THE Communications Service Tax (CST), popularly referred to as the “talk time tax”, has come into force.
The tax legally came into force yesterday, the Director of Budgets at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP), Mr Kwabena Adjei-Mensah, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday.
The six-per cent excise tax on airtime will be charged on the use of all multi-media enabled communication in the country.
A minute of airtime spent on the use of mobile telephones, the Internet and fax machines and other technologically enabled communications will attract the six per cent tax.
The excise duty was introduced by the government in the 2007 budget to replace the old system of taxation, where import duties and value-added tax (VAT) was charged on all mobile handsets imported into the country.
The government said the country was not deriving maximum revenue from the expected taxes on mobile handset imports because most of them were either smuggled into the country or were brought in with no declaration at the country’s entry points.
The introduction of the tax generated public debate, with those in favour lauding it as an appropriate tax mechanism and those against it labelling it as an additional financial burden on Ghanaians
Mr Adjei-Mensah said all arrangements for the tax to be implemented had been finalised.
These included meetings with communication service providers and other agencies, while all the guidelines and regulations to implement the tax successfully were also in place.
The tax, he said, would be collected just as the VAT and National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) tax on the handsets were collected.
“We expect that just as these taxes were collected, the new system will also be collected and returns made to the government,” he said.
Mr Adjei-Mensah said the government was also in negotiations to acquire equipment to monitor and evaluate the collection of the tax, adding that the process was far advanced.
He explained, though, that the equipment was just for monitoring purposes to verify taxes returned to government chest and not for purposes of collection.
Mr Adjei-Mensah expressed the hope that by June 15, the first tranche of the tax would have been returned to government chest.
“The tax is similar to VAT in its administration, thus by June 15, the VAT Service is to make returns on the tax,” he said.
According to the 2007 Budget, the impact of the tax is expected to be minimised with further technological advancement and improvements in the communication sector.
On May 23, 2008, the VAT Service planned a launch of the tax, which was aborted at the last meeting because the President, Mr J. A. Kufour, had made a prior announcement of some tax reprieves in connection with spiralling global food and fuel prices.
DAILY GRAPHIC, JUNE I, 2008, PG 1
Sunday, June 1, 2008
GOVERNMENT EXPANDS LEAP PROGRAMME
The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme has been expanded to cover an additional 1,600 households, bringing the total number of beneficiary households to 3,200.
The expanded programme will still cover the initial 21 districts under the pilot programme which began in March this year. However, more extremely poor households in these districts are expected to benefit from a minimum grant of GH¢8 and a maximum of GH¢15 each month under the second phase of the programme, which will start early next month.
Fifty districts have been targeted under the programme for this year.
At a media briefing on Tuesday, which was addressed by Mrs Angela Asante Asare and Mr Lawrence Ofori-Addo, the co-ordinators of the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) and the LEAP programme, respectively, they said the payment of the grants would begin on June 3, 2008.
They explained that preparations, which involved meeting with their partners at the district and local levels, such as officials of post offices in the various localities, some community leaders and district assembly members who helped in identifying the target households, would be carried out a day before payment is effected.
According to Mr Ofori-Addo, initial feedback from disbursements done in March had shown changes in the lives of some extremely poor households, some of whom had been able to engage in some form of subsistent business venture.
During the initial programme, a flat rate of GH¢8 was paid to all targeted households in March and April.
That was to test the systems and structures put in place for the programme.
In the second phase, with the success of the pilot programme, each targeted extremely poor household will get an initial sum of GH¢8.
After a household has been targeted for the payment of the initial grant, each additional person in the household identified as aged, orphaned, vulnerable or a person with a severe disability attracts an additional GH¢2.
That is, one eligible beneficiary in the household gets GH¢8, two eligible beneficiaries in a household get GH¢10, three get GH¢12, while four get GH¢15.
Fifteen Ghana cedis (GH¢15) is the maximum and a household with more than four beneficiaries will still get the maximum.
Mrs Asare explained the rationale behind that, saying that the LEAP programme was “to give households a push and not create a dependency situation, while preventing abuse of the system”.
The two co-ordinators said beneficiaries were expected to be on the programme for a minimum of six months and a maximum of three years, after which they would be weaned off it and linked up to other livelihood enhancing programmes.
Mr Ofori-Addo stressed that the programme was for the extremely poor who had not been able to benefit from development initiatives so far, while Mrs Asare said LEAP was a means to an end, a supportive mechanism for extremely poor households to link up with complementary services.
They disclosed that a technical work group on social protection had been set up in districts, targeted at the extremely poor and also as a social protection mechanism for them.
The technical team identified the extremely poor and other social indicators, such as employment and child protection and how these impacted on their lives.
On the current hikes in food and fuel prices, Ms Asare said the NSPS policy document stipulated that the programme would respond to any emergencies.
She said some donors were ready to help the programme to meet that challenge, while the government had already completed a programme to rope in areas affected by floods last year and districts that were prone to food shortages and crises.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2008, PG 24
The expanded programme will still cover the initial 21 districts under the pilot programme which began in March this year. However, more extremely poor households in these districts are expected to benefit from a minimum grant of GH¢8 and a maximum of GH¢15 each month under the second phase of the programme, which will start early next month.
Fifty districts have been targeted under the programme for this year.
At a media briefing on Tuesday, which was addressed by Mrs Angela Asante Asare and Mr Lawrence Ofori-Addo, the co-ordinators of the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) and the LEAP programme, respectively, they said the payment of the grants would begin on June 3, 2008.
They explained that preparations, which involved meeting with their partners at the district and local levels, such as officials of post offices in the various localities, some community leaders and district assembly members who helped in identifying the target households, would be carried out a day before payment is effected.
According to Mr Ofori-Addo, initial feedback from disbursements done in March had shown changes in the lives of some extremely poor households, some of whom had been able to engage in some form of subsistent business venture.
During the initial programme, a flat rate of GH¢8 was paid to all targeted households in March and April.
That was to test the systems and structures put in place for the programme.
In the second phase, with the success of the pilot programme, each targeted extremely poor household will get an initial sum of GH¢8.
After a household has been targeted for the payment of the initial grant, each additional person in the household identified as aged, orphaned, vulnerable or a person with a severe disability attracts an additional GH¢2.
That is, one eligible beneficiary in the household gets GH¢8, two eligible beneficiaries in a household get GH¢10, three get GH¢12, while four get GH¢15.
Fifteen Ghana cedis (GH¢15) is the maximum and a household with more than four beneficiaries will still get the maximum.
Mrs Asare explained the rationale behind that, saying that the LEAP programme was “to give households a push and not create a dependency situation, while preventing abuse of the system”.
The two co-ordinators said beneficiaries were expected to be on the programme for a minimum of six months and a maximum of three years, after which they would be weaned off it and linked up to other livelihood enhancing programmes.
Mr Ofori-Addo stressed that the programme was for the extremely poor who had not been able to benefit from development initiatives so far, while Mrs Asare said LEAP was a means to an end, a supportive mechanism for extremely poor households to link up with complementary services.
They disclosed that a technical work group on social protection had been set up in districts, targeted at the extremely poor and also as a social protection mechanism for them.
The technical team identified the extremely poor and other social indicators, such as employment and child protection and how these impacted on their lives.
On the current hikes in food and fuel prices, Ms Asare said the NSPS policy document stipulated that the programme would respond to any emergencies.
She said some donors were ready to help the programme to meet that challenge, while the government had already completed a programme to rope in areas affected by floods last year and districts that were prone to food shortages and crises.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2008, PG 24
CHALLENGE GOVERNMENTS TO PURSUE GOOD POLICIES, ARNETT URGES JOURNALISTS
A veteran Australian journalist, Mr Peter Arnett, has called on Ghanaian journalists to always challenge the government to pursue better alternatives for the people.
Mr Arnett is a world-renowned journalist who covered Gulf War I for CNN when all other journalists had been asked by the American government to pull out.
Sharing his experiences at a public forum organised by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra on Wednesday, he urged journalists to strive to capture alternative information and communicate it professionally, especially in crisis situations such as conflicts and war.
Mr Arnett started his career reporting the Vietnam War for the Associated Press and during Gulf War I he was the only reporter from CNN in Baghdad when all other media institutions had been pressurised to withdraw their reporters by the American government.
Some high points of his career as a journalist are when he interviewed Saddam Hussein 10 days into Gulf War I and later an interview with Osama Bin Laden before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre and other installations in the US.
Now 73, Mr Arnett is a professor at the Shantou University in China.
Recounting some of his experiences, he said his time in Vietnam was part of the most formative years of his life.
“It was in Vietnam, where men fought and died, that I learned to be a reporter,” he told his audience.
He said at that time he paid attention to the feelings of the soldiers he accompanied onto the battlefield, captured them and communicated them to the American people.
He said he wrote articles that challenged the generals at the helm of affairs and the conscience of people on the value of civilian lives in battle, in spite of the sides they belonged to.
Mr Arnett said communicating the truth then was worth dying for, saying that encouraged journalists to do just that.
Dwelling later on his topic for the forum, “Journalism in a Globalised World — Prospects and Challenges”, he stressed that the basis of all reporting was getting the facts right and communicating them professionally.
He said with tremendous improvement in the social, political and economic sectors of countries such as China and Ghana, journalism had also improved.
That, according to him, was because the media could not thrive in a country where there were poverty, hopelessness and wanton abuse.
He expressed satisfaction at the fact that journalism in Ghana was not confronted by some of those challenges, hence its growth and progress.
Mr Arnett also pointed out the waning influence of the foreign media and said that was an opportunity for journalists in the country to better their trade by professionally gathering information and packaging it for their people.
He envisaged a period in the immediate future when the developing world would produce 24-hour TV channels similar to CNN.
A member of the Council of State and former President of the GJA, Mrs Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, who chaired the function, urged Ghanaian journalists to be dedicated to their watchdog role, instead of becoming pipe organs of governments and politicians.
She said it was time for journalists to take the Directive Principles of State Policy in Chapter 6 of the 1992 constitution and use them as a measure against the sayings and actions of politicians and policy makers.
Mrs Afenyi-Dadzie also asked the GJA to revise the guidelines on election reporting which were produced some four years ago to make them relevant to the upcoming elections.
DAILY GRAPHIC, FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2008, PG 25 (SPREAD)
Mr Arnett is a world-renowned journalist who covered Gulf War I for CNN when all other journalists had been asked by the American government to pull out.
Sharing his experiences at a public forum organised by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra on Wednesday, he urged journalists to strive to capture alternative information and communicate it professionally, especially in crisis situations such as conflicts and war.
Mr Arnett started his career reporting the Vietnam War for the Associated Press and during Gulf War I he was the only reporter from CNN in Baghdad when all other media institutions had been pressurised to withdraw their reporters by the American government.
Some high points of his career as a journalist are when he interviewed Saddam Hussein 10 days into Gulf War I and later an interview with Osama Bin Laden before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre and other installations in the US.
Now 73, Mr Arnett is a professor at the Shantou University in China.
Recounting some of his experiences, he said his time in Vietnam was part of the most formative years of his life.
“It was in Vietnam, where men fought and died, that I learned to be a reporter,” he told his audience.
He said at that time he paid attention to the feelings of the soldiers he accompanied onto the battlefield, captured them and communicated them to the American people.
He said he wrote articles that challenged the generals at the helm of affairs and the conscience of people on the value of civilian lives in battle, in spite of the sides they belonged to.
Mr Arnett said communicating the truth then was worth dying for, saying that encouraged journalists to do just that.
Dwelling later on his topic for the forum, “Journalism in a Globalised World — Prospects and Challenges”, he stressed that the basis of all reporting was getting the facts right and communicating them professionally.
He said with tremendous improvement in the social, political and economic sectors of countries such as China and Ghana, journalism had also improved.
That, according to him, was because the media could not thrive in a country where there were poverty, hopelessness and wanton abuse.
He expressed satisfaction at the fact that journalism in Ghana was not confronted by some of those challenges, hence its growth and progress.
Mr Arnett also pointed out the waning influence of the foreign media and said that was an opportunity for journalists in the country to better their trade by professionally gathering information and packaging it for their people.
He envisaged a period in the immediate future when the developing world would produce 24-hour TV channels similar to CNN.
A member of the Council of State and former President of the GJA, Mrs Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, who chaired the function, urged Ghanaian journalists to be dedicated to their watchdog role, instead of becoming pipe organs of governments and politicians.
