Mills urges "all hands on deck" to balance economy
Research Institute introduces farmers to new plantain species
Interdict these people immediately, NDC branch demands
Rawlings holds talks with Jamaican Premier
Agric extension officers get motorbikes
Mills urges "all hands on deck" to balance economy
Accra (Greater Accra), 17th November 99
Vice-President John Evans Atta Mills on Tuesday called for collective determination to enable the nation sail through the current economic turbulence blamed on fluctuations in the international commodity market.
"I am confident that together we can stand firm through these difficulties, and that they will prove to be a temporary setback," he said in an address to inaugurate the Ghana Automobile Distributors Association (GADA) in Accra.
Vice-President Mills said that low commodity prices for the country's cash earners and the rising cost of essential imports in recent months have caused serious revenue shortfalls, resulting in the need to curtail spending, "even on necessary development programmes."
This means that the fight against inflation, which not long ago fell to single-digit with a corresponding decline in interest rates, has suffered a reverse.
Prof. Mills reiterated that the government's doors are always open to the private sector in order to forge partnership for effective development.
GADA embraces all 21 franchised new motor vehicle distributors, who have been legally registered or incorporated and have been operating for, at least, two years.
The association, is to serve as a resource group to positively influence government policy for the automobile industry and also seek the interest of its members and consumers as well as encouraging open and fair competition among members.
Vice-President Mills lauded the formation of the association, saying that it could enhance efficiency and provide better cost effective service to the public.
He charged members to co-operate with the relevant agencies such as the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) for smooth clearance of vehicles.
They should also work together to weed out fake operators in the system, citing recent reports of manipulations of the custom regime, which resulted in heavy losses to the State.
Mr. Nkum Adipa, President of GADA, said the automobile industry is highly competitive, requiring billions of cedis in investment capital equipment as well as human resources.
He said dealers in the industry have had to invest an average of three million dollars in workshops and showrooms or to improve or renovate and upgrade equipment levels.
Mr. Adipa said road transport caters for 94 per cent of national freight tonnage and 97 per cent of passenger traffic.
He expressed concern about vehicles in Ghana using fuel that contain lead, even though they were built to run on lead-free fuel and called for measures to check this to help to improve the quality of combustion of fuel in engines.
He pledged the association's support to crime prevention in the motor industry and said comprehensive national database of all imported and registered vehicles is being compiled.
When completed, such database could help the Police, CEPS and other security agencies fight crime more effectively, he added.
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Research Institute introduces farmers to new plantain species
Bunsu (Eastern Region), 17th November 99
The Crop Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has introduced two species of hybrid plantain and banana resistant to the black sigatoka disease at a forum in Bunsu n Tuesday to 20 farmers.
The farmers were also taught rapid multiplication of plantain and banana suckers by using the split corn technique.
The plantain specie was renamed "Apem Hemaa" and the banana -"Kwaku Bompah".
Dr. Owusu Bompah Hemeng, Director of CRI, urged the farmers to cultivate the new varieties described as "high yielding and resistant to the sigatoka disease apart from tasting better".
He explained that since the average national yields of plantain and banana are low as compared with the potential yield, there was the need to develop technological packages to increase production to ensure national food security.
Dr. Hemeng emphasised that for Ghana to earn a middle income status by 2020, she must step up agricultural production to be able to feed its people, industries as well as for export.
He said plantain which ranks second to cassava as national staple and is an important source of rural income, is being cultivated in the Eastern, Volta, Western, Central, Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions.
Dr. Samuel Bennett-Lartey, Director of Plant Genetic Resources Centre (PGRC), advised the farmers to patronise the new species to increase their yields.
