THE Ghana Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations in Health has embarked on a massive membership drive to enable it to streamline and expand its activities in the communities, especially among the urban poor.
It has become necessary to step up the activities of the coalition in the face of the rise in diseases among the urban poor and it seeks to do this by pooling resources from the numerous NGOs in Health to undertake projects, instead of the present situation where the duplication of functions is retarding progress on the health front.
The Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Coalition of NGOs in Health, Mr Eric Agbozo, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, said the impact of NGOs in Health could be considerable when they came under one umbrella.
He said membership was open to all organisations whose work impacted on health, both locally and internationally, faith-based organisations (FBOs), academia, professional groups, research institutions and networks of NGOs.
He said the Coalition of NGOs in Health, established in 2000, was the outcome of the Dakar Declaration by the World Health Organisation to streamline and co-ordinate the activities of all NGOs in the country for greater impact.
He said the coalition had drawn up a constitution and established a management team, with a 15-member board to supervise its activities to achieve its objective of assisting to ensure quality health for the people.
He said already more than eight NGOs which had operated separately had joined the coalition to ensure efficient delivery of health services to the vulnerable in society by supporting health activities in the communities.
Mr Agbozo commended the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Ghana for assisting the coalition to undertake its activities in the health sector, especially carrying out advertisements in its membership drive campaign in the communities.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
REVIEW TAX-FREE THRESHOLD...TUC urges govt (LEAD STORY, DEC 21)
Story: Abdul Aziz
ORGANISED labour has called on the government to review the three-year old tax-free threshold of GH¢240 per annum to reduce the burden on workers in the formal sector of the economy.
By the prevailing tax-free threshold, only workers who earn less than GH¢240 per annum or GH¢20 per month are exempt from tax and, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), that had not changed since it was fixed in 2006, even though salaries had increased during the period.
At a media interaction last Friday, the Secretary-General of the TUC, Mr Kofi Asamoah, argued that in that scenario it was the workers in the formal sector who bore the heavy income tax burden and cautioned that the TUC would not allow its members to continue to be treated unfairly, while wealthy people in the so-called informal sector were left off the hook.
He said the TUC submitted proposals to the government for the 2010 Budget Statement and Economic Policies to review the tax schedule but was disappointed to observe that attention was not paid to the demand of TUC on taxes on income in the 2010 budget.
The secretary-general said the silence of the budget on the TUC demand for a review of income taxes meant that the government intended to continue its over-reliance on taxing the formal sector workers.
Mr Asamoah said the TUC had every reason to believe that the government would tax workers more because its revenue projections were based on direct taxes as contained in the 2010 budget.
He stressed that the Congress expected to see a significant shift from the situation where formal sector workers had become an easy prey for the tax authorities and served notice that next year the TUC would do whatever it would take to ensure that workers in the formal sector were treated fairly under the single spine structure when it was implemented in the public service.
On the oil discovery, Mr Asamoah said Ghana had no reason to fail in utilising oil revenues to turn the economy around and deliver improved living conditions for its people.
He said the TUC expected that the oil revenue would be used to eradicate poverty and misery from the country and that the dependence on foreign aid and its associated conditionalities would soon be a thing of the past.
Mr Asamoah also called on the government not to ratify the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement initiated by the former government. Instead he proposed that the government should partner Ghana’s neighbours in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to negotiate a trade agreement that served the development interests of the sub-region.
Mr Ransford Tetteh, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said the GJA and TUC had the same desire to work towards improved service conditions for workers.
He said as a result of their common bond, the GJA was ready to collaborate with the TUC to share experiences to ensure that journalists earned adequate remuneration for their work.
ORGANISED labour has called on the government to review the three-year old tax-free threshold of GH¢240 per annum to reduce the burden on workers in the formal sector of the economy.
By the prevailing tax-free threshold, only workers who earn less than GH¢240 per annum or GH¢20 per month are exempt from tax and, according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), that had not changed since it was fixed in 2006, even though salaries had increased during the period.
At a media interaction last Friday, the Secretary-General of the TUC, Mr Kofi Asamoah, argued that in that scenario it was the workers in the formal sector who bore the heavy income tax burden and cautioned that the TUC would not allow its members to continue to be treated unfairly, while wealthy people in the so-called informal sector were left off the hook.
He said the TUC submitted proposals to the government for the 2010 Budget Statement and Economic Policies to review the tax schedule but was disappointed to observe that attention was not paid to the demand of TUC on taxes on income in the 2010 budget.
The secretary-general said the silence of the budget on the TUC demand for a review of income taxes meant that the government intended to continue its over-reliance on taxing the formal sector workers.
Mr Asamoah said the TUC had every reason to believe that the government would tax workers more because its revenue projections were based on direct taxes as contained in the 2010 budget.
He stressed that the Congress expected to see a significant shift from the situation where formal sector workers had become an easy prey for the tax authorities and served notice that next year the TUC would do whatever it would take to ensure that workers in the formal sector were treated fairly under the single spine structure when it was implemented in the public service.
On the oil discovery, Mr Asamoah said Ghana had no reason to fail in utilising oil revenues to turn the economy around and deliver improved living conditions for its people.
He said the TUC expected that the oil revenue would be used to eradicate poverty and misery from the country and that the dependence on foreign aid and its associated conditionalities would soon be a thing of the past.
Mr Asamoah also called on the government not to ratify the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement initiated by the former government. Instead he proposed that the government should partner Ghana’s neighbours in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to negotiate a trade agreement that served the development interests of the sub-region.
Mr Ransford Tetteh, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said the GJA and TUC had the same desire to work towards improved service conditions for workers.
He said as a result of their common bond, the GJA was ready to collaborate with the TUC to share experiences to ensure that journalists earned adequate remuneration for their work.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
4 RIVER BASIN AUTHORITIES MEET IN ACCRA (PAGE 3, DEC 16)
FOUR river basin authorities are to be integrated into the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional development strategy for collaboration in resources exploitation to reduce poverty in the sub-region.
The four authorities are the Volta Basin Authority (VBA), the Niger Basin Authority, the Senegambia River Authority and the `Mano River Union Zone.
The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Albert Abongo, dropped the hint when he hosted the third Session of Ministerial Council of six countries forming the VBA in Accra yesterday.
The six countries are Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso and Togo.
Mr Abongo said when the integration was concretised, it would enhance collaboration in the implementation of joint projects, as well as monitoring and evaluation.
He noted that that would go a long way in helping to realise the vision of the leaders and technical experts, which was to reduce poverty in the sub-region, as well as satisfy the aspirations of the communities in the river basin by exploiting the water resources, including fisheries.
He said his ministry viewed the hosting of the session of the Ministerial Council as an opportunity to exhibit the commitment and political will to see to the effective functioning of the newly created VBA.
The session, he said, could also ensure the enhancement of the international co-operation necessary for the rational and sustainable management of the water resources of the Volta River basin.
The Chairman of the Ministerial Council, Mr Laurent Sedgo, who is the Burkinabe Minister of Agriculture, Water and Fisheries Resources, said there was abundant political will which facilitated the formation of the VBA.
He said the basin held a lot of potential to reduce poverty and that opportunity should be seized for sustainable development for the mutual benefit of the countries involved.
The four authorities are the Volta Basin Authority (VBA), the Niger Basin Authority, the Senegambia River Authority and the `Mano River Union Zone.
The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Albert Abongo, dropped the hint when he hosted the third Session of Ministerial Council of six countries forming the VBA in Accra yesterday.
The six countries are Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso and Togo.
Mr Abongo said when the integration was concretised, it would enhance collaboration in the implementation of joint projects, as well as monitoring and evaluation.
He noted that that would go a long way in helping to realise the vision of the leaders and technical experts, which was to reduce poverty in the sub-region, as well as satisfy the aspirations of the communities in the river basin by exploiting the water resources, including fisheries.
He said his ministry viewed the hosting of the session of the Ministerial Council as an opportunity to exhibit the commitment and political will to see to the effective functioning of the newly created VBA.
The session, he said, could also ensure the enhancement of the international co-operation necessary for the rational and sustainable management of the water resources of the Volta River basin.
The Chairman of the Ministerial Council, Mr Laurent Sedgo, who is the Burkinabe Minister of Agriculture, Water and Fisheries Resources, said there was abundant political will which facilitated the formation of the VBA.
He said the basin held a lot of potential to reduce poverty and that opportunity should be seized for sustainable development for the mutual benefit of the countries involved.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
IMPROVE UPON REVENUE MOBILISATION ...Duffuor charges agencies (PAGE 14, DEC 15)
THE Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffour, has charged the revenue agencies to improve on revenue mobilisation to generate the much-needed resources for national development, in view of the global credit crunch which has affected inflows from the country’s development partners.
He explained that the quest to improve economic development had greatly been affected by the global economic crisis which had significantly reduced the revenue available for development, as well as the ability of the country to access funds from the development partners.
He said that situation had made it imperative for the revenue agencies to revisit the need to improve and diversify domestic revenue generation strategies.
Dr Duffour, who made the call at the opening of a conference for VAT Administrators in Africa (VADA) in Accra last Friday, said the government had decided to establish an integrated tax administration to be managed by a single revenue authority.
He noted that streamlining tax mobilisation efforts would result in effectiveness in generating more revenue for developmental efforts
Dr Duffour stressed that the country should seek to grow economically and become self-sufficient in order to provide for the growing population, saying that was the challenge most countries would like to overcome.
The Minister of Finance said the integration of the various tax agencies to be administered by a single revenue administration was a policy direction which had been tested and proved to be very successful.
He, therefore, called on the staff of the revenue agencies to position themselves to take up the challenge of becoming multi-skilled in tax collection
He said the integration in tax agencies in countries such as Kenya and Rwanda had proved to be beneficial, both to the public and the revenue agencies as a whole.
He said Ghana was, therefore, advancing from an inferior method of administering taxes to a superior phase where meagre resources could be optimised.
He said through integration, the country could be in a position to offer better developmental prospects which called for specialisation in the respective fields of tax administration
Dr Duffour said when those challenges were accomplished, tax administration in the country would become dynamic.
The Commissioner of VAT Services, Mr Anthony Minlah, said VADA was established with the aim of bringing together commissioners and administrators of VAT in Africa and also serve as a platform for generating ideas by brain-storming on operations of the tax.
He explained that the quest to improve economic development had greatly been affected by the global economic crisis which had significantly reduced the revenue available for development, as well as the ability of the country to access funds from the development partners.
He said that situation had made it imperative for the revenue agencies to revisit the need to improve and diversify domestic revenue generation strategies.
Dr Duffour, who made the call at the opening of a conference for VAT Administrators in Africa (VADA) in Accra last Friday, said the government had decided to establish an integrated tax administration to be managed by a single revenue authority.
He noted that streamlining tax mobilisation efforts would result in effectiveness in generating more revenue for developmental efforts
Dr Duffour stressed that the country should seek to grow economically and become self-sufficient in order to provide for the growing population, saying that was the challenge most countries would like to overcome.
The Minister of Finance said the integration of the various tax agencies to be administered by a single revenue administration was a policy direction which had been tested and proved to be very successful.
He, therefore, called on the staff of the revenue agencies to position themselves to take up the challenge of becoming multi-skilled in tax collection
He said the integration in tax agencies in countries such as Kenya and Rwanda had proved to be beneficial, both to the public and the revenue agencies as a whole.
He said Ghana was, therefore, advancing from an inferior method of administering taxes to a superior phase where meagre resources could be optimised.
He said through integration, the country could be in a position to offer better developmental prospects which called for specialisation in the respective fields of tax administration
Dr Duffour said when those challenges were accomplished, tax administration in the country would become dynamic.
The Commissioner of VAT Services, Mr Anthony Minlah, said VADA was established with the aim of bringing together commissioners and administrators of VAT in Africa and also serve as a platform for generating ideas by brain-storming on operations of the tax.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
EXPERTS DRAW PLANS FOR MANAGEMENT OF VOLTA RIVER (PAGE 3, DEC 12)
EXPERTS from six West African countries forming the Volta Basin Authority (VBA) are to draw a strategic plan towards the sustainable utilisation and management of the water resources of the Volta River.
A meeting of the technical experts, currently taking place in Accra, will herald the Third Ministerial Council session of the Volta Basin Authority scheduled for December 15 to discuss the strategic plan.
The six countries are Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire.
Mr Albert Abongo, the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, who opened the meeting, said regional integration was an important trigger and a panacea for the realisation of national development agendas.
He said it was against that backdrop that Ghana and its neighbours sharing the resources of the Volta had demonstrated genuine concern to develop and realise the optimum utilisation and management of the shared water resources.
Mr Abongo, whose speech was read on his behalf by his deputy, Alhaji Sani Iddi, said after a short period the collective efforts and co-operation had culminated in the establishment of the Volta Basin Authority.
He said the VBA was envisaged to promote the proper management and development of the water resources, as well as ensure the equitable sharing of the benefits accruing from the exploitation of the resources.
The minister commended members of the technical experts committee for their immense contribution and commitment leading to the setting up of the VBA as a recognised international organisation.
He said with the convention finally in force, VBA had entered into a new permanent phase of making VBA viable and a model institution worthy of emulation
He, therefore, urged the technical team to view the meeting as a unique session that ought to be conducted with commitment, understanding and consensus building.
Dr Abongo said it was important to fashion innovative programmes and plans that would elicit the needed support and draw in the required participation of all key national and regional stakeholders.
Mr Ben Ampomah, the Executive Secretary of the Water Resources Commission (WRC), said the meeting was designed to deliberate on pertinent plans and programmes that aimed at further strengthening the institutional set-up and capacity of the authority.
Mr Ampomah urged the technical team to extend its support to the Executive Directorate of VBA in the execution of its functions, especially in its relationship with the national focal bodies.
Dr Charles Biney, the Executive Director of VBA, said the authority was fortunate because it had the opportunity of learning from other older and well-established basin organisations not only in West Africa but also from all over the world, and that had helped to ease tension and conflict among nations using common water resources.
A meeting of the technical experts, currently taking place in Accra, will herald the Third Ministerial Council session of the Volta Basin Authority scheduled for December 15 to discuss the strategic plan.
The six countries are Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire.
Mr Albert Abongo, the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, who opened the meeting, said regional integration was an important trigger and a panacea for the realisation of national development agendas.
He said it was against that backdrop that Ghana and its neighbours sharing the resources of the Volta had demonstrated genuine concern to develop and realise the optimum utilisation and management of the shared water resources.
Mr Abongo, whose speech was read on his behalf by his deputy, Alhaji Sani Iddi, said after a short period the collective efforts and co-operation had culminated in the establishment of the Volta Basin Authority.
He said the VBA was envisaged to promote the proper management and development of the water resources, as well as ensure the equitable sharing of the benefits accruing from the exploitation of the resources.
The minister commended members of the technical experts committee for their immense contribution and commitment leading to the setting up of the VBA as a recognised international organisation.
He said with the convention finally in force, VBA had entered into a new permanent phase of making VBA viable and a model institution worthy of emulation
He, therefore, urged the technical team to view the meeting as a unique session that ought to be conducted with commitment, understanding and consensus building.
Dr Abongo said it was important to fashion innovative programmes and plans that would elicit the needed support and draw in the required participation of all key national and regional stakeholders.
Mr Ben Ampomah, the Executive Secretary of the Water Resources Commission (WRC), said the meeting was designed to deliberate on pertinent plans and programmes that aimed at further strengthening the institutional set-up and capacity of the authority.
Mr Ampomah urged the technical team to extend its support to the Executive Directorate of VBA in the execution of its functions, especially in its relationship with the national focal bodies.
Dr Charles Biney, the Executive Director of VBA, said the authority was fortunate because it had the opportunity of learning from other older and well-established basin organisations not only in West Africa but also from all over the world, and that had helped to ease tension and conflict among nations using common water resources.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
ACT BY CONSENSUS, MNC TOLD (SPREAD, DEC 2)
THE outgoing Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr Paul Adu-Gyamfi, has asked the reconstituted NMC to act by consensus, bearing in mind the determination to serve the national interest, as against regime interest.
He further advised the commission to design and implement programmes which would promote high journalistic standards in the country.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi gave the advice at a press conference yesterday to express appreciation to the media and the people of Ghana for their co-operation and unflinching assistance during his tenure of office to ensure press freedom in the country.
He said over the past four years, Ghana consistently performed well on all the major international indices for the assessment of media freedom, culminating in the all-time best score last year as the African country with the freest media by Reporters Without Borders.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi said his tenure saw the publication of the Guidelines for Political Journalism and the Guidelines for Local Language Broadcasting which were developed in response to demands from media practitioners and other stakeholders.
He said the Guidelines for Local Language Broadcasting had been specially developed to guide broadcasters to harness the benefits of linguistic pluralism and diversity, with the overall belief that local language broadcasting fulfilled citizens’ dual entitlement to freedom of expression and the right to information.
The former chairman said as part of efforts to promote journalistic standards, the NMC conducted a number of training programmes for journalists and media practitioners, saying that the most extensive of the training programmes was the media and peace building training which was undertaken in all the 10 regions.
He said another significant intervention undertaken to improve the quality of media practice in Ghana was the media and national development conference which brought together all the key stakeholders in the media in Ghana to reflect on the future of the industry.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi appealed to media personnel to extend the same co-operation accorded him to the new Chairman, Mr Kabral Blay Amihere, saying that he was confident that the new chairman would continue with the transformation of the commission into a world-class institution.
For his part, Mr Amihere said the NMC had a rainbow composition and that gave it a grand opportunity to forge ahead as a non-partisan organisation with the supreme interest of serving Ghana.
He said all stakeholders, including the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the government, had a role to play to empower a governance institution such as the NMC to impact positively on the socio-economic development of the state.
Mr Amihere stressed that the commission would discharge its duties with the highest sense of responsibility by leading by example and consensus so that the fortunes of the country would be built on a free media.
