Police investigating plots to murder journalists
Accra (Greater Accra) 23 March 2002- The Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and other Intelligence Agencies were on Saturday said to be investigating reports that some persons have hatched plots to murder or maim some Journalists.
A statement issued and signed by Director of CID, P.K. Acheampong gave some of the names of the journalists, which included Mr Kweku Baako Jnr. of the Crusading Guide and Mrs Margaret Amoakohene of the University of Ghana.
The statement said information so far unearthed indicates that aspects of the contemplated crime included a ploy to use vehicles to smash into the vehicles being used by the two journalists.
The names of suspects are however, being withheld for security reasons, the statement said. It said the security agencies assure the public, especially the targeted individuals that the matter shall be thoroughly investigated.
In another development, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has appealed to the Inspector General of Police to investigate allegations in the Crusading Guide, an Accra private newspaper, that there was a plan by some fanatics of former President Jerry John Rawlings to psychologically harass and possibly eliminate some key journalists and social commentators, who have been very critical of the former president and his regime.
A statement signed by Mrs Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, President of GJA, expressed concern about the allegation and called on Mr Ernest Owusu-Poku to as a matter of urgency investigate it.
"We wish to express serious concern about any attempt by any one or group to employ violence to intimidate media personnel and social commentators, in the discharge of their duties."
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Police Commanders on alert for possible
influx of armed robbers
Accra (Greater Accra) 23 March 2002- The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Ernest Owusu Poku, on Saturday directed Police Regional Commanders, especially those in the border areas to be on a high alert to check any possible influx of armed robbers from Nigeria.
A statement signed by Inspector Jordan Quaye, said, this follows reports which indicate that, due to a massive operation launched by the Nigerian Police organisation against armed robbery in their country, it is likely the robbery syndicates might direct their operatives to other West African countries including Ghana in the next few days.
The statement said further that the IGP has directed the regional commanders to liaise closely with their immigration, CEPS and BNI counterparts to mount close surveillance on activities of travellers to Ghana, especially suspicious looking persons. The IGP, meanwhile assures the public of adequate preventive security measures that are in place to prevent any sudden upsurge of armed robberies.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 23 March 2002- The Concerned Polytechnic Students on Friday accused the leadership of the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) of pursuing its own hidden agenda and playing politics with the academic life of students.
They said the position taken by the leadership not to return to the classroom was uncompromising and raised issues on the hidden agenda of Mr Rashid Yakubu, the President and his group. "We have resolved to fight against such parochial and selfish interest in the leadership of the GNUPS."
Speaking at a press briefing, Mr Martin Adu-Poku, Spokesperson for the group, said at present about 95per cent of the students were prepared to go back to campus for proper negotiating with the government to continue. "They don't even have facts and the requisite proposals to go and face the government for negotiation, their approach is wrong and we are against that," he said.
Mr Adu-Poku said current expressions made on radio stations by Mr Yakubu on the Polytechnics problems were never the general consensus of the entire students population.
He alleged that Mr Yakubu was a professional teacher on study leave at the Cape Coast Polytechnic so could afford to stay at home for 10 years without any difficulty but they could not. "We would not want to be toyed with or used to pursue the political interests of few individuals in the students' front.
He noted that GNUPS did not exhaust all avenues for negotiation before they embarked on the strike action adding that the appeals by religious bodies and parliamentarians and other stakeholders to go back to the classroom for negotiation constituted the best alternative for solution.
Mr Adu-Poku said the GNUPS had over-stretched the matter and, therefore, had presently lost the majority support it had from the beginning. He, however, called on the Educational authorities to re-open the polytechnics since the majority of the students was willing to return to the classrooms.
In another development, GNUPS have criticised the "Concerned Polytechnic Students" who have launched a campaign for the striking students to return to lectures and said members of the public, especially the media, should be cautious in dealing with them.
A statement signed by Mr Dennis Nartey, Press and Information Officer, said GNUPS was advising the Polytechnic authorities not to reopen the schools to avoid clashes. "Any attempt to derail the democratic process of the Union by the so called concerned students will not be welcomed," the statement said.
GNUPS advised its members to exercise restraint while it continued to negotiate with the Education Ministry and stakeholders to fashion out an appropriate system to enhance polytechnic education.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 23 March 2002- The Ghana Medical Association on Friday expressed shock and sorrow at last Saturday's helicopter crash with the loss of all seven people describing it as a "regrettable setback in the long tradition of the Ghana Air Force in carrying our emergency medical missions throughout the country."
