Mills whips experts for second cycle of Vision 2020
Ministry of Lands and Forestry bans timber firm
Mills whips experts for second cycle of Vision 2020
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 Jan. 2000
Consultations on the second medium term step of the Ghana-Vision 2020 policy document began on Tuesday with a call on the key players to work objectively towards providing pragmatic alternatives to achieve set goals.
Vice President John Atta Mills, addressing the plenary session, urged the experts to critically analyse issues irrespective of their political, religious or ethnic leanings in order to make the long-term vision a reality.
He advised that "theoretical postulates should only serve as guiding instruments rather than being used as blueprints."
Ghana Vision 2020, to be implemented in phases, is a long-term development framework spanning 25 years (1996-2020), under which Ghana is expected to achieve a balanced economy and middle-income status.
The first part, which ends this year, is a comprehensive medium term framework containing a co-ordinated programme of economic and social development policies to be pursued during the first five-year period towards the fulfilment of the long-term goal of accelerated and sustainable development.
Tuesday's event, organised by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), therefore, was to set up Cross Sectoral Planning Groups (CSPG) to start preparation of the second development policy framework and the second medium-term development plan.
Vice President Mills urged the CSPGs whose membership comprise organisations in the private and public sectors, as well as political parties and NGOs, not to lose sight of the great moral responsibility demanded of them.
He further taxed them to assess the manpower requirements needed for the implementation of emerging policies.
He emphasised that the output of the consultative process would be a national document with national identity which no one party can claim to own.
Ministries, Department and Agencies should see the exercise as complementing their own effort in policy formulation and implementation.
Vice President Mills also asked development partners and donors not only to focus on aids but should also consider opening up their markets to Ghanaian products, both primary and manufactured goods.
He said due to lack of human and material resources, most District Assemblies were unable to produce their own district plans towards the first part but instead contracted consultants who had little or no knowledge about the aspirations of the districts concerned.
As a result, some plans were not properly prepared to capture the goals of the vision and the principles of plan formulation.
He therefore urged them to take interest and participate fully in the deliberations of the CSPGs.
Mr Kobena Erbynn, director-general of the NDPC said the CSPGs are expected to submit their proposals by mid-April this year and called on all the relevant authorities to make their inputs available to them.
"It involves a lot of work and we must put our shoulders on the wheel," he urged.
Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia, Chairman of the Council of State who presided also urged the experts to make judicious use of the next three months to come out with workable proposals.
GRi../
Ministry of Lands and Forestry bans timber firm
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 Jan 2000
The Ministry of Lands and Forestry has banned a Suhum based timber and mills company from operation with immediate.
The firm, "In Some Ways" was found flouting the Timber Management Resources Act by buying chain sawn lumber from illegal chain saw operators.
The firm was among the 28 firms approved by the government to sell lumber in the country.
Mr Nayon Bilijo, Deputy Minister of Lands and Forestry, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday after a tour to assess the implementation of the ban on chain saw activities.
As part of the tour, a team from the Ministry paid a surprise visit to the premises of the company early this month and found that the company had displayed lumber at its frontage thereby deceiving the public that it was dealing in sawn logs.
But in reality, it was dealing in beams purchased from chain saw operators, contrary to the law.
According to the new timber law, companies are obliged to sell sawn timber logs and not beams.
The Deputy Minister said the ministry would not spare firms, which take the law into their own hands.
GRi../
Ghana in Brief
Wa (Upper West) :Two Canadian organisations on Monday presented six solar-powered vaccine refrigerators valued at 30,000 Canadian dollars to the Upper West Regional Directorate of Health Services at Wa.
Rotary Club of Windsor in Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) made the donation following an appeal made by the regional health authorities.
Dr. Godfrey Bacheyie, a member of the Rotary Club who presented the fridges.
More../
Wa (Upper West) : Mr M.A. Seidu, Member of Parliament (MP) for Wa Central, on Monday presented assorted items valued at five million cedis to victims of last year's floods in his constituency at Wa.
They included 100 pieces each of students' mattresses, mats, cups, basins, 63 buckets and three bales of used clothing.
Mr Seidu said the National Disaster Management Organisation gave him the items following an appeal made to the general public by MPs from the three northern regions in parliament for assistance for the victims.
GRi