WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States should take the lead and break the long tradition of an American always heading the World Bank, Nigerian finance minister and a nominee for the top post Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said on Monday.
Speaking after a "marathon" three-and-a-half-hour interview by the World Bank board, Okonjo-Iweala said the decision on who leads the global development institution should go to the candidate with the best skills for the job.
During her interview with the board, Okonjo-Iweala said she did not ask for the support of countries but pressed them to ensure that the selection process was open and merit based.
Under an informal agreement between the United States and Europe, an American has always headed the World Bank and a European has led the International Monetary Fund since their founding after World War Two.
Rising economic powers such as China, India and Brazil have called for an end to the long-standing tradition and are demanding more influence in global finance institutions.
Okonjo-Iweala, who left a top post at the World Bank last year for a second stint as Nigeria's finance minister, is up against former Colombian finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo and U.S. nominee Korean-American health expert Jim Yong Kim.
Ocampo and Kim are set to be interviewed by the 25-member World Bank board on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
It is the first time that candidates from developing countries have challenged Washington for the top post.
"Somebody has to break this" agreement, Okonjo-Iweala told an event hosted by the Center for Global Development and Washington Post. "Therefore, who is the leader in this world? The U.S. is looked on for that leadership," she added.
The board is set to decide through consensus on a new president of the World Bank on April 16. Kim is likely to succeed Robert Zoellick as World Bank president given the U.S.'s large voting bloc and support by European allies.
Okonjo-Iweala dismissed the argument by some U.S. politicians that the United States would stop financing the World Bank if a non-American took the reins of the institution.
She said she would use her "persuasive powers" to convince Congress to keep funds flowing to the World Bank.
"You cannot look at global governance in the same old way and should recognize the changing constellation of powers," Okonjo-Iweala said. "I do not believe that if we ignore this reality we can really have global governance that works because these countries will not feel valued in the global system."
Okonjo-Iweala said her vision for leading the World Bank was influenced by her own life story of growing up in a village in Nigeria and her experiences as an international economist.
"It is not good enough to say you know about poverty. You have to live it," she said.
As head of the World Bank, Okonjo-Iweala said she would focus on job creation, which was a problem facing both rich and poor countries alike.
"Across the globe, policymakers are grappling with one problem, and that is the problem of job creation," she said, "I have yet to meet a single poor person who did not want the dignity of a job."
She said her experience as finance minister and as managing director of the World Bank gave her unique insights into the complex problems facing emerging market and developing countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
She said the World Bank should also focus more on helping developing countries build roads, railway systems and power grids to help their economies grow, and it should invest more in education, health and gender issues.
She said complex global problems facing developing countries required a World Bank that could respond quickly and creatively to the needs of the poor.
"We need a Rolodex of experts that we can call on very fast," she said. "The bank needs to be fast in delivering knowledge. Middle-income countries are no longer willing to wait when they need a question answered."
While working at the World Bank, Okonjo-Iweala said she compiled a list of 11 issues that frustrated her the most about the institution, which she shared with the board during her interview on Monday.
On her list of frustrations was the lack of data to make vital decisions on poverty reduction in low-income countries.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
U.S. should lead to end World Bank tradition: Nigerian finance minister
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States should take the lead and break the long tradition of an American always heading the World Bank, Nigerian finance minister and a nominee for the top post Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said on Monday.
Speaking after a "marathon" three-and-a-half-hour interview by the World Bank board, Okonjo-Iweala said the decision on who leads the global development institution should go to the candidate with the best skills for the job.
During her interview with the board, Okonjo-Iweala said she did not ask for the support of countries but pressed them to ensure that the selection process was open and merit based.
Under an informal agreement between the United States and Europe, an American has always headed the World Bank and a European has led the International Monetary Fund since their founding after World War Two.
Rising economic powers such as China, India and Brazil have called for an end to the long-standing tradition and are demanding more influence in global finance institutions.
Okonjo-Iweala, who left a top post at the World Bank last year for a second stint as Nigeria's finance minister, is up against former Colombian finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo and U.S. nominee Korean-American health expert Jim Yong Kim.
Ocampo and Kim are set to be interviewed by the 25-member World Bank board on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
It is the first time that candidates from developing countries have challenged Washington for the top post.
"Somebody has to break this" agreement, Okonjo-Iweala told an event hosted by the Center for Global Development and Washington Post. "Therefore, who is the leader in this world? The U.S. is looked on for that leadership," she added.
The board is set to decide through consensus on a new president of the World Bank on April 16. Kim is likely to succeed Robert Zoellick as World Bank president given the U.S.'s large voting bloc and support by European allies.
Okonjo-Iweala dismissed the argument by some U.S. politicians that the United States would stop financing the World Bank if a non-American took the reins of the institution.
She said she would use her "persuasive powers" to convince Congress to keep funds flowing to the World Bank.
"You cannot look at global governance in the same old way and should recognize the changing constellation of powers," Okonjo-Iweala said. "I do not believe that if we ignore this reality we can really have global governance that works because these countries will not feel valued in the global system."
Okonjo-Iweala said her vision for leading the World Bank was influenced by her own life story of growing up in a village in Nigeria and her experiences as an international economist.
"It is not good enough to say you know about poverty. You have to live it," she said.
As head of the World Bank, Okonjo-Iweala said she would focus on job creation, which was a problem facing both rich and poor countries alike.
"Across the globe, policymakers are grappling with one problem, and that is the problem of job creation," she said, "I have yet to meet a single poor person who did not want the dignity of a job."
She said her experience as finance minister and as managing director of the World Bank gave her unique insights into the complex problems facing emerging market and developing countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
She said the World Bank should also focus more on helping developing countries build roads, railway systems and power grids to help their economies grow, and it should invest more in education, health and gender issues.
She said complex global problems facing developing countries required a World Bank that could respond quickly and creatively to the needs of the poor.
"We need a Rolodex of experts that we can call on very fast," she said. "The bank needs to be fast in delivering knowledge. Middle-income countries are no longer willing to wait when they need a question answered."
While working at the World Bank, Okonjo-Iweala said she compiled a list of 11 issues that frustrated her the most about the institution, which she shared with the board during her interview on Monday.
On her list of frustrations was the lack of data to make vital decisions on poverty reduction in low-income countries.
Speaking after a "marathon" three-and-a-half-hour interview by the World Bank board, Okonjo-Iweala said the decision on who leads the global development institution should go to the candidate with the best skills for the job.
During her interview with the board, Okonjo-Iweala said she did not ask for the support of countries but pressed them to ensure that the selection process was open and merit based.
Under an informal agreement between the United States and Europe, an American has always headed the World Bank and a European has led the International Monetary Fund since their founding after World War Two.
Rising economic powers such as China, India and Brazil have called for an end to the long-standing tradition and are demanding more influence in global finance institutions.
Okonjo-Iweala, who left a top post at the World Bank last year for a second stint as Nigeria's finance minister, is up against former Colombian finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo and U.S. nominee Korean-American health expert Jim Yong Kim.
Ocampo and Kim are set to be interviewed by the 25-member World Bank board on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
It is the first time that candidates from developing countries have challenged Washington for the top post.
"Somebody has to break this" agreement, Okonjo-Iweala told an event hosted by the Center for Global Development and Washington Post. "Therefore, who is the leader in this world? The U.S. is looked on for that leadership," she added.
The board is set to decide through consensus on a new president of the World Bank on April 16. Kim is likely to succeed Robert Zoellick as World Bank president given the U.S.'s large voting bloc and support by European allies.
Okonjo-Iweala dismissed the argument by some U.S. politicians that the United States would stop financing the World Bank if a non-American took the reins of the institution.
She said she would use her "persuasive powers" to convince Congress to keep funds flowing to the World Bank.
"You cannot look at global governance in the same old way and should recognize the changing constellation of powers," Okonjo-Iweala said. "I do not believe that if we ignore this reality we can really have global governance that works because these countries will not feel valued in the global system."
Okonjo-Iweala said her vision for leading the World Bank was influenced by her own life story of growing up in a village in Nigeria and her experiences as an international economist.
"It is not good enough to say you know about poverty. You have to live it," she said.
As head of the World Bank, Okonjo-Iweala said she would focus on job creation, which was a problem facing both rich and poor countries alike.
"Across the globe, policymakers are grappling with one problem, and that is the problem of job creation," she said, "I have yet to meet a single poor person who did not want the dignity of a job."
She said her experience as finance minister and as managing director of the World Bank gave her unique insights into the complex problems facing emerging market and developing countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
She said the World Bank should also focus more on helping developing countries build roads, railway systems and power grids to help their economies grow, and it should invest more in education, health and gender issues.
