Twenty ex-District Chief Executives to face
prosecution
Ghana Ports fails to meet targets under Gateway Project
Human Resource Practitioners want fast repeal of labour law
Sixty billion cedis for mass spraying of cocoa farms
City authority closes illegal guesthouse at Osu
Police appeals for review of medical bills
Democracy thrives on security - Adade
Twenty ex-District Chief Executives to face
prosecution
Odumase-Krobo (Eastern Region) 31 August 2001 - Twenty former District Chief Executives (DCEs) found to have been involved in various acts of malfeasance would soon be prosecuted.
This has become necessary after the auditing of the accounts of the district assemblies the administered.
Ten others, who were not implicated, would be paid their End-of-Service Benefits (ESB) immediately as the President has directed, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (rtd) disclosed at the Manya Krobo District Assembly on Thursday.
He said the affected former government appointees would soon be put before a Fast Track Court to answer for various acts of financial misconduct.
The 30 Ex-DCEs are the first batch of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives whose account books have been audited by the Auditor General's Department since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government took over the administration of the country eight months ago.
The audit, Capt. Effah-Dartey said was being conducted to expose former local government employees including the DCEs, Co-ordinating Directors, Financial Officers and their subordinates, who enriched themselves at the expense of government.
The Deputy Minister said while some former DCEs were honest and as a result have "no place to stay", others amassed huge sums of money and cited a former DCE, who has put up 14 houses and bought several cars.
He, therefore, cautioned the new DCEs to refrain from financial breaches because "the NPP government will not hesitate to expose such erring appointees".
Capt. Effah-Dartey appealed to the assembly members "not to allow the DCEs to become tin gods since if they are left unchecked, they could abuse their office".
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Gov’t audits 31st December
Movement
Accra (Greater Accra) August 2001 – The government has started an audit into the assets of the 31st December Women’s Movement to establish the nature of the assets and their location.
A source at the National Security Secretariat said the audit has become necessary because it has been detected that the Movement has never submitted its audited accounts to the Department of Social Welfare since its inception over a decade ago, as required by law.
Reaction to a protest letter from the President of the Movement, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, in an interview in Accra, the source said the movement also benefited from government guaranteed loans and grants over the past two decades and the audit would determine how those monies were utilised.
In her protest letter to the National Security Co-ordinator, Nana Konadu said, “All our regional and district organisers have reported to us incidents of harassment in the performance of their philanthropic duties, and in particular receipt of letters from regional ministers claiming that you have authorised them to let our regional organisers declare the assets of the 31st December Women’s Movement in the regions”.
The letter said this directive to declare the Movement’s assets at the regional level comes to it with concern because no other NGO has been asked to do so.
“With due respect to your office, we believe that until this exercise is spread to all other NGOs, we will be left with no other option than to consider this as a further witch-hunt political operation and handle it as such”.
The source however dismissed allegations of harassment against the movement’s organisers and stated that following their refusal to comply with the requests for declaration of their assets, no one has confronted the movement on anything.
“In fact, no security agency has been involved in this entire exercise except the requests by the regional ministers,” he stressed.
Giving some reasons for the requests, the source said the former managing director of Ghana Rubber Estates Limited, Dr Etienne Marie Arthur Popelar, who is being investigated alongside Ms Sherry Ayittey and a Ralph Casely Hayford, in a different matter, said in a confessional statement to the police that he was asked by the movement to pay £150,000 into its Austrian Account at Kathrein & Co, Vienna.
Dr Popelar is said to have alleged that the money was transferred from the Liverpool branch of Barclays Bank into the account on October 7, 1998 and the receipt given to Ms Ayittey as evidence of the payment.
The source said this is a serious allegation, which must be investigated to establish the truth or otherwise and stressed that “an audited account would ascertain sources of funding and expenditure as well as assets of the movement”.
According to the source, the erstwhile NDC administration also channelled various government funds to support the movement’s activities, a claim which needs to be established.
It cited that although there is no subsidiary agreement channelling government funds to the movement, it is linked to the Vocational and Technical Training Centre project at Dansoman which was funded by the government.
