African governments managed their economies poorly - Sam Jonah
Blaise Compaore sends message to President Kufuor
Wa (Upper West Region) 24 October 2001 - Illegal exportation of foodstuff from the Upper West Region to Burkina Faso is causing price hikes and pushing the region to the verge of scarcity. The situation has generated public outcry and the people are calling for the government's intervention.
Investigations conducted by the Ghana News Agency showed that about eight cargo truck-full of maize and yams leave Wa on every market day for markets at Fielmua, a Ghanaian border town and Leo in Burkina Faso. As a result, prices of the two commodities, which are normally low at this time of the year, are rising astronomically.
Maize, which sold at 100,000 cedis two weeks ago, now sells at 140,000 per maxi bag while three large tubers of yam, which cost 5,000 cedis, can now be purchased at 10,000 cedis.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 24 October 2001 - African governments have not been successful in managing the economies of the continent and in providing good governance to the people, Dr Sam Jonah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ashanti Goldfields Company Limited, said on Tuesday.
"Our savings rate is incredibly low, life expectancy low, infant mortality high and corruption endemic," he said adding that the rule of law, respect for human rights, respect for property rights among other things were plainly endangered concepts.
Dr Jonah was the guest speaker at this year's Institute of Public Relations (IPR), week celebration lectures. The week is being celebrated under the theme: "PR - A vital Link for Good Governance."
Dr Jonah quoted Kofi Annan, UN Secretary - General as saying: " The quality of African political leaders, the misery they have brought to their people and my inability to work with them to turn the situation round are very depressing.
"Unless we find a way of getting them to focus on resolving conflicts and turn to key issues of economics and social development, the efforts that we are making will be for nought."
He said the example in Ghana was not brilliant: "We can continue to be in denial and claim that we have made considerable progress, but the progress made is not commensurate with the resources that has been applied and the sacrifices which have been made."
Dr. Jonah said Ghana's economy was not growing at the required rate to even cope with the demands of a rising population let alone generate surpluses for the retirement of the national debt.
"In 1980, our overall debt per capita, that is the national debt at the time divided by the population was 1,068 cedis. 20 years on, in the year 2000, the debt per capita had risen to 2.7 million."
The objective of any government was to ensure the provision of better quality life for the citizenry, which was seen in better education, healthcare, shelter and other social facilities, he stated.
This, notwithstanding, Dr Jonah said the citizen did not only aspire to the good things of life, but expected to have a say in the way in which they were governed.
"Governments which are not responsive to the wishes of a citizenry and show no sense of accountability, will not last and their removal may be very traumatic and unconstitutional."
He said the only remedy was investment by the private sector, however, considering the scarcity of investment capital and given the picture that was painted of the continent and its performance in economic management, Africa did not present itself as an attractive home for such scarce capital.
"The picture that foreign investors see of this continent comes through the lenses of the international media and this is not a pretty sight. It is about wars, famine, human rights abuses, coup d'état, insurrections and general mayhem."
The CEO of Ashanti Goldfields noted that this was where the role of the Public Relations Officer (PRO) was mostly needed to establish a credible status for the continent and to harmonise and exchange views in a manner that would allow full public appreciation of issues confronting it.
"You must advise against the tendency to make policy on the trot. You must prevent the consistency of messages being undermined by too many spokesmen singing from different hymn sheets."
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Attorney General says Ghana’s laws on human
trafficking inadequate
Accra (Greater Accra) 24 October 2001 - Nana Akufo-Addo, Attorney General and Minister for Justice, has observed that the provisions in the criminal laws of Ghana seeking to address the issue of trafficking in women are inadequate to cope with the newer forms of cross border and global trafficking of persons.
According to him, these provisions as codified in the criminal code of Ghana have not been amended since 1960, thus making them woefully outdated.
The Minister for Justice raised these concerns in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of a joint ECOWAS and UN systems meeting on trafficking in persons held in Accra. His speech was delivered by his deputy, Ms Gloria Akufo.
While raising concern about the outdated form of the Ghanaian domestic legislation, the Minister expressed the hope that legal experts at his Ministry would work on the necessary amendments for presentation to Cabinet and Parliament for approval.
