Oil
- Ghana, Equatorial Guinea to coo-operate
Consultant
to resolve GSB-FDB tussle
Pupil,
3 others killed - in violent clash at Weija
GIPC
register 104 projects
"NDC
must be probed"
Scandal!
The 400bn cedis La Palm Hotel robbery
AGC
gives GEITA gold and Sam Jonah earns presidential gratitude
NPP's 2nd slot - Hawa Yakubu, Akufo-Addo
out
Daily
Graphic
Oil
- Ghana, Equatorial Guinea to coo-operate
The
Minister of Planning and Regional Integration, Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi, is reported
by the Graphic as saying that Ghana is considering refining crude oil from
Equatorial Guinea at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR). The latest oil producer from
Africa is reported to be without a refinery while TOR has extra processing
capacity.
Mr.
Ahwoi, on President Rawlings' delegation to the West African Country, told
newsmen on arrival that details of the agreement will be discussed during a
Joint Permanent Committee for Co-operation meeting scheduled for October.
He said
Ghana will help train personnel from Equatorial Guinea in tourism, manpower
development and packaging, adding that the Universities of Ghana and Cape Coast
offer degree courses in tourism and will be made available for personnel from
the sister country.
Ghana
could enter the trade industry in the areas of textile and canned tuna and said
the nation's experience in hydro-power could as well be shared since Equatorial
Guinea has so far depended on power from gas for domestic needs.
More…/
Consultant
to resolve GSB-FDB tussle
Graphic
reports that Trade and Industry Minister, Mr. Dan Abodakpi, has appointed an
independent consultant to resolve the tussle between the Food and Drugs Board
(FDB) and the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) over who has statutory authorisation
to regulate and certify food, drugs, cosmetics and other products.
The
confusion emanates from laws establishing the two agencies, which enjoin both
organisations to certify products with health implications for the consuming
public.
While
FDB is reported to have begun undertaking certification on its formation four
years ago GSB had been carrying out the inspection duties for the past 30
years.
GRi…/
The
Ghanaian Times
Pupil,
3 others killed - in violent clash at Weija
Four
people, including a Primary Six pupil, were killed at the weekend during an attack
on them at Weija, near Accra, the Ghanaian Times reported.
The
paper says the yet-to-be identified bodies of what is believed to be a
chieftaincy related incident have been deposited at the Korle-Bu Teaching
Hospital Mortuary.
An
eye witness account according to the Times, indicates that a chief of Weija,
Nii Anto Nyame, was in the process of sprinkling the festive 'Kpokpoi' in the
township when a factional group moved in to disrupt the ceremony.
The
Weija police, according to the eyewitness' story was called in to provide
security while the ceremony progressed after which the chief was whisked away.
"Just
after the chief was taken away, hell broke loose culminating in a shoot-out in
which the four people were reportedly killed", the paper quoted its
source.
The
Times story carries that Last Monday, three people received gunshot wounds and
were rushed to Korle-Bu from a dispute involving the Anto Nyame and the Ashale
Blefo families of the town who gave different reasons for the incident.
The
Weija police is reported to have confirmed the incident but refused any
comments saying the case was with the Odokor crime officer, who, the story
said, could not be reached.
More…/
GIPC
register 104 projects
The
Times reports in its business page that the Ghana Investment Promotion Council
(GIPC), within the first half of the year registered 104 projects, which
together clocked a capital outlay of 69.55 million dollars.
The
paper says a GIPC second quarter report stated that the service sector registered
18 projects involving 22.02 million dollars while the manufacturing sector
yielded nine projects at 15.68 million dollars.
Tourism
attracted three projects estimated at 0.24 million dollars.
The
report has it that projected employment opportunities during the period should
hit 1,827 for Ghanaians and 188 for non-Ghanaians.
GRi…/
Public
Agenda
"NDC
must be probed"
The
Public Agenda says several groups including human rights organisations and
politicians have expressed outrage over the dishing out of huge sums of money
at the launching of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Manifesto in Accra
last week who have called on organisations responsible to probe the individuals
involved.
The
groups say the development confirms the view that Ghanaian politics is now a
game of the rich and shows the danger in not having a ceiling over donations to
a political party as is the practice in the matured democracies.
Deputy
Minister of Defence, Dr. Tony Aidoo, is reported to have defended the millions
flow from individuals contending that the opposition have similarly raised
millions of cedis that could as well be questioned.
Professor
Gyimah Boadi, Executive Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development, said
the dishing out of the money seems to highlight the weak nature of the
country's electoral laws and opens the options for its exploitation.
