Sunday, April 6, 2008

EC/UN TO LAUNCH PROJECT

Gender equality and women’s rights would be given a further boost when the European Commission (EC), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation (ITC-ILO), launch a response initiative programme on Wednesday, March 12, 2008.
The three organisations will launch the EC/UN Partnership on Gender Equality for Development and Peace in response to several initiatives on, and commitments to, better ways of targeting and using aid in developing economies.
It will be the interface for merging the commitments made by all to ensure better aid effectiveness and the visionary promises also made globally to advance gender equality.
Several landmark initiatives at improving the effectiveness and volumes of aid have been established in the past five years.
Mention could be made of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that commit developed and developing countries to meeting the needs of the word’s poorest by 2015 and the Monterrey Consensus that established ownership, alignment and harmonisation in development assistance.
Furthermore the 2004 Marrakech Roundtable on Managing for Development Results that established aid effectiveness and increases in its volume and the most recently adopted Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness in March 2005, are both geared towards aid effectiveness.
On gender equality, various conventions such as the Beijing Platform of Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), have been globally adopted.
The EC has taken a step further by its commitment in promoting gender equality within the new aid modalities.
This commitment is based on the EC’s Communication on Gender and Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development adopted in March 8, 2005, that maintains that “gender equality is a goal in its own right as well as a prerequisite for poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth, and will be instrumental in reaching all the MDGs”.
The importance of ensuring that the new aid modalities empower women, by making gender equality a core value and goal at all levels of development co-operation, is also recognised.
With the conviction that gender equality is a prerequisite for poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth the EC and UNIFEM have worked together at promoting gender equality through the new aid architecture.
The various consultative forums by UNIFEM has emphasised promising approaches to assessing the gender implications of the aid effectiveness agenda.
Recommendations from these forums held since 2005 have highlighted key recommendations for the new aid regime, which include adequate financing for programmes to meet women’s needs, and accountability systems for governments to track and enhance their contribution to gender equality.
The EC/UN Partnership on Gender Equality for Development and Peace is a response to these recommendations.
By this partnership, principles already in conventions on gender equality and commitments to increasing aid and making it more effective are just being emphasised and synchronised for wide ranging results than what was initially envisaged.
Inherent in the partnership is an alignment of the efforts at achieving the MDGs that will help accelerate its attainment on the set date.
It is also significant that one of the tenets of good international engagement in fragile states and situations are non discrimination and the promotion of gender equality.
Thus, gender equality and women’s empowerment will be the basis for greater co-ordination among donors and increased ownership of development processes by national governments.
The partnership will provide the opportunities for countries to review their efforts in development and gender equality, share ideas on initiatives to improve upon what has so far been achieved and collaborate for enhanced national and global effort at talking the challenges to development.

DAILY GRAPHIC, TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2008

CATHOLIC CHURCH ANNOUNCES NEW YOUTH PROGRAMME

THE Catholic Church, over the weekend announced the institution of its New Integrated Catholic Youth Formation Programme (NICYFOP).
The National Youth Chaplain, Reverend Father Charles Pokoo, announced this at the launch of the 23rd Catholic World Youth Day at the Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Madina.
Father Pokoo said the NICYFOP was the result of about a year’s deliberation that sought to implement some of the issues raised by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference on youth development.
He said the programme was tailor made, integrated and comprehensive, and could be used by all youth groups, schools and training centres to ensure the spiritual, moral, intellectual and entrepreneurial development of all youth in the country.
He said currently, the Catholic Church was working on a syllabus or facilitators guide for the programme.
“With the NYCYFP policy, the facilitators guide and a monitoring and evaluation guideline, we will be on course to ensure that the youth make their contribution to development”, he pointed out.
Addressing more than 5,000 youth who were present for the programme, Rev. Father Pokoo urged them to avail themselves to be used as channels of God.
The Vicar General of the Accra Archdiocese, Monsignor Francis Adoboli, asked the youth to believe in themselves, look to the future with hope and endeavour to bring others to their faith.
He said despite seeming trials and hardships, there was hope for the youth in Ghana and asked them to expect a bright future in which they would be great leaders of their generation.
The launch of the day is a prelude to the World Youth Day which will take place in July, this year in Sydney, Australia.
Since 1984, Ghana has been part of the World Youth Day celebrations and an 18-member youth delegation is expected to represent the country in Sydney this year.
The Member of Parliament for Abokobi/Madina, Alhaji Ahmadu Sorogho, challenged the youth to prepare for opportunities that would come their way.
He lauded the recent visit of some eminent Muslim leaders from Saudi Arabia to the Vatican and the subsequent pledge of Pope Benedict XVI and the Muslim world to work together for a better world.
Alhaji Sorogho said the gathering of youth of all faiths and denominations for the launch was also significant and reminded them that that had to be the standard for all times, even when they became leaders in future.
Goodwill messages from the Islamic Youth Movement, the Presbyterian Church, the Pentecost Youth Association and other organisations urged the youth to become good leaders in future by becoming responsible youth today.

