Obama addresses Ghana's Parliament

US President Barack Obama will address Members of Parliament at the Conference Centre, Saturday afternoon.He is to unveil his special policy statement on Africa.

The conference centre as expected is illuminated with shades of all political and social opinions.Ex- Presidents Kufuor and Rawlings are seated in anticipation of the policy statement.Detail of what happens are as follows;12:15 Presidents Obama and Mills walk into the conference room amidst applause from dignitaries.12:17 National Anthems of the two countries are played 12:23 Speaker of Parliament, Joyce Bamford Addo welcomes President Obama and all other dignitaries.12:30 President Mills mounts the dais and formally welcomes the US President and family to Ghana.He thanks the US President for choosing Ghana as his first destination in Sub-Saharan Africa.

He spells out Ghana's dream of building a resilient economy and pledges the new oil find in Ghana will be used judiciously in building the economy.He charges the US President and the International Community to make good their pledges to third world countries.He is sure Africa will employ its imaginative means to solve the teething challenges that confront the continent.Mr. President Akwaba, Akwaba, Akwaba he says.12:39 Speaker thanks President Mills and invites President Obama onto the dais.12:40 Obama takes to the dais in an infectious smile and greets the dignitaries and begins his speech

.The vision of the world would be shaped not only by the things that happen in Rome, but what happens in Accra as well, he says.He calls for mutual respect from all countries in the world.He admits there has been considerable progress made but much more still remains to be done.He lauds Ghana for a peaceful transition even in a closely fought elections, adding minority deserves as much praise as the majority.It is a new moment of great promise but will not be fought by old giants like Nkrumah, Kenyatta, but by new breed of African leaders.

He calls for good governance by Africa.He spells out four main tenets which African leaders must aspire to;(i) Democracy(ii)Opportunity(iii) Health(iv) PeaceDemocracy Africa doesn't need strong men; It needs strong institutions.Opportunity With better governance by African leaders, there is strong opportunity for partnership with the US.We will put more resources into the hands of those who need it, Obama promises, adding the $3.5 billion food initiative is in line to ensuring more partnership between developed and developing countries.

Public Health Too many people die of diseases which should'nt kill them.Obama promises to continue ex-President Bush's $63 billion to pursue the goal of ending deaths from polio, AIDS and other minor diseases in Africa.Conflicts Conflicts has become too akin to Africa.Diversity should not be the source of conflict but rather to uniteStrife for peace which is necessary for development.Welcomed steps by AU, ECOWAS to bring the peace needed in AfricaCharges Ghana to lead the fight for continental peace.To the youth of Ghana, Obama says the world is what you make of it.

He charges them to hold their leaders accountable for their actions.1:14 Obama ends his address and takes his seat amidst a thunderous applause from dignitaries.1:15 Speaker thanks Barack Obama for his policy statement.1:17 Anthems for the two nations are played as Obama exchanges pleasantries with the MPs and dignitaries present.1:20 Obama departs the hall of the International Conference Centre.

Notice to Prospective Gold & Diamond Buyers

Ghana is endowed with mineral deposits such as gold, diamond, manganese and bauxite. There are also unexploited economic deposits of iron ore, limestone, kaolin, feldspar and silica sands. We welcome all prospective investors including persons who wish to deal in gold or other precious minerals in Ghana and are indeed prepared to offer the necessary assistance.

In Ghana, one can only deal in gold or other precious minerals upon the grant of a valid license by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources. Anyone offering such minerals for sale should therefore hold such a license.

For the avoidance of doubt, all prospective buyers of gold or other precious minerals and their foreign business collaborators are hereby advised to, in the first instance, contact the Minerals Commission in exploring or confirming business opportunities relating to the purchase and export of gold or other precious minerals from Ghana.

To verify the authenticity of any company or individual proposing to sell gold or other precious minerals from Ghana to you or your company, you may contact:

The Chief Executive Officer,

Minerals Commission,

P.O. Box M248, Accra, Ghana.

Tel: (233-21) 772783,779823,773053,771318.

Fax: (233-21) 773324.

E-mail address: mincom@mc.ghanamining.org

URL: www.ghana-mining.org

Source:

Minerals Commission,

Minority walkout of parliament over $ 5,000 allegation

Minority MPs on Monday staged a walk out in Parliament following a repeated accusation that they (Minority) received a $5,000 bribe to approve last years’ purchase agreement with Vodafone.

The minority in a heated debate over a loan agreement had questioned government’s commitment to apply the funds for the purposes for which the loan was contracted.

They cited the over ¢100,000 spent on snacks during the transition period, fearing the loan when approved would be misused.

According to Joy FM’s Parliamentary Correspondent, Sammy Darko, this did not go down well with the Majority in Parliament.

MP for Sene, Twumasi Appiah, in a rebuttal accused the Minority MPs for taking $5,000 as compensation before voting for the sale of 70 per cent shares of Ghana Telecom to Vodafone.

