Read Ghanatelescope (ghanatelescope.com)

Read Ghana Telescope at ghanatelescope.com for news in Ghana

Army Strikes To Reclaim Lands Sold

The Military High Command says it is reclaiming all military lands purportedly sold out to private developers to be used for the good of the military establishment.

It has, therefore, directed individuals, groups and firms who claim to have bought those lands to look for those they paid money to and demand their money back.

Among those military properties are the old Legion Village, near the Opeibea House, the official residence of the Chief of the Defence Staff at North Ridge, lands near the Ghana Water Company Limited treatment plant at Okponglo and large tracts of land on the Independence Avenue in Accra.

Other prime military lands are in Navrongo in the Upper East Region, Wa in the Upper East Region and Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

In line with that military action, work has begun on the Legion Village land near the Opeibea House on the Airport-37 Military Hospital road to convert that property into a 15-storey complex for the Veterans Association of Ghana (VAG), as well as a 250-room hotel to generate revenue for the military.

The $40 million project, according to a military source, was a joint initiative between the Ministry of Defence and the VAG to generate income for the ministry and the veterans.

It warned that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) would not sit down for individuals to take advantage of their lands for selfish gains and commercial purposes.

It invited the goodwill and co-operation of people in business to approach the military leadership to discuss proposals for joint venture development of the other prime lands, describing them as suitable for projects such as blocks of flats, hostels, shopping malls, filling stations, office blocks and other multi-purpose buildings.

Cutting the sod for work to commence, the Minister of Defence, Lt Gen J. H. Smith, said the site used to be the habitation of patriotic, gallant and physically challenged war veterans who fought in the Second World War.

He said, “The government has endeavoured to maintain an armed force that is capable of maintaining peace and stability in our dear country,” he said, adding that serious efforts were being made by the government to provide the resources needed to further improve the existing infrastructure of the GAF.

He said apart from its core responsibility to maintain an efficient, regular GAF, the government had not neglected its duty of taking good care of the retired personnel.

He said in spite of its limited resources, Ghana stood as one distinct country in Africa which had continued to take care of the needs of its war veterans.

The minister said a draft of the VAG Bill which had received Cabinet approval was currently at the Attorney-General’s Department and would be put before Parliament for approval soon.

Lt Gen Smith said lands were acquired by the then colonial government in order to put up Legion villages to house maimed and other physically challenged war veterans but after years of neglect and natural fading out of the occupants, some of those villages crumbled.

He said it was the hope of the ministry that in the very near future the VAG would be in a position to stand on its own, independent of governmental and public support.

He, therefore, appealed to corporate institutions, non-governmental and governmental organisations and the general public to contribute towards improving the living conditions of the veterans.

He said what those partners would be doing would be to enhance the facilities of the new Legion Village site at Amasaman to a high standard befitting the status of the war heroes.

Lt Gen Smith said negotiations were also far advanced for the development of the VAG lands at the Independence Avenue, the present location of the Retired Officers Club House.

He said the military was considering other options where the services of retired military personnel would be engaged in ventures in which the expertise of the VAG would be required, including a Defence Industrial Complex, the leasing of the GAF warehouse at the Tema Port to interested partners, among others.

We Can Build United States Of Africa – Gaddafi

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Tuesday his dream of a United States of Africa was still alive and this week's African Union summit was another step toward that objective.

Gaddafi has been pushing for an African unity government for years, saying it is the only way Africa can develop without Western interference, but many African states say the idea is impractical and would encroach on their sovereignty.

Like previous African summits, this week's gathering in the Ugandan capital Kampala discussed steps toward creating an African government, but the issue was overshadowed by chaos in Somalia and an international arrest warrant for Sudan's president.

"I am satisfied that Africa is going along its historic and right road," Gaddafi told a small group of reporters in Kampala at the end of the summit. "One day it will become similar to the United States of America."

"We are approaching the formation of the African Authority, and each time we solve African problems and also move in the direction of peace and unity. We deal with problems step by step. We are continuing to do that," Gaddafi said.

Gaddafi held the African Union's rotating chairmanship last year, and he used it to push for the organization's small executive body to be granted enhanced powers and remodeled as the African Authority.

Asked about that proposal on Tuesday, Gaddafi said: "Studies are still continuing and it is not finished yet.

