This was made known by the leader of the five-member team from the CRC, Nana Otu Towrac, which toured six towns in the Kwaebibirem District to collate the views of the people.  The towns visited included Akwatia, Pramkese, Abodom, Nkwantanang, Apinamang and Takrowase.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Nana Towrac, said the organizations were expected to contribute ideas to enhance constitutional rule in the country.

He said district level consultations that started in April would end on September 30.  Nana Towrac said the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) and assembly members had been supportive with the organisation of the district consultations. He stated that every individual’s view was vital and urged chiefs, assembly members and opinion leaders to mobilize their people to fully participate in the review exercise.

 Nana Towrac indicated that a rare opportunity was being given for citizens to be part of the government process, adding that, the current constitution had been operative since 1993 and it was being reviewed for the first time. He observed that since it may take a long time before another review, “This is an opportunity for citizens to have a say in the laws that govern them and take part in the democratic process.” 

At Akwatia, members had a public meeting and paid a courtesy call on the Akwatiahene, Osabarima Kofi Boateng III.  The visit gave the chief the opportunity to express his views and he suggested the election of chief executives of local assemblies.  He said the people should have the right to choose those who should govern them at the local level.  Nana Akwatiahene also called for a second chamber of Parliament, in which chiefs would be amply represented as they are barred from taking part in partisan politics.

 The Akwatiahene’s submission on the election of head of local assemblies was met with mixed reactions, as some felt the present arrangement should continue. Others suggested that district level elections should be on partisan basis because it is common knowledge that political parties are sponsoring candidates. Some participants were of the view that too much power was vested in the President and said a non-partisan committee should be set up to make appointments, especially, to public boards.

GNA

 The Vice President made the call when he addressed the Commonwealth conference of Heads of Election Management bodies at the Accra International conference centre. The three-day conference which attracted participants from all the 54-member states would among other issues strategise on activities that would promote freedom and good governance.

The conference would also tackle all causes of electoral failure in some member- states and help provide them with technical assistance and capacity building.  Vice President Mahama commended the commonwealth secretariat for choosing to hold the conference in Ghana, which he said would boost the country’s image in democratic dispensation in Africa. “In 2008 our Electoral Commission was tested to the limit. A closely fought election brought us to the brink and tested Ghana’s belief in democratic governance to the limit.”

He pledged government’s support to the EC in all its statutory functions to position it as a model in Africa and the developing world.  “As we work towards the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2012, the government is seriously studying proposals to support the Electoral Commission undertake biometric voter registration. The government will also collaborate with Electoral Commission and all stakeholders to ensure successful elections in December, 2012 to once again enhance the democratic credentials of Ghana.”

Madam Masrie Mwamba, Secretary General of the Commonwealth Election Management Bodies, said her outfit was fighting tooth and nail to create a conducive environment for the exercise of democracy among member-states.  She said the conference would be used to address all the electoral inadequacies that had recurred in various countries and re-strategise ways by which a common platform for democracy would be created.

Mr. Navin Chawla, Chief Electoral Commissioner of India said the conference would at the end of their three-day programme come out with a steering committee on elections and pledged the support of the India government to ensure its success in the world.
GNA

“What the President would do or not do about DCEs would be determined by how well or not well they perform,” Mr Koku Anyidoho, Director of Communication at the Presidency, said. He made the President’s reaction known to journalists after a closed-door meeting with the last batch of DCEs in the Northern Region on Tuesday.

Mr Anyidoho said the President made his sentiments known when responding to questions at the meeting about calls by some party supporters to dismiss some DCEs for non-performance. Mr. Anyidoho who described the meeting as a frank encounter between the President and the DCEs.

President Mills, however, charged the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to be more innovative and proactive in addressing development challenges of the people. He warned that he would not entertain under-performance by his appointees.

He charged them to think outside the box, explaining that there was the need for the executives, as leaders in the various districts, to lead the way for vigorous national growth.

