Kufuor explains decision to go HIPC
768 million cedis
owed to water company
Gizo did well for tourism - Hawa Yakubu
Make ICT community based - Minister
'Africa must catch
up with communication'- Kufuor
Ghana has a lot to learn from Singapore
Interior Minister calls for military-civilian
co-operation
Bushfire causes more havoc in Eastern Region
Government need assistance - Minister
Form joint ventures to compete for jobs, Aliu
TUC asks NPP government to keep promise
Thirty-two people held for murder of
Policeman
Ghana to reduce roads accidents to five pct by 2003 - Committee
Tripartite technical committee put in place
Social Development paramount for Ghana - Mahama
Kufuor explains decision to go HIPC
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday explained his government's decision to opt for the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative saying it was not political but based on an objective analysis of the economic situation.
"We did not take the decision to join HIPC as a political trick or gimmick but as an opportunity to take a breather to pursue medium to long term targets," the President said, when heads of UN agencies in Ghana called on him.
The group led by UN Resident Co-ordinator, Mr Alfred Sallia Fawundu was in the State House to express support to the new administration and also outline their programmes for the year.
Opting for HIPC is not in itself an end to the economic difficulties facing the nation, Mr Kufuor said and described as unfortunate certain comments by a section of the public whom, he believes, do not understand the issues.
"Unfortunately people are not understanding the issue. They talk as if HIPC is in itself an end (to the problems). HIPC cannot be an end, we'll need to work more to attain the desired goals."
There have been mixed reactions to the government's decision to opt for the HIPC initiative, which seeks to provide debt relief to cash-strapped countries based on the implementation of poverty alleviation strategies prescribed by the IMF and the World Bank.
While some hailed the decision with the belief that it would ease the heavy debt burden on the country, critics maintained that declaring oneself poor could pose credibility and image problems, especially for the private sector.
President Kufuor said there is no pride in declaring oneself poor. "Man must be practical, so we took HIPC as a reality and must work to turn the situation round."
He urged the UN agencies to have confidence in the government and remain its partners to bring development to the nation.
President Kufuor restated his vision to usher Ghana into a golden age of business, which he said, would be pursued through good governance, the rule of law and support for the private sector.
"We'll show to the world that we mean business, to set the pace for the sub-region."
He lauded the UN for its efforts at uplifting humanity on the globe and said his government would continue to co-operate with it and related agencies towards the creation of wealth for the people.
Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed gratitude to the UN agencies for their support to Secretary - General Kofi Annan, saying they should accept the credit of his achievements.
He said President Kufuor and the entire nation are keen on drumming up support for Mr Annan's second term and urged them to translate their efforts into a unanimous vote for him in December.
Mr. Fawundu said his group has been encouraged by unfolding political events in Ghana, particularly, the peaceful transition, which according to him, is rare in Africa.
Of more interest to the UN is President Kufuor's promise to hold his government and other public authorities accountable in the exercise of power through a code of conduct marked by zero tolerance for corruption, creation of wealth, as well as reduction of poverty, he said.
Mr. Fawundu commended government for its bold decision to opt for HIPC to reduce poverty and confirmed the organisation's commitment to assist in the realisation of the targets.
He pledged the UN's support and commitment to fully participate in a mini Consultative Group (CG) meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 4, to determine types and forms of support required for the implementation of government's development agenda.
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768 million cedis
owed to water company
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 29 March
2001
A number of individuals,
organisations and state departments in the Brong Ahafo Region are indebted to
the Ghana Water Company Limited to the tune of 768 million cedis.
Of the amount, 481 million cedis
is owed by private individuals, with government departments and agencies accounting
for the remaining 287 million cedis.
Mr Senyo Amengor, Regional Chief
Manager of the company stated this at a news conference held at Sunyani on
Wednesday to mark this year's World Water Day.
He said, the company spends a
minimum of 176 million cedis every month on the treatment of water at the six
headworks it operates in the region, excluding the cost of transmission,
distribution, and general administration.
"The failure of customers to pay
us promptly after supplying premium quality water at such a great cost is
seriously affecting our operations and efficiency", he said.