He further advised the commission to design and implement programmes which would promote high journalistic standards in the country.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi gave the advice at a press conference yesterday to express appreciation to the media and the people of Ghana for their co-operation and unflinching assistance during his tenure of office to ensure press freedom in the country.
He said over the past four years, Ghana consistently performed well on all the major international indices for the assessment of media freedom, culminating in the all-time best score last year as the African country with the freest media by Reporters Without Borders.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi said his tenure saw the publication of the Guidelines for Political Journalism and the Guidelines for Local Language Broadcasting which were developed in response to demands from media practitioners and other stakeholders.
He said the Guidelines for Local Language Broadcasting had been specially developed to guide broadcasters to harness the benefits of linguistic pluralism and diversity, with the overall belief that local language broadcasting fulfilled citizens’ dual entitlement to freedom of expression and the right to information.
The former chairman said as part of efforts to promote journalistic standards, the NMC conducted a number of training programmes for journalists and media practitioners, saying that the most extensive of the training programmes was the media and peace building training which was undertaken in all the 10 regions.
He said another significant intervention undertaken to improve the quality of media practice in Ghana was the media and national development conference which brought together all the key stakeholders in the media in Ghana to reflect on the future of the industry.
Mr Adu-Gyamfi appealed to media personnel to extend the same co-operation accorded him to the new Chairman, Mr Kabral Blay Amihere, saying that he was confident that the new chairman would continue with the transformation of the commission into a world-class institution.
For his part, Mr Amihere said the NMC had a rainbow composition and that gave it a grand opportunity to forge ahead as a non-partisan organisation with the supreme interest of serving Ghana.
He said all stakeholders, including the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG), the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the government, had a role to play to empower a governance institution such as the NMC to impact positively on the socio-economic development of the state.
Mr Amihere stressed that the commission would discharge its duties with the highest sense of responsibility by leading by example and consensus so that the fortunes of the country would be built on a free media.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
RE-CAPITALISATION OF BANKS...First phase completed (PAGE 33, DEC 1)
THE Bank of Ghana has completed the first phase of the re-capitalisation of banks in the country to allow the banks to participate in the opportunities in the emerging oil industry.
The expectation is that the re-capitalisation process will build up adequate capital to match risk exposures and provide further stability to the financial system in the country.
Mr K. B. Amissah-Arthur, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, made this known at the annual dinner of the Chartered Institute of Bankers held in Accra last Saturday.
He, however, warned that additional capital could also contribute to instability if not managed efficiently and with integrity.
He explained that as bankers with additional resources sought adequate returns there was bound to be increasing vicious competition within the banking system.
He said that the competition would raise the possibility of banks engaging in extremely risky investments.
The Governor said that if governance structures and controls were not sufficiently robust, a crisis of significant impact could be created.
He said fortunately the Bank of Ghana (BoG) had put in place a regulatory framework to promptly identify emerging vulnerabilities in the financial system.
He said regulators in advanced countries were collaborating to avert future crises, and that banks in the country ought to develop initiatives to institute similar processes.
He urged banks in the country to build on the substantial progress already made to ensure that they played a greater role in the transformation of the Ghanaian economy.
Mr Amissah-Arthur urged banks to re-orient themselves to play a catalytic role as financial intermediaries in the economic development process.
He said to undertake that responsibility, banks ought to disclose their pricing and fees charged in the delivery of their services to the public, saying that his interaction with the banking public revealed that they were not happy with the cost of borrowing and that was the single most important concerns the public had against the banking system.
He explained that as the rate of inflation and treasury bill rates reduced it was expected that it would lead to lower lending rates.
The Governor said the Bank of Ghana would continue to publish the Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) to serve as a tool to promote transparency and competitive pricing in the provision of banking services.
The President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Mr Isaac Owusu-Hemeng, said the drilling of oil and the completion of the Bui Dam was bound to accelerate the nation’s industrialisation capacity and drive.
He said these developments, coupled with pragmatic forward looking macro-economic policies, were expected to change the economic and financial landscape of the country..
Mr Owusu-Hemeng said, however, that without a well- functioning financial system underpinned by a banking industry which is led by well trained, competent and honest bankers the newly found wealth would turn out to be an illusion as the benefits to the nation would not be realised.
New fellows and associates were inducted into the institute at the well attended annual dinner.
The expectation is that the re-capitalisation process will build up adequate capital to match risk exposures and provide further stability to the financial system in the country.
Mr K. B. Amissah-Arthur, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, made this known at the annual dinner of the Chartered Institute of Bankers held in Accra last Saturday.
He, however, warned that additional capital could also contribute to instability if not managed efficiently and with integrity.
He explained that as bankers with additional resources sought adequate returns there was bound to be increasing vicious competition within the banking system.
He said that the competition would raise the possibility of banks engaging in extremely risky investments.
The Governor said that if governance structures and controls were not sufficiently robust, a crisis of significant impact could be created.
He said fortunately the Bank of Ghana (BoG) had put in place a regulatory framework to promptly identify emerging vulnerabilities in the financial system.
He said regulators in advanced countries were collaborating to avert future crises, and that banks in the country ought to develop initiatives to institute similar processes.
He urged banks in the country to build on the substantial progress already made to ensure that they played a greater role in the transformation of the Ghanaian economy.
Mr Amissah-Arthur urged banks to re-orient themselves to play a catalytic role as financial intermediaries in the economic development process.
He said to undertake that responsibility, banks ought to disclose their pricing and fees charged in the delivery of their services to the public, saying that his interaction with the banking public revealed that they were not happy with the cost of borrowing and that was the single most important concerns the public had against the banking system.
He explained that as the rate of inflation and treasury bill rates reduced it was expected that it would lead to lower lending rates.
The Governor said the Bank of Ghana would continue to publish the Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) to serve as a tool to promote transparency and competitive pricing in the provision of banking services.
The President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Mr Isaac Owusu-Hemeng, said the drilling of oil and the completion of the Bui Dam was bound to accelerate the nation’s industrialisation capacity and drive.
He said these developments, coupled with pragmatic forward looking macro-economic policies, were expected to change the economic and financial landscape of the country..
Mr Owusu-Hemeng said, however, that without a well- functioning financial system underpinned by a banking industry which is led by well trained, competent and honest bankers the newly found wealth would turn out to be an illusion as the benefits to the nation would not be realised.
New fellows and associates were inducted into the institute at the well attended annual dinner.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
MAULVI YAWSON COMMENDS GOVT (NOV 28, SPREAD)
THE acting Head (Ameer) of the Ahamadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana, Maulvi Muhammad Yusuf Yawson, has commended the government for collaborating with the National Hajj Committee to make this year’s pilgrimage incident-free and successful.
He explained that some few years ago, Muslims had cause to lament the deplorable conditions and harrowing experiences prospective pilgrims had to go through during their departure to and arrival from Mecca.
Delivering a sermon on the occasion of the Eid-ul Adha in Accra yesterday, Maulvi Yawson congratulated all stakeholders on ensuring a trouble-free and successful Hajj.
He said all efforts made for the successful organisation of the Hajj undoubtedly called for self-discipline, selflessness, sacrifice and devotion in the service of one’s community and humanity which the festival sought to instil in Muslims.
He said one of the ingredients that made the Hajj performance complete and acceptable was the principle of righteousness which meant discharging one’s duties to God and his fellow human beings to the best of one’s ability.
The acting Ameer further stated that the performance of the Hajj also fostered in Muslims the sense of equality of people and played down the sense of superiority that was partly responsible for the perpetration of injustice and discrimination.
He said injustice had become a source of conflicts and wars all over the world and was causing more havoc than good in the relationship among the comity of nations.
“As individuals, community and nation, we would not be fulfilling the requirements of the Eid-ul-Adha if we dine and make merry to the exclusion of the poor, the orphaned and the underprivileged; if we fail to ensure their right to share in the food, drinks and happiness of the joyous festival,’’ he added.
Maulvi Yawson said it was the failure to address the basic human rights of food and drink, clothing, shelter, education and health that had become the bane of the instability in many societies.
He explained that some few years ago, Muslims had cause to lament the deplorable conditions and harrowing experiences prospective pilgrims had to go through during their departure to and arrival from Mecca.
Delivering a sermon on the occasion of the Eid-ul Adha in Accra yesterday, Maulvi Yawson congratulated all stakeholders on ensuring a trouble-free and successful Hajj.
He said all efforts made for the successful organisation of the Hajj undoubtedly called for self-discipline, selflessness, sacrifice and devotion in the service of one’s community and humanity which the festival sought to instil in Muslims.
He said one of the ingredients that made the Hajj performance complete and acceptable was the principle of righteousness which meant discharging one’s duties to God and his fellow human beings to the best of one’s ability.
The acting Ameer further stated that the performance of the Hajj also fostered in Muslims the sense of equality of people and played down the sense of superiority that was partly responsible for the perpetration of injustice and discrimination.
He said injustice had become a source of conflicts and wars all over the world and was causing more havoc than good in the relationship among the comity of nations.
“As individuals, community and nation, we would not be fulfilling the requirements of the Eid-ul-Adha if we dine and make merry to the exclusion of the poor, the orphaned and the underprivileged; if we fail to ensure their right to share in the food, drinks and happiness of the joyous festival,’’ he added.
Maulvi Yawson said it was the failure to address the basic human rights of food and drink, clothing, shelter, education and health that had become the bane of the instability in many societies.
Friday, November 27, 2009
CIMG LAUNCHES 2009 AWARDS (SPREAD, NOV 27)
Members of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG) have been called upon to position themselves to promote the emerging opportunities that the economy is providing under the oil industry.
They were therefore to design acceptable benchmarks for accessing the performance of organisations in the oil and allied industries.
The call was made by the president of the institute, Mrs Josephine Okutu, at the launch of the 2009 CIMG annual marketing performance awards in Accra.
She said the awards would afford corporate Ghana the opportunity to showcase their professional excellence to make the country the investment hub of the sub-region and the continent in general.
She said the creation of the awards by the founding fathers was largely driven by their vision to promote excellence in the marketing profession.
Mrs Okutu said it was heartwarming to note that those generous corporate contributions had not been in vain but instead had sustained the awards scheme and succeeded in placing corporate Ghana on a glorious pedestal.
She said the passion to be of service not only to marketing professionals but also to see professional excellence blossom across all professions and throughout the whole country gave birth to the CIMG’s annual national marketing performance awards 20 years ago, in 1988.
She said it was for this reasons that she was calling on members to protect and enhance the influence and respect of the awards.
She said in all there would be 29 award categories for this year, which included marketing man of the year, marketing woman of the year, marketing student of the year and marketing practitioner of the year in the first category.
They were therefore to design acceptable benchmarks for accessing the performance of organisations in the oil and allied industries.
The call was made by the president of the institute, Mrs Josephine Okutu, at the launch of the 2009 CIMG annual marketing performance awards in Accra.
She said the awards would afford corporate Ghana the opportunity to showcase their professional excellence to make the country the investment hub of the sub-region and the continent in general.
She said the creation of the awards by the founding fathers was largely driven by their vision to promote excellence in the marketing profession.
Mrs Okutu said it was heartwarming to note that those generous corporate contributions had not been in vain but instead had sustained the awards scheme and succeeded in placing corporate Ghana on a glorious pedestal.
She said the passion to be of service not only to marketing professionals but also to see professional excellence blossom across all professions and throughout the whole country gave birth to the CIMG’s annual national marketing performance awards 20 years ago, in 1988.
She said it was for this reasons that she was calling on members to protect and enhance the influence and respect of the awards.
She said in all there would be 29 award categories for this year, which included marketing man of the year, marketing woman of the year, marketing student of the year and marketing practitioner of the year in the first category.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
CHRAJ CRAVES SUPPORT TO FIGHT CORRUPTION (PAGE 46, NOV 21)
THE Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Emile F. Short, has appealed to civil society and public-spirited Ghanaians to support the Commission in its bid to secure the necessary mandate to prosecute corrupt public officials.
He was of the opinion that the present situation where CHRAJ could only make recommendations to the Attorney General, who is a political appointee, for prosecution, could undermine the commission’s aim of fighting corruption in the country.
Delivering a paper on “Eliminating Corruption from Public Business in Ghana” at the 30th anniversary celebration of Adventist Education in Ghana, Mr Short said it was ironical that African countries which had modelled their anti-corruption agencies after CHRAJ had empowered their commissions to cite and prosecute public officials and others for corruption.
He said it was no wonder that the country’s perception of corruption index released by the Transparency International had stagnated for many years without showing any improvement.
Mr Short said despite the limitation of its mandate and inadequate resources, CHRAJ had been able to hold some individuals and corporate bodies to account for their actions and inaction as part of national efforts at promoting public accountability.
He said 138,150 cases were handled by CHRAJ between 1993 and 2007, which included human rights abuses, corruption and administration of justice.
He said the CHRAJ had also investigated over 300 corruption cases and been receiving 50 corruption-related cases every month since the commission gave a new impetus to its anti-corruption mandate and put new structures in place to deal exclusively with anti-corruption cases.
Mr Short said apart from investigations, the commission had adopted a three-prong strategy involving investigations, education and prevention, to fight corruption.
He said through such efforts, the commission had helped to provide relief to several individuals who had been wronged by public officials but would have been left to their fate.
Mr Edward Dua Agyeman, immediate past Auditor-General of the Ghana Audit Service, said corruption was introduced into the country when the first whitemen stepped foot on the shores of Gold Coast with the Bible, confectionery and drinks to gain acceptance and open the way for establishing business in the public and private sectors.
He said corruption in the country had become a major challenge to address because of the fine line between what most Ghanaians considered a bribe and a gift.
Mr Dua Agyeman called for the strengthening of institutions charged with fighting corruption through increased funding and fostering of the independence of the Attorney-General’s Department, CHRAJ, the Auditor-General and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), to make them more immune to political and social pressure.
Mr Martin Akotey, Dean of the Faculty of Development Studies of Valley View University, who spoke on the topic “Effects of public sector corruption on attainment of the Millennium Development Goals”, said the amount of money Ghana lost each year to corruption was very huge.
He was of the opinion that the present situation where CHRAJ could only make recommendations to the Attorney General, who is a political appointee, for prosecution, could undermine the commission’s aim of fighting corruption in the country.
Delivering a paper on “Eliminating Corruption from Public Business in Ghana” at the 30th anniversary celebration of Adventist Education in Ghana, Mr Short said it was ironical that African countries which had modelled their anti-corruption agencies after CHRAJ had empowered their commissions to cite and prosecute public officials and others for corruption.
He said it was no wonder that the country’s perception of corruption index released by the Transparency International had stagnated for many years without showing any improvement.
Mr Short said despite the limitation of its mandate and inadequate resources, CHRAJ had been able to hold some individuals and corporate bodies to account for their actions and inaction as part of national efforts at promoting public accountability.
He said 138,150 cases were handled by CHRAJ between 1993 and 2007, which included human rights abuses, corruption and administration of justice.
He said the CHRAJ had also investigated over 300 corruption cases and been receiving 50 corruption-related cases every month since the commission gave a new impetus to its anti-corruption mandate and put new structures in place to deal exclusively with anti-corruption cases.
Mr Short said apart from investigations, the commission had adopted a three-prong strategy involving investigations, education and prevention, to fight corruption.
He said through such efforts, the commission had helped to provide relief to several individuals who had been wronged by public officials but would have been left to their fate.
Mr Edward Dua Agyeman, immediate past Auditor-General of the Ghana Audit Service, said corruption was introduced into the country when the first whitemen stepped foot on the shores of Gold Coast with the Bible, confectionery and drinks to gain acceptance and open the way for establishing business in the public and private sectors.
He said corruption in the country had become a major challenge to address because of the fine line between what most Ghanaians considered a bribe and a gift.
Mr Dua Agyeman called for the strengthening of institutions charged with fighting corruption through increased funding and fostering of the independence of the Attorney-General’s Department, CHRAJ, the Auditor-General and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), to make them more immune to political and social pressure.
Mr Martin Akotey, Dean of the Faculty of Development Studies of Valley View University, who spoke on the topic “Effects of public sector corruption on attainment of the Millennium Development Goals”, said the amount of money Ghana lost each year to corruption was very huge.
Friday, November 13, 2009
INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT TO BE PART OF GRADUATION PROCESS (BACK PAGE, NOV 13)
A strategic partnership between universities and industries, under which students can only graduate after having done some practical attachment in relevant fields in industry, is being forged for implementation under the auspices of the Ministry of Education.
This is because producing graduates wholesale from tertiary institutions was not enough for job creation and industrialisation.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, whose speech was read on his behalf at the commemoration of the African University Day in Accra on Wednesday, noted that the job market was looking for graduates with employable skills who could adapt to the changing world in the global economy and creatively become entrepreneurs in their own right.
He said the Ministry of Education was, therefore, seriously looking at the strategic partnership that was already in place, with the aim of strengthening it to include curriculum reforms.
He explained that under the curriculum reforms, industries could provide more opportunities for students by way of internship and attachment.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said he was delighted that the Association of African Universities (AAU) was providing a forum for engagement between universities and the productive sectors, saying that the ministry was looking forward to the creation of more of such fora to see how best the strategic partnership could be forged for the development of the whole continent.
He said universities had the important mission of assisting in the scientific, technological, economic and social development of their respective countries for the benefit of the whole of Africa.
The Chief Executive Officer of Yamson and Associates and renowned captain of industry, Mr I. E. Yamson, who delivered the keynote address on the theme, “African Universities: Linkages with the Productive Sector’’, said building linkages between African universities and businesses was critical to the solution of the problems facing the continent.
He said universities and businesses were both development drivers with the common goal of contributing to the transformation and prosperity of their respective countries.