President Mills, who met the 22 District and Metropolitan Chief Executives in two batches on Monday and Tuesday behind closed doors as part of his two day visit to the region, also charged them to ensure judicious use of state resources, making it clear to his appointees that he would not hesitate to dismiss those who misused allocated resources.

The President reminded them that they were appointed on the basis of their expertise and, therefore, much was expected of them.

The success of the government, he said, depended largely on development progress made at the grassroots, and the government was expecting the DCEs to effectively implement development projects. “Your performance is critical,” Mr Anyidoho quoted the President as saying.

According to him, the chief executives, for their part, made their challenges known to the President, and called for more collaboration and support from central government.

Source: Ghanaian Times

He was addressing a press conference on the Ministry’s maiden programme dubbed “Matters Arising” in Accra which is a platform to periodically present to Ghanaians an insider-account of government’s stewardship and forum for interaction and feedback.  Mr Akologu noted that government’s “Better Ghana Agenda” was on course and that the expected change would be impressive, massive and crosscutting.

He said due to the institution of prudent management policies inflation had reduced from 18.1 per cent in January 2009 to 14.23 per cent by the end of February 2010. “The decision by the Monetary Policy Committee of Bank of Ghana to reduce the Policy Rate by 200 basis points from 18 to 16 per cent also led to a reduction in the Treasury Bill rate to 17 per cent in mid-February, from an average of 25 per cent in October 2009,” he added.

Mr Akologu pointed out that this development could lead to massive reduction in the lending rates of banks to address the concerns of Small and Medium Scale enterprises.  He said government had managed to trim the huge fiscal deficit of close to 15 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to less than 10 per cent of GDP and settled most of the arrears estimated at about GH¢1.7 billion across all sectors of the economy, while public debt was in excess of eight million dollars.

 ”To address this situation generally, government has in addition to other payments released GH¢160 million for the payment of road contractors.  “A few weeks ago, government paid the management of Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) GH¢450 million as part-payment for debts owed it by the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), the bank was on the verge of collapse and badly exposed as a result of the TOR debt,” he said.

Mr Akologu explained that beneficiaries of payments of arrears such as the railway workers, newly recruited nurses and teachers whose remunerations had not been paid for several months in 2007 and 2008, would now have improved living standards, while many other crippling arrears in other sectors had continued to receive attention over the last 15 months.

He announced that government was working on plans to revamp the railway sector by spending two million Ghana cedis on the rehabilitation of the Takoradi rail lines, ensure refurbishment of the Tema rail lines to help improve human transportation, ease up the Tema-Accra traffic and ensure that the Accra-Kumasi rail lines became operational.

On job creation, Mr Akologu said as government continued to stabilise the economy, many more job opportunities would be created.  ”Investment inflows have already started coming in appreciable volumes and as government continues to promote competitive advantages of the country to the investment world, the country’s job markets would continue to expand and absorb the growing number of skilled labour,” he added.

 Mr Akologu announced that 200 newly registered companies with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) in 2009 were expected to create about 18,789 jobs for Ghanaians.  He said in the Northern Region, some initiatives including the construction of a shea butter processing plant at Buipe, while the Ministry of Trade and Industry had released GH¢1.9 million for preparatory works at the Northern Star Tomato Factory at Pwalugu to commence work.

Mr Akologu said the education sector had received great attention, citing the free school uniform programme for deprived pupils, the distribution of over 42 million free exercise books and a 50 per cent increase in the capitation grant.  He said about 7.3 million Euros had been made available for the upgrading of technical and vocational facilities in some institutions including Takoradi, Tema and Saint Paul Technical Institutes.

Mr Akologu said 600 out of 3,947 schools that conducted classes under trees were being replaced with new classroom blocks and teachers in such deprived communities provided with special incentives.  He assured the citizenry of their safety and security at all times, saying in-spite of the challenges in few areas including Bawku that must be addressed, it was imperative that the security agencies were up to the task.