DAILY GRAPHIC, MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2008

JOURNALISTS MUST LIVE ABOVE REPROACH

Journalists have been urged to live above reproach as they put out information that sometimes border on the private lives of public officials.
At a forum organised by the National Media Commission (NMC) and the Friedrich Ebert Shiftung (FES) in Accra, journalists were also charged to be professional and circumspect and publish only relevant private information on public officials.
A lecturer at the School of Communications Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Anthony Bonnah-Koomson, and the Editor of the Ghanaian Times, Ms Adjoa Yeboah-Afari, were unanimous on this at the forum, which was on the topic, “How much of the public officer’s private life is public?”
Some participants, however, said the right to privacy was lost by public officials when they assumed public office which was resourced by public taxes.
In his presentation, Dr Bonnah-Koomson conceded that “balancing journalistic right of exposure or freedom of inquiry with a healthy respect for the privacy rights of public officials does not come easy”.
On a practical and legal basis, he said the general view was that the minimal expectations of public officers were integrity and competence, which were the monitoring and evaluating yardsticks for assessing performance.
Based on that, individuals devoting themselves to a service in which the public had interest could not expect anything less than the public’s interest in their lives, including the media’s exposure, he averred.
He said a major consideration to be made by journalists in the balancing act was the extent to which such matters benefited the public as gauged by the degree of public interest.
“Whereas in the eyes of the law there may be little about the lives of public officers that is sacred, moral principles exist to temper such violations,” Dr Bonnah-Koomson pointed out.
He said “social utility”, that is, the relevance of the information to the understanding of issues by the audience, “respect for persons” and “justice”, that is, whether the violation of privacy was deserved under the circumstance, coupled with the “good faith efforts on the part of the practitioner”, were important guidelines for journalists in such matters.
Using case studies, he said a determination of what was “public interest” and “public curiosity” provided a useful clue for journalists in publishing private information on public office holders.
Dr Bonnah-Koomson asked media organisations to institute “codes of conduct” in-house for employee journalists which would be an “institution specific contractual instrument for corporate enforcement or sanctions”.
He also proposed the institution of a culture of discussing ethical problems within media institutions, orientation programmes on ethical policies for the newly employed and “in-house ethics committees” to deal with ethical violations in the manner of “naming and shaming colleagues”.
He said in the final analysis, the consciences of journalists in what was right and fair, which was an individual responsibility, was vital.
“In this regard, the responsibility is on the individual journalist to develop a high professional stance, namely, a stance that is above reproach,” he said.
Ms Yeboah-Afari said the guiding light for all journalists had to be their professionalism in the issue, which was rooted in accuracy, fairness and objectivity.
She said public officials and the incumbent deserved respect, particularly those in elective office, because it was a case of the “survival of the fittest”.
That, according to her, was important to attract the best calibre of people into those positions.
However, since people seeking elective office often asked for the assistance of the media to project them to the public, it was only logical that the media held them accountable, hence, the scrutiny by the media of their lives, she claimed.
“Obviously, there is a certain level of exemplary conduct that is expected of certain people, such as Members of Parliament (MPs), because they help formulate the laws that guide the country’s conduct,” she said.
Using recent examples in the media in which the private lives of certain public figures had been highlighted, Ms Yeboah-Afari indicated that although the love life of a female CEO was not relevant in a story on a row between her and her staff over a purely administrative matter, an MP who beat the wife could not expect privacy over the matter as it had a bearing on the MP’s contribution to bills on gender violence.
On recent media reports on the health condition of the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof Atta Mills, Ms Yeboah-Afari stressed that the framers of the Constitution made allowances for human illnesses and frailties.
“We should be able to separate behaviour that will impact negatively on a public official’s ability to do his or her work well from behaviour that is, to put it bluntly, none of our business,” she concluded.
The forum on media and elections, according to the NMC, would be instituted monthly to provide a platform for dialogue on issues prior to the elections at the end of the year. 

DAILY GRAPHIC, MARCH 8, 2008

GIVE FULL PROTECTION TO YOUTH - TUC

THE Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has asked for the full protection of all the youth employed under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) in accordance with the Labour Act 2003.
It added that the youth employed under the scheme should be allowed to exercise their right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
In a document on the TUC’s views on the 2008 Budget Statement and Economic Policies, the government received commendation and caution, as well as admonition, for its economic policy.
While indicating its full support for the success of the NYEP, it asked the government to ensure that the youth employed under the programme would join the Social Security Scheme this year.
However, on the government’s proposed excise duty of one pesewa on a minute of mobile talk time to fund the NYEP, the union said that amounted to double taxation of the mobile phone user.
That was because the current regime of pay-as-you-go had an element of taxation, since the price of the scratch cards purchased in recharging was inclusive of VAT, it added.
“The government should have levied the proposed tax on the service providers so that consumers will bear the tax burden according to their demand elasticity,” the TUC said.
It pointed out that a tax on the companies would also encourage competition among them, as the more efficient ones would absorb all the taxes and find more competitive and less harmful ways of running their businesses.
On public sector wages, the TUC indicated that it was yet to receive the report on a job evaluation for a unified single spine salary structure under the ongoing public sector wage reform.
It said it was becoming increasingly evident that the unified single spine salary structure that was expected to be introduced this year would not be possible.
The implication of that, organised labour said, was that public sector wages would continue to be determined through collective bargaining between the various public sector unions and their employers.
It reminded the government of its assurance to give the necessary mandate to the various agencies in the public sector to negotiate with the unions and asked it to do so without delay.
Other areas that the TUC document dwelt on were social development policies, decentralisation, transportation, agriculture and food security.
It said despite the Capitation Grant and the School Feeding Programme that had increased enrolment in schools, there were still over 800,000 pupils out of school, while the lack of facilities, high pupil/teacher ratios and low morale among teachers were some of the shortcomings brought to the fore by the increased enrolment.
On the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the TUC pointed out that increase in health expenditure over the years had not translated into significant improvements in health delivery.
On decentralisation, it asked for “the invigoration of the decentralisation agenda” by making local authorities accountable to the people in the districts, not the President.
The TUC was pleased with the integrated transport policy announced in the 2008 budget statement but noted that it needed “a big push” to solve the transportation and traffic challenges in cities, since they impacted negatively on labour productivity.
Generally, the TUC commended the government for the prospects of the economy, based on an estimated GDP growth rate of 6.3 per cent in 2007, a year-on year inflation of 12.7 per cent as of December 2007, a stable exchange rate between the country’s currency and other major international currencies, and projected end-period inflation rate of between six and eight per cent for 2008.
It, however, noted that “fundamental challenges still remain”.
These, according to the TUC, included weak and unreliable economic and social infrastructure, as well as rising international crude prices.
Describing the country’s achievement in the area of macro-economic management as “remarkable”, it, however, said that had not translated into increased living standards for the majority of Ghanaians, with just a “tiny fraction of the population” gaining from the growth.
It asked the government to commit itself to its policies and programmes outlined in the 2008 budget to consolidate the gains made and accelerate growth and poverty reduction.
“We trust that the government will commit enough resources to the policies and programmes announced in the budget statement,” it said.
The TUC said it was satisfied with its engagement with the government on various social, economic and labour market policy issues and gave the assurance of its continuous co-operation in the spirit of social partnership and mutual respect, provided the government continued to keep the space for social dialogue.

DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2008

WFP increases food purchases from Ghana

THE World Food Programme’s (WFP) local procurement of grain from Ghana increased from $200,000 in 2003 to about $1.7 million in 2007.
In 2003, WFP shifted from acquiring its food inflows completely from external sources to local procurement, resulting in the local procurement of 60 per cent of its food requirements of maize, corn, soya blend, vegetable oil, iodised salt and sugar to feed the needy.
The commitment of WFP to local procurement has seen an increase in the value of the acquisition of local grain. The programme had, therefore, devoted $16.2 million to purchase 35,169 metric tones of grain in Ghana.
Sources at the WFP indicated that it had used the local procurement of grain to assist the government of Ghana in its education, health and nutritional requirements of hungry and poor households in a sustainable manner, while at the same time increasing the demand for domestic farm produce.
The advantages of the local procurement, according to the sources, were to ensure that the appropriate commodities were at hand at the right time, in a cost effective manner.
It was also to support market development and improve farmer incomes while boosting the economies of countries as trade and aid naturally result from the local procurement.
The local procurement of grain had gone into WFP’s food assistance for women and children, basic education support programmes, as well as its Supplementary Feeding and Health and Nutrition and Education to Boost Maternal and Early Childhood Nutrition and Education Programme, a collaborative effort between WFP and the Ghana Health Service (GHS), that has been ongoing in northern Ghana since 1995.
Under these programmes, about 60,000 children between the ages of six months and five years, pregnant and nursing mothers, 42,000 girls from the basic to the secondary level, 290,000 basic schoolchildren and many more others have benefited from take-home rations, on-site school feeding and other activities that enhance gender parity in education, basic education attendance and nutrition.
The WFP in 2006, bought 2 million metric tonnes of food worth $601 million from eighty-four countries, 70 of which were developing countries.
The largest percentage of food purchases worth $200 million came from Africa.
Figures of purchases by value and country income level for 2006 showed that Ghana was included in the developing countries where the largest percentage, that is 42 per cent of WFP’s purchases world-wide, came from.

