GCPP is not a political party - IEA

"GCPP does not qualify as a party to be funded because it has no representative in Parliament and also all efforts by IEA to know where GCPP's offices are located in the country over the years had proved futile." The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has said.The IEA described as baseless the claims by the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) that the institute is using foreign funds to promote four leading political parties in the country.

The IEA said GCPP was crying foul out of frustration since its allegations against the institute held no water. The GCPP, in a statement issued last week and signed by the General Secretary, John Thompson, described the IEA as a think-tank that was running a parallel Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) with the four leading parties to decide for the rest of the political parties, adding that the act was undermining democracy.

"lEA is a neo-colonialist organization whose activities should be critically examined by the government," the statement maintained. The party claimed that the monies being used in assisting the parties were coming from a Dutch organization, the Netherlands Institute for Multi Party Democracy (NIMD). According to Mr. Thompson, this action of the IEA was making the political playing field in the country uneven, and also described the IEA as a body which used illegal means to fund four parties to the detriment of others.

Speaking to DAILY GUIDE in reaction to the accusations, however, a source close to the IEA stressed that before a political party could qualify for funding by any entity, it had to have at least one or two representatives in the nation's House of Parliament. It said despite IEA's advice to the leaders of GCPP to fight for Parliamentary seats to enable it to get equal support from various funding bodies as other parties were getting, GCPP remained adamant.

The source stated that IEA did not see why parties' capacities should not be built to help enhance the nation's democracy, stressing that the laws of the land prohibited direct funding of political parties from foreign bodies but did not prevent indirect funding. It emphasized that the IEA, through various measures, had ensured over the years that political parties including the GCPP were educated in all their political endeavours to ensure political and democratic stability in the country.Source: Daily Guide

16 million cedis to be spent on each prisoner

It is estimated that the Government of Ghana would spend an mount of 16 million cedis on each prisoner in Ghana this year, having already spent 10.4 million on each prisoner last year. Mr. Kwamena Bartels, Minister for the Interior, said the calculation was based on the total expenditure of the Prisons Service to care for prisoners.Answering questions in Parliament, on Wednesday in Accra, on issues for which the Ministry is responsible, Mr. Bartels said there were 13,800 prisoners in Ghana.

Out of the number, 713 were prisoners who were foreign nationals from 25 countries from Africa, Europe, the Far East and North and South Africa.There were 4,218 prisoners on remand trial. The question stood in the name of Mr Charles Hodogbey (NDC-North Tongu).Mr Albert Kwasi Zigah (NDC-Ketu South) asked when accommodation facilities at the Aflao Police Station would be upgraded. The Station was said to have been established in the 1950's, but without any major rehabilitation.

Mr Bartels said Government was tackling the problem of accommodation of the Security Agencies, including the Police holistically.The Minister said the Ministry had come out with proposals to handle the situation, adding that attempts were being made to source the requisite resources both locally and internationally. He said more than $120 million would be needed for the housing and office accommodation project for the security agencies. Mr Bartels said the funding would be part of the 2008 supplementary budget proposals to be submitted to Parliament, and that the Security Services, including the Police had been asked to submit a list of all uncompleted projects with cost implications.

"A committee has been set up to assess the total budgetary implications for the completion of projects to enable the Ministry source funds to complete them", Mr Bartels said.The Minister accepted a suggestion from Mr Francis Aggrey Agbotse (NDC-Ho West) to establish an enquiry into reported cases of foreign registered motorcycles from the Republic of Togo, who operate along communities of the Ghana Togo border.Mr. Agbotse had asked why the Police allowed them to operate in such towns as Kpedze, Aflao, Shia, Kpetoe, Nyive and Dzodze, all in the Volta Region.Minister Bartels said the Volta Region had never identified any of such perpetrators and left them off the hook as alleged.

He said information gathered from the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service and the Ghana Immigration Service indicated that such motorcycle owners drop their "passengers" on the side of their border and return to Togo but do not return to Ghana for commercial purposes. The Interior Minister announced that the Ministry had entered into negotiation with the ECOWAS Bank for Development for a loan of $24.7million to procure new fire tenders for distribution to Fire Stations throughout the country.

