Govt. paid for Rawlings and Tony Aidoo in
Canada
Squatters deface North Airport
Police dragged to CHRAJ - Late Chakitey’s
family seek justice
Epidemic alert in Accra
Ghanaian worker brutalised by Korean
How
Cashpro took 88bn cedis from banks
Student
warn of Aluta
Education Trust Fund approves ¢497bn to revamp
facilities
'Review Local Government law'
$100m gesture to industries a healthy sign -
Nana Kodie Asare II
District Tender Boards can't award contracts
Refresher course for northern sector referees
CPP remembers Nkrumah
Rwandese Refugee in Immigration custody
Help Age advocate free medical care for aged
Govt. paid for Rawlings and Tony Aidoo in
Canada
The Dispatch says it can reveal that the Ghana
government assisted ex-President Jerry Rawlings and former deputy Defence
Minister, Dr Tony Aidoo when they got stranded two weeks ago in Canada
following the September 11 attack on the US.
The revelation is in direct contradiction to
the allegation by Mr. Victor Smith, the personal aide to the ex-President on an
Accra FM station that the Kufuor administration did not assist the ex-President
when he got stranded.
According to the paper, its enquires at the
Department of Foreign Affairs and the International Trade of Canada and Delta
Barrington Hotel in Halifax indicated that officials at Halifax airport had recognized
the ex-President and his entourage on the day of the attack.
The officials had checked them in and later
informed the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa. Sources
close to the Delta Hotel also said the Ghana High Commission in Canada sent a
letter signed by the High Commissioner, Mr. Oliver Lawluvi, dated September 12,
2001 that it will be responsible for the full settlement of hotel bills in
respect of ex-President Rawlings and his entourage, then lodging there.
The former Ghanaian leader was traveling on a
British Airways flight to Boston, which had to be redirected to Halifax because
of the events in New York on September 11.
Officials of the hotel declined to give further
details of the bills incurred apart from the fact that the total amount spent
on ex-President Rawlings and Dr Aidoo that amounted to about 2,260 Canadian
dollars and that they checked out on September 13, back to London via British
Airways.
GRi…/
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Squatters deface North Airport
The Accra Mail reports that the beautiful
landscape of the North Airport residential area in Accra along the disused railway
line, stretching from the Nyaho Clinic towards President Kufuor’s residence has
now been defaced with a variety of makeshift structures, which squatters have
turned into their homes.
The squatters were there before President
Kufuor took over power, and the relevant authorities have not been able muster
courage to do something about them.
In July this year, residents of the area called
for the relocation of the squatters, but this has not yielded any results as
the unwanted neighbours continue to stay put.
The non-use of the railway line by the Ghana
Railway Corporation (GRC) has encouraged the squatters to entrench their
positions, and they constantly receive newcomers.
It has been reliably learnt that some officials
of the GRC have rented some parts of the area to the squatters, a reason why
they are not showing any interest in ejecting them.
On 20th August this year, the GRC
ordered squatters on the corporation’s property in a newspaper advertisement to
leave them within one month of the announcement. This order has fallen on deaf
ears as the squatters continue to occupy the location.
The issue of relocation of squatters is a
delicate one for governments, says the Accra Mail which recalls an ultimatum
given by the last government to squatters at the Konkomba market a couple of
years ago, to leave the place under an elaborate programme but which fizzled
out days before the deadline because it was close to elections.
GRi…/
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Police dragged to CHRAJ - Late Chakitey’s
family seek justice
An elder brother of Daniel Dawutey Chakitey,
the driver who died at the Police Hospital while on trial for allegedly causing
an accident, involving ex-President Rawlings’ convoy, on Tuesday told the
Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) that his brother
had been well during his first five appearances in court.
According to The Ghanaian Chronicle, which
carries the story, Isaac Christian Chakitey, elder to Daniel, said on their
sixth appearance in court on December 5, 2001, he learnt that his brother had
suddenly fallen sick but had not been given adequate medical attention. “He was
held by both arms by his mate and one Mr Bekoe, a policeman, as he came to
court”, he said.
