Minority to fight AMA rubbish agreement
Ministry bans poultry fed with animal fat
More anomalies detected in implementation of Price Waterhouse Report
NPP Calls for Commission on Reconciliation
Ministry is worried about sexual scandals in schools
Traditional healers to grow more medicinal plants
Government committed to citizen's security - Aidoo
President Rawlings consoles Morocco on Death of King Hassan
Armed Robbers robbed fuel station
Cubans mark 46th anniversary of Moncada Garrison attack
Six armed robbers flown to Accra
Youth renew efforts to destool Dormaa Krontihene
Minority to fight AMA rubbish agreement
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 July '99
The Minority in Parliament on Friday criticised an agreement between the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and a Canadian company, Chagnon Group, and said it will fight it all the way.
In an open letter to President Jerry John Rawlings copied to the press, the Minority Leader, Mr J.H. Mensah, described the agreement as an "outrage".
"The whole operation is so crude and offensive that I thought first to offer you a chance by a public appeal to correct this assault of your colleagues against the people of Ghana.
"In the name of the suffering masses, I urge you, Mr President: put honest principle and good governance above political expediency."
Mr Mensah, in his four-page letter, quoted Mr Kwamena Ahwoi, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, as saying the government is agreeable to an objective enquiry being conducted to establish the honest, uncorrupt propriety of the original transaction between Chagnon Group and the AMA.
He said if this was so, why had the government publicly endorsed the arrangements, commissioned the project and even assumed financial responsibility before conducting such an investigation.
Mr Mensah said from the moment the arrangement was made public last year, it was clear that it was full of conflict of interest, incorrect procedures, contradiction of the cardinal principles of decentralisation and egregious damage to Ghanaian business interests.
"One had hoped that with the removal of Nat Amarteifio, who as Chief Executive of AMA had in effect awarded this ..., the whole sorry enterprise was going to be put to rest.
"But it seems that other parties with strong National Democratic Congress (NDC) political connections were also deeply involved in the scam and determined to carry it through, dragging along with them the hapless new Chief Executive and the usual flock of rubber-stamp Assemblymen."
Mr Mensah noted that the entire budget of Parliament this year is 11 billion dollars.
"Mr Kwamena Ahwoi has committed your government to guarantee from our taxes a fee of 22 billion cedis per annum for five years to this NDC company just for the removal of Accra's solid waste..."
Mr Mensah said in a futile attempt to rationalise these murky goings-on", Mr Ahwoi has revealed that the government, "under the National Environment Sanitation Policy recently approved by Cabinet", is now to give "national budgetary support" to AMA.
He said the Minister also claims that his ministry has authorised AMA and other assemblies to divert resources of the District Assemblies Common Fund away from development to garbage collection, contrary to the law, but failed to tell Parliament about it.
Mr Mensah said the yearly allocation under the Common Fund to AMA is four billion cedis which, together with revenue from other sources of seven billion cedis, means that all the resources available to it in a year is 11 billion cedis.
"Obviously, the AMA is in no position to find 22 billion cedis a year to pay its friends for garbage clearing alone.
"Therefore, by so defiantly helping to bring this Chagnon agreement into effect at this time, Mr Kwamena Ahwoi has already committed the central government to find 11 billion cedis for the balance of this year for clearing the AMA's garbage."
Mr Mensah said again, in violation of the Constitution, the AMA has raised a foreign loan without prior approval of Parliament and already spent the money without following the processes of procurement.
He said Mr Ahwoi has directed that "ratification" be sought to legitimise "this revolting mess", adding that they will fight it all the way.
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Ministry bans poultry fed with animal fat
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 July '99
The Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Friday that with effect from August one, the importation of poultry and meat as well as their derivatives produced from poultry and animals fed on feeds with animal fat or substances will be banned.
"Only poultry and meat of animals fed on vegetable feeds or substances will be permitted to be imported into the country," it said in a statement signed by Mrs Elizabeth Obeng, Public Relations Officer.
The statement said, with effect from the same date, all such products imported into Ghana will have to be accompanied with certificates issued by an authorised veterinary officer in the exporting country, certifying that the products are not produced from feeds compounded with animal fat or substances.
"Since dioxin is traced to animal fat, it has become necessary to take this precautionary measure of banning the said products entirely."
The ministry has already banned the import of poultry and its derivatives from Belgium over a dioxin scare. The chemical is known to cause cancer.
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More anomalies detected in implementation of Price Waterhouse Report
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 July '99
The Ministry of Finance said on Friday that despite efforts to rectify anomalies that occurred in the June 1999 salaries following the implementation of the new wages and incomes policy, there has been a recurrence of errors and omissions.
