16/07/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru & Fauziatu Adam
THE proposed Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), which seeks to bring all revenue agencies under one umbrella, is to become operational in January, next year.
The Executive Secretary of the Revenue Agencies Governing Council, Mr Sam Sallas-Mensah, who made this known, said the legislation governing the operations of the GRA would be passed into law by mid-December, this year.
He was speaking at the launch of the Chartered Institute of Taxation Ghana (CITG) 2009 annual tax week celebration in Accra yesterday.
Activities lined up for the celebration include students’ forum, tax forum, seminars, annual general meeting, dinner and awards night.
Mr Sallas-Mensah mentioned the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and the Value Added Tax (VAT) as some of the revenue agencies that would be replaced by the GRA.
He said the GRA would be a one-stop-shop, where customers would pay all their taxes.
That, Mr Sallas-Mensah said, would ensure efficiency in the collection of taxes.
Besides, he said, it would encourage people to pay their taxes, since the process would be less tedious and would save time.
The Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, who launched the week celebration, urged the CITG to establish high ethical standards and create the right image for the institute.
He advised the institute to put in place policies which would ensure that members were abreast of modern trends in the taxation profession and as well understand the demands of new tax laws that emerged on the market.
Mr Tettey-Enyo urged them to grow the institute in terms of numbers and influence in society since that would put them in a better position to advise the government on taxation issues and consequently increase revenue generation.
He called on Ghanaians to get involved in the seminars organised by the institute to be well informed about the taxation system.
The President of the CITG, Mr Yaw Asante-Boadi, said the institute was exploring avenues for increased co-operation, exchange of tax competencies and tax ideas aimed at increased tax revenue generation and management within the West African sub-region.
He asked tax agencies to base their employment selection choice on graduates of the CITG as that would “increase the professionalism and technical competencies of the revenue agencies”.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
200 unclaimed bodies buried in mass grave
14/9/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
TWO HUNDRED out of the 400 unclaimed bodies which crowded the Police Hospital mortuary for more than four months were finally buried in mass graves at the Awudome Cemetery last Saturday.
The action became necessary after hospital authorities were prevented by the people of Bortianor from burying the unclaimed bodies at the Mile 11 cemetery in August.
The bodies comprised mainly accident victims, street dwellers and insane persons whose identities were difficult to establish.
The Medical Director of the hospital, DCOP Dr Godfried Asiamah, who supervised the burial, said the mortuary was overstreched by the number of unclaimed bodies.
He said the hospital was relieved that the unclaimed bodies had been buried, saying, “I am happy that we were able to bury them, because the continuous stay of the bodies was too stressful.”
The action was facilitated by the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, who released the space at the Awudome Cemetery for the mass burial.
The space was released following a request by the hospital authorities to the assembly.
DCOP Dr Asiamah said the hospital had held on to the burial of the remaining 200 unclaimed bodies, with the hope of establishing their identities and getting their relatives to claim them.
DCOP Dr Godfried said the hospital had discontinued discussions with the people of Bortianor, since they had refused to allow the mass burial to take place at the Mile 11 Cemetery.
The lack of a site for the mass burial forced the authorities of the hospital to consider the option of cremating the 400 unclaimed bodies.
The authorities at the hospital, therefore, appealed to organisations and philanthropists to support the hospital authorities with some funds to enable them to carry out the cremation.
In an earlier interview, DCOP Dr Asiamah stressed that if the AMA failed to secure the land, the hospital authorities would not have any option but to cremate the bodies, since the continuous storage of the bodies could break down the fridges of the mortuary.
According to him, some of the bodies were being kept on the floor of the cold room instead of the fridges.
This paper earlier reported that the Police Hospital mortuary in Accra faced an imminent crisis, if steps were not taken to bury about 400 bodies that had not been claimed or identified.
To avoid that situation, he said, the hospital took steps to bury all the unidentified bodies in mass graves but the effort fell through when the people of Bortianor refused the bodies.
He said a similar exercise to decongest the mortuary was undertaken last April with the burial of 125 unclaimed bodies at the Mile ‘11’ Cemetery at Bortianor.
