Mice cause blackout in Denu District
Tema Oil Refinery contractors close down operations
Tanker drivers stop work for six hours
Clearing of piled refuse in Accra begins
Previous government's decision not being reversed - Kan Dapaah
Two rival unions agree on common front for President's Initiative
Management Experts urge adequate attention for education
Malfeasance in Yilo Krobo Assembly exposed
Agric ministry expects bumper harvest this year
Teenage pregnancy reduces in Central Region
President Kufuor gives credentials to three new envoys
Ministry to probe fake seamen certificates
Agric ministry expects bumper harvest this year
Cuban delegation calls on Apraku
Northern Region NDC secretary resigns
Ho District Presiding Member denies newspaper reports on contracts
NPP rewards parliamentary candidates - Deputy Minister
Aflao (Volta Region) 28 September 2001- Electricity supply to several towns in the
Denu District has been interrupted since Monday because mice fleeing pesticide sprayed to drive them from the Company’s Sub-station at Aflao entered the busbars and short-circuit the system.
Busbars are components of the switchgear.
The affected towns include Aflao, Denu, Hedzranawo, Adafienu and Agbozume. Sources close to the Electricity Company of Ghana at Denu said the sub-station, which is very close to a swamp and a refuse dump was on Friday September 21, fumigated, to get rid of rodents and other pests.
The fumigation forced the mice out, which then scuttled into the Switchgear, resulting in the burning of the busbars and damaging the switchgear that served as the distribution unit of the various transformers.
The sources said two of the mice were found dead in the Switchgear when it was opened for examination.
It would take about 10 days for power to be restored. Repair works would include the replacement of the switchgear at a cost of over 100 million cedis, a source told the Ghana News Agency.
Mr Joe Dadoza, Denu Area Manager of ECG, confirmed the story but declined to comment.
Meanwhile, an acute water shortage has hit Aflao and its environs because of the power outage. The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) could not pump water from its reservoirs.
Residents have been forced to depend on wells as sources of water supply.
The District Director of Health Services has warned the people against drinking water from the wells saying it was unsafe because a recent research revealed that it contained faecal matter.
There is fear of a possible outbreak of cholera and typhoid fever if prompt action is not taken to restore pipe borne water supply. Five months ago, a cholera outbreak claimed six lives in Aflao and its environs.
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Tema (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001- Korean Contractors working on the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) expansion project closed down on Thursday following attacks by Ghanaian employees which left two Koreans seriously wounded.
The contractors are working on TOR's Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC) plant that would enable the refinery to produce more gasoline, LPG and sulphur by using residue from TOR's existing crude distillation unit.
The collective decision was taken by the Koreans in support of their colleagues of Bumjin Limited, one of the 11 sub-contractors of SK Engineering and Construction Limited (SKEC), following a misunderstanding over the dismissal of a Ghanaian worker.
Mr Ki-Sung Yang, General Manager of SKEC, told a press conference at Tema on Thursday that the sub-contractors would not resume work until their personal safety could be guaranteed and all dangerous obstacles to normal construction completely removed.
The Koreans have also sent a formal letter to their clients describing the brutality as "Force Majeure", as contained in the contract agreement.
Mr Yang said under the contract agreement, Bumjin, which is undertaking the piping and mechanical works of the project was to finish its portion of the contract in one year while the entire project was scheduled for completion in 35 months.
Mr Yang said Bumjin workers had the misconception that the Koreans had pushed them to finish the work in one year instead of three years and, therefore, demanded some monetary compensation.
He said one of the workers, who had been given warning letters twice for acts of indiscipline, verbally attacked the accountant of the company, threatened him with some steel pipes and was automatically dismissed for a third offence.
The dismissed worker managed to influence others, who were all going to be dismissed, to embark on a strike action demanding payment of End of Service
Benefits (ESB).
An agreement was, therefore, reached with the workers leaders about the ESB but the workers refused to accept this and started rioting. This compelled Bumjin to suspend its project and dismiss all the workers for gross misconduct.
Mr Yang said Bumjin has delegated the Tema Labour Department to pay its 260 workers their wages on Friday, after they have submitted their identity cards.
The 185-million dollar RFCC construction project, which is 84 per cent complete, was expected to start production in April 2002 to enable TOR to export fuel oil.
