Korle Bu director asked to proceed on leave

Managing Director of Africa Automobile Ltd arrested

Schools cannot impose religion on students

Akyem Abuakwa traditional council meets over funeral of Okyenhene

Togolese opposition leader demands "orderly change"

Fisheries, Navy inspect fishing gear

Dr Amoako-Nuamah tours Brong Ahafo

Minister asks research centre to extend functions to the regions

Central Bank is committed to the well being of rural banks, Dr Duffuor

Landowners asked to get lands documented

National Service personnel to undergo security training

Workshop on medium-term expenditure framework opens in Tamale

Anomalies in salaries rectified

Government urged to reduce import duties on computers

African Youth urged to embrace cultural values

Don't abuse police emergency line - public told

Accra, (Greater Accra) 20 July '99,

The Ministry of Health has asked Dr Sylvia Annie Akwetey, Director of Administration, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, to proceed on leave in the interest of industrial harmony.

A statement signed by Mr Samuel Nuamah Donkor, Minister of Health, on Monday, said, the Ministry has received an interim report from the Serious Fraud Office on investigations into alleged fraudulent deals in the supply of medical consumables at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

It said there is also in existence the report of the J. E Osei Committee on the same allegations.

The statement said, "there is, therefore, the urgent need to reconcile the contents and various recommendations of the two reports to ensure fairness to all concerned.

"This decision is without prejudice to the conclusions that may be drawn by the body that will review the two apparently conflicting reports", it said.

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Accra, (Greater Accra) 20 July '99,

The Managing Director of African Automobile and International Automobile Limited, Mr Mohamed Hajazi was on Monday apprehended by the Odorkor Police for allegedly threatening workers of the company on two occasions with pistol.

Mr Hajazi will be arraigned before court on Tuesday.

A release signed by Inspector David S. Eklu, of the Police Public Relations Directorate, said on June 23 and July two, Mr Hajazi pulled a pistol on his workers during a misunderstanding between him and the workers.

The release said a report was made to the Police but before the Police could take action Mr Hajazi travelled outside Ghana.

It said he returned at the weekend and was arrested on Monday morning.

The release said a Walter P88 compact pistol was retrieved from Mr Hajazi.

Investigation into the matter is still going on, the statement said and urged workers of the company to liaise with the Crime Officer of the Odorkor Police to assist.

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Okorase (Eastern Region) 20 July '99,

No school can force a particular religion on students who do not believe in it.

A Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, who stated this to newsmen, said it is, therefore, unlawful for schools to compel or force Muslim students to attend Christian church services on school compounds on Sundays.

He was reacting to concerns expressed by Muslim scholars during the commissioning of the first phase of an Islamic Girls' High School at Okorase in the Suhum/Kraboa/Coaltar District.

The scholars had observed that some schools force Muslim students to attend Christian church services.

Dr Chambas explained that Ghana is a secular country, whose constitution recognises the freedom of worship and association, and that the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service would not allow the imposition of a particular religion on students who do not believe in it.

He called for respect and understanding for each other's religion to ensure peace and harmony in the country.

Dr Chambas noted that the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) encourages Muslims to enrol their children in schools to acquire secular education to enable Muslim communities to catch up with the rest of the country.

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Kibi (Eastern Region), 20 July '99,

The Acting President of Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council, Osabarima Kena Ampaw, has called on citizens to ensure a peaceful and fitting funeral for Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Kuntunkununku II, which is scheduled for August nine to 16.

Addressing a meeting of the Council at Kibi on Sunday, he outlined some aspects of the programme for the funeral, for which a ban has been placed on all funerals within the traditional area until after the burial.

Burials would however, be allowed during the week of the funeral, he said.

Osabarima Ampaw, who is also the chief of Kukurantumi and Adontenhene of the Traditional Area, further announced the suspension of the arbitration of all cases pending before the judicial committee of the council until after the funeral.

He commended individuals and organisations that have donated in cash and kind toward the funeral and said everything was being done to ensure a fitting funeral for "our beloved king".

