National
Democratic Congress campaign machine to start firing
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 September 2002 - The price of cocoa has soared
to its highest level over 16 years because of fears that the military uprising
in Cote d’Ivoire last week will cut off supplies. Fighting broke out last week
in Cote d’Ivoire-the world's biggest producer of cocoa, following a mutiny by
soldiers who were protesting against demobilisation.
Cote d’Ivoire supplies 40 per cent of the world's cocoa and the next three
months are crucial for prices as most of the crop is shipped between October
and Christmas. The price of cocoa for delivery in December jumped $37 (£23) in
New York to make it $2,157 per tonne on Wednesday, a rise of nearly two per
cent and the highest closing price since September 1986.
Prices had already risen by about 60 per cent this year, because of a shortage
of the crop. Supplies of cocoa beans are now expected to be poor for the third
year in a row. "Everyone is concerned about the movement of beans, whether
beans will move smoothly or whether there will be roadblocks," said Boyd
Cruel of American brokers, Alaron Trading in Chicago.
"We're already dealing with a production deficit this year,"
he added. The centre of the uprising, the city of Bouake, was reported to be
relatively quiet on Wednesday morning, though gunfire was heard early in the
day. The French and US governments have sent troops to evacuate their citizens.
The Government of Cote d’Ivoire has accused the rebels of being backed by
foreign governments. But they say they are fighting against dictatorship and
deny having outside help. They have accused the Cote d’Ivoire Government of
using Angolan troops in their attempts to retake the town of Bouake.
In a related development, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has signed a
$420-million receivables-backed pre-export finance facility with 27 banks for
the 2002/2003 cocoa seasons. Mr Kwame Sarpong, Chief Executive of COCOBOD,
signed on behalf of his organisation while representatives of the various banks
signed on behalf of their companies.
The facility, which is the highest amount mobilised for any sub-Saharan
company, was arranged by Barclays Bank PLC, Standard Chartered Bank,
Commerzbank Aktinegesellschaft, Credit Lyonnaise SA Bank, AG Deutsche
Zentral-Genossenschaft, Frankfurt, am, and MAIN.
The rest are Ghana International Bank PLC, ING BHF-Bank,
Aktinegesellschaft and Natexis Banques Populairess, London branch. Others are
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC, UFJ Bank Limited and Rabobank International.
Co-arrangers of the facility include DekaBank Deutsche Gironzentrale, Sumitomo
Mitsui Banking Corporation and Belgolaise S.A.
The lead managers of the facility are the Arab Bank, Sepah International, Erste
Bank, Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz, National Bank of Kuwait, Vereins-und
Westbank, Ecobank Ghana Limited and Social Security Limited Bank.
Among dignitaries present at the ceremony which also marked the 10th
Anniversary of the COCOBOD syndicated loan facility were, Mr Martin Quansah,
the Minister for Political and Economic, Mr Eric Amenuvor, Minister Counsellor
for Trade, Ghana High Commission, Mr Jacob Ofosu-Koree, Manager of Cocoa
Marketing Company (UK), Mr Kobina Quansah, MD, Barclays Bank of Ghana Limited
as well as representatives of the banks involved in the syndication.
In a speech read on his behalf, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK, Mr Isaac
Osei expressed the government’s support shown by the banks to Ghana’s cocoa in
spite of the unfavourable global financial landscape adding that, “the
Government of Ghana will continue to adopt a prudent approach in the external
marketing of its cocoa beans.”
He said the industry continues to play a preponderant role in the country’s
economy by providing a source of livelihood for about a million Ghanaians and
accounts for a third of Ghana’s annual foreign exchange earnings.
“I assure you that the support in the cocoa sector will spur us on as a nation
to strive towards higher heights in our efforts to build a viable and strong
economy based on the free enterprise system, democracy, rule of law, justice
and equity of freedom of the press,” he said.
Mr Osei expressed the hope that the enabling investment climate created by the
government would encourage the financial institutions not only to intensify
their drive to invest in Ghana but also to diversify into other sectors of the
Ghanaian economy.
The Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Mr kwame Sarpong noted that, “the cocoa industry
demands the adoption and application of new thinking and approaches towards the
development of a forward looking cocoa industry to push forward the nation’s
development agenda.”
He dedicated the success of the syndication loan agreement to the sacrifice,
hard work and the commitment of the Ghanaian cocoa farmers to produce good
quality cocoa and hoped that the confidence shown by the banks will encourage
the farmers to achieve greater dynamism and uphold best practices. – Daily
Graphic
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 27 September 2002 - The National House of Chiefs
(NHC) has protested against the 60-per cent deductions the Forestry Commission
effected from royalties paid on the exploitation of timber resources on stool
lands. It described the deductions as unconstitutional and said the House would
use all means possible to have the situation reversed.
Speaking at the general meeting of the House in Kumasi on Wednesday, the
President of the House, Odeneho Gyapong Ababio II, described as unacceptable
the proposal by the government through the Ministry of Lands and Forestry to have
the deductions reduced to 40 per cent.
Odeneho Ababio reminded the chiefs of the appeal by President Kufuor to the
House to help the nation adopt a uniform Land Tenure System, when he was
launching in Accra last Monday, the Foundation for Building the Capital of the
Poor.
He, therefore, stressed the need for the House to discuss the matter with all
seriousness. Odeneho Ababio, who is also the Omanhene of Sefwi Bekwai
Traditional Area, commented on the allowances paid to members, which he
described as woefully inadequate.
He said he had taken up the matter with the office of the Chief of Staff
at the Castle seeking an upward adjustment of the allowances and said
indications are that the request would be granted. Odeneho Ababio said members
of the Standing Committee of the House are planning a courtesy call on the
President, and said at the meeting, they will draw the President’s attention to
the very low allowances they receive.
He disclosed that funds have been released for painting and other minor
works on the offices of the House. He commended the research committee of the
House under the chairmanship of Professor Nabila for the good work it is doing.
A delegation from the Upper Dixcove Traditional Area was at the House to inform
the chiefs of the death of the Omanhene of the area, Nana Hima Dekyi XIII. Nana
Dekyi, the only female Omanhene in the country died at the age of 97, and will
be buried on November 2. - Daily Graphic
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 27 September 2002 - Four American companies have expressed interest
to invest in the Information, Communication and Technology as well as Poultry
and Salt Industries in Ghana. Another American company, Applied Computer
Services (ACS), which is already established in the country, has decided to
expand its operations to create 1000 additional jobs.
These were the outcome of the investment promotion tour embarked upon by
President J.A. Kufuor in the Salt Lake City, capital of the Utah State in the
USA, last week. The four companies are OverC Company, Convergys, Airnet
Communications Corporation and Sentry Financial International.
An IT Specialist and Special Assistant at the Office of the President, Dr Sam
Somuah who disclosed this in an interview in Accra described the President’s
investor tour as very successful. He said the Sentry International has decided
to invest a total of ¢163 billion in poultry and salt mining industry in two
years.
The company will release ¢81.5 billion to the National Investment Bank this
year for disbursement to poultry and salt mining as well as IT companies in the
country.
Dr Somuah said the release of remaining ¢81.5 billion will depend on the
successful management of the first half of the investment.
He indicated that the OverC Company has proposed to employ 200 workers
initially with the possibility of increasing the workforce to 500. Officials of
the company are expected in the country in November and the company plans to
begin operations next January, he said.
The company has operations in 40 countries different parts of the world apart
from Africa and has now decided to invest in Africa for the first time with
Ghana, Mauritius and South Africa as its target. Dr Somuah said the Airnet
Communication Corporation has expressed its intention to roll out one million
fixed and cellular telephone lines throughout the 110 districts in the country
over the next five years.
He said the project will ensure that all rural areas of the country receive
telephone and Internet services with superior quality at affordable rates. The
IT Specialist said the technology which will be used by the Airnet
Communication Corporation has a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) will enable
fixed Internet services to be accessed in every part of Ghana in the first
phase.
The (GPRS) platform will enable all Secondary Schools to be connected to the
Internet as promised by the President in his State of the Nation’s address to
Parliament last February. He said extensive studies and financing arrangements
have been made to enable the project to begin as soon as the National
Communications Authority issues a frequency license.