A letter to the Minister of Health signed by Dr Jacob Plange-Rhule, President of the Association, expressed the condolences of the medical doctors to the bereaved families. The helicopter crashed in the Eastern Region while returning to Accra after lifting two accident victims from Nkawkaw. The bodies were found on Monday.
"It is the prayer of the Ghana Medical Association and the Ministries of Health and Defence and the Ghana Armed Forces will quickly investigate the cause(s) and put this disaster behind them and work together to prepare the Ghana Air Force adequately to resume its medical missions, which are a vital component of the country's health sector.
"We pray that this disaster will spur the government and all stakeholders on to evolve a sound National Emergency response Programme that can stand the test of time." The statement said the Ghana Medical Association was happy to note that a start had been made with the establishment of the Emergency Response Unit at 37 Military Hospital.
"We hope that all major hospitals in the country particularly those along the country's highways will be effectively covered by the emergency response programme and also provided with the necessary equipment to enable them to handle major accident cases and disasters to reduce the incidence of referrals and transfers by air and road."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 23 March 2002- An educational forum on the initiative of government to review the entire educational system to make it responsive to the current challenges was on Thursday held for stakeholders in the Greater Accra Region.
The forum, organised by the Education Review Committee appointed by President John Agyekum Kufuor for the Volta and Greater Accra regions, became necessary in view of concerns being raised to take a second look at the country's educational reforms instituted in 1987.
The committee is to re-examine the goals and philosophy of the present educational system and ensure their relevance to the development of human resources and to also determine aspects of secondary education to be funded by government.
Members would also re-examine the basic school system and determine the restructuring of post basic education as well as examine tertiary education and the role polytechnics should play in the production of middle and high-level human capital among other things. The committee is under the chairmanship of Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, Principal of the University College of Education, Winneba.
Shiekh I. C. Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister, said education was the best investment a country could make and urged participants to come up with views that would enable the committee to make pragmatic recommendations to the President.
He said the current education system had its strengths and weaknesses and expressed the hope that the forum would bring out the knotty points that remained to be untied and had been a source of concern.
Mr Lawrence A. Clocuh, Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, who chaired the function, said only one per cent of the educational budget was allocated to vocational and technical education adding that it was inadequate considering the number of students in that sector.
He expressed regret about the perception that students, who were not knowledgeable enough made it to the vocational and technical institutions, and urged the forum to come up with recommendations that would dispel that notion.
Views expressed by participants included the need to train teachers to appreciate children with learning disabilities in order to give them equal opportunities since no child was better than the other.
Comparing performance in the private schools to public schools, the participants noted that the lack of equipment, supervision and the teacher student ratio impeded performance in public schools. They called for the thorough examination of incentives to teachers coupled with the provision of teaching materials to enable them give of their best.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 23 March 2002- Mrs Gifty Ohene-Konadu, a Director at the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs, on Friday said though women participated in local government they did that only as peripheral staff with little or no authority to influence policy.
She said this could be attributed to ignorance and insensitivity to gender issues of women assembly members themselves, development planners, government decision makers and international agencies.
Mrs Ohene Konadu was presenting a paper on "Barriers to Women's Participation in Ghana's Local Government System" at a seminar to disseminate information on social policy issues.
It was organised by the Centre for Social Policy Studies (CSPS). The paper, which is a report of a research conducted in March and July 1999, addressed three major questions: - "How does decentralisation provide access to women's participation?" "What explains the low numbers and ineffectiveness of women in decision-making levels in local government?" and "What ways can the gender barriers be removed?"
Mrs Ohene-Konadu said cultural practices and societal division of labour that requireD that the woman engaged in traditional, productive and reproductive roles also hindered the woman's ability to enter and participate in assemblies at the local government level.
She noted that in Uganda and South Africa, for instance, a lot of women participated in local government as a result of the constitutional reservation of seats for women in all local councils in the context of decentralisation.
However, they had not been effective in influencing government policies because they did not occupy high status where they could exert the needed influence to affect policies.
She said in Ghana, though 30 per cent of seats had been reserved for women in the assemblies after the Beijing Declaration, these seats were not fully occupied. Women constituted only seven per cent of the total membership of the assemblies.
Mrs Ohene-Konadu attributed this to the low literacy rate of women, lack of financial support, lack of titles to land, lack of interest and commitment due to family issues.
