GRi Newsreel Ghana
25 - 09 – 2001
Ghana proposes establishment of Parliamentary Institute
Togolese security warns Ghanaian porters
HIV/AIDS is punishment from God - Ex-Policeman
European Union threatens to pull out of Central Region
President
condemns attack on U.S
Commonwealth
Hansard Editors confer
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 September 2001 - Scores of Ghanaian US visa lottery winners who are yet to be interviewed fear they may lose the chance of travelling to the US after the deadline on September 28.
The winners who trooped to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday said since winning the lottery last year the US Embassy had failed to interview them without any explanation except telling them "to go and come".
A petition to the Ambassador, signed by one of the winners, Mr Franklin Mainoo on behalf of his colleagues, said they have spent millions of cedis to go through medical tests and to get their travel documents and yet the embassy has failed to conduct the interviews or give reasons for the delay.
It said, "due to the limited time, that is September 28, we hereby plead with the Ambassador and those responsible to explain to us what the situation is".
The American Embassy however said yesterday on a radio talk programme that no fresh invitation would be sent to anyone, who has not yet been interviewed.
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Aflao (Volta Region) 25 September 2001 - Togolese security at the Ghana-Togo border at Aflao have warned Ghanaian Porters of severe punishment including imprisonment when found with contraband goods whose owners could not be identified.
They have, therefore, advised them to check any luggage they were engaged to carry to avoid being arrested for possessing narcotics, firearms and stolen religious relics.
The warning, which was delivered by a Togolese security delegation to Togbe Amenya Fiti V, Paramount chief of the Aflao Traditional Area, advised the Porters to move with the luggage owners, who could account for the goods when intercepted.
At a meeting with the Porters on Monday, Togbe Fiti said the Togolese authorities have been worried lately about the hike in cross-border crimes and warned that they (porters) might not be set free when caught with such goods without their owners.
He advised parents of the Porters to send their children to school instead of allowing them to compound the poverty in their families.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 September 2001 - President John Agyekum Kufuor returned home on Monday night after a 10-day tour of the United Kingdom at the invitation of Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister.
President Kufuor, together with five other African leaders were invited by Mr Blair to participate in a special meeting on development on the African Continent.
The other leaders are Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Joachin Chissano of Mozambique, Festus Mogue of Botswana, Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and Mpaka of Tazania.
Among the issues discussed were African strategies for growth, economic policies, poverty reduction strategies and possible budgetary support to open market economies.
Besides, legal and regulatory systems, Information Technology, intra-African trade links and globalisation were also deliberated upon.
The meeting reflected on good governance, human rights, accountability, and participation of the disadvantaged groups in society. The rest were conflict prevention and resolution, human resource development, education, health, social security and provision of basic amenities.
Three other personalities invited to the meeting but were unable to attend, were UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan; President Alpha Konare of Mali and President Thambo Mbeki of South Africa. President Kufuor would be away for a week.
Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama met the President on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport.
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Hohoe (Volta Region) 25 September 2001 - A 71-year-old retired Police Officer has said that no amount of education and precaution could stop the HIV/AIDS menace because the disease was a punishment from God.
He said it was not until the present generation stopped going against God's commandments and repented that the menace would stop.
Sergeant Emmanuel Agbozo, the Police Officer, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Hohoe at the weekend said: "When you are trading in sex and fornication is at its peak with men engaging in sodomy you must expect AIDS to spread."
He reminded the people about the punishment meted out to people by God when they disobeyed Him and cited how God asked Noah to build the Ark and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as examples.
He, therefore, called on Religions Leaders to stop educating their congregations on how to use condoms and rather prevail on them to repent, change their ways and pray for forgiveness. "It is only when we realise our sins and repent that God will forgive us!"
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Winneba
(Central Region) 25 September 2001 - The European Union (EU), has threatened to
pull out of the Central Region if beneficiary districts fail to utilise 10
billion cedis allocated for the implementation of 115 projects under its Micro
Projects
Programme,
this year.
The
projects, sited in some selected districts, are mainly in the education, health
and sanitation sectors, Dr Kwaku Osafo, EU Project Manager for Ghana, said at a
meeting with representatives of the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Assembly at
Winneba, to discuss progress on nine development projects for needy communities
in the area.
Dr Osafo
deplored the slow pace at which the EU-assisted projects in the region were
being implemented, and charged various implementation committees set up to
oversee their speedy execution to intensify their supervisory roles.
