|
|
NDC to take part in Jubilee Anniversary Parade 
Accra, March 4, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Sunday formally declared that it would take part in the Jubilee Anniversary Ceremony, putting to rest speculations that the Party would be boycotting the national celebrations.
Flanked by some Party Executives at a press conference organised at its Headquarters in Accra, Dr Kwabena Adjei, Chairman of the NDC, declared: "On behalf of the NDC, let me formally inform the nation of Ghana and the whole world that a delegation led by NDC Flagbearer, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills will be at the Ghana @50 Parade at the Independence Square on March 6th 2006."
However, he said, the delegation needed the assurance of the National Security that all its members attending the anniversary parade would be safe.
The NDC further said the delegation needed the assurance of the State Protocol that a secured sitting arrangement would be made for the number of NDC officials that have been formally invited to the parade.
"The NDC delegation needs the assurance of the national security apparatus that NDC sympathisers and supporters, who would attend the parade will be treated with civility as Ghanaian citizens", Dr Adjei stated.
He said that the Party had been reliably informed about "plans to deliver hell and brimstone" on NDC supporters at the Ghana @50 anniversary, and warned that the 93occasion is no place and time for political embarrassment, harassment, intimidation and bigotry".
The NDC Party Chairman said the overriding reasons for the Party deciding to lend its presence to the anniversary parade are 93the love and respect we have for our dear Motherland and Party and to show that the NDC is politically matured.
"The agenda of Ghana would always be bigger that the agenda of any political party and that is the pledge the NDC wishes to re-emphasize in unambiguous terms as Ghana attains 50 years post-colonial freedom", he said.
Dr Adjei, amidst cheers from Party supporters, stated that it was important that the present Government understood that March 6 of every year was a "Ghana Day" and not a day for the incumbent government of Ghana.
"As a Ghanaian political Party, the NDC would, therefore, not allow any group of people to hijack March 6 and push it to a point where we would be forced to show disrespect and irreverence to our past heroes, our invited guests, our national symbols and the Golden Jubilee itself", he said.
The Party thus appealed to all its members, supporters and sympathisers to understand and support its decision to send a delegation to the March 6 Parade, even though they had made passionate appeals to the Party to boycott the anniversary celebration.
Source:
GNA
Lack Of Planning Prevented Economy From Taking Off
Economist Says Lack Of Planning, Commitment Has Prevented Ghana's Economy From Taking Off
At independence, Ghana’s economy was regarded as the best among the newly independent African countries. The government of the country’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, embarked on ambitious infrastructural and educational development initiatives to further strengthen the economy. Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product was about on a par with those of countries like Malaysia and South Korea. Today, in part four of our series on Ghana’s independence anniversary, we focus our attention on the country’s economy since independence.
Nii Moi Thompson a Ghanaian economic consultant says that “Compared to other British colonies, we are actually far advanced in terms of human resource development, for instance, that is educational opportunities. A lot of these educational achievements were actually made in two periods in the early to mid nineties…. And then there was the huge break and then more aggressively under Kwame Nkrumah starting from 1951,”
He said the first president embarked on an ambitious plan that put Ghanaians at the center of the stage in terms of development. “As a matter of fact, the desire to develop Ghanaians as the key ingredient for development was such that in 1951, Kwame Nkrumah introduced the accelerated education plan that led to the creation and the establishment of schools across the country. As a result of this ambitious program, we had on a per capita basis, the highest university expenditures in the world,” he said.
Thompson bemoaned the lack of a long-term plan necessary to improving the economy.
“The singular feature of the economy since 1960 is that we haven’t had any systematic plan for development as such. We have short-term crisis management frameworks, which sometimes they mistakenly call plans. So for instance currently, we have Ghana reduction poverty strategy 1, and then Ghana reduction poverty strategy 2; it has no long-term frameworks for development,” he said.
Thompson said the lack of long term plans for the economy has resulted in a weaker-than-expected economy.
“So the end result is that even where we’ve been successful in some areas, in the end it hasn’t really translated into the kind of rapid and equitable growth that would lead to social development, rising incomes and satisfied ways of living. We haven’t quite done that,” he said.
Thompson said an attempt was made by President Jerry Rawlings’ administration to boost the economy, but he said it didn’t gain support.
“Vision 20/20, was actually crafted by the NDC (National Democratic Congress Party) in the mid-1990’s. And it would have been a very good program for development. Unfortunately, it lacked the kind of political commitment and direction that other program did. For instance, the seven-year development plan under Kwame Nkrumah and other plans before him, where Nkrumah took a personal interest in this plan,” he said.
Thompson said Ghana could have done better. “Economically, we haven’t done well. The statistics (in comparison to other countries that gained independence at the same time) don’t show a positive story….
In 1965 we had a per capita income of $190; South Korea had a per capita income of $110. Today, Ghana has a per capita income of $480; South Korea has a per capita income of almost $20,000. So on the basis of that you can conclude that economically we haven’t done well. A lot of the industries, for instance, that were set up by Nkrumah as the basis for launching Ghana’s economic growth were destroyed...in the name of this new-found religion of private sector as the engine of growth,” he said.
