Kufuor launches two initiatives to create 70,000 jobs in 4 years
New fishing licensing regime next year
Government has right to demolish structures
Government pledges to equip the military
Sub-Regional seminar on conflict prevention slated for Accra
Ghana Telecom to improve customer services
Police warn public against lynching
Accra (Greater Accra) 17 August 2001
Ghana has introduced a new farmer-ownership scheme called the Corporate Village Enterprise (COVE) Model to bring rural communities into mainstream economic activity.
Under COVE, large-scale export-oriented enterprises would be established and owned by farmers but professionals would do their management with industrial experience on performance contract basis, President John Agyekum Kufuor announced when he launched two "Presidential Special Initiatives (PSI)" in Accra on Thursday.
The initiatives are the Integrated Action Programme for Cassava Starch
Production and Export and the Export Action Programme for Garments and Textiles in Ghana.
Under the first one, about 25,000 farmers from 10 selected districts would be identified and assisted technically and financially to grow and process cassava into high-grade industrial starch.
These could be used in the paper, textile, food, pharmaceutical, oil drilling and petrochemical industries while two by-products, pulp and juice could be used as cattle fodder and fertiliser.
President Kufuor said cassava was chosen because over 90 per cent of Ghanaian farmers cultivate cassava either as a main crop or in combination with other crops and it also accounts for about 22 per cent of the country's agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
"It is easy to cultivate compared to other major crops and its production is highly labour-intensive with a high potential for job creation." he added.
He said currently, the volume of cassava production in Ghana is over eight million metric tonnes annually and this could be easily doubled, however, the major constraint in expanding the production base is the absence of guaranteed markets.
"The key to address this constraint is to add value by processing it into industrial starch."
President Kufuor said the Garments and Textiles sector was selected because of the expected contribution of the sector to export revenue generation as well as the enormous potential for job creation.
It is expected to create 70,000 jobs and about 3.4 billion dollars in export revenue would be generated over a four-year period based on the country's ability to take advantage of the new United States Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
President Kufuor said to realise this vision, an Export Roundtable of key service providers in the export sector has been established to provide for selected entrepreneurs and enterprises, extensive support, ranging from credit facilitation, market identification, product development, production management assistance and quality assurance.
The implementation of the second initiative would involve three platforms to be developed concurrently.
The first would target and attract at least 10 large-scale garments and textiles, manufacturing firms from Asia, USA and Europe to re-locate in Ghana.
The second platform, would involve building the capacity of at least 100 Ghanaian enterprises to establish and operate medium-scale manufacturing plants for garments.
Under the third platform, at least 20 Ghanaian entrepreneurs would be assisted to become merchant exporters of garments and each of them would work with at least 50 small-scale tailors and seamstresses through sub-contracting.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 17 August 2001
A new licensing regime for fishing vessels, renewable every quarter, would be introduced in the first quarter of next year to bring sanity into the fishing industry and save the nation about 120 million dollars revenue lost annually.
Ishmael Ashietey, Minister of State for Fisheries, who announced this at a meeting in Accra on Thursday with exporters and importers of fish, said licensing officers would start inspecting vessels from October as a prerequisite for the renewal of licences.
He said the new licence would be issued in strict conformity with the Fisheries Law of 1991, PNDC Law 256, until the new Fisheries Bill was passed.
The law requires fishing vessels to meet safety standards, insurance requirements, have the prescribed net mesh sizes and have qualified crew among other things. The current license is renewable annually.
Ashietey deplored the practice of some Ghanaian vessels, which either sold their tuna catch and other species at sea or in other countries without permission, saying it contravened the law.
According to Section 33 of the Law, "...the entire catch of every tuna vessel and every other fishing vessel. shall be landed in Ghana before any transhipment or export of the catch."
Ashietey said some vessels were also flouting the requirement for tuna vessels to sell not less than 10 per cent of their catch to local processing companies.
He said such negative practices were causing the loss of revenue to the state and affecting the progress of tuna processing companies.
"I am frightened by the reports I hear about your activities; the nation is not benefiting from this industry," he said. "We will, therefore, enforce the law to the letter to bring the necessary improvement we need."
He also criticised the sole use of foreign captains for tuna vessels and the poor wages of Ghanaian employees.
"Some people said we should be lenient with you because you employ Ghanaians. However, it is better to deal with you to save the 10 million dollars we lose monthly than allow you to operate and pay our people as little as 76,000 cedis a month.
Ashietey urged the vessel owners to always give accurate information on their activities to ensure proper management of the fish stock and the industry.
Dr Kwame A. Koranteng, assistant director of Fisheries, explained that accurate data on their catch would not only help tax purposes, but would provide scientists an accurate picture of our fish stock.
"Canada lost their cod because fishermen kept relevant information from scientists," he said. "Wrong information will result in wrong assessment."
He said the size, quantity and types of fish landed over the past 10 years indicated the depletion of the country's fish stock.
