The paper reports that, Mr. Fred Ohene-Kena, former Minister of Mines and Energy in the NDC regime, has described the government’s decision for the merger between Anglogold and Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC) as a wise one in the national interest.
According to him, that bold decision would provide the AGC with the money it needed for the kind of investments it required to make the Obuasi mine more profitable.
In an interview in Accra yesterday, he noted that the sentimental attachment to the whole issue was unfounded because before the decision to merge, the country really did not have any substantive shares in the AGC.
He, however, pointed out that the government was slow in taking the decision.
He said since 1998, the AGC had been looking out for the opportunity to expand but lack of financial facilities hampered that initiative.
2. PRESIDENT ORDERS PROBE AGAINST ALLEGED CORRUPT PUBLIC OFFICIALS – PG. 3
President Kufuor has ordered investigations into allegations of corruption leveled against some public officials in the media. According to the paper, in this era of due process, the government acknowledged the need to give opportunity to those accused to defend themselves before being dealt with, if found liable.
Mr. Kwabena Agyapong, Press Secretary to the President who announced this was addressing the fifth edition of “Legon Speaks”, a forum for topical discussions organized by the Akuafo Hall of the University of Ghana, Legon.
He said the committing of more resources into state investigating agencies such as the CID, the BNI and SFO demonstrated the government’s determination to fight corruption.
He said corruption was global a phenomenon and that it was important that Ghanaians should buy the vision of fighting corruption by exposing people who benefited unduly from the performance of their official duties.
3. MFANTSIMAN GETS DCE – PG. 13
Mr. Robert Quainoo-Arthur, a 42 – year old manager of Quality Insurance Company, has been confirmed as the District Chief Executive for Mfantsiman.
He polled 62 of the 65 votes to be confirmed by the assembly.
4. GOV’T INSTITUTIONS TO PATRONISE LOCAL INDUSTRIES – PG. 16
According to the paper, all ministries, departments and agencies are required to source their supplies first from local industries even if the prices of these locally manufactured products are higher than their imported competitors by up to 12.5 percent.
This is part of government’s efforts at strengthening local industries to increase production, employment and growth and to compete effectively in the domestic and external markets.
Mr. Allan Kyerematen, Minster of Trade, Industries and President’s Special Initiative disclosed this when he appeared before Parliament yesterday.
5. DR. ADDO-KUFUOR CALLS FOR SUPPORT FROM HEALTH INSTITUTIONS – PG. 17
Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Minister of Defence, has urged the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to work closely with the government to arrive at solutions to minimize the exodus of health personnel from the country.
According to him, government, was appreciative of the efforts being made by the two institutions to solve the problem but indicated that working closely with the government in that direction would ensure a speedy resolution of the problem.
He made the call at the inauguration of an office complex of the GMA in Accra yesterday.
President Kufuor has renewed his call for a national debate on living wages and salaries in the country.
He said the debate should be initiated by the private sector which also employs a substantial number of Ghanaians.
He renewed the call yesterday when members of the Private Enterprises Foundation (PEF) paid a courtesy call on him at the Castle, Osu.
The meeting was on how to build on effective collaboration between the private sector and government.
The president said it was unfortunate that nobody had initiated the debate since he called for it almost two years ago.
He assured the private sector of the government’s preparedness to ensure that wealth is generated adding that it was important that private and the public sectors built a partnership that would enhance the economic growth of Ghana.
2. GOV’T SPENDING ?9.3B FOR PUBLIC PROCUREMENTS – PG, 1
The paper reports that, government is spending a total of?9,362. 7bn. on public procurement this year.
This represents 43.8 per cent of total budget presented to parliament in January this year.
Professor Kwaku Appiah-Adu, Head of policy co-ordination, monitoring and Evaluation at the office of the President, disclosed this at the opening of a three-day workshop in Accra on “building performance Indicators in Public Procurement”
3. GOV’T PLANS TO RESITE ACCRA ZOO – PG. 3
According to the paper, government is to relocate the Accra Zoo to Shai Hills and part of its overall programme to develop and promote tourism as a major foreign exchange earner.
The move is to ensure that the animals live in their natural habitat and give tourists in the country a first-hand view of what the country has to offer.
Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City, disclosed this to newsmen on arrival in Accra after participating in the 15th session of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) conference in Beijin, China.
According to the paper, an anonymous man phoned the offices of the paper and said that, one Wiafe Ababio is the man who led the serial killings of 1999, 2000 and 2001 which rocked the nation and probably cost the then NDC government the Presidential and Parliamentary election.
“Take me seriously sir” the anonymous caller said “Wiafe Ababio led the serial killings on the instructions of powerful people in this country … “
According to the paper, that was all that the anonymous caller said before hanging up.
He did not give any details about who the Wiafe Ababio is or where he can be found.
The paper says its investigative team has also been unable to trace the Wiafe Ababio.
The paper reports that, a German based Ghanaian Human Rights Activist, Mr. Anthony Rau, has expressed concerns over an alleged political plot by the NPP to assassinate him.
A letter written by Mr. Rau and intercepted by the paper indicates that Mr. Rau is particularly worried of the risk of his family at the hands of the current political leaders in the country. He has received constant threat since he exposed that the Ghana Embassy in Bonn was operating in a kiosk.
According to the paper, Mr. Rau intends to organize a press conference at the Ghana International Press Centre in Accra on Monday, November 3rd, 2003 to hear of the supposed corrupt practices of the staff of Ghana Embassy in Germany as well as the government.
