President Kufuor launches zonal MCA for Northern Ghana

President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday launched the zonal Millennium Challenge Account Programme for Northern Ghana at Savelugu in the Savelugu/Nanton District and urged beneficiaries to use the fund for the development of their communities.

He said: "The fund is not a handout. The fund is for investment and must be used judiciously and with a high sense of responsibility.” President Kufuor urged the beneficiaries to endeavour to repay the credit extended to them to enable other regions and people to also benefit from the facility.

The MCA is a United States Government's reward to countries that rule justly, invest in their people and promote private sector development, he said. Ghana signed the MCA compact on August 1, 2006, paving the way for the country to access a US grant of 547 million dollars spread over a five-year period.

Some 23 districts, five from the Northern Region -- Tamale Metropolis, Savelugu/Nanton, Tolon/Kumbungu, Karaga and West Mamprusi, are to benefit from the facility.
President Kufuor urged people in the Northern Region to let the launch of the MCA galvanise and reinforce the efforts so far made to enable the Region to set the pace for the transformation of the country's agriculture and the quality of life.

He said farmers and citizens of the area should, therefore, accept it as a challenge to help the programme to succeed, adding: "The youth especially, must take advantage of the opportunities coming with the MCA.

"It is the only way to generate and spread wealth", he said, urging the youth for their active participation to enhance agriculture production.
President Kufuor said he was certain that the MCA would contribute to the rapid transformation of the country's economy, thereby helping to alleviate poverty and bringing hope to many individuals and their families.

He mentioned good governance; a general state of poverty, investment potentials and support for the private sector as some of the criteria used in identifying the beneficiary districts and so people should not read politics or ethnicity into the selection of those districts.

President Kufuor explained however that the selection of the 23 out of the 138 districts in the country was based solely on carefully done feasibility studies on the quick yield of specific crops and agro-business activity that would establish the account as a revolving fund.

He gave the assurance that those regions that had not benefited from the fund should not lose hope as much more concentrated support from the Budget and other traditional sources and available credit lines would be extended to them.

President Kufuor told the people that the Government had always recognised the agricultural potential of Northern Ghana. He said through measures such as micro-credit finance; provision of irrigation facilities and supply of tractors, the Government had been supporting the farmers to realise the area's full potential.

President Kufuor called on companies and individuals to seize the opportunities coming with the MCA.
He said: "When farmers produce, they should be able to sell. Storage, processing, transportation and marketing are among opportunities begging for entrepreneurship, so that the farmers' work would not be in vain.

"Buying agencies and other post-harvest entrepreneurs and our youth should see opportunities here and take full advantage of them. It is the only way to generate and spread wealth", he said.
GNA

ECOWAS warns N’guessan of Cote d’Ivoire

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS} on Wednesday condemned any intended acts of violence on any member of the Community in Cote d’Ivoire, a statement said here.

It said ECOWAS attention was drawn to media a statement attributed to Mr Afi N'guessan, President of the Popular Front of Cote d'Ivoire (FPI), threatening the lives of citizens of ECOWAS Member States resident in Cote d'Ivoire.

ECOWAS said the “statements are completely inconsistent with ECOWAS principles of free movement and the well-known traditional hospitality of the Ivorian people. “ECOWAS finds Mr N'guessan statements irresponsible, inflammatory and totally unacceptable.”

It said: “The statements are an affront to the entire ECOWAS Region and show complete disrespect to the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, especially as they were made just before their scheduled Summit meeting on Cote d'Ivoire on October 6, 2006.”

ECOWAS said it was “determined to work with the international community to end a creeping culture of impunity that has undermined its efforts to establish the rule of law, accountability and the enthronement of democracy in West Africa.

It reminded Mr N'guessan of his personal responsibility should there be any act of violence against ECOWAS citizens as a result of those threats.

MTN bites deep into MTN Nigeria

The MTN Group has acquired an extra 6.98% interest in its subsidiary, MTN Nigeria Communications Limited (MTN Nigeria), the company said today.Pearl Majola, the spokesperson said MTN made the purchase from minority shareholders at a cost of $348.9 million, or about R2.6 billion.

The purchase would be funded through a cash payment of $287.8m (about R2.2 billion) and an issue of about six million ordinary shares in MTN.Majola said the purchase, to be effected through MTN International, would bring the MTN Group's shareholding in MTN Nigeria to 81.87%.

MTN Nigeria, the leading cellular operator in that country, launched operations in 2001. With a subscriber base of 9.6 million, MTN Nigeria provided access to 73% of Nigeria's population, Majola said. - Sapa

Asantehene calls on traditional leaders to assert themselves

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, has called on traditional leaders to assert themselves and utilise the abundant influence they possess in partnering government to deliver social and economic benefits.

"Whether in the field of advocacy on health issues or in the arena of ensuring that children go to school under hygienic conditions or in the preservation of cultural heritage, chiefs have a crucial role to play", he said.

The Asantehene was addressing a durbar of chiefs and people of Asamang in the Afigya-Sekyere district on Tuesday to officially launch all project interventions initiated by him and a photo exhibition of the project outputs under the Promoting Partnerships with Traditional Authorities Project (PPTAP).