"This has resulted in a situation where some workers have been underpaid while others are yet to receive their salaries," a statement signed by the Minister of Communications, Mr John Mahama, said in Accra.
It said a joint team of representatives of organised labour groups and associations has, therefore, been formed to work closely with the Controller and Accountant General's Department to identify and resolve the remaining technical difficulties.
"In this regard, Unions and other labour associations have been requested to collect information from their various regional branches to assist the joint team and Controller and Accountant General's Department to effect the necessary corrective measures."
The statement said meanwhile, all maintenance allowances would be paid directly at the level of the ministries, departments and agencies with effect from August.
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NPP Calls for Commission on Reconciliation
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 July '99
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Friday called for the establishment of a preparatory commission composed of the main political parties and specific entities of civil society to draw up an agenda for a national forum on reconciliation.
A statement signed by Mr Samuel Odoi Sykes, National Chairman, said the "current agenda proposed by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) is largely propagandist.
"It is unrealistic to suppose that a four-day conference will resolve all the problems of our history as the NCCE seems to envisage," the statement said.
It said the NCCE cannot itself negotiate and consolidate national reconciliation, establish the machinery for scientifically constructing national reconciliation and commit all sections of society to accept the decisions of institutions of national reconciliation.
The statement said the process of national reconciliation requires the active participation of the critical players in the state, including the executive, parliament, political parties and the diverse organisations of civil society.
It said unfortunately the NCCE, which has taken the reconciliation initiative, does not enjoy the national standing or command the moral authority to conduct the exercise.
"It is the view of the NPP that this entire process will benefit from being placed under the aegis of Parliament, a more credible and effective source of authority."
The party suggested that a legal machinery be put in place to grant palpable relief to those who have suffered in the past.
It said victims of abuses are numerous and still alive and legal and peaceful avenues for redressing their wrongs are either non-existent or ineffective.
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Ministry is worried about sexual scandals in schools
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 26 July '99
Mr Kwabena Kyere, Deputy Minister of Education on Friday said his Ministry is worried about reports of sexual scandals involving some heads and teachers of some private schools.
These incidents are really undermining the modest accomplishments made to improve the education in the country, he said.
Mr Kyere who was speaking at the 11th Speech and Prize-giving Day of Central International School in Kumasi said the Ministry would not hesitate to apply the necessary measures to protect innocent school children.
Mr Kyere said the Government is committed to its responsibility to ensure an efficient and realistic educational system that will result in the total development of the Ghanaian child.
He said, "in recognition of the immense contribution of private schools towards the attainment of the goals of the educational policy, efforts are being made to streamline the content of the curriculum of basic education".
The guidelines that would be developed would enable private schools to structure their curriculum to conform to that prescribed by the Ghana Education Service (GES), he said.
Mr Godbless Amankwaah, Director-General of the School said the institution, which was established in 1969 with nine children had 3,000 pupils in 1970.
This figure however dropped to 1,000 on the introduction of the educational reforms.
He said the school is facing a serious land litigation over its site and appealed to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, to intervene to end the conflict between the school authorities and the landowners.
The Asantehene, in a speech read for him by Kronkohene Baffuor Osei Tutu Amofa drew attention to the importance of learning the Asante language equally well in addition to other major local languages and the English since the development of a nation's cultural heritage depended to some extent on the language of the people.
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Traditional healers to grow more medicinal plants
Agogo (Ashanti Region) 26 July '99
Ghana Psychic and Traditional Healers Association is to undertake the growing of medicinal plants to promote and sustain traditional medicine in the country.
The Association will also open herbal medicinal shops to be manned by trained Priests and Herbalists to support the country's health delivery system.
Mr Michael Yaw Acquah, National Organiser of the Association said this at a day's seminar to educate members on Government policies and programmes as well as the development of herbal medicine at Agogo in the Asante Akyem North District of Ashanti on Thursday.
The seminar was attended by more than 50 traditional Priests drawn from all the 18 Districts of Ashanti with observers from the Volta, Greater Accra and Western Regions.
Mr Acquah said the Association intends to establish a training centre where it would be upgrading the knowledge of members.
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Government committed to citizen's security - Aidoo
Achiase (Eastern Region) 26 July '99
Dr Tony Aidoo, deputy Minister of Defence, on Friday stressed the government's commitment to providing security for all citizens through an efficient and disciplined Armed Forces.
He said the security situation in the country now suggests that crime is "assuming a more sophisticated stance" which calls for a more drastic approach by (the) country's security forces to "nib it in the bud".
He was closing a four-day military training exercise at the Jungle Warfare School at Achiase.
The exercise, code named "Ex-Tigers' Path," was designed to test the individual and group performance of servicemen in jungle operations.