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Tanker drivers stop work for six hours
Tema (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001 - Tanker drivers on Thursday withdrew their services for six hours in protest against a new system of loading and delivery of fuel products, which they claimed was not favourable to them.
It took the Minister of Energy, Albert Kan-Dapaah a hard time to convince the drivers to resume work and declared that the decisions taken on the new loading and delivery system should be suspended.
This was because there has not been sufficient education on the new system, a reason for which its implementation has met the wrath of the tanker drivers.
Mr Kan-Dapaah, therefore, called on the stakeholders comprising Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Oil Marketing Companies (OMCS), Oil dealers and the transporters to start afresh the discussion on the loading and delivery as from next week.
"When you have reached consensus, you will then take your time to educate the transporters and the dealers, before you begin the implementation of the decisions that you arrive at."
Mr Kan-Dapaah said the ministry had agreed to increase the margin that should be allowed to the transporters, to reduce their problems.
Mr Robert Forson, TOR Deputy Managing Director (Operations), told journalists that the tanker drivers refused to load because one of the OMCS had started to implement part of the decisions that were taken last Friday, which they did not understand.
He said the drivers contended that the loading and discharging levels, where issues about temperatures and vibrations were not taken into account would create problems for them.
TOR is able to load 250 tankers a day, however, loading started at 1400 hours.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001 - The Waste Management Department of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) on Thursday began collecting piled up refuse in the city to a new landfill site at Djama near Gbawe in Accra.
"At the moment refuse vehicles have started emptying at the site without any difficulty ", Sheikh Ibrahim Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister, said.
He said an agreement has been reached with the chief of Gbawe and the youth, which includes fencing of the site and contracting the youth to spray the site.
Other terms of the agreement are building of a first class road from Weija to the site and rehabilitation of the dilapidated local school building. ''These measures are to forestall any friction between the youth of the town and AMA. But these are temporary measures that may give us the respite to look for new technology to dispose of waste in the future," the minister said.
Sheikh Quaye said many firms and individuals have expressed interest in recycling waste including Mr Charles Wayo, a businessman, but they are yet to present extensive and concrete proposals.
He said the regional coordinating council would assist any private organisation or individual who wants to go into waste processing.
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Previous government's decision not being
reversed - Kan Dapaah
Accra (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001 - Mr Albert Kan- Dapaah, Minister of Energy said on Thursday that the current restructuring of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is not to negate any good intentions of the previous government in the petroleum sector.
Rather, it is for the corporation to refocus on its core business of oil and gas exploration and development. "We are doing this not because we want to reverse what the previous government or Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, (former Chief Executive of GNPC), did. We simply believe that it is essential that the GNPC focus strictly on its core objective", Mr Kan-Dapaah said when inaugurating the re-constituted board of the GNPC in Accra.
He said if the non-core activities of the GNPC had been profitable, he would still have advocated for the corporation to be restricted to its core business of oil and gas exploration.
Dr Kwame Donkoh Fordwoh, an economist is chairing the eight-member board.
Other members are Mr Amiyao Haruna, a public servant, Mr Zac Bentum, a petroleum expert, Mr George Tetteh, a chartered accountant and Ms. Muriel Holdbrook-Smith, a consultant.
The rest are Mr Collins Yaw Adu-Gyamfi, a business executive, Mr Patrick K. Nutor, a computer expert and Dr Amos Ofori-Quaah, Acting Chief Executive of the
GNPC.
The board is tasked to revise the corporation's policy environment regarding oil and gas exploration in the country.
This would involve a comprehensive review of the existing legal and fiscal framework under which the business of oil and gas exploration is carried.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001 - A joint technical task force of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) and the Textiles, Garments and
Leather Employees Union (TGLEU) is to be set up to consider issues relating to the implementation of the President Special Initiative on Garments and Textile.
A joint statement in Accra on Thursday said through President John Agyekum Kufuor's Special Initiative, the two unions have started discussions to consolidate their support for the initiative and to ensure that there is a unified position on all issues.
The statement said the decision to hold discussions on a common position was announced on Thursday in Accra at a meeting of the leaders of the two unions, Mr Napoleon Kpoh, General Secretary of ICU and Mr Abraham Koomson, General Secretary of TGLEU.
Mr Alan Kyeremanten, Head of the Technical Support Group for the President's Initiative and Ghana's Ambassador to the US, chaired the meeting.
