Millennium competition launched
NDC executives pledge support for MP
Youth organiser urges a halt to Veep slot publicity
42 NPP activists defect to NDC
Staff of district assemblies must be checked - Ahwoi
Millennium competition launched
Accra (Greater Accra), 29th October 99
The Ghana Millennium Commission, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service, is organising a nation-wide essay competition among all students in senior secondary schools.
This is in connection with the celebration of the end of the second millennium and the start of the third.
A release issued in Accra on Thursday said to ensure fairness in the competition, all heads of schools will certify entries as true and the original work of a contestant with fully endorsed passport sized photographs attached.
Prizes to be awarded will range from five million cedis, and will all be converted into treasury bills for the winning contestants as a form of future investment for them.
It said care had been taken to choose four contemporary topics for the competition. They are:
(1) Development gains made by Ghana in the last ten years can only be sustained in a peaceful environment. What challenges does this pose to the youth in the next millennium?;
(2) What role do you envisage for the Ghanaian woman in terms of peace, development and their sustainability in the next millennium?;
(3) How prepared is Ghana towards meeting the challenges of the next millennium?; and
(4) Good governance coupled with economic growth can sustain peace and development in the next millennium. Discuss.
Closing date for the submission of entries is Friday, December 31, 1999.
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NDC executives pledge support for MP
Mumford (Central Region), 29th October 99
Executives of the Mumford Ward of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have pledged their full support for Mrs. Ama Benyiwa-Doe, Member of Parliament for Gomoa West and a Deputy Minister for Employment and Social Welfare.
A statement signed by the Ward co-ordinator, Secretary, Treasurer, Women's Organiser, and an executive member, disassociated themselves from a purported demonstration against the MP for non-performance allegedly reported by an Accra daily on October 22.
The statement said, "We the Executives of Mumford Ward have not at any time taken any decision to reject Honourable Ama Benyiwa Doe, let alone demonstrate against her".
They described the performance of the MP as "impressive" and said "she qualifies for another term" and condemned the youth organiser for allowing himself to be used by some disgruntled individuals to achieve their political ambitions.
In a related development, two assembly members at Mumford, Mr. Ebenezer Adoko and Mr. Humility Abbiw, have warned people with political ambitions to desist from dragging the name of the town into the mud.
In a statement, the assembly members condemned the publication, saying: "Mumford is a peace-loving town" and no one should its peace.
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Youth organiser urges a halt to Veep slot publicity
Cape Coast (Central Region), 29th October 99
The Central Regional Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Kwaku Agyensam, has urged the leadership of the party to stop further publication of campaigns for the party's vice-presidential slot for the 2000 elections.
Mr. Agyensam said it was unfortunate that some people from certain ethnic groups were creating the impression that the vice-presidential position was their right and feared that if the situation was not nipped in the bud, it could create divisions within the party.
Mr. Agyensam, who was addressing a youth meeting at Cape Coast on Thursday, ascribed this unhealthy development to the machinations of enemies of the party.
He pointed out that wherever the vice-president would come from did not matter since he was not going to serve the parochial interest of the people of any particular region.
Mr. Agyensam urged the youth to take advantage of the Poverty Reduction Fund and the Youth in Agriculture Programme to embark on income-generating ventures.
"You need not wait to get millions of cedis before starting something to earn you a living," he said.
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42 NPP activists defect to NDC
Abonko (Central Region), 29th October 99
Thirty-two members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at Abonko, near Mankessim in the Mfantseman West Constituency, have defected to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The defectors, led by Mr. Kwame Andrews, Abonko NPP branch chairman, were introduced to the constituency executives of the NDC at a meeting at Abonko last Sunday.
Mr. Andrews said their action was in recognition of the good works of Vice-President John Evans Atta Mills, who is on the verge of being nominated as flag bearer of the party for the 2000 general elections.
Welcoming them, Mr. Stephen Edward Moore, NDC constituency chairman, said the party had initiated pragmatic programmes to improve upon the standard of living of Ghanaians and called for their support to ensure their successful implementation.
Mr. Jacob Arthur, Member of Parliament for the area, called on Ghanaians to do away with politics of hatred and stop regarding their opponents as enemies.