The response, which was to answer a question by Mr Gershon Gbediame (NDC-Nkwanta South), which sought to know when a fire tender would be supplied to the Nkwanta District Fire Station. Mr Bartels said the Nkwanta Service Station would be considered under that programme.
Source:GNA

It's Not Been Easy

The President, Mr. J.A. Kufour has acknowledged that his leadership as the Chief Executive of the Republic of Ghana has been tough and challenging.He said for the past seven years, he has led a government that has ensured a holistic national development, thus making his experience as the President fulfilling as well as sobering.

President Kufuor was speaking at the inaugural lecture of the Association of Black Rhodes Scholars at the Oxford University in UK, last Monday.The Black Rhodes Scholars Association was formed primarily to encourage brilliant but Black needy students who are not privilege to be enrolled in universities and also to ensure effective representation of black student at Rhodes.Members of the association are drawn from the US and Canada as well as from all former British colonies.

Oxford University enrolled its first black student 900 years after its establishment and even today, as the oldest English University and in deed one of the oldest in the world, has only one percent of its entire student population as black.The inaugural address by President Kufour also marked this year’s black history month as well as Ghana’s 50 independence anniversary at the university.The Rhodes House, the venue of the lecture which is the first in the series of lectures planned by the association, was filled to capacity long before the schedule time but the blacks were very few.

President Kufour noted that in a month’s time he will be entering the final year of his rule and the legacy he will want to leave behind for the youth of Ghana and Africa in general will for them to seize the opportunities of global system to secure a dignified position for the continent.He said, as he left the walls of Oxford University some fifty years ago “there was no certainty of becoming the President of Ghana”, but by dint of hard work and unwavering focus he today finds himself as the President of Ghana, The Chairman of the African Union and two-term Chair of the ECOWAS.

In a very motivational disposition, President Kufour remarked “I have been careful with the choices I make and how I make them. I was also aware of the potentials of what I can do for my country” He noted that it has not been easy for the past forty years. “What has made the difference though has been the constant vision to make myself relevant to the development of my society and therefore I have sustained the spirit of perseverance in spite of the heavy odds.”

He said he has used a blended values of his family background, the culture of Ghana as well as the faithful application of educational precepts and influences of the various institutions he attended especially Oxford university. He also mentioned the traditions of the New Patriotic Party as very useful to him.He mentioned some of his government’s achievements as the turning around of the nation’s stagnant economy by attaining a record and steady GDP growth rate of 6.5 percent currently as against 3.2 per cent in the year 2002.

President Kufour predicted that all being equal Ghana’s GDP growth rate will be at 10 percent within the next four years especially at a time Ghana has discovered off-shore oil.He also touched on the improvement and expansion in the health, educational and agricultural sectors adding that production of the country’s main cash crop, cocoa, hit 700 thousand tones and expressed the optimism that cocoa production in Ghana will hit one million tones by 2010.
Source:Nana Sifa Twum & Isaac Amo-Kyereme

GHANA 08: 18 Players Already Known

Claude Le Roy, Coach of Ghana's Black Stars has only five places left to make up for his 23-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations next January.

The Frenchman is certain about his first 18 and intends to channel his focus on searching for the additional five to make up the mandated 23 for the biennial party with the January 20 commencement date rolling closer.
He told GNA Sports "It will be stupid if I didn't have an idea about a bulk of my team at this moment."I know who the first 18 are and my vision is to get the five as soon as possible to enable us to begin full scale preparations."

The Trainer told GNA Sports that a fair representation of experienced and young players with regard to selection have been taken into consideration ahead of the three-week tourney, which his employers have mandated him to win."I have plans of including some young players into the team for the sake of the maturity and exposure they need beyond Ghana 2008. "One cannot win a major competition with young players but one can always win if they are part of the team."What is always required is a good balance - experience, hunger to win and the maturity to keep going on big stage like the Nations Cup."

Le Roy told GNA Sports that it will be ensured that the team make great sacrifices aimed at winning the trophy on home soil to equal Egypt's fifth record."There will be no compromise with regards to making sacrifices to become champions on February 10."We will ensure that the boys do not feel caged but they must also appreciate that without sacrifices, one cannot triumph and be successful."Coach Le Roy envisages no challenge in assembling his team for the planned two weeks camping before the Stars tournament opener with Guinea on Sunday, January 20, in Accra.
Source:GNA