Statistics at the hospital indicate a steady rise in the number of unidentified bodies sent to the hospital’s mortuary. In 2007 for instance, 278 unclaimed bodies were buried and 373 were buried in 2008.
DCOP Dr Asiamah attributed the trend to road accidents in which those who died were brought to the hospital by the police or volunteers on the scene.
Additionally, he said, whenever people died in the streets and their relatives did not come forward to claim the bodies, the police collected such bodies and brought them to the hospital’s mortuary.
“Numerous people die in the streets. They are picked up by the police and they end up in our mortuary,” he stressed, pointing out that the difficulty was always with people who died in such circumstances without any identification tags on them.
DCOP Dr Asiamah said the medical officers conducted post-mortem, while the investigative team conducted investigations into the circumstances leading to the death.
Thereafter, he said, his outfit made announcements in the media about the dead bodies for their relatives to come out to identify and claim them.
However, he said, on many occasions people did not come forward to identify and claim the bodies.
The Medical Director said the police were compelled under the circumstances to organise mass burials for the unclaimed bodies to decongest the mortuary fridges.
He explained that the fridges would break down if the bodies were not disposed of to make way for new bodies.
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
TWO HUNDRED out of the 400 unclaimed bodies which crowded the Police Hospital mortuary for more than four months were finally buried in mass graves at the Awudome Cemetery last Saturday.
The action became necessary after hospital authorities were prevented by the people of Bortianor from burying the unclaimed bodies at the Mile 11 cemetery in August.
The bodies comprised mainly accident victims, street dwellers and insane persons whose identities were difficult to establish.
The Medical Director of the hospital, DCOP Dr Godfried Asiamah, who supervised the burial, said the mortuary was overstreched by the number of unclaimed bodies.
He said the hospital was relieved that the unclaimed bodies had been buried, saying, “I am happy that we were able to bury them, because the continuous stay of the bodies was too stressful.”
The action was facilitated by the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, who released the space at the Awudome Cemetery for the mass burial.
The space was released following a request by the hospital authorities to the assembly.
DCOP Dr Asiamah said the hospital had held on to the burial of the remaining 200 unclaimed bodies, with the hope of establishing their identities and getting their relatives to claim them.
DCOP Dr Godfried said the hospital had discontinued discussions with the people of Bortianor, since they had refused to allow the mass burial to take place at the Mile 11 Cemetery.
The lack of a site for the mass burial forced the authorities of the hospital to consider the option of cremating the 400 unclaimed bodies.
The authorities at the hospital, therefore, appealed to organisations and philanthropists to support the hospital authorities with some funds to enable them to carry out the cremation.
In an earlier interview, DCOP Dr Asiamah stressed that if the AMA failed to secure the land, the hospital authorities would not have any option but to cremate the bodies, since the continuous storage of the bodies could break down the fridges of the mortuary.
According to him, some of the bodies were being kept on the floor of the cold room instead of the fridges.
This paper earlier reported that the Police Hospital mortuary in Accra faced an imminent crisis, if steps were not taken to bury about 400 bodies that had not been claimed or identified.
To avoid that situation, he said, the hospital took steps to bury all the unidentified bodies in mass graves but the effort fell through when the people of Bortianor refused the bodies.
He said a similar exercise to decongest the mortuary was undertaken last April with the burial of 125 unclaimed bodies at the Mile ‘11’ Cemetery at Bortianor.
Statistics at the hospital indicate a steady rise in the number of unidentified bodies sent to the hospital’s mortuary. In 2007 for instance, 278 unclaimed bodies were buried and 373 were buried in 2008.
DCOP Dr Asiamah attributed the trend to road accidents in which those who died were brought to the hospital by the police or volunteers on the scene.
Additionally, he said, whenever people died in the streets and their relatives did not come forward to claim the bodies, the police collected such bodies and brought them to the hospital’s mortuary.
“Numerous people die in the streets. They are picked up by the police and they end up in our mortuary,” he stressed, pointing out that the difficulty was always with people who died in such circumstances without any identification tags on them.
