Fire Guts JOB 600 Building
* Source: GNA


Fire has gutted the fifth floor of the Job 600 building which is still under construction.

The post independence edifice, which is right behind Parliament House, is scheduled to be completed by August this year. It will serve as offices for Members of Parliament and their research assistants.

Eyewitnesses say the fire started around 5:30 pm and the experience of personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service, helped in bringing it under control.

The cause of the fire outbreak is still unclear and no injury or loss of life has so far been reported.

The imposing edifice was constructed during the administration of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s First President to accommodate participants attending the OAU (now African Union) Conference held in Accra in 1965.


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Students thrown out of exam hall over nonpayment of fees
* Source: Daily Graphic

The future of 15 final-year students of the Kumasi Senior High Technical School (KSTS) was put in jeopardy last Friday when an assistant headmaster of the school stormed the examination hall in the school to stop them from writing the Physics Theory paper of the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The act of Mr John Kumah, the Assistant Headmaster (Academic), who claimed he was only carrying out a directive from the Ghana Education Service (GES) to prevent students who owed fees from writing the examination, has compelled educational authorities in the Kumasi metropolis to institute immediate investigations into the matter.

Mr Kumah entered the examination hall about 10 minutes into the one-hour paper and forced the students out. Not even pleas by the students, including Master Barnabas Kwaku Aidoo, who insisted he had paid his fees in full, would compel Mr Kumah to allow the students entry to the examination hall to complete the paper.

To justify his claim of payment, Master Aidoo rushed to the Accounts office for a note to prove that he had paid his fees, yet Mr Kumah would not budge.

When graphic.com.gh visited the school Wednesday, a two-man delegation from the Kumasi Metropolitan Directorate of Education was conducting investigations into the matter.

The officials would, however, not disclose what their investigations had revealed so far, saying they had to inform their boss first.

A sobbing Master Aidoo, in the company of his guardian, Mr Kofi Asiedu, told graphic.com.gh that they were writing the Physics Theory paper, the penultimate paper in the WASSCE, when Mr Kumah entered the hall and asked him and the others to go out because they owed school fees.

“We had then spent about 10 minutes writing the paper and I told him that I did not owe fees but he would not agree,” Master Aidoo said.

According to him, he went to the Accounts office for a letter indicating that he had paid his fees in full but when he showed it to Mr Kumah, “he insisted on preventing me from writing the paper”.

The student said he became confused and started crying as the time to complete the paper ticked away.

He stated that with about five minutes to end the paper, the assistant headmaster called him back to the examination hall but it was too late for him.

His guardian, Mr Asiedu, showed this reporter official receipts of the payment of the fees and prayed that the authorities would not allow the case to die naturally.

When contacted, the Headmistress of the school, Mrs Mary Osei, admitted that the students had been driven out of the examination hall in her absence but insisted that they owed fees.

According to her, the students were later asked to go back to write the examination.

She said although the GES had not sent any clear-cut directive to prevent students who owed fees from writing the examination, the Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS) had insisted that every legitimate means be used to collect fees from students.

She said last year, final-year students who wrote the WASSCE went away with fees totaling about GH¢7,000 and from that experience the school administration had sworn to prevent a recurrence.

Reached for his comments, the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr Joseph Onyinah, said he was not aware of the issue.

He, however, explained that the decision to prevent fee-owing students from writing the examination was a moral one.

He said school authorities had been tasked by the GES to ensure that every student paid his or her fees in full before the beginning of the term.

He indicated that a parent who had a problem with payment could only negotiate with the head of the school on the terms of payment.

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NDC MP cautions government over new housing deal
* Source: Jou Online

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing, David Tetteh Assumeng has cautioned government to tread cautiously this time around in the new housing deal, to avoid repeating mistakes made in the STX housing deal.

David Tetteh Assumeng said government cannot pretend to have not learnt any lessons from the failed STX deal, “so government must be very careful and tread cautiously and make sure that whatsoever steps it takes to deliver housing for the people, becomes a success”.

“The next project must be successful because the government has a limited time and must make sure that the timeline of execution is not taken for granted”, the MP for Shai Osudoku told Adom News on Tuesday.

Mr. Assumeng was one of the leading NDC members of parliament, who championed the course of the infamous STX Korean affordable housing deal, but luck eluded them and the deal backfired.

Opposition NPP raised several red flags about the deal but government perceived them to be adversaries to the progress of the government, until a mere unending board room wrangling brought the STX deal to ground zero.

Speaking in an interview with Adom news, about the new deal between government and the Guma Group from South Africa for the construct about 500 affordable housing units for security agencies, he sounds a strong caution to the government that when the deal comes to parliament, it will not be treated with kid’s groves.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing said “I believe that if that agreement is to come to parliament, it will not be an easy task, we would have to do proper due diligent, know those who are behind and know whether they are committed to delivering housing for this country and whether they have no other political baggage that will stall the project."

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Mills Spends $70,000 On Oxygen Chamber ?
* New Free Press

The New Free Press is questioning the rationale by government officials at the office of the Presidency led by Mr Alex Segbefia and Stan Dogbe, both aides to the President in ordering a hydraulic oxygen chamber from the USA in circumstances that that leave a lot to be desired. This oxygen chamber, which was ordered on the 18th of February 2012 from a company in the USA called Mediconet that manufactures hypabaric chambers is to be installed in the basement of the castle’s west wing to be used by President Mills . This Oxygen chamber is similar to the one used by the late singer Michael Jackson in the late eighties and nineties.

