4/07/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
A WIDE range of Obama merchandise ranging from cloths, T-shirts, jerseys, paintings to bags are crowding out other items on some of the major streets of Accra ahead of the visit of the US President, Barack Obama.
The US President is scheduled to arrive in Accra next Saturday and ahead of that one of the streets awash with the Obama-related items is the Oxford Street at Osu. The traders hang the items in front of their sheds and on walls to attract customers.
The Centre for National Culture (Arts Centre) also has a host of Obama paraphernalia, including paintings and wooden bowls with inscriptions such as 'Obama in Ghana' and 'Welcome Obama'.
The cloths are in two types: One has only the photograph of President Obama and the other having photographs of President Obama and President Mills. A yard is sold at between GH¢7 and GH¢10, while six yards are sold for between GH¢25 and GH¢30.
Shirts sewn of the cloth go for between GH¢13 and GH¢15.
According to the traders, it was an individual entrepreneur who gave an order to the Akosombo Textiles Limited to design the cloth.
Sales of the Obama paraphernalia are picking up slowly, and the traders are confident that more people will rush to buy the items before and during President Obama’s visit.
Interestingly, according to the traders, the American and European tourists are competing with Ghanaians in the purchase of the Obama cloth.
One of the traders, Alex Owuradu, told the Daily Graphic that some of the Americans shedded tears when he cut the cloth and the scissors went through the face of Obama, cutting his image into two. He said they ended up buying the whole cloth just to save Obama's face. According to Alex, some of the tourists confided in him that they had travelled down to Ghana to see President Obama.
Some of the T-shirts that have President Obama's photograph with the First Family, have inscriptions such as ‘Obama - Change We Can Believe In, ‘Obama - A Leader We Can Believe In’. The T-shirts with pictures of President Mills and President Obama read: ‘Partnership for Change’, depicting their common campaign slogans of change.
The Obama T-shirts and jerseys sell for between GH¢7 and GH¢12. The Obama bags are sold for GH¢15 while the Obama wooden bowls go for between GH¢25 and GH¢30. They are sculptured in wood and decorated with fanciful African beads.
Some of the people who had bought the Obama paraphernalia told the Daily Graphic that they bought the items out of the love they have for the first black American President.
Besides, they said, they wanted to participate fully in the celebration of his visit to Ghana.
Alfred Kwasi Baku, who was seen buying the Obama cloth, said: “I am buying the cloth because I like Obama and because he is a black President of America. As a Ghanaian I want to be part of the celebration of his visit.”
On his expectations of President Obama’s visit, his request was for the American President to make some funds available to improve the road network in the Volta Region.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
TOR cuts supply to defaulting OMCs
08/07/09
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.
Chief Imam calls for fair Hajj
8/07/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru & Barbara Tandoh
THE National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharubutu, has charged members of the newly constituted Hajj Committee to initiate measures to ensure a problem-free Hajj this year.
Inducting the 11-member committee into office in Accra yesterday, Sheikh Sharubutu urged the members to be guided by the truth in their operations.
He said the reward of being truthful would be the successful organisation of the Hajj.
In the same vein, Sheikh Sharubutu said, when they employed lies and deceit in their work, the organisation of the Hajj would be characterised by delays and disappointments.
He reminded the members that Hajj was one of the five pillars of Islam, and that it was required of them to sacrifice their personal interests for the general good of prospective pilgrims and Ghanaians in general.
He, therefore, charged the members to make pledges to Allah and themselves to ensure the successful organisation of the Hajj.
The Committee has Alhaji Alhasan Bene as the chairman, with Sheikh Yahaya Amin, Mr Amadu Sorogo, Alhaji Baba Lamin, Mr Abu Sadat and Alhaji Awudu Ariff as other members.
The rest of the members are Alhaji Yusif Mohammed, Alhaji Alhassan Mahama, Alhaji Osman Kadri English, Alhaji Mahama Fuseini and Mr Mohammed Kpakpo Addo.
The Vice-Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, told the members of the committee that both President John Evans Atta Mills and his Vice, Mr John Dramani Mahama, had expressed their commitment to support the organisation of the Hajj this year.
He said President Mills had indicated that he did not want any Ghanaian pilgrim to go through any difficulty before, during and after the organisation of the Hajj.