Other signatories to the statement were Mr Kyeremanten, Mr Kofi Asamoah, Deputy Secretary General of the TUC and Mr Joseph Essilful-Ansah, President of the Ghana Federation of Labour.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001 - African Management experts attending an international conference in Accra on Thursday called on governments to shore up investment in human capacity development that would address the needs of the continent's peculiar economies.
They were unanimous that the time has come for an African-tailored policies and skills necessary for the continent's renaissance.
The experts were discussing "Africa Renaissance: The Human Capacity Building
For Its Realisation" at the working session of the 6th annual conference of the Association of Management Organisations of Africa (AMOA) which opened Wednesday.
AMOA is an umbrella organisation of management training institutions with a mission to promote management excellence in Africa.
Attending the three-day conference are management experts from Uganda, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana.
Opening Thursday's discussion, Professor Sakyi Awuku Amoa, Deputy Director of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, expressed regret that although the continent is endowed with resources, it continued to reel under underdevelopment.
He blamed Africa's poor showing on the failure of governments to put premium on education, particularly human development. "We have just been talking without giving education the focus it needs," said Prof Amoa who cited gloomy statistics of human resource building rate in Africa.
He also quoted records indicating that some 125 million children of school-going age do not have access to education at all while 150 million out of those attending school drop out.
Sharing the Uganda experience, Mr Tumwesigye George, Executive Director of the Management Training and Advisory Centre, said in addition to paying attention to education as the hub of the economy, governments should also step up efforts to boost industrialisation and agriculture.
He said the people should also change their attitude and do away with some negative cultural beliefs and adhere to modern trends like population control for development.
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Somanya (Eastern Region) 28 September 2001 - Mr Nampaha Tii, a former Conservancy Labourer of the Yilo Krobo District assembly, jailed for six years in 1998, by the Odumase Krobo Circuit Court, managed to collect his salary for two years, totalling 3.7 million cedis before the error was detected.
This was due to the failure of the Assembly to inform the Somanya branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank about Tii's imprisonment for the bank to stop his salary and transfer it to the Controller and Accountant-General's Suspense Account.
The financial malfeasance was contained in an audit report on the Yilo Krobo District Assembly conducted for the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and signed by Mrs Bertha Norvor, a Director at the Auditor-General's Department.
The report said a colleague of the convict, Mr Isaac Agbo, informed the convict of the anomaly. Tii in turn gave his wife an authority note duly signed by two Akuse Prisons Officials, Chief Superintendent Dapaah and his Deputy, Mr Ansah, that enabled her withdraw the money.
The audit report said Tii was able to collect over 1.4 million cedis between January and December 1999 and 2.3 million cedis in 2000.
The report recommended that the whereabouts of the ex-convict should be traced to recover the money from him or that the Prison Officers, who counter-signed the authority notes should be held liable for the recovery of the amount.
The report, which dealt with a wide range of issues also, revealed that salary advances given to some members of staff have been outstanding since 1996. It also touched on variation in the cost of the rehabilitation of a lorry park project at Nkurankan by over 341.4 per cent "without the approval of either the District Tender Board or the General Assembly, contrary to the provisions of the Financial Memoranda".
The report recommended that in future, "all variations in original contract sums should first be referred to the District Tender Board for approval".
This recommendation, according to the audit panel, was because it considered the variations "unrealistic and unprofessional."
"In future, variations in contract sums should be "realistic and be done in a more professional manner taking into consideration, prices of materials at the time of the award of the contract and the inflationary trend at the time of the review on the original contract."
The Report also exposed instances where the Assembly had partly paid for projects abandoned by contractors.
For instance, it cited Messrs Muskat Enterprises Limited, which was contracted in June 1998 to construct a pavilion for the Koyire Roman Catholic Primary School but rather erected "wooden structures without roofing them".
"This structure was left to deteriorate while the District Engineer at the time, Mr Sarfo Brobbey certified that the project had been fully completed and prepared a certificate for the payment of 18 million cedis to the contractor."
The Assembly, however, paid only five million cedis, leaving a balance of 13 million cedis.
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Agric ministry expects bumper harvest this
year
Accra (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001- The Ministry of Agriculture says it expects a good harvest of grains this year and has therefore, put measures in place to import harvesting equipment, in preparation towards the season.
