Daikieus own

Population Council, others seek to deepen data use in journalism

2012-01-25T08:39:00.001-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey
IN THE 21^st century, there exist opportunities for the collection, storage and dissemination of variety of data for use in development planning, discourse and evaluation, which is critical to the work of journalists.
Journalists form a potential group that make use of data to inform debate and discourse, constitute an interface between data producers, data users and the general public, hence the need for them to appreciate and understand the concepts associated with data collection, its management to improve reportage and enrich development debates in the country.
This is why the Population Council, in collaboration with the University of Cape Coast has been engaging members of the media for some time now on the importance of data in their reportage and to further entrench this as a habit in journalism, the two partners are now collaborating with the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) to introduce data use in the curriculum of the institute.
Sharing the proposed programme with some editors and senior reporters in Accra on Tuesday, a Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, Professor Kofi Awusabo-Asare said “recognizing the unique role of journalists and communicators in the understanding, use and dissemination of data, the GIJ introduced a course in population reporting in the 1990s.”
However, the programme was discontinued about a decade ago but the institute has found it necessary to re-introduce the course in view of demands for and use of data in reporting, he noted.
He said the rationale for the re-introduction of the programme was the fact that the GIJ, as the main tertiary institution that trains journalists and other communicators in the country, has the responsibility to promote broad base journalism and understanding of data and population issues for development purposes.
The main objectives he touched on, include integrating issues in data use in some courses/programmes offered at the institute, promote understanding of the inter-relationship between data use and wider socio-economic factors among journalists and communicators, and equip the same group with skills to identify appropriate sources of data and data collection methods among others.
As such, the courses would be concentrated at the core level in year two, where all students in GIJ would be required to take the course, with the aim of improving understanding and use of data, including concepts and issues in data and population: population, demography, gender and data and information among others.
In the third and fourth year, there would be the integration of data issues in specializations, such as in Public Relations, Social Marketing, Political Journalism, Business Journalism, and Environmental Journalism.
The last module would be at year three and four in the specialization of Population Journalism under the broad theme, “Data Usage in Population and Development Reporting” with sub titles as Components of Population Change, Environment and Development, Population and Development, and Data and Policies.
Prof. Awusabo-Asare indicated that all the partners involved would work to ensure the provision of needed resources, including human, material and physical resources to achieve the objectives of the programme.
As part of the process, the partners also sought to seek the opinion of editors and senior reporters to enrich or revise the content, while the institute has been urged to carve out sandwich and other short courses for practicing journalists and other communicators as fee-paying programmes, to enable GIJ obtain resources to sustain some of its activities.
On his part, the Country Director of the Population Council, Dr. Placide Tapsoba said it satisfying to the Council to be part of such a development, adding, “journalists can do good and bad, but this is one of the good things because it will help not just Ghana, but Africa in general.”
He observed that the Council helps Ghana and its institutions through the provision of support and advice in many areas, and had help to produce eminent population experts, such as the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and currently Professor Awusabo-Asare among others.
He added that the Council further carries out many studies, some of which have led to the introduction of effective schemes, particularly in the health sector, and citing the Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) as an example.
This, he pointed out, has been very beneficial to rural folks in particular and was also helping in the reformation of the health system while the Council was further involved in the process to improve maternal mortality in selected regions.
According to him, it was important to change people’s mind towards the use of data, and especially encourage state institutions to make data available to the public and decried the practice where institutions often made important data available to institution outside the country but deny same to its people, such as journalists in their work.
In view of this, he said it was necessary to educate journalists on where and how to access data so that “they know where to look for it,” and urged the management of GIJ to ensure sustainability of the programme, even without donor support.

‘Weija demolition is in interest of the state’ … As dam faces imminent collapse

2012-01-19T09:23:00.001-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashitey, and officials of the Water Resources Commission (WRC) and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) have indicated that the demolition of buildings and other structures at the Weija Dam site is in the interest of the State.

The Dam, which currently produces approximately 64 million gallons of water per day, serving, the Western part of Accra, including Dansoman, MacCarthy Hill, Bortianor, parts of Eastern Accra through the East West Interconnection, and parts of Accra Central and Kasoa, is said to be experiencing increased pollution due to human activity in the Dam catchment area.

Fishing, development of residential facilities, quarrying, cattle rearing, mechanized farming unauthorised and siting of industries along the banks of the dam, and within the buffer zone, has accounted for over 40% of encroachment that was also affecting the quality of raw water abstracted.

Particularly, the increasing quarrying of stone within the gorges of the Dam remained dangerous, as officials warn that “if this practice is not stopped, there is the possibility of a dam break, which will release the entire water in the reservoir on to main land.”

They further warned that “should this occur, the whole of Accra West and Central will be inundated by the flood, and washed into the sea.”

It was, therefore, to save the dam for continuous use that the WRC and the GWCL began a demolition exercise about two weeks ago in the Weija Dam catchment area.

However, concerns were raised about the displacement of people, particularly, by affected persons, who have gone to court to put in application for an injunction to be placed on the exercise.

The Regional Minister, together with officials of the WRC, GWCL and some security agencies, yesterday toured the dam site to ascertain the extent of encroachment and demolition.

According to the Minister, “the idea is not to let people suffer unduly, but to save the health and integrity of the dam. That is why I am here to see what has been done.”

He said though the government had acquired the land, under an Executive Instrument (EI130) in 1977, the encroachers were also claiming to have documents to prove their ownership, in addition to having entered an application for injunction at the court, hence, an appraisal would be carried out to determine the way forward.

He expressed worry that the acquired land had been encroached upon, causing problems in terms of pollution, which had made the treatment of water more costly, such that the cost of production per cubic meter in 2008 at 4 pesewas, had shot up to 6 pesewas per cubic meter in recent times.

He was also worried that instead of just chlorine and lime to treat water, the company now had to add alum, increasing the cost of treatment, saying, “If care is not taken, and the dam collapses, we will all be in trouble.”

He noted that though people had encroached on the land, the demolition should be done within the tenets of the law, so that people would not suffer unduly, while entreating the people that “in the meantime, let’s stop selling the lands and those who are building must also stop now!”

The Densu Basin Officer, Mr. Ronald Abrahams, noted that the total catchment area of 55 square kilometres was acquired in 1928 and 1977 respectively, with compensation duly paid to affected communities such as Joma and Tomefa which were also resettled.

According to him, the people of Joma were resettled in an area called Joma Village, and in January 2004, judgement was granted to the Nii Aryee family of Joma to be paid compensation for 1,502.33 acres of their land, which was occupied under the EI 130, in the sum of ¢55,900,884,375.00.

Subsequently, the Nii Aryee Family accepted as full and final settlement the sum of ¢28,208,276.000.00, which was paid by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, he stated stressing, “so there should not be any structures within the acquisition, but people have violated the law with impunity.”

The Tomefa people, on the other hand, were said to have settled at their present location long after the catchment area was acquired, and all affected persons resettled, hence, “the Tomefa settlement is an encroachment, and the issue of compensation does not arise.”

He said the demolition exercise should not be viewed as a means to disturb people or get them homeless, because “we need to protect the dam in the interest of the whole country, since we all drink water from the capital.”

Also, the Chief Manager, Planning and Development of the GWCL, Mr. Ebenezer Gabrah, indicated that the pollution from Nsawam to Weija was so high that there was the need to clear the buffer zone around the reservoir for it to recover.

He pointed out that though the GWCL got some money to fence the whole area, the project had been stalled because of interventions of the public, and the activities of the encroachers.

He maintained that protecting the dam would ensure lesser treatment cost to the GWCL, and also reduce the general tariff that is charged the public, adding, “This assignment has to be done if the State believes that there is the need to protect the water resource for now and the future, so that no matter how painful the job is, it simply has to be done.”

Though Asafoatse Adama Aryee of Joma said the land belonged to their forefathers who settled in the area around 1916, and so was rightfully theirs, some affected persons said they were aware the land belonged to the government through their attempt to register the land, hence, “we are just asking for mercy.”

Furthermore, the Stool Secretary of Joma blamed officialdom for the plight of the people, because they did not serve them any notification before the demolition, but officialdom said they had been serving notice since 2008, but the people just remained adamant.

All said and done, official consensus is that the ultimate is to protect the dam at all cost, while observing the laws of the land, which makes it important to let the people know what is at stake.

Give me legal remedy

2012-01-19T09:22:00.001-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Justice (Mrs.) Theodora Georgina Wood, Chief Justice

A peasant farmer in Kasoa in the Central Region, Mr. Brown Kwaku Boame, has called on the Chief Justice, Justice (Mrs.) Theodora Georgina Wood, to revisit his case of misconduct against a bailiff, as he believed that the investigator misinformed her office on the issue.

According to him, a sandwining contractor destroyed his two-acre farm in 2002, and through legal aid, he was able to get a lawyer, who represented him, and finally got a judgement in his favour, with the defendant in the case, one Brother Cudjoe, asked to pay GH¢1,700 on February 19, 2003.

However, the defendant has defaulted in payment, and until today, he has paid only GH¢600, and all attempts to get him to pay the remaining GH¢1,100 of the judgement debt, had proved futile, the petitioner noted.

He blamed the situation on a court bailiff, one Mr. Crabbe, who he claimed, aided the defendant to jump bail on January 26, 2004, and subsequently refused to help him (Mr. Boame) redeem his judgement money.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Mr. Boame said following failed attempts to get the judgement fulfilled, he sought legal remedy, and petitioned the CJ on September 12, 2005, and was asked to go back to court to seek redress.

However, it was revealed that the bail granted to Brother Cudjoe was a forgery, and the court directed in 2008 that the docket be returned to the Registry, because judgement had already been given on the matter.

Under the circumstance, Mr. Boame, again, petitioned the CJ on June 8, 2011 for further investigation into his claim of misconduct against the bailiff, but was shocked to have received a reply to his petition, signed by the Judicial Secretary, Justice Alex B. Poku-Acheampong, that “I have been directed by the Honourable Lady Chief Justice to inform you that your petition has thoroughly been investigated, and there was no misconduct found against the Bailiff.”

According to him, he was surprised about the conclusion of the CJ, and believes that the investigator at the Petitions and Complaints Unit of the Judiciary Service, one Mr. Afari, did not give a correct report to the CJ, since he had also confirmed that the bail granted to the defendant was forged.

Mr. Boame, who is also a tailor, believes that he has been cheated, and wants to draw the CJ’s attention to the fact that her office was not given the true facts, and should, therefore, come to his aid and grant him legal remedy to recover his judgement debt.

He said the failure to redeem the debt to restart his farming activities that was once a source of income to his family, had brought untold hardship to him, his wife and four children, saying, “now life is becoming unbearable, and I can hardly pay my children’s school fees.”

Japanese gov rescues Krobo school

2012-01-19T09:21:00.001-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, H.E Mr. Naoto NikaiJapanese Ambassador to Ghana, H.E Mr. Naoto Nikai

DESPITE EFFORTS by the Government of Ghana to eliminate schools under trees and abolish the shift system that is not very conducive under our educational system, many areas still lack basic school facilities to promote effective learning, particularly at the basic school level.

One such area is Krobo, in the Afigya-Kwabre District in the Ashanti Region, where children trek long distances to attend schools in nearby communities, because the area has no public school for children at the primary level.

The attendance to school by children from the Krobo Township, which is a relatively new peri-urban site near Kumasi, on the Techiman-Kumasi road, has led to overcrowding in those nearby schools, which has also necessitated the adoption of the shift system to absorb the numbers.

Additionally, parents have been compelled to send their wards to school in the neighbouring communities, despite the dangers of walking along the highways, because the only available schools in Krobo are said to be sub-standard private schools with high fees.

These problems have resulted in high levels of illiteracy and school dropouts in the community, hence the Afigya-Kwabre District Assembly sought assistance under the Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGHSP) scheme.

This has led to the release of US$ 111,075 grant for the construction of a six unit primary school block, six-seater Kumasi Ventilated Improved Pit (KVIP) and the purchase of needed furniture for the school.

This is to provide a facility that would reduce school dropouts and ensure increased school participation and retention in the Krobo community.

Speaking at the grant signing ceremony in Accra yesterday, the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Mr. Naoto Nikai expressed worry that children from Krobo, having to trek several kilometers along the main highway before getting to school, made them susceptible to highway accidents, while putting a strain on the neighbouring community schools.

He was. Therefore. happy that the completion of the classroom project would give access to over three hundred pupils to attend school in their own community, and eventually open up to about five other neighbouring communities.

According to him, the Embassy of Japan was delighted to assist the Afigya-Kwabre District Assembly in its initiative to provide an enabling environment for academic progress, because lack of infrastructure stalls the effort to provide free compulsory basic education.

He noted that as part of the District’s collaborative effort, it would support the project through the payment of contingencies encountered in the construction, adding, “They will also facilitate the supply of books to stock the library in this school.”

He promised that the GGHSP would continue to invest greatly in the education sector as it had done in the past with over 116 projects in the education sector, to address access to primary education as a basic human need and urged the district to ensure the success of the project because “education is a key foundation for any country’s social development.”

Also, the District Chief Executive Officer of the Afigy-Kwabre district, Mr. Kaakyire Oppong Kyekyeku said the application for the grant was to seek additional resources from development partners to compliment government’s efforts in the education sector.

He pointed out that though government was doing its best to meet the Millenium Development Goals (MDG) 2 and 3, aimed at achieving universal primary education and promoting gender equality and empowerment of women respectively by 2015, “demands from other sectors have put pressure on our limited resources.”

Thus, he noted that the GGHSP grant for the school project would benefit a whole range of people directly and indirectly, adding, “It is expected that the project will increase school participation, reduce gender disparity, improve school retention, reduce school dropout, ensure child security and relieve parents of financial pressures and anxieties.”

He thanked the embassy for its assistance to the district and its people, and assured them that the funds would be used judiciously for its intended purpose as documented, and would also not compromise on quality.

Ave youth outdoor ‘Sorheza’ festival …to promote culture, peace

2012-01-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey
Pix by Eric Owiredu

The people of Ave have launched the ‘Ave Sorheza’, otherwise known as Youth Festival, to organise a congregation of its youth across the country, in the spirit of integration, brotherhood and communalism.

The festival, which is to focus on culture and a number of other programmes, including a football gala, clean up exercises, street carnivals, picnics, medical screening, and beauty pageant among others, would be celebrated annually, during the Easter season.

The Sorheza is expected to provide a nation-wide exposure to the youth for the expression and fulfillment of their cultural talents, aspirations, and support a non-governmental organisation called, Efo Yeyetor Foundation (EYF), in its activities.

The festival is an initiative of the EYF, and brought together chiefs, queenmothers and elders of the various communities of Ave, all the youth branches of the Ave Development Union (AVEDU), and citizens of Ave living and working in Accra, to the launching ceremony in Accra, on Sunday.

The Founder of EYF, Mr. Tony Quist, said the maiden festival would be held at the new district capital, Ave Dakpa, and then spread across the other Ave townships to break any monopoly during subsequent years of celebration.

He noted that “most families away from home are settler farmers who have become more of natives of the various areas of abode, having brought forth their children over the years, and have become part of those communities.”

Thus, the motive of the festival “is to propagate the concept of Ave integration, communal harmony, brotherliness and commitment to exposure of developmental issues that would arouse the interest of the youth to open up the Ave traditional area.”

According to him, the festival would further promote and encourage sustainable impact through youth oriented initiatives in the Ave area and its environs, promote the harmonisation of the youth initiative in furtherance of justice, equity, human rights, good governance and reconciliation in the community and beyond.

Furthermore, the festival would establish a youth forum for the exchange of information, experience, resource and mentorship, promote lobbying and advocacy of the members of the community among others.

He observed that considering the daunting problems bedeviling the people of Ave, “there is the need for us to come together, as youth, to provide some forms of intervention, rather than leaving it solely in the hands of government.”

He advised the youth to bury all their political differences, and jointly fight the daunting socio-economic misfortunes plaguing the people of Ave, adding, “Ave Sorheza has not been formed to fight our leaders, but to bring development to the people of Ave, in accordance to the motto of the festival, ‘One Ave, One People, and One Vision’.”

The Paramount Chief of Ave Dakpa, Togbui Nyamekor Glakpe V, who launched the festival, said Aves had been fragmented since the end of the first World War, while various attempts to unify the various groups had proved difficult.

Thus, he thought the youth festival a good initiative to reunite the people, particularly, the youth of Ave, saying, “although every town in Ave has a youth movement of the sort, the elevation of Ave to district status has served as a positive catalyst in bringing all the various youth movements under one umbrella, as we are witnessing today.”