Meanwhile, staff of Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) at Akim Tafo and the Cocoa Services Division of the Ghana Cocoa Board in Koforidua have jointly presented 10 million cedis and two cartons of Schnapps to Okyenman.

The Board of Directors of Atiwa Rural Bank at Kwabeng also presented a carton of Schnapps and 200,000 cedis.

On behalf of the Kyebi Fekuo in London, the Abakomahene of Adadientam, near Kibi, Nana Koranteng Nyameadom, presented 1,000 pounds sterling (about 4.3 million cedis) and a carton of Schnapps to the Traditional Council.

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Accra, (Greater Accra) 20^th July '99,

Exiled Togolese opposition leader Gilchrist Olympio said on Monday his Union of Forces for Change (UFC) would not compromise on its demand for an "orderly change" of government and the rule of law in that country.

He said his party's call for an "orderly change", as well as proof of President Gnassingbe Eyadema's claim of victory in the last presidential elections, are some of its demands at an all-party talks that started on Monday in the capital, Lome.

Mr Olympio was speaking on telephone to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) from his Accra residence after he abandoned his trip to Lome on Sunday, citing unsatisfactory security measures.

The European Union and Francophone countries brokered the talks to help return the country to normalcy, following the confusion after the June 1998 elections that Mr Olympio and President Eyadema each claimed to have won.

Mr Olympio said other proposals include the restructuring of the membership of some statutory bodies, particularly the Supreme Court, the Electoral Commission and Press Commission, to include representation from the opposition.

He said the UFC would also ask for a date for fresh elections, addressing the problem of refugees and restructuring of the armed forces, which he said, had been tribalised.

"It is time for President Eyadema to give way to the people's choice", the opposition leader said, adding that it was his party's view that a "mutual guarantee" be worked to enable him to live without "any witch-hunting."

"If (President) Eyadema decides to go, we should give him safe passage. If he doesn't want to go, then there should be a transitional government.

"There will be no compromise on these issues...If these are not met, the meeting breaks down".

He declined to say what his next line of action would be, saying, "normally, you come to the river and decide how you are going to cross it".

Mr Olympio said he would join the talks, which will last for 10 days when security guarantees are adequate.

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Tema, (Greater Accra) 20^th July '99,

The Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Division of the Fisheries Department, in conjunction with the Ghana Navy, on Monday began inspecting the equipment of fishing companies in Tema to ensure that they operate within the Fisheries Law of the country.

Led by Mr George H. Anyane, Director of Fisheries, they inspected four vessels namely ''Zhong Lu 701'' belonging to Nduman Fisheries Limited, ''One Star Vessel'' of Koda Investment Company, ''Fedra Vessel'' of Holiday Fishing Company and ''Shabda Vessel'' of Cactus Fishing Company.

The fifth vessel, ''Ever Preacher One'' is not registered and the Director ordered it not to move until it was registered.

The surprise inspection revealed that the vessels had inadequate life saving jackets, few crew, wrong types of fishing nets and some of them were operating without licence.

The fishing nets of Zhong Lu which were of the wrong size were confiscated.

Shabda had recruited few crew, while One Star could not produce its licence.

Mr Anyane stated that all these offences contravened the Fisheries Law of 1991 of PNDC law 256 and the appropriate steps would be taken to prosecute them to serve as a deterrent to other fishing companies.

He said the Fisheries licence should be renewed yearly, while at least 75 percent of the crew members should be Ghanaians. The smaller fishing nets tend to catch the juvenile fishes, and this is against the fisheries law.

The Fisheries Director indicated that the exercise would continue to ensure responsible fishing within the approved zones.

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Sunyani, (Brong Ahafo) 20^th July '99,

The Minister of Lands and Forestry, Dr Christine Amoako-Nuamah has asked sawmills to reduce their exports and set aside a portion of their production for the local market as means of reducing their dependence chain-saw operators in cutting lumber.

Dr Amoako-Nuamah said this on Monday when she met heads of department under her Ministry in Sunyani as part of her three-day visit to the Brong-Ahafo Region.

She noted that the operation of illegal chain-saw operators was having such a telling effect on the country's forest resources that all stakeholders must assist to curb their activities.

