Kofi Annan spells out goals

The former United Nations secretary general outlines the aims of the newly created World Humanitarian Forum that he now headsFormer United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan unveiled on Monday some of the objectives of the World Humanitarian Forum he helped found. The Geneva-based institution, financed by the Swiss federal government, aims to play a role in the prevention of humanitarian catastrophes, Annan said.

“Today, we are too preoccupied with reacting,” he told a press conference in Geneva. “A change in mentality is necessary.” It is not just necessary to aid victims but to also to do it in such a way that it leads to fewer catastrophes, added Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey on hand for the forum’s debut.Annan is president of the new organization created in June with funding from the federal department of foreign affairs.

Bern approved SFr1.3 million to launch the organization and will lend its financial support to its activities, Calmy-Rey said. Annan, 69, is a native of Ghana, educated in that country, the U.S. and in Geneva.He served as secretary-general of the UN from 1997 to the end of 2006. Co-recipient of the Nobel Peace prize with the UN in 2001, he has recently made his home in the Geneva area. Reports have indicated that the WHF is loosely based on the World Economic Forum and is expected to bring together major world figures to discuss humanitarian issues.
Source:GHP

The Majority Poor Getting Poorer In Ghana

An ISSER report on the state of the Ghanaian economy for 2006 has revealed that whilst poverty levels reduced generally, the gap between the rich and the poor has rather deepened.The report also showed that whilst budgetary allocation to local governments was not enough, the disbursed fund out of the allocation was less than one percent.Presenting the report in Accra, the Director of ISSER (Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research) Professor Ernest Aryeetey said the economy in 2006 grew by 6.2% as against 5.7 in the previous year. The growth according him was recorded from only the manufacturing and industrial sectors of the economy.

The report which focused on a broad aggregate of the economy’s performance stated that Ghana remains a small economy whose policy direction is determined by external factors.Whilst acknowledging the importance of China’s emergence in the economy in the area of market for commodities, Professor Aryeetey says it also presents risks and called for a clear-cut policy on relations with external economies.The report painted a gloomy picture of the period under review as the largest ever deficit was recorded in 2006.

The record 40% deficit was attributed to a rapid rise in public expenditure as a result of labour agitation for higher pay.Professor Aryeetey observed that the stable 10.5% inflation and about 24% interest rate levels have made the country an investment destination, adding that the private sector does not worry as the economy remains unpredictable.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nii Boi Tagoe who chaired the function said there is no doubt that the energy crisis has had some effects on the business community.Professor Tagoe said the report as presented by ISSER brings to light the need for policy changes.
Source:dailyExpress

Ghana, Prepare For More As Fresh Rains threaten flood-hit Africa

The UN is warning of fresh rains and outbreaks of water-borne disease across Africa, where flash floods have already affected more than one million people.Scores of people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the floods that have submerged much of the continent's most productive farmland.

The UN said there was an urgent need for food, shelter and medicine.At least 14 countries have been hit in West, Central and East Africa by some of the worst rains in living memory.UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said: "The rains are set to continue and we are really concerned because a lot of people are homeless and infectious diseases could emerge.""We have 500,000 people affected in 12 countries in West Africa, and also in East Africa - in Sudan and Ethiopia.

"Some of the poorest countries, like Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger - the poorest nation in the world - are badly affected," Ms Brys told the BBC.The UN said the floods could lead to locust infestations and outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.
Source:Reuters

Canada Gives a Sound Thrashing To Ghana's Black Queens

Christine Sinclair scored two goals to lead Canada to a comfortable 4-0 win over Ghana in Group C action on Saturday.Sophie Schmidt and Martina Franko also found the net for the Canadians, who control their own destiny heading into the final group stage match against Australia on Wednesday.

Ghana, meanwhile, has lost its first two games by a combined score of 8-1, and is all but eliminated before the knockout round for the third consecutive World Cup.

After struggling offensively against Australia in its opener, Ghana got off to a better start against the Canadians, earning two free kicks in the opening 10 minutes from dangerous spots. Although both shots failed to hit the target, it was a sign from Ghana that it was ready to play.
Canada started slow, but picked up the pace 13 minutes into the contest. The first opportunity was created by Sinclair, who was played down the left flank and crossed a ball to the top of the six-yard box for Katie Thorlakson. The striker got her head to the ball but she turned it over the net.

Three minutes later, Sinclair was on the receiving end of a cross from Kara Lang and she did not fail with her finish. Lang lobbed the cross from the right to the back post. It started to drift over the head of Sinclair, but she faded back and got her head to the ball, knocking it over the keeper and across the goal line.
Ghana came to life right before the break and had two good chances to pull even.

Moments later Anita Amankwa should have put away Ghana's opening goal but was denied by the crossbar. Some nice work on the right allowed Rumanatu Tahiru to beat her defender and carry the ball into the box. She fired a shot toward goal that was redirected on target by Amankwa from a few yards out. However, with an open net staring her in the face, Amankwa's shot slammed off the crossbar.

Ghana keeper Memunatu Sulemana was called into action early in the second half when Sinclair put a header on target from close range, forcing a nice reaction stop by the keeper.The Black Queens continued to look for the equalizer and Gloria Foriwa put a diving header on goal that was stopped comfortably by the keeper.However, the Ghana defense once again allowed space for the Canadian attack, giving Lang room to fire a shot from the top left corner of the box. The keeper did well to tip the shot over the net, but Canada doubled its lead on the ensuing corner kick.Kristina Kiss swung the cross into the area and Sinclair got her head to the ball, sending it on goal. The ball was headed off the line by a Ghana defender, but it went right to Schmidt, who put a shot on target with her head.

Ghana's Hamdya Abass was positioned on the goal line and tried to clear the ball with her head, but it hit the bottom of the crossbar and settled into the back of the net.Sinclair then put the result out of reach in the 62nd minute after some good work by Lang. Jodi-Ann Robinson slid a pass into the box behind the defense, forcing Sulemana to come off her line. Lang beat the keeper to the ball and touched it toward the end line. She pulled it back and found Sinclair with a pass, and the Canadian captain knocked home her second goal of the match to make it 3-0.

Another corner kick produced the fourth goal for Canada, with Kiss bending a cross into the six-yard box that was a little too close to the keeper. Sulemana got her hands to the ball but she could not hold it, which allowed Franko to get under the ball and head it into the net from a few yards out.
Source:Sports Network

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.