LAGOS (AFP) – Nigerian tanker drivers have halted the supply of petrol nationwide in protest at alleged maltreatment and killing of their members by the military, union leaders said Tuesday.
"We ordered our members to stop loading petrol from the depots since yesterday and it will be like that for the next six days," Tokunbo Korodo, a union leader with the blue-collar National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, told AFP.
He said the seven-day strike, which has led to long queues of motorists at petrol stations in Lagos and other parts of the country, was called at the expiration of an ultimatum asking government to look into grievances raised by the union.
"We have had three unpleasant cases of maltreatment and harassment of our member by soldiers in the past few weeks. In Jos, for instance, a driver was shot dead by an army officer who also impounded his truck," he said.
He claimed that another driver "was beaten mercilessly" by a soldier who also seized his vehicle in the city of Ibadan town near Lagos, while in the oil hub of Port Harcourt a driver was "malhandled by a security agent because of a minor traffic offence."
"The strike becomes necessary as the last resort because series of complaints we filed with relevant authorities for intervention on the matter have fallen on deaf ears," truck drivers' leader Dayyabu Gargai told AFP in the northern city of Kano.
Korodo said the strike will be suspended only if the government compensates the family of the shot driver and recover the two trucks seized by the soldiers.
A meeting was due to take place between union leaders and the labour minister on Tuesday.
In Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with 159 million people and the world's eight largest oil exporter, petroleum products are mostly delivered by truck drivers.
In August, the drivers suspended fuel distribution to the capital Abuja in protest at the state of the country's roads.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wal-Mart to pay $2.3 billion for control of Massmart
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) has agreed to pay $2.3 billion for control of Massmart Holdings Ltd (MSMJ.J), giving the world's largest retailer a substantial presence in South Africa and paving the way for further expansion across the continent.
The Wal-Mart tie-up will help discount retailer Massmart speed up expansion in sub-Saharan Africa and increase its food retailing business, the South African company's chief executive said on Monday.
The deal will also likely pit Wal-Mart, which has long battled with organized labor in the United States, against South Africa's powerful trade unions, some of which have threatened to strike against the U.S. giant.
Massmart's chief executive, Grant Pattison, said the company would retain its local listing and South African management after the deal. Analysts have said local expertise would be critical to avoid a bruising union fight.
"What isn't going to happen is a bunch of Wal-Mart people around here start running the company," Pattison said on a conference call with reporters.
"South African management will continue to manage the business."
The two companies said in a joint statement Wal-Mart would pay 148 rand for a 51 percent stake in the South African company, which has a presence in 14 countries in Africa. The value of the deal is 16.5 billion rand ($2.3 billion), Massmart executives said.
Massmart shares were up 0.2 percent at 141.99 rand. Wal-Mart's bid, including the price, was first announced in September.
The Wal-Mart tie-up will help discount retailer Massmart speed up expansion in sub-Saharan Africa and increase its food retailing business, the South African company's chief executive said on Monday.
The deal will also likely pit Wal-Mart, which has long battled with organized labor in the United States, against South Africa's powerful trade unions, some of which have threatened to strike against the U.S. giant.
Massmart's chief executive, Grant Pattison, said the company would retain its local listing and South African management after the deal. Analysts have said local expertise would be critical to avoid a bruising union fight.
"What isn't going to happen is a bunch of Wal-Mart people around here start running the company," Pattison said on a conference call with reporters.
"South African management will continue to manage the business."
The two companies said in a joint statement Wal-Mart would pay 148 rand for a 51 percent stake in the South African company, which has a presence in 14 countries in Africa. The value of the deal is 16.5 billion rand ($2.3 billion), Massmart executives said.
Massmart shares were up 0.2 percent at 141.99 rand. Wal-Mart's bid, including the price, was first announced in September.
Netanyahu: WikiLeaks revelations were good for Israel
By Barak Ravid
For years he has warned of the dangers the Iranian nuclear program poses to the entire region. These warnings had been vindicated, Netanyahu said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says newly leaked U.S. diplomatic memos about the Saudi king offer clear proof that the Arab world agrees with his country's assessment that Iran is the chief danger to the Middle East.
According to the documents released Sunday by online whistle-blower WikiLeaks, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear program. The king is just one of many Arab voices in the documents calling for tough action against Iran - proof that Israel is not alone in its belief that Tehran is a growing menace to the region, Netanyahu said.
"The greatest threat to world peace stems from the arming of the regime in Iran," Netanyahu told a news conference yesterday. "More and more states, governments and leaders in the Middle East and in far reaches of the world understand this is a fundamental threat."
But for Israel, the outcome is positive, Netanyahu said. For years he has warned of the dangers the Iranian nuclear program poses to the entire region. These warnings had been vindicated, Netanyahu said.
"Our region has been hostage to a narrative that is the result of 60 years of propaganda, which paints Israel as the greatest threat," Netanyahu said.
"In reality leaders understand that that view is bankrupt. For the first time in history there is agreement that Iran is the threat," he added.
"If leaders start saying openly what they have long been saying behind closed doors, we can make a real breakthrough on the road to peace."
Netanyahu added that Israel had worked in advance to limit any damage from leaks.
"Every Israeli leader has known for years that that dispatches are likely to leak out, so we adapted ourselves to the reality of leaks," he said. "That has a bearing on who I invite to meetings. No classified Israeli material was exposed by WikiLeaks."
Meanwhile, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the latest U.S. documents on WikiLeaks are proof of the transparency of the Palestinian Authority.
The papers said Israel tried to coordinate with the PA regarding its Gaza offensive in the winter of 2008-09, telling the Palestinians to be ready to take over the enclave. The PA rejected the offer, said the documents.
For years he has warned of the dangers the Iranian nuclear program poses to the entire region. These warnings had been vindicated, Netanyahu said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says newly leaked U.S. diplomatic memos about the Saudi king offer clear proof that the Arab world agrees with his country's assessment that Iran is the chief danger to the Middle East.
According to the documents released Sunday by online whistle-blower WikiLeaks, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear program. The king is just one of many Arab voices in the documents calling for tough action against Iran - proof that Israel is not alone in its belief that Tehran is a growing menace to the region, Netanyahu said.
"The greatest threat to world peace stems from the arming of the regime in Iran," Netanyahu told a news conference yesterday. "More and more states, governments and leaders in the Middle East and in far reaches of the world understand this is a fundamental threat."
But for Israel, the outcome is positive, Netanyahu said. For years he has warned of the dangers the Iranian nuclear program poses to the entire region. These warnings had been vindicated, Netanyahu said.
"Our region has been hostage to a narrative that is the result of 60 years of propaganda, which paints Israel as the greatest threat," Netanyahu said.
"In reality leaders understand that that view is bankrupt. For the first time in history there is agreement that Iran is the threat," he added.
"If leaders start saying openly what they have long been saying behind closed doors, we can make a real breakthrough on the road to peace."
Netanyahu added that Israel had worked in advance to limit any damage from leaks.
"Every Israeli leader has known for years that that dispatches are likely to leak out, so we adapted ourselves to the reality of leaks," he said. "That has a bearing on who I invite to meetings. No classified Israeli material was exposed by WikiLeaks."
Meanwhile, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the latest U.S. documents on WikiLeaks are proof of the transparency of the Palestinian Authority.