She said as the constraints facing women's participation in local government were complex and multi-dimensional, the different actors from governmental, non-governmental organisations, civil society and the donor community must work together to provide effective programmes to increase women's presence in government.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 23 March 2002- President John Agyekum Kufuor was among mourners, who paid their last respects to Police Constable Maurice Afranie, one of the Presidential Security Guards, who died in a motor accident on Saturday February 2.
Accompanied by his wife Theresa and Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, Chief of Staff, President Kufuor expressed his sympathy to the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ernest Owusu-Poku, officers and men of the Police Service and the bereaved family at the Police Headquarters in Accra on Friday.
Police Constable Afranie, 27, would be buried on Saturday March 23, at Apatrapa in the Ashanti Region. Police Constable Samuel Kingsley Kwaw, who died together with Afranie in the motor accident, was buried last Saturday, March 16, at Nkroful in the Western Region.
The deceased were among five occupants of a Toyota Land cruiser, which was involved in the motor accident on the Accra-Aflao road, when the President's convoy was returning to Accra after an assignment at Agbozome in the Volta Region.
The others: Mr George Amoafo, the driver, Corporal Samuel Dwamena and Corporal Kingsford Fofie were hospitalised at the 37 Military and Police Hospital. They have all been discharged. The IGP later led the Police officers to pay their last respects before the ambulance drove out of the Police Headquarters to Apatrapa, as the last post sounded.
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Koforidua (Eastern Region) 23 March 2002- Koforidua is to benefit from a 20 million US dollar French government facility for the provision of permanent water for the municipality, Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Yaw Barimah, announced on Friday.
"Preparation work for the permanent solution of the perennial water problem facing the Koforidua Municipality will begin from March 23," he said. Mr Barimah, who was speaking at a ceremony to mark the 10th world Water Day celebration at Koforidua, said the contract for the project involved the tapping of water from the Volta Lake near Asesewa.
The celebration, on the theme: "Water for Development," was preceded by brass-band procession by school children through the principal streets of Koforidua with placards some of which read: "Koforidua needs water badly" and "Water is life, protect it."
Mr Barimah noted that rapid urbanisation had lead to changes in land use from agriculture to urban settlements that had changed surface water distribution, blocking water sources that once drained into the national reservoir.
The implications, he said were that as population increased and cities expanded, new water sources had to be found away at greater cost, such as in Koforidua's case, where water had had to be tapped from the Volta Lake.
He expressed concern that the increasing demand for water use had produced corresponding amounts of industrial and domestic effluent, agricultural and urban run-off and depositing of solid waste, which go to pollute rivers and lakes like the Densu River at Nsawam and the Odaw/Korle Lagoons in Accra.
Mr Barimah said scarcity and misuse of fresh water, posed a serious and growing risk to sustainable development and protection of the environment, human health, good security, industrial development and the ecosystem.
On the policy of Private Sector Participation (PSP) in the water industry, he explained that it was to make water accessible and affordable to Ghanaians in urban areas like Koforidua, "which had been deprived of water merely because of geographical location."
At the moment, many people who were not connected to pipe-borne water were forced to buy from vendors at prices above the PURC approved rates, he said adding, "this, government thinks is not fair." "Government believes that the benefits of the PSP are enormous and expects that the good people of Ghana will give it their support."
The UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan's message read on his behalf, expressed regret that an estimated 1.1 billion people lacked access to safe drinking water, 2.5 billion have no access to proper sanitation and more that five million die each year from water-borne disease" - 10 times the number killed in wars, on the average, each year."
He said by 2005, two-third of the world's population was likely to live in countries with moderate or severe water shortages, noting that fierce national competition over water resources had prompted fears that water issues contained the seeds of violent conflicts.
The Easter Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, called for intensive public education against the damages arising from deliberate and consistent destruction and pollution of water bodies.
The Omanhene of the New Juaben, Traditio9nal Area, Daasebre Dr Oti Boateng, advocated the adoption of rain water harvesting mechanism in the designing of houses to ensure optimum management of water for domestic use.
He assured the government that the early completion of the water project for the area, "will unleash our abundant creativity to help alleviate poverty not only for the people in the area but the country as a whole."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 23 March 2002- The Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and other Intelligence Agencies were on Saturday said to be investigating reports that some persons have hatched plots to murder or maim some Journalists.
A statement issued and signed by Director of CID, P.K. Acheampong gave some of the names of the journalists, which included Mr Kweku Baako Jnr. of the Crusading Guide and Mrs Margaret Amoakohene of the University of Ghana.
