Office of Chief of Staff
releases list of cars bought by ex-gov’t official
Inhabitants in confrontation with armed men
Wildlife experts prove turtle eggs can be incubated
Fire commander condemns attack on personnel
Six sheabutter projects for Northern Ghana
RCC
says it has no knowledge of NADMO operations
Mob set 20 houses ablaze following
death of soccer fan
Barima Nkyi to promote
tourism potentials of 'slave market'
Volta Region needs a break
with anonymous letters
Spare no effort at uniting
the people - Chief
Senegal President Wade
stops over in Accra
Vice president leaves for
Cameroon
Office of Chief of Staff
releases list of cars bought by ex-gov’t official
Accra (Greater Accra) 18 January 2001
The Office of the Chief of Staff on Wednesday released list of 90 vehicles sold to former government officials.
The vehicles, mainly 1997 and 1998 models and some 2000 models, were used by the officials when they were in service but were sold to them as part of their end of service benefit.
The cars include brands like Toyota Corona, VW Passat, Daewoo, Mercedes Benz, Subaru Legacy and Mitsubishi Gallant.
The highest price was 25 million cedis for Mercedes Benz 200 manufactured in 2000 and sold to Mr G.A. Agbodo, Chief Executive of the Divestiture Implementation Committee. Some auctioned vehicles were as low as 300,000 cedis for Niva cars.
Other beneficiaries are Mr Victor Selormey who got a Toyota Crown for 15 million cedis, Nana Opoku Acheampong, Subaru Legacy, Five million Cedis, Lt. Col. E.R.N. Mensah, Audi A4, five million cedis; Mr Charles Kpabitey, VW Passat, 7.5 million cedis; Mr Kwame Peprah, Subaru Legacy, eight million cedis; and Nana Paddy Acheampong, Subaru Legacy, five million cedis.
A statement in Accra said the list of beneficiaries was being released in the avowed spirit of transparency and with the view to informing the public about certain aspects of the transitional arrangements that have aroused public interest and concern.
It said that, as agreed by the transitional team, the current and former Chiefs of Staff are to meet to review the submitted list.
Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Chief of Staff, gave the assurance that, as a matter of policy, the public would be kept informed on all matters arising from the transitional arrangements.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
18 January 2001
A six-member government
delegation led by Mr Samuel Odoi Sykes, National Chairman of NPP, left Accra on
Wednesday night for Washington D.C on an invitation by the United States
government to witness the swearing in of the 43rd president of the US, Mr
George Walker Bush.
Members of the group
are Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Minister designate of Trade and Industry, Mr.
Kwabena Darko, business executive. Dr Kwabena Adusei, Chairman of the North
American chapter of the NPP and two others from the Houston and Canada branches
of the party.
Speaking to the Ghana
News Agency in a pre-departure interview at the Kotoka International airport,
Mr Odoi Sykes, who is member of the Government Transitional Team, said the
invitation was for President Kufuor but due to his busy schedule they are
representing him,
He said "this
visit is in furtherance of the relations between Ghana and the US to co-operate
to bring about the desired development".
Mr. Odoi Sykes said the
delegation, which would be away for four days, will be holding bilateral
discussions with representatives of both the Democratic and the Republican
parties in the Congress.
He said they would be
attending a gala on Friday and a lunch and dinner on Saturday in honour of the
American President.
Mr. Odoi Sykes said the
delegation would also hold a meeting with the Ghanaian business community in
the US and see how best they can contribute to "the new golden age of
business" declared by President Kufuor.
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New Abirem (Eastern Region) 18 Jan 2001
The people of old Abirem in the Birim North district called the bluff of five armed men, three of them in military uniform, who tried to intimidate them during a funeral last Sunday.
Narrating the incident to the GNA at New Abirem, Mr Frank Clement Boafo, assembly member for the area, said at about 6.30 p.m. that day an unregistered Hyundai saloon car, driven by a man in military uniform drove through a funeral procession in town at top speed.
He said when some young men protested at the reckless driving, by shouting at the occupants of the car, the driver stopped and reversed to where the people had gathered.
The assemblyman said the five occupants three of whom, were in military uniform, jumped out and started firing warning shots.