DAILY GRAPHIC, TUESDAY MARCH 4, 2008

LEAP DISBURSEMENTS OFF

DISBURSEMENT of grants under the proposed Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme has been postponed.
The disbursement was to have started at the end of February, 2008, but has been postponed to March 17 to 21, 2008.
According to Ms Angela Asante-Asare, the Programme Co-ordinator of the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) at the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment (MMYE), the postponement was to enable the conclusion of activities for a smooth disbursement process.
The February 4, 2008 issue of the Daily Graphic reported that disbursement was to start at the end of the month.
Ms Asante-Asare said the Social Welfare, which was the implementing agency, was working closely with other key partners, including post offices where payments would be made.
The payment of grants of between GH¢8 and GH¢15 to very poor households was first announced last month by the government as a social protection measure for those in dire social and economic need.
Very poor households in 21 districts have been selected to benefit from grants under the programme, which is part of a social protection package for the poor.
The LEAP programme is a component of the National Social Protection Strategy, which aims at investing in people through social assistance schemes.
The core feature of the programme is direct cash transfer to categories of poor people.
The Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS 5) which was conducted in 2005 and 2006 indicated that 41 per cent of Ghanaians were poor and out of that figure, 18.2 per cent were considered extremely poor.
At his turn at the Meet-the-Press series organised by the Ministry of Information and National Orientation in Accra on January 31, 2008, the Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, Nana Akomea, said under the programme, the government would spend less than one per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to achieve payouts to more than 160 extremely poor Ghanaian households as a major complementary measure to relieve “fellow citizens who at the moment find themselves in the category of extremely poor, vulnerable and excluded”.
“We are talking about households who have HIV sufferers who have difficulty in raising the highly subsidised GH¢5 cost of monthly treatment. We are talking about households that benefit from improved seeds for planting but end up using some of the seeds for food,” he stressed.
He noted that the amount to be disbursed per month ranged from GH¢8 to GH¢15 depending on the extent of poverty and whether the household had an orphan, a severely disabled person, and persons aged more than 65, adding that the programme would be implemented nationwide from 2008 to 2012.
He described the extremely poor which the LEAP would take care of as those whose income fell below US$1.00 and were unable to cater for their basic human needs including their food requirements and also suffered from poverty across generations.
“The primary target of LEAP is this 18.2 per cent of the people identified by the GLSS as falling into the category of extreme poor,” the minister stated.
DAILY GRAPHIC, MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2008

Registration process on course — Peprah

THE National Communications Authority (NCA) says it is on course with the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR).
The CEIR is a database to identify and give serial numbers to mobile phones to enable their deactivation when they are stolen.
The Director of Regulations and Licensing at the NCA, Mr Joshua K. Peprah, told the Daily Graphic that the process was still on course to ensure that the theft of mobile telephones was minimised and a genuine, refurbished second-hand mobile telephony market established in the country.
He said the process of establishing the CEIR was not a simple straightforward one but involved and included consultations with all the network providers and a lengthy process of acquiring the software.
“Getting the software also takes time, and when it comes, you have to install it, test it and ensure that it works with your system. Fortunately, all the service providers have now acquired the software,” he said.
Mr Peprah said the next step in the implementation stage was to link up all the systems of the service providers, adding that the team in charge of the programme was now in consultations to settle on where the database of registered mobile telephones would be kept, whether in Ghana or in Dublin, Ireland, where the international database was kept.
He added that subsequently, a consumer sensitisation campaign would be launched to get consumers to buy the idea of registering their mobile telephones, as the exercise would be on a voluntary basis.
In the interim, Mr Peprah said, mobile telephone users could still register their telephones with their service providers.
With that, a stolen mobile telephone could be deactivated when a report was made to the service provider, with the possibility of its retrieval by the security agencies.
Meanwhile, a thriving mobile black market has taken root in some areas in Accra, including the environs of Ghana Telecom and the central business district.
Handsets displayed on trays and cardboard are carried by young men who enthusiastically court passers-by for their wares.
Some of the handsets look new, but others look very old.
The young salesmen, strategically positioned on the rails along the pedestrian passage way, work in groups of two or three.
The first displays the handsets, while the second and third assistants carry the accessories of the telephones, jammed tightly into handy bags.
Emeka, a Nigerian, said he regularly went to China for his stock of mobile telephones.
“Look, these are not stolen; they are genuine phones,” he said as he tried to peel off the transparent covering on one.
Responding to the question as to why they sold on the streets and not in shops, Hakeem said he used to ply his trade close by GT before the area was cleared of hawkers and traders for rehabilitation works.
He said he found business brisk on the side walks, since “customers can get anything they want, even with a tight pocket”.
The various types of Nokia N series displayed on his tray, he said, ranged from GH¢10 to GH¢100, depending on a customer’s bargaining skills.
Another salesman, Nana Kwame Twum Barimah, whose mobile telephones looked old, said with GH¢20, one could get a Nokia 3310 and with GH¢40 an old Samsung.
Mr Peprah noted not all the old telephones being sold out there were stolen handsets.
He said there was a genuine refurbished second-hand business out there where dealers genuinely obtained the handsets for sale.
He said, however, that there were also some stolen ones, adding, “We are working to ensure that we have a genuine second-hand mobile business in the country”.

