GRi Newsreel Ghana
08 -06 - 2001
95 African Countries produce small arms
NPP
youth urged to exercise restraint
Conference
on arms control opens
Ghanaians
called upon to protect Constitution
Vice-President receives special message from Congolese President
Ghana to honour its commitment to UNU- Veep
95 African Countries produce small arms
Accra
(Greater Accra) 08 June 2001
Over 95
African countries legally produce small arms and ammunition while a large
proportion are produce illegally, Mr Peter Batchelor, Director of Small Arms
Survey Project said on Friday.
"The
assumption that the small arms that are circulating and in use in Africa are
produced somewhere else and illicitly flown into the continent is just mere
attempt to put the blame on outsiders thereby shifting attention from its
recipients", he said at a conference on small arms going on in Accra
The three
day conference which opened on Thursday is on "Civil Society Consultation
on the ECOWAS Moratorium: Beyond the UN 2001 Conference" scheduled for New
York in July.
It is to
ensure that West Africa adopts a regional approach to the New York conference
and have certain strengths that will provide responsive needs of countries affected by the threats posed by
small arms.
It is also
to co-ordinate an effective response internationally to ensure that all
countries take complementary measures to stop the proliferation and misuse of
small arms.
Mr
Batchelor agreed to the assertion that many of the small arms in Africa are
from countries in the North and outside the continent, but contended
"small arms and associated ammunition are also produced in Africa in an
increasing number of countries."
"So in
the spirit of African renaissance, let us focus on sorting out our own problems
of small arms before we fall into the trap of blaming outsiders for our
problems."
He
mentioned some of the African producing countries as Morocco, Algeria, Egypt,
Guinea, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,
Cameroon, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
He said
Egypt and South Africa have well-established, diversified defence industries,
with a capacity to produce a wide range of armament and defence equipment
including small arms.
The
conference is being jointly organised by African Security Dialogue and
Research, Foundation for Security and Development in Africa and Programme of
Co-ordination and Assistance for Development.
Among other
things, it will address issues such as understanding the scourge of small arms,
small arms production in Africa, making African initiatives work: The case of
the West African moratorium on light weapons and an account from the ECOWAS
secretariat.
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Remove alcoholic bars from lorry stations- GPRTU
Accra
(Greater Accra) 08 June 2001
The Ghana
Private Road transport Union (GPRTU) on Friday asked owners of drinking bars at
lorry stations to stop operations.
A statement
by the National Secretariat of the union said the move is part of attempts to
curtail the spate of road accidents.
The
statement signed by Mr. Peter Agya Ansah, Deputy General Secretary, asked local
executives of the union to sanction drivers found to be smelling of alcohol
whiles on duty.
It advised
all GPRTU regional secretariats to ensure strict compliance with the directive
and appealed to passengers and the public to co-operate by reporting any
drunken driver to its nearest offices or the police.
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Kumasi
(Ashanti Region) 08 June 2001
Nana Owusu
Kuranchi, an Adviser to the Kumasi-Accra Highway Express branch of the Ghana
Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), has called for a probe into the union to
ascertain the source of its seven billion cedis indebtedness to the state.
He urged
the Ministry of Transport and Communications, as a matter of urgency, to set up
a committee to thoroughly investigate all the activities and transactions of
the national executives of the GPRTU.
Nana Owusu
Kuranchi made the call at a news conference in Kumasi on Thursday in reaction
to media reports about the huge indebtedness of the union.
He
suggested that the probe should be extended to cover all levels of the union
while appropriate measures are put in place for the appointment of an Interim Management
Committee (IMC) to manage the affairs of the union.
It is the National Executives that
contributed to the financial mismanagement of the union over the last 10 years
and "they should, therefore, be held accountable for the indebtedness
following the acquisition of the divested Willowbrook, Ghana Limited".
"I am
at a loss to comprehend how the union should be slapped in the face with such a
debt since all regional branches of the union were made to pay some funds
towards the purchase of the divested Willowbrook Ghana Ltd", he stated.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 08 June 2001
The Central
Management Board (CMB) said on Thursday that it has been given the mandate to
commence negotiations with the Joint Consultative Forum for salary adjustment.
Mr A.K.
Yankey, Chairman of the CMB told the GNA in Accra that he would meet members of
the Forum on Monday to commence negotiations. The Ministers of Finance and
Manpower Development and Employment will be present at the meeting.
