Cabinet briefing: President hires and fires - Mahama
Bekwai Omanhene's installation runs into controversy
Tafohene asks for 30 days to declare stand.
French national commits suicide
Cabinet briefing: President hires and fires - Mahama
Accra (Greater Accra) 19 Oct. '99
Mr John Mahama, Minister of Communications, said on Tuesday that it is the prerogative of the President to hire and fire Ministers based on his assessment of their performance.
"The President is not obliged to always give reasons for firing his officers. He is the appointing authority and can decide to revoke the appointment of any of us at any time if he feels our performance is below optimum capacity," Mr Mahama told journalists at a post-cabinet briefing at the Castle.
Mr Mahama who was answering questions on the difficulties faced by Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC) and the various options being explored to save the company, said Mr Ohene Kena's exit "might have something to do" with his last comments on the issue.
He also denied suggestions that Cabinet was divided over the dismissal.
He recalled a Cabinet meeting held last Thursday at which Finance Minister Kwame Peprah briefed the House on the difficulties the AGC was going through as a result of its hedging policy.
Under this policy, AGC sold part of its gold forward at an agreed price.
He said the strategy helped the Company when the price of gold was low, but it ran into difficulties as prices shot up, drawing creditors on its neck.
He said at that meeting Cabinet was informed about a government team that was dispatched to London to explore the options available for resolving the problem in the best interests of the nation.
The team, led by Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Presidential Adviser on Governmental Affairs, included Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah who has been charged with oversight responsibility for the sector, as well as financial consultants.
As at Monday, the team was negotiating a standstill agreement to enable it to have more time to look at the several options that came up, including those made by Lonmin, he said. The original agreement was due to expire last Monday.
LOANS:
Mr Mahama said Cabinet recommended for parliamentary approval a concessional mixed credit facility of 10 million dollars to further increase the capacity of the National Fire Service.
The facility will be used to purchase some 46 Fire tenders with equipment and accessories, including 10 Water and Foam Monitors with carriers and spare parts.
Half the amount consists of a soft loan from the government of Spain at 0.75 per cent interest per annum, to be repaid over 30 years with 10 years grace period.
The other half is an export credit from the Deutche Morgan Grenfell Bank at approximately 6.5 per cent per annum, repayable over seven years with a year's grace period.
Cabinet also recommended for parliamentary approval an African Development Fund loan of 20.25 million dollars to improve liquidity and enhance the credit capacity of the Agricultural Development Bank in the form of a credit line over a three-year period.
According to Mr Victor Selormey, Deputy Minister of Finance, the loan is a "soft window" type with no interest but a service charge of 0.75 per cent.
It is repayable over 20 years with a five-year grace period.
He said the money will be used to provide credit to farmers, fishermen and agro-processors in the areas of food and cash crops production, fishing gear, livestock feed ingredients and equipment.
A concessional loan agreement for 29.5 million dollars between the government of Ghana and the China International Water and Electric Corporation was recommended for approval by Parliament to extend electricity to some 106 resettlement towns around the Volta Lake.
Mr Mahama said it was noted that while the inhabitants of many of these towns lost land and property due to the creation of the lake, few have so far benefited from the power generated from it.
The loan is repayable over 10 years at an annual interest of two per cent with a three-year grace period.
SECURITIES INDUSTRIES:
Cabinet also recommended a Securities Industry (Amendment) Bill for consideration by Parliament.
The proposed amendment will encourage the formation of unit trusts, mutual funds and related financial organisations which will be required to obtain licences from the Securities Regulatory Commission.
Mr Mahama said that while this will enable more people of modest means to invest in securities, it will also protect investors, through appropriate regulations, "from pyramid schemes and other dubious savings and investment enterprises."
OTHERS:
Mr Mahama said Cabinet approved "a modest" increase in allowances of research staff of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission for the purchase of books and the payment of professional fees.
Cabinet rejected the original amount requested by the two organisations on the grounds that it would be more cost-effective to improve their library and Internet facilities.
The House also rejected the payment of allowances as an incentive to researchers to transfer technologies to local end-users, indicating that the costs involved in the technology transfer should be budgeted for as part of specific research projects.
The researchers will now receive 350 dollars with effect from next year, up from the current 100 dollars. They had proposed 450 dollars.
Three draft policy papers including that on the National Disability were also presented to Cabinet and were subsequently referred to Social Sector Sub-Committee, Mr Mahama said.
The proposed Ghana National Disability Policy aims at "creating the right environment to enable the disabled to realise their fullest potentials", he explained.
The others are the National Co-operative Development Policy Framework and the National Science and Technology Policy.
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Bekwai Omanhene's installation runs into controversy
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 20 Oct. '99
The final process of the installation of a new Bekwai Omanhene, Nana Karikari Appau II, has run into controversy over his legitimacy to the "Ayeboafo Stool".
