By: Kofi Yeboah
The transition from the old cedi to the new currency exposed what many people today would describe as a “stone-age character” in a farmer in the Brong Ahafo Region. He was reported to have dug a hole in his room where he kept millions of the old cedi.
It was only when it dawned on him that he would lose the money he had secretly kept for decades if he did not change them into the new currency that the farmer withdrew the money from his ‘bank’. And by the time he did, half of it was spoiled and useless.
The farmer’s action is, undoubtedly, deeply rooted in antiquity. But his explanation for acting in the manner he did is anchored on good reasoning; he has no confidence in the modern banking system.
Much as his reasoning seems very interesting, it is even more intriguing to learn that after losing half of his money in the ground, the farmer maintained his resolve to keep faith with his ‘bank’ and antiquity.
Why would a sane person in the 21st century keep money in the ground and not be bothered about the consequences of theft and destruction? Why would a civilised person not be encouraged by the security and many financial opportunities like loans offered by the banks, to save his money with them? It is a big wonder.
Many people who heard the story of the farmer on radio stations might have broken their ribs with laughter. They probably must have condemned the man as ‘colo’, a local parlance for someone who is not abreast of modernity.
However, the critical issue about the farmer that deserves consideration, perhaps, more than his attitude, is the lack of faith and confidence he expressed in the modern banking system. Frankly, he could not have been far from the truth.
There is a large community of the farmer’s kind in the country, not because they are antiquated, but simply because the banks do not inspire faith in them. And so they have decided to keep their distance.
Even for many people who consider themselves as civilised and keep their money in the bank, faith and confidence are not attributes they would ascribe to the banks.
But for the fact that these days, the salaries of many workers are channelled through the banks, a lot of them would surely have no business to do at the banks. The reasons are numerous but suffice it to mention inefficiency, bureaucracy, delays in transacting business and the lack of courtesy towards customers by some banking officials, all of which sum up to excruciating frustration.
I have always had a problem with the services of cashiers at the Gulf House branch of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB). They are painfully slow for heaven’s sake!
One of the terrible moments I had at that bank was on December 24, 2007, when I went there to redeem a cheque. I stood for about 20 minutes and nothing was happening. Then I approached one of the cashiers to find out what was wrong only to be informed that the computer network had broken down and so I needed to exercise a little patience while they fixed the problem.
I wouldn’t have known that because the bank officials did not deem it courteous enough to inform the customers about what was happening.
On a day like December 24, time was of the essence and if I knew about the problem earlier, I would have dashed elsewhere to attend to another pressing need within the wasted period at the bank.
But that was the service the bank rendered to me and under the circumstance, I lost out on a few engagements and, of course, I lost my temper, bubbling with anger, but I kept my cool because on Christmas eve, it is not religious to go gun-blazing.
Somewhere in 2005, I decided to open a new bank account in addition to two other accounts I already have. When I walked to the Farrar Avenue branch of The Trust Bank (TTB), I was handed conditions that the International Monetary Fund would not even prescribe for its borrowers, just to give my money to them to keep and do business with.
The lady at the enquiries desk could have simply told me “gentleman, we don’t need your money” instead of giving me those conditions. Anyway, I got her message and said good day. Eventually, the money was put to a better use.
There are talks that the banks have changed from their old ways and become more receptive to people wanting to open bank accounts. If that is true, then it’s all well and good.
The Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) prides itself as the bank with the largest number of branches in the country. That is true and very commendable, especially considering the service it renders to the large number of the working populace all over the country.
But the bank will be the first to admit that its slogan, “We serve you better”, is a palpable deception. Its services hardly come anywhere near satisfaction. Non-functioning automated teller machines (ATMs), computers and air-conditioners, as well as long queues, slow service and lack of courtesy, are some of the services often rendered by the bank.
At the Osu branch of the GCB, for instance, it is sometimes better for a customer to carry a mat to the banking hall because you are likely to have a good sleep before being attended to. On many occasions, I have walked away from such experiences and found an alternative means to addressing my need of being there.
However, on other occasions that I had been compelled to “enjoy” that experience, I had heard some customers cast aspersions at cashiers at the bank.
One instance, I remember, was about an elderly man who had gone to the bank to take something small to enable him eat breakfast. He spent almost three hours at the bank. When the man lost his cool, my ears could not bear the vulgar-wrapped insults he unleashed on the cashiers and other banking officials.
Another experience I had with the GCB was in August 2007 when I had to redeem a cross cheque in my name at the Republic House branch. I wanted to pay the cheque into my GCB bank account in Osu. The cashier told me that could not be done.
Knowing very well that I could not cash a cross cheque and telling me I could not save it into my account with the same bank either, I wondered what she wanted me to do. Her answer was simple; go back to whoever issued the cheque to open it.
I thought the answer exposed the cashier as an apology of a banker, unless someone tells me GCB does not entertain cross cheques, even their own, or that cross cheques have no relevance in modern banking transactions.
Having been heavily soaked with disappointment, I walked out of the banking hall not knowing exactly what to do. Then, I remembered I have an account with the Barclays Bank at Osu. But Osu was very far away and it was just about 15 minutes to the banking closing time.
So I walked down to the Farrar Avenue branch of the Barclays Bank. I enquired whether I could save a GCB cross cheque into my Barclays account in Osu. “Yes, of course,” the cashier responded, and within five minutes, I had been relieved of that disappointment from the GCB. The next day when I checked my account with an ATM card, the savings had reflected.
I began to wonder why a GCB branch could not accept a cross cheque from the same branch to another branch of the same bank, and how a different bank had no problem accepting the cheque even into an account in a different branch. Strange, isn’t it? That is why there is good wisdom in the adage that “Do not keep your eggs in one basket”.
I was very much impressed with the service of Barclays Bank. But they also have their own bankruptcy to deal with.
Somewhere in early March this year when I went to the Osu branch of the bank for an ATM card, I was told the machine to produce the card had just broken down and that I should come back the following week. Two weeks later, I went to the bank and I was again told the machine had just broken down so I should come back the following week. I obliged for the third time and again, the service I got was “the machine has just spoiled”.
On the third occasion, I could not help telling the guy at the desk to stop lying and learn to appreciate sincerity, especially with customers. It was at that moment that he opened up and told me that fixing the machine would take a little while so I could go to any other branch to do my ATM card. Why then subject customers to that “go come, go come” business?
Still with the Barclays Bank, I had an appalling service from the bank when I opened another account at Osu recently. A lady attendant gave me a paper she claimed contains rules and regulations concerning my account. The characters of the printing are such that if you even use the strongest binoculars in the world, you can never read anything. But that is a document customers are supposed to read and better appreciate their contract with the bank. To a large extent, it is a legal document.
When I asked for something better, the lady told me that was all I could have. Two things immediately came to mind: Either the bank does not want customers to read the document and appreciate its contents or they simply want to insult the conscience and intelligence of customers. That is banking bankruptcy!
With such inefficiencies of our banks, is there any wonder that in this modern age, people do not value the relevance of banks and would prefer keeping their monies and valuables in the ground?
There is something awfully wrong with some of our banks and they must endeavour to reform and refine so as to restore public confidence in them.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
PARTIES PLEDGE TO ENSURE ROAD SAFETY 07/05/08 (Pg 48)
Story: Kofi Yeboah
POLITICAL parties in the country have pledged their commitment to a draft Road Safety Code to ensure that road accidents are minimised during the 2008 election period.
The need for the parties to adopt the code follows statistics from the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) indicating that road accidents increased during the two immediate past election years.
They made the pledge yesterday at a forum organised by the NRSC to discuss the draft Road Safety Code for the parties.
The code provides guidelines on the need for the political parties to plan their journeys, check the road worthiness of their vehicles, monitor the condition of their drivers and other critical issues that relate to road safety.
The forum was attended by representatives from nine political parties, namely, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the People’s National Convention (PNC), the EGLE Party and the Democratic People’s Party (DPP).
The rest were the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), the National Renaissance Party (NRP), the Reform Patriotic Democrats (RPD) and the Ghana National Party (GNP).
Statistics from the NRSC indicate that road accidents rose from 8,762 in 1999 to 11,007 in 2000 and again increased from 10,542 in 2003 to 12,175 in 2004.
The statistics further indicate that 60 per cent of road accidents are caused by speeding, while the economic cost to the nation is estimated at $165 million, representing 1.6 per cent of the gross domestic product.
The NRSC believes that the increase in road accidents during election years is due to the fact that road safety regulations are flouted with impunity by political parties during their campaigning.
The essence of the forum was, therefore, to lobby the leadership of the political parties to exert their influence on their followers with respect to obeying road regulations during the electioneering to reduce road accidents.
It also provides an opportunity for the NRSC to know the vision of the political parties on road safety in the country.
Regional road safety co-ordinators will hold similar fora with the leadership of political parties in the regions to discuss how best to implement the code, taking into consideration local circumstances.
The acting Executive Director of the NRSC, Mr Noble Appiah, said one of the challenges facing the country was the lack of commitment and dedication in implementing programmes and activities.
He expressed the hope that “all political parties will support the implementation of the Road Safety Code so that it does not become a mere document”.
Mr Appiah cautioned that posterity would not forgive them if they failed in their duty to collectively implement the code.
The Chairman of the NRSC, Mr Cliff Johnson Aboagye, said he was happy with the commitment expressed by the political parties to the code.
He said the NRSC was concerned about some of the road designs in the country, which he described as “too awful”.
He cited the Mankessim stretch of the Accra-Cape Coast Road which had more than 30 ramps, saying such a road design was “a matter of concern to the commission”.