He said African universities had to become a little more strategic and visionary, rather than allowing themselves to become overwhelmed by the challenges that confronted them.
He explained that presently African university graduates were not immediately employable because they were not equipped with employable skills and companies had to spend years of investment to equip them with those skills.
Mr Yamson said there was the need, therefore, to align the training of the manpower and workforce to the requirements of the productive sectors so that the graduates of the universities would not become incapacitated on the job market when they left the universities.
The President of the AAU, Prof. I. Oloyede, said the traditional role of universities of churning out graduates as ambassadors of the universities ought to blended with new roles as successful entrepreneurs.
This is because producing graduates wholesale from tertiary institutions was not enough for job creation and industrialisation.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, whose speech was read on his behalf at the commemoration of the African University Day in Accra on Wednesday, noted that the job market was looking for graduates with employable skills who could adapt to the changing world in the global economy and creatively become entrepreneurs in their own right.
He said the Ministry of Education was, therefore, seriously looking at the strategic partnership that was already in place, with the aim of strengthening it to include curriculum reforms.
He explained that under the curriculum reforms, industries could provide more opportunities for students by way of internship and attachment.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said he was delighted that the Association of African Universities (AAU) was providing a forum for engagement between universities and the productive sectors, saying that the ministry was looking forward to the creation of more of such fora to see how best the strategic partnership could be forged for the development of the whole continent.
He said universities had the important mission of assisting in the scientific, technological, economic and social development of their respective countries for the benefit of the whole of Africa.
The Chief Executive Officer of Yamson and Associates and renowned captain of industry, Mr I. E. Yamson, who delivered the keynote address on the theme, “African Universities: Linkages with the Productive Sector’’, said building linkages between African universities and businesses was critical to the solution of the problems facing the continent.
He said universities and businesses were both development drivers with the common goal of contributing to the transformation and prosperity of their respective countries.
He said African universities had to become a little more strategic and visionary, rather than allowing themselves to become overwhelmed by the challenges that confronted them.
He explained that presently African university graduates were not immediately employable because they were not equipped with employable skills and companies had to spend years of investment to equip them with those skills.
Mr Yamson said there was the need, therefore, to align the training of the manpower and workforce to the requirements of the productive sectors so that the graduates of the universities would not become incapacitated on the job market when they left the universities.
The President of the AAU, Prof. I. Oloyede, said the traditional role of universities of churning out graduates as ambassadors of the universities ought to blended with new roles as successful entrepreneurs.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
GHANA TO INCREASE PRODUCTION OF FOUR CEREALS (PAGE 38, NOV 12)
THE country is expected to record an increase in the production of four kinds of cereals for this year's farming season to boost food security
The cereals, whose combined production is expected to increase by 44 per cent over the percentage increases of previous years, are maize, rice, millet and sorghum.
Mr Samuel Oku, acting Director of Statistics, Research and Information Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), who announced this at a regional conference on agricultural and food prospects in West African countries held in Accra, said maize recorded 1.6 million tonnes for the 2008/09 farming season as against 1.47 million tonnes for 2007/08, while rice production was 302,000 tonnes, which is less than the expected 356,000, with millet recording 232,000 tonnes instead of the projected 144,000.
Mr Oku said sorghum, cultivated in the savannah regions of the country, registered 330,000 tonnes last season and is expected to increase production to 370,000.
He attributed the increases in the production of the four cereals to favourable rainfall pattern and the number of interventions by the government, which included credit facilities and improved seeds to farmers.
Mr Mohammed Yahya Quid, Director General of Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in Sahel and West Africa, said apart from Ghana, Benin, The Gambia and Togo, which recorded increases in cereals, Chad, Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and the Cape Verde were expected to record decreases this farming season.
He said because of the severity of floods in the countries that recorded decreases, the overall production of the West African region for 2009/10 was also expected to decrease to 48,246,000 tonnes compared to last season.
Mr Quid said households' food situation was, however, improving progressively within the sub-region due to the supply of food on the markets after early harvests.
The cereals, whose combined production is expected to increase by 44 per cent over the percentage increases of previous years, are maize, rice, millet and sorghum.
Mr Samuel Oku, acting Director of Statistics, Research and Information Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), who announced this at a regional conference on agricultural and food prospects in West African countries held in Accra, said maize recorded 1.6 million tonnes for the 2008/09 farming season as against 1.47 million tonnes for 2007/08, while rice production was 302,000 tonnes, which is less than the expected 356,000, with millet recording 232,000 tonnes instead of the projected 144,000.
Mr Oku said sorghum, cultivated in the savannah regions of the country, registered 330,000 tonnes last season and is expected to increase production to 370,000.
He attributed the increases in the production of the four cereals to favourable rainfall pattern and the number of interventions by the government, which included credit facilities and improved seeds to farmers.
Mr Mohammed Yahya Quid, Director General of Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in Sahel and West Africa, said apart from Ghana, Benin, The Gambia and Togo, which recorded increases in cereals, Chad, Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and the Cape Verde were expected to record decreases this farming season.
He said because of the severity of floods in the countries that recorded decreases, the overall production of the West African region for 2009/10 was also expected to decrease to 48,246,000 tonnes compared to last season.
Mr Quid said households' food situation was, however, improving progressively within the sub-region due to the supply of food on the markets after early harvests.
GOVT TO REVAMP FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAMMES (PAGE 39, NOV 12)
THE Government will soon revamp family planning programmes and projects in the country under a Population Impact Project (PIP).
The move is aimed at keeping at bay the population of the country from exploding, which is currently around 20 million, as well as check the spread of HIV and AIDS.
A Member of the Council of State, Wulugunaba, Naa Prof. John S. Nabila, disclosed this at a multi-sectoral seminar on HIV for the leadership of identifiable social groupings of students of the University of Ghana, Legon on Saturday.
The leaders wanted to know why the Planned Parenthood and Family Planning, whose activities could effectively check the widespread attacks by HIV, had been dormant for the past years.
Prof. Nabila, who is also head of the Department of Geography and Resources Development of the University of Ghana, explained that the family planning programmes in the country became dormant for the past years because of the American policy which linked assistance to family planning to abstinence alone.
He said , however, since President Barack Obama came to power, he had reversed that policy for it created untold hardships for some vulnerable people across Africa.
He said countries such as Ghana that campaigned on abstinence alongside the use of condoms, could now qualify for assistance from the US to complement government's family planning programmes.
Prof. Nabila said the current generation, the future leaders, was dear to the nation’s development and economic sustainability and so every effort was being made to protect it from being decimated by HIV.
He said Ghanaians could not afford to be complacent because the HIV prevalence rate of 2.2 per cent was lower than the prevalence rates in neighbouring countries.
Prof. Nabila said another critical area that required attention was the spread of HIV and AIDS among female porters commonly known as 'kayayee', who return with the disease most times to rural areas after they had been infected in the cities.
The Associate Project Director of PIP, Prof E.O. Tawiah, who spoke on the topic: “Situation Analysis of HIV/AIDS in Ghana, said according to Sentinel Surveillance Reports of Ghana Aids Commission, the population of people suffering from HIV/AIDS stood at 249,145 in 2008.
He explained that women were the hardest hit with the spread of HIV/AIDS and their economic vulnerability greater if the husband died of AIDS, stressing that the burden of care in HIV/AIDS households affected by HIV/ AIDS fell on women and their children.
Prof. Tawiah said because of their subordinate position to men, women found it extremely difficult to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS.
Other resource persons who delivered papers at the seminar included Dr Stephen Kwankye, the Project Director of PIP, who spoke on the topic: “Advocacy and behaviour change communication (BCC) and Dr Samuel Nii Ardey Cudjoe, the Associate Project Director of PIP, who spoke on the topic: “The youth, HIV/AIDS and stigmatisation”.
The move is aimed at keeping at bay the population of the country from exploding, which is currently around 20 million, as well as check the spread of HIV and AIDS.
A Member of the Council of State, Wulugunaba, Naa Prof. John S. Nabila, disclosed this at a multi-sectoral seminar on HIV for the leadership of identifiable social groupings of students of the University of Ghana, Legon on Saturday.
The leaders wanted to know why the Planned Parenthood and Family Planning, whose activities could effectively check the widespread attacks by HIV, had been dormant for the past years.
Prof. Nabila, who is also head of the Department of Geography and Resources Development of the University of Ghana, explained that the family planning programmes in the country became dormant for the past years because of the American policy which linked assistance to family planning to abstinence alone.
He said , however, since President Barack Obama came to power, he had reversed that policy for it created untold hardships for some vulnerable people across Africa.
He said countries such as Ghana that campaigned on abstinence alongside the use of condoms, could now qualify for assistance from the US to complement government's family planning programmes.
Prof. Nabila said the current generation, the future leaders, was dear to the nation’s development and economic sustainability and so every effort was being made to protect it from being decimated by HIV.
He said Ghanaians could not afford to be complacent because the HIV prevalence rate of 2.2 per cent was lower than the prevalence rates in neighbouring countries.
Prof. Nabila said another critical area that required attention was the spread of HIV and AIDS among female porters commonly known as 'kayayee', who return with the disease most times to rural areas after they had been infected in the cities.
The Associate Project Director of PIP, Prof E.O. Tawiah, who spoke on the topic: “Situation Analysis of HIV/AIDS in Ghana, said according to Sentinel Surveillance Reports of Ghana Aids Commission, the population of people suffering from HIV/AIDS stood at 249,145 in 2008.
He explained that women were the hardest hit with the spread of HIV/AIDS and their economic vulnerability greater if the husband died of AIDS, stressing that the burden of care in HIV/AIDS households affected by HIV/ AIDS fell on women and their children.
Prof. Tawiah said because of their subordinate position to men, women found it extremely difficult to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS.
Other resource persons who delivered papers at the seminar included Dr Stephen Kwankye, the Project Director of PIP, who spoke on the topic: “Advocacy and behaviour change communication (BCC) and Dr Samuel Nii Ardey Cudjoe, the Associate Project Director of PIP, who spoke on the topic: “The youth, HIV/AIDS and stigmatisation”.
AFRICA SCOUT CONFAB OPENS (NOV 12, SPREAD)
THE Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has cautioned parents against allowing parental control to take the back seat when it comes to the influence of the Internet in moulding the character of children.
He explained that technological inventions meant to improve lives had become tools and playgrounds for the youth to learn unacceptable behaviours such as crimes, including theft and pornography.
Osagyefo Ofori Panin, who opened the 14th Africa Scout Conference in Accra yesterday, said parents and teachers were required to build the character of children both at home and in the classroom.
He stressed that parents should, however, have the primary responsibility of instilling in the children work ethics.
Osagyefo noted that the scouts’ service to communities was a noble venture that could prepare the youth to reach for higher ideals in life, which could be of immense benefit to themselves, family, community and the nation in general.
He said it was heartening to know that the founder of the Scouts Movement, Robert Baiden Powell, got the inspiration from Ghana when he led a military expedition in 1895, which resulted in the creation of the Gold Coast as a unified British colony.
He said it was, therefore, not surprising that the 14th Scout Conference was taking place in the country, which was the first jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom to receive a charter from the Imperial Headquarters of the Scout Movement.
Osagyefo paid tribute to the late Mr Samuel Wood of Cape Coast for his pioneering role in Scout Movement in the country.
He said in the era of globalisation, human beings could boast marvellous achievements.
However, some barbarous activities still existed where some leaders with their convoluted values taught that it was more profitable to promote death than life.
He said unfortunately the youth of today were wondering what the future held for them in the face of increasing human and physical tragedies across the world.
The Okyenhene called on world leaders to condemn these acts of human rights abuses and atrocities and arrest those tyrants involved, who hide behind sovereignty to commit those crimes against innocent women and children, in order to make the world a safe place for growth and nurture of children to become responsible citizens as the Scout Movement envisaged.
Mrs Jemina Nartey, a member of the 8-member Africa Scout Committee, said 178 scouts from 37 African countries were attending the 14th Scout Conference, which will draw up policies and strategies to be used for the next three years.
He explained that technological inventions meant to improve lives had become tools and playgrounds for the youth to learn unacceptable behaviours such as crimes, including theft and pornography.
Osagyefo Ofori Panin, who opened the 14th Africa Scout Conference in Accra yesterday, said parents and teachers were required to build the character of children both at home and in the classroom.
He stressed that parents should, however, have the primary responsibility of instilling in the children work ethics.
Osagyefo noted that the scouts’ service to communities was a noble venture that could prepare the youth to reach for higher ideals in life, which could be of immense benefit to themselves, family, community and the nation in general.
He said it was heartening to know that the founder of the Scouts Movement, Robert Baiden Powell, got the inspiration from Ghana when he led a military expedition in 1895, which resulted in the creation of the Gold Coast as a unified British colony.
He said it was, therefore, not surprising that the 14th Scout Conference was taking place in the country, which was the first jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom to receive a charter from the Imperial Headquarters of the Scout Movement.
Osagyefo paid tribute to the late Mr Samuel Wood of Cape Coast for his pioneering role in Scout Movement in the country.
He said in the era of globalisation, human beings could boast marvellous achievements.
However, some barbarous activities still existed where some leaders with their convoluted values taught that it was more profitable to promote death than life.
He said unfortunately the youth of today were wondering what the future held for them in the face of increasing human and physical tragedies across the world.
The Okyenhene called on world leaders to condemn these acts of human rights abuses and atrocities and arrest those tyrants involved, who hide behind sovereignty to commit those crimes against innocent women and children, in order to make the world a safe place for growth and nurture of children to become responsible citizens as the Scout Movement envisaged.
Mrs Jemina Nartey, a member of the 8-member Africa Scout Committee, said 178 scouts from 37 African countries were attending the 14th Scout Conference, which will draw up policies and strategies to be used for the next three years.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
NATIONAL FOREST PLANTATION DEV PLAN IN OFFING (SPREAD)
A National forest plantation development programme is to be rolled out by the government to restore the dwindling forest cover of the country.
Already, the Cabinet has given its endorsement to the programme, which is also expected to create 30,000 jobs from its inception and contribute to a reduction in rural poverty.
Taking his turn at the meet the press series, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, said the immediate objective of the programme was to increase the tree cover of the country through a massive recruitment of reforestation gangs.
The programme, according to him, is also intended to improve environmental quality, reduce the wood deficit and provide an avenue for the country to tap the emerging benefits from climate change markets for carbon and sequestration projects, he said.
The minister said by the end of 2011 about 50,000 jobs would have been created in the 170 districts throughout the country, with each of the 170 beneficiary districts employing a quota of 300 workers for the plantation in that district.
He said the long-term goal of the plantation development initiative was to develop a sustainable forest resource base that would satisfy future demands for industrial timber and enhance environmental quality, thereby reducing pressure on existing natural forests.
On the mining sub-sector, Alhaji Dauda said currently seven draft regulations had been submitted to the Attorney- General’s Department for review to meet the challenges in the mining sector.
The draft regulations, he said, included the draft Mineral (Royalties) Regulations, draft Mines (Support Services) Regulations, draft Explosives (Mining and civil) Regulations and draft Regulations on Health and Safety.
He said when all seven draft regulations were passed into law, most of the concerns of the public regarding the mining sector, especially conflict between mining companies and the communities affected by mining, would be reduced.
Alhaji Dauda said, for example, that the compensation paid for crops was woefully inadequate and the purpose of the regulations was to review the compensation upward, explaining that a mature cocoa tree attracted compensation of GH¢9.5, which was too small.
Already, the Cabinet has given its endorsement to the programme, which is also expected to create 30,000 jobs from its inception and contribute to a reduction in rural poverty.
Taking his turn at the meet the press series, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, said the immediate objective of the programme was to increase the tree cover of the country through a massive recruitment of reforestation gangs.
The programme, according to him, is also intended to improve environmental quality, reduce the wood deficit and provide an avenue for the country to tap the emerging benefits from climate change markets for carbon and sequestration projects, he said.
The minister said by the end of 2011 about 50,000 jobs would have been created in the 170 districts throughout the country, with each of the 170 beneficiary districts employing a quota of 300 workers for the plantation in that district.
He said the long-term goal of the plantation development initiative was to develop a sustainable forest resource base that would satisfy future demands for industrial timber and enhance environmental quality, thereby reducing pressure on existing natural forests.
On the mining sub-sector, Alhaji Dauda said currently seven draft regulations had been submitted to the Attorney- General’s Department for review to meet the challenges in the mining sector.
The draft regulations, he said, included the draft Mineral (Royalties) Regulations, draft Mines (Support Services) Regulations, draft Explosives (Mining and civil) Regulations and draft Regulations on Health and Safety.
He said when all seven draft regulations were passed into law, most of the concerns of the public regarding the mining sector, especially conflict between mining companies and the communities affected by mining, would be reduced.
Alhaji Dauda said, for example, that the compensation paid for crops was woefully inadequate and the purpose of the regulations was to review the compensation upward, explaining that a mature cocoa tree attracted compensation of GH¢9.5, which was too small.
ESTABLISH FUND FOR OIL REVENUE — QUARTEY (PAGE 33, NOV 4)
A SENIOR Research Fellow of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Dr Peter Quartey, has called for the establishment of an Oil and Gas Fund into which oil revenue for judicious use can be deposited.
He said the fund, apart from assisting to protect the country’s exchange rate, monetary management and capital inflows, could also ensure transparency by eliminating corruption in the utilisation of oil revenues and preventing the problems of other African oil-producing countries.
Dr Quartey made the call when he presented a paper on ‘’Oil and Ghana’s Development; Monetary, Exchange Rate Management with Capital Flows’’ as part of a series of lectures on the oil industry. The lecture was organised by ISSER with support from Merchant Bank and Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
He said although the announcement of the oil discovery had been greeted with joy, a significant number of Ghanaians were sceptical because the country could be plunged into a revenue curse syndrome.
That, he said, was because countries with abundant natural resources had worse growth performance than those that were less reliant on natural resources.
