Government reacts to allegations
Government reacts to allegations
Government takes swift action against assaulting Security Men
Zabzugu/Tatale District leads in Guinea Worm cases
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 September 2002 - The country’s financial sector
suffered a loss of ¢3 billion within the first quarter of the year due to
cheque fraud, the Head of Commercial Crime Unit of the Ghana Police Service,
Supt. Ken Yeboah, has disclosed in Accra.
A leading bank whose name was not disclosed for security reasons is reported to
have lost a whooping amount of ¢1 billion with the rest of the loss spreading
among the remaining banks. He was delivering a lecture on Fraud Prevention at a
seminar in Accra organised by the Cal Merchant Bank to educate its customers on
the risk of fraud, its prevention, detection and handling of fraud cases.
Supt. Yeboah said the past two years have seen greater increase in cheque fraud
due to the use of information technology. He said all the reported cases
involved women and self-styled business executives who use computer technology
as a tool to perpetrate the crime.
Giving details of the operations as well as accomplices of such fraudsters,
Supt. Yeboah mentioned company employees, bank staff and associates of business
executives as people involved in the fraud. He mentioned lack of confidentiality
and inadequate internal security at the premises of the banks as some of the
major contributory factors that enhance the perpetration of such crime.
He, therefore, suggested to entrepreneurs and banks to furnish the particulars
of persons they wish to employ to the vetting committee of the Criminal
Investigations Department of the Police Service to investigate their
backgrounds.
He described the current cheque fraud in the country as alarming and stressed
that "people have to be security conscious”. Supt. Yeboah urged banks to
institute proper security mechanisms that will ensure the speedy arrest of
fraudsters during their operations. The Deputy Managing Director of Cal
Merchant Bank, Mr Joe Abrokwa, said cheque fraud is prevalent in the country
and stressed the need for measures to combat it.
He said clients of the banks have a role to play in helping to prevent
fraudulent activities on their account and revealed that the bank decided to
organise the seminar to create awareness among its customers and the public in
general. He urged the general public to maintain adequate physical security
over cheque deposit slips and other banking instruments. - Daily Graphic
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 September 2002 - The government has
categorically denied allegations that it tried to frustrate a request from the
former president of the United States, Mr Bill Clinton to meet the former
President Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings during his just-ended visit to Ghana.
It explained that the request was indeed made last Wednesday to Ghana's
Planning Committee, which only suggested that the proposed breakfast meeting be
rescheduled to the afternoon, after the launching of the Foundation.
A statement issued in Accra and signed by the Minister of Information
and Presidential Affairs, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey expressed government's
concern over the deliberate attempts to create a state of constant tension in
the country through a systematic campaign of misinformation and disinformation
by a section of the media.
It made reference to recent allegations of assassination threats to
former President Rawlings, based allegedly on information obtained through the
Internet. "Government urges the public to treat this spurious fabrications
with the contempt it deserves and rest assured that the government is deeply
committed to protecting all citizens and providing a peaceful and secured
environment for all to go about their lawful and legitimate activities,"
the statement said.
It said the government has also taken note of attempts to undermine the
success of the launching of the Foundation for building the Capital of the Poor
by President J.A. Kufuor with former President Clinton as the Guest of Honour
and the Patron of the Foundation.
The statement also described as a complete falsehood the allegation that
Mr Clinton's proposed trip to Kumasi was a ploy to prevent the requested
meeting of the two former Presidents from taking place.
"Indeed Mr Clinton's visit to the Manhyia Palace was at the express
request of the Clinton team, which initially insisted, it was
non-negotiable," the statement said. It said this was apparently after Dr
Hernando De Soto who visited the palace in February, this year, as part of his
tour of Ghana, strongly recommended a call on the Asantehene to Mr Clinton.
The statement said the proposed trip to the Manhyia Palace was called
off due to time constraints when it became clear that the former US president
could not leave Ghana for Nigeria from Kumasi as planned. "It must be
noted that as far as Mr Clinton's visit was concerned, various options were
explored to satisfy his request options and interact with the ordinary
people," the statement said.
These, the statement said, included trips to Awutu Bawjiase to visit
cassava farms involved in the President's Special Initiative, the Cocoa
Processing Company in Tema to familiarise himself with the producton of
chocolate and cocoa products and the Trade Fair grounds where AITECH, a local
arts and crafts shop is located.
