President Kufuor has given the assurance that the government will not succumb to pressures and temptations that will undermine the financial discipline and prudent management steps taken so far to build the country’s economy for the sake of next year’s elections.
“Prudent management thus far has brought a welcome stability to the cedi but this can be easily undermined if we succumb top the temptations of financial profligacy because of election fever” he said.
President Kufuor made the call at a retreat in Accra at the weekend for ministers from all over the country.
According to him, “there will certainly be strong temptations to go for the easy option, but we must resist this”.
The retreat afforded the opportunity for the ministers to discuss, among other things, the 2004 budget.
2. GHS INVESTIGATES CAUSE OF DISEASE IN HO DISTRICT – PGS. 1 & 3
The paper reports that, Ghana Health Service is working fervently to establish the cause of an outbreak of a contagious diseases in the Ho District of the Volta Region.
The disease, known in medical terms as “cutaneous leishmaniasis” is known locally as “Agbamekanu”.
It is believed to be spread by sandflies, which give the infected people boils on any part of the body like pimples, which later develop into wounds. It is also painful and itchy and after the wounds have healed, the scars deform the infected person, especially those attacked on their foreheads.
According to the paper, statistics obtained at the Ho District Health Administration revealed that 1,321 cases had been diagnosed from some of the affected communities between July and October this year.
A team of specialists from GHS led by Dr. Lawson Ahadzie, Head of surveillance Unit, has visited some affected communities to collect data on the disease.
3. WORK ON $1 MILLION ASSEMBLY PLANT BEGINS – PG. 3
According to the paper, work on the construction of a $1 million heavy duty trucks assembly plant in Accra has begun.
The plant, which is being established by CAITEC Modules Assembling Plant of China, will be operational in June, next year.
Mr. Tang Hong, Executive Chairman of the company, said the company was motivated to invest in Ghana because of the current conductive socio-political and economic conditions prevailing in the country.
4. HEALTH WORKERS TO GET VEHICLES – PGS. 20 & 21
The government has completed tenders for the supply of 415 vehicles for distribution to health professionals in the country.
It is also facilitating the establishment of a housing loan scheme for health professionals.
Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Vice President, announced this when he opened the 45th annual general conference of the Ghana Medical association (GMA) in Kumasi.
According to him, efforts were under way to streamline recruitment and promotions while other schemes were being evolved to minimise transportation and housing problems within the health sector.
2. ENFORCE FREE EDUCATION – DON – PG. 1 & 3
Professor D. K. Agyeman, head of the Sociology Department, University of Cape Coast, has urged the government to have the political will to enforce compulsory basic education in the country.
He said the enforcement would help in checking the wide gap between rural and urban dwellers as far as education was concerned.
He made the call at the sixth Pearson-Osae Appreciation lectures organized by the Prempeh College Old Boys Association (AMANFOO) in Kumasi.
Prof. Agyeman emphasized the need for well planned and sustainable education geared towards science and technology improvement.
According to him, that would pave the way for the country’s development and transformation within the shortest possible time.
3. GROUP TO INVEST IN VARSITIES INFRASTRUCTURE – PGS. 1 & 3
The paper reports that, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports is in touch with a group of Ghanaian investors in Amsterdam, for infrastructural development on the nation’s university campuses.
Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, the sector Minister, disclosed this in an interview with the paper in Accra.
He said, the group had shown some interest in the project and hoped that consensus over the mutual benefits of a deal in respect of the project would be reached in the on-going talks as early as possible for the project to take off in earnest.
4. WIAFE PEPERA DEFECTS TO NPP – PG. 3
Mr. Wiafe Pepera, former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, in the NDC regime, has defected to the NPP.
Mr. Peter Wiafe Pepera, the Managing Director of Paramount Distilleries, announced his defection at a press conference at Abetifi-Kwahu.
According to him, the principal factor for his quitting the NDC was the lack of internal democracy in the party which he said Ghanaians were aware of.
He made it clear that he was not motivated by any desire for a ministerial appointment.
According to him, his decision stemmed from the fact that the party was committed to free enterprise, private sector development and poverty eradication.
The paper reports that, there are strong indications that the National Insurance Commission may clamp down on foreign projects registered with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) doing their insurances offshore.
According to the paper, these firms have for a long time ignored the law, which stipulates that all insurance transactions should be underwritten locally.
Industry sources maintain that the practice of insuring local risks with foreign insurers undermines the growth of the local industry.
The paper reports that, Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has re-opened the debate on the Ashanti-Anglogold merger with the contention that the merger arrangement is not yet over, explaining that government’s approval of the merger has not made the deal final.
According to an AFP report, the Minister was of the view that the country’s legislative body has the power to say “yes or no, or modify the whole package”.
Moreover, “parliament will also be required to decide on tax exemptions as part of the process”, he added.
According to the paper, Hon. Isaac Edumadze, the Central Regional Minister, has warned his political opponents to find worthwhile things to do rather than resorting to plots to bring him down.
He maintained that because of his hard work, the NDC who fear that his continued stay as Central Regional Minister, will not auger well for them in the 2004 general elections, have been planning various strategies to vilify him but these so far have failed.
He noted that in spite of all that his political opponents have been saying about him he doesn’t care. The NDC can go to hell, he roared.
He made the above comments in connection with his alleged usage of a derogatory word to describe the status of Prof. Mills, NDC flagbearer.
According to him what he said was that the NDC and Prof. Mills are like the chamber pot which even before it gets out of the assembly line in a factory, has already become discredited.
2. NDC DOES NOT NEED RAWLINGS SAYS NDC GURU – PG. 1 & BK. PG.
Mr. Vincent Asisseh, former Press Secretary of the NDC, has stated that Prof. Mills can manage the campaigns for the forthcoming elections, and so bringing on board the former President Rawlings, is superfluous.
He also confirmed the paper’s report in which he was quoted as stressing that the NDC should focus its meagre resources on 2008 electoral campaign instead of 2004.
According to him, he made this suggestion so that NDC can stand on its feet again.
He called on the NDC to woo back those who had left the party to beef up its qualitative position.
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