GRi Press Review Ghana 08 - 10 - 2001
'Decision
on $20,000 emanated from Parliament'
Evaders
of National Service Scheme to be prosecuted
Jake,
Bagbin reconcile
Sixty
per cent of pupils in primary schools can't read
Ghanaians
don’t owe politicians right to free accommodation
Task
force to run Ghana Airways
Pastor
pleads guilty to child maltreatment
Major
causes of blindness in Ghana identified
Ghana
to earn $690 million from cassava project by 2003
The
Ghanaian Chronicle reports that a sensational ¢180 billion damages awarded
against WAHOME Steel Ltd by an Accra High Court has halted a last minute rescue
effort by SSNIT to revive the Tema-based steel company, which is already
smarting under threats of liquidation.
The
Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), which has pumped about
¢50 billion into the company, are considering ways of throwing a lifeline to
the company, which has stopped production. About 99 per cent of the workers
have been asked to proceed on leave by management of WAHOME Ltd due to
financial difficulties.
Court
documents, according to the Chronicle indicate that the ruling is in respect of
a 14 million pounds suit instituted against WAHOME Ltd., by Rockshell
International, a general construction company with a chequered history, which
was blacklisted by the then PNDC government from undertaking or executing any
government contract 15 years ago.
A
contract awarded to Rockshell International by the government in respect of the
Keta Sea Defence project was terminated, while its quarrying license was
simultaneously revoked. Following these events about 15 years ago, Tei
Rockshel, owner of Rockshel International, abandoned the company’s plant and
equipment in a bush in the Shai district of the Greater Accra Region.
The
Shai Traditional Council, custodians of the land on which the equipment had
been abandoned for several years, invited WAHOME Steel Ltd. to remove them for
scrap. WAHOME, which was also in need of materials due to the financial
problems they were facing, embraced the invitation and gas-cut 10 tons of scrap
materials.
On
June 11, 2001, Rockshel International walked out of a quiet High Court in Accra
having been awarded 18 million pounds sterling (180 billion cedis) in damages
by His Lordship Nana Gyamera Tawiah.
Nana
Gyamera had allowed 10 per cent depreciation of the equipment, which had been
in the bush for over 10 years but had also awarded five per cent interest on
the depreciated amount and backdated it to June 22, 1995. On top of the pile,
he awarded the plaintiff, ¢30 million.
More…/
One
hundred bags of rice meant for the Asuogyaman District National Disaster
Management Organisation (NADMO) cannot be accounted for and, in addition, there
is no reconciliation for fuel purchases made for four years.
These
are part of revelations from the District Assembly Auditors report when Mr
Osei-Tutu, the Presiding Member, was scrutinizing the report to members at
Atimpoku, in the Eastern Region.
Most
of the purchases for the Assembly were not covered with receipts, according to
the report. It also became apparent that with the award of Assembly’s
contracts, the contractors were handpicked.
The report recommended that award of contracts should strictly be made on tender to avoid favouritism and corruption.
GRi…/
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'Decision
on $20,000 emanated from Parliament'
The
Daily Graphic quotes Deputy Government Spokesman, Mr Kwabena Agyepong, as
saying that the decision to grant Members of Parliament (MPs) $20,000 to enable
them to purchase cars to facilitate their work was not the decision of the executive
but rather that of Parliament.
He
pointed out that the whole project from conception to the final decision
emanated from Parliament and enjoyed the support of both sides of the House and
that the Executive only had the task of finding the means to implement it.
The
Government Spokesman was throwing light on the Graphic’s report on Tuesday that
each MP was to be given $20,000 loan to buy a car.
In
an interview, Mr Agyepong said the impression created that the government,
without due consideration of the difficult economic conditions in the country,
just "doled out money for MPs to buy new cars was both incorrect and
unfortunate."
He
also made it clear that whatever was given out to the MPs was not free money
but loans which would be repaid by those who benefited from them. "These
are not just blanket loans for the MPs; they are for those who are both willing
and ready to take and repay them and to use such facilities to serve the larger
national interest," he said.
More…/
Evaders
of National Service Scheme to be prosecuted
The
acting Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Mr K.C. Appiah-Num, has
warned that henceforth service personnel who evade postings will be prosecuted.
