Otumfuo intervenes in land disputes at Fumesua
Health personnel embark on outreach programme
National Anti-Bush Fire Programme to be launched in Hohoe District
Women asked to seek leadership positions
Effective monitoring necessary to attain Vision 2020
GOPDC offers plantation to Kwae Stool
Senya-Bomiri-Bunsunya feeder roads to be rehabilitated
Senya Beraku citizens condemn action of regent, others
Rawlings names members of Law Reform Commission
Ghana Standards Board gets new head
Ministry condemns unscrupulous surveyors
Rawlings urges chiefs to resolve disputes
Otumfuo intervenes in land disputes at Fumesua
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 27 Aug. ’99
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, has called for a halt to all developments at Fumesua, Kwamo, Bebre, Saape and Adakwa-Jachie in the Ejisu-Juaben District until land disputes in that area are resolved by the Kumasi Traditional Council.
He has also ordered that all documents relating to the acquisition of lands in the possession of chiefs and sub-chiefs be submitted to the Council for study before any settlement can begin.
The Asantehene gave the orders when the Council sat to deliberate on the numerous chieftaincy cases and land disputes before it on Thursday.
This was after Miss Rose Oteng, Ejisu-Juaben District Chief Executive, had catalogued problems facing the district assembly following the protracted land disputes.
Miss Oteng said the disputes are retarding the socio-economic development of the area and, therefore, appealed to the Asantehene to help resolve them.
When the chiefs were called before the Asantehene, some of their sub-chiefs were not present. The Registrar was, therefore, asked to fix a suitable date for the hearing of the cases.
The Asantehene advised the chiefs to stop selling plots and warned that any chief who flouts any of the orders will not be spared.
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Health personnel embark on outreach programme
Gomoa Oguaa (Central Region) 27 Aug. ’99
Personnel at the Gomoa Oguaa Health Post, near Gomoa Dawurampong in the Central Region, have embarked on an outreach programme to bring health care to the doorstep of the people.
It is expected to educate about 36 communities within the Gomoa District on environmental sanitation, reproductive health care, immunisation, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse.
Mr J.K. Acquah, Principal Medical Assistant in charge of the post, said the move had become necessary as a result of the poor patronage of health facilities in the district.
He attributed this factor to the increasing number of quacks operating in the area and called on the government and the Ministry of Health to help find a solution to the problem.
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National Anti-Bush Fire Programme to be launched in Hohoe District
Hohoe (Volta Region) 27 Aug. ’99
This year's National Bush Fire Prevention Programme would be launched at Gbledi-Gborgame in the Hohoe District on October 29 with a special focus on the Volta Region.
The programme would be under the theme "Keep Ghana green, help prevent bush fires."
Mr John Asiedu, chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee on Bush Fire Prevention, announced this on Thursday at a briefing for the Hohoe District Assembly members during its second meeting on an action plan for bush fire prevention.
He explained that the Volta Region has been selected because it continues to experience the worse forms of bush fire.
Analysis of the causes of bush fires indicated that lack of public education on bush fire management practices was one of the underlying reasons why they were prevalent in the region.
He said formation and re-activation of bush fire prevention committees at all district levels with a special programme for Hohoe District would be pursued among other tasks.
Mr Asiedu said the focus of the education campaign on the region would create awareness and encourage the communities to enforce PNDC Law 229 to manage and control bush fires.
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Women asked to seek leadership positions
Ho (Volta Region) 27 Aug. ’99
Alhaji Seidu Iddi, Volta Regional Minister, has asked women not to let the fear of criticism prevent them from seeking leadership positions wherever they find themselves.
He said, more often, criticisms are affirmations of a leader's resolute approach to the tasks of his or her office.
Alhaji Iddi was addressing the opening session of a two-day workshop on affirmative action, for about 48 women members of district assemblies in the southern sector of the Volta Region.
The workshop, which is being organised by the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council and sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) has already been held for female members of the district assemblies in the northern sector of the region.
Topics being treated include the Local Government Structure and District Assemblies, promotion of gender sensitivity in local government, the need for affirmative action, concepts, processes and implementation, personal empowerment and strategies for affirmative action in the Volta Region.
