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13.03.2007 1. Court quashes CHRAJ ruling against Anane
2. PeaceFM Silenced: sabotage ? 3. ...Elections tomorrow 4. Christians attack "Trokosi" 5. Questions over executive dominance in law making 6. The top hierarchy ... 7. Gays address Kufuor in UK 8. Golden Jubilee Fair is best so far - GTFC 9. Waste of energy worsening crisis 10.Adjust labour laws to protect women 11.Queen rolls the red carpet for Kufuor
Court quashes CHRAJ ruling against Anane
... JAK always out of Ghana for Anane rulings?
... Anane to get back his post?
An Accra Fast Track High Court judge has overturned a ruling by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice against former Transport Minister, Dr. Richard Anane.
The court ruled that CHRAJ did not have the mandate the investigate allegations of corruption against the minister and that the commission violated the rules of natural justice.
 Justice Baffoe Bonnie ordered CHRAJ to expunge all the records of its investigations into the allegations, because there was no complainant in the case. In effect, Justice Baffoe Bonney by his ruling quashed every single ruling of CHRAJ against Dr. Anane and also outlawed the entire investigations. CHRAJ found Dr. Anane guilty of perjury, abuse of office and conflict of interest last year after investigating newspaper reports about the minister’s remittances to his mistress in the United States. Reactions "For the second time in a row, the President [Kufuor] is out of the country when the judgment is announced. There must be co-ordination between the judiciary and executive branch" said a member of parliament from the minority NDC. It must be recalled that President Kufuor was attending meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement and UN in Havana and New York respectively during the CHARJ ruling and now he's in the United Kingdom on a state visit.
"This proves finally that Anane is innocent. He should be restored to his ministerial position" said an ardent NPP supporter
"Ghana's Judiciary is a joke," said a university of Ghana student
“CHRAJ overstepped its boundaries and the court has put it right” said a another student.
“I wonder why Mallam Issa [former Minister of Youth and Sports] had to face the courts while Anane only faced CHARJ? Is this selective justice based on tribe or religion?” said a third student
"The ruling will be studied by all to ensure that justice is done. It is very disheartening to notice a judge reversing decisions by what amounts to an order by an Administrative judge. However, since the details of the ruling have not been heard I will reserve judgment. Meanwhile, I am hoping that Ms. Ana Bossman mount a case in the superior court to challenge the ruling of the judge.
Having said that it is important to fight corrupt government officials be they NPP, NDC or CPP, be they Ewes, Asantes, Ga, etc. Justice must be done and must be seen to be done. No sane person should support any thief because a thief works for only one person; himself. If Anane is a criminal, it is not over with him yet." -CHARLES KWAKU AMOO-ASANTE(WASHINGTON DC)
Source:
GHP
Christians attack "Trokosi"
Many people believe slavery has been outlawed worldwide. While it has, in reality it still exists.
President and CEO of IN Network USA Rody Rodeheaver says, "Today there are 27 million people enslaved around the world. This is various kinds of slavery -- sex slaves, it's chattel slavery, it's forced labor and debt bondage."
 Rodeheaver says in the Volta region of Ghana, where many slaves were loaded on a ship and sent to the Americas, Trokosi practice is still taking place. "Where Young virgin girls, some as young as five, six and seven years old, are taken as slaves by fetish priests for the payment of the sins of other people," says Rodeheaver.
As these girls reach puberty, they're raped and forced to live in horrible conditions. IN Network has been trying to negotiate their release. While this type of slavery is outlawed, not much is being done about it. "Because this is so deeply rooted in the traditional African religion and voodoo that law enforcement officials in these areas are themselves afraid of the death curse and so they have been very reluctant and have not enforced the law at all."
As these girls are freed, IN Network provides basic life skills, trauma counseling, micro enterprise grants and more to help them start a new life. It's time consuming, but very effective, says Rodeheaver. "Over 90-percent of the women who are freed from this slavery become Christians. It's easy to understand why because they understand what it means to have a redeemer. They understand what it means when we share with them that Christ has paid for their sins.
Freeing these women and their children hasn't been easy. "Well, right now, what we're faced with is a number of these shines and fetish priests have come together to resist this liberation of these girls. So, it's been very hard."
