The Daily Graphic quotes President John Agyekum Kufuor as having given the assurance that the government's strategy of reviving the economy is on course and that Ghanaians will see a positive change in the economy by the end of the year.

He said as a result of the government's strategy, inflation, which was 100 per cent last year, has now drooped to about 36.8 per cent.

The President also said the cedi has appreciated between two and three per cent and expressed the hope that the figure will increase to about five per cent by December.

President Kufuor expressed these optimism when he received a four-member executive delegation from Coca-Cola International, at the State House in Accra on Thursday.

"I am happy that our currency, the cedi, has stabilized as a result of the prudent fiscal measures we have put in place," President Kufuor said.

Interest rates, according to the President, are expected to fall by the end of the year.

President Kufuor described Coca-Cola as a flagship wherever its operations are located and urged the company to endeavour to play a leading role in the government's policy of 'golden age of business.

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Cape Vars SRC renders apology

The Students Representative Council (SRC) of the University of Cape Coast has rendered an unqualified apology to the President, the Minister of Education and the university authorities for the misbehaviour of some students during the 31^st annual congregation of the university, reports The Daily Graphic.

It said, "The students of the University of Cape Coast acknowledge that their actions embarrassed the Honourable Minister of Education, the Vice-Chancellor, the lecturers and other invited personalities."

Rendering the apology on behalf of the entire student body at a news conference in Accra on Thursday, the President of the SRC, Mr Aboagye Tandoh, said the apology goes "to the Minister of Education, who was representing His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana, the Vice-Chancellor, lecturers and the good people of Ghana."

He expressed the preparedness of the student body to use dialogue and negotiations to resolve all outstanding problems in the university.

Mr Tandoh said, "Even as students of the UCC show remorse for our actions, we wish to renew our earlier appeal to the university authorities to restore the nine affected students to their original status as we work together in finding a lasting solution to the problem."

GRi…/

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The Evening News

Produce Dr Buadu or… Court orders Selormey

The Fast Track High Court this morning ordered the defence in the 1.2 million dollar fraud case involving Mr Victor Selormey, former Deputy Minister of Finance to produce before the court on July 26, either Dr. Frederick Owusu-Buadu of LEEBDA Corporation or his representative, else the court will proceed without his evidence.

The court, presided over by Mr Sammy Baddoo of the Court of Appeal, gave the order after it had upheld an objection raised by Mr Osafo Sampong, Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Justice Baddoo had over-ruled an application by Mr Barima Manu, counsel for Mr Selormey seeking to tender through Mr Wilfred Sam Awortwe, Commissioner of Police in charge of the police investigation team in the case, an attachment to a letter to the IGP by solicitors of Dr Buadu.

He explained that exhibits could only be admitted in evidence by the person who made it and could answer questions on it.

Mr Sam Awortwe, therefore, could not tender those documents, as he could not answer questions arising from it, the court said.

It was at this stage that Mr Manu asked the court to grant an adjournment for the defence to get Dr. Buadu or his representative from Texas, USA, to come and tender the document.

Answering questions under cross-examination by Mr. Osafo Sampong, Mr Awortwe said going through the file of letters addressed to the accused by Dr. Buadu, no reference was made to the court computerization project.

Mr Awortwe said that the accused also did not give any statement during police interrogation, but maintained that he was reserving that for the court.

Meanwhile, the court has indicated that counsel in the case would be required to address the court on July 28 after which judgement date would be fixed.

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NPP to adopt Upper West Region

The Upper West Region is to be made the "Show Piece" of the NPP government's development agenda, the vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama has announced.

This is to enable the region, the youngest, and most deprived, to catch up with the rest of the country.

"We shall provide you with adequate development without discrimination. Whether you voted for us or not, you would be given your due share of the nation's resources." He stressed.

Vice President Mahama was addressing a durbar of the chiefs and people of the Kaleo traditional area in the Nadowli District here as part of a three-day working visit to the region.

"The elections are over, let us forget about the past and come together as a united people and see how best to move the nation forward," he told the people.

GRi…/

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The Weekend Statesman

Close case Selormey ordered

The Fast Track Court trying Victor Selormey, Former Deputy Minister of Finance, for the alleged unlawful transfer of over $1.2 million to Leebda Corporation in the USA, has given him one week to close his defence, reports The Weekend Statesman.

