Land near Novotel Hotel belongs to the state
Treading a legal minefield without a wig and cloak
Motion on housing loan deferred
Call for reactivation of industries
Land near Novotel Hotel belongs to the
state
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 November 2001- Professor Kassim Kasanga, Minister for Lands and Forestry, on Wednesday said the land that used to house the Accra Metro
Works, near the Novotel Hotel was owned by the state.
He said it was acquired by Government in 1894 by a Certificate of Title for African settlement. Government paid the full compensation for the acquisition and was, therefore, the holder of absolute title over the land.
Prof. Kasanga said this in an answer to a question posed by Mr Victor Okuley Nortey, NPP-Ablekuma Central, as to who the owners of the land near Novotel were.
He said the land acquired covered an area of 152 hectares and claimers, who were paid compensation were King Tackey, 91 pounds 3 shillings, King Dowuona 100 pounds 12 shillings and two-pence, Addi 12 pounds, Armah 16 pounds 15 shillings and five-pence and Lutterodt family, 65 pounds 6 shillings and two-pence.
Prof. Kasanga said Government by a lease dated February 2001 leased the land covering an area of 1.87 hectares to the Accra City Management Company limited for 50 years for the development of a Four-Star Hotel at an annual ground rent of 40 million cedis.
Nii Adu Daku-Mante, NPP- Klottey-Korle also asked the Minister what plans his ministry had to ensure that titles to expired leases of lands in an around the ridge area were restored to the original lessors.
Prof. Kasanga said the lands around the ridge area formed part of a larger land acquired by government by Certificate of Title and compensation was fully paid.
He said an amount of 400 pounds was paid to the Osu Stool in January 1895 for the Hausa reserve acquisition. Since Government fully paid compensation for the acquisition, all previous interests and encumbrances subsisting in the subject land became extinguished and government was the holder of absolute title over the land.
Prof. Kasanga explained that because Government had used the land in the public interest and for the purpose it was acquired - that was for the development of first class low-density residential area for town planning purposes - the land could not be restored to its original lessors.
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Treading a legal minefield without a wig
and cloak
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 November 2001- Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketsia, NDC-Wenchi West, has always argued well on agriculture and the economy but hardly did any member think he could put a spin on legal matters too.
He set himself on a journey of criticising Cabinet for sending to Parliament two letters bearing the same reference number and signature but different contents that were attached to a loan agreement. "Cabinet is more confused than myself. This is a classical example of forgery," he said.
Papa Owusu Ankoma, the Majority Leader, protested that he was alleging a motive of crime on Cabinet so he should withdraw.
Mr Aseidu-Nketsia complied with a ruling by the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Freddie Blay, who was in the chair for the day to withdrew the word "forgery" and asked that the Leader supply him with the appropriate legal term to describe the incident.
After waiting in vain for a favourable response, he said: "This is a very serious irregularity bordering on crime," Mr Asiedu_Nketsia uttered.
The First Deputy Speaker said he had said the same thing. The member withdrew again and said: "This is a very serious thing and it can create room for fraud."
Immediately he disentangled himself from the legal knot, Mr Akwasi Osei Adjei, a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, on point of relevance, asked the member to stop wasting the ears of members.
"If he does not see the relevance of what I am saying he may walk out and save his ears," Mr Aseidu Nketsia said. He criticised the joint committee on Finance and Works and Housing for allowing the letters to slip through. He said: "I agree with the objectives of the loan and I agree with government's desire to provide adequate housing for the masses but the devil lies in the details."
The member said inconsistencies existed in the report of the joint committee and that the "House should be saved from further confusion.
"This report is worth not more than the paper on which it was written on. We need to organise seminars for ministers and some members to deliver on such matters." Papa Ankoma said there might be a procedural errors but it did not mean that seminars would be necessary for members.
"The whole country knows what happened before we (NPP) come to power." He explained that the confusion came about because there was a first report that was amended but it happened that the original version came with the amended version.