Rodeheaver is praying that these priests to relinquish these girls. As it happens IN Network is building schools, water wells, sanitation and other infrastructure improvements which will not only help the girls, but will help villages where these freed slaves begin their new lives.
Source:
MNN
| < BACK NEXT > 12.03.2007 PeaceFM Silenced: sabotage ?
A highly anticipated live radio interview with former president Jerry John Rawlings failed to come off yesterday, as a transmission failure at Peace FM led to speculations of sabotage.
The interview was scheduled for around 8am yesterday morning on the popular Accra-based radio station"s "Kokrokoo” morning show.
The previous Monday, President John Agyekum Kufuor had given a rare and lengthy live interview to the same FM station in the week of Ghana’s 50th anniversary of independence. Mr Rawlings’ slot was expected to address many of the former Head of State’s gripes with the official celebrations - including his decision not to attend the national event on March 6, at Independence Square in Accra.
Instead, listeners to the popular morning news programme were treated to three hours of silence between about 8.30 and 11.30am, as “routine problems,” according to the show’s producer, saw the usually energetic news team grind to a halt.
Producer Kwasi Acquah told The Statesman how he and the production team were already assembled in the private residence of the former Head of State, when the technical problems became apparent.
“It was so unfortunate; we were ready for the interview, but there were faulty transmitters and there was nothing we could do.”
He said that Mr Rawlings himself was highly disappointed and had been keen to talk, but that even once the station was back on air at around 11.30am, the transmitter was still too unreliable to risk an interview with the former president.
Whilst allegations have been flying about a 'sabotage’ of the interview – with suggestions that Government was unwilling to give national, public voice to the former ruler, or that his own party members were unwilling to risk the damage of his inflammatory tendencies – Mr Acquah insists that the difficulties were just an unfortunate coincidence.
“Obviously, people will want to read meanings into what was a very usual technical problem,” he said. “Our engineers are working on the problem, which can’t be blamed on anyone.”
He told The Statesman that the interview will be rescheduled, but that no firm date has yet been fixed, and that this will depend on Mr Rawlings travel plans.
Source:
Statesman
...Elections tomorrow
Source: Ghanaian Cronicle 13.03.2007
As the curtain for the end of campaigning for the Nkoranza North Constituency Parliamentary by-election drew to a close over the weekend, the heavyweights of the two leading political parties in the country, stormed the area, in a last minute effort to boost their campaigns, which had started unofficially, long before the Speaker of Parliament announced the resignation of the former Member of Parliament (MP) and declaring that seat vacant.
Both President John Agyekum Kufuor and former president Jerry John Rawlings, led their party teams into the constituency to whip up enthusiasm of their supporters and also attempt to convert a few more to their side. President Kufuor, with an army of ministers and New Patriotic Party (NPP) functionaries in tow, stormed the constituency on Saturday, called on the Paramount Chief of Nkoranza, Okatakyie Agyemang Kudom and also addressed separate rallies there.
At the meeting with the chief, President Kufuor informed the chief of the signing of agreements on the Bui Dam and said what was left was for the contractors to execute the project.
President Kufuor also visited, Dromankese, Busunya, Fiema, Yefri, Karanka, Manso and Pinihini, where he addressed separate rallies, urging the people to vote for the NPP candidate, Major Derrick Oduro (Rtd) to enable them continue to benefit from the good works of Mr. Eric Amoateng, the former MP, who is faced with charges of drug trafficking and languishing in a US jail. He advised the constituents to continue to pray for the incarcerated MP since he had not been convicted.
Speaking about his rule, the President said his government has performed creditably well, which has put the nation in the good books of many countries, adding that a clear manifestation of this is the invitation extended to him by Queen Elizabeth II, to visit Buckingham Palace on March 15.
He said another manifestation of that was the choosing of the country to chair the African Union as well as the visit of various Heads of State to Ghana during the 50th Independence Anniversary celebration. According to President Kufuor, the nation is on track, as the economy, good governance, freedom of expression, rule of law and respect for human rights are working.
