Ghana@50 Was Not A Tea Party - Oboshie

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Hon. Mrs. Oboshie Sai Coffie, has observed that the Ghana @50 celebrations was not about tea partying and having fun, but was an occasion for sober reflections and accelerated development. She has therefore tasked journalists and media personnel to help showcase the legacies bequeathed to the nation arising out of the event.Hon. Oboshie made the above observation when she led a team of government officials and members of the press on an inspection tour of some of the Ghana @50 project sites on Tuesday, August 07, 2007. Accompanying the Minister were Mr. Andrew Awuni (Presidential Press Secretary), Hon David Annang (Tema Municipal Chief Executive), Mrs. Catherine Afeku (Government Spokesperson on Infrastructure), Hon. Reginald Nii Bi Ayi Bonte (Former MP, Odododiodio), and other senior officials form the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.The tour took the team through to the inspection of sanitary facilities at the Kinbu Gardens, La Agyeman, and Kakasunaka in Tema. It also included an inspection of Ghana @50Housing Projects at La Wireless, The AU Village at Ridge, and the VVIP Lounge at the Kotoka International Airport.At the Kinbu Gardens, the Project Manager of the sanitary facility intimated that projects of similar nature were under construction nationwide, with four in Accra alone. He said most of them were about 60-75% complete.The 22 - seater Kakasunaka sanitary facility, which has almost all its inner parameters tiled, has been painted. The project is almost complete. On the unwelcome stench that has engulfed the facility, the Tema Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. David Annang, who conducted newsmen round said the area is a swampy one. The use of the area as a landfill site is therefore a deliberate attempt to fill the area, which will later be covered with laterite.The La Agyeman sanitary facility has 16 closets, 15 wash basins, 7 urinal pots. The Project, which commenced on April 22, is expected to be completed within a month, pending the disbursement of their remaining funds.The entourage made a stop-over at the La market where the Minister interacted briefly with some of the traders, who were so joyous in witnessing such a scene, especially when it was not elections time.At La wireless, one could not help but marvel at the splendor and beauty of the landscape and thoughtfulness of the developers as the team were led down the Osagyefo Boulevard down to the office of an official of the Secretariat, Mr. Francis Dadzie who conducted them round. There were 103 housing units, all completed, with the Ghana @50 Secretariat owning 30 of them, as well as all the furnishings in the remaining apartments, something the Secretariat intends to offer as equity in the sale of the ones owned by the private sector. Mr. Dadzie seized the opportunity to correct reports in the media that the Ghana @50 stake in the estate is on sale. He minced no words when stated that there has been no official decision yet on the issue. He hinted that it is the private sector that has started disposing off part of its stakes in the area. The facilities are just magnificent.The ambience, splendor, and grandeur that greeted the team as it was ushered into the ultra-modern and prestigious Ministerial and Presidential VVIP suites at the Kotoka International Airport cannot pass without comment. What an edifice? The Minister tasked journalists and the public to desist from tagging such areas as restricted zones, and to rather feel free to visit there by simply seeking authorisation from the appropriate quarters. The lounge confirmed that Ghanaians are indeed championing African Excellence, in ushering in dignitaries to the country in such a serene and cozy environment. Any dignitary who visits the new VVIP will attest to the much touted hospitality of Ghanaians and indeed the magnitude of the work undertaken by the Ghana@50 Secretariat.The final stop was the AU Village at Ridge. The facility was among those that were used for the AU Summit. There were thirty (30) completed, well furnished housing units. Each has five bedrooms, 2 living rooms, dinning rooms, well furnished kitchen, etc. As we were led round by project manager, workers could still be seen doing minor maintenance works on the site.At the end of the tour, in one of the rooms, pressmen had the chance to interact with the Minister and her entourage, on their impressions of the entire tour. So overwhelming was the sight that a journalist from the Ghanaian Voice Newspaper remarked that “to some extent the allegations about the misuse of funds are baseless”In winding up the tour, the Information and National Orientation Minister admonished the pressmen around to tell the story as they came to see for themselves and disabuse the misconceptions that the taxpayer’s monies voted for the Ghana @50 activities were used for jamborees.On his part, Mr. Andrews Awuni stressed that there were tangible things to show as legacies for Ghana @50. This, to him, include the inspected facilities at La wireless, Ridge, the VVIP at the KIA, as well as over 50 rest stops, regional jubilee parks, sanitary facilities, and other projects across the country. He noted that this is a deviation from the past, for example Ghana @40 where but for the anniversary cloth, all is history. He disclosed that the gains and intrinsic values to be derived from the facilities far outweigh the expenditure on them. Mr. Awuni advised media personnel to visit project sites before making a fuss about them, more so when it was easily within their reach to do so.
Source:PRINCE BOAKYE-BOATENG