Mr Aboagye said about a week ago, the NRSC invited road engineers to discuss how best to address those issues.
The representatives of the political parties expressed concern about the spate of road accidents in the country and called on all to join hands in the campaign to minimise the trend.
One major concern expressed by the parties was the roundabouts constructed on the new Kumasi Road, describing them as death traps.
They called on the authorities to do something about the situation, while urging the law enforcement agencies such as the police to strictly enforce road safety laws and regulations.
POLITICAL parties in the country have pledged their commitment to a draft Road Safety Code to ensure that road accidents are minimised during the 2008 election period.
The need for the parties to adopt the code follows statistics from the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) indicating that road accidents increased during the two immediate past election years.
They made the pledge yesterday at a forum organised by the NRSC to discuss the draft Road Safety Code for the parties.
The code provides guidelines on the need for the political parties to plan their journeys, check the road worthiness of their vehicles, monitor the condition of their drivers and other critical issues that relate to road safety.
The forum was attended by representatives from nine political parties, namely, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the People’s National Convention (PNC), the EGLE Party and the Democratic People’s Party (DPP).
The rest were the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), the National Renaissance Party (NRP), the Reform Patriotic Democrats (RPD) and the Ghana National Party (GNP).
Statistics from the NRSC indicate that road accidents rose from 8,762 in 1999 to 11,007 in 2000 and again increased from 10,542 in 2003 to 12,175 in 2004.
The statistics further indicate that 60 per cent of road accidents are caused by speeding, while the economic cost to the nation is estimated at $165 million, representing 1.6 per cent of the gross domestic product.
The NRSC believes that the increase in road accidents during election years is due to the fact that road safety regulations are flouted with impunity by political parties during their campaigning.
The essence of the forum was, therefore, to lobby the leadership of the political parties to exert their influence on their followers with respect to obeying road regulations during the electioneering to reduce road accidents.
It also provides an opportunity for the NRSC to know the vision of the political parties on road safety in the country.
Regional road safety co-ordinators will hold similar fora with the leadership of political parties in the regions to discuss how best to implement the code, taking into consideration local circumstances.
The acting Executive Director of the NRSC, Mr Noble Appiah, said one of the challenges facing the country was the lack of commitment and dedication in implementing programmes and activities.
He expressed the hope that “all political parties will support the implementation of the Road Safety Code so that it does not become a mere document”.
Mr Appiah cautioned that posterity would not forgive them if they failed in their duty to collectively implement the code.
The Chairman of the NRSC, Mr Cliff Johnson Aboagye, said he was happy with the commitment expressed by the political parties to the code.
He said the NRSC was concerned about some of the road designs in the country, which he described as “too awful”.
He cited the Mankessim stretch of the Accra-Cape Coast Road which had more than 30 ramps, saying such a road design was “a matter of concern to the commission”.
Mr Aboagye said about a week ago, the NRSC invited road engineers to discuss how best to address those issues.
The representatives of the political parties expressed concern about the spate of road accidents in the country and called on all to join hands in the campaign to minimise the trend.
One major concern expressed by the parties was the roundabouts constructed on the new Kumasi Road, describing them as death traps.
They called on the authorities to do something about the situation, while urging the law enforcement agencies such as the police to strictly enforce road safety laws and regulations.
AUDIT OF SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME BEGINS 08/05/08 (Pg 24/49)
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE Ghana Audit Service has begun a nation-wide audit of the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
The exercise will cover activities of the programme at all the 975 beneficiary schools, the national secretariat, the national warehouse and the project office at the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment for the 2006 and 2007 financial years.
The audit will focus on areas such as sources of funding, cash management, with particular attention on the transfer of funds to beneficiary schools, procurement, with particular attention on the award of contracts, stores management, with particular attention on the storage of perishable and non-perishable items, project management, with particular attention on project monitoring and evaluation, as well as payroll and other staff costs.
The Assistant Auditor-General in charge of Special Audits, Mr Kwamina Ghansah, who made this known to the Daily Graphic on Monday, said the exercise was expected to be undertaken over a five-month period, ending in September 2008.
The GSFP has been the subject of intense public discussion in recent times following the release of a report on an audit of the programme undertaken by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, a private audit firm.
Armed with the findings of that report, the Committee for Joint Action (CJA), a political pressure group, launched a campaign for the removal from office of the Executive Chairman of the GSFP, Dr Kwame Amoako-Tuffuor, accusing him of financial malfeasance.
Dr Amoako-Tuffuor was soon after relieved of his post.
The audit undertaken by PriceWaterhouse Coopers and the furore the report generated seem to have watered down the relevance of the exercise to be undertaken by the GAS, but Mr Ghansah strongly disagreed with that suggestion.
He said although the data the GAS would collect might not be different from what PriceWaterhouse Coopers collected, the difference might come from the presentation of the data, citing the classical “half bottle full and half bottle empty” analysis to buttress his point.
Mr Ghansah said the GAS was the only institution with a constitutional mandate to audit public accounts, saying that since the school feeding programme was a government-funded programme, the GAS had the mandate to audit its accounts, irrespective of a private audit that had already been carried out.
He said the GAS was further mandated by the Constitution to present its reports to Parliament and so the PriceWaterhouse Coopers report did not make any difference.
Mr Ghansah said the relevance of the GAS auditing also lay in the various issues raised by the CJA on the PriceWaterhouse Coopers report, suggesting that the report was not conclusive, for which reason the committee had called for further investigations.
“This needs additional work. We will take time to investigate all the issues raised,” he said.
During the five-month period of the audit, officials of the GAS will collect relevant information through structured interviews with officials of the school feeding programme and the supervising ministry, as well as make references from documents on the programme.
THE Ghana Audit Service has begun a nation-wide audit of the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
The exercise will cover activities of the programme at all the 975 beneficiary schools, the national secretariat, the national warehouse and the project office at the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment for the 2006 and 2007 financial years.
The audit will focus on areas such as sources of funding, cash management, with particular attention on the transfer of funds to beneficiary schools, procurement, with particular attention on the award of contracts, stores management, with particular attention on the storage of perishable and non-perishable items, project management, with particular attention on project monitoring and evaluation, as well as payroll and other staff costs.
The Assistant Auditor-General in charge of Special Audits, Mr Kwamina Ghansah, who made this known to the Daily Graphic on Monday, said the exercise was expected to be undertaken over a five-month period, ending in September 2008.
The GSFP has been the subject of intense public discussion in recent times following the release of a report on an audit of the programme undertaken by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, a private audit firm.
Armed with the findings of that report, the Committee for Joint Action (CJA), a political pressure group, launched a campaign for the removal from office of the Executive Chairman of the GSFP, Dr Kwame Amoako-Tuffuor, accusing him of financial malfeasance.
Dr Amoako-Tuffuor was soon after relieved of his post.
The audit undertaken by PriceWaterhouse Coopers and the furore the report generated seem to have watered down the relevance of the exercise to be undertaken by the GAS, but Mr Ghansah strongly disagreed with that suggestion.
He said although the data the GAS would collect might not be different from what PriceWaterhouse Coopers collected, the difference might come from the presentation of the data, citing the classical “half bottle full and half bottle empty” analysis to buttress his point.
Mr Ghansah said the GAS was the only institution with a constitutional mandate to audit public accounts, saying that since the school feeding programme was a government-funded programme, the GAS had the mandate to audit its accounts, irrespective of a private audit that had already been carried out.
He said the GAS was further mandated by the Constitution to present its reports to Parliament and so the PriceWaterhouse Coopers report did not make any difference.
Mr Ghansah said the relevance of the GAS auditing also lay in the various issues raised by the CJA on the PriceWaterhouse Coopers report, suggesting that the report was not conclusive, for which reason the committee had called for further investigations.
“This needs additional work. We will take time to investigate all the issues raised,” he said.
During the five-month period of the audit, officials of the GAS will collect relevant information through structured interviews with officials of the school feeding programme and the supervising ministry, as well as make references from documents on the programme.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Significance of private broadcasting to national development 02/05/08 (P.7)
By: Kofi Yeboah
ONE colonial governor to whom Ghanaians must forever be grateful is Sir Arnold Hodson. He brought the nation freedom and joy more than two decades before Dr Kwame Nkrumah proclaimed independence for Ghana in 1957. That freedom and joy is radio, a legacy that has today become a critical aspect of the country’s overall development.
Sir Hodson introduced radio into the country on July 31, 1935 and right from that day, Ghanaians have been overwhelmed by the magic of radio.
As captured in a 1985 publication of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) titled, “50 years of broadcasting in Ghana”, the people of Accra went wild with excitement when they heard the voice of Hodson on Station ZOY, the first ever live radio broadcast in the country.
“The shouts were loud and deafening as the crowd roared out: ‘This is simply wonderful; radio comes to the Gold Coast Indeed’”, the publication recalls.
It further notes that the excitement about radio was even greater during the Second World War as listeners clung to their radio sets for updates on the war. As established in my academic research project to the School of Communication Studies of the University of Ghana (2001), the power and influence of radio being the most effective means of getting information across to the masses, makes the medium a critical asset for the prosecution of any kind of agenda.
In his GBC Golden Jubilee lectures in 1985, the late Communications Icon, Prof P. A. V. Ansah, asserts that Hodson’s idea of establishing Station ZOY was “to cater for the information, cultural and entertainment needs of the political and educated elite who consisted of European settlers, colonial administrators and the small groups of educated Africans”.
Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, had different ideas about the relevance of radio. He sought to use the medium to strengthen national integration and to propagate the agenda for the emancipation of Africa.