The papers said Israel tried to coordinate with the PA regarding its Gaza offensive in the winter of 2008-09, telling the Palestinians to be ready to take over the enclave. The PA rejected the offer, said the documents.
VEEP LASHES JJ, SPIO
The persistent attacks on members of President John Evans Atta Mills' government by the pro-Rawlings bloc in the National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by the former President himself and Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah, Vice Chairman of the party, has now been met with equal-force by Vice President John Dramani Mahama.
Addressing a conference organised by the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) of the party at Winneba in the Central Region over the weekend, John Mahama took strong exception to the unwarranted attacks on the government by these personalities, without mentioning names.
According to John Mahama, no matter what the communication team of the government would do, it would be very difficult to propagate the achievements of the government if members of the party were not disciplined.
He wondered how the party and the government could trumpet its achievements if leading members continue to describe ministers and other government appointees as 'Greedy Bastards' and 'Team B', among others.
The founder of the NDC, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, sometime last year, described some of the Ministers serving in the Atta Mills' government as 'Greedy Bastards'. This was after some of the footsoldiers of the party had called on him at his Ridge Residence in Accra to complain that they were being denied contracts by the government.
A few weeks after this infamous statement, Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah also authored an article in the 'Daily Graphic,' where he described Ministers serving in the government as 'Team B,' insinuating that NDC members who deserved to be fielded had been by-passed in favour of those who, in football parlance, should have warmed the bench.
Apart from these two diatribes, the two personalities have also, on many occasions, spewed unprintable words against the President and his Ministers, with Mr. Rawlings in particular, accusing President Atta Mills of packing his government with 'strangers'.
He also described the President at a June 4 rally held in Tamale this year, where the presidential ambition of his wife, Nana Konadu, was unveiled, as a 'Konongo Kaya,' who could not carry his load, yet would not allow others to carry it.
The Chronicle has learnt from sources within the government that President Atta Mills took strong exception to this attack, but was compelled to keep quiet for the sake of peace in the party.
Apparently, it was with all these attacks in mind that John Mahama took the podium at Winneba and warned that divisions in the party front had the tendency of giving their political opponents ammunition to fire back at the NDC.
He made reference to the way the opposition parties had been using some of these words to launch blistering attacks on the government.
According to John Mahama, the history of this country could not be written without mentioning Rawlings' contribution, contending that he achieved a lot for the country during his nineteen year rule.
He, however, argued that the former President was able to make the mark because the entire party supported him throughout his reign. 'The history of this country cannot be written without his (Rawlings) name being there in bold letters.
He achieved many successes, but in all the achievements that we made in the PNDC and NDC era, we did it because we had discipline in the party. We learnt how to handle our disagreements, and above all, we were united as one party,' he added and, therefore, called for the same support for the Atta Mills government to also succeed.
Mahama regretted that the turbulence and divisions in the party had raised its ugly head within TEIN too. 'I want to urge you, as our younger brothers and sisters, to maintain the solidarity, truthfulness, your advocacy for justice, and the discipline that has brought you this far,' he said.
Meanwhile, TEIN members shocked the full-to-capacity hall at the University College of Education, Winneba, when they refused to allow the Executive Director of the National Service Secretariat, Vincent Kuagbenu, from addressing them, amid hooting.
They accused him of being arrogant and would, therefore, not allow him to address the meeting.
Addressing a conference organised by the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) of the party at Winneba in the Central Region over the weekend, John Mahama took strong exception to the unwarranted attacks on the government by these personalities, without mentioning names.
According to John Mahama, no matter what the communication team of the government would do, it would be very difficult to propagate the achievements of the government if members of the party were not disciplined.
He wondered how the party and the government could trumpet its achievements if leading members continue to describe ministers and other government appointees as 'Greedy Bastards' and 'Team B', among others.
The founder of the NDC, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, sometime last year, described some of the Ministers serving in the Atta Mills' government as 'Greedy Bastards'. This was after some of the footsoldiers of the party had called on him at his Ridge Residence in Accra to complain that they were being denied contracts by the government.
A few weeks after this infamous statement, Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah also authored an article in the 'Daily Graphic,' where he described Ministers serving in the government as 'Team B,' insinuating that NDC members who deserved to be fielded had been by-passed in favour of those who, in football parlance, should have warmed the bench.
Apart from these two diatribes, the two personalities have also, on many occasions, spewed unprintable words against the President and his Ministers, with Mr. Rawlings in particular, accusing President Atta Mills of packing his government with 'strangers'.
He also described the President at a June 4 rally held in Tamale this year, where the presidential ambition of his wife, Nana Konadu, was unveiled, as a 'Konongo Kaya,' who could not carry his load, yet would not allow others to carry it.
The Chronicle has learnt from sources within the government that President Atta Mills took strong exception to this attack, but was compelled to keep quiet for the sake of peace in the party.
Apparently, it was with all these attacks in mind that John Mahama took the podium at Winneba and warned that divisions in the party front had the tendency of giving their political opponents ammunition to fire back at the NDC.
He made reference to the way the opposition parties had been using some of these words to launch blistering attacks on the government.
According to John Mahama, the history of this country could not be written without mentioning Rawlings' contribution, contending that he achieved a lot for the country during his nineteen year rule.
He, however, argued that the former President was able to make the mark because the entire party supported him throughout his reign. 'The history of this country cannot be written without his (Rawlings) name being there in bold letters.
He achieved many successes, but in all the achievements that we made in the PNDC and NDC era, we did it because we had discipline in the party. We learnt how to handle our disagreements, and above all, we were united as one party,' he added and, therefore, called for the same support for the Atta Mills government to also succeed.
Mahama regretted that the turbulence and divisions in the party had raised its ugly head within TEIN too. 'I want to urge you, as our younger brothers and sisters, to maintain the solidarity, truthfulness, your advocacy for justice, and the discipline that has brought you this far,' he said.
Meanwhile, TEIN members shocked the full-to-capacity hall at the University College of Education, Winneba, when they refused to allow the Executive Director of the National Service Secretariat, Vincent Kuagbenu, from addressing them, amid hooting.
They accused him of being arrogant and would, therefore, not allow him to address the meeting.
AGI seeks waiver of duty on imported raw materials
The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is asking government to waive the duty on specific imported raw materials used mainly for manufacturing, to increase production levels and to accelerate the pace of industrialization.
The Association is also seeking a review of laws that make it mandatory for manufacturers to take a five per cent withholding tax from suppliers since this is added to the cost of supplies and thereby rendering local manufacturer uncompetitive.
Nana Owusu-Afari, President of AGI, who made the call, said the current 10 per cent duty on raw materials was rendering manufacturers less competitive both locally and internationally.
He said manufacturers were suffering from unfair competition due to poor administration of tariff regime, adding that the harmonised code system, which allowed five per cent concessionary duty on imported raw materials, was being abused to the detriment of local industries. “Similar abuse has been identified, regarding the special clearing permit, which allows clearing of goods of perishable nature without completing the entire clearing process,” Nana Owusu-Afari said.
He recommended to Government to ensure that importers, who applied to clear goods on permit, were made to pay the full tax plus a five per cent deposit to be refunded after submission of full documentation. While commending government for plans to initiate a comprehensive industrial development and competitiveness legislation for the development of local industries through domestic content, Nana Owusu-Afari said it was surprising to see VAT deferment being abolished.