About 150 officers and men from the 1st Infantry Brigade, 2nd Infantry Brigade, Navy, Air Force and Support Services Brigade Group took part.
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President Rawlings consoles Morocco on Death of King Hassan
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 July '99
President Jerry John Rawings, on behalf of the people and government of Ghana, and on his own behalf, on Sunday expressed his deepest sympathy and condolences to King Mohammed VI and the people of Morocco over the death of their monarch, King Hassan II, which occurred at the weekend.
"I have learnt of the death of your illustrious father, King Hassan II, with deep grief and regret. By his death, the people of Morocco have lost a noble monarch and a world statesman," he said in a statement issued in Accra.
It said: "the people of Ghana remember the late King Hassan for his role in the development of close relations between Ghana and Morocco in the early years of Ghana's independence".
"The solidarity and friendship between the King and our first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, enabled our two countries to play a leading role in the decolonisation of Africa and in the creation of the Organisation of African Unity.
"His death after a reign of 38 years is, therefore, a great loss to Africa," the message read.
President Rawlings also used the occasion to congratulate His Majesty Mohammed VI, the new King of Morocco, on his accession to the throne and to "wish you good health and God's guidance in your new responsibilities".
"It is my hope that under your enlightened rule the relations between our two countries will be strengthened to the mutual benefit of our two countries and peoples," he added.
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Armed Robbers robbed fuel station
Koforidua (Eastern Region) 26 July '99
A group of five armed robbers attacked and robbed a Goil Filling station at Koforidua of about eight million cedis on Friday night.
The robbers, who arrived in a Mitsubishi Lancer Saloon car with registration number GT.761.C and armed with AK.47 assault riffles fixed with bayonets, were reported to have made their attack 10 minutes after they had earlier called at the station to buy fuel.
Mr Osei Kofi, Manager of the Station, told the GNA that as soon as they returned at about 8.30 p.m., two of the robbers rushed into the office.
They then fired a warning shot and ordered the two staff inside the office to bring out the day's sales which was being checked.
He said while they collected the amount into their bag, two of their colleagues were outside giving warning shots to ward off any possible rescuers while one waited in the driver's seat.
Mr Osei said after collecting the cash, they drove away and a report was made to the Koforidua Central police station.
In another development, it was later learnt when the robbers were escaping, they met a medical officer of the Koforidua Regional Hospital, Dr Acquah Harrison, who was on his way home from work and seized his car at gunpoint.
They then abandoned the Mitsubishi saloon car, which was believed to have been stolen, and drove away in Dr Harrison's car.
A police source said that at the time the incident was reported, they had no official vehicle at their disposal.
Latest police reports have indicated that Dr Harrison's car has been found abandoned at Ashaiman, near Accra.
The owner of the Mitsubishi car used by the robbers, whose name was not disclosed, has also reported of his missing car.
The police have, therefore, asked him to report at Koforidua Police Station for identification and collection.
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Cubans mark 46th anniversary of Moncada Garrison attack
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 July '99
The Cuba Ambassador in Ghana, Mr Jose Perez Novoa, on Sunday said although Cuba is going through a crucial period as a result of sanctions imposed by the United States of America, the people are still united and are giving their unflinching support to their government.
He said this in a speech read for him on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Garrison in 1953, which led to the launching of the Cuba Revolution in 1959.
To mark the day, Cubans and Ghanaians trained in Cuba undertook a two-hour clean up exercise at the embassy.
Mr Novoa said in the days of the revolution, Cubans were fighting for independence but ''today we are struggling for the country and the world at large''.
He said it is important to safeguard the ideas, objectives and principles of the Cuba revolution to enable it serve its purpose.
''The revolution cannot go back and neither would our achievements be in vain''.
The Ambassador said the revolution would not denounce its principles and urged all those who believe in it to show their commitment by upholding its ideals.
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Six armed robbers flown to Accra
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 26 July '99
Six persons alleged to be armed robbers arrested by the security agencies in Kumasi were on Sunday morning flown to Accra in a military helicopter for further interrogation.
They were Sulemana Ibrahim, Anthony Abanyinwea, Baba Yakubu alias Oborobo, Nsobila Anaba alias Agoro, Moro Ibrahim alias Agya and Nzia Ibrahim.
One Razak Akokon is on the run and the Police have mounted a search for him.
The Police retrieved the butt of a gun and a blue-black beret hidden in a locally manufactured loudspeaker box from the room of Yakubu during a search.
Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Kojo Yankah, briefed newsmen, before the alleged robbers were put on board the helicopter at the Fourth Battalion of Infantry Old Parade Grounds.
He said public response to the five million cedis reward offered for those who provide information leading to the arrest of those who raided the Antoakrom Rural Bank (ARB) has been positive.