He urged the youth not to politicise the festival, so that the various youth groups could participate fully in the activities, while giving due respect to the traditional rulers and elders, to foster a peaceful co-existence.

In a speech read on behalf of the Minister for Youth and Sports, Clement Kofi Humado, by Mr. Samuel Attipoe, he said the ideas for youth development behind the festival were good and solid stepping stones that could guarantee a vibrant future for the youth.

He told the youth to take advantage of government’s myriad of youth initiatives such as the youth leadership and skills training institutes nationwide, providing skills training for over 2,250 deprived and disadvantaged youth.

These, he pointed out, would help the youth become employable in a range of subject areas that interests them, and further urged them to take advantage of a national youth database project that was already underway, to register their youth organisations for free.

He informed the youth that the National Youth Authority (NYA) had established a Youth Consultative Assembly in preparation for the inauguration of a National Youth Parliament, and as part of the process, the NYA had developed a website to improve its relations with the public and clients.

He added that a chat room on the website discusses youth issues, where views collated would be submitted to committees of the National Parliament, saying, “This is a major way youth groups like yours will find enough space to take advantage in the governance process of the country.”

Also, he used the opportunity to emphasise the need for “all youth, not only those in your association, but even outside, to continually resist the temptation to use and abuse drugs, because there is a direct correlation between drugs and HIV/AIDS, and failure to achieve one’s set goals in life.”

Ghana to get new international airport

2012-01-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Alhaji Collins Dauda, Minister of Transport, addressing the press in Acccra yesterday(left), The Tamale Airport(right)

The Minister for Transport, Alhaji Collins Dauda, has announced that financial arrangements for the Tamale airport would soon be finalised to upgrade it to international status, to serve as an alternative to the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

This, he said, was to operate the airport as a hub for sub-regional flights, thereby easing pressure and congestion at the KIA, due to the increasing number of international flights and passengers.

According to him, international passengers, from January to August this year, increased by 16.7%, from about 900,000 in the same period in 2010, to over 1,000,000, while domestic operations increased to about 29.6% during the same period, from over 81,000 to about 106,000.

Taking his turn at the Meet-The-Press series at the Ministry of Information yesterday to inform the general public about events taking place in the Ministry, he said the upgrading of the Tamale Airport would also help to enhance efficiency in the handling of future Hajj operations, as “the region is characterised by a large Muslim population that performs the annual Hajj.”

Additionally, he pointed out that the Northern belt has a high agro-based industrial potential, great historic heritage and cultural sites, which require an efficient air transport system to boost agriculture and tourism, which would also serve as a stimulus to the Sahara Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) project.

In further anticipation of the future growth in traffic at the KIA, he said the Ministry, through the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), would continue to process the on-going acquisition of land at Prampram, which had been captured in the land-use development plan of the Dangme-West district, to develop a new international airport in the future.

Also, under the 2012 Budget, the government had provided GH¢10 million to undertake rehabilitation works on the Kumasi and Sunyani runways, he stated, stressing, “the rehabilitation works are necessary, because of the present level of deterioration and the increase in traffic, particularly, at the Kumasi airport, with the introduction of new and heavy aircraft.”

He observed that the Ghana Airports Company Limited would continue with the KIA Phase III rehabilitation project and the reconstruction of the taxiway, the main passenger apron, extension of the fuel mains, provision of Aeronautical Ground Lighting System, and the expansion and refurbishment of the KIA terminal building, including installation of aerobridges.

He added that to reduce passenger handling times, and in line with industry innovations, self-check-in equipment and software had been installed at the KIA to facilitate passenger processing, and “work on the refurbishment, upgrading and expansion of the Domestic Terminal for international operations has started, and is currently 80% complete.”

Other measures to improve the sector, he mentioned, include a new landing aid, Doppler VHF Omni-directional Radio Range, that has been installed to help pilots navigate safely and efficiently to or from the KIA under all weather conditions, without the need to depend on Air Traffic Controllers for information.

Touching on the railway sub-sector, he announced that the government had taken measures to revive the ailing railway system, under an Indian credit facility, to take delivery of wagons, spare parts and track materials to address problems of old rolling stock and track infrastructure to improve services.

He said Parliament had also approved a China facility for the rehabilitation of the Western Railway Line, whereas the railway line from the Tema Port was being extended to Tema Community 1, to increase the benefits to commuters between Accra and Tema.

He noted that this extension line was currently about 90% complete, and expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2012, which was necessary, because “the railway system in the country has completely broken down.”

As part of the government’s efforts to revamp the sector, the Ghana Railway Development Authority has completed a Railway Master Plan for the country, and would also pursue the rehabilitation of existing sub-urban railway lines at Takoradi – Kojokrom – Sekondi, Ejisu – Kumasi, Accra – Nsawam, and a feasibility study of the Eastern railway line, and source funding for its rehabilitation, said the Minister.

These, he pointed out, provide an alternative to transportation by road, where motor accidents have been rampant, and claiming an increasing number of human lives.

He expressed worry over increased road traffic crashes and casualties, saying that provisional records indicate that from January – September 2011, over 10,000 accidents were recorded across the country, involving about 14,400 vehicles.

These crashes resulted in the deaths of 1,679 persons with 9,980 injured, representing a marginal increase of 0.44% in road traffic crashes reported in 2010, and 26% and 14% increase in persons killed and persons injured respectively.

Therefore, as a measure to improve road safety, revised Road Traffic Regulations would be passed by Parliament to enforce the use of seatbelts, removal of disabled vehicles, through a private sector led commercial towing services, and prohibiting mobile phone use while driving.

Also, in line with the 2011 – 2020 Decade of Action for road safety, as declared by the United Nations, an implementation strategy would ensure the operation of speed cameras and installation of speed limiters in commercial vehicles with gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tonnes and above, while teaching road safety in the formal academic curriculum of basic schools, among others.

Furthermore, he mentioned that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority would reform its license administration through Computer Adaptive Testing, and “nine private investors who have been authorised would start construction of vehicle testing stations to complement DVLA’s role of vehicle testing and inspection to enhance efficiency.”

To complement the private sector in the provision of public transport, the government has supported the Metro Mass Transit acquire 75 VDL Jonckheere buses, and was expecting an additional 25 by end of the year, which, according to Alhaji Dauda, had enabled the service to add twenty new routes to its existing network.

Also, “the ailing Intercity State Transport Corporation is now showing signs of recovery” through a business arrangement with J.A. Plant Pool Limited, that has ensured the delivery of thirty new buses, thereby enabling the company to restore services to some closed down routes.

In view of the approaching Christmas season, the Ministry has also issued a directive that requires commercial transport operators institute quality control measures in their operations, including conducting pre-departure checks at their stations.

ECG awards loyal customers

2012-01-19T09:17:00.001-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Dr. Felix Anyah, looking as the Resident Doctor, Dr. Maxwell Onassis-Fiadjoe recieves the award for the Holi Trinity Spa from Mrs. Christine Hadzi

THE SOGAKOPE branch of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has rewarded its loyal customers for prompt payment of bills, as part of a maiden nationwide award scheme to encourage customers to maintain their loyalty to the company.

Five loyal customers, who made the most prompt payments in the district in order of merit, included the Holy Trinity Spa, and Dr. and Mrs. Agbenorku, who were said to sometimes make advance payments and also pay for others, found it difficult to pay their bills.

The others who were awarded at the brief ceremony that took place at the Holy Trinity Spa on Friday included the Red Bull company, a corn miller, Atipoe Lumor and Mr. Worlali Dekutse for domestic use.

Besides these awardees, there were many other customers in attendance, including officials of the Agricultural Development Bank, who were all rewarded with some ECG souvenirs.

The ECG District Manager of Sogakope, in the Volta Region, Mrs. Christine Mawusi Hadzi, said the newly introduced awards system to reward loyal customers, particularly those who paid their bills promptly, targeted customers of all categories to thank them for patronizing ECG services.

She stated that the ECG, like every business, relies on customers for success and “telling them how much they are valued is paramount, to building a healthy relationship.”

According to her, the customer appreciation week was specifically to demonstrate to customers how much they were appreciated, which is more powerful than merely saying it, noting “every customer loves to be appreciated and complemented.”

When customers feel appreciated, they voluntarily reciprocate this gesture through favoring the company and become more sympathetic to the shortfall and challenges faced by the company, she added.

“We want to tell you that the Electricity Company of Ghana and especially the Sogakope branch can be trusted because we are passionate our customers, especially those who pay their bills promptly but you are all on our heart”, she emphasized.

She pointed out that challenges facing the district included low consumption such as the use of bulbs that reduced billing, and non-payment by people who acquired electricity through projects and don’t feel obliged to pay bills.

Mrs. Hadzi said generally, payment of bills was low and delayed, hence the award would encourage customers to be more positive about payment of bills, adding that though only a few customers were rewarded for the first time, the district would mobilize funds to reward many more loyal customers subsequently.

The Executive Chairman of the Holy Trinity Group of Companies, Dr. Felix Anyah, thanked the ECG for appreciating their contribution to the company and showing its customers how much they value them.

NGOs commend Gov’t for new mining taxes

2012-01-19T09:16:00.001-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Mr. Mark Hammah, Minister of Land and Natural Resources

THE GHANA Aid Effectiveness Forum (GAEF) has urged mining communities to accept the new tax measures introduced by government in the 2012 budget to support the development of appropriate infrastructure to increase growth across the economy.

The forum is of the view that a stronger infrastructure base would contribute to lowering the cost of doing business and increase investors’ confidence in Ghana’s economy, hence, mining companies should take it as an opportunity to contribute significantly to sustaining the macroeconomic gains made so far and position themselves to support the broadening of Ghana’s economy.

The group said it was urging the mining companies in view of the increase in the corporate tax rate from 25% to 35%, a windfall tax of 10% of mining profits and reduction in the capital allowance tax from 80% to 20% for a period of five years for all mining companies as announced in the 2012 budget by government.

In a press statement released on Monday, the group did not agree with the view of the President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines that implementing the tax measures would discourage investment and probably kill the mining industry.

They bemoaned the fact that though Ghana is rich in resources, the benefits from exploiting natural resources had been minimal, and many communities where these resources were found remain steep in abject poverty.

Additionally, most mining companies had enjoyed several tax incentives since the mid-eighties, which allowed them to cover costs incurred for investing in the sector, therefore, “the argument that going ahead to implement the reviewed taxes will be inimical to the growth of the sector is untenable”, the group intimated.

In view of the negative trends, “the GAEF has noted with much appreciation government’s proposals for raising more revenues domestically in 2012 to finance infrastructure development to accelerate Ghana’s economic growth.”

They further observed that the mining sector has benefitted from stabilization agreements and other tax incentives which were aimed at promoting more incentives while the rationale for providing most of the incentives for the mining sector had lost its relevance for Ghana’s current development.

Also, the cost to livelihoods and the environment as a result of the operations of mines have so far not been adequately compensated for by the opportunities for value-addition and growth in the local economy.

Thus, it was commendable that government was expanding the revenue base to finance its spending for next year in order to maintain the gains made in the macroeconomic performance of the economy, emphasizing “We are hopeful that the proposed measures will be implemented in an effective and transparent manner to ensure that the deficit target of 4.8% is not exceeded.”

GAEF is an umbrella body that brings together national networks working on aid and development effectiveness issues, with SEND-Ghana as its host organization.

ECOWAS bank supports Self-help Electrification Project

2012-01-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

The Government of Ghana (GoG) has obtained a loan facility of $30 million from the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), to absorb the cost of extending electricity to selected communities in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions.

The 110 communities that would benefit from the Self Help Electrification Project (SHEP) would no longer have to source funds themselves for the provision of Low Voltage (LV) poles required for their communities.

Announcing the initiative at a signing ceremony between the Ministry of Energy on behalf of GoG and Power Private Limited/Shreem Electric Limited Joint Venture which would execute the project in Accra, yesterday, the Energy Minister, Dr. Joe Oteng-Adjei, expressed hope that the completion of the project would considerably increase the electricity access rates for the two regions.
He explained that the SHEP, under the National Electrification Scheme (NES) being pursued by the government, initially required communities to be within a distance of twenty kilometres from a source town, procure all LV poles, and wire at least 30% of houses in the community before the government would move in to provide electricity.

However, the government has decided to apply the EBID facility to cover the cost involved for the provision of electricity to the communities, adding that the commercial contract, however, was at a cost of about $20 million, hoping to apply the surplus to stalled electrification projects in other areas.

According to him, this was in compliance with the medium-term policy objective of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to provide adequate and reliable power to meet the needs of Ghanaians, and for export.

He said it was to further achieve an increase in the national average access to 80% by 2015, and reach universal access by 2020, which the government was pursuing to complete the implementation of the power sector reforms.

Additionally, the government was seeking to develop a non-congested transmission system, sustain power generation capacity expansion, and rehabilitate and reinforce the transmission and distribution infrastructure to meet the projected growth in power demand of 10% per year in the medium term.

Other measures, he mentioned, included to secure reliable and cheap fuel supplies for the operations of the thermal power plants, increase access to electricity by consumers, especially those in the rural areas, achieve cost recovery for electricity services, and reduce power system losses and waste in electricity supply and consumption.

Dr. Oteng-Adjei advised the contractors to work in collaboration with local companies in fulfillment of the Ministry’s at least 30% local content, to help boost the local industry, particularly, the three local manufacturing companies of cables and conductors, which are Tropical Cables and Conductor Limited, Nexans Kablemetal (Gh) Limited, and Reroy Cables Limited.

He pointed out that there were many local contractors to which the Indian company could sublet other jobs, such as the delivery of LV poles or their treatment, saying, “you can only bring supervisors, so that we can also create jobs for our youth.”

This is important because “the involvement of Ghanaians in the NES, through local content, has become a major policy issue for us as a Ministry, therefore, you must ensure that particularly, the indigenes of the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions, become involved in the execution of this contract.”

He further admonished the Indian company to ensure that their expatriate staff would respect the laws of Ghana, as well as its people, because “we will not hesitate to make sure that anyone who insults any Ghanaian is repatriated home.”

Also, he noted that the Ministry would monitor their work to ensure that all provisions in the contract were adhered to, stressing, “we will come with eagle eyes to ensure that you finish on time, and also adhere to quality standards set by the engineers.”

On his part, the Managing Director of MBH Power, Bagu Mukhi, said his company was represented in India, Nigeria and Ghana, saying, “the experience we have had over here is fantastic, and appreciate the transparency and professionalism exhibited by the Ghanaian team.”

He observed that in Africa, Ghana was among those with the phenomenal potential to grow, and as the country’s economy was growing, the power sector remained critical to economic growth and prosperity.

He thanked the Government of Ghana for the opportunity to help deliver the about 5,000 megawatts of power, adding, “We will take advantage of the opportunity, and fulfill our commitment.”

Pix: (top) Energy Minister, Dr. Joe Oteng-Adjei, exchanging the signed contract with the MD of MBH Power, Bagu Mukhi

Persons with disability marginalised

2012-01-19T09:13:00.001-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Dr. Kwabena Anaman, IDEG Director of Programmes

In Ghana, and the world over, People With Disabilities (PWDs) constitute an impoverished and marginalised group, characterised by lack of access to public health, education, and other social services that would ideally support and protect them.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are more than 600 million disabled persons in the world, of which approximately 80% live in low-income countries, and estimates that in Ghana, there are between 7-10% PWDs, representing about 1.55-2.2 million people.

However, the majority of PWDs live in abject poverty, because the state has not done much to improve their wellbeing, as they lack opportunities in education and employment among others.

For instance, since the passage of the Disability Act (Act 750) in 2006, the Legislative Instrument needed for the full implementation of the Act is yet to be realised, and one wonders how many more years would pass before the LI comes into force.

As the world marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Saturday, December 3, various organisations commemorated it by highlighting the plight of PWDs, and calling on the government and society in general to be more sensitive to the needs of PWDs.

The day, which is observed every year since 1992 by the United Nations, is to promote the understanding of disability issues, mobilise support for the dignity, rights and wellbeing of PWDs, and increase awareness of gains derived from the integration of PWDs in aspects of political, social, economic and cultural lives.

To the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), and SEND Ghana, the commemoration of the day was done on Monday, by sharing the results of an independent survey concerning PWDs in Ghana with members of the media and the public.

the theme “Together for a Better World for All: Removing Barriers and Promoting Disability-inclusive Development”, the organisations shed light on the awareness and compliance of the Disability Act, and the level of usage of the allocated 3% share of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) devoted to PWDs.