He urged
the assemblies to approach EU-assisted projects with great commitment, saying
"you must do this from your hearts."
He also
asked them to ensure that funds needed for the procurement of stone, sand and
laterite to support the EU's 75 per cent contribution for each project, are
made available to communities benefiting from the programme.
Dr Osafo
said inspections conducted by his outfit showed that some needy communities
where the EU-assisted projects were sited could not afford the number of trips
of stone, sand and laterite required for the execution of the projects.
Dr Kweku
Ghartey, Presiding Member of the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Assembly, and the
District Co-ordinating Director, Mr G.B.Siilo, assured Dr Osafo of the
assembly's determination to ensure early completion of EU assisted projects.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 September 2001 - Two Ghanaian journalists were on Monday
honoured at the 19th World Congress of the International Catholic Union of the
Press (UCIP) at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Vincent
Azumah of International Needs-Ghana, an NGO and Diedong Africanus a freelance,
won the International Media Award on Women's Issues category and African Issues
respectively.
A release
by the UCIP secretariat at Fribourg University said the two were among 54
journalists from all over the world who were honoured.
A citation
accompanying Mr. Azumah's award said: "For bringing into light the plight
of women in different parts of the world, for defending justice and
righteousness and for initiating fruitful debates, UCIP honours you with this
award".
The release
said the competition, which was open to Catholic and Christian journalists
worldwide had over 750 journalists sending in entries.
Archbishop
John P. Folley, President of the Catholic Pontifical Council for Social
Communications, who spoke on the theme: "Media and the Challenges of
Globalisation", urged journalists to maintain objectivity and fairness in
their presentation of exclusive stories.
"You
should not rush to get the news out first. Get it first but first get it
right." He said globalisation gives journalists the new responsibility of
building bridges between the world's different people and different continents
using the most appropriate technology.
"Journalists
have the responsibility of ensuring that the negative effects of globalisation
are minimised whilst its positive effects are maximised by providing adequate
information instead of fanning war."
The release
said over 500 journalists from about 93 countries were attending the weeklong
congress including 20 countries from Africa.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 September 2001-President J.A. Kufuor on Monday said the
murderous and brutal assault on the US cannot and must not be permitted to be
part of the rapidly evolving global village.
He said
there could be no justification for the facelessness and horrendous method
adopted by the terrorists and reiterated Ghana's sympathies and condolences to
the numerous victims, the government and people of the US and all the bereaved
families, wherever they are on the globe.
These
comments are contained in a speech he delivered at the two-day Nigerian Investment
Summit, which was launched in London by the Nigerian
President
Olusegun Obasanjo and released by the Ghana High Commission in London.
The aim of
the summit, which is being attended by over 600 potential investors and
companies in Nigeria, is to project to the international business community the
tremendous opportunities that abound for massive foreign direct investments in
the Nigeria.
Addressing
the participants on the perspective of the Nigerian economy within ECOWAS,
President Kufuor said the expansion of Nigeria's economy through the injection
of foreign capital would be beneficial not only to Nigerians but also to the
economies of other neighbouring states.
The
President said he decided to give support to the Summit because of the immense
contributions of the Nigeria President towards the maintenance of peace in the
sub-region and his leadership role, which has brought a new sense of
purposefulness and determination to tackle the problems that have bedevilled
the region.
On ECOWAS,
President Kufuor said a new sense of urgency and purposefulness was being
injected into the affairs of the organisation by its liberal democratic
constitutions and good leadership exhibited in the region by a number of
countries.
He noted in
particular, the co-ordination and harmonisation of economic and financial
policies as well as the harmonisation of economic and financial policies.
In his
opening address, President Obasanjo asked investors to take advantage of the
favourable investment climate in the Nigeria and invest in identifiable sectors
of the economy.
Nigeria
needs and deserves early economic success through massive inflows of direct
foreign investments.
The
Nigerian President said the attainment of economic prosperity in this
increasing inter-dependent world could only be realised through a clearer
understanding of the present needs of different nations and meaningful
collaboration between businessmen and investors.
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Tema
(Greater Accra) 25 September 2001-The Tema Police on Sunday engaged seven
suspected armed robbers and Indian hemp smokers in a 45-minute shoot out at the
Sakumono Estates and succeeded in arresting them.