Dr Quartey said a major issue resulting from the oil find was what would be the effects of the oil income on monetary management such as inflation, exchange rate and capital inflows.
He noted that the oil discovery would undoubtedly affect monetary management, the agricultural and other sectors because these areas would become less profitable since the appreciation of the Ghanaian currency would make agricultural products such as cocoa, pineapple and other exports non-competitive.
He said this was the result of capital inflows which would bring substantial benefits such as higher levels of investment, facilitate technology transfer, enhanced management skills as well as enlarge market access.
He said, however, that these substantial capital inflows would necessitate higher inflation, real appreciation of the currency, lower domestic savings and reduce domestic interest rate.
Dr Quartey said it was because of these factors that an Oil and Gas Fund was necessary since it would check spending as well as encourage savings so that the Government would not be affected unduly by the swings in the price of crude oil.
Ghana discovered oil in June 2007, and the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC) is anticipating that the country could produce about 120,000 barrels a day and between 800 million to three billion barrels annually.
Ghana's current oil consumption is between 40,000 and 60,000 barrels a day.
Analysing the oil production level, Dr Quartey said if prices were pegged at $60 a barrel, Ghana could earn about $1.872 billion annually, stressing the need for such a fund to regulate expenditure.
"Spending cannot be avoided but revenue in the fund should be utilised in a prudent manner on agriculture and manufacturing to improve the economy".
Mr Danaa Nantogmah, Programmes Co-ordinator of Friedrich Ebert Foundation, called for a national development strategy on the Ghanaian economy to facilitate the efficient and effective management of the oil and gas revenue.
He called on government to pay special attention to the need of a home grown national development strategy as a prerequisite for sustainable development.
He said the fund, apart from assisting to protect the country’s exchange rate, monetary management and capital inflows, could also ensure transparency by eliminating corruption in the utilisation of oil revenues and preventing the problems of other African oil-producing countries.
Dr Quartey made the call when he presented a paper on ‘’Oil and Ghana’s Development; Monetary, Exchange Rate Management with Capital Flows’’ as part of a series of lectures on the oil industry. The lecture was organised by ISSER with support from Merchant Bank and Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
He said although the announcement of the oil discovery had been greeted with joy, a significant number of Ghanaians were sceptical because the country could be plunged into a revenue curse syndrome.
That, he said, was because countries with abundant natural resources had worse growth performance than those that were less reliant on natural resources.
Dr Quartey said a major issue resulting from the oil find was what would be the effects of the oil income on monetary management such as inflation, exchange rate and capital inflows.
He noted that the oil discovery would undoubtedly affect monetary management, the agricultural and other sectors because these areas would become less profitable since the appreciation of the Ghanaian currency would make agricultural products such as cocoa, pineapple and other exports non-competitive.
He said this was the result of capital inflows which would bring substantial benefits such as higher levels of investment, facilitate technology transfer, enhanced management skills as well as enlarge market access.
He said, however, that these substantial capital inflows would necessitate higher inflation, real appreciation of the currency, lower domestic savings and reduce domestic interest rate.
Dr Quartey said it was because of these factors that an Oil and Gas Fund was necessary since it would check spending as well as encourage savings so that the Government would not be affected unduly by the swings in the price of crude oil.
Ghana discovered oil in June 2007, and the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC) is anticipating that the country could produce about 120,000 barrels a day and between 800 million to three billion barrels annually.
Ghana's current oil consumption is between 40,000 and 60,000 barrels a day.
Analysing the oil production level, Dr Quartey said if prices were pegged at $60 a barrel, Ghana could earn about $1.872 billion annually, stressing the need for such a fund to regulate expenditure.
"Spending cannot be avoided but revenue in the fund should be utilised in a prudent manner on agriculture and manufacturing to improve the economy".
Mr Danaa Nantogmah, Programmes Co-ordinator of Friedrich Ebert Foundation, called for a national development strategy on the Ghanaian economy to facilitate the efficient and effective management of the oil and gas revenue.
He called on government to pay special attention to the need of a home grown national development strategy as a prerequisite for sustainable development.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
5 PRISON WORKSHOPS FITTED WITH INDUSTRIAL MACHINES (PAGE 25, OCT 31)
THE government has retooled the workshops of five prisons in the country with industrial machines to enable them to undertake income-generation activities and rehabilitation of inmates.
They are the Nsawam Medium Security, Kumasi, Sunyani, Sekondi and Ankaful prisons.
This was disclosed by the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mr H.O. Korney, at the launch of an entrepreneurial training workshop for prison officers and inmates in Accra yesterday.
He explained that the workshop, which was a collaboration between the Prisons Service and GAG Financial Research Networks, an NGO, would equip the participants with the requisite basic knowledge in investment processes and business management.
Mr Korney said apart from retooling the five workshops, a commercial department and a marketing unit had also been established at the Prisons Headquarters, with units at the various prison yards across the country.
He said as a result, some of the activities of the service had been commercialised, including tailoring, carpentry, agriculture, band and concerts, messes/canteen and catering services.
Others included construction works, ambulance services, water tanker and cesspit emptier services, as well as baking, soap making, shea butter and palm oil extraction, he added.
Mr Korney said by commercialising those activities, the Prisons Service hoped to take full advantage of the Retention of Funds Act, Act 735, which allowed the service to retain 60 per cent of its internally generated revenue.
The Director of GAG Financial Research Networks, Mr John Gatsi, said the prisons abounded with many potential entrepreneurs waiting for their freedom, adding that those were the people GAG would like to assist the prisons to identify and groom into big-time entrepreneurs.
He said the training, which had started as a pilot project, would be extended to cover all the prisons in the country as part of the reformation and rehabilitation of prisons in the country.
They are the Nsawam Medium Security, Kumasi, Sunyani, Sekondi and Ankaful prisons.
This was disclosed by the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mr H.O. Korney, at the launch of an entrepreneurial training workshop for prison officers and inmates in Accra yesterday.
He explained that the workshop, which was a collaboration between the Prisons Service and GAG Financial Research Networks, an NGO, would equip the participants with the requisite basic knowledge in investment processes and business management.
Mr Korney said apart from retooling the five workshops, a commercial department and a marketing unit had also been established at the Prisons Headquarters, with units at the various prison yards across the country.
He said as a result, some of the activities of the service had been commercialised, including tailoring, carpentry, agriculture, band and concerts, messes/canteen and catering services.
Others included construction works, ambulance services, water tanker and cesspit emptier services, as well as baking, soap making, shea butter and palm oil extraction, he added.
Mr Korney said by commercialising those activities, the Prisons Service hoped to take full advantage of the Retention of Funds Act, Act 735, which allowed the service to retain 60 per cent of its internally generated revenue.
The Director of GAG Financial Research Networks, Mr John Gatsi, said the prisons abounded with many potential entrepreneurs waiting for their freedom, adding that those were the people GAG would like to assist the prisons to identify and groom into big-time entrepreneurs.
He said the training, which had started as a pilot project, would be extended to cover all the prisons in the country as part of the reformation and rehabilitation of prisons in the country.
Friday, October 30, 2009
GHANA ARMED FORCES LAUNCHES AIRFORCE@50 (PAGE 15, OCT 30)
THE Ghana Air force has launched its golden jubilee celebrations with a call on all officers to be dedicated to their duties.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air-Vice Marshal M. Samson-Oje, who made the call, said the Ghana Air force had grown tremendously since its establishment as a flying training school, hence the need for the officers to be proactive in the discharge of their duties .
The GAF, he noted, could now boast three transport squadrons, a fighter ground attack squadron and a helicopter squadron located at the Accra, Takoradi and Tamale Air Force bases.
He said as the country joined the league of oil producing nations, the GAF had an important role to provide the capabilities needed to secure this very important national asset.
Air-Vice Marshal Samson-Oje announced that the Air Force would soon acquire new platforms, ground equipment, support infrastructure, as well as transport and rotary wing aircraft, and construct new hangers to enable it to discharge its duties effectively.
He said the Ministry of Defence was establishing a helicopter squadron at the Air Force Station in Takoradi to support national security priorities and oil exploration activities.
Despite its tremendous growth, the Chief of Air Staff said, the GAF was faced with numerous challenges, including operational infrastructure difficulties such as aged fleet and support facilities.
Air-Vice Marshal Samson-Oje enumerated other problems of the GAF as technical difficulty in meeting the demands of the United Nations operation in Cote d’Ivoire and the loss of officers to the public and private sectors of the economy.
The month-long celebrations, scheduled from October 29 to November 29, 2009, will be crowned with a raffle draw, with the winner taking home a KIA Picanto car.
In a related development the Minister of Defence, Lt-General J.H Smith (retd), has cut the sod for a 52-unit Air Force Golden Jubilee block to house 104 junior officers of the Ghana Air Force (GAF).
The building, which is expected to be completed in 18 months, is part of measures by the Ministry of Defence to tackle the accommodation problems facing service personnel as the GAF celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Lt-Gen. Smith said having been in the service before, he had foreknowledge of the precarious accommodation problem facing service personnel.
He explained that he made it a priority, on assumption of office as a Minister for Defence, to tackle the problem head-on.
He urged the Chief of Air Staff to forward any obstacle he might encounter concerning the building to the ministry for assistance to facilitate the early completion of the building.
Lt-General Smith paid glowing tribute to the first President of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who officially opened the Flying Training School in Accra on September 11, 1959.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air-Vice Marshal M. Samson-Oje, who made the call, said the Ghana Air force had grown tremendously since its establishment as a flying training school, hence the need for the officers to be proactive in the discharge of their duties .
The GAF, he noted, could now boast three transport squadrons, a fighter ground attack squadron and a helicopter squadron located at the Accra, Takoradi and Tamale Air Force bases.
He said as the country joined the league of oil producing nations, the GAF had an important role to provide the capabilities needed to secure this very important national asset.
Air-Vice Marshal Samson-Oje announced that the Air Force would soon acquire new platforms, ground equipment, support infrastructure, as well as transport and rotary wing aircraft, and construct new hangers to enable it to discharge its duties effectively.
He said the Ministry of Defence was establishing a helicopter squadron at the Air Force Station in Takoradi to support national security priorities and oil exploration activities.
Despite its tremendous growth, the Chief of Air Staff said, the GAF was faced with numerous challenges, including operational infrastructure difficulties such as aged fleet and support facilities.
Air-Vice Marshal Samson-Oje enumerated other problems of the GAF as technical difficulty in meeting the demands of the United Nations operation in Cote d’Ivoire and the loss of officers to the public and private sectors of the economy.
The month-long celebrations, scheduled from October 29 to November 29, 2009, will be crowned with a raffle draw, with the winner taking home a KIA Picanto car.
In a related development the Minister of Defence, Lt-General J.H Smith (retd), has cut the sod for a 52-unit Air Force Golden Jubilee block to house 104 junior officers of the Ghana Air Force (GAF).
The building, which is expected to be completed in 18 months, is part of measures by the Ministry of Defence to tackle the accommodation problems facing service personnel as the GAF celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Lt-Gen. Smith said having been in the service before, he had foreknowledge of the precarious accommodation problem facing service personnel.
He explained that he made it a priority, on assumption of office as a Minister for Defence, to tackle the problem head-on.
He urged the Chief of Air Staff to forward any obstacle he might encounter concerning the building to the ministry for assistance to facilitate the early completion of the building.
Lt-General Smith paid glowing tribute to the first President of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who officially opened the Flying Training School in Accra on September 11, 1959.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
SEVEN TO PROBE TEMA SHIPYARD (SPREAD, OCT 22)
THE Minister of Transport, Mr Mike Hammah, inaugurated a seven-member committee to ascertain the extent and scope of corporate malfeasance at the PSC Tema Shipyard and Drydock Company in Accra yesterday.
He said since the government divested 60 per cent of its shares in the company in 1997, the company had attracted a lot of public attention, more often in the bad light.
The minister explained that with a huge potential to maintain and improve on its viability, PSC Tema Shipyard had come under severe criticism, particularly from the media and workers who had accused the management of malfeasance and impropriety.
He said recent revelations from an internal audit report in the media left much to be desired and indicated that over the last two years, the Internal Audit Department had operated under a lot of constraints and frustrations and that in spite of persistent complaints about weak internal audit controls, management did not do anything about them.
He said another major concern of the government and Ghanaian taxpayers was the manner in which the original majority shareholders (Malaysians) transferred the shares to another company, after the divestiture, without recourse to the original divestiture agreement in 1998.
Mr Hammah said it was to bring about sanity in the operations of PSC Tema Shipyard and other related issues that the ministry had found it necessary and imperative to set up the imvestigative committee.
He spelt out the terms of reference of the committee to include assessing the commercial performance of the company since its inception in 1998, as well as its financial viability.
The minister said the committee, chaired by a legal practitioner, Mr Chris Ackummey, would also imvestigate the reasons underlying the incessant labour unrest and how it had affected operational performances.
He said the committee would establish whether there was any corporate malfeasance and if so, how it had negatively affected the company.
Mr Hammah stressed that the committee was not set up for any witch hunting purposes but to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the numerous allegations and allow for appropriate steps to be taken to safeguard the taxpayer's money and steer the company to contribute its expected quota towards the overall development of the country.
Other members of the committee are Mrs Ama Bamful of the Attorney-General's Department, Mr George Winful of the Auditor-General's Department, Mr A. A. Akanteyam of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Ansah of the Ministry of Transport, Mr Seth Kugblenu, a marine engineer, and Lt Commander Kpesse (retd).
He said since the government divested 60 per cent of its shares in the company in 1997, the company had attracted a lot of public attention, more often in the bad light.
The minister explained that with a huge potential to maintain and improve on its viability, PSC Tema Shipyard had come under severe criticism, particularly from the media and workers who had accused the management of malfeasance and impropriety.
He said recent revelations from an internal audit report in the media left much to be desired and indicated that over the last two years, the Internal Audit Department had operated under a lot of constraints and frustrations and that in spite of persistent complaints about weak internal audit controls, management did not do anything about them.
He said another major concern of the government and Ghanaian taxpayers was the manner in which the original majority shareholders (Malaysians) transferred the shares to another company, after the divestiture, without recourse to the original divestiture agreement in 1998.
Mr Hammah said it was to bring about sanity in the operations of PSC Tema Shipyard and other related issues that the ministry had found it necessary and imperative to set up the imvestigative committee.
He spelt out the terms of reference of the committee to include assessing the commercial performance of the company since its inception in 1998, as well as its financial viability.
The minister said the committee, chaired by a legal practitioner, Mr Chris Ackummey, would also imvestigate the reasons underlying the incessant labour unrest and how it had affected operational performances.
He said the committee would establish whether there was any corporate malfeasance and if so, how it had negatively affected the company.
Mr Hammah stressed that the committee was not set up for any witch hunting purposes but to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the numerous allegations and allow for appropriate steps to be taken to safeguard the taxpayer's money and steer the company to contribute its expected quota towards the overall development of the country.
Other members of the committee are Mrs Ama Bamful of the Attorney-General's Department, Mr George Winful of the Auditor-General's Department, Mr A. A. Akanteyam of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Ansah of the Ministry of Transport, Mr Seth Kugblenu, a marine engineer, and Lt Commander Kpesse (retd).
Monday, October 19, 2009
MINISTER LAUNCHES 'GROW AND EAT GHANA' CAMPAIGN (PAGE 21, OCT 17)
THE Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, has launched the ‘Grow and Eat Ghana’ campaign to rally Ghanaians in support of the production, distribution and consumption of food grown and processed in Ghana.
Launching the project in Accra yesterday, Mr Ahwoi called on corporate bodies, food importing companies and consumers to come on board and, in conjunction with local farmers, promote and support the campaign.
The durbar of chiefs and people at which the project was launched also marked World Food Day, which was celebrated this year on the theme, “Achieving Food Security in Times of Crisis”.
The minister, whose speech was read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Livestock, Dr Alfred Tia, said it was regrettable that there had been a marked under-investment in African agriculture since the 1970s, leading to the importation of food into Africa to feed its people and refugees.
He expressed the hope that the World Food Summit scheduled for October 2009 would come up with key remedial actions to help move food security forward and eradicate hunger from the continent.
Mr Ahwoi appealed to the committee in charge of the TeleFood Project in Ghana to implement telefood activities to generate resources to assist local poor farmers and entrepreneurial youth.
The minister also appealed to corporate bodies and other institutions, both private and public, to freely go to the aid of the vulnerable in society to ensure that food security was achieved, especially in the rural areas.
He said the government had developed a medium term (2010 -2015) plan to implement a number of projects that would target a six per cent growth rate in the agricultural sector.
Mr Ahwoi said the target was informed by the need for an agricultural growth rate of about six per cent that ought to be sustained over a period of at least 10 years to ensure food security and rapid economic growth similar to that of middle-income countries.
The Officer in charge of the FAO sub-regional office for West Africa and FAO Representative in Ghana, Mr Musa Saibou Mbenga, who delivered a speech on behalf of the FAO Director-General, Dr Jacques Diouf, said the theme for this year’s celebration provided a clarion call to address the threat and challenges of food security.
He said it was time to invigorate all concerned and strengthen their resolve to dispense with complacency by putting together the right policies and programmes and move with a concerted effort to achieve the objectives of sustainable food security.
Dr Diouf said the FAO was ready to partner the government to consolidate both the short and medium-term measures put in place to mitigate the negative effects of the food crisis and those being established to ensure longer term sustainable food security and poverty reduction in the country.
Launching the project in Accra yesterday, Mr Ahwoi called on corporate bodies, food importing companies and consumers to come on board and, in conjunction with local farmers, promote and support the campaign.
The durbar of chiefs and people at which the project was launched also marked World Food Day, which was celebrated this year on the theme, “Achieving Food Security in Times of Crisis”.
