Government did not chicken out of Tsikata
saga - Agyepong
Foodstuff locked up in Sene area
Civil Society urged to support Domestic
Violence Bill - FIDA
Forest Programme expected to create 80,000 jobs
British Under-secretary of state to visit Ghana
Ghana UN Association loses government's recognition
African leaders cautioned against use of
torture
CPP says will organise protests against water
privatisation
Mills says NPP has right to prosecute
Adopt rotational election approach - Safo
Kantanka
Media must portray women in a good light - Minister
Forest Plantation Fund yield 53 billion cedis
Accra (Greater Accra) 08 September 2001 - Deputy Government Spokesperson, Kwabena Agyapong said the absence of a government's representative on a JOY FM programme on Friday was neither a defeatist posture nor inability to counter the claims of Tsatsu Tsikata.
The Government, he said, stood by the statement the Energy Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah made in August on the state incurring huge financial losses because of Tsikata's unguided investment decisions as Ghana National Petroleum Corporation's Chief Executive.
Agyapong was speaking to journalists at the State House to react to Tsikata's postulations at a press conference on Thursday.
He claimed Tsikata only engaged in unnecessary verbiage to confuse the public and depart from the truth about the allegations, adding that he did not address in substance, the debts of over 17.2 million dollars owed to Credit Suisse nor that of 8.9 million dollars to Union Bank and the procurement of marine assets to the tune of 62 million dollars.
It was not true that the Drill Ship was sold because the Attorney General was unable to defend the case in the London High Court, he said, explaining that the Attorney General critically looked at the merits of the case and decided that GNPC had no chance in contesting the claims and, therefore, opted for a negotiated settlement.
Interestingly, he said, Tsikata since March 1998 was making advances to sell the Drill Ship after he had failed to use it as a collateral for loans from Societe General and Credit Suisse.
Agyapong said Tsikata's attempt to dwell on a personality was a red herring because all activities at the corporation revolved around him and no decision could be made without recourse to him, challenging Tsikata to substantiate his claims with documents. T
The Deputy Energy Minister, Kobina Hammond said the Tano Project was not the element of discussion and that Tsikata's decision to dwell extensively on it was to divert public attention.
He said the government would at an appropriate forum ensure that the public hears the truth and the proper action taken.
Hammond said Tsikata during his tenure of office took decisions without recourse to the Board and the law.
Tsikata at his press conference to react to an earlier one held by the Energy Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah, denied various allegations of financial impropriety, which the government said had resulted in huge financial loss to the state.
He described the allegations as lacking merit and unfounded. Last Friday, Hammond was scheduled to appear on Joy FM’s Front Page, hosted by Kweku Sekyi-Addo but failed to turn up after accepting the invitation and confirming his participation 30 minutes before the programme was to start.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 08 September 2001 - A 49 year-old Chef, John Alfred Dale from Manchester, United Kingdom was on Friday arrested at Bawjiase in the Central Region by the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) of the Police Service on suspicion of sodomizing a 16 year-old Ghanaian boy.
A Manchester Court in 1989 sentenced Dale to 18 months imprisonment for indecently assaulting a 14 year-old boy.
Dale, who said to be a pen pal of the victim, last year came to Ghana for a visit and met the boy, who introduced him to his parents as a friend.
He later informed the parents that he wanted to take the victim to Myercough College of Agriculture in Manchester to pursue a course and falsified the age of the victim to secure a student's visa to enable him to go to the school.
When the victim got to Manchester, social workers there immediately took charge of the boy because of the past record of the suspect.
Investigation later revealed that the victim's age did not qualify him to attend that school. They boy was later repatriated to Ghana in December last year.
Dale came to Ghana in June this year and decided to establish a company, D.K.K.O. Transport, in the name of the victim but was informed at the Registrar General's that since the boy was not of age and could not own a company.
Dale then registered the company in the name of the victim's father as joint owners and bought two buses for commercial activities.
Three relatives of the victim later arrived from Manchester and identified Dale as a convicted paedophile and informed the Police. Interpol in the United Kingdom confirmed the identity of the suspect.
