Consular officials warn Ghanaians of fraudsters

About three weeks to the close of entry applications for the 2008 US Visa Lottery, also called the Diversity Visa or DV, officials of the Consular Section of the American Embassy in Accra are warning Ghanaians to be wary of people who might want to dupe them in the application process.

Mr Michael Gray, officer in charge of DV at the Section, said the lottery was free to enter and the application fee of 755 dollars for winning entries was to be paid only to the Embassy during interviews after the applicant had been declared a winner.


He asked applicants to avoid entering the lottery through fixers, who set up tables in front of university dormitories, in the village square or at their trade school.

Mr Gray said as long as unscrupulous fixers preyed upon the ignorance of their compatriots to charge exorbitant fees for both legal and illegal services, honest applicants would suffer.


Ms Nan Stewart, Consular Chief at the Embassy, said there had been an increasing number of fraudulent marriages arranged for immigration purposes only. There is also the prevalence of false birth and marriage certificates.
"These frauds do not do Ghanaians any good. They only help to put the country in a bad light," he told a press conference on Wednesday.


She asked legitimate applicants to consult only official sources (www.state.gov or www.usembassy.state.gov/accra) for information.
They should never knowingly engage in deception of any kind and never to pay fees in connection with DV applications other than the authorized application fee, which is payable to the Embassy cashier.

Ms Stewart said persons seeking to enter the lottery programme must register online through the designated website (www.dvlottery.state.gov) adding that digital photos must be submitted with the registration form.


She asked applicants who did not meet the education level and job experience requirements specified in the instructions not to submit and enter the DV programme.
Ghana is ranked third highest in Africa and seventh in the world among winners of visa lottery. About 3,088 Ghanaians won the 2007 visa lottery conducted last year.
GNA

Parliamentarians salutes Queens

The Women’s Caucus of Parliament has saluted Ghana’s Black Queens for their splendid performance at the just ended African Women Championship (AWC) held in Nigeria.


A statement signed by Honourable Gifty Kusi, Acting Chairperson of the Women’s Caucus said ‘even though you could not annex the ultimate title, the silverware you brought to the country cannot be glossed over”.
The Queens for the third time lost to the Nigerians, winners of all five competitions.


The caucus is buoyant that the Queens will soon break the monopoly of the Super Falcons of Nigeria on the African stage and take their “rightful place as the Queens of African soccer”.


Mrs Kusi called on government to offer the team the needed help to propel them to higher heights and also called on the general public to donate generously towards the preparation of the Queens for the World Cup as was done by the Black Stars.


The caucus expressed its conviction that with the needed support, the team will excel in the Republic of China where they will be making a third appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2007.

President launches Kumasi roads and urban development projects

President John Agyekum kufuor on Wednesday
launched the Kumasi roads and urban development projects at a ceremony
in Kumasi.
The projects, which are being funded by the Agence Franciase de Developpment (AFD) of the French Government at the cost of 25.5 million
Euros is made up of five components.

They are, the Sokoban Wood Village Access Road and Resettlement Enclave, the 3.2 kilometre Oforikrom-Asokwa By-pass, the Asafo to Ahinsan section of the Lake road, Lake Road interchange and landscaping of the banks of river Aboabo.


The projects are designed to provide the missing link of the ring road between Oforikrom and Anloga. It will also require the relocation of wood workers at Anloga, improve traffic flow on the lake road, remove the bottlenecks at major intersection between the lake road and the ring road as well as enhancing the environment.


The President used the occasion to cut the sod for the commencement of construction works on the Sokoban Wood Village Complex to resettle the Anloga wood workers.
The 100 billion cedis project will involve the construction of access roads from the Bulk Oil Storage Transport road to Sokoban village with walkways and a bridge over river Aboabo and landscaping.


Thirty five 24mx40m sheds for saw millers, 33 18mx36m sheds for carpenters, offices, sanitation facilities, canteens, police health posts as well as commercial buildings will be constructed.


Speaking at the ceremony, President Kufuor said Kumasi had over the past two decades witnessed a phenomenal growth in terms of population, size, social and economic activities, which had not been matched by commensurate infrastructural development, resulting in various forms of inconvenience, including unprecedented levels of traffic congestion.


He said to address the problem, the government with assistance from the AFD, undertook a major transportation planning and traffic management study in 2003 as part of the Road Sector Development Programme.

