Armed Forces expresses concern about newspaper publications
Stop killing monkeys at sanctuary, Minister advises community
Examine manifestoes of political parties, Assemblies told
Teachers association blasts salary increase and calls for a rise
US says it will co-operate with Ghana on terrorism
ADRA assists Upper East Farmers
Third national governance workshop opens
Meat and meat products are safe - association
Infant and Maternal mortality remains high, Adibo
Armed Forces expresses concern about newspaper publications
Accra (Greater Accra), 25th June 99 –
The Ghana Armed Forces on Thursday expressed concern about publications in some newspapers about the military and reminded journalists that they are obliged legally, ethically and morally to be circumspect about what they publish.
A statement issued in Accra by the Ghana Armed Forces Public Relations Directorate referred to publications in two private newspapers – the Weekly Insight and the Dispatch - and said they were not only published to impugn the integrity of military personnel but also to ridicule them to the point of provocation.
The statement said the Weekly Insight's headlines – ‘Big trouble in the Army’ and ‘Secret report on the Army’ - following routine surveys the Armed Forces carried out to determine the needs and concerns of officers and men were "malicious and inflammatory".
The Dispatch's story with the headline "Military angry over its role as sanitary men" on assistance the Ghana Armed Forces gave to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly in improving sanitary conditions in the city sought to present to the public an obnoxious and contemptuous image of the Ghana Armed Forces, the statement said.
"Every phrase of the said story was carefully crafted to humiliate, provoke and incite the military with the calculated objective of achieving a destructive goal."
The statement said the publications in the two newspapers are not coincidental.
"They are definitely calculated to cause disaffection among soldiers for the ultimate purpose of creating instability within the military and society at large."
The statement warned that the Ghana Armed Forces would not sit down for a few individuals to undermine its internal structures for discipline and cohesion or weaken morale of the rank and file.
"The Armed Forces therefore wishes to caution those politicians who think they can use their newspapers to throw the military into a state of confrontation that they may live to regret their actions and utterances."
It said journalists must be circumspect about the stories they publish and stressed that "such circumspection assumes absolute dimension when stories they publish pose a threat to peace and social stability."
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Stop killing monkeys at sanctuary, Minister advises community
Tafi-Atome (Volta Region) 25th June 99 -
Alhaji Seidu Iddi, Volta Regional Minister has advised the people of Tafi-Atome to stop killing monkeys at the sanctuary located in the community for food, saying "this will mean killing the hen that lays the golden eggs".
Alhaji Iddi, on a familiarisation visit to the sanctuary on Tuesday, urged the people to protect and develop the monkey sanctuary to enhance its potential as a tourist attraction.
He assured the people of government's assistance and advised them to send their children to school to complement government's efforts at raising falling standards in education.
Madam Erin Schmalz, a Peace Corps volunteer at the sanctuary, said the population of the monkeys have increased tremendously to more than 200 as against 100 in 1994.
She said 900 people visited the sanctuary last year but indicated that the figure for January to May this year have outstripped that of the same period last year.
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Examine manifestoes of political parties, Assemblies told
Effiduasi (Ashanti), 25th June 99 –
Mr Kwamena Ahwoi, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, last Wednesday asked Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, as local government practitioners, to examine the manifestoes of the various political parties to enable them to vote wisely in next year’s elections.
He asked Assembly members to examine the manifestoes so they can determine which parties have their interests at heart and will ensure good governance at the local level.
Mr Ahwoi was addressing the Sekyere East District Assembly at Effiduasi to end a two-day official visit to the Ahafo-Ano North and the Sekyere East districts of Ashanti.
"With the coming general elections next year, I need hardly remind you of the need to ensure that the considerable impact which the assemblies have made in the promotion of education, health, water and sanitation in the last 10 years of the nation's development, be kept as an important part of the country’s history.
Mr Ahwoi called for understanding, diplomacy and tact between Members of Parliament, District Chief Executives (DCEs) and assemblymen and women in the selection, approval and siting of development projects in the communities.
He said it is true that the system of a non-partisan local government structure supporting a partisan central government generates its own structural conflict, but this is made worse when the human factor exacerbates the conflict into personality clashes.