He explained that more useful information have been coming in from the public and are being processed.
The Regional Minister in an answer to a question, said, "in as much as I would not want to pass a judgement on the courts, the system is not helping us much".
Mr Yaw Adu-Gyimah, Ashanti Regional Police Commander, said some of those arrested had been involved in previous armed robbery cases and were put in court only to be granted bail to go back to their old business.
He cited the case of Abanyinwea, who about three months ago together with others hijacked a KIA truck bound for Cote D'Ivoire loaded with engines and motor bikes on the Sunyani road and was arrested but granted court bail.
Brigadier Henry K. Anyidoho, Two Brigade Commander, said more soldiers are going to be deployed in the Ashanti region to smash the armed robbery gangs.
Two persons arrested by the Military at dawn on Sunday at Sofoline, in Kumasi, for using a fake "number plate" on an unregistered Toyota Corolla, were also put on board the helicopter.
They were Osei Bonsu, a car dealer in Accra and Kofi Mensah, cane basket weaver in Accra. Both are from Mpasatia in the Atwima District.
The soldiers found 14.5 million cedis in the car during a search.
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Dormaa-Ahenkro, (Brong Ahafo) 26 July '99
A grand durbar of chiefs and people of Dormaa was held at the Abanpredease Palace at Dormaa-Ahenkro on Saturday to outdoor the new paramount chief of the traditional area, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang-Badu II.
In attendance were prominent chiefs from other parts of the country, dignitaries and government functionaries including ministers of state, parliamentarians and the Bonohene of Cote d' Ivoire, Nana Agyemang Adinkrah II and his retinue.
A 10-member government delegation to the ceremony led by Mr A. A. Munufie, Ghana's Ambassador to Cote d' Ivoire and Co-chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), presented drinks and two million cedis to the Traditional Council.
Mr Munufie recalled the selfless and dedicated service the late Dormaahene rendered to his people and the country as a whole and said this made him one of the great brains behind the creation of the Brong Ahafo region 40 years ago.
He said one of the legacies of the late Dormaahene Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Dr Agyemang-Badu was the atmosphere of peace, love and brotherhood among the people of Dormaa and asked the people to maintain that.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Donald Adabre reminded chiefs in the region that one of the criteria to measure their success include projects they would be able to bring to their people during their reign.
He, therefore, called on chiefs to lead their people to plan development programmes so that they would be remembered for sacrifices and selflessness towards the development of their society.
On chieftaincy and land disputes, Mr Adabre urged the new Omanhene to evolve a mechanism to ensure that they were effectively addressed and reduced to the barest minimum.
Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang-Badu said he would place premium on the development of education to reverse the low standards in the area.
A Palace source said a sacred ceremony would be performed at Abanpredease on Monday July 26 to hand over the Dormaa Stool to the New Omanhene.
Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang-Badu, 33,a lawyer, was installed on June seven to succeed his uncle, who died in January 1998.
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Youth renew efforts to destool Dormaa Krontihene.
Dormaa-Ahenkro (Brong Ahafo) 26 July '99
Hundreds of people from Wamfie in Brong Ahafo, made up mostly of the youth, converged at the precincts of the Abampredease palace at Dormaa-Ahenkro in a renewed effort to destool Barima Ansu-Adjei, Dormaa Krontihene and Chief of Wamfie.
They were said to have been led to the palace by Nana Abena Fima, the 90 year-old blind Queenmother and Nana Oppong Kwame, Gyaboahene in a convoy of 19 vehicles, amid singing of war songs.
The timely arrival of armed security personnel prevented a nasty scene as some supporters of Barima Ansu-Adjei swore to prevent the youth of Wamfie from entering the palace, a source at the palace said.
For more than a decade now, some people of Wamfie have opposed the installation of Barima Ansu-Adjei as chief of Wamfie and this has resulted in a protracted chieftaincy dispute that has polarised the community.
Though this has persisted for a long time, this is the first time that the malcontents have travelled to Abampredease to try to destool Barima Ansu-Adjei who had been acting as the president of the Dormaa traditional council after the death of Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Dr Agyemang-Badu in January 1998.
It was timed to coincide with the end of the confinement of the new Dormaahene, Osagyefo Osadeeyo Agyamang-Badu 11 and nearly marred the beauty of the religious rites observed at the ceremony.
When contacted, Barima Ansu-Adjei explained that the action of the Queenmother and her followers was a "fruitless attempt" to win the sympathy of the new Dormaahene since she did not see eye-to-eye with the late Dormaahene.
Barima Ansu-Adjei expressed surprise at the behaviour of Nana Fima because, according to him, their relationship had been cordial of late.
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