Y2K fears and anxiety as millennium approaches
Ministry says no Y2K headaches in healthcare services
Manual to measure performance of teachers launched
A five-day conference on quality management assurance ends
Rawlings calls for a more active ECOWAS
Brong Ahafo Chiefs call on Rawlings
Y2K fears and anxiety as millennium approaches
Accra (Greater Accra), 22nd December 99
Y2K fears and anxiety over signs of the end times, as predicted in the Good Book, have brought on feelings of anticipation tainted with superstition among Ghanaians as 2000 approaches.
Evangelists are giving last-minute sermons to free lost souls from the biblical Armageddon while officialdom dreads the millennium bug. But amidst all this, Ghanaians want to enter the new year swinging.
As the case is in countries across the globe, elaborate official and private activities have been planned for the days leading to and just after the millennium.
In Ghana, the roll of activities ranges of from a Latin America-style street carnival, a musical extravaganza featuring the world-acclaimed reggae group, Steel Pulse, raffles, religious retreats, traditional durbars and beach splashes.
Yet, beneath all this euphoria lie currents of trepidation brought on by events like wars, environmental destruction, stark immorality and strange phenomena, which in the Bible mark signs of the end-times.
Among the uneducated, these fears have been heightened by superstition. For instance news of an asteroid approaching the earth has led some to believe that it would crush our dear planet even though scientists say it would not come anywhere near here.
These strange happenings have given some evangelists a field day, with some promising comfort and salvation from the impending "doom", making the most unimaginable promises and demands from gullible masses.
Others have promised their flock "fireworks" at the last of their annual conventions to be held at venues across the country.
Meanwhile, the government, its agencies, commercial houses and transport service providers have taken pains to allay fears of a major breakdown arising from computer malfunction, while the Ministry of Communications, the official Y2K body, would be on high alert on the 31st and New Year's day.
The Civil Aviation Authority has given the assurance that it is 100 percent ready for the millennium roll-over.
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) bubbling with confidence that it is fully compliant, has decided to waive all charges for the first 10 airliners that would take off or land at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) between December 31 and mid-day January one.
Also included are the first 10 airliners that would fly within the Accra Information Region between the said period. GCAA oversees the Information Region, which covers Ghana, Togo and Benin.
Wing Commander Andy Mensah, Director-General of the GCAA, has assured stakeholders in the aviation industry that KIA and the GCAA are Y2K compliant.
GCAA has re-activated its redundant system to meet envisaged and speculative emergencies. It has also installed new equipment that would ensure safety and security of flight operations in the next millennium.
The banks say our money is safe and the Ghana Water Company and Electricity Company of Ghana say there will be uninterrupted services. If our taps ran dry or power goes off, it cannot be blamed on Y2K. It may be due to the perennial problems the public has lived with for years.
The national carrier, Ghana Airways, is, however, taking no chances; even though it says its machines are fully compliant, it would not make any flights on December 31 and January One.
The Ministry of Health is also giving an assurance that equipment in the hospitals throughout the country will run normally come January one and "there is no cause to panic."
Perhaps those with little to worry about Y2K and yet are very important to the economy would be informal/petty traders. They would be cashing in for the holidays as their more formal colleagues hold back transactions and brood over their millennium plight.
In the end the effects of Y2K and the end-time would be felt individually.
While some would celebrate a new millennium for being street-wise or scheming, others would be counting the costs of having been ripped-off or losing a fortune to the indispensable computer.
GRi
Ministry says no Y2K headaches in healthcare services
Accra (Greater Accra), 22nd December 99
The Ministry of Health on Wednesday assured the public that equipment in the hospitals throughout the country would run normally, come January one. There is "therefore no cause to panic."
It said the ministry has carried out all the necessary engineering and steps to avoid the year 2000 computer scare, popularly called Y2K.
Speaking to the GNA in an interview in Accra, Dr Paulycarp Asman, Head of the Biomedical Engineering Department of the ministry, said with the exception of the National Cardiothoracic Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, the rest have no Y2K problem.
He explained that some of the equipment at the Cardio unit are not compliant but efforts are being made by the ministry to replace them by March next year to avoid any interruption in healthcare delivery at the unit.
"Should the equipment at this unit be affected come next January one, it will not bring work to a halt."
Dr Asman stressed that the possibility of a patient dying due to the Y2K problem in any of the hospitals is virtually non-existent.
"But we have put in place standby generators and gas and stored enough water that will take us for three weeks after January one."