Experts and the people responsible are still studying the documents. They might be completed at the next summit or after."

Some African leaders say they cannot be expected to cede sovereignty to any African bloc just decades after they wrested it away from their colonial rulers.

But Gaddafi's idea has had a sympathetic response in some states, helped by his reputation in parts of the continent as a champion of the developed world and also by the millions of dollars in aid his oil-exporting country spends in Africa.

Source: Daily Guide/Ghana

Ghana Needs Prayers: Prez Mills

President John Evans Atta Mills on Friday July 30 made a spiritual commitment of the nation, seeking prayers for Ghana to realise its goals to improve and better the lives of the people.

He said despite the objections raised in some quarters on the idea of prayers for the nation, the nation still needs prayers and do God’s bidding to get his abundant blessings.

“This is a country which needs prayers so that we do what is right and pleasing in the sight of God”, President Mills said, when he received a delegation of the clerics from the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), at the Osu Castle in Accra.

Members of the 500-member Catholic bishops’ conference, made up of archbishops, bishops and cardinals are in Accra, attending a five-day meeting at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.

President Mills praised the Catholic Church for its social development programmes which have helped improve the lives of the people. He said the church and state had similar visions to help improve the lot of the people and raise their standard of living and to combat poverty.

President Mills however added, prayer would ginger the nation and serve as impetus for the physical and material efforts of the nation, and entreated the citizenry to do God’s bidding so that Ghana would continue to get God’s abundant blessings. The President of the Conference, Polycarp Cardinal Pengo, commended the cordial relations between the Government of Ghana and the Catholic Church in the church’'s social development programmes.

He extended the best wishes of the Conference, and assured the President of continued prayers for the nation. The clerical also congratulated the Black Stars on their spectacular performance at the just ended FIFA World Cup Tournament in South Africa.
Source: GNA

Alan Kyerematen assures farmers of improvement in operations

July 30, 2010

Nkoranza (B/A), July 30, GNA - Mr Alan John Kyerematen, a Flagbearer aspirant of New Patriotic Party, (NPP) has promised farmers of massive improvement in the agricultural sector when elected and eventually becomes the next President of Ghana.

"I would make agriculture very attractive by providing you with the needed logistics such as fertilizers and modern farm implements to make your work easy and attractive," he added.
A statement issued by the Alan Kyerematen campaign Team and copied to Ghana News Agency said the contestant was addressing farmers at Nkoranza, Yeji, Atebubu and Amanten areas, in the Brong Ahafo Region.

"Most of you borrow from the banks with high interest rates so at the end of the farming season, you end up paying the interest with all the profits you make from your farm produce," he stressed.
Mr Kyerematen said he was the brain behind the establishment of Constituency Business Ventures (CBVs) within the party to provide a sustainable source of income to finance activities of the party at the constituency level.

He noted that establishing Credit Unions for the welfare of farmers who contributed 80 per cent of GDP to the economy was very important "to him because he has the well being of farmers at heart".
Mr Kyerematen said during his tenure of office as Minister of Trade, Industries and Presidential Special Initiative, (PSI) about 50,000 jobs were created with farmers being in the majority.

"Mr Kyerematen's PSI's saw the establishment of starch factories in Ghana. The factory has a high-grade quality to supply materials to Nestle Corporation's worldwide operations," the statement added.

GNA

NPP delegates cautioned against voting for monetary gains

July 30, 2010

Nkawkaw, July 30, GNA
- Reverend. John Kwame Kodua, one of the five presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has advised the party's delegates not to vote for monetary gains in the forth-coming delegates' conference.
He said they should rather vote with their conscience and choose a candidate who would unite all the supporters of the party.
He said the party needed a "spiritual developed leader" to lead them to defeat the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
Rev. Kodua gave the advice when he addressed delegates of the party at separate functions at Abetifi, Mpraeso and Nkawkaw, as part of his campaign tour to the Eastern Region.
He advised supporters of the party to bury their differences and unite, to ensure total victory in the forth-coming general elections, adding that, the party would be doomed forever if they failed to win the 2012 general elections.
The presidential aspirant said in the year 2000, all the candidates, including himself, who contested the party's presidential primaries were given cabinet ministerial positions,
He said he was the only one who did not get any appointment, but he did not leave the party and promised to support any candidate elected to lead them.
The campaign chairman of the candidate, Mr Kwame Adu, said the role of the polling station executives in the party was very significant, during and after election, but they are neglected by the leaders of the party after winning the election.
He gave the assurance that Rev. Kodua would reward them when given the nod to lead the party.
Mr Adu advised supporters of the various presidential aspirants to unite and give the needed support to any candidate who would be elected to lead the party at the August 7 delegates' conference of the party.
GNA