DCOP Dr Asiamah said the medical officers conducted post-mortem, while the investigative team conducted investigations into the circumstances leading to the death.
Thereafter, he said, his outfit made announcements in the media about the dead bodies for their relatives to come out to identify and claim them.
However, he said, on many occasions people did not come forward to identify and claim the bodies.
The Medical Director said the police were compelled under the circumstances to organise mass burials for the unclaimed bodies to decongest the mortuary fridges.
He explained that the fridges would break down if the bodies were not disposed of to make way for new bodies.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Govt to relocate Sodom and Gomorrah
11/9/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE Government has decided to either relocate or compensate squatters of Sodom and Gomorrah in Accra, contrary to an earlier declaration by the Greater Accra Regional Minister that the squatters would be evicted without any form of compensation.
Consequently, the Government has directed the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to engage the squatters to identify those eligible for relocation or compensation.
A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who was answering questions on government’s position on the supposed eviction of the squatters of Sodom and Gomorrah at a press conference in Accra yesterday, said “the Government wants to maintain a human face to the exercise”.
The periodic press conference dubbed: “Matters Arising”, which is a platform for the Government to give Ghanaians a status report on the Better Ghana Agenda of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, focused on government’s commitment to the fight against drugs, the Youth in Agriculture Programme and support for educational sector.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashietey, in his visit to Sodom and Gomorrah last Thursday, said the slum was a risk to national security, and indicated the Government’s resolve to evict squatters without relocating them or giving them any form of compensation.
However, Mr Ablakwa said, “The Government takes exception to attempts to criminalise poverty and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah,” since “crime can be found in political parties, churches, mosques and society in general.”
“Some of us have not been happy with reports on Sodom and Gomorrah”, he intimated.
Mr Ablakwa said many of the squatters had fled conflicts in some areas in the northern parts of the country to settle at Sodom and Gomorrah, while others were born at the slum.
He said many of the squatters are engaged in productive ventures.
Therefore, he said, “The Government cannot get up and bulldoze the slum down just because they are lesser Ghanaians.”
“We cannot say that human beings should be thrown out as outcasts. They will come back to haunt us,” he stressed.
The squatters have asked the Government to try to relocate them, since they do not have the financial means to rent rooms or have any intention to return to the north.
Some people have cautioned the Government not to rush in evicting the squatters, since it could lead to the creation of smaller slums in parts of the city.
Human rights activists also feel that the Government must, of necessity, try to relocate the squatters, since they have a right to shelter. They have blamed the Government for allowing the people to live there for long and assumed some rights to their settlement there.
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE Government has decided to either relocate or compensate squatters of Sodom and Gomorrah in Accra, contrary to an earlier declaration by the Greater Accra Regional Minister that the squatters would be evicted without any form of compensation.
Consequently, the Government has directed the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to engage the squatters to identify those eligible for relocation or compensation.
A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who was answering questions on government’s position on the supposed eviction of the squatters of Sodom and Gomorrah at a press conference in Accra yesterday, said “the Government wants to maintain a human face to the exercise”.
The periodic press conference dubbed: “Matters Arising”, which is a platform for the Government to give Ghanaians a status report on the Better Ghana Agenda of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, focused on government’s commitment to the fight against drugs, the Youth in Agriculture Programme and support for educational sector.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashietey, in his visit to Sodom and Gomorrah last Thursday, said the slum was a risk to national security, and indicated the Government’s resolve to evict squatters without relocating them or giving them any form of compensation.
However, Mr Ablakwa said, “The Government takes exception to attempts to criminalise poverty and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah,” since “crime can be found in political parties, churches, mosques and society in general.”
“Some of us have not been happy with reports on Sodom and Gomorrah”, he intimated.
Mr Ablakwa said many of the squatters had fled conflicts in some areas in the northern parts of the country to settle at Sodom and Gomorrah, while others were born at the slum.
He said many of the squatters are engaged in productive ventures.