"We are foreseeing an increase in rice, maize and soybeans production, especially in the Northern, Upper East and West Regions as farmers production lands have doubled by thirty per cent. Farmers in the Southern parts, that is in the Coastal Savana Zone have also stepped up production of maize and cassava", Mr. Joseph Kwasi Boamah, Acting Director of Agricultural Engineering Services Directorate of the Ministry said on Thursday in Accra.
Mr. Boamah said, as far as the engineering sector is concerned, the ministry is well prepared to meet the challenges of harvesting seasons.
In addition to importing combine harvesters and other harvesting equipment in preparation for the season, various facilities have been received from Japan and China to augment what is produced locally.
The Ministry is hoping to reduce post harvest losses from between 30 and 40 per cent to ten and five per cent and to raise the living standards of farmers.
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Cape Coast (Central Region) 28 September 2001 - Dr William Bosu, Acting Central Regional Director of Health Services on Thursday announced that the incidence of teenage pregnancy in the region has dropped from 33 per cent in 1993 to 20 per cent this year.
He said this has become possible as a result of an intensive education programme embarked on jointly by the Regional Health Directorate and the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG).
Dr Bosu announced this at a 'Regional Youth Durbar' organised by the African Youth Alliance (AYA) to educate the youth on reproductive health issues at Cape Coast.
The AYA, is an non-governmental organisation (NGO), committed to the reduction in the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases among the youth and the overall improvement of adolescent reproductive health.
He said for instance, whereas health institutions in the Municipality recorded 22 cases of such pregnancies between January and September last year, only nine was recorded within the same period this year.
The Acting Director expressed regretted the use of modern contraception methods, which he said was still very low, with only 10 per cent of people in the reproductive age group and about 17 per cent of women were practicing family planning in the region.
He said Directorate plans to increase the percentage to about 30 per cent by the end of the year and mentioned people's attitude to sex, poverty and religious beliefs as the major factors hampering effective health education in the country.
The Regional Minister, Mr Isaac Edumadze, in a speech read for him, expressed regret that in spite of the upsurge in the HIV/AIDS pandemic, most reproductive health programmes worldwide, focused on meeting the demands of matured population.
He, therefore, commended AYA for organising the durbar stressing that there was a growing consensus that the adolescents urgently need expanded access to appropriate information, life saving training and leadership programmes within a culturally acceptable setting.
Mr Edumadze called on the Alliance and other youth development-oriented organisations to assist the Ministry of Youth and Sports in shaping an effective National Youth Policy.
Dr Robert Mensah, Country Co-ordinator of AYA, said the Alliance was operating in four African countries - Ghana, Botswana, Tanzania and Uganda.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001 - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday presented letters of accreditation to three new ambassadors at the Castle, Osu.
They were Mrs Grace Amponsah-Ababio, Ambassador-designate to the Netherlands, Professor Yaw Safo-Boafo, Ambassador-designate to Cote D'Ivoire and Mr Timothy Enyo Kwaku Amesimeku, Ambassador-designate to Benin.
President Kufuor administered the oaths of allegiance, secrecy and the official oath and advised them to show concern for Ghanaians, who might break the laws of their host countries but should not condone and connive activities that would tarnish the image of Ghana.
President Kufuor urged the ambassadors-designate to be mindful of the government's foreign policy that was proactive for economic development through the promotion of the private sector.
To the ambassadors-designated to Benin and Cote d'Ivoire, President Kufuor asked them to be conversant with the sub-region's economic and political environment.
The President asked them to be "sensitive to the security of the country and submit urgent reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The foundation of ECOWAS was built on a treaty, study it and contribute effectively to the development of the tenets of the treaty."
Professor Safo-Boafo, on behalf of his colleagues, said they were aware of the responsibilities their appointments entailed especially in the area of economic diplomacy.
"We pledge to contribute to the enhancement of the economic recovery of the country."
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Tema (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001 - The Ministry of Transport and Communications is to set up a committee to probe the issuing of fake certificates of competency to certain Ghanaian seamen working in foreign countries.
As a further step all new certificates of competency were now printed with security features and issued under strict control arrangements to make it difficult for criminals to fake them.