The statement said information so far unearthed indicates that aspects of the contemplated crime included a ploy to use vehicles to smash into the vehicles being used by the two journalists.
The names of suspects are however, being withheld for security reasons, the statement said. It said the security agencies assure the public, especially the targeted individuals that the matter shall be thoroughly investigated.
In another development, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has appealed to the Inspector General of Police to investigate allegations in the Crusading Guide, an Accra private newspaper, that there was a plan by some fanatics of former President Jerry John Rawlings to psychologically harass and possibly eliminate some key journalists and social commentators, who have been very critical of the former president and his regime.
A statement signed by Mrs Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, President of GJA, expressed concern about the allegation and called on Mr Ernest Owusu-Poku to as a matter of urgency investigate it.
"We wish to express serious concern about any attempt by any one or group to employ violence to intimidate media personnel and social commentators, in the discharge of their duties."
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Peki-Dzake (Volta Region) 23 March 2002-The mortal remains of Dr. Mrs Esther Ocloo, a renowned Ghanaian industrialist and international personality, were on Saturday laid to rest in front of the proposed Peki-Dzake Town hall to posthumously honour her as "Honorary Queen" of Dzake.
The cool and gentle morning breeze from the outlying hills and overcast cloudy sky provided a pervading atmosphere of solemnity of the last homeward journey of the late Dr Ocloo as even nature seemed to be in mourning at Peki.
"There, even in death, you will remain an inspiration from generation to generation to every Dzake child because your life symbolizes the fact that humble birth cannot be a barrier to her greatness and achievement," a tribute to her memory by Togbe Kpanga Xanu, Chief of Peki Dzake, said.
In an analogised sermon, the Right Reverend Dr Livingston Buama, Moderator of EP Church, Ghana, said of her: "Village girl went to town, she left home in humility; on her final home coming, she came in grand style".
Rev Buama said "she is on her final journey because she has completed her task", adding that, by her achievements and lifestyle, the late Dr Ocloo's legacy to all is a constant reminder that each should strive to achieve the best with what is available.
"By her example, the late Dr Ocloo told us that nobody should say 'I am nobody'". "If we put out little gifts from God to use, we achieve much; if one person is able to achieve so much how much all of us put together," Rev Buama asked.
Rev. Buama said the late Dr Ocloo's Christian life of humility, simplicity, selflessness and devotion to her Christian beliefs and church constitute and admonition to all Christians to go and do likewise. "Its not how loud we proclaim ourselves as Christians but how we utilise our faith. "Show me the fruits of your life and I would tell you who you are," Rev. Buama said.
Among those present were Mrs Emma Michel, Member of Council of State; Mr Salia Fawundu, UN Country Representative in Ghana; Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister for Women's Affairs; Mrs Hawa Yakubu, Minister of Tourism, and Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Regional Minister.
Others were Major Courage Quashigah (Rtd), Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Freddie Blay, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and some Members of Parliament and retired army officers.
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Ho (Volta Region) 23 March 2002- Turnout in the 10-day revision of the voters' register, which opened on Friday throughout the country was very low in Ho with idling Registration Assistants blaming the situation on inadequate publicity.
A visit to the registration centres by the GNA revealed that only 12 new persons were registered at seven out of the 12 centres in the Ho township between 1000 and 1215 hours.
One person each registered at the District Assembly and Pentecost Church centres as at 10:04 and 10:07 hours respectively while three registered at Fiave-RTC centre at 10:40 hours.
Miss Mercy Afari and Mr Adu Shem both Registration Assistants told the GNA that most people were not aware of the exercise. The exercise is aimed at revising the voters' register so that Ghanaians who have attained the age of 18 and above could be registered.
Mr Mohammed Adoquaye, Volta Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC) in an interview with the GNA said the late release of funds and its inadequacy made it difficult for the Commission to publicise the exercise extensively.
He, however, said the exercise would be publicised as it progresses and reminded the public that the register would be exhibited in April to enable those who would not be able to register within the stipulate time to do so.
Mr Adoquaye said district electoral officers could not contact churches, drivers unions, trade associations and other groups early to help in the educating the public on the exercise. Mr Adoquaye said supplies to the centres were "fairly well in hand, we have got basic materials there, I can tell you all centres in the region are working."
He said permanent transfer of voters would be effected. At the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Regional Office, Mr Kwame Attah, Regional
Secretary told the GNA that the party's polling assistants were educating the public to ensure the success of the exercise.