On the Bawku crises, Mr Akologu warned that government would not allow any institution including chieftaincy to foment trouble and disturb the peace in the country.  He announced that National Boundaries Commission would be sworn-in on Friday, April 9 to ensure Ghana’s boundaries were well demarcated and internationally approved, while special security arrangements had been put in place to ensure the oil and gas resource were protected.

GNA

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 They are Alhaji Collins Dauda, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, the   Minister of Justice Attorney General and Mr Peter Azumah of the Ministry of Transport.

 The rest are Lieutenant-Commander Ali Kamaldeen of the Ministry of Defence, Mr E. G. Kosivi-Degbor of the National Security Council Secretariat, Alhaji Mamadu Abudulai-Saiku of the Regional Maritime Secretariat, Mr Lawrence Apaalse of the Ghana Institution of Geoscientists, Mr Emmanuel Adjei Mohenu of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors and Alhaji Ahmed Bin-Salih of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

  They took the Official Oath, the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Secrecy, administered by the President, who also handed them their Instrument of Office.  President Mills reminded the members of their familiarity with the responsibility entrusted to them and urged them to discharge their duties with expertise, experience and commitment.

Alhaji Dauda on behalf of his colleagues thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and said it was important for nations to know their boundaries both on land and sea. He said the delineation exercise would ensure good neighbourliness between Ghana and its neighbours and would help to protect the nation’s land and maritime resources.

Alhaji Dauda said a lot of security issues would be involved in the exercise and stressed that it would also require a lot of education.
GNA

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She said the global acclamation of Ghana’s track record in sustaining democratic governance and the painstaking efforts and sacrifice from Ghanaians to make that possible was not likely without the legal profession. “Ghanaian history and case law is replete with diverse contribution by judges in the attempt to ensure that the law is effectively employed to safe guard the rights of the people,” she said.

Mrs Wood was speaking at the Kenneth Roemer Lecture on World Affairs at the State University of New York, Suny Geneseo on the topic: “The Dynamic of Law and Development in Ghana: The Case for Judicial Reform in an Emergent Democracy.”  Roemer was born in Utica, New York, in 1910.  After earning Bachelor and Masters of Arts degrees at Cornel, he joined a faculty at Thomas Proctor High School in Utica in 1936, teaching social science and serving as guidance counsellor until his retirement in 1973.

 The annual Lecture series on World affairs is a memorial to his long standing interest in global issues, endowed by his brother, the late Dr. Spencer J. Roemer, Emeritus Director of Admissions at Geneseo and former member of the Geneseo Foundation  Board of Directors.  Mrs Wood said there was a correlation between democratic governance and socio-economic growth.

 She said sustaining democracy was to a very large extent, clearly dependent on an efficient and effective justice system; hence the critical need for judicial reform- to bring the judiciary to a healthy standard where it can play its role in national development effectively, without interference or external pressure from any quarter.

 ”Before the judiciary began to vigorously tackle judicial reforms based on sound strategic options, some 12 years ago, all major stakeholders in the administration of justice had thought that the judicial system was failing and remedial steps had to be taken quickly to save it from total collapse. The administration of justice was marked by frustratingly long delays in the resolution of cases, particularly, commercial cases.”

Mrs Wood said the judiciary had to grapple with such basic issues as outmoded, cumbersome and non-user friendly procedural rules of court, poor and inadequate physical infrastructure, poor remuneration and other conditions of service, difficult enforcement mechanisms, under funding, as well as lack of logistical support for the entire machinery.

 For example, the process of recording evidence in the courts, including the trial High Courts was most outrageous. Judges had to record these manually. No wonder it was practically impossible for judges to observe the demeanour of witnesses, thus robbing judges of an important criterion that on an occasion may assist the court to determine the credibility of a particular witness.