Therefore, he said, “The Government cannot get up and bulldoze the slum down just because they are lesser Ghanaians.”
“We cannot say that human beings should be thrown out as outcasts. They will come back to haunt us,” he stressed.
The squatters have asked the Government to try to relocate them, since they do not have the financial means to rent rooms or have any intention to return to the north.
Some people have cautioned the Government not to rush in evicting the squatters, since it could lead to the creation of smaller slums in parts of the city.
Human rights activists also feel that the Government must, of necessity, try to relocate the squatters, since they have a right to shelter. They have blamed the Government for allowing the people to live there for long and assumed some rights to their settlement there.
Govt's 'Better Ghana' agenda on course - Ablakwa
11/9/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE maiden edition of “Matters Arising”, a platform conceived to bring governance issues close to the people, opened in Accra yesterday with strong signals that the government’s Better Ghana Agenda was on course.
With job creation as part of the agenda’s main pillars, a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who addressed the forum, said the government was to create employment for 10,000 graduates, skilled and unskilled persons, through a public-private sector partnership in the oil industry.
Under the initiative, a core group would be trained in the management of oil spillage at sea, while the unskilled persons would be engaged to constantly clean the country’s beaches from Aflao to Elubo and plant coconut trees along the beaches, as a way of improving sanitation in fishing communities.
Mr Ablakwa said already the trainers of trainers had received training in Nigeria and would be training another set of supervisors and trainers in the management of the oil spillage.
The maiden edition of the periodic press conference to give Ghanaians a status report on the Better Ghana Agenda of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government also highlighted the government’s commitment to the fight against drugs, the Youth in Agriculture Programme and support for the educational sector.
Mr Ablakwa said the multi-ministerial and private sector partnership being co-ordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology would ensure the transfer of technology to Ghana for the development of the local capacity in the oil industry.
“The transfer of expertise and technical capacity to the local staff would ensure the building of the needed capacity to support the oil industry in line with the NDC government’s objective of developing the human resource capacity of the people,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa said the improvement of the sanitation situation at the beaches would promote tourism, and indicated that since all the persons who would be engaged in that effort were from the various communities, it would improve the financial situations of thousands of families.
He said the employment opportunities that would be created would go a long way to support NDC government’s short-term objective of promoting and creating productive employment opportunities in all sectors of the economy.
“Clearly, the John Atta Mills government is on course, despite the difficulties caused by the poor management of the economy by our predecessors, resulting in huge deficits and undisclosed arrears,” he said.
Touching on the government’s fight against drug, Mr Ablakwa said the President John Atta Mills administration was on course to redeeming his campaign pledge that he would not allow the country to be turned into a haven for the trade in narcotics.
He said the government had initiated effective and practical steps towards dealing with the drug menace. He mentioned skills training, exposure to modern techniques in fighting narcotics drugs and plans to transform the Narcotics Control Board into an autonomous Commission as some of the steps that were yielding results.
“Today, there is not that perception as it was in the past that some powerful people in government may be collaborating with drug barons,” he said, and noted that some arrests had been made, including the successful management of security information leading to the arrest of a ship and seizure of parcels of cocaine on board.
Besides, Mr Ablakwa said, many people had been arrested for having parcels of cocaine concealed in tubers of yam, or heroin swallowed for discharge at their final destinations.
He said structures had been put in place to ensure that seized exhibits “do not either vanish or metamorphose into some other substance overnight”.
Mr Ablakwa said the Youth in Agriculture Programme was growing steadily, and indicated that some youth had cultivated 1,440 hectares of land in Damango in the West Gonja District of the Northern Region under the programme and that more than 300 youth of the area were working on the Block Farm Concept at Damongo.
He said 100 hectares had been ploughed in Komenda and ready for planting, 30 hectares in Gomoa West, 72 hectares in Gomoa East and 40 hectares in Agona East.
“When fully operational across the country, a total of 14,000 hectares of land is expected to be on cultivation under the Youth in Agriculture Programme. And more than 20,000 job opportunities, some periodic, will be created. For this programme, the government has provided GH¢10.7????????? ”, he said.