A traditional healer, Abdullahi Jumba Khalidu in a letter has expressed worry about the state of cocoa production in the country.
According to him, the country which for a long time has been a leading producer of the commodity has had to lose this position because of the activities of saboteurs, bushfires created by hunters and other reasons.
He suggests that there should be an intensification of efforts through such measures as night patrols with the requisite equipment by the security agencies to stem the activities of smugglers who are encouraged by the higher prices paid in neighbouring countries like La Cote d’Ivoire and others to send the commodity to those places to the detriment of the economy.
Chemical treatment of trees to protect them like the government recently did should be sustained, he added.
2. A CROWN FOR DR. MAHAMA … BUT EYADEMA’S INCLUSION REPULSES HIM – PGS. 1 & 3
According to the paper, Dr. Edward Mahama, PNC Leader, has been penciled for recognition in his chosen field of human endeavor, a feat which should add to his political credentials.
Dr. Mahama, the paper said has not exhibited the usual excitement such honours evoke as it deduced from a telephone interview on the subject.
He is particularly not pleased about the fact that the honour list includes President Eyadema, a man whose human rights records is abominable and does therefore, should not merit the title “man of integrity”.
The award is being organized in conjunction with West Africa Nobles Forum and is presented each year to prominent Africans whose selfless efforts in their chosen fields of endeavour have earned them a reputation beyond the shores of their respective countries.
The paper reports that, workers of Penang Shipyard Company (PSC) are flexing their muscles in a possible showdown with the Malaysians for certain rude and debasing utterances made against the Ghanaian workers.
In a petition to the Minister of Ports, Harbours and Railways, Prof. Ameyaw Ekumfi, the workers demanded that the Malaysians be declared persona non grata at the shipyard as their continued presence has the tendency to scare away customers. According to the petition, the Malaysian Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Rahim Jaafar once said at a management meeting that “if you think we cannot manage the place then tell your government to come and take over. I have the mandate to close down this yard”.
The petition called on the “the government to appoint a Ghanaian CEO as soon as possible to replace the Malaysian CE to take over the running of the affairs of the company”.
2. FIRE OFFICERS THREATEN STRIKE ACTION – PG. 1 & BK. PG.
“Independent” has learnt that, the Junior Officers of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), have threatened to take up to the streets and follow it up with a sit down strike by the end of this month if their demand for the payment of certain allowances due them is not looked into.
According to them, there are certain allowances like risk, accommodation, hospital, batman and leave allowances which have been denied them.
They however contended that senior officers enjoy all the allowances that they are complaining about.
3. “AL – QAEDA” GROUP RISES IN KUMASI … BUT POLICE VOW TO CRUSH THEM – PG. 1 & BK. PG.
The paper has discovered a gang of youth calling itself “Al-Qaeda/Teleban network” in some parts of the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs.
It says although the modus operandi of the Kumasi Al-Qaeda might not be of the same sophistication and magnitude of the all powerful original Al-Qaeda of the infamous Osaman Bin Ladin, notable for its plane crashing into multi-storied buildings and the bombing of buildings, housing diplomatic missions, the common denominator that defines the two organizations is terrorism.
The modus operandi of the Kumasi Al-Qaeda/Taleban involves the forceful seizure of mobile phones, monies and other valuable items from their owners and threats to the lives of those who dare challenge them.
ASP, Mr. E. B. Kwarteng, the officer in-charge of the Kumasi Police Depot, has confirmed the emergence of the group but says it is prepared to embark on an operation codenamed “Operation Fire Attack” to crush the Kumasi terrorists.
Speaker of Parliament, Peter Ala Adjetey, has cautioned Ghanaians to be mindful of how the word “corruption” is being over stretched by some citizens of the nation to cover even legally authorized transactions.
Reacting to a recent statement by NDC flagbearer, Prof. Mills, accusing the Finance Minister of illegally authorizing the expenditure of $15,000 on the only leave he had taken in over 2? years of service to the state, the Speaker expressed surprise and disappointment at the manner the matter was handled by Prof. Mills.
In a release by Director of Public Affairs of Parliament, he wondered whether the word “corruption” had been redefined to include fully authorized transactions such as expenditures on an approved leave.
2. BEWARE OF ANGLO’S OPEARTIONS – MINING ENGINEER – PG. 1
A renowned Zambian mining engineer and environmental auditor, Peter Sinkamba, has urged the Ghana government to re-consider its decision in dealing with AngloGold in respect of its offer to merge with AGC.
In an interview with the paper, Sinkamba said Anglo-American PLC, the parent company of AngloGold, mined copper in Zambia for over 70 years “but left behind poor social and environmental track record”.
Mr. Sinkamba, also the CE of Citizens for Better Environment in Zambia said Anglo manipulated its dealings with the Zambia government to ensure that communities suffering from excruciating environmental problems as a result of Anglo’s operations, were harmless, hopeless and helpless for as long as the company operated in Zambia.
He said “anger and frustration over Anglo’s history of manipulation and environmental irresponsibility in Zambia compelled NGOs to take their case against Anglo to the UN and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development”.
Mr. Sinkamba therefore urged the government and Ghanaians to properly scrutinize AngloGold’s legally-bidding “Development Agreements” in terms of environmental protection laws, taxation, royalty payments and repatriation of profit.
According to him, “the very poor social and environmental track record of AngloGold’s parent company in Zambia must wake the government of the people of Ghana up” adding that, “excruciating environmental disaster inflicted on Zambia by operations of Anglo may be duplicated on Ghana too.
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