She said it was time for journalists to take the Directive Principles of State Policy in Chapter 6 of the 1992 constitution and use them as a measure against the sayings and actions of politicians and policy makers.
Mrs Afenyi-Dadzie also asked the GJA to revise the guidelines on election reporting which were produced some four years ago to make them relevant to the upcoming elections.
DAILY GRAPHIC, FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2008, PG 25 (SPREAD)
CHALLENGE GOVERNMENTS TO PURSUE GOOD POLICIES, ARNETT URGES JOURNALISTS
A veteran Australian journalist, Mr Peter Arnett, has called on Ghanaian journalists to always challenge the government to pursue better alternatives for the people.
Mr Arnett is a world-renowned journalist who covered Gulf War I for CNN when all other journalists had been asked by the American government to pull out.
Sharing his experiences at a public forum organised by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra on Wednesday, he urged journalists to strive to capture alternative information and communicate it professionally, especially in crisis situations such as conflicts and war.
Mr Arnett started his career reporting the Vietnam War for the Associated Press and during Gulf War I he was the only reporter from CNN in Baghdad when all other media institutions had been pressurised to withdraw their reporters by the American government.
Some high points of his career as a journalist are when he interviewed Saddam Hussein 10 days into Gulf War I and later an interview with Osama Bin Laden before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre and other installations in the US.
Now 73, Mr Arnett is a professor at the Shantou University in China.
Recounting some of his experiences, he said his time in Vietnam was part of the most formative years of his life.
“It was in Vietnam, where men fought and died, that I learned to be a reporter,” he told his audience.
He said at that time he paid attention to the feelings of the soldiers he accompanied onto the battlefield, captured them and communicated them to the American people.
He said he wrote articles that challenged the generals at the helm of affairs and the conscience of people on the value of civilian lives in battle, in spite of the sides they belonged to.
Mr Arnett said communicating the truth then was worth dying for, saying that encouraged journalists to do just that.
Dwelling later on his topic for the forum, “Journalism in a Globalised World — Prospects and Challenges”, he stressed that the basis of all reporting was getting the facts right and communicating them professionally.
He said with tremendous improvement in the social, political and economic sectors of countries such as China and Ghana, journalism had also improved.
That, according to him, was because the media could not thrive in a country where there were poverty, hopelessness and wanton abuse.
He expressed satisfaction at the fact that journalism in Ghana was not confronted by some of those challenges, hence its growth and progress.
Mr Arnett also pointed out the waning influence of the foreign media and said that was an opportunity for journalists in the country to better their trade by professionally gathering information and packaging it for their people.
He envisaged a period in the immediate future when the developing world would produce 24-hour TV channels similar to CNN.
A member of the Council of State and former President of the GJA, Mrs Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, who chaired the function, urged Ghanaian journalists to be dedicated to their watchdog role, instead of becoming pipe organs of governments and politicians.
She said it was time for journalists to take the Directive Principles of State Policy in Chapter 6 of the 1992 constitution and use them as a measure against the sayings and actions of politicians and policy makers.
Mrs Afenyi-Dadzie also asked the GJA to revise the guidelines on election reporting which were produced some four years ago to make them relevant to the upcoming elections.
DAILY GRAPHIC, FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2008, PG 25 (SPREAD)
Mr Arnett is a world-renowned journalist who covered Gulf War I for CNN when all other journalists had been asked by the American government to pull out.
Sharing his experiences at a public forum organised by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Accra on Wednesday, he urged journalists to strive to capture alternative information and communicate it professionally, especially in crisis situations such as conflicts and war.
Mr Arnett started his career reporting the Vietnam War for the Associated Press and during Gulf War I he was the only reporter from CNN in Baghdad when all other media institutions had been pressurised to withdraw their reporters by the American government.
Some high points of his career as a journalist are when he interviewed Saddam Hussein 10 days into Gulf War I and later an interview with Osama Bin Laden before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre and other installations in the US.
Now 73, Mr Arnett is a professor at the Shantou University in China.
Recounting some of his experiences, he said his time in Vietnam was part of the most formative years of his life.
“It was in Vietnam, where men fought and died, that I learned to be a reporter,” he told his audience.
He said at that time he paid attention to the feelings of the soldiers he accompanied onto the battlefield, captured them and communicated them to the American people.
He said he wrote articles that challenged the generals at the helm of affairs and the conscience of people on the value of civilian lives in battle, in spite of the sides they belonged to.
Mr Arnett said communicating the truth then was worth dying for, saying that encouraged journalists to do just that.
Dwelling later on his topic for the forum, “Journalism in a Globalised World — Prospects and Challenges”, he stressed that the basis of all reporting was getting the facts right and communicating them professionally.
He said with tremendous improvement in the social, political and economic sectors of countries such as China and Ghana, journalism had also improved.
That, according to him, was because the media could not thrive in a country where there were poverty, hopelessness and wanton abuse.
He expressed satisfaction at the fact that journalism in Ghana was not confronted by some of those challenges, hence its growth and progress.
Mr Arnett also pointed out the waning influence of the foreign media and said that was an opportunity for journalists in the country to better their trade by professionally gathering information and packaging it for their people.
He envisaged a period in the immediate future when the developing world would produce 24-hour TV channels similar to CNN.
A member of the Council of State and former President of the GJA, Mrs Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, who chaired the function, urged Ghanaian journalists to be dedicated to their watchdog role, instead of becoming pipe organs of governments and politicians.
She said it was time for journalists to take the Directive Principles of State Policy in Chapter 6 of the 1992 constitution and use them as a measure against the sayings and actions of politicians and policy makers.
Mrs Afenyi-Dadzie also asked the GJA to revise the guidelines on election reporting which were produced some four years ago to make them relevant to the upcoming elections.
DAILY GRAPHIC, FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2008, PG 25 (SPREAD)
CDD BOSS CALLS FOR FUND FOR EC
THE Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Ghana, Prof Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, says it will be a good idea, if the government can set aside a dedicated fund for the Electoral Commission (EC) to access in case the country needs to go for a run-off.
He said that source of funding could also be used for other contingent activities in the run-up to the December 7 polls, so that the commission would not be totally dependent on the government at every stage of its activities leading to the elections.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic after a colloquium organised by the Coalition of Domestic Observers (CODEO), Prof Gyimah-Boadi said the assurances of the Government to provide all funding needed by the EC at every stage could be depended on by Ghanaians for now.
“For now, we must take the assurances of the government. What we must be concerned with is whether the EC has the resources to do what it has to do now,” he said.
He, however, agreed to the suggestion of a separate funding for a run-off and other activities of the EC because of current global changes in oil and commodity prices that could make the government cash-strapped at the time when the electoral process needed funding for a particular activity.
Prof Gyimah-Boadi said this in response to a statement by the Chairman of the EC, Mr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, that the EC had not been allowed to include a contingency amount of GH¢7 million in its budget.
The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev Fred Deegbe, also in an interview with the Daily Graphic, was of the view that CODEO would have to discuss the issue further for the way forward.
Meanwhile, according to the Head of Elections, CDD-Ghana and co-ordinator of CODEO, Mr John Larvie, the colloquium was one of the activities being planned by the coalition in the run-up to the elections.
He said other colloquia involving other election stakeholders would be held soon.
Another project to be introduced in a month’s time, he said, was the nation-wide training of media practitioners on basic public policies.
He said that was to enable them to better understand these policies for better interviews involving policy makers and a better analysis of responses by journalists.
“Most times, when you read the article, you find a clear disconnection between the issues raised and the responses in the same article and does not engage readers,” he said.
He said it was in response to the need for media practitioners to be clear of issues for better coverage that the initiative was being planned.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2008, PG 47
He said that source of funding could also be used for other contingent activities in the run-up to the December 7 polls, so that the commission would not be totally dependent on the government at every stage of its activities leading to the elections.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic after a colloquium organised by the Coalition of Domestic Observers (CODEO), Prof Gyimah-Boadi said the assurances of the Government to provide all funding needed by the EC at every stage could be depended on by Ghanaians for now.
“For now, we must take the assurances of the government. What we must be concerned with is whether the EC has the resources to do what it has to do now,” he said.
He, however, agreed to the suggestion of a separate funding for a run-off and other activities of the EC because of current global changes in oil and commodity prices that could make the government cash-strapped at the time when the electoral process needed funding for a particular activity.
Prof Gyimah-Boadi said this in response to a statement by the Chairman of the EC, Mr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, that the EC had not been allowed to include a contingency amount of GH¢7 million in its budget.
The General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev Fred Deegbe, also in an interview with the Daily Graphic, was of the view that CODEO would have to discuss the issue further for the way forward.
Meanwhile, according to the Head of Elections, CDD-Ghana and co-ordinator of CODEO, Mr John Larvie, the colloquium was one of the activities being planned by the coalition in the run-up to the elections.
He said other colloquia involving other election stakeholders would be held soon.
Another project to be introduced in a month’s time, he said, was the nation-wide training of media practitioners on basic public policies.
He said that was to enable them to better understand these policies for better interviews involving policy makers and a better analysis of responses by journalists.
“Most times, when you read the article, you find a clear disconnection between the issues raised and the responses in the same article and does not engage readers,” he said.
He said it was in response to the need for media practitioners to be clear of issues for better coverage that the initiative was being planned.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2008, PG 47
LATENES IS NOT A GHANAIAN CULTURE
Ghanaians must disabuse their minds of the perception that lateness is part of their culture, the Resident Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Mr Klaus D. Loetzer, has advised.
That was because holding on to such a perception would lead to the entrenchment of the practice, a situation which, he noted, would impact negatively on the country’s development.
He said lateness was a habit which, practised over time, developed into a tradition which was later taken as a cultural norm.
He, therefore, challenged all to separate negative traditional practices from positive cultural norms.
Mr Loetzer was speaking at the opening of a two-day national conference on cultural and corporate governance organised by the National Commission on Culture (NCC) and sponsored by KAS.
He said clearly separating negative traditional practices from positive cultural norms helped to discard what impacted negatively on the developmental strides of the country.
Expressing his support for the conference, he said KAS had worked with the Private Enterprises Foundation (PEF) in promoting corporate governance and also with the NCC to harness cultural values in the country’s development agenda.
“The conference, consequently, serves as part of the converging point in our contribution to the development process of Ghana,” he added.
Mr Loetzer pointed out that culture was reflected in the structures, systems and symbols of organisations and also impacted greatly on the private sector.
He said developing a good corporate culture required leadership for the needed direction in attaining objectives.
The Chairman of the NCC, Prof George Hagan, said at the core, management was a behavioural science and branch of cultural anthropology.
He said when people sought to develop a culture among groups, households and businesses, they had to recognise that the people and resources being managed had their traditional cultures, that is, “the totality of their ways of life”.
The key to good management then, he noted, lay in understanding the culture of the corporate entry, particularly the mindset, values, attitudes, norms and the types of behaviour coded into the vision, mission and strategic objectives of the enterprise.
Prof Hagan said under colonialism, management was in the hands of the British and a few Africans who were designated as holding “European posts”, explaining that that had changed now, with the management class having the same “collective mindset”, being of the same cultural beliefs, ideas, attitudes and behavioural expectations that were all influenced by their culture.
He said how those factors influenced corporate and leadership culture, how they impacted on employment practices and the management of people, resources and time were issues that needed to be examined and rationalised with the country’s development agenda.
A member of the Public Services Commission, Dr Sebastian Bemile, in his submissions, said culture was far more than the music and dance that most people thought it was.
He endorsed the conference as a way of reinforcing positive cultural practices and doing away with the negative.
The Chairman of the State Enterprises Commission (SEC), who chaired the function, said it was sometimes irritating at functions when music and dance troupes were ushered in to do what organisers termed a “cultural dance”, particularly when the programme was already behind schedule.
He said the conference was opportune, as it showed that culture mattered in corporate governance in the efforts of the country to attain a middle-income status by 2015 and in the era of the golden age of business.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2008, PG 14
That was because holding on to such a perception would lead to the entrenchment of the practice, a situation which, he noted, would impact negatively on the country’s development.
He said lateness was a habit which, practised over time, developed into a tradition which was later taken as a cultural norm.
He, therefore, challenged all to separate negative traditional practices from positive cultural norms.
Mr Loetzer was speaking at the opening of a two-day national conference on cultural and corporate governance organised by the National Commission on Culture (NCC) and sponsored by KAS.