The Project Officer of IDEG, Kojo Impraim, who read the press statement signed by the IDEG Director of Programmes, Dr. Kwabena Anaman, said the survey was carried out by the Governance Issues Forum Network (GIFNets) on education, medical and transport services in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam, Sekondi-Takoradi, New Juabeng, Ho, Wa, Ashaiman and East Gonja districts.

He pointed out that though the government had made some attempts to promote the rights of PWDs, the latter still faced many difficulties in accessing public facilities, stressing, “PWDs face many challenges in society, and are often discriminated against.”

According to him, the survey revealed that accessibility of education facilities by PWDs was not encouraging, such that about 78% of education institutions did not have policies that specifically outline objectives related to access of school facilities by PWDs.

Also, about 18.2% of schools did not allow enrolment opportunities for PWDs, and “98.3% of schools do not have desks specifically designed for wheelchair users in classrooms,” he stated.

He added that while 15.8% of schools had taken steps to optimise lighting for visually impaired PWDs, 89% of schools had set up programmes to enhance the understanding of non-disability children on issues relating to PWD children, but “94% of school officials do not involve PWDs in school training programmes.”

Concerning accessibility of medical facilities by PWDs, the study showed that among other things, 54.2% of medical centres did not have access to ramps for wheelchair users at their entrances, 57.4% did not have obstacle-free walkways, aisles or corridors for wheelchair users, 74.5% do not have seating places available in public areas, and 88.9% did not have handrails on walls and staircases for use by PWDs.

He further expressed worry that all medical centres surveyed did not have medical transcriptions and instructions in Braille, 89.4% did not have language interpreters for the deaf, and 90% did not allocate money to improve accessibility of facilities for use by PWDs.

In terms of transportation, it came out that only 22.7% transport unions had un-written policies in place for PWDs, while 86.4% of union members had not undertaken any special training to handle PWDs, and 90.9% of unions did not have physical or communication measures to address the boarding of vehicles, and use of station facilities by PWDs.

Kojo noted that two-thirds of PWDs were aware of their 3% share of the DACF, but only less than 1% of sampled PWD associations were able to access the money allocated to them, and contrary to guidelines, 55% of ministries, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) sampled had not set up the mandated Disability Fund Management Committees, which are prerequisites to accessing the fund.

Furthermore, he indicated that nearly two-thirds did not have bank accounts for the management of the PWDs share of the fund, and “the absence of these bank accounts prevents disbursement of the PWDs share, with reference to the new guidelines.”

In view of these lapses, IDEG and SEND Ghana recommended the mainstreaming of disability issues in planning, saying, “it is imperative that development efforts in Ghana by state and non-state actors, include disability issues during formulation policies, programmes and projects for PWDs.”

To enhance accessibility by PWDs, they called for the Public Works Department to enhance their understanding of disability issues, and mainstream them in the design and construction of public facilities.

Additionally, they want the implementation of the Disability Act to be linked to the implementation of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), while state and non-state actors, including educational and medical institutions, as well as transport unions, should institute training programmes aimed at pursuing disability-friendly policies at work places.

Another solution, they proposed, was to increase public awareness that would in turn enhance the citizens’ understanding of disability issues for effective development, and for institutions to document and celebrate significant success stories of PWDs.

Such measures were necessary because, “when PWDs are empowered to participate in development, it creates opportunities for everyone, and is essential for national development and poverty reduction.”

Climate Change: An issue for all

2012-01-19T09:11:00.001-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

It is obvious that there have been changes in the weather pattern right here in Ghana, as the country is experiencing more rainfall than is usual, especially in the month of August this year, when rains in Accra alone claimed over ten lives, in addition to the constant extreme sunshine.

What one often hears is that “the weather has changed” without majority, especially the ordinary person in the street, bothering to give critical thought to why these changes have been occurring overtime, though it affects their very livelihood.

Even among the elite, issues of climate change (CC) and global warming have been given little attention with regard to a real understanding of the issues, impacts and the measures being proposed or necessary to address the situation.

As everyone goes about their duties, it is assumed that CC should be a concern for government institutions and agencies, and science-based organizations but the truth is that CC is an issue that should be of concern to all.

To my grandmother in the village, she will only make comparism between the present and the past, and probably relate it to other issues that one might consider as superstition, whereas others, even including some elite people, will ascribe religious reasons.

Beyond the individual understanding of the issues of CC are the underlying facts, including the evolution, impacts and the efforts being taken at the international, regional and national levels to ameliorate the negative impacts of CC, and move towards ensuring a safe world environment for current generations and those yet to come.

An overview

CC is said to be a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere, and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.

This climatic change is attributable to causes like water vapour, which is the most abundant greenhouse gas, but importantly, acts as a feedback to the climate, and increases as the Earth’s atmosphere warms.

Also, there is Carbon dioxide (CO₂), which is a minor but very important component of the atmosphere, and is released through natural processes such as respiration and volcano eruptions and through human activities such as deforestation, land use changes and burning fossil fuels.

Humans have increased atmospheric CO₂ concentration by a third since the Industrial Revolution began and this is the most important long-lived forcing of climate change.

Another cause is Methane, a hydrocarbon gas produced both through natural sources and human activities, including the decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture and especially rice cultivation, as well as ruminant digestion and manure management associated with domestic livestock.

On a molecule-for-molecule basis, methane is a far more active greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but also one which is much less abundant in the atmosphere.

Furthermore, there is Nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas produced by soil cultivation practices, especially the use of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production, and biomass burning.

There are also Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are synthetic compounds entirely of industrial origin used in a number of applications, but now largely regulated in production and release to the atmosphere by international agreement due to their ability to contribute to destruction of the ozone layer.

Thus, the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion of the ‘greenhouse effect’ warming, that result when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space.

At the international level to address CC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The IPCC provides the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge in CC and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts, and the IPCC is open to all member countries of the UN and WMO.

Bridging the knowledge gap

Despite a lot of activities going on internationally and even nationally, the knowledge gap of Africans and Ghanaians in particular is wide, and the involvement of critical expert groups necessary for Ghana to maximize benefits in the ongoing discussions remain limited.

Thus, experts say building the capacity of important groups, institutions and individuals remain key to increase public knowledge on CC and its related issues, and enhance Ghana’s contribution to the discussions at the global level.

For instance, experts state that there is a large pool of funds for Adaptation and Mitigation efforts for which Ghana requires experts such as involving those in the financial sector in the process to gain access of those funds.

It is in view of this that the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology with sponsorship from the British Council brought together seventeen journalists from selected media houses from 15 – 21 November, 2011, to build their capacity towards the dissemination of important information on CC to the general public.

As pointed out by an Environmental Activist, Dr. David Pessey, those whose livelihoods have been affected are those who have contributed the least to the problem, including African countries, yet their populations are not heard in its discussions.

He believes that “our people have a sense of what is happening and say these things are happening because we don’t respect nature”, therefore, “it is time to get serious and let the ordinary people understand and join the discussions.”

The Conferences

Negotiations started in February 1991 to May 1992, when the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) was formed to negotiate a Framework Convention on Climate Change, which led to the adoption of the UNFCCC in May 1992 and entered into force in March 1995.

The key provisions of the Convention included among other things common but differentiated responsibilities, commitment of all Parties, Commitments of Developed Countries, also known as Annex 1 (A1) countries, and special provisions for developing, least developed countries with special needs.

This was followed by the series of the Conference of Parties (COP) conferences with the first one (COP 1) in Berlin, Germany in 1995 to negotiate a protocol with specific commitments for A1 Parties, but no new commitments for developing countries.

Other groups in negotiation include the Group of 77 and China, the African Group, Alliance of Small Island states (AOSIS), the European Union (EU), Umbrella Group, Least Developed Countries (LCDs), the Arab Group, Oils Producing Countries (OPEC), Environmental Integrity Group and Central Asia, Caucuses, Albania and Moldova (CANCAM).

Another important COP conference as explained by a Legal Advisor to the African Group of Negotiators, Yaw Osafo is the COP 3, which saw the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol (KP) in December 1997.

According to him, A1 Parties made specific commitments to adopt policies and measures to achieve goal of the convention, reduction commitments by AI Parties of 5% below 1990 aggregate for A1Parties, and a first commitment period of 2008 – 2012.

Also, they agreed on joint implementation of commitments by Parties, flexible mechanisms such as joint mechanisms, Clean Development Mechanisms and emission trading among others.

He mentioned that the protocol entering into force provision included for it to be ratified by A1 Parties that account for 55% of total reductions for the first Commitment Period (CP) but the US, the world’s largest emitter of 36.1% has until the near end of the CP not ratified the KP to make it binding.

COP 17

COP 17 is currently ongoing in Durban, South Africa, and interested parties as well as observers keenly await what decisions and resolutions would be adopted, especially concerning a new commitment period for the KP, the particular position of the African Group and the case of countries such as China, India and South Africa, who are still categorized among Non Annex 1 countries, though they are known to be substantial emitters.

In view of US refusal to ratify the KP, the EPA Corporate Affairs Manager, Mrs. Angelina Mensah said COP 17 would mark a critical moment in the ongoing international CC negotiations, especially because the “UNFCCC recognizes that the climate system is a shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.”

Thus, she referred to the UNFCCC in March 1994, which required governments to gather and share information of greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices; launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts, including the provision of financial and technological support to developing countries; and cooperation in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of CC.

She explained that the KP is an international agreement linked to the UNFCCC, which sets binding targets for thirty seven industrialized countries and the European Union (EU) for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

According to her, “While the UNFCCC encourages industrialized countries to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), the Protocol commits them to do so,” adding that “A new international framework needs to have been negotiated and ratified that can deliver the stringent emission reductions as recommended by the IPCC.”

The basis for this, she noted, was expected to happen in COP 17 and so “it is up to South Africa to ensure that a solid agreement is to happen in 2012,” while reminding all that taking a meaningful climate action is about seizing the opportunity.

The importance of taking steps towards a new agreement in 2012 to her is to build international competitiveness, new economic infrastructure, sectors and activity, create prosperity and jobs, transform economy and society, reduce poverty and improve health and quality of life for all.

Ghana’s response

Ghana’s emission is said to be most in the transport sector where there have been multiplicity of cars on our streets, especially the influx of private cars that carry fewer people, and polluting the atmosphere, and also in the waste sector where more and more burning of refuse is done, especially in the Greater Accra region.

Although, generally, Ghana’s emission is not considerable, she has to take steps to forestall greater emissions as it seeks to develop because “Climate change has great significance for sustainable development plans and livelihoods in Ghana”, as observed by the Chief Programme Officer of the Energy Resources and Climate Change Unit (ERCCU) of the EPA, Mr. K.Y Oppong-Boadi.

According to him, CC should be seen as a developmental issue for the country, because the diversity in agro climatic regimes across the country from savannah to rainforest with differing degrees of temperature and rainfall variability make discussion of climate change for Ghana challenging.

He emphasized that extreme weather conditions such as storms, scarcity of water as rivers dry up in various places across the country were all evidence of the effects of CC in Ghana, hence, response to the situation has been at the institutional level.

These include the establishment of the National Climate Change Committee, Secretariat of the ERCCU, Designated National Authority – Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) as a Mitigation effort and the preparation of the National Communication, which is prepared every two years to let the world know how a country was tackling issues of CC.

Currently, he said Ghana has prepared its second National Communication, Preparation of Ghana National Climatic Policy, Manual for the Preparation of CDM in Ghana, the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system, waste and improved stoves, and policy briefs of which about eleven have been published.

In addition, Ghana has Proposed National Systems to finalize National Climate Change Adaptation Strategies (NCCAS) while ongoing projects include the African Adaptation Programme, Human Health and Climate Change, Technology Needs Assessment of Climate Change Adaption and Mitigation, and the development of REDD+ strategies.

However, there are still issues for Ghana which include adequate funding for Adaptation programmes in key sectors of the Ghanaian economy, gender issues to be mainstreamed into CC activities in Ghana, especially if the country is to achieve the Millenium Development Goals (MDG), which impact on women in diverse ways.

Also, Mr. Oppong-Boadi noted that Ghana needs to mainstream Adaptation and Mitigation in national development plans, improve CC data and information collation and dissemination to ensure informed decision-making, as well as increased and adequate long term planning.

In view of these, he said Ghana’s participation in COP 17 should focus on doing more work with regards to negotiations on the maintenance of the two-track approach, support the G77 and China to continue to negotiate long-term financing, among others.

Expectations / Conclusion

Undoubtedly, CC has become an issue that the world cannot afford to ignore because of the consequences that would arise such as significant changes in rainfall patterns, coupled with increased evaporation that would result in difficult water availability.

According to the EPA, “our biodiversity will be severely impacted; especially the grasslands, fynbos and succulent Karoo where high levels of extinctions are predicted” and “maize production in summer rainfall areas and fruit cereal production in winter rainfall areas may be badly affected.”

Also, commercial forestry, vulnerable to increased frequencies of wildfires and changes in available water in south-western regions may occur, while alien invasive plant species are likely to spread more and have an ever-increasing negative impact on water resources.

For Mr. Oppong-Boadi, some aspects of the Negotiations would be difficult at COP 17, thus, Africa and Ghana for that matter have to work for convergence of positions in the operationalization of New Technology Mechanism and Adaptation Committee.

Ghana must also do more work on the discussions on NAMA, which he believes would receive agreements, and further establish bi-lateral consultations with some donor countries with the hope of receiving more funds to implement CC.

In sum, one expects that the large emitters in the A1 group and others such as China and India would show greater commitment to their responsibilities without imposing stringent measures on developing countries in their development efforts, and also put in measures to redeem their promises to Non Annex 1 countries in their Adaptation and Mitigation efforts.

AngloGold strives to improve its competitiveness

2011-12-01T07:59:00.001-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Mr Peter Anderton, Senior Vice President of AngloGold Ashanti, Ghana

The Senior Vice President of AngloGold Ashanti (AGA), Ghana, Mr. Peter Anderton, has said that the company was repositioning itself to reshape its aged infrastructure, upgrading of mining methods, and to rectify its social and environmental legacies.

He said this was necessary as a measure to overcome the over hundred years of mining effects, and to tackle the risk that the activities of illegal miners posed to staff of AGA, saying, “It’s my privilege to take on this task.”

According to him, the company was poised to tackle all its challenges to stabiliSe productivity and maximiSe returns in the competitive industry, while focusing on the management of its environmental concerns, such as the extensive engagements that were currently taking place in Iduapriem, one of it mines, regarding the relocation of villages.

Mr. Anderton noted that the AGA was seeking to create value as a responsible mining company, hence, its core strategy was to improve safety by a 70% reduction in accident rates, improve productivity by 30%, and reduce environmental reportable incidents by 60%.

He made this known at the AGA Town Hall Meeting in Accra on Tuesday to update its stakeholders on the 2011 Third Quarter Report.

Particularly, since the company seems to be lagging behind its competitors, such that though Ghana accounts for 33% of Continental Africa Gold production, it only contributes 13% of the region’s cash flow, and the Obuasi mine remains the key outstanding issue from 2011, says the Vice President.

The Obuasi mine, situated in the Ashanti Region, covers approximately 474 square kilometres of land area, and is mainly an underground mine that operates to depths of up to 1,500 metres, in addition to some surface mining sites.

However, the mine has seen a decline in production in the years since 2004, due to low production levels, outdated equipment, manpower and environmental and community issues, hence, transformation strategies under the direction of a task force were underway to ensure that the mine is put to full stream.

In view of this, the objective of the taskforce is to accelerate the refurbishment, and improve the operational stability at Obuasi to ensure that the work done today links to the long term strategy for Obuasi, and that the outcomes of this work would provide sustainable outcomes for AGA’s Ghanaian stakeholders.

To achieve this, the taskforce Horizon One would focus on transformation and asset integrity, Horizon Two on major projects and mechanisation, and Horizon Three on modernisation, which would be supported from corporate funding, as put in place by the taskforce, and additional expertise where required from the AGA Corporate, Mr. Anderton announced.

Also, the Iduapriem mine is situated on 33 square kilometres of land in the Western Region, and is operated as an open pit mine, with its main challenge being in the cost field, particularly, of power.

Management says, with the recent surge in gold prices, work was underway to determine if there was an economic resource sufficient to support underground mining.

Mr. Anderton indicated that despite the challenges, AGA, Ghana, had since 2004, invested over $800 million in its operations in the country, such that it employs over 9,000 people, of which about 99% were Ghanaians, including contractors working directly for the company.