Ghana imports bout 150 million dollars of fish annually.
Alfred Tetebo, a research officer at the Fisheries Department, warned that the management and captains of vessels arrested for flouting the law would be rosecuted.
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Akumsa Domase (Brong Ahafo) 17 August 2001
Francis Manu Appau, Nkoranza District Officer of the Administrator of Stool Lands, has cautioned people against encroaching on state lands as the government has the right to demolish any structure on such lands.
No compensation would be paid to such encroachers, he said, adding that people should ensure that any plot of land they acquire for development was covered with all the necessary documents.
Appau was addressing a forum at Akumsa Domase to educate the chiefs and people on the national land policy.
The programme, organised by the District Office of the Lands Commission and the Commission of Stool lands, was to help control land litigation and the frequent struggle over land among the people.
Appau advised chiefs and elders, as well as caretakers of land in the area not to abuse their authority by taking out family land for development projects without the consent of family members.
Owners of such plots needed to be consulted to work out any agreeable compensation to prevent misunderstanding.
Appau deplored practice whereby some chiefs and elders collect revenue from settler farmers on their land and issue their own receipts to cover payments saying it was against the Commission's laws.
Chiefs, who flout the regulations stand the risk of being prosecuted at the courts, he warned.
Appau advised the people to ensure the proper management of land to protect it from destructive human activities and announced that the new fee for an acre of land was 5,000 cedis a year and urged chiefs and elders to educate settler farmers to pay the fees promptly.
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Government pledges to equip the military.
Accra (Greater Accra) 17 August 2001
President John Agyekum Kufuor on Friday said within the constraints of the economy the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) would be equipped to maintain acceptable professional standards.
"We are very much aware that the reputation of our Armed Forces can only be sustained, particularly in your peacekeeping duties outside the country, if we are able to keep you at a reasonable level of preparedness."
President Kufuor was addressing the passing out parade of officer cadets of the GAF at the Military Academy and Training School at Teshie in Accra.
The cadets constituted the Regular Course Intake 41 and the Short Service
Commission and Special Duties Course 40. The regular course had 30 cadet officers including a woman while the short course had 20 including six women.
President Kufuor said the military career was an honourable profession, which should make the Armed Forces, earn the respect and confidence of their compatriots.
It should also make them treat the oath they swore with the sanctity it deserves and respect their constitutional obligations.
The Ghana Armed Forces have, however, had a chequered development contrary to their role in the constitution where 27 out of the country's 44 years of independence had been ruled by the military, he observed.
President Kufuor said this irregularity occurred not as a result of a deliberate decision by the military establishment as such but of its resignation in the face of challenges posed by elements within its ranks bent on subverting the constitutional order.
"The involvement of the Armed Forces in politics has tended to divide the military itself and also introduced a rift and unnecessary tension between the military and the rest of society. The consequences have been very expensive and negative for the proper socio-economic development of the nation."
President Kufuor said the military should be allowed to deepen itself in full professionalism at home just as it had done abroad to international acclaim and demonstrate its full commitment as national institution that was ready to protect and uphold the sovereignty of the state and be loyal to the elected government.
This should be the normal order of things, he said and called on the military to ensure that the strength and authority of the Armed Forces were kept intact to prevent the recurrence of the unlawful disruptions of the past that damaged their image and distorted the smooth constitutional evolution of the state.
"This way, the military institution will be restored to the respect and trust it must have within the body politic to be fully effective.
''It is up to you to extend an arm of friendship and partnership to your civilian counterparts and to show an interest in their well-being".
Real Admiral J.Y. Adoko, Commandant of the MATS, said for a developing country like Ghana, the new battlegrounds were to fight illiteracy, poverty and diseases.
An additional responsibility was to protect the infant democracy and the prevailing peace to pave the way for development, he told the soldiers.
Cadet Officer Kofi Obiri-Yeboah, 24, was adjudged the best all-round cadet and was presented with the Sword of Honour.
Other award winners were Cadet Officer Michael Mfum 22, who had the Military Cane, Cadet Officer Emmanuel Darko 28, had the Academic Cane while the Army Commander's price went to Cadet Sergeant Maxwell Kobla Akpo, 30.
President Kufuor, also the Commander-In -Chief of the GAF formally commissioned the cadet officers into the officer corps.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 17 August 2001
The Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS) will hold its first Sub-Regional seminar in Accra from August 20 to 24 with focus on conflict prevention.
A statement issued in Accra on Thursday said the West Africa seminar would complement on going international and local efforts to promote peace and stability in the sub region.
Over 80 military officers, civilians, parliamentarians and civic leaders from most West African states, three European nations, the United States, the United Nations, ECOWAS and numerous non- governmental organisations are expected to attend.
The seminar would be conducted by ACSS, a US Department of Defence-sponsored centre for security studies in partnership with the government of Ghana.
According to Dr Nancy J. Walker, ACSS Director the centre initiated the seminar as part of its larger mission to support democratisation and security throughout the continent.
