Accra Air Force base to house hanger for US regional aircraft

The Accra Air Force Base is to house a new hanger for the US Embassy's C-12 aircraft that would provide regional support for its mission in Ghana and 26 other embassies in West and Central Africa.

The aircraft was attached to the US missions in Dakar and Monrovia and until 2004 it was based in Abidjan, La Cote d'Ivoire. A new operating location had to be found for it after the deterioration of the political situation in Cote d'Ivoire.

The Ghana Government and the Ghana Air Force provided the space to park and maintain the aircraft when it arrived in Accra in early 2004 until a proper hanger was built for it.

The aircraft, capable of flying 1,200 miles - about five and half hours in the air - depending on its mission, can carry about eight passengers.

At a short ceremony at the Air Force Base in Accra on Thursday to unveil the project, Ms Pamela Bridgewater, US Ambassador in Ghana, said the construction of the hanger represented the commitment of both countries to bilateral relations as well as their joint goal of promoting stability and cooperation in the West Africa Sub-Region and throughout Africa.

She extended the US Congress's appreciation to the Ghana Air Force for providing such support and expressed appreciation to the Government of Ghana for giving the C-12 a new home.

Air Vice-Marshal Joseph Boateng, Chief of Air Staff of the Ghana Air Force, also expressed appreciation to the governments of the Ghana and the US for bringing the militaries of both countries together.

He said the Ghana Air Force enjoyed the training support from the US and expressed the hope that such cooperation would continue into the future.

JAK Defends JJ Coup Allegations

President John Agyekum Kufuor has strongly defended allegations of a coup plot he made against former President Rawlings, at a by-election rally in the Offinso South Constituency at the weekend.

The President has also dismissed criticisms that the platform on which he spoke about such a sensitive national issue was improper.

His Spokesperson, Mr Andrew Awuni in an interview said, the President indeed has impeccable security reports, linking Mr Rawlings to renewed attempts to truncate the nation's 14-year-old democratic experiment through the barrel of the gun and that he has no regrets for making the matter public at a political rally.

Over the weekend, President Kufuor directly accused his predecessor of seeking financial help from an unnamed oil rich nation to topple his government.

It was the first time the President made any such allegation against Mr Rawlings, whose public utterances have been cited by some powerful New Patriotic Party (NPP) guns as synonymous to treason.

Mr Awuni said President Kufuor is confident that the nation’s security personnel are willing and ready to protect and defend nation’s constitution and security at all times. Meanwhile, Mr Fifi Kwettey, a spokesperson to the former President has declared that his boss does not need external funding in order to stage yet another successful coup d’ tat a in the country.

Fifi Kwettey told newsmen that Mr Rawlings has no intension of destabilizing the democratic dispensation he helped establish in 1992, instead, the good people of Ghana would themselves topple the NPP regime through a democratic election in the 2008 elections.

Critics of Mr Rawlings say his public utterances about perceived hardship in the country these days and alleged massive bribery and corruption in the government of the NPP are similar to those he made prior to his second successful coup which overthrew the Liman regime.

His critics have used this as basis to conclude that Mr Rawlings is a a serious threat to national security.
Source:Citi FM

Rawlings urges international media to report accurately on Ghana

Former President Jerry Rawlings on Thursday urged western governments and the international media to do diligent reportage of events in Ghana.

He argued that western governments and their media were turning the other way "on serious issues such as corruption, human rights abuses, intimidation and rule of fear”. Former President Rawlings, who was speaking at a press conference in Accra, said he now aspired to greater principles than clinging on to power.

He said power had a way of making one to feel invincible giving one the urge to cling on to power, "but the truth is that I have no urge to have power and I am doing nothing to come back to power. "I have never and would never go anywhere to look for money to plot a coup.

What I have been doing over the years is to tell the truth about the state of corruption and abuse of human rights in the country that is going on, on the blind side of both local and foreign media; with the western governments notably the U.S. and U.K."

Former President Rawlings said he would not stop doing this until the government sat up and began to attend to the development needs of Ghanaians.

He said US President George Bush's constant praising of President John Agyekum Kufuor without critically examining the state of governance, was a systematic way of creating a culture of impunity, where the government would begin to think that it could get away with anything it did.

He alleged that CNN's Jeff Koinenge was whisked away to Iraq in 2001, just when he was preparing to do documentaries on the human rights, corruption and the rot in the judiciary in Ghana. "These are some of the machinations that when I talk about, I am accused of plotting against the government."

Asked if he ever proposed to the then President-elect John Agyekum Kufuor to use his (Rawlings’) Ministers since they had several years of governance experience; Former President Rawlings said:

"I only casually suggested Mr Paul Victor Obeng, who had a great sense of governance issues then, to be part of a transitional body in order to avoid a vacuum during the period of transition from the National Democratic Congress to the New Patriotic Party.
"Ladies and gentlemen, is this something wrong? It was only a suggestion and they had the right to decide on what to do."

Former President Rawlings said he welcomed the efforts of religious bodies to patch up relations between him and President Kufuor. "However, they must first ensure that they do not just bandage a wound. They must first clean it, and put medication before bandaging it.

They must also work to right all the wrongs they have committed against innocent people across the country."