Mr. Amengor, therefore, appealed
to consumers to endeavour to settle their bills on time to enable the company
to sustain water supply.
He hinted that at present, only 70
per cent of the installed capacity of its six headworks is being utilised due
to operational problems, and appealed for the rehabilitation and expansion of
the treatment plants to produce more to meet the growing demand.
Mr Amengor touched on the theme
for the celebration, 'water for health", and stressed the need for
Ghanaians to be committed to the protection of water bodies since "water
is life".
He said people's blatant abuse of
the environment is gradually destroying fresh water sources and cited the
recent water crisis that hit Sunyani and its environs as a result of such
abuses.
"I am therefore appealing to
traditional authorities, district assemblies and indeed individuals to get more
involved in the enforcement of environmental laws and help to expose and punish
those who abuse the environment, particularly water bodies".
The chief manager urged the public
to bear with the company in its request for tariffs as the operational cost has
shot up in the face of the devaluation of the cedi.
Mr N. Appiah Dadson, Public
Relations Officer of the company in charge of the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo
Regions, noted that some sachet water producing companies are creating the
impression that their products are better than that of the company, "even
though we provide the water they bag for sale to the public."
Mr. Dadson urged the public to
refrain from illegal connections and regularly clean their reservoirs to
prevent foreign materials from getting into their taps.
Earlier, Mr Ireneous Buule,
Regional Engineer of the Company, took 62 students of Sunyani Secondary School
on an excursion to the Abesim headworks to show them how potable water is
produced.
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Ministry will not accept kickbacks before
contracts
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of Education on Tuesday assured members of the Ghana Printers and Paper Converters Association (GPPCA) that the ministry will not tolerate the collection of "kick-backs or advance fees before the award of contracts."
He said contracts would be awarded on merit, competence and competitiveness.
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi gave the assurance when the President and executive members of the Association called on him at his office.
He urged the association to collaborate with the ministry to identify and flush out dummy printers who use various means to get contracts, only to sublet them.
" This system leads to the inflation of the actual cost of contracts and poor quality work", he added.
He said, in as much as the ministry remains very supportive of local printing firms, they must ensure that the quality of their products are high.
The President of GPPCA, Mr Eric Ofei, informed Mr Ameyaw-Akumfi of plans to set up a centre to train its personnel in printing and paper conversion.
He expressed concern over the unfavourable competition between local and foreign printing firms that import only finished products and said, "apart from the loss in revenue for government, such competitiveness stifles the growth and expansion of local printing industries."
Mr. Ofei appealed to government to help in local capacity- building by increasing the patronage of local printing firms.
He informed the minister of the willingness of the association to be involved in the successful implementation of the free Compulsory Universal Basic Education programme.
Among those present are, Mr F A Ben-Eghan, acting chief director of the Ministry of Education and Mrs Agnes Vandyck, Acting Director of the Ghana Book Development Board.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
Madam Hawa Yakubu, Minister of Tourism, on Wednesday praised her predecessor, Mr Mike A. Gizo, for promoting tourism for the country.
Welcoming the Egyptian Ambassador Abdel Noneim Talaat to her office in Accra, the minister said she was going to continue from where Mr Gizo left off, making tourism the third income earner for Ghana.
"All the agreements signed by Mr Gizo and the former government in the area of tourism would be followed to the letter," she said.
She said the present government is not doing away with the policies of the past government, adding, "the only area we are doing away with is the excesses, especially in human rights".
"Ghanaians' vote for positive change is not against the policies but the system and the people in government at the time."
Madam Yakubu said Ghana has a lot to learn from Egypt, which is the best tourism destination in Africa.
"Egypt continues to attract tourists even when there are crises and Ghana has a lot to learn, being a peaceful country in the sub-region.
"We need to work hard in the area of eco-tourism there are a lot of potentials in the rural areas that can be harnessed for tourism."
Madam Yakubu said, however, that the annual income of 388 million dollars from tourism was not enough.