“This will not be in the interest of industry, especially, at the crucial stage of development of our manufacturing industry. We wish, therefore, to call on your Ministry to abandon any idea of abolishing such a progressive and pro-manufacturing policy,” he said.
Nana Owusu-Afari called on the Ghana Revenue Authority to deal with the challenges affecting tax administration and called on government to ensure a speedy implementation of the National Identification Scheme (NIS) to identify all persons of age to respond to the taxman and also get the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to name streets and houses to help levying and payment of property taxes. There must also be sustained education to get the citizenry to understand and respect the tax laws.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Israel, U.S. tense as WikiLeaks sets to release classified bilateral communiqués
Read Full Story Here
WikiLeaks material includes diplomatic cables sent to Washington from American embassies throughout the world, a senior Israeli official says.
The United States Embassy in Tel Aviv has informed the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem that the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks was planning on releasing hundreds of thousands of American diplomatic cables, some of which might deal with Israel-America relations.
The Americans said they wanted to let the Israeli government know so it would not be surprised and would be prepared for publicity that might cause diplomatic embarrassment.
A senior Israeli official familiar with the contents of the message, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that according to the Americans, the WikiLeaks material includes diplomatic cables sent to Washington from American embassies throughout the world. Sources in Washington said the documents would be coming out soon, perhaps even today.
The cables date from the past five years and include media reports, talks with politicians, government officials and journalists, as well as evaluations and various analyses by American diplomats regarding their host countries.
According to the senior Israeli official, the U.S. Embassy said that the documents were not highly classified, but the administration did not know the precise content of the cables.
"The Americans said they view the leak very seriously. They don't know when they will be released on the internet and what exactly they say, but they didn't want us to read about it in the newspapers," the official said.
The American message said that if cables from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv were released, it could be embarrassing because they relate to relations between Israel and the United States, which are usually kept confidential, or because they involve internal correspondence between American diplomats that do not always reflect the official position of the U.S. administration.
The Americans said that if there was embarrassment, it was important for Israel to know that this was not their intention.
Kurt Hoyer, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, neither confirmed nor denied that the embassy had conveyed a message relating to the matter to the Prime Minister's Bureau and the Foreign Ministry.
However, Hoyer said that the release of classified cables from any U.S. embassy in the world could have serious implications and even affect peoples' lives.
Hoyer said the embassy harshly condemned the release of classified documents and was very concerned about the impact on American foreign relations.
The State Department in Washington also approached several other countries to warn them of the implications of the release of the classified cables. From a check of their archives, the Americans reportedly believe WikiLeaks might release as many as 400,000 cables.
The New York Times, The U.K.'s Guardian and the German weekly new magazine Der Spiegel have reportedly been given a preview of the documents to decide which ones they want to publish.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The media is disappointing Ghanaians - info minister
The minister for Information Hon. John Akologo Tia has bemoaned the attitude of a cross section of the Ghanaian media who sees nothing good about the President Mills led government and thereby making things difficult for the good people of the country.
He said because of the attitude of the media recently for not promoting the kind of developmental journalism that we should have been having, so much concern had been raised about their unprofessional attitude ‘’at the recent GJA awards night all the speakers spoke about the need for a responsible journalism, it is coming to the fore because they can be friends and enemies as well’’ The info minister said.
He said, ‘’somehow the media wants to call the shots and by so doing they end up tying the hands of government and almost everybody and that is where we have problems’’.
On whether the attitude of the media is against government and the better Ghana agenda, John Akologo Tia stated that ‘’the NDC government is receiving a lot of the bashing, but there are some members of society who are equally getting a fair share of irresponsible reportage, it’s a big problem. The media has made things very difficult for everybody via the type of things they present to the public’’. John Tia said.
The Information Minister tells Gold News that the media has allowed politicians to use them more. ‘’If you look at the kind of programs and radio phone INS they don’t talk about developmental issues rather 70-80 % of their work is concentrated on building conflict’’.
He said though the media could be described as a two edged sword which can build and destroy the country needs a media that can reach or get to the people with government activities, programs and policies but that is not happening thus the reason they can be of a disservice through their reportage’. He said while a section of the media is focused, balanced and attaches great professionalism towards their work another group tries so hard to promote conflict thereby creating fear and panic in a peaceful society. They tend to drum up the issues raised by politicians whether right or wrong.
"When politicians are at each other’s throat the media comes up to highlight
them beyond acceptable proportions" Hon John Akologo Tia said. Generally we have a vibrant media but a cross section is trying to make things difficult for government.
When asked if the attitude of the media he referred to is preventing government from fully pursuing the better Ghana agenda? Hon. John Tia said, " though they are creating problems government is focused and religiously succeeding with the implementation of its manifest pledges. There is massive change since the NDC government came into office".
He recounted some of the achievements under the President Mills led government as the enhancement of the school feeding program, capitation grant, removal of schools under trees, free exercise books, dormitories and classroom blocks being built all over the place, the reversal of the four year senior high school which he says will relieve parents of some pressure. On the economy he said government has been able to stabilise the cedi, inflation and bank rates reduced and also gave the indication that there are a lot of investors in the country because of the confidence in the President’s leadership style. He cited the strides government is making in Agriculture, the road infrastructure and many more but a section of the media has sworn to undo the government so they will not highlight the positives of government.
When asked if the attitude of the ‘media’ is as a result of the attitude of
government the Info minister noted that he is a part of the media, the Vice
President is also a media man coupled with the President’s humility, good
countenance, and transparent nature government will not antagonise itself with the media or anybody, thus government is not the problem at all.
He said, that though government is doing well some journalists have made it a
point that, come what may, they will run down the Mills administration.
He urged Ghanaians to be steadfast and wary of writers of ‘dark’ tidings.
Stressing that government is on course and will not fail the good people of
Ghana no matter the challenges the BETTER GHANA agenda will be achieve.
He said because of the attitude of the media recently for not promoting the kind of developmental journalism that we should have been having, so much concern had been raised about their unprofessional attitude ‘’at the recent GJA awards night all the speakers spoke about the need for a responsible journalism, it is coming to the fore because they can be friends and enemies as well’’ The info minister said.
He said, ‘’somehow the media wants to call the shots and by so doing they end up tying the hands of government and almost everybody and that is where we have problems’’.
On whether the attitude of the media is against government and the better Ghana agenda, John Akologo Tia stated that ‘’the NDC government is receiving a lot of the bashing, but there are some members of society who are equally getting a fair share of irresponsible reportage, it’s a big problem. The media has made things very difficult for everybody via the type of things they present to the public’’. John Tia said.
The Information Minister tells Gold News that the media has allowed politicians to use them more. ‘’If you look at the kind of programs and radio phone INS they don’t talk about developmental issues rather 70-80 % of their work is concentrated on building conflict’’.
He said though the media could be described as a two edged sword which can build and destroy the country needs a media that can reach or get to the people with government activities, programs and policies but that is not happening thus the reason they can be of a disservice through their reportage’. He said while a section of the media is focused, balanced and attaches great professionalism towards their work another group tries so hard to promote conflict thereby creating fear and panic in a peaceful society. They tend to drum up the issues raised by politicians whether right or wrong.
"When politicians are at each other’s throat the media comes up to highlight
them beyond acceptable proportions" Hon John Akologo Tia said. Generally we have a vibrant media but a cross section is trying to make things difficult for government.
