Story: Kofi Yeboah
Organised labour has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to be bold to ask the government for more funds if it needs additional resources to perform its duties efficiently.
It said the EC could not proclaim that it had been given all it needed and yet not have adequate logistics to carry out its functions when expected to do so.
The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr Kofi Asamoah, said this at a news conference in Accra on Monday. The news conference followed a careful observation of the political atmosphere by the TUC — the biggest civil society and most representative labour organisation in the country — particularly in relation to pertinent issues raised at its recent Quadrennial Delegates Congress in Kumasi.
He also asked the EC to take urgent and necessary steps to clean the voters register before December to assure Ghanaians of free and fair elections.
He challenged the EC to, as a matter of national emergency, come clean of its preparedness in the run-up to the December polls to ensure credible, free and fair elections that would guarantee peace in the country.
“In this age of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), it should be possible for the EC to seek expert advice to assist it in carrying out the essential task of cleaning the voters register. This, we suggest, should be done without delay,” he said.
At that meeting, the TUC called on the government, political parties, the EC and other political actors to exhibit political soberness, maturity, fairness and transparency in the electoral process, while demanding of the competing political parties and candidates serious debate on critical issues of national development, instead of the politics of insult and personality attacks.
“Unfortunately, we cannot say that the political situation and the electoral process measure up anywhere near these standards,” the TUC observed, adding that since coming events cast their shadows, it was obliged to raise the alarm bell on the danger ahead, instead of waiting for the situation to degenerate.
The TUC cited the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as the key political parties that were behind the violence, while picking on the security agencies for their lapses in dealing effectively with the flash points.
Addressing his maiden news conference after his election as the chief TUC scribe a month ago, Mr Asamoah said the TUC expected that after the rather poor organisation of the recent limited voters registration exercise, the EC would have learnt its lessons and ensured that the supplementary exercise of taking photographs and providing ID cards for those left out in the original exercise would be efficient, but there were similar problems like the shortage of films and other materials.
“All these tend to suggest that there is a serious deficit of proper planning and execution by the EC,” he said.
Mr Asamoah observed that the recent flashes of violence leading to the destruction of life and property that had characterised the campaigning, especially by the NPP and the NDC, tended to cast a dark shadow over the December elections.
He, therefore, demanded total commitment from the political parties, the security agencies, the judiciary and the general public to ensure peaceful elections in December.
Mr Asamoah called on the Attorney-General’s Department to act swiftly in prosecuting cases emanating from political, ethnic and chieftaincy violence “so that all will know that there is a real price to pay for such misconduct”.
He urged political parties not only to pontificate on peace and condemn acts of violence by their opponents only but also be bold enough to publicly condemn their members who engaged in such acts and ostracise those persons.
Mr Asamoah urged the media to put the political actors on their toes and make them respond to tough questions about the deteriorating situation so that those who had no credible answers to the challenges ahead could quietly resign.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST MENSAH FALSE - NMC (P.25) 19-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE National Media Commission (NMC) has dismissed allegations made by the New National Democrat in a publication in which the newspaper impugned acts of impropriety against the Director of Research at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr J. K. Mensah.
In a letter dated September 16, 2008, and signed by its chairman, Mr Paul Adu-Gyamfi, the commission dismissed the allegations levelled against Mr Mensah as false.
The Mr Mensah had made a complaint to the commission against the publications in the newspaper but the editor and publisher of the newspaper failed to respond to several invitations extended to them by the Settlement Committee to defend the publications.
“The commission has, therefore, concluded that the allegations of impropriety levelled against you by the said publications were false,” the NMC said in the letter addressed to Mr Mensah.
Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has arrested the Editor and Publisher of the New National Democrat, an Accra-based private newspaper, for violating the newspaper registration law.
Sources close to the CID headquarters in Accra told the Daily Graphic that the two, who were arrested last week, are currently on police enquiry bail while investigations continue.
The arrest of Messrs Michael Dokosi and Wisdom Yamenui, editor and publisher of the newspaper respectively, follows a complaint made by the National Media Commission (NMC) to the CID on their alleged breach of the newspaper registration law.
That was after the two had failed to respond to several invitations extended to them by the NMC to defend the allegations made against Mr Mensah in the newspaper, prompting the commission to investigate their background.
Mr Dokosi is alleged to have styled himself as Justice Ofori-Antwi in the declaration made by the publisher on the NMC’s Scheduled Form for the registration of newspapers.
“This makes the declaration regarding the identity of the editor false contrary to section 8(2) of the (Newspaper and Publications) (Registration) Instrument C.I. 39,” the commission indicated in its complaint to the CID.
The NMC also observed that the name of the publisher as contained in the imprint of the newspaper was WWM Publishers, making the declaration that Mr Yamenui was the proprietor false and, thus, breaching section 8(2) of the instrument.
Subsequent to the discovery that the registration of the newspaper was obtained by false declaration, the NMC withdrew the registration of the New National Democrat and informed the publisher thereafter per a letter dated August 28, 2008.
However, the commission noted, on September 1, 2008, the newspaper without any valid registration, continued publication contrary to section 8(1) (a) of the instrument.
It further indicated that the signature of the so-called Justice Ofori-Antwi on letters written to the NMC “are inconsistent and completely different on each occasion”, expressing the belief that they were done with intent to deceive the commission.
Following the withdrawal of the registration, the publisher of the newspaper has applied to the NMC for re-registration of the New National Democrat, submitting that while some of the reasons given by the NMC for the withdrawal of its registration were acceptable, others were factually incorrect.
In a letter dated September 17, 2008, and signed by Mr Yamenui, the management of the newspaper insisted that all the data provided on the publisher for the registration were correct.
“The management on the other hand accepts full responsibility for the lapses identified in respect of Mr Justice Ofori-Antwi, the Editor. His name is Michael Dokosi. Justice Ofori-Antwi is his pen name,” the letter admitted.
It explained that since pen names were a common feature in the journalism profession, the management did not find anything wrong with his using a pseudonym.
“Nonetheless, we wish to apologise unreservedly to the National Media Commission for any inconvenience caused and also resolve to straighten the records and rectify this aspect of the data about our registration,” it stated in a remorseful tone.
That apology notwithstanding, the Executive Secretary of the NMC, Mr George Sarpong, told the Daily Graphic on Thursday that the commission could not act on the letter now until the case at the CID had been determined.
He explained that even the issue of applying for re-registration did not arise in the first instance because once the registration of the newspaper was done with false data it was deemed not to have taken place at all.
THE National Media Commission (NMC) has dismissed allegations made by the New National Democrat in a publication in which the newspaper impugned acts of impropriety against the Director of Research at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr J. K. Mensah.
In a letter dated September 16, 2008, and signed by its chairman, Mr Paul Adu-Gyamfi, the commission dismissed the allegations levelled against Mr Mensah as false.
The Mr Mensah had made a complaint to the commission against the publications in the newspaper but the editor and publisher of the newspaper failed to respond to several invitations extended to them by the Settlement Committee to defend the publications.
“The commission has, therefore, concluded that the allegations of impropriety levelled against you by the said publications were false,” the NMC said in the letter addressed to Mr Mensah.
Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has arrested the Editor and Publisher of the New National Democrat, an Accra-based private newspaper, for violating the newspaper registration law.
Sources close to the CID headquarters in Accra told the Daily Graphic that the two, who were arrested last week, are currently on police enquiry bail while investigations continue.
The arrest of Messrs Michael Dokosi and Wisdom Yamenui, editor and publisher of the newspaper respectively, follows a complaint made by the National Media Commission (NMC) to the CID on their alleged breach of the newspaper registration law.
That was after the two had failed to respond to several invitations extended to them by the NMC to defend the allegations made against Mr Mensah in the newspaper, prompting the commission to investigate their background.
Mr Dokosi is alleged to have styled himself as Justice Ofori-Antwi in the declaration made by the publisher on the NMC’s Scheduled Form for the registration of newspapers.
“This makes the declaration regarding the identity of the editor false contrary to section 8(2) of the (Newspaper and Publications) (Registration) Instrument C.I. 39,” the commission indicated in its complaint to the CID.
The NMC also observed that the name of the publisher as contained in the imprint of the newspaper was WWM Publishers, making the declaration that Mr Yamenui was the proprietor false and, thus, breaching section 8(2) of the instrument.
Subsequent to the discovery that the registration of the newspaper was obtained by false declaration, the NMC withdrew the registration of the New National Democrat and informed the publisher thereafter per a letter dated August 28, 2008.
However, the commission noted, on September 1, 2008, the newspaper without any valid registration, continued publication contrary to section 8(1) (a) of the instrument.
It further indicated that the signature of the so-called Justice Ofori-Antwi on letters written to the NMC “are inconsistent and completely different on each occasion”, expressing the belief that they were done with intent to deceive the commission.
Following the withdrawal of the registration, the publisher of the newspaper has applied to the NMC for re-registration of the New National Democrat, submitting that while some of the reasons given by the NMC for the withdrawal of its registration were acceptable, others were factually incorrect.
In a letter dated September 17, 2008, and signed by Mr Yamenui, the management of the newspaper insisted that all the data provided on the publisher for the registration were correct.
“The management on the other hand accepts full responsibility for the lapses identified in respect of Mr Justice Ofori-Antwi, the Editor. His name is Michael Dokosi. Justice Ofori-Antwi is his pen name,” the letter admitted.
It explained that since pen names were a common feature in the journalism profession, the management did not find anything wrong with his using a pseudonym.
“Nonetheless, we wish to apologise unreservedly to the National Media Commission for any inconvenience caused and also resolve to straighten the records and rectify this aspect of the data about our registration,” it stated in a remorseful tone.
That apology notwithstanding, the Executive Secretary of the NMC, Mr George Sarpong, told the Daily Graphic on Thursday that the commission could not act on the letter now until the case at the CID had been determined.
He explained that even the issue of applying for re-registration did not arise in the first instance because once the registration of the newspaper was done with false data it was deemed not to have taken place at all.
ECG INCURS GH¢9M LOSS (P.31) 19-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is running at a huge loss by way of the consumption of electricity and the maintenance of streetlights, incurring more than a GH¢9 million loss last year.
The deficit is the result of low revenue collected from the insignificant street light levy of 50 pesewas (old currency) paid by electricity consumers.
The company collected only GH¢279,245 from the street light levy in 2007, out of a projected revenue of GH¢9,321,479.71, thus incurring a loss of GH¢9,097,683.71.
Although the figure was not as bad as the GH¢11,048,150.35 deficit incurred in 2006, it was nevertheless worse than the GH¢5,079,823.21 loss incurred in 2005.
The Director of Operations of the ECG, Mr A. T. Barfuor, told the Daily Graphic that the situation was posing immense financial difficulties to the company and, therefore, called for a review of the levy.
He said with the current expansion of street lights across the country, it was imperative to increase the levy, otherwise the company could no longer cope with their maintenance.
In 1994, the current street light levy was fixed at 50 pesewas, 80 per cent (40 pesewas) of which went into consumption, while the remaining 20 per cent (10 pesewas) went into maintenance.
Mr Barfuor said in 2007, a total of GH¢279,245 was collected from the street lights levy, out of which GH¢223,796 went into consumption, with GH¢55,949 going into maintenance.
He said although the total levy collected for the maintenance of streetlights throughout the country in 2007 was GH¢55,949, the cost of maintenance of the 26 ceremonial streets alone was GH¢69,974.26, leaving a deficit of GH¢14,025.26 for the ECG to bear.
Mr Barfuor said the only way to address the problem was to increase the levy either to 3Gp or put a percentage on the electricity tariff, such that anytime there was an increase in tariffs, the street light levy would also increase.
He said a review of the levy would require the passage of a Legislative Instrument (LI) by Parliament, adding that the ECG had presented a proposal to the Ministry of Energy on the issue but he could not tell how far the ministry had gone with it.
Mr Barfuor said owners of vehicles that knocked down poles for street lights were supposed to repair them but about 70 per cent of the culprits bolted, leaving the maintenance burden on the ECG.
THE Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is running at a huge loss by way of the consumption of electricity and the maintenance of streetlights, incurring more than a GH¢9 million loss last year.
The deficit is the result of low revenue collected from the insignificant street light levy of 50 pesewas (old currency) paid by electricity consumers.
The company collected only GH¢279,245 from the street light levy in 2007, out of a projected revenue of GH¢9,321,479.71, thus incurring a loss of GH¢9,097,683.71.
Although the figure was not as bad as the GH¢11,048,150.35 deficit incurred in 2006, it was nevertheless worse than the GH¢5,079,823.21 loss incurred in 2005.
The Director of Operations of the ECG, Mr A. T. Barfuor, told the Daily Graphic that the situation was posing immense financial difficulties to the company and, therefore, called for a review of the levy.
He said with the current expansion of street lights across the country, it was imperative to increase the levy, otherwise the company could no longer cope with their maintenance.
In 1994, the current street light levy was fixed at 50 pesewas, 80 per cent (40 pesewas) of which went into consumption, while the remaining 20 per cent (10 pesewas) went into maintenance.
Mr Barfuor said in 2007, a total of GH¢279,245 was collected from the street lights levy, out of which GH¢223,796 went into consumption, with GH¢55,949 going into maintenance.
He said although the total levy collected for the maintenance of streetlights throughout the country in 2007 was GH¢55,949, the cost of maintenance of the 26 ceremonial streets alone was GH¢69,974.26, leaving a deficit of GH¢14,025.26 for the ECG to bear.
Mr Barfuor said the only way to address the problem was to increase the levy either to 3Gp or put a percentage on the electricity tariff, such that anytime there was an increase in tariffs, the street light levy would also increase.
He said a review of the levy would require the passage of a Legislative Instrument (LI) by Parliament, adding that the ECG had presented a proposal to the Ministry of Energy on the issue but he could not tell how far the ministry had gone with it.
Mr Barfuor said owners of vehicles that knocked down poles for street lights were supposed to repair them but about 70 per cent of the culprits bolted, leaving the maintenance burden on the ECG.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
TWO IN TUSSLE OVER GNA BOSS SALARY (P.55) 16-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE National Media Commission (NMC) and the Auditor-General are embroiled in a power struggle over the salary of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
This follows the controversy stirred by the Auditor-General, who challenged the authority of the NMC in fixing the GH¢8,050 monthly salary of the GNA boss without consulting the Presidency.
Whereas the NMC is questioning the mandate of the Auditor-General to make pronouncement on whether or not the commission consulted the Presidency before fixing the salary for the GNA boss, the Auditor-General, Mr Edward Dua Agyeman, insists he has such authority as the watchdog of the national kitty and is, therefore, asking the NMC to do the right thing.
“I have the right to comment on it and to safeguard the purse of the nation. Otherwise, I can also set a big salary for myself because I oversee the national purse. But it doesn’t work that way,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview yesterday.
However, responding to correspondents from the Auditor-General on the matter, the NMC said in a letter dated September 10, 2008, that the issue, being a constitutional and legal matter, should be left to the commission and the Presidency or other constitutional entities with the mandate to resolve interpretative conflicts.
“Any attempt, therefore, to create a wedge between the National Media Commission and the Presidency would be vigorously resisted,” the commission stated in the letter signed by its chairman, Mr Paul Adu-Gyamfi.
Mr Agyeman, however, told the Daily Graphic that his actions were not intended to create a wedge between the NMC and the Office of the President, but to ensure that the proper thing was done as far as state money was concerned.
He said enquiries made at the Office of the President confirmed that the NMC did not consult the Presidency before fixing the GH¢8,050 salary of the GNA General Manager.
Mr Agyeman said if the NMC had consulted the Presidency before fixing the salary and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) had indicated its ability to pay the salary, he would not have raised any eyebrow.
Furthermore, he said, if the GNA was an income-generating institution whose salary was not charged on the Consolidated Fund, it could decide to fix the salary of the General Manager at any level and that would not pose any problem to him.
The NMC indicated in its letter that it was the right of the Office of the President, not the Auditor-General, to complain about the adequacy of consultations between the NMC and the Presidency in the appointment of Chief Executive Officers of the state-owned media.
“Your attempt to pronounce upon the procedures involved in the execution of the employment contract of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency suffers from the same weakness of locus and mandate referred to above,” the NMC added.
However, Mr Agyeman insisted that so long as the GNA boss’ salary was charged to the Consolidated Fund, he had the right, as Auditor-General, to question the salary if it did not follow the right procedure, adding that even if the President was paid more than necessary, “I have the right to comment on it”.
Nana Appau Duah was appointed by the NMC as the General Manager of the GNA on October 1, 2006, per a letter dated September 18, 2006, having acted in that position previously.
However, on January 25, 2008, the NMC and the General Manager signed a service agreement that will keep Nana Appau Duah in employment for a six-year period, beginning October 1, 2006, without the option of renewal.
The service agreement set the salary of the General Manager at GH¢3,500 per month and a package of six monthly allowances, including responsibility - 50 per cent, risk - 10 per cent, entertainment - 10 per cent, general duty - 25 per cent, rent (accommodation) - 30 per cent, and Provident Fund - five per cent.
The salary (GH¢3,500) and allowances totalling 130 per cent of the basic salary or GH¢4,550, bring the total gross emolument to GH¢8,050 per month for the General Manager.
The amount seemed to have raised concerns at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, whose Director of Budget, Mr Kwabena Adjei-Mensah, in April this year requested the Auditor-General to verify and advise on the computation of the salary arrears and other allowances due Nana Appau Duah.
Responding to that request, the Auditor-General observed that the Greenstreet Committee, which determined salaries and conditions of service of Article 71 office holders, fixed the salary of Cabinet Ministers at GH¢3,120 per month with effect from January 1, 2006, and that with the recent increases, the monthly gross salary was below GH¢4,000.
He, therefore, found it very difficult to come to terms with how the salary of the GNA General Manager could be far more than the salary of Cabinet Ministers.
Mr Agyeman also indicated that having observed that prior to his appointment as General Manager, Nana Appau Duah was a serving officer of the GNA, “I do not see the basis for the new contract which seems to exclude him out of the SSNIT Pension Scheme.”
He, therefore, advised the NMC to submit the award of contract and terms and conditions to the President for his input in accordance with Article 168 of the constitution.
The Auditor-General observed that despite the lack of consultation with the Presidency, the General Manager was paid the new salary between February and June 2008, resulting in the payment of GH¢33,200 being the difference between the old and new salary and allowances.
“I find the payment of GH¢33,200 to be improper because there is no evidence that the appointment, including the terms and conditions, and the duration of the contract, was made in consultation with the President as prescribed in Article 168 of the 1992 Constitution,” he noted.