The West Africa seminar is intended to enhance regional capabilities by working with participants to formulate practical, sustainable strategies to prevent conflict.
The statement said participating dignitaries include the new African Union Secretary General, Amara Essy, Deputy Commander in Chief of US European Command, Ghana's Minister of Defence and the Attorney General.
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Koforidua (Eastern Region) 17 August 2001
Professor S. K. B. Asante, Chairman of the reconstituted Board of Directors of the Ghana Telecom (GT) has said that the new vision of the Board was to transform the company into a Regional Telecommunication Model in Africa by the end of the decade.
He said to achieve this vision GT was adopting a new marketing strategy to take its services to the doorsteps of its customers instead of waiting for them customers to come to the company.
Professor Asante said this at the formal opening of a two-day workshop for customers, stakeholders and the management staff of the Eastern and Volta Regional Offices of the company at Koforidua on Thursday.
He said the Board was encouraging the management of the company to train all categories of staff in customer relations.
"We need to increase public confidence in the billing structure and make it customer friendly, improve the billing integrity and collection ratio and decentralise our payment centres for customer convenience", Professor Asante said.
To meet the needs and expectations of the customers and shareholders, the Board was persistently and uncompromisingly directing the company towards putting the customers first and ensure that they understood their customer requirements and adopted quality service as its culture.
The Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Gustav Narh -Dometey reminded the workers of the intention of government to revoke the exclusive period enjoyed by
GT in February next year and urged them to sit up and work assiduously if the company was to maintain its position as the market leader.
He said the Government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the public have no room for compromise under the new political dispensation and stakes for customer satisfaction have become very high and advised the workers to live up to the new challenges.
Evans-Amuzu, Eastern Regional Director of GT, said as at May, individuals and organisations in the region owed the company 4.6 billion cedis.
Security Agencies owed 712,744,480 cedis, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, 2,664,252,540 cedis, Corporate Customers, 800,142,398 cedis and individuals 500,498,425 cedis.
Evans-Amuzu said the company has provided telephone facilities in only eight out of the 15 district capitals in the region and has started an expansion
programme to cater for Krobo Odumase, Somanya, Kpong, Asamankese, Adukrom,
Asiakwa, Kibi, Akyem Swedru, Akyem Awisa, Achiase and the Kwahu area.
He said 248 public payphones have been installed in the region and 100 more would be added by the end of September.
Evans-Amuzu said, four out of every 10 payphones in the region were vandalised every month and pleaded with the Security Agencies to help track down the offenders.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 17 August 2001
The Police Administration on Thursday expressed concern about some members of the public who mete out instant justice to suspected criminals and said such people should be handed over to the Police.
"Lynching can pose a serious danger to law enforcement efforts of the police," ASP David Eklu, Acting Public Relations Director of the Ghana Police Service said.
He told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that innocent people might fall victim to mob justice, which could be initiated by gangs to rob people.
"This can also be used by people to settle personal scores with their opponents."
Mr Eklu said since most criminals operated as gangs it was very difficult for the Police to trace accomplices when a suspect was lynched by a mob.
He said the administration appreciated the eagerness of the public to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies but this must be guided by law rather than by creating problems where innocent people might become victims.
"The right of arrest of citizens ends when the suspect is handed over to the police", he added.
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Tema (Greater Accra) 17 August 2001
Kwamena Bartels, Minister for Works and Housing has tasked the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) to focus on building houses instead of selling land.
"For some time now the TDC has focused its operations on selling land and this should stop. Land sale should be the last option instead of the norm."
Mr Bartels, who was inaugurating a seven-member Board of Directors for the Corporation at Tema, urged the TDC to take steps to de-silt the Sakumono Lagoon to prevent serious flooding.
"Flooding in Accra and elsewhere in the country should be the concern of all to ensure proper planning in cities and urban areas.
"TDC must also control effectively lands zoned for specific uses and collaborate with the Tema Municipal Assembly to enforce planning regulations."
He told the new Board that the government was sourcing funds for housing development and that TDC would be assisted to acquire credit when negotiations were completed.
The Minister suggested that the TDC should consider lighting up the Accra-Tema Motorway to help reduce the high incidence of armed robberies.
Bartels urged the Board to either confirm or appoint a substantive Managing Director and a Deputy Managing Director as its first assignment to assist in the implementation of its programmes.
Nana Prah Agyensaim IV, Chief of Assin Kushea and Chairman of the Board, said the Board would set a new vision, which would be objective and commercial oriented for TDC.
"Tema will see more affordable houses, an improved industrial base, improved sewerage systems, provision of street lights and free flow of traffic under the administration of the new board," said the Nana Agyensaim.
Miss Elizabeth Mansa Banson, TDC's Acting Managing Director, said the
Corporation has a mission to develop Tema as envisaged by its originators and to maintain the township to befit its gateway status.
She said the corporation, therefore, would seek to explore new operational areas in residential, industrial and commercial development and management.
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