Seven workers injured in factory explosion in Tema

One of the injured at the hospital

SEVEN workers of Special Steel Limited, a steel manufacturing company in Tema, sustained serious injuries during an explosion at the melting plant of the company on Tuesday night.

Of those who were injured in the accident, which occurred at 11:05 p.m., Francis Annor, a welder, and an expatriate supervisor whose identity was not immediately known, are said to be in critical condition.

The expatriate supervisor has been referred to the Tema General Hospital because of the severity of his condition.

The injured are Robert Ankrah, Eric Azilaku, Joseph Nartey, Kwamena Arhin and Anthony Ansah. They are receiving attention at the Raphal Medical Centre in Tema.

The latest incident is the third in a series to have rocked the company this year, after similar explosions on January 27 and 29, 2012 left four people injured.

When the Daily Graphic visited the hospital, paramedics were attending to the victims, some of whom had suffered severe injuries on their faces, hands and bottoms.

One of the injured, Kwamena Arhin, told the Daily Graphic that the accident occurred shortly after a crane operator had dumped a quantity of heavy ferrous scrap metals into the furnace for melting.

“Moments after the crane operator had deposited the scrap metals, we heard a blast, which came with an accompanying flame,” he said, adding, “The entire furnace floor was completely taken over by the blaze, trapping us in, while we made great effort to locate the stairway to enable us to escape.”

The fire, he said, spread quickly to other portions of the structure housing the furnace, prompting him and his colleagues to scale over the wall of the structure because poor visibility made it difficult to locate the doorway.

When the Daily Graphic visited the factory at 8 a.m. yesterday, production activities were in earnest at the furnace, with no visible sign of an accident the previous night.

Company officials who initially downplayed the seriousness of the incident, however, told the Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Antwi Boasiako-Sekyere, that the victims suffered from injuries resulting from a splash of molten iron and flame on them.

The Deputy Managing Director of Special Steel, Mr Rajan Vinod Kumar, told the deputy minister, who was accompanied by the acting Chief Inspector of Factories, Mr Adjei Boye, and other officials, that the accident was unfortunate.

Commenting on the incident, the General Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Mr Abraham Koomson, called on the authorities to temporarily close down the factory to allow for a proper safety audit by the ministry.

According to him, the increasing nature of such incidents in various factories in the Tema metropolis was a clear indication that managers of those institutions were just profit centred, neglecting the safety and occupational conditions of their workers.

Mr Boasiako-Sekyere, who expressed regret over the latest incident, tasked company officials to improve safety standards in the factory to ensure occupational safety.

The deputy minister, who later visited the victims at the hospital, announced that the ministry had tasked the Labour Department to give an ultimatum to all employment agencies that were operating illegally to register and update their records with the department.

He expressed disappointment at the company officials’ decision to resume operations at the furnace 15 minutes after the incident and cautioned that the ministry would not hesitate to sanction the company if found to have neglected its responsibility, resulting in the incident.

Mr Boasiako-Sekyere tasked the Tema Metropolitan Department of Factories Inspectorate to investigate the incident and present its finding to the ministry within two weeks for appropriate action.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Thur, May 31, 2012

Embassy seeks funding for new house for chancery

Mr Kingsley Karimu

THE Ghana High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya is seeking $2.9 million funding for the construction of a permanent structure to house the Chancery.

The project, to be sited at the premises of the three acre dilapidated Ghana House building premises in the lavish Muthaiga Estate area, that hosts the United Nations (UN) offices and other foreign missions, according to Ghana’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr Kingsley Karimu would save the country millions of dollars in rent revenue.

The facility, when completed would house the administrative  unit of the chancery, apartment for six officers, a guest house for visiting officials, among other facilities.

Already, officials have submitted proposals including technical drawings and financial reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for approval.

The project, officials say could be completed in 24 months if approved by the Ministry , as Ecobank and Bank of Africa have presented proposals to finance the project cost.

Mr Karimu told the Daily Graphic in an interview that, presently, officials pay $1million in rent annually on the current property housing the chancery.

According to him, the dilapidated structure on the land which housed the high commission in the 1960’s, was a donation to Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah from Kenya’s first President, Jomo Kenyatta.

He said that, following a re-opening of the high commission in 2008, officials have strive to maintain the land and its assets as a way of discouraging an eventual take over by the Kenyan government, who’s officials have expressed interest in reverting the property due to lack of use.

“We believe that getting the approval process for the construction at the site  would go to consolidate the strong historical relationships between the two countries dating back to the 1940s”, Mr Karimu said.

