Student delivers while taking BECE, returns next day to hall
General Hamidu proposed for NPP vice presidential slot
Africa Agriculture seminar scheduled for next year
London (United Kingdom) 04
September 2000
Mr Martin Amidu, deputy Minister
of Justice and deputy Attorney General, has been elected as the
vice-presidential candidate of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC)
for the December elections, news reaching GRi said this morning.
The choice of Mr Amidu at an
emergency meeting of the party on Sunday night, has come as a surprise to many
political analysts who had been expecting front runners, Dr Obed Asamoah,
Minister of Justice and Attorney General or Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Presidential
spokesman on governmental affairs, to take the spot.
Amidu seems to be a compromise
candidate who is likely to satisfy the egos of both the Ewes and the Northern
faction, the two groups that have been rooting for one of their own to win the
slot.
Amidu is believed to have been
taught by Vice-President John Atta Mills at the Law School, University of
Ghana. His selection, it is believed will sit comfortably with his former
lecturer whom he must now help to win the presidential election in December.
Asamoah and Iddrisu had been
locked in a bitter fight for their party's second most powerful position, which
had threatened to tear the party apart on ethnicity and the choice of Amidu,
hopefully, will bring an end to that rivalry.
Amidu, an active cadre in the
early days of the revolution has been serving at his post for more than a
decade now and has been the lead advocate for the NDC in most of their legal
entanglement with the opposition.
"I am surprised at this
sudden turn of events," Amidu is reported to have said soon after the
announcement was made.
Equally surprised is the media who
as the past had variously tipped, the First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings,
Asamoah or Iddrisu for the position.
The humble, hard working Amidu,
a man of few words, never featured in their predictions.
In choosing Amidu, the NDC once
again wrong-footed the media as they did in 1996 when Professor Mills was
nominated out of the blue for the vice-presidential position.
Amidu is the third
vice-presidential candidate to be chosen from the Northern sector of the
country. The Convention People's Party
has Alhaji Ibrahim Mahama as its vice-presidential candidate, and the National
Reform Party, Mr Cletus Kotsiba.
The focus is now on the major
oppostion New Patriotic Party (NPP) who are expected to announce their choice
of running mate at their congress at Ho, Volta region, this weekend. There is
speculation that they will also go in for somebody from the
Northern sector.
If that should happen, then it
would appear that the December elections would be won and lost in the upper
half of the country.
The Electoral Commission slated
September 12 and 13 for the filing of nominations for presidential and
parliamentary candidates.
Mr. Amidu, 49 is a product of the
University of Ghana, Legon, and the Ghana School of Law in 1977 and 1978
respectively.
He enrolled as a barrister and
solicitor of the Supreme Court in November 1978 and was made a notary public in
1996.
He held various deputy ministerial
appointments under the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC)
between 1983 and 1992.
He was appointed PNDC deputy
Secretary for the Upper East Region in 1983, Acting PNDC Secretary for Local
Government and Rural Development in 1986 and later Deputy Secretary for the
then Industries, Science and Technology between 1986 and 1988.
Between April and October 1988,
Mr. Amidu was made PNDC Deputy Secretary for the Volta Region and later Deputy
Attorney-General and PNDC Secretary for Justice from October 1988 to the
threshold of the Fourth Republic in January 1992.
Lawyer Amidu was redesignated
Acting Deputy Attorney-General and Deputy Minister of Justice under the
Transitional Constitutional Administration from January 7, 1993, to March 1993
from where he continued to serve the portfolio to date.
He also served on various Boards
and Committees at both the local and international levels, including the
Consultative Assembly that wrote the 1992 Constitution.
He was the Chairman of the
African-Asian Legal Consultative Committee between April 1999 and March 2000.
Mr. Amidu was Chairman for the
Committee of Enquiry into the Affairs of the Social Security Bank of Ghana,
Public Agreements Board and the House Committee of the Consultative Assembly
and a member of the Police Council.
He is married with three children.
GRi…/
Accra (Greater Accra) 04 September
2000
Mr. Justice Amegashie, Acting
Chief Director of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, at the weekend
said there was no need to re-test drivers with genuine licences seeking to
acquire the new computerised one.
"The law only requires that
the DVLA re-test a driver if he or she is proved to contravene the Amended Road
Traffic Regulations, Legislative Instrument LI 1663 of 1999."
Mr. Amegashie was reacting to
concerns raised by a section of the public that drivers with genuine licences
should be re-tested before new ones are issued to them.
Regulation 19A of the LI 1663
states that the licensing Authority shall re-test a driver "where the
driver is involved in an accident and is adjudged by a court to be at
fault".
"A driver shall be re-tested
if convicted of the following traffic offences: driving under the influence of
alcohol or drugs, dangerous, careless and reckless driving or violating parking
rules.
