Palestinian government is to explore avenues that would promote trade relations with Ghana in the coming years, Mr Saadi Altumaizi, the new Palestine Ambassador to Ghana said on Friday. He said, "Palestine has and enjoys a good relationship with Ghana and therefore it is prepared to further strengthen ties especially in the area of trade relations." Mr Altumaizi said this when he paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, Mr Asamoah-Boateng. The Ambassador said his focus would be to create a conducive environment for the Palestinian business community in the country and also woe those at home to take up opportunities in Ghana. He mentioned specifically the health and the agricultural sectors and said the relationship would be developed in those areas. Welcoming him, Mr Asamoah-Boateng also touched on Ghana's relationship with Palestine and expressed the desire that it would be deepened further for mutual benefits.GNA

Lack of political will affects integration - Veep

Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Friday said lack of political will was one of the factors that had contributed to the slow pace of the economic and monetary integration of the West African sub-region. He said economic integration was crucial for the sub region and the continent to succeed in meeting developmental goals and also to become effective partners in the global economy. He said however, that efforts towards this goal had been hindered by factors such as the lack of political will, non-achievement of economic transformation, conflicts, low level of implementation of treaty obligations and what he described as “an overly economistic approach that has neglected the resolution of political and social differences.” The Vice President who was speaking in Accra at the opening ceremony of the 19th meeting of the convergence council of ministers and governors of the West African Monetary Zone which is expected to come out with the second currency of the sub region said, “the traditional explanation of the failure of integration schemes on the continent is that, there is lack of political will in the member countries which is necessary to see integration succeed.” Other contributory factors, he said, were the small and disjointed nature of economies, the over dependence on export or primary commodities, weak industrial and agricultural base, low level of intra-regional trade and the vested interests in incomes from trade tariffs. These contributory factors can be identified in the chronic non-observance of commitments undertaken within agreements and also in the insufficient use of the instruments set up by the governments. Five countries; Ghana, Nigeria, Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Gambia form the West Africa Monetary Zone. The need for a second currency by those countries arose when the leaders realize a common currency was the answer to increased trade, integration and economic growth. Four convergence criteria including single digit inflation and an import cover of more than three months were set in addition to other secondary criteria for the implementation of the currency to take off. The WAMZ which set its self 2003 for take off has had to postpone the date three times to the current date of 2009. The meeting in Accra is one of the annual meetings expected to assess progress made and to commit member countries to targets. Alhaji Mahama said despite the set backs, some progress had been made by the member countries as one body and individually.

Ghana Dreams of a Nuclear Power Plant

Government would soon begin consultations with the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) to determine how it would help generate nuclear power to supplement the hydro-electric power in order to reduce the energy crisis. Papa Owusu Ankomah, Minister of Education, Science and Sports said on Friday that a committee would be set up to look at the nuclear policy pertaining as a guide to make a firm decision to achieve the objective. Speaking on behalf of President John Agyekum Kufuor at the 40th anniversary celebration of GAEC, he said the increasing pace of development had brought with it an increase in energy consumption and that the time had come to include nuclear power in energy generation and urged the commission to take up the initiative. The anniversary, which was commemorated with a grand durbar, was attended by Ministers of State and Parliamentarians, Chiefs, staff and Directors of GAEC while the Police Band and GAEC Primary and JSS School provided music. Papa Owusu Ankomah said the GAEC was an organisation which was multi-sectoral in scope of work with activities covering health, agriculture, energy, industry, environment and education and whose research results benefited other Ministries, Departments and Agencies. "As research scientists are known to be problem-solvers through research, I have no doubt that with the current power supply problem facing the country, the scientists of GAEC are looking at ways in which we can make available alternative sources of energy to complement what we presently have." He said direct funding for research activities through budgetary allocation was limited and urged beneficiary institutions to support the Commission financially so as to continuously benefit from the results of its researchs. The Minister noted that the rate of attrition of research scientists from GAEC and other research institutions to the Universities was alarming, and said the problem was due to the relatively unattractive salaries paid them compared to the University lecturers. "It is to remedy a situation such as this that in the 2007 Budget statement presented by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, comprehensive pay reform features prominently." Papa Owusu-Ankomah said one principal objective of this reform was to ensure that there was equal pay for work of equal worth with the fair wages commission having oversight of all activities associated with pay administration to ensure fair wages. He said the government decided to put education and science under one Minsitry to mainstream science and technology into education and made available to as many Ghanaians as possible. He commended the Commission for its innovative programmes including the establishment of a post graduate school of Nuclear and allied sciences with the University of Ghana, the first of its kind in the sub region to build human capacity in nuclear science as a way of checking the brain drain. Professor Mike Oquaye, the MP