He announced that AGA Global recorded earnings at the end of the third quarter stood at $457 million, which the Ghana Government, as a shareholder, would benefit from, in addition to contributing to Ghana’s development at the national level, through a direct tax of US$210.7 million, indirect tax of US$151.8 million and royalties of US$111.7 million.

According to him, since the merger of AngloGold Company with the erstwhile Ashanti Goldfields Limited in June 2004, AGA, Ghana has paid direct and indirect taxes to the government to the tune of $279 million, made up of royalties, customs duties, dividends, payroll and property tax.

Besides contributing to employment at the community level, the company has spent more than $9 million in support of the training and development of its Ghanaian employees at various institutions of higher learning in Ghana and abroad since 2005, training and apprentice programme to equip youth with employable skills in mining and engineering among others, he pointed out.

In terms of health, the company instituted a malaria control programme with funding from the Global Fund, which had led to reduction in malaria cases in host communities by 70% in Obuasi, the other mine sites, Mr. Anderton averred.

He stressed that AGA upholds and promotes fundamental human rights, and remained committed to building productive, respectful and mutually beneficial partnerships in communities where it operates, adding, “Simply, it is our cherished aim to leave our communities and the societies where we operate with a sustainable future.”

Journalists, others receive education on open data

2011-12-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Dr. Grace Bediako, Government Statistician

The Population Council (PC), Ghana, has engaged various institutions, including tertiary institutions staff and students and journalists on the production and consumption of demographic, health and development data sharing and use in Ghana.

In view of the recognition of the importance of open data, a Professor in Population Studies at the University of Cape Coast, Kofi Awusabo-Asare, said data available in Ghana include institutional data such as those of hospitals, schools, and ministries among the Ghana Demographic Health Survey and National censuses.

According to him, there was a lot of data, but the issue remained how Ghanaians were using such open data, which called for collaboration between institutions such as among universities, to share and use data for development.

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Accra, last Tuesday, he pointed out that though the PC was not making a direct input into the Right To Information (RTI) bill that would ensure a more proactive access and sharing of data, it was providing the platform for further discussions on the subject by various stakeholders.

He said, when the law is finally passed, it would be important for the demand side to be vibrant, because low or no demand would indicate to government a lack of interest that would prevent the proactive disclosure of data.

The Government Statistician, Dr. Grace Bediako, touching on “The Role of Statistics in the Programming of National Development,” said everyone needs statistics, but the applications of such statistics were different for various institutions, and in different formats.

She also indicated that there was abundance of information, more than could be used in wide variations, but there still existed substantial gaps such as the difficulty in accessing available data, inadequate effort by users to explicitly define what they want, or even provide feedback on their experience with data.

She identified some sources of data as administrative records, registration systems, including business and civil, national censuses, sample surveys of households, as well as various sources under specific subjects like economics, social and environmental data among others.

She pointed out that data availability depended on who one was dealing with, hence, individuals, institutions and other agencies should all share ideas on how best to access and share data for development.

In her view, there was the need to tackle the particular challenge of accessibility to expand access, and adopt flexible approaches to handling the release of data and its sharing among interested parties, including individuals.

On the topic of “Data Journalism”, a renowned journalist from South Africa, Justin Arenstein of the International Centre for Journalists, noted that data was only useful if it could be relevant to people.

As such, journalists’ roles were changing to the extent that they have to take mass data and put it into small stories for people to appreciate, saying, “data is not just numbers, but linking pieces of information together, and telling people why it is important.”

Thus, there was the need to use visualisations that would enhance understanding and capture the attention of the target audience, especially, with regards to government budgetary information to tell people how their money was being used.

He stressed that though the government budget was usually long, technical and a boring report, journalists could make it simpler, and turn it into what people could use, because data gives people the tools to give feedback to the government, concerning the use of public funds.

Also, he said, new media such as the use of mobile phones and the internet was making the cost of data low, hence people were moving away from the traditional media, and so it was necessary that media houses start using new media like blogs and others.

“Journalists are terrified at numbers, but data journalism is not just numbers, and so journalists have to diversify their business models to stimulate people to use data that they are producing for social good,” he maintained.

He concluded that there was also wealth of information about the country locked outside the of the country in top world agencies that could be accessed by journalists to ask questions within the country, and generate stories that would, for instance, reveal disparities between data released by the government to outside agencies and those within the country.

The participants were drawn from the National Population Council, various media houses, Ghana Institute of Journalism, Ghana Statistical Service, National Accreditation Board, Wa, Tamale and Navrongo Polytechnics, University of Development Studies, University of Cape Coast, University of Ghana, Legon, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Central University College, and Kintampo Health Research Centre among others.

Nii Ayi Bonte still Gbese Mantse …insists Gbese chiefs , saying it was an illiterate interpretation of court ruling

2011-11-29T11:50:00.001-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey & Pix by Eric Owiredu

Nii Ayi Bonte II,Gbese Chief(left), Nii Okai Kasablofo, Prinicpal Kingmaker of Gbese, reading the press statement(right)

The principal kingmaker of the Gbese Stool, Nii Okai Kasablofo, has described reports in some sections of the media that the Gbese Mantse, Nii Ayi Bonte II, had been thrown out of court, as palpable and contemptuous falsehood.

According to him, the story, which was posted on citifmonline.com and carried by other media houses, was an illiterate interpretation given to a High Court ruling by a claimant to the Gbese stool, Mr. Bill Annan, otherwise known as Nii Okaidja.

He described Bill Annan as a “frustrated individual whose undignified ambition seeks to muddy the peaceful waters that the Gbese people enjoy,” adding, “Ordinarily, we would have ignored the tantrums of Mr. Bill Annan, and indeed, resisted the temptation to respond to his tactics of lying at the least opportunity to portray a semblance of insecurity in the Gbese Quarter.”

Addressing media personnel at the Gbese Mantse Palace in Accra, yesterday, Nii Kasablofo explained that at the root of the High Court ruling was a contempt application brought against Bill Annan for his violent and flagrant violation of the judgement of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, Dodowa, delivered on February 17, 2003, after 23 years of protracted conflict, which begun in 1980.

He said a final short order was made that clarified the situation, as “the respondents are to hand over the Gbese Stool and its paraphernalia to the petitioner and his elders to install their candidate.”

However, since Nii Okaidja returned from his sojourn in the United Kingdom (UK), he had been trying through ruses and by unlawful means to ascend the Gbese Stool, he lamented.

This, he said, was worrying, because the Dodowa judgement had not been set aside or quashed. It had also not been successfully appealed against, though “the cohorts of Bill Annan have particularly made intensive efforts to quash that decision through Certiorari proceedings at the High Court, which have failed.”

He further stated that when an appeal before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court all failed by unanimous decisions, Bill Annan sought to have set aside a consequential writ of possession before the High Court, which ruled that since the defeat of his faction under the Dodowa judgement, he lacked the capacity to occupy the palace.

“This judgement, which is still in tandem with the judgement of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs of 17th February 2003, is what Bill Annan has been trying to dodge by his continuing disobedience in parading as Gbese Mantse at every opportunity,” he stated.

Nii Kasablofo observed that this was the reason for which they cited Bill Annan for committal for contempt, but on November 21, 2011, where the judge repeated the view that the Dodowa judgement of February 17, 2003 continued to operate as a binding judgement which has not been appealed against nor quashed by any superior court, but the judge felt that he should not exercise his judicial discretion by putting him in prison.

He pointed out that “since the internet publication of Bill Annan’s twisted version of the ruling dated 21st November, 2011, our offices has been inundated with tense phone calls from true sons and daughters of Gbese, anxious at the disturbing and twisted Jekyll and Hyde lying tactics of Bill Annan.”

Thus, he appealed to members of the media, in view of the vital role they play in ensuring peace in the country, to seek clarification and secure documents on court rulings to enable them write informative news items.

He added: “We have the truth on our side, and will not hesitate to make all necessary documents available to you, so that you do not fall prey to the machinations of a frustrated individual whose undignified ambition seeks to muddy the peaceful waters that the people of Gbese enjoy.”

The Spokesperson of the Gbese Mantse, Reginald Niibi Ayi Bonte, expressed worry that in the past five years, Gbese has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, including either violence or that someone had been shot, or there was fighting over chieftaincy matters.

He said in view of the fact that the Gbese area was a flashpoint, “when it comes to dispute, we are very particular when newspaper reports come out suggesting that someone is victorious in a court case or otherwise, because it leads to a lot of anxiety and tension.”

He also expressed belief that the media was supposed to be a friend and partner in development, therefore, there was the need to give them the right information, so that they could produce more informative reports, especially, concerning the Gbese Stool.

According to him, if someone claimed to be a chief, the proper place for him to be was the palace where he would perform all the custom rights and practices concerned, and currently, the only Gbese Mantse occupying the stool and doing all that was necessary, was Nii Ayi Bonte II.

The people have spoken, and other people can decide to use all kinds of machinations, because they have easy access to some media houses, but the truth is that the whole area accepts Nii as the Gbese Chief, he maintained.

He further accused the Bill Annan faction of having sold Gbese Stool lands, including the Royal Mausoleum, leaving the stool currently without a royal burial place, while refuting claims that the government was helping the Gbese Stool in its actions, saying they only used the law.

MUCG Principal worried over Gov’t apathy towards private tertiary institutions

2011-11-28T10:27:00.001-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Very Rev.Prof.S.K.Adjepong (Principal,MUCG) giving his address(left), Some MBA graduands in a pose, including The Chronicle's Advert Executive,Casandra Cato (secong from right)

THE PRINCIPAL of the Methodist University College (MUCG), Very Reverend Professor S. K Adjepong has bemoaned the seeming apathy of government and supervising Universities to accord the necessary support and encouragement to private tertiary institutions to make the public-private partnership (PPP) maximally productive for the benefit of the country.

He attributed the situation to the fact that some people wrongly perceived all the private Universities as profit-motivated rather than sincere and helpful partners in the provision of higher education.

He pointed out that despite such a perception, the provision of higher education, an indispensable element for national development was not a responsibility which government could shoulder alone, stressing, “Within the last decade, private Universities in Ghana have turned out tens of thousands of graduates and through partnership with public providers of higher education, have created additional access to higher education while introducing diverse curricular options.”

Speaking at the 9th Congregation of the institution on Saturday, he lamented that the private University colleges have been literally crying out to government to set up a fund for research and staff development that could be accessed competitively by them but so far there had been no response.

He explained that such a fund need not be of the same magnitude as the one available for public Universities, but “unfortunately, we are not seeing the level of support and encouragement that should characterize such an important partnership.”

In view of this, he indicated that government ought to carefully assess what policies would strengthen the entire production of the capacity of the higher education sector and move to implement such policies, even if it meant providing financial subsidies to private providers.

To further demonstrate the relevance of private institutions, he said the total enrolment of students at MUCG increased from 213 in November, 2000, to 5,647 at the end of the 2010/2011 academic year with 4,876 students at the Dansoman campus in Accra, 549 students at the Tema campus and 222 students at the Wenchi campus.

The total number included 333 postgraduate students pursuing programmes leading to Master of Business administration (MBA), Master of Philosophy (M.phil) and Masters (MA) degrees, he revealed.

He also announced plans by the Department of Religious Studies to deliver its academic programmes additionally by distance education at the beginning of the next academic year to reach more students across the nation.

Professor Adjepong further announced that the University College would soon establish a satellite campus in the oil city of Takoradi in the Western region, saying, “The University College is in the process of preparing a business plan for the establishment of the campus and initially offering business disciplines there.”

Additionally, he said the institution offered community service as a way of giving back to society in diverse ways such as the establishment of a Technology Village by the faculty of Agriculture at the Wenchi campus, in collaboration with the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC).

This was to facilitate the improvement of agricultural production by demonstrating to farmers in the area the correct usage and effectiveness of agrochemicals, and has also offered to provide training, at cost, in agriculture, horticulture and agro-processing to the youth under government’s youth in agriculture programme in Wenchi.

He told graduands that they were passing out at a time when civil strife and conflict abound in many countries, especially in Africa, hence “go out there boldly and make a positive change, serving your country with humility and integrity.”

On his part, the Guest Speaker for the occasion, Managing Director of Prudential Bank, Mr. Stephen Sekyere Abankwa commended the Methodist Church for venturing into the business of private University, to complement the effort of public universities that have been overwhelmed by the teeming number of students applying for admission each year.

He expressed joy that the institution had produced very high caliber of manpower, which was contributing positively towards nation building and for this marked the ninth batch that “MUCG is releasing into the Ghanaian labour market and that of other countries to strengthen the human capital base of our dear nation.”

He said it was worth noting that increases in student population at the school also reflected gender balance such that out of the 5,647 students, there were 2,881 females as compared to 2,766 males, representing a ratio of 1:1.04 and expressed hope that the same ratio would be extended to staff strength, which stood at 5.6: 1.0 in favour of males.

He urged Management of MUCG to position itself strategically to be able to meet not only the current demands in the education sector but also have a competitive advantage over its close competitors because meeting the fast changing trends in education could be very challenging.

According to him, “the future looks bright for MUCG but I will like to encourage Management to be more innovative in order to be able to keep pace with the fast changing trends in the education sector, especially, tertiary education.”

He mentioned that his bank would consider updating its relationship with MUCG in terms of financial support for its on-going projects such as the ultra-modern Music Centre and the library complex while accepting students for internship at the bank.

He urged graduands to uphold the quest for excellence in every area of endeavour in service to God and country, saying “endeavour to let your morality shine like the firmament of the stars in the present generation groping in the dark world of sin.”

The institution graduated 954 first degree graduands out of which 66 obtained First Class Honours, 213 had Second Class (Upper Division), 522 Second Class (Lower Division), 145 obtained Third Class Honours and 8 obtained Pass.

COP DEFILES GIRL - -Police play hide and seek with Chronicle over story

2011-11-28T10:26:00.000-08:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Mrs. Juliana Azumah Mensah, Minister of Women's & Children's Affairs (left), Mr. Paul Tawiah Quaye , IGP(right)

When a 36 year old policeman, Lance Corporal Steve Selassie Ahlijah of the Teshie police started associating with an Accra based businesswoman (name withheld), it never occurred to the lady that the peace officer had ulterior motive against her.

Lance Corporal Ahlijah, however, knew that the nine year old beautiful daughter of the lady, who is an asthmatic patient, was on his radar and he did not miss his target when the opportunity presented itself.

He allegedly defiled the class five pupil on the blind side of the lady, in his rented room outside the Teshie Police barracks and warned the little girl that her mother would die if she discloses the affair to her.

As a result of this alleged act, Lance Corporal Steve Selassie Ahlijah is now in the grips of the law, and is said to be in detention at the Ministries police station, on charges of indecent assault and defilement.

The allegation includes fingering the girl on the first encounter, and on the two subsequent occasions that he managed to lure the girl, he had actual carnal knowledge of her.

Information available to The Chronicle indicate that the mother of the child owns a shop in front of the house where the accused lives, and in view of the fact that the mother had been attacked by thieves a few times at her residence, which is quite some distance from her business point, the accused sometimes offered protection by either providing her with a trusted taxi driver, or putting her in the care of police patrol teams enroute to her location.

Sources revealed to The Chronicle that the friendship between the mother of the defiled child and the policeman was very cordial, to the extent that he called her ‘mummy’. After having gained the trust of the woman, he suggested to her to allow her child to play around the vicinity, since according to him, she was being too protective of the girl.

Further information indicates that on a particular day, Steve Ahlijah packed his car in front of the woman’s shop, and they engaged in a conversation, while her daughter lay on her lap. However, after the woman got up to sell to a customer, she could not find her daughter or the policeman.

She made several frantic phone calls to the policeman to check if the girl was with him, but he did not answer his phone. After about some 45 minutes, Steve Ahlijah returned with a glass of alcohol in his hand, and the girl was spotted coming out of his car.

Though he will not answer where he was coming from with the girl, her mother was said not to have suspected anything, due to her friendship with the policeman, and the fact that the girl did not make any uncomplimentary remarks about him.

The girl told her mum that Steve went to buy vitamilk for her, and even showed the mother where she dropped the empty bottle.

Some three days later, the girl was said to have had a serious asthma attack, which was treated as usual and passed.

At another time, the mother was said to have been invited to a local meal of ‘akple’ with pepper and fried fish by Steve, but the mother opted for only the fish, since she did not like corn food and, therefore, asked the girl to go with Steve to the house, to bring the fried fish for them to prepare their own meal.

However, the distance to the policeman’s house and back, which should have taken just about three minutes, lasted about thirty minutes, alarming the mother, who followed up to check on the girl, only to meet her coming with the policeman, who on this occasion also, had an alcoholic drink in a glass in his hand, while the girl had the fish in a polythene bag.

