Vision 2020 Ghana Tourism Gateway to Africa."
It aims at exposing tourism products of Ghana in particular and Africa in general to overseas tour operators and travel agents as a means to boost the promotion of tours to the continent so as to maximise foreign exchange receipts.
It is also aimed at promoting Ghana's rich culture and encouraging Ghanaian caterers to popularise local cuisine.
Expected visitors include about 100 travel writers and 300 local and foreign participants.
Golden Tulip, GIHOC Distilleries and Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, among others are supporting the fair.
Miss Regina Kpanga, Deputy Executive Director Finance and Administration said since the first tourism fair was held in 1986, there has been an improvement in the tourism sector.
She said currently tourism contributes about 3.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and fetches about 260 million dollars in foreign exchange from about 300,000 tourists per annum.
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