Friday, August 29, 2008

REBUILDING THE FALLEN WALLS OF CAPE COAST (p.7) 29-08-08

By Kofi Yeboah
CAPE Coast is one of the most famous cities in Ghana that continues to attract national and international attention. Historically, Cape Coast is a very significant city in the country and, indeed, the world at large.
Centuries ago, the Cape Coast Castle was used by the white man as a slave camp from where millions of blacks in the Gold Coast and other parts of the West African sub-region were packed like goods and shipped into slavery in the Americas. The historical significance of that event is the reason why the castle is today recognised as one of the UN Heritage sites in the world.
Again, Cape Coast is a city of huge political stature, both in the past and present. As the preferred destination and abode of the colonial regimes, the city was designated as the first capital of the Gold Coast until that status was transferred to Accra. In the modern political context, the city is considered by politicians as the battle ground for supremacy over the Central Region.
Perhaps, one heritage that gives Cape Coast a huge image is the fact that it is the citadel of education in Ghana. Apart from being host to one of Ghana’s public and great universities, the city is also a home to some of the finest second cycle institutions in the country that have produced great intellectuals like the former UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan. Schools like Mfantsipim, St Agustine, Adisadel, Holy Child and Wesley Girls represent an emphatic statement of the success story of education in Ghana.
The mystery behind the huge fame of the city, however, is that it is clothed in a thick blanket of under-development, a situation that really defies logic. Although the city currently has a metropolitan status, it is described, sarcastically though, in many quarters as the largest villages in Africa. Very ironical.
But the reality is that there are no factories or industries in the town and that has given rise to high unemployment rate, particularly among the youth. The situation is such that majority of the youth head towards Accra as soon as they complete basic education, while those who stay behind, just parade the streets with no promising future.
That negative image is what some citizens of Cape Coast have resolved to reverse and to ensure that there is a perfect match between the name and fame of the city. Under the umbrella of the Oguaaman Union, the citizens have initiated various programmes to transform the development of Cape Coast.
As the late Chief Justice, George Kingsley Acquah, noted when he inaugurated the union in Accra in October 2004, "It looks as if we need a Nehemiah to come and rebuild Cape Coast and reorient the people", just like Nehemiah in the Bible responded to the challenge of rebuilding the great walls of Jerusalem.
And for Cape Coasters, the Nehemiah who responded to the call of rebuilding their city is Nana Sam Brew Butler, a renowned football administrator. It was he who conceived the idea of rallying committed citizens of the land way back in 2004 to promote its development. Today, that dream is fast coming alive!
The Oguaaman Union was officially and legally incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in August 2004. Its objectives are to promote peace and foster unity and fraternity among citizens of Cape Coast both at home and in the Diaspora; mobilise human and natural resources for the development of the city; to solicit support for projects in Cape Coast, as well as seek representation at the national level; and to organise a bi-annual congress of all citizens of Cape Coast to deliberate and take decisions on issues affecting the town.
One key challenge that the union seeks to address is the falling standards of education at the basic level. The high quality education that Cape Coast is noted for at the second cycle level sharply contrasts with the poor quality of education at the basic level. As a result, many children from the town are unable to gain admission into the high profile second cycle institutions to enable them benefit from quality education.
In line with its objectives, union launched the Oguaaman Education and Development Trust Fund in October 2005. The objective of the fund are to mobilise resources for the upgrading of educational infrastructure and offering of scholarships to needy students; support school and community educational programmes on HIV/AIDS; and to enhance economic empowerment through the promotion of tourism and harnessing of resources.
These intervention measures are aimed at reversing the declining standards of education and increasing poverty levels, as well as reduce the HIV/AIDS infection rate.
The launching of the fund is particularly significant because more than a century ago, the forebears of the present generation of Oguaaman, had set up a similar fund to promote the cause of education. Since its inauguration over the past four years, the Oguaaman Union has made positive strides that cannot escape mention. It has established a computer laboratory at the St Monica’s School for student within the school’s catchment area. On Saturday, August 30, 2008, the union would inaugurate another computer laboratory at the Methodist Basic School to expand the frontiers of computer literacy for the students.
Through its initiative, the Oguaaman Union also managed to secure from the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board an offer to use the Palaver Hall in the Cape Coast Castle to accommodate the Oguaahene for the performance of his administrative duties.
The union is also providing support to children from the town in the Play Soccer Ghana (PSG) programme, which aims at using participation in sports, particularly football, to educate the youth. About 80 children in Cape Coast between the ages of five and 14 meet every week to go through skills and health training through football. The children are also given access to the computer laboratories to learn.
The PSG programme in Cape Coast is even gaining international recognition. The world football governing body, FIFA is considering building a centre at Cape Coast that would comprise of an astro football pitch, a clinic and a library. When completed, the centre would become one of the venues in the world where the 2010 World Cup football would be kicked in a manner akin to the rotation of the Olympic touch.
As the people of Cape Coast celebrate their annual Fetu Afahye, the Oguaaman Union is urging all Cape Coasters to use the occasion to think, plan and support the development of the town.
"It is a period for merry-making, but let’s use it to promote the development of Cape Coast", says Nana Butler, General Secretary of the union.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

'LET'S PRESERVE PEACE' (p.43) 28-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah

THREE prominent chiefs in the Central and Western Regions have reminded politicians and all Ghanaians of their responsibility in preserving the integrity and peace of the country before, during and after the December election.
They cautioned the people to guard against complacency and jealously protect the peace, and urged them to let the common aspirations bind rather than divide the country.
The Omanhen of Oguaa Traditional Area in the Central Region, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, the Omanhene of Mpohor, Osabarima Kwaw Entsi II, and the chief of Essipun, Nana Kofi Abuna V, both from the Western Region, made the remark in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic.
The chiefs were at Elmina in the Central Region recently to attend a workshop on "Non-violence election in December 2008", organised by the National Peace Council (NPC).
Osabarima Kwesi Atta said Ghana was known throughout the world as a peaceful country and so Ghanaians must, in their own small ways contribute in keeping Ghana peaceful.
"I urge all Ghanaians, especially the followers of political parties, to be tolerant of each other. After all, Ghana was here before the parties came," he said.
Osabarima Kwesi Atta said traditional leaders would be proactive in responding to early warning signals before, during and after the December election with the aim of maintaining the peace.
For his part, Osabarima Kwaw Entsi reminded Ghanaians that "the only country that we have is Ghana", adding that nothing could change the people from being Ghanaians, so they had a responsibility to maintain peace.
"I’m the Omanhene of Mpohor Traditional Area. If we don’t take care and chaos breaks out after the election, I cannot become an Omanhene in Nigeria or Cote d’Ivoire. So let us all maintain peace," he said.
Osabarima Kwaw Entsi said Ghana’s neighbours were all bedevilled with conflicts so in the event of a conflict breaking out in the country, Ghanaians would not have anywhere to go except the Gulf of Guinea.
"But that will not help us. Who can go and stay in the sea? Nobody can go there. So all of us should come together and strive for peace, because in peace we can develop and achieve our national vision," he advised.
Nana Kofi Abuna, the female chief of Essipun, pleaded with Ghanaians to embrace the peace message so that the country would continue to stand on its feet.
"We should not take the peace we have for granted and do something that would cause us dearly. We should make sure whatever we do, we think of Ghana first, because apart from Ghana, we don’t have anywhere to go. We have to sustain this peace and live as one people," she said.
Commenting on the outcome of the NPC workshop, a research officer at the NPC, Mr Emmanuel Sowatey, said it was successful in many respects, such as the reinforcement of the council’s notion of harnessing every resource for conflict prevention, management and resolution.
He said the commitment expressed by the traditional leaders, the clergy, senior security officials and media practitioners who attended the programme, to use their influence to promote peace, underlined the impact that the workshop was expected to have on the promotion of peace.
Mr Sowatey urged individuals who owned guns to endeavour to register their weapons to ensure that the use of small arms were controlled in a manner that would not harm the peace in the country.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