Dr Amoako-Nuamah said her Ministry would soon launch a nation-wide education programme to show the effects and dangers of the activities of chain-saw operators.

After a grace period, the Minister added, anybody who will be arrested by the Timber Monitoring Unit for buying a chain-sawn lumber will be made to pay royalties on the lumber bought.

She emphasised that the steps are not meant to deprive people of their livelihood, but to ensure the sustainable exploitation of the country's forestry resources in accordance with international demands and standards.

Dr Amoako-Nuamah said her ministry was determined to enforce the new forestry laws to the letter, and appealed to stakeholders to co-operate with the Ministry to save the country's forests.

On behalf of the departments, the acting regional chairman of the Lands Commission, Mr W.Y. Oppong said the lack of adequate qualified personnel had affected the output of the departments.

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Bunso (Eastern Region), 20^th July '99,

The Minister of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), Mr Cletus Avoka, has called on the Plant Genetic Research Centre of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to extend its research activities to other regions.

He said savannah crops such as the baobab, dawadawa and nim trees in the North require research into their characteristics and properties, which he said are worth developing and processing for the benefit of the country.

Mr Avoka who was addressing the staff of the centre at Bunso as part of his countrywide tour of institutions under the CSIR, called for linkages among the research institutions to avoid duplication.

He asked the centre to submit a proposal on the expansion issue to enable the Ministry to offer the necessary assistance, as the government would only fund research institutions whose findings would contribute to national development.

The Minister reiterated the government's request to institutions under CSIR to raise at least, 30 per cent of their budgetary requirement through commercialisation of their research findings to farmers and investors.

He urged research institutions to step up their research findings and ensure that they are made available to those who could utilise them, because the attainment of the objectives of "Ghana Vision 2020" would to a large extent depend on science and technology.

Mr Avoka called for discipline, transparency and accountability to ensure that the commercialisation policy succeeds and a percentage of the earnings sent to the secretariat of the CSIR.

To this end, he announced the government's directive that all Ministries, departments and agencies should institutionalise regular workers' durbars to promote in-house communication to check gossiping, indiscipline and industrial actions.

The director of the centre, Dr S.O. Bennet-Lartey who conducted the Minister and his deputy, Alhaji Dr Farouk Braimah round various units of the centre, said the centre's mandate includes the collection and conservation of plant genetic resources of the country due to the introduction of "so-called improved materials" from research institutions.

The situation, he said, has compelled farmers to abandon the old planting materials for the new breeds, leading to a loss to the country.

He also mentioned construction activities and bushfires as some of the causes of the destruction of the country's plant resources.

Dr Bennett-Lartey announced that the centre earned 56 million cedis last year from the commercialisation of its activities and hoped it would increase this year.

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Anum (Eastern Region), 20^th July '99,

The Governor of Bank of Ghana (BOG), Dr Kwabena Duffuor said at the weekend that the Bank is committed to the development of rural banking and would ensure that all rural banks operate well.

He stressed that the role of the rural sector of the country's economy has become very crucial in view of its significant contribution to the overall domestic production and employment generation.

It is in recognition of this that rural banking development is considered crucial in the upgrading of rural areas socially, economically and environmentally, he said in a speech read for him at the commissioning of a 194 million cedis office complex for the Anum Rural Bank Limited in the Eastern Region.

The building consists of banking and conference halls, offices and a cafeteria.

Dr Duffuor tasked the Anum Rural Bank Limited to draw up appropriate plans and strategies for the recovery of loans, and appealed to chiefs and opinion leaders to educate their people to patronise rural banks and repay loans promptly.

The Governor commended the bank for its achievements, which have made it one of the 23 rural banks classified as operating satisfactorily out of 123 banks.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Ms Patience Adow appealed to rural banks to draw up and adopt gender sensitive policies and programmes for the empowerment of and support for women.

Ms Adow observed that government, recognising and adopting the private sector as the engine of national economic growth and development, "expects a very pro-active banking system that can cater for the capital needs of as many productive enterprises as possible in both the formal and informal sectors".

