The Nightmare of Driving in Accra
THESE DAYS when people want to see me, they have to come to me. Not because I'm bluffing but because driving around the city of Accra is too crazy.
Between the potholes, the tro-tros, the lack of streetlights at night, the traffic lights that don't work, the heavy traffic, the erratic drivers should I go on? I tell you, going out is a painful experience these days. But just this morning, I had some business to attend to which involved me driving to another location. Believe me, there was no avoiding it.
And what an experience I had on the road. First of all, some car decided to break down, thus creating so much unnecessary congestion, chaos and confusion. The thing was, looking at the car; I'm not surprised it broke down. I mean, it should not have been on the road in the first place.
The car was so battered that it couldn't possibly have passed its MOT. And even if it did, surely the Police have seen this car on the road? Why do they allow the driver to keep driving it?
What amazed me the most was the fact that people actually paid money to risk their lives by choosing to travel in that car. The sad reality is that cars like this are on our roads because
1. Officials who are responsible for keeping them off the roads accept bribes to keep them on!
2. Drivers of such vehicles are never really made to understand the irresponsibility and danger of driving their vehicles.
3. Most of us who own cars own "home-used" (why they are called that I will never understand as my home is Ghana and not the country of their previous owner!).
"Home used" cars which are no longer good enough to be used by drivers in their countries of origin. And 4. Most commuters have very little option so just tolerate anything.
ACCRA'S NIGHTMARE
There are so many reasons why driving in Accra these days is a nightmare.
Anyway, back to my story. After finally getting out of the traffic created by the broken car, I unfortunately happened to get stuck behind a long truck that was blowing so much smoke on me; I had to roll my windows up, and sit in my non air-conditioned car, sweating profusely. Once again, I had to ask the wind how such a truck could be on the road.
Of course, because nobody wanted to be behind this ghastly truck, we all tried to move into the other lane. Foolish me, using my indicator, patiently waiting for someone to give me room to move.
From nowhere, private cars, tro-tros, taxis, buses, vans, you name it; all kinds of vehicles were just pulling into the other lane from every angle. It was pure madness. And it reminded me of why I prefer people to come to me these days.
Finally, I managed to get going. But it was too good to be true. Somewhere along my journey, I came across traffic lights that were not working. I didn't know human beings could be so disorganized and selfish.
I mean, for people who call themselves Christians, and spend so much time in Church, it never ceases to amaze me how nobody wants to give way to anybody. Cars approach from all directions, each driver refusing to give way to another. It was pure madness.
But then it turned to pure magic when from nowhere, the children of the street appeared with their tree branches, bringing some much needed sanity to the crazy situation. Once more, traffic began to flow and I continued my journey.
NIGHT DRIVING Of course, I wanted to go about my business and return to the sanctity of my home before it got dark. After all, who enjoys driving in the dark? I don't know about you, but I don't have special eyes that see in the dark. Like every human being I know, and I'm sure you too, I need lights to see at night. So it really baffles me how we are supposed to drive safely in the dark.
That we do is only because of our Creator. Anyway, the other reason why I had to rush about my business and return home before dark is that nighttime driving means dealing with those beggars in uniform. You know the ones.
They ask you for money for water because they are out on the streets protecting you all night. How reassuring! I tell you driving in Accra is a nightmare. I truly felt like this when I hit an uncompleted dirt road. We couldn't help it but all the cars were blowing dust and dirt as we roller-coasted along the bumpy road. I feel extremely guilty seeing the dust land on the beautiful African faces of innocent children as they lay by their mothers who were selling all sorts of foods. It was all so sad and pathetic. I couldn't believe I was in the capital city of a country that is spending 20 million US dollars on celebrating a Golden Jubilee of "Independence". I tell you, something ain't right.
MY DESTINATION By the time I got to my destination, I not only needed a nice cold refreshing shower, but I had also encountered every driver's nightmare - including stubborn goats and dogs refusing to move out of my way. I tell you, it was all too much.
Truthfully, after such an experience would you feel happy going out? Once again, a sad reality hits us. This is the normal, daily experience of moving about in Accra.
For those of us with our own vehicles, at least we are blessed because I can't imagine having to go through all these pains in a tro-tro. People of Ghana are suffering. So next time I tell someone to come to me, I hope they will understand. On the other hand, I too will also understand if they want me to come to them.
But, if nobody is willing to go through this nightmare journey, we will do the next best thing, talk by phone, text or email. Oh, but this is Ghana. So it's very doubtful we will have easy connectivity.
But hey, these are just the reflections of an ordinary Ghanaian woman.
Source:
Ghanaian Chronicle
Economist Intelligence Report On Ghana
... Economic growth down, deficit up as power crisis continues
... Mills is tainted
For the first time since 2001, economic growth for 2007 is expected to be lower than the previous year, largely as a result of the energy crisis.
The Economist Intelligence Unit Report, the internationally-reputed research arm of the Economist newspaper, has revised its predictions for this year in the light of the ongoing lights-out problem. Gross Domestic Product is now expected to rise by just 5.7 percent, down from the previous forecast of 6.2 percent.
Power shortages are also behind an increase in the predicted current-account deficit, now expected to be 6.1 percent instead of 5.7 percent. Meanwhile, Bank of Ghana targets of single-digit inflation are not realistic, according to the Economist experts, who are instead predicting a rise in inflation during the second half of the year - to 10.2 percent at the end of 2007, and 10.5 percent next year.
The revised predictions come in the same week as several other negative projections. Databank, the country's leading financial service provider, is also anticipating a reduction in growth as a direct result of the energy crisis: the economy stands to lose $1.4 billion by the end of the year if the situation does not let up, according to Daniel Ogbamey Tetteh, head of the research unit.
The Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Ghana has also admitted the power crisis is hindering national growth. Speaking at an MPC presentation this week Paul Acquah, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, said that the load shedding programme will prevent the Ghanaian economy from surpassing the BoG growth estimate of 6.5 percent this year. However, he denied that the bank is preparing to follow the Economist in cutting that prediction.
The Economist report cites the effect of the power crisis on both the manufacturing and services sector, and in particular the closure in April of the Volta Aluminium Company facilities – with more job cuts also predicted. The reduction in electricity supply is likely to increase tariffs for utilities and raise costs for domestic producers, which are then likely to be passed on to consumers, according to the report.
The outlook is not all bad, as the Intelligence Report places a current deceleration in growth in the context of recent economic successes and continued optimism for the future:
"Positively for the government, real GDP growth is forecast to remain reasonably strong, owing to a high international price for gold and a good cocoa harvest. Against the background of a stable inflation rate and a steady cedi, the NPP will be able to campaign on a sound macroeconomic record."
Already, GDP has grown from $6.2bn in 2002, to an estimated $11.9bn in 2006, and real GDP growth is estimated to have grown by 6 percent in 2006, reflecting a high international price for gold and a record year for cocoa production. For certain sectors, the outlook remains very positive. The report predicted continued strong growth in the cocoa sector and in the agricultural sector in general. Furthermore, "high international gold prices and production from new mines will offset any negative effect from the power shortages on the contribution of gold mining to overall economic growth," according to the Economist team.
Mills is tainted
The Economist Intelligence Unit has this week issued its May report on Ghana and it makes interesting reading on the political fortunes of the two leading parties of Ghana.
The Economist's regular reports on countries serve as a major credible reference point for investors, institutions, journalists and politicians worldwide. For 60 years it has been a source of information on business developments, economic and political trends, government regulations and corporate practice worldwide.
For the New Patriotic Party, the latest report on Ghana warns, "There is a danger that the open campaigning by so many NPP figures will appear as an undignified scramble for power and may alienate the electorate.”
While, acknowledging that the “main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress, has had an easier time in selecting its candidate, John Atta Mills, for the 2008 presidential election,” the EIU report is markedly gloomy about Prof Mills’ chances:
“The apparent unity within the NDC is a relatively new development and indicates an awareness of the importance of public perceptions of the party that may presage a more media-savvy campaign than has previously been the case,” it begins.
“However, it is unclear if the 62-year-old [Prof] Mills will be able to unseat the NPP. In particular, Mr Mills does not represent the break with the past and the fresh start for the NDC that many argue is needed to increase the party’s appeal outside its traditional core of voters.”
The Economist goes on to explain its dingy audit of the NDC: “As a former vice-president of an NDC government, Mr Mills is tainted with links to an administration that has been accused of human rights abuses and economic mismanagement.”
Not only does the report consider the NDC as a vehicle of liability, it is equally damning of the man ostensibly in the driving seat as well: “Mr Mills’ record is further blotted by two previous presidential election defeats, in 2000 and 2004. Such criticisms, as well as doubts surrounding his health, were used against him during the nomination process and are expected to be raised during the election campaign.”
But, it is not all funereal for the party founded for and by Jerry John Rawlings.
According to the EIU report, "In a bid to counter this, the NDC will continue to challenge the NPP on a number of issues, particularly corruption and governance."
An almost entrenched but seemingly dangerous augury in the NPP is that for the next general elections, the actual contest is in who wins the NPP flagbearership, with the presidential race somewhat complacently considered as a foregone conclusion. But not so, says the prognosis of the Economist Intelligence Unit:
"Overall, we expect the 2008 vote to be reasonably close."
In 2004, though President Kufuor won 'one touch,’ many within his party were somewhat miffed by the victory margin. Mr Kufuor won 52.75% of the vote. Prof Mills gained 44.32% of the vote, which attracted a turnout of 83.2%. The Economist believes that "The NDC’s popularity is expected to remain strong, particularly in the north and east, and it will seek to extend this voting base by appealing to the poor ‘whom it believes to be excluded by NPP policies’ with social welfare schemes".
On the other hand the report says the NPP has declared that it wants the leading parties to be judged on the basis of a comparison between the NDC’s record in government in 1992-2000 and its own record in 2000-08, focusing in particular on economic and business management.
The intelligence unit of the world’s leading current affairs and economics magazine predicts political tensions in the country heightening. It cites the People’s Representation (Amendment) Act (2005) as one such time bomb. "It is becoming increasingly clear that as the NDC seeks to discredit the NPP, Ghana’s political atmosphere, which is already characterised by bickering and parliamentary boycotts, is set to become yet more bellicose.
"A particular area of contention will be recent legislation allowing Ghanaians who are not living in the country to vote in the elections. The NDC is wary of the potential advantage that this gives the NPP, as well as the likely administrative problems in identifying and registering overseas voters, and believes that the legislation could be used as an opportunity for the NPP to manipulate the electoral outcome."
Meanwhile, with the NDC strengthening its official presence in Togo, there is a fast-growing worry in the NPP that while the NDC may be diverting attention to Ghanaians domiciled in Europe and North America, the biggest votes from ROPAA may be far closer to home than previously anticipated.
After the 2000 general elections, the NDC claimed that around 2 million of its voters were prevented from crossing over from Ghana’s eastern border to vote due to the decision by the Togolese government to close its borders during the Ghanaian polls.