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Interdict these people immediately, NDC branch demands
Koforidua (Eastern Region), 17th November 99
The Eastern regional branch of the NDC has called for the immediate interdiction of all those involved in an alleged misappropriation of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Poverty Reduction Fund in the Afram Plains district, pending the final outcome of investigations by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
The call is contained a joint statement signed by the regional secretary of the party, Mr. Joshua W. Agyekum and the chairmen of the two Afram Plains constituencies, Mr. Alex Asante and Mr. Micheal Quao, after constituencies and regional executive meetings of the party at Koforidua.
The statement was in reaction to recent publications in the alluding that some officials in the Afram Plains district assembly have squandered various sums of money belonging to the UNDP Poverty Reduction Programme.
The statement regretted that some staff of the district administration including Mr. William Sarbah, the then district finance officer, Mr. Adade Pinanmang, project manager and Mr. Isaac C. Tetteh, district co-ordinating director, who the SFO investigations have implicated are still at post.
It called on the government to act swiftly to bring the offenders to book to curtail the politicisation of the issue which some critics of the NDC are using to discredit the party in the district.
The statement warned that as much as the party would not condone wrong doing, it would also not take kindly to acts of unguarded statements which would undermine it.
It called on the party's supporters to remain calm in the face of all lies, fabrications and provocation by opponents of the party as the SFO continued its investigations.
The statement also advised the supporters to educate the people on the realities of the issue as the party affirms its commitment to the principles of probity and accountability, justice and fair play.
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Rawlings holds talks with Jamaican Premier
Accra (Greater Accra), 17th November 99
President Jerry John Rawlings on Wednesday repeated his call for fairness in international trade and said its absence is contributing to poverty in developing countries.
He said while prices of imports from developed countries continue to climb, the exports of primary commodities by developing countries keep falling, thus stagnating their development process.
President Rawlings was speaking during a meeting with Premier Percival J. Patterson of Jamaica at the Castle, Osu. He is in the second of a three-day visit at the head of an eight-member delegation.
President Rawlings said as much as some aspects of economic problems faced by developing countries might be attributed to mismanagement, the greater part of it is due to lack of resources brought about by unfair international trade.
"This creates instability in our countries. There should be an equitable way of distributing the world's resources", he stressed.
Reacting to a point made by Mr. Patterson about the greatness of late President Kwame Nkrumah, President Rawlings said "it is unfortunate it has taken so long for the late President to be vindicated".
"As a human being, he made some mistakes but we should always look at the positive side and give him his due".
President Patterson described the warm reception he and his delegation received on arrival yesterday as "magnificent" adding that they felt at home.
He said Ghana and Jamaica share a lot in common adding that during their stay he and his delegation would explore more areas for co-operation.
Mr. Victor Gbeho, Foreign Affairs Minister, expressed the hope that the visit would enable the two countries to expand their relations.
Among those present at the meeting were Mr. Mike Gizo, Minister of Tourism and Mr. Dan Abodakpui, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.
Mr. Patterson and his delegation later visited the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum where he laid a wreath in memory of Ghana's first President.
They were accompanied by Mr. Gbeho, taken round the Mausoleum grounds by Nana Otubua Siripi, Director of the Mausoleum, and Mr. Sai Obodai, tour guide, amidst the playing of flute by 10 school children from the National Theatre.
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Agric extension officers get motorbikes
Wa (Upper West), 17th November 99
The Upper West Agricultural Development Project (UWADEP) has presented 110 motorbikes valued at more than 629 million cedis to Agricultural Extension Agents in the region.
Mr. Zinenuba Lankono, project co-ordinator of UWADEP, said at the presentation ceremony at Wa on Tuesday that the bikes would enhance the work of the extension agents.
He said since 1996, the project has presented 132 motorbikes valued at 714 million cedis to the extension agents and personnel of the Nandom and Sonzelle Rural Banks with whom UWADEP has close relations.
Mr. David Osei-Wusu, Upper West Regional Minister, who made the presentation, asked them to use the bikes to educate and supervise the rural people to increase food production.
He warned against drunkenness, negligence and misuse of the bikes and stressed the need for their proper maintenance.
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