ENSURE PEACE, STABILITY AT ANLOGA, BAWKU ...DFP LEADER PLEADS (PAGE 16)

Story: Abdul Aziz

THE flag bearer of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Mr Emmanuel Ansah Antwi, has called on the people of Bawku and Anloga to ensure peace and stability in their areas for sustainable development.
He said when the country is engulfed in conflicts and indiscipline, socio-economic development is impeded, leading to mass poverty, hunger, disease, squalor and ignorance.
He observed that policies embarked on by governments to eradicate poverty and disease in the rural areas could only succeed in an atmosphere of peace, which is dear to the party.
Mr Antwi made the call when he paid a courtesy call on the national Chief Imam, Sheik Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, in Accra yesterday.
He said indiscipline and immorality were eating deep into the social fibre of society and that chiefs and religious leaders had a role to play to improve the situation.
He said the DFP believed in religious secularism and that when the country based its development on religious and moral grounds, most of these challenges would disappear.
Mr Antwi, therefore, urged the Chief Imam to use his religious clout to urge warring factions and especially Ghanaians to eschew conflicts, and indiscipline in their commuinties for peace to prevail.
He explained that his visit was therefore to ask for the blessings and support of Shiek Sharubutu to tackle some of the anti social activities in the country.
Mr Antwi said when crisis erupted in the country, it was the poor who usually bore the brunt of such crises.
He said, for example, that the food crisis in the country could have been averted if the government had the political will to grant subsidies to farmers to grow more food to feed the country and export the surplus.
The presidential candidate said some African countries such as Malawi that ignored the conditionalities of international donors in 2005 and supported their farmers with subsidies were now reaping the benefits of the brave policy and exporting surplus corn.
He said when the DFP was mandated to govern the country via this year’s elections, the government would re-introduce subsidies to farmers as was being done in the Western world.
He elaborated that the subsidies would come in the form of inputs such as tractors, fertilisers to farmers through the rural banks and the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).
He declared that the DFP was against the sale of the ADB to any foreign strategic partner and that any decision to sell the bank to foreigners would be reversed, if the party came to power to enable the bank to play a dominant role in the green revolution of the party.
Mr Antwi added that the over-liberalisation of the economy was having adverse effects on the local industries, as well as the agricultural sectors, with more people losing their jobs because Ghanaians were no more producing but largely consuming what other countries had produced.
Sheik Sharubutu, in a welcoming speech, added that the prosperity of every country depended on good relations and friendship existing between the various institutions, for example, relations of religious leaders with political parties.
The National Chief Imam, therefore, reminded Ghanaians, especially those involved in conflicts, that they had no other country apart from Ghana and ought to guard the prevailing peace in the country.
The DFP flag bearer was accompanied by some national executive of the party, who included the Greater Accra Regional Chairman, Mr Nikoi Addison; Deputy General Secretary, John Amekah; National Organiser, Mr Piesie Anto; Mrs Francis Essiam, National Vice- Chairperson and Dr Obed Asamoah, Patron of the party.

FIRE GUTS LA POLICE STATION (PAGES 16 & 17)

STORY: Abdul Aziz

Thirty-five convicts and suspects narrowly escaped death when fire gutted the La District Police Station where they were being temporarily held before being transferred to the various prisons.
The La community, however, came to the assistance of the police with pails of water to control the fire, which started from the first floor in the District Commander’s office.
The Fire Service and the police with assistance from the community managed to bring the fire under control to enable the police to evacuate the convicts and suspects to the nearest police stations.
The Commander of the La Trade Fair Fire Service Station, Mr Emmanuel Adjei, who led a 14-member team of firemen to the scene to assist to put out the fire, said it was too early to determine the cause as they were still in the process of bringing the it under control when the Daily Graphic arrived at the scene.
It took about 45 minutes before his men were able to bring the fire under control.
Some of the offices affected were the records room, the Criminal Investigations Department and Motor, Traffic and Transport Unit.
The Commander of the La District Police Station, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Richard Gyebi, told the Daily Graphic that he received a call whilst having lunch outside the station, that his office was on fire.
He said he rushed to the police station to help find vehicles to evacuate the inmates while others were busy assisting the Fire Service to fight the fire.
DSP Gyebi said GH¢9.7 million that was being kept as exhibits in a drawer and dockets on some of the pending cases that he was working on were burnt.
The air conditioner, windows, tables and chairs and the roofing of the commander’s office were completely burnt.