Chief
Superintendent Agnes Sikanartey, Tema Regional Police Commander, who briefed
newsmen at Tema on Monday, said the Police stormed the bush along the
Accra-Tema railway line behind the Sakumono estates after a tip-off by someone
who had gone to attend to nature's call in the bush and saw the suspected
robbers wielding AK 47 riffles.
The
informant told the Police that he overhead the suspects saying they would have
got more money if they had killed a woman they robbed the previous night.
Chief
Superintendent Sikanartey said when the Police got to the area at about 11:00
hours the suspects opened fire and they replied.
During the
exchanges residents of the estates stayed in-doors and church services came to
a brief standstill.
The suspect
with the arms managed to escape but the Police seized large quantities of
Indian hemp in pots, polythene bags and newspapers.
Other items
were two mobile phones, a vehicle registration number plate GR 2278 J, a
wireless set, a pair of scissors and bags.
The
newspapers were mostly those that reported on armed robberies, the serial
killings of women in Accra and the confessions by the suspected serial killer,
Charles Quansah.
Chief Supt.
Sikanartey said the Police was conducting further investigations and would soon
put the suspects before court.
Meanwhile,
the Police have requested the Tema Municipal Assembly to destroy all hideouts
of criminals near the Sakumono Estates.
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Cape Coast
(Central Region) 25 September 2001-The Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama on
Monday charged regional ministers to take personal interest in the preparation
of budgets in their regions to ensure that the scarce resources available, were
spent only on priority projects and activities that would help stem the level
of poverty in the country.
They should
also personally take charge in ensuring that monies were spent for the purposes
for which they were allocated.
Opening the
second Regional Co-ordinating Councils (RCCs) meeting in Cape Coast, Alhaji
Mahama said: "We cannot afford as leaders to dissipate the scarce
resources that are available to this country on frivolous activities, every
pesewa is needed to bring about some improvement in the lives of our
people."
The one-day
meeting was to enable the ministers and their regional co-ordinating directors,
budgets analysts and economic planning officers and some district chief
executives, deliberate on budget preparation and financial management.
The
Vice-President, revisited issues, which led to the country's adoption of the
Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and said it was, therefore,
the resolve of the government that this and various policies it was initiating
would be able "to lift the country from the quagmire in which it has fallen.
This
resolve called for a lot of sacrifices especially on the part of those who are
at the helm of affairs, he noted. "Don't forget that the good people of
the country are looking up to all of us to fulfil the promises we made to them
during the campaign period."
The
Vice-President touched on the excessive expenditure in the running and
maintenance of official vehicles and told the ministers that he expected them
as heads of their various regions to set examples by being circumspect in the
use of such vehicles placed at their disposal and the amount of fuel consumed.
He referred
to complaints about the exorbitant prices for construction and rehabilitation
of buildings and roads and said this was the time for the government to
demonstrate that it was up to ensuring that the nation's resources were used
judiciously.
"In
this direction, I also urge you to exercise your monitoring roles over the
district assemblies in the execution of development projects, to avoid overruns
as experienced in the recent past," he further tasked them.
On the
combat of HIV/AIDS, the Vice-President called for the personal commitment of
the ministers in gingering the desired support for the District Response
Initiatives (DRI) and urged them to in their programmes allocate some time and
resources to the campaign against the disease.
He told the
ministers that the task ahead was challenging and arduous, cautioning that the
forum should not be a talking shop.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 September 2001- Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene has
accepted an invitation from the Worawora Traditional Council to attend a durbar
of its chiefs and people as part of the annual "Akwantutenten"
festival.
Daasebre
Asare-Baah III, Omanhene of Worawora who announced this at a press conference
in Accra on Monday, said although the people of Worawora have always considered
themselves as Ashantis, no sitting Asantehene has ever visited their land.
"We
were Ashantis who for various reasons, migrated in 1732 during the reign of
King Opoku Ware I to our present location."
Daasebre
Asare-Baah said to maintain their Ashanti identity "we do not speak any
other language apart from Asante Twi in spite of our long stay in the Volta
Region."
He said the
Otumfuo Osei Tutu from whose clan (Oyoko), the people of Worawora also came,
agreed to attend the festival "to enable him know where his people and
grand children live".
Daasebre
Asare-Baah called on the government to create a separate region for the people
of Northern Volta to be called Oti Region to solve problems of underdevelopment
in that part of the region.