DAILY GRAPHIC, MONDAY MARCH 3, 2008

Media Commission monitors 30 newspapers

A sneak preview of a monitoring exercise of the National Media Commission (NMC) shows that stories on various issues monitored in 30 major newspapers nation-wide were factual and balanced.
However, when it came to reporting on political issues, the likelihood of stories not being balanced or factual were significantly higher.
A snapshot of figures from the exercise shows that apart from articles on insurance, which had 4.8 per cent of the total monitored not being factual and 9.5 per not being balanced, articles on political issues were the only category that, comparatively, had significant percentages that were not factual or balanced.
Out of 1,072 political articles, 4.3 per cent were not clear representations of what really was the case, while 27 per cent did not also state the views of key relevant sources.
The monitoring exercise by the NMC is for 2007 and the commission is preparing to come out with the results soon.
Statistics on stories on politics were significant, in comparison with other stories on issues such as agriculture, the environment and banking.
All articles monitored on agriculture, the environment, banking, health, ICT, industry, legal, the Legislature, local government, the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), mining, religion, the stock exchange, trade, women’s issues and transport were factual. That is, they were a clear presentation of what the case was.
Out of all the news items monitored, only articles on science were both factual and balanced.
Less than one per cent of news items monitored on education, human rights, labour, media related issues, drug abuse and development were not factual. However, about 10 per cent of those articles or one in every 10 of them, were not balanced, that is, they did not state the views of other relevant key sources.
Almost all other news items on issues such as disasters, the vulnerable and excluded, crime, security, tourism, the Judiciary and the Executive had less than four per cent not being factual. However, most of the same articles were not balanced.
For instance, while just 1.3 per cent of the articles on the Executive were not factual, 13.9 per cent lacked balance, with articles on conflict and peace recording just 1.1 per cent as not factual and 17.8 per cent as lacking balance.
The trend of articles being factual and lacking balance was a dominant one in most of the articles.
Sharing her views on the trend, the acting Director of the School of Communication Studies, Dr Audrey Gadzekpo, said there was something intrinsically wrong with stories that were not factual.
“Stories that are not factual are no stories,” she added, and went on to explain that a story could be factual and not balanced, a situation in which the story had all the facts but fell short of presenting all the perspectives that would give readers a good basis to make a choice or reach a decision.
Dr Gadzekpo said the significant number of political stories in the print media monitored that was not factual and lacked balance showed that journalists were partisan in their approach to political issues and were not showing maturity in their ability to pull off their political biases and put on their professional hats.
She pointed out that most people in the country had particular preferences for political parties, individuals or ideologies but professionalism enabled them to set their preferences aside in their work.
Dr Gadzekpo said similarly, journalists needed to gather and present news in ways that were inclusive of all perspectives.
She described the monitoring exercise of the NMC as a good thing that would put a face to some of the pitfalls of journalism.
She said if the industry would act on the results of the monitoring, it would be a self-correcting measure for a better media environment.
The NMC monitoring began in July 2006.

DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2008

WATER CRISES DEEPENS IN ACCRA

Scheduled maintenance works on a pump and transmission line at the Kpong water pumping station deepened the struggle for water in some parts of the city.
As a result of the water cuts by the Aqua Vitens Rand Ltd (ARVL) yesterday, some areas experienced minimal flow of water in their taps.
Rounds by the Daily Graphic in Labadi, Osu and Mamprobi showed that some residents had to keep wake from 12 a.m. to fill their yellow-coloured jerrycans, popularly referred to as the “Kufuor gallons”.
At Ajumako Street in Osu and surrounding areas, some residents complained that for close to five years, no water had flowed through their taps, while others said they had not had any water for about six months.
At Osu a 20-litre “Kufuor gallon" full of water costs 20 Gp, while the capacity of 10-litre one costs 10Gp.
Some residents who had gathered at a house where water was flowing said they had kept wake since 12 a.m.
Several “Kufuor gallons” and drums were tightly packed by a water hose connected to a tap that was grudgingly giving out water.
Two workers of Sip Water, sachet water producers, Messrs Evans Okine and Evans Donkor, said for several months, they had to go as far as Tema Community 4 for water in a 450-litre Polytank brand of water tank.
The truck they used conveyed three of the tanks on every trip and they made about four trips daily in order for them to keep production going.
Messrs Okine and Donkor said they paid GH¢25 for the 450 litres of water and so they had increased the price of a bag of 30 pieces of sachet water from 60 Gp to 70 Gp.
At the Wireless Road at La, the story was the same, with the “Kufuor gallons” packed closely together around dry taps that some said had remained dry for as long as they could remember.
“We depend on sachet water” was the common response when residents were asked about their alternative sources of water.
Other residents there complained about the erratic nature of the water running through their taps.
“Water just came through my tap this morning, but what I could get was not even up to two gallons,” a resident who did not want to be named said.
At the Degol Park, near the Nativity Presbyterian Church at La, three girls with about ten “Kufuor gallons” tied together, said they had been told of a house nearby where they could get water from a tank.
Gifty Siagbe, a resident, said they filled 30 of the 20-litre “Kufour gallons” daily for their household.
“Whenever the gallons get empty, we go round to find water to fill them,” they said.
“We get it at Gp20 but in the central part of La town we get it at times at 40 Gp”, they added.
Madam Gifty Erskine, a food seller nearby, interjected that “since November last year, we have not had water”.
“In fact the situation has now made ‘nobodies’ of big men who work in big organisations as you see them in the morning carrying the gallons in search of water,” she emphasised.
According to her, the old, the young, the rich and the poor were all now at par as they struggled in search of the vital resource.
The Dade Kotopong area was particularly dry, especially at Oasis, a place where some New Patriotic Party (NPP) executives had placed some Polytanks water tanks with the inscription “Oasis” boldly displayed there.
There too the “Kufour gallons” gave the atmosphere a yellow hue that gave a clear signal that residents were in need of water.
At Mamprobi, around the Bamboi area, residents also said they had not had water for the last four months.
The "Kufuor gallons" were seen in several households, packed by taps, with residents sitting listlessly by and staring at the dry taps.
A peculiar occurrence, residents said, was that all houses on a particular side of the road near Jannot Vocational School had had no water for several months while the other side sometimes had water.
Residents on the side that were deprived of water therefore crossed to houses on the other side to fetch water whenever water flowed.

DAILY GRAPHIC, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

WATER SHORTAGE AFFECTS HOSPITALS IN ACCRA

Aqua Vitens Rand Ltd. (AVRL), has announced repair and maintenance works on pumps and transmission lines at Weija tomorrow.
The scheduled works will cut water supplies to areas from the normal 80 million gallons produced daily to 40 million.
However, the Regional Chief Manager of the East Accra Region, Mr Daniel G. Muomalah and the Regional Engineer, Mr Peter De-Veer, assured customers that water supplies would be restored by the close of day.
The planned works in expected to improve on the water supply system but customers will not see significant changes in water supplies.
That is because, the dry season has affected the supply of water into reservoirs, while other limitations such as electricity cuts, vandalisation of water system infrastructure and in-line pumping or suction pumps have worsened the situation.
That has caused AVRL to institute a rationing programme, however, Mr Muomaalah said the pattern of the programme was dependent on several factors.
He explained that water did not flow in a uni-directional manner, but several pipelines were connected to the main distribution line.
Thus, the supply of water to an area meant gradually opening the valves and building up pressure for all customers to have enough, within the constraints of the general shortage in supplies.
Water demand in Accra is currently 140 million gallons daily, however, and the AVRL supplies 80 million gallons.
The Okponglo reservoir has been able to pump water for an average of only nine hours instead of 24 hours this month because the water level in the reservoir is not sufficient to pump.
Mr Moumaalah said coupled with that some households had the advantage of underground reservoirs that fill up quickly regardless of the pressure of the water flowing while others use in-line pumps or suction machines.
He said a taskforce had been set up to go round on inspection to disconnect the in-line pumps that disrupted supplies to other households.
He urged customers to be vigilant and report to the AVRL any sudden disruptions in the area especially when they experienced no supply and others did.

