Journalists must avoid cronyism, Blay-Amihere
EU assists Ghana with 38.4 million Euro
Farmers call for
expulsion of alien herdsmen
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 Feb.2001
Minister of Finance, Mr Yaw
Osafo-Maafo, says he hopes to lift the economy out of the doldrums by the end
of the government's first term.
He said he would adopt transparent
and disciplinary policies aimed at protecting revenue and expenditure, putting
value on money in order to stop the bleeding in the economy.
Mr Osafo-Maafo was speaking to the
Ghana News Agency shortly after President John Kufuor swore him in with other
ten new ministers at the State House on Thursday.
The new Finance Minister said he
would pay serious attention to the operations of revenue collecting agencies
such as the Internal Revenue Service and the Value Added Tax Service to ensure
that they perform efficiently.
In the short term, Mr Osafo-Maafo
said government is seeking foreign assistance from its development partners and
the Bretton Wood institutions to level the debt stock.
Currently, the government has come
out with a package within which it hopes to negotiate with the donors, he
added.
Ghana's external debt has shot up
by 200 million dollars in the last two years while internal debt rose to six
trillion cedis, representing about 20 per cent of Gross Domestic Product.
Mr Osafo-Maafo reiterated
indications that prices of petroleum products would have to be increased enough
to meet the production cost and make up for the shortfall in revenue.
He, however, declined to give
estimated figures of the expected price increases but said it would have to be
done soon to prevent further economic damage.
He said workers' salaries would be
raised accordingly to cushion the eroding effect of fuel price increases.
Mr Osafo-Maafo said as part of
disciplinary measures people found to be "bad nuts" would be removed
from the system through the due process of the law. He predicted a brighter
future for the country's economic march.
"The future is bright, we
should be able to see our fortunes turn around by the end of our first
term."
Foreign Minister Hackman
Owusu-Agyemang said the main thrust of his vision is to pursue "economic
diplomacy" through policies and programmes that would make the ministry
relevant to the economic development of Ghana.
"We shall provide all the
services required by others to ensure that Ghana is put on high pedestal on the
international scene."
He said he would make sure that
officials at the country's missions abroad are armed with the necessary
information to attract foreign investment, thereby contributing to the economy.
It is also important to pay
special attention to Ghanaians living abroad and encourage them to contribute
to the development process at home, Mr Owusu-Agyemang said citing the passing
of the dual citizenship act by Parliament as an incentive.
The new Foreign Minister said he
would work at opening more consulates as he finds it necessary to make consular
processes more convenient and less expensive to potential investors and genuine
travellers coming to Ghana.
Mr Owusu-Agyemang said he also
hopes to streamline the process for the acquisition of passports by eligible
applicants.
Interior minister, Alhaji Malik
Yakubu Al-Hassan, said his ultimate goal is to bring about "an orderly
society where law and order will flourish."
He said his immediate concern is
to end the serial killings of women and effectively deal with organised
armed-robbery.
"I 'd also work hard to bring
order into our roads," Alhaji Al-Hassan who is also MP for Yendi told the
GNA.
He said in order to succeed, there
is the need to motivate the security agencies especially the police. "We
need to lift up their spirits to enable them embrace the challenges."
Alhaji Al-Hassan said he intends
to set up a security fund with contributions from public- spirited
organisations and individuals.
Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor, Minister of
defence said he would work closely with the military command and others such as
the Armed Forces Council to build on the achievements of the Forces.
"I have a lot of new ideas
which I hope to share together with them. They are very good and efficient
people and I will be proud to help build on their achievements," the
soft-spoken new minister said.
GRi../
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 Feb. 2001
Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere, President of the West Africa Journalists Association (WAJA), on Friday cautioned journalists against allowing cronyism to influence their day-to-day relationship with government.
He said since journalists supported the national movement for change they would have no place to hide if the new government fails to deliver the positive change it promised.
Speaking on the topic: "Positive change and the media", Mr Blay-Amihere said expectations raised by Ghanaians after they voted for the NPP government shows the pressure on it to deliver on its promises.
Mr Blay-Amihere was delivering the keynote address at the annual general meeting of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra at which a new seven-member executive was sworn into office for a two-year term.
"The government should be made to know that the mandate given to it by the people is not an invitation to a tea party," the WAJA president said.
Journalists, he said, should avoid sycophancy in order not to undermine their value as watchdogs for society.