The source at the office of the president annex which is situated near the houses of parliament, was present when the order was placed said the chamber has very relaxing components in that the occupants breathe 100% oxygen through a nasal chanel or hood using a remote chanel system.

However checks by the New Free Press show that the normal cost of an Oxygen chamber is 5,000 dollars, yet the people of Ghana are paying 70,000 dollars for our honest President to sleep in an oxygen chamber to breathe fresh air and obtain natural hormones to rebuild his red blood cells and stay fresh , while children go hungry and numerous promises made to Ghanaians are still gathering dust on his presidential desk.

We attach a picture of the 70,000 dollar oxygen chamber bought by the President for Ghanaians and Africans to judge for themselves. Stay tuned for more revelations on this matter

Roland Amankwanor

New Free Press Accra Ghana

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Otumfuo Education Fund to support children of May 9 disaster
* Source: Abena Asiedua Tenkorang/ Xfm 95.1/


Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has awarded a full scholarship scheme to three children who lost their dad at the May 9 stadium disaster 11 years ago.

The award was facilitated by former chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Herbert Mensah who had taken the mother and her three children to the Asantehene`s Palace on his 62nd birthday to climax the 11th anniversary of the May 9 disaster.

Maame Bisi whose husband died in the disaster when she was pregnant with her third child was full of praise to the Asantehene for the kind gesture.

According to her, after the death of her husband, life has been difficult but for the benevolence of well wishers.

An emotionally drenched Maame Bisi could not put her joy into words and could only sigh when asked how she felt by the kind gesture from the Otumfuo.

She recounted in an interview with Xfm the circumstances surrounding the husband`s death and how life has been treating her and the children since.

"I was pregnant with my third child at the hospital when he died. After his death, one of his friends gave me some money to start some business to cater for me and the children?"

As for the family of my husband, the least said about them the better? they accuse me of killing my own husband; how could I have? So they never took care of even the kids up until now.

She says her plight has been aggravated when she had her kente shop burgled recently.

Even though the government has been supportive, Maame Bisi said that has not been enough to cater for the children¹s education.

"I had 400 cedis at the time of the disaster during the NPP¹s administration. Each year, I receive about 100 cedis from the government to support my kid¹s education but that amount is very inadequate. I know some beneficiaries do not even receive this money at all".

"My eldest child is at age 20; she just completed Senior High School; when she completed, I couldn¹t send her to school because I had no money. She had to stay home for a couple of years until I could raise enough money for her to go back to school".

Even though life has dealt her a hard blow, Maame Bisi has not despaired. Her difficult task was however, breaking the news surrounding the father¹s death to her third son.

"Some kids in my son¹s school used to make fun of him that he got no father since it is only his mum who attends his PTA; so I had to break the news to him, that yes, his dad died. He felt so bad upon hearing the news, but I could not hide it away from him any longer".

She recalled fond memories of the help she continues to receive from the former Kotoko boss and called on the government not to relent in supporting family members of the victims.

"Herbert Mensah helped me throughout my pregnancy till I delivered. Each year, he comes around to help us. When he was still a part of Kotoko, he helped me financially anytime Kotoko played a match".

"I will call on the authorities to help Mr Herbert Mensah in his effort to support us. He has been so helpful to us; he is not necessitated to cater for us as the former Kotoko boss; he does it because he wants to help, and he needs to be supported".

"Alhaji Hearts has also been helpful and I ask God¹s blessings on them all".

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Akufo-Addo Congratulates President Elect Of France
* Source: NPP

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and I, join many other well wishers across the world, in congratulating newly elected President of the Republic of France, M. Francois Hollande, on his victory in the democratic elections held in France over the weekend.
Mr Hollande’s election is not only a victory for French democracy but also a victory for all democratic forces in the world. The people of France have once again widened the frontiers of democracy for all others to continue to emulate, especially those who seek change for a brighter future.
I also congratulate the outgoing President of France, M. Nicolas Sarkozy, for his dedicated service to the French people, acknowledging also his efforts in helping deepen ties between France and Ghana, and the rest of Africa.
It is my hope that Mr Hollande would continue in the stead of past leaders of the great French nation in deepening the ties between France and Ghana, and the entire African continent.

......signed......
Nana Akufo-Addo
2012 NPP Presidential Candidate, Ghana

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Court to rule on Kofi Adams' suspension from NDC today
* CitifmOnline

The suspended Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Kofi Adams is due in court today for a preliminary ruling regarding what he terms his unconstitutional suspension.

Mr. Adams who doubles as spokesperson of the Rawlingses was suspended from the party about two months ago over an alleged plot to scamper President Mills’ efforts at re-election.

The suspension was referred to the party’s disciplinary committee but no hearing was held since then.

The suspended General Secretary has since resorted to the courts and told Citi News he believes he would be vindicated because the party has not responded to the court’s call.

“There was supposed to be a disciplinary committee to look in to the whatever reason there was for the suspension and submit their report on the 21st of April but the committee has not even met, let alone invite me for any inquiry,” he revealed on Citi Eyewitness News.

Mr. Adams also accused some unnamed executive members of single-handedly running the NDC and leading the party into disarray.

“Some of the national executives say they do not know what is going on; that only one or two persons are taking decisions on their behalf. We cannot run a party that way,” he commented.

