Multi-million cedi facelift for Cape Coast
Accra (Greater Accra) 21 September 2001 - Dr. Peter Odili, Governor of the River State in Nigeria, is in the country at the head of a seven-member delegation to explore investment opportunities and promote co-operation between Ghana and Nigeria.
Dr. Odili told newsmen on arrival that the delegation's agenda is in line with already existing co-operation between the two countries, adding that Lagos and Accra share cultural and economic ties and that the delegation's visit would explore more areas of co-operation, especially eco-tourism.
Madam Hawa Yakubu, Minister of Tourism, met the delegation at the airport and noted that since Dr Odili assumed office, he has been instrumental in the provision of free education and transportation for school children in his state, the head quarters of Nigeria's oil and gas industry.
She said, there is a lot Ghana could learn from his laudable experience and hoped more areas would be identified for co-operation by the end of the delegation's visit.
Also at the airport to meet the Dr. Odili were Alhaji Mustapha Ali Iddris, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Sam Oketchuku, Nigerian High Commissioner.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 September 2001 - The Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Friday said it is the government's objective to empower local contractors through capacity building programmes to enable them to rise to the growing demands on the industry.
He therefore, called on agencies in the road sector to enter partnership with foreign counterparts to enable them to share experiences and technology transfer.
Inaugurating a 10-member Board of Directors of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) in Accra under the chairmanship of Mr. Joseph Albert Danso Jnr, Managing Director of Marsdan Construction, Alhaji Mahama reminded them of the government's policy of zero-tolerance for corruption in all public affairs and said he hoped it would permeate all their actions.
The Vice President said Ghanaians and donor agencies expect first class road network. The GHA should therefore, strengthen its supervisory capacity to check poor works, which often attract negative comments.
Alhaji Mahama said such complaints and reactions impose a heavy obligation on the Authority to ensure that the huge investments in the industry achieve positive results.
He said, since the country's financial resources were limited, the Board Members would have to ensure that the limited funds available to the Authority were carefully and judiciously utilised.
"Procurement for works and services, administration and other related expenditures should be critically examined in a bid to cut down expenses as well as obtaining value for money."
Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Minister of Roads and Highways, advised the Board Members against interfering in the day-to-day activities of the management.
He said that his ministry wants to ensure that by next year, all roads in the country are made motorable. "All road sector agencies are therefore, expected to take account of roads which are unpaved so that a systematic approach would be made to grade each road once a year while taking account of roads which need re-gravelling."
Mr. Adjei-Darko said new methods of road construction, which are cost effective, are being adopted by the Ministry to stabilise road networks in the country.
Mr. Danso, on behalf of the Board Members thanked the government for their appointment and stressed the need for policies to be put in place to ensure that the workers are well motivated and have the needed requirements to perform their duties.
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Tema (Greater Accra) 21 September 2001 - Residents of Tema Community Five have declared that they would not pay a hundred per cent increase in house to house refuse collection fees, beginning from October as announced by Asibod Company Limited, the contractor in charge of the exercise.
The residents, led by the assembly member for the area informed the Waste Management Unit of the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA) about their decision, adding that they would resist any arbitrary increase in refuse collection fees.
According to the residents, the refuse contractor in a letter to them stated that it has detected that despite the increase in refuse fees to 12,000 cedis per month for each household in Community Five by the TMA in July 2000, they were still erroneously being charged six thousand cedis.
The letter copied to the Head of Waste Management, TMA and the assemblyman, further stated that: "The anomaly has been rectified and that any household benefiting from the house to house refuse collection will be charged 12,000 cedis with effect from October 1."
Mr Edward Mbah, of the TMA Waste Management, said the assemblyman had complained about the contents of the letter and said the contractor has been invited for a discussion on the matter and ordered that the increase in the fees should not be implemented.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 September 2001 - Vice President Aliu Mahama on Thursday, expressed optimism that bank rates would soon decline to reflect an improved economic environment.
Alhaji Mahama, who was addressing the visiting South Africa Trade and Investment delegation at a dinner, in Accra, said there were indications that inflation would shortly decrease.
"Since we took over as a government, we have implemented measures to clean up the macro economic environment and as a result, the value of the cedi has stabilised against the major international currencies."
The 45-member delegation, led by Dr Danisa Baloyi, arrived on Wednesday to explore investment opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, banking, construction, information technology, tourism, commerce and other sectors.
Alhaji Mahama met the delegation on Thursday morning at the Castle, Osu, and urged them to form fruitful partnership with their Ghanaian counterparts.
"There is something for everyone in our beautiful country Ghana, and I am sure you will all find yours," he said.