He was of the view that the facility could create trade opportunity platforms for the country, particularly in the area of Foreign Direct Investments and therefore pleads with the Ministry to as a matter of urgency, reviewed the proposals for early approval by government.

“It is our hope that the project would serve more as a medium  to promote trade, tourism ,investment and other aspects of national endeavour”|, he said. 

The High Commissioner, who was hopeful the getting the project underway would ease pressure on the Chancery’s quest to renew rent advance on the property currently hosting the embassy also appealed to the Minister, Mr Mohammed Mumuni to endeavour to take measures that would ensure a successful implementation of the project.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Wed, May 30, 2012

GEPA markets Ghana to the outside world

CEO of GEPA, Dr Owusu Agyemang

TRADE has become a major engine of growth in both  industrial and middle-income as well as developing countries.

Extensive studies have  shown that export growth is linked to economic growth, with non-traditional export gradually becoming a concentrated aspect of business development for advance countries across board.

Until recently, export of fresh flowers from Kenya to Europe has seen a leap in that country’s non traditional export revenue.

Investment in non traditional exports such as agriculture, tourism, wholesale and retail trade has seen an expansion in that country’s economy.

With global business taking nosedive and youth unemployment on the ascendency, small and medium scale enterprises have been identified as creating better job opportunities, as well as developing greater social cohesion.

Micro enterprises were thefore said to have for instance contributed some 30 per cent employment opportunities in European Union (EU) countries, while small enterprises and medium-sized enterprises contributed about 20 and 17 per cent in that order.

The Ghana Export Promotion Authourity (GEPA), an agency responsible for the facilitation, development and promotion of Ghanaian exports has over the years conducted stakeholder activities meant to increase earnings of non traditional export revenue.

The GEPA’s quest to increase revenue in that regard have seen officials adopting international export fairs across sub-Saharan Africa as parts of strategies scale up its market activities for Ghanaian products.

According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GEPA, Dr Kwadwo Owusu Agyemang, to ensure that Ghana's export trade contributes to accelerated economic growth the marketability of Made-in-Ghana products in the competitive global economy, may become mere illusions, if stakeholder bodies failed to joined forces with them in that regard.

The export fairs, which has so far taken place in Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Benin, Nigeria, Germany, Equitorial Guinea and recently, Nairobi, Kenya has been lauded by counterpart bodies in the host countries, with trade related organisations pledging commitments to future partnerships.

The tourism potentials and agribusiness on the other hand has been sidelined, with many industry players calling for new approach to address lapses.

While suggestions points to the fact that tourism would soon outgrown all sectors to become the largest industry in the world, Ghanaian institutions mandated to developed an appropriate marketability of tourist attractions have failed in that direction.

Although there is growing interest in the potential of tourism to stimulate growth, many communities, including those whose economies are dominated by tourism, do not have tourism plans.

The sector, the world over has become the traditional means of revenue generation for developmental needs,  and if well exploited could adversely decreased the country’s over-dependency on external loans and grants.

The just ended 10-day export fair by the GEPA in Nairobi brought to the fore the need to include tourism potential information in future fairs.

Organisers ought to adopt a new approach to showcasing Ghanaian products and services, by ensuring limited concentration on clothing and garments products, which have virtually taken over the fairs.

For the GEPA to succeed in realising its non-traditional export revenue goal of $5 billion by 2015, officials ought to scale up their activities in prospective countries along its trade promotion routes, by ensuring tourism, agribusiness and industrial components become major components.

The commercial units of the high commissions abroad along the prospective fair routes could also be encouraged to engaged in mop up activities after such exhibitioons as a way to sustained the market.

Businesses that have gain the needed exposure from the GEPA's activities also have to take advantage of the numerous opportunities the new social media platforms have provided, by advancing campaign strategies as parts of market improvement strategies.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Graphic Business, Tue May 29, 2012

Scrap Menace, banks of polluted Odaw, hub for dealers

THE increasing demand for ferrous scrap metals has turned the banks of the Odaw River on the Graphic Road into the hub of scrap metal activities in Accra.

Scores of people buying and selling anything — from the residue of burnt electronic gadgets to scrap metals — converge daily on the site to transact business.

From just a few truck pushers who offloaded their daily collection of scrap on the banks of the polluted river in the past, the situation has dramatically changed in recent times, with heaps of metals now lining the banks of the river, while scores of articulated trucks wait to cart them away for export.

When the Daily Graphic visited the place last week, a number of scrap dealers, many of them children, who did not wear protective clothing were seen dismantling computers and television sets in search of metals that could be sold.