“The studies, design and construction works on the Vocational and Technical Training Centre commenced in 1996 and was completed in 1999 at a total cost of approximately $2.2 million through a Chinese Government loan of 18,583,919 RMB Yuan”, it said.
The source said like all government loans, the government is required to repay to the Chinese government at the due date.
It said during the visit of the Chinese Vice Premier, Madam Wu Yi in January 2000, a donation of RMB 3.0 million was provided to the government of Ghana as a grant.
It said in February 2000, the Ministry of Finance allocated approximately $170,000 of the funds to the movement to cover the cost of importing fabrics from China.
The source said the government has just been notified by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China that the fabric which was imported by the movement is currently on the high seas and that it has been re-consigned to the Ministry of Finance.
It explained that some of these activities of the movement call for serious auditing so that the people of Ghana are not held to ransom. The source said government has since independence encouraged the activities of NGOs to promote development and that such NGOs must not be used to shield private for-profit enterprises.
Therefore, as law provides NGOs must provide a statement of sources of income and fields of expenditure as well as submit annual reports by March of every year to the Department of Social Welfare.
“The 31st December Women’s Movement has failed to do all these even though it has benefited from government guaranteed loans and grants; hence the need for the state to have an interest in its activities,” the source emphasised. – Daily Graphic
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - DR Alhaji Wayo Seini, a Senior Research Fellow at Legon and former Second National Vice-Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has categorically denied ever resigning his membership of the party.
“It has come to my notice that in the run up to and immediately after the national delegates congress of the NPP at Legon, last Saturday, August 25, many newspaper publications and radio discussions and public phone-ins gave the impression that I had resigned from the NPP. I wish to state categorically that I never and will never resign from the NPP,” he stressed.
A statement signed and issued in Accra on Wednesday by Dr Seini, said: “I resigned from my party office because I just could no longer continue to serve two masters - the party and my employers”.
He explained that owing to immense pressure of work, including his appointment as co-ordinator of a sub-regional research project and also the fact that he had virtually exhausted his two-year sabbatical leave serving the party, he opted for a break from his party duties in order to meet pressing demands of his job.
“On the eve of my birthday, therefore, I decided to inform the National Chairman that I was seeking temporary relief from active politics”, he contended.
Dr Seini recalled the numerous difficulties he encountered working and actively campaigning for the political parties of the Busia-Danquah tradition for over three decades and questioned the extent of commitment to the tradition of some of those currently accusing him of deserting the party, some of whom he described as political opportunists.
“For two years, I believe I used not less than 75 per cent of my useful working time, working for the party. Mostly at my own expense, I travelled the length and breadth of the country with party officials including the presidential candidate”, he said.
“Let me take this opportunity to advise the “political migrants” in our party who feel that the only way they can achieve their inordinate political ambition is to use extra political issues to destroy my image and hard earned reputation to desist from this negative and sinister practice,” he cautioned.
In his earlier letter, dated September 11, 2000, in which he resigned his position as Second National Vice-Chairman, Dr Seini said in conclusion that “I wish to assure you of my obligations as a founding member of my party. Please feel free to call on me anytime you need my assistance”. - Daily Graphic
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - The British High Commission on Thursday announced that as from September 3 only bank drafts issued by Barclays Bank would be accepted as payment for visa applications.
An official statement said: "Bank drafts should be made payable to the British High Commission and must be shown at the gate before applicants will be allowed in."
Barclays Bank would charge a non-refundable administration fee of 15,000 cedis for the provision of each bank draft.
"If, for any reason, an applicant decides to withdraw his application it will be possible to return the bank draft to Barclays Bank for refund (of the visa fee)."
The new policy, the statement said was to speed up the processing of visa applications as well as reduce the risk of theft from applicants, who carry large amounts of money with them when applying for a visa.
“This new policy is part of the British High Commission's commitment to further improve its visa service in Ghana," it added.
The statement further announced that from September 3, visa fees would be as follows: Standard six month (multiple entry)- 350,000 cedis, Student - 350,000 cedis, Transit-350,00cedis, one year multiple entry-584,000 cedis, two year multiple entry-690,000 cedis and five year multiple entry-850,000 cedis.