Mr Agyeman further indicated that the GNA wrongly interpreted clause 8 of the employment contract based on which it computed for the General Manager GH¢7,166.25 being a 15-per cent increase in salary and allowances awarded to staff of the agency by the government effective January 1, 2008.
The Ministry of Finance subsequently withheld the payment of that increase in salary and allowance pending further investigations on his condition of service granted by the NMC.
That decision seemed unacceptable to the NMC, which, in its letter, consequently asked the Auditor-General “to take immediate steps to remove the unauthorised embargo you have placed on the salary of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency as your act is ultra vires”.
Giving further explanation on the issue, the Auditor-General said the decision to stop the payment of the new salary and allowances to Nana Appau Duah was to allow for vetting of his salary.
He said the vetting would look at a number of issues, including the legality of the salary, computation, financial regulation and the labour law.
THE National Media Commission (NMC) and the Auditor-General are embroiled in a power struggle over the salary of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
This follows the controversy stirred by the Auditor-General, who challenged the authority of the NMC in fixing the GH¢8,050 monthly salary of the GNA boss without consulting the Presidency.
Whereas the NMC is questioning the mandate of the Auditor-General to make pronouncement on whether or not the commission consulted the Presidency before fixing the salary for the GNA boss, the Auditor-General, Mr Edward Dua Agyeman, insists he has such authority as the watchdog of the national kitty and is, therefore, asking the NMC to do the right thing.
“I have the right to comment on it and to safeguard the purse of the nation. Otherwise, I can also set a big salary for myself because I oversee the national purse. But it doesn’t work that way,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview yesterday.
However, responding to correspondents from the Auditor-General on the matter, the NMC said in a letter dated September 10, 2008, that the issue, being a constitutional and legal matter, should be left to the commission and the Presidency or other constitutional entities with the mandate to resolve interpretative conflicts.
“Any attempt, therefore, to create a wedge between the National Media Commission and the Presidency would be vigorously resisted,” the commission stated in the letter signed by its chairman, Mr Paul Adu-Gyamfi.
Mr Agyeman, however, told the Daily Graphic that his actions were not intended to create a wedge between the NMC and the Office of the President, but to ensure that the proper thing was done as far as state money was concerned.
He said enquiries made at the Office of the President confirmed that the NMC did not consult the Presidency before fixing the GH¢8,050 salary of the GNA General Manager.
Mr Agyeman said if the NMC had consulted the Presidency before fixing the salary and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) had indicated its ability to pay the salary, he would not have raised any eyebrow.
Furthermore, he said, if the GNA was an income-generating institution whose salary was not charged on the Consolidated Fund, it could decide to fix the salary of the General Manager at any level and that would not pose any problem to him.
The NMC indicated in its letter that it was the right of the Office of the President, not the Auditor-General, to complain about the adequacy of consultations between the NMC and the Presidency in the appointment of Chief Executive Officers of the state-owned media.
“Your attempt to pronounce upon the procedures involved in the execution of the employment contract of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency suffers from the same weakness of locus and mandate referred to above,” the NMC added.
However, Mr Agyeman insisted that so long as the GNA boss’ salary was charged to the Consolidated Fund, he had the right, as Auditor-General, to question the salary if it did not follow the right procedure, adding that even if the President was paid more than necessary, “I have the right to comment on it”.
Nana Appau Duah was appointed by the NMC as the General Manager of the GNA on October 1, 2006, per a letter dated September 18, 2006, having acted in that position previously.
However, on January 25, 2008, the NMC and the General Manager signed a service agreement that will keep Nana Appau Duah in employment for a six-year period, beginning October 1, 2006, without the option of renewal.
The service agreement set the salary of the General Manager at GH¢3,500 per month and a package of six monthly allowances, including responsibility - 50 per cent, risk - 10 per cent, entertainment - 10 per cent, general duty - 25 per cent, rent (accommodation) - 30 per cent, and Provident Fund - five per cent.
The salary (GH¢3,500) and allowances totalling 130 per cent of the basic salary or GH¢4,550, bring the total gross emolument to GH¢8,050 per month for the General Manager.
The amount seemed to have raised concerns at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, whose Director of Budget, Mr Kwabena Adjei-Mensah, in April this year requested the Auditor-General to verify and advise on the computation of the salary arrears and other allowances due Nana Appau Duah.
Responding to that request, the Auditor-General observed that the Greenstreet Committee, which determined salaries and conditions of service of Article 71 office holders, fixed the salary of Cabinet Ministers at GH¢3,120 per month with effect from January 1, 2006, and that with the recent increases, the monthly gross salary was below GH¢4,000.
He, therefore, found it very difficult to come to terms with how the salary of the GNA General Manager could be far more than the salary of Cabinet Ministers.
Mr Agyeman also indicated that having observed that prior to his appointment as General Manager, Nana Appau Duah was a serving officer of the GNA, “I do not see the basis for the new contract which seems to exclude him out of the SSNIT Pension Scheme.”
He, therefore, advised the NMC to submit the award of contract and terms and conditions to the President for his input in accordance with Article 168 of the constitution.
The Auditor-General observed that despite the lack of consultation with the Presidency, the General Manager was paid the new salary between February and June 2008, resulting in the payment of GH¢33,200 being the difference between the old and new salary and allowances.
“I find the payment of GH¢33,200 to be improper because there is no evidence that the appointment, including the terms and conditions, and the duration of the contract, was made in consultation with the President as prescribed in Article 168 of the 1992 Constitution,” he noted.
Mr Agyeman further indicated that the GNA wrongly interpreted clause 8 of the employment contract based on which it computed for the General Manager GH¢7,166.25 being a 15-per cent increase in salary and allowances awarded to staff of the agency by the government effective January 1, 2008.
The Ministry of Finance subsequently withheld the payment of that increase in salary and allowance pending further investigations on his condition of service granted by the NMC.
That decision seemed unacceptable to the NMC, which, in its letter, consequently asked the Auditor-General “to take immediate steps to remove the unauthorised embargo you have placed on the salary of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency as your act is ultra vires”.
Giving further explanation on the issue, the Auditor-General said the decision to stop the payment of the new salary and allowances to Nana Appau Duah was to allow for vetting of his salary.
He said the vetting would look at a number of issues, including the legality of the salary, computation, financial regulation and the labour law.
LET'S BRACE FOR CHALLENGES AHEAD (P.24) 17-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE Chief of Staff and Minister for Presidential Affairs, Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, has called on the public sector to brace itself for the challenges ahead as the nation aspires to become an investment destination, a middle-income and an oil-producing country.
“It is only appropriate that the public sector braces itself with the appropriate principles, concepts, methodologies and tools required for effective risk management in the public sector,” he said.
Mr Mpiani made the call in Accra yesterday when he opened the third annual Internal Audit Forum on the theme, “Risk management in the public sector: The role of internal auditing”.
The two-day forum, which is under the auspices of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), is being attended by chief directors, chief executives and heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as well as metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs).
It is in pursuance of Section 3 (2) (f) of the Internal Audit Agency Act, 2003 (Act 658), which requires the IAA to ensure that risks are adequately managed in MDAs and MMDAs.
The participants are discussing practical ways of identifying, assessing, mitigating and monitoring risks in the public sector.
Mr Mpiani observed that events around the world, such as natural disasters, economic declines, unstable fuel and commodity supply and prices, food shortages and environmental pollution, posed challenges that ought to be addressed by “carefully crafted risk management strategies that are relevant to their contexts and rooted in internationally accepted best practices”.
Floods, fire, non-maintenance of state assets, poor record keeping and financial fraud were among the risk factors that the Chief of Staff believed starred the country at the moment.
He disagreed with the suggestion that risk was a natural phenomenon about which nothing could be done, contending that while some risks related to events that could not be determined, “structured foresight and insight can be brought to bear on carefully-designed and executed risk management procedures to minimise the consequences and impact of the occurrence of these undesirable events”.
Mr Mpiani said risk management was an integral component of good corporate governance and urged public sector institutions to manage risk continuously in all aspects of their institutions.
He charged chief executives in the public sector to ensure that their respective organisations developed and implemented a risk management framework, as well as provided risk implementation guide, by June 2009.
Furthermore, he said they must accelerate work on the Internal Audit Regulations in order to provide the necessary legislative framework for risk management in the public sector.
The Chairman of the Internal Audit Board, Mr Samuel Crabbe, said risk management was about getting the right balance between innovation and change, on the one hand, and the avoidance of shocks and crises, on the other.
He said risk was unavoidable and so every organisation needed to take action to manage risk in a way that it could justify.
“Risk management organises what cannot be organised because individuals, corporations and governments have little choice to do so,” he remarked.
Mr Crabbe stressed the need for all public sector institutions to appreciate risk management and organise themselves in the face of deepening uncertainties, adding, “We must formalise the management of risk and incorporate it into all our activities.”
The Director-General of the IAA, Mr Patrick Nomo, said there was an improvement in the practice and status of internal auditing in MDAs and MMDAs at the end of August 2008, compared with the situation in 2005.
At the moment, 201 out of 342 MDAs and MMDAs have established and staffed their Internal Audit Units (IAUs), compared to 58 in 2005.
Again, 207 of the institutions have now established their Audit Report Implementation Committees, as against 16 in 2005, while 126 of them have signed Internal Audit Charters to ensure that internal auditors get unrestricted access to records and information within their organisations, compared to seven in 2005.
Mr Nomo said although there was no such thing as a risk-free environment, many risks could be avoided, reduced or eliminated through effective risk management practice.
He, therefore, urged public sector organisations to integrate risk management into their operations.
THE Chief of Staff and Minister for Presidential Affairs, Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, has called on the public sector to brace itself for the challenges ahead as the nation aspires to become an investment destination, a middle-income and an oil-producing country.
“It is only appropriate that the public sector braces itself with the appropriate principles, concepts, methodologies and tools required for effective risk management in the public sector,” he said.
Mr Mpiani made the call in Accra yesterday when he opened the third annual Internal Audit Forum on the theme, “Risk management in the public sector: The role of internal auditing”.
The two-day forum, which is under the auspices of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA), is being attended by chief directors, chief executives and heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as well as metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs).
It is in pursuance of Section 3 (2) (f) of the Internal Audit Agency Act, 2003 (Act 658), which requires the IAA to ensure that risks are adequately managed in MDAs and MMDAs.
The participants are discussing practical ways of identifying, assessing, mitigating and monitoring risks in the public sector.
Mr Mpiani observed that events around the world, such as natural disasters, economic declines, unstable fuel and commodity supply and prices, food shortages and environmental pollution, posed challenges that ought to be addressed by “carefully crafted risk management strategies that are relevant to their contexts and rooted in internationally accepted best practices”.
Floods, fire, non-maintenance of state assets, poor record keeping and financial fraud were among the risk factors that the Chief of Staff believed starred the country at the moment.
He disagreed with the suggestion that risk was a natural phenomenon about which nothing could be done, contending that while some risks related to events that could not be determined, “structured foresight and insight can be brought to bear on carefully-designed and executed risk management procedures to minimise the consequences and impact of the occurrence of these undesirable events”.
Mr Mpiani said risk management was an integral component of good corporate governance and urged public sector institutions to manage risk continuously in all aspects of their institutions.
He charged chief executives in the public sector to ensure that their respective organisations developed and implemented a risk management framework, as well as provided risk implementation guide, by June 2009.
Furthermore, he said they must accelerate work on the Internal Audit Regulations in order to provide the necessary legislative framework for risk management in the public sector.
The Chairman of the Internal Audit Board, Mr Samuel Crabbe, said risk management was about getting the right balance between innovation and change, on the one hand, and the avoidance of shocks and crises, on the other.
He said risk was unavoidable and so every organisation needed to take action to manage risk in a way that it could justify.
“Risk management organises what cannot be organised because individuals, corporations and governments have little choice to do so,” he remarked.
Mr Crabbe stressed the need for all public sector institutions to appreciate risk management and organise themselves in the face of deepening uncertainties, adding, “We must formalise the management of risk and incorporate it into all our activities.”
The Director-General of the IAA, Mr Patrick Nomo, said there was an improvement in the practice and status of internal auditing in MDAs and MMDAs at the end of August 2008, compared with the situation in 2005.
At the moment, 201 out of 342 MDAs and MMDAs have established and staffed their Internal Audit Units (IAUs), compared to 58 in 2005.
Again, 207 of the institutions have now established their Audit Report Implementation Committees, as against 16 in 2005, while 126 of them have signed Internal Audit Charters to ensure that internal auditors get unrestricted access to records and information within their organisations, compared to seven in 2005.
Mr Nomo said although there was no such thing as a risk-free environment, many risks could be avoided, reduced or eliminated through effective risk management practice.
He, therefore, urged public sector organisations to integrate risk management into their operations.
GNA WORKERS FIGHT FOR SALARY INCREASE (P.55) 18-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
WORKERS of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) are agitating for salary increase.
The workers expressed disappointment at the failure of the management to act on a proposal for salary increase they submitted to it a couple of months ago, but instead, it was asking them to wait for the implementation of the Single-Spine Salary Structure in January, 2009.
In a letter submitted to the management on Tuesday, September 16, 2008, the local union of the Communications Workers Union requested a meeting between the workers and management to discuss the issue.
The latest agitation for salary increase follows a circular issued by the management informing the workers that the implementation of the Single-Spine Salary Structure would take effect in January, next year.
The circular, which is pasted on the notice boards at the GNA offices in Accra, made reference to the Director in charge of Public Sector Salary, Mr Oku-Asare, as having given the assurance that the Single-Spine Salary Structure would be implemented in January 2009.
But the workers are taking that assurance with a pinch of salt, expressing the fear that a new government might either not implement the proposed salary structure at all or at the scheduled time.
Therefore, they did not see why they should rely on the proposed salary structure while they continued to reel under poor salary.
The workers said the internally proposed salary review was similar to that of the Single-Spine Salary Structure, explaining that if the former was implemented now, it would only be a matter of switching over to the latter when its implementation was due.
The proposal seeks to correct anomalies in the salaries of the workers, which came about after a previous review of the salary structure, and also to stem the high staff turnover as a result of low salary.
According to them, when the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, visited the GNA offices sometime in July this year, he requested for the salary review proposal made by the workers to enable him to study and facilitate its implementation.
They, however, accused the management of not acting on the minister’s good gesture.
WORKERS of the Ghana News Agency (GNA) are agitating for salary increase.
The workers expressed disappointment at the failure of the management to act on a proposal for salary increase they submitted to it a couple of months ago, but instead, it was asking them to wait for the implementation of the Single-Spine Salary Structure in January, 2009.
In a letter submitted to the management on Tuesday, September 16, 2008, the local union of the Communications Workers Union requested a meeting between the workers and management to discuss the issue.
The latest agitation for salary increase follows a circular issued by the management informing the workers that the implementation of the Single-Spine Salary Structure would take effect in January, next year.
The circular, which is pasted on the notice boards at the GNA offices in Accra, made reference to the Director in charge of Public Sector Salary, Mr Oku-Asare, as having given the assurance that the Single-Spine Salary Structure would be implemented in January 2009.
But the workers are taking that assurance with a pinch of salt, expressing the fear that a new government might either not implement the proposed salary structure at all or at the scheduled time.
Therefore, they did not see why they should rely on the proposed salary structure while they continued to reel under poor salary.
The workers said the internally proposed salary review was similar to that of the Single-Spine Salary Structure, explaining that if the former was implemented now, it would only be a matter of switching over to the latter when its implementation was due.
The proposal seeks to correct anomalies in the salaries of the workers, which came about after a previous review of the salary structure, and also to stem the high staff turnover as a result of low salary.
According to them, when the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, visited the GNA offices sometime in July this year, he requested for the salary review proposal made by the workers to enable him to study and facilitate its implementation.
They, however, accused the management of not acting on the minister’s good gesture.
TOYOTA GHANA MOUNTS ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN (Back page) 18-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
TOYOTA Ghana Limited has initiated a road safety campaign to help reduce road accidents and fatalities on the western corridor.
Dubbed: “The road safety memorial”, the campaign involves the mounting of warning signposts along the Mallam-Winneba stretch of the corridor, which has been identified as one of the black spots in terms of road accidents in the country.
Areas targeted for the intervention include Tetegu, Budumburam, Awutu, Akoti Junction and Okyereko, which have witnessed some of the most tragic accidents in the country in recent times.
The signposts dotted along the stretch carry simple and visible road safety messages to caution drivers and pedestrians on the need to be extra careful so as to avoid accidents.
The concept, which is said to have proved successful in advanced countries like the United Kingdom and the United States of America, was designed on behalf of Toyota by Taurus Emporium Company Limited, a transportation engineering firm.
According to officials of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), as well as some road users, the campaign was having a positive impact, two weeks after the signposts were mounted.
Drivers are reported to be slowing down on reaching the areas that the signposts have been mounted.
Launching the campaign in Accra yesterday, the Managing Director of Toyota Ghana Limited, Mr Masato Kimata, expressed the hope that the campaign would make road users more conscious of maintaining their vehicle properly, use genuine spare parts and observe road traffic regulations in order to save lives.
He said the road safety campaign formed part of the social corporate responsibility of the company and underlined its commitment to do more.
An official of Taurus Emporium Company Limited, Mr Michael Bortsie, said the initiative was being implemented on a pilot basis and, based on its success, it would be replicated in other parts of the country.
TOYOTA Ghana Limited has initiated a road safety campaign to help reduce road accidents and fatalities on the western corridor.
Dubbed: “The road safety memorial”, the campaign involves the mounting of warning signposts along the Mallam-Winneba stretch of the corridor, which has been identified as one of the black spots in terms of road accidents in the country.
Areas targeted for the intervention include Tetegu, Budumburam, Awutu, Akoti Junction and Okyereko, which have witnessed some of the most tragic accidents in the country in recent times.
The signposts dotted along the stretch carry simple and visible road safety messages to caution drivers and pedestrians on the need to be extra careful so as to avoid accidents.
The concept, which is said to have proved successful in advanced countries like the United Kingdom and the United States of America, was designed on behalf of Toyota by Taurus Emporium Company Limited, a transportation engineering firm.
According to officials of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), as well as some road users, the campaign was having a positive impact, two weeks after the signposts were mounted.
Drivers are reported to be slowing down on reaching the areas that the signposts have been mounted.
Launching the campaign in Accra yesterday, the Managing Director of Toyota Ghana Limited, Mr Masato Kimata, expressed the hope that the campaign would make road users more conscious of maintaining their vehicle properly, use genuine spare parts and observe road traffic regulations in order to save lives.