She said complex global problems facing developing countries required a World Bank that could respond quickly and creatively to the needs of the poor.
"We need a Rolodex of experts that we can call on very fast," she said. "The bank needs to be fast in delivering knowledge. Middle-income countries are no longer willing to wait when they need a question answered."
While working at the World Bank, Okonjo-Iweala said she compiled a list of 11 issues that frustrated her the most about the institution, which she shared with the board during her interview on Monday.
On her list of frustrations was the lack of data to make vital decisions on poverty reduction in low-income countries.
Report: 150,000 languish in NKorean prison camps
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 150,000 North Koreans are incarcerated in a Soviet-style, hidden gulag despite the communist government's denial it holds political prisoners, a human rights group reported Tuesday.
The U.S.-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea said it based its report on interviews with 60 former prisoners and guards. It includes satellite images of what are described as prison labor camps and penitentiaries.
The report documents the alleged incarceration of entire families, including children and grandparents for the "political crimes" of other family members, and infanticide and forced abortions of female prisoners who illegally crossed into China and got pregnant by men there, and were then forcibly repatriated to North Korea.
The committee, a private, U.S.-based group, is holding a conference Tuesday in Washington, timed for Pyongyang's celebrations to mark the centennial of the repressive nation's founder.
The U.S. envoy on North Korean human rights, Robert King, is due to address the conference, which takes place as the international spotlight shines on the North over its plans to launch a long-range rocket and, according to South Korean intelligence, a third nuclear weapons test.
"It is not just nuclear weapons that have to be dismantled," said Roberta Cohen, chairwoman of the committee's board of directors, "but an entire system of political repression."
The report says the camp system was initially modeled in the 1950s on the Soviet gulag to punish "wrong thinkers" and those belonging to the "wrong political class" or religious persuasion.
It cites estimates from North Korean state security agency officials who defected to South Korea that the camp system holds between 150,000 and 200,000 people out of a total population of around 24 million. It urges North Korea to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross access, and to dismantle the camps.
The 200-page report described different kinds of detention facilities, including penal labor colonies where it says political detainees are imprisoned without judicial process for mostly lifetime sentences in mining, logging or agricultural enterprises.
The labor colonies are enclosed behind barbed wire and electrified fences, mainly in the north and north central mountains of the country, the report says, alleging high rates of death in detention due to systemic mistreatment, torture, execution and malnutrition.
The report says former prisoners were able to identify their former barrack and houses, work sites, execution grounds and other landmarks in the camps via imagery available through Google Earth.
The committee says the report's findings contradict a December 2009 statement by North Korea to the United Nations Human Rights Council that the political prisoner camps do not exist.
Greg Scarlatoiu, the committee's executive director, said more than 30,000 North Korean defectors have now fled the country, up from just 3,000 a decade ago, so Pyongyang cannot hide the harsh reality of its political prison camps.
The U.S.-based Committee for Human Rights in North Korea said it based its report on interviews with 60 former prisoners and guards. It includes satellite images of what are described as prison labor camps and penitentiaries.
The report documents the alleged incarceration of entire families, including children and grandparents for the "political crimes" of other family members, and infanticide and forced abortions of female prisoners who illegally crossed into China and got pregnant by men there, and were then forcibly repatriated to North Korea.
The committee, a private, U.S.-based group, is holding a conference Tuesday in Washington, timed for Pyongyang's celebrations to mark the centennial of the repressive nation's founder.
The U.S. envoy on North Korean human rights, Robert King, is due to address the conference, which takes place as the international spotlight shines on the North over its plans to launch a long-range rocket and, according to South Korean intelligence, a third nuclear weapons test.
"It is not just nuclear weapons that have to be dismantled," said Roberta Cohen, chairwoman of the committee's board of directors, "but an entire system of political repression."
The report says the camp system was initially modeled in the 1950s on the Soviet gulag to punish "wrong thinkers" and those belonging to the "wrong political class" or religious persuasion.
It cites estimates from North Korean state security agency officials who defected to South Korea that the camp system holds between 150,000 and 200,000 people out of a total population of around 24 million. It urges North Korea to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross access, and to dismantle the camps.
The 200-page report described different kinds of detention facilities, including penal labor colonies where it says political detainees are imprisoned without judicial process for mostly lifetime sentences in mining, logging or agricultural enterprises.
The labor colonies are enclosed behind barbed wire and electrified fences, mainly in the north and north central mountains of the country, the report says, alleging high rates of death in detention due to systemic mistreatment, torture, execution and malnutrition.
The report says former prisoners were able to identify their former barrack and houses, work sites, execution grounds and other landmarks in the camps via imagery available through Google Earth.
The committee says the report's findings contradict a December 2009 statement by North Korea to the United Nations Human Rights Council that the political prisoner camps do not exist.
Greg Scarlatoiu, the committee's executive director, said more than 30,000 North Korean defectors have now fled the country, up from just 3,000 a decade ago, so Pyongyang cannot hide the harsh reality of its political prison camps.
Dozens of Boko Haram in Mali's rebel-seized Gao: sources
Among the rebels controlling Mali's northern city of Gao are dozens of Nigeria's Islamist Boko Haram group, a regional deputy told AFP on Monday, while a security source confirmed the information.
"There are a good 100 Boko Haram fighters in Gao. They are Nigerians and from Niger," said Abu Sidibe, a regional deputy. "They're not hiding. Some are even able to speak in the local tongue, explaining that they are Boko Haram."
Militants from Boko Haram "were in a majority among those who attacked the Algerian consulate" in Gao on Thursday, a Malian security official said, adding that "they had black skin".
Seven Algerian diplomats, including the consul, were taken hostage at the time.
Witnesses interviewed by telephone from Bamako said members of Boko Haram were later seen openly driving the kidnapped consul's car.
The kidnapping was claimed in a statement on Sunday by an Al-Qaeda dissident group, the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO).
MUJAO is said to have broken off from the main group, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), in order to spread jihad to west Africa rather than confine themselves just to the Maghreb or Sahel regions.
Boko Haram, which has also kidnapped westerners in Nigeria, has been blamed for a series of attacks over Easter weekend in northern Nigeria that left at least 45 dead.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar, one of the leaders of AQIM, was also spotted over the weekend in Gao, witnesses said.
"There are a good 100 Boko Haram fighters in Gao. They are Nigerians and from Niger," said Abu Sidibe, a regional deputy. "They're not hiding. Some are even able to speak in the local tongue, explaining that they are Boko Haram."
Militants from Boko Haram "were in a majority among those who attacked the Algerian consulate" in Gao on Thursday, a Malian security official said, adding that "they had black skin".
Seven Algerian diplomats, including the consul, were taken hostage at the time.
Witnesses interviewed by telephone from Bamako said members of Boko Haram were later seen openly driving the kidnapped consul's car.
The kidnapping was claimed in a statement on Sunday by an Al-Qaeda dissident group, the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO).
MUJAO is said to have broken off from the main group, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), in order to spread jihad to west Africa rather than confine themselves just to the Maghreb or Sahel regions.
Boko Haram, which has also kidnapped westerners in Nigeria, has been blamed for a series of attacks over Easter weekend in northern Nigeria that left at least 45 dead.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar, one of the leaders of AQIM, was also spotted over the weekend in Gao, witnesses said.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
'Rogue Indians can Destroy Country's Reputation in Ghana'
From Daijiworld.com
Accra (Ghana), Apr 3 (IANS): A few rogue Indians can destroy the image of their countrymen, widely well regarded in Ghana, say police officials of the west African country, citing recent incidents of Indians figuring in the news for the wrong reasons.
For Indians, who have long been seen as good ambassadors of their country in Ghana, especially when compared to their counterparts from some other nations, it is a warning bell.
"It would just take a few cases to damage the image of the country. Last year, there was the case of some Indians arrested for engaging in human trafficking. Now we have a case of stealing which is not good for people who have long been seen as law-abiding ambassadors of their country," a Ghana Police Service official told IANS.
He was commenting on a recent warrant by an Accra Circuit Court for the arrest of two Indian nationals who have become the latest in the growing number of a few whose activities have come to dent the growing interest that Ghanaians have shown in the Indian government support for the country's development.
The two, Jitendra Bhojwani Prakash Kumar and Rana Mansoor Ahmed Anjam, are to be arrested for allegedly stealing company property, including $102,000 in cash, two desktop computers, one laptop and one mobile phone, all valued at $105,700.
The two had their pictures splashed in state-owned Daily Graphic and were described as wanted by police. This comes just days after Indian High Commissioner in Accra Rajinder Bhagat said India is trying to make Ghana a hub of Indo-Africa technology institutes.