The Minority were outraged by the repeated accusation, more so when it had not been proven by the accuser, P.C. Appiah Ofori, himself a Minority MP for Assikuma-Odoben-Brakwa.

According to Sammy Darko, the minority demanded for a retraction and an apology, something Twumasi Appiah was not ready to render.

The Minority subsequently staged a walkout after the Sene MP failed to apologise.

The speaker has thus referred the accusation to the Privileges Committee for investigations to be conducted on the allegation.

Meanwhile, the House has deferred the approval of the loan agre
ement because it could not raise the numbers for a vote.

Ghanaians loose confidence in government's ability to fight corruption

A survey conducted by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), a civil society organisation fighting corruption, indicates that the trust Ghanaians have in the government ability to fight corruption had dropped from 67 per cent in 2007 to 58 per cent in 2009.

The survey which saw a total number of 1,190 respondents randomly selected from all the 10 regions was aimed at covering all categories of the society.The survey also portrayed public officials or the civil service to be the most corrupt institution in the country, with a score of 4.2 followed by the Judiciary with a score of 4.1 then political parties with a score of 3.6.The rest are the business and private sector with a score of 3.3, Parliament with a score of 3.1 and then the media with a score of 3.0.

Addressing the media on the survey on Wednesday, Mr Vitus Azeem, Executive Secretary of the GII, called for a very strong Code of Conduct and its enforcement for civil and public servants as well as political appointees."Furthermore GII calls for more civil education to sensitize Ghanaians on the deleterious effects of corruption. Ghanaians must learn to be loyal to the state rather than to friends, relatives and members of their ethnic groups," he added.

Mr Azeem said shoddy works on the roads, lack of potable water, education and health care, were the by-products of kickbacks and bribery.He appealed to those in the private sector to sign onto the Ghana Business Code, where companies are furnished with detailed policies with regard to bribery-related issues.Mr Azeem urged the government to impose penalties such as blacklisting, fines and contract cancellation on firms whose employees engage in acts of corruption.The Executive Secretary called for the passage of the Right to Information legislation without further delay, as it would prove to be an effective anti-corruption tool.

He called for adequate resources for all accountability institutions to enable them to perform their duties effectively and also for a political leadership that has no "cobwebs in its cupboard", to lead the fight against corruption.On the 2009 Global Corruption Barometer (GCB), he noted that 68 per cent of the respondents perceived political parties to be the most corrupt institution in the country, followed closely by the civil service (public officials and civil servants) and parliament with percentages of 63 and 60 respectively.

He noted that the 2009 GCB which was carried out by Transparency International, the parent organisation of the GII, surveyed a total of 73,123 people in 69 countries and territories around the world including Ghana and nine other African countries. 03 June 09
Source:GNA

Scandal at Sports Ministry: Mills seeks answers

President Mills has instructed the Minister of Sports, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, to present a detailed written response to an alleged gross financial malfeasance he has been involved in at his ministry.

In a report addressed to the President John Evans Atta Mills, a copy of which was intercepted by Asempa FM, the Principal Accountant at the Sport Ministry, chronicled a long list of transactions and requests made by the minister since assuming office three months ago.The minister is said to have demanded monies amounting to several thousands of Ghana cedis in lieu of expenses made on behalf of the Black Stars. He allegedly made requests for monies for unofficial expenses.

The minister is also said to have travelled with his girlfriend to the finals of the CHAN tournament played early February in Abidjan and charged the cost to his ministry, contrary to advice from his office.The document also mentions the minister as allegedly taking $2000 as imprest to cater for hotel bills and other expenses at the tournament but made the imprest holder of this Sports Ministry pay for the expenses.According to the document, while the minister claimed top guns of the NDC government had paid $10,000 as landing charges for the aircraft which conveyed the government officials to the CHAN, he turned round to demand a refund of the amount from the ministry.

“The accountant released the money ($10,000) to him through the Chief Director. The minister could not produce receipt to date,” the report claimed.It continued that the minister had taken per diem of GH¢2,000 for the Ghana-Benin match in Kumasi “though he was told that his maximum per diem entitlement was GH¢1,120.

In what appeared to be the biggest transaction entered on the instruction of the minister, the document said Mr Mubarak had signed a covering letter to the Ministry of Finance demanding the release of a whopping GH¢1,410,051.58 to the National Sports Council (NSC) when the Office of the Chief of Staff had not been consulted.

The report also mentioned the minister to have personally arranged accommodation and feeding expenses of the Black Stars players and officials in Kenya and Sudan in pre-match campings, without the involvement of any other official of the his ministry.The last charge in the six point report claimed the Hon Mubarak had requested a refund of GH¢674.02 as expenses for baby oil, baby food and other household items although he was advised against such requests.

The minister is said to have presented an oral response to the president Tuesday but was asked to return with a more detailed written response.The unfolding saga is reminiscent of the story of Mallam Issah who was jailed on charges of theft during the previous administration.