He said the road safety campaign formed part of the social corporate responsibility of the company and underlined its commitment to do more.
An official of Taurus Emporium Company Limited, Mr Michael Bortsie, said the initiative was being implemented on a pilot basis and, based on its success, it would be replicated in other parts of the country.
ASP DASSAH MUST GO (Front page) 18-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE committee that investigated the Ashaiman shooting incident has made far-reaching recommendations, including the dismissal of the Ashaiman Divisional Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), the mass transfer of all the MTTU personnel at Ashaiman and the relocation of the Ashaiman District Police Station.
It accused ASP Timothy Dassah, the MTTU Commander, of dereliction of duty, for which he should be dismissed from the Ghana Police Service.
It also recommended that the Ashaiman Divisional Police Commander, ACP W. J. Kwanair, and the Crime Officer, DSP Theophilus Narteh, should be reprimanded by the Police Administration for failing to report for duty and taking control of the disturbances that occurred at Ashaiman on June 3, 2008.
The committee, however, recommended the lifting of the interdiction on three police inspectors, Messrs Samuel Kwapong, John Laari and Edward Kwaku Adarkwah.
The three inspectors were among eight police officers of the MTTU who accompanied ASP Dassah on the operation on that fateful day which left two persons dead, several others injured and the destruction of property.
Sources close to the Ministry of the Interior made this known to the Daily Graphic after the committee had presented its report to the sector Minister, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, in Accra on Tuesday.
Following the disturbances at Ashaiman, occasioned by a confrontation between the police and commercial drivers, the Minister of the Interior responded to public demand for investigations into the matter by setting up the five-member Committee of Inquiry, under the chairmanship of Mr Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, an Appeal Court Judge, on July 23, 2008.
The other members of the committee were Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, COP (retd) Kwasi Nkansa, Professor Kofi Agyekum and Mrs Adelaide Anno-Kumi, member/secretary.
After about one month of investigations, the committee came up with a 34-point recommendation.
In its recommendation on the dismissal of ASP Dassah, the committee said his dereliction of duty constituted an act of grave misconduct which should not be countenanced in the Ghana Police Service.
“His failure to reasonably exercise his discretion to grant bail was an instance of unpardonable administrative injustice,” it noted.
The committee indicated that the eight MTTU officers who accompanied ASP Dassah on the operations that day in the course of their duty did no wrong, since their conduct was within the confines of the law, hence the call for the lifting of the interdiction on the three inspectors.
It, however, called for the reprimand of Inspector Adarkwah for failing to reasonably exercise his discretion to grant bail to the arrested drivers.
“His demeanour before the committee depicted him as a policeman who is disdainful and disrespectful of civilians in general. He seems to have lost his sense of purpose as a policeman to provide ‘service with integrity’ for the public,” the committee observed.
In respect of Sgt Jonathan Kodjoe, the committee said he should be made to continue with his police career at his new station, since he acted in defence of life and property when he fired shots to disperse the riotous mob in the circumstances in which he found himself.
It further recommended that in the interest of public safety and order, as well as improving upon the level of public confidence in the MTTU at Ashaiman, all the MTTU personnel stationed at Ashaiman should be transferred within three months, while calling on the Police Administration to vigorously pursue activities to enhance police-civilian relations.
It also recommended the relocation of the Ashaiman District Police Station to the premises of the Divisional Police Headquarters at Kaketo in order to take advantage of the spacious accommodation there for its functions.
On the other hand, the Divisional Headquarters should be relocated to the premises of the District Police Station, since the former had a lesser need for spacious accommodation, given the small number of people it received daily.
The committee asked the Regional Police Commander to organise regular and appropriate simulation exercises on riot control techniques and the use of live ammunition, adding that the Legal Directorate should also organise on-the-job training programmes twice every year for MTTU personnel on the laws, rules and regulations governing their operations in order to enhance their competencies.
It called on the Police Administration to, as a matter of urgency, establish a Rapid Response Unit or detachment to assist in dealing with the challenges of crime control and the maintenance of law and order, particularly in the Ashaiman municipality.
The Police Administration should also take steps, in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), to intensify education on police-civilian relations and human rights in the Ashaiman area.
It also requested the Chief Justice to, as a matter of urgency, set up a court of competent jurisdiction at Ashaiman, while calling on the government to establish an independent Police Complaint Commission, headed by a civilian, to receive and investigate allegations of major police misconduct.
The commission, it said, should have the statutory power to initiate prosecution against police personnel against whom evidence of wrongdoing were found.
It asked the government to pay monetary compensation to the families of the two deceased persons — Moses Kassim and Mustapha Sumai, aka Moses Ofori, aka Alhaji — as a token of sympathy for their regrettable killing by the police.
Furthermore, the government should pay monetary compensation to all persons, including police personnel, who established before the committee, with credible medical and other evidence, that they sustained significant injuries from the disturbances.
The committee urged the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly to collaborate with the MTTU and various private transport union officials to explore mechanisms to enforce road traffic rules and regulations in the municipality.
Receiving the report, Dr Addo-Kufuor thanked members of the committee for the good work done and assured them that the contents would be seriously studied and the recommendations implemented.
He said the report would be presented to the President on his return from the US and expressed the hope that it would help reform policing in the country in order to avoid a repetition of the incident.
Dr Addo-Kufuor said at the appropriate time a White Paper would be issued on the report.
THE committee that investigated the Ashaiman shooting incident has made far-reaching recommendations, including the dismissal of the Ashaiman Divisional Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), the mass transfer of all the MTTU personnel at Ashaiman and the relocation of the Ashaiman District Police Station.
It accused ASP Timothy Dassah, the MTTU Commander, of dereliction of duty, for which he should be dismissed from the Ghana Police Service.
It also recommended that the Ashaiman Divisional Police Commander, ACP W. J. Kwanair, and the Crime Officer, DSP Theophilus Narteh, should be reprimanded by the Police Administration for failing to report for duty and taking control of the disturbances that occurred at Ashaiman on June 3, 2008.
The committee, however, recommended the lifting of the interdiction on three police inspectors, Messrs Samuel Kwapong, John Laari and Edward Kwaku Adarkwah.
The three inspectors were among eight police officers of the MTTU who accompanied ASP Dassah on the operation on that fateful day which left two persons dead, several others injured and the destruction of property.
Sources close to the Ministry of the Interior made this known to the Daily Graphic after the committee had presented its report to the sector Minister, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, in Accra on Tuesday.
Following the disturbances at Ashaiman, occasioned by a confrontation between the police and commercial drivers, the Minister of the Interior responded to public demand for investigations into the matter by setting up the five-member Committee of Inquiry, under the chairmanship of Mr Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, an Appeal Court Judge, on July 23, 2008.
The other members of the committee were Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, COP (retd) Kwasi Nkansa, Professor Kofi Agyekum and Mrs Adelaide Anno-Kumi, member/secretary.
After about one month of investigations, the committee came up with a 34-point recommendation.
In its recommendation on the dismissal of ASP Dassah, the committee said his dereliction of duty constituted an act of grave misconduct which should not be countenanced in the Ghana Police Service.
“His failure to reasonably exercise his discretion to grant bail was an instance of unpardonable administrative injustice,” it noted.
The committee indicated that the eight MTTU officers who accompanied ASP Dassah on the operations that day in the course of their duty did no wrong, since their conduct was within the confines of the law, hence the call for the lifting of the interdiction on the three inspectors.
It, however, called for the reprimand of Inspector Adarkwah for failing to reasonably exercise his discretion to grant bail to the arrested drivers.
“His demeanour before the committee depicted him as a policeman who is disdainful and disrespectful of civilians in general. He seems to have lost his sense of purpose as a policeman to provide ‘service with integrity’ for the public,” the committee observed.
In respect of Sgt Jonathan Kodjoe, the committee said he should be made to continue with his police career at his new station, since he acted in defence of life and property when he fired shots to disperse the riotous mob in the circumstances in which he found himself.
It further recommended that in the interest of public safety and order, as well as improving upon the level of public confidence in the MTTU at Ashaiman, all the MTTU personnel stationed at Ashaiman should be transferred within three months, while calling on the Police Administration to vigorously pursue activities to enhance police-civilian relations.
It also recommended the relocation of the Ashaiman District Police Station to the premises of the Divisional Police Headquarters at Kaketo in order to take advantage of the spacious accommodation there for its functions.
On the other hand, the Divisional Headquarters should be relocated to the premises of the District Police Station, since the former had a lesser need for spacious accommodation, given the small number of people it received daily.
The committee asked the Regional Police Commander to organise regular and appropriate simulation exercises on riot control techniques and the use of live ammunition, adding that the Legal Directorate should also organise on-the-job training programmes twice every year for MTTU personnel on the laws, rules and regulations governing their operations in order to enhance their competencies.
It called on the Police Administration to, as a matter of urgency, establish a Rapid Response Unit or detachment to assist in dealing with the challenges of crime control and the maintenance of law and order, particularly in the Ashaiman municipality.
The Police Administration should also take steps, in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), to intensify education on police-civilian relations and human rights in the Ashaiman area.
It also requested the Chief Justice to, as a matter of urgency, set up a court of competent jurisdiction at Ashaiman, while calling on the government to establish an independent Police Complaint Commission, headed by a civilian, to receive and investigate allegations of major police misconduct.
The commission, it said, should have the statutory power to initiate prosecution against police personnel against whom evidence of wrongdoing were found.
It asked the government to pay monetary compensation to the families of the two deceased persons — Moses Kassim and Mustapha Sumai, aka Moses Ofori, aka Alhaji — as a token of sympathy for their regrettable killing by the police.
Furthermore, the government should pay monetary compensation to all persons, including police personnel, who established before the committee, with credible medical and other evidence, that they sustained significant injuries from the disturbances.
The committee urged the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly to collaborate with the MTTU and various private transport union officials to explore mechanisms to enforce road traffic rules and regulations in the municipality.
Receiving the report, Dr Addo-Kufuor thanked members of the committee for the good work done and assured them that the contents would be seriously studied and the recommendations implemented.
He said the report would be presented to the President on his return from the US and expressed the hope that it would help reform policing in the country in order to avoid a repetition of the incident.
Dr Addo-Kufuor said at the appropriate time a White Paper would be issued on the report.
Monday, September 15, 2008
GIVE ME SIGNED, WRITTEN UNDERTAKEN (P.3) 15-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
FINANCE and Economic Planning minister, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, has demanded a written and signed undertaking from Mr Gregg Frazier, the American businessman who claims he can assist Ghana to redeem a long-saved fortune at a Swiss bank.
He further asked the American businessman to publicly declare the password and code needed to access the money, particularly so when he had already made the amount involved public.
“We need to go all out and demand everything. Right now, we’ve gone beyond the stage of secrets,” he said.
Last Tuesday, a group known as Friends of Oman Ghana Trust Fund renewed the call on the government to take decisive steps to retrieve the money.
“One hour after arrival at the bank, the current account which contains about $47 billion will be retrieved. The other six accounts which are investment savings account will then be activated and within six months that will also be available for retrieval,” the group indicated at a news conference in Accra.
After that, Mr Gregg Frazier told the Daily Graphic that he would offer himself for prosecution in Ghana if his story turned out to be false.
“If we go to Switzerland and the money is not there, I want the government to bring me back to Ghana and prosecute me,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview on Wednesday.
“I don’t believe it. I saw it, Kofi!” Mr Frazier exclaimed, in response to a question as to whether he really believes Ghana has more than $400 billion stacked in the United Bank of Switzerland for more than five decades.
He said he had personally seen a huge ledger book of the account, which was two feet long and one-and-half feet wide, adding, “I know what I saw and I’ll be a coward to leave it behind and go back to America. I love Ghana and I want Ghana to be strong.”
The latest pronouncements of Mr Frazier, who has waged a relentless crusade for the retrieval of the money for more than two decades now, throw a challenge to the government to pursue the money, which was allegedly deposited in the Swiss bank in 1959 by the government of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) to facilitate the prosecution of its economic and development agenda.
Mr Frazier, 60, claimed he gave $8 million to the late John Ackah Blay-Miezah in various sums between 1959 and 1985 towards the Oman Ghana Trust Fund with the understanding that his money would be multiplied ten-fold.
However, it has been very difficult for him to claim his investment, particularly after the death of his friend, Mr Blay-Miezah, an illusion that compelled him to leave his country and family in America to come and settle in Ghana since 1986 to pursue the retrieval of the Oman Ghana Trust Fund from the Swiss bank and his own money.
Since coming to stay in Ghana in 1985, Mr Frazier has visited his native America only once in 1995 for a 10-day period.
He said his long stay in Ghana was to see to the end of the matter, adding that he had strong faith that one day his persistence would pay off.
"Now I've reached a point of no return. I can't go back to my family until I finish this project," he remarked.
Mr Frazier said as at the last check in 1986, the accounts in the UBS was $423 billion and considering the fact that the Swiss bank prides itself as being able to double accounts in seven years, Ghana was likely to be richer by about $3.2 trillion by now.
He said it was only God who had been protecting the money from falling into wrong hands.
Mr Frazier asked the government to make him a special advisor to any delegation that would be sent to Switzerland for the retrieval of the money because he would want them to get the money and not to be stranded as had been the case previously.
Responding to a suggestion that he would be a hero in Ghana if he was able to help the government retrieve the money, the former US Army captain said with excitement, "That's the part I love. I want to be called a friend of Ghana".
Asked whether he shares the perception of many Ghanaians that his late friend Blay-Miezah was a trickster, Mr Frazier said to the extent that he (Blay-Miezah) managed to have access to the money in the Swiss bank, "Yes, he was a trickster".
Commenting on the issue, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the Bank of Ghana would be formally directed to follow up and investigate any fresh evidence on the matter.
He said although one could not dismiss anything when in government, it could be embarrassing for one to also accept everything.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said it was important for Mr Frazier to disclose every information he had about the money and how it could be retrieved, dismissing suggestions that such disclosure could allow any smart person to access the money.
FINANCE and Economic Planning minister, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, has demanded a written and signed undertaking from Mr Gregg Frazier, the American businessman who claims he can assist Ghana to redeem a long-saved fortune at a Swiss bank.
He further asked the American businessman to publicly declare the password and code needed to access the money, particularly so when he had already made the amount involved public.
“We need to go all out and demand everything. Right now, we’ve gone beyond the stage of secrets,” he said.
Last Tuesday, a group known as Friends of Oman Ghana Trust Fund renewed the call on the government to take decisive steps to retrieve the money.
“One hour after arrival at the bank, the current account which contains about $47 billion will be retrieved. The other six accounts which are investment savings account will then be activated and within six months that will also be available for retrieval,” the group indicated at a news conference in Accra.
After that, Mr Gregg Frazier told the Daily Graphic that he would offer himself for prosecution in Ghana if his story turned out to be false.
“If we go to Switzerland and the money is not there, I want the government to bring me back to Ghana and prosecute me,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview on Wednesday.
“I don’t believe it. I saw it, Kofi!” Mr Frazier exclaimed, in response to a question as to whether he really believes Ghana has more than $400 billion stacked in the United Bank of Switzerland for more than five decades.
He said he had personally seen a huge ledger book of the account, which was two feet long and one-and-half feet wide, adding, “I know what I saw and I’ll be a coward to leave it behind and go back to America. I love Ghana and I want Ghana to be strong.”
The latest pronouncements of Mr Frazier, who has waged a relentless crusade for the retrieval of the money for more than two decades now, throw a challenge to the government to pursue the money, which was allegedly deposited in the Swiss bank in 1959 by the government of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) to facilitate the prosecution of its economic and development agenda.
Mr Frazier, 60, claimed he gave $8 million to the late John Ackah Blay-Miezah in various sums between 1959 and 1985 towards the Oman Ghana Trust Fund with the understanding that his money would be multiplied ten-fold.
However, it has been very difficult for him to claim his investment, particularly after the death of his friend, Mr Blay-Miezah, an illusion that compelled him to leave his country and family in America to come and settle in Ghana since 1986 to pursue the retrieval of the Oman Ghana Trust Fund from the Swiss bank and his own money.
Since coming to stay in Ghana in 1985, Mr Frazier has visited his native America only once in 1995 for a 10-day period.
He said his long stay in Ghana was to see to the end of the matter, adding that he had strong faith that one day his persistence would pay off.
"Now I've reached a point of no return. I can't go back to my family until I finish this project," he remarked.
Mr Frazier said as at the last check in 1986, the accounts in the UBS was $423 billion and considering the fact that the Swiss bank prides itself as being able to double accounts in seven years, Ghana was likely to be richer by about $3.2 trillion by now.
He said it was only God who had been protecting the money from falling into wrong hands.
Mr Frazier asked the government to make him a special advisor to any delegation that would be sent to Switzerland for the retrieval of the money because he would want them to get the money and not to be stranded as had been the case previously.
Responding to a suggestion that he would be a hero in Ghana if he was able to help the government retrieve the money, the former US Army captain said with excitement, "That's the part I love. I want to be called a friend of Ghana".
Asked whether he shares the perception of many Ghanaians that his late friend Blay-Miezah was a trickster, Mr Frazier said to the extent that he (Blay-Miezah) managed to have access to the money in the Swiss bank, "Yes, he was a trickster".
Commenting on the issue, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the Bank of Ghana would be formally directed to follow up and investigate any fresh evidence on the matter.
He said although one could not dismiss anything when in government, it could be embarrassing for one to also accept everything.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said it was important for Mr Frazier to disclose every information he had about the money and how it could be retrieved, dismissing suggestions that such disclosure could allow any smart person to access the money.
ECONOMY ROBUST (Front page) 12-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, has again defended the state of the Ghanaian economy, saying it is expanding tremendously.
Dismissing suggestions that the government was losing grip on the economy, Mr Baah-Wiredu said despite the spiralling price of oil on the world market that reached a high of $147 per barrel, as against the budget projection of $85 per barrel, the country did not experience any shortage in its daily requirement of 60,000 barrels.
That, he said, was a positive indication that the economy was robust and strong.
Mr Baah-Wiredu made the submission in an interview with the Daily Graphic in response to assertions by a section of the public, particularly some members of the minority political parties, that the economy was crumbling.
Making a comparative analysis between the past and present to buttress his claim of an expanding economy under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, the finance minister said between January 1982 and December 2000, spanning a period of 19 years, the price of petrol per gallon increased by 2,800 per cent per annum.
However, he said, between 2000 and now, the price had increased by only 101 per cent per gallon per annum.
On total assets generated, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the total contribution of Ghanaians moved from negative between 1982 and 2000 to positive during the period of the NPP administration.