He said clearly separating negative traditional practices from positive cultural norms helped to discard what impacted negatively on the developmental strides of the country.
Expressing his support for the conference, he said KAS had worked with the Private Enterprises Foundation (PEF) in promoting corporate governance and also with the NCC to harness cultural values in the country’s development agenda.
“The conference, consequently, serves as part of the converging point in our contribution to the development process of Ghana,” he added.
Mr Loetzer pointed out that culture was reflected in the structures, systems and symbols of organisations and also impacted greatly on the private sector.
He said developing a good corporate culture required leadership for the needed direction in attaining objectives.
The Chairman of the NCC, Prof George Hagan, said at the core, management was a behavioural science and branch of cultural anthropology.
He said when people sought to develop a culture among groups, households and businesses, they had to recognise that the people and resources being managed had their traditional cultures, that is, “the totality of their ways of life”.
The key to good management then, he noted, lay in understanding the culture of the corporate entry, particularly the mindset, values, attitudes, norms and the types of behaviour coded into the vision, mission and strategic objectives of the enterprise.
Prof Hagan said under colonialism, management was in the hands of the British and a few Africans who were designated as holding “European posts”, explaining that that had changed now, with the management class having the same “collective mindset”, being of the same cultural beliefs, ideas, attitudes and behavioural expectations that were all influenced by their culture.
He said how those factors influenced corporate and leadership culture, how they impacted on employment practices and the management of people, resources and time were issues that needed to be examined and rationalised with the country’s development agenda.
A member of the Public Services Commission, Dr Sebastian Bemile, in his submissions, said culture was far more than the music and dance that most people thought it was.
He endorsed the conference as a way of reinforcing positive cultural practices and doing away with the negative.
The Chairman of the State Enterprises Commission (SEC), who chaired the function, said it was sometimes irritating at functions when music and dance troupes were ushered in to do what organisers termed a “cultural dance”, particularly when the programme was already behind schedule.
He said the conference was opportune, as it showed that culture mattered in corporate governance in the efforts of the country to attain a middle-income status by 2015 and in the era of the golden age of business.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2008, PG 14
'LATENESS IS NOT A GHANAIAN CULTURE'
Ghanaians must disabuse their minds of the perception that lateness is part of their culture, the Resident Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Mr Klaus D. Loetzer, has advised.
That was because holding on to such a perception would lead to the entrenchment of the practice, a situation which, he noted, would impact negatively on the country’s development.
He said lateness was a habit which, practised over time, developed into a tradition which was later taken as a cultural norm.
He, therefore, challenged all to separate negative traditional practices from positive cultural norms.
Mr Loetzer was speaking at the opening of a two-day national conference on cultural and corporate governance organised by the National Commission on Culture (NCC) and sponsored by KAS.
He said clearly separating negative traditional practices from positive cultural norms helped to discard what impacted negatively on the developmental strides of the country.
Expressing his support for the conference, he said KAS had worked with the Private Enterprises Foundation (PEF) in promoting corporate governance and also with the NCC to harness cultural values in the country’s development agenda.
“The conference, consequently, serves as part of the converging point in our contribution to the development process of Ghana,” he added.
Mr Loetzer pointed out that culture was reflected in the structures, systems and symbols of organisations and also impacted greatly on the private sector.
He said developing a good corporate culture required leadership for the needed direction in attaining objectives.
The Chairman of the NCC, Prof George Hagan, said at the core, management was a behavioural science and branch of cultural anthropology.
He said when people sought to develop a culture among groups, households and businesses, they had to recognise that the people and resources being managed had their traditional cultures, that is, “the totality of their ways of life”.
The key to good management then, he noted, lay in understanding the culture of the corporate entry, particularly the mindset, values, attitudes, norms and the types of behaviour coded into the vision, mission and strategic objectives of the enterprise.
Prof Hagan said under colonialism, management was in the hands of the British and a few Africans who were designated as holding “European posts”, explaining that that had changed now, with the management class having the same “collective mindset”, being of the same cultural beliefs, ideas, attitudes and behavioural expectations that were all influenced by their culture.
He said how those factors influenced corporate and leadership culture, how they impacted on employment practices and the management of people, resources and time were issues that needed to be examined and rationalised with the country’s development agenda.
A member of the Public Services Commission, Dr Sebastian Bemile, in his submissions, said culture was far more than the music and dance that most people thought it was.
He endorsed the conference as a way of reinforcing positive cultural practices and doing away with the negative.
The Chairman of the State Enterprises Commission (SEC), who chaired the function, said it was sometimes irritating at functions when music and dance troupes were ushered in to do what organisers termed a “cultural dance”, particularly when the programme was already behind schedule.
He said the conference was opportune, as it showed that culture mattered in corporate governance in the efforts of the country to attain a middle-income status by 2015 and in the era of the golden age of business.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2008, PG 15
That was because holding on to such a perception would lead to the entrenchment of the practice, a situation which, he noted, would impact negatively on the country’s development.
He said lateness was a habit which, practised over time, developed into a tradition which was later taken as a cultural norm.
He, therefore, challenged all to separate negative traditional practices from positive cultural norms.
Mr Loetzer was speaking at the opening of a two-day national conference on cultural and corporate governance organised by the National Commission on Culture (NCC) and sponsored by KAS.
He said clearly separating negative traditional practices from positive cultural norms helped to discard what impacted negatively on the developmental strides of the country.
Expressing his support for the conference, he said KAS had worked with the Private Enterprises Foundation (PEF) in promoting corporate governance and also with the NCC to harness cultural values in the country’s development agenda.
“The conference, consequently, serves as part of the converging point in our contribution to the development process of Ghana,” he added.
Mr Loetzer pointed out that culture was reflected in the structures, systems and symbols of organisations and also impacted greatly on the private sector.
He said developing a good corporate culture required leadership for the needed direction in attaining objectives.
The Chairman of the NCC, Prof George Hagan, said at the core, management was a behavioural science and branch of cultural anthropology.
He said when people sought to develop a culture among groups, households and businesses, they had to recognise that the people and resources being managed had their traditional cultures, that is, “the totality of their ways of life”.
The key to good management then, he noted, lay in understanding the culture of the corporate entry, particularly the mindset, values, attitudes, norms and the types of behaviour coded into the vision, mission and strategic objectives of the enterprise.
Prof Hagan said under colonialism, management was in the hands of the British and a few Africans who were designated as holding “European posts”, explaining that that had changed now, with the management class having the same “collective mindset”, being of the same cultural beliefs, ideas, attitudes and behavioural expectations that were all influenced by their culture.
He said how those factors influenced corporate and leadership culture, how they impacted on employment practices and the management of people, resources and time were issues that needed to be examined and rationalised with the country’s development agenda.
A member of the Public Services Commission, Dr Sebastian Bemile, in his submissions, said culture was far more than the music and dance that most people thought it was.
He endorsed the conference as a way of reinforcing positive cultural practices and doing away with the negative.
The Chairman of the State Enterprises Commission (SEC), who chaired the function, said it was sometimes irritating at functions when music and dance troupes were ushered in to do what organisers termed a “cultural dance”, particularly when the programme was already behind schedule.
He said the conference was opportune, as it showed that culture mattered in corporate governance in the efforts of the country to attain a middle-income status by 2015 and in the era of the golden age of business.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2008, PG 15
PRISONERS TO VOTE OR NOT TO VOTE: 14,000 IN LIMBO
FOURTEEN thousand prisoners stand to be disenfranchised in the December elections if the Electoral Commission (EC) does not activate their right to vote.
Separate interviews conducted with the Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior, Nana Obiri Boahen, and the Executive Director of the Justice and Human Rights Institute, Prof Kenneth Attafuah, indicate that the onus is on the EC to activate the provision in the Constitution for prisoners to vote.
At a colloquium organised by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) on Monday, the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, had asked for assurances of safety for the staff of the EC and clear expressions by the courts on the constitutional provisions if polling booths were set up in prisons.
Article 42 of the Constitution provides that “every citizen of Ghana of 18 years of age or above and of sound mind has the right to vote and is entitled to be registered as a voter for the purposes of public elections and referenda”.
The Constitution, by this provision and several others, does not limit the right to vote to only people outside the prisons. However, prisoners in Ghana have never exercised this right.
Extending the constitutional right to vote to citizens who have fallen foul of the law has recently become an issue of debate.
Nana Boahen noted that no law in the country barred prisoners from voting.
“Even if there were any such law, that would be against the fundamental rights of people,” he added.
He was of the view that the EC had not taken up the responsibility to ensure the enjoyment of that right by prisoners by putting in place the right administrative systems and measures.
“If the EC cannot create a polling station for them, they can have them vote by proxy,” he said.
Dr Afari-Gyan said although it was not the commission’s intention to disenfranchise anyone, it did not, by convention, set up polling stations in certain places like the prisons.
His main concerns were the safety of the staff of the EC and clarity on the legal provisions for prisoners to vote.
On those issues, Nana Boahen said if the EC had any concerns over the safety of its staff extending the right to vote to prisons, then the EC should write to the ministry and it would be considered.
He said the mere fact that someone had been tried before a court and convicted did not prevent him or her from voting.
In the same vein, Nana Boahen said it was also wrong for the EC not to implement the Representation of the People’s (Amendment) Law (ROPAL) when it had been assented to by the President and was now in operation.
“The EC says it has logistical constraints in implementing the law, but the unavailability of logistics does not mean the postponement of one’s legal right,” he pointed out.
Prof Attafuah was of the opinion that the EC needed to take practical steps to facilitate the enjoyment of the right to vote by prisoners.
“The enjoyment of this right has to be activated by the EC because prisoners do not have the mobility to cast their votes,” he said.
He added that Article 17 of the Constitution says all persons should be treated equal, despite their social status, while Article 33 (5) did not limit the enjoyment of rights to only those expressed in the Constitution.
He said all those constitutional provisions had to be read together as they were all indicative of the fundamental nature of the right to vote.
“This issue does not require a constitutional interpretation. The right to vote is a fundamental, invaluable right and a serious constitutional matter that ought to be regarded with the same level of seriousness. Every law of the land is subservient to the Constitution,” he said.
Prof Attafuah said he believed that the EC did not need to be concerned with the safety of their staff if voting was to be conducted in prisons.
“The prisons are well equipped for the necessary safe conduct of an election. Other people such as nurses, doctors and pastors enter the prisons on a daily basis,” he said.
He advised that the right to vote had to be started by an extensive educational campaign by the EC, in collaboration with civil society organisations, for the prisoners.
Prof Attafuah was also of the view that civil and political rights were the most inexpensive rights in all jurisdiction to enjoy.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2OO8, PG 1
Separate interviews conducted with the Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior, Nana Obiri Boahen, and the Executive Director of the Justice and Human Rights Institute, Prof Kenneth Attafuah, indicate that the onus is on the EC to activate the provision in the Constitution for prisoners to vote.
At a colloquium organised by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) on Monday, the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, had asked for assurances of safety for the staff of the EC and clear expressions by the courts on the constitutional provisions if polling booths were set up in prisons.
Article 42 of the Constitution provides that “every citizen of Ghana of 18 years of age or above and of sound mind has the right to vote and is entitled to be registered as a voter for the purposes of public elections and referenda”.
The Constitution, by this provision and several others, does not limit the right to vote to only people outside the prisons. However, prisoners in Ghana have never exercised this right.
Extending the constitutional right to vote to citizens who have fallen foul of the law has recently become an issue of debate.
Nana Boahen noted that no law in the country barred prisoners from voting.
“Even if there were any such law, that would be against the fundamental rights of people,” he added.
He was of the view that the EC had not taken up the responsibility to ensure the enjoyment of that right by prisoners by putting in place the right administrative systems and measures.
“If the EC cannot create a polling station for them, they can have them vote by proxy,” he said.
Dr Afari-Gyan said although it was not the commission’s intention to disenfranchise anyone, it did not, by convention, set up polling stations in certain places like the prisons.
His main concerns were the safety of the staff of the EC and clarity on the legal provisions for prisoners to vote.
On those issues, Nana Boahen said if the EC had any concerns over the safety of its staff extending the right to vote to prisons, then the EC should write to the ministry and it would be considered.
He said the mere fact that someone had been tried before a court and convicted did not prevent him or her from voting.
In the same vein, Nana Boahen said it was also wrong for the EC not to implement the Representation of the People’s (Amendment) Law (ROPAL) when it had been assented to by the President and was now in operation.