When asked if the attitude of the media he referred to is preventing government from fully pursuing the better Ghana agenda? Hon. John Tia said, " though they are creating problems government is focused and religiously succeeding with the implementation of its manifest pledges. There is massive change since the NDC government came into office".
He recounted some of the achievements under the President Mills led government as the enhancement of the school feeding program, capitation grant, removal of schools under trees, free exercise books, dormitories and classroom blocks being built all over the place, the reversal of the four year senior high school which he says will relieve parents of some pressure. On the economy he said government has been able to stabilise the cedi, inflation and bank rates reduced and also gave the indication that there are a lot of investors in the country because of the confidence in the President’s leadership style. He cited the strides government is making in Agriculture, the road infrastructure and many more but a section of the media has sworn to undo the government so they will not highlight the positives of government.
When asked if the attitude of the ‘media’ is as a result of the attitude of
government the Info minister noted that he is a part of the media, the Vice
President is also a media man coupled with the President’s humility, good
countenance, and transparent nature government will not antagonise itself with the media or anybody, thus government is not the problem at all.
He said, that though government is doing well some journalists have made it a
point that, come what may, they will run down the Mills administration.
He urged Ghanaians to be steadfast and wary of writers of ‘dark’ tidings.
Stressing that government is on course and will not fail the good people of
Ghana no matter the challenges the BETTER GHANA agenda will be achieve.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Majority of Ghanaian pastors are fake - Ken Agyepong
GhanaWeb
MP for Assin North, Kennedy Agyepong has taken a swipe at "fake pastors" accusing them of being responsible for fifty percent of deaths that occur in the country. Although he failed to prove his assertion, he stated emphatically that majority of pastors operating in the country are fake.
The MP told Citi FM that such pastors are manipulating the mindset of Ghanaians and called on stakeholders to urgently address the problem.
Mr. Agyepong said pastors have been extorting money from the poor to enrich themselves rather than concentrating on the people’s salvation and described their activities as a phenomenon that retards the country’s development.
The MP, who is reported to have made the comment about a week ago on a Tema-based radio station, incurred the wrath of some pastors.
But speaking to Citi News, he maintained his comments and vowed to speak about the menace until Ghanaians come to the realization that they are being taken for a ride. He dared any pastor who thinks he is not speaking the truth to bring it on. The MP cum businessman is asking Government to tax churches since most of them were making money through nefarious means.
“I still stand by my point and I am not scared of anybody. If the Minister of Finance is going to introduce taxes for churches, the NDC government should be bold because I support them for introducing such taxes. I think it was unnecessary for the Information Ministry to come out with a rejoinder against that move” he said.
According to him, even ordinary salaried workers pay taxes so why not pastors.
“Do you know how many pastors are making so much money and do not pay anything under pretext of the church. Go and look at their houses and find out whether you have a home like that to live in. Let us speak the truth once and for all. They use churches to do all kinds of things for themselves whiles the few people in the net are paying taxes to support this country".
"So I said I support what the Finance Minister had said so the Minister of Information should not even have come out with that rejoinder. About fifty percent of the cause of death in this country is caused by pastors who do not speak the truth”.
Mr. Agyapong listed several examples of activities of so-called pastors that have brought the country’s name into disrepute on the international scene and worsened the plight of already suffering Ghanaians. He cited a visit he made to New York where a Ghanaian Church was televised with people in chains because they were believed to be mentally sick.
According to him, her diabetic mother’s condition was worsened after a pastor gave her a toffee to cure the disease. Mr. Agyapong said he also had a personal experience where a Prophetess who told him he was going to die before Easter in 2010.
“I was told the same Prophetess prophesied that Quashigah was going to die and he died so I am the next person and she told me point blank. So she asked me to come to Koforidua but I told her not to call me again and hanged up on her. My friend’s sister was sick but the woman was so superstitious and did not tell anybody and went to a pastor’s house. She was there fore three months and the day she started coughing blood, the Pastor called her relatives to come and pick her to the Hospital. What is this? And this same people have doctors surrounding them and when they are sick, they are taken care of. I have done my statistics and I know that especially these young pastors prey on the conscience of the ignorant and we need to speak about it. Politicians need to be bold” he said.
Although Mr. Kennedy Agyepong admits that some pastors contribute positively to the social and spiritual needs of the people, he believes they are doing more harm than good. He cited instances where he stopped pastors from preaching on his radio station because they were peddling falsehood.
“In this country, majority of the pastors are fake. And about fifty percent of deaths are caused by these pastors who don't speak the truth. You listen to radio and the kind of preaching they do is nothing better. They should be preaching like Mensah Otabil and the others who will never tell you that your mother is a witch. Productivity in this country is so low and I can attribute it to some fake pastors because as early as 6:00am, they ask people to come and pray till 2:00pm, so who should work and come back to church to give the offerings”? He asked.
The MP, who studied theology himself, bemoaned how the speaking of tongues was being abused by such fake pastors.
...Read More
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Pope: condoms can be justified in some cases
VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI says in a new book that condoms can be justified for male prostitutes seeking to stop the spread of HIV, a stunning comment for a church criticized for its opposition to condoms and for a pontiff who has blamed them for making the AIDS crisis worse.
The pope made the comments in a book-length interview with a German journalist, "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times," which is being released Tuesday. The Vatican newspaper ran excerpts on Saturday.
Church teaching has long opposed condoms because they are a form of artificial contraception, although it has never released an explicit policy about condoms and HIV. The Vatican has been harshly criticized for its opposition.
Benedict said that condoms are not a moral solution. But he said in some cases, such as for male prostitutes, they could be justified "in the intention of reducing the risk of infection."
Benedict called it "a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way of living sexuality."
He used as an example male prostitutes, for whom contraception is not an issue, as opposed to married couples where one spouse is infected. The Vatican has come under pressure from even some church officials in Africa to condone condom use for monogamous married couples to protect the uninfected spouse from getting infected.
Benedict drew the wrath of the United Nations, European governments and AIDS activisits when he told reporters en route to Africa in 2009 that the AIDS problem on the continent couldn't be resolved by distributing condoms.
"On the contrary, it increases the problem," he said then.
Journalist Peter Seewald, who interviewed Benedict over the course of six days this summer, raised the Africa condom comments and asked Benedict if it wasn't "madness" for the Vatican to forbid a high-risk population to use condoms.
"There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility," Benedict said.
But he stressed that it wasn't the way to deal with the evil of HIV, and elsewhere in the book reaffirmed church teaching on contraception and abortion, saying: "How many children are killed who might one day have been geniuses, who could have given humanity something new, who could have given us a new Mozart or some new technical discovery?"
He reiterated the church's position that abstinence and marital fidelity is the only sure way to prevent HIV.
Cardinal Elio Sgreccia, the Vatican's longtime top official on bioethics and sexuality, elaborated on the pontiff's comments, stressing that it was imperative to "make certain that this is the only way to save a life." Sgreccia told the Italian news agency ANSA that that is why the pope on the condom issue "dealt with it in the realm of ecceptionality."
The condom question was one that "needed an answer for a long time," Sgreccia was quoted as saying. "If Benedict XVI raised the question of exceptions, this expection must be accepted ... and it must be verified that this is the only way to save life. This must be demonstrated," Sgreccia said.
Christian Weisner, of the pro-reform group We Are Church in the pope's native Germany, said the pope's comments were "surprising, and if that's the case one can be happy about the pope's ability to learn."
