Print Media Monitoring for 30th September

DAILY GRAPHIC – TUESDAY, 30TH SEPTEMBER, 2003

1. AFRICA CAN SURVIVE…WITH CREATION OF LEVEL FIELD FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE…PRESIDENT – PGS. 1 & 3

President Kufuor has addressed the Third International Conference on African Development (TICAD) currently underway in Tokyo, Japan.

He stated that Africa cannot continue to depend on the magnanimity of donors and called on the international community to give Africa the responsibility of solving her own problems.

He, however, stated that the support of donor community was vital in the eradication of poverty in Africa and developing countries.

According to him, the cornerstone of governance should be the welfare of the people, adding that the emergence of a new crop of leaders in Africa depicted an era of good governance where democracy was a cardinal feature.

He called on developing countries to push for fairer trade through the creation of a level playing field for international trade, while African leaders must create the condition for fair trade by promoting good governance to attract investment.

2. FIVE TO MANAGE VRA – PG. 3

The government has appointed a five-member management team to run the affairs of the VRA.

They are Mr. Kweku Awotwe, Managing Director, Strategic Planning and Business Development, AGC, Chairman, Mr. Debra Fynn, member Board of the VRA and former Managing Director of ECG, Mr. Osei Asamoah Bonsu, member of VRA Board and chartered accountant, Mr. Joshua Ofedie, Deputy Chief Executive, Finance and Investment and Mr. Freddie Sowah, Director, Thermal Power of VRA.

This was contained in a press release from the office of the Chief of Staff, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani.

3. ESCHEW FRIVOLOUS ACTS…LAWYERS URGED – PG. 21

Papa Owusu Ankomah, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, has called on members of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to eschew frivolous acts that go to frustrate the legal process.

He also asked them not to use the law to subvert the course of justice.

He was addressing the Annual General Conference of the GBA at Elmina.

According to him, if constitutionalism was to be consolidated, bribery and corruption must be condemned in all their forms.

He further asked them not to take undue advantage of their clients.

Mr. Paul Adu Gyamfi, President of the association, called for the amendment of Article 128 (1) of the constitution to specify the highest number of judges eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court.

4. CHINESE TO ASSIST IN ACCRA-KUMASI ROAD PROJECT – PG. 21

The paper reports that, the Chinese Government is to provide an interest free loan of 230 million Chinese Yuan for the construction of a portion of the Accra-Kumasi road.

Some Chinese experts have therefore arrived in the country to undertake feasibility studies as well as finalise arrangements for the disbursement of the loan.

Mr. Zhan Keyuan, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana announced this when he paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Defence, Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor at Burma Camp in Accra yesterday.

Dr. Addo Kufuor, commended the Chinese Government for helping Ghana in her development efforts.

He announced the construction of a four-storey building to house the Ministry of Defence at a cost of $5 million, which would be borne equally by the governments, of both countries.

Dr. Addo Kufuor said documentation on the ministry’s new building project was almost ready and expressed delight that the Chinese component of the support would be a grant.

THE ACCRA DAILY MAIL – TUESDAY, 30TH SEPTEMBER, 2003

1. IMF LOST ELECTIONS FOR NDC, SAYS MP – PG. 3

NDC MP of Nkoranza, Hayford Amoako has said no government can stay in power for more than two terms.

In an interview with journalists at Nkoranza, the MP said policies of donor communities such as the IMF and the World Bank would make it difficult for any government to stay in power for more than two terms.

The two financial bodies are using Ghana as a show case in the sub-region in terms of democratic rule for other developing countries to follow hence it would be difficult for the NPP to be in power after two terms, he said.

According to him, the NDC lost the last elections due to the pressure the two financial bodies put on them. “They have a big hand in our politics.”

Mr. Amoako predicted that NDC will win the next general elections “hands down.”

THE GHANAIAN TIMES – TUESDAY, 30TH SEPTEMBER, 2003

1. MURDER ATTEMPT ON SEA…2 SAILORS THROWN OVERBOARD BY CAPTAIN – PG. 1

According to the paper, the Captain of a Chinese Vessel has been arrested by the police in Takoradi for throwing two Ghanaian sailors into the high seas.

The sailors, Stephen Aidoo and David Abeka, employees on the fishing vessel “Maame Adadzewa,” were accused by the Captain, Han Wea Zbi, of stealing shrimps. After physically assaulting them, Wea threw them into the sea separately.

Fortunately for them, they were spotted on the high seas by a canoe fisherman from Abuesi who rescued and brought them ashore.

Wea is currently on police enquiry bail while investigations continue into the case.

2. WAEC PROBES SOURCE OF FAKE CERTIFICATES – PG. 3

According to the paper, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has began investigations into the acquisition of fake WAEC Certificates by job seekers and others looking for admission to educational institutions.

The Council is also looking both within its establishment and outside, for the racketeers whose clients also include those in need of certificates for other purposes.

Mrs. Agnes Teye, Senior Public Affairs Officer of WAEC disclosed this in an interview with the paper.

According to her, WAEC was working hand-in-hand with the universities, Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), police, embassies and other security agencies to get those involved.

3. $29M VOTED FOR PHASE 2 OF REP…300,000 TO BENEFIT – PG. 3

About 300,000 unemployed rural folks from 53 selected districts in the country are to benefit from various vocations under the second phase of the Rural Enterprises Project (REP).

