GRi Press Review Ghana 10 - 09 - 2001

The Ghanaian Chronicle alleges that Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, one of the high profile cabinet Ministers in the Government, is grappling with allegations of improper conduct, following reports of threats he made to a Dutch business house that ultimately led to the award of a consultancy business to a Tema-based business woman who is a divorcee and the minister’s close friend.

The minister reportedly, followed up with a personal guarantee to Damen Shipyards, Gorinchen, Holland, authorising them to build a fishing boat for his friend, with the promise that a government guarantee via the Ministry of Trade or Finance would be coming through to meet the financial requirements.

The claims Apraku, the MP for Offinso North, admitted the latter, explaining that the Government had concluded plans to effect guarantees to private sector businesses, and the guarantee he was referring to, was in line with the Government’s plans.

But he flatly denied the allegation of blackmail or that he issued threats, though a document available to the paper appears to cast some doubts to his denial in an interview at which his deputy was present.

The Chronicle says in May this year, Apraku traveled to Holland on a mission and made a detour to Gorrinchem, Holland, with the buxom lady in his illustrious company.

The pair, according to the paper’s claims visited the Damen Shipyard, involved in port rehabilitation, boat building, fisheries and related businesses, represented over the last 15 years by Masai Developers, alone.

Masai is associated with Eddie Annan, described by the chronicle as a wealthy business mogul and financier of Professor Atta Mills and known to be a significant beneficiary of political patronage in the past Government.

The Chronicle says it gathered that before Apraku and his lady friend settled down for a formal meeting between the Managing Director and Africa Director of the company, Messrs Pierre Van de Calseyde and Reiner Van Herel, both Apraku and Nana were reported to have threatened that Mr Edward Annan was going to be finished because a probe was going to be launched on Masai and Damen shipyards.

The Trade Minister went on to suggest that the agency that was being held by Masai should be given to Nana Nkansa, a director of a company called Celtic Rock, which usually supplies vegetables to hotels.

The paper says a telephone conversation it monitored in London, Mr Herel confirmed to an official introducing himself as a representative from the Fisheries Ministry that Nana Ofei Nkansah had indeed been made an agent/consultant of Damen, with a schedule for Vessel patrol/Fisheries related businesses.

However, Dr Konadu Apraku in radio interviews this morning denied all the allegation levelled against him by the Chronicle and has threatened legal action against the publisher of the Ghanaian Chronicle, Nana Kofi Coomson.

According to him, he met Nana Nkansah who is a friend, in Holland after which they were both taken to the offices of Damens by a former husband of Nana Nkansah for a meeting he had arranged with Damens to discuss trade issues between the company and Ghana.

The Trade Minister said he has a copy of the minutes of the meeting written by officials of the Damens Company and nothing was mentioned about Ms. Nkansah, Mr. Annan or any other representatives from Ghana. He told JOYFM that he sees the story as an attempt to question his integrity, for that matter he will consider legal action against Kofi Coomson.

But Kofi Coomson says Dr. Apraku cannot sue the paper over the publication. According to him, the article was published to ensure that justice is done adding that legal action will not serve the Dr.

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Assemblies to bank with Central bank

The Government is to issue a directive to all district assemblies to withdraw their accounts from commercial banks and lodge them at the Bank of Ghana, reports the Chronicle.

This measure is to circumvent the incidence of commercial banks lending monies that the district assemblies have saved with them to the Government with interest, says Alabira Ibrahim, Special Assistant to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

“A matter of concern to the Ministry is that assemblies are keeping their monies with commercial banks rather than the BOG. When huge amounts like ¢15 billion are kept with the commercial banks, they lend it back to the government and the government then pays interest on its own money. It is a matter of concern to the government,” Alabira stressed.

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Daily Graphic

‘Trade Ministry hasn’t approved loans yet’

The Daily Graphic carries that the Ministry of Trade has not yet approved any loan guarantee in support of a local business.

The paper says a source at the ministry, which disclosed this on condition of anonymity, said that it would, therefore, be mischievous and misleading for anyone to assert that the ministry has already made commitments to render such assistance to specific company or group of companies in the country.

The disclosure follows investigations conducted by the paper to ascertain the truth or otherwise of a document made available to it in which the ministry is alleged to have given one Mrs Nana Ofei Nkansah, Managing Director of Celtic Rock Ghana Limited, loan guarantees to enable her company purchase a fishing trawler from Damens Shipyards of Gorinchem in the Netherlands.