Alhaji Yahaya, therefore, urged the members to work around the clock to improve the organisation of the Hajj, by getting good accommodation in Accra for prospective pilgrims from other parts of the country and ensuring their smooth departure to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Chairman of the Hajj Committee, Alhaji Bene, reiterated the commitment of members to do everything within their power to ensure a trouble-free Hajj.
He said members of the committee were working on the Hajj fare, and that they would announce the fare as soon as they finished the work.
The Member of Parliament for Abokobi Madina and member of the Hajj committee, Alhaji Amadu Sorogo, said members of the committee had already made 30 per cent deposit for accommodation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Besides, he said, the committee had made an arrangement that would require only prospective pilgrims due for departure to go to the Kotoka International Airport, as a way of avoiding overcrowding at the airport.
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru & Barbara Tandoh
THE National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharubutu, has charged members of the newly constituted Hajj Committee to initiate measures to ensure a problem-free Hajj this year.
Inducting the 11-member committee into office in Accra yesterday, Sheikh Sharubutu urged the members to be guided by the truth in their operations.
He said the reward of being truthful would be the successful organisation of the Hajj.
In the same vein, Sheikh Sharubutu said, when they employed lies and deceit in their work, the organisation of the Hajj would be characterised by delays and disappointments.
He reminded the members that Hajj was one of the five pillars of Islam, and that it was required of them to sacrifice their personal interests for the general good of prospective pilgrims and Ghanaians in general.
He, therefore, charged the members to make pledges to Allah and themselves to ensure the successful organisation of the Hajj.
The Committee has Alhaji Alhasan Bene as the chairman, with Sheikh Yahaya Amin, Mr Amadu Sorogo, Alhaji Baba Lamin, Mr Abu Sadat and Alhaji Awudu Ariff as other members.
The rest of the members are Alhaji Yusif Mohammed, Alhaji Alhassan Mahama, Alhaji Osman Kadri English, Alhaji Mahama Fuseini and Mr Mohammed Kpakpo Addo.
The Vice-Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, told the members of the committee that both President John Evans Atta Mills and his Vice, Mr John Dramani Mahama, had expressed their commitment to support the organisation of the Hajj this year.
He said President Mills had indicated that he did not want any Ghanaian pilgrim to go through any difficulty before, during and after the organisation of the Hajj.
Alhaji Yahaya, therefore, urged the members to work around the clock to improve the organisation of the Hajj, by getting good accommodation in Accra for prospective pilgrims from other parts of the country and ensuring their smooth departure to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Chairman of the Hajj Committee, Alhaji Bene, reiterated the commitment of members to do everything within their power to ensure a trouble-free Hajj.
He said members of the committee were working on the Hajj fare, and that they would announce the fare as soon as they finished the work.
The Member of Parliament for Abokobi Madina and member of the Hajj committee, Alhaji Amadu Sorogo, said members of the committee had already made 30 per cent deposit for accommodation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Besides, he said, the committee had made an arrangement that would require only prospective pilgrims due for departure to go to the Kotoka International Airport, as a way of avoiding overcrowding at the airport.
Chief Imam sets up education fund
17/07/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru & Barbara Tandoh
AN Islamic education fund to support brilliant needy students irrespective of their religion has been established by the National Chief Imam Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu.
The scheme known as ‘Dr Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu Education Trust Fund’ will be launched on August 15, this year.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra last Tuesday, Sheikh Sharubutu said education was the bedrock of every society, and that the establishment of the fund was to complement the government’s effort at promoting education in the country.
He said many students faced financial difficulties with some dropping out of school as a result.
He said the plight of brilliant needy students in the muslim community was so abject that he had personally supported some students who came to him for support.
The Chief Imam said he was moved by the plight of these students to establish the fund to provide financial assistance to them.
He stressed, however, that every needy student irrespective of his or her religion was qualified to assess the fund.
According to him, his main preoccupation was the development of the country, which “cannot be achieved without education.”
A part of the fund will be used to establish educational institutions and provide educational materials to schools in deprived communities. There will also be free counselling and consultancy services to students and unemployed youth on education and entreprenuership.
The 11-member Board of Directors, chaired by Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim, will operate and control the fund. The rest of the members are Alhaji Mohammed Mamah Gado, Alhaji Mohammed Aminu Futa, Dr Ahmed Bin-Yunusah, Alhaji Showumi Abdullahi Williams, Alhaji Alhassan Abdullahi, Rev. Emmanuel Perigrino Brimah, Mrs Sakeena K. Bonsu, Sheikh Seebaway Zakaria, Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim and Mr Khuzaima Mohammed Osman.