Mr Blay-Amihere pledged the GJA's assistance for President Kufuor's administration "if it shares information with the media, repeals the criminal libel law and passes the Freedom of Information Act."
He advised the government to pursue development based on free choices by the people so that it gets the ambience to tackle pressing national matters.
"This is the best time for the President and his government to raise the full potential of Ghanaians by granting them the choices and opportunities for personal development."
Mrs Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, GJA President, said the growing public recognition of the power of the media "must spur journalists onto greater heights."
"We must guard against complacency and always strive for excellence, by upholding the ethics of our profession."
The GJA, Mrs Affenyi-Dadzie said, is waiting on the government to fulfil its promise of scrapping the criminal libel law and other laws inimical to media practice and the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act.
She said the GJA is setting up an observatory to monitor ethical violations. GJA is among four West Africa journalists associations benefiting from the self-regulatory exercise being sponsored by the International Federation of Journalists with funds from the European Union.
She also announced that the GJA would finalise "in a month or two" arrangements for the purchase of "a more spacious and prestigious press centre of our own."
Mr Nutifafa Kuenyehia, Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), said it is not influenced by people, high or low, in the discharge of its functions.
He called for collaboration between the NMC and the GJA to enable the Commission gain the needed legitimacy in the eyes of the public.
The new seven-member GJA executive has Mrs Affenyi-Dadzie as President, Mr Yaw Owusu-Addo, Vice President, Mr Bright Blewu, General Secretary, Nii Nortey Duah, Deputy General Secretary, Ms Yaa Oforiwah Acquah, Treasurer, Mr Matthew Mac-Kwame and Mr Affail Monney, executive members.
GRi../
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
EU assists Ghana with 38.4 million Euro
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 February 2001
The European Union (EU) has allocated 38.4 million Euro to Ghana under its 2001 assistance programme for Africa, officials said on Friday.
EU has also agreed to make available eight million Euro it withheld out of last year's allotment to Ghana because the country could not meet specific terms and conditions covering the facility.
Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo told journalists after a closed-door meeting between President John Agyekum Kufuor and EU director for West and Central Africa, Friedrich Hamburger, that EU has also agreed to finance the rehabilitation of major roads linking neighbouring states.
Mr Osafo-Maafo who described the discussions as "fruitful and very encouraging" said the EU has responded favourably to an appeal by government for a special package to alleviate poverty and create jobs. He said details of the package would be presented to an EU delegation due in Accra in April.
Mr Osafo-Maafo said Mr Hamburger made a special appeal to President Kufuor to play a key role in promoting peace in the sub-region.
"It was stressed that we should be a stabiliser in the region since there can be no economic development without stability," he added.
The President also received a delegation of Westel Communications, a subsidiary of Western Wireless International, led by Mr Brad Hortwitz, president.
The delegation called at the State House to discuss what it termed frustrations of the company with the view to resolving the bottlenecks. Westel is owned partly by Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, which holds a little over 33 per cent.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
Farmers call for
expulsion of alien herdsmen
Salaga (Northern Region) 03
February 2001
Farmers in more than 30
communities in the Salaga area of the East Gonja district have called for the
immediate expulsion of alien herdsmen and their cattle from the area.
A statement signed by the
spokesman for communities, Mr Joshua Anto on Friday, gave the district assembly
up to March 31 to flush out the herdsmen or they will advise themselves.
The statement said lately, more
than 15 yam, cassava, guinea corn and maize farms have been destroyed by the
cattle.
The farmers spoke of the
uncompromising attitude of the herdsmen whenever complaints are made to them
about the destruction caused by their cattle, saying that the herdsmen even go
to the extent of threatening them with guns and other offensive weapons.
The statement said the herdsmen
are also engaged in all sorts of nefarious activities in the bush including
raping of women.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 February 2001
The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Klaus Toepfer has appointed Mr Sekou Toure of Cote d'Ivoire as the Director of UNEP's Regional Office for Africa.
A statement issued in Accra on Friday by the United Nations Information Centre said his appointment took effect from February 1.
Mr Toure has worked for the government of Cote d'Ivoire as Commissioner of Hydraulics and a Special Adviser to the State Minister in Charge of Development planning and the Prime Minister.
It said he has provided extensive technical assistance on a wide range of environmental issues, projects, training, and matters related to international negotiations.
The statement said Mr Toure has had several years of research and teaching experience in the Universities of Cincinnati and New Hampshire in the United States and the Institut polytechnique Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Yamoussoukro in Cote d'Ivoire.
He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering specialising in Environmental Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com