Fifty offered admissions to Islamic University
Govt to raise $50million from divesture
Police slaps complainant
Another Ghana Commercial Bank deal exposed -
It’s ¢6bn
Korle Bu head explains fund
Twenty-two strikes cost nation over 39,000
working hours
Maize shortage imminent
NDC condemns attack on MP for Wenchi West
'Approach towards reconciliation is judgemental'
Nearly
all the leading newspapers in Ghana have their front pages covered with stories
of Tuesday’s terrorist attack on the United States of America.
The
Daily Graphic’s banner headline, ‘US rocked by attacks’ says that the United
States was on Tuesday rocked by a series of devastating attacks on a number of
vital installations believed to be an unprecedented act of terrorism. Other
front-page captions of the paper are ‘President (J.A. Kufuor), other world
leaders condemn act’ and a step-by-step account of events as they unfolded,
headlined, “Chronology of events”.
“America
under attack”, “Thousands die in terrorist attack”, screams The Evening News
and its sister paper, “The Ghanaian Times”.
Both
papers say America’s World Trade Centre was hit twice by two planes in
terrorist targeted attacks, one shortly before 9.00 Eastern Time and the other,
within 20 minutes, with many feared dead.
The
Ghanaian Times also carries Ghana’s condolence to the people of America,
expressed by President John Kufuor, which read, President John Kufuor and the
people of Ghana express their deepest sorrow to the American people for the
tragedy. President Kufuor, according to the paper, condemned the terrorist act
in no uncertain terms.
Two
leading private newspapers also have their stories focusing on the American
disaster. “Terror in US” writes The Accra Mail and “American nightmare” carries
The Ghanaian Chronicle. “Osama bin Laden suspected …but Talebans express
sympathy”, “We’ll flush out the terrorists - Bush”, screams other headlines on
the front-page of the Chronicle.
The
Accra Mail in its story says the United States and indeed the whole world was
shaken on Tuesday when beasts wreaked attack on it, leaving in its trail the
collapse of the World Trade Centre and many people dead. To the Ghanaian
Chronicle, the attack was “in a manner unprecedented in its swiftness and a
bravado, yet-to-be identified. The terrorists, the paper says “launched a
coordinated nightmarish air and land attacks on the economic and political
hearts of America - The World Trade Organisation Center in New York and the
Pentagon in Washington, DC.”
The
Chronicle also writes on the pledge by President George Bush to the people of
America to track down the perpetrators.
GRi…/
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Fifty offered admissions to Islamic University
Fifty students have been offered admissions to
the newly established Islamic University College in Accra this year to pursue
various degree courses.
According to the Daily Graphic the purely
secular university, was given the green light by the National Accreditation
Board of the Ministry of Education on August 19, 2001 to offer courses in
Theology and Religious studies.
Facilities at the school include lecture rooms,
a lecture hall complex equipped with information technology equipment, a library
with more than 2,000 volumes of books, and other educational materials,
information rooms, a computer centre with Internet facility, and a mini sports
complex.
The Registrar of the University, Alhaji R.
Gbadamosi who disclosed this in an interview, said the school authorities have
commissioned a panel of experts to develop a course outline and detailed
syllabus for the take-off of degree courses in Administration, Business
Management and Accountancy, in due course.
He added that plans are far advanced to start
courses in medicine and other sciences. Alhaji Gbadamosi said the university,
which is solely being funded by the Ahlul Bait Foundation of Iran will open its
doors to all qualified students regardless of religious or ethnic backgrounds.
More…/
Govt to raise $50million from divesture
The government is on track to raise nearly $50
million through divestiture receipts by the end of the year, according to a
Graphic story.
It has therefore, listed 15 enterprises to be
divested through different modalities to raise the needed capital to support
developmental projects, Benson Poku-Agyei, Executive Secretary of the Divesture
Implementation Committee (DIC), said already the government has disposed of Mim
Timber Company Ltd.
Other companies that the government will shed
off its interest are Ghana Consolidated Diamond, the Ghana Oil Palm Development
Corporation, Benso Oil Palm Plantation, Twifo Oil Palm Plantation, Tema Steel
Company Ltd and PSC Tema Shipyard.
The rest are Ghana Agro Foods Company (AFGO), Ghana
Oil, Coca-Cola, Ghana Telecom, Westel Ghana Ltd., Ghana Textile Printing
Company, Juapong Textile Ltd and Barclays Bank.
Poku-Agyei, did not give details on the
modalities for each of the companies to be divested but stated that the DIC has
put in place measures for a smooth and transparent off loading of the
government’s shares in the companies.