A technical team has been set up to evaluate students’ applications and make recommendations to the Board.
Members of the Board will seek funding from donor communities, individuals, business entities, public organisations as well local and international organisations.
Sheikh Sharubutu stressed on the need for the youth to pursue both secular and religious education to put them in a good stead to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.
He lauded the peaceful co-existence between Muslims and Christians in the country, and called for alot of collaboration among the leaders of the two faiths.
The Chairman of the fund, Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim,noted that the establishment of fund was a giant step towards ensuring that “every Ghanaian child is given quality education.”
He, therefore, appealed to corporate bodies, individuals, local and international organisations to provide financial assistance to the fund.
The National Chief Imam has established seven schools in Accra, and put up an educational complex at Kasoa in the Central Region, which will be commissioned on August 1, 2009.
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru & Barbara Tandoh
AN Islamic education fund to support brilliant needy students irrespective of their religion has been established by the National Chief Imam Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu.
The scheme known as ‘Dr Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu Education Trust Fund’ will be launched on August 15, this year.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra last Tuesday, Sheikh Sharubutu said education was the bedrock of every society, and that the establishment of the fund was to complement the government’s effort at promoting education in the country.
He said many students faced financial difficulties with some dropping out of school as a result.
He said the plight of brilliant needy students in the muslim community was so abject that he had personally supported some students who came to him for support.
The Chief Imam said he was moved by the plight of these students to establish the fund to provide financial assistance to them.
He stressed, however, that every needy student irrespective of his or her religion was qualified to assess the fund.
According to him, his main preoccupation was the development of the country, which “cannot be achieved without education.”
A part of the fund will be used to establish educational institutions and provide educational materials to schools in deprived communities. There will also be free counselling and consultancy services to students and unemployed youth on education and entreprenuership.
The 11-member Board of Directors, chaired by Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim, will operate and control the fund. The rest of the members are Alhaji Mohammed Mamah Gado, Alhaji Mohammed Aminu Futa, Dr Ahmed Bin-Yunusah, Alhaji Showumi Abdullahi Williams, Alhaji Alhassan Abdullahi, Rev. Emmanuel Perigrino Brimah, Mrs Sakeena K. Bonsu, Sheikh Seebaway Zakaria, Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim and Mr Khuzaima Mohammed Osman.
A technical team has been set up to evaluate students’ applications and make recommendations to the Board.
Members of the Board will seek funding from donor communities, individuals, business entities, public organisations as well local and international organisations.
Sheikh Sharubutu stressed on the need for the youth to pursue both secular and religious education to put them in a good stead to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.
He lauded the peaceful co-existence between Muslims and Christians in the country, and called for alot of collaboration among the leaders of the two faiths.
The Chairman of the fund, Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim,noted that the establishment of fund was a giant step towards ensuring that “every Ghanaian child is given quality education.”
He, therefore, appealed to corporate bodies, individuals, local and international organisations to provide financial assistance to the fund.
The National Chief Imam has established seven schools in Accra, and put up an educational complex at Kasoa in the Central Region, which will be commissioned on August 1, 2009.
Sodom and Gomorrah to be relocated
17/07/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
SODOM and Gomorrah, a slum within the central business district (CBD) of Accra, will be no more by next December as the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) says it has concluded plans to relocate residents of the place to a new site at Adzen Kotoku.
The Adzen Kotoku land in Ga West has been acquired and developed for the purpose and yesterday the Director of the Metro Public Health Department of the AMA, Dr Simpson Boateng, told the Daily Graphic about the urgency with which the assembly had to effect the relocation plan.
He pointed out that the persistent dumping of refuse and human excreta into the Korle canal by the squatters at Sodom and Gomorrah was undermining work on the Korle Lagoon Ecological Project (KLEP).
As a result of the intense pollution of the lagoon by residents of the slum, he said, the government was compelled to spend 5,000 euros daily to dredge and collect the waste generated by the squatters.
Dr Boateng, who was speaking with the Daily Graphic after an inspection tour of the KLEP by members of the Accra Plastic Waste Management Project (APWMP), said the relocation of the squatters was also part of the ongoing decongestion in parts of Accra.