Although the ideas of Hodson and Nkrumah about the use of radio seem to run parallel, their thoughts demonstrate a common convergence in terms of the importance governments and politicians attach to the medium. To military adventurers in particular, radio is even more critical to the extent, as Prof Ansah notes in his GBC Golden Jubilee Lectures, that, “whether a coup attempt succeeds or not is determined by who gets control of the radio station; any bid for power, therefore, seems to have the following operational principle; ‘seek ye first the radio station and its effectiveness and all other things shall be added unto it’”.
That observation by Prof Ansah is, perhaps, the reason why various governments, past and present, but more particularly military regimes, have gone every length to maintain a firm grip on the national radio station, which enjoyed absolute monopoly for six decades. Instead of using radio for its traditional functions of educating, informing and entertaining the people, they used it largely for propaganda purposes, diluting the excitement and interest with which many people had welcomed the medium at its introduction.
Prof Ansah again observes that the credibility and professional integrity of a broadcasting system is deeply undermined if it only seeks the interest of the government. “When the system’s credibility is subverted by its reputation for even occasional distortion and suppression of facts, it ceases to be an effective medium for carrying persuasive messages towards national integration or national development in general”, he says.
Indeed, for more than six decades that the GBC monopolised the broadcasting industry, various governments used the national radio and television stations as pawns to prosecute their agenda and propaganda. The national broadcast station, thus, failed in its traditional duty as a credible watchdog to hold the government accountable to the people.
Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, the man who established the first private radio station in Ghana, finds the bias of Radio Ghana in favour of the government, for instance, very worrying. In a lecture delivered in 1996 on the topic, “The Fourth Republic of Ghana will last for a hundred years. True or false”?, he remarks, “If anybody can tell me the last time they heard a GBC news commentary critical of, or written by a well known adversary of the government, I shall take off my Tarzan’s loin cloth. Fact is that it will never happen and I shall be spared the ‘black blushes’”.
With such perception about the national broadcasting station, it was not surprising that many Ghanaians hailed the country’s transition into a constitutional regime under the Fourth Republic with guaranteed freedom of expression and of the media. The promulgation of the 1992 Constitution gave the impetus for the establishment of private broadcasting stations, thus breaking the monopoly of the GBC.
Article 162 (3) of the constitution provides that, “There shall be no impediments to the establishment of private press or media; and in particular, there shall be no law requiring any person to obtain a license as a pre-requisite for the establishment or operation of a newspaper, journal or other media for mass communication or information”.
In spite of the constitutional guarantee for freedom of expression and the establishment of private media, the political environment under the regime of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was still hostile to the establishment of private broadcasting institutions. It took the bold initiative of Dr Wereko-Brobby to give meaning to the constitution by establishing Radio Eye, the first private radio station in the country in 1994, albeit without authorisation from the National Communication Authority (NCA).
It was almost 60 years since Hodson introduced broadcasting into the country but the ecstasy that greeted the birth of Radio Eye was unimaginable. It demonstrated the hunger of the people for a new experience and their anger against the government’s manipulation of the GBC.
Unfortunately, Radio Eye survived for only 24 hours as armed soldiers moved in swiftly to close the station down before the people got intoxicated with excitement. The short life span of the station notwithstanding, its establishment generated intense public concern for the liberalisation of the airwaves and, indeed, that opened the womb for the birth of other private broadcasting stations.
Subsequently, the government yielded to public demand for the liberalisation of the airwaves and in July 1995, Joy FM, in symbiotic relationship with GBC, became the first established private radio station under the liberal dispensation. In the same year, 1995, more than 38 television authorisations were granted with a deadline to commence transmission by December 1996. Out of the 38 authorised private stations, only one, Crystal TV, was able to beat the deadline to get on-air.
Eighteen years???? down the lane, the trail blazers and the more than 100 private radio and television stations operating in all the four corners of the country have become masters in the art of broadcasting, with some reaching out to listeners and viewers even beyond the borders of Ghana.
The impact of the private electronic media on the lives of Ghanaians and overall national development has been very spectacular and immeasurable. The emergence of the private electronic media granted the public one basic human right — choice.
That right was even more desirable given the monopoly of the GBC over a long period of time. The variety of news and programming that the private radio stations brought to the fore injected innovation, quality and competition in the broadcasting industry. No wonder they made a strong impression on the public. The monopoly of the GBC was effectively broken.
Beyond giving the public preferences, the private broadcasting stations have also broadened the scope of the traditional functions of the media—- to educate, entertain and inform. They have helped, in no small measure, to carry out information about government business and other social activities to the wider public all over the country to complement the efforts of the national broadcasting stations in carrying out such information.
Again, the private radio stations have also been extremely useful in carrying information from the public to the government and other agencies about critical issues affecting the public. It is very common, for instance, to find people calling radio stations on telephone to report of criminal activities or emergency situations, which are quickly relayed to the police and other appropriate authorities for prompt action.
One area in which the private broadcasting media have made a huge impact is the deepening of participatory democracy in the country. Phone-in programmes and other innovations introduced by some of the stations have enabled many people to actively participate in the democratic process by expressing their views and opinions on various national issues.
The people now seem to have a sense of respect, appreciation and belonging. Their understanding of democracy has been deepened and they are no longer fertile minds for deception.
The significant role played by the electronic media in the 2000 and 2004 general elections has been well documented as unprecedented in the political history of the country. Apart from giving on-the-spot account of the electoral processes, the private broadcasting stations also carried live reports of events up to the declaration of the final results. Many political analysts believe that the success of the last two general elections could find reason in the significant role played by private radio and television stations in particular and the media in general.
Again, the private broadcasting institutions have contributed significantly to addressing the huge unemployment problem in the country. The industry employs more than 20,000 people, mostly the youth. That alone, has helped to decongest the system of disenchanted unemployed graduates.
In spite of their positive contribution to national development, the private broadcasting industry has come under strong criticism by a section of the public for what largely borders on the lack of professionalism exhibited by some practitioners in the industry. Concerns have been raised, for instance, about poor quality of news and programming, vulgarism and inflammatory remarks on some of the radio stations.
Such concerns emanate from the realisation that like fire, radio or the electronic media is a good servant but could be a very bad master.
Certainly, many of those concerns are very legitimate. Some of the private stations have paid little regard to professional and ethical obligations. Some of them don’t seem to have any quality programming.
With the view to helping to overcome these and many other challenges in the industry, the Association of Private Broadcasting Companies was formed in 1996. By 2004, it became obvious that the aims and objectives of the earlier umbrella body had grown bigger and therefore it was transformed into the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA).
Apart from seeking the interests of its members, the GIBA has been working assiduously at training its members. The aim is to ensure an increased capacity for the members in every corner of the country to international standards. It is to the credit of GIBA, therefore, that one of her members has taken the bold step of exporting Ghana’s brand of private broadcasting to a neighbouring country.
The fact is that private broadcasting has engendered excitement, no doubt. But it can also be a very dangerous weapon of mass destruction when left in the hands of the unprofessional. That is the more reason why the Broadcasting Standard published by the National Media Commission (NMC) must be enforced together with standards set by the GIBA, with the view to regulating the industry to ensure high professional standards.
On a balance sheet however, the private broadcast industry has been more of a blessing to the nation than a curse. They have filled a huge vacuum in the broadcasting industry created during the period of monopoly by the GBC. They deserve the support of all to enable them give off their best to the nation.
ONE colonial governor to whom Ghanaians must forever be grateful is Sir Arnold Hodson. He brought the nation freedom and joy more than two decades before Dr Kwame Nkrumah proclaimed independence for Ghana in 1957. That freedom and joy is radio, a legacy that has today become a critical aspect of the country’s overall development.
Sir Hodson introduced radio into the country on July 31, 1935 and right from that day, Ghanaians have been overwhelmed by the magic of radio.
As captured in a 1985 publication of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) titled, “50 years of broadcasting in Ghana”, the people of Accra went wild with excitement when they heard the voice of Hodson on Station ZOY, the first ever live radio broadcast in the country.
“The shouts were loud and deafening as the crowd roared out: ‘This is simply wonderful; radio comes to the Gold Coast Indeed’”, the publication recalls.
It further notes that the excitement about radio was even greater during the Second World War as listeners clung to their radio sets for updates on the war. As established in my academic research project to the School of Communication Studies of the University of Ghana (2001), the power and influence of radio being the most effective means of getting information across to the masses, makes the medium a critical asset for the prosecution of any kind of agenda.
In his GBC Golden Jubilee lectures in 1985, the late Communications Icon, Prof P. A. V. Ansah, asserts that Hodson’s idea of establishing Station ZOY was “to cater for the information, cultural and entertainment needs of the political and educated elite who consisted of European settlers, colonial administrators and the small groups of educated Africans”.
Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, had different ideas about the relevance of radio. He sought to use the medium to strengthen national integration and to propagate the agenda for the emancipation of Africa.
Although the ideas of Hodson and Nkrumah about the use of radio seem to run parallel, their thoughts demonstrate a common convergence in terms of the importance governments and politicians attach to the medium. To military adventurers in particular, radio is even more critical to the extent, as Prof Ansah notes in his GBC Golden Jubilee Lectures, that, “whether a coup attempt succeeds or not is determined by who gets control of the radio station; any bid for power, therefore, seems to have the following operational principle; ‘seek ye first the radio station and its effectiveness and all other things shall be added unto it’”.
That observation by Prof Ansah is, perhaps, the reason why various governments, past and present, but more particularly military regimes, have gone every length to maintain a firm grip on the national radio station, which enjoyed absolute monopoly for six decades. Instead of using radio for its traditional functions of educating, informing and entertaining the people, they used it largely for propaganda purposes, diluting the excitement and interest with which many people had welcomed the medium at its introduction.