He said the implication was that in 2000, if the nation had sold all its assets, it could not even have paid its creditors.
With respect to debt sustainability, Mr Baah-Wiredu said at the time the NPP took office in 2000, it stood at 189 per cent, but now it had been reduced to 57 per cent, indicating an improvement in the economy.
He asked all those who might have doubts about such information to cross-check them from his ministry and the Bank of Ghana.
Mr Baah-Wiredu attributed the strength of the economy to the increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) as a result of increased food production, reasonable food prices and a boom in the construction industry.
Furthermore, he said, funds from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, as well as the growth in the manufacturing, energy, mining and services sectors had all helped to strengthen the economy even in the face of external difficulties.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the financial windfall from the Ghana@50 anniversary celebrations, the hosting of CAN 2008 and various international conferences, also helped to bolster the economy.
When asked to justify his assertion that the economy was expanding against the increase in inflation, the finance minister said although the government was working towards improving internal factors that caused inflation, it did not have control over external factors like the price of oil.
“Even comparing ourselves to developed countries like the US, we have been resilient and strong. There are signs of the economy moving,” he said.
THE Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, has again defended the state of the Ghanaian economy, saying it is expanding tremendously.
Dismissing suggestions that the government was losing grip on the economy, Mr Baah-Wiredu said despite the spiralling price of oil on the world market that reached a high of $147 per barrel, as against the budget projection of $85 per barrel, the country did not experience any shortage in its daily requirement of 60,000 barrels.
That, he said, was a positive indication that the economy was robust and strong.
Mr Baah-Wiredu made the submission in an interview with the Daily Graphic in response to assertions by a section of the public, particularly some members of the minority political parties, that the economy was crumbling.
Making a comparative analysis between the past and present to buttress his claim of an expanding economy under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, the finance minister said between January 1982 and December 2000, spanning a period of 19 years, the price of petrol per gallon increased by 2,800 per cent per annum.
However, he said, between 2000 and now, the price had increased by only 101 per cent per gallon per annum.
On total assets generated, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the total contribution of Ghanaians moved from negative between 1982 and 2000 to positive during the period of the NPP administration.
He said the implication was that in 2000, if the nation had sold all its assets, it could not even have paid its creditors.
With respect to debt sustainability, Mr Baah-Wiredu said at the time the NPP took office in 2000, it stood at 189 per cent, but now it had been reduced to 57 per cent, indicating an improvement in the economy.
He asked all those who might have doubts about such information to cross-check them from his ministry and the Bank of Ghana.
Mr Baah-Wiredu attributed the strength of the economy to the increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) as a result of increased food production, reasonable food prices and a boom in the construction industry.
Furthermore, he said, funds from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, as well as the growth in the manufacturing, energy, mining and services sectors had all helped to strengthen the economy even in the face of external difficulties.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the financial windfall from the Ghana@50 anniversary celebrations, the hosting of CAN 2008 and various international conferences, also helped to bolster the economy.
When asked to justify his assertion that the economy was expanding against the increase in inflation, the finance minister said although the government was working towards improving internal factors that caused inflation, it did not have control over external factors like the price of oil.
“Even comparing ourselves to developed countries like the US, we have been resilient and strong. There are signs of the economy moving,” he said.
‘NPP, NDC MAJOR OFFENDERS OF PARTY CODE OF CONDUCT (P.14) 15-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have been identified as the major offenders of the Political Parties Code of Conduct 2008.
According to the National Enforcement Body of the code, reported cases of clashes between political parties, the carrying and use of offensive weapons to rallies, and non-co-operation with the police were some of the blatant breaches of the code.
Other breeches of the code were the mutual suspicion arising out of the recent limited voter registration exercise, the use of inflammatory and spiteful language, misunderstanding arising from the clash of dates and venues of party rallies, and the defacing of posters and paraphernalia.
Addressing a news conference in Accra after a meeting to review reports from the regions, the Chairman of the National Enforcement Body of the code, Reverend Dr Fred Deegbey, said the body was alarmed at the various breaches of the code by the political parties.
Although he did not mention specific political parties that breached the code, he admitted an assertion by a journalist that the two front-running parties, the NPP and the NDC, were the major offenders.
The Political Parties Code of Conduct 2008 was developed by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) to encourage political parties to abide by agreed rules and regulations for a peaceful and successful election in December.
Rev. Dr Deegbey, who is also the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, said the National Enforcement Body was investigating the regional reports after which it would disclose the parties involved in the breeches of the code.
He said an analysis of the regional reports revealed that although Ghana was seen as a peaceful nation, “the rising political tension is a matter of grave concern”, adding that the keen political competition to win power was heightening tension and fuelling conflicts.
“The body also considered as alarming, the increasing use of the media, especially the electronic media, as the staging post for political battles.
In these places, there were no attempts to restrain politicians, social commentators and callers from mudslinging and fiery speeches”, Rev. Dr Deegbey indicated.
In order to address those issues, the National Enforcement Body made a six-point recommendation including a reminder to all political parties that the December election did not mean the laws of the state no longer existed.
It urged security agencies to be impartial and professional in the discharge of their duties.
The National Enforcement Body further urged political parties and the media to devote time on radio, television and political campaign platforms to educate the people on the code.
“The use of ethnicity by some political parties to score political points and as a basis for support, and the media to sensationalise these pronouncements must be deplored”, it insisted.
THE ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have been identified as the major offenders of the Political Parties Code of Conduct 2008.
According to the National Enforcement Body of the code, reported cases of clashes between political parties, the carrying and use of offensive weapons to rallies, and non-co-operation with the police were some of the blatant breaches of the code.
Other breeches of the code were the mutual suspicion arising out of the recent limited voter registration exercise, the use of inflammatory and spiteful language, misunderstanding arising from the clash of dates and venues of party rallies, and the defacing of posters and paraphernalia.
Addressing a news conference in Accra after a meeting to review reports from the regions, the Chairman of the National Enforcement Body of the code, Reverend Dr Fred Deegbey, said the body was alarmed at the various breaches of the code by the political parties.
Although he did not mention specific political parties that breached the code, he admitted an assertion by a journalist that the two front-running parties, the NPP and the NDC, were the major offenders.
The Political Parties Code of Conduct 2008 was developed by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) to encourage political parties to abide by agreed rules and regulations for a peaceful and successful election in December.
Rev. Dr Deegbey, who is also the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, said the National Enforcement Body was investigating the regional reports after which it would disclose the parties involved in the breeches of the code.
He said an analysis of the regional reports revealed that although Ghana was seen as a peaceful nation, “the rising political tension is a matter of grave concern”, adding that the keen political competition to win power was heightening tension and fuelling conflicts.
“The body also considered as alarming, the increasing use of the media, especially the electronic media, as the staging post for political battles.
In these places, there were no attempts to restrain politicians, social commentators and callers from mudslinging and fiery speeches”, Rev. Dr Deegbey indicated.
In order to address those issues, the National Enforcement Body made a six-point recommendation including a reminder to all political parties that the December election did not mean the laws of the state no longer existed.
It urged security agencies to be impartial and professional in the discharge of their duties.
The National Enforcement Body further urged political parties and the media to devote time on radio, television and political campaign platforms to educate the people on the code.
“The use of ethnicity by some political parties to score political points and as a basis for support, and the media to sensationalise these pronouncements must be deplored”, it insisted.
CHINA WILL ASSIST IN AFRICA'S DEV'T (P.3) 15-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE emergence of Chinese businesses and investors in Africa has brightened the prospects of the continent’s development, some international researchers on Sino-Afro relations have observed.
According to them, the presence of China in Africa had renewed and invigorated development projects on the continent, but they cautioned against the dominance of Chinese businesses in a manner that would kill local businesses.
The researchers made the remark at a regional workshop on “China’s role in Africa: Development and governance implications”, organised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in Accra today.
Making a presentation on the topic, “China and Africa: An overview”, the Project Director of China and Africa Project, Dr Chris Alden, said the rise of China was a global phenomenon and its presence in Africa had been very huge.
He said trade between China and Africa in 2007 amounted to $72 billion, adding that Africa was home to some of the largest Chinese investors in the world.
Dr Alden mentioned infrastructure as one of the development needs in Africa where China had made a huge impact by way of investment.
In another presentation on the topic, “Ghana and China - A case study of engagement”, a researcher at the Cambridge University, Mr Isaac Idun-Arkhurst, said relations between Ghana and China date back to the 1960s, which relations had, over the years, improved from diplomacy whereby Ghana supported China in international politics, to mutually-driven economic interests.
He said Ghana’s current political stability and economic growth provided safe grounds for Chinese investors.
Mr Idun-Arkhurst mentioned the $562-million Bui Dam project and the Ofankor-Nsawam Road project as some of the development initiatives the Chinese government had supported in Ghana.
He stressed the need for Ghanaian industries to diversify and modernise their products in order to take advantage of the opportunities that the relationship between the two countries offered.
Mr Idun-Arkhurst, however, noted that the influx of Chinese businesses and products was killing some local businesses, citing the textile industry.
He, therefore, called for measures that would help address those challenges.
Giving a perspective of Chinese investment in the energy sector in Kenya, an economist, Mr Tsidiso Disenyana, said the energy sector in Kenya had been going through challenges, including power outages.
However, he said, with the recent Chinese investment in the sector, particularly solar energy production, there was hope of an improvement.
In another presentation on “Banking in Africa: The role of Chinese financial institutions”, a financial consultant, Mr Riaan Meyer, said the China Exim Bank and the China Development Bank had played key roles in the development aspirations of Africa.
He said the presence of the Chinese banks in Africa had gingered banks from the West to grow.
The Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, Prof Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, said the prospects of Africa’s development had been bolstered by the presence of China on the continent.
THE emergence of Chinese businesses and investors in Africa has brightened the prospects of the continent’s development, some international researchers on Sino-Afro relations have observed.
According to them, the presence of China in Africa had renewed and invigorated development projects on the continent, but they cautioned against the dominance of Chinese businesses in a manner that would kill local businesses.
The researchers made the remark at a regional workshop on “China’s role in Africa: Development and governance implications”, organised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in Accra today.
Making a presentation on the topic, “China and Africa: An overview”, the Project Director of China and Africa Project, Dr Chris Alden, said the rise of China was a global phenomenon and its presence in Africa had been very huge.
He said trade between China and Africa in 2007 amounted to $72 billion, adding that Africa was home to some of the largest Chinese investors in the world.
Dr Alden mentioned infrastructure as one of the development needs in Africa where China had made a huge impact by way of investment.
In another presentation on the topic, “Ghana and China - A case study of engagement”, a researcher at the Cambridge University, Mr Isaac Idun-Arkhurst, said relations between Ghana and China date back to the 1960s, which relations had, over the years, improved from diplomacy whereby Ghana supported China in international politics, to mutually-driven economic interests.
He said Ghana’s current political stability and economic growth provided safe grounds for Chinese investors.
Mr Idun-Arkhurst mentioned the $562-million Bui Dam project and the Ofankor-Nsawam Road project as some of the development initiatives the Chinese government had supported in Ghana.
He stressed the need for Ghanaian industries to diversify and modernise their products in order to take advantage of the opportunities that the relationship between the two countries offered.
Mr Idun-Arkhurst, however, noted that the influx of Chinese businesses and products was killing some local businesses, citing the textile industry.
He, therefore, called for measures that would help address those challenges.
Giving a perspective of Chinese investment in the energy sector in Kenya, an economist, Mr Tsidiso Disenyana, said the energy sector in Kenya had been going through challenges, including power outages.
However, he said, with the recent Chinese investment in the sector, particularly solar energy production, there was hope of an improvement.
In another presentation on “Banking in Africa: The role of Chinese financial institutions”, a financial consultant, Mr Riaan Meyer, said the China Exim Bank and the China Development Bank had played key roles in the development aspirations of Africa.
He said the presence of the Chinese banks in Africa had gingered banks from the West to grow.
The Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, Prof Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, said the prospects of Africa’s development had been bolstered by the presence of China on the continent.
TWO IN TUSSLE OVER GNA BOSS SALARY (P.55) 15-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE National Media Commission (NMC) and the Auditor-General are embroiled in a power struggle over the salary of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
This follows the controversy stirred by the Auditor-General, who challenged the authority of the NMC in fixing the GH¢8,050 monthly salary of the GNA boss without consulting the Presidency.
Whereas the NMC is questioning the mandate of the Auditor-General to make pronouncement on whether or not the commission consulted the Presidency before fixing the salary for the GNA boss, the Auditor-General, Mr Edward Dua Agyeman, insists he has such authority as the watchdog of the national kitty and is, therefore, asking the NMC to do the right thing.
“I have the right to comment on it and to safeguard the purse of the nation. Otherwise, I can also set a big salary for myself because I oversee the national purse. But it doesn’t work that way,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview yesterday.
However, responding to correspondents from the Auditor-General on the matter, the NMC said in a letter dated September 10, 2008, that the issue, being a constitutional and legal matter, should be left to the commission and the Presidency or other constitutional entities with the mandate to resolve interpretative conflicts.
“Any attempt, therefore, to create a wedge between the National Media Commission and the Presidency would be vigorously resisted,” the commission stated in the letter signed by its chairman, Mr Paul Adu-Gyamfi.
Mr Agyeman, however, told the Daily Graphic that his actions were not intended to create a wedge between the NMC and the Office of the President, but to ensure that the proper thing was done as far as state money was concerned.
He said enquiries made at the Office of the President confirmed that the NMC did not consult the Presidency before fixing the GH¢8,050 salary of the GNA General Manager.
Mr Agyeman said if the NMC had consulted the Presidency before fixing the salary and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) had indicated its ability to pay the salary, he would not have raised any eyebrow.
Furthermore, he said, if the GNA was an income-generating institution whose salary was not charged on the Consolidated Fund, it could decide to fix the salary of the General Manager at any level and that would not pose any problem to him.
The NMC indicated in its letter that it was the right of the Office of the President, not the Auditor-General, to complain about the adequacy of consultations between the NMC and the Presidency in the appointment of Chief Executive Officers of the state-owned media.
“Your attempt to pronounce upon the procedures involved in the execution of the employment contract of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency suffers from the same weakness of locus and mandate referred to above,” the NMC added.
However, Mr Agyeman insisted that so long as the GNA boss’ salary was charged to the Consolidated Fund, he had the right, as Auditor-General, to question the salary if it did not follow the right procedure, adding that even if the President was paid more than necessary, “I have the right to comment on it”.
Nana Appau Duah was appointed by the NMC as the General Manager of the GNA on October 1, 2006, per a letter dated September 18, 2006, having acted in that position previously.
However, on January 25, 2008, the NMC and the General Manager signed a service agreement that will keep Nana Appau Duah in employment for a six-year period, beginning October 1, 2006, without the option of renewal.
The service agreement set the salary of the General Manager at GH¢3,500 per month and a package of six monthly allowances, including responsibility - 50 per cent, risk - 10 per cent, entertainment - 10 per cent, general duty - 25 per cent, rent (accommodation) - 30 per cent, and Provident Fund - five per cent.
The salary (GH¢3,500) and allowances totalling 130 per cent of the basic salary or GH¢4,550, bring the total gross emolument to GH¢8,050 per month for the General Manager.
The amount seemed to have raised concerns at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, whose Director of Budget, Mr Kwabena Adjei-Mensah, in April this year requested the Auditor-General to verify and advise on the computation of the salary arrears and other allowances due Nana Appau Duah.
Responding to that request, the Auditor-General observed that the Greenstreet Committee, which determined salaries and conditions of service of Article 71 office holders, fixed the salary of Cabinet Ministers at GH¢3,120 per month with effect from January 1, 2006, and that with the recent increases, the monthly gross salary was below GH¢4,000.
He, therefore, found it very difficult to come to terms with how the salary of the GNA General Manager could be far more than the salary of Cabinet Ministers.
Mr Agyeman also indicated that having observed that prior to his appointment as General Manager, Nana Appau Duah was a serving officer of the GNA, “I do not see the basis for the new contract which seems to exclude him out of the SSNIT Pension Scheme.”
He, therefore, advised the NMC to submit the award of contract and terms and conditions to the President for his input in accordance with Article 168 of the constitution.
The Auditor-General observed that despite the lack of consultation with the Presidency, the General Manager was paid the new salary between February and June 2008, resulting in the payment of GH¢33,200 being the difference between the old and new salary and allowances.
“I find the payment of GH¢33,200 to be improper because there is no evidence that the appointment, including the terms and conditions, and the duration of the contract, was made in consultation with the President as prescribed in Article 168 of the 1992 Constitution,” he noted.
Mr Agyeman further indicated that the GNA wrongly interpreted clause 8 of the employment contract based on which it computed for the General Manager GH¢7,166.25 being a 15-per cent increase in salary and allowances awarded to staff of the agency by the government effective January 1, 2008.
The Ministry of Finance subsequently withheld the payment of that increase in salary and allowance pending further investigations on his condition of service granted by the NMC.
That decision seemed unacceptable to the NMC, which, in its letter, consequently asked the Auditor-General “to take immediate steps to remove the unauthorised embargo you have placed on the salary of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency as your act is ultra vires”.
Giving further explanation on the issue, the Auditor-General said the decision to stop the payment of the new salary and allowances to Nana Appau Duah was to allow for vetting of his salary.
He said the vetting would look at a number of issues, including the legality of the salary, computation, financial regulation and the labour law.
THE National Media Commission (NMC) and the Auditor-General are embroiled in a power struggle over the salary of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
This follows the controversy stirred by the Auditor-General, who challenged the authority of the NMC in fixing the GH¢8,050 monthly salary of the GNA boss without consulting the Presidency.
Whereas the NMC is questioning the mandate of the Auditor-General to make pronouncement on whether or not the commission consulted the Presidency before fixing the salary for the GNA boss, the Auditor-General, Mr Edward Dua Agyeman, insists he has such authority as the watchdog of the national kitty and is, therefore, asking the NMC to do the right thing.
“I have the right to comment on it and to safeguard the purse of the nation. Otherwise, I can also set a big salary for myself because I oversee the national purse. But it doesn’t work that way,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview yesterday.
However, responding to correspondents from the Auditor-General on the matter, the NMC said in a letter dated September 10, 2008, that the issue, being a constitutional and legal matter, should be left to the commission and the Presidency or other constitutional entities with the mandate to resolve interpretative conflicts.
“Any attempt, therefore, to create a wedge between the National Media Commission and the Presidency would be vigorously resisted,” the commission stated in the letter signed by its chairman, Mr Paul Adu-Gyamfi.
