Monday, January 10, 2011
Ghana's Economy Heading for Crisis - ex-Minister
Courtesy GhanaWeb
Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, a former Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance has disagreed with the claim by government that the economy is performing well. According to him, what government is touting as achievement is rather artificial and warned Ghanaians not to jubilate yet even as the country has started producing oil in commercial quantities
He said for the next two to three years the money generated from the oil will be used to service debts and therefore the money cannot be used for any development projects. "We are not out of the woods yet, and Ghanaians should brace themselves for tougher times ahead."
In an exclusive interview with Public Agenda on his assessment of the state of the economy, he said what the government is touting as success is only artificial and that in reality things are not going well.
"This is exactly what happened in 2000, which eventually led to Ghana opting for the High Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative," he pointed out.
Incidentally, The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Kwabena Duffour, presenting the nation's budget statement in November stated among other things that the nation's economy has performed creditably well this year and if things should continue as it is next year, things will be better.
He said government had stabilized the economy, and that there had been a consistent reduction in the rate of inflation from a high of 18.1% in December 2008 to 9.38% as at October 2010.
Dr. Duffuor also noted that the cedi has stabilized against major currencies with gross international reserves of about US$3.5bn. He was optimistic that with revenue from the oil, the economy will change for the better.
But Dr. Osei does not share those views. He says if in reality inflation is reducing it should reflect in interest rates also reducing. "The government is not spending; it is deflating the economy to reduce inflation. If the economy is doing well, then ordinary Ghanaians should also be doing well. The ordinary Ghanaian is struggling to make ends meet," he said.
According to him, government owes so much. Contractors have not been paid over a long period and contracts awarded have been stalled. This has led to the banks accruing large debt portfolio and are not able to reduce the interest rates. "People are not paying the loans they take from the banks, that is why the interest rates are still high," he added.
Ghana's indebtedness, he further observed, has increased by about GH¢3.00 billion in just two years with GH¢1.5bn owed in supplies and GH¢1.00bn to contractors. "This is the time that we have had gold and cocoa prices reaching records high but where is the money?" he asked. "The money is sitting in the bank to service our debts."
Dr. Osei said transfers to the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) and the Ghana Education Trust Fund have not been effected for a long time; salary cheques of Parliamentarians are being dishonoured by the banks; impress for running parliamentary business is not forth coming, and there are arrears in salaries of public servants among others.
In 2008, the former minister said, Ghana's GDP was very high, with a per capita income of about US$1.238. This, he said, however, fell drastically to about US$1.108 in 2009. Thus, the standard of living of the ordinary Ghanaian has fallen, resulting in hardships all over. Meanwhile, with the attainment of middle income status; Ghana's GDP has risen, with tax GDP reducing so the government is not able to service domestic debt with revenue from taxes.
Dr. Zakari Yakubu, Head of Programmes at the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) has also stated that the government's use of macro-economics to target lowering inflation has brought untold hardships to the ordinary Ghanaian.
In his view, even though the economy performed well in 2010, more could have been achieved if the right measures were used to stabilize the economy. "The use of macro-economics to stabilize the economy has created so much unemployment which needs to be tackled."
He said Civil Society Organizations would prefer to have inflation being in double digits - between 15% -20% - with commensurate job avenues than having single digit inflation with high unemployment.
He added, however, that it is the services sector which did well, compared to the agric sector. A country with more than half of its population (about 55%) in agriculture should be able to do well in projecting agriculture sector, he argued.
"Even with the services sector which grew about 6.1%, the growth was from the wholesale and retail of imported goods division (buying and selling) as well as the hospitality industries, with the service sector becoming the highest contributor to the nation's GDP. The services sector did not even generate from the agric sector but from imports," he said.
He therefore urged government to support and promote the agric sector as it is more sustainable. "With the revenue from oil, if we are not careful we may lose focus on the agric sector and concentrate on the oil and gas thereby allowing our competitors to overtake us in that respect. The time to act is now," he added.
He suggested to government to put measures in place to curb the high unemployment level in the country, hoping that next year will be better should the government go by the incentives it promised in the 2011 budget.
Dr Yakubu noted that government should find a balance between inflation, growth and employment, suggesting appropriate incentives for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises to enhance productivity and job creation
CSOs, he said, would like to see government take appropriate measures to build infrastructure, particularly feeder roads, small scale dams for irrigation and rural electrification. This, he said, will improve the agric sector, thereby encouraging the youth in rural areas to venture into agriculture to reduce rural-urban migration.
According to him any attempt to boost agriculture without rural infrastructure and irrigation would be in vain. "Agric productivity can be tackled in rural infrastructure", he noted.
Currently, less than 4% of Ghana's arable land is under cultivation and also dependant on rain fed agriculture. But other countries have about 30% of arable land for agric, with South East Asian countries having about 40%.
Ouattara offers unity government if Gbagbo steps down
ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Ivory Coast presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara would form a unity government with members of incumbent Laurent Gbagbo's party, as long as Gbagbo steps down first, the country's ambassador to the United Nations said.
World powers and African states have heaped pressure on Gbagbo to cede the presidency to Ouattara after the provisional results of a November 28 election showed Ouattara won with an 8 percentage point margin.
Gbagbo "has followers, he has competent people in his party. Those people, we are prepared to work with them in the framework of a wide composite cabinet," said Ivory Coast's U.N. envoy Youssoufou Bamba in an interview with the BBC's HARDtalk television news program.
But he said the formation of a unity government was only possible if Gbagbo stepped down first.
"What I am saying is Mr. Ouattara should be recognized by Mr. Gbagbo that he is the legitimate president," he said in the interview, a transcript of which was released by the BBC on Monday.
The proposal comes amid mounting pressure on Gbagbo, who has ruled the world's top cocoa producer since 2000, to leave power and end a standoff that has killed more than 200 people and threatens to rekindle a civil war.
West African regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened Gbagbo with force if he does not leave power, while the United States and the European Union have imposed travel bans on Gbagbo and his inner circle.
SANCTIONS CALL
In an effort to add pressure, Ouattara's government on Monday listed 16 Ivorian treasury, banking and cocoa officials it wants sanctioned for backing Gbagbo.
"The government of (Prime Minister) Guillaume Soro ... (wants) the leaders of these institutions in the banking sector which collaborate with Gbabgo's illegal regime to be brought under ... sanctions," it said in a statement.
Gbagbo's access to state accounts at West Africa's central bank has already been frozen, but he still controls taxes, customs and the lucrative oil and cocoa sectors.
The list included the head of the cocoa regulating body, the head of the local branch of the West African central bank, four treasury officials and local directors of several other banks, including Ecobank Cote D'Ivoire and Standard Chartered.
The election was meant to reunite the former "pearl of West Africa" after the 2002-3 civil war split it into a rebel north and Gbagbo-controlled south, but has instead deepened divisions and raised the specter of a return to open conflict.
ETHNIC CLASHES
Fighting broke out between rival tribes seen as being pro-Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara in volatile west Ivory Coast last week, although local officials say it is now calm and there is nothing to suggest it was directly related to the election.