Dale confessed to Police upon arrest that he was a paedophile but has reformed and has not committed any offence under the present circumstance. Meanwhile the victim has denied any sexual assault by the suspect and has been sent to hospital for medical examination.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 08 September 2001 - Thieves at dawn on Friday broke into the Lower Hill bungalow of Professor Kwesi Yankah of the University of Ghana, Legon and stole a 21-inch TV, a video deck, a wireless set and a cordless phone.
Professor Yankah, Dean of the Faculty of Arts said the thieves gained access to his sitting room by destroying the lock of the door to the main entrance. The thieves left behind a flashlight.
A suspect is assisting the Legon Police in their investigations. This is the second time in two weeks that thieves have burgled senior members of the university, the first victim being the former Head of the School of Communication, Professor Kwame Karikari who lost an unspecified sum of money and jewellery.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 08 September 2001 - Felix Twumasi-Appiah, MP for Sene in the Brong-Ahafo Region on Friday said tonnes of foodstuff were locked up in the Sene area because of inaccessible roads, deepening the poverty of the people.
He said the district, referred to as the "food basket of the nation", produces food crops such as yams, maize, rice and millet and the farmers were finding it increasingly difficult to let their produce reach market centres.
Twumasi-Appiah said in Accra after addressing an assembly meeting at Sene to discuss the state of the development in the district. He said most public servants posted to the district have declined to take up their post due to the lack of good road and telecommunication systems and other social amenities, which has earned the district the nickname, "Far East."
He said many patients requiring emergency medical attention died before reaching the nearest hospital at Atebubu or Kete Krachi.
Twumasi-Appiah said engineering works to tar the Atebubu/Kojokrom road through Kwame Danso was completed by the previous government and criticised the NPP government for shelving the construction of the road, which he said, was aggravating the poverty situation of the people.
The MP said roads are indispensable in socio-economic development adding, "any attempt to fight poverty would be defeated without a good transport system."
Twumasi-Appiah urged the assembly to ensure that roads in the area are asphalted since the occasional regravelling and piecemeal repairs leave much to be desired.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 08 September 2001 - The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) on Friday called on civil society to support the promulgation of the
Domestic Violence Bill by parliament.
"The bill needs total support from civil society, non-governmental organisations and other social partners who have championed the cause of the vulnerable to make inputs for the promulgation of the bill," Ms Gloria
Ofori-Boadu, FIDA Executive Director, said in Accra on Friday that the Private Member's Bill, is a test case for the government and all parliamentarians.
"Social development within the country now, the exploitation of the socially disadvantaged by family relations and the ever increasing rate of marital problems make it imperative for a law to protect the vulnerable."
Ms Ofori-Boadu said the home, which is the basic "cradle of nurture" for members of society, could equally become a "cradle of violence" for the same members.
She said research indicates that about 95 per cent of victims of domestic violence worldwide are women and the highest risk environment being the home.
Ms Ofori-Boadu said children are also targets of physical abuse often at the hands of women who are usually the primary caretakers of the home. The FIDA Executive Director said recent research in the country on violence shows that one out of three women interviewed admitted to have been beaten, slapped or physically punished by a current or most recent partner.
"There is a limitation in the remedies that these laws provide. Sometimes the punitive measures used, such as arrest and jail sentences, are not favourable for promoting the welfare of the existing family structures."
Ms Ofori-Boadu said the Bill is, therefore, to provide victims of domestic violence with a broader set of remedies, including civil protection, which extends beyond mere criminal sanctioning of the perpetrator of violence.
She said the Bill proposes to regulate the attitude of the family, community and society and general respect for women and children.
Ms Ofori-Boadu assured men that "the Bill is not against them, but against perpetrators of all forms of violence aimed at the vulnerable, be it men against men, women against women, men against women or women against men and even society against children."
She said the passing of the bill would be a major step towards attaining the goals of eliminating all forms of gender discrimination in the country by 2020.
Most spousal beating, she said, is treated as assault, which could be punished by a term of imprisonment. However, what wives would normally prefer is not for their husbands and family members to be jailed but an order to stop the constant harassment, she stressed.
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Ayigbe (Brong Ahafo) 08 September 2001 - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Friday launched a 25 billion-cedi National Forest Plantation Development
Programme (NFPDP) with a call on Ghanaians to make conscious efforts to assist in halting the continual degradation of the country's forest resources.