He called on the National Chairman of the NDC, Kwabena Agyei to prevent the said members from the destroying the party.


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Man slashes wife's throat over divorce threat
* Source: Daily Guide


Emotions took the better part of a 34-year-old man when he allegedly slaughtered his wife on a farm last Saturday after the woman had threatened to divorce him.

The man, identified as James K. Tawiah, is alleged to have tied the hands of his 42-year-old wife to a tree, covered her face before slashing her throat on a farm at Wassa Mampong in the Mpohor Wassa East District in the Western Region.

After that callous act, Tawiah bolted, but he hit a snag when he was arrested by the police at his hideout at Yamoransah in the Central Region on Tuesday.

The woman, whose name was given as Abena Kwama Boateng, was the mother of five children, including a two-year-old she was nursing before her death.

The suspect is currently in police custody, while the body of his wife has been deposited at the Effia-Nkwantah Regional Hospital.

According to the police, when the deceased’s body was discovered in the bush, it lay supine, with the face covered with a scarf, while the hands were tied to a tree.

The body, stained with blood, was almost covered with ants.

Speaking to graphic.com.gh, the Sekondi District Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Mr Cephas Bediako, said the suspect, who hails from Edumfa in the Central Region, moved to Wassa Mampong after he had landed a job with the Disease Control Unit of the COCOBOD in the Mpohor Wassa District.

He said before the suspect got married to the deceased, he had a wife at Edumfa, but on relocating to Wassa Mampong, he married Abena, who already had four children from her previous marriage.

Later, the two had one child, bringing Abena’s children to five.

Chief Supt Bediako said police investigations had revealed that last Friday, the woman told her husband that she was no longer interested in the marriage.

The commander said to back her words with action, she travelled to her husband’s home town to inform his family that she was no longer interested in the marriage.

He said on Saturday, she returned to Wassa Mampong and about 12 p.m. on that same day she was said to have carried some seedlings for planting on her farm.

Chief Supt Bediako said the woman did not return home and the elders of the town, therefore, organised a search party to the farm, where it was discovered that she had been murdered.

He said after the act, Tawiah returned to the village and told his in-law that he was moving out of the town and would not return.

The police said after he was arrested at his hide out, the suspect had on him a suicide note comprising the direction to his home town, his father’s name and his sister’s telephone number.

He said the police were very fortunate to get him before he took his life, adding that on his arrest, the suspect broke down and wept bitterly when pictures of his dastardly act were shown to him.

Tawiah, according to the police commander, would be processed for court for him to be remanded into police custody while investigations continued.


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NPP: Bawumia stands by his comments on Inflation, G.S.S.
* Source: GBC


The spokesperson of NPP running mate, Dr. Mohamadu Bawumia, Yaw Boabeng Asamoah says Dr. Bawumia stands by his comments on the Ghana Statistical Service.

Speaking to Radio Ghana, Mr. Boabeng Asamoah said the comments should be taken by the Ghana Statistical Service in good faith since they were not meant to undermine the figures from the Service.

However, The Ghana Statistical Service has described the inflation analysis of the NPP Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as misleading and inaccurate.

At a news briefing in Accra, the Acting Government Statistician, Dr. Philomena Nyarko said Dr. Bawumia's analysis on the country's single digit inflation does not only undermine the current level of inflation but also the Ghana Statistical Service's indicators on inflation.

She said Dr. Bawumia's computation is more of a cumulative price change and not inflation. She further noted that it is inappropriate to calculate inflation using prices of few goods which are not used in the consumer basket analysis of the statistical service particularly cement.

In the meantime, An Economist, Dr. Joe Abbey has called for a stop in politicising the work of the Statistical Service.

Speaking on Radio Ghana's Current Affairs Programme, Behind The News, Dr. Abbey said if any politician has evidence to corroborate allegations that the Statistical Service is being manipulated, they should provide that evidence.

Dr. Abbey also asked for unqualified apology from politicians who accuse the Statistical Service of political control without evidence.


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Supreme Court adjourns Obetsebi Lamptey's bungalow case
* Source: JoyOnline


The Supreme Court has adjourned hearing of a case in which two deputy ministers are challenging the right of the former Tourism Minister, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey to purchase the state bungalow he occupied before leaving office in 2008.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Information and Dr. Omane Boamah Deputy Sports Minister have accused the former minister of abusing his office in his attempt to purchase the No 2 Mungo Street in the Ridge residential area he was occupying at the time.

They claim the action by Jake Obetsebi Lamptey contravened Articles 20 (5) and 20 (6) and amounted to a gross abuse of the discretionary powers of a public officer.

Jake Obetsebi Lamptey had early on challenged the mandate of the court to hear the case arguing the plaintiff ought to have gone to the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice if the thought he (Lamptey) was abusing his office.

The court presided over by Justice William Atuguba in a unanimous decision held the Supreme Court had jurisdiction to hear the case which bothered on constitutionality and adjourned hearing.

On Wednesday, the court was to pronounce judgement on the actual case brought before it by the plaintiff but adjourned to May 23, 2012.

Joy News’ Anny Osubutey who was present at the court reported the presiding judge as saying that one of the judges was sick and could not sit on the case.

The judges include Ms Justice Sophia Akuffo, Mr Justice S. A. Brobbey, Mrs Justice Sophia Adinyira, Mrs Justice Rose Owusu, Mr Justice Jones Dotse, Mr Justice Baffoe Bonnie, Mr Justice B. T. Aryeetey and Mrs Justice Vida Akoto Bamfo.