"The final death toll from these battles is pretty heavy: three deaths in hospital and about 30 outside it," said Dr Teki Moise, in charge of the main hospital in the town of Duekoue.
"We also have 75 wounded, many of them still in hospital in serious condition."
The clashes between Ouattara's Dioula tribe and the Guere, seen as pro-Gbagbo, raised the alarm amongst U.N. mission workers who have long feared an electoral dispute could degenerate into ethnic violence in west Ivory Coast, a tinderbox of militia groups and rival tribes.
Some 15,000 have been internally displaced by the fighting, said a local priest who was sheltering people in his church.
"There are a lot of women and children, including some pregnant women," said Father Cyprien Ahoure, head of Duekue Catholic mission. "We have a shortage of food, clothing and medicines. Living conditions are very difficult."
More than 20,000 Ivorians in the west have fled across the border to Liberia since the dispute flared up, fearing a return to civil war.
World powers and African states have heaped pressure on Gbagbo to cede the presidency to Ouattara after the provisional results of a November 28 election showed Ouattara won with an 8 percentage point margin.
Gbagbo "has followers, he has competent people in his party. Those people, we are prepared to work with them in the framework of a wide composite cabinet," said Ivory Coast's U.N. envoy Youssoufou Bamba in an interview with the BBC's HARDtalk television news program.
But he said the formation of a unity government was only possible if Gbagbo stepped down first.
"What I am saying is Mr. Ouattara should be recognized by Mr. Gbagbo that he is the legitimate president," he said in the interview, a transcript of which was released by the BBC on Monday.
The proposal comes amid mounting pressure on Gbagbo, who has ruled the world's top cocoa producer since 2000, to leave power and end a standoff that has killed more than 200 people and threatens to rekindle a civil war.
West African regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened Gbagbo with force if he does not leave power, while the United States and the European Union have imposed travel bans on Gbagbo and his inner circle.
SANCTIONS CALL
In an effort to add pressure, Ouattara's government on Monday listed 16 Ivorian treasury, banking and cocoa officials it wants sanctioned for backing Gbagbo.
"The government of (Prime Minister) Guillaume Soro ... (wants) the leaders of these institutions in the banking sector which collaborate with Gbabgo's illegal regime to be brought under ... sanctions," it said in a statement.
Gbagbo's access to state accounts at West Africa's central bank has already been frozen, but he still controls taxes, customs and the lucrative oil and cocoa sectors.
The list included the head of the cocoa regulating body, the head of the local branch of the West African central bank, four treasury officials and local directors of several other banks, including Ecobank Cote D'Ivoire and Standard Chartered.
The election was meant to reunite the former "pearl of West Africa" after the 2002-3 civil war split it into a rebel north and Gbagbo-controlled south, but has instead deepened divisions and raised the specter of a return to open conflict.
ETHNIC CLASHES
Fighting broke out between rival tribes seen as being pro-Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara in volatile west Ivory Coast last week, although local officials say it is now calm and there is nothing to suggest it was directly related to the election.
"The final death toll from these battles is pretty heavy: three deaths in hospital and about 30 outside it," said Dr Teki Moise, in charge of the main hospital in the town of Duekoue.
"We also have 75 wounded, many of them still in hospital in serious condition."
The clashes between Ouattara's Dioula tribe and the Guere, seen as pro-Gbagbo, raised the alarm amongst U.N. mission workers who have long feared an electoral dispute could degenerate into ethnic violence in west Ivory Coast, a tinderbox of militia groups and rival tribes.
Some 15,000 have been internally displaced by the fighting, said a local priest who was sheltering people in his church.
"There are a lot of women and children, including some pregnant women," said Father Cyprien Ahoure, head of Duekue Catholic mission. "We have a shortage of food, clothing and medicines. Living conditions are very difficult."
More than 20,000 Ivorians in the west have fled across the border to Liberia since the dispute flared up, fearing a return to civil war.
Stevanovic appointed Black Stars Coach
The Ghana Football Association has confirmed Goran Stevanovic as the new head coach of the men's senior team, the Black Stars.
The Serbian and the FA today finalised the details of his contract.
Stevanovic, 44, will be unveiled at a news conference at 10:00 GMT on Wednesday as he assumes the reigns of the team from Milovan Rajevac who saw out his two-year contract last year.
"The Ghana Football Association have appointed a new coach for the Black Stars. He is in the person of Goran Stevanovic.
"We have successfully negotiated with the coach and he would replace his compatriot, Milovan Rajevac.
"The coach will be presented to the public at a press conference at the GFA on Wednesday, 12 January 2011 at 10:00am," an FA statement read.
Below is the full profile of the coach
GORAN STEVANOVIC
Date of Birth: 27th November 1966, Serbian
Current club: Currently unattached
Coaching qualification: UEFA Pro Licence
Club coaching experience: He started his caching career in 2001 with Cukaricki Stamcom in the Serbian top flight before moving to the currently defunt club Zeleznik a year later.
He was the assistant coach for Serbian giants Partizan Belgrade between 2007 and 2009 and was promoted to the top post of the club where he stayed for 18 months.
International coaching experience: He was that assistant coach of the Serbia and Motenegro team that impressed at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He occupied that position for three years from 2003.
Achievements: He was the assistant coach when Partizan Belgrade won two league titles and two FA Cups between 2007 and 2009. He won the Serbia league title in the 2009/2010 season and clinched the FA Cup too.
Coaching Philosophy: His coaching philosophy is heavily slanted towards the modern 4-5-1 system used by most coaches in the top leagues of Europe. As a former midfielder he is known to use his midfield as the base of organising his side, using the centre to block the opponent with compact midfield while using wingers to start swift attacks.
Playing experience: He also enjoyed a distinguished career at club level with several major European sides. He started his career with Partizan Belgrade before playing for Osasuna, Farense, Setubal, and some other Portuguese side as well as Greek side Panelefsiniakos.
Disappointments in coaching career: His decision to retire as the coach of Partizan Belgrade after pressure from fans last year over results
In slaying probe, Iran claims it penetrated Mossad
TEHRAN, Iran – Iran's intelligence services said Monday they have arrested suspects in the assassination a year ago of a nuclear physicist in a months-long covert operation that also led them to penetrate Israel's Mossad spy agency.
Iran blames the Mossad for the slaying of Tehran University physics professor Masoud Ali Mohammadi, who was killed by a bomb-rigged motorcycle that exploded outside his house as he was leaving for work in January 2010. Possible explanations for why he was targeted have never been clear, particularly as he had no known link to Iran's nuclear work, but Iranian state media have presented it as an attempt to slow the atomic program.
Monday's announcement said Iranian agents arrested a network of spies linked to the slaying, opening up revelations about further Israeli plots against the country, including a campaign to assassinate nuclear scientists.
"After months of silent struggle, offensive, multilayered and complicated operations and penetration into the depths of the Zionist regime's intelligence led to the uncovering of very important and sensitive information about Mossad spies and operations," said the Intelligence Ministry statement read out on state TV.
"Heavy blows were inflicted on the structure of the Zionist intelligence and security services."