Mr Talaat congratulated Madam Yakubu on her appointment and said there were a lot of areas in which he would expect Ghana and Egypt to co-operate.
He defined tourism as polishing one's potentials and resources and exposing them to the outside world, which, he said, Ghana can easily attain if the right expertise is sought.
"Egypt has other areas of expertise in which it is willing to provide Ghana with assistance such as the area of natural gas and telecommunication," the Ambassador said.
"We can also help Ghana build its TV channels through the use of Egypt space channel."
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Make ICT community based - Minister
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
Dr. Ivy Matsepe Casaburri, South African Minister of Communications, on Wednesday said the best way to increase access to information and communication technology (ICT) in developing countries, is to make it community based.
"African governments should start thinking about providing ICT infrastructure, internet access, e-mail addresses, e-commerce and other ICT services at post offices and other community centres to allow community and rural dwellers to access them with the assistance of trained personnel," she said.
Dr Casaburri made the suggestion at a press conference organised by the South African Department of Communication at the on-going third African Telecom Conference.
She observed the "frantic" effort by African governments to follow the example of the Western developed nations by providing every home and school with a personal computer and ICT infrastructure as a way of ensuring easy accessibility.
"At this stage when the level of illiteracy is very high in most African countries, the provision of PC to every home or school may not be the solution," she said. "We must apply ICT to the African condition if we are to increase accessibility."
"Let us reach out to the illiterate community in the rural areas in a way that will make ICT affordable, comfortable and beneficial to them," she said.
Dr. Casaburri said by providing a community-based ICT service, users are likely to increase in knowledge through the assistance of skilled persons, adding that, this way, ICT would be helping to reduce the rate of illiteracy in Africa.
She said in South Africa, there is a government policy that ensures that ICT infrastructure and services are adjusted to the situation of rural dwellers for them to feel comfortable using such facilities.
"Since we started implementing that policy, mobile phone users in the poor communities alone have increased to over five million since the overthrow of apartheid," she said.
Dr. Casaburri said under the same policy programme, efforts are also under way to reach to the several people in South Africa, who have not used telephones before.
She said South Africa has chosen five other African countries including Ghana for sustainable bilateral collaboration in the development of the ICT sector on the African continent.
"For a start, my country has been involved in laying fibre optics pipes along the coast from the eastern to the western parts of Africa," she said. "We have also made policy presentations to countries we have chosen to work with for consideration."
This she said, it is to ameliorate the difficulty facing business organisations in South Africa that are interested in doing business in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Mali.
Dr. Casaburri announced that South Africa would play host to the fourth International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Conference slated for November 12 to 16 this year.
She said the conference, which would be attended by ministers of communication from African states, would among other things, make recommendations to guide heads of states of African countries in the quest to declare Africa an ICT priority continent by the close of this year.
"The conference will also discuss the project report on the Africa Connections, which was established as a result of the first ITU conference held in Africa at the same venue to facilitate regional co-operation in ICT development," she said.
Dr. Casaburri said the conference will discuss issues of policy, networking, regulations and infrastructure development in the ICT sector, adding that it would also provide a platform for players in the ICT sector to exhibit their equipment and services.
She called on African ICT players to take advantage of the exhibition to showcase their products and service, saying that the exhibitions has usually been dominated by companies from developed nations.
"We also expect the African academicians and experts, especially in the area of e-commerce to make themselves available for speaking appointments during the conference," she said.
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'Africa must
catch up with communication'- Kufuor
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March
2001
President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday
charged experts on the continent to take advantage of the evolving information
technology to promote telecommunication suitable for Africa's development.
He said awareness should be
created on the sensitivity of the new technologies so that they could be used
to fast-track development on the continent.
"Africa has to gear itself up
to catch up with the phenomenon in order to occupy its proper place in the
global market," President Kufuor told a meeting of Ministers of
Communication from Africa at the State House.
The ministers are attending an
international conference on telecommunication, which opened on Tuesday.
Mr Kufuor said other heads of
state in Africa are aware that information technology is inevitable and have
been co-ordinating policies to develop communication on the continent.
