Print Media Review For Nov. 13

DAILY GRAPHIC – THURSDAY, 13TH NOVEMBER, 2003

1. 718 RETIRED PREMATURELY… IN CONTRAVENTION OF ’92 CONSTITUTION – PGS. 1 & 3

The paper reports that, the Police Administration has admitted that it wrongfully retired 718 police officers between 1993 and 1994.

It has, therefore, submitted a computerized list of all the affected officers to the Accra High Court, where the affected officers have sued the IGP and the Attorney-General for wrongfully retiring them and it is expected to come up with the total entitlements of the plaintiffs at the next adjourned date.


The court will fix the next hearing date, after this is submitted to the Attorney-General’s Department for advice on the next line of action to be taken.

2. AGRIFEX ’03 OPENS IN ACCRA – PGS. 1 & 3

Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Vice President, has opened the second edition of the Ghana International Food and Agriculture Trade Fair (AGRIFEX’03) at the Trade Fair Centre in Accra


The fair, which is on the theme, “Processing and Packaging Ghana’s rich agricultural products for food security and export,” is aimed at educating farmers to see agriculture as a big-time business on national and international markets.


It is also expected to entice more educated youth into the agricultural sector and to open up the sector for serious investment.


According to the paper, products on display at the week-long fair include tree and industrial crops such as cocoa, cola, sheanut, coffee, cashew, oil palm, rubber, coconut, cotton and tobacco and their semi or finished goods.

3. “JOIN HANDS TO FIGHT CORRUPTION” – PG. 3

President Kufuor has called on civil society, opinion leaders, political parties, families, schools, the public and private sectors to join hands in the fight against corruption in the country.


He said this was the need for all, irrespective of one’s background, to address the issue of corruption in order to improve the economy.


He made the call in a speech read on his behalf by Education, Youth and Sports Minister, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu at the official launch of the international campaign for corruption-free schools in Accra yesterday.


He said the youth, who were largely students, represented the hopes and aspirations of the country and needed to be nurtured to become trustworthy in the near future.

4. J. H. MENSAH ADDRESSES POVERTY REDUCTION WORKSHOP – PGS. 20 & 21

According to the paper, Mr. J.H. Mensah, Senior Minister, has delivered the keynote address at a workshop on African Parliamentary Network on Poverty Reduction in Tamale.


He urged African governments to pay great attention to the availability of private capital to the self-employed.


He advised parliamentarians to make their concerns manifest by helping to improve life for the ordinary person.

The week-long workshop was attended by parliamentarians from about 15 countries, including Canada, Burundi, Benin, Niger, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Ghana and Zimbabwe.

THE GHANAIAN TIMES – THURSDAY, 13TH NOVEMBER, 2003

1. 90% GOODS ON MARKET SMUGGLED … DEP. MINISTER – PGS. 1 & 3


Mr. Kweku Agyemang-Manu, Deputy Minister of Finance, has disclosed that, about 90 per cent of goods on the market are uncustomed.


He mentioned watches, drugs, spirits, cosmetics, jewelry and textiles as some of the most smuggled goods.


According to him, despite efforts to strengthen the capacity of the CEPS for the effective patrol of the unapproved routes along the country’s borders, massive evidence of smuggled goods still existed in the market. He said these when he and officials of CEPS, led by Brigadier Baiden Richards, the Commissioner, met with members of the Identifiable Traders Association to discusse the point of sales check to be undertaken by CEPS soon.


The exercise, meant to check smuggled goods on the market, will be carried out randomly at market places by a task force of CEPS. p> 2. GHANA EXPO ACHIEVED OBJECTIVE – OFFICIALS – PG. 1

According to the paper, officials of Ghana Expo 2003, the Trade Investment Exhibition/Seminar on Ghana, which was recently held in London, have said that the event was a success, contrary to media speculations and commentary.


Mr. Kwame Owusu Afriyie, Chairman of the National Planning Committee of the fair, said they were able to achieve their primary objective of showcasing Ghanaian products and services on the European market.


He emphasized that for the first time, all the business sectors of the Ghanaian economy ranging from agro-processing, real estate, garments and textiles, handicrafts to energy and power were represented under one roof in an advanced country like the U.K.


“Contrary to earlier reports, about 90 per cent of the stands were filled. Some of the exhibitors had flight problems and, therefore, missed the first day”.


He was speaking to the paper in an interview in Accra.


On the future of Ghana Expo, he confirmed that the next Exposition was likely to take place at Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States.

3. BECKLEY PHOBIA GRIPS ADWESO – PG. 1

The paper reports that, residents at Adweso, a suburb of Koforidua, are gripped with fear following rumours that Dr. Sri Yogi Ram Beckley is living in the vicinity.

The rumours, which have been rife for the past two weeks and gaining currency daily, are to the effect that, Dr. Beckley who had faced court twice for occultic practices involving murder, human bones and blood was spotted carrying a miniature coffin at midnight by a group of women returning from a funeral at Abogri, a community near Adweso.


A woman who claims to be among the group that saw him, warned people not to dismiss it as a rumour, insisting that she actually saw Dr. Beckley with the coffin.