DAILY GRAPHIC, TUESDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2008 (PUBLISHED AS PART OF ARTICLE WATER SHORTAGE AFFECTS HOSPITALS IN ACCRA).

'SET UP COURTS FOR INDUSTRIAL CASES'

Organised labour has called for the establishment of specialised courts to deal with the numerous industrial relations disputes in the country.
That, according to workers’ organisations, will ensure the application of law, as well as the sensitive application of the Labour Act, 2003 in industrial disputes for quick and satisfactory redress.
Summing up the views of his colleagues, the Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Mr Abraham Koomson, expressed the need for selected Fast Track High Courts to deal with industrial relations cases referred from the National Labour Commission (NLC) or aggrieved parties.
He said judges at the courts should also be resourced to have an understanding of the Labour Act and the sensitive nature of industrial relations that the law sought to regulate in the economic development of the country.
He said Family, Commercial and Motor courts had been set up and noted that it was time for labour courts where the Labour Act would be applied, having regard to the sensitive nature of industrial disputes in the economy.
Mr Koomson said an important trigger of industrial unrest was the seeming frustration among workers when they were seeking redress through due process.
He said in certain rulings by the courts since the passage of the Labour Act, sitting judges of the traditional court system had contradicted the relevance of the NLC in industrial dispute resolution and made it ineffective.
Certain court decisions, he said, suggested that the traditional courts still held on to the adversarial approach of industrial relations that characterised the past.
Mr Koomson said a basic principle of the Labour Act 2003 was moderating the unfair labour relationship between employers and employees that existed in the past, with employers having the upper hand.
He said if the courts, therefore, ruled that in an appeal case the NLC could not defend appeals of its ruling but the worker whom it ruled in favour of needed to engage his or her own counsel, the purpose of the act was thus defeated.
The acting Secretary-General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Mr Kofi Asamoah, also said one High Court should be set up to deal with labour issues, instead of all High Courts hearing labour cases.
Mr Asamoah said the issue of specialised courts for labour issues was to be tabled before the tripartite committee, comprising the government, organised labour and employers, soon.
Others who shared similar sentiments included Mr Austin Gamey of the Gamey and Gamey Academy of Mediation (GAMM) and labour consultant.
Mr Gamey, however, stressed that the dedicated courts would not be superior to the NLC but would just be dedicated to labour issues and have the powers of an Appeal Court to either enforce the orders of the NLC or hear appeals of aggrieved parties from the commission.
He also stressed the fact that the judges of such courts had to be properly trained to apply the Labour Law.

DAILY GRAPHIC, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2008

Bu Me Be: Proverbs of the Akan

Book: Bu Me Be: Proverbs of the Akan
Authors: Peggy Appiah, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Ivor Agyeman-Duah
Publishers: Ayebia Clarke Publishing Limited
Pages: 312
Reviewed by Caroline Boateng

Bu Me Be: Proverbs of the Akan is an encyclopaedia of Akan proverbs that captures the essence of life, thoughts and human endeavours.
The first impression gained from reading the first few proverbs is the eternity of the language and a sense of already experienced situations that the proverbs vividly speak of, that is, a sense of déjà vu.
For instance, reading the third proverb “oreba, oreba na oye hu, na onya ba a, onye hu biom” (it is coming, it is coming” is frightening; but when it actually comes it is not frightening any longer), brings to mind clearly the brouhaha over the turn of the millennium and how it passed uneventfully.
The book has an easy reference system by which similar and contrasting proverbs are brought to the attention of readers.
Proverbs compiled explain and initiate readers into the intricacies of the Akan language, culture and traditional norms — simple, interesting and with rich linguistic facts.
“Yεba mmεbuo a, anka yεso nkuma” (If we had come to “fell” proverbs, then we would carry axes), is an example of how the authors go to great lengths to explain the pun on words and meanings.
Sometimes shockingly vulgar and piercingly true, as in Proverb 48: “obaa de ka a, ode ne twe na eko” (if a woman is in debt, she uses her vagina to redeem it), the proverbs bring home truths that most people unconsciously admit to.
But in all their shocking vulgarity, they are precious nuggets of words that, according to Peggy Appiah, the chief author, “must be preserved and cherished in all their richness profound or punning, profane or philosophical, obvious (occasionally) and, (more often) illuminatingly obscure”.
From human attitude and behaviour, endeavour and industry, love, relationships, and sex, Bu Me Be: Proverbs of the Akan is replete with any conceivable saying that drives home basic truths in a perceptive manner.
Several familiar proverbs that have become passé are enlivened in the Akan version in the book.
Examples of these are “Love is Blind,” and “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, which in the book, become “obaa pe wo, na abaa da wokon ho a, ose ‘Dobroba’,” (If a woman loves you and you have even a stick on your shoulder, she says (it is a) double-barrelled gun)” and “Obaa pe wo, na ohunu wo kokobo a, ose: kyemetam” (A woman who loves you would refer to your rectum as silk loin cloth”.
Feminists may find Bu Me Be: Proverbs of the Akan sometimes infuriating with proverbs like “Obaa [sene boama]/[ye kyem] a, otwere obarima dan mu” (whatever a woman may do she needs a man), or “Obaa ho ye fe a, na ofiri obarima” (A woman owes her beauty to a man).
This irritation at the insensitivity of some proverbs in portraying women as objects of men’s whims is shared by the lead author, Peggy Appiah, who writes beneath the first proverb, “male chauvinism!
Some great characteristics of the dictionary of Akan proverbs is that unlike all others that just give meanings to words and phrases, it provides a rich historical base of facts and events; and also gives all the confidence to use Akan proverbs both in words and writing.
For instance Proverb 292 and 416, give historical facts on events “in former times” that is interesting for the uninitiated in Akan tradition and re-enforcing for the initiated.
Readers will be enlightened at the right rendition of some proverbs that are used often but not correctly rendered.
“Mmerε dane” (times change), is often what one hears, however, the right rendition is “Mmerε di adanneε”, while “Life is hard”, is properly rendered “Obra ye bo-na”.
Bu Me Be: Proverbs of the Akan, has several interesting proverbs.
Proverb 615, Obi nnim Twumwaa ne Sampa hyeεso contrasted with Proverbs 48 and others similar to it, and shows that whereas in the former Twumwaa and Sampa are nicknames for the vagina and the anus, the human genitalia are not so appropriately couched in the latter proverbs.
These proverbs highlight the words of Peggy Appiah that proverbs have different context within which they may be used.
She adds, “It is impossible to explain all the uses, even if one is aware of them; it is the occasion that brings a proverb to mind and a skilled user will exploit the subtleties of a proverb to the maximum.”
Other interesting proverbs are Proverb 6871, indicating that what is familiar gives no fear, Proverb 6821, that says that if you are unkind to your anus, you let air into your stomach, and Proverb 6744 that admonishes against greed.
Bu Me Be: Proverbs of the Akan, captures for readers wise sayings that apply in all human endeavours regardless of the fact that a reader might not be an Akan.
That is done by English translations of the Twi syntax in ways that are universal and fresh, but at the same time maintaining the original sense and use of the particular proverb.
Buttressing that is a chapter on Akan Cultures: A Brief Introduction, which gives readers some insights into the culture in which the wise sayings come from.
The arrangement of proverbs in the book is made easy to follow, understand and appreciate, even for non-Akan speakers, by an appendix on “A Note on the Ordering”, which guides readers into the various classifications into which proverbs have been grouped.
The English rendition, a gloss on the proverb and other relevant information follow most proverbs.
Bu Me Be: Proverbs of the Akan is a useful teaching material, language manual, and an invaluable book that must be on shelves of all schools, institutions, and individuals.
It is a great asset for all adults and a fitting legacy to be bequeathed to the younger generation.
The book can be compared favourably with other well-known books of literature, in its order, arrangement, historical background, currency and relevance.