IGP has done no wrong - Police Council

Government on Friday accepted recommendations by the Police Council that the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Patrick Kwateng Acheampong had not done anything to show that he acted wrongly in his capacity to warrant any sanctions. A statement issued in Accra and signed by Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of the Interior said: "Government has carefully considered the Committee's (Georgina Wood) Report and the advice of the Police Service Council and has decided to accept the recommendations of the Council as summarised." "Council has consequently advised government that in their opinion the IGP has not done anything to show that he acted wrongly or was at fault and, therefore, is unable to recommend the application of any sanctions to the IGP." On the IGP's friendship with Alhaji Issah Abass, an alleged drug baron, the statement said, while the Council found as appropriate the Committees admonition that the IGP should be careful about people he associated with, members were of the opinion that there was no evidence that the IGP knew that Alhaji Issah Abass was a drug dealer and that it was possible for anyone to have friends engaged in criminal activity without the person knowing. "Members felt that the IGP had not associated himself with the man in a manner to bring his office into disrepute," it said. On Ms. Grace Asibi's visit to the IGP's house, the Police Council said it was of the opinion that an IGP, as head of the Ghana Police Service and supervisor of police officers in the country, should not prevent people from coming to him since every caller was said to be a potential ally or informant. "The IGP's advice to Ms Asibi that she could go to court through a lawyer was probably the most classic response from a seasoned officer and the Council was therefore of the view that the IGP did not err in that regard." The statement said the Police Council advised against jumping to conclusion, without evidence that the IGP was at fault since it reflected seriously not only on the personality of the incumbent IGP but also on the integrity of the Ghana Police Service as a whole. The Georgina Wood Committee investigated two drug-related cases, which were the missing 76 parcels of cocaine in board a ship and alleged bribery of senior police officers in the 588 kilogramme cocaine at East Legon. Although the Committee found no adverse findings against the IGP his conduct was referred to the government. The Committee said while the Inspector-General of Police had every right to make friends, it found that his status required that he chose his friends with care in order not to compromise the high office of the IGP. The Committee said it found that to grant audience to Grace Asibi whose boyfriend was under investigation for such a serious offence and direct her on the options open to her had the tendency of leading to wrong perceptions and bringing the high office of the IGP and of the Ghana Police Service into disrepute. The government subsequently referred the findings to the Police Service Council with its supporting transcripts for study, discussion and advice.GNA

Ninety kayayei pass out

Assemblies of God Relief and Development Services (AGREDS), an NGO based at the Agbogbloshie Market in Accra, has assisted 90 kayayei (female porters) by helping them to learn various vocational skills. The skills include catering, dressmaking, tie and dye, hairdressing, cosmetic making and bead making. Mr Joseph Wumbee, Executive Director of AGREDS, said this at the Seventh Graduation Ceremony of the Skills and Empowerment Programme for Girls in Accra under the theme, "Growth and Poverty Reduction; The Role of Skills Training for the Vulnerable in Society." He said since the inception of the NGO eight years ago, it had trained 631 girls within the Agbogbloshie area. Mr Wumbee said the deprived and vulnerable trainees were victims of poverty who had been physically and emotionally abused adding that after graduating, 90 per cent of the girls returned to their communities to start life. He said through the support of the partners of the NGO, each of the 90 was receiving an input credit support in the form of tools and a start-up capital on the skills acquired. They would also participate in an ongoing refresher training support scheme as part of their reintegration, monitoring and mentoring programme. Further funding was also being mobilised for the payment of apprenticeship and attachment fees requiring top-up and further training to enable them to compete favourably in the changing market environment while plans were also being put in place to help them acquire their own work space upon completion. Mr Wumbee added that they had constructed a pre-school building for children of market women and street girls. The Minister for Women and Children's Affairs Hajia Alima Mahama in a speech read on her behalf said government had set up the micro finance and small loans fund to improve access to credit for women and the vulnerable. "This year the government has through the Micro Finance and Small Loans Centre provided 17,770 women with credit," she said, and urged those who had passed out to access the credit and work hard in order to pay back the loans. Hajia Alima said government was implementing a poverty reduction strategy to ensure sustainable growth and protecting the vulnerable and deprived in society. She urged AGREDS to create awareness on the human traffic law since some of the girls were trafficked.GNA

New form of child abuse surface in N/R

Alhaji Mustapha Ali Iddris, Northern Regional Minister has expressed concern about an emergence of a new form of child abuse and exploitation, which was more serious than the "kayayee" and the child labour.The practice known as "Taalar", is where under-aged children are engaged in petty trading and hawking from one community to another to sell even at night at the peril of their lives instead of being in school.Alhaji Iddris was speaking at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Christian Children's Fund of Canada (CCFC), an international NGO based in Tamale.The celebration was for the NGO to showcase its activities and successes chalked so far in the region during its 10 years of operation and also to learn public and community level support to sustain its programmes.The Minister said, parents must live up to their parental responsibility and ensure the proper upbringing of their children to protect them from all sorts of exploitation and expressed regret that some parents allow their children to suffer.He said the distances between communities in the region were very far apart and bushy, which was very dangerous for children to embark on such journeys under severe conditions to make a living instead of being in the classroom.Alhaji Iddris said it was significant for parents and opinion leaders to collaborate to prevent children from engaging in petty trading while the District and Metropolitan Assemblies could enact and enforce by-laws to prevent children from selling.Alhaji Iddris said the female children who are engaged in the "Taalar" practice were exposed to dangers such as rape, prostitution and molestation while the males had the tendency of indulging in alcoholism and drug abuse.He said children were the future leaders of the country and that their fundamental rights must therefore had to be respected and protected to adequately prepare them for future challenges. It is a common phenomenon in the Tamale Metropolis to also see male children who are supposed to be in school are seen going round with hoes on their shoulders at residential areas shouting "Paa o paa", for jobs to earn a living.Some residents some times take undue advantage of their plight and tab their labour and give them meager monies, some times left over food, a situation that needed to be checked and addressed. The Minister appealed to NGOs operating in the region to tackle children's issues seriously and should educate them to live discipline lives to be obedient and honest to their parents. Alhaji Iddris commended the CCFC for the tremendous assistance to communities and people in the region and urged them not to relent in efforts to reduce poverty. 24 Nov.06
Source:GNA