The Vice President reiterated the government's commitment to support the private sector to flourish adding, "we are determined to make Ghana the best investment destination in the sub-region."
The delegation, made up of members of the Black Business Executive Circle, is scheduled to hold discussions with their Ghanaian counterparts during its one-week visit.
The Black Business Executives aim at transforming the South African economy into a representative one in which everybody could participates.
Dr Baloyi said the delegation was interested in long-term relationships based on truth and honesty with the view to creating wealth and jobs for mutual benefit of both countries.
"We believe that our countries have got the skills, expertise and capital," she said. "We need to interface these for the benefits to reverberate in Ghana and South Africa."
The acting South Africa High Commissioner, Madam Nokukhanya Matshikwe, expressed gratitude for the warm reception accorded the delegation. The visit is in line with President Thabo Mbeki's vision to map out a new economic path for the continent, she added.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 September 2001 - The Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) on Thursday described as misleading a statement by the Nkrumaist Inter Party Co-ordinating Committee that there has been an amicable settlement of misunderstanding among the Nkrumaist parties.
Mr Dan Lartey, Leader of the GCPP said the General Secretaries of the parties failed to comply with the committee's directive to withdraw from circulation a document entitled: "Clarion call on all Nkrumaists" authored by the People's National Convention (PNC).
The document spells out PNC's position on the unity talks and the party's political agenda.
Mr Lartey said in an interview that at the Co-ordinating Committee meeting last Friday, September 14, the General Secretaries of the four participating parties - GCPP, PNC, the National Reform Party (NRP) and the Convention People's Party (CPP) - were asked to meet on Monday September 17 to conclude deliberations on a media publication headlined "PNC undermining Nkrumaist Unity Talks".
He said the committee was emphatic that the General Secretaries should ensure that all copies of the ''Clarion Call'' were retrieved before issuing any statement but they failed to do it hence GCPP's refusal to sign the statement.
The CPP, PNC and the NRP on Wednesday issued a statement that they were continuing with negotiations to form a single party.
Mr Lartey said, "GCPP stands for democracy and would ensure that within party structures and throughout the unity talks, we adhere to common positions adopted and to respect those positions."
"The statement is unfair and will further inhibit the goodwill spirit of the talks. GCPP will go along with all Nkrumaists with or without the unity talks."
A copy of the "Clarion call on all Nkrumaists" made available to the GNA and signed by Mr E. A. Halm-Quartey, PNC Greater Accra Regional Chairman, called for the expulsion of the ''evils within the party that have hindered us from coming together as one big family to save us the toil and pain of disunity."
The document called on Nkrumaists "to put their detractors to shame by letting not the name and symbol of the party be much of a problem...just as in 1979 we united and adopted a new name and a symbol as a party under Dr Hilla Limann as President and won, so can we do today under Dr Edward Mahama and the PNC."
The ''Clarion Call'' says: "The name CPP does not command any magic wand to win an election in this country. If it really does, the current CPP should have won the 2000 general elections hands down."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 September 2001 - The Ethics Committee of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has requested "The Democrat", a private newspaper, to retract the story headlined "NPP To Create Commando Unit" published in its June 21 to 24 edition.
A statement issued on Thursday by the Ethics Committee signed by its Chairperson, Mrs Frances Ademola said The Democrat should do the retraction in the next two issues and apologise to the Minister of Defence, Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor.
The statement said the committee received a complaint from the Defence Minister that the publication was false and that the reporter failed to crosscheck the allegation levelled against him and the Ministry.
It said upon the complaint, the Editor of the Democrat, Alhaji Razak El-Alawa appeared before the Committee and admitted that the paper had not checked the story with either the Minister or the military authorities.
The statement said Alhaji El-Alawa, however, maintained that the story was true and promised to show the Committee supporting documents the following week. However, he has since not produced the documents to substantiate the allegations and has also failed to turn up after two reminders.
Consequently, the committee said, it has been compelled to conclude that the story was "calculated" to "embarrass" the Minister, since Alhaji El-Alawa has failed to produce documents to support the allegations contained in the publication.
"Accordingly, the Committee finds that Alhaji El-Alawa's conduct amounts to a breach of professional ethics under Act One of the GJA Code of Ethics. It finds such conduct from a journalist of Alhaji El-Alawa's experience and standing reprehensible.
"We trust that in future, matters bordering on national security would be treated with circumspection."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 September 2001- Dr. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, Research Fellow at the Legon Centre for International Affairs, on Friday said international law permits the US to carry out retaliatory attack on the hideouts and the terrorists that attacked her on September 11.
Caution is, however, needed to do that on proven evidence since terrorism is one of the security dilemmas of the 21st century, he said.