"We have not relaxed in our
responsibilities to provide the needed support, the days will come when we'd
have a common policy on communication," he said.
Ghana, he said, will continue to
play an active role as a member of an oversight committee, tasked to streamline
the sector.
Prof. Nkandu Luo, Chairperson of
African Telecommunication Organisation (ATO), said the organisation is working
to remove factors impeding the fast growth of communication on the continent and
expressed the hope that the desired goals would be achieved.
She called for political will and
encouragement from member governments, who she said, should make adequate
budgetary allocations to the sector.
Prof. Luo, who is the Zambian
Minister of Communications and Transport, expressed regret that "It is
much easier to communicate to Europe from Africa than to a sister country on
the continent."
Mr. Owusu-Agyapong, Minister of
Transport and Communications, expressed the hope that a concrete action plan
would be drawn to accelerate telecommunication in Africa.
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Ghana has a lot to learn from Singapore
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Minister of Trade and Industry, on Tuesday said Ghana has a lot to learn from Singapore in the areas of cocoa processing, mining especially bauxite, electronics and agro-processing
Dr. Apraku, who made this comment during a courtesy call by the Singaporean High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Soo Kok Swee said the country needs investment in these areas from Singapore.
On his part, Mr Soo Kok said Singaporeans are experts in airport management, tourism, electronics and other sectors of the Ghanaian economy.
He urged the Ministry and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre to continue to promote opportunities available in the country to Singaporeans.
The Minister and the High Commissioner agreed to work assiduously to improve trade and investment between the two countries.
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Interior Minister calls for
military-civilian co-operation
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
Alhaji Alhassan Malik Yakubu, Minister for the Interior has called for a military-civilian co-operation and mutual respect to ensure peace, stability and progress.
Alhaji Yakubu, who is also the chairman of the National Disaster Management Committee (NADMO), said this is most needed, especially in the area of disaster management where such fruitful military and civilian interactions can be formed and nurtured.
The Minister said this in an interaction with the officers and men of the 48 Engineer Regiment, Police and NADMO officials after visiting the collapsed school building at Madina, a statement issued by NADMO said in Accra on Wednesday.
The Minister commended the soldiers for their prompt response, efficient and effective manner they cleared the wreckage and praised the Police for keeping law and order and NADMO for its effective co-ordinating role.
He called on all supervising agencies and the enforcers of building codes and regulations to be up to the task.
Alhaji Yakubu urged district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies to stop the construction of all unauthorised structures in time in order to prevent loss of human life and destruction of property.
Sixteen pupils of Nkwantanan Primary School, at the REDCO Flats near Madina, received various degrees of injuries, when their wooden classroom structure that was being rehabilitated collapsed on them during classes last Monday.
They were all treated and discharged at a nearby private clinic and the 37 Military Hospital.
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First ecological festival launched in Accra
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
The exposure and protection of Ghana's flora and fauna would assume global dimension with the official launch in Accra on Wednesday of the first International Eco-Tourism Festival, to be held between October 14 and 25.
Eco-Fest 2001, a private sector initiative with government support, is expected to bring together hundreds of local and international tourists and investors.
It would be under the theme, "Celebrating the earth in the new millennium for nature, people and culture," and would feature field tours, seminars, musical concert and a durbar of chiefs and people of Akyem Abuakwa, in the Eastern Region.
Nana Akomeah, Deputy Minister Designate of Tourism, who launched it, expressed the hope that it would lead to the floating of bids for wildlife sanctuaries to investors to make their exposure and protection more effective.
Nana Akomeah, who represented the Minister, Madam Hawa Yakubu, described the festival as a "happy combination" saying "in conserving the environment you make a little money."
He said management plans for the guidance and development of national parks are required to have management plans that would serve as a basis for seeking financial resources.
The festival is a brainchild of an Accra-based tourism-operating firm, Sagrenti Tours Limited, with support from Conservation International, Okyeman Environment Foundation (OEF) and Heritage Development.
The Ministry of Tourism, Ghana Tourist Board and the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission are official facilitators.
Nana Akomeah said there were a lot of instances where communities with tourist attractions did not benefit from the proceeds from the industry.
