Ghana Hit Hard---Floods wreck havoc across Africa

... 20 Killed, 400,000 Homeless ... State of emergency declared in 3 regions ... President Leaves for CanadaSevere rainfall has led to flooding and wrecked crops in Ghana and many other countries across Western and Eastern Africa, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in chaotic living conditions.

In Ghana, at least 20 people have been killed so far (read), 4,544 houses damaged, more than 400,000 homeless.
The floods have submerged land which produces food for the entire country.
A state of emergency has been declared in Ghana for Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions, which has been hit especially hard. Upper East region minister Alhassan Samar said malaria and cholera could take hold and mosquito nets were being handed out
Three bridges in the Wa East District of the Upper West Region, have been destroyed by the floods, making transportation in the area almost impossible.

The floods have hit large areas of the land producing food for the entire country, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported.
A spokesman for the crisis centre in Ghana said some villages and settlements had been wiped off the map as a result of the floods, the BBC reported.
Benonita Bismarck, from Ghana's Red Cross Society, said the situation was dire and cases of cholera have already been reported.
George Azi Amoo, co-ordinator of Ghana's disaster management body, said the floods had destroyed farmland, livestock and infrastructure.

"Some villages and communities have now been totally wiped off the map of Ghana," he told the BBC.
During a visit to the affected areas during the week, President John Kufuor, who left the country for Canada on Friday, assured that the government would mobilise resources to restore roads, bridges and other infrastructure destroyed by the floods.
"Government cannot sit unconcerned for the people to suffer untold hardships," he said, adding that engineers would soon be sent to the area.
He said the government had approved $67 million to provide relief materials for victims of the disaster.

Outside GhanaIn Uganda and Ethiopia, tens of thousands had to leave their homes at risk from rising water levels.
The floods had affected at least 500,000 people in West African and another half a million in Sudan, according to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs.
The flooded areas were now at risk of diseases such as cholera, and food and medicines were scarce, officials and aid organizations warned.

Kufuor off to Canada

President John Agyekum Kufuor leaves Accra on Friday night for Ottawa, Canada, for a two-day official visit. During the visit, he would engage in bilateral talks with Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Stephen Harper and the Governor-General, Ms Michaelle Jean.

A press release signed by Mr Andrew Awuni, Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman, said President Kufuor would also meet with officials of ALCAN, the multi-national aluminium company, which had proposed to build a bauxite refinery in Ghana to refine the vast deposits of the mineral.

It said from Canada, he would continue to New York, United States, to participate in the 62nd General Assembly of the United Nations. President Kufuor is scheduled to address the Assembly on September 25, 2007.
He returns on Friday, September 28.
Source:GNA

IEA Says...........Use VAT to Fund Political Parties

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), at a forum on Thursday to discuss the state funding of political parties has suggested in a draft bill that two percent of national revenue from the Value Added Tax (VAT) should be put in a special fund for political parties.When the state funds political parties, the IEA argues, there would be a level playing field for all parties in their quest to win political power.While the bill encourages foreign funding of political parties, it prohibits the parties from using money given to them by the state to fund demonstrations.The bill has been presented to the political parties for study. All the parties have welcomed the proposed bill but they expressed some concerns. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is not happy that the fund can be accessed by independent candidates. The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is worried that funding from thestate could result in the proliferation of new parties.The proposed bill also suggests that parties that win less than two percent of votes in any election year, will not be entitled to state funding. But the chairman of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), Dr. Edmond Delle is not very enthused about this idea because his party won less than two percent of ballots in the last general election.

Flood victims Bark At President--Fulfill campaign promises

Some flood victims in Daboya in the West Gonja District have asked President John Agyekum Kufuor to fulfill his campaign promises to them during the 2000 general elections.The victims reminded the President of his promise to build a bridge over the Daboya river if elected into power. They reminded the President on Wednesday when he visited some of the affected areas to sympathise with and make some donations to the victims.President Kufuor, in a speech, warned personnel who would be involved in the distribution of relief items to the flood victims and the beneficiaries against selling the items."The relief items are being given to you on humanitarian grounds and it will therefore be against nature and the law for you to commercialize it", he said. Daboya, which is about 30 kilometres from Tamale, has been flooded by the White Volta and completely cut off from the rest of the Northern Region.Other communities affected by the floods are: Sinsina, Tidowrope and Kpendua, all in the District.President Kufuor assured the people that relief items such as food, blankets, mattresses, roofing sheets and boards would soon be sent to them.He said a committee had also been set up at the national level to handle the problems emerging from the floods to alleviate the plight of the people.Abatuwura Darifu Yakubu, a sub-chief in the Waspei Traditional Area, on behalf of the Waspeiwura, Mumuni Abani, commended President Kufuor for his concern about the plight of the people.He said since the people settled in the area a very long time ago, they had never seen such flooding and they were therefore truly devastated.He said as a result of the river overflowing its banks the people now had to travel in canoes for over four hours to the other bank to board trucks to Tamale for shopping.He appealed to President Kufuor to construct a bridge over the Daboya River to fulfil his 2000 campaign promise.In response to the appeal, President Kufuor said the government was sourcing funds for the construction of bridges over the Daboya and Tachali rivers.Source: GNA