THREE LAWS TO FACILITATE MEDIA FREEDOM OUT SOON (PAGE 16 & 17)

Story: Abdul Aziz

THE Ministry of Information and National Orientation is working to ensure that three bills aimed at providing the conducive environment to entrench the freedoms of the media and the citizenry are passed into laws.
They are the National Broadcasting Bill, the Right to Information Bill and the Development and Film Classifications Bill. The outgoing Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mrs Oboshie Sai Cofie, gave the assurance in Accra yesterday at a ceremony to mark World Press Freedom Day.
She said the three bills, in conjunction with corruption-fighting laws that had been put in place over the past few years, clearly showed that the nation was moving positively towards a more disciplined society.
She said since assuming office, the government had worked hard at establishing an open and healthy relationship with the media, saying that the necessary enabling environment had been created, with all shades of opinion being freely expressed in the media, without fear of reprisal and intimidation.
She said the government had not regretted repealing the Criminal Libel Law because of its belief that for the country to continue to develop and grow, transparency and accountability, good governance, productivity, dedication and discipline ought to be ensured at all times.
She explained that the government held those principles dear and would do everything to uphold and defend them.
She said the government recognised that a nation in which a free press and the freedom of expression were guaranteed was one in which democracy would be nurtured and supported to grow.
Mrs Sai Cofie said it was based on that belief that right from day one of coming into office the government resolved to support the media to function effectively.
She said in its bid to ensure that even those in the most deprived rural communities had access to information, the government had strengthened the capacity of the Information Services Department with the purchase of 140 new mobile cinema vans and a full complement of staff.
Mrs Sai Cofie used the occasion to debunk allegations made by some social commentators that she had intimidated Metro TV not to repeat programmes deemed damaging to the government.
The minister said she felt vindicated that Metro TV had come out that she had not asked or called them to shelve any news item or programme.
“Under my watch, I am happy to say, there are only very few incidents in which there have been allegations of interference with the media and I must say that these cases are totally untrue,” she said.
The President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Ransford Tetteh, observed that this year’s World Press Freedom Day was a special one, since it was being marked in an election year in Ghana.
He said the occasion provided the media, political parties and civil society an opportunity to reflect on the prospects and challenges of the country in empowering the people to make informed choices and getting them involved in the decision making process that affected their daily lives, as well as developing a credible electoral system.
Mr Tetteh, who is also the Editor of the Daily Graphic, said the theme, “Freedom of the Press, Empowerment and Participation of the People”, was a reminder to the country not to be complacent in the development of democracy and rather be mindful of recent challenges confronting some countries as a result of ill-organised elections.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, said when the flow of information was hindered for political and technological reasons, the capacity for people to function was stunted.
Mr Ki-Moon explained that as the rapid pace of globalisation had strengthened the development of a free, pluralistic, independent and professional media, the significance of this right had become more evident.

Ghana to strike Uranium deposits

THE Acting Director of Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Dr B. J. B Nyarko, has said that the country stands the chance of striking uranium deposits in commercial quantities since there was an association between gold and uranium.
He explained that a study of gold tailings by the Nuclear Research Rector at Kwabenya revealed traces of uranium in pits in gold-mining areas in the country.
Dr Nyarko said the research, carried out by GAEC, was not on a large scale and a major prospecting and exploration was needed to establish the link.
He, however, said the association of gold and uranium depended on a number of factors, the major one being the formation of rocks in the gold-mining areas.
Dr Nyarko told the Daily Graphic this in Accra yesterday after the opening of an international seminar on Safe Management of Radioactive Waste in Accra.
He said GAEC had established a waste management centre, where all disused radioactive materials were deposited at Kwabenya to prevent them from contaminating food and water sources, as well as human beings.
He said currently, there were 30 institutions using radioactive materials and their premises were constantly being monitored by trained inspectors
Dr Nyarko said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in collaboration with the GAEC, were therefore organising a series of training programmes for member countries in Africa on Advanced Detection Equipment and Safe Management of Radioactive Waste.
He said because Ghana was developing fast into a middle income country, it could not help but rely increasingly on radioactive materials for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in medicine and for processing techniques in industries and mines.
The acting director said the waste management centre was the only authorised radioactive waste management control institution established in Ghana and coordinates nation-wide waste safety and security programmes.
He commended IAEA for the special attention it has attached to developing robust and sustainable radiation protection and waste safety infrastructure in African member states, especially in Ghana.
Dr Gordon Linsley, a radiation and waste safety consultant, told the Daily Graphic that in South Africa gold and uranium were sometimes mined from the same gold pits.
Dr Lindsey therefore expressed surprise that the gold pits in Ghana were up till now not yielding uranium in commercial quantities.
Professor J.H. Amuasi, the coordinator of the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, who chaired the opening ceremony, said the international community was concerned about the threat of terrorism and the illicit trafficking in materials for the production of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
Prof Amuasi said the IAEA and GAEC were therefore taking practical steps in contributing to world efforts at halting illicit trafficking of materials for the production of dangerous and offensive weapons.
The participating countries include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Libya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Ghana.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH, PARTNERS SIGN AGREEMENT (PAGE 31)