Again, Steve would not answer any questions as to why the girl had kept that long in collecting the fish, yet his friendship with the mother did not allow her to have any suspicions.

After some days, the girl again got a serious asthma attack, with the mother not understanding its trigger, but nonetheless had no suspicions whatsoever.

Subsequently, sources close to the mother said Steve visited the former when she was not feeling well. The policeman was said to have put his hand in between her breast-line and said: “you need to be hammered well, but what is paining me is that if I do that for you, your daughter will be worried.”

Thus, the mother asked why he (Selassie) thought her daughter would be worried should there be something between two consenting adults, after angrily rebuking him for putting his hand on her chest, the suspect answered that the girl would think he was worrying her mother.

The lady reportedly told the police man that she was worried that thieves would attack and defile her daughter, but the policeman was alleged to have said, “who told you she can’t take it?”, sources disclosed.

This was said to have made the woman suspect something, but without directly laying that suspicion on the policeman, who was like an uncle to the girl. The mother questioned the girl when she returned from school, saying that uncle Steve (policeman) said she would not cry or complain if someone wanted to defile her.

This, according to sources, made the girl sad, but would not say anything until she started complaining of abdominal pains in October this year. The mother then started questioning all those around her child, both young and old.

Also, the mother was said to have called in the suspect to help question the girl, since he was like an uncle to her, but when he asked the girl what happened to her in school, the girl was said to have replied that “but in school, there are a lot of people and no one can do anything to me.”

It was said that when he tried to touch the girl during that interrogation, the girl avoided the touch by moving towards the mother, which deepened the mother’s suspicion that something had happened to the girl.

Therefore, she further put pressure on the girl, who said that her mother would die first and then she would follow, should she talk, but upon assurances from the mother that she would not die, the little girl finally gave in and mentioned the policeman as having allegedly defiled her.

This led the mother to lodge a complaint with the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), leading to the policeman’s arrest. However, sources further allege that people close to the accused were making numerous attempts through various quarters to induce the mother of the child with huge sums of money, for an out of court settlement.

But the mother, who feels betrayed, is said to have resolved not to rest until the accused person has been sentenced to imprisonment, due to the damage that has been caused to her daughter, besides the psychological trauma the girl suffers, like crying at the least instance.

However, attempts to obtain information from DOVVSU by The Chronicle proved futile, as The Chronicle reporter was told on Thursday at the Unit in the Ministries that the Public Relations Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Agyepong, in charge of the case, were all not available.

The reporter was, therefore, directed to seek permission from one DSP Freeman Tettey from the DOVVSU unit at the police headquarters, who was also not available when the reporter called at his office, but told the reporter on phone to call the next day for further discussion.

However, DSP Tettey told The Chronicle editor on Friday to let the reporter go back to the DOVVSU Unit at the Ministries for briefing, only for the reporter to be told by one DSP Eunice Donkor that he had received no such directions from DSP Tettey.

However, she called DSP Tettey on phone, who requested that the reporter be asked to excuse them from the room, after which the reporter was told that the case was a complex matter that was still under investigation, hence no details could be provided.

ECOWAS collaborates to address alcohol, drug use among youth

2011-11-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

A cross section of stakeholders at the workshop

STATISTICS FROM the United Nations Office for Drug Control (UNODC) World Drug Report indicate that there are signs of an increase in drug use and abuse in developing countries, including those in the West African region, which has further metamorphosed from shipment routes to drug consumption centres.

It is reported that there are about 14 – 22 million cannabis abusers, 160, 000 – 340,000 opiate addicts, and 640,000 – 830,000 cocaine users for the population aged between 15 – 64 in the West African region in 2008, while the rate of abuse of drugs by youth is higher than the world average, especially for cannabis use, which went up to 12% for users aged between 15 – 64.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, concerned by the growing trend of drug use, organised a meeting of experts on Drug Demand Reduction in May this year, that highlighted important challenges member states faced, with regards to drug abuse among the youth and vulnerable population.

These included constant drug use by youths, low age of initiation into drugs, alcohol abuse increase in many countries of the region, and that alcohol was associated with a wide variety of health and social problems, among others.

To further increase awareness around alcohol and/or substance use disorder and HIV-related sexual risk behaviours, the Commission is hosting a four-day regional workshop on “Drug Use, HIV Risk among Young People in West Africa,” in Accra.

The workshop also aims to educate stakeholders on the global strategy to reduce the harmful practices, educate them on specific prevention and treatment interventions, and encourage greater commitment to the inclusion of alcohol issues in HIV prevention and treatment approaches.

In view of this, the participants included experts from Member States’ Focal Point on Youth, Drug and HIV/AIDS in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Health or National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, National Youth Councils/Associations, Civil Society Organisations, International and Development Partners, and United Nations (UN) agencies.

In a welcome address at the opening ceremony yesterday, the Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Mr. Nii Nortey Dua, speaking on behalf of his Minister, said the epidemics of drugs, their transit through the sub-region, their use by young people, and HIV/AIDS have become a sub-regional, national, and local concern, due to its adverse effects on the human and socio-economic development efforts in the sub-region.

He expressed worry that while the drug trade soared high a couple of years ago in Ghana, HIV/AIDS combined to take their toll on the vulnerability of the youth, adding, “One can safely say that these two evils contributed directly or indirectly to the low expectancy of 56 years only of Ghanaians.”

According to him, the gloomy picture of abuse seems to be on the ascendency with the drug menace, including the use of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and heroin among others, saying, “the resultant effect on our countries is seen in the rise in violence and HIV/AIDS at the local, national, and sub-regional levels.”

In all of these, it is the youth who form the human capital resource base of the West African economies, that were vulnerable and invariably exposing the vulnerability of the sub-region as a whole, he noted.

In view of this, he called for continuous concerted efforts by member states to address the problem of drug use among the youth, while commending the ECOWAS Commission for its efforts to help address the problem.

Also, he advised that “it is wise to check one’s status and get good counsel. Let us join hands with our governments to halt the drug-driven HIV risk.”

In a keynote address, the Director of Gender, Youth and Sports, and Drug Control of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Sinkiti Ugbe, on behalf of the Commissioner for Human Development and Gender of the Commission, said critical to the challenges ravaging Africa’s young men and women were the issues of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS epidemic.

She pointed out that the spiral increase in the number of arrests being made of drug traffickers, the high proliferation of light weapons, and increasing demand and use of illicit drugs and substances, posed a great threat to the development of the region.

In addition, the abuse of prescription drugs, self medication and tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and stimulants were on the increase in the region, she stated, and lamented that “Apart from facing the heterosexual transmitted HIV, some Sub-Saharan countries are experiencing significant changes in the patterns of illicit drug use, through both non-injection and injection drug use, which has implications for the potential spread of HIV.”

She, therefore, noted that it was expedient for the participants to be equipped with adequate and valuable knowledge to share with their peers and communities, saying, “As you settle for highly technical and interactive session, you will be better enlightened and better equipped to face the challenges.”

A representative of the African Union (AU) Commission, Dr. Mohammed Kyeri, also indicated that though the African sub-region was in a period of unprecedented rapid socio-economic change, that change was not without complex dynamics.

According to him, key causes for the growing trafficking included Africa as a whole, which constitute a growing market for illicit drugs, frequent international travels, inadequate trafficking controls, and convenient transit point for drug trafficking to Europe, North America, and corruption amongst some law enforcement and custom officers based at the ports, among others.

He observed that drug abuse and addiction had been closely linked with HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic, while “Drug and alcohol intoxication affect the way a person makes decisions, and can lead to unsafe sexual practices, which puts them at risk of getting HIV or transmitting it to someone else.”

Dr. Kyeri noted that while the world population had reached seven billion, Africa’s population has just passed one billion, with about 450 million youths, who account for about over 50% of the total labour force.

However, unlike other continents, Africa’s population was becoming more youthful, hence, “the pace, depth and scope of Africa’s development in the 21st Century would depend on how best the continent’s youth resources are nurtured and deployed.” He pledged the AUC’s continued efforts to curtail the menace of illicit drug use, in collaboration with Member States, Regional Economic Communities, and development partners.

Africa needs less debate, more action– AngloGold Chairman tells forum in Accra

2011-11-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

Mr. Tito Mboweni, former Governor of the South African Reserve Bank and Chairman of AngloGold Ashanti

A former Governor of the South African Reserve Bank and Chairman of AngloGold Ashanti, Mr. Tito Mboweni, has said that Africa’s development has been under discussion for far too long, to the extent that, in some respect, it was becoming boring, such that there was not any aspect of Africa’s development that had not been talked about, debated, or researched.

According to him: “Everybody who is anybody has made Africa’s development their route to popularity,” and blamed this on African leaders, because they had allowed the situation to persist, as they tend to listen more to “outside” experts, than their own people.

He emphasised: “Many of us have been at many meetings which try to find out what exactly are the constraints to Africa’s development,” but expressed optimism in the hope that the new generation of African leaders would start doing the correct things.

In this regard, the new breed of African leaders, and politicians for that matter, have to stop talking too much, using emotive language, and learn to implement the basic things, which are already known for development in Africa, he pointed out.

To him, politicians have to outline just a few major things to implement, and upon attainment, take on a few more others, instead of doing so many things at a time, with little or no impact, while focusing on the development challenges of the continent.

Furthermore, he said African politicians had to stop thinking of political office as royalty, such that political parties in power refer to themselves as the ‘ruling party,’ saying, “They cannot rule but govern, because only royalty rule.”

Mr. Mboweni was delivering a lecture at the third AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana) Lectures on Business in Africa, on the topic, “Constraints on Growth and Development in Africa,” at the Institute of African Studies (IAS), University of Ghana, Legon, on Friday.

The lecture, which commenced in 2009, is held annually, in collaboration with the IAS, with a view to envisioning the “Future Africa”, and this year’s lecture was against the backdrop that Africa’s recent economic growth had exhibited a strong and relatively upward trend, outpacing aggregate Asian growth in the early 2000s.
However, the record is said to be uneven, with the current gains, due largely, to minerals extraction, and the dynamic has been fuelled by the burgeoning demand for resources from China, and increasingly from India.
The lecture sought to explore how to sustain investment and long-term growth on the continent, by identifying measures to improve the investment climate through reducing transaction costs, enhancing policy and governance, addressing pressing debt relief, capital markets, and public health issues.
According to Mr. Mboweni, Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) suffers many constraints beyond its control, yet the challenges need to be met, including high dependence on the performance of its trading partners’ economies.
Also, the financial sector in SSA has not contributed significantly to economic growth, because African financial sectors, especially in low-income countries, are among the least developed in the world, he said, adding, “limited access to basic financial services, including credit availability, continues to pose a major obstacle to entrepreneurial activity and welfare improvement.”
In spite of these, he noted that some progress was being made, as financial systems continue to institute reforms, broaden their product base, deepen their lending and increase their reach, but “given that deeper and efficient systems are critical for growth prospects, clearly, much more needs to be done in the vanguard of engineering economic growth.”
The former bank governor indicated that SSA economies had been growing off a low GDP base, and though the proportion of the SSA population living in poverty declined from 59% in 1996 to 50% presently, poverty was still pervasive.
He stated that growth was still substantially commodity-driven, mainly due to significant demand from China and India, and with exceptions such as deep-level mining operations, the resources sector was not labour intensive.
However, “The path on which we have set off, and which we need intensively to continue following, contains no surprises. Its content have been discussed and debated before. What it requires, and is based on, is commitment and political will,” he observed.
Moving forward, the AngloGold Chairman said infrastructure development should be the first priority, and electrical power the biggest continent-wide infrastructural issue, as “the challenges relate to availability of power, its costs, whether state-owned or self generated, and the frequency and cost of power outages.”
According to him, the fact that one-third of the SSA population lives in landlocked, resource-poor countries, presents a strong case for more efficient transport infrastructure, and ease of cross-boarder transmission of goods and people, than its competitors.
Other areas that would enhance productivity and competitiveness, he mentioned, include higher education and investment in information, communications and technology, while high internet tariffs have to be lessened, such as in the area of mobile phones, where light regulation has led to an explosion in use, and the social and economic benefit to the people of the continent.
The Director of IAS, Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, said the institute was proud to host the first black African Head of South Africa’s Central Bank, because Ghana played an important role in the anti-apartheid struggle, by providing a home and schooling for freedom fighters and their families.
She said the lectures were a platform to highlight, not only the diversity, resilience and innovation of businesses in Africa, but “also provide us in the academy, an opportunity to engage with industry to interrogate the synergies between ideas and practice.”
The philosophy behind the lectures, she noted, was to highlight prominent business efforts and business persons in Africa, and as well, reveal the multiple ways in which businesses shape, and are shaped by socio-political development.
Touching on the institute’s relationship with AngloGold Ashanti, she explained that “the state of business in Africa today, suggests that markets are vibrant, among fastest growing, and yet bedeviled by a multitude of structural and social barriers, who better to explore and unearth these synergies than researchers in the Social Sciences and the Arts?”
“As scholars in the areas of Societies & Cultures; Language, Literature & Drama; Religion and Philosophy; Music & Dance; History & Politics; and Media & Visual Arts, we are acutely aware of the multiple of ways in which business touche what we do,” she added.
Concerning further collaboration, she said the institute and AngloGold Ashanti plan to carry out research on the socio-cultural dynamics, both the pro and cons of the mining industry, using Obuasi as a case study.
“We are interested in exploring issues that are directly associated with livelihoods in Obuasi – leisure, migration, community relations, social cohesion, community aspiration, and community-industry collaborations. We expect that our findings will have wider relevance in the business community.”

SSNIT pensioners get recreational centre in Accra

2011-11-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Mabel Dei, wife of belated Mr. Dei, unveiling the foundation stone of the Henry Dei Recreational Centre.

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has established a recreational centre at the cost of GH¢1.5 million for the SSNIT Pensioners Association, as part of its social responsibility, and also as a business entity.

The two-storey beautiful edifice, consisting of a recreational centre, pensioners’ offices, conference rooms, a snack bar, cafeteria and rental space, is meant to add to the options available to pensioners to enjoy the age of leisure.

Commissioning the Centre in Accra, yesterday, the Chairman of the SSNIT Board of Trustees, Mr. Kwame Peprah said it was the goal of SSNIT to develop a perpetual and close relationship with contributors and pensioners, because “It is the contributors and pensioners, past and present, who have always provided the strength and power that the Trust wields today.”

According to him, when the Social Security Pension Scheme Law (PNDCL 247) was started in 1991, there were only 971 pensioners during the first year, but as of August 2011, there were 113,000 pensioners out of which 22,421 are over 72 years.

He attributed the increase in number to the fact that for most part of the twentieth century, the populations of developed and developing countries have been ageing, due to increases in life expectancy of the elderly, decline in fertility levels and better health care.

Hence, “we celebrate because the aging of mankind represents the triumph of civilization, and a remarkable conquest of science and technology in favour of life, because the aged are healthier, wealthier and better educated than before,” he noted.

He added that this current trend, therefore, called for SSNIT to reflect upon how the phenomenon poses extraordinary challenge to generations, and how to respond to it with intelligence, responsibility, sensitivity, prudence and imagination.

To this end, he pointed out that SSNIT was fully committed to its pensioners and the general public, saying “they are the reason for our existence and will continue to make all efforts to ensure the constant flow of your pension for life.”
Mr. Peprah noted that to fulfill the joy of pensioners, the grounds was created to have a therapeutic effect with sitting areas in a barrier-free environment with different floors, incorporated to enable exploration and relaxation.

Also, he said the whole facility would be managed by the Pensioners’ Association for pensioners and the general public, and would be self-financing, such that “the rental areas should be able to pay the utility and other bills of the facility as well as regular scheduled maintenance.”

He appealed to the senior citizens and all contributors to live healthy lives, especially regarding their diets, exercising regularly and participating in social and sporting activities that would enrich their lives.

The Centre was named after the Late Mr. Henry Gilbert Dei, who was said to have enabled the conversion of the Provident Fund Scheme to the Social Security Pension Scheme in 1991, and spearheaded the Trust’s involvement and participation in the International Social Security Association (ISSA) activities.

According to the SSNIT Chairman, “He transformed SSNIT to what it is today, and was the brain behind this laudable idea”, adding, “I cannot agree more with the decision to have this building in his memory.”

Also, the Director General of SSNIT, Dr. Frank Odoom said with globalization and improved health care, there would soon be millions of people who would live well beyond the retirement age, saying, “and as the end product of our business, we need to find a comforting way to handle them.”

