Youth must use votes to secure future - Ms Gbowee

A NOBEL Peace Laurette, Ms Leymah Gbowee, has challenged Ghanaian youth to use their votes to negotiate their future rather than accept handouts that tends to manipulate their conscience to violent conducts.

She similarly charged politicians and political parties not to limit the energies in young people for foot-soldier purposes.

“Do not follow blindly, rather ask questions and push for debates as you are major stakeholders who are often used as tools in gaining political power”, she advised.

According to her, the issue of peaceful elections were not a theoretical ones, but one that needed action plans to be achieved appropriately.

Ms Gbowee was speaking at a youth forum organised by the National Youth Authority (NYA), on the theme, “Peaceful elections 2012: the youth and the way forward”.

The programme, a curtain raiser for a series of nationwide engagement with the youth by the authority was meant to sensitise and provide information on the maintenence of peace before, during and after the December general elections.

She indicated that failing government structures across the African continent had seen the youth’s inability to create opportunities for themselves, thereby silently transiting them into foot-soldiers for the purposes of spearheading severe confrontations.

“Stories in newspapers and the airwaves in Ghana today clearly points in that direction”, she stressed.

According to her, although Ghana had become a model of democracy in Africa, economic and unemployment issues continue to plague its economy and these factors, she said, were a global phenomenon.

“Throwing stones for politicians would worsen your already impoverished situation and giving the politician who has all the resources at his disposal the opportunity to flee to a more developed country for his comfort”, Ms Gbowee told the gathering of young people who attended the programme.

“If you want to throw stones, follow me to Liberia for the repercussions of such actions”, she said.

While calling on young people not to allow the few minority seeking power at all cost to determine the trend of their lives through violent conducts, Ms Gbowee said that, “the power of life and death lies in their hands, since they were the biggest stakeholders in electoral decisions that defines true democracies”.

The Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr George Sarpong, said that there was the need for Ghanaians to reflect on the despair of Liberia from the cycle of peace and violence that led to a total destruction of that country.

He indicated that single electoral decision and the youth’s failure to be instigated with violent conducts by those seeking political offices at all cost would be a test case as December polls approaches.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NYA, Ms Sedina Tamakloe Attionu said the forum had become necessary owing to the fact that the youth form the masses in the elections.

She stated that whereas political parties have a right, there was the need to equip the youth with relevant skills and tools that would allow them to resist attempts of manipulation and determinants of political trends in their communities.

Ms Attionu also announced that the forum would be replicated in all regional and district capitals nationwide in an attempt to lessen rising tensions associated with elections and expressed the hope that stakeholders and religious bodies would embrace the concept of peace building before, during and after the elections.

The Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Ms Lauretta Vivian Lamptey, who chaired the programme commended the NYA for the initiative saying the youth ought to be the main focal point of thought in stabilising democracy.

Present at the ceremony were officials of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Deputy Minister for Women’s and Children’s Affairs, Ms Hawawu Boya Boriga, who cautioned politicians and individuals not to hide behind politics to settle individual, religious or political scores.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Sat Jan 7, 2012

Govt pays GHc642m in judgement debt

THE government, between 2001 and 2011, incurred GH¢624 million as judgement debts, a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has said.

Out of the amount, GH¢117 million was paid in 2009, GH¢276 million in 2010 and GH¢231 million in 2011.

While some of the payments were tortious claims resulting from molestations by members of the security agencies, others were in respect of wrongful dismissal of government employees, compensation in respect of accidents caused by some public officials, as well as wrongful demolition of private properties.

Breach of contracts constituted majority of the payment made during the period under review.

Eighty-six institutions and individuals benefited from such payments in 2010 alone.

Among them were Balkan Energy Limited (GH¢170,726), CP Construction (GH¢18,012,982), African Automobile Limited (GH¢2,500,000), MS Rockshell International (GH¢7,140,500); Latex Foam Limited (GH¢133,165), Novotec Limited (GH¢573,058) and Nene Yobo Asutsuare Sugar Factory (GH¢2,525,600).