The statement said in all the places mentioned, the traditional rulers
were expected to play a key role but unfortunately, time constraints and other
considerations, however, militated against these proposals. It reiterated
government's commitment to an open door policy for the free flow of information
to the Public and the media especially.
The statement, therefore, appealed to the media to "crosscheck all
such misconceptions with government and refrain from the unfortunate practice
of repeating falsehoods even when available facts belie them." - Daily
Graphic
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I'll campaign for Kufuor-Nana Akwasi Agyeman
Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 September 2002 - That blood is thicker than water cannot be
underestimated with the resolve of the former Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly’s
(KMA) boss, Nana Akwasi Agyeman, one of the longest serving appointees of the
Rawlings regime, to root for President Kufuor in the next elections.
Nana Akwasi
Agyeman has stressed the need for the electorate to give the Kufuor-led NPP
government another four-year term in office to turn round the economy. Positive
change would be better manifested when the government has had ample time to
implement its policies fully, he says.
He has consequently announced his decision to personally join the
campaign trail of the President to ensure a massive victory for his brother,
the President.
According
to him he has embarked on the education of the electorate on the need to give
the mandate to President Kufuor the second time. He claims he has personally instituted a special campaign team to
survey the chances of President Kufuor's victory in 2004.
Nana Akwasi
disclosed that an interim report by the special campaign team following a
nation-wide survey indicates that close to 80 per cent of the electorate the
length and breadth of the country now understand the situation and would
therefore given their vote to the President.
He said
with the 23 years experience as the Mayor of Kumasi under various governments
he was prepared to offer pieces of advice and play this advisory role
effectively for the benefit of government and people of Ghana. "Kufuor
does not only need a second term in office to turn the economy around. He needs the support and a massive one at
that, to effect the desired positive change," Nana said.
Nana says
he does not need an appointment to respond to a patriotic call to help in
nation building, and stress that; "nothing can stop me from helping my
brother win the elections and take the country out of the doldrums." The
one-time die hard supporter of the Rawlings regime would not say if he had
turned his back on the NDC but it was obvious that he had parted ways with his
former party.
His
flirtations with the NDC, as a party since the last elections, have reduced
drastically. He claims he is not and
has never been a card-bearing member of the party Hear him, "I no longer
attend their meetings, and neither do I honour their invitations." He
thinks it is better to keep the ties of blood than sway his support for a
friend whose ambition to lead the country had come to an end.
"I
helped the NDC government because Rawlings was my friend. Rawlings cannot be president again. Now it is my brother's turn and I have no
alternative but to offer my services for the benefit of the people." Nana
Akwasi emphasising his position, queried his critics thus: "If I did it
for a friend (Rawlings) I can as well do it for my brother (Kufuor)."
He would
not fault the NDC, except that some of his colleagues in the previous
government were greedy and selfish and had contributed to the fall of the
party. According to him this trend had
rendered sacrifices made by him and a few NDC functionaries, to better the lot
of the people, ineffective.
Against the
background that some NDC ministers were looting national coffers left, right,
centre, he claimed he did not take any salary all these years he served as
Mayor of Kumasi, no matter the government in place.
In a
related development, Nana Akwasi Agyeman has asked the electorate in the Kumawu
constituency to do the right thing and vote massively for Lawyer Yaw Baah to
strengthen NPP's support base in the Ashanti Region and ensure the party's hold
on political power.
He urged
the party to build structures to enable the party win the elections in 2004 and
beyond when there would be no Kufuor, and to consolidate on the gains of the
party. Five political parties will contest the Kumawu parliamentary seat on
October 1, 2002 following the death of Reo Addai Basoah of the NPP. The contesting parties are NPP, NDC, GCP,
DPP and the PNC. - Ghanaian Chronicle
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 September 2002 – Mr Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey, one of the
President’s nominees to the Supreme Court on Tuesday said that ten years of the
existence of the 1992 Constitution was enough time to amend it to meet the
current developmental needs the country.
Justice
Brobbey, 59, an Appeal Court Judge, said this when he appeared before the
Appointments Committee of Parliament in Accra. Also vetted was Mr Justice
Samuel Glenn Baddoo, 68, also an Appeal Court Judge.