Mr Boafo said while many of the people fled for dear life, others summoned courage and
charged on the armed men.
Three of the men escaped in their car but the remaining two were arrested and sent to the Afosu police station.
They were later sent to the Nkawkaw Holy Family Hospital for treatment from injuries they had during the confrontation.
Mr Boafo has asked the military and police authorities to investigate how the men came by the military attire and the guns.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
18 Jan. 2001
Two French wildlife
conservationists have disproved age-long scientific evidence that turtle eggs
cannot be incubated.
French couple Patrice
and Celine Brochier, resident at Tikobo in the Western Region, who bought
turtle eggs from local fishermen, succeeded in incubating them and eventually
returned them to their natural habitat.
They released about 100
hatchlings back into sea, almost two months after their successful experiment.
This happened near
Eikwe where the Amanzuri River enters the sea, the Ghana News Agency learnt
from elated officials of the Ghana Wildlife Society in Accra on Thursday.
Between December and
March each year, an estimated 100 marine turtles, especially Leatherbacks, come
up to the shores of Ghana to lay eggs.
According to Mr Gerard
H. O. Boakye, Marketing officer of the Wildlife Society, about 50 per cent of
these turtles are caught and slaughtered by fishermen.
"The eggs of the
turtles that succeed in nesting are also dug up and consumed by dogs, pigs and
birds of prey," he said.
Experts estimate that
each turtle lays between 250 and 500 eggs, which they bury in the sand to
hatch.
"It takes over 20
years for the 1,000 hatchlings that survive to reach reproductive maturity and
return to the same beach where they were hatched to breed," Mr Boakye
added.
It is for that reason
that the breakthrough by the French couple is significant and good news for
conservationists in Ghana who have launched many years of campaign to preserve
the marine turtle declared endangered by the Geneva-based International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In Ghana, legislative
instrument (LI685 of 1971) makes it illegal to capture or consume marine
turtles.
The marketing officer
said the couple bought the eggs at 10,000 cedis from fishermen at the beach
near Eikwe at the estuary of the Amanzuri River, to save the lives of
"these near extinct creatures, which the fishermen were going to sell or
consume."
Mr Boakye said the
couple first took the eggs to a secret place on the beach and buried them for
about a month.
They later contacted
some turtle experts in France by e-mail for help on how to hatch the eggs.
"The couple was advised to find an alternative place for the eggs in case
the fishermen relocated them. So they dug up the eggs, collected some beach
sand and sent the eggs home and worked on them in accordance with the experts'
advice."
Mr Boakye said the
couple successfully hatched almost all the eggs at home after almost another
month and eventually returned the young turtles back to sea, their natural
place of abode.
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 18 Jan. 2001
Mr. Kwame Oppong-Frimpong, Brong Ahafo Regional Commander of the Ghana National Fire Service says attacks on personnel of the service is due to the wrong conception that people have about the operations of the service.
People tend to forget that in the event of fire outbreak, they must first make the attempt to stop it, and then make a prompt report to the fire service, he said.
"They rather concentrate on fighting it till it gets out of hand before they call us".
Mr. Oppong-Frimpong was reacting to an attack on the personnel of the fire service at Techiman on Monday by a mob, which stoned a fire tender brought in to put out a fire in a house.
The fire commander said it was unjustified for a section of the public to vent their anger on personnel of the service "who are hampered by a lot of constraints".
"We cannot intentionally relax when there is a fire outbreak anywhere, as that will amount to disservice to the people, and against the very reasons why we were employed".
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Wa (Upper West) 18 Jan. 2001
Christian Mothers Association, a Catholic women's organisation, in collaboration with Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) has constructed and equipped six sheabutter extraction projects valued at 500 million cedis in six communities in the three Northern Regions.
It is part of their activities to empower women, reduce poverty, and enhance dynamic Christian values and to make them self-reliant.
Mrs. Augustina Boachie, National chairman of the Association said this when she commissioned one of such projects at Duokpong a suburb of Wa on Wednesday.
The project, which is valued at 50 million cedis, includes the sheabutter extraction equipment, which is to enable the women to engage in income generating activities.