Ghana to consider sending troops to Somalia

Kampala, July 28, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills on Tuesday said Ghana would consider contributing troops to the Africa Union Mission in Somalia following a request made by the 15th Summit of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Kampala, Uganda.
He, however, said the final decision would be taken in consultation with the Ghana Armed Forces, based on the availability of human resources, equipment and the welfare of the soldiers.
President Mills said this during an interaction with Ghanaians resident in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, where he attended the three-day Summit, which discussed largely the way forward for African countries and how to counter terrorist attacks that were surfacing in parts of the Continent.
He said the Government was serious with its commitment to peace both at home and on the Continent, adding that peace should be the number one priority of all African nations.
"Peace is our number one priority, and when we are in the position, we should help our brothers and sisters, who have been confronted with this scourge," President Mills said, adding that the Government would maintain the peace the nation enjoyed and would help her sister African nations to ensure that peace prevailed on the Continent.
He underscored peace as pre-requisite for development and condemned terrorists and advised people, who did not want peace, to disabuse their minds of using violence as the only way to resolving problems.
The Summit was planned to discuss the role of Governments in ensuring maternal, infant and child health in the development of the African Continent, but the discussion on peace and security took centre-stage alongside the main summit theme in the wake of two separate bomb attacks that rocked Kampala city two weeks prior to the Summit.
The two suicide bombing incidents, linked to Somali al-Shabaab insurgents, were seen as retaliatory moves to disrupt the holding of the Summit in Uganda for contributing troops to the Africa Mission in Somalia.
The Summit was nearly moved away from Uganda for security reasons, but for the strong posture put up by host President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who ensured the beefing up of security during the period of the Summit.
President Mills registered profound commendation for the Government of Uganda for its courage to hold the Summit despite the terrorist threats.
He expressed condolences to the bereaved families and condemned the dastardly acts that claimed the lives of 76 people.
Part of the recommendations of the Summit was to reinforce the AU Mission in Somalia to which Ghana was approached to make contributions.
Source: GNA

Ghana to Receive $30 Million From World Bank for State Oil, Gas Training

By Moses Dzawu - Jul 30, 2010

Ghana, which is set to begin production of oil for export by the end of the year, will receive $30 million from the World Bank to train state institutions overseeing the fledgling industry, the lender said.

The money will be given to the government in about two months, said Kofi Tsikata, spokesman for the bank’s Ghana office.

The Washington-based lender is also in talks with the administration to lend money to state oil company Ghana National Petroleum Corp. to develop a natural gas project at the offshore Jubilee oil field, Tsikata said in a phone interview from the capital, Accra, today. He declined to provide details.
......Read More.......

ICU Calls For Review Of Tariffs

The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) has urged the government and the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to hold a meeting with all stakeholders to discuss a downward review of utility tariffs.

It served notice that if by the end of this month no moves had been made in that direction, “we shall advise ourselves”, adding that its remonstration might include massive demonstrations all over the country.

At an emergency meeting in Accra, at which the union stated its position on the new tariffs recently announced by the PURC, the acting Deputy General Secretary of the ICU, Mr Solomon Kortei, said although the PURC announced an increase of 89 per cent for electricity and 36 per cent for water, the real increases ranged from 198 to 235 per cent in the manufacturing sector.

He said the cumulative effect of those increases was that the manufacturing sectors of the economy, namely, textiles and garments, steel and metal, food and beverages, just to mention a few, would undoubtedly encounter operational difficulties.

“And when that happens, the poor Ghanaian worker will suffer most. Some workers will most likely lose their jobs, as against the quest for the creation of more jobs promised by the current government,” he added.

Mr Kortei said already, the management of many manufacturing industries was considering how to handle the situation, with some contemplating passing on the increases to consumers of their products.

That, he said, would definitely lead to increased inflation and thereby make life unbearable for Ghanaians.