Kufuor's Responds to inside critics

Demands scrutiny of aspirants, ampoons ungrateful Kwabena Adjepong As Hawa Yakubu counsels Prez to stay neutralReports reaching the political desk of this paper indicate that President John Agyekum Kufuor, has taken a swipe at some of his cabinet Ministers who are overtly and covertly campaigning to succeed him by accusing him the (president) as being the bane of the party’s problem.Mr. Kufuor who also took serious reservations with one of the aspiring candidates dared the cabinet ministers to prove to the party member’s programmes and policies that they have proposed to revive the hopes and whip up enthusiasm of the party members of which he the president had rejected or opposed.He urged the party executives to challenge those aspirants are accusing him to tell them what they have done.“They are still cabinet ministers and we take decisions together. When they come to you, ask them about what they have done for the party. What programmes and policies that they have brought to me and I have refused,” he fumed.President Kufuor made this observation last Sunday at Maple Leaf Hotel at Achimota in Accra to round off a three-day strategic review workshop organized by the NPP.Not enthused by some actions of those canvassing to succeed him, he attacked one of the aspirants (obviously he was referring to Kwabena Agyapong, his former press secretary) for going to the Volta Region and telling the party delegates that he (Kwabena) has been advising the president but he refused to take itSpeaking in twi, to the party members, he said, “Saa akoa noa, o’nenam ewo Volta region eekeka see, we tumi fo saa mentie …saa akoa no mimpe se meka ne ho asem, efri sei maboa no paa, nti megyae nasem amano,” literally meaning “that person who is going round in the Volta region telling them that he advised me but I didn’t take it, I don’t want to say anything about him. This is because I have helped him very much hence I will leave him,” he said.He continued to admonish the party executives present at the workshop that, “it is now the time for you to ask them about how many times they came to me with a proposal and I declined,” and stressed further on the need for the delegates and the party gurus to subject the aspirants to a proper scrutiny about what they have done to the progress of the party since they became cabinet Ministers and are now wanting to lead the party.According President Kufuor, it was unfortunate that the aspirants are professing to be the apostles that have the party at heart rather than him. “Nobody in the party apart from Mr. C.T Dedem, a member of the council of elders of our great party and a few others, can claim they have the party’s interest than I do.”Contrary to the perceptions that Mr. Kwadwo Mpianim, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chief of Staff that he wields more power, Mr. Kufuor stated other wise. “He has no powers as others are saying.” The Minister corroborated this assertion when he led the discussion on government and party relations.President Kufuor cautioned the aspirants in the presence of Hon. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Minister of Water Resource, Works and Housing, an aspirant, Hon. Felix Kwasi Owusu-Adjepong, Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, an aspirants, Mr. Dan Kweku Botwe, former general secretary, also an aspirant and a host of others, our intelligence gathered.Mr. Mpianim, who most party faithful regard as the ‘most powerful’ person next to President deflated the reports and said, “I have no power,” and dismissed the assertions that he was the bane of the party.According to party insiders at the workshop, Mr. Mpianim recounted frustration of party members when they want to meet ministers and District Chief Executives.He cautioned the ministers and DCEs to make themselves available to the party members and not to provide a platform for them to continue to grumble, which he underscored, was not good for the fortunes of the party.His comment came when he was leading a discussion on party government relations, an open discussion to identify the problems and recommend workable solutions to the problems.The party’s Iron Lady, Mad. Hawa Ogede Yakubu, the first vice national chairperson of the party, advised the president to desist from meddling with the aspirations of aspirants and asked him to play a neutral role so that his exit from presidency would leave a better legacy in the party.Hackman one of the aspirants who is in the race and completed a tour of the western region was so wowed by the intervention of Hawa that he went and embraced her, even though she has previously shown discourtesy to Hawa in the past when he was foreign Minister.Our intelligence revealed that Mr. Dan Kweku Botwe, the chairman of research committee of the party spoke on winning strategies and drew thunderous applause with his skillful presentation, with a majority standing up to applaud him including even the party chairman, Mr. Peter Mac Manu.
Source:Chronicle