The remaining plastic, cables and casings were either burnt or simply dumped into the Odaw River, which is already filled with tonnes of plastic waste.

The ever-growing demand for the latest fashionable electronic gadgets such as flat-screen TV sets or super-fast computers has seen heaps of obsolete electronic gadgets that are often laden with toxic chemicals such as mercury being dumped along the Odaw River and beyond.

Containers filled with old and often broken computers, monitors and television sets are on a regular basis shipped into the country and other developing countries from Germany, South Korea, Switzerland and The Netherlands under the label of "second-hand goods".

An estimated 50 million tonnes of e-waste is produced each year, while the United States, according to reports, is said to discard some 30 million computers annually.

According to a report by the United  Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) titled, "Recycling: From e-waste to resources," the amount of e-waste being produced, including mobile phones and computers, could rise by as much as 500 per cent over the next decade in countries such as India.

Although the export of e-waste from Europe is illegal, regulations that allow the exportation of old electronics for 'reuse' has profited unscrupulous traders who discard the old electronics on the Ghanaian market.

 The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that only 15-20 per cent of e-waste is recycled, while the rest of such electronic gadgets go directly to landfill sites and incinerators.

Along the Graphic Road and around the Agbogbloshie area in Accra, thick smoke often pollute the air, much to the annoyance of commuters plying the stretch.

The activities of scrap dealers have not only become a threat to environmental sustainability but also contributed to traffic nuisance in parts of the metropolis where the activities are dominant.

The proximity of the scrap dealing hub to Accra central has not stopped the haphazard burning of toxic materials.

Regardless of the health risk posed by the burning of the toxic materials within the enclave, city authorities seem to have adopted a lax attitude towards the challenges the operations pose to the generality of people.

Although it is the duty of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to rid the city of unauthorised structures and filth, little attention has been paid to the area, which hosts some multinational companies in the capital city.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer of the AMA, Numo Blafo III, said the management of the AMA was yet to take any decision on the operations of the metal scrap dealers along the Odaw River.

The Public Relations Officer of the EPA, Mrs Angelina Mensah, told the Daily Graphic to write a formal letter to the EPA before the agency could give any response concerning the operations of the scrap dealers.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Mon May 28, 2012

TOR seeks $450m to support operations

Ato Ampiah, MD of TOR

THE Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) is seeking a $450-million facility from a French bank, BNP Paribas, to support its operations.

Already, officials have applied to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for the release of the TOR recovery levy fund to be used as collateral to access the facility.

That, according to them, would also provide financial support to clean the company’s balance sheets of further debts.

The move is to ensure efficiency in the company’s operations by ensuring the existence of revolving letters of credit (LCs) to address the perennial inactivity at the plant resulting from its inability to periodically raise LCs for crude oil purchase.

TOR officials are also holding discussions with Standard Chartered Bank of the United Kingdom (UK) for a $100-million working capital facility.

That, according to the Managing Director of the refinery, Mr Ato Ampiah, was to reduce the company’s dependency on the government for funding and also ensure its profitability.

In like manner, rehabilitation work on the Premium Reforming Plant (PRF), after eight years of inactivity, has begun as part of two key profitability projects meant to improve the financial capacity of TOR.

The PRF, which uses the heavy naphtha feed to produce high octane gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), was shut down completely in 2004.

That followed the takeover by Vitol SA, a global dealer in crude oil and oil products, of the lifting of the product as a result of payment cost provided by Vitol for the construction of the RFCC Plant in 2002.

Addressing newsmen in Tema yesterday, Mr Ampiah said a revaluation of TOR’s assets was underway, while a plant efficiency optimisation programme to reduce wastage was also being carried out.

“TOR’s debts are as a result of unfair political pricing of petroleum products in the past which contributed considerably to deplete its capital base,” he said, adding, “The restructuring is, therefore, being done to ensure that our products are high in octane and competitive in price.”

The Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC) and the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) were shut down on March 11, this year, following the unavailability of crude oil.

While the CDU came on stream on May 1, this year, after management had negotiated with officials of Sahara Oil for their parcels of crude oil being held on TOR’s storage tanks, production work at the RFCC was, however, yet to resume.

Mr Ampiah indicated that TOR’s overdependence on the government for financial support in the past had seen enormous political influence which virtually collapsed the refinery’s effectiveness.

Presently the government, he said, had paid outstanding debts amounting to GH¢1.450 billion as of March 31, this year, out of the GH¢1.779 billion debt in TOR’s books as of December 31, 2009.

That, he said, had significantly reduced the total debt stock to $601 million, including interest variations.