Prof Ansah again observes that the credibility and professional integrity of a broadcasting system is deeply undermined if it only seeks the interest of the government. “When the system’s credibility is subverted by its reputation for even occasional distortion and suppression of facts, it ceases to be an effective medium for carrying persuasive messages towards national integration or national development in general”, he says.
Indeed, for more than six decades that the GBC monopolised the broadcasting industry, various governments used the national radio and television stations as pawns to prosecute their agenda and propaganda. The national broadcast station, thus, failed in its traditional duty as a credible watchdog to hold the government accountable to the people.
Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, the man who established the first private radio station in Ghana, finds the bias of Radio Ghana in favour of the government, for instance, very worrying. In a lecture delivered in 1996 on the topic, “The Fourth Republic of Ghana will last for a hundred years. True or false”?, he remarks, “If anybody can tell me the last time they heard a GBC news commentary critical of, or written by a well known adversary of the government, I shall take off my Tarzan’s loin cloth. Fact is that it will never happen and I shall be spared the ‘black blushes’”.
With such perception about the national broadcasting station, it was not surprising that many Ghanaians hailed the country’s transition into a constitutional regime under the Fourth Republic with guaranteed freedom of expression and of the media. The promulgation of the 1992 Constitution gave the impetus for the establishment of private broadcasting stations, thus breaking the monopoly of the GBC.
Article 162 (3) of the constitution provides that, “There shall be no impediments to the establishment of private press or media; and in particular, there shall be no law requiring any person to obtain a license as a pre-requisite for the establishment or operation of a newspaper, journal or other media for mass communication or information”.
In spite of the constitutional guarantee for freedom of expression and the establishment of private media, the political environment under the regime of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was still hostile to the establishment of private broadcasting institutions. It took the bold initiative of Dr Wereko-Brobby to give meaning to the constitution by establishing Radio Eye, the first private radio station in the country in 1994, albeit without authorisation from the National Communication Authority (NCA).
It was almost 60 years since Hodson introduced broadcasting into the country but the ecstasy that greeted the birth of Radio Eye was unimaginable. It demonstrated the hunger of the people for a new experience and their anger against the government’s manipulation of the GBC.
Unfortunately, Radio Eye survived for only 24 hours as armed soldiers moved in swiftly to close the station down before the people got intoxicated with excitement. The short life span of the station notwithstanding, its establishment generated intense public concern for the liberalisation of the airwaves and, indeed, that opened the womb for the birth of other private broadcasting stations.
Subsequently, the government yielded to public demand for the liberalisation of the airwaves and in July 1995, Joy FM, in symbiotic relationship with GBC, became the first established private radio station under the liberal dispensation. In the same year, 1995, more than 38 television authorisations were granted with a deadline to commence transmission by December 1996. Out of the 38 authorised private stations, only one, Crystal TV, was able to beat the deadline to get on-air.
Eighteen years???? down the lane, the trail blazers and the more than 100 private radio and television stations operating in all the four corners of the country have become masters in the art of broadcasting, with some reaching out to listeners and viewers even beyond the borders of Ghana.
The impact of the private electronic media on the lives of Ghanaians and overall national development has been very spectacular and immeasurable. The emergence of the private electronic media granted the public one basic human right — choice.
That right was even more desirable given the monopoly of the GBC over a long period of time. The variety of news and programming that the private radio stations brought to the fore injected innovation, quality and competition in the broadcasting industry. No wonder they made a strong impression on the public. The monopoly of the GBC was effectively broken.
Beyond giving the public preferences, the private broadcasting stations have also broadened the scope of the traditional functions of the media—- to educate, entertain and inform. They have helped, in no small measure, to carry out information about government business and other social activities to the wider public all over the country to complement the efforts of the national broadcasting stations in carrying out such information.
Again, the private radio stations have also been extremely useful in carrying information from the public to the government and other agencies about critical issues affecting the public. It is very common, for instance, to find people calling radio stations on telephone to report of criminal activities or emergency situations, which are quickly relayed to the police and other appropriate authorities for prompt action.
One area in which the private broadcasting media have made a huge impact is the deepening of participatory democracy in the country. Phone-in programmes and other innovations introduced by some of the stations have enabled many people to actively participate in the democratic process by expressing their views and opinions on various national issues.
The people now seem to have a sense of respect, appreciation and belonging. Their understanding of democracy has been deepened and they are no longer fertile minds for deception.
The significant role played by the electronic media in the 2000 and 2004 general elections has been well documented as unprecedented in the political history of the country. Apart from giving on-the-spot account of the electoral processes, the private broadcasting stations also carried live reports of events up to the declaration of the final results. Many political analysts believe that the success of the last two general elections could find reason in the significant role played by private radio and television stations in particular and the media in general.
Again, the private broadcasting institutions have contributed significantly to addressing the huge unemployment problem in the country. The industry employs more than 20,000 people, mostly the youth. That alone, has helped to decongest the system of disenchanted unemployed graduates.
In spite of their positive contribution to national development, the private broadcasting industry has come under strong criticism by a section of the public for what largely borders on the lack of professionalism exhibited by some practitioners in the industry. Concerns have been raised, for instance, about poor quality of news and programming, vulgarism and inflammatory remarks on some of the radio stations.
Such concerns emanate from the realisation that like fire, radio or the electronic media is a good servant but could be a very bad master.
Certainly, many of those concerns are very legitimate. Some of the private stations have paid little regard to professional and ethical obligations. Some of them don’t seem to have any quality programming.
With the view to helping to overcome these and many other challenges in the industry, the Association of Private Broadcasting Companies was formed in 1996. By 2004, it became obvious that the aims and objectives of the earlier umbrella body had grown bigger and therefore it was transformed into the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA).
Apart from seeking the interests of its members, the GIBA has been working assiduously at training its members. The aim is to ensure an increased capacity for the members in every corner of the country to international standards. It is to the credit of GIBA, therefore, that one of her members has taken the bold step of exporting Ghana’s brand of private broadcasting to a neighbouring country.
The fact is that private broadcasting has engendered excitement, no doubt. But it can also be a very dangerous weapon of mass destruction when left in the hands of the unprofessional. That is the more reason why the Broadcasting Standard published by the National Media Commission (NMC) must be enforced together with standards set by the GIBA, with the view to regulating the industry to ensure high professional standards.
On a balance sheet however, the private broadcast industry has been more of a blessing to the nation than a curse. They have filled a huge vacuum in the broadcasting industry created during the period of monopoly by the GBC. They deserve the support of all to enable them give off their best to the nation.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
WOES OF STREET CHILDREN IN ACCRA (P7) 02-01-08
By: Kofi Yeboah
IN the forenoon of Christmas Day as many Christians, resplendently dressed, commute to church to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, a little baby girl lies on the floor in-front of a closed shop near Kaneshie First Light. Her 14-year-old mother, with her chin resting in her right palm, sits closely by as she gazes into the sky to exact a modicum of hope from the heavens for the future.
The teenage mother, Gifty Abena Baidoo, got pregnant at the age of 11. Gifty and Adwoa Victoria, her one-and-half-year old daughter, have no sense of Christmas. What matters to them most is how to get food to eat for the day. Elsewhere in the capital, many children are attending parties to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Little Adwoa has never seen her father since she was born. Gifty herself has seen Adwoa’s father once and that was the day they had sex on a school park around Kaneshie resulting in the pregnancy.
The home of the child-mother and her baby is the vast open space of the Kaneshie Market. At night, they sleep under sheds, in-front of stores or anywhere they could lay their heads.
As I took a stroll in the morning of Christmas Day, I got attracted to Gifty and Adwoa together with another woman and her two children taking shelter in-front of one of the stores at Kaneshie First Light. Initially, I thought the woman was the mother of all the four children and that aroused my curiosity because looking at her, she appeared too young to be a mother of four.
Curiously, I asked the woman whether she was the mother of the four children. “No”, she responded. “These are my only children”, she points to a baby she is breast-feeding and another standing by her side.
“But whose children are these two?”, I ask again in reference to the other two children. The woman points to the little baby girl asleep, saying she is the child of the other child who sits nearby.
“You mean this girl is the mother of the child sleeping?”, I ask, as disbelief, doubt, amazement and shock, all grip me. “Yes”, the woman responds.
That is the truth. Fourteen-year-old Gifty is the mother of Adwoa Victoria. She gave birth at the age of 12, meaning she got pregnant when she was 11 years old, a pregnancy that disrupted her education and life.
Gifty got pregnant when she was in primary class six. Although she wanted to go back to school after giving birth, help has not been forthcoming to enable the bright-looking girl to achieve her dream.
Gifty has no relative in Accra. Her father, an Ivorian, lives in Abidjan, and her mother, a Ghanaian from Saltpond in the Central Region, is dead. She used to live with a woman who was married to her late grandfather at Kaneshie near the Accra Academy School. But the woman threw her out of home after she gave birth to little Adwoa on the suspicion of promiscuity.
Beauty and fickle mindedness made Gifty an easy prey to boys, mostly head porters, ‘trotro’ mates and gangsters, who always lurk around the vicinity, both day and night, seeking innocent girls to satisfy themselves.
One night, as she went on an errand, a boy she met for the first time lured her to a corner of the Bishop School park near her house and had sex with her. She did not even know she had become pregnant a few months later until her guardian found out.
Gifty is very desperate. Everyday, she hops from one place to another looking for any kind of job that would enable her and Adwoa to survive. But the job search becomes an arduous task with each passing day.