The execution of the project is expected to provide 10,600 jobs in the country
within five years. He said the country is dependent on traditional exports such
as cocoa and gold, a situation, which cannot sustain the economy in the 21st
century. He said the IT Industry offers a huge potential, which can be tapped
for the country’s development. - Daily Graphic
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Agogo
(Ashanti Region) 27 September 2002 - The Ministry of Women and Children's
Affairs has started distributing tomato processing equipment to all the tomato
growing communities in the country. The Italian Government through its
Ambassador in Ghana financed the 15 processing machines, worth a total of
$10,000.
The
Ambassador has also brought in Mr Mario De Cataldo, a renowned specialist in
the tomato processing business in Italy to demonstrate to tomato farmers how
the processing equipment works. The machines will produce tomato paste and
puree which can be preserved for at least six months.
Presenting
one of the machines to tomato growers at a well-attended ceremony at Agogo, the
Women’s and Children Affairs Minister, Mrs Gladys Asmah noted that the need to
establish cottage industries to take care of the domestic market is very
important. She said it was on that basis that the NPP Government, since coming
to power, has not relented in its efforts to support the setting up of such
industries.
Mr Kwadwo
Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said the
Government will not discriminate in the sharing of the “national cake” and
stated that the distribution of the relief funds was carefully and fairly done.
He gave a
breakdown as follows; Upper East Region, ¢5 billion, Upper West Region, ¢ 5
billion, Northern Region, ¢13.5 billion and Brong Ahafo Region, ¢13 billion.
The rest are Western Region ¢12 billion, Central Region ¢12.5 billion, Eastern
Region ¢15.5 billion, Volta Region, ¢12 billion, Greater Accra Region, ¢18
billion and Ashanti Region, ¢19.5 billion. - Daily Graphic
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 27 September 2002 - The interim Coach of the Black Stars,
Emmanuel Kwesi Afranie, has shortlisted 18 locals and 10 foreign-based players
for his next match against Rwanda in Accra on October 13 in an African Cup of
Nations qualifying match being the second qualifying match for the Stars after
their 1-0 loss to Uganda.
The players
are: Sammy Adjei, Edmund Copson, Charles Taylor and Don Botey all of Accra
Hearts of Oak. Others are George Owu, Michael Osei, Isaac Amoako,Joe Hendricks,
Hamza Mohammed, Aziz Ansah and Isaac Boakye all of Kumasi Ashanti Kotoko.
The rest
are Agbadu Kasimi - RTU, John Paintsil, Daniel Yeboah and Jonathan Quartey of
Liberty; Michael Asante and Andrew Pomayie of Olympics; and Princeton
Owusu-Ansah. The foreign-based players are: John Mensah, Yakubu Abubakari, Kofi
Amponsah, Daniel Adusei, Christian Gyan, Stephen Appiah, Baffour Gyan, Charles
Amoah, Augustine Arhinful, Razak Ibrahim, and Derek Boateng.
According
to a statement issued and signed by Kofi Nsiah, General Secretary of the Ghana
Football Association, a final list of 18 players will be picked after 10 days of
uninterrupted camping. Club chairmen are respectfully being requested to
release their players to report at the Accra Sports Stadium by 10 a.m. on
Monday 30 September. - Daily Graphic
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 27 September 2002 - Coach Emmanuel Kwasi Afranie, new Coach of
the senior national team, the Black Stars, has appealed to the media to support
him in building a formidable team to conquer Africa.
He told the
GNA Sports that all Ghanaians, especially the media, should see themselves as
shareholders in the new Black Stars and help him to succeed. The former
Under-20 coach and a nominee for the Best Coach of Africa prize at the last CAF
awards said he welcomes constructive criticisms and suggestions that would help
the team to progress.
Coach
Afranie takes over from Yugoslav Milan Zivadinovic who resigned last Monday
after three months in office, citing bureaucracy and lack of support from his
employers. The new Coach said he plans to bring on board some local coaches,
especially those from the regions, to share ideas and offer suggestions for the
good of the nation.
