UNHCR official suggests solutions to conflicts.
WAEC head to receive high honour
WFP donates relief food to Upper East flood victims
UNHCR official suggests solutions to conflicts.
Tema (Greater Accra) 13 March 2000
Ms
Adama Wurie, Head of United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) Liaison
Office in Accra on Saturday called on governments to commit themselves to the
reductions in arms expenditure as a measure to maintain peace and security
within and between states.
Incentives
should be given to countries that undertake arms reduction and promote
long-term peace building measures.
Governments
of developed countries must exercise effective control on the production and
export of small arms, land mines and the development of deadly new weapons.
Ms
Wurie made the call in a speech read on her behalf by Mr Fridolin Tepe-Mensah,
Associate Community Services Officer at a Peace/Environment seminar at Tema.
It
was organised by the Green Belt International and Abibiman Foundation
International for selected youth organisations in Tema under the theme
"Towards a peaceful environment in the new millennium-the youth
factor."
Speaking
on, "Impact of wars and conflict in Africa - effects on children, youth
and women," Ms Wurie indicated that steps need to be taken to identify,
name and prosecute those responsible for war crimes and human rights abuses.
More
resources should be devoted to the promotion of human rights and the training
in laws of war, particularly in those societies, which are emerging from long
periods of authoritarian governance.
"Violence
and refugee movements will continue to take place unless the current culture of
impunity is changed," Ms Wurie stated, noting that women and children
suffer most during wars.
The
Ms Wurie suggested that increased support and assistance should be given to
states that observe democratic principles and human rights standards.
This
is because countries with governments that respect and protect their citizens
are far less likely to experience violence than those that engage in or fail to
prevent abuses.
Individuals
and groups of people need to be protected from arbitrary exercise of state power
and the rights of minorities protected by means of constitutional safeguards
and other power-sharing arrangements.
She
said within the low-income states, problems associated with land distribution,
environmental degradation, population growth and food security must be tackled
with urgency.
Ms
Wurie pointed out that the economic performance of too many countries is
currently constrained not only by the absence of peace, but by the difficulty
of competing in an increasingly competitive international market as well as
debts.
To
this end, measures must be taken to reduce this burden if the less prosperous
countries were to realise their development potential and to escape from the
vicious cycle of deprivation and displacement.
Ms
Akyaa Dapaah, National Co-ordinator of Projects and Programmes of Green Belt
advised the youth against doing things that could bring about confusion and
war.
WAEC head to receive high honour
Accra
(Greater Accra) 13 March 2000
Mrs.
Sylvia Boye, Registrar of the West African Examinations Council will be
decorated with the high honour of Member of the Order of the Volta on Friday 17
March for her distinguished public service.
A
statement issued in Accra on Sunday said 15 others would receive honours for
their exceptional contributions in various fields of national development.
It
said President Jerry John Rawlings conferred the awards as part of the 43rd
Independence Anniversary celebrations.
The
statement said the following personalities have been awarded the Grand Medal
(Civil Division).
They
include Mr. Abdul Razak, former captain of the Black Stars, for distinguished
contribution to sports, Mr. Winfred Ofie Adu Darko, a retired public servant,
for composing the signature tune that heralds Ghana News Bulletin (Ghana
Muntie), and Mrs. Hawa Fulera Goodman Shetu of the Northern Regional office of
the NCWD for social service.
Others
are Dr. Narian Das Wadhwa, Agro Industrial Consultant, for the invention and
production of indigenous agricultural implements, Mr. Abraham Dodoo, Office of
the President, for public service, Francis Nii Yartey, Choreography, Alhaji
Pierre Bature and Apostle Kwadwo Safo, for social service.
Brig.
H. K. Anyidoho, Commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Ghana Army and
former deputy Force Commander of UNAMIR, has been awarded the Distinguished
Service Order for Gallantry in the face of the enemy.
WOI Andreas Tettey and WOI Raymond
Pawtriah have been granted the Military Medal for exceptional valour, courage
and devotion to duty.
Five
Prison Officers, who at the peril of their lives stopped a mass jailbreak at
the James Fort Prison on 1 March 1992, have been awarded the Distinguished
Service Order (Prison Division).
They
are CO Samuel Adjetey Laryea, ACO Eugene Amoah Obeng, ACO Samuel Kofi
Acheampong, ACO Samuel Kodjo Nartey and Sgt. James Arku Coffie.
The
statement said by their act of bravery, the prison authorities regained
absolute control from the inmates who had cut all communication lines to the
prison, snatched the keys to the main gates, strapped all officers and
unleashed a reign of terror.
According
to the statement an investiture ceremony for the above honours as well as that
for 1999 National Award Winners will take place on Friday, 17 March 2000 at the
Banquet Hall State House.
The
statement named the 1999 award winners as follows Mr. Kofi Annan, Mr. Justice
Philip Archer, Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia, Prof. Alex Kwapong , Maya Angelou, Alhaji
Mahama Iddrisu, Mr. Kojo Botsio, Mr C.K. Dewornu, Mr, Ishmael Yamson, Ms Ama
Atta Aidoo, Pe Roland Ayagitam, Odeefo Boa-Amponsem, Mr. John Tettegah, Rev.