William Portier, a Catholic theologian at the University of Dayton, a Marianist school in Ohio, said he had not read the report in the Vatican newspaper, but he said it would be wrong to conclude that the comments mean the pope has made a fundamental, broad change in church teaching on artificial contraception.
"He's not going to do that in an offhand remark to a journalist in an interview," Portier said.
In other comments, Benedict said:
• If a pope is no longer physically, psychologically or spiritually capable of doing his job, then he has the "right, and under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign."
• On Islam, in Europe, he declined to endorse such moves as France's banning the burqa or Switzerland's citizen referendum to forbid topping mosques with minarets.
"Christians are tolerant, and in that respect they also allow others to have their self-image," Benedict replied when asked if Christians should be "glad" about such initiatives. "As for the burqa, I can see no reason for a general ban."
• He was surprised by the scale of clerical sex abuse in his native Germany and acknowledged that the Vatican could have better communicated its response. "One can always wonder whether the pope should not speak more often."
• On Pope Pius XII, the wartime pontiff accused by some Jewish groups of staying publicly silent on the Holocaust: Some historians have asked the Vatican to put Pius' sainthood process on hold until the Holy See opens up its archives from his papacy. But Benedict said an internal "inspection" of those unpublished documents failed to support "negative" allegations against Pius.
"It is perfectly clear that as soon as he protested publicly, the Germans would have ceased to respect" Vatican extraterritoriality of convents and monasteries who were sheltering Jews from the Nazi occupiers in Rome. "The thousands who had found a safe haven ... would have been surely deported," Benedict argued.
In the book, Benedict also offers insights into his private life, saying he enjoys watching TV at home in the evenings with his secretaries and the four women who take care of his apartment, preferring the evening news and an Italian TV show from decades ago "Don Camillo and Peppone" about a parish priest and his bumbling assistant.
He said he always wears his white cassock, never a sweater, and wears an old Junghans watch that was left to him by his sister when she died. When he prays, he said, he prays to the Lord as well as the saints and considers himself good friends with Sts. Augustine, Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas
Makola Razed Down
Daily Guide
Shop owners at Makola Number Two Market in Accra could not contain the trauma of seeing their investments in ruins following a fire outbreak in the market on Thursday evening.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) was once again tested on its readiness as it was overwhelmed by the fire for several hours, while onlookers wondered if the personnel were really primed for the assignment.
The fire, which started at about 6:45pm, intimidated the firemen with their tenders until about midnight when it was finally brought under control. It left in its trail destroyed goods worth several millions of Ghana cedis.
Residents in the neighbourhood wondered why a nearby fire station, the Accra Central Fire Station, could not manage the fire.
The intensity of the fire could be determined by the pockets of smouldering fire dotting the place as firemen moved around to put them out, with soldiers and policemen on standby to contain any act of lawlessness when such situations arise.
A fireman told DAILY GUIDE that they had been working all night to bring the situation under control, an indication of how serious the fire was.
The place had been thrown into a state of mourning and market women and men wept uncontrollably over the loss of their wares and capital, with victims claiming that they had cash in their shops.
A female trader said amidst tears that her cash of $20,000 which was hidden in her stall got burnt completely.
The main gates to the market were said to be locked up at the time of the fire outbreak, making it difficult for fire tenders to gain access to fight the fire, a deficiency which prompted questions about such a modern market without an emergency access.
It took several hours for fire personnel to break through the market gates but their inability to access fire hydrants exacerbated the situation. About three traders were said to have collapsed upon hearing the news of the disaster.
Eyewitnesses gave contradictory statements about how the fire started. While some said a power outage triggered the inferno, others claimed it was due to electrical faults.
At about 10:04am yesterday, President John Evans Atta Mills arrived at the scene to assess the extent of damage.
The President, who was visibly shaken by the turn of events, assured the victims of government’s assistance to get them back into business. He would order an investigation into the disaster, he assured them.
“This fire outbreak is a bother to all of us so I came to assure you that we will investigate to know what exactly happened,” the President stated.
“But I am appealing to the National Disaster Management Organisation, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, and the Regional Co-ordinating Council to assist you.
“We, as a government, will not turn our back on you. I know that most of you are wailing and weeping because you have lost your capital completely. So we will do whatever we can to help you,” he promised.
Nii Armah Ashittey, Greater Accra Regional Minister, advised the traders to observe basic safety rules to prevent disasters such as what had happened.
He said the Regional Co-ordinating Council would collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure that the market was rebuilt.
Nii Tackie Commey, MP for Odododiodioo, also assured victims of the government’s support to get them back into business.
He appealed for fire hydrants and access routes in the various markets to forestall such eventualities.
The original Makola Market was also razed by a mysterious fire outbreak many years ago and the displaced market women were transferred to the location which got burnt last Thursday.
The market was constructed with funds from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, a national pension fund for Ghanaian workers not in the security services.
Major markets have been scenes of fire outbreaks in the past few months. The Kumasi Central Market has had its share of the mysterious fires twice or so. The Kantamanto Market in the Central Business District of Accra and the Takoradi Market have also not been spared.
However, there was no report of lives lost in the Thursday incident
Shop owners at Makola Number Two Market in Accra could not contain the trauma of seeing their investments in ruins following a fire outbreak in the market on Thursday evening.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) was once again tested on its readiness as it was overwhelmed by the fire for several hours, while onlookers wondered if the personnel were really primed for the assignment.
The fire, which started at about 6:45pm, intimidated the firemen with their tenders until about midnight when it was finally brought under control. It left in its trail destroyed goods worth several millions of Ghana cedis.
Residents in the neighbourhood wondered why a nearby fire station, the Accra Central Fire Station, could not manage the fire.
The intensity of the fire could be determined by the pockets of smouldering fire dotting the place as firemen moved around to put them out, with soldiers and policemen on standby to contain any act of lawlessness when such situations arise.
A fireman told DAILY GUIDE that they had been working all night to bring the situation under control, an indication of how serious the fire was.
The place had been thrown into a state of mourning and market women and men wept uncontrollably over the loss of their wares and capital, with victims claiming that they had cash in their shops.
A female trader said amidst tears that her cash of $20,000 which was hidden in her stall got burnt completely.
The main gates to the market were said to be locked up at the time of the fire outbreak, making it difficult for fire tenders to gain access to fight the fire, a deficiency which prompted questions about such a modern market without an emergency access.
It took several hours for fire personnel to break through the market gates but their inability to access fire hydrants exacerbated the situation. About three traders were said to have collapsed upon hearing the news of the disaster.
Eyewitnesses gave contradictory statements about how the fire started. While some said a power outage triggered the inferno, others claimed it was due to electrical faults.
At about 10:04am yesterday, President John Evans Atta Mills arrived at the scene to assess the extent of damage.
The President, who was visibly shaken by the turn of events, assured the victims of government’s assistance to get them back into business. He would order an investigation into the disaster, he assured them.
“This fire outbreak is a bother to all of us so I came to assure you that we will investigate to know what exactly happened,” the President stated.
“But I am appealing to the National Disaster Management Organisation, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, and the Regional Co-ordinating Council to assist you.
“We, as a government, will not turn our back on you. I know that most of you are wailing and weeping because you have lost your capital completely. So we will do whatever we can to help you,” he promised.
Nii Armah Ashittey, Greater Accra Regional Minister, advised the traders to observe basic safety rules to prevent disasters such as what had happened.