Mr Ampiah, who took exception to what he termed the persistent publication of falsehood in the media about the activities of TOR, defended the periodic shutdown of the two plants which was often occasioned by erratic supply of crude oil, saying, “Shutdowns are realistic, looking at the current situation facing TOR.”

He also debunked suggestions that the government’s inability to proactively respond to the financial needs of TOR was having a crippling effect on its sustainability.

Mr Ampiah was hopeful that the enlisted projects would go to resuscitate the company from its slumber.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Friday, May 25, 2012

Exhibit more Ghanaian goods at fairs — CJ

CJ, Mrs Georgina Wood

THE Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, has called on the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) to ensure that more Ghanaian products, apart from clothing and garments, are exhibited during future trade fairs.

According to her, growth in the trade sector across eastern and southern Africa ought to serve as a motivation for people in charge of promoting Ghana’s trade potential across the continent.

She bemoaned the increased exhibition of clothing and garments at export fairs and wondered whether it was only clothes that were produced in Ghana.

Mrs Justice Wood made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the ongoing 10-day  fair in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Chief Justice was in Nairobi as a member of the judges and magistrates vetting board mandated to reconstitute Kenya’s Judiciary as part of that country’s judicial reforms.

The fair was put together by GEPA, the Ghana High Commission in Kenya and the Export Promotion Council (EPC) of Kenya.

Clothing and garments constitute majority of the items on display at the fair.

The Chief Justice advised GEPA to endeavour to involve stakeholder bodies such as the Ministry of Tourism and the Information Services Department (ISD) in the organisation of its programmes and activities.

The two bodies, she said, could be encouraged to take part in such fairs, provide information on the country’s tourism potential and engage counterpart bodies in host countries for business opportunities.

That, she said, would give a massive boost to the sector as a way of increasing domestic tourism revenue.

“We cannot continue to depend on donor funds and the traditional means of revenue generation for development when the tourism sector is left unexploited,” Mrs Justice Wood counselled.

She also called on the Ministry of Trade and the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF) to diversify its approach to funding export fairs by including tourism and the manufacturing sector.

She was, however, hopeful that future fairs would offer the organisers the opportunity to address the lapses as GEPA made strides to improve non-traditional export revenue in totality.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Thur May 24, 2012

Man jumps to death from Trust Towers building

A man believed to be in his 50’s died instantly when he allegedly fell from the ninth floor of the Trust Towers Building at Adabraka in Accra.

The man, believed to be a lecturer at the University of Ghana, Clarus Kwabena Sekyi,

Sakyi, was also said to be a one-time former ambassador to France, AU and Algeria.

The Adabraka Police, who are  investigating the incident, told the Daily Graphic that crime scene investigators found a mobile phone on the deceased, while a pair of brown shoes belonging to the deceased was found on the ninth floor of the office complex.

The investigators said although the mobile phone was damaged, the SIM card was removed and put into another phone for them to contact the numbers on the  SIM card.

This, they said, enabled them to contact the Registrar of the University of Ghana, who confirmed the deceased was a lecturer.

The police said the investigators also managed to contact the wife and the son of the deceased, but they declined further comments, saying further investigations into the death were underway.

 Some of the security persons at the complex told the police that  they heard a loud sound apparently from the fall of the deceased.

The cleanly shaven Kwabena Takyi wore a white and  blue-striped shirt over a pair of grey trousers and lay face down with his left arm broken and a ghastly opening under his left foot.

The incident drew a large crowd of workers and passers-by to the scene.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Thur May 24, 2012

Energy Ministry denies PIAC account on oil revenue

THE Ministry of Energy has denied claims that revenue accruing from oil production at the Saltpond Oilfield is not being paid into the Ghana Petroleum Holding Fund, as required by law.

According to an official of the ministry, it was on course in its quest to ensure transparency and accountability to Ghanaians who own the oil resource.

The Head of Public Relations at the ministry, Mr Edward Bawa, was reacting to claims by the Chairman of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), Major Daniel Sowa Ablorh-Quarcoo (retd), which were published in the Friday, May 8 edition of an Accra daily that there was no cash flow from the Saltpond Oilfield into the petroleum fund.

Mr Bawa explained that expected inflows from the Saltpond Offshore Producing Company Limited (SOPCL) to the government were in respect of surface rental and royalty payments on crude oil liftings.

 Major Ablorh-Quarcoo was quoted as saying that “despite efforts by the committee to know the activities of the Saltpond Oilfield, there were no records to show revenues in the production from the field”.