Justice
Brobbey, who was the chairman of the Drafting Committee of the 1992
Constitution, was responding to a question by Mr Freddie Blay, the committee’s
Chairman whether the Constitution, as a political document of the land, needed
amendment.
“I agree
that we have to take a critical look at the constitution so that those portions
which are not entrenched, and causing hardships should be cleared,” he said.
Giving reasons for his position, Justice Brobbey explained that those who
drafted the constitution during the Consultative Assembly were institutional
representations not quite fully a representative of the people as we was
Parliament which was not conceptually limited.
As such, he
said, the framers vehemently debated on certain provisions such as the dual
citizenship issue, the vetting of judges and the politicisation of local
government and participation of chiefs in active politics, and decided to leave
them to the people’s representatives (Parliament) to decide on.
Justice
Brobbey said the committee saw or realized the need not to entrench certain
provisions in the constitution as entrenched provisions like Section 11 and
Article 19(i) were causing a lot of problems now.
Asked what
he thought about the public perception of the Supreme Court as being partisan,
he replied that the perception was not real and that the nature of some of the
cases tended to fan that perception. Moreover, he said that parties in cases
and public reaction seemed to promote that perception.
Justice
Brobbey noted that a large number of the cases that were handled by the Supreme
Court had Constitutional connections and if the government who is represented
by the Attorney General won or lost, then people began to read politics into
the judgement.
He cited
the USA, for instance that Justice of the Supreme Court were known adherents of
either liberalism or conservatism but when it came to deciding on
constitutional or issues of national importance, the people did not conclude
that a particular judge would vote in a certain direction.
He said
that the appointment of a judge to the Supreme Court should not be a criterion
for people to determine where that judge would vote on issues. When Alhaji
Mohammed Mumuni asked why the framers of the constitution pegged the minimum
number of judges that could be empanelled and left the maximum ceiling
undetermined, Justice Brobbey said it was one of the thorny issues which they
deliberately left out.
But he
said, "if now there is the danger that the provision will be abused by
anybody it can be amended. We can
easily get rid of it without going through a referendum." "If there
are sufficient basis for apprehension that the provision would be abused,
Parliament can put a ceiling, it is just a matter of debate to restrain any
over -zealous government," he stated.
He,
however, cautioned that if that was amended any government that did not like it
would change it anytime they came to power, saying as representatives of the
people Parliament should think of sufficient basis for apprehension before
pegging a ceiling.
Captain
Nkrabea Effah-Dartey (Rtd) asked about the perceived corruption in the
judiciary, which Justice Brobbey replied that corruption was everywhere as far
as all human institutions were concerned.
He said
that corruption was endemic in the judiciary because of the people involved in
the delivery of justice namely judge, tribunal chairman, court clerks and
litigants. Corruption, he said, could not be eliminated, and suggested the
setting up of permanent institutions for tackling it in the judiciary.
On the Fast
Track High Court, Justice Brobbey said they started at the time of the NDC
government and the present government only came to implement a process of mechanization
and automation to ensure the speedy trial of cases.
He also
advocated for the using of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to decongest
the High Courts by referring less serious cases to the Alternative Dispute
Resolution Centre where most people would be glad to settle their cases. At his
turn, Justice Badddo said the condition of service for Judges has to be
improved in order to attract and encourage people to take appointments.
Regarding
the independence of the judiciary, he said that it was necessary for good
governance; especially in constitutional era in maintain a balance between the
Executive and Legislature.
On the
perception of corruption in the judiciary, Justice Baddoo said it was not
justified since people had not come out with any evidence, however as a human
institution there were bound to be bad nuts in the judiciary.
Asked
whether it was necessary to empanel all judges of the Supreme Court to decide
on a constitutional matter, he said it was important for every member to give
his or her views about the issue as was done in the USA.
He said
that the Attorney-General's (A-G) office should not be independent from the
Minister of Justice since that would create conflicts saying the A-G could not
be influenced, it was the evidence adduced which decided the way a case would
go. - Ghanaian Times
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 September 2002 - The President, Mr. J.A. Kufuor, on Tuesday
described King Tackie Tawiah I, as the most illustrious and progressive king
that the Ga Adangme people ever had.
They must,
therefore, see him as a unifying symbol around whom they should work for
strength, growth and progress. King Tackie Tawiah I, the President said, was a
great hero and warrior having fought for freedom and justice for his people and
the Ga nation as a whole.