The official said they have been overwhelmed by reports of Chinese engaging in illegal mining activities in some parts of the country which has created tension among them and the people. There has also been media reports of Ghanaian traders in the Accra Business District continually calling on the government to kick out Chinese who have gradually taken over the retail business all over Accra which is by law reserved for Ghanaians.
It is against this background that Indian expatriates are seen as law-abiding. Most of those who have been in the country over a long period have lived among the people and some have engaged in activities that have assisted the growth of the country, especially in agriculture.
Thus, some Indians in Accra have come to see the recent court warrant for the two who have been accused of stealing as creating a dent on the long-standing image that Indians have built in Ghana.
"We are aware of what the Indian government is doing to assist Ghana over the years and a few bad nuts should not destroy the good relationship," said Suresh Singh, an IT consultant who arrived in Accra, the country's capital, last year.
Singh said, "before coming to Accra l had met a few Ghanaians who had come to India to study and these people have all said good things about Indians living in Ghana; that is why it is worrying that some people would just try to paint our country black."
Official Indian assistance to Ghana has been tremendous over the years and it is still continuing. Currently, Bhagat said, the Indian government is considering a proposal to establish an Indian Institute of Information Technology, a regional material testing laboratory for highways and a civil aviation academy in Ghana.
These efforts are all part of the efforts that India is pushing to help build a strong bilateral relationship with Ghana.
For instance, Bhagat said, Ghana's slot on the India Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) has increased to 125 this year from 110 earlier. The ITEC programme started in 1964 as a bilateral effort by the Indian government to assist developing countries. The programme's African part, designated as AITEC, covers courses in agriculture and agro-processing, entrepreneurship development, toll design, small business creation, tele-medicine and information and communication technology.
Bhagat said since its inception, the Indian government has spent more than $12 billion and continues to spend $12 million annually. Thousands of Ghanaian professionals have benefitted from several institutions across India.
Accra (Ghana), Apr 3 (IANS): A few rogue Indians can destroy the image of their countrymen, widely well regarded in Ghana, say police officials of the west African country, citing recent incidents of Indians figuring in the news for the wrong reasons.
For Indians, who have long been seen as good ambassadors of their country in Ghana, especially when compared to their counterparts from some other nations, it is a warning bell.
"It would just take a few cases to damage the image of the country. Last year, there was the case of some Indians arrested for engaging in human trafficking. Now we have a case of stealing which is not good for people who have long been seen as law-abiding ambassadors of their country," a Ghana Police Service official told IANS.
He was commenting on a recent warrant by an Accra Circuit Court for the arrest of two Indian nationals who have become the latest in the growing number of a few whose activities have come to dent the growing interest that Ghanaians have shown in the Indian government support for the country's development.
The two, Jitendra Bhojwani Prakash Kumar and Rana Mansoor Ahmed Anjam, are to be arrested for allegedly stealing company property, including $102,000 in cash, two desktop computers, one laptop and one mobile phone, all valued at $105,700.
The two had their pictures splashed in state-owned Daily Graphic and were described as wanted by police. This comes just days after Indian High Commissioner in Accra Rajinder Bhagat said India is trying to make Ghana a hub of Indo-Africa technology institutes.
The official said they have been overwhelmed by reports of Chinese engaging in illegal mining activities in some parts of the country which has created tension among them and the people. There has also been media reports of Ghanaian traders in the Accra Business District continually calling on the government to kick out Chinese who have gradually taken over the retail business all over Accra which is by law reserved for Ghanaians.
It is against this background that Indian expatriates are seen as law-abiding. Most of those who have been in the country over a long period have lived among the people and some have engaged in activities that have assisted the growth of the country, especially in agriculture.
Thus, some Indians in Accra have come to see the recent court warrant for the two who have been accused of stealing as creating a dent on the long-standing image that Indians have built in Ghana.
"We are aware of what the Indian government is doing to assist Ghana over the years and a few bad nuts should not destroy the good relationship," said Suresh Singh, an IT consultant who arrived in Accra, the country's capital, last year.
Singh said, "before coming to Accra l had met a few Ghanaians who had come to India to study and these people have all said good things about Indians living in Ghana; that is why it is worrying that some people would just try to paint our country black."
Official Indian assistance to Ghana has been tremendous over the years and it is still continuing. Currently, Bhagat said, the Indian government is considering a proposal to establish an Indian Institute of Information Technology, a regional material testing laboratory for highways and a civil aviation academy in Ghana.
These efforts are all part of the efforts that India is pushing to help build a strong bilateral relationship with Ghana.
For instance, Bhagat said, Ghana's slot on the India Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) has increased to 125 this year from 110 earlier. The ITEC programme started in 1964 as a bilateral effort by the Indian government to assist developing countries. The programme's African part, designated as AITEC, covers courses in agriculture and agro-processing, entrepreneurship development, toll design, small business creation, tele-medicine and information and communication technology.
Bhagat said since its inception, the Indian government has spent more than $12 billion and continues to spend $12 million annually. Thousands of Ghanaian professionals have benefitted from several institutions across India.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Minister orders immediate investigation into recent nationwide blackout
The three electricity providers are to set up a technical committee to investigate the circumstances that led to a string of nationwide blackouts.
The providers, the Volta River Authority, the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCO), and the Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, are expected to submit their report to the Ministry of Energy within 24 hours.
They are also required to outline strategies to forestall future occurrences.
The Minister of Energy, Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei who gave the directive, told the Daily Graphic that last Wednesday's blackout was worrying and therefore an independent enquiry to ascertain the challenge is necessary.
He said much as government acknowledges the constraints in the power sector, total blackout can be prevented if systems were managed effectively.
He urged the Utility Companies to be up and doing because Ghanaians are beginning to lose their patience on such incidents.
The providers, the Volta River Authority, the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCO), and the Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, are expected to submit their report to the Ministry of Energy within 24 hours.
They are also required to outline strategies to forestall future occurrences.
The Minister of Energy, Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei who gave the directive, told the Daily Graphic that last Wednesday's blackout was worrying and therefore an independent enquiry to ascertain the challenge is necessary.
He said much as government acknowledges the constraints in the power sector, total blackout can be prevented if systems were managed effectively.
He urged the Utility Companies to be up and doing because Ghanaians are beginning to lose their patience on such incidents.
Ken Agyapong Exposes More NDC Corruption
The Member of Parliament for Assin North in the Central Region, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, became an instant hero at a forum organized by civil society pressure group, Alliance For Accountable Governance (AFAG) at Koforidua in the Eastern Region on Tuesday evening, for exposing more 'gargantuan' corruption going on in the Atta Mills government.
Mr Agyapong exposed the Alfred Woyome gargantuan scandal which has become an albatross around the neck of the ruling government.
Mr Agyapong, who was one of the main speakers at the forum dubbed 'Gargantuan Forum', was mobbed by persons who had thronged the Appenteng Hall where the forum took place, while everyone tried to shake hands with him after revealing other corrupt practices going in the government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by Prof John Atta Mills.
He said the NDC had tried unsuccessfully to use some influential persons in the country to gag him or stop him from his mission to 'expose' the government as one which had touted itself as the 'caring government' but only came to power to loot the resources of the country and leave the nation poorer.
He said he could never be intimidated or distracted from his commitment to expose the crime that had been committed against Ghanaians by the NDC under the guise of payment of judgment debts.
He said since he came into politics, he had never seen a Ghanaian president as corrupt and insensitive as President Atta Mills who was happily supervising over 'gargantuan' looting by his own ministers and cronies.
He said the judgment debt of over GH¢200million paid to Construction Pioneers (CP), the GH¢52million paid to Woyome and some being paid to some self-styled chiefs were all fraudulent payments.
'In 2009, the government paid GH¢675million as judgment debts while in 2010, it paid GH¢276million judgment debts, most of which were fraudulent,' he said.
According to him, President Mills had come to parliament on February 19, 2009 and February 25, 2010 to say that his government was going to pay all judgment and crippling debts that were stifling the country's growth and for him (Mills) to say that he did not know anything about the fraudulent payment of the judgment debt to Woyome was really hypocritical.
'If it were to be in the developed world, President Mills would have long resigned over these scandalous payments to these individuals or companies who did not have any contracts or business with the state,' he said, adding that 'because the president does not have any shame, he is asking Ghanaians to renew his mandate again or give him another four-year term'.
'If it were to be in the US or UK, the president would have resigned or would have been impeached but he thinks Ghanaians are ignorant and fools to be fooled again after failing to fulfill all the promises of reducing fuel prices, creating jobs and giving hope to the youth.'
He indicated that a fruit-processing company employing about 345 permanent workers had been set up at the cost of GH¢16million in his constituency and that about 50 or more of such companies could be set up with these monies fraudulently paid to individuals, to create employment.