Others too, he added, had realised that passing on the increases to consumers would make the cost of the products so high that the consumer would not be able to afford them, a situation which would further worsen the competitive disadvantage of local manufacturing companies who were already grappling with very cheap products from China.

Mr Kortei said investigations by the ICU had revealed that in the steel industry alone, about 2,500 workers would be affected, while another 3,000 would be indirectly struck because they would be out of employment.

“The 3,000 are mainly suppliers of steel scrap to the steel companies, notably Ferro Fabric Ltd, Tema Steel Works, Sethi Brothers, among others. This means that in the steel and metal industries alone, over 5,500 workers are going to lose their jobs, not to mention their dependants,” he added.

According to him, the recently revived Volta Star Textiles Ltd shut down three weeks ago because the company could not settle an outstanding electricity bill of GH¢490,000, adding that the financial situation of the company would worsen if the current increases in tariffs remained unchanged.

Aluworks, a giant local aluminium company, he added, was on the verge of collapse as a result of the new tariffs.

He said the high tariffs would also have a serious impact on domestic consumers, adding that already users of prepaid meters were feeling the harsh effects of the increase.

Mr Kortei noted that the reason given by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Water Company (GWCL), to improve efficiency was not tenable and that they rather had to address the inefficiencies in their operations such as waste, illegal connections and huge outstanding bills.

“We have followed with keen interest the PURC’s arguments on the basis for the recent increases. The ICU is not against the increase in tariffs per se but rather we are much concerned about the levels of the increases, which are not commensurate with salary levels in the country,” he said.

“For the better Ghana agenda to be a reality and for Ghanaians to feel it in their lives, we are calling on the PURC and the government to engage all stakeholders in fruitful discussions to bring down the increases to levels that will be affordable to industries and ordinary Ghanaians,” he added.

The acting National Chairman of the ICU, Mr William Adu-Asare, said demonstrations did not mean unruly behaviour and advised members to operate within the law if the union decided to go on demonstrations.

He said the real problems the utility companies faced, which had led to increases in tariffs, was wastage, contending that if that problem was addressed, the companies would see no need to increase tariffs.

Can Ghana avoid the 'oil curse'? A few fresh concerns

These are early days for Ghana and its off-shore oil, but recent wrangling over the ownership of exploitation rights raises fresh concern over whether the country can avoid the 'oil curse.'

Hats off to the Financial Times for its superb coverage of Ghana’s handling of its off-shore oil resources, and the growing concern that neither the development of this oil, nor the profits produced by it, will be well managed and well used.

These are early days for Ghana and its off-shore oil, but last week’s news about wrangling over the ownership of exploitation rights raises fresh worries that Ghana, held up by the Obama administration as a model for good governance in Africa, is actually not.

Last fall I visited Takoradi, the nearest major city to Ghana’s offshore oil, and I was impressed by the cadres of African oil engineers – notably a group of Nigerians employed by Schlumberger – descending on the city as part of the advance efforts to ready the reserves for retrieval.

Takoradi is a gorgeous coastal town, a model for what’s going right in Africa’s medium-size cities. But even last year prices for basic goods and services were rising in Takoradi in anticipation of the oil flowing.

The creation of a super-rich oil “enclave” in Ghana, while perhaps inevitable, raises questions about whether the government really understands that managing its new oil wealth is not simply about spending the revenues wisely (as opposed to simply permitting government officials and their cronies to steal the cash) but there’s also the serious issue of preventing “Dutch disease,” whereby rising oil revenues leads to a weakening of Ghana’s service economy and rising prices generally.
MODEL NATION? President Obama shook hands with Ghanaian Members of Parliament after making speech to the Parliament at the International Conference Center in Accra, Ghana on July 11, 2009. Obama chose to visit the country because of its reputation as a model for good governance, but can Ghana avoid the 'oil curse'?

Because of strong revenues from the export of cocoa and gold, Ghana stands a better than good chance of avoiding Dutch disease – since, admittedly, the country already suffers from it to an extent because of these older lucrative commodities. But as the FT highlights, the cruder problem – theft of oil revenues – remains a threat.

Much of the present sense of urgency surrounding how to exploit Ghana’s now-proven oil reserves turns on whether the former government of John Kufuour engineered a sweetheart deal that gave political insiders a stake – perhaps worth hundreds of millions of dollars, or even more than a billion – in the foreign production company that will harvest the oil in Ghana’s waters.