Obama to Reward Ghana's Democratic Strides

In a country like ours, good news is hardly heard. Or to put it better, bad news sells!! I normally do not sound this pessimistic, but its good to call a spade what it is and not a big spoon .
Ok...so Obama is coming to Ghana in July...! Good News isn't it?

I think it is, and we as Ghanaians and Africans in general must be glad the president of (arguably) the most powerful country in the world is visiting. This is not the first time a sitting US president will be visiting Ghana. I remember with fond memories President Clinton's visit during president Rawlings' time. It was a sight to behold! President Bush followed up with another one during President Kufours time and now Obama in Prof. Mills' reign......that amazing!

To whom much is given, much more is expected

The statement form the White House on the visit could not have been clearer, “ the purposes of the forthcoming Obama visit to Ghana’s is for ”strengthening the US relationship with one of our most trusted partners in sub-Saharan Africa,” and also for ” highlighting the critical role that sound governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development.”

As small as we are, with our National growth rate stuttering, and our national coffers almost dry, we still do have an exportable commodity. Who would have thought that Ghana would be the beacon of hope for democracy in the sub-region and Africa as a whole?

We have come this far, not because we have better humans than the countries in turmoil, but because we have decided that leadership matters and democratically electing our leaders, is the way to ensure lasting development. Lessons from our recently held elections point to a somewhat tolerating citizenry. We have showed that we are willing to respect the voice of the masses even if we think their choice is wrong.

That is what America is built on and we are on our path to replicating that with success. This puts enormous pressure on all as a people to be mindful of the position we occupy in the eyes of the world. Often, countries start on this path and loose sight of who they are. The result is what we see in places like Kenya, Ivory Coast and some other previously stable states. Ghanaians, must be schooled to know that elections are not about life and death and its definitely not worth it dying for any politician.

Opportunities

Mr. Obama will not bring a big sack of US Dollars to Ghana. He certainly will not be signing any fat checks to us either. Don't let this disappoint you because he is bringing something more than money. He is a president with popular appeal. A man many can hardly say NO to. He has such charisma and presence and eloquence that cannot be ignored. Ghana should cease the moment and profit from this visit. The economic, social, cultural, and political ramifications are countless. This is the only way we can get real results or benefits.

I urge our ever enterprising women and men who take advantage of all occasions to make some money on the side. This is a huge moment for market. Anything about the Obama's is sellable. Just make sure you don't infringe on any copyright laws. The US hates that.

Man of Words and Action

The president of the free world is unique in his ability to back all his words with action. He is a gifted orator. He speaks of the same things you have said before, but when he speaks of things you hear them as though they were new.

That's not all that he is. He takes action and makes him and his words relevant. Ghana has over the years become a country of “big talkers”. Lots of words with no action. Talk is cheap...fellow Ghanaians! Lets learn this gift from the US president. Again, we must take steps to advertise our good wares to the world.

If you do business in the dark, you are probably selling something illegal and people will buy/bid you at the price you are advertising. We have used our media to largely advertise our country negatively. We are all to blame because if there are no buyers, there will be no sellers. Lets project our nation positively.

Lets tell our story without necessarily degrading the Ghanaian and Africans in general. Ghana will be representing tho whole continent on this visit. I urge all the put our best behavior. We are known for our hospitality. Lets showcase that too.
I urge all political party leaders to make this a thing for Ghana, and not something for the NDC or NPP or CPP or KVI...
May God Bless our homeland Ghana, and make our Nation Greater and Stronger.

Source:- Isaac TETTEH

Gambian government held liable for 44 Ghanaian deaths

The Gambian government has been found liable for the mass murder of some 44 Ghanaians and natives of other West African countries, a joint UN and ECOWAS investigative team has disclosed.

The deceased, mostly immigrants, were found dead, 2005, in the Tangy forest in Banjul in what the Ghanaian government said was state sponsored killing.

After years of near diplomatic row between the two countries dotted with several failed commissions of enquiry, the UN and ECOWAS investigative team say the Gambian government should be held accountable.

The Government was not found directly responsible for the murders, but it failed to protect the lives of the immigrants in its jurisdiction.

By international law, countries must take responsibility for protecting the lives of its residents.

In a detailed report handed to Ghana's Foreign Minister Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni in Nigeria, two persons, one Captain Taylor and Gambian resident, Laminu Tunkara must be hunted and prosecuted for their role in the murders.

The two allegedly lured the victims from Senegal to Gambia with the promise of providing a vessel to ferry them to Europe, but that turned out to be a scam.

The stranded victims were arrested, later released but were found dead in the Gambian forest in a murder suspected to have been carried out by some gang element.

The committee has recommended the Gambian government pays compensation to the families of the victims. The two governments must however agree on the amount to be paid.

The bodies are to be exhumed and given a befitting burial in their native countries.

Ghana's Interior Minister Cletus Avoka told Joy News he is satisfied with the recommendations even though there are still some unanswered questions.

According to the Minister, the Gambian government has expressed reservations over payment of compensation claiming that that will amount to complicity in the murders.


Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline