Group pledges financial support for Osafo-Maafo

A group, calling itself Millennium Business Executives, has pledged 50,000 Ghana cedis to support the flagbearership campaign of Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo, a New Patriotic Party presidential (NPP), aspirant for the 2008 General Elections. Part of the amount will be used to pay for his nomination fees and the rest for his campaign activities.A press release signed by Mr. Kwabena Acheampong, Executive Secretary of the Group, and issued in Kumasi, said the support was a demonstration of the firm believe of members of the group in the ability of Mr. Osafo-Maafo to lead the NPP to victory in the 2008 Elections and also consolidate the socio-economic gains achieved by the party in the last few years.According to the release, the members of the group, who are sympathizers of the NPP, recognized the immense achievements of Mr. Osafo-Maafo during his tenure as Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and Minister of Education, Science and Sports. It said his sterling performance had been recognized internationally, that was why he was voted as the best Finance Minister in Africa and the second best in the world.This, according to the statement, culminated in Mr Osafo-Marfo's appointment to oversee Liberia's post war economic recovery. It said Ghana needed a person of such calibre with natural leadership qualities to succeed President Kufuor to propel the country's economy to greater heights.The statement urged the party's delegates to analyse critically the contribution of each of the contestants and choose the one who had made significant impact in the government of President Kufuor to lead the party.
Source:GNA

146 pregnant women tests HIV/AIDS positive

One hundred and forty-six pregnant women out of 4,841, who opted for HIV/AIDS test under the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission programme in Kumasi were found to be with the virus. Madam Patricia Appiagyei, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive who gave the hint said the three Anti Retroviral Treatment centres operating in the Metropolis, which includes the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital are currently treating about 162 out of 387 patients, who are doing very well.She said this at the opening session of an international course on HIV/AIDS epidemiology with emphasis on children and nutrition in Kumasi on Thursday, which was supported by MASHAV (an Israeli Centre for International Cooperation).The course organized by the Millennium Challenge Initiatives (MCI) in collaboration with the government of Israel, targeted healthcare teams including medical doctors, nurses and nutritionists from public and private health institutions in the metropolis.The course is to build the capacity of the health staff to provide quality care and efficient health services to the people.Madam Appiagyei said she was happy that additional strategies have been put in place to address the HIV menace by the expansion of voluntary and counseling tests centres to include some private and maternity homes and clinics as well as VCT for all pregnant women at anti-natal clinics. The Metropolitan Chief Executives said training on HIV/AIDS for heath teams has been a matter of concern in the world today due to the high rate of infections.She said "it is somewhat encouraging to note that there was a drop in the number of new cases from 3.7 per cent prevalence rate in the first eight months of 2006, to 3.2 per cent for the same period in 2007. The drop in number could be attributed to the fact that strategies adopted to address new infections are effective, which is an encouragement for all stakeholders to press on and not to give up the fight against HIV/AIDS", she addedMadam Tali Tal, Information Department Coordinator for Ghana at the Embassy of Israel said MASHAV stands at the centre of Israel's activities to share her experience and expertise around the world. She said the course was another important step in advancing the cooperation between Israel and Ghana and hoped it would continue to expand for the benefit of the two Nations.Madam Tal said the programme was the latest addition to the list of health programmes between Israel and Ghana.She said the collaboration also involves the establishment and maintenance of a trauma care unit at the Komfo Anokye Hospital as well as the training of trauma emergency medical staff. She said she was looking forward to the completion of a maternity care unit at the Kumasi South Hospital, currently under construction and to facilitate more courses in Israel for medical and Para-Medics in the country.The Information Coordinator indicated that her country actively engaged in agriculture and aquaculture programmes with the Ministries of Agriculture and Fisheries and hoped to launch a programme for organic farming in Ghana very soon. 10 Aug 07
Source:GNA