Mr Ablakwa said the required feasibility study and detailed designs for the first phase of 5,000 hectares under the Accra Plains Irrigation Project would be ready by the end of the year.
Up north, he said, the government was rehabilitating 70 breached dams in the three northern regions, which, when completed, would put 360 hectares of land under irrigation.
The Government has approved the construction of two fishing harbours and 12 landing sites at the cost of $200 million, saying that the government was sourcing funds for the project.
To reduce post-harvest losses, six cold stores would be built in selected fishing communities with a seven- million euro facility from the Spanish government.
Mr Ablakwa said two of the expected six patrol boats for the Ghana Navy were expected in December this year, and stressed that the boats would help the Ghana Navy to enforce fisheries laws and also protect fishermen from the activities of pair trawlers.
He said the government had offered 50 per cent subsidy of fertilisers as a result of which GH¢10 million had been released to support the subsidy payment.
In its bid to improve capacity to produce rice locally, Mr Ablakwa said the government would plant rice on the irrigated lands while it continued to support the Nercia Rice Production in the northern sector and cultivation of a further 700 hectares of rice farm.
“This will be adding to the Aveyime rice farm which should be releasing their rice onto the market soon, and the 200 hectares being cultivated under the Youth in Agriculture Programme,” he said.
Focusing on education, the deputy minister said the government was still committed to ensuring the right of every child and young person to quality education, hence the on-going efforts to expand physical infrastructure, motivate teachers and make logistics available.
For instance, he said, President Mills had ordered a 50-per cent increment in the Capitation Grant per pupil in addition to planned supply of free exercise books, two free pairs of school uniforms each to pupils in selected districts at the cost of GH¢11 million with another GH¢13 million for the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
Mr Ablakwa said the government had decided to pay the full tuition fees for all teachers who would be pursuing further studies through distance learning, beginning from the next academic year.
That, he said, was part of the government’s efforts at motivating teachers to stay in the classroom but at the same time improve themselves academically.
He said the government had confirmed its commitment to science and technology education with the introduction of 41,000 scholarships accessible to mathematics and science students.
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE maiden edition of “Matters Arising”, a platform conceived to bring governance issues close to the people, opened in Accra yesterday with strong signals that the government’s Better Ghana Agenda was on course.
With job creation as part of the agenda’s main pillars, a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who addressed the forum, said the government was to create employment for 10,000 graduates, skilled and unskilled persons, through a public-private sector partnership in the oil industry.
Under the initiative, a core group would be trained in the management of oil spillage at sea, while the unskilled persons would be engaged to constantly clean the country’s beaches from Aflao to Elubo and plant coconut trees along the beaches, as a way of improving sanitation in fishing communities.
Mr Ablakwa said already the trainers of trainers had received training in Nigeria and would be training another set of supervisors and trainers in the management of the oil spillage.
The maiden edition of the periodic press conference to give Ghanaians a status report on the Better Ghana Agenda of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government also highlighted the government’s commitment to the fight against drugs, the Youth in Agriculture Programme and support for the educational sector.
Mr Ablakwa said the multi-ministerial and private sector partnership being co-ordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology would ensure the transfer of technology to Ghana for the development of the local capacity in the oil industry.
“The transfer of expertise and technical capacity to the local staff would ensure the building of the needed capacity to support the oil industry in line with the NDC government’s objective of developing the human resource capacity of the people,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa said the improvement of the sanitation situation at the beaches would promote tourism, and indicated that since all the persons who would be engaged in that effort were from the various communities, it would improve the financial situations of thousands of families.
He said the employment opportunities that would be created would go a long way to support NDC government’s short-term objective of promoting and creating productive employment opportunities in all sectors of the economy.
“Clearly, the John Atta Mills government is on course, despite the difficulties caused by the poor management of the economy by our predecessors, resulting in huge deficits and undisclosed arrears,” he said.
Touching on the government’s fight against drug, Mr Ablakwa said the President John Atta Mills administration was on course to redeeming his campaign pledge that he would not allow the country to be turned into a haven for the trade in narcotics.