Mr Felix Owusu-Agyapong, Minister for Transport and Communications, announced these measures in a speech read on his behalf at this year's World Maritime Day celebrations at Tema on Thursday.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is marking the day under the theme: "Globalisation - the role of the seafarer."
Activities to mark the day included a route march through the principal streets of Tema by workers in the maritime industry.
Mr Owusu-Agyapong said plans were underway to computerise the issuing process of these certificates to further improve security to bring a lasting solution to the problem.
He said these measures formed part of measures put in place by the government to ensure that Ghana remains on the IMO's "white list" to guarantee job security for Ghanaian seafarers on board foreign ships.
The probe follows preliminary investigations by the Ghana Merchant Navy Officers Association (GMNOA) that led to exposure of some Ghanaians working with such fake certificates in Australia.
The GMNOA suspected that the certificates originated from the Shipping Division of the Ministry.
Mr Owusu-Agyapong said the Ministry has also initiated action towards the creation of the Ghana Maritime Authority to promote the establishment of private shipping lines in Ghana and to create jobs. A Bill in respect of this has been prepared for consideration by Parliament.
He said pending the promulgation of a new Shipping Bill that would streamline recruitment and guarantee the welfare of seafarers, the Ministry has formed a committee to come up with interim measures to regulate these aspects.
Mr Sigis Buckman, General Secretary of GMNOA, said Ghana was expected to put in place certain provisions with regard to Standard Training Certification and Watch-keeping for seafarers (STCW) Convention '95 by January 31, 2002 or lose recognition on the IMO "White List".
He called on the government to ensure that this recognition was maintained after the coming into force of the convention.
The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) called on shipping lines to comply with the International Safety Management (ISM) Code and the STCW for safe operation of ships in Ghanaian ports.
Mr Samuel Narh, Tema Municipal Chief Executive, reminded the shipping community of Ghana's Gateway Project and urged them to ensure that services at Ghana's ports were made better than that of the country's competitors to attract investments.
Mr Narh also called on the Ministry to take steps to remove wrecked ships dotted along the Ghanaian coast and surcharge the owners saying these wrecks were hazardous to fishermen.
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Agric ministry expects bumper harvest this
year
Accra (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001- The Ministry of Agriculture says it expects a good harvest of grains this year and has therefore, put measures in place to import harvesting equipment, in preparation towards the season.
"We are foreseeing an increase in rice, maize and soybeans production, especially in the Northern, Upper East and West Regions as farmers production lands have doubled by thirty per cent. Farmers in the Southern parts, that is in the Coastal Savana Zone have also stepped up production of maize and cassava", Mr. Joseph Kwasi Boamah, Acting Director of Agricultural Engineering Services Directorate of the Ministry said on Thursday in Accra.
Mr. Boamah said, as far as the engineering sector is concerned, the ministry is well prepared to meet the challenges of harvesting seasons.
In addition to importing combine harvesters and other harvesting equipment in preparation for the season, various facilities have been received from Japan and China to augment what is produced locally.
The Ministry is hoping to reduce post harvest losses from between 30 and 40 per cent to ten and five per cent and to raise the living standards of farmers.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001 - Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Minister of Trade and Industry on Thursday said the government was doing all within its reach to make the country a competitive and safe destination for investment.
He said the basic infrastructure and the macro-economic environment were being improved to encourage increased investor participation and stimulate private sector activities.
Dr Apraku was speaking during a courtesy call on him by a 10-member Cuban business delegation currently in the country to explore business opportunities and forge trade links with their Ghanaian counterparts.
The delegation, mainly members of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Chamber of Commerce, would explore opportunities in construction, agriculture, biotechnology, information technology and health.
Dr Apraku said a free zones enclave has been created to ensure easy access of investors to land and other facilities.
He mentioned cocoa processing, tourism, the financial sector and information technology as key areas that the delegation could exploit for investment.
Mr Jose Carlos Puente Suarez, leader of the delegation, said Cuba and African countries have strong political and economic relations, but trade ties have been on the low side.
Cuban foreign trade with the continent is only one per cent compared to the rest of the world.
Mr Suarez said it was the desire of the delegation to explore business opportunities in Africa to change the tide and expressed the hope that this could be achieved within the framework of South-South co-operation.
The delegation also met with some members of the business community and the Association of Ghana Industries to sell to them investment opportunities in their country.
