Government to adopt fast track to economic development – Minister
Government asked to stay away from SSNIT
Woman, 32, delivers quadruplet
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 June 2001
Two committees set up by the Ministry of Energy to examine the operations of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and the Saltpond Oil Production Development (SOPD) project on Monday presented their reports to the Minister of Energy in Accra.
The first committee was to advise the government on the restructuring of GNPC while the second looked into the SOPD project and deliberated on the joint venture operation between GNPC and its partners.
The terms of reference of the first committee chaired by Professor Andrew Addae included studying the law establishing GNPC with the view to restructuring the corporation to focus on its core business, determining appropriate manpower levels for the new organisation and divesting GNPC from non-viable activities.
Mr Kwame Owusu, a Certified Accountant, chaired the second committee, which reviewed the joint venture agreements with regard to protection of national interest. It also sought to establish and report on the status of SOPD and advise the ministry of energy on its future. The findings and recommendations of the two committees were not disclosed.
In a statement read for him, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Energy, said over the years GNPC embarked on activities that were not related to petroleum operation under the pretext of raising funds to finance its core activities.
It also formed subsidiary companies and acquired interests in others. "Most of these investments did not yield the financial benefits that were contemplated," he said.
"Furthermore, by concentrating on all these non-core activities, GNPC did not sufficiently focus on its primary objective of finding hydrocarbons in Ghana."
The companies include Ada Songhor Salt Limited, Energy Products Limited, Connexat Limited, Prestea Sankofa Gold Limited, Western TeleSystems, Valley Limited and Globaltouch Holdings Incorporated.
Mr Kan-Dappah said the ministry perceives the need for GNPC to divest itself from all non-core activities and concentrate on its exploration activities. He said in the case of SOPD, GNPC inherited the fields after AgriPetco abandoned it in 1985.
Thirteen years later in 1998, GNPC was impressed by a presentation by a Nigerian company, Oildata during an oil conference.
Around the same time, Lushan International Energy, a Houston-based company, approached GNPC. "One thing led to the other and Lushan International Energy entered into partnership with Eternit Universal Limited of Nigeria to form Leshan-Eternit to undertake the project."
GNPC then entered into an arrangement with this company, which later translated into SOPD. PNDCL 64 of 1983 established the GNPC to undertake exploration, production and development of petroleum. Subsequent to this was PNDCL 84, which was promulgated in 1984 conferring on GNPC the exclusive right for the exploration, development and production of petroleum.
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Tema (Greater Accra) 25 June 2001
Mr. Kobina Quansah, Managing Director of Barclays Bank, at the weekend deplored the misuse of resources and corruption in developing economies and called for a new breed of dedicated professionals to help reverse the situation.
He expressed regret that though developing economies abound in resources, they are not properly harnessed as a result of poor governance, economic mismanagement, poor resource allocation and poor standards in education, health and other social amenities.
Mr. Quansah was speaking at the installation of Mr. Kwasi Kwakwa as president of the Rotary club of Tema during a fund-raising dinner dance in aid of a rotary centre for the training of the disabled on Saturday in Tema.
He said the situation calls for selfless and dedicated professionals who will constantly subject themselves to high ethical standards.
He said Rotarians, as business leaders and respected individuals in their professions, could use the workplace to advance high ethical standards, adding: "you must develop good character among employees, associates and the community in general."
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Lashibi (Greater Accra) 25 June 2001
Landlords have been called upon to adhere to the rent law and not to collect more than six months rent charges as stipulated in the law.
They should also charge the appropriate rent fee as required by law to make it easier for the working class to acquire accommodation on hiring basis.
Mr Abraham Ossei Aidoo, a lawyer and Member of Parliament for Tema West made the call at Lashibi, near Tema, at the inauguration of Community 19 Regimanuel Gray Residents Association at the weekend.
The association, which is one year old, aims at fostering unity among the people of the new community and to create a condition where the residents would be each person's keeper.
Mr. Aidoo said the high cost of houses built by estate developers, both government and private, and the charging of rents that cover very long periods have made it impossible for workers to acquire comfortable accommodation, adding that many workers can’t afford to own houses.
He asked the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) to find avenues of making houses affordable and to provide facilities like schools, clinics, entertainment centres in the residential areas.
Mrs Elizabeth Banson, Managing Director of the TDC, explained that inputs for providing social infrastructure that are borne by estate developers add up to the cost of putting up houses.
