Let's ensure public ownership of Constitution
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 May 2003 - Ghana and South Korea on Thursday signed a ¢330.4 billion loan agreement to fund the Buipe to Bolgatanga Pipeline Project.
The project would ensure the easy and effective transportation and distribution of petroleum products from Buipe to the three Northern regions. Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, signed for Ghana while Eui-Min Chung, South Korean Ambassador signed for his country.
Briefing the media before the signing, Osafo-Mafo said relationship between the two countries dated back to 1977 and had grown steadily since. "This has resulted in South Korea being attracted to Ghana and becoming its potential source and market for Ghana's non-traditional exports."
He said consequently, South Korea had set up a number of companies in Ghana including two projects - the Petroleum Storage Plant at Akosombo and a LPG Cylinder Plant in Accra - under the Economic Development Cooperation Fund
(EDCF).
"In March this year, the South Korean government approved $38.2m, that is, ¢330.4bn, under the EDCF for the Buipe to
Bolgatanga pipeline project." The pipeline would be over a distance of 275 kilometres. Osafo-Maafo said the government of Burkina Faso is seeking a French government funding to extend the pipeline from Bogatanga to Ougadougou.
Chung said he hopes that the Project would contribute to the development of the areas where the pipeline would serve.
"I also hope that this project will not only reduce the transportation time and haulage cost but also ensure constant supply of petroleum products thereby eliminating shortages," he added.
Chung expressed confidence in the policies of the government of Ghana, saying the priorities and policies on socio-economic development had shown good signs of progress. "I am confident that Korea and Ghana will be able to build a renewed partnership through friendly co-operative relations and mutual exchanges in the coming years."
At the same function, Twifo Oil Palm Plantation (TOPP) and Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP) presented a total dividend of 6.490bn to government with BOPP alone paying ¢5.610bn.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Tema (Greater Accra) 30 May 2003 - Importers of vehicles into the country have 60 days to clear them from the port, otherwise, they would be confiscated to the State, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning said at the Tema Port on Thursday.
Interacting with clearing agents and importers during his unannounced visit at the car park on Thursday, Osafo-Maafo emphasised that the current law on vehicle importation gives 60 days for importers to clear their vehicles and this should be made clear to all.
He explained that the law does not provide any penalty to be paid by importers where the Commissioner of Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) is allowed to use his discretion. This time, the law makes the elapse of 60 days for the vehicle for outright confiscation to the State.
Osafo-Maafo, accompanied by Brigadier Richard Baiden Commissioner of CEPS, and Ben Owusu-Mensah, Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), who toured the car park pointed out that the old law that gave "some discretions to CEPS Commissioner has been axed".
He conceded that the new law has not been well publicised, that is why importers come in, wait until after 60 days and expect some form of penalty from the Commissioner.
He therefore, advised that CEPS should ensure that enough publicity is given, including sending the law on the internet, adding, "it was parliament that passed the law and we can't go against it." At the State warehouse outside the port where confiscated vehicles are housed, Osafo-Maafo was told that since August last year when some confiscated vehicles were auctioned in public, there has not been any such sale.
The Minister was not happy about the uncoordinated way in which confiscated cars are received at the warehouse and said this gives room for some people to steal vehicle parts. A report was made by an officer where a car, which was sent to the warehouse had its engine stolen which surprised the minister, and made him to remark that "with all the security men here, if you allow such a thing to happen them it is most unfortunate."
Osafo-Maafo suggested that confiscated cars being sent to the warehouse should have their conditions stated and documented with the necessary signatories for their conditions before they were brought to be known.
He said there should be regular auction of vehicles that are confiscated by the State so that pilfering of parts could also be reduced to the barest minimum.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Tema (Greater Accra) 30 May 2003 - Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning on Thursday re-affirmed that 70 percent of the country's total revenue is generated through the Tema Port. There is, therefore, the need to 'plug all loopholes' in order to maximise revenue, he said.
Osafo-Maafo, accompanied by Brigadier Richard Baiden, Commissioner of Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) met Ben Owusu-Mensah, Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and personnel of CEPS to find out from the two institutions, operations of the Ghana Community Network (GCNet) installed at the Tema Port.
