One touch mobile cellular services to be extended countrywide
Ghana goes in for 131 million dollars loan
Accra (Greater Accra) 12 July 2001
Mr Felix Owusu-Agyepong, Minister of Transport and Communications on Wednesday said plans were far advanced to extend the One Touch Mobile cellular telephone service to all parts of the country.
He said in the meantime, Ghana Telecom has decided to extend telephone service by the radio system using the fixed wireless (WILL) system to areas where telephone exchanges could not be installed.
Mr Owusu-Agyepong was answering questions on preparations being made to extend telephone facilities to communities in the country.
Mr Yaw Effah-Baafi, NDC-Kintampo asked the Minister what preparations his Ministry was making to provide the Kintampo Constituency with a separate telephone code and increase telephone lines in the area.
The Minister said Ghana Telecom has plans to install a 2,000-line telephone exchange at Kintampo by the year 2002. The capacity of the exchange would cater for a lot more people compared to the 42 lines facility currently available.
Mr Owusu-Agyepong said the appropriate code would be given when the exchange was installed.
He said Ghana Telecom also has plans to extend the one touch mobile cellular service to Kintampo and work on the project was likely to commence before the end of the year.
Dr Alfred Sugri Tia, NDC- Nalerigu, asked the Minister what plans the Ministry has to extend telephone facilities to Nalerigu from Gambaga.
Mr Owusu-Agyepong said the Gambaga facility could not at the moment be extended to Nalerigu since Gambaga itself was being served from Tamale.
He explained that the Gambaga facilities have been rendered inoperative since lightning struck it during commissioning in 1996.
The Minister said Ghana Telecom has, therefore, decided to replace the existing installations while plans were advanced to carry out replacement since several technical teams from the Japanese suppliers have not succeeded in rehabilitating the equipment.
Mr Owusu-Agyepong said Ghana Telecom has meanwhile decided to extend telephone service by radio system from Tamale to Nalerigu and it was expected that 24 customers would be provided with service by the end of this month.
The construction of a radio base station at Gambaga to facilitate the extension of the one touch mobile cellular service to Nalerigu would also be completed by the end of this year.
Mr Samuel Johnfiah, NPP- Ahanta West, asked the Minister whether the Ministry has any plans to extend telephone facilities to Apowa, Dixcove and Agona Nkwanta in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region.
Mr Owusu-Agyepong said under the Ghana Telecom's roll out plan, a 600-line telephone exchange each would be installed at Apowa and Agona Nkwanta by the year 2003.
Dixcove would be served from the proposed exchange at Agona Nkwanta through a radio system until there was adequate demand to justify the provision of an exchange, he added.
He said, for the meantime telephone service was being provided for the three towns using the fixed wireless (WILL) system from the Takoradi exchange.
Mr Effah-Baafi in a supplementary question asked the Minister whether he was aware that decentralised departments in Kintampo do not have telephone facilities.
The Minister said the ministry was working on a programme to draw up a map indicating areas to benefit from the services of Ghana Telecom.
Dr Tia asked the Minister whether the proposed radio system for Nalerigu could be increased since there were more subscribers in the area.
Mr Owusu-Agyepong said in due course the issue may be considered but for the meantime the capacity of the system was small.
When Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, NDC- Wenchi West, asked the Minister whether the effect of the lightning which struck the Gambaga facility was not related to witchcraft. This created an uproar and laughter. The Minister said he had no ready answer to it.
Mr Johnfia also asked the Minister whether he was aware that during power outages, the WILL telephones become non-operative, the Minister said he has to seek for technical advice before he could answer the question.
GRi../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 12 July 2001
Mr Alex Sofo Seidu, NPP Member of Parliament for Damongo/Daboya, on Wednesday called on the government to give immediate and serious attention to the development of the enormous agricultural potential in the West Gonja District of the Northern Region.
He said if measures aimed at food sufficiency and security were to be feasible then every effort and due consideration needed to be attached to ensuring that the fertile and arable lands in the area were well utilised.
Mr Seidu, who made the call in a Statement in Parliament, said the area has excellent climatic conditions for mixed agricultural activities suited to both transitional zones in the south and the north.
The area has the potential for the development of modern plantations in a variety of cash crops and agro-forestry such as cultivation of tobacco, shea, cotton and cashew, Mr Seidu said, adding that already the area accounts for a considerable share of the
country's sheanut production from wild trees and cashew, which he said has a high export value.
He said the constituency and its satellite communities were major producers of maize, sorghum, millet, groundnuts, beans and tubers as well as all year round forage for the development of livestock in a tsetse fly-free environment.