“The EC says it has logistical constraints in implementing the law, but the unavailability of logistics does not mean the postponement of one’s legal right,” he pointed out.
Prof Attafuah was of the opinion that the EC needed to take practical steps to facilitate the enjoyment of the right to vote by prisoners.
“The enjoyment of this right has to be activated by the EC because prisoners do not have the mobility to cast their votes,” he said.
He added that Article 17 of the Constitution says all persons should be treated equal, despite their social status, while Article 33 (5) did not limit the enjoyment of rights to only those expressed in the Constitution.
He said all those constitutional provisions had to be read together as they were all indicative of the fundamental nature of the right to vote.
“This issue does not require a constitutional interpretation. The right to vote is a fundamental, invaluable right and a serious constitutional matter that ought to be regarded with the same level of seriousness. Every law of the land is subservient to the Constitution,” he said.
Prof Attafuah said he believed that the EC did not need to be concerned with the safety of their staff if voting was to be conducted in prisons.
“The prisons are well equipped for the necessary safe conduct of an election. Other people such as nurses, doctors and pastors enter the prisons on a daily basis,” he said.
He advised that the right to vote had to be started by an extensive educational campaign by the EC, in collaboration with civil society organisations, for the prisoners.
Prof Attafuah was also of the view that civil and political rights were the most inexpensive rights in all jurisdiction to enjoy.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2OO8, PG 1
PAIR TRAWLING AND REGISTRATION OF FOREIGN VESSELS: FISHERIES MINISTRY DENIES CLAIMS
THE Ministry of Fisheries has defended itself against claims that it has permitted pair trawling and also registered foreign vessels to fish in Ghanaian waters.
A group calling itself the Joint Action Against Pair Trawling (JAAPT) had alleged that the ministry illegally registered Chinese, Korean and Japanese fishing vessels and others belonging to Ghanaian to engage in pair trawling.
Pair trawling is a fishing activity utilising the towing power of two boats, for which larger nets than usual can be used.
The method also increases the fuel efficiency of the two boats.
The JAAPT had threatened to embark on a protest march to call for a ban on pair trawling on the country’s coast.
That action sparked outrage from the Joint Ad hoc Committee of Registered Trawler Vessel Owners Association, an association of people engaged in fishing, as the threats would have affected their fishing activities.
The leadership of the association subsequently denied the engagement of local vessels in pair trawling.
During her turn at the meet-the-press series in Accra yesterday, the Minister for Fisheries, Mrs Gladys Asmah, said the allegations of the JAAPT were “simply untrue” and gave an account of the ministry since its establishment in 2004.
According to the minister, the ministry had not and would not register any foreign vessel, be it Chinese, Korean or Japanese, because it was inimical to the interest of the nation and also against the laws of the country.
“Be they Chinese, Koreans or Japanese, all these expatriate fishers being complained about are employees of Ghanaian companies. They have all been recruited by Ghanaian companies as employees and are paid salaries,” she pointed out.
She said contrary to the claims, the ministry was gradually building up the capacities of indigenous fishers and companies to enable them to operate independently and eventually take complete control of the fishing industry in the country.
She added that that was being achieved by assisting Ghanaian companies to own their own trawlers, instead of importing fish.
Mrs Asmah said pair trawling was of great concern to the ministry, for which reason she had, on several occasions, met with all stakeholders in the industry to discuss solutions to the challenge.
The ministry also introduced vessel monitoring systems to track down and monitor the activities of vessels, as well as other illegal methods of fishing.
She reiterated a prior appeal to fishers and people living in fishing communities to act as whistle-blowers and give out the names and particulars of vessels engaged in pair trawling to enable the ministry to initiate criminal prosecution of all offenders.
“The ministry is relying on the good sense of the people in the fishing communities and fishermen generally to solve the problem of pair trawling in the country,” she said.
Mrs Asmah expressed the belief that if the JAAPT had contacted her ministry, all issues raised would have been solved, without the need to initiate a demonstration which could cause violence and instability in the industry.
“We believe the mass demonstrations or protests will not solve the problems being complained about. It is dialogue and understanding which will bring about an amicable settlement,” she said.
Mrs Asmah recounted some achievements of the ministry, which included plans to build fishing harbours and landing sites and the provision of cold stores and refrigeration facilities.
She charged Ghanaians to constructively criticise the ministry to help improve the sector but warned those focused on disrupting progress in the sector to desist from unwarranted accusations.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY MAY 15, 2008, PG 49 (SPREAD)
A group calling itself the Joint Action Against Pair Trawling (JAAPT) had alleged that the ministry illegally registered Chinese, Korean and Japanese fishing vessels and others belonging to Ghanaian to engage in pair trawling.
Pair trawling is a fishing activity utilising the towing power of two boats, for which larger nets than usual can be used.
The method also increases the fuel efficiency of the two boats.
The JAAPT had threatened to embark on a protest march to call for a ban on pair trawling on the country’s coast.
That action sparked outrage from the Joint Ad hoc Committee of Registered Trawler Vessel Owners Association, an association of people engaged in fishing, as the threats would have affected their fishing activities.
The leadership of the association subsequently denied the engagement of local vessels in pair trawling.
During her turn at the meet-the-press series in Accra yesterday, the Minister for Fisheries, Mrs Gladys Asmah, said the allegations of the JAAPT were “simply untrue” and gave an account of the ministry since its establishment in 2004.
According to the minister, the ministry had not and would not register any foreign vessel, be it Chinese, Korean or Japanese, because it was inimical to the interest of the nation and also against the laws of the country.
“Be they Chinese, Koreans or Japanese, all these expatriate fishers being complained about are employees of Ghanaian companies. They have all been recruited by Ghanaian companies as employees and are paid salaries,” she pointed out.
She said contrary to the claims, the ministry was gradually building up the capacities of indigenous fishers and companies to enable them to operate independently and eventually take complete control of the fishing industry in the country.
She added that that was being achieved by assisting Ghanaian companies to own their own trawlers, instead of importing fish.
Mrs Asmah said pair trawling was of great concern to the ministry, for which reason she had, on several occasions, met with all stakeholders in the industry to discuss solutions to the challenge.
The ministry also introduced vessel monitoring systems to track down and monitor the activities of vessels, as well as other illegal methods of fishing.
She reiterated a prior appeal to fishers and people living in fishing communities to act as whistle-blowers and give out the names and particulars of vessels engaged in pair trawling to enable the ministry to initiate criminal prosecution of all offenders.
“The ministry is relying on the good sense of the people in the fishing communities and fishermen generally to solve the problem of pair trawling in the country,” she said.
Mrs Asmah expressed the belief that if the JAAPT had contacted her ministry, all issues raised would have been solved, without the need to initiate a demonstration which could cause violence and instability in the industry.
“We believe the mass demonstrations or protests will not solve the problems being complained about. It is dialogue and understanding which will bring about an amicable settlement,” she said.
Mrs Asmah recounted some achievements of the ministry, which included plans to build fishing harbours and landing sites and the provision of cold stores and refrigeration facilities.
She charged Ghanaians to constructively criticise the ministry to help improve the sector but warned those focused on disrupting progress in the sector to desist from unwarranted accusations.
DAILY GRAPHIC, THURSDAY MAY 15, 2008, PG 49 (SPREAD)
ELECTORAL C'SSION ANSWERS QUESTIONS AT COLLUQUIM
The request for GH¢7 million in the budget of the Electoral Commission to be used for a run-off in the December Presidential election, will only be provided if the need arises.
That, the Chairman of the EC, Dr K. Afari-Gyan, explained was because the EC was made aware that such contingencies were normally not provided for in the budget.
This was his response to a question about the EC’s funds for the elections at a colloquium organised by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) in Accra yesterday.
The colloquium was to gauge the preparedness of the EC towards the elections and the challenges of the commission in that endeavour.
Thirty-five identifiable groups and organisations spanning women, youth, religious and community-based organisations, legal, civil society, as well as political parties, were represented at the colloquium.
Questions from participants bordered on the EC’s ability to ensure the compliance of political parties to the 1992 Constitution and other statutes, its electoral timetable, measures by the commission to prevent the abuse of incumbency and the conditions of service and preparedness of the staff, amongst a host of other questions.
Dr Afari-Gyan, however, confirmed assurances from the government to provide all funds needed by the Commission at every stage of organising the December 7, 2008 elections.
“If you mean we have all the money we need, that is, about GH¢ 41 million, locked up in the safe at the commission, no.
“However, we have all the money we need to date to do what we have to do,” he added.
He explained that no electoral system could have a single release of all the funds it needed at a time, explaining that the EC had a “phased release” system, which was an in-built mechanism of the electoral budget, which stipulated specific amounts at specific times and for specific activities.
Responding to some of the issues raised, Dr Afari-Gyan reiterated the fact that political parties should not call or declare results of the upcoming elections before an official announcement by the EC.
He said if all political parties were allowed to call or declare results it would cause “a chaotic situation”, especially if all declared themselves winners.
“All party agents, if they are really on the ground, will have the results sheets of all the polling stations. Sit down quietly and tabulate, and if there are any discrepancies, bring it to our notice,” he told political parties.
He said all Ghanaians had to allow the legal authority charged with the responsibility, i.e. the EC, to declare the results.
“We allow the press to announce results, even at the polling station level. We allow the press to do it even at the constituency level once things are done properly,” he went on.
He explained that the press was allowed to announce the results at these levels, and when that was done in a faithful, proper and non-distortional manner, no one could tamper with them.
Dr Afari-Gyan gave the assurance that the EC could in no way tamper with the results of the elections because in the case of parliamentary candidates the winner was announced at the constituency level, while that of the presidential candidates was announced at the EC after collation at all levels.
“We are the last people to see the results. How am I then going to change it? I am only the returning officer for the presidential results. Our electoral system and the system of collating results is quite different from others and has in-built integrity. It is not advisable for anyone to call results,” he said.
On the issue of the bloated register, Dr Afari-Gyan admitted there were discrepancies in the voters register provided by some parties and the EC’s database.
“We hope we will find the source of the discrepancy so we can resolve the problem,” he said, adding that the committee charged with the responsibility to find the source of the discrepancy would be given ample time to finish its work.
However, the chairman criticised Ghanaians for contributing to the bloating of the register.
“In the normal circumstances, dead people do not vote. In some jurisdictions, the dead remain on the register for five years. The problem we have in Ghana is that political parties resurrect dead people to vote on the day,” he pointed out.
He said in some areas, political party officials and other community leaders vouched for the ages of minors in communities to be registered.
“In this respect, all political parties are guilty in areas where they are most dominant,” he said emphatically.
He, however, reassured Ghanaians that verifying what was on the voters register could be done in three different ways, i.e. by the EC’s main database, a polling book, which was the hand-written version of the register, and a photo book, which was another register of details at the time when the voter’s picture was being taken.
On abuse of incumbency and the constitutional provision for all political parties to have an active presence in all districts in the country, Dr Afari-Gyan said there were grey areas in the law that had to be revisited.
For instance, all political parties had signed on to a self-regulatory code of conduct. However, some did not adhere and the EC was powerless in ensuring that all complied because it was not mandated by law.
On the constitutional requirement for political parties to maintain an “active presence”, he said the EC and the parties had different views on the definition.
While the parties insisted that an active presence meant they only had to have some contact with the people in the districts, the EC’s position was that political parties needed to have an office in the districts.
Dr Afari-Gyan said when parties were notified of an inspection of their district offices, they “played tricks” with the Commission.
He said some quickly went to find structures and painted them in party colours. However, when the commission went back there some weeks later, those structures were found to be commercial bases.
He said another grey area was the law requiring parties to account for all their expenditure.
In some cases, when parties did any accounting at all, they did not do it satisfactorily, while others attributed some expenses to their aspiring presidential candidates, who were not bound by the law to account for anything.
The chairman for the function, Prof. V. C. R. A. C. Crabbe, who is a co-chair of CODEO, said in any good electoral process it was important for all to be responsible.
DAILY GRAPHIC, TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008, PG 24 (SPREAD)
That, the Chairman of the EC, Dr K. Afari-Gyan, explained was because the EC was made aware that such contingencies were normally not provided for in the budget.
This was his response to a question about the EC’s funds for the elections at a colloquium organised by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) in Accra yesterday.
The colloquium was to gauge the preparedness of the EC towards the elections and the challenges of the commission in that endeavour.