Sodom and Gomorrah is inhabited mainly by traders and porters from different parts of the country and the slum is notorious for crime and filth.
Residents there stay in groups in wooden structures scattered around the area. Some of the structures have been put up at the edges of the Agbogbloshie and Korle canals. These structures catch fire occasionally and allegations are rife that some of the most wanted and hardened criminals in the country use Sodom and Gomorrah as their hideout.
Work on the KLEP, which is to restore the ecology of the Korle Lagoon and improve the drainage situation in Accra, started in 1995 and was scheduled to be completed in 2005.
However, Dr Boateng said, the activities of the squatters had extended the completion period, adding, however, that the AMA could not give any time line.
All that he could say was that "there is no end in sight" so far as the squatters of Sodom and Gomorrah continued to be there.
On the relocation, Dr Boateng said the AMA had registered 3,000 squatters and indicated that it was possible that more than that number would move to that area.
While admitting that the new site at Adzen Kotoku could not accommodate all the squatters at Sodom and Gomorrah, he made it clear that “the government is not under any obligation to relocate the squatters”.
He said the putting up of quarters at Adzen Kotoku to accommodate some of the squatters was an attempt to support the squatters.
According to the Project Engineer for Dredging International, Mr Gert Truyens, and the Project Supervisor for AMA, Mr Hillarius Ayidzoe, the activities of the squatters made their work more difficult.
They said they had been forced to use excavators to clear the waste generated by the squatters from the canal on a daily basis.
Consequently, Mr Ayidzoe said, work on the third phase of the project, which involves the creation of a recreational centre around the Korle Lagoon, had been stalled.
“So long as the squatters continue to stay here, the creation of the recreational centre cannot start,” he stressed.
The Chairman of the APWMP, Mr Ebow Boakye, said his outfit would fund the construction of traps on the Agbogbloshie, Odaw and Kaneshie canals to prevent the entry of solid waste into the Korle canal.
Besides, he said, the APWMP would collaborate with the AMA to arrest and prosecute persons who indiscriminately littered the city.
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
SODOM and Gomorrah, a slum within the central business district (CBD) of Accra, will be no more by next December as the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) says it has concluded plans to relocate residents of the place to a new site at Adzen Kotoku.
The Adzen Kotoku land in Ga West has been acquired and developed for the purpose and yesterday the Director of the Metro Public Health Department of the AMA, Dr Simpson Boateng, told the Daily Graphic about the urgency with which the assembly had to effect the relocation plan.
He pointed out that the persistent dumping of refuse and human excreta into the Korle canal by the squatters at Sodom and Gomorrah was undermining work on the Korle Lagoon Ecological Project (KLEP).
As a result of the intense pollution of the lagoon by residents of the slum, he said, the government was compelled to spend 5,000 euros daily to dredge and collect the waste generated by the squatters.
Dr Boateng, who was speaking with the Daily Graphic after an inspection tour of the KLEP by members of the Accra Plastic Waste Management Project (APWMP), said the relocation of the squatters was also part of the ongoing decongestion in parts of Accra.
Sodom and Gomorrah is inhabited mainly by traders and porters from different parts of the country and the slum is notorious for crime and filth.
Residents there stay in groups in wooden structures scattered around the area. Some of the structures have been put up at the edges of the Agbogbloshie and Korle canals. These structures catch fire occasionally and allegations are rife that some of the most wanted and hardened criminals in the country use Sodom and Gomorrah as their hideout.
Work on the KLEP, which is to restore the ecology of the Korle Lagoon and improve the drainage situation in Accra, started in 1995 and was scheduled to be completed in 2005.
However, Dr Boateng said, the activities of the squatters had extended the completion period, adding, however, that the AMA could not give any time line.
All that he could say was that "there is no end in sight" so far as the squatters of Sodom and Gomorrah continued to be there.
On the relocation, Dr Boateng said the AMA had registered 3,000 squatters and indicated that it was possible that more than that number would move to that area.
While admitting that the new site at Adzen Kotoku could not accommodate all the squatters at Sodom and Gomorrah, he made it clear that “the government is not under any obligation to relocate the squatters”.
He said the putting up of quarters at Adzen Kotoku to accommodate some of the squatters was an attempt to support the squatters.
According to the Project Engineer for Dredging International, Mr Gert Truyens, and the Project Supervisor for AMA, Mr Hillarius Ayidzoe, the activities of the squatters made their work more difficult.