OPEN VOTERS REGISTER EARLY (p.43) 25-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah & Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Elmina
A LECTURER at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Dr Kumi Ansah-Koi, has challenged the Electoral Commission (EC) to display the voters register early enough in order to avoid any controversy that may undermine national peace.
He said the early display of the register would give ample time to clean up the register and to avoid instances where political parties might reject it as being over-bloated.
Dr Ansah-Koi said this at the opening of a two-day workshop on “Non-violent election in 2008” at Elmina in the Central Region today.
It was organised by the NPC in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for traditional leaders, security personnel, members of civil society organisations and the media.
The NPC is a body of eminent persons committed to the promotion of peace in the country through education and capacity-building.
This year, the council is particularly focusing on a peaceful election in December by engaging the various actors in the electoral process on how they could all contribute to the peaceful process.
Dr Ansah-Koi said it was wrong for the EC to undertake the limited voters registration exercise at a time the major political parties had elected their flagbearers, adding that the late opening of the register contributed to the violence that characterised the exercise.
He urged the commission to ensure a timely declaration of results after the December election to avoid a situation whereby the media and political parties would unofficially declare the results and consequently cause confusion.
Dr Ansah-Koi said modern technology, such the use of mobile phones, it should be possible for the EC to declare the results as early as possible.
He said civil society and the clergy had the power to bring politicians to order and stop them from making inflamatory statements, adding that politicians would always change if they knew that society frowned on their actions, which could undermine their political fortunes.
Dr Ansah-Koi further stressed the need for civil society to compel political parties to keep to the rules of the game, while urging the media to desist from sensationalism and distortion in their reportage, since that could be harmful to national peace and security.
He said there was no civil war in Africa whose cause did not involve the media, and stressed the need for the media and all Ghanaians to eschew complacency in the quest for a peaceful election.
The Omanhene of Ogua Traditional Council, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, who chaired the function, called on traditional leaders, security personnel, civil society and the media not to allow a few minority of Ghanaians to plunge the nation into chaos during the December election.
He said recent events of election violence in some African countries were enough indications to make Ghanaians eschew complacency for a peaceful election.
Osabarima Kwesi Atta said peace was vital for the progress and wellbeing of the people, pointing out that traditional rulers, civil society and the media had a cardinal responsibility to ensure peace in the country before, during and after the December election..
The Catholic Bishop of Ho, Bishop Francis Lodonu, said the role of traditional leaders, security personnel, the media and civil society in creating a peaceful environment before, during and after the December election could not be over estimated.
He said in recent times, elections had been a source of insecurity in many African countries, such as Nigeria, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Bishop Lodonu urged the participants to formulate appropriate methods that would help address early warning signs.
He said the NPC was was an independent, non-partisan, impartial and credible agent for the maintenance and consolidation of national peace.
The Programme Officer incharge of Peace and Governance at the UNDP Country Office, Mr Francis Azumah, urged Ghanaians to celebrate their diversity rather than use it as a means of fomenting violence.
He said election was only a minute aspect of the governance equation and wondered why people should use that to plunge the nation into violence.

CALL FOR IMMEDIATE PASSAGE OF TOBACCO LAW (p.30) 27-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah
The Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Joseph Amankwa, has called for the early passage of a legislation on tobacco to help combat the menace of the drug.
He said the effects of tobacco had gone beyond a health issue to become a major developmental problem that needed to be addressed.
Dr Amankwa made the call at a workshop on the implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which was organised by the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) in Accra.
About five million people world-wide die from tobacco-related diseases every year and by the turn of this century, one billion people would have died under such conditions. Developing countries account for 70 per cent of the deaths.
Ghana was the 39th country out of 160 in the world to ratify the FCTC, but unfortunately, it is yet to enact a legislation on tobacco as required by the convention.
In the absence of a legislation, nonetheless, Dr Amankwa said there was a lot the nation could do to combat the tobacco menace, and cited the adoption of effective strategies.
He stressed the need for intensive mass education, prohibition on the sale of tobacco to and by children, and appropriate warning notices by manufacturing companies on their product, as some of the intervention measures needed to fight tobacco use.
The acting Chief Psychiatrist, Dr Akwasi Osei, said tobacco contained more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which caused cancer.
He said tobacco could also kill the sperm of men and reduce the ability of women to have children, apart from affecting foetuses.
Dr Osei said passive smokers were exposed to greater danger than active smokers, and advised the former to avoid smoking environments, while urging the latter to endeavour to stop the habit by seeking the assistance of a doctor.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Commissioner of CEPS, Mr Emmanuel Doku, stressed the commitment of CEPS to checking the smuggling of tobacco products into the country.

TAKE FIRM DECISION ON CHIEFS INVOLVED IN POLITICS - ANSAH-KOI URGES NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS (p.16) 27-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah

A Political Scientist, Dr Kumi Ansah-Koi, has called on the National House of Chiefs to take a firm decision on chiefs actively involved in politics because their activities are inimical to the chieftaincy institution.
He said apart from this being an affront to the constitution, the involvement of chiefs in active politics also undermined the sanctity of the chieftaincy institution.
"They can contribute in other ways, but as chiefs, they are supposed to embody our culture and our society, and for that reason, we cannot treat them as ordinary people. Otherwise, they should leave the stool and become ordinary people", he told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
Article 276 of the Constitution states that “a chief shall not take part in active party politics; and any chief wishing to do so and seeking election to Parliament shall abdicate his stool or skin”.
Nevertheless, there have been several instances where some chiefs have been engaging in active politics without abdicating their stool or skin contrary to the constitutional prohibition.
The Omanhene of Agogo Traditional Area, Nana Akuoku Sarpong; the late former Speaker of Parliament, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, who was also the Akyempimhene of Abiriw; and recently, the former Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Yapowura M. N. D. Jawula, can be mentioned as some of the chiefs who defied the constitutional injunction to openly engage in politics.
Dr Ansah-Koi, who is a lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, said until the constitution was amended to allow chiefs to take part in active politics, their doing so should not be tolerated.
"My worry is that the law is being frowned upon", he said, adding that there was no need for the creation of a second chamber for chiefs, as some people had suggested.
Dr Ansah-Koi says, for now, one house is enough for the country, more so when there is a Council of State.
"If there is the need to change the law, then the law must be changed. My worry is the law being there and it being frowned upon. I don’t think that it’s necessary to change the law as it stands right now", he submitted.

TAKE FIRM DECISION ON CHIEFS INVOLVED IN POLITICS - ANSAH-KOI URGES NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS

Story: Kofi Yeboah

A Political Scientist, Dr Kumi Ansah-Koi, has called on the National House of Chiefs to take a firm decision on chiefs actively involved in politics because their activities are inimical to the chieftaincy institution.
He said apart from this being an affront to the constitution, the involvement of chiefs in active politics also undermined the sanctity of the chieftaincy institution.
"They can contribute in other ways, but as chiefs, they are supposed to embody our culture and our society, and for that reason, we cannot treat them as ordinary people. Otherwise, they should leave the stool and become ordinary people", he told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
Article 276 of the Constitution states that “a chief shall not take part in active party politics; and any chief wishing to do so and seeking election to Parliament shall abdicate his stool or skin”.
Nevertheless, there have been several instances where some chiefs have been engaging in active politics without abdicating their stool or skin contrary to the constitutional prohibition.
The Omanhene of Agogo Traditional Area, Nana Akuoku Sarpong; the late former Speaker of Parliament, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, who was also the Akyempimhene of Abiriw; and recently, the former Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Yapowura M. N. D. Jawula, can be mentioned as some of the chiefs who defied the constitutional injunction to openly engage in politics.
Dr Ansah-Koi, who is a lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, said until the constitution was amended to allow chiefs to take part in active politics, their doing so should not be tolerated.
"My worry is that the law is being frowned upon", he said, adding that there was no need for the creation of a second chamber for chiefs, as some people had suggested.
Dr Ansah-Koi says, for now, one house is enough for the country, more so when there is a Council of State.
"If there is the need to change the law, then the law must be changed. My worry is the law being there and it being frowned upon. I don’t think that it’s necessary to change the law as it stands right now", he submitted.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

LET'S FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE (p.19) 23-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE Danish Minister of Climate and Energy, Ms Connie Hedegaard, has called on all countries in the world to have sense of urgency in the fight against climate change.
She said it was about time the world moved away from the era of words to the era of action, and showed a greater commitment to curbing climate change and its consequences.
“All of us can contribute to solve the problem with our capabilities”, she said in an interview with the Daily Graphic last Thursday on the sidelines of the Accra Climate Change Talks, which are underway at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).
“You know, all these conferences are words and words, but now we have to turn the words into specific actions”, she added.
The Accra Talks are part of the negotiating process for a new international agreement on combating climate change, which is expected to be sealed in Copehnagen, Denmark, in December 2009.
Ms Hedegaard, a popular and award-winning journlist in Denmark before becoming a minister, said over the past three years, there had been good progress towards reaching a new agreement on climate change.
“We need to have an ambitious international agreement in 2009 and we should stick to our own deadline before we disappoint the people of the world”, she remarked.
Ms Hedegaard said whereas much was expected from developed countries in combating climate change, the better-off developing countries ought to decide which year they could stabilise their emissions, while the rest of the developing world ensured economic growth and sustainable development that integrated climate change solutions.
Making her first visit to West Africa, having already been to Mali and Burkina Faso, the Danish Climate and Energy Minister said the purpose of her tour of the sub-region was to encourage the creation of greater awareness on climate change and its consequences “because the more we know about climate change and its consequences, the better we can communicate to the whole world as to why it is important to act now”.
“One thing that I bring here is the sense that your politicians, NGOs and unions are aware of the problems and coordinate their efforts to combat climate change”, she said.
Ms Hedegaard, who had also held other ministerial portfolios for Environment and Nordic Cooperation, said although this was her first visit to Ghana, she observed some impacts of climate change in the country and called for a joint effort between the government and NGOs to deal with the situation.
She said in the past, around this part of th world, things could change and come back to normal, “but it seems for many years now, things have not come back to normal so the abnormal situation has become the normal thing”.
Ms Hedegaard underlined the long-standing relations between Denmark and Africa and stressed the need for greater collaboration between the two parties.
Denmark spends 0.81 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on development aid, 60 per cent of which is budgeted for Africa.
“That is a very deliberate policy because we want to give priority to Africa since in many ways, it seems that Africa has been a forgotten continent. So if we invest in other parts of the world, then we must also make sure that Africa is not left behind”, Ms Hedegaard indicated.

FLUSH OUT DEVIANTS FROM KLOTTEY-KORLEY BEACH (p.18) 23-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah
FISHERMEN at Osu in the Klottey-Korley Constituency have appealed to the security agencies to flush out suspected armed robbers along the beach where their canoes dock.
According to them, a group of Nigerian and Liberian nationals, suspected to be armed robbers, had been using the area as their den.
The acting chief fisherman of Osu, Nii Apan Jamoja, told the Daily Graphic that the suspected armed robbers used an accommodation facility built by a certain man at the beach as their hideout.
He said the situation created the impression that the fishermen in the area were involved in armed robbery, adding that anytime they attempted to confront the suspects, the owner of the structure reported them to the police, who came to arrest and harass them.
Nii Jamoja said the suspected armed robbers had also turned the place into a wee-smoking joint and brothel and cited an instance when some of them were caught having sexual intercourse in a structure the fishermen used for the performance of rituals for bumper fish harvest.
“This is sacrilegious and bad omen. That is why we don’t catch enough fish these days,” he remarked.
Nii Jamoja said the activities of the developer were a major cause for the silting of the Klottey Lagoon.
He said the siting of the structure at the beach was inappropriate and appealed to the authorities concerned to take immediate action on the matter.
Another fisherman, Nii Armah (aka Tito Lee), who added his voice to the concerns expressed by the acting chief fisherman, said although they could confront the situation on their own, they had been patient all this while because they did not want violence.
He, therefore, appealed to the security agencies to clear the area of such deviants.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