G. Pascal Zachary blogs at Africa Works.
......READ MORE ......

Ghana to Sell $34.4 Million of 3-Year Bonds in Fourth Such Sale This Year

By Moses Dzawu -

Business Exchange Twitter

Ghana will sell 50 million cedis ($35.2 million) of three-year fixed-rate bonds on July 30, the Bank of Ghana said.

The deadline for bids is 3.30 p.m. local time on July 29, the Accra-based bank said in a notice published in the Daily Graphic today.

The West African nation’s central bank said on June 8 it was “not likely” another three-year bond would be sold this year after the European debt crisis meant buyers demanded highest interest rates.

This is fourth sale of the bonds this year. In January, Ghana auctioned its first three-year, fixed-rate bonds in more than a year following a decline in consumer-price inflation and a steadying of the domestic currency, the cedi. Demand was almost double the 200 million cedis offered, the bank said.

A second, 300-million cedi bond sold in March was also oversubscribed, while 87 percent of the 250 million cedis of three-year securities offered at a June 3 sale were sold.

Ghana had held off on selling any bonds apart from its weekly auctions of Treasury bills as the economy struggled with consumer-price inflation which reached a five-year high of 20.7 percent in June 2009.

The central bank began selling the longer-dated bonds as inflation slowed, declining first time below 10 percent since December 2007 to 9.5 percent in June, the Ghana Statistical Service said on June 14.

.....Read More....

Govt Will Be Ruthless With Illegal Miners

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has reminded all stakeholders that it is illegal for anybody, including sponsors, chiefs, landowners and farmers, to grant permission for mining in any part of the country.
It said the Constitution of the land had vested that authority in the Minister responsible for Land and Natural Resources and quoted the Minerals and Mining Act 2006 (Act 703) to warn potential offenders of severe sanctions.
Addressing the press in Accra, after last week’s mine disaster in Dunkwa-on-Offin in the Central Region, the Minister, Alhaji Collins Dauda, said henceforth, the detection of illegal mining activity anywhere would put the landowner in line for prosecution.
He said the ministry was also providing funds to facilitate the movement of a task force made up of the military and the police around the length and breadth of the country to clamp down on illegal mining activities.
He said the task force would start work from next week and flush out illegal miners from Subinso, near Tepa in the Ahafo Ano North District of the Ashanti Region and the Krokosoa Forest Reserve in the Juaboso District of the Western Region.
Alhaji Dauda said the government would ensure that district small-scale mining committees were set up to assist the Minerals Commission’s district officers to monitor the activities of small-scale miners, as provided in Act 703.
Earlier efforts to regulate the activities of small-scale miners had included the 1989 promulgation of the Small-Scale Gold Mining Law with the main objective of providing technical support for small-scale miners to direct all the materials produced into official channels and help generate employment, among other objectives.
That, according to the minister, had been informed by the fact that minerals mined by small-scale miners generated significant foreign exchange for the country.
In 2009 alone, the quantum of small-scale mining was estimated at 560,715 ounces of gold and 354, 443 carats of diamond, representing 18 per cent of the total gold production and 100 per cent of total diamond production.
As a result of that high level of production, the minister said the government would support the small-scale mining industry, adding that for gold and diamond alone, 177 licences had been granted since 2009 and 124 this year alone.
In addition, he said the government had, over the years, implemented a range of measures to encourage small-scale miners to operate in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner.
Alhaji Dauda said in spite of all those facilities from the government, in recent times illegal mining activities had been on the increase, facilitated by community leaders, chiefs, landowners, farmers and some opinion leaders who arrogated to themselves the power to give mining rights.
He said the rising incidence of illegal mining, in addition to the destruction of land, pollution and siltation of water bodies, had become a major concern to all and resulted in the loss of lives.

Economy Protected Against Shocks

Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, says the government is building adequate buffer to protect the economy against any shocks that might potentially destabilise the progress made at the macroeconomic level.

He said one of the key policies was the move to hedge the purchase of crude oil to ensure that the prices of the products remained stable for a long period in the country.

Responding to the year-on-year inflation for June 2010 which stood at 9.52 per cent, the lowest in the last three years, Dr Duffuor said when the prices of petroleum products rose frequently, there was a tendency for it to negatively impact on inflation, hence the general performance on the economy.

