Print Press Review For October 16

THE DAILY GRAPHIC – THURSDAY, 16TH OCTOBER, 2003

1. THE BATTLE FOR MERGER WITH ASHANTI GOLDFIELDS…BOARD BACKS ANGLOGOLD BUT RANDGOLD HASN’T GIVEN UP – PGS. 1 & 3

According to the paper, the board of Ashanti Goldfields yesterday unanimously recommended Anglogold, the UK/South Africa mining firm’s proposal for merger with Ashanti.

The board said the approval came after considering the technical, legal and financial due diligence on Anglogold and its rival Randgold, and came to the conclusion that its recommendation was in the best interest of Ashanti, stakeholders, employees and the people of Ghana.

Under the revised merger proposal from Anglogold, Ashanti’s shareholding will receive 29 new Anglogold shares for every 100 Ashanti shares held.

Randgold offered $1.5 billion, while Anglogold offered $1.1 billion. However, Anglogold revised its offer to $1.431 billion.

Meanwhile, the board of Randgold Resources has not given up its bid and said it would be reviewing its position regarding an offer for Ashanti, following the Ashanti board’s recommendation of an improved final offer for Anglogold.

2. 31 SECOND CYCLE SCHOOLS TO BE UPGRADED – PGS. 1 & 3

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has signed 31 separate contracts for the upgrading of 31 second cycle schools in the country.

Each of the schools is to benefit from an average of 10 projects, which are to be executed by different contractors.

The rehabilitation and upgrading programme is estimated to cost about ?48 billion.

Mr. Larry Kweku Attafuah, Special Assistant to the sector Minister, disclosed this in an interview in Accra, in the Greater Accra Region.

3. “FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW ESSENTIAL FOR DEMOCRACY” – PG. 3

According to the paper, Mr. Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, Editor of the Daily Graphic, has stressed that a freedom of information law is essential for democracy because good governance thrives in an atmosphere of openness, transparency and pluralism.
He noted that such a law could protect individuals from harassment by media personnel for private information, which could be leaked to them.
He was speaking at a seminar on the “Right to Information” in Sunyani
He called on Ghanaians to give their massive support to the bill in promulgating it into law in their own interest.

4. NESTLE INAUGURATES NEW DISTRIBUTION CENTRE – PG. 17

President Kufuor yesterday inaugurated at Tema, ?20 billion central distribution centre for Nestle Ghana Limited, that would facilitate reliable and efficient supply of finished products to customers.
The centre, which covers a 5,000 square metre area, with a storage capacity of 4,000 pallets and racking capacity of 660 pallets also has a loading bay and an office building.
Commissioning the centre, President Kufuor, said the government’s on going reforms in the public and financial sectors, aimed at strengthening important private sector organizations to support a vibrant private sector were beginning to yield results.
For instance, he stated that inflation and interest rates were falling dramatically while start-up capital was becoming more and more available to small and medium scale enterprises.

THE GHANAIAN VOICE – THURSDAY, 16TH OCTOBER, 2003

ESTATE OFFICERS TURN LANDLORDS…AT WORKS AND HOUSING - PGS. 1 & 3

Officers at the Estate Department of the Ministry of Works and Housing according to the paper, have turned themselves into Land Lords, by hiring out government bungalows to individuals at the expense of the state.
Estate officials have agents who collect monthly rents on the bungalows and share the money among themselves.
Investigations by the paper, shows that three of such bungalows are located at REDCO Flat at Adenta. Other rented rooms are found at Kanda Estate, Sakumono, Labone Flats and the almighty Lartebiokorshie Nkrumah Flats, the paper reports.
Some of the rooms attract a monthly rent fee ranging between ?20,000 for a single room to ?150,000 cedis for two bedroom self-contained.

THE GHANAIAN TIMES – THURSDAY, 16TH OCTOBER, 2003

1. JUDGE SUGGESTS SOLUTION TO LAND DISPUTES SEIZE THEM ALL – PGS. 1 & 3

The paper reports that, Mr. Justice Allan Brobbey, a Supreme Court Judge, has called on the government to take over all lands in the country, which are under dispute.
He has also asked the government to compel litigants in land cases to explore all possible settlements by the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) before going to court.
He was delivering the keynote address at a workshop on a Land Administration Project (LAP) at Elmina.
According to him, many of the land cases that went to court could easily be settled by ADR, a mechanism that even advanced countries were largely resorting to in order to control litigation.

2. COCOA PRODUCERS TOLD TO CHECK PESTS – PGS. 1 & 3

According to the paper, Mr. Sona Ebai, Secretary-General of the Cocoa Producer’s Alliance (CPA), yesterday advised cocoa producers to concentrate more on pest management in order to boost high returns of cocoa.
He said it would be a way to help save the over one billion dollar of cocoa that went to waste in the cocoa industry due to pest infestations.
He was addressing a press conference at the 14th International Cocoa Research Conference in Accra.
He said pest were the major factor inhibiting the high returns in cocoa, therefore the conference sought to identify new areas of research in pest management.