Earlier, Party Chairman, Mr. Peter Mac Manu, Prince Ofosu Adjei, who stood as an independent candidate during the 2004 general elections against Amoateng, Deputy Interior Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, Mr. Kwaku Ampofo Twumasi and the parliamentary candidate took turns to address students of Yefriman Secondary School.
Prince Ofosu Adjei told the students that plans were far advanced for government to enroll the school as a government assisted one and disclosed that the NPP Chairman had donated ¢10 million towards the construction of a girls’ dormitory for the school.
Former President Rawlings, on the other hand, arrived in the constituency yesterday morning and led an NDC delegation to visit the residence of the late Munufie, a former NDC Chairman and later Ghana’s ambassador to the Ivory Coast and also called on the Paramount Chief of Nkoranza.
He and his entourage were expected to visit Bono Manso, Karanka, Bodom, Yefri, Fiema, Busunya and Dromankese. At Dromankese, the former president was expected to address a mammoth rally that would also be addressed by party Chairman Dr. Kwabena Adjei, National Organiser, Ofosu Ampofo, Mrs. Ama Benyiwa-Doe and a host of others.
Ghanaian Cronicle
| Questions over executive dominance in law making
Accra, March 13, GNA -
Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, a lecturer in Law at Seton Hall University Law School, US, on Monday questioned the executive dominance in law making, saying it provided avenue for wide discretionary powers.
He said the process in which the monopoly of policy and legislative initiatives were left in the hands of the executive gave room to situations where policy pronouncements were made without even bothering to secure even pro forma legislative input or approval.
Prof. Prempeh said the executive discretion was even wide spread in the area of making subsidiary legislation.
"Statutory grants of rulemaking authority to the executive often leave individual ministers and for that matter the president wide discretion to apply the provisions of the law to individual cases, with little or no statutory or regulatory guidance to constrain such discretion," he said.
Prof. Prempeh was speaking at a roundtable organised by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD) on the topic: "Progress Towards the Rule of Law and Constitutionalism in Ghana,"
He said since government must rule through law it was necessary that anything designed to have the force of law could become law unless it had been enacted in accordance with constitutionally approved process.
The discussion, which dwelt mostly on how the fourth republican constitution's promise of constitutionalism is being realised, is part of the activities being held by the CDD to mark the country's 50th independence anniversary celebrations.
Prof. Prempeh said the problem of 'issuing law' was further compounded by the failure of Parliament to utilise its legislative approval power to rein in the Executive and also because of the inability of Parliament to define and defend its institutional interest. For instance, he said, the Parliamentary majority had ceded the appointment of a Speaker to the President while the speaker had lost its role as the leader of Parliament through an appointment of a Minister of Parliamentary Affairs by the Executive.
Touching on the judicial function and constitutionalism, Prof Prempeh said it was necessary for the judiciary to live above reproach to enable the people see that it was "the rule of law and not the rule of men," which was at work.
He said the cardinal principle of constitutionalism would be undermined in a situation where there was a widespread belief among the people that the courts were unable to deliver justice fairly because of partial judges.
Prof Prempeh also had issues with the unregulated administrative discretion of the Chief Justice within the judiciary, saying it created risk and certainly the perception of compromising the decisional independence of lower-level judges.
Other areas of concern are the open-ended Supreme Court composition and size and the Chief Justice practice of empanelling justices. Despite these challenges, Prof Prempeh said the fourth republican constitution had promoted respect for constitutional commands such as presidential term limits, scheduled elections, freedom of speech and media and improved climate of liberty.
Mr Sam Okudzeto, a legal practitioner who chaired the function, said the issues being dealt with had a direct bearing on the progress that was made in the country's democracy. 13 March 07 Source:
GNA
The top hierarchy of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which accompanied party founder, Jerry John Rawlings on his campaign mission to Nkoranza North constituency last Sunday, found itself performing an unexpected role when the party had to march to the shrine of the Ntoa deity, bearing a number of items to pacify a fetish priest who had been beaten up by party thugs.
The attack on the fetish priest, coming barely a month after the party had engaged the services of fetish priests in Keta, in the Volta Region to rain curses on the ruling government, left the party with no option but to go on its knees to pacify the gods.
