Ghana appeals to world bank for more support
Taxi and tro-tro drivers embark on strike
Give us guaranteed fair prices for agricultural produce - Farmers
Committee to monitor activities of PTAs
Circuit Court Judge made chief
Ghana appeals to world bank for more support
Kongo (Upper East) 15 Dec '99
Mr Moses Asaga, Deputy Minister of Finance, has appealed to the World Bank for extended balance of payment and budgetary support to Ghana and other African countries whose economies have been hit by the global "oil shock".
Mr Asaga made the appeal at Kongo, near Bolgatanga, where he and Mr Jean-Louis Sarbib, Vice President of the World Bank in-charge of Africa, signed a 25 million- dollar loan agreement on Tuesday for the second phase of the government's community water and sanitation project.
The Deputy Minister argued that the emergency financing mechanism, standby agreements and supplementary reserve facilities were applied in the case of Latin American countries and recently the South East Asian contagion to enable these countries to recover from economic distress.
As at the end of the first half of 1999, Ghana's economy showed healthy signs with improvements registered in the fiscal, monetary and real sectors.
"For the first time in the country's history, inflation was brought down to a single digit of 9.4 per cent in May 1999, as against 70 per cent in 1995".
Mr Asaga said the second half of the year has, however, witnessed external shocks manifested by the decline in the prices of the country's main exports, Cocoa and Gold, as well as the increase in the price of crude oil on the world market.
"As a result of these external factors, government revenue on cocoa tax for 1999 will be in a deficit of 180 billion cedis, while an estimated revenue shortfall of 400 billion cedis is being anticipated for the year 2000."
He reiterated the government's willingness to commit five per cent of its total revenue to the District Assemblies Common Fund for rural development and 30 to 35 per cent for the social sectors including health, education, roads and good drinking water.
Mr Jean-Louis Sarbib, who signed on behalf of the bank, praised Ghana for its prudent management of the economy aimed at improving the lives of the vast majority of the people.
"Ghana is doing very well indeed, but the challenge of the government is to ensure that its efforts in development reflect on the lives of the people," he added.
Mr Sarbib said the government's policy of decentralising decision-making at all levels is in the right direction and expressed appreciation to the people, especially those at the grassroots, who are working wholeheartedly to make the programme succeed.
He gave the assurance that the World Bank would continue to support the government with funding to enable it provide the basic needs of the people, especially, in the areas of quality education and potable water delivery.
The current loan agreement signed between the World Bank and Ghana, will be quickly followed by the second and third instalments, when the bank is adequately convinced that the first instalment has been properly disbursed, he said.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, who witnessed the signing ceremony, said the fact that this important loan agreement has been concluded "under a Kapok Tree" in a remote Rural community for the first time, is a further indication of the government's determination to make decentralisation a reality.
GRi../
Taxi and tro-tro drivers embark on strike
Cape Coast (Cape Coast) 15 Dec '99
Commercial activities in the Cape Coast municipality have virtually come to a halt as taxi and tro-tro drivers embarked on a strike action on Wednesday.
They are protesting against a directive from the Ghana Private Road Transport Union asking them not to increase transport fares following increases in prices of petroleum products.
The drivers, wearing red arm-bands and wielding tree branches, paraded through some of the streets to molest or heckle their colleagues who refused to join the strike action.
The police, however, prevented them from mounting road blocks to disturb other road users.
The strike action has compelled workers, traders, shoppers and other commuters to walk to and from their destinations.
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Give us guaranteed fair prices for agricultural produce - Farmers
Mansin (Brong Ahafo) 15 Dec '99
Speakers at a farmers' rally at Mansin in the Tano district of the Brong Ahafo region have said unless a mechanism is found to guarantee fair prices for agricultural produce, farming will continue to be unattractive and productivity will remain low to the detriment of the national economy.
The rally was organised by the Brong Ahafo Regional branch of the Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen to promote unity among farmers to enable them to speak with one voice on matters affecting their welfare.
Farmers depend upon loans for their activities because they are unable to generate enough income due to low prices for their produce, Nana Yaa Badu, the Regional Chairman said.
"It is only when we gang together and speak with one voice that we can have a say in the determination of prices for our produce and put an end to the decades of exploitation by middlemen".
Nana Badu urged farmers to discard old farming practices and adopt modern agricultural methods by seeking and abiding by the advice of extension officers.
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Committee to monitor activities of PTAs
Agona (Ashanti Region) 15 Dec '99
The Afigya-Sekyere District has set up a three-man committee to evaluate activities of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) to ensure that their activities are in line with the laid down regulations.
Mr Rexford Anokye, the District Chief Executive, said the committee was set up following numerous complaints about arbitrary increases and imposition of levies by some PTAs in the district.
Mr Anokye was interacting with some members of the District Assembly after their abortive third ordinary meeting of the assembly at Agona on Tuesday.
The meeting was postponed because of the absence of Nana Boakye Yiadom Atonsa II, the presiding member, who could not travel to Agona from Kumasi due to the demonstration by some commercial drivers in the Kumasi metropolis on Tuesday.
Mr Anokye said the committee would investigate allegations that PTA executives are imposing levies without consulting their members, thus resulting in friction among them.
Among issues slated for discussions on 21 December, include the fee- fixing resolution for the year 2000, implementation of the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP) and report from the executive committee of the assembly.
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Circuit Court Judge made chief
Abura-Dunkwa (Central Region) 15 Dec. '99
A 45-year-old circuit court judge in Dunkwa-on-Offin, Mr Kofi Essel Mensah, has been installed Obaatan of Abura-Dunkwa under the stool name Nana Kwaku Afrasa II. He succeeds his late uncle, Nana Afrasa I, who died a year ago.
Nana Afrasa swore the oath of allegiance to Nana Asam Kwasi VII, chief of Abura-Dunkwa and called for unity and peace and a revival of their communal spirit for the development of Abura Dunkwa.
Nana Asam Kwasi urged Nana Afrasa to respect his elders and the people for the peace and progress of the traditional area.
GRi../