She said sometime ago, the TDC provided social facilities, but it is the duty of the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA) to provide such facilities and to ensure their maintenance.
On provision of street light bulbs, Mrs Banson advised the residents to put aside some moneys to maintain facilities since the TMA has not been able to do so expeditiously.
A 12-member executive with Mr. Michel Ahiabor, as chairman was sworn into office by Mr Ossei Aidoo. The association also has three ex-officio members. Mr. Ahiabor appealed to Ghana Telecom to expedite work on linking Community 19 to the rest of the world.
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Odumase Krobo(Eastern Region) 25 June 2001
The media has been urged to come to adhere to its constitutional role as partners in the development of the country by becoming more assertive and critical on issues to enhance the well-being of Ghanaians.
It must, therefore, not dwell too much on its traditional role as a recipient and disseminator of information.
Professor Kofi Glover, Professor in Political Science at the University of South Florida (USF), USA, said "it is sad to observe that many professionals in the media only regurgitate ideas on what Europeans have taught us without putting them in the context of African problems."
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Odumase Krobo in the Easter Region at the weekend, Professor Glover said merely publishing official government speeches without any critical analysis makes the media a "passive partner in the development process of the nation whereas the constitution demands of it a proactive engagement on national issues".
Professor Glover, who is the USF authority on African Political Systems, was in the country on a study tour with some students and lectures of the University.
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Tamale (Northern Region) 25 June 2001
The Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), on Friday called on Parliament to enact a law to give stiffer punishment for rape and defilement.
In a resolution adopted by TEWU, at the end of a three-day workshop on gender issues organised at Tamale, by the union for women organisations from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, the Union said the current sentences do not serve as enough deterrent to would-be rapists.
TEWU expressed grave concern about the increasing rate of rape and defilement in the country and called for adequate measures to halt the trend.
The resolution also call for a thorough investigation into the operations of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and a general review of the pension scheme to give a better deal to workers on retirement.
The leadership of the TUC has also been called upon to expedite action on the review of the conditions of service and salary adjustments for workers.
Mr Dan Nyim Antwi, General Secretary of TEWU, appealed to the government to restore the End-of-Service Benefits to workers.
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Cape Coast (Central Region) 25 June 2001
The Minister of Defence, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor on Saturday said the African tradition is not "valueless" and that there is the need for it to be fused with Christian religion to have the desired impact on society.
He said “the type of Christianity colonial masters taught Africans was "full of European doctrines" which must be removed from our cultural practices. Dr Kufuor was addressing the silver jubilee and 16th graduation ceremony of the St. Nicholas Seminary of the Anglican Church, at Cape Coast.
The theme for the celebration, is " twenty-years of AfricanChristianity and ministerial formation- the way forward". The Defence Minister said the message of Christ should not only "touch the mind but also the heart".
The Minister, who is also a medical practitioner, likened Priest-hood to medical practice, and charged the 12 new graduates to be fatherly, compassionate, honest and friendly in the discharge of their duties.
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Sunyani (Brong Region) 25 June 2001
Mr Ernest Owusu-Poku, Acting Inspector General of Police on Friday cautioned policemen to stay away from chieftaincy disputes and other unprofessional tendencies that undermine public confidence in the service and destroy its ability to fight crime.
He said the police should continuously strive to redeem its image and reverse the growing public resentment against it. This is because without the trust and support of the public, "our efforts at crime fighting will yield nothing".
Addressing officers and men of the service in the Brong Ahafo Region at a durbar at Sunyani, the acting IGP charged policemen to acquaint themselves with aspects of the constitution that touch on their profession and the fundamental rights of the citizenry so that they do not conduct themselves in a manner that would violate people's rights and lead to public resentment.
Mr Owusu-Poku warned policemen to guard against indiscriminate use of firearms, stressing that no member of the service would be allowed to take refuge under "the cloak of warning shots" if he kills or maims anybody.
"That imaginary cloak of warning shot does not exist in any police regulations and it will not, therefore, provide a shield to any policeman who without the least compunction discharges his or her firearm under that guise".
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Ho (Volta Region) 25 June 2001
Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Regional Minister at the weekend said the government would adopt fast track approach towards economic recovery.
"We are here to solve problems and not to create them", Mr Owusu-Yeboa, who was speaking at the inauguration of the Ho Polytechnic Chapter of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Youth Wing, said.