The fetish priest of the Ntoa deity suffered his fate from the NDC thugs after shouting the New Patriotic Party (NPP) slogan when Rawlings was still in the Nkoranza North constituency, campaigning for Dr Kofi Amoako-Gyampah, the party’s candidate in today’s by-election.
A final rally which climaxed NDC’s activities in its bid to capture the seat vacated by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP, Eric Amoateng, who is being held in a Brooklyn detention centre in New York, USA, was marred with the assault on the fetish priest, news of which soon spread like wildfire in the harmattan season.
With the wrath of no mean a person than the fetish priest of the dreaded Ntoa deity, the National Organiser of NDC, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, organised himself and rushed to the home of the fetish priest to plead for intercession. The party chief was made to slaughter a sheep, offer two bottles of schnapps and ¢200,000 cash to Ntoa, whose representative was the victim of the assault.
The constituency was declared vacant after the voluntary resignation of MP Amoateng who is being held in the US over a narcotic related case.
So tense was the atmosphere at the Nkoranza North constituency that it took the intervention of security agents stationed in the town to bring the situation under control.
The atmosphere in Nkoranza was really tense last weekend when former President Jerry John Rawlings led a team of NDC apparatchiks, including party flagbearer, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills and others on a mission to convince the people to vote for their candidate.
President John Agyekum Kufuor also stormed the constituency to campaign for his party’s candidate, Major (rtd) Derrick Oduro. The NDC flagbearer, who had pitched camp at the Techiman Dery Hotel, was the first to land in the constituency during which he visited the various communities in the company of national and regional officers of the party. He made whistle stopovers at towns and villages, campaigning for the party’s 31-year-old Dr. Amoako-Gyampoh.
When he took his turn to sell their candidate, Mr. Ofosu Ampofo urged the supporters to come out today to vote for Dr. Amoako-Gyampoh to prove to the NPP that their days were over. At Busunya, Mr. Ampofo called on NDC supporters to be vigilant and avoid complacency in today’s polls. A visibly tired Prof Mills spoke little at the rallies.
When President Kufuor descended on the towns on Saturday before flying out to Britain to meet Queen Elizabeth II today, he had in his company several MPs and national executive officers of the party among others. He was welcomed to the town by thousands of party supporters who walked from various locations in the constituency to catch a glimpse of him.
The President entreated the people to vote for the NPP candidate, Major Oduro, because as he put it, “wherever you see an elephant, its baby stands besides it.”
Continuing, he said a baby goat could not stand beside a she-elephant, so the people of Nkoranza North should vote for Major Oduro so that the good work begun by Eric Amoateng would be continued.
When Former President Rawlings went round on Sunday with the NDC team, he told party supporters that a vote for the NDC candidate was a vote for dignity and progress and cautioned them against voting for the NPP.
Dr. Amoako-Gyampoh, the NDC candidate appealed to all eligible voters to approve his candidature by voting massively for him. A medical practitioner by profession, he made the appeal during a press conference on his vision and plans for the constituency. The Democratic People’s Party (DPP) is also contesting the seat with Osei Bonsu, popularly called Amotin Burger as its candidate. The NDC’s encounter with a fetish priest in Nkoranza was the second within a spate of a month or so.
The first was when the party sought the services of fetish priests in the Volta Region to cast the Adaklu-type of hernia and measles on NPP’s top hierarchy for what, for them, was the party’s hand in jailing the Keta MP, Dan Kwasi Abodakpi.
Hon Abodakpi was convicted for defrauding by false pretences and causing financial loss of $400,000 to the state and is currently serving a 10-year jail term at the Nsawam Medium Prisons.
Source:
Daily Guide Gays address Kufuor in UK
The following letter was delivered by gay rights group OutRage! to President Kufuor of Ghana when he arrived in London on Monday.
It was written in response to requests for protests from Prince Kweku MacDonald, President, Gay and Lesbian Association of Ghana (GALAG), and from Mac-Darling Cobbinah Executive/ National Director, Centre for Popular Education and Human Rights Ghana.
"Dear President Kufuor,
Welcome to London.
We extend warmest wishes to you and the people of Ghana, on behalf of the lesbian and gay human rights group OutRage!.
