Eastern and Volta regions water supply project delay
Accra (Greater Accra) 12 September 2001 - Security has been beefed up at all US facilities in Ghana following Tuesday's suspected terrorist attacks on key US installations in Washington DC and New York.
An average of six Police officers have been added to private security personnel on guard duty at each of the four US missions on Wednesday morning.
Police patrol pick-ups moved to and fro to provide back-up service. At the United States Information Service (USIS) at Ridge Circle, four security guards as against the usual two were at the entrance whilst another two moved around the walls.
At United State Agency for International Development (USAID) office at North Ridge at least eight Police officers were spotted.
At the US Embassy at Osu the main building and the visa and information sections had four additional Police officers each.
Work was in progress as normal at the mission as the GNA reports it spotted a long queue of visa seekers at the embassy annex office.
Ms Brooks Anne Robinson, Public Affair Officer at USIS, expressed her gratitude to the Ghana Police Service for providing additional security at the mission's facilities.
"With the support of the Ghana Police Service, we have managed to ensure the safety of workers in the mission building and have, therefore, resumed normal day- to-day activities in all our missions."
She said all US citizens around the world have been on high alert since the bombing of US mission buildings in Kenya and Tanzania, adding "due to this new development we have asked our people around the world to be even more alert."
Ms Robinson said high-ranking mission officials held a meeting on Wednesday morning to strategise on how to ensure the safety of Americans in Ghana and how to relay information to the local media.
She expressed her country's gratitude to President John Kufuor and the government and people of Ghana for their messages of condolence and show of support.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 12 September 2001 - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday expressed his sympathy to the government and people of the United States of America for the terrorist attacks on key installations in New York and Washington.
President Kufuor in a message in Accra to US President George W. Bush said: "We in Ghana have received with shock and dismay the news of the tragedies in the two cities. On behalf of the government and people of Ghana and on my own behalf, I wish to express my sincere sympathies to you, the government and people of USA on this sad occasion.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with you as the events unfold. Please accept, the assurances of my highest esteem."
Answering questions from Journalists at the State House in Accra, Miss Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of Media Relations, said personnel of the Ghana Mission in Washington, which is near to the Israeli Mission, had been evacuated to safety and the government was monitoring the situation.
She said Ghanaians want peace throughout the world and the government was ready to offer every assistance to protect American citizens in the country.
"The security and safety of citizens is the first responsibility of every government and the government is aware of this responsibility." Security at US installations in Accra, have been beef up by the Police following the terrorist attacks.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 12 September 2001 - About an hour of early morning rain on Wednesday caused flooding in parts of Accra, obstructing movement of commuters, especially, those linking the city centre from the western suburbs.
The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) said it received reports that "Mile 7" and the area around Santa Maria along the Accra-Tema Motorway extension were the worst hit.
Katey Dogbey, NADMO Greater Accra Coordinator however, said no serious damage had been reported. He said NADMO was mobilising resources to move to the affected areas.
Early commuters also spoke about floods covering parts of the Ring Road between Korle Bu and Abossey Okai and Abossey Okai and Light Industrial areas but with minimal effects.
The Meteorological Services Department said it was yet to measure the early downpour but indicated that the city should expect more rains during the day.
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Accra (Greeter Accra) 12 September 2001 - Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development said on Tuesday that the late release of the District Assemblies common fund was not deliberate but necessary.
"We were a new government in power and we had to work on the national budget and the appointment of people (District Chief Executives) who will be accountable for monies released."
Baah-Wiredu told a press conference in Accra that a timetable for the release of the fund would soon receive parliamentary approval and this would erase all ambiguities about the fund.
Flanked by Ms Alima Mahama and Captain Effa Dartey, his two deputies, the minister said henceforth, all district assemblies would open accounts with the Bank of Ghana to speed up the disbursement of the fund.
In situations where the assemblies sourced the fund through the commercial banks, they had to contend with the rigorous commercial banking regulations, which are not always friendly.
Baah-Wiredu said the Auditor-General is almost through with its report on the auditing of the assemblies and any officials found involved in corruption would face the full rigours of the law.
Well endowed assemblies like the Accra and Kumasi Metropolitan, Tema Municipal and Techiman District should be encouraged to mobilise more internal resources to fund their development while the poor ones access the common fund, he said.
Baah-Wiredu said he envisions a local government set-up where the various assemblies would have their own development banks and good budgetary mechanisms to accelerate their internal development.
Ms Mahama refuted a media publication that 350 billion cedis meant for a Village Infrastructure Project (VIP) package for Northern Ghana has not been accessed.
She said: " What we know is that there is a 420 billion cedi VIP money for all districts in Ghana and not some money for only Northern Ghana. This money can be accessed by any assembly with a good proposal."
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Ho (Volta Region) 12 September 2001 - The 52.5 billion cedis Eastern and Volta Regional Assistance Project (EVORAP), under which 33 towns in the two regions would be provided with potable water is being delayed due to the inability of beneficiary communities to meet the requirements.
District Assemblies and the communities are expected to pay five-per cent each of the total cost of each project, while Germany, through its aid agency, German Technical Co-operation (GTZ), provides the rest 90 per cent.
Dela Kubuafor, Deputy Project Manager of HYDROPLAN/FOSAT consultants announced at a meeting on Tuesday of 40 members of the Water and Sanitation Development Board (WSDB) from the Volta Region on the project at Ho.
The meeting was also attended by some District Chief Executives (DCEs), officials of the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council (VRCC) and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).
Mr. Kubuafor said response to arrangements to pay 30 million cedis as part payment of the communities’ contributions to enable engineering works to begin has not been satisfactory.
He said, out of the eleven communities approved so far in the Volta Region only Akatsi, Penyi and Dzodze in the Ketu District, Adidome in the North-Tongu District and Nkwanta have paid their contributions.
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