According to the Osabutey both the plaintiff and the defendant were present at the court.


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Methodist University To Be Sanctioned
* Source: Radio XYZ


The National Accreditation Board (NAB) says it will soon announce sanctions on Methodist University College for failing to heed to its directive.

The Board has ordered the University to dismiss students found to have entered the institution without the required qualifications.

The order followed an audit inspection conducted by the Board. Over 1,400 students were expected to be dismissed last month.

The Executive Secretary of the NAB, Kwame Dattey in an interview with XYZ News said the Board’s meeting in two weeks will determine the appropriate sanctions to be imposed on the University.

“There are a range of sanctions available, the board will meet soon and come out with the appropriate decision. That will be in two weeks after the board meeting” Mr Dattey said.


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Statistical Service is not beyond criticism - Buabeng Asamoah
* Source: JoyOnline


A member of the New Patriotic Party says the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) cannot pretend it is an infallible institution and beyond criticism.

Yaw Buabeng Asamoah insists so long as human beings work at the GSS they are prone to mistakes and must not be defensive about it when those mistakes are pointed out to them.

He was reacting to the acting government’s statistician, Philomena Nyarko who expressed the GSS disappointment with doubts raised over the statistical service figures by the NPP vice presidential candidate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

Bawumia at a public lecture said the inflation figures churned by the Service and which the government has been vociferous in describing as unprecedented are suspect.

He said the single digit inflation did not correspond with the other macro economic fundamentals such as the interest rate the exchange rate, adding the cost of living was sky rocketing by the day.

“Do we really have single digit inflation,” he questioned, to which he was answered by a partisan NPP crowd with an emphatic no.

But the ruling government has hit back accusing the NPP Vice presidential candidate of being intellectually dishonest.

On Wednesday, the GSS also waded into the controversy with a caution to the NPP vice president not to impugn the integrity of the service.

Its acting boss Philomena Nyarko said at a press conference the GSS is unhappy with Bawumia’s comments.

She said the Service is completely independent and professional in its mandate, asking, rhetorically, if the NPP, whilst in office tempered with the figures and activities of the service.

But on Joy News Yaw Buabeng Asamoah insisted the Service cannot claim to be perfect when in the not too distant past it has been involved in all kinds of substandard activities.

“If the service adopts the position that they are infallible then we will resort to history to demonstrate that they are not.”

“…If we go back to the analysis of the period over the years this is the same Service which was involved with the government in 1999in misreporting to the IMF resulting in the loss of $38 million to the government of Ghana.

“This is the institution which very recently had to sack its Chief Executive on the basis that there were so many problems that the World Bank was refusing to advance a capacity building loan of $40 million to them.

“This is the same institution which has advertised to employ professionals to read census figures on its behalf two years after the Census had been conducted.

When he was reminded by host, Evans Mensah that it was the same Statistical Service that computed GDP figures which painted the glory days of the NPP whilst in power from 2001-2008, Buabeng Asamoah responded, the answer to that question was in the NDC government’s own report to the World Bank in 2009.

Quoting paragraphs 13 and 14 of the letter, Asamoah said the economic team of the NDC admitted in that letter that inflation rate has a link with the exchange rate and commodity prices in the country.

He also quoted the NDC manifesto which he said drew clear relationship between inflation, exchange rate and commodity prices.

He wondered why the NDC and the Statistical Service will now turn around to accuse Dr Bawumia of making the same analogy.

He said what Bawumia sought to do was to encourage the logistical support for the Service and not to discredit it.

The Head of the Economic Statistics at the Statistical Service, Ebo Duncan said the Service should not be dragged into politics.

He said the intervention by the NPP is a misunderstanding of the inflation rate.

“If you say inflation is low it doesn’t mean prices are low,”

He said the NPP is not bothered by the attempt of the NPP to play politics with the Service, stating, the NDC did same whilst in opposition.


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Woyome’s Prosecution: “Zero Tolerance” To Futher Delays -AFAG
* Source: AFAG


Good Morning ladies & gentlemen of the Press!..\\

AFAG has invited you here this morning to focus public attention on an important national issue, which has become the next in a long line of events on the part of the President JEA Mills government to cover up the biggest series of corruption cases in Ghana’s history, the dubious payment of some GHC642 million in judgment debts, with about half of them being tainted with corruption.
Today, we want to focus on the “criminal trial” against businessman and self-confessed NDC financier, Alfred Agbesi Woyome. We sense something very suspicious about the way government is dealing with this matter. Our suspicion, based on both intelligence that we have gathered and the prosecution’s own unprofessional approach to this matter, is that the government has no intention and, indeed, no appetite to go ahead with the prosecution of the man that has been accused of defrauding the state of some GHC51 million.

The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) wishes to state un-equivocally that, as a public interest case, the long-suffering people of Ghana will not tolerate any attempt by this government to frustrate the prosecution of this case.

We do not accept the excuse by the prosecution that the case needed to be returned to the police for further investigation. It is just the next in a series of delay tactics that government intends to deploy between now and the end of 2012.

What else is left for the state to investigate? All the documents connected to this case are available. Our checks with the police show that neither Woyome nor anyone else connected to this case has been since invited by the police for any investigation to be undertaken.

EOCO was instructed by the President to investigate this matter and this was even after the Attorney-General had concluded, based on all the evidence available, that Woyome had defrauded the state. EOCO came to the same conclusion.
So what is it that is left to be investigated?