Mr Yankey
said, "as a matter of principle, we should want to conduct negotiations
under a free and fair industrial atmosphere and we need your usual
cooperation."
Members of
the Forum, the Civil Servants' Association of Ghana, Ghana National Association
of Teachers, Ghana Registered Nurses Association and Judicial Service Staff Association,
have criticised government for delaying the mandate to the CMB to open
negotiations following the announcement of a minimum wage.
Alhaji
Yakubu Ziblim, President of the Civil Servants' Association (CSA), on Thursday
accused the government of feet dragging over negotiations for salaries and
warned that if by the end of next week nothing is heard from it, members would
advise themselves.
He said
executives of the association had called on the government on three occasions
to initiate negotiations for new salaries but "all these calls fell on the
rocks."
"The
Minister of Employment and Manpower Development only sends us excuses that the
Minister of Finance is out of the country so they are waiting for his
return," Alhaji Ziblim said in an address at the third quadrennial
conference of the Accra District branch of the CSA in Accra.
"We
give the government up to next week to call us for negotiations or we would
take the law into our hands", he said but expressed the hope that the
government would not allow things to come to that.
Alhaji
Ziblim said when the minimum wage was determined in April, civil servants
thought it would reflect on their May salaries but this did not happen and
"no one is telling us anything."
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 08 June 2001
The
Electoral Commission on Thursday said that political parties which contested
the 2000 elections have up to the end of June to submit audited accounts for
last year.
A reliable
source told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra that the electoral law
specifies that a political party shall within six months from December 31st of
each year file with the Commission a return indicating the state of its
accounts, the source of its funds and membership dues paid.
He said the
Commission should also be informed about contributions or donations in cash or
kind, property and time of acquisition and audited accounts for the year.
The source
said these are constitutional and statutory provisions that the parties are
required to meet and make available to the Commission for verification.
The Act
specifies that this shall be supported by a statutory declaration made by the
national treasurer and the national or general secretary of the party.
The Act
reads: "Without prejudice to any other penalty prescribed by the Act or
any other enactment, where a political party refuses or neglects to comply with
the provision or submits a declaration that is false in any material, the
Commission may cancel its registration."
The source
explained that only a citizen might contribute in cash or kind to the parties,
adding that there is no limitation to how much a person contributes. Foreigners
are not allowed to contribute financially to any political party.
The source
stressed that any person or company that contravenes the constitutional
provision on funding of political parties would forfeit to the state such
amount.
The party
or individual, in whose custody the amount is, shall pay it to the state.
According
to the Act, a non-citizen found guilty of contravention of the provision shall
be deemed to be a prohibited immigrant and liable to deportation under the
Aliens Act.
The parties
that contested the elections were the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National
Democratic Congress (NDC), the People's National Convention (PNC) and
Convention People's Party (CPP).
The rest
were the National Reform Party (NRP), United Ghana Movement and Great
Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
Most of the
parties have not furnished the EC with their audited account, updated records
on party officials at the national, regional and district offices since 1996.
This is in spite of the fact that the initial list submitted to the commission
for registration has changed.
Some of the
political parties explained to the GNA that they have not submitted any audited
account to the EC since 1996 because the commission failed to come out with a
unified modality for the parties.
They said
accounts submitted by some political parties in 1996 did not reflect their
expenditure for the elections, which generated a heated debate among the
parties.
The
parties, therefore, suggested at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC)
meeting to adopt a uniform modality, but this is yet to be formulated.
Meanwhile,
the Commission is yet to publish the nation-wide assessment of political
parties conducted in July 2000.
The
assessment was to ensure that their operations were in conformity with
constitutional provisions and the Political Parties Law (Act 574).
An EC
official said the report was delayed because of the pressure on the commission
for the December 2000 elections and the impact it would have had on the
electoral process.
He could,
however, not explain the seeming delay in its publication five months after the
elections.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 08 June 2001
The Office
of the President on Thursday confirmed that three ministers hosted foreign
delegations at certain restaurants in Accra but they did not leave the bills
unsettled.
It was
reacting to a "Letter to the President" published in the June 4-6
edition of the Ghanaian Democrat that the Ministers of Finance, the Interior
and Foreign Affairs hosted "a number of white men" at two different
Chinese restaurants at Osu without paying for the food.
The Office
of the President said in a statement signed by Ms Elizabeth Ohene, Government
Spokesperson: "The facts are that the (said) ministers indeed hosted some
foreign delegations at the restaurants on the days alluded to in the letter.
