France Telecom Wins GT Bid

Few days after Singapore Telecom withdrew from the race to take over 51% stake in Ghana Telecom (GT), the Government of Ghana has selected Telecom France as the winner of the bidding process for GT.

France Telecom beat Vodacom and Portugal Telecom. The price is yet to be confirmed but sources close to the Ministry of Communication say it is between $500 million and $600 million

In all, twenty foreign investors expressed interest in Ghana Telecom when the Government of Ghana announced early this year that 51% of GT would be sold to a strategic investor in a bid to enhance efficiency and quality of service. The rest of the shares would then be floated on the Ghana stock exchange (GSE).

Ecobank Development Corporation (EDC) and Societe Generale are the transactional advisors for Ghana for the privatization.

Telecom France's revenue was up by 1.9% on a comparable basis to EUR25.9 billion (up 2.1% on an historical basis), reflecting a good second-quarter performance in the first half of 2007.

Source: Ghanaian Chronicle

From Rawlings' Office---NDC Running Mate

RE-NDC RUNNING MATE

It has come to the notice of the founder of the NDC, former President, that certain newspapers have made it their preoccupation to publish lies about the NDC and attribute such lies to him. One of such newspapers is The Point , which, in its last Friday’s edition published that ‘Rawlings okays Betty Mould as Mills’ running mate’. The founder would like to assure the party faithful that, the said publication is absolutely false and should be disregarded.

The founder has also indicated that the leadership is not unaware of the overwhelming Choice of the masses and wish to assure all the party faithful that the flag-bearer will at the opportune time, in consultation with the party’s council of elders and other appropriate organs of the Party, announce a running mate who will reflect that desire of the masses across the length and breath of the nation

Source: Victor Emmanuel Smith (Special Assistant and Director of Public Affairs)

Archbishop Condemns Condoms

MOST REV. Peter Kwasi Sarpong, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kumasi has condemned the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

He deflated the notion that usage of condom was the best option to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, stressing that the development was rather encouraging people, especially innocent youth, to indulge in premarital sex.

This lamentable development, according to him, was the major cause of the spread of the disease and the reported cases of teenage pregnancies in society.

Most Rev. Sarpong, who was speaking at the 2nd National Delegate’s Congress of St. Theresa of the Child Society of the Catholic Church in Kumasi last Saturday, cited abstinence from sex as the best option to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

He urged the people to lead lives worthy of emulation to help bring down the reported cases of HIV/AIDS to the barest minimum.

“If you are married, stick to your partner and if you are not married, do not engage in sex because it is a sin in the sight of God,” he stressed.

The Archbishop charged people in authority to be bold and speak against premarital sex among the youth, adding that it was a dangerous development which could impact negatively on the country in future.

“Pastors, chiefs, politicians and all those in authority should speak against fornication and adultery since it is the prime cause of HIV/AIDS pandemic.”

Most Rev. Sarpong also took a swipe at those engaged in human trafficking, and called for a stop to the practice, noting that the act, bedsides being sin in the sight of God, was also morally wrong. “How can a human being sell his fellow human being in this 21st century?” he queried.

The programme was under the theme “Creating the Culture of Peace at Home, Workplace and in the World”.

In her remarks, Madam Patricia Appiagyei, Chief Executive, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), urged parents to train their children in the fear of God so they would grow up to be responsible and law abiding citizens.

She as well advised parents to serve as role models to their children, insisting that parents had vital roles to play in directing the future of their children.

Madam Appiagyei entreated residents in the metropolis to ensure good sanitary conditions, advising them to paint their houses to beautify the city ahead of the Ghana 2008 football tournament.

Source: Daily Guide

NPP delegates cautioned against propagandist tactics

Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirant, on Saturday cautioned party members to watch out for attempts that might be made to cause friction among the aspirants in the last days of campaigning for the December congress.

"As the congress draws nearer some self-seeking politicians both within and outside, in collaboration with some media practitioners, are bent on discrediting the congress by peddling falsehood in the media against some of the aspirants.'' "We must be vigilant, protect the integrity of the Danquah/Busia political tradition and ensure that we come out of congress more united for the bigger battle ahead,'' Prof Frimpong-Boateng told newsmen in Sunyani after interacting with potential delegates in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

He said any ''untoward action or inaction emanating from the congress would be difficult to manage within 12 months. Prof Frimpong-Boateng appealed to the delegates to elect him as the NPP's presidential candidate for Election 2008. "A visionary leadership with self accomplished track record, unblemished testimony, ability to attract floating voters which is very crucial for our victory in Election 2008 and Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng is the man the people are rooting for."

The NPP presidential aspirant said he was a visionary leader since he had the capacity to deepen good governance and stimulate socio-economic growth. He appealed to the delegates to protect their pride that made it possible for the party to win the 2000 and 2004 elections and avoid selling their conscience in the forthcoming NPP national congress. "We have done it before and we shall collectively do it again," he said and expressed optimism that despite the large number of NPP presidential aspirants, the party would emerge from the delegates' congress more solid and united.

Prof Frimpong-Boateng said the achievements of the party, which had won national and international acclaim, needed to be consolidated by an action-oriented youth with vim and experience like him. "Mind you, the corporate achievements chalked by the party for mother Ghana did not manifest from the toil of any one person but the collective prudence of party apparatchiks." He appealed to the media to be circumspect, and avoid being the agents of retardation of the nation's progress. "Your role is very unique in strengthening and deepening our democracy but that role can be abused if you allow others to remotely control you with some few cedis."