Scancem Bribery: Norwegian Minister 'sad'

A 52-year-old Norwegian minister of International Development, Erik Solheim, has described as "sad" news that a Norwegian multinational company, Scancem, owners of local cement-producer Ghacem, has been heavily involved in bribing top Ghana government officials.‘In an interview at the Norwegian Foreign Affairs Office on Tuesday, Mr Solheim said, “I'm saddened to hear what a Norwegian company did in the past in Ghana,” the paper quotes the minister as saying.He said he had followed the court case of the multi-million dollar bribe scandal as published in Dagens Naeringlsiv Magasinet of 21/22 April 2007 specifically between 1993 and 1998 as stated in a Norwegian court by two of Norway's most respected journalists, Geir Imset and Harald Vanvik.The Norwegian minister was being interviewed by two Ghanaian editors, Asare Otchere-Darko and Kweku Baako, during their visit to Norway to investigate matters involving evidence before a Norwegian court that top people under the National Democratic Congress government received bribes of more than $4 million from Scancem with the purpose of consolidating the then Norwegian-owned firm’s hold in the local cement industry.When it was disclosed to Mr. Solheim that ongoing investigations by the Auditor-General in Ghana suggest there could be underhand dealings in very recent payments totalling $22,555.7836 (¢209.4 million) made by Ghacem from 2002 to 2004 alone, his answer was swift: “If any Norwegian company or individual is caught in malpractices in Africa or elsewhere we will not accept it. We will clamp down on them,” adding that the country’s anti-bribery law, enacted in 2003, will be allowed to take its course.He said the fight against corruption was a "hard, long-lasting" one, and its difficulties more pronounced "if top leaders are involved in corruption." The Norwegian publication had boldly cited former President Rawlings and his wife and former top presidential staffer P V Obeng as allegedly being among recipients of from Scancem during the five-year period.The journalists pushed the Norwegian minister, a founding member of the Socialist Left Party of Norway who, at 32, became the party’s leader until 1997, to explain the seeming contradiction between his country’s international political image as a champion of ethical politics and its historical inaction against the corrupt practices of its multinational companies.His response was that the Centre-right coalition government of Norway has put in place a social corporate responsibility agenda for the country’s firms operating abroad.While saying he was not by any means justifying bribery, Mr Solheim said "In the past, the excuse was that everyone else was doing it." But, since 2003, under prime minister Jens Stoltenberg’s administration, "the policy of the Norwegian government has completely changed."He further stated that, until four years ago, Norway, a country that makes good governance and anti-corruption a major action plan in its development aid programme, allowed its companies to effectively claim tax exemptions for bribery monies paid to corrupt officials.Mr Solheim has been instrumental in pushing an Oslo-Paris proposal to reform the immunity from prosecution that international organisations enjoy, as an effective weapon in the global anti-corruption artillery.He recently told the UN, "Most important, politicians should commit themselves. Only strong, political will can hinder corrupt officials, politicians as well as businessmen and others, to be able to hide their illicit assets in safe havens."The Norwegian Government is strongly committed to this end, and urge upon other States Parties to put the issue of asset recovery, money laundering and safe havens high up on the political agenda - nationally, as well as in different regional, international and global fora. Together, we can make a difference."But, the Ghanaian reporters, who expressed indignation at the hitherto silence of the Norwegian authorities on the Scancem scandal accused the Norwegian government of double standards.Yet, the minister, who insisted that his country’s attitude towards cross-border briberies have changed significantly, stressed that corruption was an international problem which was "illegal, immoral and caused social destructions," requiring the conviction of all to fight.The journalists then read a portion of the Norwegian court’s ruling on the civil case brought against Tor Egil Kjelsaas, a former Director of Africa of Scancem, for the recovery of NOK25 million ($4.3m) allegedly stolen by Mr Kjelsaas meant to bribe top African officials.The judge, Trine Standal, held that "the two parties" in the case "agree that the bribery had not been contrary to Norwegian, Ghana or Nigerian law."Though, the criminal laws in both Ghana and Nigeria have since the 1960s both been clear against corruption, this blatant untruth appeared to have been conveniently accepted by the Norwegian court to sidestep the illegality of the entire suit against the ailing Mr Kjelsaas. The law generally frowns against seeking compensation for an act of illegality.Mr Solheim could not comment on this.But, earlier at an Oslo business sector conference on development cooperation, in February 2006, Mr Solheim had described as "positive and important" the "engagement of Norwegian companies in developing countries."He also told Norwegian multinationals that "We expect Norwegian operations to be ethical and hope that the examples you are setting will be followed by others," adding, "There is no doubt that these expectations can be challenging for Norwegian companies in some cases. We know that companies from a number of other countries are bringing with them a less ethical approach to their engagements in developing countries. The competitive situation can seem rather unbalanced at times, but this is not always the case."But, the Ghanaian journalists told him it was difficult to see the continuing stranglehold that Ghacem has on Ghana’s cement industry as positive to the locals. They said, though, the bribery might have taken place in the past, the consequences from that practice remained real and devastating, as shown in the recent near-doubling of cement prices Ghana.Sounding critical of Scancem’s activities in Ghana since 1992, when Government began selling its 75% stake in it to the Norwegians, the journalists who could not see any ethical examples worth emulating from that Norwegian company, demanded from the country’s minister of international development what his government intends doing about the social impact of the imbalances that Ghacem’s unfair industrial practices have had on Ghana.
Source:The Statesman