He reminded CEPS that they provide services to the private sector and so any delay in the clearance of goods, create problems for importers. The Finance Minister said this was one of the many complaints from the private sector at the just ended National Economic Forum (NEF).
The private sector expects the port to provide a conducive environment for importers in the clearance of goods from the port. The Minister noted that the provision of the GCNet by CEPS for the clearance of goods is proper, however, customers complain about delays by GPHA.
He called on the two institutions, which serve as the main source of revenue collection to co-operate, saying we must realise that we need money to run the country. Osafo-Maafo said that wrong information provided by importers contribute to delays in clearance of goods and called on clearing agents and importers to be honest in their dealings with the CEPS and GPHA.
Owusu-Mensah said even though GPHA was informed very late about the operations of the GCNet system, which has come to scrap the Automated Systems of Customs Data (ASCUDA), "we have acquired the necessary computers and satellite system that have been put in place".
Francis Arthur-Collins, Information Technology Manager of GPHA told the Minister that the GCNet is running on GPHA fibre board; and explained that the authority is partially hooked to receive manifest from importers and shippers.
Arthur-Collins said though his department has encountered problems on the network it would be rectified to meet the June 30 deadline set by the Minister. The Minister and his entourage visited the port container depot, car park and customs bonded warehouse car park, situated outside the port.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Translate Research Findings onto the ground
Tamale (Northern Region) 30 May 2003 - Major Courage Quashigah (rtd), Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has called on agricultural scientists to translate their research findings onto the ground for the benefit of the people.
He said MOFA had now made a policy shift in its focus and direction and would no longer tolerate situations where research findings were shelved in cupboards to gather dust.
Major Quarshigah made the call in an address read for him by his deputy, Mr Clement Eledi at the opening of a two-day international workshop on: "National Synthesis of Research Projects - Monitoring the Cotton Sectors in Sub- Saharan Africa" in Tamale.
Among the participants were cotton farmers, cotton companies, cotton production managers, input suppliers, researchers and representatives of MOFA.
The Workshop, which was funded by the French and Dutch Co-operation Agencies, had resource persons from the United Kingdom, France and the University for Development Studies (UDS).
Major Quashigah noted that the cotton industry in the Northern Region had a lot of potential and if given the necessary boost could help alleviate poverty in the area and fetch a lot of foreign exchange for the country. He said the industry had provided considerable income to many poor households adding, "this development falls in line with the government's poverty reduction drive".
The Minister, however, noted with regret that despite the increase in the number of cotton companies from one to 13 in the country within the last few years, cotton production had dropped from 38,000 tonnes in 1998/99 to 15,000 tonnes in 2002/03.
He said the problems facing the cotton industry could partly be attributed to globalisation, as well as unfair subsidies given to farmers in the developed countries, but conceded "our own actions and inactions have contributed greatly to our present problems".
Major Quashigah said "while international competitiveness is necessary, it will be short sighted not to notice the problems that go with it, especially in our peculiar environment".
Major Quashigah, therefore, appealed to stakeholders in the cotton industry to take a critical look at the issues and discuss them pragmatically and come out with practical solutions to the problems facing the industry.
He pledged the government's commitment to the development of the industry, saying it was in line with this that the President's Special Initiative on garments and textiles was launched. He said as a further demonstration to attest to this, the President would soon launch a special initiative on cotton in the Northern Region.
The Minister commended the UDS for its efforts in carrying out research work especially in the field of agriculture and gave the assurance that MOFA would continue to give the University the support it needed to enable it to carry out its work.
Ernest Debrah, Northern Regional Minister, noted with concern that conflicts in the North often occurred as a result of illiteracy, poverty and ignorance among the people.
He also noted that due to the one farming season during the year in the area, after harvest, the people tended to be idle and could easily be manipulated to engage in unnecessary conflicts.
He, therefore expressed the hope that if the cotton industry were revamped it would create employment for the people and occupy them. Jean-Michel Berrit, the French Ambassador in Ghana, in a statement made for him, promised the assistance of the French government to revamp the cotton industry in the West Africa Sub-Region.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 May 2003
Currency Buying Selling
U.S. Dollar 8,557.55 8,744.27
Pound Sterling 13,986.46 14,296.88
Swiss Franc 6,577.22 6,715.62
Canadian Dollar 6,166.87 6,297.08
Danish Kroner 1,353.79 1,382.68
Japanese Yen 71.93 73.48
South African Rand 1,043.80 1,060.17
Euro 10,049.91 10,264.85
CFA Franc 15.32 15.65
Naira 66.68 68.14
ECOWAS WAUA 11,801.07
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 May 2003 - Vice President Aliu Mahama on Thursday called for effective strategies to ensure public ownership of the 1992 Constitution, saying, it is the greatest protection that could be given to consolidate democracy in Ghana.