The Economist Intelligence Unit provides a constant flow of analysis and forecasts on more than 200 countries and eight key industries. They help decision makers make informed decisions about their countries of interest through dependable intelligence delivered online, in print, in customised research as well as through conferences and peer interchange.
Source:
Statesman
Sex Orgies, "Ntampi", Rape and Booze At T'Ploy
Seventy-one students of the Takoradi Polytechnic have been dismissed for various campus offences, ranging from rape and alcoholism to poor academic performance.
Releasing the shocking statistics to the Daily Graphic last week, the Principal of the polytechnic, Dr Samuel Obeng Apori, expressed disgust at the deteriorating morals and standards on campus and listed some of the offences as abnormally excessive desire for sex, open sex at the Takoradi Beach, rape, indecent dressing, extravagant lifestyles, alcoholism, the smoking of Indian hemp (wee), among others.
Three male students were sacked for fighting over females, with more of those cases still being investigated. Another male student was sacked for attempted rape, while two were dismissed for smoking Indian hemp.
Seventeen males and four females have been sacked for various forms of examination malpractice, while 33 males and 11 females have been sacked for academic non-performance.
Part of the lowering of academic standards has been attributed to students’ growing interest in night clubs, from where they return sometimes at about 4 a.m., with little time for academic work.
The students are also said to be engaging in sex orgies during beach parties and in their hostels. It is said that students, both male and female, go to the hostels of their boyfriends and girlfriends and have sex with them, with no regard for the privacy and their roommates.
The organisation of expensive parties has also become a ritual, while, interestingly, some of those hosting those parties owe school fees.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic at the school's sixth congregation, Dr Obeng Apori said he was not against students organising parties but he thought their lifestyles had become too reckless.
"Their parents should be cautious and know that their children lead double lives — one on campus and the other outside the campus," he said.
"It has been observed that most students have lost focus and seem to have forgotten that they are in the polytechnic primarily to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to enable them to make meaningful contributions to the socio-economic development of the country," he added.
He said the students tended to be pre-occupied with extra curricular activities and unimportant social events, asking, “How can a student throw a plush party for his girlfriend on campus for the whole party to degenerate into an open fight over the lady?"
"These students are the future and they must not be left to mess themselves up at the expense of their parents and the country," he added.
Dr Apori said as the principal of the polytechnic and a parent, he would urge parents to make periodic surprise checks on their children to see what kind of life they were leading on campus.
A section of the students the Daily Graphic spoke to confirmed the vices on campus and said they were no news, since they were normal practices on the campuses of all the tertiary institutions.
Source:
Daily Graphic
NDC accuses gov’t of misapplying GETFUND
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused government of misapplying the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND).
Koku Anyidoho, who is in charge of Communications for the NDC presidential candidate John Atta Mills, says the current administration is not applying the funds from the Trust for what it was originally intended.
Speaking to the dailyEXPRESS during a familiarization visit to the University of Ghana by Professor Mills, Mr. Anyidoho said, but for the misapplication of the GETFUND, the problems confronting the premier university and others especially in the area of residential accommodation, would have been curtailed.
The Mills spokesman said the GETFUND was intended for infrastructure development and improvement in the educational sector and not for activities like scholarships, capitation grant and youth employment activities that it is currently been used for.
Mr. Anyidoho was of the view that the proposed in-out-out-out residential policy at Legon and its attendant problems would have been averted if the right things were done.
Mr.Anyidoho disclosed to the dailyEXPRESS that the NPP administration has channeled some of the Getfund money into the capitation grant, youth employment, buses for secondary schools and other areas. What the NPP could have done after the NDC put the getfund in place Mr. Anyidoho said was for the current government to find ways of supplementing the fund.
The NDCs comments came in the wake of increasing rumpus on the University of Ghana campus as a result of the university’s proposed new residential policy. The policy, if implemented will see students of the university admitted into residence only during the first year of their four-year course.
Even though the University of Ghana has seen massive construction work over the last six-years of the NPP administration, Mr. Anyidoho says the chaos on campus is an indication that very little is being done. He added that the GETFund must be used to improve residential infrastructure on the various campuses.
Meanwhile, presidential candidate of the NDC Prof John Atta Mills has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party of pursuing misplaced priorities.
Bemoaning the over thirty-million US dollar expenditure on a presidential palace by government at the expense of improving residential infrastructure in the various public universities, he called on the NPP government to account for how the GETFund money is being spent.
Prof. Mills made the call after a closed door meeting with authorities of the University of Ghana to help find a solution to the stand-off between authorities and students the proposed in-out-out-out residential policy of the university.
Himself a former member of the university, Prof Mills appealed to the authorities to withdraw the proposed policy and continue with the existing one which enables first and final year students to be accommodated.
Prof. Kofi Awoonor, lecturer in the English Department of the University, Haruna Iddrisu, MP for Tamale South and former student leader and other leading members of the party accompanied Prof. Mills on the tour.
Source:
dailyExpress
Conflict of Interest Brews At Legon
Students of the University of Ghana have again stirred controversy over the in-out-out-out accommodation policy by accusing some university authorities of conflict of interest.
Their beef is that key personalities within the premier university's hierarchy, including the Vice-Chancellor, Professor C.N.B. Tagoe and the Dean of Students, Dr. Banoeng Yakubu, are promoting the new policy, primarily to coerce students into patronizing hostel facilities in which the officials allegedly have shares.
But when contacted, Dr. Yakubu debunked the accusations, saying they amount to "complete nonsense," because he has neither been in office long enough to wield such influence that he could use to sway university accommodation policy in favour of hostel facilities, nor does he have funds to own shares in any hostel facility.