According to Hon Agyapong, a six-unit classroom block which was built at the cost of GH¢76,000 in 2008 was now being built at the cost of GH¢150,000, adding that a similar six-unit classroom to be built at Bawku in the Upper East Region had been estimated to cost GH¢325,000.
'I am building a three-unit classroom block at Assin Fosu in my constituency at the cost of GH¢55,000 and the same classroom block is being built at the cost of GH¢245,000 by the government,' he said, stressing that the Atta Mills government had woefully disappointed Ghanaians and should therefore be shown the exit in December.
The Assin North MP however sounded a note of caution to the President to ensure free and fair general elections.
Samuel Atta Akyea, the MP for Abuakwa South in the Eastern Region, who also spoke at the forum, said some NDC MPs even thought their own government had disappointed Ghanaians with regard to the payment of the judgment debt and therefore did not deserve another term.
'I can tell you that some of the NDC MPs continue to confide in us the embarrassment the judgment debt had brought to them and the fact that it would surely affect their chances of winning the December elections.'
Hon Atta Akyea however said there was the need for foot-soldiers and members of the NPP to move from community to community and house to house to tell Ghanaians the 'bad' story of the NDC and also encourage them to register to enable them to vote the NDC out and bring the NPP into power to change things for the better.
The MP for Kade, Ofosu Asamoah, said it was strange for the government to set up a committee to seize 'pirated' wax print Safter customs officials selfishly allowed them to be imported onto the Ghanaian market.
The forum was massively patronized with the venue being filled to capacity, with a curious audience standing outside the hall to listen from the loud speakers.
Some radio stations also carried it live.
Present at the forum were all leading members of AFAG including the chairman Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie, Abu Ramadan, Samuel Awuku, Davis Opoku and members of other political parties who were invited.
The ruling NDC declined the invitation even though it was invited.
According to the AFAG chairman, the group would try to organize more of such forums in all the regions to help sensitise Ghanaians on some of the bad decisions taken by the government which were having a negative impact on the development of the nation.
From Thomas Fosu Jnr, Koforidua
Mr Agyapong exposed the Alfred Woyome gargantuan scandal which has become an albatross around the neck of the ruling government.
Mr Agyapong, who was one of the main speakers at the forum dubbed 'Gargantuan Forum', was mobbed by persons who had thronged the Appenteng Hall where the forum took place, while everyone tried to shake hands with him after revealing other corrupt practices going in the government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by Prof John Atta Mills.
He said the NDC had tried unsuccessfully to use some influential persons in the country to gag him or stop him from his mission to 'expose' the government as one which had touted itself as the 'caring government' but only came to power to loot the resources of the country and leave the nation poorer.
He said he could never be intimidated or distracted from his commitment to expose the crime that had been committed against Ghanaians by the NDC under the guise of payment of judgment debts.
He said since he came into politics, he had never seen a Ghanaian president as corrupt and insensitive as President Atta Mills who was happily supervising over 'gargantuan' looting by his own ministers and cronies.
He said the judgment debt of over GH¢200million paid to Construction Pioneers (CP), the GH¢52million paid to Woyome and some being paid to some self-styled chiefs were all fraudulent payments.
'In 2009, the government paid GH¢675million as judgment debts while in 2010, it paid GH¢276million judgment debts, most of which were fraudulent,' he said.
According to him, President Mills had come to parliament on February 19, 2009 and February 25, 2010 to say that his government was going to pay all judgment and crippling debts that were stifling the country's growth and for him (Mills) to say that he did not know anything about the fraudulent payment of the judgment debt to Woyome was really hypocritical.
'If it were to be in the developed world, President Mills would have long resigned over these scandalous payments to these individuals or companies who did not have any contracts or business with the state,' he said, adding that 'because the president does not have any shame, he is asking Ghanaians to renew his mandate again or give him another four-year term'.
'If it were to be in the US or UK, the president would have resigned or would have been impeached but he thinks Ghanaians are ignorant and fools to be fooled again after failing to fulfill all the promises of reducing fuel prices, creating jobs and giving hope to the youth.'
He indicated that a fruit-processing company employing about 345 permanent workers had been set up at the cost of GH¢16million in his constituency and that about 50 or more of such companies could be set up with these monies fraudulently paid to individuals, to create employment.
According to Hon Agyapong, a six-unit classroom block which was built at the cost of GH¢76,000 in 2008 was now being built at the cost of GH¢150,000, adding that a similar six-unit classroom to be built at Bawku in the Upper East Region had been estimated to cost GH¢325,000.
'I am building a three-unit classroom block at Assin Fosu in my constituency at the cost of GH¢55,000 and the same classroom block is being built at the cost of GH¢245,000 by the government,' he said, stressing that the Atta Mills government had woefully disappointed Ghanaians and should therefore be shown the exit in December.
The Assin North MP however sounded a note of caution to the President to ensure free and fair general elections.
Samuel Atta Akyea, the MP for Abuakwa South in the Eastern Region, who also spoke at the forum, said some NDC MPs even thought their own government had disappointed Ghanaians with regard to the payment of the judgment debt and therefore did not deserve another term.
'I can tell you that some of the NDC MPs continue to confide in us the embarrassment the judgment debt had brought to them and the fact that it would surely affect their chances of winning the December elections.'
Hon Atta Akyea however said there was the need for foot-soldiers and members of the NPP to move from community to community and house to house to tell Ghanaians the 'bad' story of the NDC and also encourage them to register to enable them to vote the NDC out and bring the NPP into power to change things for the better.
The MP for Kade, Ofosu Asamoah, said it was strange for the government to set up a committee to seize 'pirated' wax print Safter customs officials selfishly allowed them to be imported onto the Ghanaian market.
The forum was massively patronized with the venue being filled to capacity, with a curious audience standing outside the hall to listen from the loud speakers.
Some radio stations also carried it live.
Present at the forum were all leading members of AFAG including the chairman Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie, Abu Ramadan, Samuel Awuku, Davis Opoku and members of other political parties who were invited.
The ruling NDC declined the invitation even though it was invited.
According to the AFAG chairman, the group would try to organize more of such forums in all the regions to help sensitise Ghanaians on some of the bad decisions taken by the government which were having a negative impact on the development of the nation.
From Thomas Fosu Jnr, Koforidua
Mills has become a dictator, says Sir John
President Mills
-“He is dangerous to our democracy”
The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, says the level of intolerance being displayed by President Mills and his National Democratic Congress administration goes to confirm the fact that President Mills has become “a very dangerous dictator” in just three years of being in office.
According to Sir John, whilst world renowned dictators usually use five or more years to establish their dictatorial legacies, President Mills has used an unprecedented period of three years in achieving this feat, mainly by clamping down heavily on dissenting views against his government.
In an exclusive interview with the New Statesman yesterday, the NPP chief scribe stated that the decision by the Mills-Mahama led administration to boycott all six media platforms of the Multimedia Group Limited was indicative of the level to which governance had reduced under President Mills.
Meanwhile, Nana Obiri-Boahen, former minister of state at the Interior Ministry, has described the decision as “unthinkable, irresponsible, crude and very dangerous for the nation's democracy.”
According him, “the decision is borne out of frustration and desperation and shows how myopic the government is, with respect to freedom of speech.”
“But, some of us are not surprised at all for if you have people like the Koku Anyidohos, Ablakwahs, Agyenim Boatengs, Asiedu Nketiahs, Otukonors, and Nii Lamptey Vanderpuyes, who behave like petulant school boys, dictating the pace in a government, this is what you can expect to have,” he stated when he commented on the issue yesterday.
In the view of Sir John, “The government's decision to boycott multimedia group and further directing all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to treat journalists from the company as gate-crashers, is an infringement on the right to information of Ghanaians, an affront to National Media Commission's authority as enshrined in the 1992 constitution, and, above all, against the constitution of the Republic of Ghana.”
Making reference to 1992 Constitution to buttress his point, the NPP General Secretary explained that Chapter Five of the Constitution which spells out the Bill of Rights also guarantees the freedom of the press, adding that Article 21 (f) of the constitution clearly states that information is necessary in a democratic society.
“Also Article 162 (4) states 'Editors and publishers of newspapers and other institutions of the mass media shall not be subject to control or interference by Government, nor shall they be penalized or harassed for their editorial opinions and views, or the content of their publications,'” Sir John stated.
He continued, “Is President Mills saying per this directive that if a multimedia journalist goes to the Ministries, VRA, ECG, the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly or any State institution to seek information, he should be sent out? What does that say then of the independence of our State institutions? How the executive give that kind of directive is difficult for me to understand.”