"I am
even planning to invite coaches whose clubs are performing very well in the
premier league so that we could share ideas and look at the way forward,"
he said. Coach Afranie said he sees his appointment as a challenge to all local
coaches and appealed to them to support him to succeed.
His first
assignment will be against Rwanda in an Africa Nations Cup qualifier on October
13 at the Accra Stadium. The Stars are likely to play host to the Harambee
Stars of Kenya either on October 8 or 9 in Accra before the big game. The
Kenyans have already sent a proposal to the Ghana Football Association for the
trial match since they are scheduled to make a transit in Accra on their way to
Cape
Verde. - Daily
Graphic
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Goalkeeper
Osei Boateng of Asante Kotoko has been summoned to appear before the
Disciplinary Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for punching the
face of Power FC's Bernard Asare after the 24th week league match between the
two sides at Koforidua last Sunday.
He faces
the committee with his team manager, Alhaji Yahaya, who will answer charges of
assault on the fourth referee in the said match. A statement signed by the FA's
deputy General Secretary (technical), K. Ampem-Darko, also requested Dawu
Youngsters Sporting Club to appear before the FA's Disciplinary Committee for
assaulting referee F. K. Mensah who handled their match against Bofoakwa last
Sunday.
"Meanwhile,
Kotoko has been fined ¢500,000 for entering the Koforidua Stadium through
unauthorised gate," the statement said. It said both Okwawu and Goldfields
have also been fined ¢200,000 for delaying the start of their 24th week game in
Accra by five minutes.
The
statement which cautioned match officials to live above reproach by not
compromising their integrity when they take up appointments, also appealed to
security personnel placed on duty during league matches to apprehend and bring
culprits to book to serve as deterrent to others.
It further
appealed to football fans to be disciplined at all times to help "control
the few unruly individuals during football matches" in order to make the
rest of the league matches incident-free. - Daily Graphic
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Winneba
(Central Region) 27 September 2002 - The Member of Parliament (MP) for Efutu,
Mr Mike Allen Hammah, has called for the channelling of energies of the youth
into productive ventures for national development and progress. " There
must be a conscious efforts by all of us to channel the energies of the youth
into creative dynamic human capital with the potential of contributing to
national development," he said.
Mr Hammah
was speaking at the 8th Biennial Diocesan delegates conference Anglican Young
People's Association (AYPA) at Winneba, in the Central Region. The conference,
which was on the theme," National Development-The role of the youth"
was attended by delegates from the various parishes of the diocese.
The MP for
Efutu said development is essentially a human activity, which depends on the
quality of the country's human resource; he therefore, appealed to political
parties, business enterprises and other stakeholders to adopt a common platform
to realise that objective.
He
enumerated a number of problems confronting the youth and remarked " in
the absence of proper guidance and employment opportunities, the youth play
into the hands of anti-social activities," Mr Hammah, who was a Deputy
Minister of Roads and Transport in the government of the National Democratic
Congress (NDC), called on the Kufuor administration to revisit the youth policy
initiated by the former government.
"It is
increasingly clear that the policy on the youth cannot wait any longer, it must
be constituted into the right institutional and legal framework to address the
problems of the youth," the MP for Efutu said. He also called on leaders
of the various religious denominations to serve as models to the youth by
leading lives, which are decent and dignified.
" The
daily lives of youth religious leaders must be consistent with spiritual values
so that the mass of the youth will emulate their lifestyles," Mr Hammah
said. The MP for Efutu also urged the civil society to hold regular seminars
intended to explain and recommend practical solutions to pertinent social and
economic issues bothering the youth. - Daily Graphic
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 27 September 2002 - The Minister of Economic Planning and
Regional Co-operation, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, has called on West African leaders
to take pragmatic steps to implement all the ECOWAS protocol agreements to
ensure free trade and movement of goods and services in the sub-region.
This, he
said, will ensure the accelerated development of the Economies of countries in
the sub-region through intra-West African trade. Dr Nduom made the call at the launching
of the West Africa Business Association (WABA) Ghana, in Accra.