The President said as a result of the studies a number of strategies had been adopted to manage and improve traffic flow in the city in the short to medium and long terms.


These include the development of the arterial road networks, interchange development programme, traffic management and road safety improvement as well as public transport service improvements.


President Kufuor mentioned the dualisation of the Abuakwa-Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital road, the dualisation of the Ahwiaa-Suame road and the upgrading of the Anloga junction, Sofoline and Suame Roundabout into interchanges, as some of the other road projects which would be implemented soon.


He said the government would pay fair compensation to owners whose properties would be affected to ensure that construction proceeded expeditiously.
The President charged the Department of Urban Roads to ensure the completion of the project not only within time and cost but also to specification.


He commended the French government for its continuous assistance to improve the road network and other infrastructure in the country. Mr Magnus Opare Asamoah, Deputy Minister for Transportation said the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) would own the Sokoban Wood Village and appoint a private firm to manage it in an efficient manner.


He said a further amount of 500,000 Euros had been allocated for the management of the resettlement of the Anloga Wood workers to the Village. Mr. Patrick Mollie, Secretary General of AFD, said one of the major challenges facing the Ghana government was how to improve urban infrastructure and services to the people.'


He said the Sokoban Wood Village project, which was expected to be completed by the end of 2007, would enhance productivity among the wood
workers.


He pledged the continuous assistance of the AFD to the government
to promote development in the Kumasi metropolis.
Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah, Ashanti Regional Minister, said the development of urban roads in Kumasi was very dear to the hearts of the residents.

He gave the assurance that, he would not allow anyone to unduly delay
the project and appealed to property owners to contact appropriate government agencies to resolve all issues relating to the project.

Mr Owusu-Ansah also charged the contractors and workers to ensure that
the project did not suffer undue delays.
GNA

"GNAT is committed to welfare of teachers"

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) on Wednesday reiterated its commitment to ensure that teachers are well motivated to enable them to give off their best.

Mr Nathaniel Apronti, the Eastern Regional Secretary of GNAT, said this at a send-off ceremony for 20 retired teachers in the Birim South District at Akyem Oda.
He assured teachers that the association had negotiated good conditions of service for them and pleaded with members to exercise restraint.


Mr Apronti said what the association presented to the government was a completely new salary structure that took into consideration the prevailing cost of living in the country.


He said under the new proposals the association was demanding that all teachers' allowances should be pegged at a percentage of one's salary instead of the present situation where allowances were fixed.


Mr Apronti therefore called for co-operation from all teachers to enable the association to achieve its set goals and objectives.
Mr Kofi Appiahene Osei-Akoto, the District GNAT Chairman, expressed worry about the attitude of some parents and a section of the society who make unhealthy remarks about teachers.


He said such attitudes make children to lose confidence in their teachers adding that effective teaching and learning depended to a large extent on the confidence and respect that both parents and children had for the teacher.


Mrs Stella K. Nanor, the district Director of Education, appealed to teachers to help improve upon teaching and learning at all times to be able to produce quality graduates.

Mr Kwabena Bediako, the immediate past District Secretary of GNAT, was presented with a 24-inch colour television for his dedicated service.
The retired teachers were also presented with gifts.
GNA

Annan calls for tolerance

UN Secretary-General, Busumuru Kofi Annan on Wednesday called for the building of tolerant communities by affirming the notion of diversity.

In a statement issued in Accra by the UN Information Centre to mark International Day of Tolerance which falls on Thursday, Busumuru Annan said: “On this International Day of Tolerance, let us therefore reaffirm the notion that diversity - in thought, in belief, and in action - is a precious gift, not a threat, and let us seek to build more tolerant communities steeped in this essential ideal.”


Busumuru Annan noted that recent years had witnessed a sharp rise in intolerance, extremism and violence across our world, saying this disturbing trend was fuelled, in part, by a growing tendency to articulate differences in terms of identity rather than in terms of opinions or interests.


“As a result, individuals and entire communities are being targeted for brutality and violence, simply because of their ethnic, religious, national or other identity.

“Such threats, whether large-scale genocide; to the indignities of day-to-day bigotry, should trouble all of us. We must each strive to uphold the principles of tolerance, pluralism, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. We must always be ready to correct stereotypes and distorted images, and to speak up for victims of discrimination.”


Busumuru Annan said combating intolerance was in part a matter of legal protection.
“The right to freedom of religion - and to freedom from discrimination based on religion - has long been enshrined in international law, and incorporated into the domestic law of many countries.