The United States, Israel and other nations believe Iran is intent on developing nuclear weapons under the cover of a civil atomic energy program. Iran insists its work is solely for peaceful purposes.
Later Monday, Iran's state TV broadcast confessions of one of those arrested in which the unidentified young man said he underwent training in Israel on how to place bombs on cars.
The man, whose face was visible, said he received training at a military camp located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
"Two new Iranian-made motorbikes were there ... they told me where to go, where to stop, who to call and how to do things back in Iran," he said.
In Israel, officials in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had no immediate comment on Monday's announcement.
A pair of bomb attacks in November killed one nuclear scientist and wounded another in the capital. While those attacks targeted two people who had high-level involvement in Iran's nuclear work, a motive behind the slaying of Mohammadi is less clear.
The 50-year-old professor had no prominent political voice, no published work with military relevance and no declared links to the country's nuclear program, though his work included some aspects of nuclear theory.
Nonetheless, the Intelligence Ministry said in Monday's statement that the investigation into his death led authorities back to the Mossad and to the conclusion that Israeli spies operating from Europe and from countries neighboring Iran were directing a campaign to kill Iranian nuclear scientists. It offered no details.
"After extensive security measures and precise intelligence tracking ... the main agents behind this terrorist crime were identified and arrested, and a network comprising spies and terrorists affiliated to the Zionist regime was destroyed," it said.
Besides November's bomb attacks, the country's nuclear work faced a number of challenges over the past year, from malfunctioning centrifuges that spun out of control to a highly complex computer worm — known as Stuxnet — that Iran said was aimed at sabotaging its uranium enrichment program.
Iran is also under four sets of U.N. and other international sanctions over its refusal to stop enriching uranium, the cornerstone of the program.
A week ago, Israel's newly retired spy chief, Meir Dagan, said Iran would not be able to build a nuclear bomb before 2015 — further pushing back Israeli intelligence estimates of when Tehran might become a nuclear power.
The former Mossad chief said Thursday that Iran's nuclear program had been delayed by unspecified "measures" employed against it, according to the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot.
In November's attacks, which took place on the same day, assailants on motorcycles attached magnetized bombs to the two men's cars as they drove to work.
They detonated seconds later, killing one of them, Majid Shahriar, and wounding the other, Fereidoun Abbasi. Each of their wives, who were in the cars, were also wounded.
Abbasi is on a list of figures suspected of links to secret nuclear activities in a 2007 U.N. sanctions resolution, which puts a travel ban and asset freeze on those listed. The resolution describes him as a Defense Ministry scientist who works closely with Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, believed to head secret nuclear projects. Iranian media said he was a member of the Revolutionary Guard, Iran's strongest military force.
Abbasi, according to pro-government news websites, is also a laser expert and one of the few top Iranian specialists in nuclear isotope separation.
Shahriar was involved in a major project with Iran's nuclear agency, the agency's chief said at the time of the killing, though he did not give specifics.
Iran's intelligence agency has already announced a number of arrests in the November bombings.
In 2007, nuclear scientist Ardeshir Hosseinpour died from gas poisoning. A one-week delay by state media in reporting his death prompted speculation about the cause, including that the Mossad was to blame.
Iran blames the Mossad for the slaying of Tehran University physics professor Masoud Ali Mohammadi, who was killed by a bomb-rigged motorcycle that exploded outside his house as he was leaving for work in January 2010. Possible explanations for why he was targeted have never been clear, particularly as he had no known link to Iran's nuclear work, but Iranian state media have presented it as an attempt to slow the atomic program.
Monday's announcement said Iranian agents arrested a network of spies linked to the slaying, opening up revelations about further Israeli plots against the country, including a campaign to assassinate nuclear scientists.
"After months of silent struggle, offensive, multilayered and complicated operations and penetration into the depths of the Zionist regime's intelligence led to the uncovering of very important and sensitive information about Mossad spies and operations," said the Intelligence Ministry statement read out on state TV.
"Heavy blows were inflicted on the structure of the Zionist intelligence and security services."
The United States, Israel and other nations believe Iran is intent on developing nuclear weapons under the cover of a civil atomic energy program. Iran insists its work is solely for peaceful purposes.
Later Monday, Iran's state TV broadcast confessions of one of those arrested in which the unidentified young man said he underwent training in Israel on how to place bombs on cars.
The man, whose face was visible, said he received training at a military camp located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
"Two new Iranian-made motorbikes were there ... they told me where to go, where to stop, who to call and how to do things back in Iran," he said.
In Israel, officials in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had no immediate comment on Monday's announcement.
A pair of bomb attacks in November killed one nuclear scientist and wounded another in the capital. While those attacks targeted two people who had high-level involvement in Iran's nuclear work, a motive behind the slaying of Mohammadi is less clear.
The 50-year-old professor had no prominent political voice, no published work with military relevance and no declared links to the country's nuclear program, though his work included some aspects of nuclear theory.
Nonetheless, the Intelligence Ministry said in Monday's statement that the investigation into his death led authorities back to the Mossad and to the conclusion that Israeli spies operating from Europe and from countries neighboring Iran were directing a campaign to kill Iranian nuclear scientists. It offered no details.
"After extensive security measures and precise intelligence tracking ... the main agents behind this terrorist crime were identified and arrested, and a network comprising spies and terrorists affiliated to the Zionist regime was destroyed," it said.
Besides November's bomb attacks, the country's nuclear work faced a number of challenges over the past year, from malfunctioning centrifuges that spun out of control to a highly complex computer worm — known as Stuxnet — that Iran said was aimed at sabotaging its uranium enrichment program.
Iran is also under four sets of U.N. and other international sanctions over its refusal to stop enriching uranium, the cornerstone of the program.
A week ago, Israel's newly retired spy chief, Meir Dagan, said Iran would not be able to build a nuclear bomb before 2015 — further pushing back Israeli intelligence estimates of when Tehran might become a nuclear power.
The former Mossad chief said Thursday that Iran's nuclear program had been delayed by unspecified "measures" employed against it, according to the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot.
In November's attacks, which took place on the same day, assailants on motorcycles attached magnetized bombs to the two men's cars as they drove to work.
They detonated seconds later, killing one of them, Majid Shahriar, and wounding the other, Fereidoun Abbasi. Each of their wives, who were in the cars, were also wounded.
Abbasi is on a list of figures suspected of links to secret nuclear activities in a 2007 U.N. sanctions resolution, which puts a travel ban and asset freeze on those listed. The resolution describes him as a Defense Ministry scientist who works closely with Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, believed to head secret nuclear projects. Iranian media said he was a member of the Revolutionary Guard, Iran's strongest military force.
Abbasi, according to pro-government news websites, is also a laser expert and one of the few top Iranian specialists in nuclear isotope separation.
Shahriar was involved in a major project with Iran's nuclear agency, the agency's chief said at the time of the killing, though he did not give specifics.
Iran's intelligence agency has already announced a number of arrests in the November bombings.