Mr Agyeman, however, told the Daily Graphic that his actions were not intended to create a wedge between the NMC and the Office of the President, but to ensure that the proper thing was done as far as state money was concerned.
He said enquiries made at the Office of the President confirmed that the NMC did not consult the Presidency before fixing the GH¢8,050 salary of the GNA General Manager.
Mr Agyeman said if the NMC had consulted the Presidency before fixing the salary and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) had indicated its ability to pay the salary, he would not have raised any eyebrow.
Furthermore, he said, if the GNA was an income-generating institution whose salary was not charged on the Consolidated Fund, it could decide to fix the salary of the General Manager at any level and that would not pose any problem to him.
The NMC indicated in its letter that it was the right of the Office of the President, not the Auditor-General, to complain about the adequacy of consultations between the NMC and the Presidency in the appointment of Chief Executive Officers of the state-owned media.
“Your attempt to pronounce upon the procedures involved in the execution of the employment contract of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency suffers from the same weakness of locus and mandate referred to above,” the NMC added.
However, Mr Agyeman insisted that so long as the GNA boss’ salary was charged to the Consolidated Fund, he had the right, as Auditor-General, to question the salary if it did not follow the right procedure, adding that even if the President was paid more than necessary, “I have the right to comment on it”.
Nana Appau Duah was appointed by the NMC as the General Manager of the GNA on October 1, 2006, per a letter dated September 18, 2006, having acted in that position previously.
However, on January 25, 2008, the NMC and the General Manager signed a service agreement that will keep Nana Appau Duah in employment for a six-year period, beginning October 1, 2006, without the option of renewal.
The service agreement set the salary of the General Manager at GH¢3,500 per month and a package of six monthly allowances, including responsibility - 50 per cent, risk - 10 per cent, entertainment - 10 per cent, general duty - 25 per cent, rent (accommodation) - 30 per cent, and Provident Fund - five per cent.
The salary (GH¢3,500) and allowances totalling 130 per cent of the basic salary or GH¢4,550, bring the total gross emolument to GH¢8,050 per month for the General Manager.
The amount seemed to have raised concerns at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, whose Director of Budget, Mr Kwabena Adjei-Mensah, in April this year requested the Auditor-General to verify and advise on the computation of the salary arrears and other allowances due Nana Appau Duah.
Responding to that request, the Auditor-General observed that the Greenstreet Committee, which determined salaries and conditions of service of Article 71 office holders, fixed the salary of Cabinet Ministers at GH¢3,120 per month with effect from January 1, 2006, and that with the recent increases, the monthly gross salary was below GH¢4,000.
He, therefore, found it very difficult to come to terms with how the salary of the GNA General Manager could be far more than the salary of Cabinet Ministers.
Mr Agyeman also indicated that having observed that prior to his appointment as General Manager, Nana Appau Duah was a serving officer of the GNA, “I do not see the basis for the new contract which seems to exclude him out of the SSNIT Pension Scheme.”
He, therefore, advised the NMC to submit the award of contract and terms and conditions to the President for his input in accordance with Article 168 of the constitution.
The Auditor-General observed that despite the lack of consultation with the Presidency, the General Manager was paid the new salary between February and June 2008, resulting in the payment of GH¢33,200 being the difference between the old and new salary and allowances.
“I find the payment of GH¢33,200 to be improper because there is no evidence that the appointment, including the terms and conditions, and the duration of the contract, was made in consultation with the President as prescribed in Article 168 of the 1992 Constitution,” he noted.
Mr Agyeman further indicated that the GNA wrongly interpreted clause 8 of the employment contract based on which it computed for the General Manager GH¢7,166.25 being a 15-per cent increase in salary and allowances awarded to staff of the agency by the government effective January 1, 2008.
The Ministry of Finance subsequently withheld the payment of that increase in salary and allowance pending further investigations on his condition of service granted by the NMC.
That decision seemed unacceptable to the NMC, which, in its letter, consequently asked the Auditor-General “to take immediate steps to remove the unauthorised embargo you have placed on the salary of the General Manager of the Ghana News Agency as your act is ultra vires”.
Giving further explanation on the issue, the Auditor-General said the decision to stop the payment of the new salary and allowances to Nana Appau Duah was to allow for vetting of his salary.
He said the vetting would look at a number of issues, including the legality of the salary, computation, financial regulation and the labour law.
Friday, September 12, 2008
GOVT REVIEWS PORT MASTER PLAN (P.43) 08-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE government is reviewing the Ports Master Plan with the aim of modernising the Tema and Takoradi ports to enable them cope with current challenges in the industry.
At the moment, a feasibility study is being undertaken for a new master plan that will among other interventions, increase the capacity of the two ports to accommodate the increasing container traffic.
Under the current Ports Master Plan, the Tema Port, for instance, was projected to hit the 400 margin in terms of container traffic by 2010.
However, by the close of 2006, the port had exceeded that projection, necessitating the review of the master plan to adjust to the increasing volumes of containers and meet emerging challenges in the industry.
The Director of Policy Planning at the Ministry of Harbours and Railways, Mr Justice Amegashie, made this known in Accra last Wednesday at a seminar on the maritime industry organised for journalists.
It was under the joint auspices of the Ghana Shippers’ Council (GSC) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), with the Ministry of Harbours and Railways and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) as the key collaborators.
The shipping industry plays a critical role in global trade, particularly with respect to cargo transportation.
In 2006, 7.4 billion tonnes of cargo were estimated to have been transported across the world through shipping. In Ghana, in the same year, 14.5 million tonnes of cargo were imported and exported through shipping.
It is in recognition of the critical role shipping plays in the global economy that the United Nations (UN) declared shipping as an important vehicle for growth and development within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Mr Amegashie said under a new Ports Master Plan, the modernisation of the Takoradi Port would take into account the emerging oil industry following the discovery of oil in the Western Region.
Making further comments on the review, the Ports Operations Co-ordinator at the GPHA, Mr Samuel Ntow Kummi, said it was a normal practice in the port industry to periodically review master plans to reflect changes in projections.
He said there was the need for the construction of a second terminal at the Tema Port to enable it to accommodate the increasing container traffic.
Responding to questions on the fate of the Boankra Inland Port, the Deputy Chief Executive of the GSC, Mr Emmanuel Martey, said all the preparatory work on the project had been done, pointing out that the only thing needed now to bring the project to life was a strategic investor.
The Boankra Inland Port project requires a capital injection of $600 million, an amount that has kept the authorities searching for many months for a strategic investor with the requisite financial muscle and technical acumen to bring it into operation.
The port is already linked to the Tema and Takoradi ports by the eastern and western rail lines, but on completion of the project, it is expected to be expanded to become a primary port although its cargo will go through the Tema and Takoradi ports.
For that reason, the completion of the project is expected to decongest the two mother ports and bring huge economic benefits to the nation, particularly in terms of revenue and employment.
So far, the government has had talks with investors from the United Kingdom, Germany and the USA, among others, but none of them has as yet made any positive move.
“They claim they are still studying the documents and talking to their financiers and I think at the appropriate time they will come and talk to us”, Mr Martey indicated.
The Chief Executive Officer of the GSC, Mr Kofi Mbiah, said the emergence of globalisation had made it imperative to encourage a cross fertilisation of ideas between operators in the shipping industry and the media in order to enhance accurate and objective reportage on the industry.
He said the seminar was to enable media practitioners have a deeper understanding of the shipping industry.
The Vice-President of the GJA, Mr Roland Affail Monney, who chaired the seminar, said much as there was the need for democracy to grow, any democracy without strong economic backing was weak and vulnerable.
He encouraged journalists, particularly those who report on business and finance, to go the extra mile to give more analytical information to the public.
Mr Monney further urged the media to show special interest in the activities of the GSC and to forge partnership between the two organisations to accelerate the economic development of the country.
THE government is reviewing the Ports Master Plan with the aim of modernising the Tema and Takoradi ports to enable them cope with current challenges in the industry.
At the moment, a feasibility study is being undertaken for a new master plan that will among other interventions, increase the capacity of the two ports to accommodate the increasing container traffic.
Under the current Ports Master Plan, the Tema Port, for instance, was projected to hit the 400 margin in terms of container traffic by 2010.
However, by the close of 2006, the port had exceeded that projection, necessitating the review of the master plan to adjust to the increasing volumes of containers and meet emerging challenges in the industry.
The Director of Policy Planning at the Ministry of Harbours and Railways, Mr Justice Amegashie, made this known in Accra last Wednesday at a seminar on the maritime industry organised for journalists.
It was under the joint auspices of the Ghana Shippers’ Council (GSC) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), with the Ministry of Harbours and Railways and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) as the key collaborators.
The shipping industry plays a critical role in global trade, particularly with respect to cargo transportation.
In 2006, 7.4 billion tonnes of cargo were estimated to have been transported across the world through shipping. In Ghana, in the same year, 14.5 million tonnes of cargo were imported and exported through shipping.
It is in recognition of the critical role shipping plays in the global economy that the United Nations (UN) declared shipping as an important vehicle for growth and development within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Mr Amegashie said under a new Ports Master Plan, the modernisation of the Takoradi Port would take into account the emerging oil industry following the discovery of oil in the Western Region.
Making further comments on the review, the Ports Operations Co-ordinator at the GPHA, Mr Samuel Ntow Kummi, said it was a normal practice in the port industry to periodically review master plans to reflect changes in projections.
He said there was the need for the construction of a second terminal at the Tema Port to enable it to accommodate the increasing container traffic.
Responding to questions on the fate of the Boankra Inland Port, the Deputy Chief Executive of the GSC, Mr Emmanuel Martey, said all the preparatory work on the project had been done, pointing out that the only thing needed now to bring the project to life was a strategic investor.
The Boankra Inland Port project requires a capital injection of $600 million, an amount that has kept the authorities searching for many months for a strategic investor with the requisite financial muscle and technical acumen to bring it into operation.
The port is already linked to the Tema and Takoradi ports by the eastern and western rail lines, but on completion of the project, it is expected to be expanded to become a primary port although its cargo will go through the Tema and Takoradi ports.
For that reason, the completion of the project is expected to decongest the two mother ports and bring huge economic benefits to the nation, particularly in terms of revenue and employment.
So far, the government has had talks with investors from the United Kingdom, Germany and the USA, among others, but none of them has as yet made any positive move.
“They claim they are still studying the documents and talking to their financiers and I think at the appropriate time they will come and talk to us”, Mr Martey indicated.
The Chief Executive Officer of the GSC, Mr Kofi Mbiah, said the emergence of globalisation had made it imperative to encourage a cross fertilisation of ideas between operators in the shipping industry and the media in order to enhance accurate and objective reportage on the industry.
He said the seminar was to enable media practitioners have a deeper understanding of the shipping industry.
The Vice-President of the GJA, Mr Roland Affail Monney, who chaired the seminar, said much as there was the need for democracy to grow, any democracy without strong economic backing was weak and vulnerable.
He encouraged journalists, particularly those who report on business and finance, to go the extra mile to give more analytical information to the public.
Mr Monney further urged the media to show special interest in the activities of the GSC and to forge partnership between the two organisations to accelerate the economic development of the country.
CENTENARY ANNIVERSARY LAUNCH (P.30) 09-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE St Mary The Virgin Anglican Church in Accra has launched its centenary anniversary with the ambition of undertaking a school project to commemorate the occasion.
The project involves the reconstruction of the primary and junior high school blocks of the church in Accra Central into a two-storey building to accommodate the increasing number of pupils.
The Consular of the Swedish Embassy, Nii Amarkai Amarteifio, has pledged GH¢10,000 to support the first phase of the project and also gave a promise to bear the cost of roofing it on completion.
The Anglican Archbishop of the Church of the Province of West Africa, the Most Rev Dr Justice Offei Akrofi, launched the centenary anniversary at a special church service in Accra on Sunday.
He also inaugurated a library complex built by the church at a cost of GH¢15,000 to commemorate the centenary celebration.
The project was jointly sponsored by a past parish priest of the church, the Rev Fr Vincent Shamo, the Managing Director of Noble Shipping Agency in Accra, Mr Barbinton Borquaye and the Legal Secretary of Ecobank, Ghana Limited, Mr Daniel Abban Lanquaye Lamptey,
Dignitaries at the special church service included the Gbese Mantse, Nii Okaidja III, who represented the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Tawiah III, the Ngleshie Alata Mantse, Nii Kojo Ababio IV, and the Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo, Mr Jonathan Nii Tackie Komme.
The Most Rev Dr Akrofi, who is also the Anglican Bishop of Accra Diocese, said 100 years was a long journey in life, and lauded the forebears of the church for their immense contribution to its growth over the years.
He urged the present congregation to also contribute their quota to making the church grow bigger, and urged them to be united in all their endeavours.
The Most Rev Dr Akrofi said the church did not belong to any individual or tribe, but to God, and so they should live as brothers and sisters.
On the December election, he called on all Ghanaians to ensure peace during the electioneering period.
To that end, he asked all peace lovers to join the congregation of the St Monica Anglican Church in Accra for a five-day special prayer, beginning Monday, to invoke God’s mercies for peace to prevail during the electioneering period.
The priest in-charge of the church and Archdeacon of Accra West, the Venerable E. M. Tetteh, reminded members of the church of the great works that lay ahead and urged them to rise up to the challenge so that they would be fondly remembered at the turn of another century.
In a message delivered through Nii Okaidja, the Ga Mantse advised members of the church to practise the lessons they received from sermons.
That, he said, would help promote progress in their own lives, the community in which they lived, and the nation as a whole.
Nii Okaidja unveiled a plaque to mark the inauguration of the library, and the centenary anniversary cloth for the celebration.
The anniversary launch was preceded last Saturday by a float through some principal streets of Accra.
Other activities lined up for the occasion are football matches and quiz competitions.
The activities for the anniversary celebration will be climaxed with a special church service in February 2009.
THE St Mary The Virgin Anglican Church in Accra has launched its centenary anniversary with the ambition of undertaking a school project to commemorate the occasion.
The project involves the reconstruction of the primary and junior high school blocks of the church in Accra Central into a two-storey building to accommodate the increasing number of pupils.
The Consular of the Swedish Embassy, Nii Amarkai Amarteifio, has pledged GH¢10,000 to support the first phase of the project and also gave a promise to bear the cost of roofing it on completion.
The Anglican Archbishop of the Church of the Province of West Africa, the Most Rev Dr Justice Offei Akrofi, launched the centenary anniversary at a special church service in Accra on Sunday.
He also inaugurated a library complex built by the church at a cost of GH¢15,000 to commemorate the centenary celebration.
The project was jointly sponsored by a past parish priest of the church, the Rev Fr Vincent Shamo, the Managing Director of Noble Shipping Agency in Accra, Mr Barbinton Borquaye and the Legal Secretary of Ecobank, Ghana Limited, Mr Daniel Abban Lanquaye Lamptey,
Dignitaries at the special church service included the Gbese Mantse, Nii Okaidja III, who represented the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Tawiah III, the Ngleshie Alata Mantse, Nii Kojo Ababio IV, and the Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo, Mr Jonathan Nii Tackie Komme.
The Most Rev Dr Akrofi, who is also the Anglican Bishop of Accra Diocese, said 100 years was a long journey in life, and lauded the forebears of the church for their immense contribution to its growth over the years.
He urged the present congregation to also contribute their quota to making the church grow bigger, and urged them to be united in all their endeavours.
The Most Rev Dr Akrofi said the church did not belong to any individual or tribe, but to God, and so they should live as brothers and sisters.
On the December election, he called on all Ghanaians to ensure peace during the electioneering period.
To that end, he asked all peace lovers to join the congregation of the St Monica Anglican Church in Accra for a five-day special prayer, beginning Monday, to invoke God’s mercies for peace to prevail during the electioneering period.
The priest in-charge of the church and Archdeacon of Accra West, the Venerable E. M. Tetteh, reminded members of the church of the great works that lay ahead and urged them to rise up to the challenge so that they would be fondly remembered at the turn of another century.
In a message delivered through Nii Okaidja, the Ga Mantse advised members of the church to practise the lessons they received from sermons.
That, he said, would help promote progress in their own lives, the community in which they lived, and the nation as a whole.
Nii Okaidja unveiled a plaque to mark the inauguration of the library, and the centenary anniversary cloth for the celebration.
The anniversary launch was preceded last Saturday by a float through some principal streets of Accra.
Other activities lined up for the occasion are football matches and quiz competitions.
The activities for the anniversary celebration will be climaxed with a special church service in February 2009.
CASE OF OMAN GHANA TRUST FUND RE-OPENED (P.3) 10-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE controversy over alleged billions of dollars of Ghana money lodged in a Swiss bank about five decades ago, was revived today with a renewed call on the government to take decisive steps to retrieve the money.
The money, said to belong to the Oman Ghana Trust Fund, was allegedly lodged in the United Bank of Switzerland (UBS) by Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, in 1959 and it is believed its retrieval could inject life into Ghana’s economy.
However, there have been controversial claims of ownership of the fortune and it is unclear whether it belongs to the state or the late John Ackah Blay-Miezah, the sole trustee of the fund.
Efforts by various governments over the years to retrieve the money have proved futile, thus heightening suspicion that it is a fluke.
But a group known as Friends of Oman Ghana Trust Fund (FOGTF) believes there is nothing mythical about the money and is very much convinced that the fortune belongs to Ghana and not the late Ackah Blay-Miezah.
The group, therefore, called on the government to expedite action by constituting a team to retrieve the money from the Swiss bank for the benefit of the nation.
“We know President Kufuor’s government is a listening government. We want him to give this project a critical attention so that it is completed and laid to rest”, the leader of FOGTF, Mr Kobla Asamani, told journalists at a news conference in Accra yesterday.
The money is said to have been deposited at the UBS by the government of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in 1959 to facilitate the prosecution of its economic agenda which involved several development projects.
Somehow, and particularly after the death of Dr Nkrumah, Mr Blay-Miezah managed to become the sole trustee, while he made the Finance Minister in the CPP government, Dr Kwasi Amoako-Attah, the sole beneficiary of the fund.
As of 1986, the account of the fund was believed to have exceeded $400 billion, made up of $47 billion in current account and the rest in investment savings accounts.
Considering the pedigree of the Swiss bank to double accounts every seven years, Friends of the Oman Ghana Trust Fund believe Ghana is now worth more than a whopping $3 trillion in the UBS.
“One hour after arrival at the bank, the current account which contains about $47 billion will be retrieved. The other six accounts which are investment savings account will then be activated and within six months that will also be available for retrieval”, the group indicated at the news conference.