Checks made by the paper indicate that the Food and Drugs Board turned away staff of Multi TV from their premises Wednesday; the Minister of Trade, Hannah Tetteh sacked journalists from Multimedia at an event held at La Palm Beach Hotel about a month ago, insisting they leave before the function starts. Also when the president returned from America, journalists from Multimedia were escorted out of the Airport by National Security officials.
In the opinion of Sir John, “for Government to boycott all six Multimedia stations because of one man, Bobie, shows that the NDC has no message besides insulting Nana Addo, because that was what the programme (Ekosi sen on Asempa FM) was used to do. And we were vindicated because Bobie himself had to apologise to us”.
When the possibility of the President not being aware of this unfolding drama was posed to the NPP Chief Scribe, he stated: “ignorance is indeed the worst form of dictatorship and President Mills cannot be absolved of blame in this saga.”
“Mills is a dictator and he is building a dictatorship outside the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. The arrogance of Mills and the NDC and the way they are rewriting all of Ghana's history is astounding,” Sir John said.
The NPP man further added that the recent arrest of Ernest Owusu Bempah, director of Operations of FONKAR, was also indicative enough of President Mills' level of intolerance.
To Nana Obiri-Boahen, the boycott of Multimedia comes as “a serious indictment on the intelligent people” in the Mills-Mahama led government, “more so the president who a law professor.”
According the leading NPP member, a political party may be pardoned if it decides to boycott a particular programme on a radio station, “but for the whole Government of Ghana, headed by Law Professor Mills, to boycott a media group shows how irresponsible and crude the people running the government are, and this is a clear indication that they don't have anything good for the nation.
Making reference to Article 166, as well as Chapter 12, of the 1992 constitution, Nana Obiri-Boahen noted that the NDC should have “allowed common sense to win the day by lodging complaint with the National Media Commission if they indeed had genuine problems with Multimedia.”
He added that the decision by the Mills-Mahama led government “tells volumes about a government that is not tolerant of divergent views; a government that has no foresight and has no respect for democratic tenets.”
-“He is dangerous to our democracy”
The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, says the level of intolerance being displayed by President Mills and his National Democratic Congress administration goes to confirm the fact that President Mills has become “a very dangerous dictator” in just three years of being in office.
According to Sir John, whilst world renowned dictators usually use five or more years to establish their dictatorial legacies, President Mills has used an unprecedented period of three years in achieving this feat, mainly by clamping down heavily on dissenting views against his government.
In an exclusive interview with the New Statesman yesterday, the NPP chief scribe stated that the decision by the Mills-Mahama led administration to boycott all six media platforms of the Multimedia Group Limited was indicative of the level to which governance had reduced under President Mills.
Meanwhile, Nana Obiri-Boahen, former minister of state at the Interior Ministry, has described the decision as “unthinkable, irresponsible, crude and very dangerous for the nation's democracy.”
According him, “the decision is borne out of frustration and desperation and shows how myopic the government is, with respect to freedom of speech.”
“But, some of us are not surprised at all for if you have people like the Koku Anyidohos, Ablakwahs, Agyenim Boatengs, Asiedu Nketiahs, Otukonors, and Nii Lamptey Vanderpuyes, who behave like petulant school boys, dictating the pace in a government, this is what you can expect to have,” he stated when he commented on the issue yesterday.
In the view of Sir John, “The government's decision to boycott multimedia group and further directing all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to treat journalists from the company as gate-crashers, is an infringement on the right to information of Ghanaians, an affront to National Media Commission's authority as enshrined in the 1992 constitution, and, above all, against the constitution of the Republic of Ghana.”
Making reference to 1992 Constitution to buttress his point, the NPP General Secretary explained that Chapter Five of the Constitution which spells out the Bill of Rights also guarantees the freedom of the press, adding that Article 21 (f) of the constitution clearly states that information is necessary in a democratic society.
“Also Article 162 (4) states 'Editors and publishers of newspapers and other institutions of the mass media shall not be subject to control or interference by Government, nor shall they be penalized or harassed for their editorial opinions and views, or the content of their publications,'” Sir John stated.
He continued, “Is President Mills saying per this directive that if a multimedia journalist goes to the Ministries, VRA, ECG, the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly or any State institution to seek information, he should be sent out? What does that say then of the independence of our State institutions? How the executive give that kind of directive is difficult for me to understand.”
Checks made by the paper indicate that the Food and Drugs Board turned away staff of Multi TV from their premises Wednesday; the Minister of Trade, Hannah Tetteh sacked journalists from Multimedia at an event held at La Palm Beach Hotel about a month ago, insisting they leave before the function starts. Also when the president returned from America, journalists from Multimedia were escorted out of the Airport by National Security officials.
In the opinion of Sir John, “for Government to boycott all six Multimedia stations because of one man, Bobie, shows that the NDC has no message besides insulting Nana Addo, because that was what the programme (Ekosi sen on Asempa FM) was used to do. And we were vindicated because Bobie himself had to apologise to us”.
When the possibility of the President not being aware of this unfolding drama was posed to the NPP Chief Scribe, he stated: “ignorance is indeed the worst form of dictatorship and President Mills cannot be absolved of blame in this saga.”
“Mills is a dictator and he is building a dictatorship outside the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. The arrogance of Mills and the NDC and the way they are rewriting all of Ghana's history is astounding,” Sir John said.
The NPP man further added that the recent arrest of Ernest Owusu Bempah, director of Operations of FONKAR, was also indicative enough of President Mills' level of intolerance.
To Nana Obiri-Boahen, the boycott of Multimedia comes as “a serious indictment on the intelligent people” in the Mills-Mahama led government, “more so the president who a law professor.”
According the leading NPP member, a political party may be pardoned if it decides to boycott a particular programme on a radio station, “but for the whole Government of Ghana, headed by Law Professor Mills, to boycott a media group shows how irresponsible and crude the people running the government are, and this is a clear indication that they don't have anything good for the nation.
Making reference to Article 166, as well as Chapter 12, of the 1992 constitution, Nana Obiri-Boahen noted that the NDC should have “allowed common sense to win the day by lodging complaint with the National Media Commission if they indeed had genuine problems with Multimedia.”
He added that the decision by the Mills-Mahama led government “tells volumes about a government that is not tolerant of divergent views; a government that has no foresight and has no respect for democratic tenets.”
Mali president's whereabouts unknown after coup
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The whereabouts of Mali's president were unknown Friday, a day after mutinous soldiers declared a coup, raising fears and prompting uncertainty in a West African nation that had been one of the region's few established democracies.
Even though the sound of gunfire had ceased in the capital, stores remained shuttered Friday and the streets were empty because a nationwide curfew remained in effect. Uncertainty gripped this landlocked nation of 15.4 million as people tried to find out the identities of the soldiers that suddenly appeared on state television Thursday, announcing a coup d'etat.
Late Thursday, the coup leader Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo gave an interview on state television in which he said that President Amadou Toumani Toure was in good health, but refused to say where he is, or even if he is being held by the putschists.
"For the moment, I will not tell you where President Amadou Toumani Toure is," he said. "He's very well. He's safe. As far as us — I already told you yesterday that our objective is not to physically harm anyone."
Toure is himself a soldier who came to power in a 1991 coup. He was hailed for handing power to civilians. He won the democratic election in 2002.
Baffling for many is the fact that Toure was due to step down next month at the end of his second term. Instead, soldiers angry over his handling of an insurgency in the country's north stormed the palace. He has not been heard from since.
Elections were slated for April 29; that now looks increasingly unlikely.
Sanogo also assured the public that the ministers that have been detained by the junta were safe and will not be hurt.
"And I assure you that no one will physically hurt any of them, but as long as I remain at the head of this movement ... they will however need to go before a competent court," he said, suggesting that they will be tried.
The coup began with a mutiny at a military camp outside the capital, where soldiers were angered by a speech delivered by the country's minister of defense, who failed to mention the plight of troops killed in the country's new insurgency.
Large numbers of soldiers have lost their lives in the uprising which began in January in the impoverished nation. Their widows have not been compensated. They accuse the government — and especially Toure — of sending them to the battlefield without the proper equipment, and without even enough food.
Even though the sound of gunfire had ceased in the capital, stores remained shuttered Friday and the streets were empty because a nationwide curfew remained in effect. Uncertainty gripped this landlocked nation of 15.4 million as people tried to find out the identities of the soldiers that suddenly appeared on state television Thursday, announcing a coup d'etat.
Late Thursday, the coup leader Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo gave an interview on state television in which he said that President Amadou Toumani Toure was in good health, but refused to say where he is, or even if he is being held by the putschists.
"For the moment, I will not tell you where President Amadou Toumani Toure is," he said. "He's very well. He's safe. As far as us — I already told you yesterday that our objective is not to physically harm anyone."
