Lack of transparency in public management…Atta Mills admits
In terms of economic growth…Progress Party was the best
Arrest this man now
AMA suspends six officers for sale of land
SSNIT disburses loan
Lack of transparency in public management…Atta Mills admits
The Ghanaian Chronicle, in its top story, reports the Vice-President, Prof. J.E.A. Mills as observing that without a strong audit service to ensure transparency in the management of public funds, any talk about probity and accountability will be in vain. Vice-President Mills is said to have made this observation when he opened the 49th session of the external auditors of the United Nations in Accra.
External auditors are attending the conference, the first to be held in Africa, from all over the world The Chronicle says Prof. Mills, apparently concurring with strong perceptions of lack of transparency in management of public funds, noted that to achieve transparency, the government recognises the deficiencies in public financial management and the need for greater efficiency, transparency and accountability.
He observed that some of these had been highlighted by the Auditor-General's annual reports.
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Free Press
In terms of economic growth…Progress Party was the best
The Free Press reports that the statistical records available in Ghana indicate that it was only under the Progress Party government led by Prof. K.A. Busia, that Ghanaians have ever enjoyed real meaningful life.
The paper says according to the records, it was only in 1970/71 that Ghana ever recorded a national gross domestic product (GDP) of 6.7%, compared with 4.5% today. According to the Free Press, this has never been surpassed by any government since then.
The paper says that was the time Mr J.H. Mensah, currently, Minority Leader in Parliament, was the 'real economic wizard, was the Chancellor of the Exchequer'. The story says that this was disclosed by Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, MP for Afigya Sekyere West, when he addressed a women's rally at Mamprobi in Accra at the weekend. Mr Kan-Dapaah, who is also the Minority Spokesman on Mines and Energy, is said to have told the gathering that the Progress Party used the nation's wealth for its rural development programme because it realised that foreign loans could not sustain any meaningful national development.
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Arrest this man now
In its lead story, the Weekly Insight says there is no reason for keeping Mr Issifu Ali, co-chairman of the NDC out of police cells. The paper says Mr Ali should be promptly arrested and prosecuted for raising false alarm and deceiving the public. According to the story, Mr Ali, in a bid to scuttle the "Ya bre mo" demonstration, alleged that a group of Ghanaians was preparing to overthrow the Rawlings government on Friday, November 26, 1999.
He is said to have claimed that the group, calling itself the 'Ghana Armed Liberation Movement', had posted its intentions on the Internet and suggested that there was a link between the coup and the demonstration slated for Thursday, November 25, 1999.
The paper says that three days after Mr Ali's scare mongering, "The Independent" established that the Movement had not announced November 26 as the date it planned to overthrow the Rawlings government. The NDC propaganda chief, Mr George Quaynor-Mettle is said to have then gone on the air and admitted that Mr Ali made a mistake. Mr Quaynor-Mettle subsequently produced a letter allegedly written to the Inspector-General of Police by the 'Union Government Movement', threatening to overthrow the Rawlings government on November 26.
The Weekly Insight says that the scare-mongering initiated by Mr Ali caused considerable panic among the Ghanaian public leading to the deployment of armed soldiers, armoured vehicles and tanks at strategic places in Accra. The paper adds that many traders refused to open their shops on November 25 and 26 and some parents refused to send their children to school.
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Daily Graphic
AMA suspends six officers for sale of land
In a front-page story, the Daily Graphic reports that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has suspended six of its officers for illegally allocating land belonging to the assembly near the Achimota School in Accra, to private developers.
The paper says a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the AMA, Mr Elliot Adom, named the officers as Robert Azumah, Director, Ben Armah, Assistant Director and Dan Bill, Principal Building Inspector. The rest are R.F.K. Gawu, Chief Estates Officer, Thomas K. Amuzu, Assistant Chief Technical Officer and J.N. Addo-Hammond, Works Superintendent. According to the statement, the management of the AMA took a serious view of 'this wanton misconduct' against the background of repeated warnings and pleas against encroachment and unauthorised development.
The statement said consequently, the AMA management decided to suspend the six officers. "Such irresponsible acts have contributed to encroachment on public land and unauthorised development, which have become a source of worry to the assembly", the statement is quoted as saying.
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SSNIT disburses loan
The Ghanaian Times reports on its front-page that the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) yesterday began disbursing the first segment of the students' loan for the 1999/2000 academic year. The Deputy Minister in charge of Tertiary Education, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, is said to have disclosed this in Accra. Dr Chambas was talking to the Times on a whole range of educational issues and the next step of the ministry to improve education after the National Education Forum held in Accra between November 17 and 19.
He is reported as saying that SSNIT confirmed last week that it had concluded the necessary plans to begin paying the first segment of the loans. According to him, the delay in the payment was due to changes resulting from the increases in the loans and the large number of students involved.
The Times recalls that the government recently granted a 30% rebate on the academic user fees for the 1999/2000 academic year and approved loans ranging from 800,000 cedis to one million cedis for students with interest rates ranging between six and 10% respectively.
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