Agreement on Bui Dam project signed
Accra, April 19, GNA -
An engineering and procurement contract between the Ministry of Energy and a Chinese organization, " Sino hydro" was on Thursday singed for the beginning of the construction of a major hydropower facility at Bui.
Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, who signed the agreement on behalf of government said the current power situation supported the implementation of the Bui Dam project, which was identified in the early 1920s.
The project estimated at about 600 million dollars, when implemented would assure the country of energy supply in the long term of about 400 megawatts as against the current supply of about 1700 megawatts.
"We are in the process of negotiating a price," he said and noted that the signing of the agreement is the beginning of the project to go through cabinet and parliament.
Mr Adda noted that the Chinese organization handling the project is a leading hydropower company in China and noted that 2,900 Ghanaians will be contracted to work on the project as against 500 Chinese. He said substantial amount of materials required for the project would be supplied by Ghanaian companies thus generating jobs. Mentioning additional potentials of the dam, the Minister said the project had other uses such as irrigation, fishing and tourism in the long term.
Mr. Adda said the project would also improve the power supply to the northern regions and puts Ghana in the position to supply power to neighbouring countries within the framework of ECOWAS. "The Bui Dam project is a dream come true for the people of Ghana," he said.
Mr Fan Juxiang, Chairman of Sinohydro, noted that the project was as important to the company as it was important to Ghana. He said the Chinese government supports projects in water resources and energy in Ghana and Sinohydro Company was implementing such projects.
Mr Juxiang expressed his company's willingness to share sophisticated technology with the Ghanaian people, urging his employees to participate in social activities in Ghana and make the wellbeing of Ghana their priority.
He called for early settlement of financial arrangements to enable the project to begin on time and assured Ghanaians of a high quality project.
Mr Afare Donkor, Ghana's Ambassador to China, noted that the project would take time once quality was the hallmark. Mr Antwi Darkwa, Director of Power at the sector Ministry mentioned one challenge of the project was the resettlement of about 1,700 people due to the environmental impact of the project, which would affect some parts of the Bui National Park.
He announced that the planned project completion was expected by February 2012.
Source:
GNA
German Medical team calls on Nyakrom Omanhene
Agona Nyakrom (C/R), April 19, GNA -
A ten-member medical team from a non-Governmental Organization in Germany, has paid a courtesy call on the Omanhene of the Agona Nyakrom Traditional Area, Nana Okofo Katakyi Nyakoh Eku X, to formally announced their arrival in the Agona district of the Central Region.
The Specialists from the NGO, Pro Interplast Germany, arrived in the country on Saturday for a two-week stay in the district. The team made up of five surgical specialists and five nurses will engage in orthopaedic, plastic, hand and general surgery using the facilities of the District Hospital at Agona Swedru.
Ailments that the team would work on include hole in lips, multiple fingers and horse like legs.
Other areas are burn complications, wounds, accidents problems and fingers and joint bony deformities.
They would also treat deformities either from birth, disease or accident resulting in impaired gait and all types of swellings on the body including goitre and hernia.
Addressing them, Nana Eku, commended the team and their counterpart in Ghana for their "fellow feeling" for the people in the District. He praised Mrs Ama Rose Boateng, Director Pro Interplast Ghana, for the presence of the team and said the Nyakrom Traditional Council would soon honour her for meritorious services to society.
Nana Eku also praised Mr Joe Appeah, a Management Consultant, for the presence of the team in the district to offer services to the people.
Dr Kwadwo Sekyi-Appiah, District Director of Health Services, said aliments the specialists would treat in the two weeks period could only be done at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Central Regional Hospital in Cape Coast.
He appealed to traditional rulers, assembly members and opinion leaders in the district to encourage people to patronise the programme. Mr Ben Mensah, Agona District Chief Executive, said the Assembly would "pick the cost" of the two-week programme to ensure that people patronised the programme. He called on parents to take advantage of the opportunity to ensure treatment to enable them and their children to undertake their businesses and studies.
Mrs Boateng said she formed the NGO after her 15-year stay in Germany. She commended Mr Appeah, who is a member of the District Assembly, who made it possible for the team's arrival in the district to provide such health care. Mr Samuel Kweku Obodai, MP for Agona West, urged the people not allow middlemen to extort money from them for the services of the team and cautioned the people from doing anything that could disrupt the programme. He said everything would be done to bring the team to the district next year.
Source:
GNA
Open Letter To Wolfowitz
REF: AN OPEN LETTER TO WORLD BANK PRESIDENT WOLFOWITZ
I wish there is away I can have you forward this to the World Bank President for us.
Under normal circumstances many of us from Ghana would not bother with such news that are of global proportions and do not affect Ghana directly. It is not our culture to cause more trouble for a man when in distress. However some of us have had questions on our minds for many decades and I dare send this to you if you can forward to the honorable President for us.
We do sympathize with the troubles of the honorable President, but wonder if he can help us resolve something perhaps in this time of open disclosures and emphasis and talks about helping the poor. The recent report in the US and global news of the World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz personally approving a pay raise for his girl friend using Bank funds brings to mind many troubling questions that some Ghanaians have been asking for years as to how some of our poor nations such as Ghana got so much into debt with nothing showing for infrastructural development.