Toure is himself a soldier who came to power in a 1991 coup. He was hailed for handing power to civilians. He won the democratic election in 2002.
Baffling for many is the fact that Toure was due to step down next month at the end of his second term. Instead, soldiers angry over his handling of an insurgency in the country's north stormed the palace. He has not been heard from since.
Elections were slated for April 29; that now looks increasingly unlikely.
Sanogo also assured the public that the ministers that have been detained by the junta were safe and will not be hurt.
"And I assure you that no one will physically hurt any of them, but as long as I remain at the head of this movement ... they will however need to go before a competent court," he said, suggesting that they will be tried.
The coup began with a mutiny at a military camp outside the capital, where soldiers were angered by a speech delivered by the country's minister of defense, who failed to mention the plight of troops killed in the country's new insurgency.
Large numbers of soldiers have lost their lives in the uprising which began in January in the impoverished nation. Their widows have not been compensated. They accuse the government — and especially Toure — of sending them to the battlefield without the proper equipment, and without even enough food.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
GIDC seeks to provide e-government technological solution for Ghana in 2013
Accra, March 17, GNA - The Ghana International Development Consortium (GIDC), is ready to provide a technological solution for the ongoing e- government problems in the country.
It has therefore, proposed an integrated “All in One System“ solution, which includes a modern voting technology that can address the voter verification problem in Ghana and the challenges facing the nation in the area of census data collection and analysis for effective implementation of policies and programmes.
The Consortium is made up of some of the nation’s professionals in the Diaspora with the sole aim and objective of identifying and addressing Ghana’s developmental challenges.
In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra, it said” a comprehensive integrated e-government technology solution is needed to address the nation’s residential, voting and data gathering for effective and meaningful policy-making on a long-term basis.
“The Consortium has notified the Electoral Commission (EC) and Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in separate letters in December, 2011 that after following the 2010 National Census of Ghana and the challenges encountered in that exercise, and after monitoring the ongoing debate over the Biometric Voter Registration in Ghana, the GIDC and its German partners are prepared to offer secured short-term and long-term comprehensive integrated information system solutions to help address the nation’s problems.”
The GIDC informed the EC and GSS that the secured integrated system solution its members were offering would have some features and benefits, including technological architecture that would serves as a government-wide integrated information system with the capability for inter-departmental and inter-ministerial data sharing for
effective and efficient management of governmental operations in the country.
A nation-wide implementation of the system would help maintain the requisite records and other pertinent information needed to formulate national policies, and to conduct fraudulent-free elections.
“The GIDC acknowledges that such a comprehensive system cannot be rolled out in the entire nation overnight and as such, in order to gain the confidence of the political parties, government stakeholders and the good people of Ghana, they are ready to implement it in modules by focusing initially on the Census and Statistical data collection problems,” the statement said.
It said the e-government-wide integrated information system could not be found in any developing country, and Ghana would be the first country in Africa to be blessed with this system.
The Consortium pointed out that with such a system in place, not only would the needs of the EC and GSS be met, but also the government would have at its disposal on a timely basis, the relevant information needed to make informed policy decisions that would help advance Ghana.
The statement said: “It is assumed that, under the auspices of the GSS, all the 78 government stakeholders submitted, including the 10 none governmental organisations, are supposed to have the universal adherence and the responsibility to build their capacities to produce timely, credible and relevant information’s to meet the growing statistical demand of the country.”
It said since this system was already in place, the consortium was in the position to utilise the vast experience and full capabilities of their experts, partners and consultants to modify the existing modules to meet the requirements of the GSS, EC and other governmental agencies.
“The Ghanaian professionals informed the EC and GSS that their experts and partners have developed demonstrations for the Census and Statistical Service” and they are ready, to come to Ghana, to take the relevant government institutions through the demonstrations and answer all technical and nontechnical questions they may have.
“We want to assure EC and GSS, and Ghanaians that we have the capacity to assist the country to come out with a comprehensive, integrated and lasting technological solutions that the country will be pleased with.
“For the country to save a lot of money, we are prepared to render services at a very reasonable cost because such technology is coming from Ghanaian international experts and their partners.
“Based on our experience and the track record of our partners in Germany, we are confident that the nation’s needs can be met to help the current and future governments address the developmental challenges of Ghana. GIDC is therefore, ready now to assist the EC and GSS in their search for solutions if they are given the opportunity to do so.”
ADD YOUR COMMENTS HERE
It has therefore, proposed an integrated “All in One System“ solution, which includes a modern voting technology that can address the voter verification problem in Ghana and the challenges facing the nation in the area of census data collection and analysis for effective implementation of policies and programmes.
The Consortium is made up of some of the nation’s professionals in the Diaspora with the sole aim and objective of identifying and addressing Ghana’s developmental challenges.
In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra, it said” a comprehensive integrated e-government technology solution is needed to address the nation’s residential, voting and data gathering for effective and meaningful policy-making on a long-term basis.
“The Consortium has notified the Electoral Commission (EC) and Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in separate letters in December, 2011 that after following the 2010 National Census of Ghana and the challenges encountered in that exercise, and after monitoring the ongoing debate over the Biometric Voter Registration in Ghana, the GIDC and its German partners are prepared to offer secured short-term and long-term comprehensive integrated information system solutions to help address the nation’s problems.”
The GIDC informed the EC and GSS that the secured integrated system solution its members were offering would have some features and benefits, including technological architecture that would serves as a government-wide integrated information system with the capability for inter-departmental and inter-ministerial data sharing for
effective and efficient management of governmental operations in the country.
A nation-wide implementation of the system would help maintain the requisite records and other pertinent information needed to formulate national policies, and to conduct fraudulent-free elections.
“The GIDC acknowledges that such a comprehensive system cannot be rolled out in the entire nation overnight and as such, in order to gain the confidence of the political parties, government stakeholders and the good people of Ghana, they are ready to implement it in modules by focusing initially on the Census and Statistical data collection problems,” the statement said.
It said the e-government-wide integrated information system could not be found in any developing country, and Ghana would be the first country in Africa to be blessed with this system.
The Consortium pointed out that with such a system in place, not only would the needs of the EC and GSS be met, but also the government would have at its disposal on a timely basis, the relevant information needed to make informed policy decisions that would help advance Ghana.
The statement said: “It is assumed that, under the auspices of the GSS, all the 78 government stakeholders submitted, including the 10 none governmental organisations, are supposed to have the universal adherence and the responsibility to build their capacities to produce timely, credible and relevant information’s to meet the growing statistical demand of the country.”
It said since this system was already in place, the consortium was in the position to utilise the vast experience and full capabilities of their experts, partners and consultants to modify the existing modules to meet the requirements of the GSS, EC and other governmental agencies.
“The Ghanaian professionals informed the EC and GSS that their experts and partners have developed demonstrations for the Census and Statistical Service” and they are ready, to come to Ghana, to take the relevant government institutions through the demonstrations and answer all technical and nontechnical questions they may have.
“We want to assure EC and GSS, and Ghanaians that we have the capacity to assist the country to come out with a comprehensive, integrated and lasting technological solutions that the country will be pleased with.
“For the country to save a lot of money, we are prepared to render services at a very reasonable cost because such technology is coming from Ghanaian international experts and their partners.
“Based on our experience and the track record of our partners in Germany, we are confident that the nation’s needs can be met to help the current and future governments address the developmental challenges of Ghana. GIDC is therefore, ready now to assist the EC and GSS in their search for solutions if they are given the opportunity to do so.”
ADD YOUR COMMENTS HERE
Judges To Go On Strike
Source : Daily Guide
Magistrate and district judges have threatened to embark on a sit-down strike over poor conditions of service from Monday, 26 March 2012, DAILY GUIDE has learnt.
The judges, who constitute the lower bench, have threatened to vacate the courtrooms indefinite across the country if President Mills fails to respond to their demands by the end of this week.
Information reaching this paper indicates that the depressed judges planned to commence the strike action this week but were convinced by national executives of the Association of Magistrates and Judges to suspend the action for a while.
The plea, according to deep-throat sources, was to enable President Mills address the concerns of the judges.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that the recommendations made by a committee instituted by the judicial council with regard to improvement in their conditions of service had been forwarded to President Mills since November last year.
The committee, the paper learnt, was instituted to make recommendations as to how the conditions of service of the judges could be improved after they complained about poor conditions of service.
Though several reminders in the form of letters have been sent to President Mills over the matter, nothing has been done by the first gentleman of the land.
The paper learnt that the committee, which was headed by the Asante Asokorehene, Nana Dr Susubiribi Krobea Asante recommended an upward adjustment in the salaries of the judges, among other things.