He said the country was in the grips of ecological crisis and it behoves all Ghanaians, including chiefs, to initiate positive actions towards the regeneration and sustainable utilisation of forests by embracing the plantation programme.
"I wish to call on all well-meaning Ghanaians, including Nananom, District assemblies, financial institutions, companies and individuals to support the government in the implementation of this laudable programmes".
Launched at Agyigbe in the Wenchi District of Brong Ahafor Region, the programme is aimed at encouraging the development of a sustainable forest resource base, enhance environmental quality by satisfying future demand for timber and reduce pressure on existing ones.
About 20,000 hectares of degraded land would be planted every year, which is expected to create 80,000 jobs in rural communities.
Major trees species to be planted under the programme are wawa, ofram, emire, onyina, mahogany, teak and pines, among other species.
President Kufuor said it was now estimated that the country loses about 650 square kilometres of forest annually due primarily to wildfire, poor agricultural practices and logging, with adverse impact on water supply, soil fertility and wildlife.
"This adverse trend has continued in spite of the many laws and attempts by past governments and NGOs, simply because these attempts have not been vigorous, co-ordinated and sustained enough".
President Kufuor said he was hopeful that the new development programme would reverse the unfortunate trend if properly implemented.
"I am happy to launch this very important programme, which if properly managed and sustained, should restore the depleted forest cover of the country, which within the past century has reduced from eight million hectares to 1.6 million hectares now."
The programme, which would involve the establishment of 20,000 hectares of tree plantations every year, is being implemented with the support of the African Development Bank (AfDB), World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organisation and the governments of the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 08 September 2001 - Sir John Kerr, Britain's Permanent Under-Secretary of State and Head of Diplomatic Service, will visit Ghana from September 9 to 11, the British High Commission said on Friday.
This is Sir John's first visit to the country and is looking forward to meeting the Vice President, other political figures and representatives of the British and Ghanaian business communities.
During his visit, Sir John will open the new visa and consular building at the British High Commission and host a breakfast for this year's recipient of British Chevening Scholarship for Postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom.
Sir John, a Scot, born in Grantown-on-Spey in 1942 was educated in Glasgow Academy and Pembroke College, Oxford.
He joined the Foreign Service in 1965 and served in the Foreign Office, Moscow and Rawalpindi, where he worked on NATO issues.
In 1995, he was transferred to Washington, as Ambassador to the United States. He became FCO Permanent Secretary and head of the diplomatic service in 1997. He is married with two sons and three daughters.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 08 September 2001 - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that the government's recognition of the Ghana United Nations Association (GUNA) remains frozen until proper steps are taken to re-organise it following an investigation report establishing impropriety against its present executive.
In a letter accompanying the report of the investigations faxed to the GNA in Accra, the ministry said it was upholding a directive of former Minister, Victor Gbeho that until the re-organisation was done, sanctions should be taken against those holding themselves as executives of the association.
The present executives were accused of visa racketing, sale of inferior goods and lack of transparency and accountability.
The letter expressed surprise at the fact that the press was still publicising the activities of the disbanded GUNA.
The report, dated January 5, 2000, Mr Mike Awua Asamoah, Secretary-General used the name of GUNA to acquire visas for a fee and contrary to the constitution of GUNA, there have not been elections since 1972.
The report said the Secretary General had established rival units of the association whose leaders and members were subservient to his dictates, and were therefore, his favourites.
It said the Secretary General used his connections to infringe on the rights of those who disagreed with him. The government endorsed the committee's recommendations to prevent the Secretary General or any member of the present executive from using the name of the association to dupe innocent people.
It also endorsed the recommendation that the case of visa racketeering, the sale of inferior products and all cases of misconduct should be referred to the BNI for further investigations.
The La branch of GUNA levelled a barrage of accusations against the GUNA executives prompting the probe.
In a related development, Nana Takyi-Ameyaw II, National President and E. N. Amuasekyi-Amoah, Administrative Director of the association said in a statement that a number of impostors and agents of certain political parties tried to infiltrate the association for political purpose.
The statement described as false the claim by one Anthony Mensah that he had been mandated by the World Federation of United Nations Associations to organise GUNA.
It said GUNA would take appropriate legal measures to seek redress and rid itself of charlatans.