She does not know anything about the Department of Social Welfare. She has resigned her fate to benefactors who toss coins into her palm as they pass by. When I pulled out GH¢10 for her as a Christmas gift, she received it with a trembling hand. According to her, the gift was the best thing that had ever happened to her. For me, the gesture is one that I will forever cherish to have made, more importantly, on Christmas Day.
A few metres away from where Gifty and her child laid, many children aged between 10 and 16 are battling for survival. They criss-cross the ever busy Kaneshie-Mallam Highway selling iced water, ice cream, chewing gum, boiled eggs and all sorts of items, regardless of the dangers they are exposed to on the street, just to make ends meet. There is nothing like Christmas in their world. Everyday presents a challenge for survival and they have no option but to oblige to the dictates of economic hardship.
Mariama is a 16-year old girl who hails from the north. She has to sell boiled eggs on the streets every blessed day because that guarantees her GH¢4 daily income.
Apart from the difficult life, Mariama lives on the street during the day, she also lives a night life that is rather exasperating. She and seven other age mates sleep in a wooden structure at Agbogbloshie, one of the shanty communities in Accra. They spend part of the nighttrading their bodies to top up their daily income.
Mariama gets between GH¢4 and GH¢8 daily through the sex trade depending on how good or bad the night turns out. She is willing to stop her night business but the economic pressure on her is too much to let go.
“I want to stop it, but I cannot survive with the little money I get from selling boiled eggs. If I stop it, life will be difficult for me”, she says.
Aisha, a 10-year-old class two pupil, walks on the pavements around the Central Mosque at Abossey Okai, and as soon as the red lights are on she jumps onto the street to sell her iced water. She looks so weary but keeps on moving because, according to her, the mother has sent her to do that business.
Interestingly, Aisha’s mother is at home doing what Aisha cannot immediately tell. When asked where her home is, little Aisha points to a direction that makes no sense of location. The only explanation she gives for selling on the streets on Christmas Day is that she is a Muslim.
Maame Efua is another girl who sells iced- water on the Graphic Road. She is a class four pupil at a school in the Central Region. Since school vacated, she treks with her mother everyday on a five-hour journey from the Central Region to Accra and back, just to sell iced water.
At 12, Maame Efua is a little older than Aisha, but like Aisha, she does not have a good sense of using a busy road like the Graphic Road. She takes a flight as soon as she hears shouts of “iced water!”, “iced water!!”, without taking a good look at vehicles.
For Abeeku, a 16-year-old school drop-out, there is nothing to celebrate at Christmas, especially, when the stomach pleads for food and life beckons for survival. For that reason, he has to be on the street on Christmas Day to sell ice cream.
Abeeku comes from Cape Coast, the Central Regional capital, and after dropping out of school in junior high school (JHS) Form One, he decides to come to Accra to make a living. He works with a relative whom he lives with. On a good day, he makes about GH¢5 profit from sales out of which he is paid GH¢2.
All around Accra, there are growing numbers of children who eke their living on the streets. They jostle each other, run across vehicles and shout themselves hoarse to sell their wares in the scorching sun. The look on their faces is full of determination to survive.
For those who operate on the ceremonial road between the Airport Residential area and the Christianborg Castle, one of the few moments that bring cheers on their faces is when the President’s convoy makes its daily passage to and from work. They wave at the convoy, hail the President and afterwards get back to business on the street.
IN the forenoon of Christmas Day as many Christians, resplendently dressed, commute to church to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, a little baby girl lies on the floor in-front of a closed shop near Kaneshie First Light. Her 14-year-old mother, with her chin resting in her right palm, sits closely by as she gazes into the sky to exact a modicum of hope from the heavens for the future.
The teenage mother, Gifty Abena Baidoo, got pregnant at the age of 11. Gifty and Adwoa Victoria, her one-and-half-year old daughter, have no sense of Christmas. What matters to them most is how to get food to eat for the day. Elsewhere in the capital, many children are attending parties to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Little Adwoa has never seen her father since she was born. Gifty herself has seen Adwoa’s father once and that was the day they had sex on a school park around Kaneshie resulting in the pregnancy.
The home of the child-mother and her baby is the vast open space of the Kaneshie Market. At night, they sleep under sheds, in-front of stores or anywhere they could lay their heads.
As I took a stroll in the morning of Christmas Day, I got attracted to Gifty and Adwoa together with another woman and her two children taking shelter in-front of one of the stores at Kaneshie First Light. Initially, I thought the woman was the mother of all the four children and that aroused my curiosity because looking at her, she appeared too young to be a mother of four.
Curiously, I asked the woman whether she was the mother of the four children. “No”, she responded. “These are my only children”, she points to a baby she is breast-feeding and another standing by her side.
“But whose children are these two?”, I ask again in reference to the other two children. The woman points to the little baby girl asleep, saying she is the child of the other child who sits nearby.
“You mean this girl is the mother of the child sleeping?”, I ask, as disbelief, doubt, amazement and shock, all grip me. “Yes”, the woman responds.
That is the truth. Fourteen-year-old Gifty is the mother of Adwoa Victoria. She gave birth at the age of 12, meaning she got pregnant when she was 11 years old, a pregnancy that disrupted her education and life.
Gifty got pregnant when she was in primary class six. Although she wanted to go back to school after giving birth, help has not been forthcoming to enable the bright-looking girl to achieve her dream.
Gifty has no relative in Accra. Her father, an Ivorian, lives in Abidjan, and her mother, a Ghanaian from Saltpond in the Central Region, is dead. She used to live with a woman who was married to her late grandfather at Kaneshie near the Accra Academy School. But the woman threw her out of home after she gave birth to little Adwoa on the suspicion of promiscuity.
Beauty and fickle mindedness made Gifty an easy prey to boys, mostly head porters, ‘trotro’ mates and gangsters, who always lurk around the vicinity, both day and night, seeking innocent girls to satisfy themselves.
One night, as she went on an errand, a boy she met for the first time lured her to a corner of the Bishop School park near her house and had sex with her. She did not even know she had become pregnant a few months later until her guardian found out.
Gifty is very desperate. Everyday, she hops from one place to another looking for any kind of job that would enable her and Adwoa to survive. But the job search becomes an arduous task with each passing day.
She does not know anything about the Department of Social Welfare. She has resigned her fate to benefactors who toss coins into her palm as they pass by. When I pulled out GH¢10 for her as a Christmas gift, she received it with a trembling hand. According to her, the gift was the best thing that had ever happened to her. For me, the gesture is one that I will forever cherish to have made, more importantly, on Christmas Day.
A few metres away from where Gifty and her child laid, many children aged between 10 and 16 are battling for survival. They criss-cross the ever busy Kaneshie-Mallam Highway selling iced water, ice cream, chewing gum, boiled eggs and all sorts of items, regardless of the dangers they are exposed to on the street, just to make ends meet. There is nothing like Christmas in their world. Everyday presents a challenge for survival and they have no option but to oblige to the dictates of economic hardship.
Mariama is a 16-year old girl who hails from the north. She has to sell boiled eggs on the streets every blessed day because that guarantees her GH¢4 daily income.
Apart from the difficult life, Mariama lives on the street during the day, she also lives a night life that is rather exasperating. She and seven other age mates sleep in a wooden structure at Agbogbloshie, one of the shanty communities in Accra. They spend part of the nighttrading their bodies to top up their daily income.
Mariama gets between GH¢4 and GH¢8 daily through the sex trade depending on how good or bad the night turns out. She is willing to stop her night business but the economic pressure on her is too much to let go.
“I want to stop it, but I cannot survive with the little money I get from selling boiled eggs. If I stop it, life will be difficult for me”, she says.
Aisha, a 10-year-old class two pupil, walks on the pavements around the Central Mosque at Abossey Okai, and as soon as the red lights are on she jumps onto the street to sell her iced water. She looks so weary but keeps on moving because, according to her, the mother has sent her to do that business.
Interestingly, Aisha’s mother is at home doing what Aisha cannot immediately tell. When asked where her home is, little Aisha points to a direction that makes no sense of location. The only explanation she gives for selling on the streets on Christmas Day is that she is a Muslim.
Maame Efua is another girl who sells iced- water on the Graphic Road. She is a class four pupil at a school in the Central Region. Since school vacated, she treks with her mother everyday on a five-hour journey from the Central Region to Accra and back, just to sell iced water.
At 12, Maame Efua is a little older than Aisha, but like Aisha, she does not have a good sense of using a busy road like the Graphic Road. She takes a flight as soon as she hears shouts of “iced water!”, “iced water!!”, without taking a good look at vehicles.
For Abeeku, a 16-year-old school drop-out, there is nothing to celebrate at Christmas, especially, when the stomach pleads for food and life beckons for survival. For that reason, he has to be on the street on Christmas Day to sell ice cream.
Abeeku comes from Cape Coast, the Central Regional capital, and after dropping out of school in junior high school (JHS) Form One, he decides to come to Accra to make a living. He works with a relative whom he lives with. On a good day, he makes about GH¢5 profit from sales out of which he is paid GH¢2.
All around Accra, there are growing numbers of children who eke their living on the streets. They jostle each other, run across vehicles and shout themselves hoarse to sell their wares in the scorching sun. The look on their faces is full of determination to survive.
For those who operate on the ceremonial road between the Airport Residential area and the Christianborg Castle, one of the few moments that bring cheers on their faces is when the President’s convoy makes its daily passage to and from work. They wave at the convoy, hail the President and afterwards get back to business on the street.