On the other hand, the students are suspicious because of the ongoing sale of forms at the Office of the Dean of Students, for one of the newly built private hostels, Bani Hostel, that is located opposite the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School (PRESEC), Legon.
During the just-ended semester, a student who preferred to share a room with five others at the Bani Hostel coughed up ¢3 million whereas, those who were more comfortable staying alone had to pay ¢20 million, a source told this paper.
Public Agenda's enquiries have also confirmed that a set of forms, including regulations and guidelines costs ¢40,000 and a few students have already purchased some copies.
Even so, Dr. Yakubu denies knowledge of the sale of the forms and inquired from this reporter the name of the person selling the set of forms in his office. He admitted though that he was aware some students were peddling falsehood about him owning Bani Hostel.
He maintained that he neither has full nor part ownership of the hostel facility, and dared students, as well as, members of the public to prove otherwise.
The students are however, standing their grounds, arguing that the Dean's actions were tantamount to conflict of interest, since his office has no business promoting a private hostel in the manner that it is doing.
Tension has built up at the University of Ghana since last month's announcement of the new in-out-out-out policy to replace the existing in-out-out-in policy. The policy affords only freshmen and women accommodation in the university's halls of residence that contain about 8,000 beds as against the old policy under which first and final year students could access accommodation on campus.
According to authorities, about 5,000 of the beds will be occupied by freshmen and women who at the start of the next academic year. However, continuing students would have to go through a lottery system to secure beds only after some special groups such as medical and postgraduate students have been catered for.
Subsequent to the announcement of the new policy, thousands of dissatisfied students embarked on a demonstration, culminating in police brutalities and arrests.
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The students also threatened to boycott end of semester examinations unless the new policy was withdrawn, but later kowtowed, as university authorities warned that whoever refused to sit for the examinations would be failed automatically.
Consequently, security has been tightened at the campus as uniformed security officers, including the police are visible everywhere. Plain-clothed security officers are also said to be present.
The issuance of threats by a group called Militant African Youth against Neo-colonialism to some officials of the university, including some heads of departments, mainly occasioned the strong security presence on the university campus. The group warned the said officials to speak against the "imperialist policies" that the Prof. Tagoe-led administration is pursuing, else the group would wreak havoc on the officials and their families.
Source:
Public Agenda
Cape Vars Medical School Is Fake
Students and parents rushing to secure admission forms for a medical school said to be operational under the University of Cape Coast have been warned that the purported medical school is not accredited.
Appropriately naked the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences, the University has over the last couple of weeks been running newspaper adverts requesting qualified students to apply for medical studies in the University. The national accreditation Board (NAB) has however disclosed that University has not been accredited to run any medical courses.
The Board made it clear in a notice to the public that while it has taken note of the advertisements soliciting applications from interested students, “the University of Cape Coast has neither submitted the programmes to be run by the proposed UCCSMS to it no has it accredited any medical programme by the University of Cape Coast as is required by law – PNDC L 317 (1993) and LI 1700 (2002).”
The Boards statement suggests strongly to those who have bought forms to the said School of Medical Sciences at Cape Coast that they have been deceived since the University has no accreditation for that purpose.
The general public is also hereby cautioned not to patronize the unaccredited programmes or it will be doing so at its own risk” concluded the public notice issued by the NAB.
When reached for comments, the Public Relations Officer of the University, Jeff Onyame will not answer a direct question about the advertisements despite the lack of accreditation. He was also not prepared to answer any question relating to the accreditation of the school and its programme or not.
His only comment was that, they (the University) have started some discussions with the NAB, “but the public statement creates the impression that nothing has happened between the two institutions. Mr. Onyame, while expecting some meetings in the next few weeks to resolve the differences, will however not explain the University’s decision to outdoor program and full-fledged school of Medical Sciences without proper authorization and approval of the proposed programs to be run if any.
A source at the NAB told the dailyExpress that the UCC Governing Council and the Academic Board cannot deny knowledge of the country’s laws as it relates to accreditations. He was however quick to add that he cannot explain why they chose to do things illegally and deceive the public.
It will recalled that a few years ago, the University advertised a medical programme that many students applied for, but were disappointed after three years into the programme when thy were told that they cannot major in any of the medical science field. The NAB according to Section 3 (1) of PNDCL 317 “shall be responsible for the accreditation of both public and private institutions with regard to the contents and standards of their programmes.”
Source:
dailyExpress
Teachers to finally get their salaries ....
... after 10 Months
Following the newspaper Ghanaian Times' front page publication yesterday that over 10,000 teachers have not been paid salaries since October 2006, the Controller and Accountant General says all the affected teachers will be paid by Thursday.
The Controller, Christian Sottie, told the Times that the salary vouchers were sent to the banks yesterday morning and was hopeful that the teachers could go to the banks on Thursday for their money, which included 10 months of arrears.
Mr Sottie noted that his office has erroneously been blamed for the delay in the payment of salaries and explained that over the past two years, the processing of salaries had been decentralised and was being done by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)."We only generate reports of the inputs made by the MDAs and send them to the banks," he said and added that in the case of the teachers, the Ghana Education Service is the agency in charge of the process.
Mr. Sottie further explained that a newly-recruited teacher had to be served with a letter of appointment, which should be followed with an acceptance letter and medical examination before assuming duty.Subsequently, the teacher fills a form and sends it to the pay processing centre of the GES which is linked by a server. With regard to the latest problem of the teachers, Mr. Sottie said it came to his notice three weeks ago at a meeting with GES officials.He said his office opted to provide personnel to key in 8,000 entries which they were able to execute within three days.