According to the source, discussion between officials of the ministry, including the minister, and Damens sometime in May, this year, during an official visit to the Netherlands, centred on the continuation of the good business relations between Ghana and Damens, which have existed for more than three years now.

“It was made clear that the programme, which at that time was before Cabinet for consideration and approval, also needed to secure the approval of Parliament before it could be operationalised to benefit any local business.

It was only after this that applications from interested local businesses, including Celtic Rock, which Damens specially mentioned as a potential partner, would be vetted and those who qualify would be recommended for such guaranteed assistance”, the source stressed.

The source contented that discussions between Mrs Ofei Nkansah and Damens for the purchase of a vessel from the company for the former had been ongoing for the past three years and had been known to the ministry as well as in governmental circles.

It explained that while Cabinet has since approved the assistance programme, it was yet to get parliamentary approval and wondered how any firm commitment of such support could have been offered to Mrs Ofei Nkansah or anyone else.

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‘National reconciliation efforts are not sincere’

The Parliamentary caucus of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from the Upper East Region has stated that the New Patriotic Party is not sincere in its efforts to reconcile all Ghanaians.

This is because the administration is limiting the deliberations of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) only from the era of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) to the NDC periods, the Graphic reports.

It said for a genuine national reconciliation to be achieved, the period of the commission’s work should start from the colonial administration to the NDC era because all the governments of this country, in one way or the other, committed offences against some Ghanaians.

Speaking on behalf of the caucus at a meeting with regional and constituency executives of the NDC at Bolgatanga on Thursday, Cletus Avoka, Member of Parliament (MP) for Zebilla, said, “None of the MPs in this region is against the reconciliation exercise, but the stand of the NPP is not sincere.”

He said, “The way the NPP has thrown a searchlight on only NDC functionaries does not augur well for true reconciliation” and stated that the persecution of former NDC ministers is not the best way to court the friendship of the party.

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Media Commission directs Ghanaian Voice to retract story

The National Media Commission (NMC) has directed the Managing Director of the Ghanaian Voice, Dan Ansah, to retract a story carried in the August 16-19 issue of the newspaper, alleging that he had received threats from supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), following an earlier story by the paper on certain appointments made by President Kufuor.

He has also been directed to apologise to the NPP. The directive was the outcome of investigations by the NMC into the allegation.

A statement issued in Accra by the commission said since Mr Ansah has not been able to establish proof of the identity of the callers or those who came to his residence, as he claimed, it was wrong and unethical for him to have firmly state that the threats were from the NPP.

The commission, however, cautioned the public to refrain from threatening journalists or media organizations, and advised members of the public who feel aggrieved by media reports to resort to lawful means of seeking redress.

In the Monday, August 13-15, 2001 issue, the Ghanaian Voice carried a front page story headlined “Are Kufuor’s Appointments Free and Fair?” which made disparaging remarks about the integrity of the Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, and also described appointments made by President Kufuor to some public offices and ministerial positions as being motivated by nepotism, tribalism and cronyism.

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High Street Journal

Standing order payments delays blamed on officials

Delays in standing order transactions, being payment methods on behalf of customers between the banks and insurance companies, have been largely blamed on officials, writes the High Street Journal (HSJ).

Industry watchers have been cautioned that, if this trend is not reversed, it could cause panic in customer confidence behaviour to invest and therefore affect the young insurance industry in the country.

While the banks seem to hold insurance companies responsible for such delays, some insurance companies, which spoke to HSJ say banking inefficiencies are transferred to them and therefore they could not be blamed. “We also blame the banks,” said one officer in Tema.

In an interview with the paper, Jeremiah Badaioo, acting manager of the National Investment Bank (NIB) at Community One branch in Tema, also stated categorically that the blame should be on both bank officers and insurance officers.

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The Ghanaian Democrat

Filth engulfs Tamale municipality

Tamale, one of the fastest growing municipalities in Ghana soon to attain a city status, is heavily engulfed with garbage, reports The Ghanaian Democrat.

The paper says a recent survey it carried out in some wards in the municipality indicates that unless some drastic action is taken and soon, an imminent outbreak of epidemic such as cholera or typhoid fever is looming.

Most people talked to complained about the inability of the Tamale Municipal Assembly (TMA) to commandeer its sanitation trucks to help in the collection of refuse.