EXACTLY A YEAR HENCE - WHO'LL BE NEXT PREZ - KUFUOR'S RECORD COMMENDABLE (P1)
Story: Stephen Sah & Kofi Yeboah
EXACTLY a year from today, President John Agyekum Kufuor will hand-over the presidency to a successor yet to be determined after an eight-year tenure in office.
It will be the day on which the dream of one man, be he Professor J.E.A. Mills or Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum or Dr Edward Mahama or, indeed any of the other presidential aspirants will become a reality of the time.
Ahead of that occasion, an appraisal of the stewardship of President Kufuor made by some Ghanaian think tanks, selected by the Daily Graphic, shows that President Kufuor’s performance in the various aspects of governance, has been quite commendable.
Overall, the President scored between 50 and 70 per cent in various sectors of assessment, earning high marks in the areas EXACTLY a year from today, President John Agyekum Kufuor will hand-over the presidency to a successor yet to be determined after an eight-year tenure in office.
It will be the day on which the dream of one man, be he Professor J.E.A. Mills or Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum or Dr Edward Mahama or, indeed any of the other presidential aspirants will become a reality of the time.
Ahead of that occasion, an appraisal of the stewardship of President Kufuor made by some Ghanaian think tanks, selected by the Daily Graphic, shows that President Kufuor’s performance in the various aspects of governance, has been quite commendable.
Overall, the President scored between 50 and 70 per cent in various sectors of assessment, earning high marks in the areas of the economy, security and freedom of the economy, security and freedom of expression, recording average marks in upholding human rights and accessing justice while recording lower marks in respect of fighting corruption.
The appraisers of the President’s stewardship were the President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, the Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Africa, Nana Oye Lithur, a Research Fellow at the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), Mr Kwesi Jonah, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies of the University of Ghana, Prof Atsu Ayee and the Director of Research at the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre, Dr Emmanuel Kwesi Enning and Mrs Jean Mensa, the Administrator of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).
Mrs Mensa congratulated the President for the successes chalked by his administration over the past seven years but pointed out that some challenges in his final year in office and for the future government.
She said it was refreshing that the present administration has won power and kept if for the past seven years.
Mrs Mensa explained that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was the first non-military institution to win power through the ballot box and kept it for seven years adding that “all previous attempts were successful at winning power but failed to hold on to it. She said this was significant in our history bearing in mind that Flt Lt J.J Rawlings won power and was able to keep it for eight years but he came from a military background.
Mrs Mensa also commended the government for maintaining macro-economic stability for seven years during which inflation has declined from the high of 40s to the low 10s. “We have also seen interest rates drop from the high 40s to the low 10s on the seven year period noting that “while the IEA thinks the NPP government has done well, the challenge though is how to maintain the current macro stability and keep inflation and interest rates under leash”.
She said it was important for the government to disentangle ourselves from running a colonial economy which mainly benefits the major multi-nationals in Ghana to an economy whose primary focus would be the improvement of the life of the average Ghanaian and also to an economy where “we are no more exporters of raw materials and importers of finished products but to an economy where we are the producers of finished goods for exports”.
Mrs Mensa also stressed the need for the Kufour administration to use the final year to decentralise the Ghanaian economy and our political structure.
“As of now, district chief executives still do not feel they owe any responsibility to the people. They owe their responsibilities to the Presidency in Accra and the challenge is how to decentralise so that district chief executives would owe their responsibility to the residents of the various districts”.
Mr Jonah on his part described the national economy under President Kufuor as sustainable and the country as a preferred destination for foreign direct investment (FDI).
He said although Ghana was tackling indices of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), such as poverty and access to school for children of school-going age, it was still lagging behind in respect of health indices, such as infant and maternal mortality, and stressed the need to reconsider those areas to activate growth.
According to Mr Jonah, presently, the economy was reported to be growing at an average rate of five per cent and although there have been increases in external exports with attractive prices on the world market and economic growth must increase.
“The inflow of investment has been quite good. The exploration of oil and the emergence of major mining companies in the country is a clear indication of external confidence in the national economy”, he noted.
He added that the inflow of about $500 million from the Millennium Challange Account (MCA) and the floating of Ghana bonds on the London Stock Exchange, coupled with good governance, were all indicators that Ghana was a safe place for investment.
Mr Jonah, who is also a senior lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, said the re-denomination exercise embarked upon by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) was a major plus for the government because it boosted business in an economy where transactions were largely cash-based.
On the political front, Mr Jonah said Ghana had been an island of peace and tranquillity in the sub-region because it had upheld the tenets of the constitution, particularly with respect to fundamental civil liberties.
That, he noted, had allowed an atmosphere that allows all political parties the freedom to criticise the government and contribute to the development process without any interference from the Executive.
However, Mr Jonah expressed concern about the Representation of the People’s Amendment Law (ROPAL), saying that it was a privilege and not a right for Ghanaians living abroad to exercise their franchise.
Regarding the international political arena, he said the holding of the African Union (AU) Summit in Accra in 2006 and the appointment of President Kufuor as the AU chairman had been a good omen for Africa, especially the sub-region.
Assessing the President’s performance in industry, the Mr Oteng-Gyasi said the President's performance was above average.
He noted that President Kufuor and the government had had to contend with very difficult economic environment but they worked to stabilise the economy, adding that manufacturing was now growing between four and five per cent.
Mr Oteng-Gyasi also praised the government for showing a willingness to listen to players in industry and implementing some of their suggestions, but he pointed out that there was more room for improvement.
“We would have loved to see a clear industrial policy for the country but that has not been the case,” he indicated, adding that the nation needed to invest in the production of agro processing machinery and other items that could be manufactured locally.
The AGI President said it was wrong for people to think that the President’s term in office was over, pointing out that “one year of policy decision-making can change a lot of things”.
He said without any pressure of running for re-election, the President had an added advantage of implementing good policies, expressing the hope that he would end his tenure on a very high note.
In his assessment, Prof Ayee described the achievement of the Kufuor regime as marginal.
On the economic front, he said the positive thing that happened to the country was the stability of the cedi because prior to taking office, the depreciation of the cedi was phenomenal as a result of which the currency was marginalised.
Prof Ayee said the drop in inflation was superficial because people still felt prices had shot up, especially after the re-denomination of the cedi, but pointed out that the government could not be faulted much because of the increase in petroleum prices on the world market.
He said not much had been done to tackle unemployment in spite of the President’s special initiative on employment, indicating that the number of unemployed youth was high and had resulted in the upsurge in armed robbery.
Prof Ayee said although standards of living had not improved, the government should be commended for the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the capitation grant and the school feeding programme.
He said the President’s zero tolerance for corruption was a public relations gimmick, which he never tackled and that would be a large electoral issue this year.
“The approach to corruption has been selective, especially the trial of Mallam Yusif Isa and others, have been a cosmetic show”, he said and claimed that a lot of people had been cited for corruption but left off the hook.
Prof Ayee commended the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for investigating former Minister of Transportation, Dr Richard Anane, although the judiciary interpreted it differently, adding that the perception of corruption now was much higher than it used to be in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regime.
He said the human rights record of the NPP government was better than that of the NDC, especially with the repeal of the criminal libel law, describing it as “a feather in the cap of the government although we cannot have a total human right record because of a few abrasions here and there like what happened to Alhaji Mobilla”.
According to him, there had been an upsurge in ethnic violence because ethnic politics had reared its head and there was the need to do away with that through public education spearheaded by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and political parties.
In respect of human rights, the ardent human rights campaigner, Nana Oye Lithur, gave the President five out of 10 marks based on an assessment of his performance on the Directive Principles of State Policy and human rights provisions enshrined in the Constitution were concerned.
On the positive side, she admitted that there had been an improvement in freedom of expression and press freedom, pointing out that the improvement was because “he himself has displayed a certain level of tolerance that has facilitated a progressive development, promotion and fulfilling of press freedom and freedom of expression”.
Nana Oye Lithur said there had also been tremendous improvement in political, social and economic rights as depicted by the enhanced credibility of elections in the country and initiatives, such as the school feeding programme and the capitation grant for basic schools, all geared towards achieving the goals of the free compulsory universal basic education (F-CUBE) as required by the constitution.
On the flip side, Nana Oye Lithur said corruption was a major indictment on the President’s stewardship, particularly so when he had launched his administration on a “zero tolerance for corruption” campaign.
“All said and done, that is one big indictment on his tenure. People were full of hope because he vowed to fight corruption. But I haven’t seen that he has addressed corruption effectively. It seems like he has shielded his government from allegations of corruption”, she observed.
Nana Oye Lithur also expressed disappointment in the manner the President had handled the extra judicial killing of 44 Ghanaians in The Gambia, three year after the incident took place.
She said in the first instance, it was out of order for the President to have attended the African Union (AU) Summit in The Gambia three years ago after the incident; secondly, the government had taken too long a time to investigate and take a firm decision on the issue.
Nana Oye Lithur mentioned forced evictions and demolition exercises in various parts of the country without recourse to due procedures, as well as rampant police brutalities and the deplorable conditions of mining communities and prisoners, as some of the minuses on the President’s human rights record.
“From where I sit, I saw him more as protecting the investor’s interest over and above the interest of the communities where these mining activities were going on. From the top of my head, I cannot recall any concrete statement that he’s made directed at people in mining areas... but we all saw him opening or inaugurating a mine or receiving heads of mining companies at the Castle”, she pointed out.
Nana Oye Lithur mentioned inadequate housing, lack of access to toilets, water, electricity and other social amenities as some of the areas the President failed to deliver satisfactorily.
With regard to security, Dr Enning said the government had done creditably, giving it six-and-half out of 10 marks.