President
Kufuor made these remarks in an address read on his behalf by Mr Hackman
Owusu-Agyeman, the Foreign Minister, at the Commissioning of the King Tackie I
Memorial Park in Accra on Tuesday. A statue of the late King was also
unveiled. The occasion was part of
activities marketing the centenary celebration of the late king, who ruled form
1862 to 1902.
A memorial
Trust Fund in honour of the king was also launched to raise funds for the
development of the people and the Ga State. By 8 am, the Mokola Market square
in the Accra business area was filled with Gas from all walks of life as well
as other well wishers who came to grace the occasion.
There was
firing of musketry by the Asafo Companies amidst drumming and dancing. In attendance were members of Parliament and
some Ministers of state. Ga chiefs representing the various traditional areas
were at the ceremony in their full regalia.
Mr J.S.
Addo, a former Governor of the Bank of Ghana who chaired the function, called
on Ghanaians to use the centenary celebration of King Tackie Tawiah to remember
his good works and to urge them on towards the its people, in particularly and
the country generally.
The acting
president of the Ga Traditional Council Nii Adotey Obour II, paid tribute to
the late king saying there was the need for all Ga Adangmes to draw inspiration
from his leadership.
Nii Obuor
who is also the Sempe Mantse said such an occasion was evidence of a hero who
should be remembered by his good deeds. Mr Owusu-Agyeman later cut the tape for
the formal commissioning of the memorial park. - Ghanaian Times
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New
Jejeti (Eastern Region) 25 September 2002 – A member of the New Patriotic Party
(NPP), Madam Gifty Sackey, caused a stir at the Atiwa Constituency Delegates
Congress of the party at New Jejeti on Sunday, when she threw tantrums, and in
the process traded insults with the MP of the area, Dr Brempong Yeboah and
other dignitaries.
She also
tore the Certificate of Honour, Hard work and Dedication, given her by the
Regional Executive of the party, wrapped it with other party paraphernalia, and
threw them at the MP in the full glare of the Eastern Regional NPP chairman,
Nana Adi-Ankama, Okerchiri Adusah, Mp for Nkawkaw and the District Chief
Executive for Kyebi, Mr E.V. Asihene.
Reason? She
has lost her position as Women’s Organizer (the post she was wielding) to Mrs
Felicia Ampaw. Not satisfied with her earlier disposition, Madam Sackey further
instructed one of her brothers to return the party’s anniversary cloth which
the MP bought for her and personally shared the food prepared for the delegates
among her brothers, sisters and brother and some party supports who came from
her village to offer assistance.
A section of the delegates also rejected
their certificates because the party executives did not add money. Hear them:
When we were running through the bush in the night during the 2000 elections
where were you?”
They deplored
the attitude of the NPP for always saying that there was no money in the
national coffers ever since they came to power, adding “but the leaders eat
every day”. According to Madam Gifty Sackey, Dr Brempong Yeboah (MP) worked out
a scheme by sponsoring his favourites to kick her out, which they succeeded in
doing.
The
Regional Chairman, Nana Adi-Ankama, when asked what would happen to Madam
Sackey, with regard to party discipline, replied that she has already sacked
herself from the party, as “this strange behaviour cannot be tolerated among
us”. The Evening News
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Wa (Upper
West) 25 September 2002 - The National Women’s Organiser of the National
Democratic Congress (NDC), Ms Frances Asiam has called on Parliament to use its
constitutional mandate to let the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration
explained how useful and beneficial the over 43 foreign tips made by President
Kufuor within the 19 months in office has been to the country.
“We believe
the trips are a drain to our HIPC shoulders and the suffering masses and
Parliament should bring the Kufuor administration to answer”, she stated. Ms
Asiam made the call when she inaugurated a 24-member working committee of the
NDC, here. It formed part of efforts at revitalising and restructuring the
party at the regional, district, and grass root levels to recapture power in
election 2004.
Ms Asiam
described as unfortunate the fact that the President had made numerous trips
outside the country yet he had not found time to visit the Upper West, East and
Northern regions since he was elected into office.
She said
the NPP government was non-performing and urged the people to boot it out in
election 2004. The Organiser said the abolishing of the cash and carry system
promised by the NPP continued to be a mirage, while parents were confronted
with higher school fees with many more people being asked to go home under the
syndrome: “proceed on leave and restructuring process”.