The
association aims to serve as one of the reliable vehicles for supporting and
facilitating the Ghana Government's resolve to strengthen ECOWAS and promote
Ghana's trade relations with all countries in the sub-region.
The
minister deplored the low level of trade among the sub-regional countries,
which, he said, only represents 10 per cent. "If we can have a common
currency, passport, central bank and free movement of goods and services
without any hassle, the sub-region will be a safe haven for foreign direct
investment", he said.
Dr Nduom
said that there is no need to sign any new ECOWAS protocol agreement and
stressed that " the existing protocol agreements if implemented will facilitate
the expansion of the economies of the sub-region".
"The
sub-region has a potential to attract investment due to its large market
potential and natural resources and there is the need to ensure the
exploitation of such resources for the benefit of the people", he said.
The
minister said the challenge facing the government is to raise the capital
income of the people from the present $370 per annum to an appreciable level
and stressed that "government is
committed to ensure this through trade within the sub-region.
He welcomed
the launching of the association and challenged the members to put pressure on
government to ensure that bureaucracies that hinder trade within the sub-region
are removed. The Vice-Chairman of WABA-UK, Dr John Brown, said regional
development is a key factor in the process of accelerating and creating
sustainable economic development and the raising of living standards.
He said
linkages, networking and dissemination, mutual help are the core concepts of
the association for the benefit of people in the sub-region and Europe as well
as assist government in the formulation of economic policy as it affects the
private sector.
The
Chairman of WABA-Ghana, Mr Martin Esson-Benjamin, said the association does not
show any parochial interest but enables businesses with shades of opinion to
forge partnership to ensure rapid growth of the economy.
He said the
association will seek to harmonise the strengths of individuals and businesses
and other associations to help the country maximise its potential and emerge as
the leading investment destination in the sub-region. - Daily Graphic
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Kusanaba
(Upper West) 27 September 2002 - Burial and the final funeral rites of the late
Ayeebo Asumda, the first Regional Commissioner of the Upper Region, now Upper East
and Upper West regions took place at his home town, Kusanaba in the Bawku West
District of the Upper East.
A
government delegation led by Prof Kassim Kassanga was among the large mourners,
who attended the funeral. The delegation included two Members of the Council of
State, Messrs C.K. Tedam and Francis Afoko as well as Ms Diana Nyamekye, Deputy
Minister of Manpower Development.
The rest
are Mr Sidique Boniface Abubakar, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, the
Member of Parliament (MP) for Navrongo Central, Mr John Achuliwor, the Upper
East Regional Minister, Mr Mahami Salifu, and the district chief executives of
the region.
Dr Obed
Asamoah, National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the
former Minister of Defence, Alhaji Iddrissu Mahama, led an NDC delegation,
including NDC MPs from the region, while the National Chairman of the
Convention People's Party (CPP), Dr Abubakar Alhassan, led his party.
High-powered
delegations from Bawku and Bolgatanga Traditional Councils also attended the
funeral of the late Asumda. The various delegations made presentations of
drinks, cash and animals to the bereaved family. Professor Kasanga, in a
tribute, described the late Asumda as a teacher, pioneer politician of the
North and an influential opinion leader, adding," Mr Asumda's contribution
to Northern Ghana would forever be remembered."
Ironically,
he said, after attempted 51 years of improvement in illiteracy in Northern
Ghana, spearheaded by the late Regional Commissioner and others, the Northern
Regions, are unable to equal this initiative. Rather, he explained that such an
initiative, appears to have obliterated this record with "mistrust'
chieftaincy and land disputes as well as violent ethnic conflicts. "The
other delegations, also read tributes in honour of the late Asumda.
The burial
and the final rites of the late first regional commissioner of the Upper Region
was marked with a wake-keeping at the Plaza Square at Bolgatanga, which was
attended by all manner of persons. – Daily Graphic
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 27 September 2002 - Whiles the Accra Metropolitan Assembly is
busily evacuating squatters at shanty town at Agbogbloshie popularly called
“Sodom and Gomorrah”, the ejected squatters are simply putting up stalls a few
kilometres from the original site. The
new township is taking on the shape of Sodom and Gomorrah with all its
depravity.