According to him, there had been general improvement in civil-military relations and the physical improvement in the security services.
Dr Enning said the security had also become more subservient to civilian rule unlike in the past but added that the process of improving security started during the NDC regime but “the Kufuor administration has reduced the rot in the system”.
On the international level, he said President had made immense contribution towards restoring peace and stability to countries like Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Sierra Leone and Liberia
Dr Enning attributed the success story on the security front to the various roles played by the Ghana Armed Forces, Parliament, CHRAJ and other democratic institutions.
He said one of the lowest point on security track record of President Kufuor’s administration was the Dagbon conflict.
Dr Enning said there were still challenges concerning issues of recruitment into the security services, adding that the increasing activities of drug lords and youth unemployment had the tendency to undermine national security and stressed the need to address them.
It is against such pluses and minuses that Ghanaians will go to the polls again in December this year to choose a successor to President Kufuor.
December is still a long way yet but with the major political parties having held their congresses and elected their presidential candidates, the lines are clearly drawn for an exciting campaign.
The largest opposition group, the National Democratic Congress set the tone with the election of former Vice President, John Evans Atta-Mills as its flagbearer. That was followed by the People’s National Convention (PNC) with the election of Dr. Edward Mahama.
The Convention People’s Party (CPP) followed with the election of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum and then the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held its congress to elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as its flagbearer.
With a few other minority parties yet to elect their flag bearers, attention on the next phase of the process will be on the choice of running-mates by the various presidential candidates.
EXACTLY a year from today, President John Agyekum Kufuor will hand-over the presidency to a successor yet to be determined after an eight-year tenure in office.
It will be the day on which the dream of one man, be he Professor J.E.A. Mills or Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum or Dr Edward Mahama or, indeed any of the other presidential aspirants will become a reality of the time.
Ahead of that occasion, an appraisal of the stewardship of President Kufuor made by some Ghanaian think tanks, selected by the Daily Graphic, shows that President Kufuor’s performance in the various aspects of governance, has been quite commendable.
Overall, the President scored between 50 and 70 per cent in various sectors of assessment, earning high marks in the areas EXACTLY a year from today, President John Agyekum Kufuor will hand-over the presidency to a successor yet to be determined after an eight-year tenure in office.
It will be the day on which the dream of one man, be he Professor J.E.A. Mills or Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum or Dr Edward Mahama or, indeed any of the other presidential aspirants will become a reality of the time.
Ahead of that occasion, an appraisal of the stewardship of President Kufuor made by some Ghanaian think tanks, selected by the Daily Graphic, shows that President Kufuor’s performance in the various aspects of governance, has been quite commendable.
Overall, the President scored between 50 and 70 per cent in various sectors of assessment, earning high marks in the areas of the economy, security and freedom of the economy, security and freedom of expression, recording average marks in upholding human rights and accessing justice while recording lower marks in respect of fighting corruption.
The appraisers of the President’s stewardship were the President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, the Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Africa, Nana Oye Lithur, a Research Fellow at the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), Mr Kwesi Jonah, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies of the University of Ghana, Prof Atsu Ayee and the Director of Research at the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre, Dr Emmanuel Kwesi Enning and Mrs Jean Mensa, the Administrator of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).
Mrs Mensa congratulated the President for the successes chalked by his administration over the past seven years but pointed out that some challenges in his final year in office and for the future government.
She said it was refreshing that the present administration has won power and kept if for the past seven years.
Mrs Mensa explained that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was the first non-military institution to win power through the ballot box and kept it for seven years adding that “all previous attempts were successful at winning power but failed to hold on to it. She said this was significant in our history bearing in mind that Flt Lt J.J Rawlings won power and was able to keep it for eight years but he came from a military background.
Mrs Mensa also commended the government for maintaining macro-economic stability for seven years during which inflation has declined from the high of 40s to the low 10s. “We have also seen interest rates drop from the high 40s to the low 10s on the seven year period noting that “while the IEA thinks the NPP government has done well, the challenge though is how to maintain the current macro stability and keep inflation and interest rates under leash”.
She said it was important for the government to disentangle ourselves from running a colonial economy which mainly benefits the major multi-nationals in Ghana to an economy whose primary focus would be the improvement of the life of the average Ghanaian and also to an economy where “we are no more exporters of raw materials and importers of finished products but to an economy where we are the producers of finished goods for exports”.
Mrs Mensa also stressed the need for the Kufour administration to use the final year to decentralise the Ghanaian economy and our political structure.
“As of now, district chief executives still do not feel they owe any responsibility to the people. They owe their responsibilities to the Presidency in Accra and the challenge is how to decentralise so that district chief executives would owe their responsibility to the residents of the various districts”.
Mr Jonah on his part described the national economy under President Kufuor as sustainable and the country as a preferred destination for foreign direct investment (FDI).
He said although Ghana was tackling indices of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), such as poverty and access to school for children of school-going age, it was still lagging behind in respect of health indices, such as infant and maternal mortality, and stressed the need to reconsider those areas to activate growth.
According to Mr Jonah, presently, the economy was reported to be growing at an average rate of five per cent and although there have been increases in external exports with attractive prices on the world market and economic growth must increase.
“The inflow of investment has been quite good. The exploration of oil and the emergence of major mining companies in the country is a clear indication of external confidence in the national economy”, he noted.
He added that the inflow of about $500 million from the Millennium Challange Account (MCA) and the floating of Ghana bonds on the London Stock Exchange, coupled with good governance, were all indicators that Ghana was a safe place for investment.
Mr Jonah, who is also a senior lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, said the re-denomination exercise embarked upon by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) was a major plus for the government because it boosted business in an economy where transactions were largely cash-based.
On the political front, Mr Jonah said Ghana had been an island of peace and tranquillity in the sub-region because it had upheld the tenets of the constitution, particularly with respect to fundamental civil liberties.
That, he noted, had allowed an atmosphere that allows all political parties the freedom to criticise the government and contribute to the development process without any interference from the Executive.
However, Mr Jonah expressed concern about the Representation of the People’s Amendment Law (ROPAL), saying that it was a privilege and not a right for Ghanaians living abroad to exercise their franchise.
Regarding the international political arena, he said the holding of the African Union (AU) Summit in Accra in 2006 and the appointment of President Kufuor as the AU chairman had been a good omen for Africa, especially the sub-region.
Assessing the President’s performance in industry, the Mr Oteng-Gyasi said the President's performance was above average.
He noted that President Kufuor and the government had had to contend with very difficult economic environment but they worked to stabilise the economy, adding that manufacturing was now growing between four and five per cent.
Mr Oteng-Gyasi also praised the government for showing a willingness to listen to players in industry and implementing some of their suggestions, but he pointed out that there was more room for improvement.
“We would have loved to see a clear industrial policy for the country but that has not been the case,” he indicated, adding that the nation needed to invest in the production of agro processing machinery and other items that could be manufactured locally.
The AGI President said it was wrong for people to think that the President’s term in office was over, pointing out that “one year of policy decision-making can change a lot of things”.
He said without any pressure of running for re-election, the President had an added advantage of implementing good policies, expressing the hope that he would end his tenure on a very high note.
In his assessment, Prof Ayee described the achievement of the Kufuor regime as marginal.
On the economic front, he said the positive thing that happened to the country was the stability of the cedi because prior to taking office, the depreciation of the cedi was phenomenal as a result of which the currency was marginalised.
Prof Ayee said the drop in inflation was superficial because people still felt prices had shot up, especially after the re-denomination of the cedi, but pointed out that the government could not be faulted much because of the increase in petroleum prices on the world market.
He said not much had been done to tackle unemployment in spite of the President’s special initiative on employment, indicating that the number of unemployed youth was high and had resulted in the upsurge in armed robbery.
Prof Ayee said although standards of living had not improved, the government should be commended for the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the capitation grant and the school feeding programme.
He said the President’s zero tolerance for corruption was a public relations gimmick, which he never tackled and that would be a large electoral issue this year.
“The approach to corruption has been selective, especially the trial of Mallam Yusif Isa and others, have been a cosmetic show”, he said and claimed that a lot of people had been cited for corruption but left off the hook.
Prof Ayee commended the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for investigating former Minister of Transportation, Dr Richard Anane, although the judiciary interpreted it differently, adding that the perception of corruption now was much higher than it used to be in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regime.
He said the human rights record of the NPP government was better than that of the NDC, especially with the repeal of the criminal libel law, describing it as “a feather in the cap of the government although we cannot have a total human right record because of a few abrasions here and there like what happened to Alhaji Mobilla”.
According to him, there had been an upsurge in ethnic violence because ethnic politics had reared its head and there was the need to do away with that through public education spearheaded by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and political parties.
In respect of human rights, the ardent human rights campaigner, Nana Oye Lithur, gave the President five out of 10 marks based on an assessment of his performance on the Directive Principles of State Policy and human rights provisions enshrined in the Constitution were concerned.
On the positive side, she admitted that there had been an improvement in freedom of expression and press freedom, pointing out that the improvement was because “he himself has displayed a certain level of tolerance that has facilitated a progressive development, promotion and fulfilling of press freedom and freedom of expression”.
Nana Oye Lithur said there had also been tremendous improvement in political, social and economic rights as depicted by the enhanced credibility of elections in the country and initiatives, such as the school feeding programme and the capitation grant for basic schools, all geared towards achieving the goals of the free compulsory universal basic education (F-CUBE) as required by the constitution.
On the flip side, Nana Oye Lithur said corruption was a major indictment on the President’s stewardship, particularly so when he had launched his administration on a “zero tolerance for corruption” campaign.