We join with you this month to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence.
We hope that this year, as you celebrate Ghana’s freedom, you will extend that freedom to your lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) citizens.
Ghana’s continuing criminalisation of homosexuality is a relic of colonialism. This anti-gay law was imposed on the people of Ghana by the British colonial administration in the nineteenth century. It sets Ghanaian against Ghanaian, undermining national unity and dividing people against each other.
The prohibition of consenting adult same-sex relations violates the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which enshrine the principles of equal rights and non-discrimination for all human beings.
As a free and independent nation, we hope your government will turn its back on the hateful, divisive homophobia of the colonial era.
Specificially, we respectfully urge your government to:
1. Repeal the legislation that criminalises same-sex relations
2. Enact new laws to protect LGBT people against discrimination
3. Include LGBT Ghanaians in your HIV prevention programmes
4. Arrest the perpetrators of homophobic violence and protect the victims
5. Begin a dialogue with the Gay and Lesbian Association of Ghana
All Ghanaians should enjoy independence and freedom.
We ask you to support individual liberty: the right of each person to live their own life and make their own choices, providing they do not harm others. A democratic state has no legitimate place in the bedroom, nor should it seek to dictate who people love.
We urge you to follow in the footsteps of the African National Congress government of South Africa, which pioneered Africa’s commitment to the human rights of lesbian and gay people. The ANC embraced gay equality in 1987.
It later ensured that the post-apartheid constitution became the first in the world to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Since then, the ANC government has repealed the apartheid-era anti-gay laws.
We note that the anti-apartheid heroes, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, are both strong supporters of lesbian and gay human rights. They are demonstrating inspiring leadership, showing that freedom is for all Africans, not just heterosexual ones.
We also appreciate that Kofi Annan, a great Ghanaian world statesman, defended LGBT human rights when he was United Nations General Secretary. His extension of spousal benefits to the same-sex partners of UN employees signified a clear rejection of homophobic discrimination.
We urge you to affirm in word and deed that every Ghanaian, whatever their sexual orientation, is equal before the law.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Tatchell Coordinator, OutRage! London
Kizza Musinguzi African Affairs spokesperson, OutRage! London"
Source:
GHP
Golden Jubilee Fair is best so far - GTFC
Accra, March 13, GNA - The Ghana Trade Fair Company (GTFC) on Monday expressed satisfaction with the organisation of the Golden Jubilee Fair which has just ended, saying it is the best so far in terms of participation and expectations.
The company said the fair, the 11th Ghana International Trade and Exhibition event, exceeded its targeted participation while it received the highest patronage since its inception 40 years ago.
Addressing the Fair's press corps on Monday at the fair grounds, Mr Ofori Amanfo, the company's Solicitor Secretary, said the main objective of creating the platform for the business community to interact was achieved and most exhibitors attested to that before it event ended. He said on Independence Day on March 6, about 100,000 people from all walks of life comprising families, the youth, students, school children and foreigners thronged the fair grounds clad in a variety of clothes designed with national colours.
Mr Amanfo said about 50,000 visitors were registered on March 7 which was also declared a statutory public holiday by President John Agyekum Kufuor to mark the celebration of the 50th anniversary of independence.
The Fair organized under the theme: "Championing African Excellence - 50 Years of Harnessing Ghana's Trade and Industrial Opportunity" began on February 21 and ended March 12 2007.
Giving a breakdown of the participation level, Mr Lawson Gidigasu, Technical Director of Fairs of the Company, said officially 1,068 exhibitors took part in the fair as against a projected figure of 1,000.
"This is the highest so far in the history of fairs in Ghana. Even the several unofficial exhibitors were not included because some came late."
Mr Gidigasu said 930 local companies were registered whereas foreign exhibitors fell to 138 as against a targeted figure of 200. He said Nigeria brought the highest number of foreign participants with 35 companies.
Participants from other sub-regional countries were Togo (22 exhibitors), Niger (17), Benin (4), Senegal (3), Mali (2) and Cote d'Ivoire (1).
Other participants were from Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Syria, China and USA.