"Drivers, under the
Regulation, shall also be re-tested where a court orders that a driver be
re-tested, the Licensing Authority considers it necessary to re-test a driver
or an employer requires an employee driver to be re-tested."
Mr. Amegashie said the new
computerised driving licence system has created the opportunity to update
drivers' history for effective surveillance.
"Thus, the DVLA is
collaborating with the Judicial Service to maintain a strong and effective
linkage in building up data on drivers to give meaning and effect to the Road
Traffic Law and to keep unsafe drivers from the roads."
Unlike the old licences, which
could easily be manipulated, he said the new licences are tamper-proof.
Various security features
incorporated in the licence and stringent internal controls at the DVLA will
eliminate faking, forgery and staff who collect bribes and compromise with
"goro boys" (middlemen) in the issuance of fake licences.
Mr. Amegashie said the issuance of
fake drivers' licences in the past only thrived because "Ghanaians like
short-cuts to everything", adding: "they should go through the normal
procedures to acquire whatever they want".
He however, tasked the public to
volunteer information on any staff of the DVLA who collects or accepts money to
illegally issue licences.
"If you have evidence that
someone accepts money to facilitate the issuance of licences, report the person
to us, our doors are open."
He stressed that Ghanaians should
not resist the change, which is in the interest of everyone.
Mr. Joseph Amamoo, Project
Co-ordinator for the withdrawal and replacement of existing licences, told the
GNA that the DVLA was not changing only the drivers’ licence but also the
driving administration to conform to international standards and practice.
The new computerised driver's
licence was launched on August 21 to replace the existing manual one, which has
been identified to have numerous problems.
The now machine-readable licence,
which carries security features that include digital imaging, dimensional
bar-codes, portable data file, social security numbers and a driver
classification, has been designed to conform to international standards.
It will provide the Police
Service, Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) and the Courts with the
opportunity to effectively maintain surveillance.
It will also control drivers
through quick and easy access to data, instant verification of the licence in
the enforcement of traffic and other laws.
The licence will be subject to
validation every two years with emphasis on vision test.
The one-year replacement programme
has been drawn to start from the Greater Accra Region to be followed by other
regions through mass media announcements.
The exercise started with holders
of private vehicle driving licences whose surnames start with the alphabet 'A'.
The licences were changed as a
result of the findings and recommendations made by an inter-departmental
committee formed to address some of the problems associated with issues raised
by some countries about the authenticity of Ghana's driver's licence.
As at Friday, some drivers had
received their new licences. Mr. Kwame Appia, a businessman who plies between
Ghana and Togo, noted that the new licence looks very professional and
authentic, adding that he would produce it to policemen in Togo with pride.
"I don't think they would
worry me much this time when they see it."
GRi…/
Accra (Greater Accra) 04 September 2000
The Deputy British High Commissioner, Mr. Craig John Murray has declared that his statement that "there is corruption in Ghana" was neither new nor should it be misconstrued to mean that the Ghana Government is corrupt."
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday said it has sought clarification from Mr. Murray over a statement he was purported to have made at a recent workshop accusing the government of corruption.
The Foreign Ministry statement said at a meeting with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph A Laryea over the issue, Mr. Murray made it known that he was taking steps to write to the "Ghanaian Chronicle" and the "Daily Graphic" to correct the distortion of his statement.
The Statement also carried a copy of a text submitted to the Ministry by Mr. Murray, as what he believed was a true reflection of what he said at the workshop.
It read: "These seminars run the risk of beating about the bush. The problem we are seeking to address through transparency is corruption. Corruption exists everywhere there is government. We should look at the mote in our own eye. There is corruption in the U.K. It had been an issue in the last election.
"One unfortunate part of the British colonial legacy to Africa was our official secrets legislation. The British system of governance gave enormous power to the executive. The Individual had only weak common law protection for his rights, which could be removed at any time by the legislature, "This situation was shortly to be remedied by HMG (Her Majesty's Government) with the incorporation of the European Convention of Human Rights and the improved Freedom of Information Act.
"But having admitted Britain had its problems, Africa had worse problems for corruption. Sadly African governments had seldom been all honourable men.
"There is corruption in Ghana. The general perception is that it is getting worse. It is pervasive. Everyone knows its major forms. Not just minor dash, but payments from contractors to those who awarded the contracts or organisations connected to them, over-invoicing of imports, under-invoicing of exports, corruption in customs and tax collection.
"Sadly international companies, including British companies, participated in this illegal activity. There were other forms. Projects are not finished properly. Roads crack up because they are not built to specification, with skimmed money going high or low, to the awarder of the contract or to the supervisor on the ground. Everyone knows this.