He suggested that the period for the exercise should be extended beyond March 31 due to the lack of adequate publicity. There were no party executive at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Regional Office when the GNA called at the party's office at Ho at about 11.15 hours. There are 528 registration centres in the region. A few people GNA talked to in Ho said they were not aware of the exercise.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 23 March 2002- The James Town Police on Friday averted a near confrontation between electoral officials and some residents at the Gbese Mantse Palace voter registration centre in the Kinka Electoral Area when the exercise to review the voters' register began.
The registration officials' attempt to enforce electoral rules by preventing minors from registering was robustly resisted by some residents, who thought otherwise. The officials told the Ghana News Agency that some people, whom they suspected to be under the voting age of, 18 were politely requested to produce their birth certificates to justify their age.
He said this infuriated some of the residents, who blatantly rejected the suggestion claiming that the officials had no right to demand the birth certificates. They claimed that the officials were just trying to deny them their right to register.
The registration officials said this led to confusion and exchange of words with the residents insisting that they either registered the children or packed bags and baggage and left the vicinity or be forcibly ejected.
"But for the timely intervention of Police officers, the situation could have generated into a free for all fight," one registration official said. Meanwhile, a visit to other registration centres in the Ashiedu Keteke, Ayawaso and Osu-Clottey sub-metro revealed low patronage, demonstrating the usual apathy at the beginning of programmes.
The revision of the voters' register is to capture Ghanaians, who have attained 18 years and those who for various reasons could not register during the last registration exercise.
With the exception of Roxy Cinema in the Odaw-Naa electoral area of the Osu Clottey Sub-metro and Gbese Mantse's Palace, which had recorded 31 and 69 new voters, respectively by mid-day, most of the other centres had recorded below 10 people.
Mrs Lankai Tetteh, Registration Officer at Kotobabi 3 A and B Girls Junior Secondary School in the Ayawaso District the lauded operational efficiency of the Electoral Commission in the exercise.
She said the Commission had provided adequate materials needed for the 10-day exercise. Other registration officials complained about poor remuneration and lack of adequate cameras for the exercise.
They suggested that the Commission provided more incentive packages to motivate them to work and also award all those, who would participate in it with honorary certificates. Mr Henry Okyne, Director of Public Affairs of EC, told the GNA that the Commission had only 800 cameras for the 5,000 electoral areas created for the exercise throughout the country.
He said that every electoral area had been provided with at least one camera at a convenient location to facilitate access to all those who would register noting that photographs would be taken for 21 days while the registration would last for 10 days. Mr Okyne advised those, who have misplaced their Voter ID Cards not to re-register but call at the EC district offices for assistance.
He explained that the current exercise was for only those who had attained 18 years, those who for various reasons could not register during the last exercise and those who had moved residence to effect the necessary changes.
Mr Okyne said during the exhibition of the register, both the old and provisional registers would be exhibited for people to crosscheck their records and also provide details about dead relations for their names to be removed.
Ms Laurentia Kpatakpa, Deputy Director for Greater Accra Electoral Commission, told the GNA that the target group for the exercise was mainly for those who had attained 18 years. She said registration officials had been advised to look out for potential impostors, who might attempt to register double.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 23 March 2002- The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku (MP) left Accra on Friday for a 10-day visit to the United States to participate in investment promotion meetings arranged by the African-American and Africa Foundation on Science, Education and Economic Development Incorporation (AAAFSEED) of New York and the Honorary Consuls of Ghana in Chicago and Detroit.
The highlight of the Minister's trip would be a meeting with senior officials of Wal-Mart Corporation Inc. in Arkansas, the largest retail store in the world, which has expressed interest in sourcing a portion of their 23.3 billion-dollar chocolate market from Ghana's Cocoa Processing Company Limited.
A statement in Accra said a senior official of the Company would accompany the Minister. It said Dr Apraku also had an invitation from Home Depot Inc. to discuss the possibility of the company importing some of its wood mouldings from Ghana.
Home Depot Inc. deals in about 1.7 billion dollars worth of wood mouldings annually and when the deal goes through Ghana's export of wood mouldings to the US would increase dramatically. The statement said Dr Apraku is also expected to address business forums in Chicago, Detroit and Michigan and meet with potential investors.
In a related development, Ghana's application for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Visa System that would enable the country to take advantage of the US textile and apparel market has been approved.
The Minister would, therefore, meet with US trade representatives to discuss ways that the United States could support the country in its quest to exploit fully the opportunities under the AGOA.
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