Deputy Minister explains causes of hardships to electorate
Fund to assist women go into politics
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 August 2000
President Jerry John Rawlings on Thursday spoke out against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for withholding funds from Ghana and said this has contributed to the fall of the cedi.
He said if this was intended to influence the outcome of the December elections then it was unfortunate because outside influences should not be brought to bear on national elections.
"Elections should not be influenced from outside if we want them to be free and fair," he said when Mr. Shosuke Ito, Japan Ambassador, called on him at the Castle, Osu, to say farewell after a two-year duty tour.
He is being re-posted to Paraguay in South America.
President Rawlings said through the efforts of Japan and some other friendly countries the issue has been resolved and the funds would soon be released, adding that the cash dry-up has almost rolled back the advances and sacrifices Ghana has made over the years.
President Rawlings thanked Japan for its assistance to Ghana over the years, saying "Japan recognised that this is a government that has got its priorities right and planned the economic recovery programme to suit ourselves and not outsiders."
President Rawlings said Japanese assistance could be felt in many sectors, mentioning education, telecommunications, health, and roads. "There is not a single area Japan has not contributed to."
Mr. Joseph Laryea, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said Ghana and Japan have enjoyed good relations over the years and that more could be done to deepen the relations.
He suggested that Japan could assist Ghana in peacekeeping by "supporting us in human resource development to sharpen our skills." He said this would ensure peace in the sub-region.
Mr. Ito said relations between Ghana and Japan have been improving but added that more should be done to further strengthen them. "Ghana is an important country in Africa," he said.
President Rawlings later met with members of the Council of State and sources at the Castle said issues discussed included government/opposition relations, more logistics for the Police Service, importation of the goods under the trade liberalisation policy, the Songhor Lagoon Project and agriculture.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 August
2000
The Bulk Oil Storage and Transport
(BOST) on Thursday said the current diesel shortage is not due to
non-availability of the product but to delivery constraints.
Mr. John Kwamena Imbeah, Manager,
Facilities and Distribution, however, assured the public that the situation
would revert to normal by Monday, August 28.
He told the Ghana News Agency
(GNA) in Accra that 3,000 metric tonnes of gas oil had been despatched from TOR
to the Takoradi Depot to reduce the problem of distribution.
Giving details of the situation,
Mr. Imbeah said the current problem is due to the long shutdown of the supply
lines between the Accra Plains Depot and TOR, which has led to a shortfall in
the quantity of gas oil delivered daily by the refinery.
"You see, in the last four
months, the pipeline between the Accra Plains depot and the Tema Oil Refinery
has been shut down due to the Gateway Programme. This is to enable the
relocation of the pipelines to make way for a trouble-free area for the Gateway
purpose."
Mr. Imbeah said this means that
1.5 million litres pumped out daily from TOR to the Accra Plains Depot is
locked up.
"This has resulted in a heavy
congestion of about 2.5 million litres at TOR," he explained. TOR can thus
deliver only 1.5 million litres a day.
Mr. Imbeah said the despatch of
the gas oil to the Takoradi depot was effected three days ago "and I must
say we are working on Saturdays to ensure that the situation returns to
normal".
The Accra Plains depot pumps 1.5
million litres daily to support the needs of consumers in addition to what TOR
supplies.
Mr. Imbeah said the shortage is
real, adding that the Accra Plains depot will be on stream by the end of the
month.
Drivers of diesel vehicles have in
the last couple of weeks complained about shortages of the product at a number
of filling stations. This has, in some cases, resulted in a slight increase in
prices of some items that are carried by haulage trucks that run on diesel.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 August 2000
President Jerry John Rawlings on Thursday joined scores of people to attend the burial of Mr. Edmund Ofori Ayeh, a former employee of Cadbury, who was allegedly shot dead by an Army Officer two weeks ago at the Next Door Beach Resort, Teshie in Accra.
Top military officers including Maj.-Gen. Henry Anyidoho, General Officer Commanding the Northern Command, were also at the Osu Cemetery to mourn with the family of the 35-year old Mr. Ayeh who was the Projects Manager at Cadbury, the multi-national food-beverage company.
Lt. Ernest Parrish, who allegedly shot Mr. Ayeh was later said to have committed suicide.
President Rawlings said Mr. Ayeh's death was painful because, as a project officer, he would have created many jobs for the people.
"I knew from the profile I read that he was a promising young man. It is painful for us to have lost such a fine man. We do not know what went wrong for this to have happened. I apologise to the family. I feel very sad, very sorry and I am disappointed. It is a big loss to the country."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 August 2000
The Ministry of Trade and Industry on Thursday announced a ban on the import of live pigs, pig semen, pork and other pig products from Britain.
This follows the protective ban imposed by the European Union and the US on British pig and pig products as a result of an outbreak of classical swine fever in Britain.
A statement signed by Mr. J.S. Dalrymple-Hayfron, Chief Director, said the Veterinary Service of Ghana has ceased issuing permit for the importation of pig products from Britain until further notice.
"In view of this, importers are advised that since it is an offence to import live animals and meat into the country without an interim permit, they are not to import pig products into the country until the issuance of interim permits is resumed."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 August 2000
Vice President Evans Atta Mills on Thursday called on Christians to foster peace and understanding, and reduce friction in every area of their lives.
"We are convinced that it is only in such an environment that individual potentials can be harnessed into an unbeatable whole for collective good of all of us."