Question after question, journalists at the news conference kept probing the members of the group for more answers, an endeavour that reflected the cloudy manner in which the Oman Ghana Trust Fund had been cast over the past decades.
According to Mr Asamani, research conducted by the group had established the existence of the money in the Swiss bank, an assertion, he claimed, had been confirmed by two separate investigations conducted by the Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning, and National Security.
He asked the government to include Capt. Gregory Frazier, an American businessman, who claims knowledge of the security code number and password needed to retrieve the money, in the team to redeem Ghana’s fortune from Switzerland.
Describing Mr Frazier as the “only hope” for Ghana, Mr Asamani said at 60, the American was advancing in age, and it was important for the government to act swiftly, otherwise, the nation would lose the money if he died.
“President Kufuor will be leaving behind a legacy of a lifetime reliever of his people from poverty. We the Friends of Oman Ghana Trust Fund believe the time is now or never”, he said.
THE controversy over alleged billions of dollars of Ghana money lodged in a Swiss bank about five decades ago, was revived today with a renewed call on the government to take decisive steps to retrieve the money.
The money, said to belong to the Oman Ghana Trust Fund, was allegedly lodged in the United Bank of Switzerland (UBS) by Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, in 1959 and it is believed its retrieval could inject life into Ghana’s economy.
However, there have been controversial claims of ownership of the fortune and it is unclear whether it belongs to the state or the late John Ackah Blay-Miezah, the sole trustee of the fund.
Efforts by various governments over the years to retrieve the money have proved futile, thus heightening suspicion that it is a fluke.
But a group known as Friends of Oman Ghana Trust Fund (FOGTF) believes there is nothing mythical about the money and is very much convinced that the fortune belongs to Ghana and not the late Ackah Blay-Miezah.
The group, therefore, called on the government to expedite action by constituting a team to retrieve the money from the Swiss bank for the benefit of the nation.
“We know President Kufuor’s government is a listening government. We want him to give this project a critical attention so that it is completed and laid to rest”, the leader of FOGTF, Mr Kobla Asamani, told journalists at a news conference in Accra yesterday.
The money is said to have been deposited at the UBS by the government of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in 1959 to facilitate the prosecution of its economic agenda which involved several development projects.
Somehow, and particularly after the death of Dr Nkrumah, Mr Blay-Miezah managed to become the sole trustee, while he made the Finance Minister in the CPP government, Dr Kwasi Amoako-Attah, the sole beneficiary of the fund.
As of 1986, the account of the fund was believed to have exceeded $400 billion, made up of $47 billion in current account and the rest in investment savings accounts.
Considering the pedigree of the Swiss bank to double accounts every seven years, Friends of the Oman Ghana Trust Fund believe Ghana is now worth more than a whopping $3 trillion in the UBS.
“One hour after arrival at the bank, the current account which contains about $47 billion will be retrieved. The other six accounts which are investment savings account will then be activated and within six months that will also be available for retrieval”, the group indicated at the news conference.
Question after question, journalists at the news conference kept probing the members of the group for more answers, an endeavour that reflected the cloudy manner in which the Oman Ghana Trust Fund had been cast over the past decades.
According to Mr Asamani, research conducted by the group had established the existence of the money in the Swiss bank, an assertion, he claimed, had been confirmed by two separate investigations conducted by the Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning, and National Security.
He asked the government to include Capt. Gregory Frazier, an American businessman, who claims knowledge of the security code number and password needed to retrieve the money, in the team to redeem Ghana’s fortune from Switzerland.
Describing Mr Frazier as the “only hope” for Ghana, Mr Asamani said at 60, the American was advancing in age, and it was important for the government to act swiftly, otherwise, the nation would lose the money if he died.
“President Kufuor will be leaving behind a legacy of a lifetime reliever of his people from poverty. We the Friends of Oman Ghana Trust Fund believe the time is now or never”, he said.
TIME & OPPORTUNITY - KEYS TO GREATNESS (P.23) 11-09-08
Title: Time & opportunity – Your access keys to greatness
Author: Osei Yaw Afoakwa
No. of pages: 176
Reviewer: Kofi Yeboah
MANY people are familiar with the famous quote by the legendary English scholar, William Shakespeare: “Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them". This means greatness is either bestowed by divine or man, both of which one has little influence over, or achieved, in which case the individual has a great influence over.
However, what many people are not aware of is how to achieve greatness. For those people desirous of achieving greatness but who are bereft of ideas to fulfil their dreams, they can now heave a sigh of relief because their access keys to greatness has been discovered by a young Ghanaian university graduate.
After searching for such answers over the past few years, Pastor Osei Yaw Afoakwa has discovered the secrets to achieving greatness and presented them in his book titled Time and opportunity - Your access keys to greatness.
"Until you develop the right attitude towards time and its effective usage, you can never maximise the opportunity God gives you to attain greatness".
This quotation, captured on the cover of Time and opportunity - Your access keys to greatness, is a foretaste of this inspiring and revealing book that grips your attention and fires up you up to discover the secret of greatness.
Greatness is, indeed, an ambition every human being would want to achieve. But the difficulty is how to make it. Time and opportunity – Your access keys to greatness provides the simplest mathematical formula to unlock the secrets of greatness – Time + Opportunity = Greatness.
Pastor Afoakwa says the desire for greatness "is a legitimate and sanctified inherent desire" that God has put in all His creations”. However, accessing that greatness requires the prudent use of time and opportunity. And what is most refreshing is that God has given those keys to us as gifts.
"God authored them and gave them freely to us so we can maximise our lives and fulfil our destinies by making the most of them", he says. However, he adds, "What we do with our time and opportunities will determine what will become of us at the end of the day".
Time and opportunity - Your access keys to greatness is a 22-chapter book cast in two main parts with the first part dealing with the importance of time. Here, the author discusses very interesting topics like how to prepare towards time and how to maximise time.
The author indicates that many a time, the failure to recognise, seize and manage opportunities that come our way may have little or nothing to do with lack of determination or willingness, but everything to do with an effort out of sequence – either one acts too early or too late.
"The ability to discern time, manage and use it properly, is a rare virtue found only in the inhabitation of the wise", he points out. This suggests that not only must one act at the right time to take advantage of opportunities, but one must also be wise enough to do so.
Pastor Afoakwa further asserts that the effective use of time is precipitated by a sound knowledge and understanding of the facts of time and he proceeds to share some thoughts on what he has identified as the six facts of time. These are the fact that God is the author of time (Gen 1:1); that time is the most valuable resource; that time is irreplaceable; that time is in limited supply; that time never goes unused because it is either wasted or invested; and that God will demand accountability of us one day for our use of time.
In the second part of the book, the author highlights the necessity to take advantage of opportunities in life with equally inspiring topics like the facts of opportunities, robbers of opportunities and seizing the opportunity to be great.
An opportunity, he notes, is a bridge between the time for preparation and that for performance. "The greatest disaster that can ever happen to a living being is when he is caught unprepared in the face of an opportunity", he submits.
According to him, every greatness is a product of utilised opportunity, and it is the meeting of preparation with opportunity that produces what is commonly referred to as "luck".
Just as Pastor Afoakwa recounts the facts of time, he also identifies four key facts about opportunities that need to be appreciated. These are the fact that God is the author of opportunities; that opportunities are in abundance; that opportunities never go waste; and that opportunities multiply in the lives of those who use them.
He dismisses the sage that "opportunity comes in life but once", contending that the loss of one particular opportunity may only introduce some delay in the process but not a total denial of subsequent opportunities. Therefore, losing one opportunity should not demoralise you. What is most important is to re-position yourself for other opportunities ahead.
As a religious scientist, one appropriate method that Pastor Afoakwa employs in his book is the making of extensive, concise, precise and appropriate biblical references that are as much captivating as they make the book very interesting reading. The in-depth treatment of the biblical quotation and the vivid explanation he provides thereof give a clear idea about the depth of his knowledge of the Bible and the fortitude with which he has applied himself to the subject.
A blend of his youthfulness, academic prowess as a Medical Laboratory Technology graduate from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and religious zealousness as the founder and head pastor of the Faithhouse Charismatic Church International, comes through strongly in the manner he dissects the subject to a minute detail. That attitude surely makes the book an inspiring material to usher the present generation into greatness.
Time and opportunity – Your access keys to greatness comes in a very attractive cover and good quality that strikes the eye from any distance and irresistibly beckons for possession.
Indeed, the book is a must-read for students and the youth in particular, and all those who are yet to fulfil their date with greatness. With just GH¢ 6, one can walk to the Above All Bookshop at Adum, the KMA Shell in Kumasi and bookshops of various churches, including the Christian Action Faith Ministries, Lighthouse Chapel, Winners Chapel International and Winners Chapel, Ghana, to grab a copy for personal reading or even as a gift for a friend.
Having read the book, I can assure you that investing in Pastor Afoakwa’s Time and Opportunity – Your access keys to greatness, will open doors of greatness to you. Mine have just begun to open and I expect to meet you on the corridors of greatness.
Author: Osei Yaw Afoakwa
No. of pages: 176
Reviewer: Kofi Yeboah
MANY people are familiar with the famous quote by the legendary English scholar, William Shakespeare: “Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them". This means greatness is either bestowed by divine or man, both of which one has little influence over, or achieved, in which case the individual has a great influence over.
However, what many people are not aware of is how to achieve greatness. For those people desirous of achieving greatness but who are bereft of ideas to fulfil their dreams, they can now heave a sigh of relief because their access keys to greatness has been discovered by a young Ghanaian university graduate.
After searching for such answers over the past few years, Pastor Osei Yaw Afoakwa has discovered the secrets to achieving greatness and presented them in his book titled Time and opportunity - Your access keys to greatness.
"Until you develop the right attitude towards time and its effective usage, you can never maximise the opportunity God gives you to attain greatness".
This quotation, captured on the cover of Time and opportunity - Your access keys to greatness, is a foretaste of this inspiring and revealing book that grips your attention and fires up you up to discover the secret of greatness.
Greatness is, indeed, an ambition every human being would want to achieve. But the difficulty is how to make it. Time and opportunity – Your access keys to greatness provides the simplest mathematical formula to unlock the secrets of greatness – Time + Opportunity = Greatness.
Pastor Afoakwa says the desire for greatness "is a legitimate and sanctified inherent desire" that God has put in all His creations”. However, accessing that greatness requires the prudent use of time and opportunity. And what is most refreshing is that God has given those keys to us as gifts.
"God authored them and gave them freely to us so we can maximise our lives and fulfil our destinies by making the most of them", he says. However, he adds, "What we do with our time and opportunities will determine what will become of us at the end of the day".
Time and opportunity - Your access keys to greatness is a 22-chapter book cast in two main parts with the first part dealing with the importance of time. Here, the author discusses very interesting topics like how to prepare towards time and how to maximise time.
The author indicates that many a time, the failure to recognise, seize and manage opportunities that come our way may have little or nothing to do with lack of determination or willingness, but everything to do with an effort out of sequence – either one acts too early or too late.
"The ability to discern time, manage and use it properly, is a rare virtue found only in the inhabitation of the wise", he points out. This suggests that not only must one act at the right time to take advantage of opportunities, but one must also be wise enough to do so.
Pastor Afoakwa further asserts that the effective use of time is precipitated by a sound knowledge and understanding of the facts of time and he proceeds to share some thoughts on what he has identified as the six facts of time. These are the fact that God is the author of time (Gen 1:1); that time is the most valuable resource; that time is irreplaceable; that time is in limited supply; that time never goes unused because it is either wasted or invested; and that God will demand accountability of us one day for our use of time.
In the second part of the book, the author highlights the necessity to take advantage of opportunities in life with equally inspiring topics like the facts of opportunities, robbers of opportunities and seizing the opportunity to be great.
An opportunity, he notes, is a bridge between the time for preparation and that for performance. "The greatest disaster that can ever happen to a living being is when he is caught unprepared in the face of an opportunity", he submits.
According to him, every greatness is a product of utilised opportunity, and it is the meeting of preparation with opportunity that produces what is commonly referred to as "luck".
Just as Pastor Afoakwa recounts the facts of time, he also identifies four key facts about opportunities that need to be appreciated. These are the fact that God is the author of opportunities; that opportunities are in abundance; that opportunities never go waste; and that opportunities multiply in the lives of those who use them.
He dismisses the sage that "opportunity comes in life but once", contending that the loss of one particular opportunity may only introduce some delay in the process but not a total denial of subsequent opportunities. Therefore, losing one opportunity should not demoralise you. What is most important is to re-position yourself for other opportunities ahead.
As a religious scientist, one appropriate method that Pastor Afoakwa employs in his book is the making of extensive, concise, precise and appropriate biblical references that are as much captivating as they make the book very interesting reading. The in-depth treatment of the biblical quotation and the vivid explanation he provides thereof give a clear idea about the depth of his knowledge of the Bible and the fortitude with which he has applied himself to the subject.
A blend of his youthfulness, academic prowess as a Medical Laboratory Technology graduate from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and religious zealousness as the founder and head pastor of the Faithhouse Charismatic Church International, comes through strongly in the manner he dissects the subject to a minute detail. That attitude surely makes the book an inspiring material to usher the present generation into greatness.
Time and opportunity – Your access keys to greatness comes in a very attractive cover and good quality that strikes the eye from any distance and irresistibly beckons for possession.
Indeed, the book is a must-read for students and the youth in particular, and all those who are yet to fulfil their date with greatness. With just GH¢ 6, one can walk to the Above All Bookshop at Adum, the KMA Shell in Kumasi and bookshops of various churches, including the Christian Action Faith Ministries, Lighthouse Chapel, Winners Chapel International and Winners Chapel, Ghana, to grab a copy for personal reading or even as a gift for a friend.
Having read the book, I can assure you that investing in Pastor Afoakwa’s Time and Opportunity – Your access keys to greatness, will open doors of greatness to you. Mine have just begun to open and I expect to meet you on the corridors of greatness.
GIVE ME WRITTEN, SIGNED UNDERTAKING - FINANCE MINISTER DEMANDS OF FRAZIER (P.3) 12-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
FINANCE and Economic Planning minister, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, has demanded a written and signed undertaking from Mr Gregg Frazier, the American businessman who claims he can assist Ghana to redeem a long-saved fortune at a Swiss bank.
He further asked the American businessman to publicly declare the password and code needed to access the money, particularly so when he had already made the amount involved public.
“We need to go all out and demand everything. Right now, we’ve gone beyond the stage of secrets,” he said.
Last Tuesday, a group known as Friends of Oman Ghana Trust Fund renewed the call on the government to take decisive steps to retrieve the money.
“One hour after arrival at the bank, the current account which contains about $47 billion will be retrieved. The other six accounts which are investment savings account will then be activated and within six months that will also be available for retrieval,” the group indicated at a news conference in Accra.
After that, Mr Gregg Frazier told the Daily Graphic that he would offer himself for prosecution in Ghana if his story turned out to be false.
“If we go to Switzerland and the money is not there, I want the government to bring me back to Ghana and prosecute me,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview on Wednesday.
“I don’t believe it. I saw it, Kofi!” Mr Frazier exclaimed, in response to a question as to whether he really believes Ghana has more than $400 billion stacked in the United Bank of Switzerland for more than five decades.
He said he had personally seen a huge ledger book of the account, which was two feet long and one-and-half feet wide, adding, “I know what I saw and I’ll be a coward to leave it behind and go back to America. I love Ghana and I want Ghana to be strong.”
The latest pronouncements of Mr Frazier, who has waged a relentless crusade for the retrieval of the money for more than two decades now, throw a challenge to the government to pursue the money, which was allegedly deposited in the Swiss bank in 1959 by the government of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) to facilitate the prosecution of its economic and development agenda.
Mr Frazier, 60, claimed he gave $8 million to the late John Ackah Blay-Miezah in various sums between 1959 and 1985 towards the Oman Ghana Trust Fund with the understanding that his money would be multiplied ten-fold.
However, it has been very difficult for him to claim his investment, particularly after the death of his friend, Mr Blay-Miezah, an illusion that compelled him to leave his country and family in America to come and settle in Ghana since 1986 to pursue the retrieval of the Oman Ghana Trust Fund from the Swiss bank and his own money.
Since coming to stay in Ghana in 1985, Mr Frazier has visited his native America only once in 1995 for a 10-day period.
He said his long stay in Ghana was to see to the end of the matter, adding that he had strong faith that one day his persistence would pay off.
"Now I've reached a point of no return. I can't go back to my family until I finish this project," he remarked.
Mr Frazier said as at the last check in 1986, the accounts in the UBS was $423 billion and considering the fact that the Swiss bank prides itself as being able to double accounts in seven years, Ghana was likely to be richer by about $3.2 trillion by now.
He said it was only God who had been protecting the money from falling into wrong hands.
Mr Frazier asked the government to make him a special advisor to any delegation that would be sent to Switzerland for the retrieval of the money because he would want them to get the money and not to be stranded as had been the case previously.
Responding to a suggestion that he would be a hero in Ghana if he was able to help the government retrieve the money, the former US Army captain said with excitement, "That's the part I love. I want to be called a friend of Ghana".
Asked whether he shares the perception of many Ghanaians that his late friend Blay-Miezah was a trickster, Mr Frazier said to the extent that he (Blay-Miezah) managed to have access to the money in the Swiss bank, "Yes, he was a trickster".
Commenting on the issue, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the Bank of Ghana would be formally directed to follow up and investigate any fresh evidence on the matter.
He said although one could not dismiss anything when in government, it could be embarrassing for one to also accept everything.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said it was important for Mr Frazier to disclose every information he had about the money and how it could be retrieved, dismissing suggestions that such disclosure could allow any smart person to access the money.
FINANCE and Economic Planning minister, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, has demanded a written and signed undertaking from Mr Gregg Frazier, the American businessman who claims he can assist Ghana to redeem a long-saved fortune at a Swiss bank.
He further asked the American businessman to publicly declare the password and code needed to access the money, particularly so when he had already made the amount involved public.
“We need to go all out and demand everything. Right now, we’ve gone beyond the stage of secrets,” he said.
Last Tuesday, a group known as Friends of Oman Ghana Trust Fund renewed the call on the government to take decisive steps to retrieve the money.
“One hour after arrival at the bank, the current account which contains about $47 billion will be retrieved. The other six accounts which are investment savings account will then be activated and within six months that will also be available for retrieval,” the group indicated at a news conference in Accra.
After that, Mr Gregg Frazier told the Daily Graphic that he would offer himself for prosecution in Ghana if his story turned out to be false.
“If we go to Switzerland and the money is not there, I want the government to bring me back to Ghana and prosecute me,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview on Wednesday.