It also suggested that official accommodation, vehicle and book allowance should be given to the judges like what pertains in the upper courts.
The committee furthermore recommended that the state complied with article 149 of the 1992 constitution which stipulates that judges of the lower courts should be given entitlements and other benefits in relation to article 71 public officers.
DAILY GUIDE learnt that the recommendations were forwarded to the President because per the constitution, the president was mandated to determine the conditions of service of the judges in consultation with the judicial council.
The paper’s sources revealed that the judicial council was ready to collaborate with the President to determine decent conditions of service for judges.
One of the judges, who spoke to DAILY GUIDE on condition of anonymity, said the President was not committed to implementing the recommendations made by the committee, indicating that they would no longer allow the President time should he fail to utilize the last chance.
He said in spite of the critical work they undertake their salaries range between GH¢800 and GH¢1,000 while their colleagues in the upper courts receive thousands of Ghana cedis.
The judge noted that though they do not wish to be paid the same amounts as their colleagues in the upper courts, they believe they should be given something decent.
The judge pointed out that they do not have official accommodation and vehicles to effectively discharge their functions.
“At times, we are compelled under the circumstances to sleep in hotels which sometimes we pay it on our own and also come to the court in rented taxis,” the worried judge emphasized.
The judge was unhappy with attempts by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to migrate them onto the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).
He said the move by the commission was unconstitutional because the constitution specifically indicates the President, in consultation with the judicial council, would fix their salaries.
The judge indicated that they would were not ready to submit to the commission.
ADD YOUR COMMENTS HERE
Magistrate and district judges have threatened to embark on a sit-down strike over poor conditions of service from Monday, 26 March 2012, DAILY GUIDE has learnt.
The judges, who constitute the lower bench, have threatened to vacate the courtrooms indefinite across the country if President Mills fails to respond to their demands by the end of this week.
Information reaching this paper indicates that the depressed judges planned to commence the strike action this week but were convinced by national executives of the Association of Magistrates and Judges to suspend the action for a while.
The plea, according to deep-throat sources, was to enable President Mills address the concerns of the judges.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that the recommendations made by a committee instituted by the judicial council with regard to improvement in their conditions of service had been forwarded to President Mills since November last year.
The committee, the paper learnt, was instituted to make recommendations as to how the conditions of service of the judges could be improved after they complained about poor conditions of service.
Though several reminders in the form of letters have been sent to President Mills over the matter, nothing has been done by the first gentleman of the land.
The paper learnt that the committee, which was headed by the Asante Asokorehene, Nana Dr Susubiribi Krobea Asante recommended an upward adjustment in the salaries of the judges, among other things.
It also suggested that official accommodation, vehicle and book allowance should be given to the judges like what pertains in the upper courts.
The committee furthermore recommended that the state complied with article 149 of the 1992 constitution which stipulates that judges of the lower courts should be given entitlements and other benefits in relation to article 71 public officers.
DAILY GUIDE learnt that the recommendations were forwarded to the President because per the constitution, the president was mandated to determine the conditions of service of the judges in consultation with the judicial council.
The paper’s sources revealed that the judicial council was ready to collaborate with the President to determine decent conditions of service for judges.
One of the judges, who spoke to DAILY GUIDE on condition of anonymity, said the President was not committed to implementing the recommendations made by the committee, indicating that they would no longer allow the President time should he fail to utilize the last chance.
He said in spite of the critical work they undertake their salaries range between GH¢800 and GH¢1,000 while their colleagues in the upper courts receive thousands of Ghana cedis.
The judge noted that though they do not wish to be paid the same amounts as their colleagues in the upper courts, they believe they should be given something decent.
The judge pointed out that they do not have official accommodation and vehicles to effectively discharge their functions.
“At times, we are compelled under the circumstances to sleep in hotels which sometimes we pay it on our own and also come to the court in rented taxis,” the worried judge emphasized.
The judge was unhappy with attempts by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to migrate them onto the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).
He said the move by the commission was unconstitutional because the constitution specifically indicates the President, in consultation with the judicial council, would fix their salaries.
The judge indicated that they would were not ready to submit to the commission.
ADD YOUR COMMENTS HERE
Dozens injured in clashes between NDC, NPP supporters at Odododiodio
A scuffle between some supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Odododiodio constituency last night left several people injured.
The scuffle ensued when a meeting called by NPP activists in the constituency was interrupted by some youth from the NDC.
Some of the injured were taken to the Usher Clinic.
Narrating the incident to Joy News one of the victims said they were holding a meeting when suddenly NDC supporters besieged the meeting grounds asking them to stop the meeting.
He said the attacked hurled bottles and other missiles at them injuring him in the process.
The NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the area, Captain (retd.) Victor Okaikoi has called for swift intervention by the police to prevent further politically motivated clashes in the constituency.
He said Ghana was regrettably reverting to the dark days when freedoms of the people were curtailed.
According to him, the police must act immediately to restore confidence in the security of the nation.
The police have confirmed last night’s incident to Joy News.
Two patrol teams were dispatched to the scene to stop the scuffle from degenerating further. Investigations have begun into the incident.
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The scuffle ensued when a meeting called by NPP activists in the constituency was interrupted by some youth from the NDC.
Some of the injured were taken to the Usher Clinic.
Narrating the incident to Joy News one of the victims said they were holding a meeting when suddenly NDC supporters besieged the meeting grounds asking them to stop the meeting.
He said the attacked hurled bottles and other missiles at them injuring him in the process.
The NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the area, Captain (retd.) Victor Okaikoi has called for swift intervention by the police to prevent further politically motivated clashes in the constituency.
He said Ghana was regrettably reverting to the dark days when freedoms of the people were curtailed.
According to him, the police must act immediately to restore confidence in the security of the nation.
The police have confirmed last night’s incident to Joy News.
Two patrol teams were dispatched to the scene to stop the scuffle from degenerating further. Investigations have begun into the incident.
ADD YOUR COMMENTS HERE
Liberty Capital Ghana Tema Office survives fire outbreak
The Electricity Company of Ghana power disruptions across the country on Monday led to a fire outbreak at the Tema Office of Liberty Capital Ghana Limited (LCGL), an investment advisory firm.
A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency and signed by Mr Roger Adjovu, Managing Director of Liberty Capital, says the outbreak occurred at about 0930 hours during working hours on the Monday and assured clients that measures were being put in place for work to resume on Tuesday.
The fire, however, was brought under control within with the help of some staff of LCGL and the support of personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service, who arrived later.
The statement praises its staff for the swift manner and the efforts they put in to prevent destruction of the company’s assets and more especially the saving of precious life.
LCGL, which manages also investible funds for corporate institutions and individuals, expressed gratefulness to the Ghana National Fire Service officers.
“There was a complete destruction of ECG prepaid metres and LCGL is grateful to God for no injury, loss of life or of data.”
It said work at the Tema Office would be routed through the Osu offices on Monday.
Measures are being put in place to resume work at the Tema office on Tuesday March 20, 2012.**
A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency and signed by Mr Roger Adjovu, Managing Director of Liberty Capital, says the outbreak occurred at about 0930 hours during working hours on the Monday and assured clients that measures were being put in place for work to resume on Tuesday.
The fire, however, was brought under control within with the help of some staff of LCGL and the support of personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service, who arrived later.
The statement praises its staff for the swift manner and the efforts they put in to prevent destruction of the company’s assets and more especially the saving of precious life.
LCGL, which manages also investible funds for corporate institutions and individuals, expressed gratefulness to the Ghana National Fire Service officers.
“There was a complete destruction of ECG prepaid metres and LCGL is grateful to God for no injury, loss of life or of data.”
It said work at the Tema Office would be routed through the Osu offices on Monday.
Measures are being put in place to resume work at the Tema office on Tuesday March 20, 2012.**
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Taliban vow revenge for Afghans killed by US troop
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban vowed revenge Monday after an American soldier allegedly shot to death 16 civilians in southern Afghanistan and burned their bodies, an attack that has fueled anger still simmering after U.S. troops burned Qurans last month.
U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan have stepped up security following the shootings Sunday in Kandahar province out of concern about retaliatory attacks. The U.S. Embassy has also warned American citizens in Afghanistan about the possibility of reprisals.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for several attacks last month that the group said were retaliation for the Americans burning Qurans. Afghan forces also turned their guns on their supposed allies at the time, killing six U.S. troops as violent protests wracked the country.
It's unclear whether there will be a similar response to Sunday's shootings. But the attack will likely spark even greater distrust between Washington and Kabul and fuel questions in both countries about why American troops are still fighting in Afghanistan after 10 years of conflict and the killing of Osama bin Laden.