DAILY GRAPHIC, MONDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2008

SUSTAINED ECONOMIC GROWTH WILL ENSURE MORE JOBS"

REACTIONS to the President’s last state of the nation address to Parliament have been mixed.
While some interviewed felt that the President left some critical issues out of his report and glossed over details, others said his address was comprehensive.
The Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, said that the President missed an opportunity to assure all of a peaceful elections, the prudent use of the country’s oil finds and a country free of drugs.
He said the President’s comments on the professionalism and neutrality of staff of the Electoral Commission (EC) could be right but could not be depended on for peaceful elections.
Dr Akwetey said no one could assume that peaceful elections were assured based on the President’s statement that the EC was professional and neutral.
“In Kenya enormous pressure was brought to bear on the electoral commission there and look at the mess created there now”, he said.
He said the key issue that civil society organisations had to take up and demand answers for was whether the government would provide money for the implementation of Representation of the People’s Amendment Law (ROPAL).
He said in making demands to know, civil society organisations also had to maintain vigilance to secure credible elections.
He said public education was needed at the electoral levels to secure the credibility of the voting process, the counting of the ballots and the transfer of results to the headquarters o the EC.
On the security of the country and the challenge of drug trafficking, Dr Akwetey was not happy that the President did not give details of the measures to improve and strengthen security agencies in the country.
He said issues about the substitution of drugs in the custody of the police with other substances and alleged complicity of the security agencies in the trafficking of drugs were worrying and needed a Presidential pronouncement to assure Ghanaians on how the government was tackling these problems.
“I believe a lot more could have been said that was not”, he said.
A lawyer and Acting Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon, Prof Kofi Quashigah shared similar views saying that the issue of drugs, conflicts and the security of the country were important issues that should have talked about in his address.
He said these issues tended to undermine gains made in good governance and needed clear cut measures from the President on how they were to be solved.
“By not providing clear measures on the governments solution to the issue of drugs can create an environment where even the election process, governments, its institutions and process can be corrupted,” he pointed out.
Prof Quashigah expressed the hope that the President’s announcement of a Commission to administer the oil finds of the country would not only be limited to the resources gained but would extend to establishing prudent initiatives to reduce the harmful environmental effects of exploration.


Story: Charles Benoni Okine

A researcher at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Dr Robert Darko Osei, has stated that the next government must work towards consolidating the gains achieved by the Kuffuor administration, by ensuring that the manufacturing sector becomes vibrant to accelerate the growth of the economy.
Dr Osei who was speaking with the Daily Graphic noted that the country was abound with a lot of natural resources and adding value to these resources before export would improve the manufacturing sector and create jobs for the majority of the people.
According to Dr Osei, inspite of the relatively stable macroeconomic situation under the Kufuor administration many people still lack jobs because most of Ghana’s raw materials, including cocoa, and non-traditonal products such as pineapples, mango and oranges are exported in their raw form.
He cited for instance that said although Ghana earns some money from royalties paid on gold, it is not enough to sustain the economy, but a solid manufacturing sector could add value to the country’s gold and create jobs for the people.
“Growth of the economy must be centred on manufacturing to strengthen the link between the services and agricultural sectors”, he added.
Dr Osei also noted that in the period since 2001, the government focused on providing the platform for accelerated growth which has been largely achieved through macro-economic stability.
Inflation which hovered around 40 per cent in 2001 has been reduced to about 11 per cent while interest rates which also stood at about 52 per cent during the same period had dropped to between 18 per cent and 23 per cent, he said.
In spite of these achievements, he said, many people continue to complain about lack of money to cater for their basic needs.
He described the microeconomic aspect of every economy as crucial if people are to benefit from the successes of a regime.
Dr Osei pointed out that the economy had been able to withstand external and internal shocks such as high crude oil prices and the energy crisis because of the heavy inflows from donors.
He mentioned the Multi Donor Budgetary Support (MDBS), a basket into which many of the country’s donors put money for the government to use to enhance its development agenda and the inflows from the HIPC reliefs as some of the major cushions of the economy.
Dr Osei cautioned however that , this inflow of resources is not sustainable and added that when these resources dwindle it would negatively impact on the country’s economy as was the case in the past.
It was against this background that he asked for the strengthening of the manufacturing sector to propel the country to the next level.