The minister, whose speech was read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Livestock, Dr Alfred Tia, said it was regrettable that there had been a marked under-investment in African agriculture since the 1970s, leading to the importation of food into Africa to feed its people and refugees.
He expressed the hope that the World Food Summit scheduled for October 2009 would come up with key remedial actions to help move food security forward and eradicate hunger from the continent.
Mr Ahwoi appealed to the committee in charge of the TeleFood Project in Ghana to implement telefood activities to generate resources to assist local poor farmers and entrepreneurial youth.
The minister also appealed to corporate bodies and other institutions, both private and public, to freely go to the aid of the vulnerable in society to ensure that food security was achieved, especially in the rural areas.
He said the government had developed a medium term (2010 -2015) plan to implement a number of projects that would target a six per cent growth rate in the agricultural sector.
Mr Ahwoi said the target was informed by the need for an agricultural growth rate of about six per cent that ought to be sustained over a period of at least 10 years to ensure food security and rapid economic growth similar to that of middle-income countries.
The Officer in charge of the FAO sub-regional office for West Africa and FAO Representative in Ghana, Mr Musa Saibou Mbenga, who delivered a speech on behalf of the FAO Director-General, Dr Jacques Diouf, said the theme for this year’s celebration provided a clarion call to address the threat and challenges of food security.
He said it was time to invigorate all concerned and strengthen their resolve to dispense with complacency by putting together the right policies and programmes and move with a concerted effort to achieve the objectives of sustainable food security.
Dr Diouf said the FAO was ready to partner the government to consolidate both the short and medium-term measures put in place to mitigate the negative effects of the food crisis and those being established to ensure longer term sustainable food security and poverty reduction in the country.
Friday, October 16, 2009
STUDENTS ARE AGENTS OF CHANGE — OKYENHENE (PAGE 17, OCT 16)
The Okyehene, Osagyefuo Amotia Ofori Panin, has advised students of the country’s universities to see themselves as agents of change in the social economic development of the country.
He has therefore urged students to disabuse the notion that education is meant solely to prepare them as tools for hiring.
Osagyefo Amotia made the remarks at a symposium organised at the University of Ghana to launch the 10th anniversary celebrations of his ascendncy to the Ofori Panin Stool and activities to herald the establishment of the University of Agriculture and Environmental Studies at Bunso in the Eastern Region.
He said even though prospective students of the university could match any student elsewhere in the developed countries, their first aim would be to turn out students that were self-reliant and could depend on their skills to generate employment for themselves.
He called on the students not to be afraid of changing the old ways of doing things since without risks, they could not start their own businesses and create jobs for the less fortunate ones.
He explained that the focus of the university was to empower Ghanaians to create wealth and use their capital to create jobs.
The Okyenhene urged students to stop having doubts in themselves, study hard and venture into the field of computer engineering and environmental science, which were capturing centre stage in the information age the global village.
The Okyenhene said the University of Agriculture and Environmental Studies was a purely private initiative spearheaded by the Abuakwa Traditional Area to supplement effort of the government in the area of science.
He explained that the university, which would focus on science, would provide timely research findings for farmers to crop their lands in the era of climate change, which could have profound implications for agriculture world-wide.
Professor Yaa Ntiamoah-Badu of the School of Research and Graduate Studies of the University of Ghana, who delivered a paper at the symposium on theme: “Sustainable Environment for Quality Life” called on the university to cut a notch for itself in agricultural and environmental studies and not toe the line of the old universities in the country.
She urged the university to explore potential areas such as the oil and gas industries by coming up with up-to-date research work to aid the development of the industry, especially its environmental impact on the country.
She said even though Ghana was an agricultural country, it was a net importer of various food items because the sector had been neglected by the universities and previous governments.
She said the new university had the opportunity to change the mindset of Ghanaians and the government that they were capable of achieving food security for themselves.
Prof. Ntiamoah-Badu noted that farmers could be empowered by research from the new university to change their old agricultural practice and adopt new sustainable ways to help increase food production for both domestic consumption, as well as for export, to earn foreign exchange for the country.
He has therefore urged students to disabuse the notion that education is meant solely to prepare them as tools for hiring.
Osagyefo Amotia made the remarks at a symposium organised at the University of Ghana to launch the 10th anniversary celebrations of his ascendncy to the Ofori Panin Stool and activities to herald the establishment of the University of Agriculture and Environmental Studies at Bunso in the Eastern Region.
He said even though prospective students of the university could match any student elsewhere in the developed countries, their first aim would be to turn out students that were self-reliant and could depend on their skills to generate employment for themselves.
He called on the students not to be afraid of changing the old ways of doing things since without risks, they could not start their own businesses and create jobs for the less fortunate ones.
He explained that the focus of the university was to empower Ghanaians to create wealth and use their capital to create jobs.
The Okyenhene urged students to stop having doubts in themselves, study hard and venture into the field of computer engineering and environmental science, which were capturing centre stage in the information age the global village.
The Okyenhene said the University of Agriculture and Environmental Studies was a purely private initiative spearheaded by the Abuakwa Traditional Area to supplement effort of the government in the area of science.
He explained that the university, which would focus on science, would provide timely research findings for farmers to crop their lands in the era of climate change, which could have profound implications for agriculture world-wide.
Professor Yaa Ntiamoah-Badu of the School of Research and Graduate Studies of the University of Ghana, who delivered a paper at the symposium on theme: “Sustainable Environment for Quality Life” called on the university to cut a notch for itself in agricultural and environmental studies and not toe the line of the old universities in the country.
She urged the university to explore potential areas such as the oil and gas industries by coming up with up-to-date research work to aid the development of the industry, especially its environmental impact on the country.
She said even though Ghana was an agricultural country, it was a net importer of various food items because the sector had been neglected by the universities and previous governments.
She said the new university had the opportunity to change the mindset of Ghanaians and the government that they were capable of achieving food security for themselves.
Prof. Ntiamoah-Badu noted that farmers could be empowered by research from the new university to change their old agricultural practice and adopt new sustainable ways to help increase food production for both domestic consumption, as well as for export, to earn foreign exchange for the country.
INFORMATION SHARING AMONG MARITIME STAKEHOLDERS IMPORTANT (PAGE 25, OCT 16)
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Mathew Quashie, has called for a framework that will ensure free flow of information between the navy and other maritime stakeholders to combat illegal fishing and drug trafficking in the country’s territorial waters.
That, he said, had become necessary because of the limited resources at the disposal of the Ghana Navy and the national furore that greeted the news of illegal fishing by big-time foreign companies as well as illegal drug trafficking on the country's seas.
The Chief of Naval Staff who said that at a symposium to mark the 50th anniversary of the Ghana Navy, explained that natural resources such as fish and oil abounded in the territorial waters of the country.
He noted that the present state of the navy did not allow for the effective and efficient performance of its roles and responsibilities.
He explained that no ship had been acquired since 2000 and the country could pay huge penalties for failing to protect and preserve the fishing industry.
He explained that with the limited fleet of vessels, the navy alone could not deal with the country’s maritime security challenges posed by the oil find and other natural resources.
He hailed the acquisition of two new 46-metre patrol boats by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to beef up the navy’s operations and protect the fishery resources of the country.
The Chief of Naval Staff said the influx of foreign companies, illegal bunkering and stealing of oil and other negative activities was bound to be on the ascendancy.
He said the collaboration between the navy and other maritime stakeholders could create a secure environment at sea for the unimpeded exploration of the country's natural resources.
He said until recently many people took the maritime resources of the country for granted until Kosmos Energy and Tullow P/C discovered oil in commercial quantities.
Real Admiral Quashie said the government had shown commitment to revamping the navy through the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Sekondi slipway project, which would allow the docking of ships at Sekondi for repair works.
He said the docking of the navy's ships at Tema Drydock was very expensive since it was a private enterprise.
That, he said, had become necessary because of the limited resources at the disposal of the Ghana Navy and the national furore that greeted the news of illegal fishing by big-time foreign companies as well as illegal drug trafficking on the country's seas.
The Chief of Naval Staff who said that at a symposium to mark the 50th anniversary of the Ghana Navy, explained that natural resources such as fish and oil abounded in the territorial waters of the country.
He noted that the present state of the navy did not allow for the effective and efficient performance of its roles and responsibilities.
He explained that no ship had been acquired since 2000 and the country could pay huge penalties for failing to protect and preserve the fishing industry.
He explained that with the limited fleet of vessels, the navy alone could not deal with the country’s maritime security challenges posed by the oil find and other natural resources.
He hailed the acquisition of two new 46-metre patrol boats by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to beef up the navy’s operations and protect the fishery resources of the country.
The Chief of Naval Staff said the influx of foreign companies, illegal bunkering and stealing of oil and other negative activities was bound to be on the ascendancy.
He said the collaboration between the navy and other maritime stakeholders could create a secure environment at sea for the unimpeded exploration of the country's natural resources.
He said until recently many people took the maritime resources of the country for granted until Kosmos Energy and Tullow P/C discovered oil in commercial quantities.
Real Admiral Quashie said the government had shown commitment to revamping the navy through the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Sekondi slipway project, which would allow the docking of ships at Sekondi for repair works.
He said the docking of the navy's ships at Tema Drydock was very expensive since it was a private enterprise.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
HEALTH INSTITUTIONS NEED INCUBATORS (SEPT 26, PAGE 17)
A Director of the Ghana Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Campaign Coalition Secretariat, Rev. Albert Kwabi, has stated that lack of incubators in most health institutions in the country posed a great challenge to the attainment of MDG 4, which relates to the reduction of child mortality.
Speaking at the launch of the 2009 Stand- up, End Poverty Now Campaign, he said a visit by the coalition to the two regions last year, as a follow-up to the release of United Nations and Christian Council Report on infant and maternal mortality situations in the country, indicated the non-availability of incubators.
He said for example all health institutions in the Volta Region had no incubators, while the situation was no different from those pertaining in the Dangbe West and East districts in the Greater Accra Region.
The coalition launched this year’s campaign to review the national processes towards the attainment of the MDGs and develop new strategies towards the attainment of the goals.
The campaign is also to remind the government and leaders of the country and development partners of their commitment to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
The initiative is being undertaken by Ghana’s MDGs Campaign Coalition aimed at supplementing the government’s efforts with the help of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in achieving the goals. It seeks to mobilise about 8 million people through a series of planned activities to be organised nation-wide to offer citizens the opportunity to engage in creative modules, which appeal to both the young and old.
The Secretary- General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr Kofi Asamoah, said that despite the economic growth being recorded in the country, poverty persisted in the country.
Mr Asamoah whose speech was read on his behalf by Mr Seth Abloso, Head of Organisation of the TUC, said for growth to make a meaningful impact on poverty reduction, it ought directly to involve the poor by providing them with jobs.
The Secretary General of the TUC said the country’s growth process was unplanned based on the resources of the few rich, and relied heavily on the devices of free markets to distribute the benefits of growth.
The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev. Fred Degbe, and one of the six ambassadors of the Stand-Up Take Action Against Poverty Campaign, said it was wrong for people to assume that they were born to wallow in poverty.
He explained that the Bible commanded people to share freely, and to hold leaders and churches accountable for their actions towards the vulnerable in the world.
Madam Adwoa Kwateng Kluvitse, the Country Director of ActionAid, who launched the 2009 Stand-up Campaign read the Pledge of the Campaign which stated in part that “We are standing because we refuse to accept more excuses in a world where 50,000 people die every day as a result of extreme poverty and the gap between rich and poor is getting wider.’’
Other Ambassadors of the Coalition included the Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Dauda Toure, United Nations Representative in Ghana, National Chief Imam, Mrs Esther Aboagye of the Local Government Institute and Rev. Yaw Frimpong Manso of the Presbyterian Church.
Speaking at the launch of the 2009 Stand- up, End Poverty Now Campaign, he said a visit by the coalition to the two regions last year, as a follow-up to the release of United Nations and Christian Council Report on infant and maternal mortality situations in the country, indicated the non-availability of incubators.
He said for example all health institutions in the Volta Region had no incubators, while the situation was no different from those pertaining in the Dangbe West and East districts in the Greater Accra Region.
The coalition launched this year’s campaign to review the national processes towards the attainment of the MDGs and develop new strategies towards the attainment of the goals.
The campaign is also to remind the government and leaders of the country and development partners of their commitment to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
The initiative is being undertaken by Ghana’s MDGs Campaign Coalition aimed at supplementing the government’s efforts with the help of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in achieving the goals. It seeks to mobilise about 8 million people through a series of planned activities to be organised nation-wide to offer citizens the opportunity to engage in creative modules, which appeal to both the young and old.
The Secretary- General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr Kofi Asamoah, said that despite the economic growth being recorded in the country, poverty persisted in the country.
Mr Asamoah whose speech was read on his behalf by Mr Seth Abloso, Head of Organisation of the TUC, said for growth to make a meaningful impact on poverty reduction, it ought directly to involve the poor by providing them with jobs.
The Secretary General of the TUC said the country’s growth process was unplanned based on the resources of the few rich, and relied heavily on the devices of free markets to distribute the benefits of growth.
The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev. Fred Degbe, and one of the six ambassadors of the Stand-Up Take Action Against Poverty Campaign, said it was wrong for people to assume that they were born to wallow in poverty.
He explained that the Bible commanded people to share freely, and to hold leaders and churches accountable for their actions towards the vulnerable in the world.
Madam Adwoa Kwateng Kluvitse, the Country Director of ActionAid, who launched the 2009 Stand-up Campaign read the Pledge of the Campaign which stated in part that “We are standing because we refuse to accept more excuses in a world where 50,000 people die every day as a result of extreme poverty and the gap between rich and poor is getting wider.’’
Other Ambassadors of the Coalition included the Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Dauda Toure, United Nations Representative in Ghana, National Chief Imam, Mrs Esther Aboagye of the Local Government Institute and Rev. Yaw Frimpong Manso of the Presbyterian Church.
GHANA MARKS RABIES DAY (SEPT 22, PAGE 31)
Ghana yesterday joined the rest of the world to celebrate the World Rabies Day, rolling out a five-year anti-rabies campaign to achieve 70-per cent vaccination coverage of dog population.
The programme is to break the viral circle of rabid infection in the country.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture in charge of Livestock, Dr Alfred Tia, who launched activities marking World Anti-Rabies day in Accra yesterday, said the five-year programme which would include surveillance was intended to reduce cases of dog bites from stray dogs.
Statistics available at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) indicate that dog bites registered in the country in 2008 stood at 673. Out of the figure, 24 positive cases were recorded in the Greater Accra Region alone.
The statistics further indicate that from January to August, 2009, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Veterinary Clinic recorded 16 positive cases of rabies out of 428 dog bites from stray dogs.
The Deputy Minister said the incidence of rabid bites and infection was an “alarming situation’’ and urged stakeholders and donors involved to go the extra mile with funding to assist in the preventive and control measures.
He noted that the statistics indicated that stray dogs posed a serious public health hazards for the control of rabies.
The Deputy Minister explained that under the five-year programme, the Veterinary Services Department would ensure the availability of various vaccines at all times and in all communities for mass vaccination.
He said MOFA was collaborating with the Ministry of Health to carry out census of dogs and cats in the course of their house-to-house child immunisation exercises.
He said the Department of Veterinary Services was in close collaboration with the School of Public Health to study the socio-economic impact of rabies on the country and to carry out surveillance of the disease to ensure effective control.
Dr K. B. Darkwa, President of Ghana Veterinary Medical Association, said the theme for this year’s celebration, “Rabies- A Neglected Public Health Menace”, was chosen to draw attention of the world to the fact that the disease was a major public health hazard.
He explained that in the past when MOFA carried out mass vaccination of dogs and cats free of charge, there was a reduction in the incidence of both animal and human rabies.
He said the Greater Accra Region recorded in 1990, 1992 and 1993 seven, eight and five cases respectively when there was mass vaccination in those years.
Dr Darkwa said, however, that in 1991 and 1994 when there was no mass vaccination, 40 and 52 cases were respectively recorded.
Since 1994 when the mass campaign was stopped, there has been an upsurge in outbreak of rabid cases in animals and this has manifested in the increase in human rabies.
The programme is to break the viral circle of rabid infection in the country.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture in charge of Livestock, Dr Alfred Tia, who launched activities marking World Anti-Rabies day in Accra yesterday, said the five-year programme which would include surveillance was intended to reduce cases of dog bites from stray dogs.
Statistics available at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) indicate that dog bites registered in the country in 2008 stood at 673. Out of the figure, 24 positive cases were recorded in the Greater Accra Region alone.
The statistics further indicate that from January to August, 2009, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Veterinary Clinic recorded 16 positive cases of rabies out of 428 dog bites from stray dogs.
The Deputy Minister said the incidence of rabid bites and infection was an “alarming situation’’ and urged stakeholders and donors involved to go the extra mile with funding to assist in the preventive and control measures.
He noted that the statistics indicated that stray dogs posed a serious public health hazards for the control of rabies.
The Deputy Minister explained that under the five-year programme, the Veterinary Services Department would ensure the availability of various vaccines at all times and in all communities for mass vaccination.
He said MOFA was collaborating with the Ministry of Health to carry out census of dogs and cats in the course of their house-to-house child immunisation exercises.
He said the Department of Veterinary Services was in close collaboration with the School of Public Health to study the socio-economic impact of rabies on the country and to carry out surveillance of the disease to ensure effective control.
Dr K. B. Darkwa, President of Ghana Veterinary Medical Association, said the theme for this year’s celebration, “Rabies- A Neglected Public Health Menace”, was chosen to draw attention of the world to the fact that the disease was a major public health hazard.
He explained that in the past when MOFA carried out mass vaccination of dogs and cats free of charge, there was a reduction in the incidence of both animal and human rabies.
He said the Greater Accra Region recorded in 1990, 1992 and 1993 seven, eight and five cases respectively when there was mass vaccination in those years.
