Ministry discovers fraud in Contractors' Certificates

Check unhealthy competition - Minister

European Commission launches fifth Micro-Project Programme

Census not for tax collection, regional manager

Government studying Court's ruling on appointment of Media heads

Accra (Greater Accra) 27 Jan. 2000

The Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday it has discovered that most projects purported to have been completed between November and December and for which contractors submitted certificates demanding payment, have not been fully executed.

Briefing the press in Accra, Mr Kofi Opoku Manu, Chief Director of the Ministry said some of the projects that the contractors, who besieged the Ministry's premises last December, were demanding payment for are yet to start.

For instance, he said, a 118 million-cedi four-storey building supposed to have been completed and for which payment certificates had been approved by the relevant agencies was yet to start.

"What is on site currently are just the prepared land and a heap of sand."

In some cases, the project cost has been bloated, he added but could not give the total cost of fraud involved immediately, saying, investigations are still being conducted.

In December last year, angry contractors besieged the premises of the Ministry of Finance in Accra for days demanding payment for projects they claimed they had long completed for the various public institutions.

Mr Opoku Manu said unlike the previous years, certificates received for payment in December last year amounted to nearly 70 billion cedis.

He said the sharp rise in the number of certificates coupled with the non-compromising attitude of the contractors, drew suspicion from the Ministry that "something might have gone wrong somewhere."

The Chief Director alleged that the contractors manhandled him and others during their siege at the Ministry.

He said apart from the fact that there was not enough funds to pay for the certificates due to a fall in revenue inflow at the time, the Ministry deliberately delayed payment to allow the Project Implementation Monitoring Unit (PIMU) to crosscheck the claims.

So far, PIMU has submitted findings on four regions, revealing massive fraudulent deals.

The regions are Western, Ashanti, Central and Upper West. He did not rule out collusion by the various decentralised agencies responsible for monitoring and approving the certificates.

Present at the briefing were officials of the PIMU, headed by Mr Hudu Siita and Major Mohammed Tara, Director of Budget.

Mr Opoku Manu expressed concern about the situation and said the Ministry would investigate the cases and take appropriate action against the culprits.

It will also continue to monitor projects vigorously, he said, adding, "We will not do a global processing of certificates."

He hinted that a long-term strategy is being worked out to check the recurrence of the deal, saying details might be spelt out in this year's budget statement.

He, however, gave the assurance that those certificates found to be genuine would be paid in the second week of February, as indicated by the Minister of Finance at a meeting with the contractors.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 27 Jan. 2000

Mr J.H. Owusu-Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture, on Wednesday called on the Fisheries Commission to check the unhealthy competition between industrial and canoe fishermen.

He said this competition could lead to reduction in canoe catches, which account for 70 per cent of marine fish production.

The Minister made the call at the inauguration of an 18-member Board of Directors of the Commission under the chairmanship of Rear Admiral Emmanuel Osei Owusu-Ansah, Chief of Naval Staff.

Mr Owusu-Acheampong said it is important for the board to ensure that the industrial fleet comply with the legal requirements of fishing outside the 30-metre depth reserved for canoe fisheries.

He, however, deplored the activities of canoe fishermen who use explosives and undersized mesh nets, resulting in the destruction of juvenile and grand stocks.

"The Commission must support the community-based Fisheries Management Committees to enforce bye-laws at the local level."

The Minister also urged the Commission to encourage fish farming development to supplement marine fish production in order to provide the much-needed protein for the population.

Members of the Commission include Nana Ogrowhe Anyinan Kweku Boateng, Adangiak Akanteyam, Naval Captain Mohammed Munir Tahiru, Rosetta Annan and Dr. Edward Abban.

The others are Bismarck Nettey, Commander Vincent Brempong, Martin Mensah, Madam Lucia Quachey, Madam Anne Tay, George Anyane, Odoi-Akersie, K. Kudjordji, Daniel Barnes and A. Torgbor.

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The European Commission (EC) in Ghana on Wednesday launched the fifth phase of the European Union and the Government of Ghana's Micro-Projects Programme (MPP) with a call on rural communities to be actively involved in ensuring its success.