Story Abdul Aziz

The incidence of guinea worm infestation that hovered around 10,000 cases annually in previous years has reduced to levels below 4,000 in the country.
Inter-sectoral collaboration remained the difficult obstacle for achieving total eradication of the disease in the country.
Major Courage Quashigah (retd), Minister of Health (MOH), said this at the signing of Aide Memoir with Development Partners to achieve quality health for all by 2015.
Major Quashigah said this year’s health review report highlighted the continued progress being made in the health sector despite the relatively high level of maternal and child morbidity rate in the country.
He said the health sector witnessed improved coverage of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and increased attendance at the outpatient department, as well as high coverage of immunisation and reduced prevalence of HIV/AIDS.
The Health Minister said maternal deaths remained a key concern and the MOH had agreed with development partners to declare a national emergency to reduce the relatively high levels of maternal mortality.
He said his ministry and the development partners had also agreed to work together to fill the huge financing gap in the health sector.
He said to reduce malnutrition in children under five years, the MOH and the development partners also agreed to sustain and scale up the Regenerative Health and Nutrition Programme.
He expressed the hope that the Aide Memoir, which represented discussions and agreements arrived at during the health summit and business meeting between MOH, the development partners and other stakeholders, would continue to elicit the support and commitment of all of them by working with the government to improve the health of the people.
The development partners included World Bank, DANIDA, WHO and USAID.

MALAWIANS STUDY LAND ADMINISTRATION PROJECT (PAGE 24)

Story: Abdul Aziz

THE Land Administration Project (LAP) has ensured a firm foundation for the establishment of a self-sustaining land administration system that is fair, efficient, transparent and cost-effective.
It has also guaranteed security of land tenure and simplified the process of land acquisition in the country, Mr Benjamin Quaye, Head of the Planning Unit of LAP, noted at a meeting with a 10-member Malawian delegation in Accra yesterday.
The Malawian delegation are in the country to study how Ghana’s LAP operate to help in their country’s land administration.
Mr Quaye, who was giving an overview of Ghana’s land administration at the meeting, said the government of Ghana was in the process of establishing five land courts to deal with the backlog of land cases throughout the country.
He noted that already some of the 35,000 land cases that had been pending before the courts for several years had been disposed of under a fast-track system and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
He said a recent study commissioned by the LAP revealed that there were 7,000 pending land cases in the regional capitals alone.
Mr Quaye noted that before the introduction of the land project in 2004 the weak land administration system was characterised by fragmented institutions.
He said as a result of the general indiscipline in the land market, there were indeterminate boundaries of customary owned, stool, skin and family lands, which resulted in land litigation at the law courts.
He said these confusion in land administration led to inadequate security of land tenure system, as well as difficult accessibility to land for development and agricultural ventures.
He said the long-term objectives of LAP was to reduce poverty and enhance social and economic growth by improving security of tenure and simplifying process of land acquisition in the country.
Mr Quaye noted that revenue from land rose from $13 million to $26 million last year as a result of the land reforms introduced by the Land Administration Project, which had been building the capacity of customary land owners with the establishment of Customary Land Secretariats in the communities.
Mr Stephen Machira, Project Manager of Community-Based Rural Land Development Project of Malawi, who presented a paper on land reforms in Malawi, said about 364 groups had benefited from land distribution in Malawi involving 18,264 hectares.
He said in all 8,222 households comprising 10-35 members in each household who were formerly landless were now landowners.
Mr Machira said because of the ever increasing demand for land in Malawi, the country was in the process of building capacity in land administration to help deal with the demand.
He said Ghana had made a lot of progress in land administration and the delegation was in the country to have a first-hand experience that could be replicated in Malawi.
Mr Machira said the land and agricultural extension workers in Malawi had been depleted as most had moved out of the country in search of greener pastures, while some had also reached retirement age.

CORPORATE MANAGERS URGED TO DISCLOSE INCOME SOURCES (PAGE 32)

Story: Abdul Aziz

An Assistant Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service, Mr Peter Kornor, has warned corporate managers whose lifestyles are far above their remuneration that they could be charged for tax evasion when dragged to the Commercial Courts.
He, therefore, urged corporate managers to disclose all their sources of income when filing their tax returns to the Commissioner of IRS.
Mr Kornor, who was addressing the second meeting of users committee of the commercial courts in Accra on Thursday, observed that the remuneration for the work of some Managing Directors were visibly insignificant to support their lifestyle.
He said when this was detected especially from tax returns the explanations often advanced by managers were that they made up for the shortfall by receiving rents from their self-acquired houses.
Mr Kornor said where an individual received rent income from any residential or commercial premises the commissioner might calculate tax on the rent income separately.
He explained that the commissioner had powers of discretion to add the manager’s rent income to his employment and have it taxed together as employment income.
He said the commissioner in so doing would be guided by the idea to prevent any intentional arrangement designed by the manager to avoid payment of appropriate taxes.
He said the commissioner would also be guided by the fact of ensuring that maximum revenue was collected for the state.
The Assistant Commissioner said these considerations were what informed the commissioner’s interpretations of the tax laws where the taxpayer disagreed with any assessment of tax on income.
He said even in countries where judicial interpretations of tax laws appeared to provide escape routes for taxpayers the trend was changing in favour of national fiscal considerations.
Mr Kornor said the principle of interpretation of tax laws now emerging was that rights and liabilities created by sham transactions were utterly disregarded.
He said any flagrant attempt to create an artificial loss was rejected as cheap exercise of fiscal conjuring and bookkeeping fantasy.