The late Chakitey’s family has lodged a
complaint with the CHRAJ against the Police Service for denying the deceased
the right medical attention when he fell sick while in their custody.
Chakitey was being tried with his drivers mate
for allegedly causing the accident involving former President Rawlings’ convoy,
killing four of his bodyguards. He however died mysteriously during the trial.
The three-man panel, hearing the case is
chaired by Dr Ken Attafuah, with Messrs Isaac Annan and Charles Ayamdoo as
members.
GRi…/
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Epidemic alert in Accra
The sanitation problem be-devilling Ghana’s
capital, Accra, may even become worse if the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA)
does not provide immediately, a land fill site for the various refuse
collecting trucks to off-land refuse, reports the Free Press.
Since last Friday, refuse trucks belonging to
the various refuse collecting companies based in Accra have been parked fully
laden with refuse at the AMA Waste Management Department at Kaneshie.
The reason, according to Free Press, being that
the land fill site at Teshie, Mallam and Gbawe have over stretched roads
leading to those areas.
Inside sources told the paper that last Friday
some mainly youth residents in and around Mallam prevented the trucks from
using the already filled site.
According to one source, the drivers consequently
informed the Head of the Waste Management, Mr B.N. Laryea who instructed them
therefore to park the trucks at the Waste Management yard pending an amicably
solution. But since then residents would not allow the refuse trucks.
More…/
Ghanaian worker brutalised by Korean
The abuse and assault of Ghanaian employees by
their expatriate employers is fast becoming the norm instead of the exception,
According to The Free Press in another story.
The latest in the series being a Korean who
allegedly assaulted a Ghanaian employee of his company at Tema.
The worker, Daniel Okrah an employee of Bumjin
Engineering Construction Ltd, a subcontractor of S.K. Engineering Company,
involved in refurbishment works at Tema Oil Refinery, was subjected to severe
pummeling by a Korean accountant of the firm last Wednesday September 19, 2001.
The Free
Press says its investigations revealed that on the day in question, Daniel
presented his medical bills for reimbursement to the accountant but without any
provocation, the accountant attacked him, kicking him several times in the
groin and stomach.
The
Korean accountant, whose name was given as Kan also subjected Daniel to verbal
abuse and as if that was not enough, summarily dismissed Daniel and paid him
off, says the paper.
This treatment is however said to have incensed
the other Ghanaian workers of the company and they immediately embarked on a
strike action in solidarity with Daniel.
When the Free Press visited the premises of TOR
where the assault took place management were in a meeting with the victim to
resolve the issue amicably.
A spokesperson of the company confirmed the
incident and revealed that management was meeting with the workers representatives
to convince them to resume work and also consider a compensation package for
the victim.
GRi…/
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How
Cashpro took 88bn cedis from banks
The
Weekly Insight says Finance Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo, is angry over what he
refers to as the Agricultural Development Bank's over exposure to CASHPRO, to
the tune of 20 billion cedis.
CASHPRO,
with Mr Ato Ahwoi, an NDC kingpin as one of its directors, is a Cocoa buying
company and although the Minister's anger appears justifiable, bank sources
suspect other motives. The company’s total exposure to eight banks including
the ADB stood at 88 billion cedis.
In
a query to Dr Percival Kuranchie, former Managing Director of the ADB, Mr Maafo
stated that, "under your management, the bank has been over exposed to an
amount close to 20 billion cedis to CASHPRO, with a scanty security collateral
of a house worth only about 200 million cedis.”
"Servicing
of this loan facility has been very poor with no hope in sight for the Bank to
recover the loan."
The
paper says interestingly Dr. Kuranchie disputes this and states in a response
to the query that "Mr. Ato Ahwoi's residential property located at East
Legon had a face value of 200 million cedis in 1993 and that was what is quoted
in the query. The current value of the property should now be over 600 million.
"Additionally,
collateral security held by the Bank which curiously were not mentioned in the
query include, a house at Haatso valued at 412 million cedis, 50 trucks valued
at $184,000 and a number of pick-ups".