FOREIGN TRAWLERS BLAMED - FOR POOR FISH HARVEST (Front Page) 20-08-08

Story: News Desk Report
FISHERMEN across the country have blamed illegal activities of foreign trawlers for the near collapse of the fishing industry in the country.
From Tema through Takoradi to Axim, spokesmen for the various fishermen groupings told the Daily Graphic that their profession was fast dying as a result of pair-trawling being practised by the foreign vessels in spite of a ban imposed on the activity by the government of Ghana.
Pair trawling involves two large vessels in parallel motion with a giant net between them, which completely sweeps the sea bed, depleting the country’s fish stock, as well as fingerlings.
The Minister of Fisheries, Mrs Gladys Asmah, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that pair trawling had been banned in the country, since the ministry issued a notice in February 2005 to completely ban it, but the ministry did not have patrol boats to enforce it or monitor the activities of fishermen.
According to her, anyone who embarked on pair trawling was liable for prosecution.
She, therefore, urged fishermen to give the identities of boats that embarked on pair trawling for prosecution.
Mrs Asmah emphasised that the Navy, which was expected to patrol the waters on behalf of the ministry, was also constrained and it was, therefore, imperative for fishermen to co-operate with the ministry in curbing illegal fishing activities.
The other drawback to fishing in the country, according to the practitioners, is the large volumes of plastic waste and other pollutants from industrial waste discharges, as well as oil spillage from vessels transporting petroleum products, and dead fish thrown into the sea by Chinese fishing trawlers.
The situation, they said, was killing interest in fishing, particularly among the youth, and, therefore, called for immediate government intervention to salvage the profession from collapse.
In Accra, Kofi Yeboah reports that the acting chief fisherman at Osu, Nii Apan Jamloja, said since Chinese fishing vessels emerged on the territorial waters of Ghana over the past four years, the fortunes of local fishermen had kept dwindling.
“If by next year, the situation has not improved and anyone goes to sea and gets a bowl full of fish, I can assure you they did not come from the sea but dropped from heaven,” he remarked.
It is not known how plastic waste materials have polluted the sea, but the extent to which such materials have choked the estuary of the Klottey Lagoon at Osu, ready to be flushed into the sea, gives a vivid idea about the situation.
The lagoon, which used to produce fish in the past, is now virtually dead as it keeps shrinking in size and becoming shallower due to siltation and pollution.
Nii Jamloja said the pair trawlers collected every fish that came their way after which their operators selected what they wanted and threw the rest into the sea.
The discarded fish keeps afloat the sea and the stench that emanates from them drives all the fish away from that particular spot, making it difficult for the local fishermen to make any meaningful catch.
The fishermen said sometimes, the trawlers destroyed their canoes, recalling an instance in which two Chinese fishing trawlers dragged a local fishing canoe, causing it to capsize and killing two of their colleagues in the process.
Another major challenge facing the fishermen is the high expenditure they make on pre-mix fuel, which currently sells at GH¢3.70 per gallon, and iced blocks, but for which they get little returns.
For a three-day journey at sea, the fishermen spend about GH¢400 and GH¢700 for a week’s journey.
According to them, although they had made a lot of noise about their predicament, there had not been any official intervention to address their concerns.
From Tema, Rose Hayford Darko reports that fishermen at the Canoe Beach at the Tema Fishing Harbour have appealed to the Ministry of Fisheries to take immediate steps to save the current situation in which they invest GH¢300 on fuel for a trip only to return with two boxes of fish, which cost not more than GH¢50.
According to them, the use of light at sea by bigger foreign vessels had in the past four years reduce fish stock in the immediate sea environment to the advantage of these vessels on the high seas, while they also poached small-sized fish, which they later dumped into the sea dead.
Speaking with the Daily Graphic at the Tema Fishing Harbour, Nii Attah Anum Gbegbemi, an elder of the Chief Fishermen, said fishermen in Tema now had to sit around idling.
He said there were over 500 canoes operating from the Tema beach, with between 12 and 15 fishermen on each, and noted that pair trawling had pushed most of them out of job.
At 9:30 am on Monday, the beach was full of grounded canoes, which had returned without any catch.
Fresh fish sellers at the beach had also turned to frozen fish because according to them they could not afford to be out of season.
However, there was brisk business at the cold stores where some fish dealers had come from the hinterland to buy for sale at their various destinations.
One important platform where such concerns of fishermen are adequately addressed is the Fisheries Commission, but according to the National Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen (GNAFF), Mr Joseph Dziwornu, the association, which has representation on the commission, had not been invited to any meeting since 2000.
From Sekondi, Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, reports that pair trawling is pushing thousands of local fishermen out of job since they usually came back from sea with no catch.
Checks in the markets indicate that unlike previous years, fish is scarce and expensive although the country is supposed to be in the fishing season.
Explanations given by some fishermen in separate interviews indicated that this year’s season had not been favourable because of the all-year fishing expedition by foreign industrial fishing vessels which allegedly have some Ghanaians fronting as owners.
“This is our season where we are expected to catch a lot of herrings and other assorted fishes but the pair trawling by industrial vessel which fish all year round have resulted in low catch on our part,” they said.
The foreign fishermen allegedly undertake pair trawling under heavy light and catch bountifully, after which they select what they are permitted to catch, call their customers along the shores of Cape Coast and Sekondi and sell the remaining fish to them .
They added that if their customers failed to reach them, they then wrapped the unwanted fish and dumped it at sea to stop them from floating ashore for the authorities to discover their illegal activities.
“As a result, when we return from fishing with our little catch, which is fresh, we do not get the price for it and we lose greatly because the people who buy the dead fish from the foreigners sell them at lower prices.
One of the fishermen, Mr Eben Afful from Axim, said they had been experiencing the low catch for the past five years.
He said even though the temperature of the sea around August resulted in bumper catches in the past, “what is happening now is different because we go and come back empty handed”. He stated that the situation at present was as a result of the depletion.
According to Nana Jojo Solomon, the chief fisherman at Cape Coast , the only way to solve the problem was to regulate the industrial vessels.
When contacted, the Regional Director of Fisheries, Mr Alex Addo, acknowledged the complaint by the fishermen, and said it was due to human and natural factors.
He said the natural factors had to do with the temperature at sea, while he attributed the human factor to pair trawling as well as the use of light and dynamite by some of the fishermen.
He said the ministry was aware of the alleged offshore trading among the industrial vessels and some fishermen, which he described as illegal.
He said a community-based check system involving the chief fishermen had been put in place and would be made operational soon.

Monday, August 18, 2008

KASOA VICTIM DOING WELL (p.20) 18-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah

ONE of the two persons who were admitted to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in critical condition following the machete wounds they sustained in the Kasoa murder incident last Friday, is reported to have started speaking.
Family sources told the Daily Graphic yesterday that Masaudu Mohammed, 20, who sustained wounds on the head and other parts of the body, had been speaking to them about the incident.
However, they said, Sherifatu Mohammed, seven, the other victim on admission, was still in a critical condition and had not been able to speak.
Medical officials at the hospital told the Daily Graphic last Friday that Sherifatu would be referred to a neuro surgeon, while Masaudu would be referred to a plastic surgeon, for further treatment.
The two were sent to the hospital last Friday after they were allegedly wounded with a machete by a member of their household, Ibrahim Issah, the motive for which is not yet clear.
Four other persons, Zaliatu Mohammed, 28, and her two sons, Baki Mohammed, nine and Abdul Mubarak, two, as well as Latifa, seven, a niece of Zaliatu’s husband, were all butchered in the horrific incident that occurred at Kasoa New Town in the early hours of last Friday.
The suspect, Issah, 28, was alleged to have set the house ablaze afterwards, burning Zaliatu and one of her children in the process.
Issah is currently on admission at the Police Hospital after allegedly attempting to commit suicide by stabbing himself in the stomach.
When contacted for an update on the case, the District Police Commander of Kasoa, Superintendent Isaac Kwesi Buabeng, said the police were still investigating the incident.