Thirty-five identifiable groups and organisations spanning women, youth, religious and community-based organisations, legal, civil society, as well as political parties, were represented at the colloquium.
Questions from participants bordered on the EC’s ability to ensure the compliance of political parties to the 1992 Constitution and other statutes, its electoral timetable, measures by the commission to prevent the abuse of incumbency and the conditions of service and preparedness of the staff, amongst a host of other questions.
Dr Afari-Gyan, however, confirmed assurances from the government to provide all funds needed by the Commission at every stage of organising the December 7, 2008 elections.
“If you mean we have all the money we need, that is, about GH¢ 41 million, locked up in the safe at the commission, no.
“However, we have all the money we need to date to do what we have to do,” he added.
He explained that no electoral system could have a single release of all the funds it needed at a time, explaining that the EC had a “phased release” system, which was an in-built mechanism of the electoral budget, which stipulated specific amounts at specific times and for specific activities.
Responding to some of the issues raised, Dr Afari-Gyan reiterated the fact that political parties should not call or declare results of the upcoming elections before an official announcement by the EC.
He said if all political parties were allowed to call or declare results it would cause “a chaotic situation”, especially if all declared themselves winners.
“All party agents, if they are really on the ground, will have the results sheets of all the polling stations. Sit down quietly and tabulate, and if there are any discrepancies, bring it to our notice,” he told political parties.
He said all Ghanaians had to allow the legal authority charged with the responsibility, i.e. the EC, to declare the results.
“We allow the press to announce results, even at the polling station level. We allow the press to do it even at the constituency level once things are done properly,” he went on.
He explained that the press was allowed to announce the results at these levels, and when that was done in a faithful, proper and non-distortional manner, no one could tamper with them.
Dr Afari-Gyan gave the assurance that the EC could in no way tamper with the results of the elections because in the case of parliamentary candidates the winner was announced at the constituency level, while that of the presidential candidates was announced at the EC after collation at all levels.
“We are the last people to see the results. How am I then going to change it? I am only the returning officer for the presidential results. Our electoral system and the system of collating results is quite different from others and has in-built integrity. It is not advisable for anyone to call results,” he said.
On the issue of the bloated register, Dr Afari-Gyan admitted there were discrepancies in the voters register provided by some parties and the EC’s database.
“We hope we will find the source of the discrepancy so we can resolve the problem,” he said, adding that the committee charged with the responsibility to find the source of the discrepancy would be given ample time to finish its work.
However, the chairman criticised Ghanaians for contributing to the bloating of the register.
“In the normal circumstances, dead people do not vote. In some jurisdictions, the dead remain on the register for five years. The problem we have in Ghana is that political parties resurrect dead people to vote on the day,” he pointed out.
He said in some areas, political party officials and other community leaders vouched for the ages of minors in communities to be registered.
“In this respect, all political parties are guilty in areas where they are most dominant,” he said emphatically.
He, however, reassured Ghanaians that verifying what was on the voters register could be done in three different ways, i.e. by the EC’s main database, a polling book, which was the hand-written version of the register, and a photo book, which was another register of details at the time when the voter’s picture was being taken.
On abuse of incumbency and the constitutional provision for all political parties to have an active presence in all districts in the country, Dr Afari-Gyan said there were grey areas in the law that had to be revisited.
For instance, all political parties had signed on to a self-regulatory code of conduct. However, some did not adhere and the EC was powerless in ensuring that all complied because it was not mandated by law.
On the constitutional requirement for political parties to maintain an “active presence”, he said the EC and the parties had different views on the definition.
While the parties insisted that an active presence meant they only had to have some contact with the people in the districts, the EC’s position was that political parties needed to have an office in the districts.
Dr Afari-Gyan said when parties were notified of an inspection of their district offices, they “played tricks” with the Commission.
He said some quickly went to find structures and painted them in party colours. However, when the commission went back there some weeks later, those structures were found to be commercial bases.
He said another grey area was the law requiring parties to account for all their expenditure.
In some cases, when parties did any accounting at all, they did not do it satisfactorily, while others attributed some expenses to their aspiring presidential candidates, who were not bound by the law to account for anything.
The chairman for the function, Prof. V. C. R. A. C. Crabbe, who is a co-chair of CODEO, said in any good electoral process it was important for all to be responsible.
DAILY GRAPHIC, TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008, PG 24 (SPREAD)
GOVERNMENT URGED TO CHECK THE SPREAD OF ARMS
THE National Communications Authority (NCA), on behalf of all mobile telecommunications operators in the country, donated some communication items valued at GH¢240,000 to the National Identification Authority (NIA) in Accra yesterday.
The items were made up of mobile telephone handsets, modems, airtime and Short Message Service (SMS) broadcasts.
Out of the items presented, KASAPA contributed 50 Amgoo 128 Mobile handsets with five Ghana cedis airtime on each phone together with one homework phone, while Onetouch contributed 240 handsets.
tiGO contributed 200 handsets with four Ghana Cedis airtime on each phone and two rounds of SMS broadcasts, while MTN contributed 180 handsets, 12 modems and two rounds of SMS broadcasts.
Presenting the items, the Director-General of the NCA, Mr Bernard Forson Jnr, said the presentation was in response to an appeal by the NIA for assistance to support the national mass registration exercise.
He said the support was in recognition of the fact that the establishment of a National Identification System (NIS) would reduce thefts even in the communication industry and protect subscribers.
The Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof. Ernest Dumor, receiving the items commended the four companies for responding to the appeal.
He said the technical consultants to the project had suggested the use of satellite in transmitting data collected to the central site of the NIA.
That, according to him, would have cost about $7 million.
Prof. Dumor said in their deployment of the Mobile Registration Workstations (MRWs) there was the need for efficient and easy communication in instances where there was a technical hitch and the equipment needed to be taken for servicing.
DAILY GRAPHIC, TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008, PG 31
The items were made up of mobile telephone handsets, modems, airtime and Short Message Service (SMS) broadcasts.
Out of the items presented, KASAPA contributed 50 Amgoo 128 Mobile handsets with five Ghana cedis airtime on each phone together with one homework phone, while Onetouch contributed 240 handsets.
tiGO contributed 200 handsets with four Ghana Cedis airtime on each phone and two rounds of SMS broadcasts, while MTN contributed 180 handsets, 12 modems and two rounds of SMS broadcasts.
Presenting the items, the Director-General of the NCA, Mr Bernard Forson Jnr, said the presentation was in response to an appeal by the NIA for assistance to support the national mass registration exercise.
He said the support was in recognition of the fact that the establishment of a National Identification System (NIS) would reduce thefts even in the communication industry and protect subscribers.
The Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof. Ernest Dumor, receiving the items commended the four companies for responding to the appeal.
He said the technical consultants to the project had suggested the use of satellite in transmitting data collected to the central site of the NIA.
That, according to him, would have cost about $7 million.
Prof. Dumor said in their deployment of the Mobile Registration Workstations (MRWs) there was the need for efficient and easy communication in instances where there was a technical hitch and the equipment needed to be taken for servicing.
DAILY GRAPHIC, TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008, PG 31
STORY PUBLISHED AS PART OF "FOOD: PRICES RISE SHARPLY IN TUNE WITH GLOBAL CRISES" BUT BYLINE CUT OUT
Prices of rice, wheat and flour, have all doubled on the local market, reflecting international food price increases and shortages.
The price of local rice, popularly called, “brown rice” has also increased.
The issue of global shortages and increases in the prices of grain, termed the “global food crisis) was one of the issues that took centre stage at the just ended 12th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Accra.
In the aftermath of the conference the United Nations Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon today set up a special taskforce to deal with the situation which is expected to result in famine in some areas and de-accelerate the gains made so far in some developing countries.
In Accra, a Graphic market survey showed that while in January a 50 kilogram (kg) bag of rice ranged from GH¢40.5 to GH¢54, it now ranges from GH¢46 to GH¢60.
Currently, flour ranges from GH¢53 to GH¢63, while in January the same 50 kilogram of flour could be bought at GH¢43.
Wheat sells at GH¢60 currently, prior to a price of GH¢48.50 four months a ago.
Ida Ansah who sells milled and unmilled local rice said an “olunka” (or about 2.7 kilos) of milled Ghana rice, was about GH¢7 while the same quantity of the unmilled was selling for GH¢80.
She said she got her suppliers from Hohoe in the Volta Region.
Traders at Okaishie in the Central Business District were unanimous in their responses that the patronage of these grains had was low.
“When someone comes in and you tell them the price, because of the wide margin in increases, they cannot buy and turn away” Felicia Yeboah, a rice dealer, Ms Felicia Yeboah in Okaishie said.
Her response was similar to all others traders of wheat, flour and rice interviewed.
Despite the price increases, there seems to be no shortage of these commodities on the market.
Retailers and importers interviewed, said while the local market was benefiting from old stocks, there were shortages on the global market.
Mr John Awuni, the Corporate Affairs Manager of the Finatrade Group Limited, said the effects of shortages on the global markets would be felt after old stocks in the country were sold out.
“The initial experience of the global food crisis will be price increases in grain, then later, there will be shortages of these grains”, he said.
According to him, when that happened, imports into the country of rice, wheat and other grains, would be possible only through arrangements between governments.
This is because of the embargo on exports by some countries, while others have instituted quotas on grain exports, Mr Awuni said.
Currently, India, has placed an embargo on the exportation of its Barsmati brand of rice.
DAILY GRAPHIC, MAY 10, 2008, PG 1. STORY PART OF A FRONT PAGE STORY BY KOFI YEBOAH, BUT BYLINE TO MY PART WAS CUT OUT
The price of local rice, popularly called, “brown rice” has also increased.
The issue of global shortages and increases in the prices of grain, termed the “global food crisis) was one of the issues that took centre stage at the just ended 12th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Accra.
In the aftermath of the conference the United Nations Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon today set up a special taskforce to deal with the situation which is expected to result in famine in some areas and de-accelerate the gains made so far in some developing countries.
In Accra, a Graphic market survey showed that while in January a 50 kilogram (kg) bag of rice ranged from GH¢40.5 to GH¢54, it now ranges from GH¢46 to GH¢60.
Currently, flour ranges from GH¢53 to GH¢63, while in January the same 50 kilogram of flour could be bought at GH¢43.
Wheat sells at GH¢60 currently, prior to a price of GH¢48.50 four months a ago.
Ida Ansah who sells milled and unmilled local rice said an “olunka” (or about 2.7 kilos) of milled Ghana rice, was about GH¢7 while the same quantity of the unmilled was selling for GH¢80.
She said she got her suppliers from Hohoe in the Volta Region.
Traders at Okaishie in the Central Business District were unanimous in their responses that the patronage of these grains had was low.
“When someone comes in and you tell them the price, because of the wide margin in increases, they cannot buy and turn away” Felicia Yeboah, a rice dealer, Ms Felicia Yeboah in Okaishie said.
Her response was similar to all others traders of wheat, flour and rice interviewed.
Despite the price increases, there seems to be no shortage of these commodities on the market.
Retailers and importers interviewed, said while the local market was benefiting from old stocks, there were shortages on the global market.
Mr John Awuni, the Corporate Affairs Manager of the Finatrade Group Limited, said the effects of shortages on the global markets would be felt after old stocks in the country were sold out.
“The initial experience of the global food crisis will be price increases in grain, then later, there will be shortages of these grains”, he said.
According to him, when that happened, imports into the country of rice, wheat and other grains, would be possible only through arrangements between governments.
This is because of the embargo on exports by some countries, while others have instituted quotas on grain exports, Mr Awuni said.
Currently, India, has placed an embargo on the exportation of its Barsmati brand of rice.
DAILY GRAPHIC, MAY 10, 2008, PG 1. STORY PART OF A FRONT PAGE STORY BY KOFI YEBOAH, BUT BYLINE TO MY PART WAS CUT OUT
MOBILE OPERATORS SUPPORT NIA
THE National Communications Authority (NCA), on behalf of all mobile telecommunications operators in the country, donated some communication items valued at GH¢240,000 to the National Identification Authority (NIA) in Accra yesterday.
The items were made up of mobile telephone handsets, modems, airtime and Short Message Service (SMS) broadcasts.
Out of the items presented, KASAPA contributed 50 Amgoo 128 Mobile handsets with five Ghana cedis airtime on each phone together with one homework phone, while Onetouch contributed 240 handsets.
tiGO contributed 200 handsets with four Ghana Cedis airtime on each phone and two rounds of SMS broadcasts, while MTN contributed 180 handsets, 12 modems and two rounds of SMS broadcasts.