Prof. Mills made the call in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of a 39th annual and the first biennial conference of the Methodist Church in Accra.
The Conference, which is the first under the new episcopacy, is on the theme, "Transforming the Church in Word and Deed".
Representatives of some African countries and the International Methodist Community are attending.
Prof. Mills said comments and suggestions of church leaders on issues for the attention of politicians and policy formulators are largely welcome though they are not expected to get involved in partisan politics.
He appealed to Ghanaians to be mindful of their utterances and behaviour to ensure peaceful elections adding that accusations, emotional and inflammatory speeches heard on the airwaves do not augur well for the country's democratic process.
The Vice President called on Christians to pray for a peaceful poll.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 August 2000
Mr. John Mahama, Minister for Communications, said on Wednesday that the present difficult economic situation of the country is not a hopeless one, when compared to other hard times the country has been through since independence.
He said the economy has been growing steadily by four per cent since the 1990s and this is not a dismal performance in the face of a high annual population growth rate of more than two per cent.
Mr. Mahama was speaking at a lecture the theme: "The Year 2000 Elections, the Role of the Media/ PVOs", in Accra.
The Minister said the present economic situation is a carryover from last year, when there was a sharp drop in the world market price of cocoa and a steep increase in oil prices, into the current financial year.
He said there was a loss of 300 million dollars in cocoa revenue, while more that 500 million dollars was spent on oil import.
Mr. Mahama said more than one billion dollars is spent on imports over exports, and this often brings balance of trade and balance of payment problems.
He said government can not, however, put restrictions on imports because Ghana has signed the World Trade Organisation agreement which allows other countries free access to market their products in a signatory country.
"If we put restrictions on their products which are imported here, they will take a retaliatory action which will not be in our favour."
Mr. Mahama said Ghanaians should change from the cultural orientation of just being traders to producers. Entrepreneurs should also widen their arms to engage outside and wider ownership for a larger access to capital since banks are often reluctant to give loans to one-man type of businesses.
Mr. Mahama expressed regret that about 70 per cent of Ghanaians are not paying their income taxes, making development very difficult to finance.
The minister admitted that this year's election may be difficult for the party because the "standard flag bearer," President Jerry Rawlings will no longer stand, but said the vice-president, Professor Atta Mills, who is the party's candidate is a "nice, capable man."
Mr. Mahama called on the cadres to avoid the propaganda of the opposition parties, and get to the people and explain convincingly government's policies and programmes to them.
He said the allegation of the opposition parties that the last 20 years of the government have been wasted years is unfounded judging by the numerous development projects by way of the provision of electricity, good roads and potable water to many communities.
Mr. Mahama recalled that when the government took power, its main preoccupation was to restore the social and economic infrastructure, and this boosted foreign investor confidence in the country.
He noted that people who often criticise the government for not having achieved much often fail to compare the achievement of the government in terms of development projects to other countries in the sub-region, but rather giant economies like the United Kingdom and the United States.
"They fail to realise that these economies took years to reach those heights, but Ghana is a younger economy, and so the achievements are good."
He called on the electorate to vote back the Progressive Alliance into power to continue its development projects for the people, because Ghanaians are tired of experimentation.
The NDC, he said, has a track record for development projects, and voting it back into power will consolidate the gains it has achieved.
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Gomoa Obiri (Central Region) 25
August 2000
The Member of Parliament for Gomoa
West, Mrs. Ama Benyinwa-Doe has appealed to the electorate to bear with the
government while it finds ways of solving the present economic hardships.
She made the appeal when she
addressed separate durbars at Abamkwaim, Ohua, Brofo, Eshiem, Tekyiman Odumase
and Obiri during the celebration of their Akwanbo festivals.
Mrs. Benyiwa-Doe, who is a Deputy
Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, said the present economic situation
is global and urged the electorate not to be deceived by politicians, who claim
they could turn the economy round if they were voted into power.
They should dismiss those, who are
advocating for a change of government on account of the difficulties.
The Deputy Minister said a change
of government would reverse the giant strides made in development and would
spell the doom of the country.
Giving account of her stewardship,
Mrs. Benyiwa-Doe said was instrumental in getting 15 communities connected to
the national electricity grid and rehabilitation of a number of roads in the
area.
Eight new school buildings were
constructed and 12 old ones rehabilitated.
She said many communities in the
constituency were given allocations of cement and roofing sheets for their
self-help projects.
The Deputy Minister commissioned a
KVIP at Obiri and paid courtesy calls on chiefs and elders of Ajumakoansa,
Brebiano Kyiren and Adaa.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 August 2000
Participants at a day's consultative meeting jointly organised by the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the Electoral Commission on Thursday resolved to set up a fund to assist women who wish to go into politics.
They also urged political party leaders to give equal opportunities to women who wish to be in politics for them to develop their career.
It was attended by over 60 representatives from the various political parties and the media. The meeting, which was chaired by Mrs. Ernestina Naana Hagan, Vice-President of FIDA, also resolved to form pressure groups in all regional capitals for women to go into politics.
Participants were of the view that women sometimes lack the confidence to go into the public arena and said the time had come for them to do away with all fears and come out to champion the cause of their fellow women.
A participant from the New Patriotic Party said women are their own enemies, adding that for any progress to be made, there was the need for them to change their attitude towards their colleagues.
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