Dr Antwi-Danso said in an interview on the recent terrorist attacks on the US, said "a country has the right under international law to attack terrorists, once it is proved and established that they have committed acts of terrorism against that country".
He said it is important for such attacks to be based on evidence and should only affect the perpetrators. Dr. Antwi-Danso said it would be better for investigations to be carried out to locate the exact perpetrators of the recent attacks in the US even if it takes several years, than to attack suspects in the face of doubts.
In order to ensure and foster international peace, he said the US needs to adopt a more "meticulous and comprehensive" approach towards addressing the issue.
The tendency of terrorists to destroy any one at all cost, irrespective of where they come from, to draw attention to their enemies, makes their activities assume international concern, adding that terrorists could strike in any country.
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Tamale (Northern Region) 21 September 2001 - Professor Seth Opuni Asiama, National Land Management Consultant on Thursday, called for less-cumbersome procedures for acquisition of land for economic ventures.
Addressing a workshop in Tamale on the government's initiated Land Administration Project (LAP), Prof Asiama said the LAP is a long-term programme to reduce poverty and enhance economic and social growth of land tenure system and efficient land management.
The forum, organised by the Lands Commission, was to help achieve a national consensus for the smooth implementation of the project promulgated in 1999.
Participants were from public institutions, traditional authorities, organisations involved in land resource development and women groups from the northern regions.
Topics discussed included land titling, land information system, legislative policy review and modernisation, institutional restructuring and land valuation for revenue mobilisation.
He said the project would be implemented in three phases of five years each to stem land conflicts, and formulate policy programmes for development of institutional structures in land administration.
Prof Asiama said land administration is beset with encroachment, multiple sales and siting of unapproved projects, which bring litigation. "The national land policy, therefore, aims at achieving the judicious use of the nation's natural resources by all sections of the society", he said.
Mr Ben Bukari Salifu, Northern Regional Minister called for an appropriate policy for an orderly and purposeful development of land saying, "it is this framework that will guide efficient land management".
He said the LAP was "a welcome relief because some of the problems associated with land management are prevalent in the northern regions since the divesting of state control over lands".
The Regional Minister expressed concern about alien herdsmen who allow their cattle to destroy the environment. "With our commitment to the ECOWAS Protocol of free movement of goods and persons, there is the need to safeguard communities from the ravaging effect of their activities", he said.
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Dompim (Western Region) 21 September 2001 - The Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing has called on the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to release 560 million cedis from the rural water levy to the Community Water and Sanitation
Agency to enable it to complete borehole water projects in six communities in the Western Region.
Members of the committee, led by its Chairman, Kwame Osei-Prempeh made the call when they paid a two-day working visit to Half Assini, Dompim and Benso to familiarise themselves with the progress of work on borehole projects being constructed there.
Under the new water law, GWCL is required to transfer rural water levy it collect from consumers to the community water and sanitation agency to enable the agency to extend potable water to every community.
He therefore urged GWCL to comply with the directive to ensure that the purpose of the law was achieved.
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Cape Coast (Central Region) 21 September 2001 - The Cape Coast Municipal Assembly (CCMA) is to embark on a multi-million cedi facelift to befit its status as a major tourist
centre.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Muniru Arafat Nuhu, who disclosed this at a meeting with Outdoor Advertising Companies in the municipality, said the programme would have a five-year period.
Under it, the assembly would among others things, upgrade or create more festival grounds and parks and develop the 'Victoria Park' into a ceremonial and cultural centre and the 'Fosu' lagoon developed into a resort.
There would also be an intensive health sanitation and environmental campaign to attract more investment to the industry.
Funds for the project would be from the Assembly's resources, agencies and stakeholders like businesses and corporate bodies.
The MCE said meeting was to enable the advertising companies to make suggestions for the facelift.
Torgbor Mensah, spokesman for the companies, pledged their preparedness to work in partnership with the assembly for the successful implementation of the programme.
The Presiding Member of the Assembly, Mr Joseph Acquaye, expressed the hope that the beautification of the municipality would not only attract investment but also create jobs for the youth.
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Hohoe (Volta Region) 21 September 2001 - One person died on the spot and two others later at the Hohoe government hospital when the car on which they were travelling was involved in an accident at Gbi Wegbe, near Hohoe on Tuesday.
The Police gave the names of the dead as Obed Doe, who died on the spot, and Miss Constance Tutu and her one-and-half year old daughter, Tabitha Oparebea.
Three others, Stephen Mordzifa, the driver of the saloon car, Patience Dordunu and her daughter, Irene Dordunu, who were injured are responding to treatment at the hospital.
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