G hana Today

Volume 3 Issue 2 February 2010

State of the Nation Address by His Excellency, John Evans Atta Mills, President of the Republic of

His Excellency, President John Evans Atta Mills pre- integrated aluminium industry, based on bauxite, a sented his second State of the Nation Address to Ghana Par- petrol-chemical industry based on salt and natural liament on Thursday 25 February 2010. In his address, gas, a fertiliser industry to give momentum to agro President Mills said Ghana could grow and mature as full development, a salt-based industrial chemical indus- participant in the 21st century Global village and be a sta- try for caustic soda as well as allied consumer prod- ble, prosperous, democratic leader in Africa only when love ucts and exports based on oil and gas. of country superseded Housing: Beginning from personal ideology and the this year Metropolitan, people agreed on these Municipal and District objectives. Assemblies would be ex- Under the theme pected to invest a size- "Partners in Vision" the able proportion of their 72-minute address made District Assembles' Com- observations on the mon Fund in rental Economy, Agriculture, housing for lower and Employment, Youth lower-middle-income Development, Education, groups in the country. Health, Housing, Security The President said a Na- and Governance. tional District Assemblies He said: "One year after Rental Housing Project our election, I'm proud to Taskforce would be es- stand before you and say tablished to monitor the with confidence -'The project throughout the State of the Nation is country to solve the per- good. and I can confi- ennial homelessness and dently say `So Far-Much Better." streetism in the country. Highlighlights of the State of the Nation Address President Mills said he had also directed the Ministry Government to review ROPAA Law: The President said of Water Resources, Works and Housing to complete the passing of the Representation of People's Amendment all the "affordable" housing projects the previous Gov- Act (ROPAA) was based on flawed processes for its introduc- ernment started to solve the acute housing problem in tion and not on the principle of Diaspora Voting the country. The president said his government’s commitment to provid- The Drug Menace: Ghana would no longer continue ing the opportunity for Ghanaians abroad to exercise their to be a subsidiary for the illicit drug trade and a sanc- franchise was not in doubt and that the Government would tuary for the drug barons. The president said Ghana review the ROPAA Law in its entirety and would not adopt a was no longer an attractive destination for the illicit piecemeal amendment of the legislation. He called for the drug trade. total involvement of all political parties to reach a consensus He noted the country was still having a hangover effect from to enable the Government to replace the existing ROPAA the drug boom of the immediate past, but that it was only a .Flagship Project: Government has directed the Ministries matter of time that this would be brought to an end. of Energy and Transport to fast-track investments into the The President said the nation owed this to our youth construction of a Deep Sea Port with a dedicated oil services who have become unwitting targets of the activities of facility, and the rehabilitation of the Western Railway corri- these evil creatures. It is a case of “no retreat; no sur- dor. He said the government was laying a foundation for an render”.

Mob. 07776 396396 or e-mail [email protected] State of the Nation Address — Continue NATIONAL HONOURS: The President announced his 3,000 tractors for farmers in 2010 intention to repeal the National Honours Instrument of Food production in Ghana is to 2008, which he described as "Discriminatory and receive a major boost as govern- Inappropriate". ment plans to provide farmers "A repealing Executive Instrument would be laid before with over 3,000 units of tractors the Parliament in the course of the year, which would in 2010. restore the original non-discriminatory honours warrant Minister of Food and Agriculture, of 1st July, 1960 executed by the First President of the Mr. Kwesi Ahwoi disclosed this at Republic, Osagyefo Dr. ”. this year’s Farmers’ Day celebra- tion in Tamale in the Northern SECURITY: President Mills said his government had the Region. sharp drop in armed robbery and organized crime in the Mr Ahwoi said the tractors, to be country. He commended the Police and other security sourced from Brazil, USA, India agencies for their efforts at fighting crime. He promised and Japan, will come with other that the Government would continue to strengthen the implements such as planters, human and logistics base of the security agencies for harvesters and a host of other them to protect life and property to attract more investors inputs. Even before this, some into the country. combine harvesters have been CORRUPTION: The President expressed his government's ordered with 31 having already determination to reduce corruption to the barest mini- arrived in the country. mum by making the penalty for corruption so high that it The move was part of what he would be become something to avoid at all cost. said was a “comprehensive strat- The NDC government would adopt two steps approach to egy to revolutionalise and accelerate the modernization of reducing corruption. First, the government would ” – an aggressive programme to sub- strengthen the anti-corruption Agencies of State to make stantially boost food production and make the country them more effective, rigorously enforce the provisions of self-sufficient in food production. the Whistleblower’s Act and vigorously prosecute all past The programme, Mr Ahwoi indicated, will expand land and present officials of State who fall foul of the anti- area to be cropped from 11,500 hectares to 240,000 hec- corruption laws. tares. Secondly, the NDC government would wage a massive education campaign against corruption involving public AMA to generate energy from waste anti-corruption institutions, civil society anti-corruption agencies and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition and the Ghana Integrity Initiative and others. Education: Government would this year implement more educational programmes to raise the standards of education in the coming years. These programmes would include the refurbishing of science resource centres in schools, provision of infrastructural facilities in Senior Secondary Schools, the removal of schools under trees and the elimination of the school shift system. Government has ordered investigation into the utilization practices of the GETFund in the past and called for a re- view of the GETFund Act. Government to decentralize the operations of the Board and the broadening of the fund to involve more educational institutions.