He said the Regional Co-ordinating Council would collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure that the market was rebuilt.
Nii Tackie Commey, MP for Odododiodioo, also assured victims of the government’s support to get them back into business.
He appealed for fire hydrants and access routes in the various markets to forestall such eventualities.
The original Makola Market was also razed by a mysterious fire outbreak many years ago and the displaced market women were transferred to the location which got burnt last Thursday.
The market was constructed with funds from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, a national pension fund for Ghanaian workers not in the security services.
Major markets have been scenes of fire outbreaks in the past few months. The Kumasi Central Market has had its share of the mysterious fires twice or so. The Kantamanto Market in the Central Business District of Accra and the Takoradi Market have also not been spared.
However, there was no report of lives lost in the Thursday incident
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Ghana Stocks May Jump 40% as Oil Spurs World's Highest Growth, Exotix Says
Ghana’s main stock index, the best performer in Africa this quarter, may soar another 40 percent this year as the start of oil production spurs the world’s fastest pace of economic growth, Exotix Ltd. said.
Exotix, the London-based brokerage that gets a quarter of its revenue from African securities and three quarters from frontier markets, said buy orders for Ghanaian stocks are up more than 50 percent from the start of the year, even after a 9.8 percent rally since March 31 drove valuations above the average for emerging markets. The country’s All-Share Index has a further 20 to 40 percent “upside” in 2010, according to Ashley Bendell, New-York-based frontier and emerging market equity broker at Exotix.
The west African nation’s equity market has been the most volatile globally. It soared 58 percent in 2008, beating all 93 national equity gauges tracked by Bloomberg, after its discovery of oil in 2007 and as crude jumped to a record $147.27 a barrel. The measure plunged 47 percent last year, the world’s worst slump, when crude tumbled to as little as $32.70 a barrel and Ghana’s currency depreciation triggered 20 percent inflation and a $1 billion International Monetary Fund bailout.
“The oil find has without a doubt brought a lot of interest,” Bendell said in an interview in Johannesburg.
Templeton Asset Management Ltd.’s Mark Mobius said in his blog on June 24 that he’s looking at Ghana along with South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Botswana, Morocco and Tunisia for investment.
Too Small
Ghana’s index is rising as the IMF predicts a surge in economic growth to 20.1 percent in 2011, triple the average 6.5 percent for developing nations. The cocoa and gold exporter is scheduled to start pumping oil in the fourth quarter of this year. Oil has gained 75 percent since the beginning of last year to $78 a barrel.
The market remains too small to allow larger fund managers to buy and sell stocks, said Bryan Collings, who manages $1 billion in London-based Hexam Capital Partners LLP’s Global Emerging Markets fund. He has no holdings in Ghana and favors China and Brazil.
“I don’t think Ghana’s all that brilliant, the market isn’t liquid and there are often concerns about getting money in and out,” Collings said. “For us, it’s key to stay relatively liquid.”
Banks, Oil Stocks
The market value of shares listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange is $12.8 billion, according to data from the bourse, a fraction of South Africa’s All Share Index at $590 billion, based on Bloomberg data. Average trading volume is about 650,000 shares a day, compared with an average 215 million in South Africa.
The lower trading volume in Ghana means it can take months to carry out orders for share trades, Bendell at Exotix said. Ghana’s pension-reform program may help boost trading by allowing private brokers to manage company retirement plans for the first time, he said.
Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd., the country’s biggest lender with 157 branches, and Ghana Oil Co., which runs a network of filling stations in the West African nation, may be among the biggest gainers, Bendell said. Ghana Commercial’s stock has doubled this year, while Ghana Oil has rallied 59 percent.
Tullow Oil Plc, which owns a 34.7 percent stake in the Jubilee field off Ghana’s western coast, said production will start at 120,000 barrels a day. The field, with as much as 1.8 billion barrels, will make Ghana one of the world’s top 50 oil producers, according to Tullow. Shares in Tullow jumped 98 percent last year and are down 18 percent this year.
Gold, Cocoa
Ghana’s stock rally this quarter has lifted valuations to 15.1 times estimated earnings from 9 times on March 31, Bloomberg data show. Valuations on the MSCI Emerging Market Index have fallen in the same period to 11.5 times expected earnings from 13.
“The stock-market valuations are relatively attractive versus sub-Saharan and emerging-market peers, given the country’s growth outlook and political stability,” Bendell said. “There’s a lot of focus on how government will spend its oil income.”
Inflation has slowed from a five-year peak of 20.7 percent in June 2009 to 10.7 percent last month, the 11th consecutive monthly decline. The rate is the lowest since December 2007. The central bank reduced its benchmark interest rate to 15 percent in April and has cut a total of 3.5 percentage points since November.
Exotix, the London-based brokerage that gets a quarter of its revenue from African securities and three quarters from frontier markets, said buy orders for Ghanaian stocks are up more than 50 percent from the start of the year, even after a 9.8 percent rally since March 31 drove valuations above the average for emerging markets. The country’s All-Share Index has a further 20 to 40 percent “upside” in 2010, according to Ashley Bendell, New-York-based frontier and emerging market equity broker at Exotix.
The west African nation’s equity market has been the most volatile globally. It soared 58 percent in 2008, beating all 93 national equity gauges tracked by Bloomberg, after its discovery of oil in 2007 and as crude jumped to a record $147.27 a barrel. The measure plunged 47 percent last year, the world’s worst slump, when crude tumbled to as little as $32.70 a barrel and Ghana’s currency depreciation triggered 20 percent inflation and a $1 billion International Monetary Fund bailout.
“The oil find has without a doubt brought a lot of interest,” Bendell said in an interview in Johannesburg.
Templeton Asset Management Ltd.’s Mark Mobius said in his blog on June 24 that he’s looking at Ghana along with South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Botswana, Morocco and Tunisia for investment.
Too Small
Ghana’s index is rising as the IMF predicts a surge in economic growth to 20.1 percent in 2011, triple the average 6.5 percent for developing nations. The cocoa and gold exporter is scheduled to start pumping oil in the fourth quarter of this year. Oil has gained 75 percent since the beginning of last year to $78 a barrel.
The market remains too small to allow larger fund managers to buy and sell stocks, said Bryan Collings, who manages $1 billion in London-based Hexam Capital Partners LLP’s Global Emerging Markets fund. He has no holdings in Ghana and favors China and Brazil.
“I don’t think Ghana’s all that brilliant, the market isn’t liquid and there are often concerns about getting money in and out,” Collings said. “For us, it’s key to stay relatively liquid.”
Banks, Oil Stocks
The market value of shares listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange is $12.8 billion, according to data from the bourse, a fraction of South Africa’s All Share Index at $590 billion, based on Bloomberg data. Average trading volume is about 650,000 shares a day, compared with an average 215 million in South Africa.
The lower trading volume in Ghana means it can take months to carry out orders for share trades, Bendell at Exotix said. Ghana’s pension-reform program may help boost trading by allowing private brokers to manage company retirement plans for the first time, he said.
Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd., the country’s biggest lender with 157 branches, and Ghana Oil Co., which runs a network of filling stations in the West African nation, may be among the biggest gainers, Bendell said. Ghana Commercial’s stock has doubled this year, while Ghana Oil has rallied 59 percent.