Dr Darkwa said, however, that in 1991 and 1994 when there was no mass vaccination, 40 and 52 cases were respectively recorded.
Since 1994 when the mass campaign was stopped, there has been an upsurge in outbreak of rabid cases in animals and this has manifested in the increase in human rabies.
VIGIL, CONCERT HEARLD NKRUMAH'S CENTENARY (SEPT 22, SPREAD)
A well-attended musical concert and poetry recital in Accra on Sunday night ushered in activities marking the centenary birthday of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
The vigil, which was held at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, attracted people from all walks of life, prominent them being Rita Marley, the widow of the late Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley; Prof. Akilagpa Sawyerr, chairman of the Centenary Planning Committee; Dr Efua Sutherland-Addy, Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Dr Nii Noi Dowuona, all of the Centenary Planning Committee; and Mr Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Information.
Rita Marley, who read a solidarity message from Jamaica, repeated what her late husband said about mental slavery and urged Africans to free themselves from mental slavery, since nobody would undertake that project except Africans themselves.
The artists who won the admiration of the crowd in poetry recital included Akora Yaw, a local poet, and Mr Lantey Lamptey, who did his poetry recital in Ga for Dr Nkrumah, as well as the Unity Brass Ensemble.
The widow of Salifu Dagarti, the security guard who laid his life in order for Dr Nkrumah to survive an attack at the Flagstaff House, also addressed the crowd.
She advised Ghanaians to learn to take good care of their leaders, saying that Kwame Nkrumah was a leader who, Ghanaians failed to take good care of and therefore lost him.
Mr Ablakwa said the Government was excited that the celebration of the birthday had involved people from all the political parties in a national manner.
He said Kwame Nkrumah stood for social justice and equity and urged Ghanaians to take a cue from the ideals of Dr Nkrumah to ensure development, peace and progress in the country.
Mr Ablakwa commended the Centenary Planning Committee, the youth and the media for patronising activities marking the centenary birthday and urged Ghanaians to recommit themselves to peace and progress, which had been the hallmark of Dr Nkrumah.
Dr Sutherland-Addy commended the groups who on their own volition, undertook the candle procession through the principal streets of Accra, culminating in the vigil, saying that the country had once mobilised itself for development and could repeat the feat this time around.
She said Ghanaians could learn from the path Dr Nkrumah carved for the country, adding that even though the path could be crooked, Ghanaians had the responsibility to straighten the crookedness and not neglect the path completely.
The vigil was climaxed by the lightening of candles and as the event came to an end the circle area was thrown into a carnival with people drumming and dancing while they dispersed to their various homes and other places of abode.
The vigil, which was held at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, attracted people from all walks of life, prominent them being Rita Marley, the widow of the late Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley; Prof. Akilagpa Sawyerr, chairman of the Centenary Planning Committee; Dr Efua Sutherland-Addy, Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Dr Nii Noi Dowuona, all of the Centenary Planning Committee; and Mr Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Information.
Rita Marley, who read a solidarity message from Jamaica, repeated what her late husband said about mental slavery and urged Africans to free themselves from mental slavery, since nobody would undertake that project except Africans themselves.
The artists who won the admiration of the crowd in poetry recital included Akora Yaw, a local poet, and Mr Lantey Lamptey, who did his poetry recital in Ga for Dr Nkrumah, as well as the Unity Brass Ensemble.
The widow of Salifu Dagarti, the security guard who laid his life in order for Dr Nkrumah to survive an attack at the Flagstaff House, also addressed the crowd.
She advised Ghanaians to learn to take good care of their leaders, saying that Kwame Nkrumah was a leader who, Ghanaians failed to take good care of and therefore lost him.
Mr Ablakwa said the Government was excited that the celebration of the birthday had involved people from all the political parties in a national manner.
He said Kwame Nkrumah stood for social justice and equity and urged Ghanaians to take a cue from the ideals of Dr Nkrumah to ensure development, peace and progress in the country.
Mr Ablakwa commended the Centenary Planning Committee, the youth and the media for patronising activities marking the centenary birthday and urged Ghanaians to recommit themselves to peace and progress, which had been the hallmark of Dr Nkrumah.
Dr Sutherland-Addy commended the groups who on their own volition, undertook the candle procession through the principal streets of Accra, culminating in the vigil, saying that the country had once mobilised itself for development and could repeat the feat this time around.
She said Ghanaians could learn from the path Dr Nkrumah carved for the country, adding that even though the path could be crooked, Ghanaians had the responsibility to straighten the crookedness and not neglect the path completely.
The vigil was climaxed by the lightening of candles and as the event came to an end the circle area was thrown into a carnival with people drumming and dancing while they dispersed to their various homes and other places of abode.
MUSLIMS URGED TO PURSUE PATH OF UNITY (SEPT 22, BACK PAGE)
THE Ameer (Head) and Missionary in charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana, Maulvi Wahab Adam, has called on Muslims to use the occasion of the Eid-ul-Fitr festival to foster unity and peace among themselves and other religious organisations for national cohesion and development.
Maulvi Adam, who delivered a sermon on the occasion of the Eid-ul- Fitr in Accra yesterday, said unity and discipline were essential prerequisites for national cohesion and development.
He explained that the 30 days’ fasting and prayers had the primary objective of fostering unity and engendering discipline in Muslims and the society as a whole.
He stressed that having successfully gone through presidential and parliamentary elections that had won the country international approbation and goodwill, “all of us have a duty to ensure that the country stays together in unity’’.
The Ameer said Ghanaians should not allow their religious and ethnic diversity or political differences to divide the country and weaken the resolve to build for posterity a just, humane, caring and great nation.
He said that was possible only through tolerance, mutual respect and the realisation that all Ghanaians, as rightful citizens, had a stake in the country’s development.
He said in all relationships and dealings, it was essential that Ghanaians chose dialogue and not violence as the only guarantee for survival as one great people with a common destiny.
Maulvi Adam appealed to Ghanaians to hold fast to time-tested procedures and institutions and allow them to work without undue interference.
He advised Muslims to be wary of groups who called for the sanctioning of Muslims among them who did not partake in the fast.
He said in some countries, they even called for the closure of eating places such as restaurants and described that as unIslamic since Islam had exempted minors, pregnant women, the invalid and those travelling from fasting.
Maulvi Adam wondered where else those exempted from fasting could eat if all restaurants and other places for eating were closed.
He explained that according to the Islamic tradition, a fasting Muslim would be rewarded if he had the tolerance and patience to sit with those who could not fast and urged Muslims to be tolerant, a virtue required by Muslims during the Ramadan.
Maulvi Adam used the blessed and auspicious occasion of the Eid-ul-Fitr to pray for the country's leaders, including traditional rulers, as well as others, for guidance and prosperity.
Maulvi Adam, who delivered a sermon on the occasion of the Eid-ul- Fitr in Accra yesterday, said unity and discipline were essential prerequisites for national cohesion and development.
He explained that the 30 days’ fasting and prayers had the primary objective of fostering unity and engendering discipline in Muslims and the society as a whole.
He stressed that having successfully gone through presidential and parliamentary elections that had won the country international approbation and goodwill, “all of us have a duty to ensure that the country stays together in unity’’.
The Ameer said Ghanaians should not allow their religious and ethnic diversity or political differences to divide the country and weaken the resolve to build for posterity a just, humane, caring and great nation.
He said that was possible only through tolerance, mutual respect and the realisation that all Ghanaians, as rightful citizens, had a stake in the country’s development.
He said in all relationships and dealings, it was essential that Ghanaians chose dialogue and not violence as the only guarantee for survival as one great people with a common destiny.
Maulvi Adam appealed to Ghanaians to hold fast to time-tested procedures and institutions and allow them to work without undue interference.
He advised Muslims to be wary of groups who called for the sanctioning of Muslims among them who did not partake in the fast.
He said in some countries, they even called for the closure of eating places such as restaurants and described that as unIslamic since Islam had exempted minors, pregnant women, the invalid and those travelling from fasting.
Maulvi Adam wondered where else those exempted from fasting could eat if all restaurants and other places for eating were closed.
He explained that according to the Islamic tradition, a fasting Muslim would be rewarded if he had the tolerance and patience to sit with those who could not fast and urged Muslims to be tolerant, a virtue required by Muslims during the Ramadan.
Maulvi Adam used the blessed and auspicious occasion of the Eid-ul-Fitr to pray for the country's leaders, including traditional rulers, as well as others, for guidance and prosperity.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
MOVES TO SUSTAIN HIV/AIDS AWARENESS — AIDS Commission, GJA launch project (SEPT 15, SPREAD)
THE Director-General of Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Angela El-Adas, has warned of possible increase in HIV and AIDS cases in the country because of pockets of high prevalence rate among certain sub-populations and geographical areas.
She said even though the current national adult prevalence rate of HIV and AIDS had dropped from 1.9 per cent in 2008 to 1.7 per cent in 2009, the HIV epidemic continued to challenge the socio-economic development of Ghana.
Dr EL-Adas, who launched Ghana AIDS Commission/Ghana Journalist Association (GJA ) project of “Using the media to create greater awareness on HIV and AIDS” in Accra yesterday, said the AIDS epidemic in the country was a generalised one with pockets of high prevalence rate.
She said those pockets had the capacity to flare and spread to the general population, if effective interventions were not put in place immediately to curb the spread.
She said currently about 240,000 Ghanaians were estimated to be living with the virus, with HIV prevalence among pregnant women rising to a peak of 3.6 per cent in 2003.
She, however, said Ghana Sentinel Survey Report for 2008 revealed that the number of cases among pregnant women declined to 2.2 per cent, with the major mode of transmission still being through heterosexual intercourse.
The Director-General said despite Ghana's prevalence rate being the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, the government would continue to give serious attention to the epidemic as a major public health challenge with multidimensional effects.
She noted that the disease contributed to household vulnerability and poverty and impeded the national development effort.
She said the AIDS Commission, in partnership with various stakeholders, had undertaken several strategic interventions in response to the epidemic.
Dr El-Adas explained that the strategic interventions included the creation of awareness, promoting abstinence among the youth, promoting safe sex, providing counselling and testing services, as well as offering care and support to people living with AIDS.
She said the AIDS Commission also provided support to orphans and vulnerable children, while intensifying anti-retroviral treatment for adults and children.
She said the critical issue of stigma and discrimination against people living with the disease had also been given a serious attention.
For his part, Mr Ransford Tetteh, the President of Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said through the project, journalists would be in a position to adequately inform the general public of the dangers of the HIV disease and impact of the disease on the economy.
He said indications were that social behavioural traits, especially among the youth, required that the media help to intensify the creation of a greater awareness, if the country was to make a constant and sustained progress in stemming the spread of the epidemic.
Mr Tetteh said apart from the training programme component of the project, it had an award scheme component to reward journalists who wrote and published exclusive stories on HIV and AIDS.
She said even though the current national adult prevalence rate of HIV and AIDS had dropped from 1.9 per cent in 2008 to 1.7 per cent in 2009, the HIV epidemic continued to challenge the socio-economic development of Ghana.
Dr EL-Adas, who launched Ghana AIDS Commission/Ghana Journalist Association (GJA ) project of “Using the media to create greater awareness on HIV and AIDS” in Accra yesterday, said the AIDS epidemic in the country was a generalised one with pockets of high prevalence rate.
She said those pockets had the capacity to flare and spread to the general population, if effective interventions were not put in place immediately to curb the spread.
She said currently about 240,000 Ghanaians were estimated to be living with the virus, with HIV prevalence among pregnant women rising to a peak of 3.6 per cent in 2003.
She, however, said Ghana Sentinel Survey Report for 2008 revealed that the number of cases among pregnant women declined to 2.2 per cent, with the major mode of transmission still being through heterosexual intercourse.
The Director-General said despite Ghana's prevalence rate being the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, the government would continue to give serious attention to the epidemic as a major public health challenge with multidimensional effects.
She noted that the disease contributed to household vulnerability and poverty and impeded the national development effort.
She said the AIDS Commission, in partnership with various stakeholders, had undertaken several strategic interventions in response to the epidemic.
Dr El-Adas explained that the strategic interventions included the creation of awareness, promoting abstinence among the youth, promoting safe sex, providing counselling and testing services, as well as offering care and support to people living with AIDS.
She said the AIDS Commission also provided support to orphans and vulnerable children, while intensifying anti-retroviral treatment for adults and children.
She said the critical issue of stigma and discrimination against people living with the disease had also been given a serious attention.
For his part, Mr Ransford Tetteh, the President of Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said through the project, journalists would be in a position to adequately inform the general public of the dangers of the HIV disease and impact of the disease on the economy.
He said indications were that social behavioural traits, especially among the youth, required that the media help to intensify the creation of a greater awareness, if the country was to make a constant and sustained progress in stemming the spread of the epidemic.
Mr Tetteh said apart from the training programme component of the project, it had an award scheme component to reward journalists who wrote and published exclusive stories on HIV and AIDS.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
NGO RESCUES 56 CHILDREN (PAGE 11)
THE Rural Project Support Network, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) at Abokobi in the Ga East Municipality, in conjunction with the municipal assembly has rescued 56 children, including adults, from selling on the streets and engaging in stone quarrying under an exercise which began two years ago.
One of the 56 rescued, who is now 19 years old, completed a junior high school at Pantang just last academic year, while the rest, aged between five and 19, are currently in various stages of their basic level of education.
Madam Felicia Sosu Lartey, Executive Director of Rural Project Support Network, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in an interview, said some communities near Abokobi, namely Boi, Oyarifa, Adjoko, Seseli and Abooman bemoaned the 19-year-old boy’s depths of despair, resulting in banning the use of children of school age in stone quarrying in the area.
She said estate developers had unfortunately resorted to using children, some as young as five years old, as a source of cheap labour in their construction business in order to maximise profits.
She said some of the parents of such children who suffered such exploitation were poor, while some of the children themselves were orphans, stressing that the plight of the children had encouraged the organisation to move to their rescue with the support of the Ga East Municipal Assembly.
Madam Lartey pointed out that efforts by the NGO to reunite the children with their families had not been successful, since some of the parents had pleaded with the NGO to adopt their children because, for economic reasons, they could not look after them any longer.
She said the NGO and the Ga East Municipal Assembly had recently held a meeting to find ways of supporting children who migrated from rural communities to the municipality in search of greener pastures, which was rather non-existent.
She said apart from the 56, another 46 adults had been selected for skills training in such income-generating ventures as soap-making, bakery, groundnut oil extraction and bee-keeping to keep them away from prostitution and other social vices.
Madam Lartey said recently the NGO, in collaboration with Ghana Network of Reflect Practitioners on Children Rights (PAMOJA), Right and Voice Initiative (RAVI), Ghana AIDS Commission and the Pantang Hospital, organised an HIV and AIDS counselling and testing programme in 12 communities in the Ga East Municipality.
The Executive Director of Rural Support Network said out of 1,147 people who were tested, 17 tested positive, explaining that the disease was real and the network had launched an educational programme to deal with the HIV menace and other issues such as child labour and prostitution.
She, therefore, appealed to the NGOs engaged in similar projects to pool resources to assist the Ga East Municipality in its fight against these social vices.
One of the 56 rescued, who is now 19 years old, completed a junior high school at Pantang just last academic year, while the rest, aged between five and 19, are currently in various stages of their basic level of education.
Madam Felicia Sosu Lartey, Executive Director of Rural Project Support Network, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in an interview, said some communities near Abokobi, namely Boi, Oyarifa, Adjoko, Seseli and Abooman bemoaned the 19-year-old boy’s depths of despair, resulting in banning the use of children of school age in stone quarrying in the area.
She said estate developers had unfortunately resorted to using children, some as young as five years old, as a source of cheap labour in their construction business in order to maximise profits.
She said some of the parents of such children who suffered such exploitation were poor, while some of the children themselves were orphans, stressing that the plight of the children had encouraged the organisation to move to their rescue with the support of the Ga East Municipal Assembly.
Madam Lartey pointed out that efforts by the NGO to reunite the children with their families had not been successful, since some of the parents had pleaded with the NGO to adopt their children because, for economic reasons, they could not look after them any longer.
She said the NGO and the Ga East Municipal Assembly had recently held a meeting to find ways of supporting children who migrated from rural communities to the municipality in search of greener pastures, which was rather non-existent.
She said apart from the 56, another 46 adults had been selected for skills training in such income-generating ventures as soap-making, bakery, groundnut oil extraction and bee-keeping to keep them away from prostitution and other social vices.
Madam Lartey said recently the NGO, in collaboration with Ghana Network of Reflect Practitioners on Children Rights (PAMOJA), Right and Voice Initiative (RAVI), Ghana AIDS Commission and the Pantang Hospital, organised an HIV and AIDS counselling and testing programme in 12 communities in the Ga East Municipality.
The Executive Director of Rural Support Network said out of 1,147 people who were tested, 17 tested positive, explaining that the disease was real and the network had launched an educational programme to deal with the HIV menace and other issues such as child labour and prostitution.
She, therefore, appealed to the NGOs engaged in similar projects to pool resources to assist the Ga East Municipality in its fight against these social vices.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
C'TTEE ON VODAFONE PRESENTS REPORT (PAGE 3)
THE Inter-Ministerial Review Committee on the Vodafone Transaction yesterday presented its report to the Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, in Accra.
Presenting the report, the Chairman of the committee, Mr Justice Akwei Addo, said the committee examined all facts under its terms of reference before coming up with its report with an appendix attached.
“Without much ado, we would like to present the report and the appendix to the minister,” Mr Justice Addo said.
Receiving the report, Mr Iddrisu noted that he was unable to comment on any of the recommendations, since the report had just been presented to him.
He, however, reiterated the Government’s commitment to open and transparent administration and explained that any decision taken by the Government based on the recommendations of the committee would be made known to the public.