Mr Bawa, who took exception to that statement, told the Daily Graphic that total royalties amounting to of $146,482.37 for four liftings in 2011 were paid by the SOPCL into the Government of Ghana (GoG) non-tax revenue account (account number 02-230600660-00). 

The account, he said, was an old one into which royalties had been paid before the enactment of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act in 2011.

The company had subsequently been advised to pay all expected government petroleum inflows into the Petroleum Fund, he added. 

“Consequently, it paid an amount of US$104,268.12 in respect of first quarter 2012 liftings into the Petroleum Fund,” Mr Bawa said.

He indicated that between February 28, 2011 and March 31, 2012, the SOPCL paid to the government various sums amounting to $250,750.49 into its non-tax revenue account and the petroleum fund.

He cautioned interest groups to vigorously do background checks at the ministry and its allied bodies before going public with information that was likely to impugn the integrity of people mandated to manage the country’s oil resources.

“The ministry takes this opportunity to reassure all Ghanaians that it will continue to manage the oil and gas sector in a transparent, honest and accountable manner and, therefore, welcomes any suggestions and criticisms that will foster these principles with the sector,” Mr Bawa said.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, May 23, 2012

Issue of copyright alien to us — Asiedu Nketia

Mr Asiedu Nketia

THE leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) says the issue of copyright is alien to the party and has no foundation in any law that governs political parties.

According to the party’s General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the law on copyright did not extend to the establishment of political parties.

“Even if it exists, I do not see how a copyright registered in April 2010 can extend retroactively to cover things that were done in 1992,” he said.

Reacting to  threats by a former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, to place a ban on the use of the NDC’s umbrella logo if the leadership continued to disrespect the ideals of the party and her family, Mr Nketia said the NDC met all conditions provided by the Political Parties Law before it was accepted as a party by the Electoral Commission (EC).

Those conditions, he said, included party symbols, colours and a constitution which were met by the promoters of the NDC and, therefore, paved the way for the party’s registration on June 10, 1992, with the EC issuing a final certificate approving of the symbol and other requirements.

Following the registration, he said, the NDC had operated as a legal political party and participated in all elections using the umbrella symbol since 1992.

“If anybody has any issue about any symbol of any party that seems to be infringing her right, the  place to go is the EC,” Mr Nketia explained.

Mrs Rawlings, in a letter written to the NDC Chairman, Dr Kwabena Adjei, said she held the copyright to the logo, known as the ‘Akatamanso’, which is the NDC  symbol.

The letter, signed by her counsel, Mr Stanley Ahorlu, said the logo was Mrs Rawlings’s intellectual property.

Mr Nketia, however, said the NDC had no cause to worry, saying the party might have had  cause to worry if the EC  was to have communicated any defect in the party’s registration to the party.

“Does it mean chiefs were not using umbrellas even before the formation of the NDC?” he queried.

While dismissing assertions that recent occurrences could have dire consequences on the party’s chances of retaining power, Mr Nketia called on NDC supporters to ignore the supposed claims and focus on the activities leading to the December elections.

He also dismissed media reports that the party held an emergency meeting yesterday on the issue, saying, “The issue cannot be distractive enough to occasion an emergency meeting.”

“We are not a party that is made up of conformists, since we have emerged from a conformist into a fully fledged democratic party with space for people to freely express their opinions,” Mr Nketia said.

He said nevertheless, the National Executive Council would be informed of the letter at its next functional executive meeting slated for next Tuesday.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, May 12, 2012

Fire sweeps through a room in Job 600

FIRE swept through one of the rooms in the State House building, popularly called Job 600, on Thursday, destroying electrical appliances and some materials.

The electrical appliances were among materials which were being used for the rehabilitation of the building to serve as offices for Members of Parliament (MPs) and their research assistants.

It took firemen from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) about 30 minutes to bring the fire, which occurred on the sixth floor of the building at 5:26 p.m., under control.

The Assistant Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, Mr Prince Billy Anaglate, told the Daily Graphic that the incident might have been caused by sparks from a welding machine which was being used at the time of the incident.

He said the GNFS had begun investigations to ascertain the actual cause of the fire.

Work on the rehabilitation of Job 600, at a cost of $40 million, is expected to be completed in August 2012 but, according to some of the workers on the project, the fire incident was likely to affect the completion date.

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) is providing a loan of $25 million to support grants from China and Belgium.