He urged the electorate to study carefully the manifestos of all the political parties to enable them to take good decisions when casting their votes.
At a similar meeting at Mankessim, 10 members of the NPP also announced their defection to the NDC.
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Accra (Greater Accra), 29th October 99
The First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, was on Thursday presented with a certificate and a book dedicated to her for championing the cause of women in Ghana.
The book, "Woman in Human Development", was written by Mrs. Jane Irina Adu, Executive Director of Horizon Publications, the publishers.
The 178-page book highlights the achievements of women, and addresses other socio-economic issues in the development of society such as child care, home management and primary health care.
Nana Konadu stressed that Ghanaian women are capable of making positive impressions in society despite the many obstacles that hinder their progress.
Citing the writer as an example, she said Ghana is endowed with many talented women who, but for the widespread discrimination against them in all fields of endeavour, would be making real and serious progress in society.
Dr Mary Grant, Member of the Council of State, said the contents of the book show that women have broken the yoke of playing second class role, and must therefore be given equal opportunities to develop their potentials.
Women, she said should be gentle without being subservient, just and firm and be assertive without being outrageous.
Mrs Rebecca Adotey, Deputy Minister of Communications who launched the book, urged Ghanaians to patronise it to empower other ladies to come out with their best.
She asked women to form a network and help each other to forge ahead in their endeavours.
Mrs. Adu said she was inspired to write the book by Nana Konadu's untiring support for the emancipation of women, her zeal in engaging women in productive ventures, and championing the plight of women and encouraging them to attain top management positions in the country.
The first two copies of the book were auctioned for two million cedis.
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Staff of district assemblies must be checked - Ahwoi
Kumasi (Ashanti), 29th October 99
Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, has charged the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) to ensure that the staff of district assemblies are brought under their strict control.
Opening the 11th national delegate's conference of NALAG on Thursday in Kumasi, Mr. Ahwoi urged NALAG to play a "pressure group" role in local government matters and engage their attention on the newly established Local Government Service.
The four-day conference on the theme "Democratisation and Decentralisation: strategies for consolidation".
He said NALAG should take all constitutional steps, including court actions where necessary, to compel the central government to implement the provisions of the constitution as they relate to local government in the event of any default.
It is important for NALAG to ensure that the actions of all branches of government as they relate to local government conform to the constitution.
The Minister said NALAG should be louder in ensuring that the character of the district assemblies is maintained, regretting that "so far, the voice of NALAG has been loudest in its silence as far as the numerous debates and discussions on the local government provisions in the constitution are concerned.
"Yet as the only organised group for local government practitioners in the country, NALAG, more than anyone else, must have the loudest say in matters of local government", Mr. Ahwoi added.
Lieutenant-Colonel Kaku Korsah, Shama/Ahanta East Metropolitan Chief Executive and out-going president of NALAG, said the task of Local Government practitioner, particularly of the top managers, is going to be more complex and challenging in the 21st century.
He said issues of land use and management, environmental sanitation and public safety would dominate activities that would occupy the attention of Local Governments.
Lt.-Col. Korsah said unless there is effective planning and harnessing of resources, the gains of the country's young democracy and decentralised Local Government might be eroded.
In recent times, the performance of assemblies in respect of the district assembly's common fund has come under very critical review.
In some cases, it is pertinent that there are wide misapplications or embezzlements, adding that in others, it is perceived that there is laxity in local revenue generation of the common fund.
Lt.-Col. Korsah said these perceptions are over-exaggerated taking into account the economic state of some of the newly created districts, the human capacities of the districts and the quantum of money managed by the assembly's vis-à-vis the alleged misapplication.
He therefore called for the pursuit of capacity building for the assemblies diligently within the shortest possible time frame to ensure an efficient financial management.
"It is the wish of NALAG that the allocation of the five per cent of revenue from the consolidated fund be increased to a higher percentage to compensate for the 50 per cent mandatory disbursement of each assembly's allocation, which is having a big toll on the execution of action programmes (of the Assemblies) within their Medium Term Development Plans.
Nana Akwasi Agyeman, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, in a welcoming address, noted that decentralisation as practised now in Ghana has achieved a lot of success.
He said it is therefore incumbent on them to ensure that this success is sustained in order to move the nation forward.
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