They said they had been forced to use excavators to clear the waste generated by the squatters from the canal on a daily basis.
Consequently, Mr Ayidzoe said, work on the third phase of the project, which involves the creation of a recreational centre around the Korle Lagoon, had been stalled.
“So long as the squatters continue to stay here, the creation of the recreational centre cannot start,” he stressed.
The Chairman of the APWMP, Mr Ebow Boakye, said his outfit would fund the construction of traps on the Agbogbloshie, Odaw and Kaneshie canals to prevent the entry of solid waste into the Korle canal.
Besides, he said, the APWMP would collaborate with the AMA to arrest and prosecute persons who indiscriminately littered the city.
Damabafest held in style
20/07/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
PEOPLE from most of the ethnic groups in the three regions of northern Ghana at the weekend exhibited a sense of unity when they held a durbar to celebrate the birth of Prophet Mohammed (Dambafest), in Accra.
Despite the seemingly intractable conflict between the Mamprusis and the Kusasis in the Upper East Region and the Abudu and Andani gates (both Dagombas) in the Northern Region, it was a delightful scene watching the people mingle together and displaying their rich cultures with traditional dancing, drumming and songs, to the admiration of observers, including European tourists.
The variety of cultural displays gave meaning to the theme of the durbar, which was: “Cultural Consciousness for National Development”. The cultural extravaganza was organised by the Council of Chiefs and Opinion Leaders of the North Living in Southern Ghana (COCOON).
The other ethnic groups present at the grand occasion are the Gonjas, Walas, Bandas, Dagartis, Bermobas, Sammeres, Chakosis, Nanumbas, Frafras, Gurushies, Sissalas, Kokombas and Basares.
Re-enforcing the sense of unity, Vice-President John Dramani Mahama urged the people in the three regions of northern Ghana to shun ethnic and chieftaincy disputes and harness their potentials to develop their respective regions.
“For me, Dambafest presents us with an opportunity to take stock of our challenges and opportunities as a people from a common geographical area, and also to plan for the future,” he said in a speech read on his behalf by a Minister of State at the Presidency, Alhaji Amadu Seidu.
Mr Mahama said festivals were meant to galvanise the cultural consciousness of a people for national development.
However, he said, sometimes the ideals behind the celebration of festivals in the northern part of the country tended to be overshadowed by ethnic rivalries and tensions with dire consequences “which we must endeavour to avoid”.
Mr Mahama said chieftaincy disputes, ethnic animosities and land litigation had destroyed life and property in northern Ghana and affected the general development of the area.
“The phenomenon of insecurity in most parts of the north drives away potential investors and diverts government attention from using scarce resources otherwise meant for education, health, agriculture and other infrastructural facilities, to peacekeeping operations,” he said.
He expressed worry at some people in the southern part of the country who purchased and transported sophisticated weapons to north, and those who fanned chieftaincy disputes and other conflicts as a source of livelihood.
As a result, he said, most people in the north had not been able to go to school, and, therefore, lacked skills to engage in the productive sectors of the economy.
Therefore, Mr Mahama said, the Dambafest should remind the people of the need to emulate the “sterling” leadership qualities of the life of Prophet Mohammed so as to be able to provide quality leadership based on truthfulness, self-sacrifice and perseverance.
Besides, he said, Prophet Mohammed demonstrated tolerance in deed and word throughout his life, hence the need for the people “to show tolerance towards each other, and learn to live in peace and harmony with one another”.
On government support for initiatives in the north, Mr Mahama said the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) would address the social and cultural dimensions of the development of the north.
He said SADA would focus on broader economic development and wealth creation especially for small holder farmers.
The acting President of COCOON, Alhaji Osman Checkson Issahaku, said the chiefs and opinion leaders of the north living in the south were determined to mobilise Ghanaians, particularly those in the savannah area, for the emerging opportunities in the north.
“We also admit as chiefs that the days when we sat in our palaces and waited for our subjects to come to us are no more their expectation, but, rather, we as traditional rulers and opinion leaders, indeed, must reach out to our community in a way that mobilises and galvanises them in the course of national development agenda,” he said.
Alhaji Issahaku lauded the government for introducing the SADA to address the development needs of the north, and expressed the commitment of COCOON in the implementation of the project.
He said the rich cultures of the people of the north displayed at the durbar were a reflection of the holistic potential of natural and human resource.