“I don’t believe it. I saw it, Kofi!” Mr Frazier exclaimed, in response to a question as to whether he really believes Ghana has more than $400 billion stacked in the United Bank of Switzerland for more than five decades.
He said he had personally seen a huge ledger book of the account, which was two feet long and one-and-half feet wide, adding, “I know what I saw and I’ll be a coward to leave it behind and go back to America. I love Ghana and I want Ghana to be strong.”
The latest pronouncements of Mr Frazier, who has waged a relentless crusade for the retrieval of the money for more than two decades now, throw a challenge to the government to pursue the money, which was allegedly deposited in the Swiss bank in 1959 by the government of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) to facilitate the prosecution of its economic and development agenda.
Mr Frazier, 60, claimed he gave $8 million to the late John Ackah Blay-Miezah in various sums between 1959 and 1985 towards the Oman Ghana Trust Fund with the understanding that his money would be multiplied ten-fold.
However, it has been very difficult for him to claim his investment, particularly after the death of his friend, Mr Blay-Miezah, an illusion that compelled him to leave his country and family in America to come and settle in Ghana since 1986 to pursue the retrieval of the Oman Ghana Trust Fund from the Swiss bank and his own money.
Since coming to stay in Ghana in 1985, Mr Frazier has visited his native America only once in 1995 for a 10-day period.
He said his long stay in Ghana was to see to the end of the matter, adding that he had strong faith that one day his persistence would pay off.
"Now I've reached a point of no return. I can't go back to my family until I finish this project," he remarked.
Mr Frazier said as at the last check in 1986, the accounts in the UBS was $423 billion and considering the fact that the Swiss bank prides itself as being able to double accounts in seven years, Ghana was likely to be richer by about $3.2 trillion by now.
He said it was only God who had been protecting the money from falling into wrong hands.
Mr Frazier asked the government to make him a special advisor to any delegation that would be sent to Switzerland for the retrieval of the money because he would want them to get the money and not to be stranded as had been the case previously.
Responding to a suggestion that he would be a hero in Ghana if he was able to help the government retrieve the money, the former US Army captain said with excitement, "That's the part I love. I want to be called a friend of Ghana".
Asked whether he shares the perception of many Ghanaians that his late friend Blay-Miezah was a trickster, Mr Frazier said to the extent that he (Blay-Miezah) managed to have access to the money in the Swiss bank, "Yes, he was a trickster".
Commenting on the issue, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the Bank of Ghana would be formally directed to follow up and investigate any fresh evidence on the matter.
He said although one could not dismiss anything when in government, it could be embarrassing for one to also accept everything.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said it was important for Mr Frazier to disclose every information he had about the money and how it could be retrieved, dismissing suggestions that such disclosure could allow any smart person to access the money.
ECONOMY ROBUST - FINANCE MINISTER DAMNS CRITICS WITH COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS (Front Page) 12-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, has again defended the state of the Ghanaian economy, saying it is expanding tremendously.
Dismissing suggestions that the government was losing grip on the economy, Mr Baah-Wiredu said despite the spiralling price of oil on the world market that reached a high of $147 per barrel, as against the budget projection of $85 per barrel, the country did not experience any shortage in its daily requirement of 60,000 barrels.
That, he said, was a positive indication that the economy was robust and strong.
Mr Baah-Wiredu made the submission in an interview with the Daily Graphic in response to assertions by a section of the public, particularly some members of the minority political parties, that the economy was crumbling.
Making a comparative analysis between the past and present to buttress his claim of an expanding economy under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, the finance minister said between January 1982 and December 2000, spanning a period of 19 years, the price of petrol per gallon increased by 2,800 per cent per annum.
However, he said, between 2000 and now, the price had increased by only 101 per cent per gallon per annum.
On total assets generated, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the total contribution of Ghanaians moved from negative between 1982 and 2000 to positive during the period of the NPP administration.
He said the implication was that in 2000, if the nation had sold all its assets, it could not even have paid its creditors.
With respect to debt sustainability, Mr Baah-Wiredu said at the time the NPP took office in 2000, it stood at 189 per cent, but now it had been reduced to 57 per cent, indicating an improvement in the economy.
He asked all those who might have doubts about such information to cross-check them from his ministry and the Bank of Ghana.
Mr Baah-Wiredu attributed the strength of the economy to the increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) as a result of increased food production, reasonable food prices and a boom in the construction industry.
Furthermore, he said, funds from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, as well as the growth in the manufacturing, energy, mining and services sectors had all helped to strengthen the economy even in the face of external difficulties.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the financial windfall from the Ghana@50 anniversary celebrations, the hosting of CAN 2008 and various international conferences, also helped to bolster the economy.
When asked to justify his assertion that the economy was expanding against the increase in inflation, the finance minister said although the government was working towards improving internal factors that caused inflation, it did not have control over external factors like the price of oil.
“Even comparing ourselves to developed countries like the US, we have been resilient and strong. There are signs of the economy moving,” he said.
THE Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, has again defended the state of the Ghanaian economy, saying it is expanding tremendously.
Dismissing suggestions that the government was losing grip on the economy, Mr Baah-Wiredu said despite the spiralling price of oil on the world market that reached a high of $147 per barrel, as against the budget projection of $85 per barrel, the country did not experience any shortage in its daily requirement of 60,000 barrels.
That, he said, was a positive indication that the economy was robust and strong.
Mr Baah-Wiredu made the submission in an interview with the Daily Graphic in response to assertions by a section of the public, particularly some members of the minority political parties, that the economy was crumbling.
Making a comparative analysis between the past and present to buttress his claim of an expanding economy under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, the finance minister said between January 1982 and December 2000, spanning a period of 19 years, the price of petrol per gallon increased by 2,800 per cent per annum.
However, he said, between 2000 and now, the price had increased by only 101 per cent per gallon per annum.
On total assets generated, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the total contribution of Ghanaians moved from negative between 1982 and 2000 to positive during the period of the NPP administration.
He said the implication was that in 2000, if the nation had sold all its assets, it could not even have paid its creditors.
With respect to debt sustainability, Mr Baah-Wiredu said at the time the NPP took office in 2000, it stood at 189 per cent, but now it had been reduced to 57 per cent, indicating an improvement in the economy.
He asked all those who might have doubts about such information to cross-check them from his ministry and the Bank of Ghana.
Mr Baah-Wiredu attributed the strength of the economy to the increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) as a result of increased food production, reasonable food prices and a boom in the construction industry.
Furthermore, he said, funds from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, as well as the growth in the manufacturing, energy, mining and services sectors had all helped to strengthen the economy even in the face of external difficulties.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the financial windfall from the Ghana@50 anniversary celebrations, the hosting of CAN 2008 and various international conferences, also helped to bolster the economy.
When asked to justify his assertion that the economy was expanding against the increase in inflation, the finance minister said although the government was working towards improving internal factors that caused inflation, it did not have control over external factors like the price of oil.
“Even comparing ourselves to developed countries like the US, we have been resilient and strong. There are signs of the economy moving,” he said.
Monday, September 8, 2008
GOV'T REVIEWS PORT MASTER PLAN (p.43) 08-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE government is reviewing the Ports Master Plan with the aim of modernising the Tema and Takoradi ports to enable them cope with current challenges in the industry.
At the moment, a feasibility study is being undertaken for a new master plan that will among other interventions, increase the capacity of the two ports to accommodate the increasing container traffic.
Under the current Ports Master Plan, the Tema Port, for instance, was projected to hit the 400 margin in terms of container traffic by 2010.
However, by the close of 2006, the port had exceeded that projection, necessitating the review of the master plan to adjust to the increasing volumes of containers and meet emerging challenges in the industry.
The Director of Policy Planning at the Ministry of Harbours and Railways, Mr Justice Amegashie, made this known in Accra last Wednesday at a seminar on the maritime industry organised for journalists.
It was under the joint auspices of the Ghana Shippers’ Council (GSC) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), with the Ministry of Harbours and Railways and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) as the key collaborators.
The shipping industry plays a critical role in global trade, particularly with respect to cargo transportation.
In 2006, 7.4 billion tonnes of cargo were estimated to have been transported across the world through shipping. In Ghana, in the same year, 14.5 million tonnes of cargo were imported and exported through shipping.
It is in recognition of the critical role shipping plays in the global economy that the United Nations (UN) declared shipping as an important vehicle for growth and development within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Mr Amegashie said under a new Ports Master Plan, the modernisation of the Takoradi Port would take into account the emerging oil industry following the discovery of oil in the Western Region.
Making further comments on the review, the Ports Operations Co-ordinator at the GPHA, Mr Samuel Ntow Kummi, said it was a normal practice in the port industry to periodically review master plans to reflect changes in projections.
He said there was the need for the construction of a second terminal at the Tema Port to enable it to accommodate the increasing container traffic.
Responding to questions on the fate of the Boankra Inland Port, the Deputy Chief Executive of the GSC, Mr Emmanuel Martey, said all the preparatory work on the project had been done, pointing out that the only thing needed now to bring the project to life was a strategic investor.
The Boankra Inland Port project requires a capital injection of $600 million, an amount that has kept the authorities searching for many months for a strategic investor with the requisite financial muscle and technical acumen to bring it into operation.
The port is already linked to the Tema and Takoradi ports by the eastern and western rail lines, but on completion of the project, it is expected to be expanded to become a primary port although its cargo will go through the Tema and Takoradi ports.
For that reason, the completion of the project is expected to decongest the two mother ports and bring huge economic benefits to the nation, particularly in terms of revenue and employment.
So far, the government has had talks with investors from the United Kingdom, Germany and the USA, among others, but none of them has as yet made any positive move.
“They claim they are still studying the documents and talking to their financiers and I think at the appropriate time they will come and talk to us”, Mr Martey indicated.
The Chief Executive Officer of the GSC, Mr Kofi Mbiah, said the emergence of globalisation had made it imperative to encourage a cross fertilisation of ideas between operators in the shipping industry and the media in order to enhance accurate and objective reportage on the industry.
He said the seminar was to enable media practitioners have a deeper understanding of the shipping industry.
The Vice-President of the GJA, Mr Roland Affail Monney, who chaired the seminar, said much as there was the need for democracy to grow, any democracy without strong economic backing was weak and vulnerable.
He encouraged journalists, particularly those who report on business and finance, to go the extra mile to give more analytical information to the public.
Mr Monney further urged the media to show special interest in the activities of the GSC and to forge partnership between the two organisations to accelerate the economic development of the country.
THE government is reviewing the Ports Master Plan with the aim of modernising the Tema and Takoradi ports to enable them cope with current challenges in the industry.
At the moment, a feasibility study is being undertaken for a new master plan that will among other interventions, increase the capacity of the two ports to accommodate the increasing container traffic.
Under the current Ports Master Plan, the Tema Port, for instance, was projected to hit the 400 margin in terms of container traffic by 2010.
However, by the close of 2006, the port had exceeded that projection, necessitating the review of the master plan to adjust to the increasing volumes of containers and meet emerging challenges in the industry.
The Director of Policy Planning at the Ministry of Harbours and Railways, Mr Justice Amegashie, made this known in Accra last Wednesday at a seminar on the maritime industry organised for journalists.
It was under the joint auspices of the Ghana Shippers’ Council (GSC) and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), with the Ministry of Harbours and Railways and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) as the key collaborators.
The shipping industry plays a critical role in global trade, particularly with respect to cargo transportation.
In 2006, 7.4 billion tonnes of cargo were estimated to have been transported across the world through shipping. In Ghana, in the same year, 14.5 million tonnes of cargo were imported and exported through shipping.
It is in recognition of the critical role shipping plays in the global economy that the United Nations (UN) declared shipping as an important vehicle for growth and development within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Mr Amegashie said under a new Ports Master Plan, the modernisation of the Takoradi Port would take into account the emerging oil industry following the discovery of oil in the Western Region.
Making further comments on the review, the Ports Operations Co-ordinator at the GPHA, Mr Samuel Ntow Kummi, said it was a normal practice in the port industry to periodically review master plans to reflect changes in projections.
He said there was the need for the construction of a second terminal at the Tema Port to enable it to accommodate the increasing container traffic.
Responding to questions on the fate of the Boankra Inland Port, the Deputy Chief Executive of the GSC, Mr Emmanuel Martey, said all the preparatory work on the project had been done, pointing out that the only thing needed now to bring the project to life was a strategic investor.
The Boankra Inland Port project requires a capital injection of $600 million, an amount that has kept the authorities searching for many months for a strategic investor with the requisite financial muscle and technical acumen to bring it into operation.
The port is already linked to the Tema and Takoradi ports by the eastern and western rail lines, but on completion of the project, it is expected to be expanded to become a primary port although its cargo will go through the Tema and Takoradi ports.
For that reason, the completion of the project is expected to decongest the two mother ports and bring huge economic benefits to the nation, particularly in terms of revenue and employment.
So far, the government has had talks with investors from the United Kingdom, Germany and the USA, among others, but none of them has as yet made any positive move.
“They claim they are still studying the documents and talking to their financiers and I think at the appropriate time they will come and talk to us”, Mr Martey indicated.
The Chief Executive Officer of the GSC, Mr Kofi Mbiah, said the emergence of globalisation had made it imperative to encourage a cross fertilisation of ideas between operators in the shipping industry and the media in order to enhance accurate and objective reportage on the industry.
He said the seminar was to enable media practitioners have a deeper understanding of the shipping industry.
The Vice-President of the GJA, Mr Roland Affail Monney, who chaired the seminar, said much as there was the need for democracy to grow, any democracy without strong economic backing was weak and vulnerable.
He encouraged journalists, particularly those who report on business and finance, to go the extra mile to give more analytical information to the public.
Mr Monney further urged the media to show special interest in the activities of the GSC and to forge partnership between the two organisations to accelerate the economic development of the country.
GT WORKERS AND TRAFFIC WARDENS CLASH (p.18) 06-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
(GT workers and traffic wardens clash)
AN attempt by some private traffic wardens to tow a broken-down vehicle being used by some workers of Ghana Telecom (GT) nearly resulted in a clash when the workers resisted the move.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday along the road between the Accra Psychiatric Hospital and the national office of the Scripture Union, drew a large crowd to the scene, bringing the normally busy street hawking business on that stretch of the road to a temporary standstill.
When the Daily Graphic got to the scene around 11:30 a.m., the traffic wardens had clamped the Nissan double cabin vehicle, with registration number GW 3943 X, and there was total confusion.
The GT workers, who had been laying underground telephone cables in the area, had earlier resisted attempts by the traffic wardens to tow the vehicle.
It took the intervention of a police patrol team to calm the mounting tension.
According to the workers, they had been laying underground telephone cables in the area in the past few days but their vehicle broke down that very day.
They said they parked the vehicle on the pavement and called for a mechanic to fix it.
However, they said before they could realise, the traffic wardens had come to clamp the vehicle, asking them to pay a fine of GH¢40.
The workers said they refused to pay the fine and resisted the towing of the vehicle because they did not think parking the vehicle on the pavement obstructed vehicular traffic in any way.
Furthermore, they submitted, they had informed the traffic wardens that the vehicle had broken down and was being fixed.
After some verbal confrontations, the traffic wardens left the scene amidst boos from the workers and other onlookers.
The vehicle remained clamped at the time the Daily Graphic left the scene around 12:30 p.m.
(GT workers and traffic wardens clash)
AN attempt by some private traffic wardens to tow a broken-down vehicle being used by some workers of Ghana Telecom (GT) nearly resulted in a clash when the workers resisted the move.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday along the road between the Accra Psychiatric Hospital and the national office of the Scripture Union, drew a large crowd to the scene, bringing the normally busy street hawking business on that stretch of the road to a temporary standstill.
When the Daily Graphic got to the scene around 11:30 a.m., the traffic wardens had clamped the Nissan double cabin vehicle, with registration number GW 3943 X, and there was total confusion.
The GT workers, who had been laying underground telephone cables in the area, had earlier resisted attempts by the traffic wardens to tow the vehicle.
It took the intervention of a police patrol team to calm the mounting tension.
According to the workers, they had been laying underground telephone cables in the area in the past few days but their vehicle broke down that very day.
They said they parked the vehicle on the pavement and called for a mechanic to fix it.
However, they said before they could realise, the traffic wardens had come to clamp the vehicle, asking them to pay a fine of GH¢40.
The workers said they refused to pay the fine and resisted the towing of the vehicle because they did not think parking the vehicle on the pavement obstructed vehicular traffic in any way.
Furthermore, they submitted, they had informed the traffic wardens that the vehicle had broken down and was being fixed.
After some verbal confrontations, the traffic wardens left the scene amidst boos from the workers and other onlookers.
The vehicle remained clamped at the time the Daily Graphic left the scene around 12:30 p.m.
OLA TO SENSITISE YOUTH TO VIOLENCE-FREE ELECTION (p.13) 06-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE Ola Youth Association (OYA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Cape Coast in the Central Region, has initiated a programme to sensitise the youth to the need to desist from violence during this year’s electioneering.
The programme include public forums and visitation to communities and schools to interact with the youth, especially students, and sensitise them to the need to promote peace.
An official of OYA, Ms Doris Boateng, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said the essence of the programme was to let the youth understand that they would be the worst affected in the event of violence and conflict.
"We are preparing very well towards the forthcoming elections, not in support of any political party, but to promote peace among the people, especially the youth", she said.
The Ola Youth Association was established in 2006 with the objective of helping the youth to desist from violence and crime, while developing their potential for better prospects in the future.
Cape Coast, the capital of the Central Region, appears to be one of the constituencies that is generating keen contest among the political parties in the run-up to the December elections.
Ms Boateng said invariably, contests of that nature degenerated into violence and conflict, adding that the youth were the most vulnerable in such situations.
"Our motive, therefore, is to help the youth protect themselves during times of conflict and violence, especially this year’s elections", she said.
Ms Boateng said there was no need for the youth to fight among themselves simply because they belonged to different political persuasions.
She advised the youth to engage in healthy political discourse devoid of insults and rancour, stressing that "everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion, so you just go straight to the point and talk about your own party".
Ms Boateng said the association also sensitised the general public to the need to promote peace and avoid conflict.
"We also inform the public about the benefits of religious, ethnic, geographical and political tolerance,” she added.
THE Ola Youth Association (OYA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Cape Coast in the Central Region, has initiated a programme to sensitise the youth to the need to desist from violence during this year’s electioneering.
The programme include public forums and visitation to communities and schools to interact with the youth, especially students, and sensitise them to the need to promote peace.
An official of OYA, Ms Doris Boateng, who made this known to the Daily Graphic, said the essence of the programme was to let the youth understand that they would be the worst affected in the event of violence and conflict.