DAILY GRAPHIC, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2008 (PUBLISHED AS PART OF ARTICLE TITLED "SUSTAINED ECONOMIC GROWTH WILL ENSURE MORE JOBS")

NLC FILES APPEAL

THE National Labour Commission (NLC) has filed an appeal against a Fast Track High Court ruling delivered last month against its orders that Ghana Telecommunications (GT) Company unfairly terminated the employment of an employee by not assigning reasons.
Sources at the Supreme Court Registry disclosed that the notice of appeal had been filed but they would not divulge the grounds of appeal.
The ruling, meanwhile, has generated anxiety in labour circles as labour experts spoken to say that it puts employees at a disadvantage because of the unequal nature of the world of employment.
Major labour unions have been locked up in crucial discussions on the ruling since its publication, while others are arranging press conferences to engage the public on the matter.
The Executive Director of Gamey and Gamey Academy of Mediation, Mr Austin Gamey, however, said the ruling had been generalised and distorted in many respects.
“The case is a specific, classic case and employers must not presume that the ruling gives them the right to act anyhow, while labour must not think the ruling is about an unfair labour practice,” he stated.
He pointed out that the ruling was right because the trial judge, in the ruling, clearly made the distinction that the case was not one of an unfair labour practice but a contractual agreement which was in operation and had been terminated by one party.
He made reference to Section 19 of the Labour Act which states that a collective agreement with express provisions on the terms and conditions for the termination of a contract of employment that was beneficial to a worker would not enjoy the relief provided in Sections 15, 16, 17 and 18 that were on grounds of notice and payment of remuneration on termination of a contract.
Mr Gamey, however, said the High Court did not have any regulatory or supervisory jurisdiction over the NLC, as alluded to in the ruling.
He pointed out that when an issue that bordered on unfair labour practice was brought to the NLC and a party was not satisfied, it could resort to the Appeal Court. However, the NLC only applied to the High Court to enforce its orders.
He advised all individuals who were not part of unions to seek advice from labour experts before entering into contracts of employment.
The General Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Mr Abraham Koomson, when contacted, said employees sometimes limited themselves with the type of employment contract they entered into.
He added, however, that some issues in the ruling could have a negative impact on labour.
For instance, Mr Koomson said, the NLC should have brought to the attention of all parties during the trial Legislative Instrument (LI) 1833 that regulated the operation of the Labour Act 2003.
He pointed out that Part 35 (3) of the LI required that a contract could be terminated by an agreement between an employer and an employee only when the Labour Office was satisfied that both parties had consented to the agreement in the first place, among other things.
He said the LI helped in the proper interpretation of the act and had to be resorted to for a better understanding of the law.
Mr Koomson said the issues raised in the ruling were indicative of the fact that the institutional capacity of the NLC had to be boosted for the law to be widely known and understood.
A Fast Track High Court ruling on January 18, 2008 established that Section 15 and 63 (4) of the Labour Act 2003, which previously was taken to mean that employers needed to give reasons before a contract was terminated, no longer applied, since a contract of employment was not like that of servitude.
Section 15 of the act, among other things, states that “A contract of employment may be terminated by mutual agreement between the employer and the worker.”
Section 63 (4), also states that “A termination may be unfair if the employer fails to prove that the reason for the termination is fair or the termination was made in accordance with a fair procedure of this act.”

DAILY GRAPHIC, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2008

EMPLOYERS CAN SACK WITHOUT REASON-COURT

AN Accra Fast Track Court has ruled that the Labour Act, 2003 does not compel employers in Ghana to provide reasons when they terminate the employment of employees.
The court said since a contract of employment was not like that of servitude, the former could be “severed at anytime and for any reason or none”, subject only to the service of the appropriate notice.
Mrs Justice Irismay Brown, the judge, gave the ruling in the case in which the National Labour Commission (NLC) sought an order to compel Ghana Telecommunications Limited (GT) to make payments to a former employee of GT in accordance with the commission’s orders.
The employee, Ms Afua Yeboah, lodged a complaint of unfair termination of appointment at the NLC when her employment as Corporate Communications and General Manager was terminated in February 2006.
She was employed in September 2003 as an Assistant Manager and rose to the position of Chief Manager in April 2005 and subsequently became the Head of Corporate Communications and General Manager.
The commission, after considering the dispute, said the “reservation of the right to dismiss without reason was contrary to Sections 15 and 63 (4) of the Labour Act, 2003”.
Section 15 of the act, among other things, states that “A contract of employment may be terminated by mutual agreement between the employer and the worker.”
Section 63 (4), which labour experts say must be read with Section 15 for the right interpretation, states that “A termination may be unfair if the employer fails to prove that the reason for the termination is fair or the termination was made in accordance with a fair procedure of this act.”
The commission added that GT’s submission that the employee’s rise to the position of chief manager was under a new contract of employment that had within it the provision on the terms of the termination of a contract could not be upheld, since that contract was not a contract of employment but rather a “mere notice of promotion”.
The GT challenged the NLC’s orders and refused to comply with it, citing unfairness and a breach of the rules of natural justice in its defence.
In her ruling, however, Mrs Justice Brown did not uphold the charge of unfairness against the NLC but said the findings of the NLC were “flawed, erroneous at law and at variance with the evidence adduced before it and, therefore, un-enforceable”.
According to her, the interpretation by the NLC of Sections 15 and 63 (4) of the Labour Act, 2003 that employers were mandated to assign reasons for the termination of contract, making GT’s action in terminating the employment contract of Ms Yeboah unfair, was not the right interpretation.
She said the law made a distinction between dismissal, which connoted misconduct, and termination, which did not necessarily impute such connotation.
Whereas dismissal without justification amounted to wrongful termination of contract and rendered an employer liable for damages, in the case of termination of contract brought before the courts no reason had to be given, but an employer, when sued, had to justify a dismissal to avoid liability, Justice Mrs Brown said, citing other rulings as examples.
She said GT’s “contract of re-employment” contained clauses, among which was the clause on the manner of the termination of the employment contract by both parties which was duly agreed to by both parties and signed.
“Consent was absolutely essential to the validity and enforceability of the new agreement. The petitioner willingly signed and worked under the new contract from April 29, 2005 without protestation,” Mrs Justice Brown said.
That clearly manifested the intention of the parties to work under the newly agreed terms of employment and the NLC, therefore, could not declare that agreement as a “mere promotion letter”, she said.
The trial judge said whatever condition of service existed before the complainant’s promotion had, by mutual consent, been discharged.
She said the NLC also erred when it proceeded to use the provisions in the new employment document to calculate her redundancy pay, after having decided that the document did not incorporate new terms of employment.
Mrs Justice Brown was also not happy that the NLC, when considering the case, substituted “termination on grounds of redundancy” as a reason for GT’s termination of employment with Ms Yeboah, on the basis that the company had, during that period, embarked on a restructuring exercise.
It said redundancy was more than how the NLC interpreted it in the case and that no evidence was found of redundancy to warrant the award made by it.
According to labour experts interviewed on the decision, the court's decision contradicted International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 158, which provided that the termination of employment at the instance of the employer must be backed by valid reasons.
Article 4 of ILO Convention 158 says, “The employment of a worker shall not be terminated unless there is a valid reason for such termination connected with the capacity or conduct of the worker or based on the operational requirements of the undertaking, establishment or service.”
Conventions of the ILO, labour experts say, influence local labour legislation.
Ghana has consistently ratified those ILO conventions and expressed its willingness to adhere to international norms and best practices.