Dr Seth Twum, Nana Owusu Akyia Prempeh II, Kojo Boakye Kutin, Kojo Hodare-Okae and Alfred Agbesi Woyome are among the individual beneficiaries.

Similar payments were also made to the National Procurement Agency for settlement agreement and Avnash Industries Limited for the confiscation of the company’s assets in 2004.

The payment of all judgement debts by the government has been captured in the Auditor-General’s 2010 Report on Public Accounts submitted to Parliament by the Auditor-General.

Mr Ablakwa told the Daily Graphic in an interview that the government, in 2010 alone, made payments to some 86 beneficiary individuals and organisations, while negotiations were still underway to clear outstanding arrears.

He said the payments so far made, including that of Mr Woyome, were as a result of the former adminstration’s failure to honour contractual obligations.

According to him, payments made in September this year, with outstanding arrears of about GH¢560 million (which converts to over US$380 million) enumerated recently by the Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, in Parliament, would have been channelled into poverty alleviation ventures.

“The whole nation would have been spared the uproar that payment generated if past government officials had acted in a meticulous manner,” Mr Ablakwa said.

The Auditor-General’s Report indicated that the GH¢276 million judgment debt, representing 11 per cent of total government administrative expenditure, could have been avoided if public officials had taken precautionary measures in performing their official duties.

The report similarly indicated that the non-enforcement of penalty clauses by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) also emboldened oil marketing companies (OMCs) to unduely withhold state funds, resulting in some huge chunk of revenue loss to the state.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Fri Dec 30, 2011

Journalists implored to be circumspect in reportage

THE Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has called on journalists to be circumspect in their reportage and presentations to keep the nation united as it cruises towards the 2012 general election.

He reminded journalists and the media houses of their role as gatekeepers and advised them to filter statements made by politicians which were likely to inflame passions and cause disaffection among the people.

Making the call at a soiree for media practitioners in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Mahama said although the media had made remarkable progress in content and technology over the last two decades, it behoved practitioners to ensure their democratic pursuits were devoid of acts that might heighten political tensions in the country.

The programme, which was organised by the Ministry of Information, was attended by ministers of state and senior journalists from both the print and electronic media.

“People would make extremely unpleasant statements that could create problems, but you as practitioners ought to let the people know that governments would come and go, but Ghana would remain,” Mr Mahama said.

The Vice-President said the digital terrestial migration process currently underway might even see more proliferation of radio and television stations, thus increasing competition on the media landscape.

Mr Mahama expressed regret at the continued low educational competence of some practitioners, saying “the media profession is so tied to human rights that, it has made it impossible to enforce stringent regulations against persons who claimed to be practitioners, because it is a profession that is based on freedom of expression, which in itself is a basic human rights requirement”.

Media owners and operators, he said, had taken advantage of the situation by engaging less qualified people as a cost-cutting measure, in the belief that “the less qualified the person, the less you can pay him”.

That, he said, informed the government’s decision to set up the media fund to help build capacity of trained and untrained practitioners meant to aid professionalism.
Mr Mahama announced that the composition of an independent Board of Trustees (BOT) was underway with an accompanying legislation to supervise the disbursement of the fund.

While commending practitioners for continually being an ally of government in spite of their political persuasions, Mr Mahama charged them to even monitor the government appropriately by engaging officials in useful measures in the ensuing year.

He expressed the hope that the 2012 general election would be a successful one and counted on the media to make sure the feat was achievable.

The Vice-President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Affail Monney, said the media, to a large extent, had lived up to the task by contributing to the growth of the country’s democracy.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Hannah Tetteh, who described 2011 as an eventful year for the media in the dissemination of government policies and programmes, also called for accurate reportage of information as Ghana continued to lead as pacesetters of democracy on the continent.

