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26.03.2007 Reparation for slave trade not best approach -JAK NPP meeting ends in confusion NGO to train Ghanaian farmers on sustainable agriculture Nkrumah’s Son To Join NDC Cost of Darkness: $170 million
Nkrumah’s Son To Join NDC
Dr. Sekou Nkrumah, son of the late Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory, is set to join the ranks of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in a move that will shock most Ghanaians and possibly the NDC itself. Sekou’s decision, our sources added, has been fired by his desire to get himself a platform to politically push his ideas for a Ghana free of poverty with a happy people. He has already hinted of a press conference in the coming days to announce his decision.
Sekou has told our Managing Editor and Kweku Baako Jnr as well as a few other associates of his surprising decision which has caused more than a stir.
Kweku Baako Jnr views Sekou`s decison as a joke whilst Egbert Faibille. Jnr says `Sekou is capable of anything but I will be shocked if he carries out his decision.’ “I know Sekou has been having a battle with his conscience over what to do in the last few months in relation to his politics but I never thought he could gather the courage to pass this information to some of his associates,` Faibille said in further comments.
Sekou has been berating his father`s CPP for its apparent ineptitude in making itself a party of relevance in the fourth republic which has seen the NPP and NDC share two terms each with nothing for the CPP so far.
’He has all along been torn between joining the NDC and the NPP, but I believe he has finally opted for Rawlings' NDC as his party of choice…He had hoped that his mother party which is the CPP, would organise itself properly and function as a healthy political entity…He did not find that vim and verve in his party, so he has decided to call it quits and join the NDC, where he hopes to expand his world as an active politician and Pan Africanist…,` one source told GO.
The younger Nkrumah, married to an American lady, will soon go public with his intentions and register fully with the party amidst fanfare, another source added.
A Phd in modern languages and literature, Sekou has done time as Director of the DuBois Centre in Accra and remains the only child of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah and Madam Fathia Nkrumah who lives in Ghana. His other siblings Gamal Gorkeh Nkrumah and Samia Yaaba Nkrumah are domiciled in Egypt and Italy respectively. Samia was in town for the 50th independence anniversary.
It is not immediately known if Sekou has consulted his elder brother Prof. Francis Nkrumah about his intentions. Many associates of Sekou who have had hints of his intention are quietly discussing it and hoping it will never happen. Yet others maintain that Sekou who is passionate about his beliefs and convictions will not be stopped or prevailed upon by anyone once he has made up his mind.
His lamentations about the state of the CPP, according to one of his associates `... have been very touching and it appears that he has arrived at this conviction out of frustration at what has happened to the CPP.’ Others also maintain that the usually likeable and unassuming Sekou is torn between the NPP and the NDC and that any overtures from either party may see him officially signing up.
A political animal of no mean repute, Sekou has been involved in the politics of Ghana from the immediate period preceeding the struggle to return Ghana to multi-party constitutional rule in 1992 and now.
Source:
Ghanaian Observer
| < Back GO to > 25.03.2007 Cost of Darkness: $170 million
Millions pumped into resolving energy crisis
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Kwadwo Baah Wiredu says $170 million has been injected into resolving the energy crisis in accordance with plans President Kufuor presented to Parliament in his State of the Nation address.
The investment, according to the Minister, is a demonstration of government’s commitment to resolving the recurring problem of energy shortages.
The fund is a multilateral threshold that was expected to be paid to the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Again, he said, the West Africa Gas Pipeline project, which forms part of the short term move by the government in solving the power crisis is expected to be completed in less than one and a half months because he found the pace of work very encouraging during a duty tour to the site in Tema recently.
Mr Baah Wiredu continued that the Osagyefo Barge project that is deemed to provide 120MW of power was also receiving feverish attention from technicians.
He said the Ministry of Energy was also working around the clock to retrieve Ghana’s power supply to Togo and Benin including a supplementary one from La Cote d’Ivore.