4. CHINESE ENVOY CALLS ON AKOMEA – PG. 10

Mr. Zhang Keyuan, Ambassador Extra-ordinary and Plenipotentiary of China has paid a courtesy call on Nana Akomea, Minister of Information at his office in Accra.


According to Mr. Zhang Keyuan, his country has been able to manage information through the government’s decentralization programme.


“Chinese people, some years ago had access to only one media house, but through decentralization, China can now boast of several media houses, and majority of the people have access to information,” he added.


Nana Akomea, on his part, disclosed that, government was planning to acquire a few more cinema vans for the Information Services Department (ISD) to enable it to continue with information dissemination at the rural areas.

THE EVENING NEWS – THURSDAY, 13TH NOVEMBER, 2003

ASAMOAH BOATENG CHALLENGES DCEs TO OPEN UP – PG. 5


Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Deputy Minister for Information, has observed that most of the DCEs lack moral courage and confidence to enable them to meet the media on issues of development or otherwise.


Noting that they were in a learning stage, he stressed the need for frequent seminars to educate them on how to meet the press as development thrives on free flow of information.


He was reacting to comments made by the Brong-Ahafo regional vice chairman of the GJA, Mr. Charles Coomson, that the DCEs in the region were press phobia, and worse of all, they show arrogance when they are contacted to explain certain issues.


The Minister pointed out that he was not very much impressed about the performance of some of the DCEs, who did not even know the target of their revenues.


He was speaking at a press soiree to round off a week’s tour of some parts of the region.

THE HERITAGE – THURSDAY, 13TH NOVEMBER, 2003

AMBASSADOR HOTEL FIASCO SSNIT ORDERED TO REFUND $3.25M – PGS. 1 & 3

According to the paper, a nine-member investigation committee set up under the chairmanship of a representative of the National Security Co-ordinator has directed that the management team of the SSNIT should refund $3.25 million.


The amount in the excess unlawfully paid to SAMED (the Palestine Liberation Organization business wing) and Grace Investments Limited in respect of the divestiture of the Ambassador Hotel.


The committee recommended that the management of SSNIT should be held responsible for the loss of value in the investment of the Ambassador Hotel through negligence.


According to the committee, the current state of the hotel must, however, ultimately be blamed on the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC).

THE GHANAIAN VOICE – THURSDAY, 13TH NOVEMBER, 2003

NPP IS DEAD IN HO CENTRAL … PARTY WARNED NOT TO ADVANCE ANY FINANCES FOR 2004 ELECTIONS – PGS. 1 & 3


A leading member of the NPP in the Volta Region, Seth Ohene-Frimpong, has cautioned the leadership of the party not to be swollen headed with the current economic achievement in the country and concentrate on delivering the 2000 electioneering promise to the citizenry.


This according to him, is because they have every power today to determine the direction of which the party should go in the country in terms of people accepting it, especially in the Volta Region.


Mr. Ohene-Frimpong, explained that in politics, every single vote counts and if well meaning and genuine people would be discouraged from identifying “with the party for sycophancy, hypocrisy and greed, then God save the NPP”.


His warning was as a result of some dubious activities of some executive members of the party in the Ho central.


Mr. Ohene-Frimpong was speaking in an interview with the paper at Ho in the Volta Region.

THE INDEPENDENT – THURSDAY, 13TH NOVEMBER, 2003

NPP MP SLAMS GOVERNMENT OVER DISBURSEMENT OF HIPC FUNDS – PG. 1 & BK. PG.

According to the paper, Hon. G.Y. Amoah, MP for Bosome-Freho constituency, has chastised his own government for what he termed “arbitrariness in the way certain things are done”.


He did not mince words in declaring openly to the amazement of colleague MPs including Ministers of State, that the government’s disbursement of the HIPC funds amounted to arbitrariness.

He was contributing to the motion to improve the Economic Policy of the Government for the 2003 financial year as subsequently revised for the rest of the year.


The MP’s open and frank assessment momentarily jolted the majority side whose gestures and expressions showed that they were indeed shocked at the statement of their colleague as they wondered what was going to follow.

THE GHANAIAN CHRONICLE – THURSDAY, 13TH NOVEMBER, 2003

NAVY PERSONNEL ON RAMPAGE … INJURING SEVERAL CIVILIANS IN THE PROCESS – PGS. 1 & 3


The paper reports that, twenty-five naval ratings from the Sekondi Naval base, last Monday night went on the rampage in front of the Sekondi police station and inflicted several knife wounds on the civilian population without any tangible reason.


The incident, which occurred around 11 pm that fateful night, saw the civilian population, who were around the area, running helter-skelter to save their dear lives from being terminated by the soldiers who were reportedly wielding pistols, knives and sticks.


According to the paper, both the deputy Western Regional Minister, Madam Horner-Sam, and the Commander of the Sekondi Police confirmed the incident, when they were contacted on phone yesterday.


Investigations conducted by the paper revealed that the soldiers claimed a civilian has assaulted one of them, so they organised themselves and stormed the area, popularly known as Komfo Ase and directly opposite the Sekondi police station, to assault any civilian they would find in sight.