The Ministry, he said, saw it as "a challenge to involve local communities in the tourism business.
"It is only when they are made to be a part of it that they would feel committed to protecting and conserving nature."
The Okyehene, Osagyefo Amoatia Oforipanin, who was represented by Nana Asante Bediatuo, Apagyahene of Akyem Abuakwa, said that traditional authorities should lead in efforts to protect and conserve nature.
"This is the sine qua non of grassroots environmental and conservation activism. In the face of changing perceptions about conservation, it cannot be gainsaid that those who shirk their responsibility to manage resources risk all of our futures."
He said preparations for the grand durbar were underway in Kyebi, which would host participants, amidst food and craft bazaars, "and a proud display of the rich culture and environment of Akyem Abuakwa Kwaebibirem" (the dark forest).
Mr Kofi Sekyiamah, a member of Eco-Fest Foundation, said funds raised from the festival would be used for environmental protection projects in rural areas.
He said the event would be held annually, to bring together local and international stakeholders to brainstorm and act to protect the environment.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 March 2001
The Government has increased the daily peacekeeping allowance for personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces from 16 dollars to 20 dollars.
A statement from the office of the Minister of Defence, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor on Wednesday said the increase is in fulfilment of the government's pledge to review the UN allowance of Ghanaian soldiers.
Vice-President Aliu Mahama announced at the 53rd anniversary of the 28th February Crossroad shooting incident last month that the government would review the peacekeeping allowances of the troops on United Nations missions.
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Yaw Baah (Eastern Region) 29 March 2001
Bushfires continue to cause more havoc in many communities in the Eastern Region.
The latest outbreak at Yaw Baah Junction, near Kraboa Coaltar, resulted in the destruction of a number of high-tension wooden poles in the area.
Briefing the GNA, the Nkosuohene of Coaltar, Nana Awuku I, said any downpour or windstorm could bring down more poles, which have been partly burnt by bushfire.
Nana Awuku said some of the poles have no supporting cables and appealed to the Electricity Company of Ghana to come fortify them against windstorms.
He said that, at the moment, socio-economic activities at Kraboa Coaltar, especially the Health Centre and Presbyterian Secondary School, have been crippled due to lack of electricity.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, on Wednesday said the government is fully aware of its responsibility to stimulate development of the country through its own efforts.
However, it is laudable that the international community assists in the reconstruction of the economy.
"We are aware that any meaningful development in the country must stem from our own efforts. However, it is necessary to find support and if the country is pushed harder, we can achieve results," the minister said during a courtesy call on him by a delegation from the European Union (EU).
The EU, one of Ghana's main development assistance partners, contributes about 300 million dollars annually, out of which 200 million dollars are grants.
Mr Owusu-Agyemang reiterated the government's commitment to lift democracy on a moral high ground by ensuring transparency and good governance.
He said the government has been forced to take certain drastic decisions to tackle the difficult economic problems facing the country head-on.
The Minister mentioned the 64 per cent increase in fuel prices and the country's decision to take advantage of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and said no matter how difficult these decisions are, they are in the best interest of the country.
Mr Owusu-Agyemang asked the EU and the international community to understand the problems facing the country so that they could help lift it from the doldrums.
He appealed for better terms of trade with the rest of the developed world.
Mr Owusu-Agyemang thanked the EU for its support for the Secretary General of the UN, Mr Kofi Annan's bid for a second five-year term, saying he has done much for the UN and there is the need for him to solidify all the changes he has made.
The Danish Ambassador, Ole Blicher-Olsen, who led the delegation, said EU's development policy is built on the principles of human and social development of which human rights, democracy and the rule of law are integral parts.
He pledged the union's support for the government to rebuild the economy and preserve Ghana as a peaceful country, saying that development is not possible without growth and redistribution of the wealth created in peace and stability.
The ambassador stressed the importance of the private sector in economic growth and expressed the EU's readiness to get more involved in the sector's development.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
Vice-President Aliu Mahama on Wednesday urged road contractors to form joint ventures to bid for massive local and international contracts, which are often competitive and capital intensive.