"Transparency was needed to shed light into wrong doing but exposure needed to be joined to some certainty of punishment. There were too many examples of people known to have committed major offences but who could not be touched.
"There was a role for the media. Investigative journalism was important to society, but too often in Ghana papers obtained interesting facts but buried them in such a welter of emotion, political slant, wild exaggeration and conjecture that they were lost. There was a long way to go in achieving objective reporting.
Mr. Murray said, "The other major factor required to reduce corruption was a reduction in the role of the government in the economy. Real economic restructuring was not happening at present.
"Privatisation needed to be carried out legitimately, with real money obtained in exchange for public assets to help the fiscal situation. Buyers were needed who could put in investment and had the ability to manage the companies.
"The recent IMF Board had given Ghana a record number of waivers. There was much sympathy for Ghana because of the external trade shocks from commodity price moves. But the sympathy of the economic community is not inexhaustible commodity. Real progress now needs to be made.
"I was delighted to see such a distinguished gathering of able people of goodwill looking at this vital subject. I was pleased to hear John Mahama (Minister of Communications) talk of his plans on freedom of information. I wished the seminar every success."
Under a banner headline "Your government is corrupt-We're just being sympathetic to Ghana," the 'Ghanaian Chronicle' in its report said Mr. Murray "pointed accusing fingers at the government in the area of awards of contracts," at a workshop on "Information for Accountability" held last Wednesday in Accra.
In the said report, the Chronicle quoted Mr. Murray as having said that even foreigners awarded contracts are not excused or spared. It said they are made to pay a percentage sum of money of the value of the contract to the government, even after they had met all the procedure that is required of them.
The statement said the Deputy High Commissioner declared that his statement that "there is corruption in Ghana" was neither new nor should it be misconstrued to mean that the Ghana Government is corrupt.
GRi…/
New Abirem (Eastern Region) 04
September 2000
A 17-year-old expectant junior
secondary school student went into labour while taking her first paper in the
just-ended Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) at Adwafo, near New
Abirem in the Birim North District of the Eastern Region.
She was therefore taken to a
nearby clinic where a midwife delivered her of a baby boy shortly on arrival.
But the strong-willed girl
surprised both her colleagues and supervisors when she resurfaced the following
morning at the examination hall to continue with the rest of her papers.
Mr. Reynolds Y. Yeboah, District
Examination Officer, told the Ghana News Agency that while taking her Religious
and Moral Education paper, the teenager on two occasions sought permission to
be escorted to the toilet.
However, when her situation became
more serious, she was taken to a midwife who delivered her of the baby barely
30 minutes later.
Mr. Yeboah said surprisingly, the
young mother returned to the examination hall the following day to continue
with the rest of her papers.
Commenting on the incident, the
District Director of Education, Mr. J.A. Essel, said even though he would not
encourage schoolgirls to become pregnant, the girl showed a lot of courage and
determination in defying her condition to go through her examination.
He charged parents to be
responsible and ensure the proper upbringing of their wards to minimise the
incidence of teenage pregnancy.
Mr. Essel advised students to
avoid pre-marital sex and concentrate on their books to save themselves from
unwanted pregnancy and minimise the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and other
sexually transmitted diseases.
GRi…/
Britain extends 500 b cedi assistance to
Ghana
Shia (Volta Region) 04 September 2000
Mr. Craig John Murray, Deputy British High Commissioner in Ghana, on Friday said the British government is assisting Ghana with about 500 billion cedis towards its socio-economic development.
Mr. Murray said 170 billion cedis of the amount would be channelled to the education sector for the improvement of manpower.
He announced this at the commissioning of a 40 million-cedi three-classroomed block for the Evangelical Presbyterian Primary School at Shia in the Ho district, which coincided with a farewell durbar in honour of nine British volunteers, who have ended their duty tour in the community.
The occasion was also used to welcome 26 new volunteers, nine of whom are Europeans and the rest Ghanaians to the town.
Mr. Murray stressed that empowering the youth with education is the highest investment parents, communities and governments could offer to the youth, noting that girls' education has a double economic benefit.
He called on the people to cultivate the habit of volunteerism, saying there is no need to possess any hyper-technology before assisting one's community.
GRi…/
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 04 September 2000
Mr. Philip Edward Kwabena Antwi, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has asked the opposition political parties to stop painting a distorted picture of the country's economy in their bid to win the sympathy of voters.
He said although there have been some dislocations caused by external shocks, the government was making every effort to put the economy back on track.
Mr. Antwi was addressing a joint meeting of cadres and constituency executives of the NDC in the Asokwa East Constituency at the Asawasi community centre in Kumasi.