He bemoaned the high level of bureaucracy in the Civil Service, which he said was the cause, of such delays over the years. However, he said, he was optimistic that the situation will improve considerably with time.John Nyoagbe, a Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, disclosed the news about the non-payment of the teachers salaries at a training workshop last Friday, for teachers in Koforidua. He said the affected teachers included newly trained teachers, those who returned from study leave and others who were recruited as far back as 2004.
He attributed the delay to the inability to access information stored in a previous database.
Source:
Ghanaian Times
Economy Records Growth
The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Paul Acquah, has described the economic activity in the first quarter of the year as robust, in spite of the ongoing load shedding exercise.He said that the first quarter showed significant growth in imports and exports and strong corporate performance while the bank’s Composite Index of Economic Activity at the end of the quarter was up by 1.8 per cent and attributed it to employment, exports, commercial bank credit, imports and tourism.
He however noted that there were declines in port activities like cement sales and electricity consumption.Presenting the Monetary Policy Committee report for the first quarter in Accra yesterday, Dr. Acquah said the country’s current debt stands at 2.7 billion dollars and added that total merchandise exports at the end of March amounted to 1,044.8 billion dollars which was an increase of 12 per cent over the fourth quarter of last year.
Total imports at the end of the quarter, he said, amounted to 1,822.71 billion dollars, a growth of 15.8 per cent over that of the first quarter of last year."Crude oil imports amounted to 415.43 million dollars, about 24 per cent above the 379.79 million dollars recorded in the first quarter of 2006, reflecting an increase in volume, as the average price declined by 6.7 per cent," he said, adding that the country’s trade deficit narrowed from 842.25 million dollars in the fourth quarter of last year to 778.63 million dollars at the end of the first quarter of this year.
The country’s external current account he said, recorded a deficit of 482.8 million dollars compared to a deficit of 181 million dollars before debt relief recorded in the first quarter of last year.On the 2007 budget, Dr Acquah said, provisional banking sector data on its implementation indicates that total receipts for the first four months of 2007 amounted to ¢14,402.7 billion.He said total revenue and grants amounted to ¢10,758.9billion and total payments for the first four months of 2007 amounted to ¢15,962.7 billion, all of which resulted in a deficit of ¢1,560 billion.
The governor said headline inflation continued to be stable on its downward trend but showed an up-pick in April to 10.5 per cent due to unusual increases in food prices attributed to supply conditions.He said the BoG has formally announced the adoption of an inflation targeting framework measuring inflation as its principal variable for tracking underlying inflation in the country.He said the monetary policy committee has decided to keep the prime rate unchanged at 12.5 per cent as the risks in the outlook are well balanced.
The Governor said the total assets of the banking industry rose by 41.6 billion per cent to ¢56,275.7 billion over the year to March 2007 compared to 24 per cent a year ago."Net loans and advances increased by 58.1 per cent to reach ¢26,354.7 billion in March 2007, compared with 41.8 per cent for the preceding year," he said.He said the quality of the banking industry’s loan portfolio improved while non performing loans ration declined to 6.9 per cent from 7.9 per cent in December, last year.
Dr.Acquah noted that the country’s reserve money broadly declined at a somewhat more rapid pace in the first quarter of the year.
Source:
GHANAIAN TIMES
US Housing Firm To Sue The Enquirer
Global Interests of Houston, Texas, is a company that has been vouched for by its bankers, JP Morgan Chase & Co. (a leading global financial services firm with assets of $1.4 trillion) and also cleared to be credit-worthy by Dun & Bradstreet (world's leading provider of international and US business credit information and credit reports). But, that did not stop Raymond Archer's Enquirer from describing it as a ghost company, which had not satisfied its tax obligations.
Through negotiations with the Minister of Water Resources, Works & Housing, the American company has agreed to build decent affordable houses for Ghanaians with its own resources but with the assurance from the Ghana government that the houses will be bought off the company.Enquirer’s concern seemed to centre around the fact that the Government of Ghana has signed a 600 billion unbinding memorandum of understanding on the sale of the relatively low cost houses to the Ghanaian public.
But in a statement issued by Global Interests lawyer, Gordon Cooper yesterday, the company is threatening a libel suit, describing Enquirer stories about them as "malicious and devoid of the truth.” But, they say they are still determined to go ahead with the project in spite of the media treatment they have received.The statement accuses Enquirer of behaving as if the newspaper does not understand what an MOU is.
As a company, “Global Interests,” the letter says, “has met all our tax obligations to the US Government since its formation.” Mr Cooper continues, “Please note that for the Housing Project we have agreed to do with Ghana, we are using our own and affiliate resources and have not received nor will receive any fiduciary document like a Government Guarantee, Promissory Note, etc from the Government of Ghana.”
The letter further explains, "All we have is an MOU that stipulates the price at which Government will buy the houses after we have built them. The risk is entirely ours with none whatsoever to the Government of Ghana."As Investors, Global Interests, say they "have studied and we know the current prices of residential properties in Ghana and we could have built them and sold them at the current market prices ourselves."However, during their negotiations with Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, "he pushed us to accept prices which are less than a third of what the going prices are because he said he 'wanted to provide affordable houses that the average Ghanaian worker could own and thereby deliver them from landlords who demand high rents and several years’ rent advance’.
He further requested that we even bear the cost of infrastructural works like roads and sewerage in order to make the houses immediately habitable. Our team heeded the Minister’s passionate appeal."The statement reads further, "If after conceding so much to the Honorable Minister to help the people of Ghana and all we get in the process is media bashing then we have no option than to clear our names in the Law Courts and proceed with the project to prove to all that we are capable of delivering our promise to Government."