Opening a National Forum on "Consolidating Constitutional Democracy in Ghana," the Vice President charged the participants, who included representatives from the political, professional and academic fields, to map out modalities to advance public ownership of the Constitution.
The forum, the sixth to be held since March, is organised by the Legon Centre For International Affairs (LECIA), the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana and the Friedrich Erbert Stiftung to engender public interest in and support for the Constitution.
Alhaji Aliu expressed contentment that the task was in line with the objectives of the Forum, which sought to "return the ownership of the Constitution to the people and give clearer meaning to Clause One of Article One, which says that Sovereignty resides in the Good people of Ghana."
The Vice President proposed: "It must be possible, through individual appreciation and understanding to ensure that every home has a copy of the Constitution.
Every classroom and every public or private office must have a copy displayed at a prominent place. "It must be counted side by side with our religious documents in our chapels, mosques and shrines, not as superiors but as complementary and essential part of our faith."
Additionally, he said, conscious education on the Constitution in both English and the local languages was essential to make Ghanaians understand their rights and duties toward each other and to uphold democratic ideals.
He said the knowledge of the Constitution should inspire tolerance and respect, which were the building blocks for democracy. Vice President Mahama noted that Ghanaians loved democracy and cherished constitutionalism, saying: "We all know that a traditional ruler, who is dictatorial, will sooner than later, lose the respect and mandate of the people. This is why our past periods of dictatorship and tyranny remain painful memories for all of us."
He, however, stressed that poverty was the biggest challenge to consolidating democracy, saying citizens must be economically strong so that demagogues could not easily persuade and intimidate them into worshipping them and submitting to a culture of silence.
The Government, the Vice President said, was strengthening democratic governance through several programmes, such as the establishment of the Governance Unit. He explained that the Unit was improving the capacity of democratic institutions and administrative bodies like Parliament, Judiciary and the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
"The Unit is ensuring access to justice for the poor, particularly in the three Northern Regions. It is also enhancing the capacity of CHRAJ for better services on human rights and administrative justice.
"There is also support for Parliamentary Research Committees. Perhaps, what is of crucial significance is the building of capacities of civil societies to enable them to constructively engage the government in national policy dialogue and to engender consensus."
Vice President Mahama said the Government welcomed initiatives and activities being made by civil societies and professional bodies to improve constitutionalism, but cautioned that the best ways of improvement could be attained only by following faithful practice.
Nana Dr S.K.B. Asante, President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, who chaired the ceremony, said there should be no rush to amend the Constitution.
"Amendment, with respect, should be the outcome of a sustained process of application, review and sober reflection and not inspired by the expedience of avoiding a temporary inconvenience or irritation but by the desire to improve upon the entire constitutional structure and democratic governance. Amendment, by itself, without a culture of constitutionalism is meaningless."
Nana Dr Asante, who chaired the Committee of Experts that drafted the 1992 Constitution, said he was happy that the Constitution had survived for 10 years, making Ghana an oasis of good governance, stability and democracy in a region bedevilled with conflict, instability and faltering governance.
He said Ghana now had a restrained Executive, which also exercised its executive powers, a Judiciary, which was assertive in performing its delicate function of reviewing executive and legislative acts although it was dogged by a perception of venality.
Parliament, he said, was slowly building its strength after decades of being made "involuntarily dysfunctional". Nana Dr Asante said there was cause to also celebrate the media, which had become very vibrant, although the media needed some self-restraint.
Jeorg Bergstermann, Resident Director of FES, said as a political organisation committed to democracy, good governance and social justice, the Foundation would help to strengthen constitutional democracy in Ghana. He also cautioned against rushing to amend the Constitution, saying adequate time must be given to test it before any changes were made, adding that the decision to amend it must rest with the people of Ghana.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com