The Sodom
and Gomorrah Mark Two is sited on Ghana Railways Corporation property and
christened CMB – “Abuja”. It is
situated behind Graphic Corporation, within sight or the users of the Graphic
Road. This strip of land has developed into a cluster of dilapidated kiosks,
where people, many of the young are crammed in at night. It is gradually taking on the
characteristics of the infamous “Sodom and Gomorrah” and is believed to be a
haven for sex workers and criminals including suspected armed robbers.
Incredibly,
two landlords who construct the kiosk at the site and rent them out to hard-up
tenants at incredibly high rates have developed the new settlement. The going
rate is Ë 25,000 payable in advance of two
years amounting to Ë 600,000. An opinion leader told Weekend
Agenda that several attempts to get the squatters to re-locate have proved
futile. Rather the township increases
in population by the day.
At Odawna
Official Town, just across the road, Agenda learnt from a woman who gave
her name as Auntie Ama that most of the people relocating at CMB Abuja came
from Sodom and Gomorrah. “I learnt they
are from Sodom and Gomorrah being settled here by a self-styled landlord,” she
said.
At the
Ghana Railways Corporation offices in Accra, an official who prefers to remain
anonymous said a series of meetings have been convened by a committee
comprising the Chief Executive of AMA, Solomon Ofei Darko, the Regional
Minister Sheikh I. C. Quaye and a representative of the Ministry of Local
Government and Rural Development to consider the issue. Very soon, we will take
action on it,” said the Railways Corporation official.
When Agenda
got hold of a copy of minutes of the meetings of the committee, the entry
suggested that the committee was set up to ensure the cleanliness of the market
that suddenly sprung up within the compound of the Railways Corporation and not
the evacuation of the squatters of the new Sodom and Gomorrah.
Another
official of the Ghana Railways Corporation, who spoke on the understanding that
he should not be identified, told Public Agenda: “We are not aware of the
settlement, so we shall investigate I’m a new person here. I pass there and see the kiosks but I don’t
know which other kiosks you are referring to.
What I know is that, the Railways is making all efforts to do away with
all those encroaching on our lands. – Weekend Agenda
GRi…/
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 27 September 2002 - The National Democratic Congress (NDC)
campaign machine is to start firing on all cylinders immediately, according to
insiders at the party’s headquarters and Chronicle contacts in the
regions.
This
strategy is to enable the party take advantage of what a party chief described
as jittery performance on the part of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the incumbent
government’s equally jittery response to situations and issues as well as the
party’s inability to soak pressure from the onslaughts of the opposition NDC.
“They
started being jittery from day one when they took over power. All they have been doing now is arm a
section of the private press to wage their war for them.” The impression one
has is that the NPP appear not to be quite sure that they have won any
elections. We have to take advantage of
the honeymoon fever afflicting them and make enough gains as quickly as
possible before they (the NPP) wake up from their slumber.”
The paper
learnt that in the last few weeks, all available resources are being marshalled
from well-heeled party functionaries and business friends both in and outside
the country to provide the necessary mobilisation for the party’s foot-soldiers
to enable them start organising in earnest before the Atta Mills – Kwesi
Botchwey clash of the Titans.
The
code-name for the project whose documents are in the possession of Chronicle
was looted a couple of weeks ago after the inauguration of the NDC Council of
Elders and the Obed – Rawlings cease-fire. The paper will be publishing
documents and correspondences in that regard when our forensic experts certify
their authenticity.
Chronicle
has also learnt
that the inauguration of women and youth working committees in the Volta Region
and Northern parts of the country in the last couple of weeks, three clear
months from the December Congress, is the beginning of a series of co-ordinated
programmes intended to ambush the NPP and kick it out of power in the next
elections.
“Every
seasoned politician knows what we are capable of when it comes to organising
and mobilising people. The NPP didn’t
do any effective campaigning in the last elections; it was the press that did
everything for them. Now, the way they are running the economy down, it remains
to be seen whether the press would stoop so low as to help them (NPP) push that
agenda again,” a regional organiser told the paper.