Giving the order at Thursday's sitting, the court, presided over by Justice Sam Baddoo, an Appeal Court Judge sitting as an additional High Court Judge, said Selormey has up to next week Thursday to bring his case to a close.

Justice Baddoo gave the order when counsel for the accused, Barima Manu, asked the court for a long adjournment to enable his client to bring down Dr Frederic Boadu of Leebda to whom the money was alleged to have been transferred, or his representative to testify.

In overruling counsel's request, Mr Justice Baddoo said the accused has had enough time to organize his defence, and that he should not hold back to the court. Moreso, he said, the legal calendar now has only three weeks left. "I can only adjourn for one week to enable Dr Boadu or a representative of Leebda Corporation of Texas to appear before the court, he said."

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Moves to ensure food security underway

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Major (Rtd) Courage Quashigah, says the Ministry will soon announce strategies to ensure adequate food security in the country.

Speaking during a presentation of farming equipment to some state institutions in Accra, Major Quashigah said the food situation in the country is so serious that a new approach has to be adopted.

"We have a duty as a ministry to ensure food security in the country; adequate food must be available all year round at affordable prices," he stressed.

He said that the problems are enormous, but efforts will be made to ensure that at least 50% success is achieved by the end of the NPP's first term in office.

Major Quashigah said the government is determined to reactivate the collapsed agro-processing industry, such as the sugar and cannery factories.

He said the machines were part of agricultural equipment donated to the government of Ghana by the Chinese government.

GRi…/

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The Ghanaian Times

Ministers to occupy bungalows

Fifty bungalows allocated to some Ministers of state are expected to be occupied within the next three weeks, the Works and Housing Minister, Mr Kwamina Bartels, disclosed in Accra on Thursday.

The Ghanaian Times story says Mr Bartels was reacting to an earlier report by the paper that two-and-a-half months after former Ministers were ejected, the bungalows are still unoccupied, giving thieves a field day.

He said that contracts for renovation were awarded to 50 contractors who were supposed to have begun work on Wednesday.

The initial cost of the project is ¢1.56 billion.

The Minister explained that with the lessons learnt from the rehabilitation work at the Castle, the President, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor wanted rehabilitation of the ministers' bungalows to be done with open tender.

Consequently, the Public Works Department (PWD) was tasked to assess the total cost of the rehabilitation, which took time to complete. After the assessment, interested people were asked to bid for the contracts, which also took some time to complete. In all, 400 bids were received.

He stated that his ministry, the PWD and other stakeholders had to evaluate all the tenders before contracts were given out and that took about two weeks to complete.

Mr Bartels said that the contractors selected were expected to complete the rehabilitation work in two weeks to enable the Ministers move in.

Even though, the Ministry engaged police officers, together with PWD security officers, it had not been possible for the Ministry to provide 24-hour security services at all the bungalows and that had resulted in the theft of property in the bungalows, he said.

GRi…/

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Free Press

Chambas is Obasanjo's choice

The Free Press says it has learnt that Dr. Ibn Chambas's candidature for the post of executive Secretary of ECOWAS reported to have been supported by the NPP government, was not necessarily part of the "All inclusive agenda" of President Kufuor but rather the NDC MP was put forward as a compromise candidate to appease regional power, Nigeria.

Investigations revealed that the government did not settle for Dr Chambas, the MP for Bimbilla as its first choice for the post but had proposed some candidates of its own who were opposed by Obasanjo's Nigeria.

The candidates were one Moses Anaafo, formerly of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Mr Jack Wilmout and Mr Aggrey Orieans.

Free Press gathered that in the case of Mr Jack Willmout and Aggrey Orleans, age did not help their bid as they are alleged to be over 60 years.

Besides, President Obasanjo is said to have preferred Dr Chambas as the candidate from Ghana who had long been the darling of the Nigerian leader.

Dr. Chambas and President Obasanjo's friendship dates back to the days when the Nigerian President came up with plans to establish a Non-Governmental Organisation that was to assume an international posture with a primary aim to support conflict resolution and the integration of nations of the sub-region.

Free Press also gathered that the Nigerian leader formally appealed to former President Rawlings to allow Dr Chambas to become one of the directors of his NGO but the ex-president is said to have declined on grounds that one could not make a serving Minister of State a director of an NGO, particularly a foreign one.