Mrs Wood said: “The situation has considerably improved in relation to all the Superior Courts and some Circuit Courts- the highest courts in the lower strata of courts- and a few District Courts, but sadly that laborious practice still subsists in most District Courts, the courts, which the majority of Ghanaians access on daily basis.
   “There is real hope however, that quite soon, this archaic process will give way to automated courts and mechanised recording systems, which obviously are more reliable and efficient,” she said.
    She noted that the delays associated with the resolution of cases in court do not augur well for the socio-economic development of the nation.
   “The stark reality, as we quickly came to realise, is that the only way to forestall. mob justice or instant justice, and remove insecurity, fear and national unrest, which clearly constitutes a threat to democracy; is for the judiciary to function efficiently and effectively.  The Judiciary had therefore no choice but, to undergo change.
   “It became apparent that to promote a politically and socially stable environment for democratic governance and concomitantly socio- economic development, there was an urgent need for serious comprehensive structural and institutional judicial reforms.”
   Mrs Wood said preparatory work needed for the judiciary to commence one of its biggest infrastructural projects ever undertaken by the service, was at the final stages.
   The project involves the construction of a 34 court- room modern complex in Accra, to house courts and meet the other infrastructural needs of an ever growing judiciary.
   She said one of the overriding concerns on the need for reform, bordered on the issue of corruption, which had dire consequences for emergent democracies in their quest for development.
    The Chief Justice called for capacity building and human resources development through programmes like continuing judicial education and the Supreme Court Clerkship and internship programmes.
     She also called for review of existing procedural laws, such as outdated court rules; automation and mechanisation of the courts, Infrastructural development and institutional strengthening and establishment of specialised divisions of the High Court,  including the commercial courts, human rights courts, land courts and industrial courts.

 Mrs Wood said the world was going through a period of rapid transformation; with the impact being felt most in sub Saharan Africa, in the areas of democratic governance and economic development.  She noted that national development cannot be attained without the collaborative efforts of all persons within the State working within the law.

Mrs Wood observed that the challenges facing democratic development in Ghana transcends the provision of mechanisms for the operation of government and change in administration.
   “To a large extent this is no longer a problem. After decades of a convulsive history that featured among other things, human right violations, corruption, an economy that generated debilitating levels of poverty leading to an exodus of biblical proportions of some of our best human capital, Ghana is now recognised and celebrated around the world as a rare beacon of hope; of peace, democracy, and political and economic stability on the African continent.
   “This is significant when measured against much of Africa’s continuing horrendous experiences with civilian and military dictatorships, coups d’etat, and protracted ethnic conflicts and election-related carnage and civil wars.”
   She warned Ghanaians against complacency, adding that what is at stake is for the citizenry to count their blessings and map out areas where  they had faltered, and chart a better course, which will ensure the socio-economic development of all.
   The Chief Justice said the real challenge facing Ghana was to work towards the enhancement of democratic governance.
   “  I think the main challenge lies in ensuring that our systems work and does so efficiently and effectively, in order to meet the just expectations of the people in whom, as the preamble to our Constitution declares, sovereignty and justice reside and for whose welfare the institutions of state exist.”
   Mrs Wood observed that after years of failed attempts at constitutional democracy, Ghanaians have resolved to build a stable multi- party constitutional democratic State, with the rule of law, human rights, separation of powers, independence of the judiciary, accountability and transparency, universal adult suffrage and free and fair elections as some of its core values.
   Touching on the country’s oil find she said while it was the hope of Ghanaians that the additional resources would be judiciously managed, so that Central Government can allocate needed funds for all governance institutions, the Judiciary was also expecting to be financially autonomous as per article 127(1) and (2) of the 1992 Constitution.

GNA
JA
6 April 10

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President John Atta Mills (JAM)

Agona Mensakrom (C/R), April 5, GNA – The Head Pastor and Founder of Wade Harris 12 Apostles Church, Odeyifo Dadebo Acquah, has called on Ghanaians not to take advantage of free speech as guaranteed by the Constitution to insult President Mills and other prominent public Officials.

He said it was also time for the people to accord equal respect to the two living former Presidents, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor, since they had done a lot for the socio-economic advancement of the country.