"It is, indeed, a great worry to government that the informal sector where the vast majority of Ghanaian entrepreneurs operate, is largely marginalised when it comes to dealing with the banking institutions," she noted.

Mr Emmanuel Dwamena Bekoe, Asuogyaman District Chief Executive said the bank and the assembly are exploring avenues to support the government's Volta Lake Gorge Protection programme.

The programme, he said, would promote alternative non-farm income generating activities.

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Sunyani, (Brong Ahafo) 20 July '99,

The Minister of Lands and Forestry, Dr Christina Amoako-Nuamah, on Monday asked chiefs and other land owners in the country to take advantage of departments under the ministry to secure genuine outlays and titles to their lands.

This would help reduce the number of land disputes in the country and in the efficient utilisation of land for development.

Dr Amoako-Nuamah was speaking during a courtesy call on the president of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Kwadwo Nyarko, at Sunyani.

Chiefs as custodians of the land, have the duty to ensure that they are properly emarcated and documented for posterity and development, she said.

She said the Land Commission, the Land Title Registry, Survey Department and the Town and Country Planning all exist to assist in the documentation of lands and must be taken advantage of.

Dr Amoako-Nuamah hinted that a division of the high court solely for land adjudication is being set up in the regions for speedy settlement of land disputes.

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Kumasi, (Ashanti Region) 20^th July '99,

The National Service Secretariat is developing a programme under which service personnel would undergo training to enable them to manage disasters.

Mr David Kanyi, acting Director of the National Service Scheme who announced this at the launching of the national service week in Kumasi on Monday, said some service persons would undergo training between October and December to serve as a reserve corps to fight disasters.

A programme is also being designed for others to attend seminars and workshops on health education, politics, environment and culture.

Mr Kanyi said these plans are aimed at whipping up the interest of the youth in national issues and to enable them to contribute to national development.

The weeklong celebration is on the theme "Creating environmental consciousness, the role of the national service personnel".

Dr Farouk Braimah, Deputy Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, called on service personnel to join the crusade to save the environment by forming environmental clubs or help in their formation in the communities.

He urged them to use the occasion to embark on a vigorous tree planting exercise to demonstrate their readiness to support the government in finding solution to the environmental problem facing the nation.

Mr Peter Edward Odei, President of the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA), expressed concern about the negative human attitude towards the environment.

"It is an irony that the human being, who is at the centre of the controversy in destroying the environment, is the one who suffers most when there is disaster", he said.

The NASPA President called on the Prices and Incomes Board to clearly define the status of service personnel with regards to the Price Waterhouse report.

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Tamale, (Northern Region) 20^th July '99,

Mr Joshua Alabi, Northern Regional Minister, has stressed the need for sound public expenditure without which the country cannot achieve the objectives of the Vision 2020 programme.

"Ministries, departments and agencies have the responsibility to adopt the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) to ensure that their objectives relate very well with the national goal''.

Mr Alabi was speaking at the opening of a workshop for heads of departments and regional accountants on the MTEF, a component of the public financial management reforms, in Tamale on Monday.

The 44 participants are spending two days to discuss the objectives of MTEF, which include the importance and principles of change management and the preparation of strategic plans and estimates.

It is the first stage of workshops being organised by the regional co-ordinating council for core officers of the13 district assemblies, including district chief executives, and district planning, budget and finance officers.

Mr Alabi said the MTEF is aimed at addressing weaknesses inherent in the old system of budget preparation and implementation.

This is because the old system has led to misapplication of funds, deliberate inflation of estimates, submission of unrealistic expenditure returns and lack of a linkage between revenue and expenditure.

Mr Alabi said the most important benefits of the MTEF is, that chief directors and managers in the public sector, would have to ensure that priorities match resources through strategic planning.

Mr Thomas Appiagyei, Acting Regional Budget Officer, said the envisaged budgetary, transformation, preparation and implementation process under MTEP would, "lead the way to the next millennium".

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Accra, (Greater Accra) 20^th July '99,

Anomalies that characterised the implementation of the new salaries and wages policy in June have been rectified by the Controller and Accountant General's Department.