Consequently, the secretariat has established a monitoring team to identify
personnel who flout the law to face the necessary sanctions.
Mr
Appiah-Num gave the warning at a press briefing in Accra on Monday. Under the
Ghana National Service Scheme Act 426, of 1980, national service personnel who
evade posting "shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on summary
conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding five thousand cedis or to a term
of imprisonment not exceeding five years or both".
He
expressed concern about the attitude of a number of service personnel who after
accepting their postings refuse to report at their stations and warned service
personnel that, "these offences are punishable by law".
This
year, 12,595 graduates from the tertiary institutions will be posted to the
rural areas to work in the educational sector, ministries, boards and
corporations.
Mr
Appiah-Num said, henceforth, the secretariat will not countenance any
interference from any individual or organization in the postings of personnel.
More…/
Jake,
Bagbin reconcile
The
dispute between the Minister for Presidential Affairs, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey,
and the Minority Leader, Alban Bagbin, over the contract for the rehabilitation
of the Osu Castle has been amicably settled through the mechanism for
alternative dispute resolution.
A
statement jointly issued by the two men in Accra on Tuesday referred to the
various publications in the media on the award of the contract for and
renovation of the Castle and said what concerned the two parties was the
allegation that the contract was awarded to a company affiliated to Lintas,
which Jake was one time Managing Director of, and that he has interest in the company and he is a shareholder".
The
statement said the two together with their solicitors held discussions aimed at
settling the difference. The discussions revealed that Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was
the Managing Director of Lintas Ghana Limited and Afromedia Ghana Limited until
2000, and owns shares in both companies. It noted also that Lintas Ghana
Limited also owns majority shares in a company called Prodesign Limited.
Prodesign
Limited the statement said, was one of the companies invited to submit proposal
for the renovation of the Castle and submitted the best proposals. The
statement said the contract was, however, awarded to other companies and not
Prodesign.
More…/
Sixty
per cent of pupils in primary schools can't read
About
60 per cent of pupils in primary schools in the country are unable to read and
write, Professor J. Anamuah Mensah, Principal of the University College of
Education, Winneba (UCEM), has said.
He
noted that only a percentage of pupils in Primary Six can exhibit adequate
knowledge in English and Mathematics and described the situation as a daunting
problem for the country's education system.
The
Principal was delivering a keynote address at the opening of the eighth annual
Conference of District Directors of Education (CODDE) at Koforidua on Monday.
It is theme: "The Challenges of Pre-Tertiary Education in the 21st
Century." The five-day conference brought together directors of education
from all over the country, as well as heads of some secondary schools and other
interest groups in the education sector.
Prof
Anamuah-Mensah identified various problems, including lack of infrastructure,
inadequate supply of professionally qualified teachers, imbalance between the
content of school curriculum and the world of work, as well as inefficient
resource allocation procedure as impeding the progress of pre-tertiary
education in the country.
He
pointed out that the current situation, where as much as 90 per cent of
educational resources is allocated for the payment of salaries and only 10
percent spent on non-salaries expenditure is not good enough.
Besides,
he noted that although the education system is decentralized, resource
development is centralized, thereby impeding the operation of directories and
called for a more serious look at the situation to salvage pre-tertiary
education in the country.
GRi…/
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Ghanaians
don’t owe politicians right to free accommodation
The
New Patriotic Party (NPP) has stated that Ghanaians do not owe politicians, be
they ministers or Members of Parliament, the right to free accommodation,
mobile phones and vehicles.
It
said all the political appointees must be able to foot their own expenses since
becoming a politician is just a career change, Mr Kwadwo Afari, a member of the
NPP Publicity Committee, in an interview, said the only way that the government
can cut down its expenditure is to increase the salaries of these politicians
to enable them rent their own houses and acquire basic logistics.
"For
a politician to say, it is his right to live in a government bungalow, use
government vehicle and other gadgets is improper", he said.
According
to him, the government can arrange for politicians to continue their
contributions to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), so
that at the end of their tenure of office, they would not negotiate for End of
Service (ESB) benefits but would go in for their SSNIT contributions. This he
said would calm the heated debate on ESB when politicians and other government
officials leave office.