"We are preparing very well towards the forthcoming elections, not in support of any political party, but to promote peace among the people, especially the youth", she said.
The Ola Youth Association was established in 2006 with the objective of helping the youth to desist from violence and crime, while developing their potential for better prospects in the future.
Cape Coast, the capital of the Central Region, appears to be one of the constituencies that is generating keen contest among the political parties in the run-up to the December elections.
Ms Boateng said invariably, contests of that nature degenerated into violence and conflict, adding that the youth were the most vulnerable in such situations.
"Our motive, therefore, is to help the youth protect themselves during times of conflict and violence, especially this year’s elections", she said.
Ms Boateng said there was no need for the youth to fight among themselves simply because they belonged to different political persuasions.
She advised the youth to engage in healthy political discourse devoid of insults and rancour, stressing that "everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion, so you just go straight to the point and talk about your own party".
Ms Boateng said the association also sensitised the general public to the need to promote peace and avoid conflict.
"We also inform the public about the benefits of religious, ethnic, geographical and political tolerance,” she added.
ECO-HAVOC - SEA CLAIMING ADA, SEKONDI, SHAMA & KETA (Front page) 06-09-08
Story: News Desk Report
STRONG tidal waves have swept through some communities along the country’s coastline from Keta, through Ada to Sekondi and Shama, rendering thousands of people homeless and destroying houses and other properties, running into thousands of Ghana cedis.
From the Dangme East District, Kofi Yeboah reports that the situation has put a halt to fishing, which is the main occupation of the people in the affected areas of Ada.
Totope, one of the most affected communities, has virtually been washed away, a situation that has necessitated their immediate resettlement.
About 700 metres of the road leading to the village from Ada Foah has been washed away by the sea about four feet deep, making it extremely difficult for the inhabitants to commute to and from the village.
Officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the district said they could not even find a place to mount tents for the people and were, therefore, making frantic efforts to resettle the people of Totope.
The tidal waves are said to be very high and swift during the night, sweeping the coastal areas, but becoming low during the day.
Many houses, mostly made of mud and thatch roofing, in some of the affected areas have collapsed, while others have been submerged with a few buried half way in the sand, since last Wednesday when the waves began pounding the coastal areas.
Information gathered indicated that the severest form of high tidal waves was yet to be experienced as has been the case every year over the past three decades.
Notwithstanding the danger ahead, the inhabitants of Akpablanya, Totope, Lolonyakope, Ayigbo and Azizanya are more willing to live with the danger than to abandon their ancestral homes.
“Master, there is no place to go. If you go to Ada Foah, you are going to rent a room and there is no money,” Mr Joe Baah, a resident of Ayigbo, said in response to a question as to why they were not leaving the area.
“We are praying for the sea to calm down,” he added.
Indeed, the people do not seem to be bothered by the devastation being caused to their environment as they were seen taking life easy with some children between the ages of three and 12 having fun swimming in the lake created by the tidal waves.
The only precaution some of them have taken is to evacuate their properties to safe grounds and pass the night elsewhere.
The sea erosion in the affected communities is said to have started in the late 1970s, a period of three decades within which the sea has crept about four kilometres inland, forcing some of the communities to abandon their homes.
According to some of the residents, government officials had visited the area on many occasions with promises to construct a sea defence wall to solve the problem, but all to no avail.
The District Chief Executive for Dangme East, Mr Israel Narh Baako, said a soil test to ascertain the quality of soil was undertaken in January and February to pave the way for the construction of the 31-kilometre sea defence wall, which would stretch from Azizanya to Wokumagbe
He said at the moment, the government was looking for funds to undertake the project estimated to cost $50 million and assured the affected communities that as soon as the fund was available a permanent solution would be found to the problem.
From Keta, Victor Kwawukume reports that the tidal waves sweeping across the coastal areas of the Volta Region show no sign of abating as more communities continue to be affected.
The situation was more aggravated at Dzita on Thursday night as the waves destroyed more homes and properties and rendered more people homeless.
Residents told the Daily Graphic that at least 50 more homes were devastated by the waves, rendering more than 200 people homeless.
As of 10 a.m. yesterday morning, commercial vehicles were sighted evacuating people from places in Keta that had not been affected.
At Kedzi and Vodza, where the sea defence wall and groynes are in place to repel strong tidal waves from coming on land and causing destruction, there was widespread grief as several canoes, fishing nets and outboard motors that had been anchored at the beach were carried away by the strong waves.
Fishermen at the areas were grieving over their losses as they recounted that they could not raise the needed money to purchase new canoes and outboard motors.
One fisherman who identified himself as Efo Kodzo, could not hold back his tears as he stood helplessly and watched the current crush his canoe into pieces.
According to the fishermen, the last time they witnessed tidal waves of this magnitude was 11 years ago and some described the current waves as the first test case for the sea defence and the groynes that were built to repel the waves.
At Sorku-Horvi and Blekusu, where there is no sea defence, the sea had entered the homes of people but not with the force comparable to the devastation at Dzita, Akplowotorkor, Atorkor and surrounding areas.
The situation is having a serious effect on commercial activities in the area as the predominant occupation of the people of the Kedzi-Vodza-Blekusu-Adina area is fishing.
According to the fishermen, for the past three days, they have been unable to go to sea, thereby leading to loss of revenue and placing them in danger of famine.
The women fishmongers have also had their commercial activities curtailed by the situation and now have to help their male counterparts to collect water from their rooms.
They have called on the government to assist them with relief items, especially food, to help them cope with the situation.
At the time of filing this report, the District Chief Executive, Mr Edward Kofi Ahiabor, had intimated that officials from the national office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) were on the way to the area to assess the situation.
He also renewed his call for assistance from the state and other international bodies.
The Member of Parliament for the Anlo Constituency, Hon. Clement Kofi Humado, who was also in the area to assess the situation, announced plans to source for relief items for those affected.
From Sekondi, Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu reports that tidal waves swept through the coasts of Sekondi and Shama in the Western Region at dawn yesterday, in what observers believed is a new phenomenon sweeping across the Gulf of Guinea.
The waves left in their wake a lot of debris on the streets, making it difficult for motorists to ply the roads, especially in Sekondi.
The waves washed across the sea defence wall at Sekondi and filled gutters, thereby rendering the coast very foggy.
No casualties have, however, been reported.
Food vendors who were preparing for the day’s activities were not spared the resultant confusion, as their wares were washed away by the waves.
The already weak Bakano bridge that links Nkontompo to Sekondi, also had its plight worsened with the ferocious pounding by the waves.
“I was very scared at dawn when I saw the waves coming; from where I was standing it was very high,” Mr Maddy Edwards, a resident said.
He said the situation was such that “we only pray that the next day comes to meet us without the sea water flooding our rooms.
“I woke up early as usual, to set my fire to prepare for my customers, but before I realised, the waves had washed my wares onto the street amidst a strong wind and fog,” said a kenkey seller.
The Metropolitan Director of NADMO, Mr Alex Adu-Buahene, asked the people not to take the situation for granted and asked those who had relatives on higher grounds to join them until further notice as the situation could be serious, should the waves recur in the night.
STRONG tidal waves have swept through some communities along the country’s coastline from Keta, through Ada to Sekondi and Shama, rendering thousands of people homeless and destroying houses and other properties, running into thousands of Ghana cedis.
From the Dangme East District, Kofi Yeboah reports that the situation has put a halt to fishing, which is the main occupation of the people in the affected areas of Ada.
Totope, one of the most affected communities, has virtually been washed away, a situation that has necessitated their immediate resettlement.
About 700 metres of the road leading to the village from Ada Foah has been washed away by the sea about four feet deep, making it extremely difficult for the inhabitants to commute to and from the village.
Officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the district said they could not even find a place to mount tents for the people and were, therefore, making frantic efforts to resettle the people of Totope.
The tidal waves are said to be very high and swift during the night, sweeping the coastal areas, but becoming low during the day.
Many houses, mostly made of mud and thatch roofing, in some of the affected areas have collapsed, while others have been submerged with a few buried half way in the sand, since last Wednesday when the waves began pounding the coastal areas.
Information gathered indicated that the severest form of high tidal waves was yet to be experienced as has been the case every year over the past three decades.
Notwithstanding the danger ahead, the inhabitants of Akpablanya, Totope, Lolonyakope, Ayigbo and Azizanya are more willing to live with the danger than to abandon their ancestral homes.
“Master, there is no place to go. If you go to Ada Foah, you are going to rent a room and there is no money,” Mr Joe Baah, a resident of Ayigbo, said in response to a question as to why they were not leaving the area.
“We are praying for the sea to calm down,” he added.
Indeed, the people do not seem to be bothered by the devastation being caused to their environment as they were seen taking life easy with some children between the ages of three and 12 having fun swimming in the lake created by the tidal waves.
The only precaution some of them have taken is to evacuate their properties to safe grounds and pass the night elsewhere.
The sea erosion in the affected communities is said to have started in the late 1970s, a period of three decades within which the sea has crept about four kilometres inland, forcing some of the communities to abandon their homes.
According to some of the residents, government officials had visited the area on many occasions with promises to construct a sea defence wall to solve the problem, but all to no avail.
The District Chief Executive for Dangme East, Mr Israel Narh Baako, said a soil test to ascertain the quality of soil was undertaken in January and February to pave the way for the construction of the 31-kilometre sea defence wall, which would stretch from Azizanya to Wokumagbe
He said at the moment, the government was looking for funds to undertake the project estimated to cost $50 million and assured the affected communities that as soon as the fund was available a permanent solution would be found to the problem.
From Keta, Victor Kwawukume reports that the tidal waves sweeping across the coastal areas of the Volta Region show no sign of abating as more communities continue to be affected.
The situation was more aggravated at Dzita on Thursday night as the waves destroyed more homes and properties and rendered more people homeless.
Residents told the Daily Graphic that at least 50 more homes were devastated by the waves, rendering more than 200 people homeless.
As of 10 a.m. yesterday morning, commercial vehicles were sighted evacuating people from places in Keta that had not been affected.
At Kedzi and Vodza, where the sea defence wall and groynes are in place to repel strong tidal waves from coming on land and causing destruction, there was widespread grief as several canoes, fishing nets and outboard motors that had been anchored at the beach were carried away by the strong waves.
Fishermen at the areas were grieving over their losses as they recounted that they could not raise the needed money to purchase new canoes and outboard motors.
One fisherman who identified himself as Efo Kodzo, could not hold back his tears as he stood helplessly and watched the current crush his canoe into pieces.
According to the fishermen, the last time they witnessed tidal waves of this magnitude was 11 years ago and some described the current waves as the first test case for the sea defence and the groynes that were built to repel the waves.
At Sorku-Horvi and Blekusu, where there is no sea defence, the sea had entered the homes of people but not with the force comparable to the devastation at Dzita, Akplowotorkor, Atorkor and surrounding areas.
The situation is having a serious effect on commercial activities in the area as the predominant occupation of the people of the Kedzi-Vodza-Blekusu-Adina area is fishing.
According to the fishermen, for the past three days, they have been unable to go to sea, thereby leading to loss of revenue and placing them in danger of famine.
The women fishmongers have also had their commercial activities curtailed by the situation and now have to help their male counterparts to collect water from their rooms.
They have called on the government to assist them with relief items, especially food, to help them cope with the situation.
At the time of filing this report, the District Chief Executive, Mr Edward Kofi Ahiabor, had intimated that officials from the national office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) were on the way to the area to assess the situation.
He also renewed his call for assistance from the state and other international bodies.
The Member of Parliament for the Anlo Constituency, Hon. Clement Kofi Humado, who was also in the area to assess the situation, announced plans to source for relief items for those affected.
From Sekondi, Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu reports that tidal waves swept through the coasts of Sekondi and Shama in the Western Region at dawn yesterday, in what observers believed is a new phenomenon sweeping across the Gulf of Guinea.
The waves left in their wake a lot of debris on the streets, making it difficult for motorists to ply the roads, especially in Sekondi.
The waves washed across the sea defence wall at Sekondi and filled gutters, thereby rendering the coast very foggy.
No casualties have, however, been reported.
Food vendors who were preparing for the day’s activities were not spared the resultant confusion, as their wares were washed away by the waves.
The already weak Bakano bridge that links Nkontompo to Sekondi, also had its plight worsened with the ferocious pounding by the waves.
“I was very scared at dawn when I saw the waves coming; from where I was standing it was very high,” Mr Maddy Edwards, a resident said.
He said the situation was such that “we only pray that the next day comes to meet us without the sea water flooding our rooms.
“I woke up early as usual, to set my fire to prepare for my customers, but before I realised, the waves had washed my wares onto the street amidst a strong wind and fog,” said a kenkey seller.
The Metropolitan Director of NADMO, Mr Alex Adu-Buahene, asked the people not to take the situation for granted and asked those who had relatives on higher grounds to join them until further notice as the situation could be serious, should the waves recur in the night.
Friday, September 5, 2008
COUNCIL MAKES PEACE MOVES (p.20) 05-09-08
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE National Peace Council (NPC) has held separate high-level meetings with key actors in the electoral process to review the state of peace and stability in the country.
This follows the recent political clashes in parts of the Northern Region in particular and the country in general.
The meetings, presided over by the Chairman of the NPC, Peter Cardinal Appiah-Turkson, involved senior officials of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the Electoral Commission (EC) and political parties.
The meetings were attended by the Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Wood; the Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt Gen J. B. Danquah; the Director-General in charge of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Patrick Timbilla; the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, and his two deputies, Messrs Sarfo Katanka and David Kanga.
Among those from the political parties were the flag bearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom; the flag bearer of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Mr T. N. Ward-Brew; the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Peter Mac Manu; the party’s General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow; the General Secretary of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Mr Bede Ziedene, and a representative of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
The meetings with the Chief Justice and the senior security officials were held on Tuesday, while those with the EC officials and the political party representatives were held on Wednesday.
Conspicuously absent were representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the largest opposition party, but according to its General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the party’s absence was because it was not invited.
He said he just heard about the meeting in the media when some journalists called him to find out about what transpired.
Mr Nketia said the NDC was one of the few political parties that had five vice-chairpersons and two deputy general secretaries, so it was never short of officials to represent the party at any function.
When contacted, the Executive Secretary of the NPC, Mr P. K. Opoku-Mensah, however, insisted that the NDC was invited to the meeting.
According to him, the letter of invitation to the party was received by one Elorm at the NDC headquarters about two weeks ago.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the proceedings, the Research Officer of the NPC, Mr Emmanuel Sowatey, said the security officials outlined how they would co-ordinate in their strategies to deal with flash points and maintain the peace.
He said the security officials stressed the need for the nation to have trust and confidence in state institutions, who in turn, must play their roles efficiently.
Mr Sowatey said they also urged the NPC to liaise with other state institutions to create more awareness on the civic responsibilities of the people.
He said during the meeting with the Chief Justice, she indicated the role the Judiciary would play in the peace process.
Mr Sowatey said Mrs Justice Wood noted that some courts would be designated to handle election disputes rather than the creation of separate courts to handle such matters as had been suggested by some people.
He said various issues were discussed at the meeting with the EC officials, key among which was the need to clean the voters register.
Mr Sowatey said the EC officials urged political parties, religious leaders, parents and all Ghanaians to contribute their quota to ensure a clean register by discouraging minors from registering and abiding by electoral rules, among other responsibilities.
He said the EC officials also urged political parties to restrain their members from indulging in acts that could undermine the peace.
Mr Sowatey said the political parties, on their part, stressed the need for prompt prosecution of anyone who was involved in fomenting violence.
Mr Sowatey said the aim of the meetings was to understand the concerns of the key actors and find how best to address them.
He appealed to owners of small arms to register their weapons, while calling on those who had registered but not renewed their licences to do so.
THE National Peace Council (NPC) has held separate high-level meetings with key actors in the electoral process to review the state of peace and stability in the country.
This follows the recent political clashes in parts of the Northern Region in particular and the country in general.
The meetings, presided over by the Chairman of the NPC, Peter Cardinal Appiah-Turkson, involved senior officials of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the Electoral Commission (EC) and political parties.
The meetings were attended by the Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Wood; the Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt Gen J. B. Danquah; the Director-General in charge of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Patrick Timbilla; the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, and his two deputies, Messrs Sarfo Katanka and David Kanga.
Among those from the political parties were the flag bearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom; the flag bearer of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Mr T. N. Ward-Brew; the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Peter Mac Manu; the party’s General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow; the General Secretary of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Mr Bede Ziedene, and a representative of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
The meetings with the Chief Justice and the senior security officials were held on Tuesday, while those with the EC officials and the political party representatives were held on Wednesday.
Conspicuously absent were representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the largest opposition party, but according to its General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the party’s absence was because it was not invited.
He said he just heard about the meeting in the media when some journalists called him to find out about what transpired.
Mr Nketia said the NDC was one of the few political parties that had five vice-chairpersons and two deputy general secretaries, so it was never short of officials to represent the party at any function.
When contacted, the Executive Secretary of the NPC, Mr P. K. Opoku-Mensah, however, insisted that the NDC was invited to the meeting.
According to him, the letter of invitation to the party was received by one Elorm at the NDC headquarters about two weeks ago.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the proceedings, the Research Officer of the NPC, Mr Emmanuel Sowatey, said the security officials outlined how they would co-ordinate in their strategies to deal with flash points and maintain the peace.
He said the security officials stressed the need for the nation to have trust and confidence in state institutions, who in turn, must play their roles efficiently.
Mr Sowatey said they also urged the NPC to liaise with other state institutions to create more awareness on the civic responsibilities of the people.
He said during the meeting with the Chief Justice, she indicated the role the Judiciary would play in the peace process.
Mr Sowatey said Mrs Justice Wood noted that some courts would be designated to handle election disputes rather than the creation of separate courts to handle such matters as had been suggested by some people.
He said various issues were discussed at the meeting with the EC officials, key among which was the need to clean the voters register.
Mr Sowatey said the EC officials urged political parties, religious leaders, parents and all Ghanaians to contribute their quota to ensure a clean register by discouraging minors from registering and abiding by electoral rules, among other responsibilities.
He said the EC officials also urged political parties to restrain their members from indulging in acts that could undermine the peace.
Mr Sowatey said the political parties, on their part, stressed the need for prompt prosecution of anyone who was involved in fomenting violence.
Mr Sowatey said the aim of the meetings was to understand the concerns of the key actors and find how best to address them.
He appealed to owners of small arms to register their weapons, while calling on those who had registered but not renewed their licences to do so.
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