It urged the public to refuse any offer from visa "contractors" and report such matters to the British High Commission.
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Tema (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), last year failed to meet targets set for it under the Ghana Gateway Project, Richard Anamoo, GPHA's Project Engineer, told Vice President Aliu Mahama when he led the Government's Oversight Committee of the Gateway Project to visit the Tema Port, recently.
Anamoo said the cost of processing a container at the ports was to be reduced from 168 dollars in 1998 to 80 dollars by the end of 1999 and to the international standard of 40 dollars by 2000. However by the end of last year, the cost of container operation stood at 146 dollars.
The GPHA was to increase container handling from 12 to 24 boxes per-ship-hour by the end of 2000 but it was currently doing 16 boxes per hour.
Container dwelling time that was to decrease from 25 days in 1998 to less than seven days by the end of last year currently stood at 20 days.
In a related development, Nana Asafo-Boakye, a consultant to the Gateway Project on Tema Export Processing Zone (EPZ) enclave, also told the Vice-President that Business Focus Ghana Limited, a Malaysian company undertaking the development of infrastructure facilities at the enclave, was one year behind schedule.
He said the first phase of the project involving internal road construction at the cost of 33 billion cedis has been delayed while the second phase that involved the provision of water and electricity was facing problems.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) promised to put up a reservoir at Michel Camp to supply water to the enclave that would require not less than five million gallons of water daily but there was no indication that this was going to start.
On telecommunications, Nana Asafo-Boakye said, 16,000 telephone lines were to be provided to serve the enclave, however, the government had not as yet appointed any telephone company either in or outside the country to take up that vital aspect of the project.
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Tema (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - The Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners (Ghana) has called on the Government to speed up the process of repealing the Industrial Relations Act of 1965.
It said the existing Act was outdated and unfriendly to business promotion. "It is indeed one major source of industrial actions and conflict, which are not in the interest of workers, management, investors and the entire nation," Austin Gamey, President of the Institute, said at the Annual General Meeting of the Institute on Thursday.
He noted that a dynamic labour law could accelerate the process of industrialisation, increase employment opportunities in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy and further improve the financial health of the national economy.
The Institute, which played a role in the shaping of the Draft Labour Bill, " is prepared to assist Parliament at the committee level, to make it truly dynamic and to accelerate industrialisation and promote commerce during this Golden Age of Business".
Gamey said the Institute placed special focus on the role of the State or government in labour laws and labour relations in the course of industrialisation, having in mind, the country's history before and after Independence.
He said as practitioners, it was important to examine African Labour Laws to find out their common characteristics in relation to issues like the level of economic development, maturity of democratisation and functions of the labour market.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - The Wa Airstrip has been tarred and fenced at the cost of 20 billion cedis as part of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority's (GCAA) programme of developing all airports and airstrips in the country.
The project, started in October 1998, comprised the tarring of the two-kilometre runway, fencing, to prevent stray animals and the diversion of roads that previously cut across some parts of the runway.
Osei Ansah, Director of Projects of GCAA told the media that the Wa project was considered ahead of the others because of its strategic position and the bad state of roads in the area.
He said feasibility studies on the Bolgatanga and Ho airstrips have been completed while a new design for the Kumasi airport terminal and the runway would soon be put on tender.
The Wa airstrip is currently being used by the military alone but her expressed the hope that very soon domestic airlines would begin to use it.
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 31 August 2001 - The Brong Ahafo Regional Parliamentary Caucus of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) says the New patriotic Party (NPP) government has after only eight months in office increased the national debt by eight trillion cedis.
It said the government has been vilifying the past government of saddling the country with trillions of cedis of debts but they have also continued with the pilling up debts.
"Within the first half of the year alone the NPP government has contracted the equivalent of five trillion cedis in foreign loans excluding domestic debts, which has increased by some three trillion cedis".
In a statement read on behalf of the Caucus at a press conference in Sunyani on Wednesday, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Wenchi West and the Minority Spokesman on Agriculture, said the 41 trillion cedis debt left by the NDC covered 20 years.
He said if the NPP was viciously criticising the NDC for the debt it left behind then it had no justification to borrow as much as eight trillion cedis in just seven months after its assumption of power.