He said the government had initiated effective and practical steps towards dealing with the drug menace. He mentioned skills training, exposure to modern techniques in fighting narcotics drugs and plans to transform the Narcotics Control Board into an autonomous Commission as some of the steps that were yielding results.
“Today, there is not that perception as it was in the past that some powerful people in government may be collaborating with drug barons,” he said, and noted that some arrests had been made, including the successful management of security information leading to the arrest of a ship and seizure of parcels of cocaine on board.
Besides, Mr Ablakwa said, many people had been arrested for having parcels of cocaine concealed in tubers of yam, or heroin swallowed for discharge at their final destinations.
He said structures had been put in place to ensure that seized exhibits “do not either vanish or metamorphose into some other substance overnight”.
Mr Ablakwa said the Youth in Agriculture Programme was growing steadily, and indicated that some youth had cultivated 1,440 hectares of land in Damango in the West Gonja District of the Northern Region under the programme and that more than 300 youth of the area were working on the Block Farm Concept at Damongo.
He said 100 hectares had been ploughed in Komenda and ready for planting, 30 hectares in Gomoa West, 72 hectares in Gomoa East and 40 hectares in Agona East.
“When fully operational across the country, a total of 14,000 hectares of land is expected to be on cultivation under the Youth in Agriculture Programme. And more than 20,000 job opportunities, some periodic, will be created. For this programme, the government has provided GH¢10.7????????? ”, he said.
Mr Ablakwa said the required feasibility study and detailed designs for the first phase of 5,000 hectares under the Accra Plains Irrigation Project would be ready by the end of the year.
Up north, he said, the government was rehabilitating 70 breached dams in the three northern regions, which, when completed, would put 360 hectares of land under irrigation.
The Government has approved the construction of two fishing harbours and 12 landing sites at the cost of $200 million, saying that the government was sourcing funds for the project.
To reduce post-harvest losses, six cold stores would be built in selected fishing communities with a seven- million euro facility from the Spanish government.
Mr Ablakwa said two of the expected six patrol boats for the Ghana Navy were expected in December this year, and stressed that the boats would help the Ghana Navy to enforce fisheries laws and also protect fishermen from the activities of pair trawlers.
He said the government had offered 50 per cent subsidy of fertilisers as a result of which GH¢10 million had been released to support the subsidy payment.
In its bid to improve capacity to produce rice locally, Mr Ablakwa said the government would plant rice on the irrigated lands while it continued to support the Nercia Rice Production in the northern sector and cultivation of a further 700 hectares of rice farm.
“This will be adding to the Aveyime rice farm which should be releasing their rice onto the market soon, and the 200 hectares being cultivated under the Youth in Agriculture Programme,” he said.
Focusing on education, the deputy minister said the government was still committed to ensuring the right of every child and young person to quality education, hence the on-going efforts to expand physical infrastructure, motivate teachers and make logistics available.
For instance, he said, President Mills had ordered a 50-per cent increment in the Capitation Grant per pupil in addition to planned supply of free exercise books, two free pairs of school uniforms each to pupils in selected districts at the cost of GH¢11 million with another GH¢13 million for the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
Mr Ablakwa said the government had decided to pay the full tuition fees for all teachers who would be pursuing further studies through distance learning, beginning from the next academic year.
That, he said, was part of the government’s efforts at motivating teachers to stay in the classroom but at the same time improve themselves academically.
He said the government had confirmed its commitment to science and technology education with the introduction of 41,000 scholarships accessible to mathematics and science students.
(Muslim youth to promote youth welfare)
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE African Muslim Youth Congress (AMYC) has ended a four-day workshop in Accra, with a commitment to promote the well-being of the youth in Africa.
Participants gave a promise to focus on education and the strengthening of bilateral ties among African countries.
Sponsored by the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), the workshop attracted participants from African countries, including Ghana, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and South Africa.