There is do no doubt in the minds of some prominent Ghanaians especially those with some knowledge of Banking and finance in the West, that a nation or organization does not incur $6.2 Billion in debt without being able to show some solid durable roads and infrastructural development such as water, roads and electricity. It is true that the Gleneagles G8 conference promised to write off a good portion of this loan, but questions still remain. During the mid 1980s to the last year or so, Ghana had accumulated this huge burden from the World Bank and other external sources, and yet Ghanaians today cannot find a single four lane well constructed highway over the last twenty years. Today Ghanaians are having power rationing because the only solid electricity generator built by Ghana's first Premier in the 1960s has reached it's limits. Over 70% of Ghanaians do not have potable water supply despite $103 million reported to be granted to Ghana in January 2005 and another $500 million reported as loans to Ghana for urban and rural water in January 2006. Where is the money!!?
Many Ghanaians and Africans are curious to find if the integrity of the World Bank leadership is something the poor nations can rely on, and especially the poor people like Ghanaians who are forced to pay duties and taxes of 100-200% on their vehicles and 12.5% sales tax and yet have to build their own water reservoirs and share rationed water. Many have wondered if the leaders of Ghana have not had some questionable relationships with World Bank leaders that have allowed them to have total control over our land whiles they get away with encumbering the nation with huge debts they do not account to the people for.
Some people have commented and wondered about what author John Perkins (2004) has revealed to the world of dubious "Economic Hit men" whose jobs have been to simply saddle poor nations like Ghana with excessive debts to break their economies, working through World Bank contracts. It is hoped that some in the West still have a conscience, a Christian conscience. We wonder if World Bank President Wolfowitz might comment on such matters for the Ghana Leadership Union in view of the excessive powers of disbursing finances he has demonstrated in the recent reports.
Sincerely,
Kwaku A. Danso, PhD
President , Ghana Leadership Union, Inc.(NGO)
Police, musicians' team descend on music pirates
Techiman (B/A) April 19, GNA -
The Ghana Association of Phonographic Industry is to set up an anti-piracy task force in Brong Ahafo that would collaborate with the Police to flush out music pirates in the region.
The force would ensure that the exercise would be carried out on a sustainable basis to help rid the region of the economic saboteurs. Mr. John Mensah-Sarpong, President of the Association, who disclosed this was briefing newsmen on Thursday in Techiman after a combined team of the Police and some members of the Association had arrested about 20 music retailers engaged in the practice in the Municipality.
They will be screened and those found culpable would be prosecuted in court to serve as a deterrent to others, he said.
Pirated works were also confiscated from musical shops and drinking spots, including Big Ofori, Twin Digital, Franco Computers, Afriyie Music, and Saudiya Boutique in the exercise.
Mr. Mensah-Sarpong noted that the activities of the pirates were "a pain in the neck" of the association and called for a concerted effort by all and sundry to deal with the menace "since their criminal activity is killing creativity and culture".
He appealed to the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to intensify public education on copyright laws in Ghana to sensitise stakeholders in the music industry about the need to observe such rules and regulations to stem the canker that had engulfed the industry. The exercise was the second in the series undertaken by the association in the region, the first one at Berekum.
In a related development, members of the association in collaboration with the Police have arrested Isaac Yaw Amofah, owner of Fox Entertainment in Sunyani, also for engaging in piracy.
Various electrical items running into millions of cedis including television sets, CD bags, flat screen computers and accessories, recording systems and a large quantity of pirated CDs were seized by the team.
Also arrested was his assistant, Christopher Anto at their recording studios in Sunyani, following a tip-off and investigations by some members of the Association's team.
The two have been placed in police custody and would be put before court to face trial after investigations.
Mr. Mensah-Sarpong said the arrest of Amofah and his assistant was "very important" as the suspect was a principal actor in the piracy business, whose works are well patronized by restaurants, hotels, spinners and drinking spots in the Sunyani Municipality".
Source:
GNA
14 years in jail without trial
Accra, April 19, GNA -
A middle-aged man who has been on remand for 14 years without trial for a robbery offence on Thursday cried out to a Fast Track High Court Judge, Mrs Justice Iris-May Brown to "save" him.
"My Lord save me, I am innocent," Francis Agyare said. "I don't have anybody to help me. No relation has ever visited me in prison."
According to Agyare his docket could not be traced and although he has petitioned the prison authorities and the Attorney General there has been no response.
Agyare dressed in an ash T-Shirt persistently raised his hand to attract the attention of the judge.
However, the Judge told the accused: "Your docket is not before me."
When she asked lawyers from the Attorney-General's Office where the docket of the accused persons was, Mrs Evelyn Keelson, a Senior State Attorney, who was not the person handling the case, said she was sure there would be a docket on the accused person.
The judge assigned Mr Takyi Menson, a lawyer, to be a solicitor for the accused and ordered the Registrar of the Court to issue hearing notices.
Mrs Brown assured the accused the case had moved a step forward. Agyare and Henry Clottey Abbey who are being held for robbery have been in custody for 14 years.
Source:
GNA