In 2007, nuclear scientist Ardeshir Hosseinpour died from gas poisoning. A one-week delay by state media in reporting his death prompted speculation about the cause, including that the Mossad was to blame.
Fake Lawyer Tries Over 60 Cases With No Law Degree
Tahir Malik, a 47-year-old man from Skokie, Illinois, "walked around the courtroom like he was a hotshot, strutting around," said one of his clients.
He tried more than 60 cases, charging between $500 and $4,500 to his clients. He worked on traffic court cases, mortgage foreclosures, and some low-level criminal cases.
One problem: Malik never spent a day in law school. Instead, it appears that he learned his lawyering skills from his own criminal background.
"From his own arrest history, he was familiar enough with the court system to make certain motions and file certain documents in the court," said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "There is no question that dozens of people from all over Cook County were misled by this guy."
The Tribune reports that Malik's father Rahim says that he likely also picked up some of his legal knowledge from watching television.
Apparently, he was finally busted on December 17, when personnel at the Cook County Courthouse found some of his behavior suspicious and questioned his credentials. They found that he had none.
Malik faces two counts of false impersonation of a lawyer, as WGN reports. He will appear in court on January 28 -- no word yet on whether he will be representing himself.
Army: Gaza rockets hit Israeli city, no one hurt
Palestinians carry the body of a 65 years old man they say was killed by the Israeli army, during his …
JERUSALEM – The Israeli military says three rockets fired from Gaza have hit the Israeli city of Ashkelon. No one was hurt.
The barrage is a sign of escalating violence on the Israel-Gaza border. Israel has been hitting back for rocket attacks with airstrikes at militant facilities and smuggling tunnels in Gaza.
Palestinians say in another incident Monday, a 65-year-old Gaza man was shot dead from an Israeli guard tower on the border. The military had no immediate comment.
The rockets hit an industrial area on the southern edge of Ashkelon, which is six miles (10 kilometers) north of Gaza. The city has been a frequent target of Palestinian rocket squads when violence escalates.
The rocket fire came a day after Gaza's Hamas rulers appealed for calm.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister on Monday defended the construction of a new Israeli enclave in an Arab neighborhood in east Jerusalem, rejecting a wave of international condemnation.
The Palestinians, the European Union and the U.S. have all condemned the planned building of 20 apartments for Israelis on the site of an empty hotel in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The project, approved in 2009, began in earnest Sunday with the demolition of the Shepherd Hotel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off the criticism, saying the construction was a private project carried out "in accordance with Israeli law."
"There should be no expectation that the state of Israel will impose a ban on Jews purchasing private property in Jerusalem," Netanyahu said in a statement. "No democratic government would impose such a ban on Jews and Israel will certainly not do so."
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled for more than three months, in large part because of Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
The Palestinians refuse to negotiate as long as Israel continues to build new homes in these areas, captured territories on which the Palestinians hope to establish an independent state. Netanyahu has called for peace talks without preconditions.
During a trip to the Persian Gulf, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday she was "very concerned" about the east Jerusalem project, saying it "contradicts the logic" of a negotiated peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, condemned the "illegal settlement" and said such projects "undermine trust between the parties and constitute an obstacle to peace."
The dispute over east Jerusalem is the most explosive issue in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. Israel annexed the area, home to sensitive Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites, after the 1967 war.
Although that move has never been internationally recognized, Israel considers the entire city its capital and has ringed east Jerusalem with a series of Jewish neighborhoods meant to solidify its control of the area. In addition, several thousand nationalist settlers live in heavily guarded enclaves inside Arab neighborhoods like Sheikh Jarrah.
The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as their capital and consider all Israeli residents in the area to be illegal settlers.
The Shepherd Hotel was built in the 1930s as the residence of the mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin Husseini, a Nazi sympathizer who was forced to flee Jerusalem's British rulers at the end of the decade.
The building was later controlled by Jordan, which ruled east Jerusalem after 1948, and then taken over by Israel when it captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Israeli government sold the plot to Jewish American businessman Irving Moskowitz, a longtime patron of Jewish settlers, in 1985.
After years of bureaucratic delays, Moskowitz received the necessary permits to proceed with his development in 2009. The project's backers say an additional 50 apartments are planned for the site.
Tainted food dumped at S. Africa squatter camp
CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Themba Mgodla needed a job so badly, he accepted a load of old food in payment for helping get the cookies, candies, jams and juice onto a truck. Once he got to his squatter camp in western South Africa, he found his neighbors were even more desperate, snatching from him goods he had planned to sell.
In the end, Mgodla, who had sampled the groceries, was among more than 100 Polile Park squatter camp residents in Cape Town who were treated for food poisoning over the weekend.
"We only saw that the food was spoiled hours later, when people came to us and said their children were sick," Mgodla said.
Wilfred Solomons-Johannes of the city's emergency response department said all those sickened had recovered by Monday. Solomons-Johannes said authorities are trying to determine how to proceed with charges under the city's health regulations.
Mgodla said he had gone to a factory food shop and, seeing a driver loading a truck, asked for work. He said the driver was supposed to have taken the goods, some with expiration dates from 2000 and 2001, to a waste dump. Instead, the driver offered to let Mgodla have the load in exchange for his labor — saving what would have been a long trip to the dump.
Polile Park is near one of Cape Town's most popular beaches. Upscale houses are nearby, but the 1,000 or so squatter camp residents live in zinc-roofed shacks without electricity, and rely on communal water supplies and toilets.
Zithobile Maqamunca, a community leader in the camp, said he was working with police and city officials to collect the tainted food Monday. But poverty was making that difficult, he said.
"Some of the people don't want to give it up."
In the end, Mgodla, who had sampled the groceries, was among more than 100 Polile Park squatter camp residents in Cape Town who were treated for food poisoning over the weekend.
"We only saw that the food was spoiled hours later, when people came to us and said their children were sick," Mgodla said.
Wilfred Solomons-Johannes of the city's emergency response department said all those sickened had recovered by Monday. Solomons-Johannes said authorities are trying to determine how to proceed with charges under the city's health regulations.
Mgodla said he had gone to a factory food shop and, seeing a driver loading a truck, asked for work. He said the driver was supposed to have taken the goods, some with expiration dates from 2000 and 2001, to a waste dump. Instead, the driver offered to let Mgodla have the load in exchange for his labor — saving what would have been a long trip to the dump.
Polile Park is near one of Cape Town's most popular beaches. Upscale houses are nearby, but the 1,000 or so squatter camp residents live in zinc-roofed shacks without electricity, and rely on communal water supplies and toilets.
Zithobile Maqamunca, a community leader in the camp, said he was working with police and city officials to collect the tainted food Monday. But poverty was making that difficult, he said.
"Some of the people don't want to give it up."
Spanish government rejects ETA ceasefire move
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain's government rejected a permanent ceasefire declared by the Basque separatist group ETA on Monday, saying it did not go far enough.
ETA, which has killed more than 850 people in its half-century armed struggle for an independent state in northern Spain and southwest France, has been crippled by arrests and Basques' rising support for more peaceful methods.