Consequently, cheques for the payment of salary arrears and salaries for the months of June and July respectively have since last Friday, July 16, been sent to the banks.

A source at the Central Management Board (CMB) on the New Salaries and Wages Policy otherwise known as the Price Waterhouse told the GNA in an interview in Accra on Monday that workers could go to the banks for their salaries this week.

The source said the CMB would abide by the memorandum of understanding signed between the government and workers which among other things stated that, "no worker will be made worse off with the implementation of the new wages and salaries policy".

Last month, there was worker outrage at the implementation of the new salaries and wages policy because of certain errors and anomalies that characterised the payment of salaries.

While some workers had their salaries cut, others had theirs increased with some receiving nothing.

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Accra (Greater Accra), 20^th July 99

African governments have been urged to remove import duties on computers and ancillary equipment.

Professor Walter Alhassan, Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), said the tariff reduction would make computers more available.

He said with computers, timely agricultural information could be made available to farmers in rural areas for rapid development in the next century.

Prof Alhassan was opening a two-week workshop on agricultural information services in the areas of web page design and electronic networks for some 18 agricultural scientists from English-speaking West African countries.

It is being organised by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation (CTA) in collaboration with the CSIR.

The CTA was established in 1983 within the framework of the Lome Convention, a co-operation agreement between African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) and the European Union.

The CTA has among its objectives, the provision of services to improve access to information for agriculture and rural development.

Other objectives are the provision of better Internet services, improving the availability and accessibility of information, and fostering exchanges between various agricultural sectors in the region.

Prof Alhassan said, "an effective telephone system is a pre-requisite for the use of the new technology. This should be completely liberalised and the necessary tax incentive created to attract investors".

Miss Marie Josee Jehl, Course Co-ordinator of CTA, said inadequate resources and lack of information on available electronic networks are preventing ACP countries from using these networks.

She said the CTA would enable her partners to publish their works on-line and help them to exchange their resources by means of networking and by making use of the World-wide Web.

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Accra (Greater Accra), 20^th July 99 –

Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, Vice-President, on Monday urged African youth to embrace their cultural values as weapons to face challenges of the emerging millennium.

"Emancipate your mentality, develop a mentality that will free you from the foreign institutionalised way of doing things", he said.

The Vice-President was opening the first Pan African Youth Summit organised by the Dr W.E.B Dubois Centre for Pan African Culture under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Youth leaders from Ghana, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Uganda, Togo, Egypt and the United States are attending the meeting.

The delegates will discuss how best the youth of Africa could contribute towards the revival of the continent at the dawn of a new millennium.

Prof. Mills said the youth are being given prominent roles to play in the shaping of the continent's future now that it is gunning for economic emancipation after political consolidation.

He said the youth summit is as important as the first Pan African Congress, held in 1919 since it would provide the youth of Africa with a clear path to follow in their quest for new prosperous Africa.

The Vice-President called for massive investment in the education of the youth to make them well equipped to face the future and urged the delegates to look at the issues of reparation, repatriation and the reawakening of the African civilisation.

Mr Benson Obua-Ogwal, Secretary General, All African Students Union, said the youth of Africa are privileged to have witnessed the period where two important periods in human history meet.

"We are drifting into an interesting era where we could either be worse off or better off. We need to be optimistic to face the future and change the circumstances.

Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, a Deputy Minister of Education, who chaired the function, said the call by prominent Pan Africanists for an African renaissance is justified.

"An African reawakening will see to the end of the senseless wars where fellow Africans kill their brothers and give way to a period in which Africans would find African solutions to African problems."

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Accra (Greater Accra), 20^th July 99 –

The Police Administration on Monday expressed grave concern about the abuse of the police emergency telephone number by some unidentified persons and warned those involved to put a stop to it.

A press release issued by the Police Public Relations Directorate appealed to the general public to report any person found doing that to the nearest Police station.

It stated that some unscrupulous persons dial the number just to rain insults on the Police telephone operators, sometimes uttering obscenities and stay on the line for a long time thus preventing other people from calling.

The statement repeated that the number is only for emergency purposes and must be protected from public abuse.

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