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Sekondi (Western Region) 08 September 2001 – The President of the Ghana Bar
Association, Ebo Quashie, on Friday cautioned African leaders to stop using torture as a strategy to hold on to power.
He also urged them to outlaw confessions extracted under torture as evidence in court. These were contained in an address read on his behalf at the second biennial general meeting of the Ghana section of Amnesty International at Sekondi on the theme, "Making the prohibition of torture a reality in West Africa - Societal responsibility."
Ebo Quashie also called on them to promptly investigate cases of torture and those involved in such acts held accountable. "By paying lip service to human right issues without the necessary political will, African leaders would indirectly be supporting the practice."
Quashie recommended that compensation should be paid to victims of torture and their families "while free medical treatment and rehabilitation should be a must."
Joseph B. Aidoo, Western Regional Minister said "because many of the statutory laws are obsolete, they are unable to serve as deterrent to offenders and do not give the necessary protection to our people."
The Minister explained that without an effective and reliable Police Service, fundamental human rights would be violated daily. Aidoo called on society to ensure that democracy becomes practicable and reflects in the political, social and religious activities among the citizenry.
Mr. George Ahiable, National Chairman of Amnesty International said between 1997 and 2000, 150 countries reported of torture and ill treatment, while several people died in more than 80 countries as a result.
He appealed to governments in the sub region to take concrete steps to protect the rights of their citizens.
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Tamale (Northern Region) 08 September 2001 - The Chairman of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Dr Abubakar Al-Hassan on Friday warned that the party would organise civil society protests in the event of the privatisation of the country's water supply system.
Speaking in Tamale on Friday, Dr Al-Hassan said the CPP would not compromise on its stand against the privatisation of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).
"If it becomes necessary for us to mobilise the people to take to the streets to protest the privatisation of GWCL, the CPP would not hesitate to do that."
He said the incidence of guinea worm and other water-borne diseases, which has declined, would resurface at an alarming rate if the water supply system was privatised, because many people cannot afford to pay economic rates for such services.
Dr Al-Hassan appealed to President John Agyekum Kufuor to reflect over the implications of such a policy on the people and rescind the decision. He debunked the notion that privatisation of GWCL would create more jobs and said "jobs will be created much faster through direct participation in certain strategic establishment such as the GWCL."
The CPP leader noted that unless the NPP government realises that it has to blend social needs with "the so-called golden age of business where everything depends on profits, the privatisation will be a disaster to the people."
He said: "Sooner or later, Ghanaians having lost all social benefits and failed to reach the promised land, will vent their anger on the government," he warned.
Unless the NPP government blended social needs with capitalist proposals it would not be able to achieve much within the next four years, Dr Al-Hassan said and observed that none of the investors have shown interest in strategic area like agriculture, which is supposed to be the backbone of the country's economy.
"Very few, if any, have moved into the rural areas where over 60 per cent of the population live." He said social equilibrium could easily be attained through state participation.
Dr Al-Hassan emphasised that the CPP has never been against private investment and that the CPP government during the First Republic had to seek foreign capital to construct the Akosombo hydro-electricity dam, the Tema Port and other strategic investments for the state.
He said it was such investment, which the previous government and the NPP are selling indiscriminately.
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Takoradi (Western Region) 08 September 2001 - Professor John Evans Atta Mills, Ex-Vice-President, on Saturday said the New Patriotic Party government has the right to prosecute anybody if there is a strong evidence of infringement of the law.
Commenting on the prosecution of some leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for various economic crimes on "Big Issues", a talk show, on Takoradi-based SkyyPower FM, Prof. Mills said the NDC does not object to the government trying to enforce the law but added that this should apply to everybody.
He said there should not be unnecessary harassment, witch-hunting and prosecution of people just because they are members of the NDC.
Prof. Mills said the development of the country should be the sole responsibility of all Ghanaians. It was not a sign of tribalism that the Volta Region is a stronghold of the NDC, he said, explaining that the objectives of the party reflects the concerns of the people there.
He said if people fanned tribalism, it could become a monster, and urged Ghanaians to deal positively with it.
On the performance of the NPP government so far, Mills said he did not want to be a soothsayer but stated that the ordinary people of the country must judge the government by its electoral promises.
He said the NDC did not have any objection to the repeal of the criminal libel law because it could lay the foundation for viable press freedom. Prof. Mills was happy that checks and balances were being introduced to ensure fair reporting.