Ladies & gentlemen, it will be re-called that the former Attorney General, Mr. Martin A.B.K Amidu, on the 16th of January 2012, filed an affidavit to amend an earlier writ, praying the court to set aside a consent judgment awarded to Woyome, in which the A-G alleged the negotiated judgment payment by his predecessor to Mr Woyome was procured through fraud. Indeed, the fact that Mr Amidu was forced to resign after revealing that there was a grand scheme to cover up this ‘gargantuan crime’ against the state, adds to the suspicion that President Mills has no intention to prosecute his financier for stealing from the state.

Is it not strange that since EOCO finished its investigations, some names have been mentioned as people who allegedly benefited from Woyome’s tainted millions and yet not a single one of these names is connected to the ruling party, the party that Woyome admits to funding?

What accounts for this? Is it, as some intelligence has it, that the concealment of the names is serving as a bargaining chip? Could it be true, as published some months back that Woyome has threatened to release names of top people in government that he has given money to if the state goes ahead to prosecute and convict him?
We are of the strong belief that President Mills has no appetite to see to the end of the prosecution of Woyome. If that is the case then the Woyome case is bigger than Mr Woyome. It adds to the suspicion that Woyome was used as a mere pawn to steal money from the state.
The decision by the prosecution to ask more time to investigate this matter is unacceptable. We are appalled by this development. The A-G appears simply to be delaying justice to deny the people of Ghana justice on this unprecedented alleged theft of state money.
AFAG will like to caution the AG’s office that, there the people of Ghana will not accept any cover up in this case. AFAG would wish to advise the lawyers in the A-G’s Department not to allow themselves to be used as instruments to cover up this alleged fraud and shield the perpetrators from justice.
Indeed, Mr Woyome should not be the only person on trial. He ought to have been joined by Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu, Dr Kwabena Duffour and Hon Ebo Barton-Oduro, to mention but a few.
AFAG will therefore urge the AG’s office to stop dragging its feet, as the threshold of public tolerance to the opening of the case and the commencement of this trial, is already out-stretched. Ghanaians are running out of patience with this government in the way it is taking the people of this country for granted and the way it has taken corruption to new heights.
June 4, 2012, the case returns to court. There is no reason for the prosecution not to continue with the case on that day.
In this regard, AFAG will like to advise the lethargic and un-willing Attorney General to take some lessons from the wise words of the under mentioned statesmen in relation to this case:
Former A-G Martin A.B.K Amidu on the 29th of February 2012 stated: “Time is of essence now otherwise the Republic would be perceived as unnecessarily delaying the case”.
The trial judge, Mr Justice Ajet-Nassam on March 26th 2012, said, “throw in the towel or get serious “,as an advice to the prosecution.
The President must certainly get serious as the continuous stay in office of Hon Ebo Barton Oduro, Dr Kwabena Duffour and Mr Henry Martey Newman only adds more salt to the growing perception that he is neck deep in this payment debt corruption scandal. We repeat our earlier call for them to be fired. It is only their questioning by the police that can be justified. But, sadly that has not happened and may never happen under President Mills.
On this note, AFAG will like to salute the President of Tanzania for his firm commitment to the fight against corruption, as promised in November 2011. His commitment to the present day fight against corruption in Africa south of the Sahara is un-precedented, and his colleagues including our President must be willing to gather such courage in the fight against corruption especially on the Woyome scandal.
President Mills, according to your colleague, President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania who last week sacked 6 cabinet ministers on an allegation of corruption, he stated “it is not enough for a minster to take responsibility alone, but the new approach is that, even those who caused the mishap will be to taken task as well”. President Kikwete appears to be up for the fight against corruption. Is President Mills? Unhappily for the Ghanaian people, it appears not.
The AG and his men, are therefore cautioned, that, if their un-preparedness remain at the time of the next hearing on the 4th of June 2012, AFAG will have no option than to press forward a series of actions sufficient to re-assure government and the AG of the public’s keen interest in having this matter prosecuted with all the seriousness it deserves.

Signed:
Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie 0244780359
Abu Ramadan 0244570006
Arnold Boateng 0244294754
Bright Acheampong 0545230621
Zalia Yakubu 0262481240


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Chorkor Fishermen Angry With Ahwoi
* Source: Daily Guide


Fishermen at Chorkor in the Greater Accra Region are angry with the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Kwesi Ahwoi, for accusing them of insincerity and opportunism in their dealings with politicians.

They have therefore warned the minister to desist from making such derogatory remarks against them or face their wrath.

Mr. Ahwoi was said to have told fishermen in Tema last week that fisher folks at Chorkor were insincere and opportunists, adding that “because of your two-facedness, smart politicians would continue to instigate you to hit the streets to demonstrate against the government”.

However, Nii Abiala, Chorkor Manstrulu Wulatse, at a press conference in Accra, yesterday noted that they took exception to such defamatory statements.

He said they did not deserve to be insulted simply because “we dare to ask for what other Ghanaians also request”.

Nii Abiala said Chorkor fishermen, for some years now, had been living in poverty because they had pledged to abide by the Ministry’s law banning fishermen from fishing with light.

He said while they were abiding by the laws, their colleagues in other fishing communities continued to use light to fish.

This, he said, had brought them untold hardships because they did not get fish to catch when they went fishing.