The weakened group announced a halt to armed attacks three months ago and said on Monday it had made the decision permanent. ETA has been under pressure from its outlawed political wing, Batasuna, which wants to be legitimized to run in local elections.
"ETA has decided to declare a permanent and general ceasefire which will be verifiable by the international community," the group said in an English-language statement on www.gara.net, the website of Basque regional newspaper Gara.
"This is ETA's firm commitment toward a process to achieve a lasting resolution and toward an end to the armed confrontation," the statement added.
ETA has broken ceasefires several times in the past, most recently in 2006 when a truce was ended by a deadly bomb attack at Madrid's airport.
In its Monday statement, the group did not specify how the permanent ceasefire might be internationally verified, nor did it say whether it had decided to turn in weapons and explosives.
Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba demanded that ETA renounce violence permanently and put a definitive and irreversible end to its activities.
"The government has rejected international verification over and over again. In a country under the rule of law it's for the state security forces to verify (the ceasefire)," Rubalcaba said in a brief statement to reporters.
ANALYSTS SCEPTICAL
Past ceasefires have been seen by analysts as ETA attempts to regroup with a view to launching further attacks.
Analysts were skeptical over the statement, in which ETA said it still aimed for self-determination for the Basque region.
"We can't be satisfied with this sort of statement, which does not mean that ETA is disbanding or showing a desire to disappear," Rogelio Alonso, political science professor at Rey Juan Carlos I University, told state radio.
"It's simply an attempt to put pressure on the democratic players to negotiate their demands."
If peace talks were to take place, ETA is expected to demand amnesty for its members and for some 550 prisoners.
ETA called on the governments of Spain and France, which has helped the Spanish capture ETA members, to "end all repressive measures" against the group.
In Bilbao, the biggest city in the Basque Country, the ETA statement raised hopes.
"It's really hopeful. Let's see if it gels by summer. What I'm scared of is the reaction from those who don't want the violence to end," said Javier, a waiter, who declined to give his last name.
Rightist opposition party the Popular Party has traditionally been opposed to any appeasement of ETA and has support from groups representing victims of ETA violence and from civil guard and police organizations.
Thousands of Basques marched on Saturday to protest against government policies toward ETA, such as sending convicted members of the group to prisons far from their families.
Sudan border clashes kill 36 as south votes: officials
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – At least 36 people have died in clashes between tribespeople and Arab nomads near Sudan's north- south border, leaders in the contested Abyei region said on Monday, on the second day of a vote on southern independence.
Analysts say the central region of Abyei is the most likely place for north-south tensions to erupt into violence during and after the vote, the climax of a troubled peace deal that ended decades of civil war.
Southerners are expected to vote to split from the mostly Muslim north, depriving Khartoum of most of its oil reserves.
Senior southern official Luka Biong official condemned the fighting and told Reuters both sides were still trying to settle their bitter dispute over the ownership of Abyei as part of a package of negotiations, including how the regions will share oil revenues and debt after a split.
In a separate more positive development, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter told CNN on Monday Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir had offered to take on all of the country's crippling debt if the south seceded.
The offer, if confirmed, would be a significant conciliatory gesture from Bashir and would lift a huge fiscal burden from the south in the early days of its expected independence.
Leading members of Abyei's Dinka Ngok tribe, linked with the south, accused Khartoum of arming the area's Arab Misseriya militias in clashes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and said they were expecting more attacks in days to come.
U.S. President Barack Obama this week warned both northern and southern leaders not to use proxy forces over the voting period, highlighting international concerns that both sides might be resorting to tactics used in past campaigns.
In another sign of tension, southern army spokesman Philip Aguer said two men -- a Ugandan and a northern army soldier -- were arrested with four boxes holding 700 rounds of AK-47 ammunition in the southern capital Juba on Sunday night.
The northern army's spokesman, al-Sawarmi Khaled, on Monday denied any link to the ammunition or the clashes.
PEACEFUL VOTING
Observers said thousands of voters queued up for a second day of voting that continued peacefully across other areas of the south. The final results are expected by February 15, with preliminary results a week earlier.
"Yesterday I tried my best but it was too much for me. Queues were too long. People were too emotional. Everyone wants to be first to decide his destiny," said Salah Mohamed, waiting outside a booth on the outskirts of the southern capital Juba.
"Today I could vote but still as you can see the crowds are still there ... I think the commission might need to extend the voting days."
The referendum's organizing commission said 20 percent of registered southerners had already cast their vote. The turnout needs to be 60 percent for the result to be valid.
Residents of the central Abyei region were promised their own referendum on whether to join the north or the south but leaders could not agree on how to run the poll and the vote did not take place as planned on January 9.
The speaker of the Abyei administration, Charles Abyei, said the Misseriya attacked because they had heard false rumors the Dinka were about to declare themselves part of the south.
"A large number of Misseriya attacked Maker village yesterday (Sunday), backed by government militia ... The first day one person died, the second day nine, yesterday 13 ... It will continue," he said.
Misseriya leader Mokhtar Babo Nimr told Reuters 13 of his men had died on Sunday's clash and accused southerners of starting the fighting.
Analysts say the central region of Abyei is the most likely place for north-south tensions to erupt into violence during and after the vote, the climax of a troubled peace deal that ended decades of civil war.
Southerners are expected to vote to split from the mostly Muslim north, depriving Khartoum of most of its oil reserves.
Senior southern official Luka Biong official condemned the fighting and told Reuters both sides were still trying to settle their bitter dispute over the ownership of Abyei as part of a package of negotiations, including how the regions will share oil revenues and debt after a split.
In a separate more positive development, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter told CNN on Monday Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir had offered to take on all of the country's crippling debt if the south seceded.
The offer, if confirmed, would be a significant conciliatory gesture from Bashir and would lift a huge fiscal burden from the south in the early days of its expected independence.
Leading members of Abyei's Dinka Ngok tribe, linked with the south, accused Khartoum of arming the area's Arab Misseriya militias in clashes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and said they were expecting more attacks in days to come.
U.S. President Barack Obama this week warned both northern and southern leaders not to use proxy forces over the voting period, highlighting international concerns that both sides might be resorting to tactics used in past campaigns.
In another sign of tension, southern army spokesman Philip Aguer said two men -- a Ugandan and a northern army soldier -- were arrested with four boxes holding 700 rounds of AK-47 ammunition in the southern capital Juba on Sunday night.
The northern army's spokesman, al-Sawarmi Khaled, on Monday denied any link to the ammunition or the clashes.
PEACEFUL VOTING
Observers said thousands of voters queued up for a second day of voting that continued peacefully across other areas of the south. The final results are expected by February 15, with preliminary results a week earlier.
"Yesterday I tried my best but it was too much for me. Queues were too long. People were too emotional. Everyone wants to be first to decide his destiny," said Salah Mohamed, waiting outside a booth on the outskirts of the southern capital Juba.
"Today I could vote but still as you can see the crowds are still there ... I think the commission might need to extend the voting days."
The referendum's organizing commission said 20 percent of registered southerners had already cast their vote. The turnout needs to be 60 percent for the result to be valid.