MINISTRY TO PROBE SECURITY FIRMS (Front page) 16-08-08

Nana Adu II last Monday alleged at a news conference in Accra that some private security organisations were training their guards with weapons, contrary to regulations guiding the industry, reports Kofi Yeboah. .
He said if the situation was not checked, it could destabilise the peace and security of the nation, particularly during the December elections.
He said some of these security companies were also training their personnel at unknown areas, making it difficult for them to be monitored and checked.
“We are convinced that not all these companies can easily be located or their mode of operations clearly known by the police and the Ministry of the Interior. We also suspect that some of them could be armed, which to us, is illegal and dangerous for the security of the state,” Nana Adu added.
In another development, a security expert, Dr Emmanuel Kwesi Enning, has called for a revision of the law regulating the operation of private security organisations in the country to inject sanity into their operations, reports.
He said the existing legal frameworks regulating the industry, such as the Police Service Act, 1970 (Act 350), and LI 1671, which was revised in 1994, were weak and needed to be reinforced.
Dr Enning, who made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic, observed that some of the private security companies, for instance, used sirens on their vehicles and dressed in a manner akin to the police, contrary to the law.
He said although the law prohibited private security operatives from using guns, a private security worker who owned a gun and had registered it could take the weapon to work without offending the law.
Dr Enning, who is the Head of Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution Department of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, therefore, stressed the need to revise the law to permit the use of guns by security companies in a manner that was well regulated.
He said following the government’s efforts to restructure private security operations in 2002, it was found out that, out of about 320 companies currently operating in the country, about two-thirds of them were not registered by the Ministry of the Interior.
On the allegation that the establishment of private security companies by some politicians could be used for political purposes, Dr Enning described the allegation as “disingenuous”, adding that “we should de-politicise the issue”.
He said people were interested in security not because they wanted to use it for political purposes, but because they were interested in safeguarding their own safety.
Recently, the Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior, Nana Obiri Boahen, declared the ministry’s resolve to assert its authority over the private security industry.
He announced various measures, including registration of the companies and tracking down those operating without identifiable addresses and outside regulations guiding the industry, to bring the situation under control.
When contacted, Nana Boahen said “the response has been very great”, with many of the companies updating their records and renewing their licences.
He said many of them had also been sending their monthly returns to the ministry, expressing the hope that the situation would further improve.

HORROR AT KASOA - FOUR MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD, TWO OTHERS IN CRITICAL CONDITION (Front page) 16-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah

RESIDENTS of Kasoa New Town in the Central Region woke up early yesterday to the horrific news of the murder of four members of a household, including three children, in cold blood.
The victims, Zaliatu Mohammed, 28, and her two sons, Baki Mohammed, nine and Abdul Mubarak, two, as well as Latifa, seven, a niece of Zaliatu’s husband, were allegedly butchered to death with a machete by another member of the household, the motive for which is not yet clear.
But the suspect, Ibrahim Issah, 28, told the Daily Graphic on his Police Hospital bed that he was innocent of the crime.
Saliatu’s husband, Mohammed Seidu, a 44-year-old herbalist, was not in the house at the time of the incident, but in an interview, he said about a week ago, Ibrahim had told the children that he would kill and burn them, a threat he and his wife treated as a joke.
Only two members of the household, Hajia Seidu, Mohammed’s mother and Rahinatu, 11, a family relation, managed to escape unscathed.
Mohammed’s other two children, Sherifatu Mohammed, seven and Masaudu Mohammed, 20, were in critical condition at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital when the Daily Graphic team got there at 2:30p.m.
Sherifatu was said to have sustained machete wounds, including a cut on the ear, while Masaudu also had machete wounds on his head and other parts of the body.
Medical officials at the hospital said Sherifatu, who was at the Intensive Care Unit, had been referred to a neuro-surgeon, while Masaudu, who was at the Emergency and Accident Unit, had been referred to a plastic surgeon.
After the callous act, the suspect, Ibrahim Issah, 28, was alleged to have stabbed himself with a knife, having his intestines gushing out, and set the house ablaze.
He is currently on admission at the Police Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment under armed police guard.
The Medical Officer in charge of the Outpatient Department (OPD) of the hospital, ASP Vida Ampadu, said Ibrahim had burns and intestinal wounds when admitted.
He was being sent to the theatre at the time the Daily Graphic visited the hospital.
When the Graphic team arrived at the house of the victims around 11 a.m., a large anxious crowd had gathered there to witness the scene amidst wailing.
Crime scene experts from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Accra and personnel from the Kasoa Police were on the scene for investigations.
As soon as the police carried the dead bodies into a truck to convey them to the morgue, the wailings from the crowd intensified as they kept mentioning the names of the victims, particularly the woman, whom they described as being very friendly.
The District Police Commander of Kasoa, Superintendent Isaac Kwesi Buabeng, said the police were in the early stages of investigations.
A resident of the area, Sumaila Alidu, said around 4:30 a.m., while going for early morning Muslim prayers, he and some other persons in the area saw smoke coming out of the house of the victims.
When they rushed to the scene, they realised all the doors had been barricaded and therefore broke into the rooms through the windows, and managed to rescue the two survivors and the two injured persons to the hospital.
He said they found Zaliatu and one of the children burnt in the inferno, and later in their search, they found Ibrahim locked up in another room with some burns on the body and knife wound in the stomach.
Later in an interview, the father of the children, Mohammed, said his deceased mentor had taught him herbal medicine and Arabic and as a show of gratitude to him, he decided to take care of Ibrahim, who was the son of his mentor’s friend.
He said Ibrahim had, therefore, been staying with them for the past four years and there was no ill feeling among them.
This assertion was corroborated by some residents of the area, who said Ibrahim was a very quiet person and had cordial relations with the children and the entire family.
Police investigations continue.

Friday, August 15, 2008

GHANA'S FORESTS DEPLETING FAST (p.41) 15-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah & Gifty Appiah

GHANA has been experiencing an alarming rate of forest degradation with the loss of 1.9 per cent of forest cover per annum from 2000 to 2005 and rising thereafter, posing serious climatic problems to the nation.
In some communities, the rate of degradation is as high as 7.8 per cent per annum.
This is mainly the result of factors such as felling trees for charcoal and fuel wood, agriculture activities and encroachment on forest reserves.
An official of the Forestry Commission, Mr Robert Bamfo, who made this known in Accra yesterday, called for pragmatic measures to address the trend of forest degradation, whose economic consequences are very dire.
He was speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop on “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD).
The workshop is aimed at creating awareness among partners on issues regarding the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
It is also to discuss the involvement of the various partners in the designing of REDD Readiness Plan for the country, which would lead to the formulation of a National REDD Strategy for Ghana.
The workshop comes one week ahead of two international conferences on climate change scheduled to take place in Accra. These are the United Nations Climate Change Talks on the Third Session of the Ad hoc Working Group on Long Term Co-operative Action (AWG-LCA 3) under the Climate Convention, and the first part of the Sixth Session of the Ad hoc Working Group on Further Commitment for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP 6).
According to the United Nations (UN), greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries as a result of deforestation contribute about 20 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.
The REDD initiative is a top international agenda proposed by Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea to combat greenhouse emissions, and was later embraced by other countries, including Ghana.
At the moment, the initiative is receiving financial and legislate support from the World Bank, the G8, the scientific community and the international political community.
Mr Bamfo gave a number of statistics to buttress his assertion that the rate of deforestation and forest degradation in Ghana was very alarming.
An official of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr Antwi-Bosiako Amoah, said a national assessment carried out by the EPA on greenhouse emission in 2000 indicated that climatic change was having serious consequences on the country’s water systems and coastal zones.
He said the climatic change was also having serious effect on the economy, including health, as a result of increased cases of malaria, cerebro spinal meningitis, guinea worm and diarrhoea; agriculture as a result of low productivity; land management due to reduction in soil fertility and increase in desertification; loss of biodiversity; and coastal zone as a result of a rise in the sea level.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Prof Nii Ashie Kotey, stressed the need for co-ordination among national agencies whose activities related to REDD to ensure effective and lasting solution to the problem.
He further stressed the need to build national capacity to monitor forest cover changes and associated changes in carbon stocks in order to ensure that REDD worked effectively.
Prof Kotey said the Forestry Commission had initiated measures to address the causes of deforestation and degradation, expressing the hope that the intervention would be given a boost next month when Ghana and the European Union (EU) signed the Voluntary Partnership Agreement.
Under the agreement, forest law reinforcement, governance and trade systems of credible legal and administrative structures will be put in place to ensure that timber is produced in accordance with existing forestry laws and policies to eliminate or minimise illegally produced timber on the EU markets.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