In his view, it was a mistake to look at retired persons in the light of what they have been, rather than what they could be or do, and look into the future of retirement with the aid of technology, new products and advisory practices.

He urged retirees not to feel shelved because, though their rate of learning may decline, their capacity remains constant, thus, “it is in the light of this instructive command and vision that we welcome you all to our mission to encourage our golden oldies to exercise their minds and bodies and to keep dreaming with recreational activities and social interaction.”

The General Secretary of the SSNIT Pensioners Association, Mr. Edward Ameyivor expressed his Association’s gratitude to members of management and staff of SSNIT for the establishment of the Henry Dei Recreational Centre.

He also paid glowing tribute to the late Mr. Dei, for mooting the idea of a pensioners association and to many other pensioners who helped to ensure that the recreational centre was completed successfully, saying “success has many fathers.”

He pledged the association’s resolve to cooperate with SSNIT in all its programmes and continue to press upon them to “understand us because as old people, some of our weaknesses are aggressiveness and stubbornness. When we ask for something, because we know our days are numbered, we like to apply pressure and when we do so, please do not be alarmed unnecessarily.”

On behalf of the Dei family, Mr. Alex Dei thanked management of SSNIT for the honour of naming the recreational centre after their relative, Mr. Henry Dei.

Akosa rubbishes Ghana’s middle income status

2011-11-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Professor Badu Akosah

The former Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Badu Akosah, has questioned the sudden declaration of Ghana as a middle income status country, at a time when the living standards of the people continues to deteriorate.

He expressed dismay that “From a low income country, we did absolutely nothing to all of a sudden jump into the middle income league,” adding, “For me, the development is not about the GDP, the percentage growth per year, but about the living standards of the people.”

According to him, the only reason why Africa and Ghana remain where they are is because they do not seem to focus on the right things such as the health needs of people, which encompass many other aspects of life.

To him, the health of a nation was the wealth of its people, while the natural resources would continue to be underground, “if we do not have healthy productive people to do the strategic mining, manufacturing and to provide the services and everything that would generate resources and make the country grow.”

Also, he expressed worry that the middle income status meant that Ghana could no longer get access to grants, because everything would be on a commercial basis, saying, “If the economists will place us as a middle income country, where do we place ourselves, looking at the country in its generality?”

Professor Akosa, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Healthy Ghana, was delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony of a three-day international conference on the theme, “Placing Health at the Centre of Development in Africa,” in Accra on Tuesday.

The Conference, organised by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, Legon, was aimed among other things, towards promoting an agenda of policy dialogue on health issues facing developing countries.

The speaker said placing health at the centre of development was to focus the country, and looking at all the issues that impact on health, including the total social, physical and mental well-being of the individual.

“This further calls for a focus on the wider social determinants like environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, safe water, food and nutrition, air quality, safe housing, education, employment, poverty and lifestyle,” he said.

He pointed out that all these things contribute to health and impact on it without being directly under the purview of the Ministry of Health (MoH), as in the case of Ghana, adding that whereas the MoH has virtually no control over most of these things, they impact directly on the health of the people.

According to him, there exist many problems in the above-mentioned areas that needed to be addressed in order to place health at the centre of development.

He criticised the MoH for the problems in the health sector, saying, “The MoH wants to be the judge and jury in its own court. Even though there is a law that established the GHS, the MoH is choking the GHS, because everybody in the ministry wants to be an implementer, yet the law says the MoH is a policy formulator, allocate resources, disburse it and monitor the process, but not to implement.”

He added that the health sector did not benefit at all from this, especially, because the ministry implements disastrously, such as attempts by the Minister of Health to control the process of health information flow, though there were district directors of health who have the responsibility to ensure the collection of genuine information from the districts.

In terms of health financing, Professor Akosa said though there was a golden opportunity to look at health financing as a whole, and generate options in health financing, yet, “we just focus on cash and carry.”

He observed that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), because it was meant to deface cash and carry, it was just the 15% that cash and carry introduced into health funding, and since it was suggested that two and a half percent could be put on VAT, “That has become the fund that everybody is looking at.”

He complained that “you have got a health insurance regulator, who is the fund manager, and is also almost like a service provider. The two don’t match together. And we say it should be decoupled, but it’s a big problem, because it has been so much politicised.”

Furthermore, he was surprised that the NHIS premium payment was going to become just a one-time payment, exclaiming, “That is not insurance! I have never known any insurance that you pay premium one-time. It’s a month or annual premium, and if you don’t pay, you don’t continue to enjoy the facility.”

He said though there was a social portion to it, that was why it had been reduced to a premium, adding that because Ghana was not a money economy, people should be allowed to pay for their health, even if they have to do so through a barter system.

The renowned medical doctor was disappointed that Ghana, as a country, in terms of medical technology, was lacking, because “We produce absolutely nothing, not even circuit breakers that we did in six form. We do not even produce regulators, stabilisers. Everything, we have got to import.”

This to him, is a problem, stressing, “We are not even creating any health medical industry so that we can even produce small things,” suggesting that there should be the development of a holistic system to look at relationships and associations that could be used to support the health system.

In his view, when the wider social determinants of health no longer contribute to the disease burden, and the health system itself had been adequately strengthened, it would ensure quality service for the people of Ghana.

“These things are necessary, but the focus must be on health, to be able to ensure that Ghana develops for the welfare of the people of this country, and not for GDP,” he ended.

The Director of ISSER, Professor Clement Ahiadeke, said the burden of disease and poor health conditions continue to plague many developing countries, in spite of the huge investments in the health sector, as compared to other sectors.

Also, there is a demonstrated relationship between health and development, such that healthier nations also happen to be wealthier nations, because healthier populations are equipped to yield much higher labour productivity, which in turn, contributes to the creation of wealth for the country, he noted.

The conference would provide the opportunity to refocus the attention of researchers, policy makers and civil society leaders on the issue of repositioning health as a centre piece of the development agenda for countries such as Ghana.

He expressed hope that the conference would further help the participants examine the different elements of aspiration of building a healthy nation, re-ignite interest in a broad range of health issues, and generate new ideas for tackling the most critical health challenges, and provide an agenda for health research for the coming years.

Poly administrators threaten strike

2011-11-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

With the protracted doctors’ strike action still unresolved, and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) also on some sort of strike, yet another group of people in the education sector are threatening a strike action over missed allowance.

Information available to The Chronicle indicates that tension is brewing on Ghana’s polytechnic campuses, because the Ghana Association of Polytechnic Administrators (GAPA) is griping about an attempt by the Minister of Education, Betty Iddrisu-Mould, and the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) to exclude them from a special allowance supposed to be paid to all senior members and technical instructors of the polytechnics.

Sources close to The Chronicle said the GAPA, which is made up of senior members had always enjoyed the same conditions of service as POTAG members, hence, an initial proposal for the payment of a ‘special allowance,’ included GAPA members.

The allowance was supposed to serve as salary enhancement for all senior members, who hold masters degree and above, for which the Conference of Rectors of Polytechnics (CORP) proposed GH¢5,000 as one-time payment for each member, said the sources.

Subsequently, a CORP technical committee was constituted, which comprised all the finance officers of the ten polytechnics, to find out how Internally Generated Funds (IGF) could be used to pay the allowance.

This committee is said to have recommended the allowance be termed as “Technical Competence Allowance,” and noted that only 20% (GH¢1,000) of the proposed GH¢5,000 could be paid to senior members, and GH¢500 to technical instructors.

The sources say GAPA members were surprised to have read a letter dated, September 14, 2011, and signed by the Education Minister, with the heading, “Payment of Research Inducement Allowance to Members of POTAG.”

The letter stated among other things that “The Ministry has examined the report, and after some discussions with the POTAG leadership and the Acting Chairman of CORP, has noted that the terms of reference of the CORP Committee to advise CORP on the financial implications of the payment of the allowance was restricted to academic staff, which include lecturers and instructors.”

Also, “the polytechnics are instructed to pay GH¢1,000 across board to the academic staff from internally generated funds (IGF) of the polytechnics,” adding, “In view of the financial cost, as well as the social implications, therefore, the Ministry, on behalf of the Finance Minister, has decided to give approval to CORP to pay GH¢1,000 each as Research Inducement Allowance to the lecturers and technical instructors of the polytechnics, ONLY based on audited claims.”

In view of this, GAPA wrote a letter to the Minister of Education, through the CORP Chairman, in which they indicated that “GAPA wishes to draw the Honourable Minister’s attention to the fact that senior members in administration have always enjoyed the same conditions of service as POTAG members, such as book allowance and skilled instructorship allowance.”

They also pointed out in the letter that they strongly support the proposal made by the CORP technical team on the “Proposed Research Inducement Allowance”, which recommended among other things that “the allowance be termed as “Technical Competency Allowance,” and that the allowance of senior members across board and technical instructors at rates of GH¢1000 and GH¢500 respectively from IGF.”

“Indeed we are amazed at the turn of events, where GAPA executives and its entire membership have been in the trenches with POTAG Executives in the quest to improve the conditions of service for polytechnic staff.”

Though sources insisted GAPA was not against POTAG, it stated that “GAPA is also of the view that the reasons given by POTAG that the payment of the allowance is to curb the movement of polytechnics teachers’ to other analogous institutions, and also motivate its members to conduct research is not entirely true, but a calculated attempt to become the SOLE beneficiaries of the allowance.”

This, they noted, was premised on “the fact that the CORP Technical Committee Report on the Proposed Research Inducement Allowance established in clear terms that the polytechnics have the ability to pay the allowance to lecturers and technical instructors, as well as to senior members in administration.”

“GAPA is therefore appealing to the honourable minister to instruct the payment of technical competence allowance to senior members in administration at the rate of GH¢1,000 from IGF, in concurrence with the POTAG payments,” it said.

However, GAPA stated that it had always stood for industrial peace and harmony, saying, “We hope that a positive response to our appeal will forestall the agitation which has gripped senior members in administration on all polytechnic campuses, precipitating an emergency National Executive Committee Meeting.”

New districts will ensure balanced development -Minister

2011-10-18T09:05:00.001-07:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development

The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has said that the creation of the 42 new districts was neither for gerrymandering nor a matter of job for the boys, as was being perceived by sections of the public.

Rather, the creation of the districts stemmed from the need to address a critical first need of the people, and to ensure even and balanced development throughout the country, especially, for the deprived and underserved districts areas, he said.

According to him, the government receives petitions from various parts of the country for the creation of districts, while it also looks at the requirement in law that when the population of a certain area grows to a certain number, a new district has to be created out of the area.

He pointed out: “It has been shown over the years that when you create districts, you bring development into the area,” adding that whereas the New Patriotic Party (NPP) created 60 districts between 2003 and 2008, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government had created 42, to spread the benefits of development, which is a cardinal principle in the NDC manifesto.

Speaking at the meet-the-press series in Accra, yesterday on the progress of activities of the Ministry, the Minister noted: “In citing a district capital, we are very careful, and we first look at the centrality of the capital.”

He further stated that creating new districts also ensured that as many people as possible in the country benefit from development projects such as the Local Government Capacity Support (LGCS) programme that was currently benefitting about 46 districts.

The creation of districts also attracts support from development partners to channel needed resources for the development of the new districts in various aspects, he said, stressing, “So, creating new districts is not gerrymandering, or job for the boys.”

“When it becomes necessary, government will look at the petition and the request, and respond appropriately to it,” he said.

The Minister disputed claims that the Local Enterprises and Skills Development Project (LESDEP) was an initiative of a non-governmental organisation, for which government was now taking credit.

He stated categorically: “LESDEP is an initiative of the Ministry of Local Government and a public private partnership, and funded by government.”
He explained that the concept of LESDEP was to partner with the private sector to see how best resources could be made available, and channeled through them to reach out to the people, train them, and give them logistics, while being accountable to the government for the disbursement of funds.
He emphasised government ownership of the project, saying, “When the supplementary budget was read, the Finance Minister made allocation for it and placed it under my Ministry. It is a real government policy that has employed people at the district level to supervise it.”
The LESDEP serves as an employment avenue through the acquisition of vocational and entrepreneurial skills, a means of enhancing the socio-economic standards of the youth in the country, and equip 20,000 youth with diverse employable skills and seed money to start their own business by the end of 2012, among others.
The business areas identified under the programme include, mini cargo transport services, water services using mini tankers, catering services, mobile and laptop assembling and repair services among many others.
Concerning the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Ofosu-Ampofo noted that the objectives include contributing to increased school enrolment, attendance and retention, reducing hunger and malnutrition among school children, and boosting domestic food production.
He observed: “From 2010, the total beneficiaries of the programme have been expanded from 700,000 pupils to cover 1,000,000 pupils,” but expressed worry that some sections of the media were using a few problems such as scuffles between some caterers to cover the success of the programme.
He said in spite of this, the GSFP had undergone tremendous re-organisation and retargeting in the past two years, which had enabled several communities to benefit from it, and added that efforts would be put in place to further address existing challenges.

Ex-Ivorian minister pleads for Gbagbo’s release

2011-10-18T09:03:00.001-07:00

Ex-Ivorian minister pleads for Gbagbo’s release

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Dr. Adou, Chairman and Spokesperson for the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) Bureau in exile(left), Ivorian President Alassane Ouattarra(right)

A Former Defence Minister in the Laurent Gbagbo administration, Dr. Assoa Adou, has called for the release of his former boss in the interest of peace, and for true dialogue to take place between President Allasane Ouatarra and Laurent Gbagbo.

According to him, the solution to the Ivorian crisis that would ensure permanent peace requires “As an immediate pre-requisite, the liberation of President Laurent Gbagbo and all political prisoners, civilian and military, in order to start among Ivorians a high level discussion with Mr. Ouattara.”

He lamented that President Gbagbo was now being held in captive in Korhogo in humiliating conditions unsuited for his dignity as a president, and was being treated like a common criminal. Dr. Adou, who is also the Chairman and Spokesperson for the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) Bureau in exile, said they had learnt that as a result of actions taken by the French and Ivorian authorities at the International Criminal Court (ICC), proceedings were underway for the transfer of President Gbagbo to the ICC.

Speaking at a press conference at the Freedom Center in Accra on Tuesday, he described this as an act of supreme humiliation, and blamed the French for the crisis in Cote d’Ivoire, saying, “The rebel forces, with French backing, started a war which ended on April 11, 2011, with the arrest of President Laurent Gbagbo by French Special Forces who handed him over to the rebels.”

He said the Ivorian crisis was started by a failed coup attempt, which turned into a French-planned and backed rebellion, and not on September 28, 2010, as the outside world was made to believe.

Hence, the 2010 election was supposed to end the serious and lasting crisis, but unfortunately, made it worse, and has since left it pending, he noted.

According to him, “The refusal to accept the results as declared by the Constitutional Council created an electoral dispute, which was neither settled by votes recount as recommended by President Laurent Gbagbo, nor by the negotiated political solution suggested by the African Union and accepted by Gbagbo.”

Also, he alleged that during the battle, pro-Ouattara forces perpetrated ethnic and political massacres, especially, the genocide of the WÈ people in the west of Cote d’Ivoire, while some youngsters were also systematically executed in Yopougon and Adjamè.

He added that since April 11, 2011, the killing, looting, theft, and occupation of farms and homes by rebels and DOZOS, now called F.R.C.I, were ongoing, and remain the cause for the forced internal and external exile of two million Ivorians.

“Transferring President Laurent Gbagbo to the International Criminal Court, while notorious criminals are roaming free and unafraid, is to put peace permanently in jeopardy in Cote d’Ivoire.”

He stated that the thousands of refugees that the FPI represent refuse the use of force to impose a solution on one camp, stressing, “We refuse the wrongful use of national and international justice systems to keep out of the Ivorian political landscape, political adversaries.”

Furthermore, he expressed belief in the African initiatives for peace in Cote d’Ivoire, saying, “On our part, we are expecting sincere African initiatives that will work towards peace in Cote d’Ivoire, by the release of President Laurent Gbagbo from the bonds of captivity, so a direct dialogue may be started between him and Gbagbo.”

Dr. Adou extolled Laurent Gbagbo as a man of peace, who took a decision that made it possible for Mr. Ouattara and Mr. Konan Bedie to return home from exile for the purpose of an inclusive national reconciliation forum in 2000.

Also, it was President Gbagbo’s peaceful nature that made him enact an amnesty law for all the rebels who attacked him in September 2002, and further signed a political agreement of Ouagadougou, with the rebel forces occupying the northern half of the country from 2002 till present.

As to whether he and members of the FPI were willing to heed the call of President Ouattara to go back home, he answered in the negative, because to him, peace was not just a matter of talk, but an act, which the former has not demonstrated.