Source:
GNA
Waste of energy worsening crisis
Accra, March 13, GNA -
Until Ghanaians begin to think energy and reduce the unchecked wastage in the system, additional installations of generating power plants would make little impact, Ms Abla Fiadjoe, Acting Director of Corporate Affairs of the Volta River Authority (VRA), said on Tuesday. Speaking to the GNA on Tuesday on the load shedding programme, which resumes on Thursday March 15, 2007, Ms Fiadjoe said about one-third of power produced in the country went to waste and noted that even in the midst of recent crisis the attitude remained the same. The VRA and Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have announced the resumption of the five-day cycle in the load management programme up to March 31 this month after which the situation would be reviewed. The water level quoted by the VRA for March 12 stood at 238.48 feet, which is below the minimum level of 240.0 feet. Ms Fiadjoe said government and other independent power producers could come in with generating sets to increase the energy production, but that must have a corresponding attitudinal change on the part of consumers, especially industries. "Energy demand is growing every now and then between seven to 10 per cent (per annum), which requires increase investments in the sector," she said. Ms Fiadjoe said the current low water level tells the whole story but she expressed the hoped that the inflows would start coming in somewhere from May this year to turn the tide. She said this year besides, government's purchase of generating sets to bring in about 110 megawatts of power to ease the problem, the VRA would also install 126 megawatts in September this year. President John Agyekum Kufuor delivering his State of the Nation address to Parliament in Accra last month, said Ghana would receive power from the West Africa Power Pool whereby it would benefit from 200 megawatts of power from Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire. He said the Volta River Authority was poised to establish a 300-megawatt plant at Tema, while it was also building another emergency plant to supply 126 megawatts of power by August this year. President Kufuor said the Osagyefo Power Barge, which had been standing idle, would be empowered to produce 120 megawatts. A private Ghanaian-Chinese joint venture company was also in the offing to produce, in two phases, up to 600 megawatts, while the government had contracted three American companies to produce up to 110 megawatts by the end of April. The President also referred to a plan by a consortium of mining companies, which had offered to build a plant at Tema to be completed by June to supply 80 megawatts of power while there were plans to build the Bui hydroelectric dam designed to generate 400 megawatts of electricity. Source:
GNA Adjust labour laws to protect women - Chinery Hesse
Accra, March 13, GNA - Mrs. Mary Chinery Hesse, Chief Advisor to President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday advocated that laws in the country should be adjusted to define the proper role of women in national development.
She also requested that the labour laws should be looked at again to ensure proper protection for women and urged statisticians to capture their contributions to national development and enable government to place them appropriately in the development agenda.
Mrs Chinery Hesse noted that there were a lot of women working at various levels in the society who were not paid because their works were not counted. "Women are overworked in Africa," she added. Mrs Chinery Hesse was speaking at a day's seminar organized by the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs as part of the 50th independence anniversary Celebrations.
The seminar, which brought together about a thousand women in various classes of society, including school children, women parliamentarians, business women, disabled women, and housewives was used to discuss topics on: "Women's contribution to Ghana's Independence and Women's role in parliament.
Other topics discussed were: 93Women's contribution to economic development with particular emphasis on the private sector and women's contribution to the welfare of the family and women's achievement in Ghana after 50 years of independence."
Mrs Chinery Hesse, who is the first woman chief advisor to the President noted that childcare alone was a full time job for women not to mention caring for one's husband and housekeeping. She expressed concern about the poverty status of most women, which, she said, made them more vulnerable in society, and advised them to work harder to avoid situations where they would have to depend on someone for their livelihoods.
"Women are paid less than men in most part of the world. They remain in the lower and segregated labour markets," she said, but strongly advised; "Don't create situations where you always have to go to a man with a bowl in your hands."
"We need to be able to work as top executives in the society," she held and encouraged the youth to double up and worker harder to shed their dependency on men and resolve to earn their own income. Mrs Chinery Hesse also expressed worry about girl-child enrolment in schools and noted that girls constituted the majority of the 130 million children who lack access to schools in the world.
She coined the term "sandwich" for the current generation of women who did not only take care of children and family matters but also work to support the family, saying, "you can not do away with women, God fashioned them in a special way, God did not give all the skills to the men, He is a fair God."
Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Women and Children Affairs, explained that the seminar would be used as a forum to take stock of what women have done for the country and look forward to what can be done in the future given the right support and conducive environment. Recounting women's contribution to the economy, she said about 80 percent of women in Ghana were engaged in various economic activities and were predominant in the informal micro small to medium scale agriculture, manufacturing and services sector.
"Women are important actors in the food chain and are responsible for food security in Ghana. Most women are becoming increasingly responsible for the educational and other material needs of their wards," Hajia Mahama noted.
The Women's Minister said the adoption of the policy of gender mainstreaming by government as a cross cutting theme in all policies and programmes was significant.
Hajia Mahama mentioned the capitation grant; school feeding programme and free bus ride for school children as programmes that had brought an increase in enrolment, especially for girls.
She commended the media for highlighting issues of women and children and noted that without the media, progress made towards women empowerment and gender equality would not have been possible. Ms Joyce Aryee, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, speaking on the topic: "Women's contribution to Ghana's Independence and Democratic Governance" noted that it was time to change the story of Ghanaian politics to include women's contribution since they had done a lot.
"Women have paid their dues and should be put to test if they would not turn the country around," she said.
Ms Aryee said there was a time in the history of the country where women stood unopposed when they contested for parliamentary seats and called for re-introduction of such policies.
On the role of women in parliament, Mrs Gifty Kusi, Member of Parliament for Tarkwa Nsuem, said parliament would not have achieved much without the contribution of the women members. "Women in parliament serve as a voice to the voiceless and the vulnerable in society," she said, but expressed concern about women suffering from discriminatory laws. Mrs Kusi urged for more women parliamentarians to serve the agenda of the country better. Source:
GNA Queen rolls the red carpet for Kufuor
London, March 13, GNA - Queen Elizabeth II rolled the red carpet for President John Agyekum Kufuor at the start of his high profile state visit to the United Kingdom (UK) with a spectacular royal ceremonial welcome to the Buckingham Palace, the symbol of the British Monarchy.
The three-day historic visit at the invitation of the Queen is designed to reinforce the strong political and economic ties, which have existed between Ghana and its former colonial rulers over the years. This comes amidst the growing international appreciation of the country's democratic governance and economic performance.
The ceremonies, to officially receive President Kufuor began with the formation of a parade in his honour by the Queen's Household Regiment backed by 100 horses at exactly 1155 hours, at the royal ceremonial grounds.
Then, came the arrival of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, which was greeted with cheers by the large flag-waving Ghanaian residents in the UK, attracted to watch the event. Moments later, President Kufuor's convoy drove in and when he stepped out of the car, attired in a black suit with white shirt and a blue tie to match, and the wife Theresa by his side, adorned in her beautifully designed traditional wear, the crowd went into a frenzy and kept on cheering.
The Ghanaian first family then exchanged greetings with the Queen and her husband as the canons boomed at the background. President Kufuor thereafter, escorted by Prince Philip, inspected the Guard of Honour, while the wife and the Queen exchanged pleasantries.
The highest point was when the Ghanaian leader and the British Monarch climbed into the Centuries-old, Gold State Coach, the remarkably ornate Coach, built for King George III, and pulled by Eight horses and led by 100 others, for the carriage procession to the Grand Entrance of the Palace.
Prince Philip and Madam Theresa also rode into another Coach. So splendid was the event that a number of Ghanaians in the UK, including the Reverend Dr Gordon Odonkor, the Ghanaian Chaplian for London, Ms Catherine Ampaw of the OBE Televison and Ms Thelma Sarpong, a Nurse, said they were proud to be Ghanaians.
The Queen by tradition invites two leaders to the UK for a state visit every year.
This year, President Kufuor happens to be the first to have received that honour.
The Queen conducted President Kufuor and the wife to view a collection of Ghanaian items, and later visited the Westminster Abbey, where he laid a wreath at the grave of the unknown warrior and also toured the British Museum.
The President was scheduled to receive courtesy calls by the leader of the British Opposition, leader of the Liberal Democrats and the Commonwealth Secretary General Some of the highlights of his programme would be high level talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and a meeting with African Heads of Mission.
Source:
GNA
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