"They accused us of leaving a national debt of 41 trillion cedis without mentioning the infrastructure like roads, schools and hospitals that we left behind.
"If the NPP continues to borrow as they are doing now then they are going to leave behind a debt in the region of 40 trillion cedis over a period of just four years as against the 41 trillion cedis left after 20 years".
Asiedu-Nketiah, who said the press conference was to review the seven months old administration of the NPP, said the government has worsened the plight of Ghanaians since it assumed power, contrary to its electoral promises.
"The NPP during the campaign promised Ghanaians heaven on earth but seven months into Kufuor's administration what we see is a 64 per cent increase in fuel prices, 100 per cent rise in water and electricity tariffs whilst the cost of living has doubled".
Asiedu-Nketiah, who was the Deputy Minister of Agriculture in the NDC regime, accused the government of "throwing dust into the eyes of Ghanaians" by making false declaration with regards to the true state of the economy and the cocoa spraying exercise.
"Perhaps the biggest fraud this government has perpetrated so far is the misrepresentations made to portray to cocoa farmers that they are going to enjoy free spraying of their farms when in fact it is half of the bonuses due them that are going to be used to finance the exercise".
The Shadow Minister of Agriculture, however, commended the government for instituting a scheme to boost cassava and garment production and export but demanded that it should give the NDC government some credit for laying the foundation for the scheme.
Asiedu-Nketiah said the government's inability to check crime in the country was a reflection of its incompetence.
He said the NDC supported the establishment of the National Reconciliation Commission but condemned the government's proposal that the composition of members be made up nominees of the President approved by the Council of State and "its powers of entry, search and seizure without permission will make it both partisan and unconstitutional".
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - Increasing demand for bush meat in homes and chop bars is threatening the survival of many wildlife species in Ghana, Conservation International (CI), an environmental NGO, said on Thursday.
Okyeame Ampadu-Agyei, Country Director of CI, told a press conference in
Accra that if the current rate of exploitation by commercial bush meat traders continued, some endangered species in forest regions would become extinct .
He said trading in bush meat has become the most immediate threat to biodiversity conservation.
Market surveys indicated that species that were wholly or partially protected by Ghana's wildlife laws were being traded openly at Kantamanto market in Accra and Atwemonom market in Kumasi, he observed.
Data from market surveys in Kumasi also showed that all species regardless of their conservation status, were hunted and traded openly in the markets.
This, he said, was a clear evidence that the 'closed season' for hunting was not being observed.
The Ghana Wildlife division of the Forestry Commission puts a ban on hunting from August 1 to December 1 every year. This period, known as the 'closed season', is to enable the wildlife to reproduce, wean their young ones and prepare them for maturation.
Okyeame Ampadu-Agyei said the annual estimate of bush meat sold in the country stands at about 384,000 metric tons valued at 350 million dollars.
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Ho (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - Modestus Ahiable, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu-North, on Thursday predicted that the future for the majority of Ghanaians would continue to be bleak because of the economic measures being taken by the government.
Ahiable made this point at a Press Conference held by the Volta Region Parliamentary Caucus on the current economic, social and political state of the country.
He said at least, the people needed to see some minor improvement in their lives to assure them that a better future awaited them. "To those, who claim that it is too early to hold the NPP (New Patriotic Party) to its promises we wish to point out that though Rome was not built in a day the people need to see minor improvements," he stressed.
Ahiable, who is Chairman of the Caucus, said Ghanaians were expecting reductions in school fees but so far nothing has been done to solve the problems of the educational sector.
Instead, he said increases have been allowed to the extent that the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council (VRCC), for example, has imposed a 100 per cent increase in sports and culture fees at the basic level.
Additionally, Ahiable said another 27,000 cedis has been imposed on all senior secondary school (SSS) students with effect from the next academic year, describing, it as illegal and should be condemned.
The government, which boasts of its belief in the rule of law and freedom of speech had immobilised and intimidated citizens for expressing their opinions and has, allegedly, revoked the appointment of assembly members, who objected to nomination of some District Chief Executives, Ahiable said.