 DAILY GRAPHIC, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2008

EXPECTATIONS ON THE STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS

THE security of Ghanaians and the country in general, the challenge of drug trafficking, the health of the economy and the failures and successes of the government are key issues that President J.A. Kufuor must report on in his last State of the Nation Address.
These are the expectations of a governance expert and a legal expert, as well as some Members of Parliament (MPs), when they were interviewed on their expectations of the President’s State of the Nation Address to be delivered on Thursday.
Another issue of importance is the December 2008 election.
The Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, the acting Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof Kofi Quashigah, and some MPs from both the Majority and Minority sides in Parliament shared their views in separate interviews.
Dr Akwetey said he expected the President to assure the nation of free, fair and peaceful elections this year by coming out clearly on the status of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Law (ROPAL).
He said the law had evoked so much tension since its development and passage that the President, as the mastermind of the law, had to use the last review of his tenure to break the government’s silence on the law and make a commitment to shelve its implementation till after the elections in December 2008.
“The President must defer the implementation of the law, make a clear statement not to push through with the implementation and give all assurances required in his State of the Nation Address to ensure peace and stability during and after the elections,” he told the Daily Graphic.
Dr Akwetey said another issue that had to be emphasised in the President’s report sheet was the discovery of oil in the country and the way forward after the discovery.
In his view, the discovery offered the basis for all stakeholders to engage one another for solutions to bridge the poverty gap.
He expressed appreciation over the fact that the Northern Development Fund had been set up before the President ended his tenure, but stressed that more was needed than just establishing the fund.
“More money is needed in the fund to ensure the right investments and turnover to transform the livelihoods of the people there,” he said.
Dr Akwetey said he also expected the President to speak about the issues of drugs and “monecracy” that were gaining currency in the country.
He was of the view that drugs and their attendant characteristic of placing money over and above every other moral social endeavour were at the heart of corruption and needed the President’s statement on how they were going to be solved.
Prof Quashigah was of the view that the drug trafficking challenge was a dent on the image of the country internationally. Moreover, it had negative repercussions for the country’s development policy, for individuals and the youth of the country.
“The drug issue is embarrassing to Ghanaians generally and the government in particular. It affects our national dignity and causes frustrations for Ghanaians as they travel abroad because we are all suspected and subjected to uncomfortable questioning and searches,” he said.
Prof Quashigah said the President had to make clear statements on how to solve the challenge because the drug issue had the potential of distorting the values of the socio-political system by putting a premium on cheap money through drug trafficking rather than hard work.
He was worried that if the President did not set the tone on how to resolve those issues, Ghanaian children would be affected by it, since “once the drugs pass through your country, it is certain that some will be left for the citizens to be hooked on”.
Prof Quashigah also asked for a report on the security of the country and incessant chieftaincy disputes.
“These conflicts and disturbance seem to just happen and we are always caught napping when they occur,” he pointed out.
He said the Dagbon and Anlo chieftaincy disputes, the Bawku crisis and several other chieftaincy disputes had to be tackled by the President in his address to lead a national effort towards their resolution.
Prof Quashigah said he expected a clear report from the President on the state of the economy and its prospects for Ghanaians, noting that a weak economy had negative effects on all other sectors of development, weakening the strength of governments, respect for the rule of law and other social structures.
“Can we confidently say that we are building an economy that will eventually reduce poverty in the country?” was the question he posed to the President.
Generally, the two said the State of the Nation Address was an important constitutional mandate.
While Prof Quashigah said it was an avenue for the President, as the one chosen among all to govern, to give an account of his tenure to the sovereign people, Dr Akwetey said the address was monitored for follow-ups on issues of governance.
Dr Akwetey predicted that as happened in all other times, the President would be optimistic as he delivered his last address, based on his expectations as he assumed the Presidency seven years ago and the successes he had chalked up in leading the country to hook on to the Heavily Indebted Poor Country’s (HIPC) initiative, the growth in the economy, the Golden Jubilee celebrations and the recent Ghana 2008 tournament.
“It will be legitimate for him to be upbeat, but it will also be legitimate for those who are critical to be so, too,” he said.
The MPs, on the other hand, asked the President to use his last State of the Nation Address to summarise the achievements of his rule and show the direction for his successor to follow for the country’s economic progress.
They expected the address to be non-partisan and one that would ensure unity as the country prepared for the general election in December.
However, MPs from the Minority side added that it would also be prudent for the President to use the address to enumerate his failures to guide his successor on how to solve such problems.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Asuogyaman, Mr Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, said President Kufuor had done a lot to build the foundation, adding, “I, therefore, expect him to focus on such achievements in his address on Thursday.”
He mentioned the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the Capitation Grant, HIPC and the School Feeding Programme as some of the legacies of the Kufuor administration.
“The ability of the President to come out of the energy crisis with a plan to build the Bui Dam to boost the sector in future is something that should not be left out in President Kufuor’s final address to Parliament,” he added.
For his part, the NPP MP for Mfantseman West, Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, said he expected the address to “sound upbeat concerning a two-time President who is still active”.
The President should tell us about the future growth of the economy based on what he had done to lay the necessary foundation, he said, adding that he had to also use his address to tell Ghanaians how the economy would progress from the discovery of oil.
For the Majority Chief Whip and NPP MP for Ahafo-Ano South, Mr Kwaku Balado-Manu, his expectation was for the President to thank Ghanaians for their patience during the difficult times of his rule.
He also wanted the President to appeal to politicians to organise their campaigns for the December election in civility by discussing issues rather than attacking the personalities of their opponents.
For his part, the NDC MP for Jomoro, Mr Lee Ocran, said although he expected the President to talk about the lowering of inflation and the stabilisation of the cedi against the dollar, he was sure the President would avoid mentioning the fact that the dollar itself had lost its value in the past five years.
“It will also not be news for the President to talk about the Capitation Grant, since the Constitution (Article 38 (2) made it mandatory for any government that was in power in 2005 to implement the free compulsory universal basic education (FCUBE),” the MP stated.
Mr Ocran explained that while the NDC was able to hit a single digit inflation in 1999, the depreciation of the cedi against the euro stood at 57 pesewas in 2000, as against GH¢1.20 presently.
The Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, said although the President would trumpet his achievements in macro- economic indices, such as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), lowering of interest rates and inflation, among others, “we should be sincere to ask ourselves whether those were the basis for growth for the developed economies when they were at our level of development”.
He said it would be against natural justice if the President did not focus on challenges such as corruption, the high cost of living as a result of the government’s failure to provide affordable utility services and the influx of drugs into the country during his tenure.
The NDC MP for Sefwi Wiawso, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, said coming from an agricultural area, he expected the President to touch on how value could be added to both cash and food crops to enable farmers to benefit from the sweat of their toil.
The welfare of peasant cocoa farmers should also be taken into account for the state to compensate them for their sacrifices towards the growth of economy over the years, he said.
The Minority Chief Whip, Mr John A. Tia, said he expected the President to let his address portray him as a father who loved all his children equally and not one who would leave the country polarised.

DAILY GRAPHIC, WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2008