Tullow Oil Plc, which owns a 34.7 percent stake in the Jubilee field off Ghana’s western coast, said production will start at 120,000 barrels a day. The field, with as much as 1.8 billion barrels, will make Ghana one of the world’s top 50 oil producers, according to Tullow. Shares in Tullow jumped 98 percent last year and are down 18 percent this year.
Gold, Cocoa
Ghana’s stock rally this quarter has lifted valuations to 15.1 times estimated earnings from 9 times on March 31, Bloomberg data show. Valuations on the MSCI Emerging Market Index have fallen in the same period to 11.5 times expected earnings from 13.
“The stock-market valuations are relatively attractive versus sub-Saharan and emerging-market peers, given the country’s growth outlook and political stability,” Bendell said. “There’s a lot of focus on how government will spend its oil income.”
Inflation has slowed from a five-year peak of 20.7 percent in June 2009 to 10.7 percent last month, the 11th consecutive monthly decline. The rate is the lowest since December 2007. The central bank reduced its benchmark interest rate to 15 percent in April and has cut a total of 3.5 percentage points since November.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Nigerian Mend rebels claim Exxon kidnapping
Nigeria's Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of seven oil workers in a raid on an ExxonMobil facility on Sunday and has threatened a major attack.
Mend made a press statement confirming that the attack on the ExxonMobil Ibeno oil facility in Akwa Ibom state was carried out by its fighters. The group also claimed the Nigerian military has fired rockets at one of its camps.
The offshore factory raid was the latest in a string of incidents in recent months in the Niger Delta - the heart of the country's huge oil industry.
“Certainly Mend wants us to see this as part of a renewed campaign by a united movement,” says William Hartley, manager of Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre. “In part, the attacks at the moment are an attempt to re-establish Mend effectively as an active brand. But what we are now talking about in terms of Mend is nowhere near what we used to consider to be Mend last year, which was a coordinated movement operating across the Delta.”
Last year, the government introduced a programme whereby rebels could swap arms for education programmes. All the major field commanders of Delta rebel groups are still committed to it, but there have been some problems in implementing the system efficiently.
“Foot soldiers have experienced considerable delays in getting what they had been promised," says Hartley. "This inevitably results in disaffection and creates a constituency of people who are susceptible to being re-recruited by the militant organisations.”
Mend made a press statement confirming that the attack on the ExxonMobil Ibeno oil facility in Akwa Ibom state was carried out by its fighters. The group also claimed the Nigerian military has fired rockets at one of its camps.
The offshore factory raid was the latest in a string of incidents in recent months in the Niger Delta - the heart of the country's huge oil industry.
“Certainly Mend wants us to see this as part of a renewed campaign by a united movement,” says William Hartley, manager of Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre. “In part, the attacks at the moment are an attempt to re-establish Mend effectively as an active brand. But what we are now talking about in terms of Mend is nowhere near what we used to consider to be Mend last year, which was a coordinated movement operating across the Delta.”
Last year, the government introduced a programme whereby rebels could swap arms for education programmes. All the major field commanders of Delta rebel groups are still committed to it, but there have been some problems in implementing the system efficiently.
“Foot soldiers have experienced considerable delays in getting what they had been promised," says Hartley. "This inevitably results in disaffection and creates a constituency of people who are susceptible to being re-recruited by the militant organisations.”
Furious Ryanair passengers protest in plane
BRUSSELS (AFP) – More than 100 angry Ryanair passengers sat in a dark cabin without food or water for four hours Wednesday, refusing to leave their plane after it was diverted to Belgium, authorities and passengers said.
The passengers, mostly French tourists who were supposed to land near Paris after returning from holidays in Morocco, refused to come out of the aircraft even after the crew had left it at the Liege airport in southern Belgium.
Reda Yahiyaoui, a business owner who was travelling with his wife, a two-month-old baby and a three-year-old, said the passengers had no water and the toilets in the plane were locked.
"The pilot left and he even left the cockpit door open," he said.
After several hours of negotiations with furious passengers, officials convinced them to leave the plane and wait inside the airport for buses that would take them to their original destination, a firefighter told AFP.
"The negotiation was so difficult that we weren't sure they would come out," the firefighter said by telephone.
"People are obviously outraged. I'm just trying to look out for their well-being," he said.
Passengers on the plane told AFP that the flight had left Fes, Morocco, three hours late at 7:15 pm local time on Tuesday but had been unable to land in Beauvais, France, because by that time the airport there had closed.
The plane landed in Liege at around 11:30 pm and passengers only agreed to come out after 3:30 am the next morning.
"This is unacceptable," Mylene Netange, who runs a network on social responsibility for business leaders, told AFP.
"The plane didn't land in Beauvais but in Liege without warning us. Consequently, we refused to leave the plane," she said.
A Ryanair spokesperson was not immediately reachable for comment.
Ghana On The Wrong Path With Recent Chinese Loans
Courtesy of GhanaWeb
Ghana is obviously on the wrong path with the signing of recent billions of dollars in Chinese loans. While some economic observers hailed it as a major financial lifeline to a country on a continent that is unable to attract such a magnitude of financial support from the international financial centers like Washington, London, and Paris, and their Bretton Woods Institutions, Beijing is fast becoming a reliable alternative to the traditional lenders.
However, an unimpeachable source, who was a member of the delegation that negotiated the deal, is unhappy with some of the elements of the deal. According to him, China, as a result of its fast-paced development, is seeking ways to dispose some of its rickety old trains, built over three decades ago, to make way for the connection of its fast trains across the entire Chinese mainland. As part of the deal, Ghana is to receive these old coaches and tracks which will amount to unspecified billions of dollars.
This reliable source believes the dollar amount for which these coaches are being offered to Ghana could buy the newer or advanced versions of coaches within the European market, a market which is also seeking ways to dispose newer versions of such coaches in order to adopt newer technologies the Chinese have unveiled in the rail market. His fear is that these trains have outlived their usefulness in the Chinese economy and are worth a “scrap” in a couple of years or a few years. “These trains will not only unnecessarily tie the Ghana Railway Corporation to the Chinese manufacturers for parts that may not be available anywhere else, but considering the maintenance culture in Ghana, these trains will become white elephants in a couple of years,” he fumed.
One wonders loudly why Ghanaian leadership never does any critical analysis before jumping on board to sign agreements that have repercussions for the future of the country. According to a member of the delegation that went to China to sign this loan deal amidst pomp and pageantry, any attempt to dissuade the team from some of the elements of the contract was seen by some members of the team who lacked know-how on technical matters as an attempt to stall the progress of government business.
In 2005, Bob Geldof, an Irish Singer, writer and a political activist, brought together celebrities to global audiences in a campaign that culminated in anti-poverty gigs around the world—London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles, among others.
Ghana, a small West African country with a population just under 25 million people, received debt forgiveness of US$4 billion, halving her debt. But in a span of three years, by the time its previous administration—the National Patriotic Party (NPP)—was leaving office, the debts have mounted back to what they were before the debt forgiveness in 2005.
Today, Ghana’s debt has passed the single digit of the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century. It is now in the double digits without the necessary accompanying economic developments and their reflections in the lives of its citizens. Ghanaian, whether NPP or NDC (the National Democratic Congress, the current Ghanaian administration), must learn to hold their governments accountable for financial transactions in the name of corporate Ghana for which their children and grandchildren will pay the price.