The Taliban said in a statement on their website that "sick-minded American savages" committed the "blood-soaked and inhumane crime" in Panjwai district, a rural region outside Kandahar that is the cradle of the Taliban and where coalition forces have fought for control for years.
The militant group promised the families of the victims that it would take revenge "for every single martyr with the help of Allah."
There are still many questions about what happened in the two villages in Panjwai before dawn Sunday and what motivated the killings.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack Sunday and said the 16 dead included nine children and three women. Five other villagers were wounded.
"This is an assassination, an intentional killing of innocent civilians and cannot be forgiven," Karzai said.
U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings confirmed Monday that the number of dead was "in the teens" but declined to be more specific, saying U.S. forces had not been given access to independently count the bodies.
U.S. and Afghan officials have said the attack began around 3 a.m. in the two villages, which are fairly close to a U.S. base in a region that was the focus of President Barack Obama's military surge in the south starting in 2009.
Villagers described how they cowered in fear as gunshots rang out while the soldier roamed from house to house firing on those inside. They said he entered three homes in all and set fire to some of the bodies. Eleven of the dead were from a single family.
The burning of the bodies may ignite even more outrage because it is seen as the desecration of corpses and therefore against Islam.
U.S. officials said the shooter, identified as an Army staff sergeant, acted alone after leaving his base in southern Afghanistan. Initial reports indicated he returned to the base after the shooting and turned himself in. He was in custody at a NATO base in Afghanistan.
Some Afghan officials and local villagers expressed doubt that a single U.S. soldier could have carried out all the killings in houses about a mile (2 kilometers) apart and burned the bodies afterward.
U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan have stepped up security following the shootings Sunday in Kandahar province out of concern about retaliatory attacks. The U.S. Embassy has also warned American citizens in Afghanistan about the possibility of reprisals.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for several attacks last month that the group said were retaliation for the Americans burning Qurans. Afghan forces also turned their guns on their supposed allies at the time, killing six U.S. troops as violent protests wracked the country.
It's unclear whether there will be a similar response to Sunday's shootings. But the attack will likely spark even greater distrust between Washington and Kabul and fuel questions in both countries about why American troops are still fighting in Afghanistan after 10 years of conflict and the killing of Osama bin Laden.
The Taliban said in a statement on their website that "sick-minded American savages" committed the "blood-soaked and inhumane crime" in Panjwai district, a rural region outside Kandahar that is the cradle of the Taliban and where coalition forces have fought for control for years.
The militant group promised the families of the victims that it would take revenge "for every single martyr with the help of Allah."
There are still many questions about what happened in the two villages in Panjwai before dawn Sunday and what motivated the killings.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack Sunday and said the 16 dead included nine children and three women. Five other villagers were wounded.
"This is an assassination, an intentional killing of innocent civilians and cannot be forgiven," Karzai said.
U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings confirmed Monday that the number of dead was "in the teens" but declined to be more specific, saying U.S. forces had not been given access to independently count the bodies.
U.S. and Afghan officials have said the attack began around 3 a.m. in the two villages, which are fairly close to a U.S. base in a region that was the focus of President Barack Obama's military surge in the south starting in 2009.
Villagers described how they cowered in fear as gunshots rang out while the soldier roamed from house to house firing on those inside. They said he entered three homes in all and set fire to some of the bodies. Eleven of the dead were from a single family.
The burning of the bodies may ignite even more outrage because it is seen as the desecration of corpses and therefore against Islam.
U.S. officials said the shooter, identified as an Army staff sergeant, acted alone after leaving his base in southern Afghanistan. Initial reports indicated he returned to the base after the shooting and turned himself in. He was in custody at a NATO base in Afghanistan.
Some Afghan officials and local villagers expressed doubt that a single U.S. soldier could have carried out all the killings in houses about a mile (2 kilometers) apart and burned the bodies afterward.
Car bomb explodes near Nigeria church; 10 killed
JOS, Nigeria (AP) — A suicide car bomber attacked a Catholic church Sunday in the middle of Mass, killing at least 10 people in the blast and the retaliatory violence that followed after the latest assault targeting a church in a central Nigerian city plagued by unrest, officials said.
The bomb detonated as worshippers attended the final Mass of the day at St. Finbar's Catholic Church in Jos, a city where thousands have died in the last decade in religious and ethnic violence. Security at the gate of the church's compound stopped the suspicious car and the bomber detonated his explosives during an altercation that followed, Plateau state spokesman Pam Ayuba said.
The blast damaged the church's roof, blew out its windows and destroyed a portion of the fence surrounding the church's compound, Ayuba said.
"He destroyed so many things," the spokesman said.
The bombing sparked retaliatory violence in Jos later Sunday, with angry youths burning down homes and soldiers guarding the city opening fire in neighborhoods, witnesses said. Ayuba said at least 10 people died in the bombing, though others said the number of dead included those killed in retaliatory attacks. Soldiers also were wounded in the blast.
No group immediately claimed responsibility though the city has been targeted in the past by a radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram. The sect claimed a series of bombings in Jos on Christmas Eve in 2010 that killed as many as 80 people. The sect also claimed a similar church bombing on Feb. 26 on the main headquarters of the Church of Christ that killed three people and wounded 38 others.
The sect, which speaks to journalists through telephone conference calls at times of its choosing, could not be immediately reached for comment Sunday.
Jos and surrounding Plateau state have been torn apart in recent years by violence pitting its different ethnic groups and major religions — Christianity and Islam — against each other. Human Rights Watch says at least 1,000 people were killed in communal clashes around Jos in 2010.
The violence, though fractured across religious lines, often has more to do with local politics, economics and rights to grazing lands. Muslims in the city also say they are locked out of lucrative jobs in the region as the Christian-led state government doesn't recognize them as citizens.
The Catholic church attack also comes after a failed raid Thursday by British and Nigerian commandos left a Briton and an Italian hostage dead in Nigeria's far northwest. British officials have blamed a splinter cell of Boko Haram for the attack, something a spokesman for the group has denied.
However, the attack has opened a new front on Nigeria's ongoing struggle with terrorism, showing any region across the nation's Muslim north can be attacked — and anyone, including foreigners, could be targeted.
Meanwhile Sunday, police said two separate attacks in northeast Nigeria blamed on the sect killed two people. One attack happened at a paramilitary police base in the town of Bama in Borno state, while the other happened during the day in Maiduguri, the sect's spiritual home, authorities said.
The bomb detonated as worshippers attended the final Mass of the day at St. Finbar's Catholic Church in Jos, a city where thousands have died in the last decade in religious and ethnic violence. Security at the gate of the church's compound stopped the suspicious car and the bomber detonated his explosives during an altercation that followed, Plateau state spokesman Pam Ayuba said.
The blast damaged the church's roof, blew out its windows and destroyed a portion of the fence surrounding the church's compound, Ayuba said.
"He destroyed so many things," the spokesman said.
The bombing sparked retaliatory violence in Jos later Sunday, with angry youths burning down homes and soldiers guarding the city opening fire in neighborhoods, witnesses said. Ayuba said at least 10 people died in the bombing, though others said the number of dead included those killed in retaliatory attacks. Soldiers also were wounded in the blast.
No group immediately claimed responsibility though the city has been targeted in the past by a radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram. The sect claimed a series of bombings in Jos on Christmas Eve in 2010 that killed as many as 80 people. The sect also claimed a similar church bombing on Feb. 26 on the main headquarters of the Church of Christ that killed three people and wounded 38 others.
The sect, which speaks to journalists through telephone conference calls at times of its choosing, could not be immediately reached for comment Sunday.
Jos and surrounding Plateau state have been torn apart in recent years by violence pitting its different ethnic groups and major religions — Christianity and Islam — against each other. Human Rights Watch says at least 1,000 people were killed in communal clashes around Jos in 2010.
The violence, though fractured across religious lines, often has more to do with local politics, economics and rights to grazing lands. Muslims in the city also say they are locked out of lucrative jobs in the region as the Christian-led state government doesn't recognize them as citizens.
The Catholic church attack also comes after a failed raid Thursday by British and Nigerian commandos left a Briton and an Italian hostage dead in Nigeria's far northwest. British officials have blamed a splinter cell of Boko Haram for the attack, something a spokesman for the group has denied.
However, the attack has opened a new front on Nigeria's ongoing struggle with terrorism, showing any region across the nation's Muslim north can be attacked — and anyone, including foreigners, could be targeted.
Meanwhile Sunday, police said two separate attacks in northeast Nigeria blamed on the sect killed two people. One attack happened at a paramilitary police base in the town of Bama in Borno state, while the other happened during the day in Maiduguri, the sect's spiritual home, authorities said.
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