He said the Government was aware of the major ramifications of the review for investment but was also mindful of the strategic interest and the interest of the telecommunication industry.
Mr Iddrisu thanked the chairman and members of the committee for the diligent and thorough work done to put to rest such a delicate and controversial issue.
The minister said the committee’s work was partly in fulfilment of the campaign promise of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) before the December general election to review the sale of Ghana Telecom (GT) for $900 million to Vodafone, when given the mandate to rule.
He expressed profound appreciation to the committee members for a job well done.
The committee was set up early this year to have a second look at the sale of Ghana Telecom to Vodafone by the previous administration.
The terms of reference for the 10-member committee, aka the Justice Akwei Addo Committee, was to investigate the justification and rationale for the inclusion of an Indemnity Clause in the agreement and its possible removal.
Other terms of reference included ascertaining the value for money and the financial implications of the cash-free debt-free basis of the transaction for the Government of Ghana (GOG), as well as finding explanation for the huge liabilities of Ghana Telecom prior to the sale and why some of the liabilities were not declared at closing.
The inclusion of the National Fibre-Optic Backbone infrastructure in GT transaction, when it was conceived as a stand-alone, open-access and non-discriminatory project to support the deployment of ICT in the country, was also investigated by the committee.
The committee also ascertained the status and repayment of $30 million from China Eximbank for the implementation of the first phase of the National Fibre Optic Backbone and its implication on future financing of ICT projects.
It also determined the extent to which Vodafone had injected working capital into GT, which was the basis for the sale by the previous government.
Presenting the report, the Chairman of the committee, Mr Justice Akwei Addo, said the committee examined all facts under its terms of reference before coming up with its report with an appendix attached.
“Without much ado, we would like to present the report and the appendix to the minister,” Mr Justice Addo said.
Receiving the report, Mr Iddrisu noted that he was unable to comment on any of the recommendations, since the report had just been presented to him.
He, however, reiterated the Government’s commitment to open and transparent administration and explained that any decision taken by the Government based on the recommendations of the committee would be made known to the public.
He said the Government was aware of the major ramifications of the review for investment but was also mindful of the strategic interest and the interest of the telecommunication industry.
Mr Iddrisu thanked the chairman and members of the committee for the diligent and thorough work done to put to rest such a delicate and controversial issue.
The minister said the committee’s work was partly in fulfilment of the campaign promise of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) before the December general election to review the sale of Ghana Telecom (GT) for $900 million to Vodafone, when given the mandate to rule.
He expressed profound appreciation to the committee members for a job well done.
The committee was set up early this year to have a second look at the sale of Ghana Telecom to Vodafone by the previous administration.
The terms of reference for the 10-member committee, aka the Justice Akwei Addo Committee, was to investigate the justification and rationale for the inclusion of an Indemnity Clause in the agreement and its possible removal.
Other terms of reference included ascertaining the value for money and the financial implications of the cash-free debt-free basis of the transaction for the Government of Ghana (GOG), as well as finding explanation for the huge liabilities of Ghana Telecom prior to the sale and why some of the liabilities were not declared at closing.
The inclusion of the National Fibre-Optic Backbone infrastructure in GT transaction, when it was conceived as a stand-alone, open-access and non-discriminatory project to support the deployment of ICT in the country, was also investigated by the committee.
The committee also ascertained the status and repayment of $30 million from China Eximbank for the implementation of the first phase of the National Fibre Optic Backbone and its implication on future financing of ICT projects.
It also determined the extent to which Vodafone had injected working capital into GT, which was the basis for the sale by the previous government.
Monday, September 7, 2009
ESCHEW ETHNICITY, DISCRIMINATION (PAGE 45)
The Archbishop of the Accra Archdiocese of the Catholic Church, Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle, has called on Christians to eschew ethnicity and discrimination among themselves.
He explained that as Christians, they should not show distinction and any divisive tendencies between them and other churches, since that would not augur well for the country’s forward march as a shining example for Africa and the world.
The archbishop made the call at Ashongman, a suburb of Accra, during when he celebrated mass at the St. Mark Catholic Church yesterday.
He also called for a common stand by churches against the invasion of church services by commercial photographers and video men popularly called (paparazzi) to take pictures for commercial purposes.
The archbishop explained that the church was a temple of God and not for display but for prayers and repentance and humility.
He said most Ghanaians were looking forward to Christians and other religious bodies for guidance to bring peace and unity to the country for rapid development.
He urged Catholics not to indulge in divisive tendencies but to see themselves as one big family, since class distinction would not have any place among Christians.
He urged Christians to live by what the say by eschewing ethnicity, class distinction and unhealthy competition and strive for perfection.
The archbishop said the declining standards in education was a reflection of lack of commitment on the part of teachers.
He urged workers especially public and civil servants to change and adopt a serious and positive attitude to government work and property by eschewing malingering and absenteeism.
He explained that out of the 365 days in a year government employees worked averagely for 211 days with the rest being spent on holidays, funerals and annual leaves.
He explained that as Christians, they should not show distinction and any divisive tendencies between them and other churches, since that would not augur well for the country’s forward march as a shining example for Africa and the world.
The archbishop made the call at Ashongman, a suburb of Accra, during when he celebrated mass at the St. Mark Catholic Church yesterday.
He also called for a common stand by churches against the invasion of church services by commercial photographers and video men popularly called (paparazzi) to take pictures for commercial purposes.
The archbishop explained that the church was a temple of God and not for display but for prayers and repentance and humility.
He said most Ghanaians were looking forward to Christians and other religious bodies for guidance to bring peace and unity to the country for rapid development.
He urged Catholics not to indulge in divisive tendencies but to see themselves as one big family, since class distinction would not have any place among Christians.
He urged Christians to live by what the say by eschewing ethnicity, class distinction and unhealthy competition and strive for perfection.
The archbishop said the declining standards in education was a reflection of lack of commitment on the part of teachers.
He urged workers especially public and civil servants to change and adopt a serious and positive attitude to government work and property by eschewing malingering and absenteeism.
He explained that out of the 365 days in a year government employees worked averagely for 211 days with the rest being spent on holidays, funerals and annual leaves.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
NEW POLICY FOR INLAND WATER TRANSPORT (PAGE 38)
The Ministry of Transport is developing a policy framework to regulate all small vessels and canoes to bring sanity into transportation on the Volta Lake and other inland waterways.
The policy framework is also intended to create the platform for the ministry to provide security and protection to the marine environment against oil spillage and toxic dumping.
Mr Mike Hammah, the Minister of Transport, made this known in a speech read on his behalf at a workshop for inspectors, surveyors and marine engineers in Accra.
A technical co-operation agreement has already been signed between the Ministry of Transport and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to develop a regulatory framework.
Apart from the IMO-sponsored model safety regulations, there is no international treaty regime to cater for small ships and fishing vessels that operate on inland waterways.
Mr Hammah explained that the regulatory framework was partly designed to prevent the perennial loss of lives and property on the Volta Lake and inland waterways in the country because of the absence of a law to regulate the activities of small ships and canoe owners.
He said the assumption that surveyors of big ships could take up the inspection duties of those local crafts, in reality, did not work.
He said Ghana, described as the a pacesetter in maritime affairs in Africa, had adopted the IMO model safety regulations which were currently being incorporated into the national laws to enable the law to hold boat owners responsible for acts which endangered lives of people on the sea and inland waterways.
The minister said for a country such as Ghana which had more than 90 per cent of the tonnage of vessels made up of small fishing vessels, the training of surveyors and inspectors of non-convention ships could not be overemphasised.
He announced that a bill using the model regulations had already been prepared and national stakeholders workshops held on those models while the draft bill was being finalised by the Attorney-General’s Department.
Mr Hammah said the current series of workshops, therefore, were aimed at providing surveyors and inspectors of non-convention vessels with the necessary tools to implement the law when passed.
He explained that under the new law, drawings and plans of new crafts and vessels would have to be approved before construction could take place.
Mr Hammah stressed that vessels would be inspected during construction to ensure that they conformed to the standards as stipulated in the regulatory framework to reduce the spate of accidents and their resultant loss of lives and property on the sea.
The Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Mr I. P. Azuma, said technical regulations relating to surveys, stability, as well as safety of equipment, fire protection and operating vessels, occupational safety and pollution were some of the areas that would occupy the attention of the participants to make the waterways safe for passengers.
The policy framework is also intended to create the platform for the ministry to provide security and protection to the marine environment against oil spillage and toxic dumping.
Mr Mike Hammah, the Minister of Transport, made this known in a speech read on his behalf at a workshop for inspectors, surveyors and marine engineers in Accra.
A technical co-operation agreement has already been signed between the Ministry of Transport and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to develop a regulatory framework.
Apart from the IMO-sponsored model safety regulations, there is no international treaty regime to cater for small ships and fishing vessels that operate on inland waterways.
Mr Hammah explained that the regulatory framework was partly designed to prevent the perennial loss of lives and property on the Volta Lake and inland waterways in the country because of the absence of a law to regulate the activities of small ships and canoe owners.
He said the assumption that surveyors of big ships could take up the inspection duties of those local crafts, in reality, did not work.
He said Ghana, described as the a pacesetter in maritime affairs in Africa, had adopted the IMO model safety regulations which were currently being incorporated into the national laws to enable the law to hold boat owners responsible for acts which endangered lives of people on the sea and inland waterways.
The minister said for a country such as Ghana which had more than 90 per cent of the tonnage of vessels made up of small fishing vessels, the training of surveyors and inspectors of non-convention ships could not be overemphasised.
He announced that a bill using the model regulations had already been prepared and national stakeholders workshops held on those models while the draft bill was being finalised by the Attorney-General’s Department.
Mr Hammah said the current series of workshops, therefore, were aimed at providing surveyors and inspectors of non-convention vessels with the necessary tools to implement the law when passed.
He explained that under the new law, drawings and plans of new crafts and vessels would have to be approved before construction could take place.
Mr Hammah stressed that vessels would be inspected during construction to ensure that they conformed to the standards as stipulated in the regulatory framework to reduce the spate of accidents and their resultant loss of lives and property on the sea.
The Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Mr I. P. Azuma, said technical regulations relating to surveys, stability, as well as safety of equipment, fire protection and operating vessels, occupational safety and pollution were some of the areas that would occupy the attention of the participants to make the waterways safe for passengers.
MINISTRY TO EXPAND LANDS UNDER IRRIGATION (BACK PAGE)
THE Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is to expand agricultural lands under irrigation from 33,000 hectares to 50,000 by 2015, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Kwasi Ahwoi, has announced.
The total agricultural land area is estimated at 13.6 million hectares of which the potential irrigable land area is estimated at 500,000 hectares.
Mr Ahwoi, who announced this at the inauguration of Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) Board of Directors in Accra yesterday, said out of the total 13.6 million hectares of agricultural land only 7.2 million hectares were under cultivation.
He explained that the country was endowed with extensive soils which could be developed to meet the agricultural requirements of the country, but the hostilities of the weather characterised by unreliable and uneven distribution of rain did not favour any systematic and sustainable development of the agricultural potential of the country.
He explained that the development of that vast agricultural land will require factors which included the adoption and expansion of irrigated agriculture as a guarantee against the risk of crop failure due to lack of water.
Mr Ahwoi said the use of irrigation technology in combination with good soil management and choice of appropriate crop types and varieties were the most important factors for sustainable food availability and food security.
He said the country’s experience in irrigation was woefully limited and appeared worsened by the habit of shifting cultivation, a farming system which predominated food production strategies.
He also attributed the limited irrigation experience to high infrastructural costs involved in developing and expanding irrigation facilities in the rural areas of the country.
He said because of the high cost of irrigation facilities, the provision of irrigation infrastructure over the years had been the sole responsibility of the government.
Mr Mallam Seidu, Chairman of the 11-member Board of Directors of GIDA, for his part, said the country was fortunate to have large amounts of water bodies and favourable topography, but it was ranked among the countries with the lowest percentage of irrigated agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa.
The minister said despite those challenges and irrespective of the many fiscal and financial problems limiting the rapid development of irrigation, it was one of the key areas that could play an important role in the realisation of the objectives of food security and poverty reduction in the rural areas.
He said for that reason the government was determined to make irrigation take its rightful place in the agricultural development agenda of the country.
Mr Ahwoi said MoFA, under its Medium Term Sector Plan for 2009-2015, had put irrigation development in its rightful place to play a key role in achieving reduction in rural poverty and overall equitable economic development.
The chairman said there was, therefore, the need to intensify the development of irrigation and in particular to expand production of high value vegetables and fruits to diversify the country’s exports.
The total agricultural land area is estimated at 13.6 million hectares of which the potential irrigable land area is estimated at 500,000 hectares.
Mr Ahwoi, who announced this at the inauguration of Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) Board of Directors in Accra yesterday, said out of the total 13.6 million hectares of agricultural land only 7.2 million hectares were under cultivation.
He explained that the country was endowed with extensive soils which could be developed to meet the agricultural requirements of the country, but the hostilities of the weather characterised by unreliable and uneven distribution of rain did not favour any systematic and sustainable development of the agricultural potential of the country.
He explained that the development of that vast agricultural land will require factors which included the adoption and expansion of irrigated agriculture as a guarantee against the risk of crop failure due to lack of water.
Mr Ahwoi said the use of irrigation technology in combination with good soil management and choice of appropriate crop types and varieties were the most important factors for sustainable food availability and food security.
He said the country’s experience in irrigation was woefully limited and appeared worsened by the habit of shifting cultivation, a farming system which predominated food production strategies.
He also attributed the limited irrigation experience to high infrastructural costs involved in developing and expanding irrigation facilities in the rural areas of the country.
He said because of the high cost of irrigation facilities, the provision of irrigation infrastructure over the years had been the sole responsibility of the government.
Mr Mallam Seidu, Chairman of the 11-member Board of Directors of GIDA, for his part, said the country was fortunate to have large amounts of water bodies and favourable topography, but it was ranked among the countries with the lowest percentage of irrigated agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa.
The minister said despite those challenges and irrespective of the many fiscal and financial problems limiting the rapid development of irrigation, it was one of the key areas that could play an important role in the realisation of the objectives of food security and poverty reduction in the rural areas.
He said for that reason the government was determined to make irrigation take its rightful place in the agricultural development agenda of the country.
Mr Ahwoi said MoFA, under its Medium Term Sector Plan for 2009-2015, had put irrigation development in its rightful place to play a key role in achieving reduction in rural poverty and overall equitable economic development.
The chairman said there was, therefore, the need to intensify the development of irrigation and in particular to expand production of high value vegetables and fruits to diversify the country’s exports.
Monday, August 31, 2009
SIMPLIFY ISSUANCE OF PERMIT (PAGE 3)
NII Armah Ashitey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, has called for the simplification of issuance of building permits to reduce corruption.
He alleged that the state lost GH¢300,000 (¢3 billion old cedis) through under-invoicing of building permits perpetrated by a head of department of a municipal assembly in the Greater Accra Region.
The officer, whose name is being withheld, is under investigation for allegedly issuing a building permit of ¢2 billion instead of ¢5 billion for 17 storey buildings in his municipality.
Mr Ashitey made the allegation at the first ordinary session of the Ga West Municipal Assembly last Friday.
He said the restructuring of the issuance of building permits to make the process simple would eliminate corruption and encourage more people to apply for building permits thereby reducing unauthorised structures.
The Regional Minister noted that the three months land developers had to wait to obtain approval for building permits was not good enough and explained that it should be possible for prospective developers to obtain the permits within, at most, a month.
He advised staff of assemblies in the region to desist from conniving with developers to build unauthorised structures and cautioned that those caught would be sanctioned.
He said there was a lot of revenue generating items such as property rate, development permits, fees and fines and a host of others that the assemblies could rely on to generate the required revenue.
Mr Ashitey, therefore, urged the assemblies in the region not to rely only on the District Assemblies Common Fund but evolve innovative strategies to generate enough revenue for development.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Ga West, Mr Armah Tachie, said as of June, this year, the assembly had collected GH¢332,054.61 out of a projected revenue of GH¢1,067,647.50 representing 31.1 per cent of the total budget for 2009.
He said within the same period last year the assembly realised GH¢373,589.87 out of the projected revenue of GH¢1,270,163.00 representing 29.41 per cent of the total projection.
He said the assembly had put in place a number of long-term measures to improve revenue mobilisation for next year and into the future.
Mr Tachie said the measures included the completion of the collection of data on all properties and businesses operating within the municipality and the revaluation of all properties would be completed by the end of the year to ensure realistic budget for the ensuing year.
He alleged that the state lost GH¢300,000 (¢3 billion old cedis) through under-invoicing of building permits perpetrated by a head of department of a municipal assembly in the Greater Accra Region.
The officer, whose name is being withheld, is under investigation for allegedly issuing a building permit of ¢2 billion instead of ¢5 billion for 17 storey buildings in his municipality.
Mr Ashitey made the allegation at the first ordinary session of the Ga West Municipal Assembly last Friday.
He said the restructuring of the issuance of building permits to make the process simple would eliminate corruption and encourage more people to apply for building permits thereby reducing unauthorised structures.
The Regional Minister noted that the three months land developers had to wait to obtain approval for building permits was not good enough and explained that it should be possible for prospective developers to obtain the permits within, at most, a month.
He advised staff of assemblies in the region to desist from conniving with developers to build unauthorised structures and cautioned that those caught would be sanctioned.
He said there was a lot of revenue generating items such as property rate, development permits, fees and fines and a host of others that the assemblies could rely on to generate the required revenue.
Mr Ashitey, therefore, urged the assemblies in the region not to rely only on the District Assemblies Common Fund but evolve innovative strategies to generate enough revenue for development.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Ga West, Mr Armah Tachie, said as of June, this year, the assembly had collected GH¢332,054.61 out of a projected revenue of GH¢1,067,647.50 representing 31.1 per cent of the total budget for 2009.