" For all confusion on the matter to be erased, I submit that the motion be deferred but hope that the other side would co-operate with us in the same spirit in future."
The Joint committee on Finance and Works and Housing had presented a report on the Supplier agreement between Ghana and Hycoprojekt Bratislavia A.S of Slovkia for 414 million dollars for housing development.
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Motion on housing loan deferred
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 November 2001- The Majority in Parliament was compelled on Wednesday to call for the deferral of a motion for the adoption of a report on a loan agreement after the Minority found it be technically deficient.
Two letters and two reports from the Cabinet bearing the same reference number but having different contents accompanied the loan agreement to Parliament.
Mr Johnson Asiedu-Nketsia, NDC-Wenchi West, alerted the house to the anomaly and criticised the joint Committee on Finance and Works and Housing for allowing it to slip through.
He said: "I agree with the objectives of the loan and I agree with government's desire to provide adequate housing for the masses but the devil lies in the details."
The member said inconsistencies existed in the report of the joint committee and that the "House should be saved from further confusion.
"This report is worth not more than the paper on which it was written on. We need to organise seminars for Ministers and some members to deliver on such matters."
Papa Owusu Ankoma, the Majority Leader, said there might be a procedural error but it did not mean that seminars would be necessary for members. "The whole country knows what happened before we (NPP) came to power." He explained that the confusion came about because there was a first report, which was amended but it happened that the original version came with the amended version.
"For all the confusion on the matter to be erased, I submit that the motion be deferred but hope that the other side would co-operate with us in the same spirit in future."
The Joint committee on Finance and Works and Housing had presented a report on the Supplier agreement between Ghana and Hycoprojekt Bratislavia A.S of Slovkia for 414 million dollars for housing development.
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Call for reactivation of industries
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 November 2001 GNA - Mr Brandford K. Adu, NPP Okere, on Wednesday said it was now the time to concretise measures to lift the private sector by reactivating small, medium and large-scale industries.
He said in the past lip service had been paid that the private sector was the engine of growth with nothing to show for it and that it was worth noting that the NPP government had mustered a capable group of experts to put the economy on track again.
Mr Adu said this in Statement he delivered in Parliament on the need for reactivating Ghanaian industries. He said since small-scale industries played a vital role in economic growth, it was important to assist these industries through massive injection of long-term capital.
Mr Adu said such assistance should not be politically motivated to make it seem as a reward for patronage and that definite measures should be instituted to ensure recovery.
He said it was the duty of the government to identify and encourage various small-scale industries in the constituencies so that within the four-year period there would have been 400 of such industries.
The MP also said if the "dead" factories scattered all over the regional capitals could be reactivated, "we shall not only be improving the standard of living of the people but also raise the much needed foreign exchange from export receipts".
Mr Adu said development should be human centred and not geared toward the provision of infrastructure.
Mr Modestus Ahiable, NDC- Ketu North, said the industrialisation programme should look at competitiveness to ensure their sustainability.
He said there was the need for the West African Sub-Region to take a critical look at its regional markets to add value to their products and make them competitive.
He wondered why local industries in the African Sub-region were made to produce without any form of subsidies while the industrialised countries kept on subsidising their local industries and produce.
Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh, NPP-Nsuta/Kwamang, noted that it was lack of capital and training that hindered the growth of local industries.
He said there was the need to go back to the Junior Secondary School concept of training the youth in various practical subjects to enable them to support the growth of local industries.
Alhaji Amadu Seidu, NDC-Yapei/Kusawgu, said it was unfortunate that almost all types of graduates looked to the government for employment while the industries did not have its manpower requirements.
He said other areas that had been neglected were the research institutions and their findings, which if given the necessary push could help improve industrial growth.
Mr Stephen Balado Manu, NPP- Ahafo Ano South, said certain industries had been "killed" just because the owners belonged to the opposite political parties.
He said the industrial sector should, therefore, be given a positive push with government support.
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