Mrs. Boachie said apart from the sheabutter projects, the association has been able to help over 200 local women groups to establish various enterprises though most of them were still at the micro level.
The National President called on the District Assemblies and opinion leaders to enact by-laws that will seek to protect valuable trees including the sheanut trees to ensure the growth of the industry.
Rt. Rev. Paul Bemile, Bishop of the Wa Diocese who commissioned the project called on JICA and other Non-governmental organisations to provide ready markets for the products of the projects so as to whip up the interest of women in that venture.
The Bishop urged the association not to restrict the project to only educated women but to employ and train illiterate unemployed women to appreciate the benefits of the project.
Alhaji Ali Seidu Pelpuo, Wa District Chief Executive called on the new government to continue with all good projects initiated by the former government in order not to impede the orderly progress of the area.
He said women in Northern Ghana are burdened with poverty, illiteracy and ignorance and called on all women organisations to strive to enlighten them to improve on their lots at their various levels.
Alhaji Pelpuo also urged beneficiaries of the projects to maintain them regularly so that other generations will benefit from both the equipment and structures.
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RCC
says it has no knowledge of NADMO operations
Tamale (Northern
Region) 18 January 2001
The Northern Regional
Co-ordinating Council (RCC), has denied knowledge of the operations of the
National Disaster Management Organisation's (NADMO) in the region and therefore
not in the position to comment on its activities.
Mr. David Nyankamawu,
Northern Regional co-ordination Director, was speaking to the GNA in reaction
to speculations that the stock of NADMO in the region has been depleted.
He said all efforts to
bring the operations of NADMO, which is a civil service organisation under the
RCC proved futile as officers of the organisation reported directly to the
Regional Minister.
Mr. Nyankamawu said he
was in firm control of the administration of the region, adding "when I am
in doubt, I seek advice from the Chief of Staff".
Mr. Yakubu Ali,
Regional Co-ordinator of NADMO denied working in isolation from the RCC and
said the organisation only reported to the Regional Minister in times of
emergencies. "We have always submitted our reports to RCC".
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Mob set 20 houses ablaze
following death of soccer fan
Asikuma (Central Region) 18 January 2001
An angry mob from Asikuma in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District on Monday set ablaze more than 20 houses at Asantem village, near Asikuma, to avenge the death of a football fan killed in a post-match riot.
Police Superintendent Kwadwo Owusu in charge of the district told newsmen that last Sunday Islamic United of Asikuma engaged Asantem United in a friendly football match which ended 2-1 in favour of the visiting team.
A misunderstanding however occurred between supporters of both teams during which a supporter of the home team allegedly stabbed a supporter of the visiting team, Osumanu Isaaka, 24, on the shoulder, killing him instantly.
Five others, Kwame Opare, Haruna Bawa, Farid Wassah, Mounkaila Bawa and Kwaku Obeng, who sustained injuries were admitted at the Asikuma Catholic Hospital.
Mr. Owusu said Kwabena Kwarteng, one of the sons of the chief of Asantem, Nana Owongo Nkum III, was arrested in connection with the riot and placed in police custody.
The following day at about 10 a.m., a mob from Asikuma set off for Asantem, armed with cutlasses, clubs and iron bars with the intention to avenge the death of Isaaka.
He said a team of armed policemen in the company of the District Chief Executive, Mr. John K. Addai, chased the mob to stop them.
The mob, however, overpowered the police, moved ahead to the village and set ablaze more than 20 houses, including the chief's palace, destroying property worth several million cedis.
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Barima Nkyi to promote
tourism potentials of 'slave market'
Cape Coast (Central Region) 18 January 2001
Barima Kwame Nkyi XII, Paramount Chief of Assin Apimanim Traditional Area, will next month begin a tour of the United States to promote the potentials of the 'slave market' and 'slave river' located at Assin Manso in the Central Region.
The area, which has been designated a 'World Heritage Site' by the UN, served as a "stop-over point" for slave traders bringing slaves from the hinterlands during the slave trade era.
The remains of two slave ancestors were re-interred at the site in 1998 and it has also served as the location for the celebration of 'Emancipation Day', an event which is always well patronised by African-Americans and Africans in the Diaspora.