He said the country has for far too long created good grounds for foreign contractors to operate to the detriment of their local counterparts who are equally competent to rise up to the occasion.
Alhaji Mahama, who was interacting with members of the Road Contractors Association of Ghana at the State House, said the only way to reverse the situation is for government to support the over 400 members of the association to team up to bid for big contracts to boost national revenue.
The Vice-president, who is an engineer and a former road contractor, asked his colleagues to avoid the many temptations associated with their jobs such as the execution of shoddy jobs and the poor conditions of service for their employees.
"You must give the government the real value for the money you are offered for jobs completed by avoiding shoddy execution of contracts and ensuring the safety of projects."
Alhaji Mahama said government is liaising with foreign missions in Ghana to give technical assistance to local contractors to boost their competence.
He urged the Association to pool resources to organise refresher courses that would make them competitive on the job market.
Alhaji Mahama said government is checking the irregularities that go with the disbursement of the national road fund to improve on the payment of contract works.
He said a special package is being considered to retain a percentage of contract arrears as collateral for loans to import heavy road equipment for interested contractors.
Mr Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Minister of Roads and Transport, advised members of the association to turn their companies into limited liability companies to ensure their sustenance instead of operating them as family business.
Mr Twumasi Mensah, acting chairman of the association, expressed the hope that the Vice-president would help streamline the road sector to ensure the efficiency of services.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has urged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to keep to its electioneering promises to offer good governance based on honest and sincere leadership, consolidation of the rule of law and better management of government finances.
Mr Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, Secretary General, said the party must hold itself together and re-organise itself to be able to hold on to power.
The Secretary General told an orientation workshop for Ministers of State at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in Accra that the TUC is ready to work with the government in achieving "all that we consider to be relevant objectives for the development and progress of this country".
Mr Adu-Amankwah said the NPP should constantly remind the government of its framework for the development of good policies, champion the rule of law and ensure security and stability, adding that unionised labour expects good results from the government.
The TUC boss said efforts were being made to bring informal workers under the ambit of the trade unions.
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Thirty-two people held for murder of
Policeman
Bolgatanga (Upper West) 29 March 2001
A combined team of Police and the Military on Wednesday morning stormed Yameriga village where Police Inspector George Musah was murdered on Monday and arrested 32 people, including five women, for interrogation.
The villagers had sought refuge in a pond but were not too smart for the security personnel to grab. Their bodies were smeared with mud and there was sign of tiredness on their faces as they might have been hiding since the incident.
Those arrested included a 32-year old man, Sadiq Teng, who was allegedly shot in the hand during a scuffle with the deceased.
He is on admission at the Bolgatanga General Hospital.
The team also retrieved the AK-47 rifle the Police Inspector used while on duty, his cap, and a cutlass suspected to have been used to slay him.
The Upper East Regional Minister Mr Mahami Salifu, who was at the Regional Police Headquarters to acquaint himself with the situation, advised the Police to be circumspect in dealing with the villagers because most of them could be innocent.
Mr Salifu said a tactical screening of the people could give the Police enough information to effect the arrest of those actually involved in the murder of the Police Inspector.
Police Inspector George Musah, officer in charge of the Tongo Police Post, was murdered in cold blood on Monday when he and another Policeman went to Yameriga village, near Tongo, in the Bolgatanga District to arrest a suspected sheep thief.
They were obstructed by a mob of youth from the village and on their way back to the office, the group ambushed them.
Inspector Musa was butchered to death while his colleague managed to escape.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
The National Road Safety Committee (NRSC) said on Wednesday that it has adopted strategic objectives with its social partners to achieve a five per cent reduction in road accident fatalities and serious injuries by the end of 2003 and 20 per cent by 2010.
Mr Noble John Appiah, Acting Executive Director of the NRSC, said this at a day's workshop for journalists in Accra.
The workshop was to develop a network with media personnel as a channel for educating the general public on road safety measures and also to highlight the NRSC's five-year road safety strategic plan.