 Addressing a four-day Easter Convention at Mensakrom in the Agona East District of the Central Region, Odeyifo Acquah said it was unfortunate that some Ghanaians had taken the proliferation of radio stations and the phone-in programmes to insult and ridicule the President and Ministers of State.
  “Ghana’s democratic dispensation has thrived and paved way for other African countries to learn from us but we must do clean politics”, Odeyifo Acquah said.
  He stated that the first President of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, left a good legacy which had inspired many Africans and other world leaders to emulate the quality leadership he exhibited.

 Odeyifo Acquah said there was the need for the people to stop showing disrespect to public office holders, especially MPs, Ministers of State and Chief Executives Officers (CEOs) to enhance peace, harmony and development.

He called on the supporters of the two dominant political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to desist from personal attacks and acts of vandalism and rather exercise restraint especially when discussing matters of national development.
 The founder cautioned greedy and selfish pastors and other religious leaders to stop such practice because it discouraged people from attending church to worship their creator.

 At the Agona Swedru Assemblies of God Church, more than 500 women received free breast cancer screening to determine their health status.
 The exercise which was undertaken at the cost of the church, was conducted by breast cancer specialist based in Kumasi, Dr Beatrice Wiafe, who also tested members for prostrate cancer and hepatitis ‘B’ diseases.

 The Reverend Samuel Agyiri Mireku-Nkrumah said the church would not seek the spiritual aspect of the members alone, but their health needs as well, to enable them to discharge their businesses without any health problem.
   He urged the government to expand the nation’s Youth in Employment Programme to help absorb more unemployed youth who were roaming on the streets.
   Mr Fiifi Arthur, Chairman of the Convention Committee, urged the members of the church to obey the word of God.

GNA

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Brig. Gen. Nunoo-Mensah made the call at the launch of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Ghana Military Academy.   The celebration is on the theme: “Beyond 50 years of excellence: – Turning out Elite Leaders for National and International Peace and Security.”  He said the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) must be adaptable and responsive to a multiplicity of roles and well equipped to deal with a variety of threats.

 ”To generate and sustain a military force fit for the challenges of the next 50 years, we have to combine the essential components of leadership, training, better equipment and logistics support to produce a military force capable of playing the role of a peacemaker in ethnic conflict situations,” he added.  Brig. Gen. Nunoo-Mensah noted that globalisation had changed the conflict profile in the world leading to an increase in intra-national conflicts over inter-national ones.

 ”The breadth of tasks required to be undertaken go beyond the traditional internal security and peace support operations and would include humanitarian relief, confidence building operations, deterring trafficking in drugs and small arms, and full scale combat operations,” he said. Brig. Gen. Nunoo-Mensah said such conflicts required multi-lateral co-operation to handle them effectively. 

He advised that partisan politics and other negative tendencies should not be allowed to infiltrate the ranks of the GAF.  ”We need to inculcate new values into the young officers that come out of the Military Academy, so that they eschew politics, ethnicity and other divisive tendencies that may confront the military,” he said.

Brig. Gen. Nunoo-Mensah noted that apart from the obsolete infrastructure, the Ghana Military Academy lacked modern Information, Communication and Technology equipment, which had become a prerequisite for institutions of learning.  He called for the maintenance of high standards during the selection process at the academy to ensure that the best entrants were admitted.

Brig. Gen. Nunoo-Mensah said since the protection of human rights and human dignity had become the objectives of modern security delivery, a course on human security should be included in the curriculum of the Military Academy and other institutions in the Ghana Armed Forces.  Lt. General Peter Augustine Blay, Chief of Defence Staff said the celebrations provided an opportunity for the academy to take stock of its past and chart a new path to confront future challenges.