"The
fact also remains that all the necessary financial commitments have been duly
met".
The
statement said as far as the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Interior are concerned,
"it would appear that all they are accused of having done is to have had
launch with their guests at those restaurants on the day of the Nima riot,
while with the Minister of Finance no invoice was issued".
"Indeed,
the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Finance duly collected VAT
invoice number 04740804 of 22 May 2001, on that very night and has paid for the
cost of the dinner at the Regal Chinese restaurant," she said.
The
statement said the VAT service has already been tasked to investigate the
operations of the two restaurants the letter referred to and take the necessary
action to ensure that revenue due to the state together with any pecuniary
default sanctions are recovered.
This, it
said, is in line with the government's task to revenue agencies to ensure that
companies, restaurants and organisations pay the requisite levies, fees and
taxes required by the existing regulations covering their operations.
"The
government's stringent measures to minimise leakage in revenue collection as
part of the policy to increase revenue, would not be compromised by the
services that companies, restaurants and organisations provide to the
government and its appointees," it said.
It reminded
all media houses, which care to ask questions, that the Ministry's doors are
wide open and, as far as possible, answers would be provided.
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Sunyani
(Greater Accra) 08 June 2001
Mr Kwame
Twumasi-Awuah, acting National Youth organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)
has urged youth supporters of the party not to allow individuals to exploit
their exuberance for selfish ends.
He said the
recent violent demonstrations by some youths over the nomination of District
Chief Executives (DCEs) have caused great embarrassment to the party and should
not be repeated.
In a
statement issued at Sunyani on Wednesday, Mr Twumasi-Awuah advised the youth
supporters who are dissatisfied with decisions taken by the party hierarchy to
seek redress through the laid-down procedures.
He advised
the youth to close their ranks against infiltrators who come in various guises
to cause confusion to embarrass the government.
Mr
Twumasi-Awuah said it is the responsibility of district assemblies to accept or
reject nominations, "and it is unfortunate that some people are using
violence to show their disapproval of such nominations".
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Kumasi
(Greater Accra) 08 June 2001
The youth
of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have been urged to come out boldly to
speak against the corrupt practices and attitudes of the people in the party.
A statement
signed by Mr A. K. Mensah, a leading member and Mr Asamoah Atuahene, party
activist, in Kumasi on Thursday said "unless the fraudulent deals in the
party are exposed and those involved checked, the party cannot regain its
popularity".
The
statement stressed the need for all members, especially the youth, to be firm
and fearless to "call a spade a spade" because they are all party
members and that no one could claim monopoly of the party.
It said;
"if the NDC is to recover power from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the
next election, the re-organisation exercise going on in the party must pay
attention to money matters, vehicles and other assets of the party".
It said
there was much financial dealings in the party and called on the national
executives of the party to raise the issues at high-levels and find lasting
solutions to it in the interest of the party.
It
expressed regret that many treasurers at the regional, constituency and branch
levels have never seen any money of the party, which is usually distributed
through party chairmen or even people with no proper positions in the party.
"Few
people have established a stronghold on the party's finances doing whatever
they like with it and surprisingly these same people call for internal
democracy and peace in the party," it said.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 08 June 2001
A three-day
conference on Civil Society Consultation on the ECOWAS moratorium beyond the UN
2201 conference opened in Accra with a call on African non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and civil society groupings to dialogue and present a
common voice at the world forum.
Mr Edward
Martey Akita, Deputy Minister of Defence, who made the call, also urged West
African governments to encourage and facilitate tangible programmes in the
sub-region to control the menace of small arms.
The
moratorium on the importation, exportation and manufacture of light weapons
seek to ensure a control mechanism within the sub-region on small arms usage
and marketing.
The code of
conduct signed in December 1999, in Togo by 16 West African Heads of States and
governments deals with issues such as ammunition and its components, peace
operation weapon register, dialogue with suppliers and producers, intra and
inter state co-operation and enhancing border control.
Mr Akita
said over the past 20 years, armed conflicts had led to the killing of two
million children, disabled over four million people, while 12 million had been
made homeless.
He said,
"as a result of these conflicts, one million children have either been
orphaned or separated from their parents, while ten million other war victims
are still traumatised with very little hope of living normal lives once
again."
The
conference is being jointly organised by African Security Dialogue and
Research, Foundation for Security and Development in African and Programme of
Co-ordination and Assistance for Development.