But, they warn, "We also reserve the right to take our investment elsewhere where we will have better margins and will also be better appreciated." Yesterday’s Enquirer said that barely a day after it revealed that Global Interests had been declared "Not in Good Standing" in the USA, the company rushed to overturn that declaration and also changed its address from 7414 Cook Road, Houston to 133 West Loops, Houston. Below are parts of the statement from the company, which explains their side of the story:"Our attention has been drawn to the negative publications about our company that are doing the rounds in a couple of newspapers in Ghana. The said publications can only be described as malicious and devoid of the truth.
"As a company, Global Interests, LLC of Houston, Texas has met all our tax obligations to the US Government since its formation. The company retains a Certified Public Accountant who works on our books and has handled all our tax obligations over the years as the records show.
Our CPA was in the process of submitting our tax returns when we had to travel to Ghana for meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Housing. The couple of days’ delay in submitting our returns came about as a result of the absence of the President of Global Interests who had to review the forms. On his return to Houston, the forms were submitted and we did not have to clear any outstanding liabilities as the publications sought to portray.
"Anyone who is familiar with the stringent tax regime of the United States of America knows that one cannot resurrect a "Dead" company as the papers described us and secure an "SOS of Good Standing" status. That, to say the least, is an affront to our State tax system and we take serious exception to that.
"The 9807 Hobart Drive, Sugar Land property is not our office but a residential property. It is one of the several investment properties that we own in the US. We have for the past twelve years been operating at the 7414 Cook Road Address. "With the expansion of our business interests, the Cook Road offices became too small for us so we moved to our new corporate head office at 1333 W. Loop South whilst maintaining our Cook Road offices for our other departments. Indeed we used the 1333 West Loop South address for the MOU with the Ministry of Housing in Ghana.
"The move was done pending the completion of our US$100 Million Office Complex, Convention Center and hospital at 11920 South Sam Houston Parkway, a prime location in the heart of Houston. Civil Engineering works on the project have already commenced and anyone who cares to check can confirm what we are saying. These are the facts of the case. "Dr Ams represents the Corporation as its Registered Agent. This then means that his name shows up on behalf of Directors and Board Members. There is no statutory requirement to show more than one registrant per corporation in the USA. However, we are a conglomerate of several divisions with Directors, Boards, Vice Presidents etc…"
Their statement ends by suggesting, "It is obvious to us that the writers of the articles have something personal against the Minister and we as Global Interests demand that we are not dragged into that as we have come to Ghana for business and business alone."
Source:
The Statesman
Ghana to lose $1.4 Billion
Ghana’s growing manufacturing, services and informal sectors stand threatened and the economy may well lose $1.4-billion at the end of the year if the country’s current energy crisis is not arrested, a new research has warned.
The country’s manufacturing sector suffered a major setback two months ago when VALCO Aluminium, one of its leading manufacturers, closed operations sending into the labour market its 170 workers.
"More closures are likely if the worsening situation is not treated as a matter of urgency," said Tony Oteng-Gyasi, president of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) at a forum organised by his group where the new findings were made public in Accra, Ghana.
The research conducted by Data Bank, one of Ghana’s leading financial service providers, reveals that four key sectors of the country’s economy incur extra costs of $120-million monthly on energy.
According to Daniel Ogbamey Tetteh, head of research unit of Data Bank, the impact, however, varies from industry to industry depending on the energy requirement needs and cost structure, adding that it would be difficult to make sweeping assumptions on the overall impact on businesses.
As part of measures to address the energy crisis, Joseph Kofi Adda, Ghana’s energy minister, said the government planned to establish a new company, Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCO), to help in the transmission of hydro-electric power, a function that is currently performed by the Volta River Company (VRA). Established in 1961, VRA’s primary function is to generate and supply electricity for industrial, commercial and domestic use in Ghana.
But many observers doubt if the establishment of the new company will make any significant difference to the situation. "It will be just like what happened in Nigeria where the name of NEPA was changed and yet there was no real difference in the power supply situation," said Kwame Gyasi, an Accra-based IT expert. "It does seem to us that the government has run out of ideas as to how the energy problem should be tackled in the short and long term."
Ghana began a cyclical power rationing exercise last September and despite the fact that it has been reviewed several times, many accuse the Electric Company of Ghana and the Volta River Authority of not adhering to it. The Accra Mail, one of the private newspapers in the country, voiced this frustration in its editorial of May 7, 2007:
"Our concern is about how the VRA and ECG are managing the problem. To be brutally frank, it is not good enough. After giving us the load-shedding schedules, they flout it with such impunity as to make the whole exercise meaningless. Unless, there is an even bigger problem, which they are not telling us, we find it most unacceptable for them to treat us that way - power crisis or not!"
However, the minister for energy has outlined a number of emergency measures aimed at redressing the situation. "We have currently installed automation plants that are supposed to give us 50 megawatts of power. As I speak, additional plants of 20 megawatts have been installed and are being tested and waiting for commissioning. By the 15th (last Thursday we would be able to get 20 megawatts out of these plants," he said.
So severe is the crisis that Ghanaians can hardly stop talking about it, with rumours rife about the course it will take. As the country is plunged into darkness with increasing frequency , a frustrated public now treats every assurance from government with cynicism.
Source:
BusinessDay
Nkrumah bankupted Ghana -Minister
"Without vision, you have no roadmap, no direction; without passion, you will not have the fuel to get there,” Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Tourism Minister and presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party said at Friday's maiden Ferdinand O Ayim Memorial Lectures held at the British Council auditorium, Accra. Giving several examples of leadership, he criticised Ghana"s first president for "bankrupting” Ghana with his “castle-in-the-sky plans.”