Presenting the items, the Director-General of the NCA, Mr Bernard Forson Jnr, said the presentation was in response to an appeal by the NIA for assistance to support the national mass registration exercise.
He said the support was in recognition of the fact that the establishment of a National Identification System (NIS) would reduce thefts even in the communication industry and protect subscribers.
The Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof. Ernest Dumor, receiving the items commended the four companies for responding to the appeal.
He said the technical consultants to the project had suggested the use of satellite in transmitting data collected to the central site of the NIA.
That, according to him, would have cost about $7 million.
Prof. Dumor said in their deployment of the Mobile Registration Workstations (MRWs) there was the need for efficient and easy communication in instances where there was a technical hitch and the equipment needed to be taken for servicing.
DAILY GRAPHIC, FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2008, PG 25 (SPREAD)
The items were made up of mobile telephone handsets, modems, airtime and Short Message Service (SMS) broadcasts.
Out of the items presented, KASAPA contributed 50 Amgoo 128 Mobile handsets with five Ghana cedis airtime on each phone together with one homework phone, while Onetouch contributed 240 handsets.
tiGO contributed 200 handsets with four Ghana Cedis airtime on each phone and two rounds of SMS broadcasts, while MTN contributed 180 handsets, 12 modems and two rounds of SMS broadcasts.
Presenting the items, the Director-General of the NCA, Mr Bernard Forson Jnr, said the presentation was in response to an appeal by the NIA for assistance to support the national mass registration exercise.
He said the support was in recognition of the fact that the establishment of a National Identification System (NIS) would reduce thefts even in the communication industry and protect subscribers.
The Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof. Ernest Dumor, receiving the items commended the four companies for responding to the appeal.
He said the technical consultants to the project had suggested the use of satellite in transmitting data collected to the central site of the NIA.
That, according to him, would have cost about $7 million.
Prof. Dumor said in their deployment of the Mobile Registration Workstations (MRWs) there was the need for efficient and easy communication in instances where there was a technical hitch and the equipment needed to be taken for servicing.
DAILY GRAPHIC, FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2008, PG 25 (SPREAD)
AWARD WINNER TO OPEN TRAINING INSTITUTE
MRS Augustina Hammond, the Ghanaian who was presented with awards with two other women at the inaugural Women’s Awards ceremony by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and EMPRETEC, has announced her intention to open a training institute for designing and garment manufacturing by September this year.
The award winner, who is the founder of JEM Afric Garments, manufacturers in indigenous African designs to niche markets in the US and Caribbean, among others, won the third prize that came with a cash of $1,500 for a study tour.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference organised by EMPRETEC Ghana Foundation, on the sidelines of the just-ended UNCTAD conference, Mrs Hammond said her intention to set up the training institute was to provide the missing link between education and industry.
She said the institute would provide practical training during the day for the youth, as well as students of fashion and all others who needed the practical skills in designing and manufacturing.
Evening classes would also be scheduled for women, including professional, business and unemployed women, to build their capacity in that area.
EMPRETEC, a Spanish acronym for business and entrepreneurship, is an UNCTAD programme that targets particularly women in small and medium-scale enterprises to build up their entrepreneurial skills and capacities.
EMPRETEC Ghana Foundation is one of the vibrant among 27 worldwide with the most active EMPRETEC centres in Brazil and Uganda, according to Ms Foirina Mugione, Chief, Enterprise Policies and Capacity-Building Section of UNCTAD, who was also at the press conference.
She said the award would be organised annually but the intention was to let other groups within EMPRETEC benefit and explained that for instance, the youth was a target group to be awarded the next time.
Two Ghanaians, Mrs Hammond and Ms Paully Appea-Kubi of Ebenut Ghana Limited, were among the 10 finalists shortlisted for the awards that was held on Monday April, 21, during the conference.
Ebenut Ghana Limited produces and packages dried fruits, nuts and vegetables, shipping 10 tonnes every five weeks to the United Kingdom, United States, and Senegal and equally serve the domestic market.
The Chief Executive Officer of EMPRETEC Ghana, Nana Tweneboa-Boateng, said the two Ghanaian finalists of the awards attested to what the Foundation was doing in the country and indicated that the commitment of EMPRETEC Ghana, to train and nurture through appropriate interventions and entrepreneurial skills, would be adhered in the present and the future.
Nana Tweneboa-Boateng said apart from the training programmes, EMPRETEC Ghana supported entrepreneurs with financial services.
DAILY GRAPHIC, TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2008, PG 11
The award winner, who is the founder of JEM Afric Garments, manufacturers in indigenous African designs to niche markets in the US and Caribbean, among others, won the third prize that came with a cash of $1,500 for a study tour.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference organised by EMPRETEC Ghana Foundation, on the sidelines of the just-ended UNCTAD conference, Mrs Hammond said her intention to set up the training institute was to provide the missing link between education and industry.
She said the institute would provide practical training during the day for the youth, as well as students of fashion and all others who needed the practical skills in designing and manufacturing.
Evening classes would also be scheduled for women, including professional, business and unemployed women, to build their capacity in that area.
EMPRETEC, a Spanish acronym for business and entrepreneurship, is an UNCTAD programme that targets particularly women in small and medium-scale enterprises to build up their entrepreneurial skills and capacities.
EMPRETEC Ghana Foundation is one of the vibrant among 27 worldwide with the most active EMPRETEC centres in Brazil and Uganda, according to Ms Foirina Mugione, Chief, Enterprise Policies and Capacity-Building Section of UNCTAD, who was also at the press conference.
She said the award would be organised annually but the intention was to let other groups within EMPRETEC benefit and explained that for instance, the youth was a target group to be awarded the next time.
Two Ghanaians, Mrs Hammond and Ms Paully Appea-Kubi of Ebenut Ghana Limited, were among the 10 finalists shortlisted for the awards that was held on Monday April, 21, during the conference.
Ebenut Ghana Limited produces and packages dried fruits, nuts and vegetables, shipping 10 tonnes every five weeks to the United Kingdom, United States, and Senegal and equally serve the domestic market.
The Chief Executive Officer of EMPRETEC Ghana, Nana Tweneboa-Boateng, said the two Ghanaian finalists of the awards attested to what the Foundation was doing in the country and indicated that the commitment of EMPRETEC Ghana, to train and nurture through appropriate interventions and entrepreneurial skills, would be adhered in the present and the future.
Nana Tweneboa-Boateng said apart from the training programmes, EMPRETEC Ghana supported entrepreneurs with financial services.
DAILY GRAPHIC, TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2008, PG 11
ACBF HOLDS REVIEW MEETINGS
THE African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) has interacted with some of its constituents in the country to review their partnerships and find new avenues of collaboration.
Established in 1991 through the collaborative effort of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), some African governments and bilateral donors, the Harare-based organisation is a response to the severity of capacity problems and the challenges to investing in indigenous human capital and institutions in sub-Saharan Africa, which is seen as a critical gap in development.
A three-member delegation of ACBF, led by Dr Edwin Forlemu, the Executive Secretary, met with representatives from the Centre for Policy Analysis, the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), the Association of African Universities (AAU), the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) and the Economic Policy Management (EPM) programme.
Briefing the press after the meeting, Dr Forlemu said ACBF had come a long way in partnering institutions in Africa to build the capacity of professionals in the area of economic policy initiatives and management.
“Capacity building is a long-term endeavour, as we have to deal with different groups at different stages. We have learnt not to assume on our results and are here to look out for the indicators of results, the effectiveness of our partner institutions, their responsiveness to stakeholder challenges and the sustainability of our efforts,” he told journalists.
He was, however, pleased with the output of partner institutions, saying that they were contributing effectively to government policy.
“The CEPA issues opinions on public policy and they are noted by the government and other institutions like the IDEG. These are some indicators of the quality of our programmes,” he said.
Dr Forlemu pointed out that through the ABCF’s partnerships, highly qualified professionals had been attracted from the Diaspora to the continent to contribute effectively to the administration and management of sound economic and development initiatives, while newly trained professionals had been attracted to stay in their countries and contribute.
That, according to him, had helped to end the brain drain in that area, which was as equally challenging as the brain drain of medical professionals.
Summarising his meeting with the Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, and the Chief Director of the ministry, Nana Juaben-Boaten Siriboe, Dr Forlemu said the two parties had discussed how the government’s partnership with the ACBF could become more active.
He explained that Ghana was an important player in Africa and that having the country’s active support would enhance the efforts of the foundation.
He said there were two levels of support that African governments could give to ACBF. The first was at the level of the foundation, where all member states could take a seat on the board of governors and demonstrate their support for the ACBF, while making inputs and owning the programmes initiated.
The second was for governments to co-sponsor programmes in their countries, also as a demonstration of their support.
Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, the Executive Director of IDEG, in his submissions, was of the view that the quality of the ACBF’s work and support could be seen in programmes such as the EPM programme being run at the Economics Department of the University of Ghana, as well as similar ones at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), AAU, CEPA and GIMPA.
Through these, good contributions to policy in the economy and development efforts were made, he added.
DAILY GRAPHIC, WEDNEDAY, MAY 7, 2008, PG 31
Established in 1991 through the collaborative effort of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), some African governments and bilateral donors, the Harare-based organisation is a response to the severity of capacity problems and the challenges to investing in indigenous human capital and institutions in sub-Saharan Africa, which is seen as a critical gap in development.
A three-member delegation of ACBF, led by Dr Edwin Forlemu, the Executive Secretary, met with representatives from the Centre for Policy Analysis, the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), the Association of African Universities (AAU), the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) and the Economic Policy Management (EPM) programme.
Briefing the press after the meeting, Dr Forlemu said ACBF had come a long way in partnering institutions in Africa to build the capacity of professionals in the area of economic policy initiatives and management.
“Capacity building is a long-term endeavour, as we have to deal with different groups at different stages. We have learnt not to assume on our results and are here to look out for the indicators of results, the effectiveness of our partner institutions, their responsiveness to stakeholder challenges and the sustainability of our efforts,” he told journalists.
He was, however, pleased with the output of partner institutions, saying that they were contributing effectively to government policy.
“The CEPA issues opinions on public policy and they are noted by the government and other institutions like the IDEG. These are some indicators of the quality of our programmes,” he said.
Dr Forlemu pointed out that through the ABCF’s partnerships, highly qualified professionals had been attracted from the Diaspora to the continent to contribute effectively to the administration and management of sound economic and development initiatives, while newly trained professionals had been attracted to stay in their countries and contribute.
That, according to him, had helped to end the brain drain in that area, which was as equally challenging as the brain drain of medical professionals.
Summarising his meeting with the Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, and the Chief Director of the ministry, Nana Juaben-Boaten Siriboe, Dr Forlemu said the two parties had discussed how the government’s partnership with the ACBF could become more active.
He explained that Ghana was an important player in Africa and that having the country’s active support would enhance the efforts of the foundation.
He said there were two levels of support that African governments could give to ACBF. The first was at the level of the foundation, where all member states could take a seat on the board of governors and demonstrate their support for the ACBF, while making inputs and owning the programmes initiated.
The second was for governments to co-sponsor programmes in their countries, also as a demonstration of their support.
Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, the Executive Director of IDEG, in his submissions, was of the view that the quality of the ACBF’s work and support could be seen in programmes such as the EPM programme being run at the Economics Department of the University of Ghana, as well as similar ones at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), AAU, CEPA and GIMPA.
Through these, good contributions to policy in the economy and development efforts were made, he added.
DAILY GRAPHIC, WEDNEDAY, MAY 7, 2008, PG 31
AWARD WINNER TO OPEN TRAINING SCHOOL
MRS Augustina Hammond, the Ghanaian who was presented with awards with two other women at the inaugural Women’s Awards ceremony by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and EMPRETEC, has announced her intention to open a training institute for designing and garment manufacturing by September this year.
The award winner, who is the founder of JEM Afric Garments, manufacturers in indigenous African designs to niche markets in the US and Caribbean, among others, won the third prize that came with a cash of $1,500 for a study tour.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference organised by EMPRETEC Ghana Foundation, on the sidelines of the just-ended UNCTAD conference, Mrs Hammond said her intention to set up the training institute was to provide the missing link between education and industry.
She said the institute would provide practical training during the day for the youth, as well as students of fashion and all others who needed the practical skills in designing and manufacturing.