Under Urban Four Project, an initiative of the former NDC government, the trucks had been imported to improve environmental and sanitation problems in the municipality, according to the paper, which also says some of the trucks are currently broken down completely, with the few left operating at half capacity.

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The NPP News

Kufuor still enjoys massive support

Nine months into his administration, President J.A. Kufuor still rides high and enjoys massive support among the electorates, especially the rural folks, according to the NPP News.

The Party mouth-piece says this became manifest during the launching of the National Forest Plantation Development at Ayigbe Town between Chiraa and Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region, on Friday.

From the Sunyani airstrip to Ayigbe where the function took place, people lined up on the road to cheer the President and his entourage amidst the chanting of “Asee ho”, “Asee ho”.

At Chiraa, a few kilometers to Ayigbe Town, the crowed became thicker on both sides of the road. The motorcade then began to move at a snail pace whilst the President waved back at the cheering crowd.

President Kufuor had to stop for about 30 minutes to address the crowd, which became thicker and thicker when word went round that he was in town.

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Free Press

Armed robbers attack patients

The Free Press writes that in a clear manifestation of how deep the canker of armed robbery has permeated society, a gang of armed robbers last week attacked patients and their caretaker relatives at the Sunyani Regional Hospital, making away with items and cash totaling over 20 million cedis.

According to Dr Daniel Asare, the Regional Medical Director, the robbers first ransacked the offices of the hospital but finding nothing of value, they vented their spleen on the in-patients and their relatives who were taking care of them.

They attacked them and robbed them of a brand new motorbike, an alarm bell for summoning the nurses to wards, car tapes and amplifiers all valued at over 20 million cedis. Dr Asare said this was not the first time that robbers had attacked.

He lamented the loose security at the hospital and called for its beefing up.

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The Ghanaian Times

Review school reforms

The Ghanaian Times carries that the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has called for a review of the Junior Secondary School (JSS) programme to reflect the objectives for which it was introduced.

A communiqué issued at the end of its biennial national congress held at the University College of Education, Winneba (UCEW), said there was the need for more specialist teachers, workshops and equipment to enhance effective teaching and learning at the JSS level.

Signed by the national president, Dr. H.A. Pufaa, the communiqué asked district assemblies and Parent-Teacher-Associations (PTAs) to assist in the maintenance of schools and teachers.

To promote the JSS programmes, UTAG urged the government to place emphasis on teaching and learning of technical and vocational subjects at that level.

The association suggested also that the government should give tax rebate to the private sector to enable those in the sector to effectively contribute to the nation’s educational development.

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Four staffs of Electricity Company sacked

The Asamankese District Manager of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and three other staff have been dismissed for various malpractices. They are Francis Nii Tackie, the manager, Francis Tetteh Osei, Technical Engineer, Alfred k. Bossman, District Technical Officer, and Felix Asare, Assistant Technical Officer.

A statement issued in Accra at the weekend by the Public Relations Manager, Miss Gloria B. Dua-Sakyi said that the four officers were dismissed for offences including collecting monies from customers without issuing receipts, selling application forms without accounting to the company, executing illegal and unauthorized service extensions, and diverting materials.

It said that findings showed that Nii Tackie condoned with the District Technical Officer to defraud customers of large sums of money without issuing receipts.

The District Manager also caused supply to be extended to a wood-processing factory, Tigplex Limited, when the customer had paid 4 million cedis out of the 9.5 million cedis, without issuing receipts.

Tetteh Osei was found to have supervised the execution of all illegal and unauthorized service extensions without following laid down procedure in acquiring the materials.

According to the statement, Mr Bossoman collected ¢500,000 from a customer and gave him a direct service connection without a meter.

Felix Asare acted as a catalyst to speed up the operations by services and collecting various sums of money from customers for illegal connections.

The management, the statement said, regarded these as acts of impropriety and warned the staff to desist from such behaviours.

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Police fail to respond to SOS

Some residents of North Kaneshie in Accra had a rude shock at the weekend when the Kaneshie Police failed to respond to their call for help to deal with what seemed an armed attack on them by a group of people, The Ghanaian Times reports.

According to the residents, the officer they contacted at the Kaneshie Police Station claimed that he was the only person on duty and he could not vacate his post to go after the “robbers”.

They said that the group woke up the whole area with their noise, banging on gates, and ordered the residents of a particular house to open up and let them in. But the residents fearing for their lives, remained indoors because they suspected that it was armed robbers.