He gave his thoughts on what’s necessary for development. “To start with, we would have to put people at the center of development, not property. If we develop people, development would naturally follow. In fact, the few statistics we have do confirm that…people with higher education in Ghana tend to earn the most…. So if we are really are serious about raising incomes...for the vast majority of Ghanaians, then the focus should be on human development,” he said.
Source:
VOA
| < BACK > NEXT 03.03.2007 Accra, March 04, GNA - Former President Jerry John Rawlings has called on Ghanaians to make the 50th Independence anniversary celebrations, a pledge to each other to consolidate social justice, integrity and honesty as the basis for the future.
He made the call in a goodwill message to Ghanaians both at home and abroad, dignitaries and most especially Heads of State and all friends of Ghana who had come to share in the nation's 50th anniversary.
The message was issued in Accra at the weekend and signed by Mr Victor Emmanuel Smith, Special Assistant and Director of Public Affairs of the Office of Former President Rawlings.
It said, 'As a citizen of Ghana and a Head of State for almost two decades of our 50 years of Independence, I deem it my responsibility to share my thoughts with you with frankness and sincerity on the occasion of our anniversary."
However, President Rawlings declined an offer by President John Agyekum Kufuor to participate in the anniversary celebrations.
He said "I deeply regret that I cannot join President Kufuor's Government for this anniversary. My conscience and my principles would not permit me. I cannot share the same platform with the same people who have taken every opportunity to denigrate us for the last seven years and see no good in what we did for this country."
President Rawlings said "I join all of you in thanking our Creator for bringing our dear country to the mature age of 50, I honour and respect the memory of the late Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the patriot and freedom fighter who not only led this country to independence from colonial rule but also laid the foundation for Pan African freedom on our Continent and in the Diaspora."
"I wish also to honour all those valiant men and women who made sacrifices in various ways, as well as those who lost their lives during the struggle for our independence from colonial rule, 93President Rawlings added.
President Rawlings said 93I honour every decent hardworking Ghanaian citizen 96 our farmers, teachers, nurses, doctors, security personnel, market women, all workers and the numerous unemployed."
"I welcome the very many foreign dignitaries who have taken time off their onerous responsibilities at home to be in Accra for this anniversary, especially those who have played significant roles in the struggle for justice in Africa," he added.
Source:
GNA Ghana and Britain opens joint fair
Accra, March 4, GNA - A three day trade exhibition between Ghana and Britain was officially opened on Saturday at the forecourt of His Majesty Hotel near Ghana International Trade Fair Centre in Accra. The exhibition dubbed; Britain and Ghana Partners Pavilion, was on the theme: "innovative in technology, creativity and design" is aimed at deepening the level of partnership between the two countries.
Mr Francis Kusie, Representative from the Ministry of Trade and Industry and PSI said Ghana and Britain had had a long standing trade relations and had been warm and served the interest of the two. He said world trade was now driven by technology, which was underpinned by innovation and creativity.
There was thus the need for Ghana to embrace it to accelerate her social and economic development to become a major player in the world trade.
Mr Kusie expressed the hope that the exhibition would provide the opportunity for Small and Medium Enterprises to share ideas and exchange experiences.
"The British have brought in people who can inspire us all to a greater height, let our exhibitors take advantage to open new opportunities for themselves" he said.
Ms Sarah Stevenson, First Secretary, Trade and Investment of the British High Commission, said bilateral trade increased by 35 percent last year, which was the highest since 1998 and that Ghana's exports to the United Kingdom also increased by 30 percent.
"The UK remains a key destination for Ghanaian products and I hope exporters will make use of this opportunity", she said. The exhibition would feature local Ghanaian indigenous industries to showcase world-class designs in architecture, interiors, packaging and other products. 4 March 07Source:
GNA
| Don't take issues of peace for granted - Kan Dapaah
Tamale, March 4, GNA - Mr. Kan Dapaah, Minister of Interior, has appealed to people in the Northern Region not to take issues of peace for granted, saying: "If we are hungry and poor it is better than to be at war".
He said even though there was relative peace in the region, the Northern Region Peace Advisory Committee (NORPAC) and the security agencies should not loose sight of pockets of trouble spots and issues that have the potential of escalating into conflict.
"Peace and normalcy returning to the region, especially Dagbon should not be misconstrued that we have been able to unravel all the issues that are on the ground", he said.
Mr. Dapaah made the appeal at a meeting with members of the Northern Region Security Council and NORPAC who briefed him on the security situation in the region on Saturday, in Tamale. The Interior Minister is on a four-day working tour of the region to pay courtesy calls on chiefs and visit security organisations to interact with them to know of the security challenges facing them with the view to helping to address them.
Mr. Dapaah urged all stakeholders in the Dagbon chieftaincy disputes to work assiduously to secure a sustainable peace for the people to enhance development.
He called on the media to complement the government's efforts by helping to persuade the people to always to resort to dialogue rather than taking to arms at the least provocation. He said people in the region must move away from confrontation to cooperation and dialogue as the hallmark of improving relationship with one another.