Evening classes would also be scheduled for women, including professional, business and unemployed women, to build their capacity in that area.
EMPRETEC, a Spanish acronym for business and entrepreneurship, is an UNCTAD programme that targets particularly women in small and medium-scale enterprises to build up their entrepreneurial skills and capacities.
EMPRETEC Ghana Foundation is one of the vibrant among 27 worldwide with the most active EMPRETEC centres in Brazil and Uganda, according to Ms Foirina Mugione, Chief, Enterprise Policies and Capacity-Building Section of UNCTAD, who was also at the press conference.
She said the award would be organised annually but the intention was to let other groups within EMPRETEC benefit and explained that for instance, the youth was a target group to be awarded the next time.
Two Ghanaians, Mrs Hammond and Ms Paully Appea-Kubi of Ebenut Ghana Limited, were among the 10 finalists shortlisted for the awards that was held on Monday April, 21, during the conference.
Ebenut Ghana Limited produces and packages dried fruits, nuts and vegetables, shipping 10 tonnes every five weeks to the United Kingdom, United States, and Senegal and equally serve the domestic market.
The Chief Executive Officer of EMPRETEC Ghana, Nana Tweneboa-Boateng, said the two Ghanaian finalists of the awards attested to what the Foundation was doing in the country and indicated that the commitment of EMPRETEC Ghana, to train and nurture through appropriate interventions and entrepreneurial skills, would be adhered in the present and the future.
Nana Tweneboa-Boateng said apart from the training programmes, EMPRETEC Ghana supported entrepreneurs with financial services.
The award winner, who is the founder of JEM Afric Garments, manufacturers in indigenous African designs to niche markets in the US and Caribbean, among others, won the third prize that came with a cash of $1,500 for a study tour.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference organised by EMPRETEC Ghana Foundation, on the sidelines of the just-ended UNCTAD conference, Mrs Hammond said her intention to set up the training institute was to provide the missing link between education and industry.
She said the institute would provide practical training during the day for the youth, as well as students of fashion and all others who needed the practical skills in designing and manufacturing.
Evening classes would also be scheduled for women, including professional, business and unemployed women, to build their capacity in that area.
EMPRETEC, a Spanish acronym for business and entrepreneurship, is an UNCTAD programme that targets particularly women in small and medium-scale enterprises to build up their entrepreneurial skills and capacities.
EMPRETEC Ghana Foundation is one of the vibrant among 27 worldwide with the most active EMPRETEC centres in Brazil and Uganda, according to Ms Foirina Mugione, Chief, Enterprise Policies and Capacity-Building Section of UNCTAD, who was also at the press conference.
She said the award would be organised annually but the intention was to let other groups within EMPRETEC benefit and explained that for instance, the youth was a target group to be awarded the next time.
Two Ghanaians, Mrs Hammond and Ms Paully Appea-Kubi of Ebenut Ghana Limited, were among the 10 finalists shortlisted for the awards that was held on Monday April, 21, during the conference.
Ebenut Ghana Limited produces and packages dried fruits, nuts and vegetables, shipping 10 tonnes every five weeks to the United Kingdom, United States, and Senegal and equally serve the domestic market.
The Chief Executive Officer of EMPRETEC Ghana, Nana Tweneboa-Boateng, said the two Ghanaian finalists of the awards attested to what the Foundation was doing in the country and indicated that the commitment of EMPRETEC Ghana, to train and nurture through appropriate interventions and entrepreneurial skills, would be adhered in the present and the future.
Nana Tweneboa-Boateng said apart from the training programmes, EMPRETEC Ghana supported entrepreneurs with financial services.
GHANAIAN DELEGATION FOR OIL CONFLICT RESOLUTION SEMINAR
A cross section of Ghanaians, including the chief of the Secondi Traditional Council, Nana Yadae Kojo IV, lawyers from the private sector and the Attorney General’s Department, some members of academia and officials of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) will this month attend a seminar in Calgary, Canada on oil conflict resolution.
The seminar will be jointly organised by the Pulse Institute of Canada and the Gamey and Gamey Academy of Mediation in Ghana, from May 18 to 23, 2008.
The seminar comes at the heels of the commercial discoveries of oil in the country and the expectations of the country benefiting in the next two or three years.
Pulse Institute, uses dialogue or conversations in all endeavours for people to understand and reach consensus to achieve their targets, while GGAM is a mediation agency in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of GAMM and a labour consultant, Mr Austin Gamey, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that the seminar was to prepare adequately for the country’s good fortune in finding oil.
Mr Gamey with Dr Nancy Love, the Founder and President of Pulse Institute and a renowned mediator, are the main resource persons for the seminar.
He said since the discoveries of oil in the country, much had been done and said, and commended the government for the national and regional fora that had been organised in expectation of the economic opportunities of oil discoveries in the country.
“However, I am not sure that whatever has come out of these fora so far has been documented for us to read and learn viable lessons to prevent us from slipping into the same mistakes as countries like Angola and Nigeria, where oil has now become a contentious issue”, Mr Gamey pointed out.
He said implementing all the policies and ideas on how the country was to benefit from the oil discovery was not as important as preparing for all eventualities.
“The seminar is, therefore a disco*very, where participants will learn rigorous preventive and dispute resolution mechanisms in the petroleum, gas and environmental sectors. This is one of the major ways of getting the country prepared”, Mr Gamey said.
He added that the new paradigm that the participants would learn, would enable them prevent conflict through a frame of mediation known as “conversations” and developed by the Pulse Institute.
Once participants have been coached, they could frame and re-frame this method of conversation or dialogue to suit any environment, situation or circumstance, he explained.
DAILY GRAPHIC, MONDAY, MAY 5, 2008, PG 21
The seminar will be jointly organised by the Pulse Institute of Canada and the Gamey and Gamey Academy of Mediation in Ghana, from May 18 to 23, 2008.
The seminar comes at the heels of the commercial discoveries of oil in the country and the expectations of the country benefiting in the next two or three years.
Pulse Institute, uses dialogue or conversations in all endeavours for people to understand and reach consensus to achieve their targets, while GGAM is a mediation agency in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of GAMM and a labour consultant, Mr Austin Gamey, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that the seminar was to prepare adequately for the country’s good fortune in finding oil.
Mr Gamey with Dr Nancy Love, the Founder and President of Pulse Institute and a renowned mediator, are the main resource persons for the seminar.
He said since the discoveries of oil in the country, much had been done and said, and commended the government for the national and regional fora that had been organised in expectation of the economic opportunities of oil discoveries in the country.
“However, I am not sure that whatever has come out of these fora so far has been documented for us to read and learn viable lessons to prevent us from slipping into the same mistakes as countries like Angola and Nigeria, where oil has now become a contentious issue”, Mr Gamey pointed out.
He said implementing all the policies and ideas on how the country was to benefit from the oil discovery was not as important as preparing for all eventualities.
“The seminar is, therefore a disco*very, where participants will learn rigorous preventive and dispute resolution mechanisms in the petroleum, gas and environmental sectors. This is one of the major ways of getting the country prepared”, Mr Gamey said.
He added that the new paradigm that the participants would learn, would enable them prevent conflict through a frame of mediation known as “conversations” and developed by the Pulse Institute.
Once participants have been coached, they could frame and re-frame this method of conversation or dialogue to suit any environment, situation or circumstance, he explained.
DAILY GRAPHIC, MONDAY, MAY 5, 2008, PG 21
BIRIM NORTH FARMERS AGAINST MINING PROJECT
TWO hundred and fifteen farmers in the Birim North District are protesting against a mining project being undertaken by Newmont Company in their communities.
In a petition, the group, calling itself the Concerned Farmers Association, said part of the concession of the Newmont Akyem mine fell within the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve.
In addition, Newmont had not addressed the concerns of the people in the surrounding communities, hence their decision to write the petition.
The petition was addressed to the Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, with copies to the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission and the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency
The petition said the reserve was of ecological importance in the area as it served as a watershed for important rivers such as the Owo, Ntia, Alotosu Aprapon, Adenkyensu and Yaayaa.
Moreover, it said the Ajebua Bepo Forest Reserve impacted positively on the rainfall pattern, which help farmers in their activities.
It said the ecological diversity of the area was of enormous benefit to farmers and that could not be substituted for the short term revenues from mining.
Another issue raised in the petition was that of compensation.
It said the Crop Compensation Committee set up by Newmont to negotiate compensation on behalf of affected farmers was contrary to provisions of the Minerals and Mining Law, Act 703.
The petition said representatives on the committee had no legal mandate under the said provisions to negotiate on behalf of the affected farmers as they were not in reality representing their interest.
It said Newmont had not provided adequate information on important issues such as the resettlement of communities and housing.
The petition said the environmental and social problems that would be associated with the operations of Newmont had prevented the EPA from granting it an environmental permit to proceed with operations.
When contacted, the Director of Mining at the EPA, Mr A. A. C. Andoh, confirmed that Newmont had not yet been given the environmental permit.
This, he said, was because it came out of an impact assessment that the operation of Newmont would result in the creation of a pit about 2.65 kilometres long and about a kilometre from the nearest town.
The company had, therefore, been asked to fill at least half of the pit but they had not agreed to that.
Mr Andoh said Newmont had recently re-submitted an environmental impact statement, which was yet to be reviewed.
He, therefore, asked for patience from all the partners.
DAILY GRAPHIC, FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008, PG 48
In a petition, the group, calling itself the Concerned Farmers Association, said part of the concession of the Newmont Akyem mine fell within the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve.
In addition, Newmont had not addressed the concerns of the people in the surrounding communities, hence their decision to write the petition.
The petition was addressed to the Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, with copies to the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission and the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency
The petition said the reserve was of ecological importance in the area as it served as a watershed for important rivers such as the Owo, Ntia, Alotosu Aprapon, Adenkyensu and Yaayaa.
Moreover, it said the Ajebua Bepo Forest Reserve impacted positively on the rainfall pattern, which help farmers in their activities.
It said the ecological diversity of the area was of enormous benefit to farmers and that could not be substituted for the short term revenues from mining.
Another issue raised in the petition was that of compensation.
It said the Crop Compensation Committee set up by Newmont to negotiate compensation on behalf of affected farmers was contrary to provisions of the Minerals and Mining Law, Act 703.
The petition said representatives on the committee had no legal mandate under the said provisions to negotiate on behalf of the affected farmers as they were not in reality representing their interest.
It said Newmont had not provided adequate information on important issues such as the resettlement of communities and housing.
The petition said the environmental and social problems that would be associated with the operations of Newmont had prevented the EPA from granting it an environmental permit to proceed with operations.
When contacted, the Director of Mining at the EPA, Mr A. A. C. Andoh, confirmed that Newmont had not yet been given the environmental permit.
This, he said, was because it came out of an impact assessment that the operation of Newmont would result in the creation of a pit about 2.65 kilometres long and about a kilometre from the nearest town.
The company had, therefore, been asked to fill at least half of the pit but they had not agreed to that.
Mr Andoh said Newmont had recently re-submitted an environmental impact statement, which was yet to be reviewed.
He, therefore, asked for patience from all the partners.
DAILY GRAPHIC, FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008, PG 48
FORUM FOR UTILITY REGULATORS HELD
REGULATORS of public utilities, utility providers, investors and allied agencies all over Africa began a meeting in Accra yesterday to discuss the institution of a common regulatory framework for the continent that is non-discriminatory, promotes competition and protects investors.
The two-day conference is the fifth annual general meeting of the African Forum for Utility Regulation (AFUR).
In his opening statement as chair of the ceremony, the Director General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Mr Benard A. Forson, charged participants to do all that was in their power to ensure accessible and dependable utility services on the continent.
He conceded that the task of infrastructural development in the utility sector, and the right regulatory framework that could attract investors into the sector, among other issues, were daunting, but maintained that all needed to set their minds to it and “just do it”.
In his opening statement, an official of the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility(PPIAF)/World Bank, Mr Lorenzo Bertolini, said the collaboration between PPIAF and AFUR was suggestive of the clear commitment of the ideals of information sharing and the building of the capacity of members.
On the challenges at hand, he also listed infrastructural development and the need for a predictable set of rules in the sector.
He said the theme of the conference, “Regulatory Non-discrimination, Promotion of Competition and Protection of Investors”, was appropriate, as protecting investments had a great impact on a country’s capacity to benefit from investment in critical areas like electricity.