Alhaji Iddi, therefore, challenged women members of district assemblies in the region to raise the tempo of their involvement in the decision making process of the assemblies in order to make their influence felt.
Mama Adokua Asigble IV, Queenmother of Tefle, called for action on resolutions, which have been passed during previous workshops concerning women.
She said this is necessary if the much-desired empowerment of women was to be achieved within a short time.
Mama Asigble appealed to women in decision-making positions to focus attention on girls in the formulation of their plans and actions.
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Effective monitoring necessary to attain Vision 2020
Tamale (Nothern Region) 27 Aug. ’99
Mr. Joe Issachar, Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Director, has stressed the need for effective monitoring, evaluation and co-ordination if the objectives of the decentralisation process and Vision 2020 are to be achieved.
This responsibility imposes enormous challenges not only to the regional co-ordinating councils but also to the district assemblies in the face of the changes in the world's political, economic and social landscape.
Mr. Issachar was presenting a paper on "monitoring, co-ordination and evaluation of the plans and programmes of district assemblies", at a two day workshop in Tamale on Thursday.
The workshop, sponsored by Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), has brought together district chief executives and their co-ordinating directors as well as the core personnel of the assemblies to share the experiences of the Ashanti Co-ordinating Council in the implementation of measures to improve financial management at the district level.
Mr. Issachar said globalisation has brought in its wake challenges to which answers must be found, adding that the various structural and institutional changes evolved by the government to counter these challenges must be well understood and applied to meet the high expectations of the people.
Mr. Issachar spoke about the District Assemblies Common Fund, which he said is one of the changes by which huge sums of money are transferred to the districts for development.
He said the question to ask is whether the district assemblies are ready to manage this fund.
The Ashanti Region, with the highest number of districts and the biggest allocation of the fund, has through effective monitoring, evaluation and co-ordination mechanisms, taken the lead to get the district assemblies ready to play their expected role in the disbursement of the fund, Mr. Issachar noted.
This was achieved through a series of training programmes in team work, which has made it possible for the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) to make a continuous observation of the various implementation processes to ensure that set objectives were being achieved.
In a keynote address, Mr. San Nasamu Asabigi, Deputy Northern Regional Minister, acknowledged that there have been lapses in the disbursement of the Common Fund in the region.
He attributed this to lack of understanding of the guidelines and in a few cases downright mismanagement.
Mr. Peter Schellscmidt, Resident Director of FES, described Ashanti as the flag bearer of the decentralisation programme because of the high level of political commitment.
He hoped the same level of commitment would be forthcoming from the Northern Region, given the enthusiasm shown by the participants.
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GOPDC offers plantation to Kwae Stool
Kwae (Eastern Region) 27 Aug ’99
The Ghana Oil Palm Development Company (GOPDC) at Kwae in the Eastern Region has offered a 4.2 - hectare oil palm plantation to the Kwae Stool as part of its community development programme.
The company has in addition offered the youth of Kwae a total of 215.58 hectares of the most suitable land in its concession for oil palm development.
Mr J. C. E. Inkumsah, Corporate Director of the Company, said in a speech read for him at the handing over ceremony at Kwae that the scheme has helped to settle 127 jobless members of the community.
The assistance is to help create a sustainable financing scheme for the community's development.
Mr Inkumsah said the company had as at December last year spent about 24 million cedis on these projects in the form of seedlings and rodenticides.
Mr Korankye Ababio, Kwaebibirem District Chief Executive, urged the people, especially those who would manage the plantations, to work to achieve maximum results.
He advised out-grower farmers to sell their palm fruits to the company, which has invested a lot in the project.
Barima Kwame Bomfi III, Kwaehene, expressed his people's appreciation to the company and promised to ensure that maximum benefits would be derived from the assistance.
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Senya-Bomiri-Bunsunya feeder roads to be rehabilitated
Bonte (Brong Ahafo) 27 Aug. ’99
The Nkoranza District Assembly is to rehabilitate the Bonte-Senya-Bomiri-Bunsunya feeder road, under the Village Infrastructural Project (VIP).