“We shall
give Jake’s magic back to him the way he gave it to us during the 2000
parliamentary and presidential campaign.
We will be meeting him and his boys every inch of the way this time
round. Already, the NPP is losing most
of its boys to Kofi Wayo. That tells
the whole world how vulnerable they already are after barely two years in
power.”
The NDC
National Women’s Organiser, Ms. Frances Asiam, this week confirmed the
Chronicle story, affirming that the party is frantically putting vital structures
in place to enable it strike and strike effectively at the party’s prime
political opponents, the NPP.
Calling on
all politicians, irrespective of party colours, to help in installing dignity
into electioneering endeavours in the search for and enduring democracy, Ms.
Asiam hoped that violence, political blackmail and calumny would be things of
the past, as all politicians are expected to work towards a common goal which
involves the eradication of the poor living conditions of their people, and the
creation of opportunities that would lead to the economic prosperity and social
well-being of the nation. – Ghanaian Chronicle
GRi…/
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Row over Maama Adam’s successor
Sunyani
(Brong-Ahafo Region) 27 September 2002 - Barely three weeks after the sudden
death of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress
(NDC), Alhaji Kwadwo Maama Adam, the decision to replace him has generated
tension within the party.
The top
brass of the party at the national level, it is alleged, are considering a
replacement from the Headquarters in Accra. This has not gone down well with
the regional executives who have sworn to pull every sinew to reject the
decision.
A
dependable source within the party who dropped the hint, said the regional
executive were to hold an emergency meeting soon to take a firm decision
against the replacement with from Accra. It is not going augur well for the
party if a replacement should from the National Headquarters and earlier the
decisions is rescinded the better, the source stressed.
Alhaji
Maama Adam died on the spot at Suhum on his return from attending the
inauguration of the Council of Elders in Accra; when his pick-up was ran over
by a heavy tipper truck on 7th September this year. He said since
been buried at his hometown in Bamire near Techiman on 10 September. The
ex-President Jerry John Rawlings among other dignitaries attended the funeral.
According
to the source, the late Chairman’s Vice, Mr J. Anyoh, could be encouraged to
take up the mantle or a member selected from the region, instead of someone
form Accra. Efforts to get a reaction form the NDC Headquarters in Accra proved
futile sine there was no response for the phone calls. The Evening News
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Volta
(Volta Region) 27 September 2002- A leading member of the Volta Regional
Secretariat of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Okyere Mantey, has advised
the NDC to give the Kufuor administration a breathing space to enable it o
concentrate on the laudable development programmes for the country. He said the
NDC “must think about their own promises during their tenure which they were
unable to fulfil, before talking about that of the NPP”.
Nana Mantey
was reacting to comments made by Dr Obed Asamoah, National Chairman of the NDC,
on the “GTV Breakfast Show” to the effect that “Ghanaians are not fools and
that if you tell them you are going to do something for them and you don’t
fulfil your promise, they are likely to throw you out at the next elections”.
Dr Asamoah
was quoted to have gone further to state that “when the policies you are
implementing are increasing the economic hardships of the people, then of
course you really ran the risk of being thrown out of office at election”.
Nana Okyere
Mantey contended that during the NDC’s tenure of office, it made a lot of
promises to Ghanaians, which it was unable to fulfil, especially to the people
of the Volta Region. According to him, “there is nothing to write home about
his (Obed) constituency (Hohoe North) in terms of development projects”.
He further
stated that roads constructed in the Hohoe District in the early 1960s and
1970s had not been repaired. He described the Peki to Hohoe road, Hohoe to Jasikan
road and the Kadjebi to Dambai road as death trap.
The only
access road, he said, was from Likpe Nkwanta to Likpe Bala. That road, he said,
was constructed from the Hohoe boundary. He said the NPP, which had been in
power for just 19 months had awarded contracts form Kpeve to Hohoe and from
Kadjebi to Brewaniase in the Nkwanta District of the Volta Region.