COUNCIL TO ENSURE PEACEFUL POLLS (p.28) 14-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah

THE National Peace Council (NPC) has drawn up a programme to hold a series of meetings with all political parties, the security agencies and the Electoral Commission (EC) to discuss how best to ensure a peaceful election in December.
The meetings, which begin early next month, would discuss the causes of violence and conflicts that have so far characterised the election process and how best to address those problems.
The Executive Secretary of the NPC, Mr P. K. Opoku-Mensah, who made this known to the Daily Graphic yesterday, said signals from the recent voter registration exercise suggested that “we should work harder, otherwise we will be overtaken by events”.
The NPC, under the chairmanship of the Catholic Bishop of Cape Coast, Cardinal Peter Appiah-Turkson, is a body of eminent persons dedicated to the promotion of peace in the country.
Commenting on the violence and rancour that characterised the voter registration exercise, Mr Opoku-Mensah described those incidents as rather unfortunate.
He advised Ghanaians to exercise restraint and desist from the blame game, stressing that it was not fair to blame the EC for the lapses, since the registration exercise was based only on estimated figures, that might inform the inadequacy of registration materials provided by the EC.
Mr Opoku-Mensah urged Ghanaians and political parties in particular to rather support the EC to carry out a successful election in December, expressing the hope that the commission would also straighten its rough edges after the registration exercise to ensure a clean voters register.
On the Bawku conflict, he said the NPC had been engaging the parties in the conflict and opinion leaders from the area who were resident in Accra in a discussion, with the view to finding a lasting solution to the problem.
Mr Opoku-Mensah said response from the peace initiative, which started last May, had been very positive.
“You can realise that they all want peace. It’s unfortunate that some of the misunderstandings result in conflicts,” he observed.

TOP ECOWAS TEAM COMING - TO DISCUSS PROCESS TOWARDS PEACEFUL POLLS (Front Page) 14-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah

THE Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission is to dispatch a high-level mission to Ghana next month to engage all the political actors, civil society, the private sector and other partners in the electoral process in discussions towards a peaceful election in December.
The mission would be led by a former African Head of State, yet to be named, and would seek to facilitate a credible, transparent, free, fair and peaceful elections from all the actors.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, made this known in an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic on Tuesday.
He said Ghana was one of the countries in West Africa that ECOWAS was holding up as a model of democratic governance and good economic performance. That was why it would not want to see anything happen in Ghana that would derail the positive achievements.
“We are particularly interested in Ghana because of the developments that we have seen this year in Kenya and, more recently, in Zimbabwe. These were countries that were touted as doing very well democratically and economically,” he said.
Dr Chambas said six months before President Mugabe initiated the land reform policy in Zimbabwe, that country was the best performing economy in Africa, according to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and yet everyone knew what was happening there now.
He did not name the African Head of State to lead the high-level mission, saying the commission was in the process of constituting the mission for the visit in the middle of next month.
The ECOWAS Commission President said the high-level mission would work closely with Dr Ishmael Yamson in an initiative he had put in place for a peaceful election in December.
Dr Chambas said ECOWAS was very much interested in electoral processes in the sub-region because there was often a cause or consequence of crisis in the sub-region.
Therefore, he said, whenever elections were coming up, the ECOWAS Commission showed particular interest and tried to work with the respective countries to ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible election.
On the recent limited voter registration exercise, Dr Chambas said ECOWAS was disappointed with the violence that characterised the event, albeit on a small scale.
“We are disappointed at what we saw. Here, there is a huge responsibility on the Electoral Commission to ensure that the process is credible and there is a level playing field for all the players to have confidence in the electoral process,” he said.
Dr Chambas, nevertheless, expressed confidence in the EC, whose officials he described as very capable to deliver its mandate.
He urged leaders of the political parties to be mindful of their actions and utterances between now and December, adding that they must understand the responsibility they carried to protect Ghana’s good name.
Dr Chambas said even in the face of vigorous political campaigning, the political party leaders “must tamper their utterances and moderate their language in a way that does not inflame or incite violence”.
Dr Chambas also reminded all Ghanaians that they were major stakeholders in the political process because they would be the most affected if the situation degenerated into violence.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

'CHECK USE OF SMALL ARMS' (p.34) 13-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah

A SECURITY expert, Mr Emmanuel Sowatey, has cautioned Ghanaians against the use of small arms during the electioneering, since they have the potential to plunge the nation into conflict.
He said although the danger of a looming conflict might not be as devastating as that experienced in Liberia and Sierra Leone, it was serious enough to warrant urgent attention from all and sundry.
Mr Sowatey, who gave the caution in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said there were serious pockets of conflict around the country that had to be avoided so that they did not spread throughout the entire nation.
He said political parties must be held accountable for the Code of Conduct for Political Parties prepared by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), which code prohibits them from the use of small arms and other offensive weapons in their campaigns.
Mr Sowatey said the use of small arms undermined the peace and security of the nation, as well as threatened and intimidated people to refuse to participate in the democratic process and freely express their political choice.
He urged the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Interior and Defence to be apolitical in the discharge of its duties.
Mr Sowatey recently attended the United Nations Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms in the US, which brought together 135 countries in the world to deliberate on various issues relating to small arms, such as international co-operation and assistance, stockpile management, brokering, and marking and tracking.
He said the issues discussed were very crucial to the fight against small arms, adding that all those interventions were captured in the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
Mr Sowatey said Ghana had gone a long way in implementing the provisions of the convention by undertaking a baseline survey in 2005, subsequently organising a National Conference on Small Arms to validate the baseline survey, and making efforts to formulate a National Action Plan on Small Arms.
He said the main sources of small arms in Ghana were smuggling, leakages from armouries and legal importers, non-renewal of licences, and local manufacturing.
Mr Sowatey advised all holders of small arms to endeavour to register their weapons and renew their licences every year.