Mr Joshua Ankomah, District Chief Executive said this when he addressed the chiefs and people of Bonte and Bomiri at separate forums during his tour.
He said under the VIP, roads leading to agricultural centres would be rehabilitated, whilst the farmers would also be provided with bicycles and donkeys fitted with carts.
The DCE said some selected communities would also be provided with irrigation systems to enable the people to improve on their farming activities, as well as storage facilities for their produce.
Mr Ankomah stressed the need for the people to organise themselves into co-operative societies to enable them enjoy credit facilities from the banks.
The Assemblyman for the area, Mr Samuel Akuna urged the government to connect the area to the national electricity grid to help check rural-urban drift.
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Senya Beraku citizens condemn action of regent, others
Senya- Beraku (Central Region) 27 Aug. ’99
Citizens of Senya Beraku who participated in this year's Akomase festival on Monday condemned the regent and acting President of the Senya-Beraku Traditional Council, Nenyi Anda Kwei and others for instituting legal action against the District Chief Executive for Awutu-Effutu-Senya, Lt Danny William Osardu.
The condemnation followed an announcement at the durbar grounds that the interim injunction filed by Nenyi Anda Kwei and others was as a result of the DCE's failure to attend the function to address them.
The organisers of the function, made up of various associations and asafo groups in the area, urged Nenyi Anda Kwei and associates to withdraw the writ and apologise to the DCE because he was not part of the protracted chieftaincy problem in the area.
They maintained that Nenyi Anda Kwei and associates should rather find means of solving the dispute as early as practicable to pave the way for the speedy development of the area.
In a welcoming address, the people called on the government to ensure the swift settlement of the Senya-Beraku chieftaincy dispute, which is hampering the development of the area.
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Rawlings names members of Law Reform Commission
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 Aug. ’99
President Jerry Rawlings on Thursday named a nine-member Law Reform Commission under the Chairmanship of Mrs Theresa Strigger-Scott, a former High Court Judge and Ambassador.
A statement signed in Accra by Mr Jimmy Amissah, Secretary to the President, said the members are Mrs Gloria Aryee, an educator, Mr K. Marful-Sau, a legal practitioner, Mrs Rebecca Adotey, Member of Parliament and Professor E. V. O. Dankwa of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana.
The rest are Mrs M. Dela Kutsoati, a social worker, Justice Vida Akoto Bamfo, a High Court Judge, Mr E. K. D. Adjaho and Mr Kojo Armah, Members of Parliament.
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Ghana Standards Board gets new head
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 Aug. ’99
President Jerry Rawlings on Thursday appointed Mr Kwasi Nkansah as the new Director of the Ghana Standards Board.
He replaces the Reverend Dr E. K. Marfo who is to be made a member of the Board of Directors.
A statement signed by Mr Jimmy Amissah, Secretary to the President, said meanwhile, Dr J. E. Oppong has been removed from office as Deputy Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education.
It said this is in accordance with recommendations of a five-member panel set up by the Chief Justice to investigate allegations of misconduct on the part of Dr Oppong.
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Ministry condemns unscrupulous surveyors
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 Aug. ’99
Dr Mrs Christina Amoako-Nuama, Minister of Lands and Forestry, on Thursday condemned "unscrupulous" acts of licensed surveyors and warned them to desist from such practices to avoid the long arms of the law.
The Minister sounded the warning in a speech read on her behalf by Mr H. A. L. Mbeah, Chief Director of the Ministry at a two-day seminar organised by the Land Surveyors Department of the Ghana Institute of Surveyors (GIS) to mark their day.
The Seminar, which is under the theme, "Challenges of the Land Surveyor in the next millennium", will discuss issues of funding, instrumentation, private practice, geographic information systems, education and training.
Dr. Amoako-Nuama noted that there are some bad nuts in the surveying profession, whose practices are contrary to the provisions of the Survey Act, 1962 (Act 127) and the LI 1444 Survey (Supervision and Approval of Plans) Regulation, 1989.