The Programmes Manager of GTZ, Dr El Iza Mohamedou, was pleased with the collaboration existing between GTZ and AFUR.
She announced the initiation of programmes supported by GTZ that would enable the enhanced utilisation of information by utility regulators and other partners.
Mr Antonio Pedro, Chief, NEPAD and Regional Integration at the United Nations Commission on Africa, said sub-Saharan Africa lagged behind in utility infrastructure and service delivery.
He said without an improvement in its existing infrastructure, Africa could not improve its fortunes.
Mr Pedro said Africa could not attract the needed investments for infrastructural development in the utility sector because it was still considered as a high risk investment area.
He said to change that, the right regulatory framework to enable the right environment to attract investments needed to be put in place.
In his welcoming address, the Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Mr Stephen Adu, who is also the chairman of the local organising committee of the conference, said the outcome of the discussions would feed into the development of guidelines for developing regulatory institutions in Africa.
He said AFUR was now gaining relevance as the foremost utility regulators’ association on the continent and was equally gaining international recognition.
DAILY GRAPHIC, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2008, PG 14
The two-day conference is the fifth annual general meeting of the African Forum for Utility Regulation (AFUR).
In his opening statement as chair of the ceremony, the Director General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Mr Benard A. Forson, charged participants to do all that was in their power to ensure accessible and dependable utility services on the continent.
He conceded that the task of infrastructural development in the utility sector, and the right regulatory framework that could attract investors into the sector, among other issues, were daunting, but maintained that all needed to set their minds to it and “just do it”.
In his opening statement, an official of the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility(PPIAF)/World Bank, Mr Lorenzo Bertolini, said the collaboration between PPIAF and AFUR was suggestive of the clear commitment of the ideals of information sharing and the building of the capacity of members.
On the challenges at hand, he also listed infrastructural development and the need for a predictable set of rules in the sector.
He said the theme of the conference, “Regulatory Non-discrimination, Promotion of Competition and Protection of Investors”, was appropriate, as protecting investments had a great impact on a country’s capacity to benefit from investment in critical areas like electricity.
The Programmes Manager of GTZ, Dr El Iza Mohamedou, was pleased with the collaboration existing between GTZ and AFUR.
She announced the initiation of programmes supported by GTZ that would enable the enhanced utilisation of information by utility regulators and other partners.
Mr Antonio Pedro, Chief, NEPAD and Regional Integration at the United Nations Commission on Africa, said sub-Saharan Africa lagged behind in utility infrastructure and service delivery.
He said without an improvement in its existing infrastructure, Africa could not improve its fortunes.
Mr Pedro said Africa could not attract the needed investments for infrastructural development in the utility sector because it was still considered as a high risk investment area.
He said to change that, the right regulatory framework to enable the right environment to attract investments needed to be put in place.
In his welcoming address, the Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Mr Stephen Adu, who is also the chairman of the local organising committee of the conference, said the outcome of the discussions would feed into the development of guidelines for developing regulatory institutions in Africa.
He said AFUR was now gaining relevance as the foremost utility regulators’ association on the continent and was equally gaining international recognition.
DAILY GRAPHIC, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2008, PG 14
UNCTAD XII ENDS IN ACCRA
THE 12th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XII) ended in Accra last Friday with delegates of member countries pledging themselves to “uphold a well-functioning, universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system which promotes growth.”
In an 18-point Accra Declaration, the 192 delegates and participants pledged to adhere to the founding tenets of UNCTAD and to work harmoniously in an interdependent world for broad-based and sustainable prosperity.
Delegates and participants adopted two other documents, the Accra Accord, a detailed 221-point submission on current trade and development issues and policy interventions and the draft Report on UNCTAD XII.
In the Accra Declaration, which summarises key points of the conference, delegates commended UNCTAD for the integrated treatment of trade and development and inter-related issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development.
Delegates lauded UNCTAD for its “substantial contribution to advancing the development agenda and supporting developing countries to address challenges and maximise benefits from the globalised world economy,” and recommitted themselves to this agenda.
They noted that the outcome of the conference would be an important contribution to the equitable and inclusive access to the benefits of globalisation arising from trade, finance, investment, technology and innovation, and full and productive employment.
Apart from that, it would also inform forthcoming major events on development, including the Development Cooperation Forum of the Economic and Social Council, the Accra High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, the high-level event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) during the 62nd session of the General Assembly and the Financing for Development Review Conference, they said.
On the attainment of the MDGs, delegates noted that at the mid-point of attaining these goals, some regions were not on track to achieve all targets.
They said sub-Saharan Africa was the area facing the most severe shortfalls in the attainment of the targets and current challenges such as rising food and energy prices and global uncertainties, compounded by climate change, had the potential to de-accelerate global efforts and developing countries’ growth, poverty reduction gains and pose a direct risk to the poor.
However, delegates resolved to remain vigilant to ensure that global economic policies and the work of UNCTAD promoted an inclusive growth that would help countries to attain and sustain the internationally agreed development goals.
Pledging to find integrated solutions to the challenges, they said, they would redouble their efforts to combat poverty and hunger and take immediate steps to bolster the world’s food security by meeting urgent humanitarian needs in developing countries, particularly least developed ones, and paying special attention to the nutritional needs of mothers and children.
Delegates also pledged that in the medium to long term, support would be given to national efforts towards increased food production, particularly in Africa, least developed countries, as well as net food importing countries.
To support this, there was the need for collaboration, reform and liberalisation of trade in agriculture and improved official development assistance flows to the agricultural sectors of developing countries.
They welcomed the decision of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, to establish a high-powered task force comprising eminent experts and leading policy authorities to address the food security issue.
Delegates said the development of Africa and least developed countries would remain a priority of the international community.
While commending the efforts of these countries to scale up their development performance, they further encouraged them and said the international community would, among other things, redouble efforts at the mobilisation of development financing and technical cooperation, the broadening of market access by effectively dealing with trade-distorting non-tariff measures to accelerate development and positive integration into the world economy.
Other pledges made included concluding the Doha Round of Trade negotiations and making it???? balanced and equitable, increases in official development assistance by donor countries, and the commitment to contributing to international financial resilience by promoting transparent, predictable and effective regulatory regime.
On climate change, delegates agreed that adequate financing and technology was critical to helping developing countries to rise to the challenge, pointing out that the trade and development aspects of climate change were important for development prospects of developing countries and had to be adequately taken into account.
Finally, delegates pledged to make concrete their resolutions towards the next conference, UNCTAD XIII, to be held in Qatar in 2012.
In his closing statements, the Secretary General of UNCTAD, Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, described the Accra Declaration as ambitious but with a broad range of actions, which, when implemented, would ensure a reversal in the lowering fortunes of developing countries, and the equitable spread of development benefits.
Several other delegates from the United States, Cote D’Iviore, and Japan, in their contributions, pledged themselves to the intention in the Accra Declaration.
The Japanese Ambassador in charge of Peace Building and Refugee-Related Issues in Africa, in his contribution, announced that his government had decided to implement a food aid of about a $100-million worth in the next three months as an emergency measure to mitigate the effects of rising food prices.
He said half the aid would be provided for countries in Africa through the World Food Programme (WFP) from May, this year.
Mr Sato said on the issue of rising food prices, the Prime Minister of Japan, Yasuo Fukuda, as the Chariman of the G8, had expressed his intention to raise the matter at the G8 Hokkaido Tokyo Summit in his letters to the UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki Moon and the World Bank President, Robert Zoellick, on April 18, this year.
Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Kwesi Osei-Agyei, who led Ghana’s delegation, expressed the hope that by the next conference in 2012 in Qatar the Accra Declaration would have had many returns.
He described the declaration as a workable road map that would help rake in the benefits for all.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Joe Baidoe-Ansah, closing the conference, thanked all the participants for their consensus in reaching a workable plan to tackle global challenges.
DAILY GRAPHIC, MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2008, PG 20
In an 18-point Accra Declaration, the 192 delegates and participants pledged to adhere to the founding tenets of UNCTAD and to work harmoniously in an interdependent world for broad-based and sustainable prosperity.
Delegates and participants adopted two other documents, the Accra Accord, a detailed 221-point submission on current trade and development issues and policy interventions and the draft Report on UNCTAD XII.
In the Accra Declaration, which summarises key points of the conference, delegates commended UNCTAD for the integrated treatment of trade and development and inter-related issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development.
Delegates lauded UNCTAD for its “substantial contribution to advancing the development agenda and supporting developing countries to address challenges and maximise benefits from the globalised world economy,” and recommitted themselves to this agenda.
They noted that the outcome of the conference would be an important contribution to the equitable and inclusive access to the benefits of globalisation arising from trade, finance, investment, technology and innovation, and full and productive employment.
Apart from that, it would also inform forthcoming major events on development, including the Development Cooperation Forum of the Economic and Social Council, the Accra High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, the high-level event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) during the 62nd session of the General Assembly and the Financing for Development Review Conference, they said.
On the attainment of the MDGs, delegates noted that at the mid-point of attaining these goals, some regions were not on track to achieve all targets.
They said sub-Saharan Africa was the area facing the most severe shortfalls in the attainment of the targets and current challenges such as rising food and energy prices and global uncertainties, compounded by climate change, had the potential to de-accelerate global efforts and developing countries’ growth, poverty reduction gains and pose a direct risk to the poor.
However, delegates resolved to remain vigilant to ensure that global economic policies and the work of UNCTAD promoted an inclusive growth that would help countries to attain and sustain the internationally agreed development goals.
Pledging to find integrated solutions to the challenges, they said, they would redouble their efforts to combat poverty and hunger and take immediate steps to bolster the world’s food security by meeting urgent humanitarian needs in developing countries, particularly least developed ones, and paying special attention to the nutritional needs of mothers and children.
Delegates also pledged that in the medium to long term, support would be given to national efforts towards increased food production, particularly in Africa, least developed countries, as well as net food importing countries.
To support this, there was the need for collaboration, reform and liberalisation of trade in agriculture and improved official development assistance flows to the agricultural sectors of developing countries.
They welcomed the decision of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, to establish a high-powered task force comprising eminent experts and leading policy authorities to address the food security issue.
Delegates said the development of Africa and least developed countries would remain a priority of the international community.
While commending the efforts of these countries to scale up their development performance, they further encouraged them and said the international community would, among other things, redouble efforts at the mobilisation of development financing and technical cooperation, the broadening of market access by effectively dealing with trade-distorting non-tariff measures to accelerate development and positive integration into the world economy.
Other pledges made included concluding the Doha Round of Trade negotiations and making it???? balanced and equitable, increases in official development assistance by donor countries, and the commitment to contributing to international financial resilience by promoting transparent, predictable and effective regulatory regime.
On climate change, delegates agreed that adequate financing and technology was critical to helping developing countries to rise to the challenge, pointing out that the trade and development aspects of climate change were important for development prospects of developing countries and had to be adequately taken into account.
Finally, delegates pledged to make concrete their resolutions towards the next conference, UNCTAD XIII, to be held in Qatar in 2012.
In his closing statements, the Secretary General of UNCTAD, Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, described the Accra Declaration as ambitious but with a broad range of actions, which, when implemented, would ensure a reversal in the lowering fortunes of developing countries, and the equitable spread of development benefits.
Several other delegates from the United States, Cote D’Iviore, and Japan, in their contributions, pledged themselves to the intention in the Accra Declaration.
The Japanese Ambassador in charge of Peace Building and Refugee-Related Issues in Africa, in his contribution, announced that his government had decided to implement a food aid of about a $100-million worth in the next three months as an emergency measure to mitigate the effects of rising food prices.
He said half the aid would be provided for countries in Africa through the World Food Programme (WFP) from May, this year.
Mr Sato said on the issue of rising food prices, the Prime Minister of Japan, Yasuo Fukuda, as the Chariman of the G8, had expressed his intention to raise the matter at the G8 Hokkaido Tokyo Summit in his letters to the UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki Moon and the World Bank President, Robert Zoellick, on April 18, this year.
Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Kwesi Osei-Agyei, who led Ghana’s delegation, expressed the hope that by the next conference in 2012 in Qatar the Accra Declaration would have had many returns.
He described the declaration as a workable road map that would help rake in the benefits for all.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Joe Baidoe-Ansah, closing the conference, thanked all the participants for their consensus in reaching a workable plan to tackle global challenges.
DAILY GRAPHIC, MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2008, PG 20
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)