GRi…/
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Police slaps complainant
Chief Inspector Yeboah, station Officer of the
Railway Police Station in Kumasi is reported to have slapped a complainant,
Miss Akosua Adutwumwaa, 33, a victim of a robbery case, reports the Daily
Guide, which also says the Police Public Relations Office in Kumasi has
confirmed the allegation.
The source said Adutwumwaa is a hawker who
sells cooked rice. On August 3, 2001, Miss Adutwumwaa was on her routine rounds
when one Awura Ama and four others seated under a tree behind the Railway
Police Station called her to buy some of the rice.
The complainant, according to the source,
responded to the call and in the process of serving them, Awura Ama and her
colleagues surrounded her and in the process stole her 500,000 cedis. She
reported the matter to the Police and the five suspects were arrested but were
later granted police enquiry bail.
The source said in the course of the
investigations, the suspects agreed to pay the money to the police for the
complainant to come and collect. After two weeks when she was convinced that
the amount had been fully paid, she went to the police station to collect the
money but the police officer refused her the money asserting that the case had
gone to the law court.
Source said Adutwumwaa became surprised and
told the policeman that all that she was interested in was her money’s refund.
The police officer was however, not prepared to yield to her demand and when
she insisted, he got annoyed, slapped her, booted her to the ground and tore
her dress.
Miss Adutwumwaa said, some people who were
passing by sympathised with her and directed her to lodge a complaint with the
police public relations office.
GRi…/
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Another Ghana Commercial Bank deal exposed -
It’s ¢6bn
The Dispatch says the former Board of Directors
of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), in April 2001 approved a contract whose
tenders were opened five months later in August 2001, centrally to banking
practices.
According to the paper, the contract, worth
over ¢6 billion was awarded to De-Simone Limited, one of the bidders for the
rehabilitation of the Bank for Housing building property at Kumasi, which the
GCB had acquired.
Dispatch recalls that it was the same bank that
granted loans totaling 3.5 million dollars (about ¢24.5 billion) without
security to a company that started operating a new with it only a month
earlier.
Mr F.N. Sasraku, Marketing Manager of GCB, is
reported by the paper as saying that the bank bought the BHC property for $2.6
billion and that De-Simone had won the tender with approval date being April 6,
2001.
The paper says however that its search
indicates that the approval was apparently backdated.
It says a letter written in June, from the
architects to the project, Avanti, to some construction firms to open tender
for the project did indicate that the closing date for the submission of Tender
was July 26, 2001.
Highly placed officials at the GBC Head Office
are said to have expressed shock at the way and manner the former Board allowed
themselves to be given such merry go round.
GRi…/
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Korle Bu head explains fund
The Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu
Teaching Hospital, Dr H. Holdbrook-Smith on Tuesday defended the ‘Ward
Development Fund’ adopted by the Department of Obstetrics and Gyneacology for
which fees are being charged although he disagreed with its forceful
application, reports the Free Press.
Observers have described the fee, which all who
attended the Children’s Hospital at Korle-Bu are enjoined to pray, as
extortionate. A covert observation by the paper over a two-day period last week
revealed that patients were being forced to pay the amount, which is ¢30,000
per patient and so far over 4,000 patients have paid up, putting the figure
total at over ¢120 million.
I don’t think they should force people”, Dr
Holdbrook-Smith told the paper on Tuesday. Giving the rationale behind the
‘Ward Development Fund’, the Chief Executive said it was decided that there was
the need to decentralize the administration of the hospital in order to ease
the pain of bureaucracy.
Under the Ministry of Health, there are the
Budget Management Centre (BMCs) for all the major regional hospitals, and under
it came the sub-Budget Management Centres (SMCs), constituting various
departments such as the Polyclinic, the Surgery and Children’s departments, he
said.
“Our aim is to make each department independent
with its own administration and budgetary networks,” Dr Holdbrook-Smith said,
adding that the Children’s department had come out with the idea of the ‘Ward
Development Fund’ to raise moneys to be used at ward levels for things like
disinfectants, light bulbs and other incidental expenses that go into the
upkeep of every hospital ward, without necessarily going through central
administration.
GRi…/
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Twenty-two strikes cost nation over 39,000
working hours
A total of 39,261 productive working hours were
lost through 22 industrial actions throughout the country since the beginning
of the year, reports The Ghanaian Times.
Mrs Cecilia Bannerman, Minister of Manpower
Development and Employment disclosed in Accra on Tuesday that the strikes
involving 12,830 workers, would adversely affect the country's employment creation
capacity, the socio-economic well-being of the people, and the country's
reputation as a safe investment destination.