The NDC Regional Chairman told all functionaries of the party to educate themselves sufficiently about the government's economic policies so as to be better placed to explain them to the people and counter the wrong information fed to the electorate by the opposition.
He called for unity, total understanding and co-operation between the constituency executive and the rank and file of the party to enable it to keep the parliamentary seat.
Mr. Antwi advised them to embark on house-to-house political education campaign to win floating voters for the party.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Samuel Nuamah-Donkor said truth and integrity should be "made their ally" in the electioneering campaign.
GRi…/
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 04 September 2000
Mr. Benjamin Owusu Afriyie, a staunch supporter of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has proposed for consideration the selection of General Joshua Hamidu, a former Chief of Defence Staff as the running mate of the party's flagbearer, Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor.
He noted that the wrangling over who becomes the running mate to the NPP flagbearer was creating confusion and cracks in the party and the only antidote is for a compromise candidate like General Hamidu to be selected.
The proposal was contained in a statement issued by Mr. Afriyie and released to the press in Kumasi on Sunday.
Mr. Afriyie, a former National Chairman of the Universal Club of Ghana, said Gen Hamidu's candidature would be acceptable by all and sundry in the party since he is perceived as a compromise candidate.
The statement explained that Gen Hamidu, if selected, would bring along with him a track record of proven leadership skills and tremendous political experience to actively support Mr. Kufuor in building and consolidating the support base of the NPP in the country.
"His partnership with Mr. Kufuor would, therefore, not only secure for the NPP a landslide victory in the December elections but also provide the nation with effective governance", the statement added.
Mr. Afriyie called on the NPP hierarchy to give prompt consideration to the proposal and bring a halt to the activities of the various interest groups, whose agitation was creating disaffection among members and which could have disastrous consequences.
GRi…/
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 04 September 2000
The Nippon Foundation is to organise an international agricultural seminar in Africa next year. An organising committee has been established to work out the modalities, venue, duration and other development partners to be involved in the seminar.
Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, President of the Foundation announced this on Saturday, when he addressed students of the Kwadaso Agricultural College, in Kumasi as part of his official visit to Ghana.
The Foundation in collaboration with the Sasakawa Africa Association, the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), has began a new two-year diploma in agricultural extension programme at the college.
Under the programme, about 70,000 dollars has been spent to improve on the physical infrastructure including offices, classrooms, library, science laboratory, home science block and a computer laboratory.
Mr. Sasakawa expressed regret that most African leaders spent a lot of money on the military, industrialisation and urbanisation at the expense of agriculture, which forms the basis of national development.
He pointed out that more resources should be channelled into the promotion and development of agriculture especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where agriculture produces about 70 per cent of the gross national product (GDP).
Mr. Sasakawa said it is important for African countries to have food security since most of the social problems facing the people could be solved through increased production of nutritious food that would make the people healthy.
The President of Nippon Foundation said since the Foundation was established in Ghana 14 years ago, it has helped in the transfer of technical know-how to the people in agriculture and rekindled the self-help spirit and self-reliance through the provision of extension services.
He said to improve on its operations, the Foundation was now focusing on the Diploma in Agriculture Extension Programme at the College.
Dr Norman Borlaung, President of Sasakawa Africa Association, said the association has been able to disabuse the minds agricultural experts in developed countries of the notion that African countries do not have the potential to feed themselves because of the nature of the soil and climate.
He explained that when the association began its projects in five African countries in 1986, it realised that agricultural production was low because research findings were not being passed on to farmers because of lack of communication link between them and researchers.
Dr Borlaung said after the project was extended to 15 other African countries, it was realised that Sub-Saharan African countries have the potential to feed the present generation adequately.
He said it behoves the students and extension officers to gird their loins and educate the farmers on the research findings for increased food production.
Dr Deola Naibakelao, Director of the Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education, said the programme is of two years duration with prospects for further studies.
Dr Naibakelao said the programme, which began at the college last year, is on pilot basis and if it succeeds it would be extended to other African countries with the next countries in line being Burkina Faso and Mali.
Mr. Benjamin Asante Mensah, Acting Principal of the College, observed that with the provision of modern equipment and facilities at the college it should be upgraded into a full-fledged university.
He proposed that the new university should be called Kumasi University of Innovative and Practical Agriculture.
Since its inception in 1952 to run a three-year certificate in Agriculture for students, he said, it was only last year that the Nippon Foundation has assisted to improve its the image and status.
Miss Faustina Akpoh, a second year diploma student of the college, on behalf of the students, appealed to the stakeholders in the programme to help improve other facilities at the college.
She said the frequent power outage, lack of potable water, classrooms and residential accommodation for both staff and students should be addressed.
Miss Akpoh said they needed a vehicle for practical trips and that they should be included in the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) students' loans scheme.
GRi…/