She said
all those were a clear manifestation of the incapability of the government to
rule the country and that Ghanaians had realised that the NDC was a better
alternative for which they were poised to return it to power. Ms Asian,
therefore, urged the women to remain united and work as a team by embarking on
what she termed a recruitment drive to win more souls to the party, saying “the
NDC should win on merit and not solely on the weakness of the NPP”.
The First
Deputy Organiser, Hajia Ladi Ayamba, said the NPP had failed to pass the test
set for it by Ghanaians as it could not fulfil its campaigns promises such as
free education, free medical care and the creation of jobs, adding “Ghanaians
were growing cassava before the NPP government came to power and that there is
nothing strange, new or existing for government to urge people grow cassava.”
Hajia
Ayamba noted that thee was no Cabinet Minister from any of the three Northern
Regions, saying, “If there is nobody qualified to hold a Cabinet position, then
there should be nobody qualified to vote for the NPP come 2004.
The second
Deputy National Organiser, Hajia Salamatu Kunte described the closure of the
National Mobilisation Programme and Non-Formal Education Division (NFED) as
unjustifiable and in bad taste.
She said
the NDC would come back to power in 2004 because people were disgruntled and
that the common slogan even in the stronghold of the NPP was “sankofa” meaning
let’s go back to our roots.
The
Regional Women’s Organiser and chairperson of the working committee, Hajia
Froko said the main objective of the NDC in the region was to capture the
parliamentary seat of Sissala, which she described as being on loan to the PNC
and that every effort was being made to attain that goal.
She said
the NDC was solid on the ground in the Upper West Region and urged the Women’s
Wing to concentrate its energy more in other areas to win more support for the
party. - The Evening News
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 September 2002 - The government has
categorically denied that it tried to frustrate a request from the former
president of the United States, Mr Bill Clinton to meet the former President
Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings during his just-ended visit to Ghana.
It explained tht the request was indeed made last Wednesday to Ghana's
Planning Committee, which only suggested that the proposed breakfast meeting be
rescheduled to the afternoon, after the launching of the foundation.
A statement issued in Accra and signed by the Minister of Information
and Presidential Affairs, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey expressed government's
concern over the deliberate attempts to create a state of constant tension in
the country through a systematic campaign of misinformation and disinformation
by a section of the media.
It made reference to recent allegations of assassination threats to
former President Rawlings, based allegedly on information obtained through the
Internet. "Government urges the public to treat this spurious fabrications
with the contempt it deserves and rest assured that the government is deeply
committed to protecting all citizens and providing a peaceful and secured
environment for all to go about their lawful and legitimate activities,"
the statement said.
It said the government has also taken note of attempts to undermine the
success of the launching of the Foundation for building the Capital of the Poor
by president J.A. Kufuor with former President Clinton as the Guest of Honour
and the patron of the foundation.
The statement also described as a complete falsehood the allegation that
Mr Clinton's proposed trip to Kumasi was a ploy to prevent the requested
meeting of the two former presidents from taking place.
"Indeed Mr Clinton's visit to the Manhyia Palace was at the express
request of the Clinton team, which initially insisted, it was
non-negotiable," the statement said. It said this was apparently after Dr
Hernando De Soto who visited the palace in February, this year, as part of his
tour of Ghana, strongly recommended a call on the Asantehene to Mr Clinton.
The statement said the proposed trip to the Manhyia Palace was called
off due to time constraints when it became clear that the former US president
could not leave Ghana for Nigeria from Kumasi as planned. "It must be
noted that as far as Mr Clinton's visit was concerned, various options were
explored to satisfy his request options and interact with the ordinary
people," the statement said.
These, the statement said, included trips to Awutu Bawjiase to visit
cassava farms involved in the President's Special Initiative, the Cocoa
Processing Company in Tema to familiarise himself with the producton of
chocolate and cocoa products and the Trade Fair grounds where AITECH, a local
arts and crafts shop is located.
The statement said in all the places mentioned, the traditional rulers
were expected to play a key role but unfortunately, time constraints and other
considerations, however, militated against these proposals. It reiterated
government's commitment to an open door policy for the free flow of information
to the Public and the media especially.