3. NATIONAL POLIO IMMUNIZATION DAYS FIXED FOR OCT. 24 – 26 – PG. 3

According to the paper, this year’s National Polio Immunization Programme to be held throughout the country from October 24 to 26 was launched yesterday in Accra by the Minister for Health, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie.
He observed that Ghana had made considerable progress since the inception of the Polio Eradication Initiative in 1996.
He, however, stated that after two years of low polio virus in the country, that is between 2001 and 2002, the programme had suffered a temporary setback.
He commended the Japanese Embassy and UNICEF for the vaccines and the funds they have raised for the campaign.
The programme targets 4.7 million children under five years to be immunized against Polio, one of the main causes of mortality among children.
It expects to count on the services of 42,000 volunteers for the programme.

NATIONAL DEMOCRAT – THURSDAY, 16TH OCTOBER, 2003

MURDER OF YA-NA SENDS HAMIDU TO HOSPITAL? – PGS. 1 & 2

According to the paper, inspite of attempts by government to make the people of Dagbon forget the death of their King, the people are still determined to find both the people who masterminded the gruesome killing and the people who carried it out.
The paper’s investigations observed that one of the suspects Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Joshua Hamidu was in charge of National Security at the time the Ya-Na was killed. He reported same day at the 37 Military Hospital with a heart problem.
He was subsequently admitted at the intensive care unit.
The paper therefore appear to be skeptical as to why Lt. Gen. Hamidu was admitted to the hospital the night after Ya-Na’s murder.
The paper further asked whether the General had himself admitted at the hospital so that he can have an alibi since he is one of the suspects in this murder case?

THE EVENING NEWS – WEDNESDAY, 15TH OCTOBER, 2003

1. POLICE RAID TONY AIDOO’S RESIDENCE – PG. 1

According to the paper, Policemen numbering 17, in the early hours of yesterday raided the Weija home of former Deputy Minister of Defence, Dr. Tony Aidoo and retrieved an unlicensed pistol from him.
According to him, the Police asked him to report to the Criminal Investigation Department of the police Headquarters at 11 a.m. yesterday.

2. PARLIAMENT TO PASS BILL ON ROUGH DIAMONDS – PG. 1

The paper reports that, Parliament will ratify the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) under a certificate of urgency when the House resumes sitting on October 21, 2003.
In order to ensure a speedy ratification, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines will meet stakeholders in the diamond industry, to iron out outstanding issues in the Bill.
Currently, Ghana has been blacklisted and cannot export or import the precious gem because it is yet to ratify the KPCS.

THE GHANAIAN CHRONICLE – THURSDAY, 16TH OCTOBER, 2003

SHOCKER FROM CENTRAL REGION CHIEF MOVES TO STALL ?400M PROJECT? – PGS. 1 & 3

According to the paper, development in Mankoadze, a fishing town in the Gomoa district of the Central Region, is being threatened by what many of its inhabitants see as impediments by their own Adontenhene, Nana Fano Ababio.
An example of the chief’s attitude is a ?400m village centre being built by an English Philanthropist, Roger Gillman, for the people, which he has allegedly vowed, he would never allow to be completed.
As part of his grand design to frustrate and stall the project, he is reported to be insisting that the land upon which the centre is being put up belongs to the local Methodist Church.
According to the paper, this is inspite of the documentary evidence that Gillman has legally acquired it.

THE INDEPENDENT – THURSDAY, 16TH OCTOBER, 2003

NDC’s “ALI BABA MAGIC” … $7M COMPANY SOLD FOR $2.7M* ANGRY WORKERS LOCK-OUT MANAGEMENT – PG. 1 & BK. PG.

The paper, has uncovered that Penang Shipyard Company (PSC), a Malaysian Company Fleeced Ghana to the tune of $4.3m in the purchase of Tema Shipyard and Dry Dock Corporation, now, PSC Tema Shipyard during the NDC regime in 1997.
According to the paper, the then DIC, headed by Emmanuel Agbodo, conspired with the Malaysian company to rip Ghana off and sold to PSC Industries, the Tema shipyard and dry dock, then valued at $7,150,000m, for a paltry $2.7m.
Out of $2.7m the Malaysians paid only $500,000 during the first quarter of 1997. $200,000 was paid out of the said amount to the DIC while the rest went into rent and furnishing of the houses of the expatriate staff of the company, the paper reports.
Investigations further revealed that the Malaysian company came without a working capital and that the divested company operated on the account of the old company-Tema Shipyard and Dry Dock Corporation for well over three months.
A statement of claim in the DIC’s claims cast doubt on the genuiness of the divestiture deal between the two parties.
The total value of the company in 1996 was $7,150,000 out of which the value of 60% costing $4.2m was sold to the Malaysians while Ghana government owns 40% of the shares in the company.
But DIC writ in May 2001 by Akunkye Chambers stated that PSC Tema had paid only $420,000 leaving an outstanding balance of $6,700,000 thus creating the impression that the whole company was sold to them and not 60%.