It has
attracted participants from civil society groups in the sub-region and would
also serve as a preparatory meeting towards the United Nations Conference on
Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons scheduled for New York in July.
Mr Akita
noted that the proliferation of small arms could not be controlled from one
single country and suggested a systems approach to handle hot spots in the
sub-region.
He cited
the Sierra Leone situation, which he said could not be dealt with as an
isolated case as it has its rippling effects in Guinea.
Mr Akita
expressed dissatisfaction about the destabilising impact of the illicit flow of
small arms despite the genuine concern shown by both governments and civil
society.
The
minister stated that proliferation of small arms has led to an upsurge in armed
robbery and noted that the government was committed to combating the situation.
He said the
government initiated a move to collect over 40,000 illicit small arms in
private hands, because "any single small arms in an illegal hands is a
threat to society as a whole".
As part of the
Accra Conference, the Ghana Armed Forces mounted an exhibition of weapons,
which ranged from M16 A2 Assault Rifle, Light Machine Gun, 84 Millimetre Anti
Tank Gun, Locally Manufactured shotguns, Sub Machine Guns and G3 Rifles.
The rest
were Man Portable Anti-Aircraft and Anti-Tank Missiles, Small Calibre Mortars,
Hand and Rocket Propelled Grenades.
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Bolgatanga
(Upper East) 08 June 2001
The
Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in the Upper East Region is to begin an
emergency advisory service programme to educate farmers on the type of crops to
grow during this year's farming season.
The move is
in anticipation of a drought especially in the Bolgatanga area where for the
past two months there has not been sufficient rain to enable farmers to plant.
For those
who took advantage of the first rain in mid-April, their crops are withering
due to poor rainfall.
The Deputy
Regional Director of MOFA, Mr. Roy Ayariga, who made this known to the GNA at
Bolgatanga on Wednesday, said the strategies the Ministry is advising farmers
to use early maturing crops developed by the Manga Agriculture Research Centre
near Bawku and to grow leguminous crops such as groundnuts and cowpea should
the present trend continue.
Mr. Ayariga
said farmers would be supplied with seedlings to cultivate root tubers such as
sweet potatoes and Frafra potatoes to replace the traditional early millet
whose planting season is almost over.
Mr. Ayariga
said although it is too early to predict whether the whole of the region would
face food deficit this farming season, his outfit has instituted adequate
measures to ensure a successful season.
"Farmers
here practise intercropping with variation in the period of growing, and
therefore if the rains have failed them on the millet, there could be other
alternatives".
The
Regional Director of the Meteorological Services Department, Mr. Nathan Afunyah
said it has been difficult to explain the prevailing rainfall trend. "On
several occasions we had announced the weather forecast on radio only for
things to take a different turn".
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Sunyani
(Brong Ahafo) 08 June 2001
The Ghana
Bar Association (GBA), has advised ex-President Jerry John Rawlings to be
circumspect in his utterances and actions, since he could be subjected to both
civil and criminal proceedings now that he is no longer the president.
In a
statement read by Mr Ebow Quashie, National President of the association at a
news conference at Sunyani on Thursday, he reminded the former President that
even though his position is recognised under the 1992 constitution, he no
longer enjoys presidential immunity.
It was in
reaction to statements made by the former President on Monday at a lecture
organised by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to celebrate the June 4,
1979 uprising.
The remarks
have been greeted with mixed reactions from individuals, pressure groups and
the government. While some condemn the former President's utterances as
unguarded and unsavoury others say there was nothing wrong with them.
Mr Quashie,
who was on a visit to the Brong Ahafo Region with the national executive of the
association, said the GBA learnt with deep shock and dismay the statements made
by ex-President Rawlings.
He said it
was regrettable that a former President, who is now regarded as a United
Nations eminent personality, could "sink so low as to continue to believe
in coups d'etat and even imply that one is in the offing".
The
President of the Bar urged Ghanaians and the world at large to condemn the
ex-President's remarks, which he described as calculated to undermine the
country's democracy.
"The
ex-President's statement amounted to incitement and personally speaking, I
think he should be made to answer for it at the law court".
He said
much as the association concedes that the constitution guarantees freedom of
speech and association, "such liberties must not be used to undermine the
rule of law, and the authority of a constitutionally elected government".
"It is
only Ghanaians who can change the present government at the next polls and
nobody has the constitutional right to do otherwise".