Speaking in an interview granted to a local radio station in Kumasi, the Finance Minister disclosed that about one million CFLS (energy saving) bulbs with a power consumption level of 11 kilowatts of energy had been imported into the country for use and replacement of the filament bulbs that consume between 40 and 100 kilowatts of energy as part of the energy conservation practice.
He indicated further that Government would make it a practice for public hospitals, schools, state institutions and official residencies throughout the country to use the energy saving bulbs in order to minimize waste of power.
Source:
The Chronicle 2,713 persons issued with NHIS cards in Jasikan District
Jasikan (V/R), 26.03.2007, GNA-
The Jasikan District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme is fast gaining grounds after battling with few initial hiccups including the delay in issuance of membership cards. Mr. Seloem Adzorze, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Scheme attributed the current positive strides to the mass education campaign, and disclosed that a total of 2,713 people had already been registered and issued with identity cards between January and February this year. He said judging by the rush for registration and the premium paid, the District was likely to increase membership to sixty per cent of the total population by the end of this year.
The PRO however said communities which are difficult to reach including over bank villages continued to pose a challenge to the success of the Scheme and called on stakeholders to consider the provision of a boat to convey staff to those communities. Mr. Adzorze said from January to October 2006, a total of 11,168 people accessed free healthcare amounting to a total of 751 million cedis against 265 million cedis premium collected. He stated that claims management support from the NHIS Council last year was 967 million cedis for the exempted group, while the Scheme's internally generated fund for January and February this year was 66 million cedis.
Mr. Adzorze said the Scheme would soon organize workshops for premium collectors to equip them with more strategies to be able to sell the Scheme to the targeted people.Source:
GNA
| NGO to train Ghanaian farmers on sustainable agriculture
Accra, 26.03.2007, GNA -
Permaculture Network, a non-governmental organization that promotes sustainable agriculture systems and ecological principles, would organize a training programme for farmers and farmer-based organizations from April 23 to May 6 at Techiman. The training programme is part of a programme dubbed: "Permaculture Celebration" aimed at educating Ghanaian farmers about natural land regeneration, composting, poly-culture farming, recycling of household waste and erosion prevention.
A statement signed in Accra on Monday by Ms Brie Frey, Co-organizer of Permaculture Celebration, said the organization was collaborating with Mr Greg Knibbs, Director of New Earth Enterprise in Australia to put together an educative and exciting package for the farmers. "Ghanaian farmers will have the opportunity to learn how to improve soil quality, utilize trees to improve land quality and participants will be able to network with other people with similar interests," it said.
Permaculture called on farmer-based organizations to support the programme to give Ghanaian farmers better opportunities in their work. Source:
GNA
NPP meeting ends in confusion
Kodie, (Ash), 26.03.2007, GNA-
A meeting conveyed by the Kwabre West constituency of the NPP to introduce an interim executive committee purported to have been appointed by the Ashanti regional executive of the party, nearly resulted in a free for all fight at Kodie, the constituency capital.
Members in the constituency who are against the appointment of the interim executive to replace the existing constitutionally elected one rejected the agenda and described it as unconstitutional.
This resulted in a heated argument leading to accusations and counter accusations and trading of insults among the feuding factions, which had been created within the party in the constituency.
The situation degenerated into total confusion and the meeting ended abruptly amidst booing and jeering at the supposed interim executive members.
Unable to control the situation, Mr Omono Asamoah, who described himself as the first Vice Chairman of the interim executive and was at that time controlling the affairs of the meeting, had to abandon proceedings and declared the meeting closed.
Meanwhile, a group calling itself "Concerned NPP Youth of Kwabre West Constituency" has appealed to the National Executive Council of the party, the President and all key stakeholders in the party to help resolve the impasses between the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, and the constitutionally elected constituency executives.
They noted that the current impasse between the MP and elected executives had the potential to mar the strength and image of the party in the constituency in the 2008 general elections.