Task
force to run Ghana Airways
The
national airline, Ghana Airways, whose fortunes have been dwindling lately due
to a myriad of problems, is still grapping to get out of the woods.
The
Evening News carries that after the resignation of Ghanair’s former Chief
Executive, Quartey Jnr., and the subsequent end of the six-month contract of Mr
G.K. Owusu, the board has now constituted a four-man task force to take charge
of the management of the airline.
A
source close to the management, hinted the paper that the task force, under the
chairmanship of Capt. Kofi Kwakwa, head of Air Operations, has the mandate to
manage and direct the affairs of Ghana's premier airline, until the appointment
of a substantive managing director.
The
other three members of the task force are Mr Joe Brown head of engineering; Mr
Ben Boamah, head of commercial unit, and Nana Abu Koomson, in charge of
customer care.
The
source disclosed that an evaluation exercise of the company has been completed
to restructure the management practices of Ghana Airways, specifically to
ensure prudent financial practises so as to offset future debt accumulation.
Findings have also been presented to the board for consideration
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Pastor
pleads guilty to child maltreatment
Pastor
Emmanuel Ofori Tetteh of the Divine Healers Church in Tema has pleaded guilty
before a Tema Community Tribunal for chaining the legs of a 13-year old girl
overnight for stealing 2000 cedis, The Ghanaian Times reports.
He
told the tribunal chaired by Captain Phillip Agbeyome (rtd) on Monday that he
was guilty but had an explanation for his action. According to him, the victim,
together with about 50 others had been living with him and his aunt who is the
head of the church, because their parents cannot cater for them.
He
said for sometime now, the victim has been a source of worry to them because of
her stealing habits. "Sometimes she takes the spare key to the house,
steals and runs out of the house", he said, adding that all attempts to
get her to stop the habit had proved futile.
Pastor
Tetteh denied chaining her legs from 9 pm saying that he rather did that from
11pm until the next morning when the police came to her rescue. Responding to a
question from the tribunal chairman, Pastor Tetteh said on the night in
question, a mat was laid for the victim to sleep on, but a picture produced in
court showed the girl sitting on a bench with both, legs chained to a pole.
The
girl is said to have been sent with 8,000 cedis to buy some quantity of gari
and she is alleged to have spent a change of 2,000 cedis, upon which the pastor
chained her.
Capt
Agbeyemo said the treatment meted out to the girl amounts to slavery, and asked
Pastor Tetteh to send the children in his custody back to where they came from
if they could not be catered for properly.
Upon
learning that Pastor Tetteh and his aunt were the only people caring for the
children with no other caretakers and that his church has built a school to
educate the children, Capt Agbeyemo directed that the Department of Social
Welfare visit the school and furnish him with a report immediately.
Pastor
Tetteh was however granted a 5 million cedis bail with one surety until
Thursday for judgement.
More…/
Major
causes of blindness in Ghana identified
Colnee
Opacity, an infection of the white layer of the eye, and cataracts, also an
infection of the lens in the eye have been identified as the major causes of
child blindness in the country.
A
recent study at the children's hospitals in Accra indicated that most
malnourished children were suffering from the diseases due to factors such as
vitamin A deficiency, although there have been series of campaigns to educate
mothers to give their children breast milk and also immunize them.
Dr
Edith Akuako of the surgical ward of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital disclosing
this to the Times on Tuesday said also that the disease could as well be
acquired from a mother's womb especially if she is infected with gonorrhea.
More…/
Ghana
to earn $690 million from cassava project by 2003
Ghana
is expected to earn 690 million dollars from the President's Special Initiative
Cassava Project by the end of 2003, Isaac Edumadze, Central Regional Minister
disclosing this at the 20th annual general meeting of the Enyan Denkyira Rural
Bank, said that apart from the project providing employment and reducing
poverty, it would as well promote an aggressive export of garments, textiles and cassava starch.
To
that end, he urged rural banks to offer the necessary financial assistance to
cassava farmers in their catchment areas to enable them produce enough cassava
to support the project.
GRi../
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