Steve Akorli, MP for Ho-East, said much of the gains of the present government were as a result of fiscal measures taken by the NDC when the party was in government during the latter part of last year.
The previous government achieved a 25 per cent reduction in inflation in 1998-1999 he said, adding that the present reduction from 40.5 per cent to 36 per cent as at August, could not be sustained because several factors including the government's freeze on its expenditure were artificial.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - Attempts to divide the New Patriotic Party (NPP) along parochial and narrow minded tribal or ethnic lines will not be tolerated, the Party warned in Accra on Thursday.
A statement signed by Kwadwo Afari, Press Secretary of the party said, "the NPP wishes to stress unequivocally that the NPP Government has no room for dogmatic sectarians whose actions and utterances have the tendency to weaken the relation between the party and its supporters countrywide".
It said: "the NPP, at the moment is one strong, united party and all members, no matter where they come from and who they are, must put their energies into the people's economic struggle".
This would "hasten the great event of national reconstruction instead of wasting time on unnecessary tribal politics".
The statement said the country's present economic and political situation demanded that Ghanaians moved towards national unity and reconciliation for development.
It said, "those who see themselves as spokespersons, should rather seek to unite the people instead of "whipping up unnecessary ethnic tensions".
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance on
Thursday urged the newly constituted Boards of Directors of the National
Insurance Commission (NIC) and the State Insurance Company (SIC) to revive the insurance industry and improve on their services to narrow the effect of inflation on sum assured of clients.
"As boards of these institutions, you must rise up to the challenge by identifying what has been the major constraint affecting performance, which has been on the decline over the years and adopt the appropriate measures to move forward."
Osafo-Maafo made the remarks during the inauguration of a nine-member board of SIC headed by Professor Isaac Mensah Ofori a consultant and an 11-member board for the NIC headed by Lt-Gen Joseph Henry Smith, former Army Commander, in Accra.
He charged the boards to examine the skills, experience and valuations in other fields of risk management in the country to improve upon the packaging to attract more clientele into the industry.
The minister said: "Improvement should not only come from investing in additional equipment or technology but also the attitudinal change of staffs who adopt bureaucratic tendencies to frustrate client."
He said with over 18 insurance industries and a regulatory commission in the country, therefore, the monopoly that SIC once enjoyed was over and must adopt pragmatic marketing strategies to compete favourably with other companies.
The company lost 10 percent of its clientele between 1994 and 1997.
Other members of the NIC board are: Mr Matthew A. Quist-Therson, Director, MOF, Mr Wilson Tei, of Ghana Insurance Association, Mr Edward Essilfie Mensah, Insurance Institute of Ghana, Mr. Wilfred Sam-Awortwi, Ghana Police Service, Mr Charles Ankomah, GPRTU; Mrs Diana Ayettey, NCWD; Mr William F. Duncan, Insurance Broker, Col John Armah Okai, Ghana Armed Forces, Dr Daniel Tapang, Medical Practitioner, and Ms Josephine Amoah, Insurance Consultant and
NIC Commissioner.
The SIC members are: Mr Samuel K. Apea, Banker/Economist IEA, Ms Margaret Ekuah Prah, Reengineering Consultant, Dr Yaw S. Karikari-Brobbey, Medical Practitioner, Mr Kwame Owusu of IRS, Dr Kwaku Osafo, Financial Analyst, Mr Peter Osei Duah, Managing Director SIC and the two Deputy Managing Directors in charge of Technical, and Finance and Administration.
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Ho (Volta Region) 31 August 2001 - The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has carried out a survey in the 12 districts of the Volta Region to identify industrial potentials for development.
Prince Kofi Kludjeson, President of AGI told the media on Wednesday that the survey showed that starch and glucose production could take place in the Hohoe District, while Kpando District has the potential for pineapple and tomato production.
He said the Sokode Biscuit Factory in the Ho District would be reactivated and the handicraft, pottery and ceramics industries would be developed to serve as sources of foreign exchange.
He called on Ghanaians, both at home and abroad to embrace the government's policy of golden age of business by investing in the economy to create wealth and alleviate poverty.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - Government on Thursday suggested the establishment of a trust fund to develop socio-economic projects for communities affected by the damming of the Lower Volta Basin.