He said he would continue to be a member of the NDC and would serve the party in any capacity, adding that it is up to the people to decide whether he has the capacity to serve as the president of the country.
Prof. Mills said the NDC was strong and alive and in the process of reorganisation, adding that the party was examining the causes of its defeat in the 2000 elections.
The NDC, he said, would correct its mistakes no matter who was involved.
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Tamale (Northern Region) 08 September 2001 - The Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission in charge of operations, Safo Kantanka, on Thursday advised other Regional Houses of Chiefs to emulate the Northern Region where assumption to office is by rotation and not by voting.
The arrangement is a testimony of understanding and brotherliness in the House, unlike in other Regional Houses, Kantanka told members of the House in Tamale after the election of a President, Vice President and five representatives to the National House of Chiefs.
The overlord of Gonjaland, Yagbonwura Bawa Doshie, was elected President and the King of Dagbon; Ya-Naa Yakubu Andani was electd Vice President. The Wulugu-Naba, Professor John Nabilla, Kumbungu-Naa, Alhaji Abu Yiri, Sunsong Naa, Shani Hamidu, Tulewura, Saaka Bakari and Bamboi Koro, Nana Kwaku Dapaah II, were elected to represent the region at the National House of Chiefs.
They were all elected unopposed under the rotational arrangement and were sworn in by the chairman of the Northern Regional Tribunal, Mr Justice K.A. Pobee.
The Yagbonwura, in his acceptance speech, called on the government to gazette the over 30 chiefs who were elevated to paramountcy since 1994.
He said the issue of paramountcy was the bone of contention in the 1994 Northern conflict adding, that the silent posture of the government does not augur well for the development of the chieftaincy institution in the region.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 08 September 2001 - Ms Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State for Media Relations, on Thursday called on the media, especially the print media, to stop putting degrading pictures of women on their front pages.
"Why do our female editors not make their voices heard on issues concerning women and wait on the men to decide the fate of women in the society?" she asked at a reception organised for journalists by the Ministry of Women and Children's
Affairs to brief the media on its vision and programmes that would promote the participation of women and children in the development process.
Ms Ohene said it was time women acknowledged that when there was going to be a change, that change must be in favour of women, adding that such negative attitudes towards the issues of women by sections of the media would not do society any good.
She said any government that ignores the issues of women does so at its own peril. It is in recognition of this that the government created the ministry to enhance women's contribution towards the economic, political and social life of the nation.
Ms Ohene, therefore, called on the media to portray women in a good light to encourage them to contribute their quota to development.
Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, said the ministry would work towards achieving equal status and rights for women and children. In pursuit of this, the ministry is formulating gender and child development policies, guidelines, advocacy strategies and plans.
Mrs Asmah said the Ministry is also putting in place effective monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure that authorised plans and programmes are appropriately implemented.
"We also have poverty reduction programmes out of which we have given financial assistance of 600 million cedis to fishmongers along the coast. Women will also get equitable share of the benefits of development."
She said to meet these objectives, the ministry's budget allocation and logistics need to be upgraded. She the renovation of the former American Embassy for use by the Ministry has now been started.
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Ayigbe (Brong Ahafo) 08 September 2001 - The Forest Plantation Development Fund established by an Act of Parliament last year now has an accumulated inflow of 53 billion cedis, President John Agyekum Kufuor has announced.
A management board for the Fund would soon be inaugurated to oversee effective disbursements to support and facilitate sustainable private sector investments in plantation development in the country, President Kufuor said.
President Kufuor was speaking at Agyigbe, near Chiraa in the Brong Ahafo Region on Friday at the launch of the National Forest Plantation Development Programme.
The programme, which would involve the establishment of 20,000 hectares of tree plantations every year, is being implemented with the support of the African Development Bank (AfDB), World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organisation and the governments of the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands.
Among the direct benefits of the programme are the creation of 80,000 jobs in rural communities, the production of about 30,000 tonnes of maize, plantain and cocoyam that could improve farmers' income by some 20,000 billion cedis.
President Kufuor said the provision of additional livelihood options such as incentives and support mechanisms have been tailored to particularly attract chain-saw operators to participate in the programme to earn a living without endangering the forests.
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