The NDC’s
world bank’, he said, was no more. “The people of the Volta Region have now
seen the light and they are hundred percent in support of President Kufuor.” He
said the Volta Regional Minister and his Deputy were doing a good job for the
people of the region and commended them for their dynamism. – The Evening
News
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 27 September 2002 – The leadership of the Parliamentary Action
Group (GAP) of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) has pledged its full support
for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2004 Presidential election.
This,
coming on top earlier calls by other leading members of the influential and
pragmatic wing of the party, is the clearest indication so far that the
Nkrumaist party will opt for some, form of electoral pact with the ruling
party.
But,
another leading member of the CPP and a fierce critic of the PAG, Kweisi Pratt
Jnr, has denounced the move, accusing his colleagues of subverting the
Nkrumaist course amid plans to form a “progressive” but ideological alliance
with other parties such as the National Reform Party, instead.
Revealing
the news exclusively to The Statesman, the First Deputy Speaker of
Parliament and leader of the PAG, Freddie Blay, sees throwing its support
behind the only party that appears capable of preventing the return to power of
the National Democratic Congress, as a strategy worth pursuing.
The
declaration of support for the NPP in the next Presidential election, according
to the CPP's only Parliamentarian, is motivated purely by the greater need to
strengthen democracy in Ghana, and to allow his party to focus more effectively
on strengthening its political base at the constituency level.
Freddie
Blay, who is also the publisher of the Daily Guide, warns that his group
would defy the CPP and go along with the NPP if the party refuses to see the
wisdom in an electoral pact with the ruling party in 2004.
"When
there is democracy, the CPP can organise itself and become attractive enough to
be elected into power and then we can establish a common and healthy rivalry to
the NPP," said he. "The Action Group would fight with the NPP to
prevent the NDC from returning to power," pledges its leader.
The NDC, he
notes, were never ready for democracy.
"They were forced to go for it." The MP for Ellembelle is
convinced that his party cannot win the 2004 elections. "Anybody who
thinks the CPP is winning the 2004 general elections does not appreciate the
realities on the ground. That person is
out of tune with the reality," stresses he.
But, the
Managing Editor of the Insight, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has taken a swipe at Freddie
Blay for the MP's pessimism (or realism) on the CPP's fate in 2004. "I
don't accept the analysis that the CPP is not going to win the 2004
election. Unless Blay is a
soothsayer-because there's no way of predicting what is to happen on the
political front before 2004."
While
refusing to be drawn in on which of the two major parties he would rather see
in power in 2004. Pratt does not see much difference between the ruling party
and the main opposition party. "In terms of policy orientation, there's
not much to choose between the NDC and the NPP."
The leader
of the Parliamentary Action Group, on the other hand, believes that the CPP can
learn a lot from smaller parties elsewhere, whose political orientation may
appear poles apart from their bigger and stronger governing partners. Citing
the recent elections in Germany, Freddie Blay said that J. Fischer's Greens and
Schroeder's Social Democrats had to come together to beat off a strong
challenge from Stoeber's Christian Democrats.
The Green
Party, which draws support from less than 12 per cent of the German electorate,
has become a major player in the country's politics, holding powerful cabinet
portfolios such as foreign affairs.
In Ghana
today, even before any formal pact has been arranged with the NPP, the CPP
boasts of a Cabinet Minister in the person of Dr Kwesi Nduom, another member of
the PAG who favours Kufuor's Presidential bid in two years time.
Freddie
Blay describes CPP executives who are opposed to the Parliamentary Action Group
as "Headquarters Constituents." In what seems like a thinly disguised
swipe at Kwesi Pratt and others, Freddie Blay says:
"They
have lost touch with what is going on in the constituencies. They think a party
is organised by having radio programmes and press Conferences." Beaming
with confidence, Blay predicts, "when the time comes, I am convinced a lot
of people will see the facts and the logic and support what we are doing."
Blay
explains that the only objective of the Action Group is to increase the number
of CPP Parliamentary seats in the 2004 general elections, adding cautiously,
"I am CPP." Kwesi Pratt Jnr, who absolutely dismisses the argument
for an electoral pact sees the immediate future of the CPP conversely.
"The party line is very simple. We
are building a party which is independent of both the NPP and the NDC." - The
Statesman
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