Frantic calls were made to the Kaneshie police, but the phone at the station was not answered. Finally, some friends contacted, managed to get to the Kaneshie Police Station only to be told that no assistance could be extended immediately because only one policeman was on duty.

Instead, the friends were given the telephone numbers of the police patrol team to contact, but communication with the team was also very poor. The residents were compelled to make their own arrangements with the military.

They learnt later with relief that the mob was rather chasing a thief and suspected that he had entered that house and that they were not robbers after all.

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The Daily Guide

Kufuor's cabinet reshuffle is real

The Daily Guide says the much anticipated cabinet reshuffle by President J.A. Kufuor under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is not a wishful thinking.

According to the Paper, signals as at press time last Friday, September 7, 2001, indicated that President Kufuor would soon make his first cabinet reshuffle after taking over the reins of power from Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings on January 7, 2001.

The paper says what it stumbled upon suggests that the upcoming reshuffle is going to be more than a game of musical chairs and indeed real. Even though some of the people close to the President, including some advisers, when contacted were quick to say that they don't know exactly what the President was up to, names are being thrown about of people likely to be hit in the coming weeks, according to the paper.

“While one or two will be moved around from region to region, there are others who are Members of Parliament (MP) who might return to the House of legislature," the paper quotes a source as saying.

The Guide says attempts to get a peep into the mode of assessment and reasons for the coming changes in government did not yield fruit as all those contacted preferred not to talk about it.

The paper hints however that the ultimate musical chair game may be played between the Ministry of Agriculture, Defence, Health and Foreign Affairs.

It also says Kwabena Agyepong, the Deputy Government Spokesperson, is more likely to assume a Ministerial appointment should the substantive Government Spokesperson, Miss Elizabeth Ohene be re-assigned. In the event of that occurring, she may be heading for an Ambassadorial appointment.

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The Independent

J.H. Mensah causing ripples in Government

The Independent claims there is growing agitation amongst some Ministers of State and other Parliamentarian on the proper designation of Joseph Henry Mensah, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, The Independent has learnt.

The Independent says credible government sources have hinted that Hon. Mensah is overstepping his bounds as leader of Government Business in Parliament and virtually usurping the functions of some Ministries.

Since his swearing in as a Cabinet Minister, Hon. Mensah has been carrying himself as Leader of Government Business, a position, which makes him the unofficial Prime Minister of Ghana, the Independent gathered.

The paper says it’s investigations established that J.H. Mensah's self arrogated role is causing much discomfort to the President who had on two occasions had to invite the senior most member of his government on the need to carry his official tag as the Leader of Government Business in Parliament.

By proper designation, the Leader of Government Business in Parliament is supposed to liaise between Government and Parliament similar to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in the last regime, but the Hon. Minister is virtually a master of all he surveys. According to the paper, it can say on authority that he is on the neck of the Ministries of Finance, Trade and Industry and the Economic Planning and Regional Integration where he has imposed himself as the boss.

The sector Ministers, according to credible source, expressed serious reservations about the conduct of Hon. Mensah during the last meeting of the Cabinet but failed to unleash their anger on him because he was absent at the said meeting.

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Fifteen months on, Airlink crash victims yet be compensated

The Independent carries that victims of the Airlink Plane Disaster are perhaps, facing their darkest hour are still lamenting their predicament, 15 months after the gory incident.

It would be recalled that 44 passengers were on board an Airlink plane on June 5 last year when the plane crashed, killing 7 people including a Swiss, an American and a Nigerian on board while all others were injured. The paper says reports made available to it revealed that 30 of the 44 passengers of the disaster have filed for claims with the State Insurance Company (SIC).

In his response to question on Thursday, September 6, 2001, Mr. Dennis A. Guda, Chief Manager, Marine and Aviation Department of SIC stated that the primary responsibility of "insurance is to make claims and compensation." It is then worrisome why 15 months after a disaster, victims still hope against all hopes to be compensated after having made claims.

Reacting to this, Mr A. Guda speaking for the SIC says, "we don't think it's taking too long a time." Concerned citizens are however calling on the government to set up a probe into the operations of Airlink.

The Independent says it is privy to information that Airlink was not licensed to carry commercial passengers under Civil Aviation Authority and therefore limited only to carrying military personnel. The information also revealed that competent and commercial carriers are licensed under Civil Aviation regulations and their tickets are thereby covered by the Warsaw Convention.