Mr.
Kuranchie insists that total value of collateral security held by the Bank in
respect of its loans to CASHPRO is over ¢3 billion cedis, arguing further that
at all times cocoa beans purchased by the company are assigned to the Bank as
security.
With
regards to the allegation that the collateral security provided by CASHPRO was
inadequate, Mr Kuranchie said, “non of the license buying companies is able to
assemble adequate collateral security to cover the loans and guarantees they
leverage from the banks for their operations. It is a fact that is
ascertainable.”
"This
has been the case since we (ADB) pioneered the financing of the privatisation
of internal cocoa purchasing in the 1993/94 season. We sought to manage the gap
through intensive monitoring where cash flows are good," he said.
More.../
Student
warn of Aluta
Students
of the External Degree Centre of the University of Ghana appear to be
feverishly preparing for a show down with the University Authorities.
A
number of them who spoke to the Weekly Insight said they were ready to embark
upon demonstrations to back their demands for improved academic facilities.
In
a letter to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana signed by Mr. S.K.
Andoh, President of the Students Representative Council (SRC) the students
complained that although they pay the same Academic Facility User Fee as
mainstream students, they do not enjoy the same facilities.
They
also kicked against an attempt to make the External Degree Centre a
full-fledged University because of inadequate facilities.
GRi.../
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Education Trust Fund approves ¢497bn to revamp
facilities
The Board of the Ghana Education Trust Fund
(GETFund) has approved a total of ¢497 billion towards the development of a
number of infrastructure in the country's universities and polytechnics this
academic year, reports the Daily Graphic.
The board has also released an amount of ¢3.3 billion
for the purchase of 20 vehicles to undertake the distribution of educational
materials, books and equipment in all parts of the country to ensure
uninterrupted academic work.
The Administrator of the GETFund, Mr Fosuaba A.
Mensah Banahene, who disclosed this in an interview, said the board has also
released an amount of ¢1 billion to be used for the organisation of this year's
Best Teacher Award. The acting Director-General of the Ghana Education Service
(GES) Mr Alex Tettey Enyo, received the cheques for the amounts on behalf of
the service last week.
More…/
'Review Local Government law'
The Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive,
Maxwell Kofi Juwah, has advocated the immediate review of the Local Government
Law, Act 462, and its accompanying Legislative Instrument (L.I.) to give
greater resources to assemblies with comparatively heavier responsibilities.
He said this would help ensure equitable
distribution of resources to such assemblies and streamline the functions of
the various bodies under the assembly concept.
Mr Jumah made the call during a meeting with
assembly members to deliberate on issues affecting the smooth administration of
the metropolis.
He said it was wrong to give equal resources to
metropolitan and district assemblies because the metropolises are far bigger
and more populous than districts in the country.
"I think it is only fair that this anomaly
is rectified, so that in the allocation of financial and human resources,
metropolitan assemblies would be given what is commensurate to their
obligations to enable them adequately respond to the development needs of their
areas," he said.
More…/
$100m gesture to industries a healthy sign -
Nana Kodie Asare II
The President of the Private Enterprises
Foundation (PEF), Nana Yeboah Kodie Asare II, has described the government's
policy to help industries access $100m as a welcome sign for the sector.
The Foundation has been advocating such
assistance over the years to help local industries and it is gratifying that
the government is taking steps to support the sector, he said.
Speaking in an interview with the Graphic, Nana
Asare said it is even more gratifying that the help would place premium on
agribusiness and fish processing, in which the country has comparative
advantage, adding that the gesture goes to support the declared promise of
Golden Age of Business.
GRi…/
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District Tender Boards can't award contracts
Under a new government policy, District Tender
Boards will have no right to award contracts. Instead, their responsibility
would be to scrutinise contract bids and recommend to the entire body of the
district assembly to deliberate first, before approval, reports The Ghanaian
Times.