“All said and done, that is one big indictment on his tenure. People were full of hope because he vowed to fight corruption. But I haven’t seen that he has addressed corruption effectively. It seems like he has shielded his government from allegations of corruption”, she observed.
Nana Oye Lithur also expressed disappointment in the manner the President had handled the extra judicial killing of 44 Ghanaians in The Gambia, three year after the incident took place.
She said in the first instance, it was out of order for the President to have attended the African Union (AU) Summit in The Gambia three years ago after the incident; secondly, the government had taken too long a time to investigate and take a firm decision on the issue.
Nana Oye Lithur mentioned forced evictions and demolition exercises in various parts of the country without recourse to due procedures, as well as rampant police brutalities and the deplorable conditions of mining communities and prisoners, as some of the minuses on the President’s human rights record.
“From where I sit, I saw him more as protecting the investor’s interest over and above the interest of the communities where these mining activities were going on. From the top of my head, I cannot recall any concrete statement that he’s made directed at people in mining areas... but we all saw him opening or inaugurating a mine or receiving heads of mining companies at the Castle”, she pointed out.
Nana Oye Lithur mentioned inadequate housing, lack of access to toilets, water, electricity and other social amenities as some of the areas the President failed to deliver satisfactorily.
With regard to security, Dr Enning said the government had done creditably, giving it six-and-half out of 10 marks.
According to him, there had been general improvement in civil-military relations and the physical improvement in the security services.
Dr Enning said the security had also become more subservient to civilian rule unlike in the past but added that the process of improving security started during the NDC regime but “the Kufuor administration has reduced the rot in the system”.
On the international level, he said President had made immense contribution towards restoring peace and stability to countries like Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Sierra Leone and Liberia
Dr Enning attributed the success story on the security front to the various roles played by the Ghana Armed Forces, Parliament, CHRAJ and other democratic institutions.
He said one of the lowest point on security track record of President Kufuor’s administration was the Dagbon conflict.
Dr Enning said there were still challenges concerning issues of recruitment into the security services, adding that the increasing activities of drug lords and youth unemployment had the tendency to undermine national security and stressed the need to address them.
It is against such pluses and minuses that Ghanaians will go to the polls again in December this year to choose a successor to President Kufuor.
December is still a long way yet but with the major political parties having held their congresses and elected their presidential candidates, the lines are clearly drawn for an exciting campaign.
The largest opposition group, the National Democratic Congress set the tone with the election of former Vice President, John Evans Atta-Mills as its flagbearer. That was followed by the People’s National Convention (PNC) with the election of Dr. Edward Mahama.
The Convention People’s Party (CPP) followed with the election of Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum and then the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held its congress to elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as its flagbearer.
With a few other minority parties yet to elect their flag bearers, attention on the next phase of the process will be on the choice of running-mates by the various presidential candidates.
HUNDREDS MOURN BEKOE (P.31)
Story: Kofi Yeboah
THE Sakaman Presbyterian Church in Accra was thrown into a state of grief and wailing last Saturday as hundreds of mourners paid their last respect to Enoch Sakyi Bampoe Bekoe, who was allegedly murdered by his cousin on November 15, 2007.
Enoch, a 28-year-old BSc (Agriculture) degree holder from the University of Cape Coast and an employee of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Accra, was allegedly butchered by his embittered cousin, George Awuku Dompreh, 41, in a brutal incident that bemused family relations, friends and the entire Sakaman community.
Many of the family members, friends, schoolmates, working colleagues and sympathisers who attended the burial service could not hold back their tears as the soul of their departed brother and friend was ushered into divine grace before interment later at his home town, Adukrom, in the Eastern Region.
The suspect, Dompreh, is currently on remand at the Nsawam Prisons awaiting trial. Dompreh is alleged to have carried out a five-year threat he issued to visit mayhem on his aunt, Juliana Osew Dukwaa, who he accused of preventing him from marry the woman of his choice on the grounds that the woman hailed from the north.
He, however, did not understand why his aunt did not object to her son, Enoch, planning to marry a woman outside their hometown, Adukrom, and so on that fateful Thursday evening, he proceeded to inflict many machete wounds on Enoch after which he fled into hiding.
At the time of his death, Enoch was a couple of weeks away from marrying the daughter of a Presbyterian reverend minister whom he had courted for about three years.
An eye-witness told the police that around 9.00 p.m. on Thursday, he was with Enoch at his (Enoch’s) uncle’s residence when Dompreh knocked at the door and asked to see Enoch.
He said Enoch went outside, apparently to discuss something with his cousin. But after about 25 minutes, he (eye-witness) heard Enoch screaming for help and he rushed out, only to find Dompreh slashing Enoch with a machete.
As soon as Dompreh saw him (eye-witness), he bolted.
Enoch, who was bleeding profusely, was rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Barely 48 hours after the Daily Graphic published the story on the front page of its Tuesday, November 20, 2007 issue, Dompreh was arrested by the police in Koforidua upon a tip-off.
At the time of his arrest he was in the possession of a nylon rope, which the police suspected he would have used to commit suicide.
In an interview, Dompreh confessed to the Daily Graphic that he killed his cousin to avenge the disapproval of his (Dompreh’s) marriage by his aunt.
“As a revenge, I also decided to kick against the marriage of their son, Enoch, and, therefore, decided to kill him, to end it all,” he said.
Dompreh said after completing his apprenticeship as a plumber, he met a Baasare woman, one Deborah Agyeiwaa, a 38-year-old seamstress, who lived at Oworam near Asamankese and intended to marry her.
He said he had had two children with Agyeiwaa, a boy and a girl, aged seven and four respectively, but pointed out that when he discussed his intention to marry Agyeiwaa with his aunt, she and her husband strongly kicked against the decision, with the explanation that Agyeiwaa was not from Adukrom.
According to Dompreh, following his unbending intention to marry Agyeiwaa, he invited his next of kin and his aunt and husband to accompany him to the hometown of Agyeiwaa to perform the marriage rites, but they both ignored him after which his aunt and the husband vowed not to have anything to do with him again.
“Apart from excluding and avoiding me as a family member, my aunt and her husband persistently cursed me to know no peace and happiness in life again, because of my vow to marry Agyeiwaa. I think this spell has been the cause of my present predicament,” Dompreh added.
THE Sakaman Presbyterian Church in Accra was thrown into a state of grief and wailing last Saturday as hundreds of mourners paid their last respect to Enoch Sakyi Bampoe Bekoe, who was allegedly murdered by his cousin on November 15, 2007.
Enoch, a 28-year-old BSc (Agriculture) degree holder from the University of Cape Coast and an employee of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Accra, was allegedly butchered by his embittered cousin, George Awuku Dompreh, 41, in a brutal incident that bemused family relations, friends and the entire Sakaman community.
Many of the family members, friends, schoolmates, working colleagues and sympathisers who attended the burial service could not hold back their tears as the soul of their departed brother and friend was ushered into divine grace before interment later at his home town, Adukrom, in the Eastern Region.
The suspect, Dompreh, is currently on remand at the Nsawam Prisons awaiting trial. Dompreh is alleged to have carried out a five-year threat he issued to visit mayhem on his aunt, Juliana Osew Dukwaa, who he accused of preventing him from marry the woman of his choice on the grounds that the woman hailed from the north.
He, however, did not understand why his aunt did not object to her son, Enoch, planning to marry a woman outside their hometown, Adukrom, and so on that fateful Thursday evening, he proceeded to inflict many machete wounds on Enoch after which he fled into hiding.
At the time of his death, Enoch was a couple of weeks away from marrying the daughter of a Presbyterian reverend minister whom he had courted for about three years.
An eye-witness told the police that around 9.00 p.m. on Thursday, he was with Enoch at his (Enoch’s) uncle’s residence when Dompreh knocked at the door and asked to see Enoch.
He said Enoch went outside, apparently to discuss something with his cousin. But after about 25 minutes, he (eye-witness) heard Enoch screaming for help and he rushed out, only to find Dompreh slashing Enoch with a machete.
As soon as Dompreh saw him (eye-witness), he bolted.
Enoch, who was bleeding profusely, was rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Barely 48 hours after the Daily Graphic published the story on the front page of its Tuesday, November 20, 2007 issue, Dompreh was arrested by the police in Koforidua upon a tip-off.
At the time of his arrest he was in the possession of a nylon rope, which the police suspected he would have used to commit suicide.
In an interview, Dompreh confessed to the Daily Graphic that he killed his cousin to avenge the disapproval of his (Dompreh’s) marriage by his aunt.
“As a revenge, I also decided to kick against the marriage of their son, Enoch, and, therefore, decided to kill him, to end it all,” he said.
Dompreh said after completing his apprenticeship as a plumber, he met a Baasare woman, one Deborah Agyeiwaa, a 38-year-old seamstress, who lived at Oworam near Asamankese and intended to marry her.
He said he had had two children with Agyeiwaa, a boy and a girl, aged seven and four respectively, but pointed out that when he discussed his intention to marry Agyeiwaa with his aunt, she and her husband strongly kicked against the decision, with the explanation that Agyeiwaa was not from Adukrom.
According to Dompreh, following his unbending intention to marry Agyeiwaa, he invited his next of kin and his aunt and husband to accompany him to the hometown of Agyeiwaa to perform the marriage rites, but they both ignored him after which his aunt and the husband vowed not to have anything to do with him again.
“Apart from excluding and avoiding me as a family member, my aunt and her husband persistently cursed me to know no peace and happiness in life again, because of my vow to marry Agyeiwaa. I think this spell has been the cause of my present predicament,” Dompreh added.
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