Communities along Volta Lake amply compensated - Abingya

Parliament pays tribute to Nyerere

Develop good relations with older democracies-Speaker

Accra (Greater Accra), 22^nd October 99

Mr. Simon Abingya, Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, on Thursday told Parliament that communities adversely affected by the creation of the Volta Lake have been amply compensated.

He said the government in 1996 set up a resettlement trust fund into which the Volta River Authority (VRA) pays the equivalent of 0.5 million dollars annually for the benefit of all communities along the Volta Lake.

Mr. Abingya, who was responding to questions in the House, explained that the trust was set up in recognition of compensation claims still outstanding due to land disputes and other causes and to mitigate the social and economic hardship of the affected communities.

The Member of Parliament for Afram Plains South, Mr. Kwakye Addo, had asked the Deputy Minister why the affected communities at

Foso, Aframso and Pitiko were not paid any compensation for their lands and cash crops which were submerged following the creation of the Volta Lake.

Mr. Abingya stated that the government had paid no compensation for the lakebed lands because the social survey conducted prior to the flooding of the dam had no information on the size of individual lands.

Besides, those affected at the time could not provide proof of land ownership and it was difficult to establish the genuineness of claims to lands that were inundated.

The Deputy Minister said people who were resettled in 52 townships in the Plains were given land for farming to compensate for lost lands in addition to the houses provided them.

On compensation for destroyed cash crops, Mr. Abingya pointed out that evidence from the Ministry's records shows that four persons in Aframso were paid compensation to the tune of 140,275 cedis between July 1967 and February 1969.

With regards to Foso and Pitiko, he said no claims were presented for cash crops and, therefore, there were no records to show any compensation payment.

The Deputy Minister advised people who claim that compensation had not been paid for their lost crops to provide evidence of their Form 'F', which indicated a record of all destroyed property, to the Land Valuation Board to have their records checked and appropriate action taken.

In a second question, Mr. Kwakye Addo wanted to know whether original owners of lands acquired by the government for the 52 resettlements could still exercise traditional authority over those lands.

Replying, Mr. Abingya explained that duly elected chiefs normally exercise traditional authority over areas clearly delineated to fall within their traditional areas.

He said lands acquired compulsorily for resettlement purposes falling within these traditional areas, while vesting ownership in the VRA, do not in any way affect the jurisdiction of the traditional authority.

The VRA has, therefore, made it a policy to encourage the communities to recognise and pay homage to the traditional authorities.

On steps being taken by the Ministry to solve a long-standing problem of low electricity voltage in the Agona District in the Central Region, which has resulted in the disruption of economic activities in the area,

Mr. Abingya told the questioner that both short-term and long-term solutions were being employed to address the problem.

He said in the short-term, a contract has been awarded to change and upgrade the conductor size of the Agona Swedru 11kv wooden circuit to improve voltage to the area.

Additionally, some of the circuits in Agona Swedru are being re-conductored while two transformers are being provided for Aboso and Otabilkrom to boost the voltage in the areas.

Mr. Abingya said the Ministry is sourcing for funds to undertake the upgrading of the line to 33kv, as a long-term solution to the low voltage problem in the district.

Giving a background to the problem, Mr. Abingya said the Agona District is supplied from the Winneba sub-station by two circuits, one on 11kv wooden poles and the other on 33kv steel pylons operated at 11kv at the moment.

He said initially, the 11kv voltage level was adequate for the Swedru load but from Agona Swedru to certain parts of the district, the 11kv supply is stepped up by a transformer to 33kv to enable power to be transmitted over longer distances to areas beyond Swedru.

But because of the long distance from the source of supply, some low voltage and power outage has been encountered in some of the areas.

Asked when the electrification project at Kunsu, Adugyama and Biemso Number One and Two in Ahafo Ano South would be completed, Mr Abingya said Kunsu, Adugyama and Biemso Number One were being electrified under the phase two of the Self-Help Electrification Project Three

(SHEP-3). The project is expected to be completed by November, this year.

Biemso Number Two was not captured under the SHEP-3 because the consultants who undertook the initial preparatory studies listed only Biemso Number One in the final report instead of the two towns.

The report, he said, also provided for only material estimates applicable to Biemso Number One and, as a result, only that town could be programmed for the current project.

Mr. Abingya noted that the Ministry had just learnt that the two towns are only about two or three kilometres apart and gave the assurance that the Ministry would request the consultant supervising the project to prepare an estimate of material requirements for Biemso Number Two and make the necessary arrangements to enable the town to be included in the on-going phase two of SHEP-3.