The Job 600 building, situated behind Parliament House, was constructed during the administration of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to accommodate participants attending the OAU (now African Union) Conference which took place in Accra in 1965.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic,  May 11, 2012

Support policies to promote reproductive health - Barnes

Mr Bagbin with Ms Barnes (middle) and Anna Kaniauskene

THE President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of  EngenderHealth, an international reproductive health organisation, Ms Pamela Barnes, has appealed for government’s support for the promotion of gender equality and for sound practices and policies that support sexual and reproductive health.

She said the attainment of targets four and five of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which respectively relate to reducing child mortality and improving maternal health, ought to be a priority, particularly when Ghana was facing challenges in that area.

Ms Pamela Barnes made the call when she paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Health, Mr Alban Bagbin in Accra as part of a four-day familiarisation visit to the country.

She is in the country, together with Ms Anna Kaniauskene, Director of Programme Support of EngenderHealth International.

Whilst here, Ms Barnes will also visit some of the organisation’s projects, which provide long-term family planning services to women and interact with programme staff.

The beneficiaries of EngenderHealth’s support are mainly Ghanaian women in rural settings.

Ms Barnes said the EngenderHealth International funds programmes promoted family planning in the Eastern and Central regions, where incidents of mortality are said to be high.

She said her organisation planned to scale up its support to the Ashanti Region to include 70 new communities.

Mr Bagbin admitted that achieving the MDG goals four and five had become a challenge to Ghana and underscored the need for urgent reforms  to strengthen the health sector.

According to him, although enough regulations were in place, they lacked proper structure to ensure that the necessary reforms were carried out.

Hence, he said, the ministry had initiated action to review current legislation on the health sector to make them more responsive to the needs of the public.

Mr Bagbin indicated that the ministry would withdraw from Parliament, some bills on the health sector for proper scrutiny so that the broader spectrum of  society could be served.

He further noted that the high importance placed on curative health care consumed a large chunk of the health sector’s resources.

To reduce the high cost of curative health care, he said, the ministry was promoting regenerative health as a strategy to keep the population healthy, he said.

He commended EngenderHealth for continuously working to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity in Ghana.
Ms Barnes also called on the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Frank Nyonator, to discuss EngenderHealth programmes in Ghana.

Dr Nyonator lauded the organisation for actively supporting the government’s effort to increase family planning in the country since it set up office in 1994.

He said the Ministry of Health had developed an MDG accelerated framework policy in its bid to achieve the MDGs.

The policy, he said, concentrated on family planning, providing skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care, saying that EngenderHealth had been a key partner in promoting long-term family planning.

 
EngenderHealth, a United States (US)-based non-governmental organisation (NGO)  working to improve the quality of health care, currently operates in more than 20 countries around the world.  

Its office in Ghana has over the years supported the training of health professionals, particularly staff of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), to provide high quality services in maternal health, family planning, and HIV and AIDS.        

In addition to building the capacity of health workers, EngenderHealth Ghana has also partnered the Ghana government to strengthen the country’s health system capacity by providing some medical equipment and undertaking modest rehabilitation of some health facilities.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Thur May 10, 2012

GRASAG demands thesis and bursary grants

THE Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG) has called for the release of their bursary and thesis grants to enable them to carry out their research work.

 According to the association, the continuous delay in the payment of the grants to over 10,000 students in the six public universities to enable them to carry out their research work had defeated the purpose they were meant to serve.

Consequently, the leadership of the association had given the government a two-day ultimatum to pay the grants, or they will embark on a protest march on Monday, May 7 to express their frustrations.

The President of the association, Dr Samuel Bert Boadi-Kusi, told newsmen in Accra on Wednesday that the government had not given any tangible reason for the delay in the release of the money even though they claimed approval had been given for the payment of the grants.

According to him, post graduate education in Ghana had become expensive, thereby defeating the equal access to education for all policy.

“The delay in releasing the bursaries does not only go to defeat the essence of the grants, but also go to put unnecessary pressure on students who have begun research work on credit basis in anticipation that these moneys were going to come early,” he said.

He wondered why the payment of the grants which were fixed as low as GH¢130 for Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Arts (MA) students as well as GH¢258 and GH¢450 for Master of Philosophy and PHD students, far lower than the extension fee of GH¢1,200 payable by students, continues to delay.

Dr Boadi-Kusi said the leadership of GRASAG had dialogued with the various institutions to no avail.
In some cases, he said their concerns were being discounted because of the perception that graduate students would rather engage in dialogue than demonstrate, adding that “We believe government officials are taking us for a ride”.

He said that the delay had in most cases led to the funds being paid back into government chest because they were released when students were unavailable to receive them.