Mr Ahwoi appealed to the public not to put undue pressure on MPs by making excessive demands on them, thereby tempting them to use the MPs constituency development fund in an otherwise unauthorised manner.
"District assemblies are also to comply with the prescribed procedures in their disbursement as these also make it impossible for the fund to be put to unauthorised uses", he added.
Mr Kwame De-Graft Agyei, Sekyere East District Chief Executive, in a welcoming address, said between 1994 to 1998, the assembly received a total of about 2.7 billion cedis as its share of the district assemblies common fund.
He said the money was used to provide educational, health, and sanitation infrastructure, water, roads, markets, lorry parks and for capacity Building to improve the living conditions of the people.
Mr Agyei said the assembly is expected to spend about 1.2billion cedis on development projects this year while under the ASIP Agricultural Sector Investment Project) programme, Kumawu and Asokore
are to benefit from market projects estimated at about 600 million cedis.
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Teachers association blasts salary increase and calls for a rise
Asaasebomebosea (Ashanti), 25th June 99 –
Mr Kwame Amo-Dako, President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), has called on the government to raise salaries of all workers as soon as the Pricewater House report is implemented at the end of this month.
Mr Amo-Dako made the call when the GNAT and Swedish Teachers Association presented furniture worth 8.5 million cedis to Assasebomebosea and Ayease Local Authority primary schools.
He described as unacceptable the minimum wage of 2,900 cedis a day, adding "it is time something more encouraging is given to workers to propel them to work hard".
Mr Amo-Dako said the presentation marked the end of the 1998 phase of a six-year GNAT/Swedish Teachers furniture project, which he said, had generally been successful.
He appealed to the government to focus attention on improving the essential elements of education such as good classrooms with furniture to enhance teaching.
Mr Okoffo Boadi Boampong, assistant director of administration who deputised for the district chief executive, entreated parents to be prepared to invest in the education of their children.
He called for community support in motivating teachers to perform creditably in the classroom.
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US says it will co-operate with Ghana on terrorism
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 June ’99
Officials at American facilities in Ghana said on Thursday that they will continue to co-operate closely with the government to help prevent terrorist attacks on American and Ghanaian citizens.
Mr Bruce Lohof, Information Officer at the US Information Service, said his outfit has appreciated such co-operation that has served the mutual interest of both countries over the years.
Armed military personnel have beefed up security at US installations following reported threats of terrorist attacks against US interests in Ghana.
Mr Lohof confirmed that his home government has seen a pattern of activity indicating continuing planning for terrorist attacks by members of Usama Bin Ladin's network.
However, he said, the American government had no specific information about the timing or location of such attacks.
"We have no comments on such speculation," Mr Lohof said, when asked to comment on a recent CNN report that mentioned Ghana and other African countries as specific targets.
There have been sporadic reports of planned attacks on American installations in Africa since the bombing of U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, last year, which claimed hundreds of lives.
Mr Lohof, quoting US Secretary of State Madeline Albright, said although specific countries have been the targets of the terrorists, it is an issue of attack against Africa and not those countries only.
He said since the bombing of facilities in the two east African countries, his office in co-operation with the government, has adopted some measures to prevent any such attacks in Ghana.
Mr Lehof said for the first time, the authorities this week deployed armed military personnel in addition to police guards around American facilities in the capital.
Mr Lohof said the presence of police and military personnel this time round was at the instance of America but added that it has nothing to do with the CNN report. "Rather it should be seen as a continuing effort between us and the government to prevent the attacks."
Reacting to the CNN report, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday said the story, attributed to the U.S. State Department, came as a surprise to Ghana.
This is because in the context of the existing cordial relations between the two countries, a framework exists to address matters of security concern to the governments of the two countries.
The ministry said it is, therefore, unfortunate for the U.S. State Department to make such announcement that has the effect of undermining the image of peace and stability as well as the goodwill that Ghana enjoys in the international community.
Commenting on the Ministry's statement, Mr Lohof said it was unfortunate that the media attributed its report to the State Department while the department was not the source of the story.