Kwaku Boateng and Mr. Charles Heymann.
Others
are Madam Victoria M. Sackey, Mrs. Frances Griffith Randolph, Mrs. Emma
Quartey, Mr. J. B. H. Coleman, Mrs Alberta Ollenu, Mrs Margaret Klutsey, Mr.
Gerald Ajongbah Punguse, Mrs. Frances Ademola and Mr. Musa Sugri,
The
rest are Miss Vida Koranteng-Asante, Mr. John Hammond, Mr. Vincent Assiseh, Mr.
Kwame Gyawu-Kyem, Mr Valis Akyianu, Colonel Marco Ansaloni (rtd), Mr. C. A. de
Ruyter, and Mr. Simon Okletey,
GRi../
Berekum (Brong Ahafo) 13 March 2000
President
Jerry John Rawlings on Saturday joined thousands of Berekum citizens and
sympathisers to pay his last respects to Nana Boakye Yiadom II, Paramount Chief
of Berekum Traditional Area, whose mortal remains is lying in state at Berekum.
Attired
in a black flowing agbada, President Rawlings accompanied by his wife, Nana
Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and other top government functionaries filed past the
gold-dusted body of the Omanhene.
Mr
John Agyekum Kufuor, Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)
also paid his last respects.
In
a tribute, President Rawlings on behalf of the government, chiefs and people of
Ghana expressed condolences to the people of Berekum on the loss of their
chief.
Describing the late chief as a good man,
he urged the people of Berekum to strive to replace Nana Boakye Yiadom II with
a man, who has the same sense of humanity and goodness.
"The presence of prominent and
distinguished personalities at Berekum today to mourn with you is an indication
of your departed chief's nobility and greatness. We hope you will peacefully
appoint a successor, who would be as progressive as he was."
President Rawlings exhorted Ghanaians to
emulate the late chief by using their lives purposefully for the progress of
the nation saying, "it is not how long a person lives that is important,
but how progressively one lives."
Also
present at the funeral were chiefs from all over the country as well as
representatives of religious, social and professional bodies and organisations,
including the Ghana Bar Association and the Cocobod.
The
Asantehene was represented by the Ofinsohene, Nana Wiafe Akenten III, who made
a showy entrance to the mourning ground in a palanquin followed by a large
retinue of traditional horn blowers, drummers and sword bearers.
So
numerous were the mourners that dignitaries like Mr Kufour and Dr Kofi
Frimpong, a citizen of Berekum and recently appointed Ambassador-designate had
to wait for almost an hour before seats could be found for them.
The government presented One million
cedis, 16 crates of assorted alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to the Berekum
Traditional Council whiles the regional branch of the National Democratic
Congress (NDC) gave 800,000 cedis.
The
New Patriotic Party also gave 500,000 cedis.
Other prominent citizens who were in
attendance were Mr. J. H. Owusu-Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture
and a Member of Parliament for the area and Prof. Geoge Benneh, former Vice
Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nana Boakye Yiadom who died at the age of
88 was a development-oriented chief, whose reign saw the transformation of
Berekum into a modern town.
GRi../
Accra (Greater Accra) 13 March 2000
Ms
Susan Shabangu, South Africa Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy, says her
country would welcome the idea to host the next Oil and Gas Africa conference
and exhibition.
Speaking to the GNA in an interview at the
close of the 2000 edition of the Conference, she said the future of oil and gas
in Africa is very bright.
"This is because both producing and
non-producing countries are all prepared to support the development of the
industry".
The conference, which is in its fourth
year, was under the theme: "Africa, the Province of oil and gas in the
21st Century".
Ms Shabangu said the various presentations
at the three-day conference showed that a lot of technical skills and potential
abound on the continent.
What is lacking, she said, is the optimum
use of such skills in association with the renowned companies in the industry.
She called for massive investment in
furthering and developing the skills of those in the field through technology
transfer, to reduce the poverty level in some countries.
On privatisation of national oil
companies, Ms Shabangu said the emphasis must be on restructuring of such
companies, adding that South Africa is in this regard focusing on areas of
competence.
She pledged South Africa's commitment to
help other countries to develop their capacities in the oil and gas industry.
GRi../
Kulbia (Upper East) 13 March 2000
The
Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Hajia Fati Seidu, has observed that in
spite of the government's efforts to boost production in the agricultural
sector, seasonal floods and other natural disasters continue to frustrate the
attainment of this objective.
She said policies such as the Youth in
Agriculture Programme, Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (ASIP), Village
Infrastructure Project (VIP) and some specific regional programmes like the
Upper East Regional Land Conservation and Small-holder Rehabilitation Project
(LACOSREP) are all intended to make the country self-sufficient in food
production.
Hajia Fati made the observation when she
launched a programme to distribute a consignment of food donated by the United
Nation's World Food Programme (WFP) for last year's flood victims in the region
at Kulbia, near Bolgatanga.
The Region's share of the food relief,
which is made up of 216 metric tons or 4,320 mini bags of maize and 19.22
metric tons or 400 mini bags of beans, would be distributed to 14,400 people
throughout the region.
GRi./