Dr Ibn Chambas, candidature also enjoys the strong backing from the Malian President who is also the Chairman of ECOWAS and whose candidature had earlier got the total backing of Ghana's Foreign Affairs Ministry.

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We can stop AIDS & Rape

About 120 prostitutes who ply their trade at a popular hotel in Kumasi (name withheld) have appealed to the Minister for Women Affairs, Mrs. Gladys Asmah to give prostitution a much needed priority attention, Free Press has learnt.

The "business" of prostitution, which is transacted in some of the prestigious hotels in Ghana have contributed immensely to minimize the rape, defilement and sexual harassment in the country, they contend.

There is a lot of money to be made in one's capacity as a full time prostitute serving in any of the prestigious hotels in Ghana since men of integrity, married and bachelors from all walks of life visit them at the hotels for pleasure and relaxation after a hard day's work.

Many a man is an animal with regards to his sexual habit, for he finds it very difficult to control his zippers.

One of the ladies serving as a professionally trained prostitute (name withheld) at the hotel at Dekyemso in Kumasi on Thursday said this is an interview with the paper.

To critics, she said that in-spite of the usefulness of prostitution to society, the "business" had been criticized from many quarters and this is rather unfortunate.

She explained that the men who find it very difficult to control their sexual desire should start advising themselves against rape and defilement, and that they are confidently waiting for interested men who would like to transact "business" with them.

GRi…/

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The Accra Mail

Black out Rawlings - Nyaho-Tamakloe advises journalists

Dr N. Nyaho-Tamakloe, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party, has called on the Ghanaian press to slam its doors and impose a total blackout on Jerry John Rawlings, according to The Accra Mail.

Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe told NPP members at Akwei's House, the main meeting place of the party in the Odododiodoo Constituency on Tuesday, that the press should ignore Rawlings because after his recent interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) "it has come out clearly that Jerry Rawlings is someone with a split personality, paranoid and suffering withdrawal syndrome."

Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe who as a medical doctor is on firm ground with his diagnosis, told the paper that, "The media must not encourage such a person. I strongly recommend that Jerry John Rawlings should seek psychiatric advice. This government has no interest whatsoever in hurting Rawlings, it has rather vowed to protect his life while he is in the country."

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Vitol says it has not asked anybody to speak on its behalf

Vitol, the Nigerian Oil Company on Wednesday said none of its principals, agents or associates in Ghana is involved in the various debates on the Sahara contract.

It said it has also not requested any organization, either political or otherwise to speak or act on its behalf.

In a statement in Accra in reaction to the long debate on the contract for Sahara to lift oil for Ghana, Vitol assured the government and people of Ghana of its support for the energy and petroleum industry and continued intention to do business in the country.

It said it has confidence in the contract between the governments of Ghana and Nigeria, adding: "It is in the best interest of the people of Ghana".

GRi…/

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The Daily Guide

I will not fight back

The former Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Mr Charles Asare has reacted to his dismissal saying that he will not fight the President's decision, The Daily Guide reports.

"The newly appointed Director General is good, he has the credentials and capability, so he should be supported," he observed.

Mr Asare who, together with his former deputy Mr Eric Adjei have been sacked from the top SSNIT post is however amazed at how the President arrived at this decision.

"No committee was set up to investigate various allegations at SSNIT, neither was I interviewed, so I don't know the basis of the President's decision", he wondered.

The dismissed former director said he is not worried that he was not recalled to SSNIT except that it does not augur well for the image of the NPP Government.

"It appears any professional who is identified in any way with any government must be sacked, for a new choice to be made," he opined. Continuing he said, "this move will make other professionals feel uneasy as any least identification with a political organization can mar his future career".

He said he accepts his dismissal in good faith and that life must go on.

On Thursday, the government spokesperson, Ms Elizabeth Ohene announced the immediate appointment of Mr Kwasi Osei as the new Director-General (D-G) of the SSNIT by the President, Mr Ras Boateng was also named as the Deputy Director-General. According to the statement Mr. Osei is an Actuarial expert and Management Consultant. While Mr Boateng is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

With these appointments, Mr Charles Asare, the D-G who has been on leave for sometime now, ceases to be the D-G for SSNIT. The same applies to Mr Eric Adjei, the Deputy-Director General, who has been acting as D-G since January this year.

GRi…/

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The Ghanaian Chronicle

Fraud galore at Kpong project

The Ghanaian Chronicle carries that its in-depth investigations into the state of affairs of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) and Kpong Irrigation Project (KIP) have uncovered a lot of rot in the management of the KIP.