"The American government read about the planned attack in the media at the same time as we also heard it over here," the Information Officer explained.
He said the Embassy has responded to the statement and the two sides understood the situation and have further re-established the need to co-operate to protect citizens.
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ADRA assists Upper East Farmers
Paga (Upper East) 25 June ’99
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) provided 941 farmers in the Upper East Region with farm inputs worth 200 million cedis to enable them to expand and improve their farms between 1996 and 1998.
The farmers, drawn from 47 communities, were given improved seeds, fertilizers and tree-seedlings. They are expected to pay back with 15 per cent interest.
Mr Anthony A. Mainoo, ADRA Agro Forestry Extension Officer, said this at the opening of a three-day workshop for Paga Community Trainers of the Collaborative Community Forestry Initiative (CCFI).
The workshop will enable the participants to educate their people to be able to take over the CCFI tree nurseries in 10 communities of the Kassena Nankana district.
Mr Mainoo said one of the objectives of ADRA is to help increase agricultural yield and that the agency is collaborating with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to assist households to construct efficient earthen storage units
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 June ’99
Cabinet has approved a loan of 16 million dollars from a South African company to be used in buying operational vehicles for the Police Service, Mr John Mahama, Minister of Communications, said on Thursday.
The loan from Reumech would be spent on 20 patrol vehicles, 15 semi-armoured vehicles for rapid response to situations and eight armoured vehicles with water cannons for crowd control.
The rest are eight troop carriers with capacity for 30 persons each, four 20-seater buses and 60 motorcycles.
Mr Mahama, briefing journalists about decisions taken at recent Cabinet meetings, said the cost is inclusive of spares, training and other logistics.
There is a grace period of three years on the loan and a repayment period of seven years at an interest rate of 0.5 per cent.
"This is an important development taking into account the spate of armed robberies and other criminal activities in the country," he said.
Mr Mahama said cabinet also approved two Dutch aid packages that are grants for the improvement of water supply in Accra and Winneba.
One grant is from the Netherlands government worth 8.2 million dollars and the other, is 15.7 dollars, from ABN AMRO Bank for Ghana Water and Sewerage Company.
The Accra project involves the rehabilitation and expansion of water treatment facilities at Weija to improve both the quality and the quantity of water for western Accra.
The Winneba project involves the rehabilitation and expansion of water supply systems in and around Winneba, including the campus of the University College of Education.
Mr Mahama said cabinet approved a concessionary credit of 21 million dollars from the US Export-Import Bank to be used to buy materials to connect more communities to the national electricity grid.
Approval was given to the Ministry of Health to benefit from a grant of one million dollars to be used to buy blood transfusion equipment from Diamed AG of Switzerland, he said.
The equipment would be given to three teaching hospitals, eight regional hospitals, 12 district hospitals and two polyclinics.
"The recipient institutions were selected on the basis of the frequency of blood transfusion carried", he said.
Mr Mahama said the Ministry of Health also presented a draft National Drugs Policy to consolidate and clarify policy issues as well as proposals for the regulations of the practice of alternative/complementary medicine.
The use of such systems as homeopathy, acupuncture, osteopathy, therapeutic massage are increasingly acknowledged and a growing number of practitioners are establishing well-organised practices.
However, there is no registration or control of standards. The Ministry, therefore, set up a committee that included practitioners of alternative medicine to draw up proposals for the regulation of such practices.
Mr Mahama said the Minister of Health requested the exemption from VAT of items donated to health institutions, explaining that many health institutions receive assistance but VAT charged on such items had become a disincentive to donors.
Mr Samuael Nuamah Donkor, Minister of Health, said the Centre for Research into Plant Medicine is not being divested as is being rumoured. Rather, a US company is entering into partnership with it to process and package its products for export.
Mr Simon Abingya, Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, said the water level in the Akosombo Dam is encouraging, hitting the 240-foot mark as at Thursday.
"Last year at this time it was 237 feet. Therefore, there is no cause for alarm."
He said the government's rural electrification programme would go on.
