$340m Budgetary support for Ghana
Rehabilitation of educational infrastructure - Ministry to sink 100 billion cedis
Kan-Dapaah speaks on fuel issue
Japan threatens to withhold aid – if Ghana applies for HIPC
After ultimatum on weapons – Min plans next move
TUC confronts Ato Dadzie on ESB
Big shake up in NDC
Govt to probe Kume Preko killings
BNI chases Rawlings
Coomson, Quarcoo discharged but Kofi and counsel want fight to the finish
Tastsu evades tax in billions
Kwame Preprah ordered ESB - but Parliament Approved
Barclays Commits 300 million cedis to Education
$340m Budgetary support for Ghana
The President, Mr J.A. Kufuor, arrived on Tuesday from Bamako, Mali, after attending a two-day summit meeting of West African Heads of State with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Daily Graphic said.
11 heads of state as well as the World Bank President, James Wolfensohn, and the Director of IMF, Mr Horst Kohler, attended the summit.
President Kufuor described the summit as very successful judging from the issues that were discussed and the suggestions made in that direction.
He said the summit provided an avenue for the Breton Woods institutions to listen to West African leaders, stressing that there were frank discussions in which these problems were outlined.
Ghana, he said, was assured of support by both international institutions but added that it was upon condition that the nation evolved the right policies and actions.
Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance, who was a member of the delegation, said Ghana’s economic situation was dissected and ample solutions offered to revamp it.
He said Ghana made a special case for herself to which the World Bank and the IMF promised to assist her in its economic resuscitation with $340m million budgetary support.
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Rehabilitation of educational infrastructure - Ministry to sink 100 billion cedis
Graphic says the Ministry of Education is to source about 100 billion cedis from the Education Trust Fund for the rehabilitation of educational infrastructure in the country.
The sector Minister, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, said in an interview that rural schools would be given priority under the programme in order to improve them to appreciable levels to enable them to deliver quality education.
He pointed out that schools at all levels of the educational system would benefit from the programme. A list of schools to be rehabilitated is being compiled and is expected to be ready next week
Prof Ameyaw-Akumfi said areas to benefit under the programme would include classroom blocks, laboratories and libraries.
The Minister hinted that the World Bank has pledged its support to the development of the country’s educational system, especially in the provision and rehabilitation of school infrastructure and said this would help bring about significant improvements to the sector.
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Kan-Dapaah speaks on fuel issue
The Government has stated that it will not run away from taking the necessary actions, however bitter, in the revision of fuel prices, ‘The Ghanaian Times’ said.
But before any revisions are made, certain actions would be taken to mitigate the effects, said the Minister of Energy, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah.
He did not indicate what actions would be taken but said that the government “was working assiduously on this very important matter.”
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Kan-Dapaah, who would also did not give any indication of what the percentage rise would be, asked the nation to bear with the government.
“The right decisions will be made and at the right time. It will be a decision that responds to the needs of our economy and the best interests of the good people of Ghana”, he promised.
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Japan threatens to withhold aid – if Ghana applies for HIPC
The Times reported that Japan has warned it will withdraw all aids and grants to Ghana if the government applies for the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) package.
The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Hiromu Nitta, disclosed this in Accra on Tuesday in a contribution to a discussion of a paper on the topic, “Eliminating World Poverty: making globalisation work for the poor,” delivered by the visiting British Secretary of State for International Development, Ms Clare Short.
He indicated that Japan was against the HIPC strategy and had categorically made its position clear to the Ghana government.
Ambassador Nitta said Japan would not extend aid to any country, which would join the HIPC.
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After ultimatum on weapons – Min plans next move
The Ministry of the Interior and the Police Administration will, according to the ‘Times’, meet on Wednesday on the modalities and actions to be taken after the expiration of the ultimatum on the hand-over of unlicensed weapons to the police.
The ultimatum expired on Monday, according to the Times.
Alhaji Malik Al-Hassan Yakubu, the sector Minister, disclosed this on a telephone interview with the paper concerning the next line of action after the ultimatum.
He said the two sides would work on details, which would be made public after the meeting.
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TUC confronts Ato Dadzie on ESB
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has stated that the former government did not consult it in the disbursement of the End of Service Benefits (ESB) to ex-government officials and NDC functionaries, ‘The Evening News’ reported.