He, therefore, asked development partners and investors to go to the north “in pursuit of great emerging economic potentials in agriculture, mining and industry to be powered by availability of abundant energy in the direction of Ghana’s emerging economy”.
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
PEOPLE from most of the ethnic groups in the three regions of northern Ghana at the weekend exhibited a sense of unity when they held a durbar to celebrate the birth of Prophet Mohammed (Dambafest), in Accra.
Despite the seemingly intractable conflict between the Mamprusis and the Kusasis in the Upper East Region and the Abudu and Andani gates (both Dagombas) in the Northern Region, it was a delightful scene watching the people mingle together and displaying their rich cultures with traditional dancing, drumming and songs, to the admiration of observers, including European tourists.
The variety of cultural displays gave meaning to the theme of the durbar, which was: “Cultural Consciousness for National Development”. The cultural extravaganza was organised by the Council of Chiefs and Opinion Leaders of the North Living in Southern Ghana (COCOON).
The other ethnic groups present at the grand occasion are the Gonjas, Walas, Bandas, Dagartis, Bermobas, Sammeres, Chakosis, Nanumbas, Frafras, Gurushies, Sissalas, Kokombas and Basares.
Re-enforcing the sense of unity, Vice-President John Dramani Mahama urged the people in the three regions of northern Ghana to shun ethnic and chieftaincy disputes and harness their potentials to develop their respective regions.
“For me, Dambafest presents us with an opportunity to take stock of our challenges and opportunities as a people from a common geographical area, and also to plan for the future,” he said in a speech read on his behalf by a Minister of State at the Presidency, Alhaji Amadu Seidu.
Mr Mahama said festivals were meant to galvanise the cultural consciousness of a people for national development.
However, he said, sometimes the ideals behind the celebration of festivals in the northern part of the country tended to be overshadowed by ethnic rivalries and tensions with dire consequences “which we must endeavour to avoid”.
Mr Mahama said chieftaincy disputes, ethnic animosities and land litigation had destroyed life and property in northern Ghana and affected the general development of the area.
“The phenomenon of insecurity in most parts of the north drives away potential investors and diverts government attention from using scarce resources otherwise meant for education, health, agriculture and other infrastructural facilities, to peacekeeping operations,” he said.
He expressed worry at some people in the southern part of the country who purchased and transported sophisticated weapons to north, and those who fanned chieftaincy disputes and other conflicts as a source of livelihood.
As a result, he said, most people in the north had not been able to go to school, and, therefore, lacked skills to engage in the productive sectors of the economy.
Therefore, Mr Mahama said, the Dambafest should remind the people of the need to emulate the “sterling” leadership qualities of the life of Prophet Mohammed so as to be able to provide quality leadership based on truthfulness, self-sacrifice and perseverance.
Besides, he said, Prophet Mohammed demonstrated tolerance in deed and word throughout his life, hence the need for the people “to show tolerance towards each other, and learn to live in peace and harmony with one another”.
On government support for initiatives in the north, Mr Mahama said the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) would address the social and cultural dimensions of the development of the north.
He said SADA would focus on broader economic development and wealth creation especially for small holder farmers.
The acting President of COCOON, Alhaji Osman Checkson Issahaku, said the chiefs and opinion leaders of the north living in the south were determined to mobilise Ghanaians, particularly those in the savannah area, for the emerging opportunities in the north.
“We also admit as chiefs that the days when we sat in our palaces and waited for our subjects to come to us are no more their expectation, but, rather, we as traditional rulers and opinion leaders, indeed, must reach out to our community in a way that mobilises and galvanises them in the course of national development agenda,” he said.
Alhaji Issahaku lauded the government for introducing the SADA to address the development needs of the north, and expressed the commitment of COCOON in the implementation of the project.
He said the rich cultures of the people of the north displayed at the durbar were a reflection of the holistic potential of natural and human resource.
He, therefore, asked development partners and investors to go to the north “in pursuit of great emerging economic potentials in agriculture, mining and industry to be powered by availability of abundant energy in the direction of Ghana’s emerging economy”.
Govt and GMA hold talks on salary
1/08/09
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE contentious issue of how much would constitute fair remuneration for Ghanaian doctors within the current economic circumstances is back on the negotiating table following the refusal of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) to accept a seven per increment proposed by the government.