He said within the same period last year the assembly realised GH¢373,589.87 out of the projected revenue of GH¢1,270,163.00 representing 29.41 per cent of the total projection.
He said the assembly had put in place a number of long-term measures to improve revenue mobilisation for next year and into the future.
Mr Tachie said the measures included the completion of the collection of data on all properties and businesses operating within the municipality and the revaluation of all properties would be completed by the end of the year to ensure realistic budget for the ensuing year.
Friday, August 28, 2009
ENSURE FAIR COMPETITION...Veep urges telecom investors (SPREAD)
THE Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has urged investors in the telecommunications industry to ensure fair and healthy competition to enable services to be extended to all consumers, irrespective of their geographical location.
He explained that the decision to introduce competition in the telecommunications sector was informed largely by the desire to give players in the sector the opportunity to initiate technical and commercial collaboration in order to share network and infrastructural facilities.
The Vice-President said this when he officially opened the new corporate head office for tiGo at Millicom House in Accra on Wednesday.
He noted that instead of the mobile telephone service providers sharing facilities such as masts to bring down cost of infrastructure and thereby reduce cost of services and products to the benefit of the consumer, the networks had entered into a ‘mast war’.
Mr Mahama said the networks were engaged in competition with one another to erect masts and the competition was so keen that in one area one could count as many as five masts competing, with one another with every mast having its own set of generators to power it.
In an environment where the competition was healthy, he said, one mast and one generator could have been adequate to serve the needs of all the competitors to reduce waste and cut costs.
Mr Mahama, therefore, stressed the need for the operators to collaborate on a higher scale to co-locate to bring the technological and economic benefit accruing from such collective efforts to themselves, as well as consumers.
He said each operator had its major area of technical strength which, when brought under the principle of co-location, could lift Ghana to a higher technological platform to enhance deployment of Information Communication Technology (ICT)
He said quality service was crucial in the telecommunications sector and, therefore, called on the National Communications Authority (NCA) to regulate the performance of key services offered by the operators by setting standards for quality of service.
The Vice-President said the standards must enjoin the operators to submit periodic reports of their service quality as determined by the NCA.
He said Ghana’s telecommunications policies would continue to be geared towards developing a world-class telecommunications network capable of providing high quality telecommunications services at competitive prices to the benefit of the consumer.
In this connection, he said the government believed that having a good telecommunications infrastructure was one of the critical factors that would drive the country’s economic development in this era of Next Generation Network and converged telecommunications markets.
Mr Mahama commended the management of tiGo for taking advantage of the creation of the enabling environment by the Government for private sector participation to enter the telecommunications market of Ghana as the first private telecommunications company to commence investment in the mobile market segment.
The Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, assured investors in telecommunications that the government would not increase the number of operators in the mobile telephone sector to compromise the market.
He, however, reminded operators in the mobile telephone industry of government policy of encouraging the operators to have their scratch cards made locally.
Mr Mahama explained that the mobile telephone sector was an area that made use of a lot of foreign exchange of the country and having their scratch cards made locally would save foreign exchange and provide jobs for the local people.
The outgoing Chief Executive Officer of tiGo said the network would remain sophisticated but accessible saying that his outfit had re-invested its profits in the Ghanaian economy, adding that tiGo currently provided direct jobs to 450 people in the country and thousands of jobs indirectly through the sale of its products on the Ghanaian market.
Mr Christophe Soulet, the incoming Chief Executive Officer of tiGo, said since he visited the country 12 years ago, Ghana had undergone great transformation in infrastructural development.
Mr Soulet observed that Ghana was poised to lead the continent of Africa in the new ICT industry.
He explained that the decision to introduce competition in the telecommunications sector was informed largely by the desire to give players in the sector the opportunity to initiate technical and commercial collaboration in order to share network and infrastructural facilities.
The Vice-President said this when he officially opened the new corporate head office for tiGo at Millicom House in Accra on Wednesday.
He noted that instead of the mobile telephone service providers sharing facilities such as masts to bring down cost of infrastructure and thereby reduce cost of services and products to the benefit of the consumer, the networks had entered into a ‘mast war’.
Mr Mahama said the networks were engaged in competition with one another to erect masts and the competition was so keen that in one area one could count as many as five masts competing, with one another with every mast having its own set of generators to power it.
In an environment where the competition was healthy, he said, one mast and one generator could have been adequate to serve the needs of all the competitors to reduce waste and cut costs.
Mr Mahama, therefore, stressed the need for the operators to collaborate on a higher scale to co-locate to bring the technological and economic benefit accruing from such collective efforts to themselves, as well as consumers.
He said each operator had its major area of technical strength which, when brought under the principle of co-location, could lift Ghana to a higher technological platform to enhance deployment of Information Communication Technology (ICT)
He said quality service was crucial in the telecommunications sector and, therefore, called on the National Communications Authority (NCA) to regulate the performance of key services offered by the operators by setting standards for quality of service.
The Vice-President said the standards must enjoin the operators to submit periodic reports of their service quality as determined by the NCA.
He said Ghana’s telecommunications policies would continue to be geared towards developing a world-class telecommunications network capable of providing high quality telecommunications services at competitive prices to the benefit of the consumer.
In this connection, he said the government believed that having a good telecommunications infrastructure was one of the critical factors that would drive the country’s economic development in this era of Next Generation Network and converged telecommunications markets.
Mr Mahama commended the management of tiGo for taking advantage of the creation of the enabling environment by the Government for private sector participation to enter the telecommunications market of Ghana as the first private telecommunications company to commence investment in the mobile market segment.
The Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, assured investors in telecommunications that the government would not increase the number of operators in the mobile telephone sector to compromise the market.
He, however, reminded operators in the mobile telephone industry of government policy of encouraging the operators to have their scratch cards made locally.
Mr Mahama explained that the mobile telephone sector was an area that made use of a lot of foreign exchange of the country and having their scratch cards made locally would save foreign exchange and provide jobs for the local people.
The outgoing Chief Executive Officer of tiGo said the network would remain sophisticated but accessible saying that his outfit had re-invested its profits in the Ghanaian economy, adding that tiGo currently provided direct jobs to 450 people in the country and thousands of jobs indirectly through the sale of its products on the Ghanaian market.
Mr Christophe Soulet, the incoming Chief Executive Officer of tiGo, said since he visited the country 12 years ago, Ghana had undergone great transformation in infrastructural development.
Mr Soulet observed that Ghana was poised to lead the continent of Africa in the new ICT industry.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
DON'T RAISE HOPES OF GHANAIANS ...On oil find (PAGE 33)
Politicians have been advised against raising the expectations of Ghanaians that the oil discovery in the country is going to solve once and for all, the unemployment situation of the youth.
This is because oil economies alone could not generate mass employment for the youth until the Government invest the oil revenue in other areas of the economy such as agriculture, the services and the manufacturing sectors to generate the needed jobs.
Prof. Andy Mckay, of the Economics Department of the University of Sussex and Overseas Development Institute, London, who delivered a paper on the impact of the Oil and Gas find on Ghana’s economy in Accra last Monday, said Ghanaians, therefore, should not expect direct poverty reduction impact because of the oil find.
The seminar was organised by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, Legon.
The seminar was under the theme “Managing a new oil economy”.
He explained that since oil economies have weak linkage with the rest of the economy, oil could not change the economic structure of the country by providing employment to the youth.
Prof. Mckay said research had revealed that oil economies did not as a rule lead fast structural transformation of any economy.
He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to desist from unrealistic expectations in relation to the discovery, since the find, if not properly managed, could provide incentive for corruption.
He said the possibilities of the Government striking cosy relationship with oil companies at the expense of the suffering masses was high, as research in many African countries had revealed.
He, however, said Ghana being a democratic country, as well as a resource-rich state, had had some negotiating experiences, adding that the activities of civil society was required to hold the Government accountable, and operate a transparent system to check corruption in the oil economy.
He said in an oil economy, the Government should use more revenue from the oil find to finance other sectors of the economy so as to provide jobs create the necessary competition in other areas of the economy.
He explained that another curse of the oil find was the likelihood that the Government would abandon its traditional sources of revenue and only concentrate on the oil revenue for the development of the economy.
He said because oil was a finite resource that could be depleted, the Government found itself with no other alternatives of making money when oil prices went down and all grandiose projects immediately became abandoned.
Prof. Mckay advised the Government to spend more on rural development and agriculture to avoid the ‘Dutch disease’ when Holland discovered gas and abandoned its manufacturing sector.
This is because oil economies alone could not generate mass employment for the youth until the Government invest the oil revenue in other areas of the economy such as agriculture, the services and the manufacturing sectors to generate the needed jobs.
Prof. Andy Mckay, of the Economics Department of the University of Sussex and Overseas Development Institute, London, who delivered a paper on the impact of the Oil and Gas find on Ghana’s economy in Accra last Monday, said Ghanaians, therefore, should not expect direct poverty reduction impact because of the oil find.
The seminar was organised by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, Legon.
The seminar was under the theme “Managing a new oil economy”.
He explained that since oil economies have weak linkage with the rest of the economy, oil could not change the economic structure of the country by providing employment to the youth.
Prof. Mckay said research had revealed that oil economies did not as a rule lead fast structural transformation of any economy.
He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to desist from unrealistic expectations in relation to the discovery, since the find, if not properly managed, could provide incentive for corruption.
He said the possibilities of the Government striking cosy relationship with oil companies at the expense of the suffering masses was high, as research in many African countries had revealed.
He, however, said Ghana being a democratic country, as well as a resource-rich state, had had some negotiating experiences, adding that the activities of civil society was required to hold the Government accountable, and operate a transparent system to check corruption in the oil economy.
He said in an oil economy, the Government should use more revenue from the oil find to finance other sectors of the economy so as to provide jobs create the necessary competition in other areas of the economy.
He explained that another curse of the oil find was the likelihood that the Government would abandon its traditional sources of revenue and only concentrate on the oil revenue for the development of the economy.
He said because oil was a finite resource that could be depleted, the Government found itself with no other alternatives of making money when oil prices went down and all grandiose projects immediately became abandoned.
Prof. Mckay advised the Government to spend more on rural development and agriculture to avoid the ‘Dutch disease’ when Holland discovered gas and abandoned its manufacturing sector.
MAKE ISSUANCE OF BUILDING PERMITS SIMPLE (PAGE 14)
NII Armah Ashitey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, has called for the simplification of issuance of building permits to reduce corruption.
He alleged that the state lost GH¢300,000 (¢3 billion old cedis) through under-invoicing of building permits perpetrated by a head of department of a municipal assembly in the Greater Accra Region.
The officer, whose name is being withheld, is under investigation for allegedly issuing a building permit of ¢2 billion instead of ¢5 billion for 17 storey buildings in his municipality.
Nii Ashitey made the allegation at the first ordinary session of the Ga West Municipal Assembly last Friday.
He said the restructuring of the issuance of building permits to make the process simple would eliminate corruption and encourage more people to apply for building permits thereby reducing unauthorised structures.
The Regional Minister noted that the three months land developers had to wait to obtain approval for building permits was not good enough and explained that it should be possible for prospective developers to obtain the permits within, at least, a month.
He advised staff of assemblies in the region to desist from conniving with developers to build unauthorised structures and cautioned that those caught would be sanctioned.
He said there was a lot of revenue generating items such as property rate, development permits, fees and fines and a host of others that the assemblies could rely on to generate the required revenue.
Nii Ashitey, therefore, urged the assemblies in the region not to rely only on the District Assemblies Common Fund but evolve innovative strategies to generate enough revenue for development.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Ga West, Mr Armah Tachie, said as of June, this year, the assembly had collected GH¢332,054.61 out of a projected revenue of GH¢1,067,647.50 representing 31.1 per cent of the total budget for 2009.
He said within the same period last year the assembly realised GH¢373,589.87 out of the projected revenue of GH¢1,270,163.00 representing 29.41 per cent of the total projection.
He said the assembly had put in place a number of long-term measures to improve revenue mobilisation for next year and into the future.
Mr Tachie said the measures included the completion of the collection of data on all properties and businesses operating within the municipality and the revaluation of all properties would be completed by the end of the year to ensure realistic budget for the ensuing year.
He alleged that the state lost GH¢300,000 (¢3 billion old cedis) through under-invoicing of building permits perpetrated by a head of department of a municipal assembly in the Greater Accra Region.
The officer, whose name is being withheld, is under investigation for allegedly issuing a building permit of ¢2 billion instead of ¢5 billion for 17 storey buildings in his municipality.
Nii Ashitey made the allegation at the first ordinary session of the Ga West Municipal Assembly last Friday.
He said the restructuring of the issuance of building permits to make the process simple would eliminate corruption and encourage more people to apply for building permits thereby reducing unauthorised structures.
The Regional Minister noted that the three months land developers had to wait to obtain approval for building permits was not good enough and explained that it should be possible for prospective developers to obtain the permits within, at least, a month.
He advised staff of assemblies in the region to desist from conniving with developers to build unauthorised structures and cautioned that those caught would be sanctioned.
He said there was a lot of revenue generating items such as property rate, development permits, fees and fines and a host of others that the assemblies could rely on to generate the required revenue.
Nii Ashitey, therefore, urged the assemblies in the region not to rely only on the District Assemblies Common Fund but evolve innovative strategies to generate enough revenue for development.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Ga West, Mr Armah Tachie, said as of June, this year, the assembly had collected GH¢332,054.61 out of a projected revenue of GH¢1,067,647.50 representing 31.1 per cent of the total budget for 2009.
He said within the same period last year the assembly realised GH¢373,589.87 out of the projected revenue of GH¢1,270,163.00 representing 29.41 per cent of the total projection.
He said the assembly had put in place a number of long-term measures to improve revenue mobilisation for next year and into the future.
Mr Tachie said the measures included the completion of the collection of data on all properties and businesses operating within the municipality and the revaluation of all properties would be completed by the end of the year to ensure realistic budget for the ensuing year.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
MOWAC CONDUCTS GENDER AUDIT...In public, security services (PAGE 11)
The Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) is conducting a gender audit in the public and security services to establish the number of women and men employed in the public service as well as the police and military.
The Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, who announced this at a consultative forum on the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, said the move was in line with the implementation of the resolution.
The resolution, which tasks UN Systems and member states to ensure that gender considerations are thoroughly integrated into all aspects of its security platform from conflict prevention to post-conflict reconstruction, was unanimously adopted by the Security Council in October 2000.
She said the audit would guide the government in recruiting a fair percentage of men and women in the public and security services.
Ms Dansua said the resolution recognised the disproportionate effect of armed conflict on women, children and other vulnerable groups and the need to involve women in the prevention and management of sustainable peace and development.
She explained that even though Ghana had not experienced armed conflict, the country had witnessed pockets of violence land and chieftaincy conflicts in some parts of the country, to which women and children were the most vulnerable.
She said in all these instances, even though women might not have played any major role in engineering the conflicts, they were among the worst affected and bore the brunt of rape and other gender-based violence in conflict situations.
Ms Dansua said it was in this direction that the UN Security Council came up with the resolution aimed at encouraging member states to draw up specific national plans of action for its implementation.
She said Ghana had already signed and adopted the Resolution, in addition to some specific action taken on issues relating to peace and security.
She said, for example, that Ghana had made tremendous contributions to maintaining peace and security on the continent by sending soldiers and police on peace-keeping missions of the UN and other African regions.
She said as the UN resolution required, Ghana had increased the percentage of female contributing to peace-keeping operations from zero to 11.5 per cent, as well as embarking on recruitment exercises to increase participation of women in peace keeping missions.
Furthermore, the minister said that training had been provided on the prevention of violence and response to sexual and gender- based violence to the refugee community through patrols by the police personnel and members of the neighbourhood watch teams under the auspices of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees programme.
Ms Dansua explained that gender audit was part of the positive developments in the Ghana Police Service and the military for the development of Ghana’s Action Plan on the implementation of the Security Council Resolution 1325.
The Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, who announced this at a consultative forum on the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, said the move was in line with the implementation of the resolution.
The resolution, which tasks UN Systems and member states to ensure that gender considerations are thoroughly integrated into all aspects of its security platform from conflict prevention to post-conflict reconstruction, was unanimously adopted by the Security Council in October 2000.
She said the audit would guide the government in recruiting a fair percentage of men and women in the public and security services.
Ms Dansua said the resolution recognised the disproportionate effect of armed conflict on women, children and other vulnerable groups and the need to involve women in the prevention and management of sustainable peace and development.
She explained that even though Ghana had not experienced armed conflict, the country had witnessed pockets of violence land and chieftaincy conflicts in some parts of the country, to which women and children were the most vulnerable.
She said in all these instances, even though women might not have played any major role in engineering the conflicts, they were among the worst affected and bore the brunt of rape and other gender-based violence in conflict situations.
Ms Dansua said it was in this direction that the UN Security Council came up with the resolution aimed at encouraging member states to draw up specific national plans of action for its implementation.
She said Ghana had already signed and adopted the Resolution, in addition to some specific action taken on issues relating to peace and security.
She said, for example, that Ghana had made tremendous contributions to maintaining peace and security on the continent by sending soldiers and police on peace-keeping missions of the UN and other African regions.
She said as the UN resolution required, Ghana had increased the percentage of female contributing to peace-keeping operations from zero to 11.5 per cent, as well as embarking on recruitment exercises to increase participation of women in peace keeping missions.
Furthermore, the minister said that training had been provided on the prevention of violence and response to sexual and gender- based violence to the refugee community through patrols by the police personnel and members of the neighbourhood watch teams under the auspices of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees programme.
Ms Dansua explained that gender audit was part of the positive developments in the Ghana Police Service and the military for the development of Ghana’s Action Plan on the implementation of the Security Council Resolution 1325.
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