Why tolerate corruption? - Ghanaians Asked

A Chief State Attorney in charge of the Eastern Region, Mr Anthony Gyambiby, has expressed worry with the Ghanaian society's tolerance for corruption and corruptible practices. Mr Gyambiby said tolerance for corruption in Ghana was so endemic that "society tends to respect the affluent without finding out the background of such people" while ironically, "the diligent, honest but poor people are relegated to the background."Addressing participants at a democracy and good governance workshop in Koforidua on Thursday, Mr Gyambiby called for a new attitude and thinking towards fighting the canker especially one that would question the source of wealth of the affluent in society."By so doing, we will be setting a grand agenda or crusade to promote democracy and good governance so that the needs and aspirations of the poor millions in Ghana will be fulfilled."Mr Gyambiby's views were corroborated by Miss Linda Ofori-Kwafo, Programmes Officer of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, organizers of the workshop, who also faulted society for failing to question how people came by what they had or how they acquired their wealth.In addition to Miss Ofori-Kwafo's submissions, the State Attorney said parties involved in corruption must only be blamed "but we must also seek to understand the structural character of the phenomenon as well as how it is embedded in the relationships among individuals and organizations."Such an undertaking would help in the "launching of a great war against corruption while promoting and nurturing our young democracy."The Chief State Attorney was speaking against the backdrop of the debilitating effects of corruption, especially the attitude of the corrupters to misallocate state resources, foster misguided and unresponsive policies and regulations, lowering of productivity and the exacerbation of poverty.Mr Gyambiby also spoke on the need for the state to enhance the capacity of institutions such as the media and the legislature, given their oversight responsibilities in the fight against corruption to enable them discharge their responsibilities well.He argued that because corruption could lead to the weakening of democratic processes and public order and thus impede development, it was important that the executive arm of government took the lead in combating and preventing it.Miss Ofori-Kwafo called on the government to incorporate into existing laws an elaborate definition of corruption to reflect the internationally accepted definitions of corruption, which clearly criminalizes the offence. She appealed to the government to expedite action on the passage of a credible freedom of information bill to facilitate public access to information about the activities of government, including budgetary allocations, revenues and expenditures and thereby enhance accountability and transparency and increase trust in government. The New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive, Nana Akwasi Adjei Boateng, said the fight against corruption should not be a job for one person or one organization. It should be done with the concerted effort of all stakeholders.Source:GNA

Breaking News---Gambian President Accussed of Ordering the Killing of 40 Ghanaians

Two years after 44 Ghanaians and 10 other ECOWAS nationals were reported killed in The Gambia, evidence is emerging that The Gambian President, Yahaya Jammeh, ordered their execution.The Ghanaian Times newspaper, quoting Ghana Police sources, said on Thursday that the order for execution came apparently because Jammeh was made to believe that they were dissidents preparing to overthrow his regime.“Intensive investigations by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police in The Gambia and Senegal, have established that all the victims were butchered at the command of The Gambian Head of State,” the paper said.Still quoting top officials of the Police CID, the paper said a full report has been submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD which requested the investigation.At the CID head office in Accra on Wednesday, the paper learned that at least one Ghanaian survived the massacre and has given a detailed account of what happened on July 22, 2005. His name was given simply as 'Kyere' and he is said to be currently living in the Brong-Ahafo Region.The Ghanaians and their colleagues, according to the police, were using The Gambia as a transit point, possibly for migration, to Europe in search of greener pastures.Mr. Kwasi Osei Adjei, Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the report has been submitted to his office. "I will study it and take the necessary action," he told the Times."I was asked about the murder of the Ghanaians during my vetting in Parliament. It is a matter of serious concern to Ghanaians that innocent countrymen could be cruelly murdered simply because they have been found in a fellow ECOWAS country," he said.Information linking the murders to the Gambian President began to make the rounds in The Gambia recently, when a top Gambian police officer broke ranks with the administration and went public with details of the atrocities in a report to Freedom Newspaper, Gambia's premier online publication. He termed it "state-sponsored genocide" against "innocent Ghanaians."The Internet publication was reproduced by a Ghanaian newspaper, Public Agenda on Monday, July 9. It alleged that the Gambian officer, who identified himself as Sekouba Jadana, gave vivid account of how the Ghanaians and other nationals were summarily executed by state security guards and dumped in a bush."The debate on the issue has been going on for sometime now and I believe that it is time for the whole world to take note and prepare ways and means of bringing His Excellency, Dr Alhaji Yahaya to justice. Jammeh should face the International Criminal Court since he spearheaded the 'Ghanaian genocide' in the Gambia," Jadana said in his statement."The Ghanaian Government should ensure that justice is seen to be done in this high-profile crime against humanity. Sincerely, I was not present when the gruesome murders of the Ghanaians took place on that fateful night in the Gambia, but I was involved in the investigations at the preliminary stages," Jadana added.Giving the background, Jadana alleged that President Jammeh and a host of his ministers were at a cultural jamboree in Banjul, the national capital, organised as part of activities marking the country's independence anniversary, when a telephone call came from an official of the National Investigation Authority. It said that some West African nationals had been arrested and that their motives were to destabilise the anniversary celebrations and that there was an imminent security threat.An order was allegedly given for their arrest with further instructions from the Head of State to deal with them. "His Excellency was advised to return to the State House immediately and walahi (swearing) he ran, and was saying deal with them! deal with them! and he was trembling while going home."Jadana further alleged that even though the ferry over the Gambia River had closed at the time, an order was given for it to transport the captives across the river and head towards Brufur, a town at the other side of the river."Our investigation team went to Brufur and discovered that the bodies were scattered all over the bushes with deep cuts from heads to eyes and broken noses."According to Jadana, who allegedly dispatched his findings from the Police headquarters in Banjul, there was news blackout on the discovery of the bodies. 'The news of the brutal murders was not covered by the national radio and television at all," he said.President Jammeh failed to turn up in Accra for the Summit of African Heads of State and Governments held in Accra on July 1-3. Observers believe the murder of the 44 Ghanaians and other nationals was the principal reason why he failed to turn up.
Source:Ghanaian Times

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