Priority areas for the attainment of the objective include the development of a national strategy, strengthening of co-ordination among road safety agencies, sustained public education and training.
Other areas are information and publicity, development of a credible accident data and monitoring and analysis of roads.
Mr Appiah said statistics indicate that pedestrians account for 44 per cent of all fatalities, adding that 80 per cent of accidents occur on straight and flat roads while on the average six people are reported killed through road accidents daily.
He said 46 per cent of pedestrian fatalities in Ghana involve children below 16 years. The general fatality rate is 73 deaths per 10,000 vehicles, while 70 per cent of all accidents occur in the urban areas.
Mr. Appiah said over 80 per cent of the worst accidents occur on the Aflao-Accra-Elubo, Accra-Kumasi, and Kumasi-Mampong-Tamale roads.
The Greater Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, Central and Western Regions have 80 per cent of accidents in the country.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March
2001
The Minister of Manpower
Development and Employment, Mrs Cecilia Bannerman, said on Wednesday that a
Tripartite Technical Committee has been formed to submit proposals for the
determination of a national minimum wage.
According to Mrs Bannerman, the
formation of the committee was the outcome of a preliminary meeting of the
social partners, which ended in Accra on Tuesday.
She said the partners would
reconvene in a week's time to deliberate on the proposals.
Mrs Bannerman said the meeting,
which was attended by other partners, namely the Trades Union Congress and the
Ghana Employers Association, was held in a very co-operative and congenial
atmosphere.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 29 March 2001
Dr. Edward Mahama, leader of the People's National Convention (PNC), said on Wednesday that the party would fight for the social and economic development of the nation and resist policies that tend to worsen the conditions of the ordinary person.
"Policies or initiatives that tend to aggravate the precarious living standard of the ordinary Ghanaian whose interest we seek to improve must be resisted," he told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.
Dr Mahama, who was the presidential candidate of the PNC, in last December's election, said the government must develop the productive base for efficient management of the country's resources.
He noted that the biggest problem facing the nation is mismanagement and low productivity and said until the government addressed them, "no HIPC initiative would save us".
"If the government sees HIPC as a solution to the nation's problems, then it is unfortunately a big mistake," Dr Mahama said, and urged all proponents of HIPC to deliberate on its effects.
The government has opted for the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative that qualifies it for debt relief from donors.
Dr Mahama said HIPC cannot be viewed only through the positive door but the negative door must also be made available to the public to understand the social implications.
Dr Mahama said international law stipulates that a poor person cannot own a property. Therefore, by going HIPC, state institutions and organisations such as the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ghana Water Company Limited, Ghana Commercial Bank, and Tema Oil Refinery would be privatised as part of the conditionalities attached.
He said higher remuneration for workers would have a rippling effect on higher productivity, which the nation needs for socio-economic advancement.
Dr Mahama, therefore, called on the government and other social partners to expedite action on salary increases to reflect economic realities and reduce the hardship workers are currently undergoing.
He said the government should be able to pay a realistic minimum wage in spite of the economic difficulties, adding "a government of the PNC would have been able to fulfil its campaign promise of five dollars a day within the first 18 months in office".
He said Dr Hilla Limann's government between 1979 and 1981 was able to pay a realistic minimum wage within the short time it was in office, adding that, by the time it was overthrown, it managed the country's internal debt at zero and external debt of 568 million dollars.
On the proposed increase in water and electricity tariffs, Dr Mahama said he does not support it unless there is a concerted effort to increase income.
He said Dr Kwame Nkrumah established some of these agencies as public service institutions and not profit making entities, and cautioned against the swift shift of focus as it would have a serious economic implication.
Dr Mahama said PNC, as an opposition party, would offer constructive criticism to government and where possible offer alternative suggestions but will never surrender to any party.
He explained that the PNC never entered into any agreement with the NPP for the presidential run-off but only asked its supporters to vote for Mr John Agyekum Kufuor for a change in government.
He said this gesture should not be misconstrued as an alliance "as the NPP, as a government, believes in its manifesto and traditions while we also do have our tradition as Nkrumaists and have a manifesto".
GRi…/
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