Friday’s programme, in memory of Ferdinand Ayim, the journalist-cum-politician who died in a road accident a year ago, featured two other presidential aspirants, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang as chairman and Yaw Osafo-Maafo, who led the auction of 'I Shall Return’, a compilation of some of the late Freddie’s literal works, which was launched in the evening.
It was not exactly the kind of debate the former Education Minister, Osafo-Maafo, has been calling for but all three presidential aspirants at the event spoke to some degree of leadership, with particular reference to the patriotism and leadership exhibited by their late mutual friend, Freddie.
Delivering his speech on Patriotism and Leadership, the son of Obetsebi-Lamptey of Big Six fame who died after being detained under Kwame Nkrumah’s Preventive Detention Act, did not spare Ghana’s first president, Mr Nkrumah, in pointing out what not to do as a leader and a patriot.
He described Mr Nkrumah (or Dr Nkrumah as he ensured he was addressed) as miserably failing in giving to Ghanaians the kind of freedom and humanity he was advocating for the African continent.
"We as a country," Jake said, "suffered from Kwame Nkrumah’s concept of patriotism - his inspirational vision for the continent, for a United States of Africa and a pan-African movement, failing to translate into the same kind of humanity-embracing policies back home," Jake said.
Jake made reference to the PDA, "Nkrumah’s critics were imprisoned without charge; as freedoms of speech were gradually eroded, Nkrumah took away that platform of opportunity which he had given to the continent’s leaders. Indeed, in many ways his leadership of the country was inconsistent with his vision for the continent; and it is telling that whilst still revered for his African-wide leadership, Nkrumah’s stint as our first president is often painted as one of misguided policies and undemocratic rule."
The Tourism Minister and a true blue Danquah-Busiast told his audience that, thoug a visionary, Nkrumah was not much of a realist. "Nkrumah was impatient, he was impassioned, and he was certainly charismatic – he was a man of ideas and a man of action, although his castle-in-the-sky plans sometimes bore little resemblance to the realistic financial capacity of the country, and left Ghana virtually bankrupt at the end of his nine-year rule."
In talking of great leaders, nevertheless, Ghana should certainly be proud of Nkrumah, Jake said, taking note of the CPP founder’s conviction that Africans need not accept their "lot in a world order pushing us to the bottom; that we must stand together to resist the white man’s rule," Jake acknowledged.
"For Ghana, however, Nkrumah’s vision floundered – where on a continent-wide level he preached unity and togetherness, in Ghana his leadership style drew less from this respect for humanity, with our first president becoming increasingly dictatorial in his reign. Whilst Africans respected Kwame Nkrumah for the voice he had given to the continent, the international stage onto which they were suddenly able to leap and demand their independence, in Ghana he took away those same speaking rights."
Chairman for the lectures, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang remembered Freddie as his friend and speechwriter who put together for him the best speeches, according to critics. He recalled with some humour how Jake used his weight and size to win in a contest to get Freddie as his special assistant. Mr Osafo-Maafo also revealed how he lost out in that contest, too.
Mr Osafo-Maafo described Freddie as a passionate man who cared deeply about this country’s development. He recalled a meeting he had with Freddie before he set off to travel to that fatal accident. It was about how to ensure the mining of the Kyebi bauxite would not leave behind a community poorer and an environment highly degraded such as Akwatia, after the diamonds have been mined.
Elizabeth Ohene, Ministe of State, remembered Freddie as the man through whom the NPP’s message was put out to the public in the last six months of the 2000 elections. "He made sure our message was put out there."
The auction of the first series of I Shall Return was very successful. Kwame Bamfo the entrepreneur and philanthropist bought a copy of the book for 25 million cedis. About 100 million cedis was raised on the night, with Edward Boateng of Global Media Alliance, Charles Nimako of Pepsi, Osafo-Maafo and Owusu-Agyemang paying 10 million cedis each for a copy.
All contributions will go towards the Foundation, O B Amoah, a trustee, who contributed 5 million cedis, explained. Jake, in his speech, urged all to contribute towards the Foundation and thanked those who already have.
Source:
Statesman
Black Man Beaten, Stabbed for Speaking English
The long list of racially motivated assaults in Germany has just got longer with the beating and stabbing of a Ghanaian man caught speaking English outside a night club in an eastern town on Friday night. ( 18.05.2007 )
Source : DPA ( Deutsche Presse Agentur )
Far-right assaults are on the rise in Germany.
An African man was beaten and stabbed by three German teenagers outside a nightclub in the latest of a long series of racist attacks in eastern Germany.
Police said the 22-year-old man, named only as Daniel G., had enraged the three 18-year-old men because he had been speaking English to his girlfriend. ( GERMAN GIRLFRIEND )
The doorman of the nightclub in Nauen near Berlin had refused to let him into the club and he was talking to his girlfriend about it when the three assailants approached him.
"Why are you speaking English, Nauen is in Germany," one of them shouted, the newspaper Bild reported. Another man pushed him to the ground and they started kicking him. One of them pulled out a knife and stabbed him.
Police said the victim, a trainee retailer from Ghana who has lived in Berlin for over four years, managed to defend himself with pepper spray. He and his girlfriend fled to the railway station with the attackers in pursuit but police arrived in time to stop them attacking him again. The victim was taken to hospital with a stab wound to the kidney but it wasn't deep enough to be life-threatening.
Two of the attackers, named only as Nils N. and Merlin Maria D., were caught and confessed to the attack.
They face assault charges but have been granted conditional release pending the court case.
The third assailant faces no charges because he was deemed to have played only a minor role.