SOURCE: Mary Mensah & Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Fri Dec 23, 2011

GCGL WILL REMAIN LEADING NEWSPAPER HOUSE - ASHIGBEY

THE Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Ken Ashigbey, has expressed the commitment of the company to entrench its position as the leading newspaper house in the country.

He also reiterated the resolve of the company to explore the West African market in the short to medium term to reflect its vision.

He, therefore, advised the members of staff of the company to strive for excellence in the pursuit of that dream.

Addressing a staff durbar in Accra yesterday, Mr Ashigbey said the GCGL was expected to play the lead role in the provision of first-hand, timely, accurate and reliable information for the Ghanaian populace in 2012, being especially an election year.

Mr Ashigbey reminded the workers that the vision of the company was to be the biggest, most influential and reliable multi-media organisation in the West African sub-region and, therefore, urged them to work harder to attain that goal.

He indicated that management was aware of the challenges faced by the company and which required sacrifice on the part of workers to ensure that its titles maintained their leading role on the market.

Mr Ashigbey said the challenges were over and assured the workers that they would never happen again.

He underscored the need for the management and the leadership of the union to work together and ensure that the GCGL provided very high quality products and services.
The managing director also called on the government to give the company a reprieve whenever there were challenges.

He gave the assurance that he would pursue an open-door policy and called on the workers to offer pieces of advice as and when necessary.

An executive member of the union, Mr Charles Benoni Okine, who read a speech on behalf of the union, said the union was grateful that management had listened to the views of workers and complied to its decision to give staff a token for the Yuletide, bearing in mind the suspension of the 13th-month salary.

He expressed concern over the structural defects in the new press house building which, he said, had developed serious cracks in some areas.

Performance awards were given to 19 members of staff drawn from the various departments and the regions for distinguishing themselves in their various disciplines, while journalists who also distinguished themselves in their various disciplines and were honoured by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) were also honoured at the durbar.

SOURCE: Mary Mensah & Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Thur Dec 22, 2011

HUNDRED YOUTH ACQUIRE SKILLS

ONE hundred youth engaged under the National Youth Authority’s (NYA)’s range poultry project have graduated after undergoing a four-week intensive training in free range broiler poultry production.

The youth, drawn from the 10 regions, also underwent tutorials in housing management, disease and pest control and marketing at the Youth Leadership and Skills Training Institute at Afienya in the Dangme West District in the Greater Accra Region.

According to the National Co-ordinator of the NYA, Ms Sedina Tamakloe-Ationu, the programme, a joint partnership between the NYA and Tycriss Livestock Farms, was targeted at meeting the increasing annual poultry supply deficit.

It was also intended to equip the youth with entrepreneurial skills, while recognising the government’s desire to increase private sector participation in its development agenda.

According to Ms Tamakloe-Ationu, the project was informed by the increasing joblessness and deprivation that had continued to plague the youth across the African continent, with Ghana not being an exception.

That, she said, had become the prime concern expressed by the youth and community leaders who had called for an economic policy focus that could generate employment and assuage the despondency of rural youths.

“It is in this light that the NYA, on refocusing its mandate and service delivery, has chosen to shore up impetus for employment generation, with emphasis on transforming the agricultural sector which has become an area of stagnation among the youth,” she said.

She further explained that the primary focus for the introduction of the project was to raise the status of agriculture as a national priority geared towards overcoming the youth unemployment menace.

Ms Tamakloe-Ationu announced that the NYA intended to extend the project to four regions by the first quarter of 2012, in line with its strategy to achieve the one million-bird target in the next three years.

She gave an indication that the authority was determined to re-engineer the curricula of the Western and Volta Regional Youth Leadership Training centres through the provision of machinery and equipment in order to feed into the oil industry and called for financial support from the public and private sectors towards the achievement of the set goals.

The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, who delivered the keynote address on behalf of the Minister of Youth and Sports, indicated that officials were not oblivious of the consequences of the failure to secure satisfactory employment on completion of school or acquiring skill training.