Nii Abiala said the ban on fishing with light was biased since their colleagues in Tema and elsewhere went unpunished despite going against the law.

He said even though light-fishing and pair-trawling had been banned, the Ministry of Agriculture had turned a blind eye and continued to allow a few people with connections at the top to abuse the law.

Nii Abiala said, “On hindsight Chorkor fishermen and other fishermen have been used and dumped but they are now wide awake and have decided to shake themselves from the slumber. Gas are now wide awake and will not be fooled a second time.”

He stated, “If the Minister and his surrogates think fishermen are still educationally deaf and dumb and seen as robots, society should realize that we now have our sons and daughters also graduating from the same universities, so the days of playing second fiddle should be over”.

Nii Abiala said, “For the past two years, it has been common knowledge that fishermen have been cash-strapped and gone hungry. Most of us have become beggars”.

He promised that the fishermen at Chorkor would campaign and vote against any political party or politician who supported pair-trawling or light fishing.

Nii Biala said, “No matter what happens we will continue to fight fishing with light on our seas until it becomes a thing of the past”.


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NPP’s rigging machinery in the Ashanti region cut to size
* Source: The True Statesman


……..as it records unprecedented low figures in the biometric data

Painstaking investigations conducted by *The True Statesman* have revealed that the Ashanti region has suffered a significant drop of over 100,000 voters in the just ended biometric voter’s registration.

Our investigation also shows that voter population in Ashanti region recorded no growth from the 2008 figures. Without the 3 per cent population growth rate over the four years, the current biometric register in the Ashanti Region is 100,000 less than the figure in the same region in 2008.

The total registered voters were 2.5million, and in 2012, the figure is little over 2.3million.

It was surprising to note that constituencies in the Ashanti Region recorded remarkably lower figures as compared to those in the 2008 voters register. For instance, the registered voter population of Menhyia has dropped from 121,000 in 2008 to 105,000. Subin constituency also recorded 70,709 in 2012 as against 87,451 in 2008.

The story is not different in Ejisu/Juabeng and Suame, which reduced its voter population from 155,000 and 80,000 in 2008 to 105,000 and 70,000 respectively in 2012.

Logically, there ought not to be any reduction in the voter population in any area. If anything at all, after four yrs, the population in any area has to see some growth. So, if we're seeing reduction instead of growth aft 4 years, it raises a lot of questions. It also bring to the fore the long held suspicion that figures from the Ashanti Region have been over-bloated. It would be recalled that during the 2008 general elections, most constituencies in the Ashanti region recorded over 100% voter turn up which was quite unusual. In temple booth KMA stores polling station in Suame, there was over 139% and that is just one of many instances of election rigging by the NPP in the Ashanti region.

The latest figures generated from the biometric registration process given a true representation of the situation in the Ashanti Region and it appears the NPP’s rigging machinery has suffered a great damage.

The True Statesman info@thetruestatesman.org


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Minister assures Kwahu residents of safety after Fulani Killings
* Source: Xfm 95.1/ Accra/ Ghana


Victor Smith, Eastern Regional Minister is urging residents from Kwahu who have fled their villages due to attacks by some Fulani herdsmen to return.

He has also guaranteed the safety of the residents as calm returns to the troubled spots.

Farmers in some 12 communities in the Kwahu East District in the Eastern Region are living in constant fear of attacks by gun-wielding Fulani herdsmen in the area.

Speaking on an Accra based radio, Joy fM, Victor Smith said a team of security personnel have been dispatched to parts of the Kwahu South and East Districts to ensure the residents are protected.

³We still have a taskforce of a combined team of police and military ensuring that genuine calm returns before we withdraw the taskforce,² he said.

Farmers from Abuam, Abene, Nkodua, Babua, Hweehwee, Dwerebease, Atta ne Atta, Yawtenkorang, Mpaem, Birifa Oyemsu and Atta Rekan had, on some occasions, fled their villages to seek protection in neighbouring villages due to Fulani attacks. Report is that farmers killed in the area this year include 78-year-old Kofi Hotovi and his 19-year-old son, Abraham Sogu, who were allegedly shot dead in their home at Nkodua by two Fulanis herdsmen while preparing their supper about 7 p.m. on April 27, 2012. George Kwame Sasu, 38, another farmer, went to his farm to harvest plantain in March 2012 but failed to return after three days, while another farmer, identified only as Abudua, 55, was murdered on his farm, allegedly by a Fulani herdsman.


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Early Detection of Fibroid in Ghana Based on a New Gene Mutation
* Source: Arthur, Patrick Kobina


In Ghana our attention is constantly being drawn to the issue of fibroid through the many radio and television advertisements, claiming mainly unproven treatments for fibroid. While data on the prevalence rate of fibroid is not readily available, a cursory assessment of the rate of discussions on the issue in the media suggests a significantly high levels in Ghana.

Fibroid can affects the ability of a woman to bear children and it occurs at many sites and in different sizes in the uterus. Like many other tumors, early detection is key to effective treatment. Many women only became aware of the existence of fibroid when they take a scan, by which stage the size would have become too big to allow uncomplicated treatment.

A recent discovery by scientist in the US state of Illinois, at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital provides a key to early detection of fibroid. A single gene called MED12 carries a mutation which when present in a stem cell of the uterus can initiate the fibroid tumor. Those interested in more details can look at this link: (http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0036935)

This means that the presence of this specific defective gene can predict who is likely to develop a fibroid at some stage of their life. The great opportunity presented by this discovery is that young girls or women can go in for a test to determine the type of MED12 gene they carry.