He said the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative was designed to halt further decline in the economy, usher in a regime of pragmatic policies and judicious application of scarce financial resources and facilitate long-term sustainable development.
The Regional Minister said this was the only viable alternative the government could resort to in reviving the flagging economy it had inherited.
The government would not shroud its business in secrecy but lay bare the facts and figures for public information and scrutiny.
He said the priority of government was to revamp agriculture and strengthen private sector development financing and encourage healthy competition among Ghanaian entrepreneurs.
Mr Owusu-Yeboa expressed the hope that the people of the region would adapt to the new atmosphere in the country to enable the region to breathe a new lease of life.
"It is worthwhile to have a change after waiting for 20 years without redemption," he advised.
A seven-member Executive Committee, chaired by Mr David Asamoah was sworn-in by Mr Kofi Dzamesi, Deputy Volta Regional Minister, who pledged to support the branch.
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Tamale (Northern Region) 25 June 2001
Workers in Tamale on Thursday called on the government to take its hands off the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and allow workers to manage it.
"SSNIT is the property of workers and must be allowed to be managed by workers," they said at the second quarterly meeting of the Tamale District Council of Labour at Tamale.
The workers said because of government's interference in the management of SSNIT, workers' contributions were being misused and mismanaged to the detriment of the contributors.
The meeting was to study the provisions of the draft labour bill with the view to making suggestions.
The workers also appealed to the government to absorb all workers into the "Cap 30" pension scheme instead of the SSNIT pension.
They said they did not see why the security agencies and judges should be paid "Cap 30" while the bulk of workers are paid SSNIT pension. "Cap 30" is the colonial government pension scheme for workers.
"The SSNIT pension is not good, it is a killer scheme and we do not want it any more", they said.
They asked the Trades Union Congress to make available copies of the draft labour bill to workers for study to enable them to make inputs to the legislative proposal.
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Vice President to tour Volta Region
Ho (Volta Region) 25 June 2001
Alhaji Aliu Mahama, the Vice- President will pay a three-day working visit to the Volta Region from Wednesday June 27 to 29 this year.
During the visit, he will tour nine out of the 12 districts of the Region to inspect development projects and pay courtesy calls on chiefs.
According to a programme drawn by the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council, (RCC) the Vice-President will inspect the Sogakope-Adidome-Ho-Fume road, Ho township roads, the Gbefi Bridge project and water projects at Sogakope, Kpeve and the fishing harbour at Dzemeni.
Others to be inspected are the Keta Sea Defence project, the Amedzofe Transmitter station, the Aflao border complex, the Afife irrigation project, Ghana Telecom at Hohoe and a mango plantation at Ve-Wudome.
Alhaji Mahama will also join Moslems at Kadjebi to worship on Friday, before leaving for Accra the same day.
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Bole (Northern Region) 25 June 2001
The mortal remains of Mr E.A. Mahama, former Minister of State in the Nkrumah regimes was on Friday laid to rest at his hometown, Bole, in the Northern Region.
The late Mr Mahama, father of the MP for Bole/Bamboi and former Minister of Communications, Mr John Mahama died at 79.
A government delegation led by the Northern Regional Minister, Ben Salifu was at the burial. There were also delegations from the CPP, the NDC and other political parties and organisations.
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Trabuom (Ashanti Region) 25 June 2001
A 32-year-old unemployed mother of two, Miss Mariama Alhassan, on Thursday gave birth to a set of quadruplet at the Trabuom Health Centre in the Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma District in Ashanti. The babies, all boys, were delivered normally without any medical complication.
Mr Dickson Agyeman, the officer in-charge of the centre told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that all the babies are doing well.
He appealed for financial assistance for the upkeep of the babies and Miss Alhassan who unfortunately lost her husband on February 8, this year.
Ms Alhassan, a native of Bawku in the Upper East region but resident at Nwineso Number One near Trabuom, had a set of twins in her first delivery.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 June 2001
Mr. Ernest Owusu Poku, Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) sustained injuries when the official vehicle in which he was travelling got involved in an accident at Pampamsu near Teacher Mante on the Nsawam road at the weekend.
He has since been sent to the Police hospital where he is responding to treatment.
Briefing the Ghana News Agency, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Eklu of the Public Relations Unit at Police Headquarters said the IGP was returning from a regional tour in the Brong Ahafo Region when the accident occurred.
He said the bodyguard, driver and aide of the IGP were also injured and are receiving treatment. Two other cars in the IGP's convoy escaped unscathed.
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