Activities lined up to mark the celebrations include a book launch, fun games, lecture, jubilee ball and awards night, panel discussion, graduation parade and non-denominational thanksgiving service. The Ghana Military Academy was established on April 1, 1960 after years of reliance on foreign military academies to commission potential Ghanaian officers for the GAF.  The academy grew out of the Regular Officers Special Training Schools, which was established in 1953.

 Since its establishment, the academy has produced more than 3,000 Ghanaian officers now serving in various capacities in the armed forces and the country as a whole.
  It has also trained cadets from sister African countries like Uganda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Benin and the Gambia.

Vice President Mahama announced this when he launched the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Upper East Region at the Banquet Hall, Accra on the theme: “Upper East Region @ 50 harnessing our endowed resources for accelerated development through education.”  The Region which was carved out of the then Northern Territories in September 1960 with only six districts including the current Upper West Region, now has nine administrative districts in fulfilment of the government’s decentralisation programme.

 The year-long celebration would among other things put up activities that would directly involve the Northern and Upper West Regions, due mainly to the cultural overlaps in the three Northern regions.  The Vice President said the SADA project would help reduce the lopsided development that had over the years maintained migration from the Northern sector to the Southern sector sometimes for non-existent jobs.

He announced that Sheabutter, groundnut and sugar cane industries would be established under the SADA project, adding that a Brazilian Company had completed studies to establish a shea butter industry in the three regions. Vice President Mahama appealed to beneficiaries in the three regions to attach practical importance to the project as it would serve as catalyst for development and retain the youth to engage in productive activities.  He also called on parents to make maximum use of the free basic education to send their children to school to become useful citizens in future.

Vice President Mahama called on chiefs and opinion leaders of the region to embark on reconciliatory talks among the people to avoid the recurrence of ethnic, chieftaincy and religious conflicts in the region.  ”War can never solve your problems. You can continue killing each other but the problems will keep waiting for you. It is better we put a stop to the conflicts and dialogue for the development of our area.”

Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister said apart from the celebration, the people would also take advantage to advertise the business potentials and tourists attractions of the region.  He said eminent individuals and institutions who have contributed to the development of the region, would also be honoured during the year- long celebrations and called on all Upper Easterners to patronise the programmes to make it successful.

 The Minority Leader was contributing to a motion on the approval of two Deputy Ministers designates Dr Mustapha Ahmed, Deputy Minister Designate for Water Resources, Works and Housing and Mr San Nasamu Asabigi, Deputy Minister Designate for Northern Region.  He said article 78 Section “1″ of the 1992 Constitution prescribed that anyone, who is qualified to be elected as a member of parliament is eligible to be a Minister.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah, member for Sekondi in a rebuttal, disagreed with the Minority Leader and said Parliament had the mandate to cause the removal of non-performing ministers.  In his explanation, he asked whether parliament would approve a person found not to be fit for a ministerial position.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah further argued that what the constitution prescribed was legitimacy but not mandatory in the appointment of ministers adding that parliament could be constrained in a way but there was a way out.  He said if that was the case why parliament vetted them and added that there were clauses in the constitution that took care of this anomaly.

Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, Second Deputy Speaker, said the concern was a legitimate one and would be considered. 

Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo, Speaker of Parliament, said it was only the Supreme Court that could interpret the issues satisfactorily. She asked whether if a person who could not read and write English, would qualify as a minister.

 The Minority Leader in an answer said the constitution did not frown on such persons becoming ministers adding they could become ministers without hindrance.

On housing, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu expressed worry over how government would acquire enough land to execute the 600 thousand housing units promised Ghanaians.  He said the first phase of 400 thousand units alone was a whole community that could stand on its own.

Ms Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Member of Parliament for Bantama said government must do all in its power to complete the affordable housing project started by the previous government.  She said Ghanaians must not trivialize water shortage adding that good water supply was life.

 Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development said, the Deputy Northern Regional Minister designate, Mr San Asabigi must assist his Minister to put the necessary mechanism in place to avoid conflicts in the region.  He said the humility, hard work and diligence of Mr Asabigi would propel him to success in his new appointment.
GNA