She said "some unscrupulous licensed surveyors among you sign site plans on survey work they did not undertake or supervise, whiles others prepare and attach inaccurate site plans showing indeterminate boundaries."
The Minister described these acts as a social canker, saying that such unprofessional behaviour account for the countless land dispute cases pending before various courts and the use of land guards by some landowners with it resultant bloody clashes.
"My ministry condemns such acts," she declared.
Dr. Amoako Nuama also observed that some licensed land surveyors are in the habit of evading the presentation of their annual reports to the Director of Surveys as the law demands.
She, therefore, cautioned that any licensed surveyor, who fails to report and pay the necessary fee, would have his or her licence withdrawn and his name struck off from the list of licensed surveyors in the country.
The Minister pledged the assistance of the Ministry to families, chiefs and other landowners to ensure accurate land demarcations and survey of boundaries to curb those unlawful acts.
Dr Amoako-Nuama advised surveyors to refrain from working in areas where the land guards operate and from government lands, where landowners want to encroach.
She called on the GIS to educate its members to be abreast with the provisions and requirements of the new land policy, in order to contribute to the realisation of the goals of the government's Vision 2020 document.
Dr. Amoako-Nuama urged the surveyors to search for and make use of modern technologies to ensure accuracy in their mappings and plans.
Mr Benedict A. Neequaye, President of the Land Surveyors Department of the GIS, noted that funding for research is a major problem facing the survey industry in the developing world.
The industry, therefore, thrives on research findings from the developed world, which is not easily accessible, he said, adding that the newly developed GPS watch by Casio poses a great challenge to the survival of land surveyors in the third world.
"The GPS watch is able to tell both time and geographical location of people making it cheaper to use than to employ a land surveyor."
Mr Neequaye, however, called on land surveyors to acquire the GPS watch and other new technologies to make their work easy and accurate.
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Rawling urges chiefs to resolve disputes
Wa (Upper West) 27 Aug. ’99
President Jerry John Rawlings on Thursday appealed to traditional authorities in the Upper West region to resolve the numerous chieftaincy disputes there.
He said chieftaincy occupies an important position in the society so action should be speeded up to ensure that vacant skins are occupied.
Addressing the Upper West Regional House of Chief at Wa as part of his three-day visit to the region, President Rawlings said he was happy that chieftaincy disputes in the
region have not degenerated into violence as was happening in some parts of the country..
The visit has taken him to three out of the five districts in the region where he inspected roads and health facilities.
On the Wa chieftaincy dispute for instance, he said, the factions are resorting to legal processes thus rendering the Police presence in town almost unnecessary.
President Rawlings, however, added that the security presence at Wa would be maintained to check those, who might attempt to misuse the dispute to cause confusion.
The President spoke about the nature of the roads in the region and said work on the Bole-Bamboi road would start early next year.
"Road construction is expensive, therefore, we will not be able to start work on the Wa-Navrongo road at the same time as the Bole-Bamboi roads".
He, however, gave the assurance that work on the Wa-Navrongo road would be tackled later.
On the proposed Kamba Irrigation Dam, President Rawlings said that securing funding for the project has been difficult saying the project was not "cost effective".
He said attention is shifting to the construction of smaller dams that could meet the needs of the communities.
Naa Danamgne Sandu, President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs appealed to the government to dialogue with students, parents and other stakeholders in education to find a lasting solution to the funding of tertiary education.
He said some people want to capitalise on the recent impasse between the government and students over payment of school fees to sow seeds of discord among Ghanaians.
Naa Sandu, who is also the Paramount Chief of the Kaleo Traditional Area blamed the spate of chieftaincy disputes in the country on the lack of proper documentation of the lines of succession to stools and skin.
He appealed to the government to allocate funds to traditional councils and regional houses of chiefs to conduct research into lines of succession to stools and skins and codify them.
Naa Sandu also called on the government to post a permanent legal counsellor to the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs to dispose off chieftaincy cases, which he said, if not properly handled could be explosive.
President Rawlings later inspected the 17.5 billion cedis Wa airport, which is under construction.
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