She told the opening session of a day's
workshop on the theme; 'Creating and sustaining industrial peace in Ghana' for
110 participants from the private sector, workers and employers
representatives, the universities, both domestic and foreign investors among
others.
Mrs Bannerman said that industrial peace and
harmony were paramount in the attainment of accelerated economic growth and
prosperity. "Government fully recognises that it is only through genuine
partnership with labour as well as with employers that accelerated growth can
be achieved through increased productivity and congenial collaborative
industrial relations hence its involvement of these social partners at
essential levels of plowing and development of national economic and social
policy," she said.
The Minister said that the expansion of the
role of the National Tripartite Committee would provide greater opportunities for
regular dialogue on national development as well as industrial development
issues.
More…/
Maize shortage imminent
The influx of foreigners, notably Gaos, into
the country to purchase maize for export is creating shortage of the staple
food in the country. The situation could be worsened with the unfavourable
rains for the second cropping season.
Mr P.K. Titriku, acting Brong-Ahafo Regional
Director of Agriculture, disclosed these to the 'Times' at Sunyani, that in
spite of the fact that there was a large stock of the crop, the sale of the
crops to the foreigners must be checked explaining, "if the rains do not
fall in this month as expected, then there is the likelihood of maize
shortage."
GRi…/
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NDC condemns attack on MP for Wenchi West
The Evening News carries that the NDC has
expressed dismay at the attack made on Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, MP for Wenchi
West by the Brong-Ahafo Regional Chairman of the NPP, Yeboa Fordwor for
expressing his views on a radio programme at Sunyani.
A release signed by Ekwow Spio-Garbrah,
Chairman of the party's Media Committee, condemned the action of Fordwor as
"savage and brutish which must attract harsh condemnation of all and
should not be allowed in politics".
It stated that the resort to use such
ridiculous methods would not deter the NDC from carrying out its legitimate and
constitutional duties in ensuring that the NPP government becomes accountable
to the people.
It, therefore, called on all peace-loving
Ghanaians interested in good governance and freedom of speech to condemn the
intolerance of NPP activists and help promote democracy in Ghana.
The statement further called on the NPP government
to publicly disassociate itself from such uncivilised behaviour and restrain
its supporters from activities, which could lead to civil unrest.
It cited a similar attack on Alhaji Kwadwo
Mahama, a former MP and Deputy Regional Minister and the Brong-Ahafo Regional
Secretary of NDC at different radio stations after they expressed distasteful
views of the intolerant NPP supporters.
More…/
'Approach towards reconciliation is judgemental'
The President of the Lord's Pentecostal Church
International, Reverend John Timpo, has predicted that the relative peace and
unity enjoyed by Ghanaians will continue to be fragile because the approach
towards national reconciliation is too judgemental which will hurt many people.
“Let us not be too judgemental in the approach
otherwise the offenders will put up defensive attitudes and more hurt will be
done,” he cautioned.
Rev Timpo was preaching the sermon at the 40th
anniversary national convention of the church at Ho in the Volta Region at the
weekend.
GRi…/
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Samsung to take over bauxite, oil refinery and
others
Mr J.H. Mensah, Minister and Leader of
Government Business has dropped hints that in addition to the Tema Oil
Refinery, Samsung Corporation of South Korea would take over Ghana’s bauxite
and other resources, reports the Weekly Insight.
Mr Mensah, who doubles as Chairman of the
National Development Planning Commission did not elaborate but invited Samsung
to take advantage of Ghana’s congenial investment climate to invest in the
country.
Speaking at a meeting with Mr Chong – Yeul Pae,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Samsung at the company’s headquarters
in Seoul, South Korea, Mr Mensah in documents available to the paper, stressed
“the need to get the TOR matter out of the way as quickly as possible so that
we could tackle other issues like investment in Ghana’s bauxite and other
resources”.
Whiles the terms of Samsung’s involvement in
Ghana’s “bauxite and other resources” have not been determined, it is
understood that the Corporation would soon become a major player in the
Ghanaian economy.
The Korean firm reportedly, had excellent
relations with the Rawlings government and was given a $200 million contract to
rehabilitate TOR which was valued at less than $40 million.
Mr Mensah at the meeting, advised Samsung to
convert a loan it took from the IMF into equity in the Tema Oil Refinery.
The Government of Ghana is off loading 25 per
cent of its equity in TOR by the end of the year and SAMSUMG has been offered
60 per cent of that.
GRi…/
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