They also used the opportunity to invite the industries to the Havana International Trade Fair scheduled for October.
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Northern Region NDC secretary resigns
Tamale (Northern Region) 28 September 2001 - Mr Seidu Seini, Northern Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has resigned, citing marginalisation and lack of co-operation from the regional party leadership.
In a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the Party and copied to the press, Mr Seini, who has been the Regional Secretary for the past six years, said he had been sidelined at the regional level and not been involved in major decisions.
"I hear some of their decisions on the air", he said.
He said the party leadership had treated him with contempt to the extent that he was not made member of the Northern Region Reorganisation Committee of the NDC.
Mr Seini, a retired educationist, said by such action "I am not considered useful to the party, but a stumbling block to the political ambition of others".
"I did not receive the necessary co-operation of the party leadership to deliver, however, I continued to exercise patience for a long time."
Mr Seini said he was resigning in dignity to pave the way for the NDC to choose another person, who was in the good books of the party leadership.
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Ho (Volta Region) 28 September 2001 - Mr Francis Kwaku, Presiding Member (PM) of the Ho District Assembly, has denied private newspaper reports, alleging that the
District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Mawutor Goh unilaterally awarded contracts for the renovation of his official bungalow.
The September 19-25 edition of the "Free Press" reported that the Ho DCE was in trouble for awarding the contract at a cost of 200 million cedis.
He also refuted a report in the September 20-23 edition of the "Ghanaian Voice" that more than two-thirds of the 76 members of the assembly have expressed their willingness to pass a vote of no confidence in the DCE.
Speaking at a Press conference at Ho on Wednesday, Mr Kwaku called on the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Private Newspapers Publishers Association (PRINPAG) to rid their membership of "quack and mercenary elements".
On the award of the contract, Mr Kwaku said the Tender Board recommended to the Executive Committee of the assembly to open it for competitive bidding instead of selective tender.
Mr Kwaku, therefore, wondered how the two newspapers could make such false publications without checking the facts from the Assembly.
He said a questionnaire submitted by a reporter of one of the newspapers to the assembly, indicated that the reporter had written the story before approaching the assembly.
On the alleged vote of no confidence in the DCE, the PM said the Assembly has not held any meeting since May, adding that he could not, therefore, fathom at which gathering of the Assembly men and women that such a decision was taken.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001 - Ms Alima Mahama, a Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, on Thursday said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rewarded members who contested last year's parliamentary election with appointments.
She said the party has appreciated the immense contributions of its parliamentary candidates, especially those who lost the elections, and duly appointed them as deputy ministers, directors, district chief executives and members of boards.
Miss Mahama said this during discussion at a day's seminar on "Affirmative action and women in local government elections" organised by the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Accra.
The seminar was aimed at sensitising civil society to promote affirmative action. It also served as a platform to create awareness for women in the local government elections.
The Deputy Minister told the gathering, which was mostly women, that "women who have been identified especially the party faithful have been recognised with appointments" adding, "even though I lost the last parliamentary election, I am now a deputy minister."
She, however, said the government could have done better by appointing women as regional ministers, DCEs and members of boards, adding that political pressures and other considerations may have accounted for this.
Ms Mahama urged FIDA and other women affirmative groups to submit proposals and inputs that would enhance the consideration of women for appointment to higher political/governmental positions.
"The underlying factor for a politician is to consolidate power. Any proposal that would enhance the government's chance in the next elections would be given serious considerations."
Ms Gloria Ofori-Boadu, FIDA Executive Director said to deny women their rights and the opportunity to contribute fully to national development would mean marginalizing majority of the population, which runs contrary to the principles of democracy.
She said the Affirmative Action Policy adopted in 1998 by the previous government recommended that specific laws should be passed to redress the imbalances in opportunity to contribute to national development.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 September 2001 - The Biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) would be held in Brisbane, Australia from October 6 to 9 this year, under the theme: The Commonwealth in the 21st Century: Continuity and Renewal.
The summit will run along side the Commonwealth People's Festival (CPF) from October 2 under the theme: Connecting Communities.
The festival will feature musicians, artists, cultural troupes and professionals in performances, exhibitions and discussion, to be climaxed with the Commonwealth People's Day on October 7.