In a recent seminar, I have learnt of a laboratory in Ghana called City of Hope Medical Complex and Research Center. They conduct genetic testing covering diseases such as sickle cell anemia as well as paternity and forensic DNA testing. While I do not claim that they presently offer MED12 testing, their presence in Ghana means that the requisite expertise exist to ensure that those interested in this early detection opportunity can have one.

I hope you find this information helpful. Timely information can be a life saver.

Thank you -- -------------------------------------------- Patrick Kobina Arthur (PhD),


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NPP has no track record in affordable housing to advice us – E. T. Mensah
* Source: Eric Boateng/myradiogoldlive.com


Water Resources, Works and Housing minister, E. T. Mensah has taken a swipe at the opposition New Patriotic Party(NPP), for what he terms releasing an unfortunate and misleading statement on the on-going tango between government and local building contractors body, GREDA.

A statement released by the NPP yesterday, accused government for side-lining the Ghana Real Estates Developers Association(GREDA) over the new government proposal of a 500 housing unit by a South African firm,GUMA, saying the action is a slap in the face of Ghanaians.

The statement read ‘’One sore point regarding STX, a South Korean company, was the side lining of Ghanaian estate developers who offered a detailed alternative, built by Ghanaians at half the price STX was quoting’’.

‘’With the failure of the STX, all have hoped Ghanaian estate developers will be at the centre of governmental partnership and support in the delivery of affordable housing. It is therefore with great sadness that we learn government has embarked on yet another partnership with and support for a foreign company, GUMA of South Africa, to deliver 500 affordable housing units’’.

‘’Ghanaian estate developers are once again side lined. Their proposal on partnership and support with government has not been responded to since 2010’’.

But speaking on the Gold Power Drive on Wednesday, Mr. E. T. Mensah says the NPP lack the moral right to school the NDC government on the provision of affordable housing in the country since they(NPP) could not deliver even a one-bed room apartment for the country in their eight years of administration.

‘’The statement is very unfortunate and misleading in the first place, and saying that we have side-lined Ghanaian contractors is not true’’.

‘’When it comes to housing delivery in this country, political traditions which has no record at all is the Busia –Danquah tradition. Kwame Nkruamh delivered the largest number of housing in this country. The second tradition which provided the largest number of houses is the NDC tradition. We can talk about Dansoman SSNIT flat, Adenta SSNIT flat, Tema com. 3 flats, and even the skyline of this country’’.

‘’We were the ones who thought there was the need to do something about the country’s skyline, so SSNIT were ask to build the Trust towers, and then the buildings around the cedi house and the cedi house itself and then we created the Airport city and in a lot of these projects we used local contractors not foreign contractors’’, he said.

‘’So they have no moral right to question what we are doing in our approach as to delivering housing for this country’’.

‘’We are in our three years of administration and we have initiated something, it took them six years to decide that they have to do something and the approach they even took was very unprofessional ‘’.


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Clergyman calls on Christians to respect leaders
* GNA


Reverend Dr. Justice Ofei Akrofi, President of Bible Society of Ghana, on Wednesday appealed to Christians to respect leaders of the country, to ensure peace and harmony for national development.

He noted that “leadership is a noble position, which needed to be respected, and as such its the responsibilities of leaders to fear God and do everything possible to please Him.”

Rev. Dr, Akrofi was speaking at the United Bible Societies' (UBS) day of prayer, organised by the Bible Society of Ghana (BSG) in Accra.

He asked leaders to be courageous and rule according to the dictates of God, and cited that in the Bible, David was able to defeat Goliath because the former was courageous and believed in God.

Rev. Dr, Akrofi cautioned political leaders to be circumspect in their utterances, to prevent chaos in the December 7 polls.

Rev. Erasmus Odonkor, General Secretary of BSG, said every May 9, was set aside for various Bible societies throughout the world, to pray for the spread of God’s word and the growth of the church.

Rev. Odonkor said the fellowship of Bible societies included 146 affiliated societies and offices, which translated, print and distributed the scripture to more than 200 countries and territories.

He said in 1946, these societies formed the UBS, an international service which assisted the combined efforts of the national societies and administered the finances pledged for worldwide ‘Bible work’.

Rev. Odonkor said the UBS helped to coordinate the translation and production of scriptures, and acted as an information point, gathering and sharing Bible news from around the world.

The BSG is a non-denominational Christian organisation, registered under the Trustees Act 1962 of the Republic of Ghana, an affiliate member of the UBS, with its mission of making God’s word available and affordable, encouraging its use to transform lives.

As part of the programme, prayers were said for the church in the country, for the growth of UBS and BSG, Ghana, and for peaceful elections in Ghana.


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Government releases funds for bursaries and feeding grants
* Source: GBC


Senior High Schools in the three Northern Regions and parts of the Volta and Brong Ahafo regions are to reopen on Friday.

The Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Education Service, Charles Parker Allotey disclosed this in an interview with Radio Ghana's correspondent on ‘Behind The News’.

He said funds for bursaries and feeding grants have already been released by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for this term.

Mr Parker Allotey gave the assurance that the academic year will not be disrupted.

Meanwhile, the Northern Students Union is not happy about the delay in the release of this term's feeding grants to the Government Assisted Senior High and Technical schools in the North and parts of the Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions.