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Ghanaian Voice

District Chief Executives in illegal contracts spree

The Ghanaian Voice says despite media allegations against certain former District Chief Executives of manipulating their activities to favour political friends the practice has not ceased.

The paper carries that the Ho District Assembly is currently battling with a directive from Accra asking that a contract for the DCEs bungalow be given to a company ‘SMILE INVESTMENTS’, which is not even registered with the District Assembly.

The contracts involve a construction of a wall, external works and internal works. The District Assembly is divided on who the contract should go to, and on occasions that they met to deliberate on the issue no conclusive decisions could be reached. The Voice says the deliberations at the Assembly on the contract issue have been so heated that a meeting scheduled for Friday August 31 had to be called off.

At Wenchi in the Brong Ahafo Region, the DCE of Wenchi West has illegally awarded the rehabilitation of his bungalow, which was rehabilitated just last year, without the approval of the District Assembly.

The District Assembly and the Works Committee of the Assembly and the Tender Board did not take part in the award of the contract and therefore kicked against the whole project and although the rehabilitation works is almost completed, the Regional Minister is refusing to authorize payment, according to the paper.

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Accra Mail

Reporter admits bribery allegation

The Accra Mail carries that ‘The Ghanaian Times’ reporter, alleged to have demanded a bribe of ¢5 million from Jakdish Lakhiani, Managing Director of Blowpast Company in order to kill a story of harassment of a Ghanaian employee, has admitted the allegation.

William Fayorsey, the reporter made the admission in an interview on an Accra radio station last week. He confessed requesting for the money but with no intention of dropping the story as being alleged. The reporter alleged that, the Manager masterminded the 'deal', which has become the bone of contention.

He quoted Lakhiani as saying “when it comes to such cases money can solve everything,” when the latter requested that the matter be settled clandestinely without the knowledge of the authorities.

He further alleged that the Manager is used to bribing journalists and that it was unfortunate his case has assumed the current dimension. Although Fayorsey conceded that the voice on the tape demanding the money was his, he said it has been doctored to favour the complainant. He contended that the said tape could only record a fifteen-minute conversation and that his side was tampered with.

It will be recalled that early last week the Ghanaian Times newspaper reported that an Indian director, Lakhiani who is also the Managing Director of Blowpast harassed a Ghanaian employee by hitting him in the groin and other sensitive parts of his body.

There was a twist to the story when the Indian went on air and played a tape he surreptitiously recorded during a conversation between him and the reporter.

The management of New Times Corporation, publishers of the Ghanaian Times have instituted an in-depth investigation into the matter and the Ethics Committee of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) lauded the decision of the NTC management.

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Africa Sports

Ben Koufie on Ghana's tough draw

The Ghana Football Association Chairman, Ben Koufie thinks the Cup of Nations draw in Bamako was quite balanced, but concedes Ghana has a tough task ahead.

Drawn in Group B with South Africa, Burkina Faso, and Morocco, Ghana need to prepare well if they are to qualify to the second round as one of the top two teams. Koufie says a plan is in place for the Black Stars. According to him, preparations will start in October, and end with a tour of both West and East Africa, with a final friendly game against Egypt.

Given that Burkina Faso are now in Ghana's group for Mali 2002, Koufie says he may have to revise plans for the Black Stars to have the final stage of their preparation in that country.

On the issue of what category of players to use, the FA boss said he favours using home based players for the start of the Nations Cup build-up, but stressed that the overseas players do have a part to play. "Ghanaians playing abroad are still Ghanaians," he says.

He said the professional players would be monitored closely. "We must monitor them carefully to make sure they are active, and not warming the benches at their clubs."

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Aziz Ansah: this is my finest hour to confirm my loyalty

Former Great Olympics Star Aziz Ansah says he is out to debunk the notion that players from Accra can't settle effectively in Ashanti and in Kumasi Asante Kotoko.

The player who joined the Porcupines midstream of the first round said, "I take a great deal of inspiration from my captain Godwin Ablordey who has already debunked that notion.

It took the wisest decision of my life to join Asante Kotoko and the coming weeks offer fine opportunity for me to confirm that,” he said. On the club’s match against Accra Hearts of Oak on Sunday, he said any game between the two clubs is certainly tough and Hearts is a strong side.

“We have to give them that respect to bring the best in us. At the end of the day, however, our resilience and gritty nature will prevail over them. God’s willing, nothing but victory will be ours", he said.

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