“But the law is only a starting point. Any strategy to build understanding must depend heavily on education – about different religions, traditions and cultures – so that myths and distortions can be seen for what they are.


“We must also create opportunities for young people, offering them a credible alternative to the siren song of hate and extremism. And we must work to prevent the media from being used to spread hatred, or inflict humiliation, while safeguarding freedom of expression.”


Busumuru Annan said in all of this, there was a crucial need for leadership by public figures and institutions. He said the United Nations in addition to its wide-ranging, long-standing work to promote and protect human rights, had launched an “Alliance of Civilizations”, aimed at bridging divides, and at overcoming prejudices and polarizations that potentially threatened world peace.
GNA

GDP rises to 6.2 per cent

Ghana's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is pegged at 6.2 per cent this year, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) said on Tuesday.
Professor N. N. Nsowah-Nuamah, Acting Government Statistician, told the GNA that the rise from the 5.8 per cent was largely driven by the agriculture and the construction sectors.

He mentioned improvements in the cocoa sector, increases in construction of roads and bridges and demand for electricity as accounting for the rise.
"Even though we are experiencing power rationing and we thought that would affect industries, their demand for electricity rather went up leading to increase in production activities," he said.

Delivering a lecture on: "The Ghana Statistical Service and Ghana's Development Agenda"; Prof. Nsowah-Nuamah underscored the importance of statistics to national development saying it was fundamental to good governance and effective policy making.
Prof. Nsowah-Nuamah said; "GSS does not express opinion on public issues; our food is the raw data and we comment and interpret them as such".


He announced that because of GSS' long standing expertise and experience in data gathering with internationally accepted methodologies, some countries within the West Africa Sub-Region had expressed interest to study Ghana's example.


Besides, he said, the GSS would from next year launch its Information Dissemination Centre, which would be fully networked for the public to access.
The lecture formed part of the Service's week celebrations under the theme "Up-scaling Statistical Service Role in Statistical Planning for Dynamic Development".
GNA

Veep worried over adverse effect of high fuel prices on economy

The Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Tuesday observed that the recent price hikes of crude oil is threatening the macro-economic gains, which the country had recorded within the past three years.

"These gains include a phenomenal lowering of inflation from over 50 per cent in 2001 to almost a single digit by the end of 2005. This feat and associated benefits were quickly undermined by the steep rise in crude prices on the world market at the beginning of this year," he said.


Alhaji Mahama was speaking at the end of a two-day Regional Workshop on Financing of Bio-Fuels and Jatropha Plantation projects in Accra, on the theme: "Financing Bio-Fuels and Jatropha Plantation Projects With Special Emphasis On Clean Development Mechanisms."

He said Ghana was determined to develop renewable energy as an alternative source to crude oil, adding that: " The focus is on bio-fuel, solar, wind and hydro energy."

He said such a project in West Africa would promote further cooperation between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reduce the stress on the fragile economies of the Sub-Region and free funds for investments in infrastructure and social services.

The Vice President said the creation of a Bio-Fuel Fund for Africa would be the first step to help the continent to develop the quest to reduce the use of fossil energy in favour of cleaner sources of energy.


The workshop was organised by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) with collaboration and support of the Common Fund for Commodities.


The workshop was aimed among other things at consolidating strategies and adopting a regional approach for the promotion and development of bio-fuels in Africa.

Professor Dominic Fobih, Minister of Mines, Lands and Forestry said the Indian government had committed 250 million dollars towards the development of bio-fuel in Africa.


He said the over 200 participants at the workshop had helped to streamline the successful initiatives in the development of bio-diesel to replace fossil fuel.
Mr Olle Ostensson, UNCTAD Chief Director of Commodities Branch, acknowledged Ghana's leading role in encouraging Jatropha plantation.

Bio-diesel is obtained from the conversion of natural oils such as vegetable oils and animal fats. Jatropha oil has been found to produce very high quality bio-diesel.


Mr Ostensson said by 2030 over million people in Africa would live without electricity, hence the need for the continent to explore alternative sources of energy at the backdrop of climatic changes, which has the potential of undermining industrial output.


Mr Christian Adovelance, President of the Bank of ECOWAS said in a speech read on his behalf that the increase of fuel prices from 40 dollars to 70 dollars within the past two years had affected industrial output and led to high budgetary commitments from governments in the Sub-Region.
GNA