Vice President Aliu Mahama, made the suggestion in an address, read for him by the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Professor Dominic Fobih at the opening of a national conference to discuss the Lower Volta Environmental Impact Studies (LVEIPS), commissioned by the Volta River Authority (VRA) in 1996.
The Vice President said the resources required for improving the living standards of the communities could not be provided by government and the VRA alone, and urged all beneficiaries of the Akosombo and Kpong dams to contribute to such a fund.
"These people whose sacrifices have given the country a booster for economic development must begin to benefit from their voluntary sacrifices," Alhaji Mahama said.
"We must support one another as we put all hands to the wheels to change the destiny of the inhabitants of the Lower Volta Basin through mobilisation of human and material resources in the district assemblies."
Following the construction of the Akosombo and Kpong Hydro-electric dams the livelihood of some fishing and farming communities in the North and South Tongu, Dangme East and Dangme West districts were severely affected.
This is because the seasonal flooding of the areas downstream the lower Volta Basin, which enriched the soil, ceased. The soil has become extremely acidic, while the erratic rainfall condition has adversely affected agriculture.
The damming of the river has led to regulated river flow and increased transparency, resulting in proliferation of waterweeds. This has created conditions for water-borne diseases, especially bilharzia. It was to solve the related problems that the VRA commissioned the studies.
Alhaji Mahama said projects for the affected communities should cover health, education, agriculture, fisheries and other economic activities.
Training programmes for job opportunities must be organised, while productive techniques in farming and water supply must be provided. Additionally infrastructure, such as access roads, clinics, water, electricity and schools must be provided.
Vice President Mahama expressed concern about deforestation around the lake, leading to sedimentation and silting that affect the water level of the am.
"My fear is that if the deforestation and silting are not checked, it would lead to the shortened life span of the lake and our major source of power supply, would be in jeopardy," he cautioned.
Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, Chief Executive of VRA, suggested the institution a levy on users of electricity to support the fund.
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Odumase-Krobo (Eastern Region) 31 August 2001 - Under a heavy cloak of about 100 combat ready Policemen, the Manya Krobo District Assembly on Thursday confirmed Mr Andrews Tei, once a subject of much vilification by a section of the youth wing of the New Patriotic Party in the area, as District Chief Executive (DCE).
He polled 64, out of the 65 valid votes cast putting his confirmation in a sharp contrast to the May 25 meeting of the assembly, which was disrupted by a violent protest by the youths who felt the party leadership had passed over their preferred candidate, Demarh Narh.
The ensuing tussle ended in a Koforidua High Court, when the youth disengaged themselves from the case.
To encase the assembly to perform its legitimate duty without harassment, the Police cordoned off the meeting place from the prying public, allowing only the members, the press and electoral officers into the hall and positioned an anti-riot vehicle outside it with several armed to the teeth officers at vantage points near the assembly premises.
The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (rtd), said he had to rush from Accra to Odumase Krobo following reports that there was likely to be a breach of the peace.
He commended the assembly members for the feat and charged them to rally behind the new DCE to resolve the myriad of problems that confront the people, which have been worsened because of the absence of a DCE.
Meanwhile, President John Agyekum Kufuor has nominated Joseph Yaw Oduro as District Chief Executive for Offinso, a statement by Mr Kwadwo Baah Wiredu, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development on Thursday, said.
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Cape Coast (Central Region) 31 August 2001 - The government is in the process of negotiating with the African Development Bank (ADB) for a 30 million-dollar loan to finance a six-year livestock development project to help improve the industry in order to increase the availability of animal protein.
The project would involve animal breeding, control of major animal diseases and improvement of animal husbandry and the promotion of campaigns against HIV/AIDS, malaria and guinea worm to improve the health of farmers.
These were announced by the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Major Courage Quarshigah (rtd) in an address read for him at the opening of the 12th biennial conference of the Ghana Society of Animal Production (GSAP) at Cape Coast on Thursday.
The three-day conference, under the theme: "A sustainable domestic livestock industry: key to healthy living", is geared towards formulating strategies that would enhance the society's contribution to delivering the animal protein needs of the people.