CHAMBAS CONSOLES ALA ADJETEY'S FAMILY (p.24/25) 13-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah

THE President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, has signed a book of condolence in honour of the former Speaker of Parliament, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, at his residence at La in Accra.
Dr Chambas said the news of Mr Adjetey’s death came as a big shock to him because the last time he met the former Speaker, early this year, he (Speaker) looked physically fit and mentally alert.
He described Mr Adjetey as someone who was held in high esteem by everyone, saying, “he was somebody who was highly principled and possessed clear analytical and persuasive powers”.
Dr Chambas said as a lawyer, Mr Adjetey distinguished himself, while as a Speaker, “he was highly respected and highly regarded by both sides of the isle, and there is no question in my mind that our nation has lost a great role model”.
He expressed his heartfelt condolence and sympathy to the bereaved family.
Present were some family members of the late Speaker, including Mrs Johanna Adjetey, wife, Mr Larry Adjetey, son, Mrs Miranda Adjetey Rockson, daughter, and Mr Jonas Sowah Quaye, nephew.
On behalf of the family, Mr Quaye thanked Dr Chambas for his show of sympathy.
He said Mr Adjetey would have joined Dr Chambas to receive an honorary doctorate degree by the University of Ghana last Sunday, which marked his birthday, and that would have been a double celebration for him. Unfortunately death decided to stop all that celebration.
Mr Quaye said the family was still working out a date for the funeral of the late Speaker.
Mr Adjetey died at the age of 76 on July 15, 2008, at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after a short illness.

Monday, August 11, 2008

LUTHERAN CHURCH ORDAINS 16 (p.55) 11-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah
SIXTEEN new pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG) have been ordained at a special service held at the St Paul’s Lutheran Church at Kanda in Accra.
The pastors graduated last year after undergoing four years of pastoral training at the Lutheran Seminary.
The President of the ELCG, Rt Rev Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, who performed the ordination ceremony, said the new pastors had been called into the ministry, as Jesus Christ commissioned his disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel to all people.
He said the ministry of God was precious and unique and, therefore, reminded the pastors of their enormous responsibility never to neglect this aspect of the ministry.
Rt Rev Dr Fynn cautioned them against using the ministry to pray for people to acquire visas and other material things.
“You are not God. You are only a servant and you cannot command someone to do this and your wish will be done”, he advised, urging them to rather take an interest in the sick, aged, children and poor in society.
Rt Rev Dr Fynn encouraged the pastors to brace themselves up for the challenges ahead, assuring them of divine strength to carry out their responsibilities.
He further advised them to keep studying the word of God, be abreast of current issues and pray constantly in order to enhance their performance.
Preaching the sermon, the Rev Dr George Black of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, USA, charged the new pastors to give a sense of urgency to the message of the gospel just as Jesus Christ presented it when he said that “the Kingdom of God is at hand”.
He urged them to endeavour to share the good news of the gospel in every part of the country.
The new pastors include Alexander K. Avor, Cletus M. Alale, Dr Ebenezer Boafo, Emmanuel K. Senyo, Hubertson A. Donkoh, Isaac Gajah, Isaac Koomson and John Andoh.
The rest are John Krah, John Lipaak, Joseph Bijakim, Lazarus Yajim, Matthew Adjei, Mark Perimaak Yejanaak, Samuel S. Sutika and Tito Mboleb Emmanuel.

EC's LIFELINE FOR REGISTRATION - 2 MORE DAYS (p.3) 11-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah
TWO leading members of the two front-running political parties in the country have welcomed the decision by the Electoral Commission (EC) to extend the voter registration exercise for two more days.
They, however, urged the EC to provide adequate logistics to ensure the registration of all eligible voters.
The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Ohene Ntow, and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Mr Mahama Ayariga, made the remark in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic today.
Nana Ntow said the EC had listened to the concerns of the political parties, particularly the NPP, and the general public for an extension in view of the challenges that had characterised the exercise.
“I commend the Electoral Commission for responding to the call for an extension of time”, he said.
Nana Ntow said the shortages of materials in many registration centres meant the exercise did not take place for the period it was supposed to be undertaken, and so it was necessary to extend it.
He, however, urged the EC to ensure that adequate materials were available for the extension period, pointing out that “if you extend the time and materials are not available it’s useless”.
When asked whether the 48-hour extension was enough in view of the enormity of the challenges that had characterised the exercise so far, the NPP General Secretary said “it’s fair enough”, especially considering the fact that initially, the EC did not want to extend it.
He said in any case, the exercise could not be undertaken indefinitely and so the extension was fair.
Nana Ntow appealed to members of the general public who had not registered to take advantage of the extension to register.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) had opposed an extension of the exercise in view of the logistical constraints, violence and other challenges that had undermined the exercise.
Nevertheless, Mr Ayariga, said the extension of the registration exercise was welcomed.
“I think there should even be more time for eligible voters to register”, he said in what he stressed to be a personal opinion.
Mr Ayariga said the difficulties that had characterised the exercise must have informed the NDC to oppose any extension but looking at how the exercise had gone on in his constituency, there was the need for an extension.
He said in the Bawku Central, for instance, there were many reported cases of registration of minors but the EC looked on unconcerned expecting the parties to challenge such registrations.
Mr Ayariga said it was the responsibility of the EC, not the political parties, to ensure that only eligible voters were registered.

POLICE PROBE ALLEGED REGISTRATION FRAUD (p.3) 11-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE Police in Hohoe in the Volta Region are investigating a case involving a cameraman contracted by the Electoral Commission for the voter registration exercise, who was alleged to have taken pictures of Togolese nationals in that country, ostensibly to register them in Ghana.
The suspect, Prosper Tetteh, 42, who is a member of the registration team at Kadjebi, was arrested together with a Togolese national, Francis Yao Adeko, 24, by a group of National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters, while they (suspects) were returning to Ghana after their mission in Togo.
The group then handed the suspects over to the Hohoe Police, who, upon investigations, retrieved 75 single and 73 double printed pictures which were in the possession of Tetteh at the time of his arrest last Monday.
However, as of last Friday, August 8, 2008, the police were yet to retrieve the camera used by Tetteh for taking the pictures to aid them in their investigations.
The Hohoe Divisional Police Commander, ACP Kofi Danso Adei-Akyeampong, told the Daily Graphic in a telephone interview last Friday that Tetteh told the police that he had given the camera to a friend, but failed to produce it as promised.
Giving details of the case, ACP Adei-Akyeampong said a group of NDC supporters claimed they received information that Tetteh had gone to Togo to take pictures of Togolese nationals for registration in Ghana.
He said the group then laid ambush for Tetteh and on his return, they arrested him together with Adeko, who were travelling on a motorbike.
ACP Adei-Akyeampong said when the suspects were sent to the police station, Adeko pleaded innocent of the allegation, explaining that he was only hired by Tetteh to transport him (Tetteh) from Togo to Ghana.
The Divisional Police Commander said when the Electoral Officer at Kadjebi was invited by the police, he confirmed the identity of Tetteh as a member of his registration team.
ACP Adei-Akyeampong said the two suspects had since been granted bail and been reporting to the police everyday, while investigations continued.
He said at the end of investigations, the appropriate charges would be preferred against the suspects.