Estimated at 29.274 million dollars, the project is being co-financed mainly by the Government of Ghana, International Fund for Agricultural Development and the African Development Bank.

Already, about 180,000 inhabitants from 13 districts have benefited under the first phase of the project which ended about a month ago.

Mr. Kwasi Attah-Antwi, the project co-ordinator, disclosed this at a workshop at Dormaa-Ahenkro.

THE EVENING NEWS – MONDAY, 29TH SEPTEMBER, 2003

1. CONCESSIONS GOING TO CRONIES? – PG. 1

Former Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Forestry, Alhaji Collins Dauda, has questioned the propriety in the award of cancelled concessions to certain Timber firms in gross violation of the principles of transparency.

Alhaji Dauda named the companies that had been reallocated concessions as S.E. Amankwaa, Kumasi; F.D.N. Timbers, Kumasi; Evans Sawmills and Poku Transport both in Kumasi.

He alleged that the Lands and Forestry Ministry, instead of leaving the 42 previously cancelled concessions in a pool for applicants to compete and win them, “it is secretly re-allocating them to cronies and favourities of the regime.

Speaking to journalists at the weekend in Accra, he stressed that Timber Utilization Contracts (TUCs) were currently being given out to friends and cited the case of Mrs. Comfort Wereko-Brobby, a sister of the President whose husband is a member of the Forestry Commission Board and a lecturer at the KNUST.

“89 Square kilometres of the Asukese Forest Reserve, which was part of the cancelled concessions, has been given to Mrs. Brobbey’s Company.

THE INDEPENDENT – TUESDAY, 30TH SEPTEMBER, 2003

1. MALLAM ISSA TO REVEAL WHO STOLE $46,000 – “PRISON HAS DISORGANISED ME” – PG. 1 & BK. PG.

The paper reports that, the former Minister for Youth and Sports, Mallam Ali Yusif Issa, has declared his intention to come public on the circumstances that sent him into jail about three years ago.

According to the paper, Mallam Issa made these known in a chat with the paper in Accra.

According to him, he would by October 15th meet the media to talk about wide range of issues involving himself and the way forward for him.

He said “I will meet the media where I will talk about my PNC days to my appointment as Minister for Youth and Sports and the Circumstances that led to the loss of the $46,000 and my incarceration.”

2. OUR GOAL IS TO EXPORT ENERGY – NDUOM – PG. 1 & BK. PG.

The Energy Minister, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, says, “the Ministry of Energy is putting a lot of effort into developing adequate energy resources to fully match our development agenda to push Ghana to become a net exporter of both power and fuel within the next five years.”

The Minister said this when he visited the ECG offices at Cape Coast in the Central Region.

The Minister stated further that his ministry is determined to use the expertise the Tema Oil Refinery has built up over the years to refine crude oil imported from Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea for export to the global market.

3. MINISTER MEETS TRADITIONAL COUNCIL OVER ADA SALT – PG. 1 & BK. PG.

The Minister of Mines, Mrs. Cecilia Bannerman, is to meet the Ada Traditional Council on Friday 3rd October 2003, to inform them of the outcome of a number of meetings she has held with the various landowning clans in the Lagoon area of Ada Songhor.

The meetings comes in the wake of the controversy generated by a story carried in the Independent, in which the paper revealed that permission had been granted by the (PSI) on Salt, for a Brazilian company, union Dicon, to import salt from Brazil for rebagging in Ghana.

DAILY GUIDE – TUESDAY, 30TH SEPTEMBER, 2003

KUFUOR DIDN’T FLEE CHARGES KWABENA AGYEPONG – PG. 1 Bk. Pg.

Mr. Kwabena Agyepong, Press Secretary to President Kufuor has observed that, the NDC will stop at nothing to castigate the President for the sake of mischief-making, adding “this shows the level of desperation of the NDC which is clutching on straw to get at any little thing to denigrate the President”.

He was speaking with the paper from Tokyo, Japan to explain why President Kufuor failed to attend a scheduled interview with the Voice of America after he had addressed the 58th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

He claimed that before the VOA programme, President Kufuor made it known to the host, Shaka Sali that he had a tall line up of programmes that day, and that he would be meeting President Bush of the US, UNDP officials, African Ambassadors in the US, the UN Secretary General after which he hoped to turn up at the “Straight Talk Africa” programme on VOA.

He stressed that, the President was still in a meeting with the African Ambassadors when the VOA programme got underway.

He explained that since it was the President who was billed to speak, none of the people in his entourage could attend to deputise for him.

GHANA PALAVER – TUEDAY, 30TH SEPTEMBER, 2003

APOLLO 568 – NPP STYLE … INSTEAD OF THE PROMISED “JOBS FOR ALL” … NFED OFFICALS ARE SACKED … AND REPLACED WITH PARTY FAITHFULLS – PG. 1

The paper says instead of the NPP creating jobs for the people as it promised on its election platforms and in its Manifesto, the NPP is busy putting thousands of people out of jobs.

According to the paper, just as its predecessor PP Government did in the Second Republic between 1969 –1972 to perceived sympathisers of the CPP at the time in what became known as “Apollo 568” in which 568 public servants were sacked without reason and in defiance of Supreme Court ruling to the contrary, the present NPP Government has also targeted perceived NDC sympathisers for wholesale dismissal.