Prof. Mills To Tour Some States in US

The Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor John Evans Atta Mills leaves for the United States of America on Tuesday for a two-week tour.He is expected to meet with some Congressional representatives and honour public speaking invitations.A statement by Mr. Koku Anyidoho, who is in charge of communications at the Office of Prof. Mills, said the NDC candidate would meet Ghanaians across the political divide in the states he visits.He would also be part of the Ga Dangme Homowo celebrations in New York/New Jersey and have private meetings with NDC caucuses in selected states.

President to cut sod for Bui hydro

All is set for the sod cutting for work to commence on the construction of the 400-megawatt Bui Dam hydropower and the Bui City project on August 24.The 622 million-dollar project is to be funded with a 562 million dollars concessionary loan from the Government of China and a 60 million-dollars counterpart fund from the Government of Ghana. The project, the third hydro project after Akosombo and Kpong, is one of the measures of government for a solution of the perennial energy problem, which leads to load shedding.Mr. Joseph Kofi Adda, Minister of Energy, who announced this at the Meet-The-Press series in Accra on Tuesday, said President John Agyekum Kufuor would perform the sod cutting at the project site located close to the Bui National Park in the Brong Ahafo Region.Albert Kitson discovered the area as a potential site for hydroelectric power development in the 1920s when the British Government embarked on a campaign to support the social and economic development of the area.The Minister said several efforts were made in the past to develop the dam but these did not materialise adding that through sustained effort by the current Government, a lasting solution had been found. He explained that the project was a multi-purpose one, which besides the power generation also had other uses such as irrigation, fisheries and tourism."Current irrigation potential is estimated at about 30,000 hectares which should transform agricultural production in the area and also the region," Mr Adda said.He said it was also planned to develop a modern Bui City and added that the strategy was to use the Resettlement Housing Programme as the building block of the project.Mr Adda said out of an estimated projected construction workforce of 3,400 some 2,900 would be Ghanaians with the rest being Chinese expertise."Ghanaian companies will also benefit from the sub-constructional works and also supply of materials," he stated. Mr. Adda said the Environmental Impact Assessment had been carried out and the required mitigation and compensatory measures had been evaluated for necessary action.The project, he said, had been designed so as not to have any trans-boundary impacts, especially with C=F4te d'Ivoire. "No portion of C=F4te d'Ivoire will be inundated even at the full supply level."He noted that Parliament had already passed the Bui Power Authority Bill, which provided the legal basis for the institutional arrangements of the project."We intend to tap the expertise of Ghanaians who were involved in the earlier projects (Akosombo and Kpong) in order to ensure that the mistake of past are avoided," the Minister said.Answering questions, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, said the programme had a power purchase agreement where proceeds from the project would be shared accordingly. He urged the business community to take advantage of the project saying, "Over 600 million dollars is being sunk into the project that businesses could move in for their benefits."
Source:GNA

NDC continuing with Nkrumah's good work - Sekou

Mr. Sekou Nkrumah, son of Ghana's first President, has said it was only the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration which had been able to continue with a sense of commitment to the good works that Dr Kwame Nkrumah left uncompleted.He said that the policies of NDC were in line with those of Dr. Nkrumah and urged the NDC supporters not to be detracted by the negative and unconstructive criticism of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) but continue the good work Former President Jerry John Rawlings was doing for the country.Mr. Sekou Nkrumah was speaking at the weekend at the inauguration of the Ablekuma Central Constituency Youth Working Committee of the NDC. He said the transformation process the NDC was undergoing would not only broaden and deepen and encourage grassroots participation but would also contribute to the emergence of a new Ghanaian who eschews corruption, greed and avarice.He said the nation, under the leadership of Professor Atta Mills would ensure that an enabling environment was created and sustained to allow all to achieve their fullest potentials.Mr. Haruna Iddrissu, National Youth Organiser of the NDC has warned the ruling NPP government and their supporters not to do anything that would inflame passions during and after the 2008 general elections. He cited an example where Mr. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey usurped the work of the Electoral Commission (EC) by going on air to announce electoral results contrary to the laws of the land.He said; "I will also go on the air to announce a counter results, come 2008 if he made an attempt to repeat it," adding that the NDC was not going to tolerate any Jake Obetsebi Lamptey's declaration anymore, but would play according to the rules of the game to ensure genuine victory, come 2008.Mr. Iddrissu expressed the optimism that not a single vote in the Ablekuma Central Constituency would bypass NDC to any group, come 2008, stressing that this could only be possible if, "you assured me that you would be vigilant at your various polling stations," he told the supporters.Mr Courage Balon, Constituency Youth Organiser urged the supporters to be vigilant at all the 106 polling stations in the constituency.
Source:GNA

President Paa Kwesi Ndoum?