He said due
to the diversity in language of the people of the region, development has
lagged behind, adding that the location of the regional capital is a
contributory factor to the lack of infrastructure development of the northern
sector.
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Policy on the aged to be out soon
Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 September 2001 - A policy framework to address issues
concerning the aged will soon be forwarded to the Ministry of Employment and
Manpower Development for consideration.
The policy,
being formulated by the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Ghana
would be ready by November, Nana Araba A. Apt, Director of the centre,
announced at a press briefing in Accra on Monday ahead of this year's
International Day of Older Persons that falls on October 1.
The day is
intended to address pertinent issues facing the aged and highlight their
contributions to national development.
Activities
lined up by HelpAge Ghana, an NGO dedicated to the welfare of the aged, include
talks on HIV/AIDS, picnic, healthcare screening, adult education and a food
fair.
She said
there is no clear policy governing the elderly in terms of health, security,
care and others and this has been a source of worry to them. ''The aged have
contributed a lot to the development of the nation and are still silently contributing
even in their old age by supporting their families and communities''.
Nana Araba
said public attitude towards the aged makes them feel neglected, citing
instances where in some African societies the aged are branded as
"witches" and are subjected to all forms of abuse and violence.
"This
behaviour causes them depression and speeds up their death making us lose the
benefit of the experiences and the great knowledge that they have".
In Africa
the older population is estimated at approximately 38 million and it is
projected this number would increase fivefold to 212 million by 2050. The
increase provides a challenge for the continent as well as for individual
countries.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 September 2001 - The second annual general conference of the
Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association (Africa Region) opened in Accra on
Monday with a call on public institutions to ensure that the Hansard played an
important role in all their activities.
The Speaker
of Parliament, Peter Ala Adjetey in a keynote address said the present
democratic dispensation required that all ministries, departments and agencies
and the management offices of civil society maintained close familiarity with
the Hansard to be abreast with important national issues.
Mr Adjetey
said: "If democracy is to thrive in any political setting, there must be
communication flow from the governors to the governed."
Editors
from Commonwealth African Parliaments, British House of Commons, the
Parliaments of Scotland, Trinidad and Tobago and the Hong Kong Legislative
Council are attending the weeklong conference.
The theme
of the conference is: "Connecting people to Parliament" and it would
discuss the application of modern technology to Hansard production and
"Connecting people to Parliament - the Hansard as a catalyst in the
democratisation process".
Mr Adjetey
said where there was a communication gap an unhealthy environment was created
for misrepresentation since the popular imagination filled in the gaps that
might cause grave damage to the body politic.
The Speaker
explained that the Hansard was the official report of the proceedings of
Parliament and represented what was said and done in Parliament.
Mr Adjetey
said: "Parliament is therefore basically the forum where issues of
national development and concern are debated with a view to finding their
solution by the passing of bills and adoption of resolutions and motions."
He said as
the legislative arm of government, the functional role of Parliament in a
nation's drive to attain good governance for its people could not be
over-emphasised and as an institution it must maintain very close relationship
with the people it represented.
Mr Adjetey
said the Hansard, therefore, served as an essential point of contact and a
vital link between the electorate and their representatives.
The Speaker
said as a communication tool the Hansard must be sufficiently resourced to
fulfil its functional role as a final record to which the public could have
recourse to ascertain what was transacted in the chamber of the House.
The Hansard
was indeed a repository of parliamentary procedure, law, practice, conventions
and usage and the greatest harm a Member of Parliament could inflict on himself
or herself was to utter into the Hansard statements which could not be
defended, he observed.
Mr John
Agama, President of the Association, said the fact that the global community
was in constant search for ways and means of ensuring good governance provided
the impetus for members of the association to enhance the production and timely
delivery of the Hansard to its stakeholders.
Mr Agama
said the Editors have identified tooling, training, re-training and
professional development of the Hansard staff as veritable tools that should
bridge the gap between the electorates and their elected representatives.
He said
advancements in modern technology and democracy called for a re-orientation and
training of officers in Parliament to enhance their technical and professional
competence as an integral part of the process of good governance.
The
Association made a formal request to the Speaker to adopt the Commonwealth
Institute of Parliamentary Studies, which it intended to establish by the end
of the conference and called on him to help nurture it into maturity as the
Chief Patron.
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