Addressing the participants, the Director of the Bureau for Islamic Call Centres, Sheikh Amar Abdul Salama Hareba, stressed the need for opportunities to be made available for the growth of the youth, since they were the future leaders.
“Advancement will come about only when we pay special attention to the youth,” he stressed.
Sheikh Abdul Salam expressed worry that globalisation had had a negative impact on the attitude of the youth, who formed about 60 per cent of the world’s population.
He, therefore, called for concerted efforts to reverse the situation.
Sheikh Abdul Salam said special emphasis should be placed on the education of the girl child, imparting of vocational skills to the youth and creating other skills acquisition avenues for the youth.
Besides, he said, the youth should know their religious obligations and shun any acts of violence.
Sheikh Abdul Salam stressed that developing the capacity of the youth brought about economic and social development.
The General Secretary of the AMYC, Mr Abraham Bafelo, blamed the current global economic slowdown on the unbridled capitalism of the West.
He said the West had for the past decades propagated the view that it was only through capitalism that a nation could develop.
Mr Bafelo called on African countries to initiate their own systems of economic development relevant to their circumstances.
That, he said, was the only Africa could achieve any meaningful socio-economic development.
THE African Muslim Youth Congress (AMYC) has ended a four-day workshop in Accra, with a commitment to promote the well-being of the youth in Africa.
Participants gave a promise to focus on education and the strengthening of bilateral ties among African countries.
Sponsored by the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), the workshop attracted participants from African countries, including Ghana, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and South Africa.
Addressing the participants, the Director of the Bureau for Islamic Call Centres, Sheikh Amar Abdul Salama Hareba, stressed the need for opportunities to be made available for the growth of the youth, since they were the future leaders.
“Advancement will come about only when we pay special attention to the youth,” he stressed.
Sheikh Abdul Salam expressed worry that globalisation had had a negative impact on the attitude of the youth, who formed about 60 per cent of the world’s population.
He, therefore, called for concerted efforts to reverse the situation.
Sheikh Abdul Salam said special emphasis should be placed on the education of the girl child, imparting of vocational skills to the youth and creating other skills acquisition avenues for the youth.
Besides, he said, the youth should know their religious obligations and shun any acts of violence.
Sheikh Abdul Salam stressed that developing the capacity of the youth brought about economic and social development.
The General Secretary of the AMYC, Mr Abraham Bafelo, blamed the current global economic slowdown on the unbridled capitalism of the West.
He said the West had for the past decades propagated the view that it was only through capitalism that a nation could develop.
Mr Bafelo called on African countries to initiate their own systems of economic development relevant to their circumstances.
That, he said, was the only Africa could achieve any meaningful socio-economic development.
Speed up passage ofTobacco
7/7/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
SPEAKERS at a workshop on tobacco have appealed to the government to facilitate the passage of the Tobacco Control Bill into law.
That, they said, was crucial to regulate theBill’) sale and use of tobacco in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB), Dr Stephen Opuni and the Executive Director of the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), Mr Issah Ali, made the call.
Organised by VALD, a civil society organisation, the workshop was attended by representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies and civil society organisations.
Participants discussed key elements and provisions of Tobacco Control Bill and made commitment to develop appropriate strategies needed to get the Tobacco Bill passed into law.
Dr Opuni noted that Ghana was the 39th country to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004. That gesture, he said, “placed her under the obligation to begin to domesticate the provisions of the convention.”
He said subsequent to the ratification, the National Control Bill was drafted and the FDB was mandated to regulate tobacco, which led to the formation of the Tobacco and Substances of Abuse Department under the FDB.
However, Dr Opuni said, tobacco regulation had been largely dormant due to the non-passage of the Tobacco Control Bill into law.
Coincidentally, he said, the emphasis for this year’s World No-Tobacco celebration was “Tobacco Health Warnings.” He said the general consensus globally was for the use of warnings which “are a fusion of texts and pictures.”
He said research had shown that tobacco health warnings which incorporate pictures were more effective in conveying the message of the harm wreaked by tobacco.