Mr Tonnis Jean Sierevogel, the Project Manager (PM) and also leader of Mott DcDonald Ltd's team of consultants in Ghana, is reported to have diverted materials running into millions of cedis meant for the Kpong Irrigation Project for his private business.

Mott McDonald Ltd., a consultancy firm is engaged by the African Development Bank (AfDB) the major funding agency of KIP for over 900,000 pounds sterling (about ¢9 billion) as three years consultancy fees. This amount is passed on to the Ghana Government as part of the ADF loan for irrigation projects in the country.

Not only did Tonnis divert materials belonging to KIP, he is also using the labour force of KIP for the construction of a private house which he is putting up at Kpong for his Ghanaian girl friend, Miss Veronica Ahulu.

When Chronicle contacted Tonnis at Asutsuare last week he refused to comment on the issue and referred the paper to GIDA Chief Executive in Accra whom he said was in the position to answer the allegations.

Mr Oduro Gyateng, Chief Executive Officer of GIDA, confirmed that Tonnis was putting up a building for his girl friend at Kpong but denied that he had diverted materials meant for KIP.

"Tonnis had told me that he had acquired a plot of land at Kpong to put up a building for his girl friend but to say that he was depending on KIP labour and had also diverted materials meant for KIP projects for his private project is something that I will not take serious since nobody can substantiate these allegations," the GIDA boss defended.

When Chronicle maintained that it has documentary evidence to support this claim, the CEO backed out and promised he would take up the issue.

It seems Mr Gyateng has, either got no grip on the affairs at KIP, or he is in league with Tonnis and has therefore, got a lot of things to hide.

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"I would have sent you all to prison"… for forgery

Justice N.Y.B. Adade, Chairman of the five-member committee probing the troubled Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) says if the committee was set up under Article 278 of the Constitution, most people who appeared before it would have been jailed by now.

"If this committee was set up under Article 278, most of you could have gone to prison for perjury. I would have sent most of you to Nsawam prison in your tie", the retired Supreme Court Judge said, fuming with rage.

Under the Constitution, a committee of enquiry set up by the President under Article 278 shall among other things have "the powers, rights and privileges of the High Court or a justice of the High Court at a trial in respect of…"

Justice Adade's anger stemmed from lies and doctored documents tendered before the committee as evidence and financial frauds that has cost the state billions of tax payers' money but left a few individuals with fat bank accounts.

The Finance Manager at the Accra Tema Metropolitan Area (ATMA) office of the GWCL, Mr Anthony Ampofo on Tuesday, this week, admitted doctoring part of a document to support an earlier evidence he gave before the committee.

Ampofo said, he had no intention to deceive the committee but doctored the document to protect Mr Gambrah, then acting Regional Manager who had earlier told the committee he vacated his position before the letter was issued to his office so he had no knowledge of the said letter.

Ampofo, according to what he told the committee, apparently doctored some part of the document to support Gambrah's evidence that he (Gambrah) was not at post when the said letter was issued to his office.

At the committee sitting on Thursday, Justice Adade, without mincing words, told Mr Kwame Nyanteh, the Commercial Manager of GWCL at the ATMA office, that "You could have gone to prison. Don't lie".

This was after Mr Nyanteh attempted to distort facts and deceive the committee.

Evidence tendered before the committee so far indicate that the GWCL is plagued with corruption, victimization, financial scandals and administrative blunders.

Members of the committee have, on various occasions, openly expressed disgust at the looting of state coffers by senior management of the GWCL, among them the US$1.6 million computerization project that turned out to be a hoax.

GRi…/

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Ghana Palaver

No one wants a coup

Flt-Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, has defended his position in his recent interview with the BBC and declared: "No amount of barking, cowardly threats, insults or noisy sounds by paid callers and newspapers can change an ethical truth, proven over and over again by historical events."

In an exclusive interview with the Ghana Palaver in reaction to comments raised by his opponents over his advice in the interview, he said that "although they lack the courage to hear or face the truth, they have the courage to tell cowardly lies".

Referring to the protests raised against his allusion to a possible revolt, if the situation in the country is not calmed down, he said, "Action begat action. Just as positive action will have a positive reaction, so also will negative action engineer a corrective reaction. That was what the June 4 revolt was all about.. that was what the 1966 coup was about…and that was what the 1972 coup was about.