On the issue of not spending, the minister said the government had spent more than it did last year.

Some financial analysts and economists had argued that because of the lack of spending on the part of the government there was always the possibility of holding inflation at bay.

According to them once the government began to spend in various sectors of the economy, the inflation figures would change.

Dr Duffour however, did not mention the amount of money injected into the economy but noted that what was being expended in the various sectors of the economy was significant enough to affect the inflation figures if the necessary measures had not been taken to forestall any such phenomenon.

He said the economy had been well planned and structured to ensure that the macroeconomic conditions were not distorted and described the latest single digit inflation rate announced, as a very refreshing news”.
“The stabilisation programme is on course and all targets set are within reach in just about 18 months of the Mills administration”, he said.

To him, the success of the counter inflation had been exceptional policies that had surpassed expectation.

“This is a major achievement that brings widespread economic benefits because inflation distorts resource allocation in the economy, hurts the poorest members of the society, creates uncertainty and arbitrarily redistributes income and wealth”, Dr Duffuor added.

He said high inflation also undermined macroeconomic stability and made sustained rapid growth impossible to achieve.

“As a result of this, getting to an inflation rate of 9.52 per cent is an impressive turn around in such a short time”, Dr Duffuor added.

The minister said the chronic fiscal imbalances of 2008 resulted in persistent inflation over the last two years bringing the fiscal situation under control had been essential to the success of the counter inflationary policy and the macroeconomic stability that the country was presently enjoying.

“The government is therefore committed to implementing policies that would ensure a lowering of domestic interest rate and a reduction in exchange rate volatility so as to enhance business confidence”, he added.

Dr Duffuor said the government’s objectives of gradually moving to an overall fiscal balance would also help to strengthen the macroeconomic policy framework and free resources for essential infrastructure and other programmes.

“It is, therefore, important that we focus on the target we have set for ourselves in the 2010 ‘Growth and Stability Budget”, he added.

Another area of concern that many analysts had argued on, relate to the impact of increases in the utility tariffs and the pay cheques of public sector workers on the sustainability of the inflation figures.

But in announcing the year-on-year inflation figures for the month of June at a news conference, Dr Grace Bediako,
Government Statistician disabused the minds of the skeptics saying “the weight of utility tariffs in the entire computation of the inflation rate is virtually insignificant because it carries a weight of less than two percentage points”.

“This, will, therefore, not have any impact on inflation figures and it is not likely to affect future rates”, she added.

She also indicated that the single spine salary structure which was expected to see a rise in the pay cheques of some public workers would not bring about increased inflation, at least not in the short term.

She argued that those to benefit were not many and their purchasing power could not change the trend.

The country's economy achieved its lowest inflation figure in three years having recorded a figure of 9.52 per cent for the month of June, 2010.

The period inflation dropped closer to that figure was in December 2007 when the figure which was the lowest then was 12.75 per cent.

The latest release represents a drop of 1.16 percentage points from the previous months figure of 10.68 per cent and also follows a consistent pattern where the figure has been dropping over the last 12 months.....Read More...>>

New Security Service for Manet Court

By Tommy de Laurence

The Manet Court Resident Association has contracted with a new Security Service Agency to secure its Spintex Road complex of 125 homes. According to a person with knowledge of Manet Residents Association which contracted with the agency, a misunderstanding with two former agencies over default in payment led to withdrawals from their posts which ultimately created haven for armed robbers and violent predators.
"There is a general sense of relief around the complex. Their uniformed presence alone is a detterence which has been lacking as a whole. We hope they are here to stay" said Mr White a resident home owner."But it has been very hard for us to convince many members to chip in their monthly dues of twenty cedis to enable the Association to keep up with their monthly salaries."He added with an inquiring smile.