He said apart from the new regional hospitals - Cape Coast and Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospitals - where some equipment are not compliant, the rest at the clinics, polyclinics, districts hospitals and the old regional hospitals have no problem.
Dr Asman explained that the equipment at the Cape Coast and Tetteh Quarshie Hospitals are at the moment not in use due to lack of specialists to handle them. He said "they would be repaired and changed when we get the specialists."
In the case of the laboratories, Dr Asman said the government has introduced the Compliant Automated Laboratory Analysis that is currently being distributed to all the hospitals.
With the use of this equipment, there will be no recording of wrong figures or false laboratory results.
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Manual to measure performance of teachers launched
Accra (Greater Accra), 22nd December 99
Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) on Wednesday launched a manual that would be used to assess the performance of teachers to promote high professional standards and quality education.
The Staff Development Performance and Appraisal Manual, developed by the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee of the GES Council, would enable the service to recognise and encourage excellent performers and assist poor performers to improve their skills through counselling, coaching, guidance and training.
As a guide, the manual provides information on how to measure the performance of teachers, tutors, head teachers, heads and principals of pre-tertiary institutions, including training colleges, in relation to lesson planning, presentation, knowledge of subject matter and evaluation of learner ability.
Other major criteria for assessment are punctuality and attendance, relationships and co-curricular activities, communication skills and personality traits.
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi said the appraisal system clearly defines the tasks of employees of the Service to enable them to know what is expected of them to ensure a fair and transparent assessment.
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi underscored the importance of the appraisal system to the delivery of quality education and urged all stakeholders to co-operate and ensure its success.
"The appraisal system will not be concerned only with the regulation of reward and identification of potential of employees, but also with improvement in the service delivery of the Ghana Education Service.
"The process will ensure more efficient parameters for operating the Best Teacher Award Scheme, reduction of the workload and time spent on interviewing personnel for mass promotions."
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi said it would also provide a clearly defined succession plan that would enable vacancies to be filled with appropriate personnel rather than relying on the traditional practices of long services and attendance.
To ensure the efficiency of the system, some trainers would be trained early next year with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development to conduct the assessment professionally.
An intensive educational programme would also be mounted for those who would be assessed to make them familiar with the manual and help them appreciate it.
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96 arrested in Tema
Tema (Greater Accra), 22nd December 99
Ninety-six suspected criminals including two women were on Wednesday arrested in a joint police and military operation in Tema Community One, Sites two and 20.
Supt. George Ankobil, District Commander of Tema Railways and Ports Police and Major Kingsley Torwudjo of the First Battalion of Infantry (1BN) led the operation.
The exercise, which was carried out by 346 men and 15 officers started at dawn. They cordoned-off the two sites and conducted searches in the rooms of residents.
Supt. Ankobil, who briefed the press, said some dried leaves suspected to be Indian Hemp, some whitish powder believed to be cocaine, a number of television sets, video decks and motor bikes, were seized during the exercise.
He said the owners of the items have been asked to produce receipts to show where they bought them and appealed to those who had lost similar items to report at the Tema Regional Police Headquarters to identify them.
Supt. Ankobil said the recent spate of armed robbery in the municipality "demands such an operation" to rid it of drug peddlers and thieves.
He assured the public that vigorous screening is going on and those who were wrongly picked up would be released while the criminals would be prosecuted.
A number of residents interviewed in the business centre of Tema welcomed the exercise, stressing that if all such criminals would be kept away, "we will spend a peaceful Christmas."
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A five-day conference on quality management assurance ends
Accra (Greater Accra), 22nd December 99
The African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) on Tuesday called on African countries to move towards "knowledge economy" to facilitate their ability to adapt and disseminate technical know-how for effective development of the continent.
AAPAM, which made the call at a five-day conference held in Kampala in November, said the knowledge of economy, would also help to improve and sustain quality services to the people.
This was contained in a press statement issued on Tuesday by the Ministry of Communications in Accra.
It said the conference was the 21st in the series since the creation of AAPAM in 1962. It was attended by over 106 delegates from 16 countries including Ghana, Uganda, Lesotho, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada and Kenya.
Prof. Apolo Nisbambi, Prime Minister of Uganda, told the participants that quality management in any field of endeavour was fundamental not only to the material needs of society but also to the philosophical and spiritual well being of the people.
He said excessive self-interest and corruption being experienced in Africa could be reduced significantly through quality management of human and material resources and therefore urged AAPAM to support any mechanism that would ensure quality management in Africa.