The statement, therefore, appealed to the media to "crosscheck all
such misconceptions with government and refrain from the unfortunate practice
of repeating falsehoods even when available facts belie them." - Daily
Graphic
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Takoradi (Western Region) 25 September 2002 - A cargo train loaded with
bauxite on Tuesday derailed at the New Takoradi rail level crossing site of the
Takoradi Harbour, following a crash with a Benz truck. The train was carrying
bauxite while the truck was loaded with bags of cement.
No casualty was recorded and both drivers escaped unhurt.
The derailment has led to a halt in activities at the bauxite discharge point
and caused the Ghana Railway Company (GRC) to lose millions of cedis due to
loss of production hours. Traffic activities at the site have grounded to a
halt while efforts are underway to dispatch a crane from Tarkwa to rectify the
situation.
The train is dented and the Benz severely damaged. Cement amounting to millions
of cedis was also destroyed. The Deputy Managing Director in-charge of
operations of the GRC, Mr Rufus Quaye, said the accident has cost the company
millions of dollars.
He said the brake band of the train is damaged and needs to be repaired. Mr
Quaye said as a result of the accident, 1,800 tonnes of bauxite cannot be
off-loaded. DSP Emmanuel Dovlo of the Railways and Harbour Police said his
outfit is conducting investigations into the cause of the accident. He
cautioned drivers to be extra careful when approaching rail-level crossings.
The driver of the Benz truck, with registration number AS 5580Q, S. Musa, said
he did not notice the attendant at the rail level crossing till he heard a big
bang on his truck. According to an eyewitness, the driver of the truck
disregarded a signal from the rail level crossing attendant. It said since it
was in the early hours of the morning, visibility was poor and that might have
contributed to the accident.
At the time of going to press, the head of the Benz truck has been towed The
cement has also been loaded into another truck. Work is also going on to repair
the railroad to enable rail traffic to resume. - Daily Graphic
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Government takes swift action against assaulting Security Men
Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 September 2002 - A few hours after our story broke yesterday
on how an Accra Daily Mail reporter was assaulted by individuals said to be BNI
operatives, the Ministry of Information and Presidential Affairs instituted an
investigation. The individuals involved were traced to another security wing
and not the BNI.
Mr.
Ferdinand Ayim, Special Assistant to the Minister of Information, who disclosed
this to ADM yesterday, said the government, is giving the accusation the
seriousness it demands. The suspects, he said, would face the appropriate
sanctions. He said they were not under any official orders to do what they did
to the reporter and the government would protect media people in the pursuit of
their legitimate assignments.
Later
during the day, the Director of BNI, Mr. Amofa called the ADM offices to
distance his 'boys' from the disgraceful act. Following the breaking of the
story, there was widespread condemnation of the security men's behaviour. The
President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mrs. Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie and
other senior media practitioners expressed their indignation and called for the
disciplining of the officers involved.
The
Ministry of Information's swift action therefore would go a long way to assuage
some of these hurt feelings. - Accra Mail
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Editorial
Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 September 2002 - Yesterday our lead story was on the assault
meted to our reporter by operatives of the Bureau of National Investigations
(BNI). The Ministry of Information and Presidential Affairs later traced them
to another unit of the security system away from the BNI and the appropriate
action is being taken. (See lead story).
It may have
been a joke when they threatened that if it had been during the time of
Rawlings they would have broken our reporter's neck, but we are not in the
least amused. It is not for any security operative to break necks, but to carry
out investigations that would expose dangerous elements in society.
Should such
people be exposed and apprehended, it is up to the judicial system to pass
judgement and prescribe the necessary sanctions where possible. For the
security officials to have meted out corporal punishment when no crime had been
committed is for us a crime on the part of those officials. We are glad that
they are being called to account.
It is such
high-handedness on the part of civil servants and public officials that gives a
bad name to the political authority. If we did not know the media friendliness
of this administration, we would probably have concluded that President Kufuor
and his team are brutes out to terrorise the media. But we know better -
because we are beneficiaries of the government's liberal media policies.
Certainly a government that has abolished the Criminal Libel Law would not
unleash brutes on journalists doing their legitimate work.
We cannot
condone security breaches, so even if our reporter was in breach of security
arrangements, we believe that those in charge should have been more humane in
pointing out his transgression, but to assault him and threaten him with what
amounted to death was way out of order.
