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.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)