While former Minister of Public Sector Reforms, Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum, keeps on denying that he has put in any bid to contest the flagbeareship race of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), a leading member of CPP, Comrade Felix Amoah, has appealed to the rank and file, especially delegates for their up-coming National Delegates Congress to endorse Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom as the CPP-flagbearer for the December 2008 Presidential election.“In same vein I am taking this golden opportunity to appeal to all Ghanaians to consider electing this affable man and astute politician as the next President of the Republic of Ghana come December 2008”, noted Comrade Amoah, who served as a Minister of State under the Limann administration in the Third Republic at a press conference Thursday.Sharing with the media Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum’s credentials, he said he Dr Ndoum was born into the CPP tradition with his father, Master Yorke, an educationist, serving as the director of the young pioneers in the Central Region in Kwame Nkrumah’s time.He noted that while studying in the USA, Dr Ndoum wrote several articles in the West African Magazine depicting the Nkrumaist ideas/ideals and that in 1995, he adopted and sponsored five regions with cash, bicycles, t-shirts and other logistics to assist the growth of CPP.Again, Dr Ndoum also selected and sponsored over 10 parliamentary candidates to contest the 1996 elections, naming the beneficially regions as Western, Eastern Volta, Upper East and Central.“The National Delegates Congress of 1999 was funded by Kwesi Ndoum to the tune of ¢45 million and this was when he was not contesting any position and was actually out of the county”, Comrade Amoah noted.He said in the 2004 elections, Dr Ndoum supported, campaigned for and sponsored several contestants with cash, posters, billboards and other logistics.According to Limann’s Minister of State, Dr Ndoum has also shown exemplary qualities as a Minister in various ministerial positions in the Kufuor administration, including Economic Planning, Energy and Public Sector Reform.“He led the Ghana team in delivering the unprecedented sum of $547 million from the United States of America’s Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)”, he stated, adding that he (Ndoum) “led the team to prepare Ghana’s first Poverty Reduction Strategy that has brought many benefits to the economy; and was the chairman of the National Development Planning Commission”.To Comrade Amoah, Paa Kwesi Ndoum has therefore gained unequalled experience in leadership and governance and acquired tremendous experience and strategy on how to win elections, making him the No.1 choice to lead CPP to victory in 2008.“Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom won the December Parliamentary election on the ticket of the Convection People’s Party (CPP) to become the MP for Komenda-Edina-Egguafo-Abrem (KEEA).He won the election convincingly with 30,981votes against the 15,427 votes for his opponent from the NDC.His 66.8% win compares to the 52.8% of the presidential votes won by President John A Kufuor in the same KEEA constituency to gain a second term”, he added.Comrade Amoah mentioned that Dr Nduom would be long remembered as the MP who happened to be a Minister of State who questioned the Ghana@50 Secretariat and the nation’s preparedness for the historic Jubilee year of Independence celebrations.In his constituency, he said Dr Nduom has been an MP with a difference - accountable, transparent and visible in the community and that through him, the name KEEA is recognised in many places nationally.Touching on some of the projects Dr Ndoum has undertaken in his constituency, Comrade Amoah mentioned building of community libraries and community centres in Elmina and Brenu Akyunim for the Edina Traditional area.He also mentioned a community library in Agona and a community centre in the Berase Town for The Abrem traditional area as well as a community library in Komenda for the Komenda traditional area and a community library in Abreshia and a community centre at Eguafo in the Eguafo traditional area.He said Dr Ndoum has made it a policy that any student in his constituency who qualifies and gains admission to a university but has financial difficulties will be given assistance and that through this he has made it possible for a number of students to go to the university.According to him, Dr Nduom has been instrumental in forging good relationships between Elmina and Netherlands, France and the United States, saying that the town of a province in France is cooperating with Elmina to improve tourism potential, particularly through strengthening the planning and organisation of the annual Bakatue and Edina Bronya festivals.“As the Member of Parliament and Minister of State, Dr Nduom lobbied successfully to ensure the dredging of the Elmina-Benya Lagoon to improve the fishing industry and the improvement of important roads such as the Ankaful- Amisano-Elmina road, the Agona-Essiam Effutu road, the Komenda junction-Komenda road, the Edinaman Secondary School access road and others”, he pointed out, adding that Dr Ndoum has also seen to the reconstruction of the Elmina bridge.
Source:GYENAYAME CONCORD