In a statement signed by Mr Patrick Sanaah, Chairma n of the group, the youth expressed regret at the conduct of the regional executive of the party, which was fuelling the impasse and tearing the party apart. They warned that, "Any attempt to disrespect the constitution of the party to undermine its image will inevitably incur the wrath of we the youth and an appropriate action would be collectively embarked on". According to the youth the appointment of an interim executive body to replace the existing elected ones by the regional executive and the MP was unconstitutional and would not be tolerated in any form. Source:
GNA
Obuasi Municipal Assembly inaugurates projects
Obuasi, 26.03.2007, GNA -
Mr Abraham Dwuma Odoom, Deputy Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment at the weekend inaugurated two development projects undertaken by the Obuasi Municipal Assembly (OMA) at an estimated cost of 1.7 billion cedis. They were rehabilitation of the Obuasi Plantain Market at 880 million cedis from the assembly's share of mineral royalties and construction of 74 stores from the assembly's share of the Common Fund at 836 million cedis.
The projects were the assembly's commitment to provide the market women with standard facility commensurate with their efforts to promote business in the municipality.
Mr Odoom commended the assembly for the improvement at the plantain market and announced that it was among the first 10 assemblies in the country that were development-oriented and committing resources to improve the living standards of the people.
He appealed to Ghanaians to be patient and have confidence in Government policies and programmes designed to improve the living standards of the people.
Mr Joe Boampong, Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, said the assembly had initiated some development projects including the construction of an education office complex for Obuasi. He appealed to the residents to support the assembly in its development programmes.
Nana Asirifi Asare II, Presiding Member of the assembly, urged the people to send their children to school to benefit from the Capitation grant and the School Feeding Programme. Source:
GNA
Reparation for slave trade not best approach -JAK
Elmina, 26.03.2007, GNA - Genuine remorse should be the way forward to atone for the pain and heinous crimes of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade, President John Agyekum Kufuor has advocated. It is estimated that about 10 million Africans were forcibly uprooted and shipped out of the Continent under the most barbaric and inhuman conditions across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americans and Caribbean during the trade.
Speaking at a ceremony to both commemorate 200 years of its abolition and Ghana's 50 years of nationhood held at the Elmina Castle in the Central Region, President Kufuor said since some Africans played a facilitating role during the trade the question of payment of reparation was not the best approach.
He said the victims must be accorded respect and human dignity and that common humanity and shared values of fellow feeling should form the bases of acceptance in the present day's world.
The solemn and emotionally touching commemorative event dubbed "Africa 2007 Reflections" was jointly put together by the British Council, the Ghana @ 50 Secretariat and the Edina Traditional Council and attracted a number of Africans from Diaspora.
President Kufuor said the Continent through its New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) was seeking to reconnect with those in the Diaspora and to correct the historic mistake epitomised by the slave trade.
Baroness Valeria Amos, Leader of the British House of Lords; Sir David Green, Director General of the British Council and the Minster of Tourism and Diasporan Relations, Mr Jake Obese-Lamptey were among those who attended.
Celebrated artiste and poets from Ghana, Brazil and the United Kingdom were on hand to play back memories of those days of history. British Prime Minister, Tony Blaire in a video link address pledged his country's determination to continue to lead the drive to overcome modern day challenges facing Africa.
He said: "As we commemorate 200 years of the Slavery Abolition Act, let us rededicate ourselves to show courage and energy to fight injustices in our modern world."
Mr Blaire, who noted that there was now a historic turning point between Africa and the UK, lauded Ghana for the significant progressive role she was playing.
"Ghana is a beacon of hope to Africa as it was 50 years ago", he said.
Baroness Amos described the slave trade as the "darkest and uncomfortable chapter of British History and called for stronger commitment to build a better world that would make our ancestors proud". Sir David said although nothing could be done to undo the history of the slave trade, it was important to encourage this generation to explore and to better understand it.
Nana Kodwo Condua VI, Paramount Chief of Edina Traditional Area, said it was time to forgive and to put behind the bitter past.
Source:
GNA
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