It noted that there is nothing on record to show TUC’s involvement in the ESB Saga since the former government usurped its powers to disburse the huge sums of monies to it’s members in the name of ESB.
Mr. J.N. Y Atopley, the deputy secretary general of TUC, disclosed this to “The Evening News” in reaction to a statement made by the former Chief of Staff, Nana Ato Dadzie, on a local FM station that he consulted the tripartite committee of which TUC is a leading member before the disbursement of the monies to the ex-government officials.
He noted that the former government during it’s regime acted in “ultravires” to abrogate the ESB which was due workers after their tenure of office without the consent of the TUC.
He therefore expressed dismay at the former government’s attitude to honour it’s members with the ESB saying “if they can fix monies for themselves as ESB, I don’t see the reason why TUC should not press for the reintroduction of the ESB”.
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Big shake up in NDC
The Independent says information available to it indicates that the NDC is all poised to restore its former position within the next four years.
The first consideration in the party’s quest to regain power, which chieftains in the NDC claim is temporarily occupied by the NPP, is to look at itself from within.
“We are seriously considering the internal democratic structures in the NDC to replace the consensus building which we believe caused us dearly in the December polls”, one official hinted.
The official said concerns so far raised by the party’s youth and regional branches to work on its internal democracy are seriously being considered.
The youth wing at a press conference about a month ago expressed their strongest desire for the introduction of internal democratic processes in the NDC.
Signs picked up by ‘the Independent’ show that the youth are not the least compromising their stance and are preparing a memorandum on the issue to be presented to the party.
Informed sources within the youth wing hinted that the memorandum should be ready by next month.
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Govt to probe Kume Preko killings
The Dispatch writes that Friday, May 11, 2001, marks the sixth anniversary of the Kume Preko demonstration, organized by a pressure group, the Alliance For Change (AFC), that was protesting against the introduction, in 1995, of the Value Added Tax (VAT).
A counter demonstration, suspected to have been mobilized by some supporters of the then ruling NDC resulted in the death of four innocent Ghanaians, including a 14-year old JSS pupil, Ahunu Hongar when they were shot and killed in cold blood.
The paper says as at press time last Monday, it seemed increasingly likely that the NPP government of President J.A. Kufuor will probe the Police Situational Report, number 132/95 of May 12, 1995.
The paper quotes President Kufuor’s submitting in his first Sessional Address to Parliament last Thursday that: “It is important to state that where criminal acts have been committed, especially after coming into effect of the Constitution, it will be irresponsible to all such people to escape the consequences of their actions under guise of the ‘no witch-hunt’ policy.
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BNI chases Rawlings
The actions of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) have become one of the main sources of worry for Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings, the ‘Weekly Insight’ said.
Since he left office on January 7, 2001, Mr Rawlings has apparently become a target of what is perceived as harassment by an organisation his government set up in 1982.
The first sign of trouble came when soon after the inauguration of the Kufuor administration agents of the BNI stormed an official guest house at Akosombo which had used by the Rawlings’ as a vacation spot.
They searched every nook and crany of the residence and came up with no incriminating evidence.
Sources close to the security establishment say that the search was triggered off by allegations that some weapons were being hidden there.
The premises of some friends of the former first family have also been vigorously searched by a combination of intelligence operatives and uniformed gun bearing policemen.
“In a style reminiscent of the days when Captain Kojo Tsikata was followed everywhere he went, the agents crowded around the MG sports car used by Mr Rawlings whiles a few of them followed him into the restaurant.”
Although Mr Rawlings has not made any public statement on the matter, his friends say that he is deeply worried by what he perceives as official harassment.
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Coomson, Quarcoo discharged but Kofi and counsel want fight to the finish
The Ghanaian Chronicle says there was a dramatic development in an Accra High Court on Tuesday when an acquittal of journalist on trial for an offence that attracted a maximum of 10 years imprisonment was greeted with disappointment.
“It was the first time in the history of Ghana that anybody had been charged with seditious libel, a colonial legacy that hinged on the belief in the omniscience and infallibility of the King of England.”
Lawyer Akoto Ampaw, in court for the accused almost slouched onto his seat, picked himself up and grumpily told the court that he was disappointed with the final outcome. “A lot of work had gone into the preparation and research and he was confident.”
Kofi Coomson, the third accused, also got on to his feet and told the judge that he share the sentiments expressed by his counsel stating that he confident the legal arguments marshalled would have ultimately led to a victorious conclusion.