“The intense frustration, despair and alienation are enough to trigger problems of physical and mental health and may also lead to social ills, including drug and substance abuse, violence, robbery, among others,” Mr Amenowode said.

While lauding the NYA and Tycriss Farms for the initiative, the minister called for collaboration to move beyond training to youth wealth creation in agri-business and its related opportunities.

The Chief Executive Officer of Tycriss Livestock Farms, Mr Nicholas Attiogbe, for his part, noted that his outfit decided to partner the NYA in line with its objective to assist institutions and individuals, with a precise focus on the youth, in poultry production as a means to increase economic activities in the country.

“We believe the partnership provides a valuable opportunity for the youth to be self-sufficient, economically stable and trained in a particular field that can become a main source of employment,” he said.

He expressed the hope that the graduands would go out to create opportunities for themselves from the knowledge and skills acquired from their training.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Dec 20, 2011

AFRICAN GOVERNMENT'S URGED TO PROMOTE INTERNAL TRADE

THE outgoing Resident Representative of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Sierra Leone, Dr Samuel Ofori Onwona, has called on African leaders to learn a lesson from the recent positions taken by the United Kingdom and other European nations in the heat of the Euro Zone crisis.

According to him, there was the need for African nations to look within by utilising natural resources in order to maximise developmental benefits.

“It is unacceptable to look outside when trade protocols need to be ratified and ensure they function appropriately as a way of incorporating industrialisation into the continent’s growth,” he said.

Dr Onwona made the call at a business development workshop for exporters on the side lines of the Ghana International Export Fair held in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The 10-day solo exhibition was put together by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA) and the Ghana High Commission in Sierra Leone, with sponsorship from the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF).

According to Dr Onwona, Africa’s failure to identify its own prospects had weakened its growth potential, thereby giving undue advantage to Chinese imports which were virtually collapsing the few industries that were still in operation across the continent.

The Minister of Trade and Industry for Sierra Leone, Dr Richard Konteh, who chaired the function, expressed regret that although Africa produced the chunk of the raw materials the world needed, it continued to depend more on imports from other countries than African countries exchanged among themselves.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Dec 20, 2011

SMALL AND MEDUIM ENTERPRISES ADVISED TO MAKE USE OF FAIRS

THE Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Dr Kwadwo Owusu Agyemang, has urged small and medium-scale enterprises to take advantage of the authority’s sub-regional export trade fairs to boost the growth of smaller entities into multinational corporations.

He similarly called on the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and stakeholder bodies trading in non-traditional products to partner the authority to effectively advance the frontiers of their businesses across the sub-region as they strove to attain non-traditional exports (NTEs) revenue growth targets by 2015.

According to him, multinational business entities began on a minimal scale and they had stood the test of time in contributing immensely to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the Ghana Business Forum organised by GEPA, under the auspices of the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) in Banjul, The Gambia, Dr Owusu-Agyemang said the participation of smaller businesses would not only go to increase exports from Ghana but also serve as a motivation for job creation and reduce poverty.

“Every economy depends on medium-scale enterprises to advance economic development, thus their participation is key to the attainment of our medium-term strategy,” he said.

Dr Owusu-Agyemang further said the focus on small-scale enterprises was to make sure they fed into bigger ones to facilitate their autonomy.

Citing the example of Bomart Farms, producers and exporters of fresh and dry fruits, he said the company had since grown to become a major supplier to European countries such as Spain and Germany following the exposure gained through participating in international export trade fairs across the sub-region.

The wholly owned Ghanaian company, which he described as being among the leading producers of pineapple and mango fruits, after Golden Exotics, had since diversified its market routes to the West African sub-region.

“The success story of Bomart Farms, Reroy Cables and Kinapharma across Europe and sub-Saharan Africa is what we want to attain with small and medium- scale enterprises working to promote NTEs,” he said.

He paid glowing tribute to the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF) for the relentless support they had given to export fairs organised by the association and pledged GEPA’s commitment to effectively ensure the fulfilment of its mandate.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Mon Dec 19, 2011