Small businesses are striving amidst hardships in Ghana

A small business partner knocked at a door at J20 of Manet Court Estate off Spintex Road in Accra. Unshakened by the threatening looks and relentless barks of three pit bulls Joe insisted on his demand to talk to the resident through an intercom placed inches from the jaws of his most immediate wild hosts.
A dimunitive damsel, clad in white apron usually reserved for nurses aides at operating tables, sprang to the iron gate to announce the outing of her mistress to a nearby shopping Mall. Mensah handed a leaflet and business card to be given to her upon return and turned towards the adjacent house whose owner, out of neighbourly curiosity,was peeking ostensibly enough for Mensah to forge his attention.
"I work for Multi Chill Services : we repair and install aircondition,fix refrigerators, vacuum cleaners,stoves,dryers and other appliances. We do this in your own house and, most of all, at your convenience. We give you a warranty of one whole year after each work and call each month to monitor its operational performance" After listening to this young man Mr Boateng invited him to his living room to discuss solution to his refrigerator and washing machine which ceased working due to unannounced intermittent shut-offs by the Ghana Electricity Company.
He had just secured a customer for his business. Mr Mensah is one of hundreds of vibrant young business executives who have taken to the streets as aggressive salesmen on behalf of their companies. Barely a year in business Mensah and his twenty years old partner Odoi can boast of business monopoly of the south eastern sector of Accra.
During his speech at a recent seminar organized to encourage self starters a young girl asked how he managed to survive so much competitive disadvantage "Customer satisfaction is the key" Mensah retorted
For more information on how to start and survive amidst hard competition refer to
Multi Chill Services

Ghana buys $37m Germany naval ships

Parliament has approved a loan agreement of $37,867,000.00 (28 million Euros) for the purchase and refurbishment of two former German Navy Fast Attack Craft Type S143 vessels.

The loan agreement is between the government of Ghana and Fr Lurssen Werft GmbH & Co. KG of Germany.

However, checks made by The Statesman indicate that the two ships were decommissioned by the German Navy in 2005 and were fated for the scrapyard.

Indeed, the Germans were prepared to pay for a company to undertake the scrap work!

Our checks also show that the German Navy decommissioned 9 Type 143 Albatros Class Fast Attack Craft for two squadrons (or Schnellbootgeschwader) based in Warnemunde in 2005, after being in service since 1976.

Six of them were immediately sold to Tunisia in separate months of decommissioning in 2005 for an average cut down price of $5 million per vessel, including supply of equipment, inventory and spares, training of crew and the transportation of the ships to Ghana.

Thus, while Ghana is paying nearly $38m for two vessels, the Tunisians, who bought theirs when the ships were just out of service, paid $8m less for six of the same vessels!

Thus, going by the Tunisian deal, Ghana could have gotten six vessels even disregarding depreciation after five years.

Also, on Tuesday, Parliament approved an amount of $50 million for the procurement of strategic equipment to re-equip the Army and Air force and an additional $50 million to improve existing barracks accommodation for the soldiers.

The Minority approved the two deals without questions. The $50 million buyer's credit for the army barracks was supported by both sides, reinforcing the sentiment that both Government and Opposition are in principle committed to resolving the accommodation crisis of security agents.

The two agreements were approved behind closed sittings because it involves the country's security.....READ MORE>>>

COMPUTERISED TRAINS COMING TO GHANA

Accra is to be launched into the modern rail transport system with the planned introduction of mono-rail coaches in the next five years.

Feasibility studies for the 1.5 billion dollar project start next month to be completed in 2011 followed immediately with the construction of rail tracks.

Mono rail is a single nine-coach high speed computarised train without a driver.

It has a capacity of 1,500 passengers.

The privately funded project is to be undertaken by the Intercontinental Development Corportion (IDC) of the United States of America.

At a press briefing on the project in Accra yesterday IDC specialist and Transportation Engineer Rom Watson said the project will substantially ease traffic congestion in the city and make the environment cleaner since the train uses electricity.

He said each monorail will run 20 hours daily with over 700,000 rides per day using 28 trains. Time between trains can be as low as three to nine minutes depending on passengers on board.

Dr Watson said that under the implementation phase of the project, an eight mile rail line will be constructed from the Osu Oxford Street to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle along which there will be 16 stations.

Other rail routes in the city will be constructed in subsequent phases as well as hotels, conference centres, bypass stands to glide over congested streets among other facilities.

He said the construction stage of the project will create 15,000 jobs in addition to 1,000 full time employees.

Dr Watson said a Memorandum of Understanding on the project was signed with the previous administration in 2008 and was optimistic that the mutual co-operation would be continued under the present government for the fulfillment of the project.

The President of IDC, E.J. Miller commended the government for opening its doors to the company and was also optimistic that the project would yield the desired results.