The Ghana government must adopt some level of prudence in the management of loans it contracts from countries like China. A loan is not a freebie. Besides, Bob Geldof may not be strong enough by 2015, a decade after the 2005 anti-poverty campaign, to initiate debt forgiveness for the poor. China is not a Father Christmas and may not subscribe to debt forgiveness, so Ghana should thread carefully!
As we continue to fill political and technical positions with square pegs in round holes we are likely to be descending fast into the abyss of economic doldrums. A simple developmental economic analysis can tell members to the team that buying scrap trains creates a dependency situation. It is like buying a 12 year old car rather than a three year old car.
Let me use the car recent recall of Toyota cars for faulty brakes. How many Ghanaians are able to return their Toyota cars to the manufacturers for a benefit that had accrued mainly to users of Toyota cars in North America, Europe, and elsewhere? So for convenience sake, Ghanaians continue to pay for death traps.
Without in depth analysis, one is tempted to think it is a good deal for Ghana. As usual the non strategic thinking o four leaders whether it is NPP or NDC becomes the core issue. All of a sudden the Chinese are getting foothold in our economy. They have factories in Ghana and are still involved in retail trade of the goods they manufacture in Ghana? …What kind of suicidal industrial or commercial policy do we have as a nation? So the Chinese export hoods to Ghana and now we import their literally “100 years old rail cars” which sooner than later will be unreliable and need spare parts. Since we have bought these rail cars under loan we are now the new owners. So Ghana will have to buy spare parts from China earlier than if we had bought brand new trains. We are creating jobs for the Chinese. Would it not be icing on the cake if the Chinese were asked to transfer that technology of repairs to Ghana with Kwame Nkrumah University of Technology (TEK) Mechanical, Civil and Materials Engineering departments to set up shops with Suame Magazine workers to produce these parts? Can we imagine the amount of JOBS we will create for our citizens? What about spin off industries!!!! Think, Ghana Think.
Carl Miller
Center for Global Watch
London
..Read More
Ghana is obviously on the wrong path with the signing of recent billions of dollars in Chinese loans. While some economic observers hailed it as a major financial lifeline to a country on a continent that is unable to attract such a magnitude of financial support from the international financial centers like Washington, London, and Paris, and their Bretton Woods Institutions, Beijing is fast becoming a reliable alternative to the traditional lenders.
However, an unimpeachable source, who was a member of the delegation that negotiated the deal, is unhappy with some of the elements of the deal. According to him, China, as a result of its fast-paced development, is seeking ways to dispose some of its rickety old trains, built over three decades ago, to make way for the connection of its fast trains across the entire Chinese mainland. As part of the deal, Ghana is to receive these old coaches and tracks which will amount to unspecified billions of dollars.
This reliable source believes the dollar amount for which these coaches are being offered to Ghana could buy the newer or advanced versions of coaches within the European market, a market which is also seeking ways to dispose newer versions of such coaches in order to adopt newer technologies the Chinese have unveiled in the rail market. His fear is that these trains have outlived their usefulness in the Chinese economy and are worth a “scrap” in a couple of years or a few years. “These trains will not only unnecessarily tie the Ghana Railway Corporation to the Chinese manufacturers for parts that may not be available anywhere else, but considering the maintenance culture in Ghana, these trains will become white elephants in a couple of years,” he fumed.
One wonders loudly why Ghanaian leadership never does any critical analysis before jumping on board to sign agreements that have repercussions for the future of the country. According to a member of the delegation that went to China to sign this loan deal amidst pomp and pageantry, any attempt to dissuade the team from some of the elements of the contract was seen by some members of the team who lacked know-how on technical matters as an attempt to stall the progress of government business.
In 2005, Bob Geldof, an Irish Singer, writer and a political activist, brought together celebrities to global audiences in a campaign that culminated in anti-poverty gigs around the world—London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles, among others.
Ghana, a small West African country with a population just under 25 million people, received debt forgiveness of US$4 billion, halving her debt. But in a span of three years, by the time its previous administration—the National Patriotic Party (NPP)—was leaving office, the debts have mounted back to what they were before the debt forgiveness in 2005.
Today, Ghana’s debt has passed the single digit of the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century. It is now in the double digits without the necessary accompanying economic developments and their reflections in the lives of its citizens. Ghanaian, whether NPP or NDC (the National Democratic Congress, the current Ghanaian administration), must learn to hold their governments accountable for financial transactions in the name of corporate Ghana for which their children and grandchildren will pay the price.
The Ghana government must adopt some level of prudence in the management of loans it contracts from countries like China. A loan is not a freebie. Besides, Bob Geldof may not be strong enough by 2015, a decade after the 2005 anti-poverty campaign, to initiate debt forgiveness for the poor. China is not a Father Christmas and may not subscribe to debt forgiveness, so Ghana should thread carefully!
As we continue to fill political and technical positions with square pegs in round holes we are likely to be descending fast into the abyss of economic doldrums. A simple developmental economic analysis can tell members to the team that buying scrap trains creates a dependency situation. It is like buying a 12 year old car rather than a three year old car.
Let me use the car recent recall of Toyota cars for faulty brakes. How many Ghanaians are able to return their Toyota cars to the manufacturers for a benefit that had accrued mainly to users of Toyota cars in North America, Europe, and elsewhere? So for convenience sake, Ghanaians continue to pay for death traps.
Without in depth analysis, one is tempted to think it is a good deal for Ghana. As usual the non strategic thinking o four leaders whether it is NPP or NDC becomes the core issue. All of a sudden the Chinese are getting foothold in our economy. They have factories in Ghana and are still involved in retail trade of the goods they manufacture in Ghana? …What kind of suicidal industrial or commercial policy do we have as a nation? So the Chinese export hoods to Ghana and now we import their literally “100 years old rail cars” which sooner than later will be unreliable and need spare parts. Since we have bought these rail cars under loan we are now the new owners. So Ghana will have to buy spare parts from China earlier than if we had bought brand new trains. We are creating jobs for the Chinese. Would it not be icing on the cake if the Chinese were asked to transfer that technology of repairs to Ghana with Kwame Nkrumah University of Technology (TEK) Mechanical, Civil and Materials Engineering departments to set up shops with Suame Magazine workers to produce these parts? Can we imagine the amount of JOBS we will create for our citizens? What about spin off industries!!!! Think, Ghana Think.
Carl Miller
Center for Global Watch
London
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Monday, November 15, 2010
Chinese workers build 15-story hotel in just six days
As the United States and China battle over the finer points of currency manipulation at the G-20 summit, American negotiators may want to take note of this startling testimonial to the productivity of Chinese workers: A construction crew in the south-central Chinese city of Changsha has completed a 15-story hotel in just six days. If nothing else, this remarkable achievement will stoke further complaints from American economic pundits that China's economy is far more accomplished than ours in tending to such basics as construction.
Meanwhile, it's easy to imagine the disorientation of Changsha residents who'd gone away, or who just hadn't recently ventured into the downtown neighborhood of the new Ark Hotel: "Honey, I don't remember a hotel there, do you?"
The work crew erected the hotel -- a soundproofed, thermal-insulated structure reportedly built to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake -- with all prefabricated materials. In other words, a crew of off-site factory workers built the sections, and their on-site counterparts arranged them on the foundation for the Ark project.
Despite the frenetic pace of construction, no workers were injured -- and thanks to the prefab nature of the process, the builders wasted very few construction materials. Below is a time-lapse video that shows the hotel being built from the ground up in less than a week:
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