He recounted instances where people who had encouraged them to come home were now either killed or languishing in jail, adding, “I will want to go home, despite the hospitality I am enjoying here in Ghana, because there is no place like home, but I don’t want to be killed.”

He emphasised that the release of Gbagbo would bring peace, and warned that “Keeping him in jail will be plunging Cote d’Ivoire into permanent chaos.”

He expressed the gratitude of the Ivorian refugees in Ghana to the people of Ghana and His Excellency President Evans Atta Mills for the hospitality and ceaseless solicitude manifested towards them since their arrival in the country.

Fighting political intolerance: Views of some experts

2011-10-18T09:01:00.001-07:00

Fighting political intolerance: Views of some experts

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

In recent times, many well meaning Ghanaians have expressed worry at the trend, whereby some politicians engage in ‘politics of insults’ without regard to public decency whatsoever.

It is also worrying that the youth, who are the future leaders of Ghana, engage in this phenomenon even without the slightest respect for the personalities they attack, who are often older and great achievers, just to score cheap political points.

On the other hand, older politicians expected to set good examples for the younger ones to follow, are also perpetrators of the same act, hence they are unable to call the younger ones to order. As aresult, on a daily basis the airwaves and print media are inundated with such foul language.

Since the media is a major platform for the display of political intolerance towards political opponents and generally people who share divergent views, especially on radio and television stations, media practitioners have largely been blamed as part of the problem.

For instance, media practitioners, especially political programme hosts are accused of pitching political opponents against each other in unhealthy and irrelevant debates, which they lack the skills to effectively moderate, while others are motivated through various ways to publish stories that generate such unhealthy debates.

As the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) captures it, “This phenomenon is none so evident as in the media. For example, political discussions on the air waves are often characterized by abusive language, and some accept this as “business as usual.”

It further stated that “Certain media houses and journalists are also failing to fulfill their important democratic role of informing and educating the public, in order to promote reasoned debate. Under the guise of “freedom of speech and expression”, they turn a blind eye, and in some cases, actively encourage this sad phenomenon.”

This concern is not out of place because this canker has the potential to derail the democracy that Ghana has been enjoying for close to two decades now, and also corrupt if not erode the cultural and moral values of the Ghanaian society.

Therefore, as Ghana joined the rest of the world to commemorate the International Day of Democracy on Thursday, September 15, 2011, the IEA brought together various stakeholders to discuss the creeping culture of political intolerance, and suggest solutions.

The problem

The Policy Analyst at the IEA, Dr. Michael Ofori-Mensah said though a key tenet and necessary condition of democracy is tolerance of divergent views, recent developments in Ghana’s political space remains a cause for concern, because the conduct of politics and the behaviour of some actors had steadily declined.

According to him, “There is a mounting sense that a culture of intolerance and acrimony seems to be taking root at an alarming rate”, and “The politics of insults and personality attacks appear to be pervading our political discourse.”

He reminded people not to take the peace and stability that Ghana has enjoyed over the years for granted, because “irresponsible conduct can undermine the status quo.”

A Legal Practitioner and a former Chief of Staff, Nana Ato Dadzie believes that insults, intolerance and absence of accommodating spirit for dissenting and opposing views, is subversive of the fundamental constitutional order, as it ultimately affects the unity of purpose and oneness, and the peace and stability needed to galvanize and mobilize the God-given resources of the country.

He wondered why after all, the political parties in the country agreed in December 2008 to condemn all forms of intimidation and political violence, irrespective of the perpetrators, they still had to be gathered to “whine and pine over the so called up-scaled politics of insult, and blaming our youth groups for it?”

In his view, to insult adults or each other in public, or to strangers and foreigners is uncustomary and unacceptable in Ghanaian culture, hence “We the leaders must be the first to accept responsibility for what is happening today.”

He added that every political party, whether in power or not have to recognize the rights of other parties to exist and operate within the frame of the constitution, whereas diversity of opinion, programmes and objectives need not necessarily breed hostility and mutual exclusion.

Nana said it was necessary to confront and completely uproot the canker of insults and intimidation from Ghana’s body politic, stressing “We ought not to permit a few vocal political operatives to rock our collective democratic experiment and inflame this country.”

Continuing, he said members of the media have to recognize the crucial role they play in consolidating democracy or otherwise, hence they should not allow their platforms to be used to throw insults and abusive language on the air waves, and also reminded them to draw lessons from Rwanda, where irresponsible journalism led to ten years of protracted conflict.

Character of perpetrators

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, the Most Reverend Charles Palmer-Buckle also denounced the degeneration of political debate and discussion platforms into battle grounds, where political opponents indulge in very intemperate, uncomplimentary and uncouth language against one another.

To him, this is done “In the name of freedom of expression, and in the wake of the removal of the Criminal libel law”, adding “Thanks to the multiplication of radio stations and newspapers, the moral and ethical quality of language heard and reported by the media leaves very much to be desired in the context of political decency, traditional cultural decorum, ethical and moral propriety.”

He indicated that intemperate language and utterances speak more to the public about who the speaker is, and very little about whom it is directed at.

Thus, the instinct of self-protection drive people to use such language to defend presumably one’s political turf, in the face of the opponent’s more publicly appealing political stance.

“Some usually tend to display arrogance and intolerance towards opponents in contests, and those who indulge in such unethical behaviour do so out of that instinct of wanting to protect oneself from being hurt, or because there is the feeling of insecurity”, he explained.

Lack of education and culture is also a trait of those who use unsavoury language as “fear coupled with ignorance is the best recipe for racism, tribalism and ethnocentrism, and other clannish attitudes of life”, he added.

Other views

Dr. Vladimir Antwi-Danso of the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD) said the causes of political intolerance in Ghana include political greed, lack of trait and transformational leadership, mis-interpreting the goals of democracy, illiteracy, gullibility and docility of the mass of the people.

According to him, “All these unleashed on Africa a system of bad governance, which is the root cause of all upheavals in Africa,” while lamenting that “politicians have reneged on their role by their insipid desire just to undo each other, both in and outside parliament, in the media, and in general discourses on the future direction of this dear country of ours.”

He regretted that politics has become a conduit for personal glorification, such that it’s a path towards life and living, a profit oriented profession and in such a case, the compromises that are needed, the imperatives of tolerance, the temperament for designing and fulfilling the national good or will, and the observance of the general political morality, essentially needed for democracy and development, have all been thrown to the wind.

“Let us note that it was this senseless cleavages that created the condition for intractable animosity among the political elite in Rwanda, and aided by a gullible public and irresponsible media the country almost imploded”, he cautioned.

He continued that a media that fails to perform its functions effectively drives society into chaos, saying “If democracy is to work, then the media should be the first to understand and preach tolerance and accommodation.”

He captured the media problem thus -“The media has arrogated to itself the right to create a dichotomization syndrome, where every public discourse is shaped by the idiosyncrasies of the two leading political parties –the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).”

To him, the tools of political intolerance include hate speech, vituperative attacks on perceived opponents, threats, lies, intimidation, vindictiveness, non-cooperation, vengeance politics, nepotism and clientelism among others.

He said, on the other hand, the agents of political intolerance include politicians, the media and civil society organizations, while the effects include “stalled development, polarization, negative social psyche, indiscipline, weakening of state institutions, non-constitutionalism, mediocrity and possibility at all times of conflict or civil war.”

On his part, the Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere attempted a defense of the media, when he said “not all journalists or media houses are guilty of being purveyors and conveyors of insults and hate speeches,” though the NMC have had cause to express its worry about the state of the media in Ghana.

He added that neither was all the private media platforms for insults, because dozens of community radio stations in the country were responsible in the use of language and do not allow their platforms to be used for insults.

He argued that the media is a group of professionals not elected by the people, hence the media did not really constitute any power bloc even if referred to as fourth estate of the realm, adding “What the media enjoys is not necessarily power but the capacity to influence the course of events, policies and programmes of any government and society as a whole.”

He said for instance, “It was the media’s influence more than its presumed powers led to the investigations by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice against alleged corruption on the part of some public officials and abandoned plans to divest state institutions by governments and passage of laws that were influenced by press report.

The way forward

Nana Ato Dadzie believes Parliament has to review the situation with the view to have urgent legislative intervention in the area of funding more education, legal and administrative strengthening of relevant governance institutions, as well as penal sanctions without impinging on the equally fundamental constitutional right to freedom of expression.

Dr. Vladimir Antwi-Danso said political leaders must serve as role models in their words and deeds by being tolerant, respectful, truthful and avoid polemics because “leadership is shown more in party hierarchies and parliament.”

He supported the view of Nana, saying “Parliament is meant to regulate tensions and maintain equilibrium between competing claims of diversity, and to accommodate the participation of people in the society it represents. Political tolerance is therefore essential to the functioning of parliaments and should be actively pursued in practice.”

Furthermore, he called for the strengthening of institutions because when institutions are strong, autonomous and led by qualified persons, they lend a lot to democratic consolidation, and also stressed the need for a national agenda.

To him, “The time has arrived when the NDPC should be made apolitical, insulated against governmental control. I am calling for a body like the Electoral Commission.”

For the Most Reverend Palmer-Buckle, education should lead a person to acknowledge that no one person is the repository of all knowledge and wisdom, hence, making room for different views and opinions in politics as people come together to find solutions for the progress and development of the society as a whole.

He stated, “There is nothing like politics of insults, since politics is the noble art of consultation for good governance and for the progressive development of a people”, and “Ghana is surely larger than any one politician’s ambition for power, and he/she should not be allowed nor encouraged inadvertently or otherwise, by anyone to destroy our hard-earned reputation as Africa’s beacon of good governance and democratic development.”

Ambassador Kabral suggested that a survey and content analysis of the Ghanaian media to see which media and individuals, politicians and serial callers alike and talk show hosts are guilty of media excesses.

Such an exercise, according to him, would inevitably single out bad ones, name and shame them, which would deny politicians the moral authority to pontificate about decency when established that serial offenders in the game of insults are pitched in their political stables.

He said talk show hosts and presenters who are the gatekeepers of news and commentary have to exercise their professional responsibilities by shutting out and denying those whose stock in trade is to insult.

Additionally, he called on media owners, some of whom are politicians to collectively call their surrogates and subordinates to order, because “There is enough evidence even without any research to show that those media which are very guilty of deviant journalism are tied to political stables and do what they do deliberately as part of the campaign for power.

Conclusion

Such a forum used to discuss pertinent issues like political tolerance is relevant in many instances, and in view of the upcoming 2012 general elections, many more of such fora would be organized to discuss issues surrounding politics, what ought and ought not to be done.

But the question one may ask is whether all these fora yield any result, since all ethics are thrown away from all fronts in the effort to win political power, after elections and before elections.

The experienced politicians must make it a point to inculcate in their young followers and all youth, the principles of democracy in its true form and meaning, by first of all setting good examples.

A stitch in time saves nine, and so politicians as a matter of urgency must eliminate the politics of insult among their ranks and enjoin all to keep in mind that holding on to the peace Ghanaians cherish would be in everyone’s interest.

Hence, each person must make it a point to do what is right by his/her neighbor, and then together, we can build a future that the present generation will be proud of, and future generations would safeguard with their lives. Long live Ghana, Long live Africa!

Ghana fears looming pirate attacks

2011-10-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Recent piracy activities on the West African coast, and quite close to Ghana’s maritime waters, have raised concerns from various quarters as to the country’s preparedness to forestall any such occurrence, especially, with the discovery and exploitation of oil.

The Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Mrs. Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, has also expressed concern over the phenomenon, referring to it as a grave matter that would have dire consequences for Ghana, if not vigorously tackled by a multi-dimensional approach, with the judiciary playing its expected rule of law enforcement role robustly.

She expressed worry: “We have not yet found a solution to the robberies on our highways and byways, and we are being introduced to a more serious form of banditry, this time, on our high seas.”

According to her, this menace, which could be linked to international terrorism, could also result in the high increase in insurance premium for the vessels involved, diversion of routes, and denying some areas importation and exportation of goods.

Thus, with the oil find in Ghana, “It should be anticipated that pirates would find the coast of Ghana a fertile ground for their activities,” she predicted, based on a report by “Africa Renewal” that oil-rich Nigeria was where most piracies in West Africa occur.

The Chief Justice established this concern in her address to judges of the superior courts of Ghana at the opening of the 7th Maritime Law Seminar held in Accra yesterday, to broaden their knowledge on specific areas of their work, in order to meet the just expectations of the people.

In view of the possibility of piracy activities on Ghana’s coast, she suggested the strengthening of the legal regime of unlawful acts against the security of maritime navigation, and cooperation with other countries in the region and beyond on information sharing, and joint operations to fight the menace.

Mrs. Justice Wood indicated that the seminar was in the right direction, because “As judges, our noble calling and our work has far reaching implications for citizens of Ghana and non-citizens alike.”

She added that in the light of the critical role played by the judiciary in national development, it was imperative for judges to be kept abreast with current trends in all areas of law, while expressiong appreciation to the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) and the Judicial Training Institute for organising the seminar.

The Minister for Transport, Alhaji Collins Dauda, said the recent pirate attacks off the coasts of Lome and Cotonou “are now too close for comfort, and have undoubtedly, heightened our cause for concern.”

He further expressed worry that the menace of piracy, armed robbery, oil theft, damage to oil and gas pipelines, maritime accidents, marine pollution and other unlawful acts against shipping on the high seas and trading roots, especially, in the Gulf of Aden and along the West African coast, were indeed worrisome.

He pointed out that should Ghana allow acts of piracy to fester, “Our competitiveness in international trade stands to be unduly affected to our detriment, as insurance premiums for our imports and exports will necessarily rise.”

However, he assured all that “the Ghana Navy, the Ghana Maritime Authority and other allied agencies under my ministry are taking all the requisite steps to respond swiftly and appropriately to this menace.”

Alhaji Dauda said the importance of the seminar was undeniably underscored by the fact that international trade and transport continue to be a major driving force behind Ghana’s economic development.

Stressing the need for the seminar, he pointed out that government revenue was largely derived from import duties, and over 90% of trade, both imports and exports was sea-borne, while “the allied logistics that attend to imports and exports generates significant forward and backward linkages, including inland transportation, warehousing, banking, freight forwarding and other ancillary services that contribute immensely to our gross domestic product.”

He mentioned that it was thus necessary for the country to adopt a holistic approach to deal with all the issues that attend to trade and transport. Furthermore, he pledged his Ministry’s commitment to work with Parliament to pass the GSA Regulations, with a view to creating an appropriate regulatory framework that would mandate the GSA to work with stakeholders to achieve the competitiveness, which shippers crave for.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GSA, Dr. Kofi Mbiah, noted that continuing education in the area of international maritime legislation for judges was of essence, because there exists a direct correlation between increased international commercial activity and the number of cases handled by the courts.

He said though international sea borne trade contracted by 4.5% in contrast with continuous increase of about 4.3% over the last decade, due to the worst global recession in 2009, by the end of 2010, Ghana’s throughput had climbed to 13.9 million tonnes from 12.0 million tonnes in 2009, representing a 16% increase over that of 2009.

Also, at the end of September 2011, total throughput increased to 11.5 million tonnes and is further expected to reach 15 million tonnes by the end of the year, which makes it prudent to equip the judges for any court cases that would arise from the increased activity.

Dr. Mbiah stated that with the increased international commercial activity, including the oil and gas industry, Ghana would need to put in place appropriate structures and necessary framework, and build capacity to establish Accra as an important centre for arbitration of international commercial disputes in Africa.

Thus, “The maritime law seminar for judges should be seen as an appropriate stepping stone towards the building of the requisite capacity for the realization of this objective.”

He pledged the GSA’s commitment to assist the judiciary so that working with other stakeholders, judicial access, either by way of litigation in the formal courts or through arbitration could be quickened and made less burdensome for the benefit of all players involved in international commercial transactions.

GTUC ventures into healthcare

2011-10-11T11:38:00.001-07:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Dr. Osei Darkwa, President, GTUC

The Ghana Telecom University College (GTUC) is partnering the Aalborg University of Denmark to explore how Information Communication and Technology (ICT) could be used as a leverage to address the numerous challenges inherent in health care delivery, training, and medical education.

The university believes that ICT applied to health care delivery would help increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of service, and also enable knowledge sharing, as well as provide the basis for networks of professionals to be supported by their peers and educators.

The President of the University, Dr. Osei Darkwa, said information technology holds the potential to revolutionise healthcare practice in Ghana, adding, “This quest to apply IT to health care services has given birth to new areas in healthcare, such as telemedicine, telehealth, medicine informatics, and other emerging fields.”