The programme aims at improving living standards among rural communities with particular emphasis on the educational and health status of women and children.

Mr Kwaku Osafo, Project Manager, who was speaking at a press conference in Accra, said the programme would be implemented in 56 out of the 110 districts in the country within a period of four years.

The projects would focus on improving the availability of social infrastructure such as schools clinics and water in the rural areas according to the priorities of the beneficiary districts and communities.

He said Community Implementation Committees (CIC) have been set up to supervise the projects at the rural level while the district assemblies will also supervise at the district stage.

Mr Osafo said MPP would recruit the necessary artisans and skilled labour from the community while the district assemblies support the project from the Common Fund allocated to them by the Central government.

The community would also be asked to make cash contribution to the cost in line with similar programmes in their areas.

Madam Ria Kitting, Rural Development Advisor, EC, said the project is not to duplicate existing ones in these areas, but to supplement their efforts and train district assemblies in capacity building.

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Opei-Kuma (Central Region), 27^th January 2000

Mr. Clifford Okine, Central Regional Manager of the Anglican Education Unit, has explained that the forthcoming national population census has nothing to do with tax collection.

He therefore appealed to people in the region to co-operate with census officers to ensure the success of the programme.

Mr. Okine was speaking at a ceremony at which the District Chief Executive for Awutu-Effutu-Senya, Lt. Daniel William Osardu, and the District Director of Education, Mr. Frank Swanzy Essien, jointly commissioned a school project at Opei-Kuma, near Kasoa on Wednesday.

The project sponsored by Plan International, Ghana, at the cost of 80 million cedis comprised of six classrooms, a 10-seater KVIP facility, two urinals and furniture for the classrooms and offices of the Opei-Kuma Primary School.

Mr. Okine explained that the census would help the Government to know the number of people in each region and district to ensure the equitable distribution of the national cake.

Lt Osardu recalled the immense contributions by Plan International, Ghana, to the health and educational development of the district and commended the internal and external directors of the organisation.

Mr. Essien advised parents to send their children, especially the girls, to school and charged teachers in the district to work hard and avoid acts that would affect their performance.

Mr. Agyekum Acquah urged the people to properly maintain the facilities provided, so that their request for development projects would be considered.

Mr. G.B.L. Siilo, District Co-ordinating Director, described Plan International's activity in the district as "a big challenge to the district assembly" and expressed the hope that the assembly would help to provide some of the amenities in other communities.

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Accra (Greater Accra), 27^th January 2000

The Executive says it is studying yesterday's ruling by the Supreme Court declaring the appointment of heads and governing bodies of the state-owned media made by the President "null and void" and will speak with other stakeholders to carve the way forward.

Mr. John Mahama, Minister of Communications told journalists at a post-cabinet briefing on Thursday that government will issue a statement on the ruling when it has adequately studied and subsequently finished consultations with the key players, including the National Media Commission (NMC).

"We received a copy of the ruling yesterday in the evening. We are now studying it and will come out after speaking with the necessary stakeholders," Mr. Mahama, whose ministry is challenged by the ruling, said in a side-kick to the briefing.

He explained that government's quest to speak with the stakeholders on the way forward will not mean contesting the ruling.

The Supreme Court, by a unanimous decision, on Wednesday declared null and void all government appointments of Chairmen, other members of governing bodies and chief executives of the state-owned Media made after 1992.

The court said such appointments were done in contravention of Article 168 of the constitution, which deals with the appointment of chief executives and board members of state-owned media.

The article states that the National Media Commission (NMC) shall appoint the chairmen and other members of the governing bodies of public corporations managing the state-owned media.

The court's ruling was contained in a judgement delivered in a case in which the NMC, in 1997, filed a writ against the Attorney-General claiming that the Government acted unconstitutionally by making such appointments. It therefore averred that those appointments be declared null and void.

Organisations affected by the ruling are the Ghana News Agency (GNA), New Times Corporation (NTC), Graphic Corporation and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).

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