The Union argues that such delays tend to widen the gap between the North and the South in terms of opportunities for academic progress.

The President of the Union, Abdul Karim has therefore called for the establishment of a special fund to supplement the central government grants.

For his part, the President of the conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools, Samuel Ofori- Adjei emphasised the need to set up a food bank for the schools, instead of always waiting for the release of funds.


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Government expects cedi to stabilize in few weeks
* Source: Joy Online


Vice President John Dramani Mahama has indicated that government expects the current free fall in the value of the cedi to halt in the next few weeks.

The local currency continues to depreciate in value despite new measures by the Bank of Ghana to stabilize it.

But speaking at the Ghana EU–Partnership meeting Wednesday, John Mahama says the decline should soon be over.

“Recently there’s been concerns about the depreciating value of the cedi and the Bank of Ghana and the Ministry of Finance have worked together to take appropriate measures to mop up excess liquidity and to increase revenue and thereby ease the pressure on the cedi,” Mr Mahama said.

“And so I know in the next few weeks we are going see some action in this regard.”

“And we will see fair stabilization of the cedi in relation to the dollar; we think that an exchange rate anywhere between of 1.65 and 1.70, is a fair value and government will work to achieve,” he added. The cedi has gone down by almost 14 percent from January to date.


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Ghana's Economy Catching Dutch Disease
* Source: Gaily Graphic


With the continuous fall in the prices of some major commodities excluding oil and the over concentration on gold, Ghana’s economy is on the verge of catching the Dutch Disease.

According to the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), although the manufacturing and agricultural sectors among many other sectors of the economy have been declining in the last few years before the oil discovery, the situation has persisted and it was becoming even more dangerous now.

A Senior Economist at IEA, Dr J. K. Kwakye, has, therefore, called for urgent interventions by the government to stop the fast decline of the key sectors of the national economy.

“Let’s spread our economic growth from the oil sector to the non-oil sector because that is the area where we will be able to generate more employment for the people”, he said when addressing a news conference on the performance on the economy as at the first quarter of the year.

According to the Budget Statement and the Government’s Economic Policy for the 2012 financial year, The agricultural sector expanded by 2.8 per cent as against a targeted growth of 5.3 per cent and an actual outturn of 5.3 per cent in 2010.

For the manufacturing sector, it also fell below target as it recorded a growth of 1.7 per cent as against a target of seven per cent.

Most of the services sector also suffered declines as they were also unable to meet their targets.

For instance real estate sector failed to meet its target of six per cent to record a growth of 2.4 per cent; financial intermediation recorded 1.0 per cent as against 17 per cent; business and other service activities also dipped to -1.0 per cent as against a target of 10 per cent.

However, the other community and social and personal service activities hit 12 per cent as against a target of 5.0 per cent.

DUTCH DISEASE

This could result from the negative consequences arising from large increases in a country's income. Dutch disease is primarily associated with a natural resource discovery as in the case of Ghana finding oil, but it can result from any large increase in foreign currency, including foreign direct investment, foreign aid or a substantial increase in natural resource

Dutch disease has two main effects: A decrease in the price competitiveness, and thus the export, of the affected country's manufactured goods and second, an increase in imports

In the long run, both of these factors can contribute to manufacturing jobs being moved to lower-cost countries. The end result is that non-resource industries are hurt by the increase in wealth generated by the resource-based industries.

The term "Dutch disease" originates from a crisis in the Netherlands in the 1960s that resulted from discoveries of vast natural gas deposits in the North Sea.

The newfound wealth caused the Dutch guilder to rise, making exports of all non-oil products less competitive on the world market.

In the 1970s, the same economic condition occurred in Great Britain, when the price of oil quadrupled and it became economically viable to drill for North Sea Oil off the coast of Scotland. By the late 1970s, Britain had become a net exporter of oil; it had previously been a net importer.

The pound soared in value, but the country fell into recession when British workers demanded higher wages and exports became uncompetitive.

THE GHANA SITUATION

The signs of the Dutch Disease in Ghana seem to have persisted over many years even before the discovery of oil but analysts fear the challenge could be aggravated in the wake of the oil find.

In the third quarter of 2011, the country recorded a total of US$337.3 million from the first three liftings of 2,980,720 of oil from the Jubilee Fields and there are demands and there are high demands on the government to increase salaries of public workers.

The trade balanced between Ghana and its trading partners has tilted further because of the neglect of the manufacturing sector in the country.

More people seem to be going to China and other Asian countries to import all manner of goods and services and they change a lot of funds locally into dollars before they depart, a situation which has contributed to the pressure on the cedi as against the major foreign currencies, particularly the US dollar.

Dr Kwakye was of the view that to change the trend, the government needed to invest more in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors of the economy to be able to revive them.

These are the main sectors of the economy which can provide employment for the mass of the people in the country.

Presently there are no statistics on the country unemployment situation but the lack of jobs in the is evident from the large number of hawkers scattered in every part of the country among other things.

Dr Kwakye said it was also incumbent on the government to ensure that the large public debt accrued is invested in productive sectors of the economy where returns would be maximized to able the state to redeem the debts when they mature.

According to figures released from the IEA, Ghana’s total debt increased by 10 per cent to GH¢23,608.5 million at the close of 2011, representing 39.9 per cent of Gross Domestic product (GDP).

He urged an increase in the country’s foreign reserves to at least four months because “countries with less flexible exchange rate regimes need higher reserves to protect the exchange rate”.

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