For instance, he said, the University of Cape Coast returned GH¢32,000 of student bursaries to government chest because students had long completed and left the school before the grants were released.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, May 3, 2012

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day: Journalists urged to serve the broader interest of society

Agyenim-Boateng (left) and Ransford Tetteh (second right)

JOURNALISTS in Ghana yesterday observed World Press Freedom Day with a symposium, at which the speakers called on journalists to ensure that the core values of press freedom served the broader society.

The speakers indicated that media freedom must be exercised with responsibility within the law.

The theme for this year’s celebration was, “Media freedom has the power to transform societies”.

Speaking at the event, a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr James Agyenim Boateng, said the government would soon submit the Broadcasting Bill to Parliament for promulgation into law to standardise the country’s broadcasting industry and also increase the level of professionalism.

According to him, mismanagement of information could cause more harm than good, as peace was priceless, for which reason there was the need for media freedom not to be compromised.

“It, therefore, behoves all partners, particularly practitioners, to jealously protect the current freedom of speech regime,” he said.

The Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere, expressed concern over the growing trend of hate speech broadcast on the media landscape.

Adding his voice to calls for the immediate passage of the Broadcasting Bill, Mr Blay-Amihere said the NMC would, in the ensuing months, begin a media monitoring project, to be funded by the European Union (EU), and expressed the hope that the project would help improve standards.

The United Nation’s Resident Co-ordinator, Ms Ruby Sandhu-Rojon, who delivered a speech on behalf of the UN Secretary-General, indicated that the manifestations of unprofessionalism and partisanship in the media were retrogressive to free speech.

“No right or freedom comes without a corresponding obligation. Journalists have a role and responsibility to provide choices that do not incite hate, bigotry and violence,” she charged.

The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr Kofi Asamoah, reiterated the need for journalists to be unionised, since media freedom should be underpinned to better working conditions.

The President of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Chief Crystal Djirackor, said the migration to digital broadcasting must ensure that practitioners vigorously pursued professionalism and conduct that could promote public confidence in the media.

Earlier, in his welcoming address, the President of the GJA, Mr Ransford Tetteh, had said the gate-keeping role of the media had become very critical, particularly as the nation prepared for the December general election.

“There is, therefore, the need to balance freedom and independence of the media with high obligations of social responsibility,” he said.

He further indicated that the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill would enhance easy access to credible information that would enable people to make informed decisions and choices.

“It is our contention that free flow of information is an asset to good governance,” Mr Tetteh said.
There were solidarity messages from the Editors Forum of Ghana and other stakeholder bodies.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, May 4, 2012

TOR workers want govt to redeem pledge

The demonstrating workers at the May Day Parade in Tema

WORKERS of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) on Tuesday vent out their frustrations at government’s failure to fulfill its pledge to recapitalise the refinery as parts of its strategies to resuscitate the company’s operations.

The workers, who thronged the Greater Accra Regional May Day celebrations at Tema in their numbers, had also called for an immediate dissolution of the company’s Board of Directors (BOT).

Carrying placards with inscriptions, “TOR needs a working capital to survive”, “Woyome May Day”, “dissolve the gargantuan chopping board”, “TOR’s board is a strain of its operations,” We need some Woyome money to resuscitate TOR”, “why no crude oil at TOR, when the Jubilee fields are producing,” “is the Jubilee fields not for Ghana?”, “Allow TOR to continuously to refine”, “MOE; let transparency rule in the oil industry”, “where is the $200 million you promised, Mr President” amongst others.

Amid singing and chanting, the workers resolved to embark on an industrial unrest to press home their demands.

They also described Tuesday’s start up of the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) plant, which has been inactive following a shutdown for a month ago, as a result of the unavailability of crude oil for production as politically motivated, meant to divert attention from the core challenges at stake.

According to the local union, the refinery’s board had not played any useful role in the management of the company’s operations since they assumed office some three years ago.

The CDU and the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC) were shutdown simultaneously on March 11, this year, making the shutdown three in a row, since the first quarter of 2012.

The vice chairman of the Senior Staff Workers Union, Mr Daniel Fugar, told the Daily Graphic that the union was of the view that there is disparity between the board’s policy direction and that of management.

 “That, we believe, was affecting coordination between the two, leading to the strings of failures and setbacks, the refinery have suffered in its operations,” Mr Fugar said.

The RFCC, he said, is yet to come on stream, as the CDU is yet to begin processing the crude oil.

According to him, the company has since January this year conducted three shutdowns, with the latest start up being the third in a row within the same period, due to the same reason of unavailability of crude oil.