Racially motivated attacks are a frequent occurrence in Germany, especially in the former communist east where far right parties are now represented in three of the region's five federal states.
The domestic intelligence agency recorded a total of 919 assaults motivated by far-right extremism last year, up from 816 in 2005. Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said this month that he was alarmed that young people were increasingly adopting far-right attitudes.
"We have to undertake every effort to get young people to support democratic views," he said. But he did not say how, and he identified Islamic terrorism as the gravest threat to stability and security in Germany.
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Source : Der Spiegel ( Germany )
Ewe Language newspaper launched
Ho, May 21, GNA- Mrs. Woyram Boakye-Danquah, District Chief Executive for South-Dayi has called on Ewe parents to encourage their children to learn and speak the language wherever they found themselves. Mrs. Boakye-Danquah made the call at the launch of an Ewe language newspaper, ""Nutifafa" in Ho on Sunday.
Previous Ewe language newspapers were "Mortabiala and "Kpodoga". Mrs. Boakye-Danquah observed that many Ewe children who live outside the Volta Region became aliens when they visit home because they could not communicate with their kith and kin in their mother tongue. She said it was important that children born to Ewe parents are able to speak other Ghanaian languages, but it was regrettable that they were doing so at the neglect of their mother tongue.
"My husband is an Akan but my children speak Ewe", she said. Mrs. Boakye-Danquah asked the publishers to let the paper reflect all shades of interest in order to make it national in character. Mamaga Kofi Bra the first, Paramount Queen mother of the Peki traditional area who chaired the launching ceremony was optimistic that "Nutifafa" would attract a mass patronage.
She said the newspaper represented a bold initiative by Mrs. Esther Malwine Edu-Yao, its Publisher and Editor and reflects the growing influence of women to assert themselves in every sector of the country. Mrs. Edu-Yao said she decided to publish the paper to make news and vital information available to many people who were not literate in the English language but could read and write in Ewe. She said there are great potentials for Ewe newspapers in the country, because of the presence of Ewes in all parts of the country and across West Africa.
The tabloid size quarterly featured stories mainly on religious and social issues with a cover price of five thousand cedis. 21 May 07
Source:
GNA
Ghana's health delivery under threat
The exodus of health professionals, especially nurses to foreign lands for greener pastures is alarming and has become a major concern to Government, health managers and all Ghanaians.
Ghana continues to use its meager resources to train nurses at the expense of the tax-payer, but majority of them leave the shores of the country shortly after their training and work elsewhere for their own interest.
Currently, there are about 12,000 nurses nursing a population of over 20 million. This negative development compels a Ghanaian nurse to nurse 1,700 patients at a time as against the internationally accepted ratio of 1:10 (one nurse taking care of 10 patients at a time).
Grace Opoku, a Principal Nursing Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the Second Vice President of the Greater Accra Registered Nurses' Association raised these concerns on Friday when addressing Korle-Bu nursing students in a day"s seminar and Alumni Home-Coming organised by the Nursing Christian Fellowship.
According to Mrs Opoku, Government needs to improve the service conditions of the health professionals to address the "push and pull" factors that move nurses away from the country.
She told The Statesman that the Ghana Registered Nurses’ Association is in a dialogue with government and all stakeholders to cement a comprehensive salary structure and more friendly working conditions for nurses to curtail their mass exit to the western world.
This she said will ensure that nurses work under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions and paid a more rational salaries and allowances coupled with good housing and transportation schemes.
To face the challenges of today’s nursing, the Greater Accra Second Vice President of the GRNA said nursing education thereby has changed from certificate courses to diploma, and is even offered at the PhD level.
"The change in the educational structure has also brought specialisation in various fields of nursing such as critical care, ophthalmic nursing and pediatric reproductive health in addition to the traditional courses," she added.
Also speaking on the National Health Insurance Scheme, she hinted that the GRNA has so far trained about 550 nurses across the country to know their roles and responsibilities in order to offer quality services to card bearing patients.
The President of NCF - Korle-Bu, Samuel Yeboah Asare, the brainchild behind the event, confirmed to The Statesman that the focus of holding the seminar was to enlighten nurses both staff and students about the current situation in the profession and the way-forward in order to give holistic care to their clients for a better Ghana.
According to him, the formation of the Alumni group is to help identify and keep members in the fellowship even after leaving school.
To this effect, a 5-member executive team was inaugurated to spearhead the activities of the Alumni. They include Charles Osei, President; Joyce Kuma, Vice President; Felicia Dadzie, Secretary; Julius Noagbe, Organiser and Mavis Amoafoah, Treasurer.
Source:
Statesman
AMA postpones arrest of recalcitrant taxi drivers
Accra, May 21, GNA - The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) on Monday postponed the arrest of taxi drivers who have failed to wear the prescribed uniforms and those without the embossment on their vehicles. According to the AMA, this is because of submissions made by the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council to be given some time to educate its members on the need to comply with the directives. The AMA assured the public that it would deal with recalcitrant taxi drivers who fail to wear the prescribed sea blue shirt and blue-black pair of trousers and for non-embossment of their cabs when the grace period elapses.
A statement issued by the Public Relations Department of the AMA on Monday warned butchers to desist from singeing animal carcasses with vehicle tyres, since the act is harmful to human health.
The AMA said its attention had also been drawn to brisk trading activities being carried out within residential premises and backyard of some of residents in the Central Business District. The statement said majority of these traders who had been relocated to the Odawna Pedestrian Shopping Mall had neglected their malls to trade elsewhere.
"Property owners are hereby advised to immediately put an end to all trading activities by petty traders within their premises. Offenders would be prosecuted when arrested," AMA said.
Source:
GNA