Prof Frimpong-Boateng said it was unacceptable that about 80 percent of inputs into agriculture, education and health are from foreign sources. He said it was a shame that a major thrust of the nation's economic policy was to try as much as possible to attract foreign investors. ''Good as foreign investments are, we just cannot sit down and think that without confronting our problems ourselves we can still be prosperous,'' he said.GNA

Kufuor @Commonwealth Heads of State Meeting

Heads of states listen to closing remarks made by Ghana's President John Kufuor (R) at the Commonwealth Heads of State Meeting (CHOGM) final session in Munyonyo November 25, 2007.

Qualifying Groups For African World Cup 2010

Stage 2 of the CAF (Africa) World Cup Qualifying campaign was drawn today at a gala ceremony in Durban.With the pre-preliminary round already complete, hopefuls from across the continent will join top seeds such as Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon for the second of three Stages.There are twelve groups of four taking part, and the twelve group winners shall advance to Stage 3 along with the eight best-runners up.

From there, the 20 remaining teams will be split into five groups of four for a qualification battle that also serves to determine who will play at the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola.The four group winners in Stage 3 advance ot the World Cup, and they're joined by second and third place from each group at the Cup of Nations.

This means that South Africa will actually take part in the WC qualifying campaign despite being hosts of the World Cup, and Angola will do likewise in spite of being in the Cup of Nations.Angola will compete only for a World Cup place while South Africa will obviously play only towards a spot in the Cup of Nations.Those groups in full:Group

1CameroonCapeVerdeIslands TanzaniaMauritius

2GuineaZimbabweNamibiaKenya

3AngolaBeninUgandaNiger

4NigeriaSouth AfricaEquatorial Guinea Sierra Leone

5GhanaLibyaGabonLesotho

6SenegalAlgeriaLiberiaGambia

7CoiteD’IvoireMozambiqueBotswanaMadagascar

8MoroccoEthiopiaRwandaMauritania

9TunisiaBurkina FasoBurundiSeychelles

10MaliCongoSudanChad

11TogoZambiaEritreaSwaziland

12EgyptCongo DRMalawiDjibouti.

This Must Be a Joke----500 Women To March Naked

Over 500 women from 20 communities in the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District of the Northern Region have threatened to march nude to the Osu Castle, the seat of government.

The women, who intend to embark on the march in the next few days say it is intended to express their shock and disappointment with what they term as `unfair and treacherous` allegations labelled against the DCE of the area, Hon. Madam Elizabeth Pigit Poyari, which has led to her recent dismissal from office..

The women, the Ghanaian Observer (GO) newspaper was told Monday, include all the tribal groupings in the distrct, and comprise Mamprusis, Konkombas, Bimobas, Dagombas and Ewes.
According to a women`s group leader, the 500 strong women in the area find the removal of their DCE as malicious and outrageous, `being motivated and engineered by her detractors and of the district that sees nothing good about women leadership and development.`
`They think women cannot lead them. And because this woman is a Konkomba, they vow never to see her administration perform.

It`s unfair to women and Konkombas,` one of the women in the group intimated to GO. The women, most of whom were in tears in solidarity with the DCE, accused the constituency’s NPP executives and others including, Mr. Daniel Bugri Naabu, a businessman based in Accra, Mahama Dubik, a legal practitioner in Accra, Thomas Ackar, a teacher and the constituency chairman, Mr. Amos Yambil of masterminding the removal of the DCE.

These people, they stressed, are rather those creating problems in the district and not the Honourable Pigit, saying `it is just that they hate to see a Konkomba woman lead`. Speaking to GO in Bunkpurugu, the spokesperson of the women, Madam Fushaa, hinted that they will walk nude to the Castle in protest against the DCE`s removal, adding, `It`s out of place to remove a development-oriented person like Hon Pigit.`

She said the DCE, as the first woman DCE in the area, has worked hard, which has brought about the transformation and development of the district, whiles her misanthropists do nothing than to execute plots upon plots to ruin the district down in the name of tribal superiority.`Any attempt to disregard her hard won reputation because she is Konkomba and a woman is unacceptable and unfair to all womanhood,` she reiterated.

The concerned group lamented that they did not understand the basis and criteria the President used to sack their DCE because, to them, she is a Messiah and Saviour of the District. `We don`t believe that`, they repeated, saying `the President may have acted upon hearsay`. The women coalition is therefore appealing to the President to re-appoint Hon. Pigit Poyari to continue the good works of the government in the district.

They noted that, the Hon. DCE in the area, has done a lot for women groups in the area. She is always concerned about the welfare of the women and the district, they revealed, calling on the President to consider their plea.Explaining the essence of a naked march, Madam Fushaa said it is so that `the whole international community and the world would know that women in Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo, which is a deprived district in the Northern part of Ghana, have had their rights squashed`. She said other women of the area living in Accra have also shown interest to join the protest because it is for women in general and against discrimination, unfair treatment, and divide and rule tactics in the area.

`We have seen the recent Jimbale crisis engineered by the constituency executives of the NPP in their so-called peace talks that ended with the war and its tribal tendencies, so we don’t want another Jimbale crisis`.Meanwhile, Hon. Elizabeth Pigit Poyari, who was last week admitted at the Tamale Teaching Hospital and was put under intensive care is still being threatened by the NPP executives in the area, the women alleged.

Further, people have raised worry and concern about the number of DCEs in the Northern regions fired by the President, attributing that to the `pull him down syndrome` that has bedeviled progress and prosperity in the region.
Source:Ghanaian Observer