He said the ministry in addition intended to put in place mechanisms that would attract agricultural graduates at all levels to go into commercial livestock and poultry farming.
Major Quarshigah expressed regret that the country's consumption of animal and diary products was among the lowest in the world, while the animal production industry had seen very little growth over the years, resulting in the rise in importation of animal products.
He, however, pointed out that in view of recent events with respect to the industry, such as the outbreak of the hoof and mouth and mad cow diseases as well as dioxin-contaminated meat in Europe the main source of such imports, there was an urgent need to improve and sustain the domestic livestock industry to cut down on such imports.
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Agona Swedru (Central Region) 31 August 2001 - The government has released 60 billion cedis for the proposed mass spraying of cocoa farms against disease infestation, which commences early next month.
Ebenezer Kwesi Gyasi, National Project Coordinator of the project who announced this at Agona Swedru said the spraying would be done twice over a period of two months.
If time and resources permitted there would be a third round of spraying, Gyasi told a forum to brief farmers, spraying officers and officials of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture on the exercise.
He said a taskforce has been set up at the regional, district and village levels organize and implement the programme. The regional taskforce, headed by the regional ministers will comprise regional agricultural directors, cocoa disease control officers, chief farmers and representatives of cocoa buying companies.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - A well-furnished three-bedroom private home belonging to one Godfred Anum Torto at Osu, which he was operating illegally as a guesthouse, was closed down on Thursday by the Metropolitan Public Health Task Force of Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).
Torto was not only found to be operating without AMA permit but also without business operating permit from the Registrar General Department and hotel operating licence from the Ghana Tourist Board.
Emmanuel Akrofi Bruce, leader of the Task Force, which closed down the guesthouse, said the exercise was carried out upon a tip-off. He said the landlord admitted using the place as a guesthouse.
Bruce said Torto charged between 10 to 15 pounds sterling per night in his private home, house number F828/2 Osu New Estates.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - Mrs Gifty Anin-Botwe, Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU), on Thursday said high fees charged by medical personnel who examine rape, defilement and assault victims sometimes dissuade the victims from going for medical examination after their ordeal.
Mrs Anim-Botwe said some medical personnel charge between 20,000 and 100,000 cedis as "professional fees" after examination, which I think is too much for the poor.
Therefore, when WAJU asks victims to go for medical examination and come back with a report for the case to be prosecuted they do not come back because they cannot afford the high charges.
''I appeal to medical personnel to review their charges since the poor are the most affected. The charges are supposed to take care of transportation when medical personnel are asked to testify in court'', she said in an interview in Accra.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 August 2001 - Justice N.Y.B. Adade, a retired Supreme Court Judge on Thursday said democracy could only be sustained in an atmosphere of security for the citizenry.
"It is therefore imperative to have an efficient police service to maintain law and order for the people to go about their businesses in peace," he said at the formal launch of the Crime Prevention Foundation (CPF), a non-governmental organisation, set up to mobilise resources to support the police.
He said the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) should, for now, concentrate on educating the public on the role of the police as the only way to ensure public order.
Alhaji Asuma Banda, Chairman and Founder of the CPF, said the foundation would not seeks to administer the police service but would facilitate its operations with logistics support.
He said the recent spate of crime must not be allowed to dim Ghana's international reputation as a peaceful, stable and quiet country, hence the establishment of the foundation.
Alhaji Banda said, "a high crime rate is a scourge and a menace in any society and wherever it rears its ugly head, it must be dealt with promptly and decisively. There can be no peace, tranquillity, stability and progress in any society where crime is prevalent. Crime drives away investors''.
He said while the security agencies might be doing their best, criminals were also becoming more sophisticated. Therefore, the public must help the government to adequately equip the service.
Alhaji Banda said he was soliciting support from the United States, Britain and Germany to train a number of police officers.
Mr K. G. Osei-Bonsu, of the Office of the President, commended Alhaji Banda for his initiative and urged all to emulate him. He said no government could adequately equip the police without assistance from the public. ''The government will not be deterred in its effort to give utmost attention and priority to the security of the country''.
GRi../
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