EC GATHERING INFO ON REGISTRATION (p.3) 09-08-08

Story: Kobby Asmah and Kofi Yeboah

THE Electoral Commission (EC) is gathering information to enable it decide as to whether or not to extend the limited registration exercise which will officially end tommorrow.
Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission told the Daily Graphic in a telephone chat yesterday that members of the Commission were to meet formally yesterday or today to take a firm decision on the on-going exercise.
He said that so far the exercise had gone down well in a number of places but it was still important for the Commisioners to meet formally on the exercise in view of reported electoral abuses in some registration centres.
He indicated that the commission had recieved a number of requests including that from the Ministry of the Interior for it to extend the registration exercise and it was in the process of considering them.
A deputy chairman of the EC, Mr David Adenze Kanga, also told the Daily Graphic in a separate interview that the commission was giving a serious consideration to a request by the Minister of the Interior for an extension of the ongoing voter registration exercise to enable eligible people who are yet to register to do so.
Mr Kanga said efforts were underway to convene a meeting of all the commissioners to consider the minister’s request for an extension of the exercise.
“We are treating it with all importance because it is coming from the highest level of national security,” he said.
In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, dated August 7, 2008, the Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, requested the EC to extend the voter registration exercise following security reports that the long queues, rancour, tension and violence that had characterised the exercise had prevented many eligible voters from registering.
“In the light of the foregoing and in the interest of peace and tranquillity in the country, it would be appreciated if the exercise will be extended to enable all eligible voters to register,” the minister said in the letter.
Responding, Mr Kanga said the EC was treating the minister’s letter with all importance and as such, it was contacting all the commissioners to get their opinion on the matter.
When asked whether the commission was likely to extend the exercise after the consultation, the deputy commissioner calmly but firmly replied, “I won’t respond to that.”
He could also not tell how soon the commissioners would meet and discuss the matter because at the moment, they were all scattered around the country.
“We will surely make a determination but not now”, he added, explaining that it could be possible on the last day of registration on Sunday, the long queues would have disappeared and so there would be no need for an extension.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that some people are cashing in on the registration exercise by going to the centres early to form queues, sometimes with stones, only to sell their positions to others desperately wanting to register.
This practice has contributed to the long queues being experienced at many of the registration centres across the country.
Commenting on the situation in another interview with the Daily Graphic, the Chairman of the EC, Dr Afari-Gyan, described the practice as “morally reprehensible”.
He urged the public and the media in particular to expose those involved in such practices.
Dr Afari-Gyan said the situation was difficult to handle because it was not very easy to determine who in a queue genuinely wanted to register.
The EC Chairman, who at the time of the interview was on a tour of the Volta Region, said the exercise in the region was smooth, adding that there were no long queues as was the case in other parts of the country.

Friday, August 8, 2008

WE WANT VODAFONE DEAL - GT WORKERS (Front page) 08-08-08

Story: Kofi Yeboah
CONCERNED workers of Ghana Telecom (GT) say there cannot be a better time for the GT-Vodafone deal than now because the company cannot survive the next six months on its own.
They cautioned that all the 4,200 workers of the company risked losing their jobs, if the deal failed, considering the current precarious financial situation of the company.
According to the workers, apart from losing the bulk of its clientele, such as Nestle Ghana Limited, GT did not have the capacity to withstand the current competition in the mobile telecommunication industry.
“GT cannot survive the competition, if the Vodafone deal fails. We believe Vodafone has the international clout in the telecommunication industry, which GT can leverage on when it comes to international transactions and compete effectively with MTN, Zain, Glo, Tigo and Kasapa, which are all multinationals”, the Concerned Staff of Ghana Telecom said in a press release yesterday.
The statement was jointly signed by Messrs William Agyei, Chief Manager (Onetouch) and Henry Whyte, Head of Revenue Assurance and Fraud (GT), on behalf of what they claimed was a group of about 95 per cent of junior and senior members of staff of GT.
Two members of the group, Messrs William Agyei and Paul Meenu, walked to the offices of the Daily Graphic yesterday to clarify what they considered to be misinformation in the ongoing debate over the GT-Vodafone deal and to present what they said were the real facts on the current situation in the company.
The decision by the government to sell 70 per cent shares of GT to Vodafone for a $900-million capital injection has generated intense debate over the past few weeks.
Whereas the management and some workers of GT, as well as economists like Mr Kwame Pianim, have given their blessing to the deal, groups like the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) have been in the forefront of opposition to the deal.
Joining the debate, the concerned workers said their support for the GT-Vodafone deal was based on sound reasons, including the limited expansion of GT’s network due to lack of capital as compared to competitors in the industry, which were rolling out massively across the country.
Another reason was that the quality of service provided by Onetouch for its customers was not up to the standards, according to the last rating by the National Communications Authority (NCA).
Furthermore, GT’s current billing and switching systems were inefficient, leading to serious revenue leakages, while revenue from Onetouch’s international roaming service was declining due to tariff steering deals by other competitors to offer higher volumes of traffic and cheaper prices.
“It is important to note that the survival of GT goes beyond just the capital, as it is being speculated by a section of the public. The current dynamics of the telecommunications business world-wide and particularly in Ghana, make it almost a mandatory requirement for any telecom operator who wants to survive in the industry in Ghana to belong to an international group due to the advantages associated with such partnerships,” the concerned workers submitted.
They indicated that whereas competitors in the industry were building fibre optic networks and planning to launch next generation services such as 3G, a technology that would help offer high speed and quality data services to customers, by the end of this year, GT did not have the financial capacity to invest in such technology, and that would have severe consequence on the company’s broadband data services.
The workers said contrary to public perception that Vodafone did not have experience in fibre optics and fixed line services, their checks had proved otherwise, pointing out that Vodafone had 10 million broadband customers across 13 countries served through its fibre optics networks and wholesale agreements with other providers.
Furthermore, they indicated, Vodafone owned and managed fixed line voice and data networks in Germany, Italy, Spain, Egypt and New Zealand.
The concerned workers were convinced that a strategic partnership with Vodafone would help upgrade the equipment and working conditions of the company, as well as the skills of the staff, adding that their support for the deal was because “Vodafone has what GT is looking for in a partner”.
Commenting on assertions made by a former Director-General of GT, Mr Ebo Aggrey-Mensah, against the deal, Messrs Agyei and Meenu said the remarks made by their former boss exposed his lack of information about the prevailing situation at the company.
They said Mr Aggrey-Mensah, who led the transition from the Post and Telecommunication (P&T) Corporation to GT, could have turned the fortunes of the company for the better, if he had taken advantage of the opportunity to be the first company to launch a mobile telecommunication service in the country.
Messrs Agyei and Meenu said GT was the biggest player in the industry at the time Mr Aggrey-Mensah was in charge of the company, but he failed to take advantage of it and that made the company to lose the “first mover advantage” — a business strategy that gives the first company to launch a service and the advantage to enjoy the largest share of the market for a long time.
Reacting to another comment made by the chairman of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), Mr David Korley Clottey, against the deal, the two concerned workers claimed the union chairman did not consult the workers before making the comment.
“The position they took does not reflect the views of majority of workers. And if anybody doubts that, they should call a durbar of GT workers to throw the question to them,” they submitted.