A statement issued by Barima Nkyi at Cape Coast on Wednesday said the tour, which has been scheduled to coincide with the celebration of "Black History Month', will take him to New York, Washington DC, and Atlanta. It is aimed at educating American communities on the significance of the site as a tourist attraction.
It is also to encourage its use as a "Mecca" for African-Americans and Africans in the Diaspora "who want to reconnect with their African heritage".
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Volta Region needs a break
with anonymous letters
Ho (Volta Region) 18 January 2001
Mr James Dogbe, Volta Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called for a break with anonymous letter writing against personalities appointed to preside over the region's development.
Mr Dogbe was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on how the NPP government would tackle the region's development.
He said anonymous letter writing against personalities in the region was a major factor holding back its development over the years.
Mr Dogbe said people who have goodwill and good intentions towards the region's progress were unable to translate their visions into concrete achievements because of anonymous letters.
He therefore appealed to chiefs, church leaders and other influential persons in the region to find ways of discouraging the practice.
Mr Dogbe said President John Agyekum Kufuor has a lot of goodwill towards the region and will require an energetic corps of leaders who can push the region's interest at the highest level.
On President Kufuor’s trip to Lome for the 34th anniversary of President Gnassingbe Eyadema's Presidency in Togo, Mr Dogbe said it is in accordance with the Danquah-Busia tradition to use dialogue to change political systems shunned by the international community.
He recalled that the late Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, Prime Minister of the Second Republic, championed contacts with the apartheid regime in South Africa as a way of ending that system instead of isolating it.
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Spare no effort at uniting
the people - Chief
Trabuom (Ashanti Region) 18 January 2001
The government must spare no effort at uniting and reconciling all sections of the people, Nana Asoma Karikari II, Trabuomhene, said at Trabuom on Wednesday.
This, he noted, was important to further strengthen and consolidate Ghana's democracy.
Nana Karikari, in a congratulatory message to President John Agyekum Kufuor and Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama on their assumption of office, expressed confidence in the new administration's ability to prove equal to the challenges ahead, and called for public support, understanding, patience and hard work.
"The task ahead certainly is not going to be easy in view of the bad shape of the economy but I hope if we act together in good faith, show diligence and ensure unity of purpose, we can all help to turn the economy around."
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Senegal President Wade
stops over in Accra
Accra (Greater Accra) 18 January 2001
The presidents of Ghana and Senegal have pledged their commitment to co-operate towards improving their economies in order to consolidate the gains made in their democratic dispensations.
They said this would serve as a beacon to other countries in the sub-region to allow democratic governance to take root.
These sentiments were expressed when President John Agyekum Kufuor conferred with President Abdulaye Wade of Senegal who stopped over in Accra on his way to Yaounde, Cameroon, to attend the Franco-African summit, which opened on Thursday.
President Wade said there is a wind of democratic change blowing across the continent, which must be embraced by all.
"The changes in Ghana and Senegal are not artificial. These are the will of the people," he said.
"These could not have happened to an incumbent who has the resources to remain in power unless the people wanted it. It will now be very difficult to steal victory from the people."
President Wade noted that the whole world is talking about democratic experiences in both countries, saying these experiences are indicative of the fact that Africans can change their governments through the ballot box.
He expressed the hope that there would soon be peace in the Cassamance region of Senegal where there is a separatist movement with the adoption of a new constitution during a recent referendum.
President Kufuor welcomed co-operation between the two countries. "We should feel like one people and see the Franco-phone- Anglophone division as a temporary aberration by the Europeans."
President Kufuor said the experience of both countries shows that it is about time that Africans moved away from coups and any destabilising activity, and forged ahead to ensure democratic governance.
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Vice president leaves for
Cameroon
Accra (Greater Accra) 18 January 2001. 17,
Vice President Aliu Mahama left Accra on Wednesday for Yaounde, Cameroon, to attend the Franco-African Summit, which opened on Thursday.
The Vice President joined Abdulaye Wade, the Senegalese President, who made a brief stopover in Accra on his way to the Summit.
Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, Foreign Minister-designate, and some officials of the foreign affairs ministry will join Alhaji Mahama in Yaounde.
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