Mr Ali stressed the need for the government to ensure that the proposed Tobacco Control Law “is strong and in full compliance with the FCTC. We are humbly urging your Committee on Health to ensure that only a strong Tobacco Control Bill is passed.”
He said the passage of the bill into law would help in preventing diseases, such as lung cancer, heart diseases and infertility as well as interference from the tobacco industries.
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
SPEAKERS at a workshop on tobacco have appealed to the government to facilitate the passage of the Tobacco Control Bill into law.
That, they said, was crucial to regulate theBill’) sale and use of tobacco in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB), Dr Stephen Opuni and the Executive Director of the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), Mr Issah Ali, made the call.
Organised by VALD, a civil society organisation, the workshop was attended by representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies and civil society organisations.
Participants discussed key elements and provisions of Tobacco Control Bill and made commitment to develop appropriate strategies needed to get the Tobacco Bill passed into law.
Dr Opuni noted that Ghana was the 39th country to ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004. That gesture, he said, “placed her under the obligation to begin to domesticate the provisions of the convention.”
He said subsequent to the ratification, the National Control Bill was drafted and the FDB was mandated to regulate tobacco, which led to the formation of the Tobacco and Substances of Abuse Department under the FDB.
However, Dr Opuni said, tobacco regulation had been largely dormant due to the non-passage of the Tobacco Control Bill into law.
Coincidentally, he said, the emphasis for this year’s World No-Tobacco celebration was “Tobacco Health Warnings.” He said the general consensus globally was for the use of warnings which “are a fusion of texts and pictures.”
He said research had shown that tobacco health warnings which incorporate pictures were more effective in conveying the message of the harm wreaked by tobacco.
Mr Ali stressed the need for the government to ensure that the proposed Tobacco Control Law “is strong and in full compliance with the FCTC. We are humbly urging your Committee on Health to ensure that only a strong Tobacco Control Bill is passed.”
He said the passage of the bill into law would help in preventing diseases, such as lung cancer, heart diseases and infertility as well as interference from the tobacco industries.
TOR cut down supply to indebted OMCs
8/7/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE Tema Oil (TOR) has cut off fuel supply to 11 Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), for their indebtedness to TOR since 2008.
The OMCs buy fuel from TOR for onward supply to petrol filling stations and the withdrawal of the supply to the 11 out of 56 OMCs operating in the country, resulted in a brief fuel shortage in some parts of the country.
The Public Relations Officer of TOR, Mrs Aba Lokko, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the cutting down of the fuel supply was part of efforts to retrieve the moneys from the defaulting OMCs.
She, however, declined to name the 11 affected OMCs, insisting that exposing their identities would amount to a breach of confidentiality.
Mrs Lokko said TOR would not restore fuel supply to the affected companies if they did not settle their debts.
She indicated that the management of TOR was negotiating with the owners of the OMCs on how to settle their indebtedness to TOR.
She said the suspension of fuel to indebted OMCs was an effective way in generating revenue for TOR.
Mrs Lokko described TOR’s financial standing as “quite challenging”, and that the management decided to generate funds internally to support the operations of the company.
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE Tema Oil (TOR) has cut off fuel supply to 11 Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), for their indebtedness to TOR since 2008.
The OMCs buy fuel from TOR for onward supply to petrol filling stations and the withdrawal of the supply to the 11 out of 56 OMCs operating in the country, resulted in a brief fuel shortage in some parts of the country.
The Public Relations Officer of TOR, Mrs Aba Lokko, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the cutting down of the fuel supply was part of efforts to retrieve the moneys from the defaulting OMCs.
She, however, declined to name the 11 affected OMCs, insisting that exposing their identities would amount to a breach of confidentiality.
Mrs Lokko said TOR would not restore fuel supply to the affected companies if they did not settle their debts.
She indicated that the management of TOR was negotiating with the owners of the OMCs on how to settle their indebtedness to TOR.
She said the suspension of fuel to indebted OMCs was an effective way in generating revenue for TOR.
Mrs Lokko described TOR’s financial standing as “quite challenging”, and that the management decided to generate funds internally to support the operations of the company.
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