He said the National Reconciliation Commission was unable to reconcile the nation, and the security agencies were unable to arrest the killers of the Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, the Overlord of Dagbon Traditional Area, and 30 others in Yendi.

Help make NHIS a success ... Baah-Wiredu

Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, has appealed to Ghana Insurers Association (GIA) to help make the National Insurance Scheme a reality to Ghanaians.

He said some insurance companies were supportive to the scheme while others notidentifying themselves with the scheme. He added that, it was government's wish that, "those companies sitting on the fence should get on board and provide the necessary support or alternative to make the scheme more beneficial to people of Ghana."

In a speech read on his behalf during the launch of the 2006 insurance week, in Accra, Mr Baah-Wiredu said the Insurance Bill, which seeks to strengthen the National Insurance Commission, streamline the licensing of Insurers, Capitalization, Solvency and financial resources of the Insurance Industry has been approved by Cabinet.

The week, organized by the Association was under the theme, "Insurance, a tool for national development". Currently, he said, the bill is before Parliament, adding that, one of the most important provisions is the separation of life business and general business and that the bill, among others, ensures a code of practice, market conduct, rules and penalties for offenders.

Mr. Baah-Wiredu also said Life Assurance as against Non-life, appears to be falling behind in terms of coverage but there were indications of the quest for new products, which would attract huge savings.

Accordingly, Mr. Baah-Wiredu urged the Association to design more life assurance products which are easily accessible and affordable to bring on board many people who are still ignorant of the inherent benefits of insuring themselves and their dependants.

He said insurance companies must take advantage of the establishment of the Insurance Training Centre which government facilitated its establishment under the auspices of the National Insurance Commission to train their staff for the challenges ahead.

Mr. Baah-Wiredu said in their zeal to sell, Insurance companies promise the public "outrageous things like house mortgages immediately you start your policy, loans, unreasonable sums of money etc."

Instead, he said, the Association and others in the industry must put product training ahead of all other issues, adding, "after all a well trained agent will be more confident and able to sell better". Mr Baah-Wiredu said it is the duty of the Association to map out effective strategies to the expectation of the would be insured and those already in the books of the companies.

Mr Mahama Samba, President of the GIA, said Insurance policy holders must read carefully insurance contracts to become conversant with the contents so that they are not misled by anyone.

Mr Samba said the Association would extend its services to the rural areas so that people there benefit from insurance schemes.

Rawlings refutes allegations of a coup plot

Former President Jerry John Rawlings on Thursday denied soliciting for funds to stage a coup d'etat in Ghana and said he had never and would never solicit for funds to stage a coup in Ghana. Former President Rawlings was reacting to allegations made against him by President John Agyekum Kufuor at separate rallies at Abofour and Kokote to round off the parliamentary by-election campaign of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Offinso South Constituency on Sunday.

In a speech read on behalf of Former President Rawlings by Mr Victor Gbeho, a Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, he said he did not know where the allegation was coming from. He said the allegation was so wild that it did no credit to the country’s intelligence service, “which has been under pressure to manufacture stories to discredit the NDC Party".

Former President Rawlings said as far as his recent trips abroad was concerned, the media had widely reported his speeches in Euskirchen and Hamburg in Germany and at the South Bank University in London to convince Ghanaians that he was not on a coup trip.

"I have noticed over a period that President Kufuor has developed the habit of attacking me personally whenever his administration is in trouble and so I am not surprised at this recent attack." Former President Rawlings said President Kufuor had targeted him and his family for prosecution but he would not be intimidated and would continue to expose the wrong doings of his government.

President Kufuor had said he was not happy about the behaviour of Former President Rawlings, adding that he and his government had no time for him now but would reply him at the appropriate time. He said Former President Rawlings did not want to hear the success story of the NPP and was using various avenues to discredit his government.

He expressed concern about the negative attitude of Ex-President Rawlings destroying the good image of the NPP government abroad; begging for funds to destabilise the country and finding loopholes to divide the people at the local level.

Premier League frozen because of a court injunction

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has acknowledged the receipt of a court Interlocutory injunction restraining the FA from continuing with the One Touch Premier League competition.

A statement issued and signed by Mr Kweku Ampim Darko, Deputy General Secretary of the GFA copied to the GNA Sports said the Association received the Interlocutory court injunction on Tuesday, October 24, from an Accra High Court.


The statement said that the Premier League has therefore been suspended with effect from the Eighth Week.
It said the FA will communicate any development on the league as and when it becomes necessary.
The statement said it is therefore informing all Clubs and stakeholders accordingly of the court injunction and the new directive.

JAK's Accusation Of JJ is true - Ntow

The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party has backed President Kufuor’s comments at the weekend that former President Rawlings was scheming to overthrow his government.

In an interview with an Accra-based radio station, JoyFM, Ntow said Kufuor’s comments were true and ought to be taken seriously.

President Kufuor told supporters of the NPP at a rally in the Offinso South Constituency at the weekend that former President Rawlings recently tried soliciting financial support from an unnamed, oil rich country to topple the NPP administration.

He said the government would not antagonize the former President first, but if he attempted anything nasty, he would be dealt with appropriately.