He said the
association therefore, called on Ghanaians to resolve to maintain the rule of
law and to defend the constitution at all times and at all cost
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Nkoranza
(Brong Ahafo) 08 June 2001
Mr Kwadwo
Mensah, Public Education Officer of the National Commission for Civic Education
(NCCE) said on Wednesday that military interventions in politics have
negatively affected the country and called on Ghanaians to protect the 1992
constitution.
He also
urged the citizenry to uphold the rule of law to ensure the attainment of true
democracy. Mr. Mensah was addressing the staff and students of the Nkoranza
Secondary Technical School at a day's education seminar on the 1992
constitution.
Mr Sammy
Asumah, Nkoranza District Director of the Commission, urged students to be
abreast with the provisions of the constitution to enable them to educate
others about their rights and responsibilities.
The youth
have a significant role to play in national development and they should be
encouraged to be law-abiding and eschew vices such as rape, promiscuity,
prostitution and armed robbery that could ruin their lives.
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Vice-President receives special message from Congolese President
Accra
(Greater Accra) 08 June 2001
Mr Henry
Djomboh, Congolese Minister of Economics, Forestry and Water on Friday
delivered a special message from President Sassou Ngueso to Vice -President
Aliu Mahama and lobbied Ghana to host this year's Conference of Ministers of
the African Timber Organisation (ATO).
The last
conference was held in Gabon last October.
Mr Djomboh
who is also the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the 14-member ATO said
Cameroun, which chose to organise this year's meeting has now declined.
Speaking at
the State House meeting with Alhaji Mahama, he said the choice of Ghana is due
to its leadership role in the organisation, which aims at checking over logging
and other excessive exploitation of the vegetation.
He said the
special message contains the final communiqué adopted at the Gabonese
conference.
Mr Djomboh
said plans to establish the permanent headquarters of the organisation in Congo
Brazzaville would cost about 650,000 dollars and appealed to the member
countries to honour their financial obligations to make the project possible.
The
Gabonese government has hosted and financed a temporary secretariat in
Libreville since 1976.
Alhaji
Mahama said though Ghana has sufficient information on timber technology,
research and other expertise to host the conference, it needs to study the
financial implications before committing itself.
"We
are a new government, barely five months in office. We must see to set our
house in order first."
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Ghana to honour its commitment to UNU- Veep
Accra
(Greater Accra) 08 June 2001
Vice-President
Aliu Mahama on Friday assured visiting Rector of the United Nations University
(UNU) of the government's commitment to complete the payment of a five
million-dollar pledge it made towards the UNU/Institute for Natural Resources
in Africa endowment fund.
He told
Professor Dr Hans Van Ginkel that Ghana appreciates the immense role the UNU is
playing to facilitate teaching and learning in the country's universities and
would therefore strive to clear the outstanding debt of 3.55 million dollars.
Alhaji
Mahama gave the undertaking when Professor Ginkel who is also UN
Under-Secretary led a three-member delegation to call on him at the State
House.
The
delegation is in Ghana to hold discussions on ways to revitalize Africa's
universities and research institutions.
Ghana in
1992 pledged to pay five million dollars to the fund by 1993 but by the end of
1999 had paid only 1.45 million dollars.
Alhaji
Mahama acknowledged the contributions of the UNU to strengthen the capacity of
the Biological Sciences Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science
and Technology and local research institutions.
He urged
all African countries to be part of the UNU to enhance the capacities of their
universities and research institutions.
Ms
Christine Churcher, Minister of State for Basic, Secondary and Girl-child
Education said the government is committed to quality education as a means of
facilitating the development of the country.
"We
are looking at the physical and natural resources that can be mobilised to
improve on the sector."
Professor
Ginkel commended Ghana for its assistance in the development of Africa's
natural resources and for the peaceful manner it organised the last general
election.
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Nkoranza
(Brong Ahafo) 08 June 2001
A rainstorm
has destroyed the Asonkwaa L/A Primary School in the Nkoranza district,
displacing 78 pupils.
Mr Kofi
Aboagye, assembly member for the area told the Ghana News Agency at Nkoranza
that property estimated at seven million cedis was also destroyed.
He said the
children have been shared amongst the other classrooms and this has created
congestion, which is not conducive for teaching and learning.
Mr Aboagye
appealed to the district assembly and the national disaster management
organisation to help rehabilitate the building as quickly as possible for
normal classes to resume.
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