He has promised to make some revelations that he held back for patriotic reasons, and expressed a preference that he would have loved a ‘fight to the finish’.
The state had invoked one of its prerogative rights in her legal armoury by filing a nolle prosequi in the celebrated seditious libel case involving Nana Kofi Coomson, publisher of the Ghanaian Chronicle, Mr Eben Quarcoo, former Editor of the Free Press and Tommy Thompson Books Ltd, which has been raging on for over five years.
The three were first sent to prison exactly five years ago 14th February 1996 and kicked off a massive legal fight that rocked the nation and touched off a diplomatic row between the United States Government and the Ghana Government leading to a tit-for-tat expulsion of a top American Diplomat, Mr Nick Robinson for allegedly threatening the Government of Ghana with a big stick should they jail the journalists.
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Tastsu evades tax in billions
The Free Press says its investigations has now established that apart from milking the Ada Traditional Council (ATC) and the people of Ada of billions of cedis through unpaid royalities, Tsatsu Tsikata’s Ada Songhor Salt Ltd also caused serious loss of revenue to the state by evading tax payments from 1993 to 1998.
Sources revealed that in 1992, the ATC and the Ghana National Petroleum Company Ltd. (GNPC), under the leadership of Tsatsu Tsikata signed a protocol to establish a company to exploit the salt deposits at Songhor Legoon.
However, in 1993, Tsatsu, without the knowledge of the other party established the Ada Songhor Salt Ltd and appointed as directors, Mr Nathan Quao, former Presidential staffer, Mr Thomas Trogart Fabyan of GNPC, Ignatius Baffoe Bonnie, an economist and Kyeretwie Opoku, formerly also of GNPC.
The source intimated that between 1993 and 1998, Tsikata never submitted records for auditing so they are not aware of any revenues made.
Informed sources however revealed that between that period Ada Songhor Salt Ltd made over 200 billion cedis on which no taxes were paid.
When contacted, officials at the multinational division of the Internal Revenue Service stated that even though companies are expected to produce registration certificate from the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) before being gazetted for taxation purposes many companies in collusion with the RGD fail to do so, thus evading tax.
Investigations at the mining section of the RGD also revealed that even though Ada Songhor Salt Ltd started operations in 1993 the file there was dated from 1998.
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Kwame Preprah ordered ESB - but Parliament Approved
Unimpeachable sources told the Guide that on January 3, 2001, Mr Kwame Peprah ordered the Controller and Accountant-General, Mr Tufuor to effect the payment of the ESB.
This was during a meeting of the then government economic committee, of the transitional team.
Present at that meeting were Kwame Peprah, Mr Tufuor, Mr Amamoo of the Ministry of Finance, Mr Adom of the internal Revenue Service (IRS), Mr Ezekial Asamoah of the Value Added Tax Service (VAT) Nii Okine Adjei, former CEPS boss, Kofi Opoku Manu, a former Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance who was holding himself at the time as the Special Assistant to the Finance Minister, amongst others.
Inside sources say Mr Kwame Peprah, at the meeting, asked the Accountant-General, Mr Tufuor to enforce his (Peprah) instructions to work on the ESB for the outgoing Ministers and party functionaries.
Mr Tufuor reportedly, drew the attention of Kwame Peprah to the thorny and illegal nature of the orders, but Peprah allegedly reminded him of the NDC still being in power and so he should abide by his orders.
The source said with that, a list of beneficiaries and the amounts they were to receive was quickly forwarded to the Accountant-General’s department for action.
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Barclays Commits 300 million cedis to Education
The High Street Journal (HSJ) says the Barclays Bank Ghana last year donated about 40% out of its budget of donations totalling 700 million cedis to education.
Mr Kobinah Quansah, Managing Director, disclosed this on the occasion of cash donation of 80 million cedis to the Ghana Education Trust Fund last week at the bank’s boardroom.
He said the bank’s donation is in keeping with its social obligation and more so, owing to its ardent belief that education is key to national development, and the need for other corporate institutions to complement the efforts of government in this enterprise.
Kobina Quansah, commended as innovative the decision by government to set aside 2.5% of VAT returns for the purpose of educational funding in Ghana.
He said Barclays Ghana has set up a complementary tertiary education fund, which is to assist in improving upon facilities in tertiary institutions.
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