The MP further said there were a number of idle agricultural facilities, which could be rehabilitated. These include variety of large abandoned silos, large fertilizer storage depots, tobacco barns and an agricultural training college.
Mr Seidu gave the assurance that since the area was under one traditional authority land acquisition for any productive venture would be less cumbersome, adding: "This should be an incentive to potential investors in the agricultural sector."
He, therefore, appealed to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and agricultural investors to give the area a special consideration in their programmes to ensure the production of a variety of crops and livestock for the nation's needs and for export.
Alhaji Seidu Amadu, NDC- Yapei/Kusawgu, said because of the agricultural potential of the area, during the First Republic farmers, especially from the densely populated areas of the Upper East Region, were resettled there.
He said, however, that the vast arable lands were mostly inaccessible and potable water was scarce throughout the year.
Alhaji Amadu called for the construction of feeder roads to open up the area for farming activities and for alternative sources of tapping of water for human and livestock use.
He said the Black and White Volta as well as many tributaries of the Volta River pass through the District and was ideal for fish development but unfortunately the people were not fishermen but hunters and farmers and would need further intervention to reap the potentials of the area.
GRi../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 12 July 2001
Four loan agreements totalling 131 million dollars were on Wednesday laid before Parliament and referred to the Finance Committee of the House for consideration.
The first loan involved 110 million dollars to finance the third Economic Reform Support Operation (ERSO III) while the rest, which would be in separate batches, would be used for the Rural Financial Services Project.
An amount of 5.13 million dollars is expected from the International Development Association while another 11 million dollars would come from International Fund for Agricultural Development and the African Development Fund would provide the country with 5.05 million dollars.
Mr Kwamena Bartels, Minister of Works and Housing, laid the agreements on behalf of the Finance Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo.
The Speaker, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey asked the Finance Committee to expedite action on the agreements.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 12 July 2001
The NDC members of Parliament from the Central Region on Wednesday called on the government to investigate how 30 million cedis was spent on the Acting Executive Secretary of the Central Regional Development Commission (CEDECOM).
Mr Samuel Adu Yeboah, NDC Agona East, speaking on behalf of the region's NDC caucus in Parliament told the press that the money was spent when the Acting Executive Secretary was auditing the Commission.
He said there was rot at the Commission and there was, therefore the need to save it from collapse to enable it achieve the purposes for which it was established.
Mr Adu Yeboah said the appointment of one Mr David Forster-Forson, who was paid the amount for auditing the accounts of CEDECOM for four days work during an Easter public holiday this year, raises a lot of eyebrows.
"The audit was hastily done on Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday at the residence of the Regional Minister, Mr Isaac Edumadze."
Mr Adu Yeboah accused the Central Regional Minister of dissolving the former board, establishing an interim management committee and later dissolving the committee and appointing an acting executive secretary to run it.
The Auditor, whose qualification, he said, was doubtful, was freely accommodated and fed during the period of the auditing.
Showing documents and receipts on the mode of payment Mr Adu Yeboah said the auditing covered January 1, 1999 to March 31, this year.
"Mr Foster-Forson, who did the auditing of CEDECOM and was duly paid-off was under strange circumstances appointed as the Acting Executive Secretary without reference to laid down procedures".
Mr Adu Yeboah said the Regional Minister "flagrantly interfered in the day to day operations of CEDECOM contrary to the laid down rules of the Commission, by dismissing some management staff and using the Police to forcefully eject them from office.
"This puts CEDECOM in danger of losing the confidence of the private sector and the support of donor agencies who perceive it as an independent institution".
Mrs Hanna Tetteh Kpodar, MP for Awutu-Senya, supporting her colleague said CEDECOM was an independent body, which has its own administrative set up with the Regional Minister having oversight responsibility only.
She said any discretional exercise of authority over the organisation should conform to laid-down procedures.
Mr Edumadze in reaction to the allegations told the Ghana News Agency that Mr Foster-Forson was paid 24 million cedis for auditing the accounts of CEDECOM and not 30 million cedis as claimed by Mr Adu Yeboah.
He said the amount was arrived at after the Interim Management Committee, (IMC) headed by Mr Osam Duodu (not the Coach) bargained with Mr Foster-Forson, adding that the mode of payment was determined by the IMC.
Mr Edumadze explained that CEDECOM was the technical wing of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and the Regional Minister was the automatic Chairman of its Board.
He said when he assumed office he discovered that the organisation was not being run properly so he initiated measures to remedy the situation.
Mr Edumadze said according to the Operating Manual of CEDCOM he has the prerogative of appointing the Members of the Board and the Executive Secretary, adding that he found Mr Foster-Forson very capable of running the organisation hence his appointment.
GRi./
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