He queried why board members should still be receiving allowances when the core business they have been mandated to provide policy direction to ensure its functionality was in a state of coma, awaiting death.

The refinery’s management, which began a process to secure letters of credit (LCs) in March this year, for some 650, 000 barrels of crude oil, which was being held in its storage facilities for Sahara Oil, were only able to raise the money as of yesterday (Monday).

Uncertainty, however, hangs on an additional 600, 000 barrels, currently on board TOR’s Nippon Princess vessel at the Tema Port, and workers believe the plants might be shutdown for the fourth time should management fail to secure additional LCs to deliver the crude oil.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Thur May 3, 2012

What will save Ghana’s Textile Industry?

GHANA’S once vibrant textile industry has gradually joined the league of other countries in the sub-region, such as Nigeria with collapsed textile and garment manufacturing sectors.

  

From over 20 textile firms that employed more than 25,000 people in the last two decades, the country now has only four textile factories employing less than 3,000 Ghanaians.

The country’s once thriving textile market is now flooded with Chinese substandard textile products, therefore surging the unemployment rate.

The situation seems to be further deteriorating with the four major textile companies currently in operation now employing some 2,961 people.

Inconsistent government policies over the years, industry players say, have contributed largely to the continuous decline in the sector. 

Currently, the four major companies that are surviving the turbulence in the sector are the Akosombo Textile Limited (ATL), Textyl Ghana Limited (GTP), and Printex; with Ghana Textile Manufacturing Company (GTMC) at an ailing stage struggling between life and death.

The sector, which is predominantly cotton-based, has seen cotton production on small scale, while the production of man-made fibres is also undertaken on a small scale. 

The Ghana Cotton Company Limited (GCCL), which is one of the major sources of raw material to the textiles industry in Ghana,  is on  the verge of  collapse.

Available statistics indicate that the country’s total industry output was pecked at 129 million yards in 1977, with a capacity utilisation rate of about 60 per cent.

That, it said, made GTP to maintain the lead in the industry with an annual production of 30.7 million yards.

This was followed by GTMC, ATL, and Printex with production levels of 15 million, 13 million and 6 million yards, respectively, within the same period. 

Unfortunately, however, the total industry output, the statistics said, declined from 129 million to 46 million yards in 1995 but recovered to 65 million yards in 2005.

According to the General Secretary of the Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Union (TEGLEU), Mr Abraham Koomson, cheap imports, particularly from China, have forced the companies to shut down their spinning and weaving departments, while hundreds of workers employed in those units have been made redundant.

“The irony of the situation is that, while this cheap imports flood the Ghanaian market, the production companies also steal and imitate patents and trademarks of the local companies, which are often embossed to make them look like they were manufactured and woven here in Ghana,” Mr Koomson said. 

For instance, one can easily come across a Chinese fabric with a GTP, Printex or ATL name and logo and therefore making it  hot commodity on the market, due to their relatively cheaper  price,” Mr Koomson said.

The imitated fabrics, according to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), are often manufactured using some 28 chemicals banned in textile production, thereby making the fabric fade easily once it is washed. 

The surviving textile companies, he said, now “simply import the processed cotton, colour it and print it”. 

That, Mr Koomson said, was in relation to the fact that the private person’s essence of doing business is to make profit and not to create jobs for people. 

A task force set up in 2005 comprising representatives of the security agencies, the then Ghana Standards Board, the local manufacturers and the trades unions to conduct periodic checks at the points of sale of smuggled products was subsequently put in place with a view to arresting culprits and confiscating goods smuggled into the country.

The task force has, however, witnessed various setbacks in their operations, with persistent resistance on the part of the traders, who sometimes endanger the lives of the group.

The disregard for law and order has become the order of the day, while security personnel detailed to protect and ensure compliance in regulations sometimes compromise their stands for material gain.

The Ministry of Trade has as well looked on aloof, while people arrested for engaging in smuggling are left off the hook, as a result of over-politicisation of arrest of culprits.

Mr Koomson also blamed the country’s judiciary system for emboldening the smugglers.

A new approach of confiscating and burning seized smuggled textiles has also received stiff opposition from members of the public.

The irony is that despite the seizure and destruction of confiscated fabrics, the industry still remains uncompetitive, which is the evidence of failed interventions made by the government and stakeholders.

To what extent could acts of indiscipline that tend to deprive the state of revenue for job creation and development be tolerated?

Is complicity on the part of officials and those in charge of enforcement further lead to a decline of the sector?

Stakeholder bodies and industry regulators should do proper introspection with the hope of resuscitating the textile industry; this could reduce unemployment.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, April 30, 2012