The current negotiation, which is aimed at reaching a consensus on the issues of salary increment and allowances for doctors, involves the Fair Wages Commission (FWC) and the leadership of the GMA.
The President of the GMA, Dr Emmanuel Adom Winful, told the Daily Graphic that the first meeting, which was at the instance of the FWC, was held on Wednesday, at which both the GMA and the FWC demonstrated goodwill and the spirit to make compromises in order to reach a consensus on the contentious issues involved.
Dr Winful, however, declined to say what the compromises were, stressing that both parties had agreed to discuss the issues on the quiet till they reached an agreement.
The demands of the GMA, which necessitated the meetings, are contained in a communiqué it adopted at its fourth National Executive Council Meeting held in Bolgatanga.
The communiqué appealed to the government to urgently implement the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between it and the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa Yankey, on May 26, this year, else the doctors would advise themselves.
The MoU was signed following the work-to-rule schedule embarked upon by the GMA.
It quoted the doctors as saying that they would not accept the proposed seven per cent increment, since public sector workers had been given a 17 per cent pay rise.
The communiqué said both parties agreed that salary negotiations that started in 2008 should be concluded, while the salaries for doctors for 2008 be increased by seven per cent with effect from January 2008.
It was also agreed that with effect from January 2009, 10 per cent basic salaries of doctors, including house officers, would be paid to them as on-call duty facilitation allowance, while doctors not housed in official government accommodation also received an allowance of 10 per cent.
According to the communiqué, the government accepted that the arrears should be paid in two tranches in July and August 2009, while those on conditions of service and salaries must be paid by the end of July 2009.
However, it said the Minister of Finance had postponed the payment of the arrears due members and stated that the arrears would be paid in four instalments, in violation of the agreement.
Dr Winful said the GMA and the FWC were making progress on the issues on the table.
However, he said the two parties did not agree on certain issues at the first meeting but stopped short of saying that the meeting had been deadlocked.
Instead, he said he was hopeful that the meetings would come up with a consensus on the issues under discussion.
He said the negotiations were ongoing but could not tell when they would conclude the meetings.
Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE contentious issue of how much would constitute fair remuneration for Ghanaian doctors within the current economic circumstances is back on the negotiating table following the refusal of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) to accept a seven per increment proposed by the government.
The current negotiation, which is aimed at reaching a consensus on the issues of salary increment and allowances for doctors, involves the Fair Wages Commission (FWC) and the leadership of the GMA.
The President of the GMA, Dr Emmanuel Adom Winful, told the Daily Graphic that the first meeting, which was at the instance of the FWC, was held on Wednesday, at which both the GMA and the FWC demonstrated goodwill and the spirit to make compromises in order to reach a consensus on the contentious issues involved.
Dr Winful, however, declined to say what the compromises were, stressing that both parties had agreed to discuss the issues on the quiet till they reached an agreement.
The demands of the GMA, which necessitated the meetings, are contained in a communiqué it adopted at its fourth National Executive Council Meeting held in Bolgatanga.
The communiqué appealed to the government to urgently implement the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between it and the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa Yankey, on May 26, this year, else the doctors would advise themselves.
The MoU was signed following the work-to-rule schedule embarked upon by the GMA.
It quoted the doctors as saying that they would not accept the proposed seven per cent increment, since public sector workers had been given a 17 per cent pay rise.
The communiqué said both parties agreed that salary negotiations that started in 2008 should be concluded, while the salaries for doctors for 2008 be increased by seven per cent with effect from January 2008.
It was also agreed that with effect from January 2009, 10 per cent basic salaries of doctors, including house officers, would be paid to them as on-call duty facilitation allowance, while doctors not housed in official government accommodation also received an allowance of 10 per cent.
According to the communiqué, the government accepted that the arrears should be paid in two tranches in July and August 2009, while those on conditions of service and salaries must be paid by the end of July 2009.
However, it said the Minister of Finance had postponed the payment of the arrears due members and stated that the arrears would be paid in four instalments, in violation of the agreement.
Dr Winful said the GMA and the FWC were making progress on the issues on the table.
However, he said the two parties did not agree on certain issues at the first meeting but stopped short of saying that the meeting had been deadlocked.
Instead, he said he was hopeful that the meetings would come up with a consensus on the issues under discussion.
He said the negotiations were ongoing but could not tell when they would conclude the meetings.
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