Armed robber shot dead, two others arrested in Tema
Wenchihene threatens to boycott BA anniversary durbar
Four districts to benefit from water, sanitation projects
Oil and Gas conference opens in Accra next year
Mpohor Wassa East to enjoy Village Infrastructure Project
Mobilization Programme calls on governments to respect rule of law
Armed robber shot dead, two others arrested in Tema
Tema (Greater Accra), 26th October 99
A joint police/military patrol team last Sunday night shot dead a man and arrested two others believed to be members of a seven-man armed robbery gang that broke into a pharmaceutical firm at Kpone, near Tema.
The dead was identified as Abinga while the two others, Yakubu Egala and Lartey, who received gunshot wounds in the leg during a shootout are on admission at the Police Hospital, Accra, under police guard. The rest of the gang escaped during the shootout.
Briefing newsmen at his office on Monday, Mr. Joe Dankwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police for Tema said the Police Buffalo Unit received a tip-off that armed robbers had broken into San Bao Pharmaceutical, Ghana, Limited, a Chinese company, at the Export Processing Zone at Kpone.
The security agents quickly followed up to the scene where the robbers opened fire on seeing them.
The security agents returned the fire, resulting in the death of Abinga. Four of the robbers then jumped over the seven-metre fence wall and took to their heels.
Egala and Lartey tried to escape on a motorbike but they were given a hot chase and arrested at the Tema Motorway roundabout after they had been shot in their legs.
Mr. Dankwah said the robbers stole from the Company a television set, video deck and 15 pieces of wristwatches, which they had packed into a vehicle in the yard.
A set of fake vehicle registration number plates (GT 0145 L), an auto language computer, six empty shells and one live ammunition were also found on them.
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Return to top Wenchihene threatens to boycott BA anniversary durbar
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo), 27th October 99
The Omanhene of Wenchi Traditional Area, Osagyefo Ampem Mboro Bediatuo VI, has threatened to boycott a grand durbar of chiefs to climax the 40th anniversary celebration of the creation of the Brong Ahafo Region scheduled for November six in Sunyani.
At a press conference in Sunyani on Monday, Osagyefo Bediatuo said he felt slighted by the decision of the Regional House of Chiefs to make it compulsory for some chiefs, excluding him, to ride in palanquins on the durbar day.
He said he has also been slighted in being left out in the recounting of events that led to the creation of the region on April four, 1959.
In a letter dated October 19, the House said it had decided to make it compulsory for the paramount chiefs of Drobo, Bechem, Techiman, Dormaa, Abease,
Kukuom and Odomase Number One, described as the founding fathers, the President of the House and the immediate Past President and the Sunyanihene, to ride in palanquin.
Osagyefo Bediatuo stated that because of his blood relations with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, it was he who led a delegation of chiefs, including the then Bechemhene and Berekumhene, to plead against conducting a referendum on the creation of the region.
He said it was this that averted a referendum, which could have proved disastrous for the people of the region, and wondered why his immense contribution should be forgotten so soon.
He, however, stated that his decision was not to create confusion about the celebration but to tell his version of the history surrounding the creation of the region.
Osagyefo Bediatuo said he did not also understand why his name should be left out completely on all the programmes for the anniversary.
He, however, assured the people that he would continue to help and never turn his back on the region.
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Return to top Four districts to benefit from water, sanitation projects
Koforidua (Eastern Region), 26th October 99
The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with four district assemblies in the Eastern Region for the provision of potable water and sanitation facilities.
The project by implemented by the Eastern Region Community Water Supply and Sanitation with support from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) will benefit the Akuapem North and South, Kwaebibirem and Kwahu South Districts.
CSWA will sink 540 boreholes or hand-dug wells in an estimated 270 communities and provide 110 institutional latrines to 6,000 households in the affected communities.
The Memorandum of Understanding spells out the roles expected to be played
by both the CWSA and the District Assemblies in ensuring the success of the projects.
While CWSA will play the role of a facilitator, the assemblies would manage the Community Water and Sanitation Programme.
The Eastern Regional director of CWSA, Mr. E.F. Boateng, urged the district assemblies to support CWSA by setting aside part of their budget for water and sanitation activities and also finance the operations of district water management teams to enable them to play effective roles in the communities.
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Return to top Oil and Gas conference opens in Accra next year
Accra (Greater Accra), 26th October 99
Oil and Gas Africa 2000 conference and exhibition will be held from March seven to nine 2000 at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The event would be on the theme "Africa, the petroleum province of the 21st century", a statement from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), said in Accra on Monday.
The organisers for this year's conference, GNPC and FSG Medi Media of England, have been joined by the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
African oil ministers and decision makers as well as oil industry majors within and outside Africa and international financial institutions are expected to attend.
The statement said UNCTAD's participation is in recognition "not only of the success of the previous conferences but also related to its interest in commodity trade issues in Africa.
"UNCTAD has set up a trust fund which will support training and capacity building for African national agencies as well as private sector participants."
After three years of successful events, Oil and Gas Africa has clearly become the premier oil industry event on the continent of Africa.
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Return to top Mpohor Wassa East to enjoy Village Infrastructure Project
Daboase, (Western Region) 26th October 99
The Mpohor Wassa East District has been selected for the second phase of the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP), Mr. A. E. Aggrey, the District Chief Executive, has announced.
Addressing the third ordinary session of the District Assembly at Daboase on Monday, he said a two-year District Rural Infrastructural Development Plan estimated at 2.4 billion cedis has been prepared.
The District Assembly will contribute 10 per cent of the total cost of the plan, which has two components.
The first involves the provision of infrastructure in rural water supply, rural transport, rural harvest and institutional strengthening. The second for the establishment of community owed sub-projects.
Mr. Aggrey said the Assembly has disbursed 196.7 million cedis among 72 groups under its poverty alleviation programme and urged members of the Assembly to sensitise the beneficiaries in their electorate areas to repay the loans.
Mr. Isaac Mensah, the Presiding Member of the Assembly said the Assembly has for the first time in many years exceeded its revenue target.
Mr. Mensah said the Assembly has been selected by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to benefit from a number of training courses at the Institute of Local Government Studies.
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Return to top Mobilization Programme calls on governments to respect rule of law
Sunyani, 26th October 99
The National Mobilisation Programme (NMP) has called on West African governments to be more tolerant and to respect the rule of law as a long-term measure to minimise refugee problems in the sub-region.
It expressed grave concern about the pressure put on the budgets of governments as a result of the influx of refugees into their countries and appealed to donor countries to assist financially and materially to solve such problems.
This was contained in a five-point resolution adopted by delegates to the ninth national conference of the NMP which ended at Sunyani at the weekend on the theme: "NMP, challenges in the competitive free market environment".
The resolution, which was read by Ms Victoria Adjoa Wordey, Deputy Volta Regional Liaison Officer, welcomed the government's initiative at reducing poverty through the introduction of the poverty alleviation scheme.
It, however, called on district assemblies to collaborate with the NMP to manage the scheme for the realisation of its objectives.
The resolution lauded the government's reform process within the public sector and hoped that this would lead to efficiency and increased productivity.
In his closing address, Mr. David Boateng, a Presidential Aide, disclosed that the NMP has embarked on a staff shedding exercise, based on a report submitted by the management services division.
He therefore called on the management of the NMP to conduct the exercise in a fair and humane manner in order not to create problems.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr. Donald Adabre, said re-training of mobisquads would help to broaden their outlook to enable them to win contracts from the various district assemblies.
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