The of Ghana is to The Metropolitan Authority has signed a Memorandum of introduce a GH¢2 (Two Understanding with a private firm EWS Ghana Pty, to set up a Ghana Cedi) denomination in waste management plant at Teshie – Accra by August for the proc- response to the need for an essing of the waste generated in Accra. intermediary banknote between the GH¢1 and According to the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Alfred GH¢5 banknotes. Vanderpuije, the company would process over 2000 tonnes of In a statement issued on Thursday the decision waste generated daily in Accra and its environs into energy to aug- follows a review of the cash cycle conducted by ment the country’s energy supply. the Bank in 2009, which indicated that there was a lot of pressure on the GH¢1, resulting in He disclosed that the project is expected to generate about 45 the notes circulating too fast and being over- megawatts power, which would be fed into the national grid. used. The worn-out state of the GH¢1 defeats He said under the agreement the company would provide about the bank’s Clean Note Policy, which seeks to 140 waste vehicles and refuse containers for the city's nine sub- ensure that only good quality banknotes remain metros for waste collection to ensure regular supply of waste to the in circulation, the bank said. plant. The introduction of the new denomination will expand the series of banknotes in circulation, The project is expected to bring huge financial relief to AMA, which enhance exchangeability and facilitate spends large chunk of its revenue on waste management. transactions.

Page. 2 Volume 3 Issue 2 February 2010 News In Brief New Cement Factory Ghana High Commissioner - designate for Central Region presents credentials to the Queen

The Ghana Higher Commissioner- designate to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo on the 9th February 2010, presented his letters of cre- dence to Queen Elizabeth ll at the Buckingham Palace in London. His Excellency Professor Danso- Boafo, clad in a colourful rich Kente cloth was accompanied by his wife and senior officials of the Ghana Mission in the UK. The A Central Region construction entourage was escorted by the company, Adwenpa Construction and Engineering Services Limited have Marshall of the Diplomatic Corp, disclosed that they are to partner a Mr. David Gray from the Ghana Japanese firm to construct a cement Mission in Belgrave Square, to factory at Winneba in the Effutu Dis- the Buckingham Palace in a trict of the Central Region. procession of 1864 built horse drawn carriages. According to the Executive Director of the company, Mr. Julius Kwaku Her Majesty the Queen of Eng- Ankomah, the factory when completed land, expressed confidence in the would have plant processing capacity Government of President John of 3,000 tonnes of cement per day. Evans Atta Mills . The Queen said she was encouraged by the formi- The factory to be known as "Central dable strides the Ghana had made Region Cement" (CENTROCEM) would in search of stable democratic gov- be operational next year. The inves- ernance. She hoped Ghana would tors of the project, Sojitz Consortium continue to be a lodestar on the based in Japan, has its African head- African continent, especially in quarters in Angola, while the contrac- terms of the country’s democratic tors for the project are FLSmidth En- governance and economic success. gineering Company.

Inflation Rate falls in January The Queen urged Ghana to put in place an enduring and transpar- Ghana’s ent system so that the country rate fell for the could benefit from the revenues seventh consecu- that would accrue from the recent tive month in oil discovery in the country. January from The Queen was delighted to note 15.97 per cent in that Ghanaians resident in the UK December 2009 were law abiding and praised to 14.8 percent in them for their contribution to the January , raising expectations the development of the UK economy. Bank of Ghana will cut interest rates for the second time in three years. On his part Professor Danso- Boafo, expressed the optimism that the oil revenue would be judiciously used Bank of Ghana cuts Prime Rate to benefit the citizenry. He told the Queen that the President had set up a special committee to supervised and manage the oil revenue and that “prudent strategies have The monetary been put in place to help avoid the mistakes of other countries in terms Policy Com- of the managing and channelling of oil revenues.” mittee (MPC) He recounted the lasting relationship between the two countries and of the Bank of pledged his commitment to work hard to further strengthen the bonds of Ghana has cooperation. reduced its Prof. Danso-Boafo had previously served as Ghana’s Ambassador to Prime lending Cuba with concurrent accreditation to Jamaica, Trinidad and, Nicaragua Rate from 18 and Panama. percent to 16 percent in line with the An impressive reception to congratulate the High Commissioner was later prospects of falling inflation and im- provements in economic activity and held for the Ghanaian community, Heads of Commonwealth Missions in the UK and staff of the Mission. output growth.

