Ghana@50: 24 African heads of state to attend

Twenty-four African heads of state are set to participate in Ghana's jubilee celebrations on March 6, 2007, the government said on Tuesday.

Briefing journalists in Accra, Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, NEPAD and Regional Cooperation, said a total of 65 delegations had confirmed their desire to be part of the celebrations.President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria is the Guest of Honour, while the Duke of Kent is representing Queen Elizabeth II of England.

He said that the bulk of arrivals and departures of the delegations were scheduled from March 5-7.Outlining the programme for the celebrations, Nana Akufo-Addo said President John Agyekum Kufuor would host a welcome cocktail for his guests and the Guest Speaker.From 2100 hours in the evening of March 5, there would be a re-enactment of historic scenes of March 5, 1957. There would be a commemorative Parliamentary Session with President John Agyekum Kufuor and his guest of honour in attendance.

Nana Akufo-Addo said after this, the President and his guests would move to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park (Old Polo Grounds) for a laser and fireworks display.He said there would be a jubilee parade at 0900 hours on March 6 to be addressed by Presidents Obasanjo and Kufuor.

This would be followed by a reception hosted by President Kufuor at the Castle Gardens and a dinner at the Banquet Hall of the State House. Other fora would be held at the Accra International Conference Centre and other sites currently been located.Nana Akufo-Addo noted that issues such as accommodation and transportation had been enhanced and taken care of to make the celebration a success.

He said except the Parliamentary re-enactment, the programmes in Accra would be duplicated in all the 10 regions.The Foreign Minister appealed to Ghanaians to take active part in the celebration and ensure that it remained a memorable event.
Source:GNA

Rawlings leaves for South Africa

The Former President Jerry John Rawlings on Monday night left for South Africa to attend a forum on fighting corruption.

A statement signed by the Special Assistant to the ex-president, Mr Victor Smith said his wife accompanied him.

The five-day meeting is being co-hosted by the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and South Africa.

It is intended to consolidate Africa's anti-corruption initiatives and infuse an African perspective into the definition, perspectives and mechanism for fighting corruption.

CPP condemns threats against journalists

The Convention People's Party (CPP) on Tuesday described the death threats issued against Mr Kweku Baako Jnr. and Mr Egbert Faibille Jnr., editors of Crusading Guide and Ghanaian Observer respectively as "a high form of barbarism".

A statement signed by Dr Edmund N. Delle, Chairman of CPP, said the party had observed that the death threats, via mobile phone text messages, coming closely on the heels of the murder of the Ashanti Region chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association, were unnecessary and must be condemned and resisted.This was because, he said, they had the potency to create panic in the society, particularly among journalists.

Dr Delle therefore asked Ghanaians to denounce violence and all other forms of intimidation of the media and appealed to Ghanaians to promote tolerance and peaceful co-existence."As the party for the masses which believes in freedom of expression we shall continue to support the media in its battle for democratic development," he said. 27 Feb. 07
Source:GNA

Cardinal Turkson Named to Pontifical Justice Council

Pope Benedict XVI appointed a cardinal, two archbishops and a layman as members of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.The Vatican press office announced the appointments Saturday of Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana; Archbishop Juan García Rodríguez of Camaguey, Cuba; Archbishop Héctor Rubén Aguer of La Plata, Argentina; and Savino Pezzotta, of the Italian Workers Union.The Holy See also announced the appointment of Stefano Fontana, director of the Cardinal Van Thuân International Observatory, as consultor to the dicastery.