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a workshop on “Improving the Quality of Health Care Delivery in Ghana: The Role of ICT”, in Accra, yesterday, he noted that the health care system in Ghana, like those in other parts of Africa, had not been able to respond fully to the multiple health challenges confronting the people.

According to him, the challenges include low quality of health services, inefficient use of scarce health resources, shortage and uneven distribution of health resources, and lack of adequate medical information on patients.

He pointed out that health care was arguably one of the most fundamental needs in Ghana and elsewhere, hence, three out of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) are related to health care.

However, “Without a comprehensive strategy to address the challenges inherent within the health care system, we, as a country, cannot achieve any of those global health targets by the year 2015, which is just four years away,” he observed.

Furthermore, he stated that the experiences of ICT applications in health care delivery in countries like Mozambique, Senegal, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa had generated a lot of interest in how the application of ICT to health care delivery could transform Ghana’s existing health care system.

Thus, the success of these pioneering initiatives, including map of medicine, electronic health (e-health) that have emerged to provide ready access to patient’s medical records, and a wide range of medication, have motivated the current workshop.

In view of this, the participants of the workshop were drawn from the Ghana Health Service, University of Ghana Public Health School, Health Informatics and Information Studies departments, Medical Science Department of the University of Development Studies, and the National Health Insurance Scheme among others, would be taken through telemedicine and mobile health.

Other areas of training include ICT and National Health Insurance Scheme, ICT and Health Information Management, and ICT and Healthcare Quality Assurance.

Professor Knud Erik Skouby of the Aalborg University of Denmark said the collaboration of his institution with the GTUC developed out the Federation of Danish Universities’ interest to coordinate research activities of universities in developing countries, out of which Ghana and Tanzania were elected.

This, he stated, was aimed at coordinating efficient research activities to build capacity in the area of ICT, which plays a key role in health care delivery, but which have not been reflected enough in Ghana’s health system.

Thus, the objective of the partnership is to put forward the need and appropriateness of including ICT in health activities of the country, and look at the current health care situation, and find out how ICT could be used to improve the healthcare system in Ghana.

He expressed hope that the stakeholder workshop would produce a qualified response for Denmark to recognise how to apply ICT to the health system in Ghana, and how to channel resources to areas of priority.

On his part, the Director of Research, Statistics and Management of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Isaac Adams, said Ghana had reached a point where ICT use in the health system was no longer an issue of discussion, but one of survival and performance.

He said the challenge of performance was huge, especially, in terms of how to fight the burden of diseases, both communicable and non-communicable, which constitute a drain on state resources.

He noted that ICT was an essential tool for achieving strategic development in health delivery, adding, “Our chances of meeting the MDGs would be greatly enhanced, if we employ ICT in our strategies and adopt policies that would place premium on challenges.”

He further observed that there was the need to have an agenda for the uptake of available technology in the health sector, and apply technology to generate the required solutions to meet the needs of people, and boost coverage of health system, whereas empowering populations to seek healthier lifestyles.

According to him, the ministry was already putting in efforts to fully integrate ICT into the health sector, and needed the right investment to complete it, and thanked the management of the GTUC for making health care part of their agenda.

Treat all persons equally - Rev. Eric Clottey

2011-10-11T11:37:00.001-07:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

REv. Eric Clottey

Reverend Eric Clottey of Thomas Clegg Methodist Church, Kaneshie, has admonished the youth to build personal integrity as Christians, and treat all persons right in the fulfillment of God’s word.

According to him, integrity means “thinking right and acting right in the sight of God and man”, which must be the way of Christians, particularly the youth.

He noted that integrity goes with righteousness and holiness, and a person with integrity always speaks the truth no matter the consequences, and also “does not talk anyhow, walk anyhow or do things anyhow.”

The Rev. Minister was speaking on the theme -”Oneness in Christ and Personal Integrity”, based on John 17: 20 – 26 at the maiden breakfast meeting organized by the Kaneshie Circuit Youth Fellowship (MYF) at the Mt. Ararat Methodist Church, Bubiashie on Saturday.

He stated further that when one has integrity, that person would always be guided by the Holy Spirit, whereas anything to the contrary would only be of this world or of the flesh, charging the youth to be persons of integrity, to survive the trying times they face on earth.

Rev. Clottey pointed out that God has a purpose for all persons, hence all persons were one in Christ, and so if a Christian treats a fellow human being badly, “It is Christ you are treating so, because we are one in Christ.”

To him, without oneness, there would never be the overflow of God’s blessings in a Christian’s lives, which demands that Christians and especially the youth should unite to engage in fruitful discussions that would promote their spiritual growth.

He warned the youth that -”You cannot hide under the umbrella of righteousness and do bad things, because one day the Holy Spirit will deal with you!”

He concluded that “Christians must always think of things that are noble, and apply whatever you hear by practicing it, because Christianity is practice of what you hear and read”, adding “Let oneness be your watchword and God will guide you.”

In exhorting the youth, Reverend Fred Kumi of Mt. Ararat, based the word on Mathew 28: 16 – 20 saying Christians as disciples of Jesus Christ have to make it their duty to make new disciples for the Lord.

Thus, he charged the youth to go out and make disciples of the people in their districts and elsewhere, stressing “Not only to let people know Jesus, but bringing them to a point of maturity in Christ.”

According to him, Christians do not have to wait until they were perfect in any particular spiritual area before winning souls for Christ, and added that “Don’t allow unbelief and the lack of love to prevent you from doing what He has asked you to do.”

He urged the youth to yield their life over to Christ, for Him to develop them and dedicate their life to the service of God for spiritual reproduction that helps people to pass on the quality of life in Christ to others.

He told the youth that though times were difficult, Christ knows the good disciples that need help and offer it to them, adding, “In fact, we have a big task ahead of us because the older ones have done their part.”

More efforts needed to recover Ghana’s lost forest cover

2011-10-11T11:36:00.001-07:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Paramount Chief of the Essikado Traditional area

THERE have been continuous concerns over Ghana’s dwindling forest cover, as there seems to be little or no efforts to replenish what is lost on a daily basis, and over the years.

It is in view of this that one of the advocates for the protection of Ghana’s forestry cover, the Paramount Chief of the Essikado Traditional area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, has repeated calls for conscious efforts to recover the country’s lost forests.

According to him, Ghana’s forest cover has depleted at an alarming rate, whereas efforts by the Forestry Commission (FC) and the country in general, were not commensurate, saying, “I hope recovery efforts are not too late.”

Stressing the seriousness of the matter, he lamented, “We may not be aware, but the environmental changes going on are drastic,” such that in previous times, guinea fowls that used to be in the south, on the coast, were no more.

Hence, reference was made only to the northern part of Ghana any time there was mention of guinea fowl, he pointed out, adding, “The loss of forestry cover is not likely to go away.”

Nana Nketsia V was speaking at the launch of the the 2010 Annual Transparency Report Card by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) last Thursday, in Accra.

He said, Ghanaians were not conscious enough about the environment and how best to sustain it without compromising the future for generations to come, questioning, “What forest cover are we leaving for those coming after us?”

Furthermore, he expressed worry that though the current generation met the forest covered, it was now reduced to about one-third, and further dwindling.

He, therefore, called for a concerted effort by all Ghanaians to discuss the issue, and look at how best to solve the problem, while calling for dedicated funds such as one for timber to help track cash flow from its sale, and its disbursement.

This, he said, would help to know the worth of dealing in such trade items that also have a negative impact on the environment, including surface mining, asking, “Are these worth doing at all, and what the cost ratio is?”

Touching on the report card, the Deputy Executive Director of CIKOD, Mr. Willie Laate, indicated that the 2010 Annual Transparency Report Card was the second report emanating from the implementation of a four-year project called “Making the Forest Sector Transparent,” which was started in 2009.

He said the project was aimed at supporting civil society in some resource-rich countries, including Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala and Democratic Republic of Congo, to engage with policy makers and advocate for accountable forest sector governance, while CIKOD leads the project in Ghana.

The report card seeks to determine what information is available or not, and assess the usefulness of available evidence from the perspective of different stakeholder groups for transparency and governance purposes.

The information for the report was based on both desk study and field surveys with different stakeholder groups in six districts, including Sunyani Municipality, Goaso and Dormaa in the Brong Ahafo Region, and Tarkwa Nsuaem, Wassa Amenfi East and Juabeso in the Western Region.

The findings revealed that there continues to be lack of transparency in many decision-making processes such that, “The general conditions for improving transparency remain positive in Ghana, but little progress has been made on the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill, and there is consequently no framework to legally require institutions to divulge official information,” said Mr. Laate.

In terms of forest legal and policy framework, he indicated that though the FC had provided information through its website on important initiatives such as the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) and Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), there has been a lag in updating it on recent developments, sometimes for up to several months.

Also, public awareness is generally low, as the field survey found that 80% of all respondents were not aware of either REDD or VPA, while limited legally recognised mechanisms exists for public participation in decision making, he added.

He continued: “Concerning land and forest tenure, forest tenure and ownership is recognised by the government and all stakeholders as an important subject to deal with, and there remains scope for greater clarity in the definition of communities with rights, in relation to land and forests.”

However, there are no ownership and forest land use maps, and several localised disputes exist in various communities between different claimants to a piece of land, he lamented.

On the other hand, the general level of awareness across the stakeholders, regarding the collection and distribution of land revenue, including forest revenue, which is enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, was relatively high at about 75%.

Also, while the FC has consistently published the disbursements of royalties from timber resources on the website and also in hard copy, “This information is usually way behind schedule, and it was only available for the first half of 2009, as at April 2011,” he stated.

According to him, there were worrying signals that the authorities were reverting to less transparent administrative practices that contravene transparency norms and go against the spirit of the various laws on resource allocation.

AMA boss inspects BRT project

2011-10-11T11:34:00.001-07:00

By Phyllis D. Osabutey & Pix by Eric Owiredu

The Accra Mayor (in suit in front) leading pressmen on an inspection of the Dansoman road project, INSET: Centre The on going Bus Rapid Transit project

The Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Dr. Alfred Vanderpuije, has urged contractors of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) construction work on the Graphic Road in Accra, to speedily work towards the completion of the project, to reduce congestion on that stretch.

According to him, though he was impressed with the steady progress of the project, “Right now, it is also creating congestion, with respect to traffic, so the earlier we finish it, the better it will be for community use.”

He commended the contractors, Gansu Overseas Engineering Corporation, for the work done so far, but reiterated the need to work within schedule to provide the dedicated lanes for the BRT operation.

The Accra Mayor was speaking on Monday during an inspection of the BRT project site, which the Government of Ghana is implementing, from Kasoa to Accra, under the urban transport project, and supported by the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank, the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), and Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) of France.

The BRT is a bus-based mass transit system expected to deliver fast, comfortable, and cost effective urban mobility, through the provision of exclusive right-of-way lanes.

Dr. Vanderpuije continued that the bus-stop in the area of the construction site needed to be expanded, so that buses and other commercial vehicles would have enough space to load and off-load passengers, as well as a passage for use by pedestrians.

Also, he said, “There is some work that needs to be done with the Odaw River, and this is the dry season, therefore, this is the time to do it quickly, before the rains come.”

The Resident Engineer on site, Mr. Michael Lear, said work was expected to be completed by August 2012, saying, “I believe it will be finished by the target time.”

In terms of cost, he pointed out: “Since we started, the final value has been much the same, which is about twelve million dollars,” adding that they were working to expand the bus-stop area to two lanes, to provide commuters on the stretch easy access.

According to him, anytime they needed to close a portion of the road or lane, they provided adequate information through the media, and “If we are forced to close altogether, then we will find alternative routes.”

The Accra Mayor took the opportunity to inspect progress of work on the Dansoman Emmanuel Sahara-Exhibition-roundabout road, where he also expressed satisfaction at the level of work done.

The application of bitumen has started on one side of the road, and one kilometre of that side of the road is expected to be ready for motorists to use as a dual carriageway in a to-and-fro manner, while the other stretch receives bitumen.

The Mayor said it was his expectation that by the end of October all the slabs that would make it possible for motorists from the other side of the road to join the bitumen-ready lane would be in place, as well as the pedestrian walk-ways.

He added that there would be the erection of street lights in the median, and new drains that would ensure a further expansion of the road to make it a double lane on both sides, saying, “We hope that when all is done, from the roundabout to the southern roundabout will all be done fully for the use of the communities.”

He observed that construction of the drains, which necessitated the demolition of some structures in the area to link the drains to the Chemu River, had been part of the reasons for the delay in the entire project, but it was the right thing to do, once and for all.

“This is a major development in the Dansoman area, and now when it rains, the water-logged area will not see any standing water, and so the community should be pleased,” he said, adding, “We know this work has been delayed, but we are making progress.

2011-09-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

Integratedaluminium industry to create 1,350jobs

By Phyllis D. Osabutey

THEGOVERNMENT of Ghana, represented by the Ministry of Energy and the VoltaAluminium Company Limited (VALCO) on one side, and the Kenesjay of Trinidad andTobago and Sural C.A. of Venezuela on another side have signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) towards the establishment of a Downstream Aluminium projectin Ghana.

The project when foundviable after visibility study by the private sector organizations, would belocated in Tema to produce Continuous Cast Electrical & Alloy Grade Rods,sheets and SANGS™ automotive parts that would create 450 direct and 900indirect jobs for Ghanaians.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at theMinistry of Energy yesterday, the Minister, Dr. Joe Oteng-Adjei said theobjective of the project which would emanate from the feasibility to beundertaken is to create direct and indirect jobs, establish Ghana as animportant transformation center for aluminium, export high value added productsand develop other downstream and support industries.

This according to him,“Is in line with the development agenda of the NDC-led government”, adding,“Ghana is by this step feverishly preparing to join forces with the privatesector through a south-south cooperation to bring to fruition the dream of theFounder of our nation Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.”

He expressed joy thatthis dream of achieving integrated aluminium industry (IAI) in Ghana could nowbe pursued aggressively in the light of the oil and gas find.

He continued that Ghanawith its bauxite reserves and potential for a competitive Alumina industrycould likewise become a competitive producer of aluminium through a combinationof electricity produced from the existing hydro-electric capacity and thermalpower plants fueled by natural gas.

To him, the signing ofthe MoU signified a concrete step in fostering co-operation between theGovernment of Ghana, VALCO and Sural, adding, “It is also a key step of aprocess initiated sometime last year in the wake of reactivation of VALCO.”

The Minister statedthat the Government still viewed VALCO as a strategic national asset andbelieved that if VALCO is properly mainstreamed into the country’s developmentagenda, it would serve as the anchor of Ghana’s IAI and therefore, thecountry’s Integrated Industrial Development Strategy through aluminium.

Thus, “It is in lightof this that the arrival of Sural, a world leader for aluminium downstream technologyand products, being the world’s largest manufacturer of aluminium continuouscast rod, wire and a major producer of cast aluminium car wheels could not havebeen more timely”, he said.

He stated the relevanceof the project in view of the fact that experts say aluminium use inautomobiles would continue to grow as public demand for a greener environmentand greater fuel efficiency forces policy makers to boost fuel economystandards and cut carbon dioxide emissions.

Furthermore, heexpressed joy that the core group of operational personnel from Ghana would betrained in Sural facilities to adequately and safely operate all the equipment,saying, “It is the hope of government that Ghanaians would be provided with theopportunities to participate in all roles, at all levels and in all activitiesrelating to the operations of the company.”

On her part, theChairperson of the Board of VALCO, Professor Ewurama Addy said the MoU wouldprovide a proper framework within which actions would be carried out to ensureoverall attainment of desired results.

She noted that VALCOwas serious about the project, especially to have the project undertakenquickly for the benefit of the companies involved and also the people of Ghana.

She added that althoughthe new phase of VALCO was initiated before the contact with Sural andKenesjay, the two companies with world-class output would definitely impactpositively on VALCO by putting it on the world market through the provision of world-classproducts.

Also, the President ofSural, Dr Alfredo Riviere said his team was enthusiastic about working withtheir Ghanaian counterparts and were serious about the project so took theinitiative to start work just after their earlier meeting with the EnergyMinister in Venezuela in June.

Hence, they were in thecountry to brief the other parties involved on what had already been done, andwhat needed to be done while promising to complete the feasibility study byNovember this year.

According to him,besides stability and democracy that Ghana enjoyed, it also have goodinfrastructure to make it achieve success to become best model in Africa, andSural, with the specialty was willing to apply its knowledge to help thecountry achieve just that.