Residents of the central Abyei region were promised their own referendum on whether to join the north or the south but leaders could not agree on how to run the poll and the vote did not take place as planned on January 9.
The speaker of the Abyei administration, Charles Abyei, said the Misseriya attacked because they had heard false rumors the Dinka were about to declare themselves part of the south.
"A large number of Misseriya attacked Maker village yesterday (Sunday), backed by government militia ... The first day one person died, the second day nine, yesterday 13 ... It will continue," he said.
Misseriya leader Mokhtar Babo Nimr told Reuters 13 of his men had died on Sunday's clash and accused southerners of starting the fighting.
Laurent Gbagbo rides on local support
Supporters of incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo wave their arms during a pro-Gbagbo rally in the Yopougon district of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Sunday, Jan.9, 2011. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo was shuttling between meetings Sunday with the country's defiant president who refuses to cede power and the internationally recognized winner in the latest effort to resolve the post-election crisis
Ivory Coast's Gbagbo rebuffs latest mediator
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – Former Nigerian leader and mediator Olusegun Obasanjo left Ivory Coast early Monday as the country's incumbent president continued to defy the world and insist he had won the recent election.
Obasanjo, who came unannounced over the weekend, had driven back and forth between the presidency and a hotel across town where the internationally recognized winner Alassane Ouattara is barricaded.
Three other high-level delegations, including a mission last week by several African heads of state, have all failed to get sway incumbent Laurent Gbagbo to cede power.
Foreign embassies have ordered a majority of their staff to leave as anti-Western sentiment simmers. Gbagbo's regime continues to use the state broadcasting arm to denounce the "Franco-American plot" behind calls for his ouster.
On Monday, the U.S. Embassy held a meeting with American citizens and urged them to leave while commercial flights were still available, warning that the embassy would not be able to come get them from their homes if widespread violence breaks out.
"Pack your bags — we've packed ours," U.S. Consul Barbara Ensslin said.
Gbagbo has stubbornly refused to step down even though results released by the country's electoral body showed he had lost by a nearly 9-point margin to Ouattara. In recent days he has ordered the military to encircle the Golf Hotel where Ouattara and his staff took refuge, imposing a blockade. The only way in or out of the hotel is now via helicopter.
The purpose of Obasanjo's visit was to deliver the international community's message as forcefully as possible, and to offer Gbagbo an exile abroad and a monthly stipend if he chooses to step down, said an adviser to Ouattara who was briefed on the discussions.
The adviser spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. He also said the Obasanjo repeated the warning that Gbagbo will face a regional military ouster if he does not cede power. The 15-nation regional bloc ECOWAS has threatened to remove him by force if negotiations fail.
ECOWAS has previously mounted armed interventions in Sierra Leone and Liberia, though the move in Ivory Coast is controversial because the nation is a magnet for immigrants from other African countries. Gbagbo's government has insinuated that any armed move will prompt retaliatory attacks against foreigners living in the country.
Nigeria remains the lynchpin in the decision to mount a military ouster, since the country has one of the largest standing forces in West Africa.
Obasanjo holds weight in the region because he is a former military leader and voluntarily handed over power in the 1970s to a civilian-led, elected government. He has also been a top mediator, including in Ivory Coast, which had not held an election for 10 years due to a civil war and a subsequent political impasse.
Tullow Oil hits gas at Tweneboa-3 well
Tullow Oil says Monday that it has hit gas in Ghana, barely one month after it began commercial production of oil in the country.
In a press release copied to ghanabusinessnews.com, the leading oil producer in Ghana, Tullow Oil says its Tweneboa-3 appraisal well in the Deepwater Tano licence offshore Ghana has successfully encountered gas condensate in excellent quality sandstone reservoirs.
According to Tullow, results of drilling, wireline logs and samples of reservoir fluids, together with the well’s down-dip position confirms the Greater Tweneboa Area resource base potential.
The well which is located over six kilometres south-east of the Tweneboa-2 well and 12 kilometres south-east from the Tweneboa-1 discovery well, was planned with two deviated boreholes to test separate areas of the Tweneboa field.
The first leg was drilled to calibrate the potential of an area with a very weak seismic response. Within prognosis, this leg encountered thin reservoir sands and approximately 9 metres of gas condensate pay, it says.
The well was then sidetracked 550 metres west, targeting the significant Ntomme anomaly, an area of strong seismic response. This leg successfully encountered a gross vertical reservoir interval of approximately 65 metres containing 34 metres of net gas condensate pay in two zones of high quality stacked reservoir sandstones.
Tullow indicates that work is underway to integrate seismic, pressure and hydrocarbon phase data in order to progress development options for the Tweneboa and Enyenra (Owo) fields in the Greater Tweneboa Area.
Tweneboa-3 was drilled by the Deepwater Millennium drillship to a total depth of 3,906 metres in a water depth of 1,601 metres. On completion of operations, the well will be suspended for future use in the field development.
We won't fight in a needless war - Defence Minister
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has lauded President Mills' decision not to commit troops to La Cote d'Ivoire to fight in a "needless war", saying a war in that country will not be in the interest of Ghana.
"The soldiers fully support and are satisfied with the decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the GAF," Lt. General J.H. Smith, Minister of Defence told newsmen in Accra yesterday.
He said "the soldiers believe that although they have a duty to be prepared and assigned to missions, sending them on a military mission to forcibly oust the incumbent Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo, would be improper."
ECOWAS Heads of State recently agreed to the use of military force to resolve the political crisis in La Cote d'lvoire, and asked member states to contribute troops.
However, Ghana can not contribute troops because her forces are outstretched, according to the President.
He explained during his encounter with editors in Accra last Friday, that the nation could not commit more troops because in addition to limited numbers of the forces available, the government did not believe that military action was the solution to the crisis in La Cote d'lvoire.
Gen. Smith explained that the President's decision was based on the result of a critical analysis of the situation in La Cote d'lvoire, indicating that there was no need to commit more troops since there were already about 500 Ghanaian soldiers serving with the UN Peace Mission in that country.
Besides the troops in La Cote d'lvoire, he said over 4,000 Ghanaian troops were serving on other peacekeeping operations in Liberia, Congo and Lebanon, adding that "we recently pulled out of Chad on the advice of the UN."
He said before sending out troops, the rule required that such a move would not affect a country's capacity for internal security, saying the GAF High Command advised the President on the need to have adequate numbers for homeland security, including protecting the oil , resources.
"It is laudable that the President heeded the advice of the GAF High Command," he stressed. Supporting the President's view that military force would not solve the Ivorian crisis, Gen. Smith was of the opinion that the ECOWAS Secretariat should have consulted experts to critically analyse the crisis before asking the Heads of State to take a decision on that country.
"This is because the sub-region will suffer serious consequences if a war should start in La Cote d'lvoire.
"It's easy to start a war but very difficult to sustain and end it," the Defence Minister said, adding that "our President has taken a very wise decision."
He said there was the need for all avenues to be explored to resolve the political impasse before a military intervention might be considered as a last resort.