These are
some of the human rights abuse actions that so stigmatised the security
agencies during the PNDC and NDC days. We are in a new liberal era and either
the security operatives understand and accept this reality or they must make
way for more up to date operatives. – Accra Mail
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Zabzugu/Tatale District leads in Guinea Worm cases
Zabzugu
(Northern Region) 25 September 2002 - The Zabzugu/Tatale District in the
Northern Region is the worst guinea worm infested area in Ghana and second only
to Sudan in the world.
The
District recorded 698 guinea worm cases from its 74 communities between January
and August this year as against 334 cases in 2001. Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Minister
of Health, said this when he re-launched the Ghana Guinea Worm Eradication
Programme at Kworili in the Zabzugu/Tatale District on Monday. Dr Afriyie is on
a week's visit to guinea worm endemic communities in the Region to interact
with the people to find a possible way of eradicating the disease.
He said the
region had always accounted for the highest number of guinea worm cases since
the inception of the National Guinea Worm Eradication Programme in 1989. He
attributed the trend to the effects of the prevailing poor socio-economic
conditions such as under-development, poverty, low education and poor water
supply in most communities that made the eradication of the disease elusive.
Dr Afriyie
said whilst Ghana recorded 3,087 cases of guinea worm between January and June
this year, the Northern Region alone reported 2,422 cases during the same
period. This represents 78 per cent of the national total of guinea worm cases.
Dr Afriyie
said it was the vision of the government to make the country free of guinea
worm. He, therefore, called on Ghanaians to work harder towards the realisation
of this vision by treating every guinea worm case as a medical emergency.
The Health
Minister appealed to the people in the area to co-operate with the authorities
in the treatment of ponds to kill the water flea that carries the guinea worm
larvae. He pledged the support of the government and international partners to
eradicate the disease that has afflicted them for a long time now.
Alhaji
Yakubu Bukari, Zabzugu/Tatale District Chief Executive, said the lack of
potable water in most communities is the major cause of the spread of the
disease in the area. He said only 31 out of the more than 66 guinea worm
endemic communities in the district have access to limited safe water.
Health
workers say the successful eradication of the disease would help boost
agricultural production in the area. They explained that when farmers and their
families were afflicted with the disease, they were unable to work on their
farms for up to 70 per cent of the farming season. - Accra Mail
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Kumasi
(Ashanti Region) 25 September 2002 - Initial public response to the share offer
of the Golden Development Holding Company (GDHC), a limited liability company
set up to provide the impetus to the socio-economic development of Asanteman
and Ghana is progressing steadily.
Dr Kwame
Donkoh Fordwor, Chairman of the Board of the company who said this on Tuesday,
described the patronage of the shares as encouraging and added that the company
was on target of achieving the initial goal to raise about two billion cedis
within the first month of floating of shares.
The public
share offer was launched early in August, this year. The company, the
brainchild of the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, is seeking to raise about 30
billion cedis through the sale of 60 million shares out of its total authorised
ordinary shares of four billion at 500 cedis per share.
The money
is to be invested in economic and industrial development in Asanteman and other
parts of the country. The company currently has 808,000 fully paid up ordinary
shares and a preference share being held by the Asantehene.
The funds
raised from the sales would be used to set up a commercial bank to ensure a
sound capital support base to the GDHC's to enable it carry out its other
planned economic ventures that are either undertaken solely or in partnership
with others.
Dr Donkoh
Fordwor said the company is using all marketing strategies, especially mass
marketing to get the message to as many people as possible to become part
owners of the company. He asked members of the public to see the company as
purely a commercial venture that would serve the interest of all sections of
the Ghanaian public and not the Asanteman alone.
"We
must discard the idea that the company is meant for the Ashantis alone; it is
for everybody," he emphasised and added that some individual foreign
investors have expressed interest in buying shares of the company.
"We
are equally encouraging Ghanaians outside to take opportunity of the offer to
be shareholders in the company." The board chairman said the GDHC would
mobilise resources for the private sector to create employment opportunities
and wealth. "Let us all put our shoulders together to pull the wheels of
development," he said.
Dr Donkoh
Fordwor said they have obtained permission from the Securities and Exchange
Commission, which has also approved the flotation provided they could generate
10 billion cedis. "We are to return to all individual investors if we are
unable to meet the target of 10 billion cedis under the terms of exchange
commission," he said. The sale is open between now and the middle of
January 2003 and the company's offices are located at the Data Bank, Accra. - Accra
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