Mr Kwadwo Baah Wiredu, Minister of Local
Government and Rural Development, announced these when he addressed the
Executive Committee and Heads of Department of the Bolgatanga District Assembly
as part of his working tour of the Upper East Region.
The Central Tender and Regional Tender Boards
have also been directed to notify all district assemblies of any contracts they
would award.
Mr. Baah-Wiredu noted that formerly, contracts
were awarded either by the Central, Regional or District Tender Boards without
the knowledge of those on the ground.
"As a result, contractors had the audacity
to sack officials of district assemblies and Assembly members from their sites
with the excuse that they did not know how they came by the contracts”, he
said.
More…/
Refresher course for northern sector referees
A Refresher course for soccer referees in the
Northern and Upper East Regions took place at the Tamale Kaladan Park and
Bolgatanga last week.
Forty-eight participants from the thirteen
districts in the Northern Region took part in the programme with Messrs Haring
Ayamba and J.B. Yakubu as course instructors.
Among the topics discussed were laws of the
game, physical fitness and practical test.
Mr Mike K. Attipoe, Northern Regional Sports
Development Officer who was the guest of honour at the Tamale programme,
appealed to women in sports to take up soccer refereeing since Ghana needs more
of such people at the international level.
GRi…/
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CPP remembers Nkrumah
The Daily Guide says, Friday September 21,
2001, marked the 92nd birthday of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, first President
of the Republic of Ghana and his party, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) has
issued a statement, as a result.
The statement, signed by Dr Nii Noi Dowuona,
General Secretary of the CPP, according to the paper reminded Ghanaians of the
struggle for emancipation, self-government and equality, and the significant
role, played by Osagyefo towards the attainment of all the laudable goals.
It noted that the ratification of the
constitutive Act by African States to pave way for the formation of the African
Union to promote rapid development of the continent "is a testimony to the
foresight and vision of Dr Nkrumah's policy of Pan-Africanism".
The statement recalled that the rapid
development projects within the short span of Dr Nkrumah's administration will
go down in African history as one of the most remarkable post-independence
achievements.
The CPP, it said, is conscious of the fact that
the material basis, which can sustain our independence, can only be provided by
mobilizing resources of state to provide the basic social services to the
benefit of the people.
It added that the 92nd birthday has
coincided with the time when the Nkrumah political family and other progressive
political parties are engaged in talks aimed at rebuilding a formidable united
front to win power in the 2004 elections.
More…/
Rwandese Refugee in Immigration custody
A Rwandese (name with held) described as an
illegal immigrant, has, for the past six months, been kept in the Ghana
Immigration Service cells.
The illegal immigrant was reported to have
entered the country in March this year and reported himself to the police to
seek political asylum but since the police are not the right people to deal
with such a situation, they handed him over to the Immigration Service.
According to information available to the
Guide, the Rwandese is still in the custody of the Immigration Service.
A reliable source close to the Service said the
illegal immigrant had traveled to Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, before
moving across to the West African sub-region and finally landing in Ghana to
seek political asylum.
The source could not give any further
information, but directed the paper to the office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Accra.
At the UNHCR office, Madam Miriam Moller,
Associate Protection Officer, alleged that the Ghana Immigration Service did
not inform their office early enough about the detention of the Rwandese, but
assured the Guide that the UNHCR will do everything possible to assist the
illegal immigrant.
"It is the policy of our office to protect
the interest of all refugees and the Rwandese's case is not an isolated
one", she said.
GRi…/
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Help Age advocate free medical care for aged
The Evening News carries that Help Age Ghana
(HAG) has called on the government to give free medical care to the aged from
60 years upwards.
Presently, the aged, by the government’s policy
are supposed to benefit from free medical care from 70 years upwards, which
leaves a vacuum of 10 years immediately after compulsory retirement.
The call was made by Prof. Nana Araba Apt,
Board Member of Help Age Ghana, when the organisation met journalists to
discuss ageing issues in the country.
She said
the aged after retirement at 60 years need to be given free medical care to
prolong their life span and not to wait until the age of 70, which most people
do not attain due to lack of medical care.
GRi…/
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