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Third national governance workshop opens
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 June ’99
Professor Kofi Awonoor, a presidential aide, on Thursday said although Ghana has enjoyed relative peace and stability over the past few decades, nothing must be left to chance.
"Our ability to accelerate the pace of progress in sustainable human development and good governance is directly dependent on our ability to manage conflicts ... and more especially, prevent potential conflict from degenerating into violence or undesirable consequences.
"The government will continue to take the appropriate measures to ensure that only the strengths and opportunities inherent in conflict situations are promoted, and the threats and dangerous conditions are managed for the good of the citizenry of this country"
Delivering the key-note address at the third national governance workshop which opened in Accra, Professor Awoonor noted that conflicts in the country occur around ethnicity, regionalism, religion, labour, politics chieftaincy and gender inequality, among other issues.
The two-day workshop, organised by Parliament and sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is on the theme: "Conflict Prevention, Resolution and Management for Peace, Stability and Development".
He said inter-ethnic disputes are less than cordial and sometimes fractured, adding that disputes have persistently risen over chieftaincy and land ownership.
He said such was the case in the 1994 northern conflict, which resulted in mayhem and threatened the very foundation of "our peaceful co-existence".
"It is gratifying to note that the warring factions, as a result of the work of the permanent peace negotiating team, have reconciled their differences and are working towards building a permanent peace".
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Meat and meat products are safe - association
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 June’99
The Association of Meat Importers and Distributors of Ghana on Thursday assured consumers that adequate measures have been taken to protect the public from dioxin, the cancer-causing chemical found in poultry and pig products in Belgium.
It said irrespective of the fact that Belgian suppliers produced certified evidence that their products were free from contamination, they were rigidly adhering to the ban on such imports from Belgium.
Mrs. Ruth Ghanney, secretary of the association, told a press conference in Accra that members have been co-operating fully with the authorities to ensure that all meat and meat products from Belgium are retrieved from the various outlets and re-exported.
She said immediately the ban was announced, the sale of Belgian meat products was suspended and those, known to have made purchases were requested to return them for refund.
Mrs. Ghanney said stocks in cold storage and frozen food products of Belgian origin at all entry points have been made known to the authorities and are awaiting re-export.
No further orders for Belgian meat and poultry products are being made.
She said meat products from other European countries have not been allowed out of the ports without importers having to provide a supplementary veterinary health certificate that the products are free from contamination.
"We assure the public that all imported frozen foodstuffs from European countries other than Belgium coming onto the market have met the most stringent quality controls and are entirely wholesome."
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Infant and Maternal mortality remains high, Adibo
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 June ’99
Dr Moses Adibo, Deputy Minister of Health, on Thursday noted that infant and maternal mortality remains "unacceptably high" and called for more advocacy programmes to promote reproductive health and rights of women.
He also called for more reproductive autonomy of women and control in family planning.
At the opening of a three-day workshop on reproductive health and rights of women in Accra, the Deputy Minister said the Kassena-Nankana district, in the Upper East Region, has a mortality rate of 800 per 100,000 live births, describing this as one of the highest in the world.
Some 25 officials drawn from non-governmental organisations, including policy makers, women's rights groups and other experts, are attending the workshop.
Dr Adibo noted that most of the woes of patients, particularly at the in-patient level, are blamed on the cash-and-carry system and explained that the system has made an impact since every health facility has 85 to 95 per cent of drugs available at any point.
The implementation process of the cash-and-carry system, which has created very serious problems, is being reviewed to give it a human face.
Dr Adibo said factors such as poverty and illiteracy do not promote pre-natal nutrition and care, safe delivery and post-natal care of mother and child, he said.
Steps are still being taken to implement the policy of free medical care for pregnant women and children below the age of five.
Mrs. Elizabeth Owiredu Gyampoh, President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, (FIDA) said to achieve sustainable development in the country, women's reproductive health problems should be addressed as a human rights issue.
Women, she said, represent 51 per cent of the population and said there can, therefore, be no development if their rights are trampled upon.
The workshop is organised by FIDA and Centre for Reproductive Law and Policy, an American organisation involved in promoting reproductive health issues around the world.
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