Touching on the negative effect of the human trafficking, Nana Akufo-Addo said, the findings of a recent study conducted by the African Centre for Human Development in respect of trafficking for labour shows that the activity is as pervasive and intensive as it is commercial and criminal.
He said the study on cross border trafficking revealed that Ghanaian girl children between the ages of 7-16 years are being sent across the borders and are engaged as child prostitutes. He said, the findings also confirmed recent widespread reports of young boys being trafficked and forced to engage in labour-intensive activities such as stone quarrying, diamond winning and diving for the fishing industry.
"The same report also acknowledges that the living conditions of victims at points of destination, both within and outside the country, are hazardous and deplorable", he emphasised.
To this end, he endorsed the call for all ECOWAS member states to establish anti-trafficking units within the law enforcement agencies, adding that Ministries, Departments and Agencies should also create desks and focal points to handle issues relating to trafficking.
The Minister recalled recent reports of an instance where a particular shipping vessel plying the waters of West African coastline allegedly with loads of children who, it was suspected, were being taken to other parts of West Africa as forced labour, was monitored and brought to light by the international community and the United Nations agencies.
His regret, however, was the fact that "it took the efforts of the international community and the United Nations agencies to bring these atrocities to light and not our own agencies".
"Here again, we are found most lacking in the ECOWAS sub-region, since most of us individually, as states, and collectively, as a sub-regional grouping, do not posses the requisite legal and regulatory mechanisms to bring about an end to these sordid practices" he lamented.
Mr Burkhard Dammann, Programme Officer for Global Programme against Trafficking in Human Being at the Centre for International Crime Prevention, in his address expressed concern about the rapid expansion of trafficking in human beings.
He said organised criminal groups behind theses acts are now targeting the most vulnerable, including children, and the least educated.
He said research has shown that some 20,000 children are trafficked every year in West and Central Africa and expressed worry about the fact that law enforcement agencies in the sub-region lack adequate knowledge on the menace of human trafficking.
The five-day workshop is being attended by ECOWAS member states and inter-governmental organisations such as UNICEF and the Centre for International Crime Prevention. - Ghanaian Chronicle
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Accra (Greater Accra) 24 October 2001 - The Head of the Delegation of the European Union (EU), Stefan Frowein says the EU would assist Ghana's private sector to facilitate economic development.
Mr Frowein, who called on Vice President Aliu Mahama to discuss the activities of the EU, said through its Investment Bank in Luxemburg the private sector would receive funds from the country's leasing institutions to pursue their programmes.
He was responding to an appeal by Alhaji Mahama that the EU should help make the government's Golden Age of Business a reality.
Alhaji Mahama also urged the EU, which supports Ghana's adoption of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, to contribute substantially towards its objective of poverty alleviation.
In another development, the management of European Union and the Government of Ghana Micro Project Programme said it would withdraw support from districts that fail to complete their projects by November 30.
The Reverend Otu-Pimpong, Deputy Programme Manager, gave the warning at Ajumako when he addressed the chiefs and people of beneficiary communities of EU projects during an inspection tour of Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District.
The communities were Enyan Maim, Etsi Sunkwaa, Breman Essiam, Ankukrom,
Ajumako Mando, Enyan Abaasa and Ajumako Ba.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 24 October 2001-Vice President Aliu Mahama on Tuesday received a message, on behalf of the President, from Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore, at the Castle, Osu.
The message, delivered by Mr Marc O. Yao, Burkinabe Ambassador in Ghana, is believed to be on Ouagadougou's support for the candidature of Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas as Executive Secretary of ECOWAS.
Alhaji Mahama lauded the cordial relationship between Ghana and Burkina Faso and thanked Ghana's northern neighbour for the warm reception accorded him during his recent visit.
He said Ghana was grateful for Burkina Faso's sympathy for victims of the May 9th stadium disaster and its contribution to the fund.
Ambassador Yao later told journalists that Dr Chambas was well known to the people of Burkina Faso and they believe in his leadership qualities.
"We will support Dr Chambas to become the Executive Secretary of ECOWAS because he is the best person for the job," he said.
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