On measures being taken by the Ministry to help prevent mine accidents as happened to of a boy who got drowned in the pit of a surface mine at Ashanti Goldfields Ayanfuri Limited in the Central Region, Mr. Abingya said the Ministry has the assurance of the company that it would take the necessary measures to ensure safety and prevent any such accident in future.

Asked about the present status of salt mining at Big Ada, Sege and Ada Foah, all in the Greater Accra Region, Mr. Abingya told the questioner that currently there are three salt winning entities in the area.

They are the Government Task Force, which took over from the Vacuum Salt Company, the Co-operatives and the Ada Songor Company, a subsidiary of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

The Minister said the Task Force and the Co-operatives are at present winning salt while the Ada Songor Company is yet to start operations.

GRi

Return to top

Accra (Greater Accra), 22^nd October 99

Parliament on Thursday paid tribute to the memory of the late Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, describing him as "a rare gem and a great African statesman".

The House also observed a minute's silence to the Mwalimu (teacher), who died in London on October 14, and whose funeral is under way in Tanzania.

This was preceded by a tribute in his memory read by Mr. Samuel K. Oppong, NDC-Agona West, on behalf of the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Minority spokesman on foreign affairs.

"He was a shining example of total leadership, beloved by his people. He was also a man who achieved the rare distinction of being respected by the whole world," Mr Justice Daniel Francis Annan, the Speaker, said after tributes from the leadership of the House.

Mr. Justice Annan said a mighty tree had fallen and Africa had lost a great son who even achieved greater heights as a world statesman and a spokesman for Africa when he retired as president.

He said Africans are consoled by the fact that the Mwalimu has several disciples willing and able to carry on with his good work.

"On my own behalf and on behalf of the House, I wish to extend our condolences to the family, the government and people of Tanzania and may his soul rest in a well deserved peace in a world that he served," he added.

In his statement, Mr. Oppong said Nyerere was a visionary and a man of integrity in the true sense of the word.

He said the Mwalimu was one of those great African leaders and world statesmen who knew the right time to exit for others to take over.

The member enumerated the various achievements of Nyerere, in Tanzania, his role in the liberation struggle, Pan-Africanism, in the Non-Aligned Movement and the South African Development Co-operation.

He noted that the late president also accepted failings in his socialist policy in 1985 and gracefully relinquished power for others to take over.

Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, New Juaben North, noted that it takes a man of courage and wisdom to admit that his intentions were noble but unfortunately failed and in all humility leave the scene for others to take over.

Describing him as a statesman par excellence, he said the Mwalimu had been and would always be "one rare breed with a deep understanding of his people.

"His sincerity, selflessness and humility should be a lesson to all. He was one of those elite whose footprints in the sands of time would be difficult to tread. Death crowned a historic, rich and fulfilling life of Mwalimu.".

Dr. Kwabena Adjei, Leader of the House, said the Mwalimu and his contemporaries should not be blamed for adopting socialism and one party state because they were guided by the insecurity of their time.

He said nature thrives on differences and diversity and abhors uniformity and conformity. However, the stands they took at that time was in the interest of Africa.

The Mwalimu, he noted, was among the first crop of leaders steeped in ideology and to adopt an ideological position is not wrong.

Dr Adjei said further that by leaving office voluntarily, he had set a good precedent for all African leaders to emulate.

"Even after this, he did not rest but became a leading African statesman active in the intra-regional African and international affairs."

Mr. J.H. Mensah, Minority Leader, said "the Mwalimu was a small man but still a giant of a man, modest, inquisitive and incredibly honest."

He said remarkably, his towering position in Africa is the fact that he retired at the time he did. African leaders must learn from this and allow pragmatism in politics.

Mr. Freddie Blay, Second Deputy Speaker, praised Nyerere for his role in the liberation struggle, particularly of countries in the Southern African region.

Nana Akufo-Addo, NPP-Abuakwa said he was a Pan-Africanist whose integrity and honesty is legendary.

Nii Adjei Boye-Sekan, Chairman of the House Committee on Communication, said Nyerere, Nkrumah and their contemporaries sacrificed their lives for a united Africa.

Unfortunately, 16 African states are currently at war, pushing their dream of African unity further away.

He said the challenge now is for Africans to ensure African unity becomes a reality through national unity, a process in which the majority and minority parties de-politicise national issues.

GRi

Return to top