"Nobody, be he a civilian or military wants a coup or revolt in this country. You don't have to be a physicist, a psychologist or a Budhist to understand the basic law of nature. When we were in office, the opposition and their media tried everything to destabilize the NDC Government, but we ignored most of their agitations and calls of incitement. We on our part, are trying to advise and explain about what not to do, in order to avoid the causes of revolt, but they choose to give this simple message a cruel spin for their own political motives."

The former President asked his opponents "to clean their ears", once again, for a single logical truth."

Ghana he said, is one of the most stable countries in the world, in the sense that no amount of money can be used to induce the security forces to embark on a coup.

He said no one in a quest for power can engineer a coup. "No one will follow such a person," he added.

"Our security service personnel are people with a strong conscience, but at the same time, any Government that becomes dictatorial, oppressive or corrupt, faces a coup or revolt, once the national political atmosphere begins to crave for help or salvation, in which case, not even the angels can prevent the divine intervention of a coup or revolt.

"A leadership of sound integrity is the only way to keep coups and revolts at bay", he stressed, adding:

"The 1966 coup was a divine intervention, the 1972 coup was also a divine intervention. The lack of a coup in the latter dreadful years of the Acheampong regime, resulted in the divine intervention of the June 4 revolt.

"Without God's help, the depth of anger, thirst for blood and violence would have been much, much worse," he stated.

GRi…/

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The Dispatch

“Dates 2001” Re-launched

A brochure to create awareness on business, trade and tourism related-activities in the country, was re-launched in Accra last Wednesday.

The brochure, Dates 2001, which chronicles events of 2001, an initiative of A Z Group Limited, a Business Support Service Provider in human resource management, business research, finance and marketing. The brochure was first launched last year.

The initiative, which is aimed at removing the bottlenecks in accessing information on global business trade and business in the country also seeks to promote the culture of information gathering and long-term planning.

The event also coincided with the launching of a Z Group Limited’s website www.GHANADATES.com for corporate bodies to trap information on global business trends.

A Managing Partner of a Z Group Limited, Mr Seth Oteng, observed that lack of information in competitive global market place hinders business developments.

Mr Oteng said the culture of not sharing information is detrimental to business and “Date Concept” seeks to minimize that phenomenon.

Mr Oteng noted that the government’s “Golden Age of Business” will not flourish if the public and private sectors do not collaborate in cross-industry information sharing. To this end, he said, the “Dates Concept” has been enhanced to target our Francophone neighbours.

The Minister for Trade and Industry, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku said public and private sectors sometimes quarrel doe to lack of information flow. This is noted, impedes development.

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KSM performs at HomeComing Show

Kwaku Sintim-Misa, popularly known as KSM, will perform extracts from his crowd-pulling stand up comedy, The Saga Of the Returnee play, at the Accra International Conference Centre on Sunday, July 22 from 8:00pm. KSM’s appearance will be part of an entertainment gala to welcome participants to the first-ever Homecoming Summit scheduled for July 23 to 25. Other acts billed for the show are Lord Kenya, Western Diamonds, Nkomode, Suzzie and Matt, Afrikana Dance Company and Alabaster Box.

The Homecoming Summit is being organized by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) in conjunction with a number of national and international allied institutions.

The theme for the summit is Harnessing The Global Ghanaian Resource Potential For Accelerated National Development. The Summit aims at creating and institutionalizing a platform for a continuous dialogue and opportunity for the Ghanaian community abroad to interact with their country in very purposeful, productive and mutually beneficial ways. Ghanaians and friends of Ghana are being expected to attend the Summit from all over the world.

According to Mr Akunu Dake, Consultant and Co-ordinator for the Summit, the idea is to strategise a relationship between Ghana and its citizens abroad. “It is a non-partisan relationship that seeks primarily to help develop Ghana. Our people abroad are a critical resource that cannot be ignored.

They are important stakeholders in the country’s development and we need to see them as partners in all our endeavours,” he stated.

There will be plenary sessions and workshops at which the participants, who are coming from a variety of backgrounds including engineering, medicine, banking, accounting, agriculture, science, culture, insurance and law, will explore opportunities for productive relations between themselves and their country. The three-day Summit will also look at ways of tapping into the acquired capacities of Ghanaians living abroad for the creation of the national wealth.

GRi…/

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