Asked about the welfare of the Ghanaian troops already in La Cote d'lvoire, the Defence Minister noted that a high powered team was constantly monitoring the Ivorian situation and briefing the President on a daily basis.
Last November's presidential election has left La Cote d'lvoire divided with both incumbent President, Laurent Gbagbo and opposition leader, Alassane Ouattara, claiming to be winners of the polls, and declared themselves as President
Somali Islamists ban men, women from shaking hands
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalis say Islamist insurgents have banned unrelated men and women from shaking hands, speaking or walking together.
Residents of the southern Somali town of Jowhar said Saturday that the al-Shabab insurgents threatened to whip, imprison or execute anyone found breaking the recent edicts.
Resident Hussein Ali says he will no longer greet women he knows for fear of punishment.
Student Hamdi Osman says gunmen are searching buses for improperly dressed women or women traveling alone. She says she was once beaten for wearing Somali traditional dress instead of the long, shapeless black robes favored by the fighters.
The insurgents have already banned women from working in public, leaving many families completely destitute.
Residents of the southern Somali town of Jowhar said Saturday that the al-Shabab insurgents threatened to whip, imprison or execute anyone found breaking the recent edicts.
Resident Hussein Ali says he will no longer greet women he knows for fear of punishment.
Student Hamdi Osman says gunmen are searching buses for improperly dressed women or women traveling alone. She says she was once beaten for wearing Somali traditional dress instead of the long, shapeless black robes favored by the fighters.
The insurgents have already banned women from working in public, leaving many families completely destitute.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Road Construction in Ghana: Who is in Charge? (Part 1)
Courtesy GhanaWeb
By
Dr. Robert A. Baffour
Associate Professor of Transportation Engineering and the Vice President, Ghana Telecom University College
The Expansion of a roadway network or the construction of new roads in any community is a good sign of economic growth. Roads support economic growth and improve quality of life. It is of no surprise that governments spend huge sums of money to invest in road projects. In the past several years, Ghana has seen a significant change in road works. New roads are being constructed and old roads are being rehabilitated. In some parts of the country, Ghana can boast of six lane roads that help move people and goods. While road constructions follow a specific set of rules to make sure the right things are done, it appears these basic rules do not apply very well especially when the projects are being executed in developing countries such as Ghana. In most instances, roads under construction are also open to traffic simultaneously. Detours, alternate routes, and proper signage are virtually nonexistent. Communities affected by these construction works have virtually no say in the process. Health and safety issues are seriously ignored resulting in loss of life and severe illnesses. There are several issues associated with the way roads are constructed in this country. The roadway contractors, the supervising engineers and all those associated with the construction of such roads as Achimota-Ofankor, Tetteh Quarshie-Legon, Motor way extension to Malam, should bow their heads in shame for under representing the interest of the people of Ghana. The objective of this article is to provide some basic information to educate the average Ghanaian about what to expect when it comes to road construction. It is also intended to tell the Ghanaian engineers who supervise these road projects to provide the right engineering services to the nation. With this article, it is hoped that people of Ghana will begin to demand what is right and that they will not be taken for granted when it comes to projects done in their own communities.
All things being equal, the science and art of road construction should not change because of location. The steps involved in constructing a three kilometer six lane road should not differ from one country to the other simply because one is a developed country and the other is a developing country. For example, a contractor should use the same methods and common engineering and construction principles to construct this three kilometer road in the United States and in Ghana. Corruption, poor supervision, and poor enforcement are some of the factors that affect change in rules. Roads that are supposed to last for twenty years last for two years in Ghana,
The steps involved in the construction of a road are many and usually involves lots of people and agencies. The initial idea to provide a road, the selection of the road location, the purchase of land, the survey of land, the involvement of the community, the demolishing of properties, bulldozing, digging, traffic re-assignments, pouring of asphalt or concrete, and handing over are some of the key steps involved in the roadway construction process. While most of these processes are obvious, this article will touch on some of the processes that are not so obvious to the public. Perhaps the best way to explain this is to use some examples. Example 1: The road that carries traffic from the Achimota school area to the Accra-Tema motorway extension is closed due to construction. A new driver from the 37 Military Hospital through Dwowolu heading towards the Achimota school area will find it very difficult to get there. There are no detour signs to guide drivers from this point to the other side of the road. Example 2: A new driver from Circle heading toward New Achimota using the ABC junction will be confused once he/she gets there. In fact the very day the road was closed (with no warnings or signage), I used the road in the morning to go to work but found that section closed in the evening. I had to continue on to Tantra Hill before making a left turn to find my way back. A driver new to this area will have a serious challenge. In sum, providing detours and signage for closed roads is simply poor and it shows a complete disregard of professionalism and also lack of respect for the people of Ghana. This cannot happen in England, cannot happen in the United States and therefore should not happen here in Ghana.
How many times have you or a member of your community been involved in deciding the kinds of transportation projects that affect your community? Have you ever wondered how decisions are made about transportation projects that affect your life? Have you ever been bothered about why a road being constructed is also opened to traffic at the same time? Have you ever been concerned about why road construction processes may be different from developed countries to developing countries? Does it bother you when you have to pass through a three feet water on a road because the road to work is under construction? Have you ever experienced a situation where the road you used to work in the morning was closed during the evening and going back home was a problem because there were no guiding signs? Have you ever wonder how businesses fair during such construction projects?
In short, do you think you have any right to be involved in making decision that will help answer some of the questions raised above? Yes, in modern transportation and highway projects, it is imperative that the public is involved in helping change the direction of such projects. Civil and construction engineers are no longer the only stakeholders in the roadway construction projects. It is now a community wide project where all stakeholders including community leaders, environmentalist, engineers, teachers, business owners, etc are deeply involved from the conception of the project to the end of the project. Until communities and the citizens of Ghana demand a fair treatment to make sure our health is taken into consideration, our safety is assured and that our money is being used wisely, such projects will always be done with such poor judgment as we see on our roads daily. Where else in the world can one see a road project being executed like the project going on in Ofankor. We all have to be ashamed that such a thing is going on in our neighborhood.
While the time involved in completing a highway project depends on several factors, one always wonders how communities are subjected to long span of construction time. Such times and delays are most of the time not warranted. Can anyone justify shutting down the though movement from Tetteh Quashie to Legon for 10 years? 10 years is long enough to destroy an entire community, to cause so much pollution in a residential area, enough to destroy several businesses and livelihoods, ten years in roadway construction is long enough to kill lots of people either directly or indirectly. The bottom line is these projects should be planned well to minimize the social and economic impact of the people of this country.
A proper roadway construction process demands that a temporary alternate road is provided. In addition to providing these alternate roads, proper detour or diversions with proper signs are provided to motorist till they find themselves back to the main road of travel. It appears this is not part of the roadway construction process in Ghana. Motorists are left to find their way through usually a very messy system that makes travel very unpleasant, unsafe and time consuming.