Summit Preliminary Programme Documents made available in Accra on Thursday said the festival will engage 15 international groups including Ghana's sensational Acappella Quartet, the Alabaster Box and several Australian groups in private, public, indoor and outdoor performances to entertain summit delegates and host city citizens.
Every two years, heads of states of Britain and its 53 former colonies, that make up the Commonwealth, connected by a common language (English), values and ideals, meet to dialogue on issues of common interest with the view of promoting unity and strengthening bilateral and multi-lateral co-operations among "the family".
The summit, has over the years, formulated and agreed on policies, which guide and bind the Commonwealth. Policies so formulated, though not legally binding charters form the basis for economic and political co-operation in the Commonwealth.
Mr. Simon Nyameke, a Foreign Service Officer in the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs told the GNA that among the most prominent and effective Commonwealth declarations and policies are the 1991 Harare Declaration, which focused on democracy, good governance and human rights.
The Harare declaration, he said, came in the wake of the assassination of Nigerian Journalist Ken Sarowiwa, which led to the suspension of Nigeria from the Commonwealth. It also gave birth to Ghana's 1992 constitutional democracy.
A follow up summit in Millbrook, UK four years later, led to the 1995 Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme, which proposed mechanisms for effective monitoring of the implementation of the Harare declaration, especially in countries where human rights violation was persistent.
This led to the replacement of several military governments with democratically elected ones in Africa, notably in Sierra Leone, where Tijan Karbah was elected president in 1995.
Earlier in 1971, the Singapore declaration focused on racism and led to many anti-racial actions at the time.
Mr Nyameke said in November 1999, at Fancourt, Durban, South Africa, the summit focused on globalisation and related issues, leading to the Fancourt Declaration on Globalisation and People-centred development.
The issues were basically how the Commonwealth could assist its less developed members to move along with those of developed economies to enable them minimize the adverse effects of the globalisation on them.
He said this year in Brisbane, the agenda, "Continuity and Renewal", suggests an examination of how effective the implementation of previous programmes have been, and to renew existing protocols and institutions with the view to formulating new ones to facilitate the realisation of set targets.
It would provide the opportunity for heads of state and peoples of the Commonwealth to dialogue and make contribution to forging vital connections across divides that concern and affect everyone, and that, in consequence, can threaten the security and sustainability of all.
Divides, which exist in the Commonwealth include those between global and local, rich and poor, developed and less developed, employed and unemployed, educated and illiterate, young people and wider society, rural people and urban people, the healthy and the sick.
Mr Nyameke said others, which have emerged with the advent of the 21st century and globalisation, poised to feature most in summit deliberations this year, include gender, ethnic, digital, HIV/AIDS, trade liberalisation, achievement of good governance, democracy, and issues affecting indigenous communities among others.
Mr. Nyameke said the summit this year would seek to formulate new institutions and restructure existing ones with the aim to cut waste and delays that exist in the operations of commonwealth agencies.
He said with regards to renewal, the heads would consider membership applications from Yemen, Palestine and Israel, adding that the Commonwealth has grown from five members in 1949 to 54 this year, with Mozambique and South Africa being the last entrants.
"The heads of state will also discuss broad policies such as the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, which is actually a brain-child of the Commonwealth," he said.
"Separate sector ministerial sessions would also be dedicated to discussions on finance for development, local government, health and others."
There would a business session from October three to five in Melbourne, under the theme: 21st Century, New Economy, New Challenges, New Opportunities, to discuss private sector co-operation in the commonwealth.
He said in line with summit tradition senior officials, comprising principal secretaries and junior ministers of member states would examine commonwealth functional co-operation, which focuses on various projects under broad programmes given to special commonwealth agencies.
Mr. Nyameke, a summit delegate, said Ghana's delegation to be led by President John Agyekum Kufuor would include ministers and bureaucrats, information technology experts and private businessmen.
He observed that Ghana has benefited immensely from the commonwealth, saying that Commonwealth support for Ghana includes the formulation of the Electoral and Public Service Commissions, provision of electoral observers for every election and ventures in several others in the energy, education, environment and legal sectors.
"The Commonwealth also gives immense support to demand-driven scientific and industrial research activities through the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)," he said.
Mr Nyameke said the summit would, of course, attract a large presence of the Commonwealth media and through them the attention of the millions would be drawn to the Commonwealth.
GRi…/
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