Big boost for Ghanas' rice sector

The Government and the French Agency for International Development on Wednesday signed two loan agreements totalling 13.8 million Euros to support the country's ailing rice sector.The credit consists of 12.5 million Euros soft loan for investments, field activities and support for the Ghana Rice Inter-professional Body (GRIB) and additional grant of 1.3 million Euros for technical assistance to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA). Professor George Gyan-Baffour, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, signed the two agreements on behalf of Ghana while Ms Caroline Piquet, Acting Resident Manager of the French Agency for International Development initialled for her country.A statement issued by the MFEP said the Government would provide 930,000 Euros being its contribution to the training cost of MOFA staff, 790,000 Euros being farmers' payment to the investments and the cost of the credit while financial institutions, essentially the Rural Banks, were to provide about 1.5 million euros in credit.The agreements are aimed at developing lowland rice production in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and Volta regions.It said about 6,500 hectares of lowland areas would be developed with water control infrastructure and technical support to the farmers. It said the project would help strengthen professional organizations, targeting the different levels of the commodity chain as well as provide some support to existing financial institutions in order to facilitate access to credit by the various stakeholders. The statement also said the MOFA would be in charge of the project at all levels, including national, regional, districts as well as the planning and monitoring of activities.It said MOFA would also establish contract with different partners such as non-governmental organisation, micro-finance institutions and the non-formal education Services to implement its activities. Mr Ernest Debrah, Minister of Food and Agriculture and Mr Pierre Jacquemot, French Ambassador to Ghana, witnessed the ceremony. Agriculturists say Ghana has great potential to expand its present average rice production area of 89,700 hectares by 200 per cent if its vast area of inland valleys and swamps is fully exploited. They say the greatest potential lies in the interior Savannah zone which covers almost the whole of the northern half of the country, extending over nearly 9.32 million hectares.
Source:GNA

US Military Commander advices Ghanaian Soldiers

General William Ward, Deputy Commander, United States European Command has observed that a soldier in uniform should personify sincerity and helpfulness among his people. He said besides their regular mission, they should engage in other things to help their fellow citizens.General Ward was interacting with soldiers from the 66 Artillery Regiment working on a community library complex at Mafi-Anfoe, in the North-Tongu District on Tuesday.Major Mathews M. Battison, Military Attache at the US Embassy in Ghana initiated the library and would be fully furnished and stocked with books and computers when completed.The project is estimated to cost GH40,000 or 400,000, 000 million cedis.The library complex and street lighting projects are among ventures the US European Command is helping the Mafi-Anfoe, a predominantly farming community to undertake.General Ward who is visiting Ghana with his wife said he was absolutely delighted about the contribution of his men to the development of the people in the area.He said the US cherished contributing to the stability and security of Ghana and Africa, saying the Millennium Challenge Account and other facilities being handled by USAID were to quicken development in Ghana. Major Battison, who was honoured as Development Chief of the community under the stool name Togbe Dunenyo, said his association with the community started with a casual acquaintance with a native of the area sometime last year.He said the projects, partly supported partly by friends, were progressing steadily because of the communal spirit of the people. Miss Mary Yates, former US Ambassador to Ghana lauded the US/Ghana collaboration.Mr Joe Gidisu, Member of Parliament for the area said the support by the US to build the library was an important contribution to raising educational performance in the area.Mr Kofi Dzamesi, Volta Regional Minister asked the people to appreciate US efforts by helping to complete the projects early. He promised that the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) would collaborate with all stakeholders on the projects for their successful completion.Lieutenant Elvis Asamoah, of the 66th Artillery Regiment told journalists that apart from the library project, troops from the regiment had helped build school blocks at Sokode in the Ho District and Agbozume in the Ketu District.He said the help were in accordance with the Regiment's corporate policy of building bridges of cooperation between the military and civil society.
Source:GNA