Rawlings holds talks with EXIM Bank Boss
Upper West flood killed 10 and displaced 14,000
Suspend Vanef' s entry into transport yard-Union
Chiefs offer land for Nkrumah-Nehru Training Centre
Rawlings holds talks with EXIM Bank Boss
Accra (Greater Accra) 19 Oct '99
President Jerry John Rawlings on Tuesday expressed satisfaction at EXIM Bank's operations in Ghana and said the bank had demonstrated a clear understanding of the country's problems and desires.
"EXIM Bank has shown it understands our strengths and weaknesses. This is the kind of relationship we want to have with donors. We enjoy this relationship with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and some other bilateral donors".
The President said this when he granted audience to Mr James Harmon, Chairman of EXIM Bank of the United States, who is in Ghana as part of an African tour.
The Bank is involved in financing several projects in Ghana one of which is the Keta Sea Defence Project. President and Mr Harmon Rawlings visited the project site at Keta at the weekend.
President Rawlings said the visit enabled the EXIM Bank team to meet the people of Keta, adding that they saw the importance of the project to the inhabitants.
President Rawlings said it would be important for EXIM Bank to assist the government to make sure that when projects financed by the bank take off, no shoddy work is done and money is paid for actual work done.
"We will be glad to work with some of your experts and technocrats to ensure that resources put at our disposal are not misused".
President Rawlings told Mr Harmon: "we know with you at the helm of affairs a lot of things will be done".
Mr Harmon said EXIM Bank, which has so far financed 26 projects, is satisfied with its operations in Ghana. "We have also had discussions to expand co-operation in trade and investment".
"We are satisfied with what we have seen. There is great enthusiasm for Ghana, he said.
Mr Isaac Adjei-Mensah, Minister of Works and Housing, said the Keta Sea Project, when completed, would put to rest some of the social problems facing Keta and its surrounding towns and villages.
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Upper West flood killed 10 and displaced 14,000
Banu, (Upper West) 19 Oct '99
Recent floods in the Upper West region killed 10 people and displaced 14,000 others, Mr Seidu Bawa, Regional Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has said at Banu.
He said before the floods, the army worm invasion destroyed 3,400 hectares of maize, 2,500 hectares of sorghum 1,700 hectares of millet and 400 hectares of rice.
The flood submerged 23,788 acres of farmlands.
The Co-ordinator was addressing the regional launching of this year's World Disaster Reduction day on the theme ''Prevention pays'' at Banu in the Kassena area of the Sissala district on Sunday.
Mr Bawa said to alleviate the plight of the people, government assisted the victims with blankets, Wellington boots, mattresses, buckets and roofing sheets costing more than 115 million cedis.
Mr Dede Ziedeng, Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, advised the people to avoid farming in flood prone areas and also building on waterways.
He asked them to use the right building materials for construction purposes to prevent disasters.
Mr Robert Wavei, Sissala District Chief Executive, said 1,205 acres of farmland has been destroyed in the area while 404 houses have also collapsed.
The Deputy Regional Minister on behalf of the NADMO presented 20 blankets, 15 mattresses and 10 Wellington boots valued at 600,000 cedis to the Banu community.
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Suspend Vanef' s entry into transport yard-Union
Accra (Greater Accra) 19 Oct. '99
The General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) of the TUC has urged the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC) to order Vanef Consortium not to enter the premises of the State Transport Company (STC) until "our petition to the President on the divestiture dispute is addressed."
The union's call was contained in a letter dated 8th October 1999 to the DIC informing it that it has petitioned President J.J. Rawlings for his intervention in the STC divestiture process.
The letter, signed by the General Secretary of the Union, Mr J.N.Y. Atopley, said the Union was expecting a favourable response from the President on their petition.
Two weeks ago, the union held a news conference at which it vehemently protested against divesting STC to Vanef.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 19 Oct. '99
The Supreme Court has fixed 16 November, as the date for hearing the case in which the NMC is seeking clarification on who should appoint chief executives for state-owned media.
Mr Justice E.K. Wiredu, Acting Chief Justice, announced this on Tuesday when he sworn into office two presidential nominees to the National Media Commission (NMC), bringing the membership up to the required number of 18.
They are, Mr Christian Aggrey, former Editor of the Ghanaian Times and Mr John Akologu Tia, MP for Talensi.
He later handed them their Instruments of Appointment.
Mr Justice Wiredu administered the Official Oath and Oath of Allegiance to the two NMC members who replace Mr George Quaynor-Mettle, NDC Propaganda Secretary and Mrs Rebecca Adotey, MP for Ayawaso.
Mr Tim Acquah-Hayford, NMC Chairman, thanked Mr Justice Wiredu for fixing a date for the NMC-Attorney-General case and promised to pass the message on to the other members.
Touching on the importance of the NMC, Mr Justice Wiredu said it would help the country succeed in the new democratic dispensation and promote good governance by ensuring that the media operates properly.
He urged the NMC to assert its independence in the performance of its functions and uphold its position as overseer of the media, the fourth estate of the realm.
"Let the world and the state know that you are not going to bow to any partiality towards any particular institution and I think you would endeavour to uphold your independence."
Mr Tia thanked the President and cabinet for nominating them and said with his 20-year experience and Mr Aggrey's 42-year experience in the media, they would justify the confidence reposed in them.
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Chiefs offer land for Nkrumah-Nehru Training Centre
Nkroful (Western Region) 19 Oct. '99
The chiefs and people of Nkroful have donated a plot of land for the construction of the proposed Nkrumah-Nehru training centre.
Nana Brumia Twum IV, chief of Nkroful, announced this at a durbar in honour of a two-man Indian delegation from the National Institute of Small-Scare Industry Extension Training (NISIET) based in Hyderabad, India.
Mr Vasuder Chatuvedi and Mr. J. Rao, both experts in the small-scale industry, are on a three-week visit to Ghana to promote technology transfer to small-scale industrial sectors in Ghana with the objective to set up an Indo-Ghanaian joint venture.
Nana Twum said the people would also contribute to the infrastructural development of the centre.
Mr. Emmanuel Lamptey, Western Regional Manager of the National Board of Small-Scale Industries, (NBSSI) said the Indian Government would provide machinery and experts for the centre.
He said if all negotiations are successful, the centre would be established within the first half of next year.
During a courtesy call on Mr. Seidu Adamu, Deputy Regional Minister in Sekondi, Mr. Chatuvedi said the delegation would come up with a plan to utilise resources from the Region.
Mr. Adamu said Ghana is looking for labour intensive technology in order to put its under utilised resources into good use.
The delegation also interacted with small-scale industrialists in Takoradi and inspected an exhibition of their products.
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