Volume 3 Issue 2 February 2010 Page 3

News Round Proactive International donates NDC - Milton Keynes holds Ward elections Cutlasses to farmers in the Hohoe North Constituency

Proactive Interna- tional, a UK based NGO has donated items worth more than five thou- sand Ghana Cedis to lo- cal farmers and some Junior High Schools in the Hohoe North constituency of the Volta Region.. The Milton Keynes’ Ward of the National Democratic The items included one hundred and twenty (120) cut- Congress, UK & Ireland Chapter held its biennial Con- lasses to be distributed among needy local farmers gress over the first weekend in February 2010 to elect and internet based computers and fax machines for new Executive Committee members. deprived local schools in the Hohoe North Constitu- ency. In addition, Proactive International provided The following persons were sworn in by Mr Horace funds for the registration of one hundred local people Ankrah, the Chairman of the NDC UK & Ireland Chapter under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). as new Executive Committee Members of the NDC Milton Keynes Ward. Donating the items, the president and founder of Pro- active International, Mr. Theophilus Kojo Dzimega Jnr Mr Peter Kumadi, Chairman Mr Gilbert Amartey Vice- said over the next five years, his international based Chairman Mr Elijah Tawiah, Secretary Mr Frank Evans NGO would endeavour to register a minimum of twenty five people from deprived areas of Hohoe Mu- Fiaka, Assistant Secretary Miss Judith Kotia, Organiser nicipality every quarter under a Proactive Health Help Mrs Regina Kumadi, Women’s Organiser Ms Gifty Kpobi, Initiative. He said the items donated were his personal Welfare Mr Rasheed Khawasa, Youth Organiser Mr John contribution in appreciation for the support the com- Kaburi, Treasurer Mr Kwame Ofori-Manu, Assistant munity gave him in the days gone which had turned Government Announces New Minimum Wage him into what he is today. Receiving the items on behalf of the local community, The Tripartite Committee, comprising Organ- Mr. Reginald Dogbe, an opinion leader in the commu- ised Labour, Employers and the Government, nity thanked Proactive for the kind gesture and urged has agreed on a new daily minimum wage of other Hohoe residents in the Diaspora to emulate Mr. GH¢3.11 effective February 1, 2010. Dzimega’s example. Mr Dogbe asked for more to be The previous daily minimum wage of GH¢ done to help improve health and education in the mu- 2.655, was implemented in April 2009. nicipality. Mr. Abraham Coomson, a member of the negotiating team, told The President of Proactive, Mr Theophilus Dzimega newsmen that Labour has pencilled in a minimum of GH¢4 but has Jnr., a UK based engineer said Proactive together with to concede some grounds during the negotiations. Discussions have its partners would soon embark on some initiatives to been on-going since last year. help improve education in the Hohoe municipality. He The committee also agreed on a new income tax-free thresh- said these would include free vacation classes for all old of GH¢240 per annum to GH¢1,800 per annum to re- JHS and SHS students in the municipality. He said duce the burden on the economy’s formal sector workers. proactive would also be providing new internet based computers to deprived schools during the next aca- The new threshold means workers who earn less than GH¢ demic year. 1,800 per annum are exempt from tax. The GH¢240 thresh- old was fixed in 2006. Mr Dzimega Jnr. who is also member of the UK & Ire- land Chapter of the National Democratic Congress later donated two computers, two printers and a scan- Disclaimer ner to the Hohoe North Constituency of the Party. Re- This publication is mainly for dissemination of local news to ceiving the items, the Constituency Chairman, Mr. Ghanaians resident in the UK & Ireland. Views expressed in this Wonder Buasilenu thanked Mr Dzimega Jnr. for his newsletter, unless otherwise stated, are the author’s personal opin- kind gesture and called on him to support the Con- ions, and do not necessarily represent the policies of any particular party. The editor reserve the right to edit all contributions to conform stituency party to relocate to a new office to facilitate to space and household standards. Please send comments to the the work of the party. Editor at [email protected]

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