A communiqué issued at the end of the conference urged AAPAM to open its membership to public, private and civil society managers in order to promote quality consciousness and partnerships between the public and private sectors of the national economies of African countries.
This, it said, would help set standards and performance targets and establish monitoring mechanisms with time frames to ensure that targets set are achieved.
The communiqué said the media ought to be seen as an important instrument that could support quality management and there was the need for African governments to give support and promote free and independent media for the economic and democratic advancement of the continent.
Dr. Robert Dodoo, Head of the Ghana Civil Service and current President of AAPAM, led Ghana's nine-member delegation to the conference.
The next AAPAM conference has been scheduled for November 2000 in the Seychelles.
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Rawlings calls for a more active ECOWAS
Accra (Greater Accra) 22 Dec '99
President Jerry John Rawlings on Tuesday urged West African countries to shake off the over-reliance on their colonial masters and work towards promoting the economic integration of the sub-region.
"Some of us are trapped in over-reliance on our relations with our colonial masters, placing more emphasis on their perceptions. Even if they mean well, it should be to complement our efforts".
The President said this when a Nigerian Trade delegation led by Professor Jerry Gana, Minister of Co-operation and Integration, called on him at the Castle, Osu.
The delegation is concluding two days of talks with their Ghanaian counterparts on measures to adopt to make the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) more functional in the light of developments in the sub-region.
The 16-nation sub-regional economic grouping formed 15 years ago to spearhead
West Africa's economic integration, is facing serious challenges from UEMOA, a monetary union formed by French-speaking ECOWAS members.
Ghana and Nigeria have, therefore, decided to pursue programmes that would rejuvenate ECOWAS and make it respond to the needs of member countries.
President Rawlings said UEMOA has made advances because of the support it receives from some outside countries.
"Some of us have to rely on ourselves. If we do what we need to do, we will achieve more".
He said West Africa should not allow itself to be balkanised economically and praised the initiative being taken by Ghana and Nigeria to make ECOWAS move at a faster rate.
"Let us not leave it at the level of words. Whatever we achieve, is neither for Rawlings nor for Obasanjo. It is for the people of the sub-region".
Prof. Gana said concrete decisions have been taken regarding co-operation between Ghana and Nigeria in terms of a common currency and free movement of goods and people.
"We are talking about a rail link between Accra and Lagos. We are moving fast because time is not on our side", he said.
Mr. Victor Gbeho, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said although ECOWAS has been having problems in terms of implementing its programmes, some successes have been chalked.
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Brong Ahafo Chiefs call on Rawlings
Accra (Greater Accra) 22 Dec '99
A delegation from the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs led by its President, Nana Kwadwo Nyarko III, on Tuesday called on President Jerry John Rawlings at the Castle, Osu.
They were there to thank him for attending the celebrations, which climaxed activities marking the 40th anniversary of the region's creation.
The delegation also discussed with the President issues affecting the region as well as the country.
With President Rawlings were Mr. J. H. Owusu-Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Isaac Adjei-Mensah, Minister of Works and Housing, Lt-Col E. K. T. Donkor, Minister of Defence and Mr. Donald Adabre, Minister for Brong Ahafo.
President Rawlings appealed to chiefs to influence the way politics is being played in the country.
He said at the moment, as the next elections draw near, there have been too much insults on the radios and in the newspapers and this sometimes create tension.
"You have to talk to us. Call us and advise us'', the President told the chiefs some of whom are Council of State members.
Nana Nyarku enumerated some of Brong Ahafo's development projects and said the government has done so much for the region. "Brong Ahafo Region can now boast of good roads, schools, health institutions and electricity".
Osahene Kwaku Anterkyi, Kukuomhene, complained of problems cocoa farmers in the region are facing.
He said cocoa farmers are grateful to the government for keeping the producer price at the present high level despite the fall in the world market price.
However, Osahene Anterkyi went on to say that farmers are not being paid by the buyers. He said purchasing clerks "keep on telling them the money has not yet come. We appeal to the government to do something about this".
Some of the chiefs also complained about the inability of the farmers to market maize and tomatoes, which they have produced in excess.
Mr Owusu-Acheampong said the government, initially intended to export some of the maize to Angola but had to stop because it is anticipated there would be food shortages in some parts of northern Ghana because of the recent floods.
The excess maize would be bought by the government and stored for distribution in the north when the need arises.
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