The Abusuapanin of the Bekwai Oyoko Royal family, Nana Kwasi Aboraa, maintains that although a royal, Nana Appau and his lineage had been debarred from occupying the Bekwai Paramount Stool because of a taboo committed by their ancestors.
He has therefore sworn the Great Oath of Asante "Ntamkesie" to restrain the new Omanhene from swearing the Oath of Allegiance to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The dramatic position of the Abusuapanin who had previously admitted before the Asantehene that Nana Appau could occupy the stool, on Monday put off the Oath swearing ceremony that would have enabled him to complete all ceremonies connected with his installation.
After listening to the views and opinions of the Chiefs present at the ceremony, Otumfuo Osei Tutu ordered the Abusuapanin, the Kingmakers and Nana Appau to appear before him on Thursday, October 21.
He made it clear that he would ensure that installation of every Chief is done peacefully devoid of confusion and acrimony.
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Tafohene asks for 30 days to declare stand.
Kumasi (Ashanti) 20 Oct. '99
Nana Ponko Baffour II, Tafohene has asked the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for 30 days to declare his stand on the Tafo Stool in Kumasi.
A letter sent to the Kumasi Traditional Council (KTC) and read at its sitting presided over by the Asantehene indicated that he was sick and according to his Doctor needed rest for a month.
The letter signed by Dr Opoku Darko, Physician Specialist in-charge of Amanfrom Clinic said, "Nana Ponko Baffour has been having bouts of Malaria for a considerable length of time".
"I have also observed that he is under stress and it is, therefore, medically advisable not for him to undertake any stressful activities for a period of about one month".
Asantehene accepted it on the grounds that a chief swears that he will attend to the call of his superior chief and also serve him except when he is sick.
The Tafohene's stand is either to thank the Asantehene and abdicate the stool or to continue to stick to his decision that since the courts have ruled in his favour he would remain as the chief.
There has been a protracted dispute between the Tafohene and his elders since his installation about 13 years ago.
When the case was brought before Otumfuo Osei Tutu it came to light that Nana Ponko Baffour was uncustomarily enstooled because Nana Kofi Gyan, Tafo Krontihne, single-handedly installed him in his house.
Nana Gyan then sent him with some supporters to swear to the late Asantehene, since then he has not been able to go to Tafo.
The Asantehene at previous sitting gave Nana Ponko Baffour up to October 14, to declare his stand.
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Funeral without burial?
Kpando (Volta Region) 20 Oct '99
An NDC activist, the late Mr Hope Kwaku Buadi, 47, was denied the Ghanaian traditional way of honouring the dead when his funeral was held on 2nd October, without being buried.
The body of Hope who was deputy propaganda secretary and permanent staff of North Dayi Constituency of the NDC, was detained at the Margaret Marquart Catholic Hospital mortuary, Kpando, as rumpus raged on between the family and the police.
While Police insist they suspected foul play and called for autopsy, the family accused the police of restraining them at the eleventh hour from collecting the body when everything was ready for the funeral.
The family said the death had occurred on September 10 after Hope had been on admission for four days and for the police to wait till the last minute, to restrain them based an alleged assault on the decease in December last year, was not good enough.
According to a petition by the Buadi family of Kpando-Tsakpe to the police, the detention of the body portrayed the family as "liars and unfaithful people to the community and other invited guests who were to mourn with us."
It said activities of the family towards a peaceful burial with funeral performances for their son could not be done as planned but has rather brought much sorrow and disappointment as well as heavy debts.
The family warned that with effect from 1st October 1999, when they were prevented from collecting the body, they would not bear any expenses, including mortuary fees.
According to both the police and the family, one Mr Felix Aboagye also a resident of Kpando-Tsakpe, who was assaulted together with the late Buadi, alleged that he knew the cause of Hope's death and requested that the corpse should be sent for autopsy.
The police and the family said Mr Aboagye who was involved in the planning of the funeral, never mentioned this until the last the moment.
When the Ghana News Agency contacted Mr Aboagye he denied making such a statement.
Police Chief Inspector E.R.K. Klu said Aboagye and Hope were assaulted on December 22, last year when the two were on community watch operations at the Kpando Taxi rank.
He said Hope had a fractured hand and was stamped in the abdomen. He was admitted and later discharged.
Subsequently three persons, Hambeli Haruna, 27-year-old radiator repairer, Cohart Sunu, alias Tegoe, 25-year-old fisherman and Prosper Gah, 34, now at large, were charged for causing harm.
They pleaded not guilty and are on a 500,000-cedi bail each.
According to the police the body is to be sent to Accra for autopsy.
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French national commits suicide
Accra (Greater Accra) 20 Oct. '99
The Airport Police on Tuesday confirmed the death of a French national (name withheld), who committed suicide by hanging in his room at the Golden Tulip hotel in Accra on Monday.
A police source said in an interview that, the body has been deposited at the Police Hospital mortuary for autopsy.
The source said the Police Homicide Squad is investigating.
The man who arrived in the country last Friday on a business trip was found hanging in the bathroom.
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