Public infrastructure construction workers especially highway construction workers are exposed to hazards from outside and inside the work zone. More so in Ghana, the safety dimension are very different especially with Taxi and Trotro drivers using all available means to get to their destination. Proper engineering practices demands that proper safety procedures are used to protect both the construction workers and also the travelling public. Work zone signs, cones, barricades, flagging, etc. are useful to minimize accidents. In Ghana, signs are not adequate, barricades (usually stones) that are usually put to protect humans are either inadequate or are removed by taxi and trotro drivers, flagging are most of the time not present. Driving in a construction zone in Ghana is tantamount to driving in a dead zone. Whoever is responsible for overseeing the proper adherence to construction safety practices need to buckle up before the unexpected happens.
It is important that road construction are done at times that will minimize delays. It is very obvious that there is absolutely no respect for the driving public when it comes to road constriction. It appears decision to construct a road does not consider delays to travelers at all. The question is, do the contractors use the same construction principles when they construct roads in their own countries? If the answer is no, then why Ghana?
Wait for part two
By
Dr. Robert A. Baffour
Associate Professor of Transportation Engineering and the Vice President, Ghana Telecom University College
The Expansion of a roadway network or the construction of new roads in any community is a good sign of economic growth. Roads support economic growth and improve quality of life. It is of no surprise that governments spend huge sums of money to invest in road projects. In the past several years, Ghana has seen a significant change in road works. New roads are being constructed and old roads are being rehabilitated. In some parts of the country, Ghana can boast of six lane roads that help move people and goods. While road constructions follow a specific set of rules to make sure the right things are done, it appears these basic rules do not apply very well especially when the projects are being executed in developing countries such as Ghana. In most instances, roads under construction are also open to traffic simultaneously. Detours, alternate routes, and proper signage are virtually nonexistent. Communities affected by these construction works have virtually no say in the process. Health and safety issues are seriously ignored resulting in loss of life and severe illnesses. There are several issues associated with the way roads are constructed in this country. The roadway contractors, the supervising engineers and all those associated with the construction of such roads as Achimota-Ofankor, Tetteh Quarshie-Legon, Motor way extension to Malam, should bow their heads in shame for under representing the interest of the people of Ghana. The objective of this article is to provide some basic information to educate the average Ghanaian about what to expect when it comes to road construction. It is also intended to tell the Ghanaian engineers who supervise these road projects to provide the right engineering services to the nation. With this article, it is hoped that people of Ghana will begin to demand what is right and that they will not be taken for granted when it comes to projects done in their own communities.
All things being equal, the science and art of road construction should not change because of location. The steps involved in constructing a three kilometer six lane road should not differ from one country to the other simply because one is a developed country and the other is a developing country. For example, a contractor should use the same methods and common engineering and construction principles to construct this three kilometer road in the United States and in Ghana. Corruption, poor supervision, and poor enforcement are some of the factors that affect change in rules. Roads that are supposed to last for twenty years last for two years in Ghana,
The steps involved in the construction of a road are many and usually involves lots of people and agencies. The initial idea to provide a road, the selection of the road location, the purchase of land, the survey of land, the involvement of the community, the demolishing of properties, bulldozing, digging, traffic re-assignments, pouring of asphalt or concrete, and handing over are some of the key steps involved in the roadway construction process. While most of these processes are obvious, this article will touch on some of the processes that are not so obvious to the public. Perhaps the best way to explain this is to use some examples. Example 1: The road that carries traffic from the Achimota school area to the Accra-Tema motorway extension is closed due to construction. A new driver from the 37 Military Hospital through Dwowolu heading towards the Achimota school area will find it very difficult to get there. There are no detour signs to guide drivers from this point to the other side of the road. Example 2: A new driver from Circle heading toward New Achimota using the ABC junction will be confused once he/she gets there. In fact the very day the road was closed (with no warnings or signage), I used the road in the morning to go to work but found that section closed in the evening. I had to continue on to Tantra Hill before making a left turn to find my way back. A driver new to this area will have a serious challenge. In sum, providing detours and signage for closed roads is simply poor and it shows a complete disregard of professionalism and also lack of respect for the people of Ghana. This cannot happen in England, cannot happen in the United States and therefore should not happen here in Ghana.
How many times have you or a member of your community been involved in deciding the kinds of transportation projects that affect your community? Have you ever wondered how decisions are made about transportation projects that affect your life? Have you ever been bothered about why a road being constructed is also opened to traffic at the same time? Have you ever been concerned about why road construction processes may be different from developed countries to developing countries? Does it bother you when you have to pass through a three feet water on a road because the road to work is under construction? Have you ever experienced a situation where the road you used to work in the morning was closed during the evening and going back home was a problem because there were no guiding signs? Have you ever wonder how businesses fair during such construction projects?
In short, do you think you have any right to be involved in making decision that will help answer some of the questions raised above? Yes, in modern transportation and highway projects, it is imperative that the public is involved in helping change the direction of such projects. Civil and construction engineers are no longer the only stakeholders in the roadway construction projects. It is now a community wide project where all stakeholders including community leaders, environmentalist, engineers, teachers, business owners, etc are deeply involved from the conception of the project to the end of the project. Until communities and the citizens of Ghana demand a fair treatment to make sure our health is taken into consideration, our safety is assured and that our money is being used wisely, such projects will always be done with such poor judgment as we see on our roads daily. Where else in the world can one see a road project being executed like the project going on in Ofankor. We all have to be ashamed that such a thing is going on in our neighborhood.
While the time involved in completing a highway project depends on several factors, one always wonders how communities are subjected to long span of construction time. Such times and delays are most of the time not warranted. Can anyone justify shutting down the though movement from Tetteh Quashie to Legon for 10 years? 10 years is long enough to destroy an entire community, to cause so much pollution in a residential area, enough to destroy several businesses and livelihoods, ten years in roadway construction is long enough to kill lots of people either directly or indirectly. The bottom line is these projects should be planned well to minimize the social and economic impact of the people of this country.
A proper roadway construction process demands that a temporary alternate road is provided. In addition to providing these alternate roads, proper detour or diversions with proper signs are provided to motorist till they find themselves back to the main road of travel. It appears this is not part of the roadway construction process in Ghana. Motorists are left to find their way through usually a very messy system that makes travel very unpleasant, unsafe and time consuming.
Public infrastructure construction workers especially highway construction workers are exposed to hazards from outside and inside the work zone. More so in Ghana, the safety dimension are very different especially with Taxi and Trotro drivers using all available means to get to their destination. Proper engineering practices demands that proper safety procedures are used to protect both the construction workers and also the travelling public. Work zone signs, cones, barricades, flagging, etc. are useful to minimize accidents. In Ghana, signs are not adequate, barricades (usually stones) that are usually put to protect humans are either inadequate or are removed by taxi and trotro drivers, flagging are most of the time not present. Driving in a construction zone in Ghana is tantamount to driving in a dead zone. Whoever is responsible for overseeing the proper adherence to construction safety practices need to buckle up before the unexpected happens.
It is important that road construction are done at times that will minimize delays. It is very obvious that there is absolutely no respect for the driving public when it comes to road constriction. It appears decision to construct a road does not consider delays to travelers at all. The question is, do the contractors use the same construction principles when they construct roads in their own countries? If the answer is no, then why Ghana?
Wait for part two
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