He emphasised that, "Sitting aloof and watching the government facilitate development projects alone in our areas of jurisdiction is not an acceptable position".

Otumfuo Osei Tutu said with the successful end of the project, he was going to use all possible means to extend other felt needs of the people to other regions of the country with the support of other traditional leaders.

Professor Gyan Baffour, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, said the project had helped to improve the living standards of people in the communities that had benefited from the projects.

He hoped the chiefs would not rest on their oars now that the project had come to an end but would continue with it to bring development and employment opportunities to the people to reduce poverty.

In an address read on his behalf, the World Bank Country Director, Mr Mats Karlsson said the vision of Asantehene, which was yielding fruitful results and that other representatives from other countries had come to learn from it.

He said the World Bank had initiated Community-Based Rural Development Projects, Small-Medium Term Projects as well as Water and Sanitation Projects to which chiefs and district assemblies could source to help in the development of the people.

Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah, Ashanti Regional Minister, urged the beneficiary communities to ensure proper maintenance of the projects so that they could last.

He also urged the traditional leaders and the schools to ensure that all school-going children were enrolled in the schools. Mr Johnson Osei-Hwedie, Project Manager of PPTAP, said the Asantehene had been praised in all the communities, which had benefited from the project.

He said the project that covered education, health, cultural heritage preservation and capacity building in 42 communities had been achieved and the beneficiary communities had attested to it.

Mr Osei-Hwedie said PPTAP proved to be a life-changing experience for the people in the Ashanti Region and had opened the way for more partnership programmes to be developed in Ghana and Africa.GNA

Ghana struggles to beat Japan

But for the 74th minute goal by substitute Haminu Dramani the black stars of Ghana would have ended the international friendly goalless or worse.

The goal resulted from a cross from midfielder Laryea Kingston, who raced deep into the Japanese goal area and located Dramani in the six-yard box.

The goal came as a respite for the many chances the Stars missed in the game.

The world cup debutants put up a supirior performance but their known problem with goal scoring was also obvious.

The win saw the Black Stars lift a trophy, and left their hosts in tears.

The Stars next play their South Korean counterparts in another friendly on October 8.

Source: By Rainogc

Ghana among "worst violators of forced evictions"

According to a research conducted by Amnesty International and the Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) Ghana is one of the worst violators of forced evictions in Africa.

The new study revealed that, over 7,000 people in Ghana were made homeless when they were forcibly evicted by the Game and Wildlife Division from the Digya National Park in March and April 2006. The eviction was halted in April only after a boat carrying over 150 evictees capsized, causing the death of at least 10 people. Those remaining in the park still live under threat of forced eviction.

Some 800 people also had their homes destroyed in Legion Village, Accra in May 2006, while approximately 30,000 people in the Agbogbloshie community of Accra have been threatened with forcible eviction since 2002.

The research indicates that some two million people have been forcibly evicted from their homes and many thousands have been made homeless since 2000 in Nigeria, while more than 12,000 people were forcibly evicted from Dar Assalaam camp in Sudan in August 2006.

The government of Zimbabwe staggered the international community in 2005 when, in a military style operation, it forced an estimated 700,000 people from their homes, their businesses or both. Angola's capital, Luanda, has seen the eviction of at least 6,000 families and their homes were demolished since 2001.

In Kenya approximately 70,000 people have been forcibly evicted from their homes in forest areas since 2005, while at least 20,000 people have been forcibly evicted from neighborhoods in or around Nairobi since 2000.

And in Equatorial Guinea at least 300 families have been forcibly evicted from their homes since 2004, when the government embarked on a program of urban regeneration in Malabo and Bata.

The two organizations called on African governments to halt forced evictions and abide by their international human rights obligations.

Danish Research Vessel docks at Tema Port

A Danish Research Vessel, MV Vaedren has berthed at the Tema Port on a four-day research expedition into aquatic and marine life in the country. This forms part of its research expedition dubbed, Galathea 3, which, between August 2006 and April 2007, will circumnavigate the globe undertaking over 60 research projects initiated by Danish and international research environment.

The 99 crew members on board are made up of 33 scientists and journalist, among others. At its inaugural ceremony the Deputy Minister for Harbours and Railways, Mrs Sophia Horner-Sam commended the Research Team for this effort, which, she said, will be of significant benefit to the nation's educational institutions.

She expressed the hope that the research projects, which have been divided into Biology, Geology, Environment and Culture as well as history "will offer immense opportunity for us to learn and strive to meet the challenges of today."

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon (UGL) Prof. Clifford Nii Boye Tagoe, expressed his appreciation to the team's work and urged the team to liaise with the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of UGL as they move on with their work.

He commended DANIDA for also helping the UGL to establish an ecological laboratory to enhance the study of interaction between soil and plants. A Research Scientist, Jergen Bendtsen, disclosed that the expedition Ship during the period will cover all climatic regions of the world and this would provide the platform for natural science research.

He outlined the aims and objectives of Galathea 3 as not only to strengthen research activities but also to reinforce the idea of modern science as being of present day relevance, and especially for future generations.

GNA