"There
is the need to investigate whether the individuals including a chief who made
the contribution for a copy of the Manifesto have fully paid their taxes and to
also find out whether the money was contributed on behalf of the chief's
subjects, and whether chiefs are allowed to be partisan." Prof. Gyimah
Boadi was quoted to have said.
The
Agenda recalls that during the launch of the NDC's 76-page Manifesto, a
businessman dished out 150 million cedis for a copy.
GRi…/
The
Ghanaian Chronicle
Scandal!
The 400bn cedis La Palm Hotel robbery
The
Ghanaian Chronicle writes that the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, owned by Mr.
Danny Tamman, a British Jew, is the product of 400 billion cedis of Ghanaian
tax payer's money, steeped in scandal but put together by the Ministry of
Finance and Bank of Ghana bureaucrats under orders.
La
Palm attracted loans of £11,095,000 and £11,305,500 in August 1994, according
to Chronicle, from the Bank of Scotland under the Export Credit Guarantee
Department of Britain (ECGD) scheme after government's formal promise to
ostensibly refund with the tax payer's money, if the Tammans, fail with
payment.
The
Tammans, also owners of Coco Palm Limited, are said to have additionally
received 25 billion-cedi and 40 billion-cedi facilities from the National
Investment Bank (NIB) and the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) respectively under
incautious conditions supervised by officialdom.
The
GCB board is exemplified to have against all established banking protocols and
regulations, surrendered with a mere verbal promise from Tamman to pay its
(GCB) share, plus fanciful projections of profitability, on a piece of A4
paper.
"The
inference of 'Executive influence' was everywhere in evidence", Chronicle
stated.
The
paper writes that the capital and interest on the five-year old GCB debt is now
topping the 100 billion cedi mark, and by last month Mr. Danny Tamman, son of
the now late 'Sir' Tamman had not shown the slightest inclination to pay.
Chronicle
says in a wide-ranging interview with Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Victor
Serlomey, he gave an indication of hazy recollection of the issue, but still
expressed incredible optimism that restructured La Palm could still come round
to its liabilities.
GRi…/
Accra
Mail
AGC
gives GEITA gold and Sam Jonah earns presidential gratitude
The
Accra Mail, on its business page writes that African gold giant, Ashanti
Goldfields Company (AGC), firmly put Tanzania on the world gold map when it
recently commissioned its multi-million dollar Geita gold project in the Lake
Victoria gold amidst pomp and pageantry.
Chief
Executive, Dr. Sam Jonah is reported to have received fulsome praise from
Tanzanian President, Benjamin William Nkapa, for his role in getting the
project through, contrary to his experience in Ghana where Jonah reportedly has
not enjoyed respect and gratitude from authorities for all his efforts.
President
Nkapa, is reported to have asked his globally assembled business guests to join
him in saluting the Ashanti boss for the faith and commitment that he attached
to Geita despite problems encountered by Ashanti.
The
paper adds that Tanzanians living in the Lake Victoria gold belt have cause to
rejoice because Ashanti has proved to be a well-behaved corporate citizen, and
having demonstrated it by undertaking social services and infrastructural
development in the Geita area.
Geita
is reported to be the largest goldmine in Tanzania and some 30 million-oz of
gold have been mapped in the project area in the past five years.
GRi…/
The
Dispatch
NPP's
2nd slot - Hawa Yakubu, Akufo-Addo out
The
Dispatch writes that credible evidence available to it indicates that two of
those mentioned to likely pick the New Patriotic Party Presidential running
mate slot, Ms Hawa Yakubu Ogede and Honourable Nana Akufo-Addo, are out of
contention.
The
paper says highly placed sources within the party hints that Nana Akufo-Addo
was knocked out of contention by ethnicity although he qualified on two other
criteria, ability to hold fort during the President's absence and loyalty to
the flagbearer, set for picking a candidate.
The
insiders are reported as explaining that they believe Nana's stance at the
party's 1998 congress against an all Akan ticket was very important and said
while it is true that people can change their mind, they think "an
intelligent person like Nana would have reasoned well before arriving at the
conclusion."
The
Dispatch story carries that the name of Ms Hawa Yakubu was never seriously
considered because she had never openly identified with the NPP.
"The
criteria of loyalty to the party and candidate obviously disqualifies
her", the party insiders were quoted as saying.
A
few senior party members reportedly frown at the suggestion that she should be
considered for the Veep slot because of reports of her resourcefulness.
GRi…/