"Our enemy is not a single political regime or person, group of persons or religion or ideology, rather our enemy is poverty underdevelopment and disease", he said.
The Minister urged the people to avoid making concessions to agitators', saying: "They should also make no distinction between such people and those who knowingly harbour or provide aid to them". Mr. Dapaah therefore appealed to all concerned people in the region to participate actively in helping the security agencies to arrest all those who foment trouble and bring them to book to serve as a deterrent to others.
Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister, who is the Chairman of the Regional Security Council said because peace was returning to Dagbon, six banks including Intercontinental Bank, Home Financing Company and Zenith Bank, were establishing their branches in Tamale. He called on political parties in the region to work together with other stakeholders in the Dagbon chieftaincy dispute to find a lasting solution to the crisis. Mr. Dapaah earlier presented office equipment including computers and accessories to the NORPAC to enhance its secretariat operations in appreciation of the good works of the organisations towards sustaining peace in the region.Source:
GNA
Finishing touches are put to Ghana@50 preparations
Accra, March 4, GNA - Accra is sparkling as finishing touches are put to preparations to climax the Golden Jubilee celebrations on Tuesday and President John Agyekum Kufuor gets set to host dozens of his colleagues with hope for the future of the country.
"This is the time to take pride in our land and in ourselves, let us celebrate Ghana," says President Kufuor as he galvanises the nation into action for a brighter and more prosperous future. "We have recovered our track and are making headway. We should be careful not to miss our way again," he said in his State of the Nation address on February 8.
Virtually all important streets, especially the ceremonial routes, intersections and roundabouts have seen fresh coats of white paint. Workers are busy at the various roundabouts where statues of heroes of the independence struggle have been erected.
The national flag of red, gold and green with the black star in the middle of the gold are fluttering in the gentle sea breeze while many buildings in the city are also bedecked with the national colours. Nearly every vehicle has a national flag either flying outside or inside as they display patriotism. Some have even painted their vehicles in the national colours.
Souvenirs, such as flags, pens, caps, t-shirts are on sale on the streets, especially at traffic lights.
Trees along important routes have been trimmed beautifully and the Independence Square, which is the venue for a parade of school children and security services, is seeing last minute touches, as the country puts its best foot foward for the anniversary.
The country is in a jubilant mood and carnivals and street parties are expected on Tuesday.
Ghana, which was the first country south of the Sahara to attain independence in 1957, an event that opened the floodgates for the total liberation of the continent, is expecting hundreds of dignitaries to grace the occasion.
Mr Andrew Awuni, Presidential spokesman, says this is the first time Ghana is hosting 30 heads of state and their entourage from about 70 countries.
Over 500 journalists have applied for accreditation out of which 300 are from the international media such as Cable News Network (CNN), British Broadcasting Corporation, OBE TV of London and South Africa Broadcasting Corporation.
"The world media would descend on Ghana," he says. Security is expected to be tight. The police say a communication network that will enable security services, intelligence agencies and the military to communicate among themselves and act fast on issues during the nation's 50th anniversary has been established. Mr Patrick K. Acheampong, Inspector General of Police (IGP), says under the new network provided by the National Communication Authority, phone numbers would be given to the public to call during emergency situations.
The police finally got a difficult problem out of the way when an Accra Fast Track High Court dismissed ex-parte motion filed by the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) seeking an order to set aside its ruling prohibiting them from embarking on a procession on March 6 was on Friday dismissed by the same court.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice P. Baffoe-Bonney reiterated that at certain times the interest of the nation should override individual rights or parochial interest.
The CJA last month announced that it would hold a Peoples' Jubilee Procession on Independence Day in Accra from Kwame Nkrumah Circle to Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum where it would lay a wreath. However, the police said they could not allow the procession to go ahead since they would be unable to give the demonstrators protection because of commitments during the Independence Day celebrations where scores of foreign delegations were expected.
The CJA said it wanted to provide "a popular platform for the masses as an alternative to the essentially elitist Ghana@50 programme". It said it wanted to underline the political significance of Ghana's independence as an important victory in the worldwide struggle of the ordinary people against elitism.
The CJA also said it wanted "to celebrate Kwame Nkrumah, the pre-eminent strategist and tactician of the struggles against classical colonialism".
According to President Kufuor, on the balance, the political, economic and social conditions showed that "Ghana, the Black Star of Africa, is on the rise again".
"This should make all of us nationals happy about the various contributions and sacrifices we have made, individually and collectively to bring the nation this far."
He urges the people to use the opportunity of the Golden Jubilee celebration to uplift their spirits and the national psyche, adding that the obvious challenge now was how to accelerate the development for the betterment of the entire society.
This appreciation, he says, should strengthen the resolve of the people to work together in overcoming existing problems and drawbacks like the energy crisis, pockets of conflict arising mainly from chieftaincy disputes, low salaries, wages and productivity with their attendant high unemployment and the impact of globalisation on socio-economic development programmes. 04 March 07Source:
GNA
|
|
|